Final Fantasy XVI - General News Thread

Members see less ads - sign up now for free and join the community!

  • This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn more.

Hey Everyone

Keyblade Master
Dec 30, 2016
794
191
26
Unknown, Unknown
I don't think Ilazy realizes that you're making fun of Nomura, lol.
I'll be honest though if it wasn't for Tetsuya Nomura I probably would have never gotten into Final Fantasy.
I was intrigued with Versus XIII, and I loved Kingdom Hearts, so when FFXV got announced in 2013, I decided you know what? I'm going to play some FF games to get ready for FFXV, to get some knowledge of the place you know? Hell if it wasn't for Nomura I probably wouldn't have even played FF7(one of my favorite if not my favorite FF game)
 

DrBretto

Warrior of Light
Mar 18, 2016
1,605
1,436
41
I'll be honest though if it wasn't for Tetsuya Nomura I probably would have never gotten into Final Fantasy.
I was intrigued with Versus XIII, and I loved Kingdom Hearts, so when FFXV got announced in 2013, I decided you know what? I'm going to play some FF games to get ready for FFXV, to get some knowledge of the place you know? Hell if it wasn't for Nomura I probably wouldn't have even played FF7(one of my favorite if not my favorite FF game)
Oh, I have no problem with Nomura at all. I think everything people are saying about him being a bit disjointed is totally true, I just don't count that as a negative. He's a creative type that needs an anchor to keep him grounded. That's perfectly fine and plays into people's strengths. The only problem with Nomura is his seniority puts him in the director's seat and he should be, at most, a creative director instead. Some people, especially creative people, need someone grounded to keep from floating off is all.

But, I do think it's funny that Ilazy has become this born-again Nomura worshipper and didn't realize that you were poking fun at him, so he liked your post thinking you were agreeing with him. I find that funny.
 

Hey Everyone

Keyblade Master
Dec 30, 2016
794
191
26
Unknown, Unknown
Oh, I have no problem with Nomura at all. I think everything people are saying about him being a bit disjointed is totally true, I just don't count that as a negative. He's a creative type that needs an anchor to keep him grounded. That's perfectly fine and plays into people's strengths. The only problem with Nomura is his seniority puts him in the director's seat and he should be, at most, a creative director instead. Some people, especially creative people, need someone grounded to keep from floating off is all.

But, I do think it's funny that Ilazy has become this born-again Nomura worshipper and didn't realize that you were poking fun at him, so he liked your post thinking you were agreeing with him. I find that funny.
TBH I think tha Nomura's FFXV would have been fine, and tbh I'm kinda tired of this director war, Tabata vs Nomura nonsense. Both are great directors, tbh I think both were fucked over by Square's management, but I understand Square's side though KH3, and FF7 are popular brands that they could potentially make more money on, with FFXV after FFXIII's reception from buyers, along with it's sequels and the disaster that was FFXIV 1.0, and them not having anything for FFXV, I understand why they chose Versus. Honestly I think that FFXV's story did need a trilogy to be a told or at the very least two games. It would be nice to see if Nomura still wants to do something FFXV related whether it be a sequel or a Reboot/Earth-2 of FFXV/Versus XV, I mean i'm fine with the changes but I understand why some people wouldn't be, I mean looking at the Versus XIII stuff it was well done, what they showed, same with 2013 trailer, and you know what? If a Versus XV happens, if Nomura is done with Kingdom Hearts, and has the time for a Versus XV then you know what? I say to Square go for it, I mean It would be cool if they are thinking about it or maybe talked to Nomura about it. If it doesn't happen I'll be a bit disappointed, but not in the way of Nomura vs Tabata, but more of, I would like to see more Chocobros in a way cuz those guys are amazing, and I love the combat system of FFXV.
 

Hey Everyone

Keyblade Master
Dec 30, 2016
794
191
26
Unknown, Unknown
I really hope future mainline FF titles just improve upon the Active Cross battle combat and ditch ATB all together, or better yet make the combat like KH 1 or 2 like what Versus XIII was going to do. Use ATB Combat for the spin-offs or make WoFF a long running series.
 

Tornak

Keyblade Master
May 18, 2014
718
421
31
Madrid, Spain
I've been saying since basically X that they should use a graphic style that is actually capable of fully capture the character designs in the game.

Especially with Nomura's art: I love his art (the designs, on the other hand, are a mixed bag), although I dislike his current, very sharp and KH-looking style used in games such as Dissidia (mid and late 90's Nomura still the best). Thing with him is that his characters tend to look way too pristine and silicone-like in-game, as well as having clothes and hairstyles that might look alright in a drawing, but when you have to see that in 3D and with a more realistic approach...

Take a look at Tidus: as a design, despite the stupidity of his outfit, he doesn't look half-bad:
And then you see his Meg Ryan face. And how round and lacking in detail everything is. I mean, it's not atrocious, but there surely are much, much better styles for him and the rest of the characters for that matter.

FF XII was so great in that department, what with the stylised graphic look they went for (the kind of hardware limitations they had to endure probably helped here): Yoshida's designs were important, too. FF XIII is another like X imo, while XV is much, much better in that regard but you still get very awkward and stupid-looking characters such as younger Noctis (he looks good in concept art and in the anime, but not in-game (to me, at least). All it took to fix him there was non-embarrasing clothes and a normal enough hairstyle, Nomura!).

So yeah, although I'd rather a different, more unique style (like XII), cell-shading wouldn't be automatically bad and could be even good considering how poorly these concepts can translate into the game: remember that "cell-shading" is not just one unified look, but rather an approach. It cool look similar enough to DQ VIII, Ni No Kuni... or something completely different and, say, more complex and realistic.

I think that the next game is going to look kinda like Agni's in terms of character modelling style (so, pretty much like XV). How it's going to look depends on the artistic style of the characters and world themselves.
 
Likes: Storm

Tornak

Keyblade Master
May 18, 2014
718
421
31
Madrid, Spain
they should do a cel-shading game with amano's artstyle

instant win
Oh, man, fuck yes. It won't happen, his art is very hard to actually translate into 3D (I'm guessing. There's a CG film) and it would look weird to most people, but I would fucking love it.

Actually, if you don't get Amano back, make the new character and world designers adapt to his style. There are actually quite a few approaches to his style, so it's not even limiting.

There's a New Year's greeting card (I think? Can't find it for the life of me) that Koozek posted some time ago (again, I think?) that featured a female character that looked similar enough in style and clothing to FF VI characters. I hope that's their next style.
 
Likes: Storm

Tornak

Keyblade Master
May 18, 2014
718
421
31
Madrid, Spain
Hard to happen unless the character designer, graphic and art director roles are under the same name.
Yeah, I know. But a stronger collaborative effort in that regard should be feasible (Naora, for example, was the one trying to get Nomura's characters right for XV, right?). Or at least having into account the artistic style of the characters and design the game looks based on them, trying to be as faithful as possible (I'm focusing on them so much because I think world design is usually well represented in FFs).

Still, I hope they approach XVI in a way where they have a pretty clear vision of the story and the general gameplay mechanics from the beginning.

It was said in a another thread I think (had been so long gone that only just yesterday read some of the forum's latest posts), but ND's approach (a gameplay director, a creative one) could help a lot provided they're in tune (it must be hard to find another pair like Bruce and Neil, though).
 
Likes: AnGer-dono
Still, I hope they approach XVI in a way where they have a pretty clear vision of the story and the general gameplay mechanics from the beginning.
This. Also they should opt to have a clear-cut message that emphasizes them wanting creative control and not wrestle with some Suits in marketing about their vision. Though I'd like to think 2017's Square Enix is different from mid-00's Square Enix and something like Vaan won't ever happen again.
 
Likes: Tornak

Tornak

Keyblade Master
May 18, 2014
718
421
31
Madrid, Spain
This. Also they should opt to have a clear-cut message that emphasizes them wanting creative control and not wrestle with some Suits in marketing about their vision. Though I'd like to think 2017's Square Enix is different from mid-00's Square Enix and something like Vaan won't ever happen again.
I'd like to think that too. To be honest, a big chunk of the last decade and this one have probably been a good lesson for S-E in terms of how to approach the series and console development, and I hope the very deserved criticism of some of XV's aspects resonate with them.

Sure, there will still be things done by commitee, but hopefully those are kept to a minimum. XV actually took a lot of different risks, so they obviously have a big degree of freedom to toy with ideas. It also has a lot of staple mainstream features, but that doesn't necessarily mean that all those features are bad or anything.

I just hope that they remember that this is their franchise and that it shouldn't be made to cater to specific audiences just to sell: believe in your product, be weird when you have to and be safe when you honestly believe that's the right call.
Not a bad approach but I also would like them to be more "flexible" and not very stone rigid with it.
I mean, sure, any kind of creative development should have some degree of flexibility: things constantly change when you craft a story, characters and world, especially when you have to make them fit a certain engine, hardware and timeframe/budget/resources.

What I want is that they have a clear vision of what they want. Broad strokes of the main scenario and characters, as well as a fixed enough amount of gameplay features. And then, build on that, changing and deviating from the main path when necessary, but not overhauling the whole plot or game concept every now and then.

Basically, a very strong vision and a good adapted planning, which shouldn't necessarily mean an incredibly fixed, strict and narrow approach. As in, look at FF VII or IX: they both started as very different projects, but eventually took form and they could work on a general (but still pretty specific) scenario and game concept that could fit their schedule (sure, different times and all that jazz, but still). Despite all of that, the games felt very complete for the most part: I feel like XII, XIII and XV didn't have that privilege due to a plethora of problems, according to what we've been told and seen (FF XIII demo, Tabata and Roberto Ferrari comments...) and what we could infer.