remake Archives • The Lifecast Network

My Final Fantasy Wish List

January 29, 2017 Kennedy

There aren’t many game series that have managed to not only survive, but thrive as long and as well as Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy has practically become synonymous with the JRPG genre and in many ways, is its mascot. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Final Fantasy is without sin, though.

Get it? I’m hysterical. via finalfantasyunion

I find it hard to call myself a longtime Final Fantasy fan in light of just how long it’s been around, even in the States (1990) but I have been a fan of Final Fantasy for just over a decade now, and I have played most of the main series games and many of the sequels, prequels, and spinoffs. In other words, I know my way around the franchise well enough to know exactly what I want from it. Ever since the release of 15 I’ve been thinking a lot about things I’d like from the franchise since it’s been changing so much in its last few entries: New concepts that could be interesting, old ones that I’d like to return, things it should hang on to and let go of, and so on. So without further ado, here’s my wish list of things I want to see in Final Fantasy.

via fanpop

Remake or Re-Release of Crisis Core

Since Final Fantasy 7 is getting remade, it’d only be appropriate if its wonderful prequel, Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, got a remake, too. Or at the very least re-released. It was originally released for the PSP in 2007 (or, if you live anywhere but Japan, 2008) and is, in fact, the tenth best selling game on the PSP. Despite being a clearly well-loved and well-selling game, a very crucial part of the Final Fantasy 7 story, and yet on a handheld console that was largely overlooked and underrated, Crisis Core never got a re-release of any kind. Not even on Steam, where you can find a sizable portion of the Final Fantasy franchise, for better or for worse. I’ve been playing a lot of Final Fantasy 7 lately, and the only thing it’s making me want more than to sink my teeth into the remake is a chance to replay Crisis Core. Not only is Crisis Core simply a wonderful game, but it fleshes out 7’s story entirely–but sadly, unless I want to go buy another PSP, I can’t do that unless it’s re-released. Once the remake is out, we’re going to see a flood of new Final Fantasy fans wanting to get into the series and older fans wanting to relive it. Crisis Core is a large part of reliving the joy of Final Fantasy 7, and Square Enix can bank on that easily. There’s no reason for them not to re-release it.

via gematsu

3D Remakes of Final Fantasy 5, and 6 (or at least 6)

Currently, Final Fantasy 5 and 6 are the only main series Final Fantasy games that were never made or remade in 3D, despite 1-4 all getting 3D remakes on the DS (7, of course, is when they started getting made in 3D right off the bat.) Final Fantasy 5 I can sort of understand why it was never remade in 3D: It’s not one of the particularly more well-loved Final Fantasy games, generally has okay reviews at best, and is generally only well-known for being the first Final Fantasy game to expand the job system and add more customization options. In other words, it’s easy to see why it wouldn’t be high on Square Enix’s priority list for Final Fantasy.

The reason Final Fantasy 6 hasn’t been remade in 3D escapes me completely. There’s no reason for it not to have been remade in 3D. Final Fantasy 6 is constantly hailed as one of the greatest entries in the series. Many fans agree that its antagonist, Kefka, is the best in the whole franchise, the gameplay is more polished and perfected in 6 as opposed to the other 16-bit Final Fantasy games, the characters are very well-written, this was the first time a Final Fantasy game dug this deep into its story, it was emotionally gripping, the list of reasons why this game is so beloved can go on forever. This makes it all the more curious why it never got a 3D re-release or remake of any kind, sans a very poorly made mobile port with some slightly 3D sprites (which, in case you’re wondering, doesn’t constitute being called a 3D remake.)

If I haven’t made it clear enough, if only 1 of these games were to get a 3D remake, it should be 6. It confounds me how it hasn’t been remade in 3D yet. The gorgeous visuals and jaw-dropping atmosphere are 2 of the biggest hallmarks of Final Fantasy. So why not, Square Enix, bank on one of your most loved games and make it the visual indulgence we’ve all imagined it to be for over 20 years now? After the 7 remake is done, 6 should, without a doubt, be the next to get remade. If Square Enix wanted to take the next decade or so and not make any new Final Fantasy games and focus on remaking some of the classics instead, I honestly wouldn’t have a problem with that.

via hardcoregamer

A return to turn-based combat

If this were a numbered list, this would be number 1. If only one thing on this list were to happen, I’d want it to be this. I didn’t care for the combat in Final Fantasy 12. It got worse in 13. I give 14 the same leeway I give 11 because they’re both MMOs and therefore should be played differently because they’re a different genre of game, and of course, I’m not a fan of the gameplay in 15. One of the hallmarks that made early Final Fantasy stand out was its turn-based combat with a timer that was used in the first 9 games. In 10, the timer was removed and it was purely turn based. Final Fantasy 11 is when the average player could start noticing some pretty large changes to the traditional Final Fantasy combat, but as I already said, it’s an MMO–obviously the combat would be different. Enter Final Fantasy 12, which in terms of gameplay, feels like an identity crisis from start to finish. The timer from the early games is still there, but it’s not turn based–it’s a Frankenstein of gameplay elements. It’s the game that transitioned the series from its traditional turn-based combat to action JRPG combat.

Make no mistake, I like action JRPGs. In fact, there are many I love–most notably the .hack//G.U. trilogy which is one of my all-time favorites. The problem lying in Final Fantasy as an action JRPG series is that the gameplay is messy, gimmicky, and in many cases, needlessly complex. It had its time to experiment, but has failed not once (12), not twice (13 and all its spinoffs), but 3/3 (15) times now. Many fans miss the turn-based combat this series branded itself with–including myself. Change can be good, sure. And yes, there is a shortage of popular turn-based JRPGs (as opposed to action JRPGs) in recent years. I think that’s all the more reason Final Fantasy should return to its turn-based roots, especially if they choose to bring back the style from 10 which (in my opinion) was the best gameplay the franchise has ever had. Not only will several older fans be happy, but it’s an effective way to dominate the sizable niche of fans who prefer turn-based JRPGs (which is likely to be become bigger real soon with the release of Persona 5 on the way) and improve the overall quality of the games in general.

via movienewsguide

If you’re going to require watching an anime to understand a game, at least attach it with the game

This has been brought up on the podcast a number of times, but if your game–Final Fantasy or otherwise–practically requires you to watch an anime, please attach the anime with the game somehow. Put it in the case. Attach it with the files on Steam. Put an option to watch it in the main menu. Something. The original .hack// series attached DVDs with the .hack//Liminality anime with the games, so why can’t Final Fantasy do it, too? If it’s more of a spin off (like Advent Children) then this isn’t necessary, but in Final Fantasy 15 they practically make it a necessity to watch Kingsglaive and Brotherhood–yet they’re no where to be found with the games. Luckily, Brotherhood is available on Crunchyroll but Kingsglaive, however, isn’t. You have to pay $13.99 to stream it or buy it on DVD/Blu-Ray, unless you’re okay with pirating it. (Square Enix certainly isn’t, which makes it all the more baffling why it’s not more accessible.)

In summary, I don’t mind watching an anime to better understand the world of a Final Fantasy game–but if you’re assuming your audience has seen the anime (as Square Enix does with Final Fantasy 15) then give them access to the anime. There’s a difference between using an anime to help your storytelling and requiring the anime to help your storytelling–Final Fantasy 15 is the latter. If you’re going to do this, attach the anime with the game. It highlights its importance to the story. If you’ve bought the game, you’ve bought the anime with it. Square Enix doesn’t even have the courtesy of making Kingsglaive more accessible, which is, for lack of a better phrase, a scummy thing for them to do–not to mention confusing. Is trading accessibility for a higher price honestly more profitable for them in this scenario? Anime is one of the easiest things out there to pirate or stream illegally. I honestly think that if they charged a reasonable price for Kingsglaive, Square Enix would see many more people more willing to pay the extra few dollars to support it. But by asking so much to see it–especially after paying for the game with a retail price of $60–that seems like more money than necessary. Again, this wouldn’t be a big deal if it were a spinoff like Advent Children was, but unless you want to be left without context several times in-game, watching not just Brotherhood but also Kingsglaive is a necessity.

via idigitaltimes

Keep the camera from Final Fantasy XV in future entries

There isn’t anything in Final Fantasy 15 that puts a bigger smile on my face than when I see Prompto has taken more pictures. It’s charming, culturally relevant, and a good way to share the game and get some free publicity and discussion on social media.Final Fantasy 15 is the first time we’ve seen such a large integration with modern technology in a Final Fantasy game, and for the most part, makes it work really well! Whatever direction Final Fantasy 16 takes–traditional fantasy (EX: 10), futuristic/dsytopian fantasy (EX: 7), or something with a more modern feeling (EX: 15) I really hope that Square Enix finds a way to integrate the camera. In fact, photographer can be a permanent class in Final Fantasy for all I care. Regardless, it’s a light hearted break to see our protagonists having fun during the rest of the despair and tragedy going on in the rest of the game–I hope it stays. In fact, I hope we’re eventually able to take our own in-game photos as well.

via vizzed

Bring back the questionable fashion choices

If you’ve played almost any Final Fantasy game before 13 you know exactly what I’m talking about. Skirts made out of belts, hats the size of your torso, a new character sporting a midriff for each day of the week, and who can forget the indescribable “style” of the blitz ball uniforms. With a few exceptions (most of the characters from 7 and 8 and a few other miscellaneous characters here and there) up until Final Fantasy 13 most characters in the series had wonderfully bad fashion taste. But of course, most of their attire fits in well with the universe–if anything, it helps build the universe. A glance at any character from Final Fantasy 9 will tell you that we’re dealing with a very traditional fantasy game–just as a glance of any character from Final Fantasy 15 will tell you that there’s less traditional fantasy in this entry.

But man oh man, despite that, I still miss the wildly imaginative–often over imaginative–designs given to characters. I consider these over-the-top fantasy designs practically a part of the Final Fantasy branding because they were used for so long. There’s nothing wrong with not having them, though–like I said, in a subtle way, it helps build the world. Such as in 15, they might not be necessary. But to someone who’s become so accustomed to the questionable designs of Final Fantasy–which is likely the vast majority of fans–it’s a little disappointing playing a game like 8, 13, or 15 and not needing to pause for a minute to wonder how someone’s hair is staying the way it is and how many hair products they consume in a daily basis. Or how part of an outfit was even crafted or where it was bought, let alone staying on their body. Or feeling pure shock and awe seeing a cosplay of it and wondering how the hell they did it. In 13 is when I think we saw the transition. If you went out dressed light Lightning, Vanille, Serah (her 13-2 costume, not her 13 one), or Noel you’d probably get some strange looks, but in the right environment (I say because of Fang) I think you could get away with dressing up as anyone else without anyone batting an eye. Will we ever see a character with hair as gravity defying as Cloud or Seymour again? God, I hope so. I miss the sensation of being able to look at a character design covered in 50 fabrics, a few unnecessary pieces of armor here and there, a dozen belts and zippers, probably either a midriff or a deep v-neck (maybe even both), and hair that would make Marie Antoinette jealous and without knowing anything else being able to identify that it’s a Final Fantasy character.

via avclub, illustration by Nick Wanserski @NWanserski

Would you Kindly Read my Thoughts on Bioshock: The Collection?

September 18, 2016 Kennedy

Let me preface this by saying that I don’t hate the recent glut of collection games that have been coming out in the last ~5 years. And just so we’re all on the same page, a collection game is a re-release of a game or several games, now in an HD format. I do wish that a lot of the studios remastering their old games would make new content, yes, but now that gaming is making such graphical and technical leaps faster than ever, I think it’s important that older, beloved games aren’t left behind and get forgotten, and eventually unplayable because there’s simply no other way to play them unless you have their original console. For both new and old fans, it’s a hassle unless a re-release of the game is made. Bioshock is an interesting case: It was released in 2007 on the PS3/360. It’s almost 10 years old, but in the grand scheme of things and the typical age of games that get re-released on collection discs, it’s not that old. Additionally, Bioshock is a beautiful game. Despite being an early title in its console generation, graphically it remains one of the most beautiful games on the PS3/360–both it and it’s sequel Bioshock Infinite that came out late into the PS3/360’s life in 2013. So why re-release them?

Personally, I don’t think that the creation of the Collection was necessary right now. Make no mistake, I’m very happy to see these games re-released: Bioshock is my favorite game of all time. Bioshock Infinite is another one of my all time favorites. The only qualm I have about re-releasing these games is the timing. The oldest game in this bunch is the first Bioshock, which will be 10 years old next year. Especially considering how graphically advanced Bioshock was at the time it came out, I just don’t think it needs to be remastered in HD just quite yet. It’s only one console generation behind, after all. Bioshock Infinite, on the other hand, is barely 3 years old–it’s plenty recent enough that people still remember it, love it, talk about it, and play it all the time. If that wasn’t enough, there’s several packs on the PS3 and 360 available right now with 2/3 games on it (Bioshock 1+2, Bioshock Infinite+1), and a version of Infinite you can buy with Burial at Sea already on it as well. To me, it feels as though the Collection was just released so there could be a PS4/XBOne port of the series. Personally I don’t think most games need to be remastered or ported–especially when they’re so readily available on Steam, as each Bioshock game is–until they’re at least 2 console generations behind.

Does this look like it needs to be remastered in HD? Honestly? via store.steampowered.com

So let’s get into the meat of this review: Is buying the Collection worth the sweat of your brow? Allow me to first make the disclaimer that I bought the physical PS4 version of this game since my PC isn’t powerful enough to run any of the Bioshock games–even if it was, I don’t have 70GB available to put it on. In any case, as far as my experience with Bioshock: The Collection goes, the short answer of my earlier questions is yes, it’s worth it if you’re a fan of the series and you see yourself replaying any of these games at least a few times, or you want everything on 2 convenient discs rather than 2-3. If this is your way of getting into the franchise, however, you’d probably be better off buying the games separately on Steam/PS3/360 until the price goes down.

The Collection is currently $60 and contains Bioshock 1 and its DLC the Museum of Orphaned Concepts and Challenge Room, Bioshock 2 and its DLC Minerva’s Den and Protector Trials, and Bioshock Infinite and its DLC Clash in the Clouds, Columbia’s Finest, and Burial at Sea episodes 1 and 2. In addition to all that, there’s interviews about Bioshock with Ken Levine (creator of the Bioshock series) and Shawn Robertson (animation lead and director in Bioshock 1 and Infinite respectively) sprinkled throughout. In other words, you’re getting every Bioshock game, all the DLC, plus some interviews. The only corner the Collection cuts is the multiplayer options in Bioshock 2. The reasons behind the cut of the multiplayer hasn’t yet been clarified, but as someone who never particularly cared for the multiplayer options in Bioshock 2 (or Bioshock 2 in general) it doesn’t particularly matter to me. It does, however, leave me extremely curious about why 2K would put so much effort into including literally everything else plus extras and leave that out.

The multiplayer aside though, each of the Bioshock games can be bought at a decent price if you’re buying physical copies–usually around $10-20 used, depending on the condition. In theory, you could buy Bioshock 1, 2, and Infinite separately and only spend slightly more than half of what you would on the Collection–and that’s if you buy them all singularly, rather than buy them in a pack, as I mentioned earlier. Regardless of what you do, if you’re buying physical copies, you’ll likely be spending $30-40 on the whole series. On Steam it’s harder to gauge the price since they each go on sale so frequently. My best advice would be to wait for them to go on sale, and if you’re lucky, you’d probably be spending about the same price that you would if you’d bought physical copies–possibly less depending on the sale. In any case, although the Collection has graphics that are only slightly improved, exclusive interviews, and the convenience aspect of having the whole series right there, if the price of a game is your selling point then the Collection probably isn’t worth it unless the graphics, interviews, and convenience are worth an extra $20 for you.

via youtube.com

Another thing several fans are critiquing the Collection for is that it hasn’t fixed some of the glitches in Bioshock Infinite. Although Bioshock Infinite isn’t necessarily a glitchy game, it does suffer from a few hiccups here and there. It’s usually just simple things like the occasional clipping graphics and textures, but there are a few small glitches. None of them are major, none of them break the game, and there’s not that many to begin with. Most of them are simply clipping graphics. Although none of them major flaws, they do feel very out of place in an otherwise gorgeous game. Most fans, myself included, expected that most of these small glitches would be patched up in the Collection, but so far, people are reporting that there have been no changes. The PC version, on the other hands, seems to have a few issues of its own that aren’t present in the console Collection, or the original versions of the games. For that reason and because as I already mentioned, the console ports are likely the entire reason 2K made the Collection in the first place, I’d recommend the console version of the Collection over the PC version.

If you’re already a huge fan of Bioshock who wants a new way to immerse yourself in the elaborate universe(s) of the game, I think the Collection is incredible. It’s convenient, has lots of extra content, and at the end of the day, it’s a current-gen port of 2 wonderful games, their DLC, and Bioshock 2. If you’re not a huge fan of Bioshock but a fan nonetheless and just wondering if this is a good port, it can be if you’re wanting a PS4/XBOne port of these games–otherwise, it’s probably a better idea to wait for the price on the Collection to go down. The current price tag of $60 isn’t outrageous, it’s the standard price of a new triple-A console title right now and is honestly a fair price for all the content you’re getting in the Collection, I just think it’s odd to pay that much when you can just as easily get the entire series ~$20 cheaper without missing too much of the content. If you’re not a fan of Bioshock and wondering if you should use this to get into the franchise, although you can if you want and should if you really like the idea of having all the games, DLC, and extra content on 2 discs, I wouldn’t recommend it solely because the graphics are only slightly better, I’m sure the extra content will be available online eventually, and you can buy each of the games individually with the DLC for a grand total of ~$40.

Again, I’d like to emphasize: Bioshock 1 and Infinite are my favorite games of all time. As a huge fan of Bioshock, the Collection was worth it for me. I love the extra content and the convenience of the Collection, I just wish that they had waited longer to release it–until a time when the graphical changes could be noticeably better, until they could patch the hiccups in Bioshock Infinite, until the Bioshock games aren’t as extremely accessible as they are now. Until it were at least 2 console generations behind. These are games I will (and am, in fact, currently) replay time and time again. Additionally, listening to the interviews and learning more about the production of Bioshock has been a very fun experience for me. If you’re as big a fan of Bioshock as me, I can’t recommend the Collection enough. If you’re not that big a fan and just looking for an easy way to play the Bioshock games, it’ll likely be more budget friendly for you to buy them all separately or wait a few months for the price of the Collection to go down. Regardless of your decision, these games are astounding. If you’re reading this to find out whether or not I’d recommend the Bioshock games, Collection or no Collection, the answer is yes, I’d recommend them more than any other game ever made.

via platstation.com

Remade, Rebooted, Redundant?

May 25, 2016 Ricky

Oftentimes its hard to stay original in any creative industry, most especially gaming. What play-style can you create that no one has seen before, or what new story can you use to hook an audience? Oftentimes, big-developers will put stock into these new innovations, however for the most part they will push remakes or sequels as they are sure-fire ways to get profits. And why wouldn’t they? These are franchises that we love and we want to see continue. Oftentimes, if a particular sequel is met with in-adequate sales or critical reception, then most likely the next number will be forgone in favor of a remake. Fans could be asking for a sequel for years while others think it would be best to try and start from scratch. And then there are times when a franchise that has no desire from the community to continue.

Dead to Rights was a great deal of ridiculous fun, but way too past its prime. Image source: Amazon.com

This can be seen in games such as Dead to Rights Retribution, which was meant to revitalize the franchise after the mediocre Dead to Rights 2. Ironically however, the remake didn’t do much better in either sales or critical reception. The franchise tried to stay relevant, but with a hap-hazard remake coming out four years after the its popularity went stale, there was so little interest in what was done different that it seemed to be the final nail in the series’s coffin. But there are cases where the fans can end up being blind-sided by a remake when what they really wanted was a sequel. Fans of Devil May Cry know this feeling all too well, as the outrage soared over the announcement of its grittier reboot.

The remake of Devil May Cry, or DMC: Devil May Cry, was a complete overhaul of design and tone for the series. The once cheesy and anime-like setup and style for the Devil May Cry characters were replaced with more gritty and modern styles that more reflected the hipster and internet activist crowd. While it kept the supernatural elements of the old series, such as the main protagonist Dante being the son of the demon lord Sparda and fighting demons to protect the world, it darkened his backstory at the same time making his attitude more rebellious. Instead of wearing a red trench coat with white hair, he instead sported a modern-punk faux hawk with a tank-top and a black jacket. Fans were bashing this design the second it had come out, and while Ninja Theory, the new developer on the game, tried to tweak it to fit the fans’ tastes more, it still was bogged down by hatred of change. But did that make it a bad game? Not at all. I even felt it was an interesting change. Don’t get me wrong, I still revere Devil May Cry 4 as one of my favorite games for the Playstation 3, but while this new game made a lot of changes, I felt the changes worked. Although there were of course some eye-rolling lines as well.

Only a slight change in Dante’s design. Image source: Butterfly Samurai.com

But what of the gameplay? The game was very similar to the old, having players utilize a variety of different guns and swords against different types of demons in the general hack-and-slash style. However, fans didn’t like some changes to it, such as the update to the style system. The system used to reward players for attacking enemies in different combos, dodging hits, and doing so in short amounts of time. The new system however just allowed a player to rack up points until they got hit, which for some felt overly simplistic, losing the reward for skill the game once had. Another factor was the lack of lock-on targeting which had been essential in every game so far. Thankfully though, Ninja Theory included it within the remastered DMC: Devil May Cry Definitive Edition for the Playstation 4. But all things considered, the story remained very similar, if only re-updated. Dante and Vergil are still brothers, and are still trying to take down the Demon king Mundus. However, while trying to keep the game fresh, it only turned off more people than it pleased, which is unfortunate because I consider it a great game,and I’m a huge fan of the series. And much like how this remake won’t be expanded, neither will the out-of-left field Prince of Persia from 2008.

When I read that a remake of Prince of Persia was being made for the Playstation 3 in Game Informer, I was confused. I had Two Thrones on PS2, and I thought it was great. Only later did I find out that it did the most poorly out of the three Prince games, Sands of Time and Warrior being the previous in the “Sands of Time” trilogy of the game. The game wanted to branch off of the original trilogy instead rather than continue the current. Now the game was based around a completely new character, having no name and not even called “The Prince”, as the previous protagonist had been, and his main goal is to help mystical princess, Elika, free the land (which has several Persian aesthetics and motifs) of corruption. While a lot of focus was on acrobatics and platforming, the game was now an open world game wherein the player could go after any of the four bosses in any order. After beating one, the player would be given a new ability to explore the world better. Erika also helps the player in acrobatic platforming. However a noticeable departure is the loss of the time reversing mechanic, relying more on a variety of gained abilities to make up for it. These abilities weren’t as powerful as time-reversing, but each was gained from a boss and allow the player to explore the world more.

Elika clearing the darkness from another section of the map. Once this finishes the player gets a new power. Image source: Destructoid.com

Another interesting note is the use of cel shaded graphics which helped set it apart. Unfortunately, the game received a luke-warm reception. Fans of the game series felt it was too easy and disliked the one-on-one QTE based fights that were based off of the original trilogy. The game would get an epilogue in DLC, however it only prolonged the gameplay a little bit while not furthering the story nearly at all. Prince of Persia would again be rebooted with The Forgotten Sands. However, with the most it could tout being the ability to run up frozen water, it seemed a desperate attempt to once again revitalize the franchise, but sadly enough it may have been the final nail in the prince’s coffin. At least for now.

So in summation, what can be said about remakes and reboots, and can they really work? It makes a lot of sense why someone would try to re-energize a series. It helps to bring them back into the limelight and possibly be improved for the modern times. For instance Far Cry seemed to get a complete tone shift in the third came which made it one of the best selling games in 2013. And while Ratchet and Clank may not be old, the new reboot released helped it break away from what a lot of fans saw as being a stale formula from titles sushi as All 4 One and Full Frontal Assault. However, there are times when people aren’t ready for the change and aren’t as receptive, such as with Prince of Persia or Devil May Cry. And even then, some franchises may seem only the more dated when being brought back such as Duke Nukem Forever or Star Fox Zero. The remakes and reboots that work do so because they know what made the original great, and instead of copy it, change it just enough to be interesting, but still be recognizable, getting the same emotions from fans as well as possibly some new ones.