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[Narolf]

I'm an insider (my uncle works for Nintendo Square-Enix) and he let me play Versus really early. It's the best game ever and has magic and swords.

Their truth is a lie, and I do not accept the world as it is.

Don't force me to drag you onto the public square for your hanging, or else, there will be tears of blood.

Also, just curious, Kagari, what was this implying???:

"Guys...

you were suppose to...

...

..

. "

That they shouldn't talk about something they were told or shown? Kinda seemed like a load of crap, but you are pretty on top of this stuff, which made me curious. Feel free to not comment about that if you don't want to lol. I'll completely understand.

As I've said earlier, Zeal merely tried to mimic Verendus, who most likely tried to mimic Kagari herself or something like that. Folks were then making fun of the whole situation. At the end of the day, we all knew who was the one stating the truth...

No, but I work with them from time to time.

Anyway, Hashimoto - the game's producer - is the one who said it would show up this year.

Someone decipher these KH script-esque posts.

Nice guesses, but you're trying to read the wrong person. There is no complicity involved: it's no one but me.

This story took its roots on me posting my IRL picture here back in September 2011, as a way to start my life-time as a GAFfer, even though it's only recently I started to become actually active around these parts. If you crave for seeing KH scripts into this, then I would say said particular post has been made when my post-count was around the 13th mark, and that when one is asleep, the other gets awake.

That is it tho. Granted of the response that has been made after your post, I'm inclined to believe the private jokes have been being dragged into threads for too long now. While they did serve a cause in the first place, the last ones were nothing but me toying with fire. Last thing I want is that all of this gets consequential, and to more than just me.

 

[Jawmuncher]

My main wish for Nomura FF is that he doesn't make the plot convoluted like Kingdom Hearts.
I mean I'm not saying FF13 and 13-2 weren't, but its be nice to go back to something easier to understand without loads of research.

 

[Famassu]

My main wish for Nomura FF is that he doesn't make the plot convoluted like Kingdom Hearts.

The things we know about it don't sound like it will get convoluted like KH. We have a prosperous kingdom with the last crystal in the world (others have been destroyed during wars between nations). They are about to sign some peace treaty with another country, but during the celebrations for that they get attacked by some faction. The crystal gets stolen and Noctis & Co have to go on a journey to get it back. It seems there are some factions even inside the kingdom who don't want the peace, so it (the crystal getting stolen) could all be somewhat of an inside job.

 

[Persona86]

The OP information is very, very old news. Why do you think so many people were exited for Versus? it wasn't just the trailers.

I guess it is appropriate that I post this here. I am never one to post false rumors or speculation, but I can reveal the following from a source that is 100% reliable and has brand new information. If this turns out to be false within the next few months, you can ban my account and that of my children's children. Actually, it won't even take months.

Source asked me not to reveal specifics, but the game IS coming soon and WILL be shown soon. Tons of progress has been made to rebuild most of the game from the ground up and when people see it, they are going to understand the reason for the delay.

Game will not be called Versus anymore...so put two and two together and you'll understand what's going on. This IS the future of where all FFs are going in terms of look and gameplay.

Anyway, reveal soon and it will be glorious beyond all of our wildest dreams. Those who kept the faith alive were not in vain.

EDIT: Also, the information revealed by one of the previous leaked sources is 100% accurate.

Everything you said is vague and is probably true without having a "source", you revealed almost nothing that's not obvious basically.

 

[Jawmuncher]

The things we know about it don't sound like it will get convoluted like KH. We have a prosperous kingdom with the last crystal in the world (others have been destroyed during wars between nations). They are about to sign some peace treaty with another country, but during the celebrations for that they get attacked by some faction. The crystal gets stolen and Noctis & Co have to go on a journey to get it back. It seems there are some factions even inside the kingdom who don't want the peace, so it (the crystal getting stolen) could all be somewhat of an inside job.

That sounds good to me.

 

[StuBurns]

I've been a big fan of changing the name for a long time now, people said it was impossible until they did it with Agito XIII. It's not as if keeping the XIII would kill the game, or seriously cripple it, but it's just an additional challenge in selling it, communicating it's separate, and it's a newer technology base, it's just a headache. The next Half-Life game will be called HL3 too, not HL2EP3, for basically the same reason.

 

[zoukka]

Final Fantasy threads are quickly becoming traps for me. I need to stay away and use my bitterness for something productive.

 

[caffeware]

...

 

[Persona86]

I would love something like an action game for the player controlled character and a Gambits like system for the comp controlled characters.

Interesting idea. Not sure if it would be good, but still a nice idea.

 

[Narolf]

Final Fantasy threads are quickly becoming traps for me. I need to stay away and use my bitterness for something productive.

Doppelgängers, not doppelbängers. 10/10 would cuddle, if anything.

 

[zoukka]

Doppelgängers, not doppelbängers. 10/10 would cuddle, if anything.

You summed up the state of the franchise quite nicely.

 

[Narolf]

While you made my day.

 

[Sickboy007]

There's gotta be an inverse correlation between the quality of the games of a storied franchise and the craziness of Its fans.

 

[TheJollyCorner]

man, I feel like I'm at a Square-Enix round-table with all of these amazing insiders posting!!!!!!!

Spoiler

god I hope you fools are right about all of this

 

[jaxword]

Game will not be called Versus anymore...so put two and two together and you'll understand what's going on.

Everyone's been making the "It'll be rebranded as FFXV" prediction for YEARS now. Nothing new there.


I'll go against the grain and say they should make Agni's Philosophy as FF15.

 

[caffeware]

I would love something like an action game for the player controlled character and a Gambits like system for the comp controlled characters.

 

[Narolf]

...? You just posted the same message right above. Was that intended or something?

 

[jaxword]

...? You just posted the same message right above. Was that intended or something?

You post all over the internet but have never seen a doublepost?

 

[Narolf]

That wasn't a double-post tho. He copy/pasted his message as if he were trying to say the same thing twice...

 

[Juken]

I really hope that information is still accurate. It's pretty old, but it's hard to resist getting hyped about it!

 

[ponpo]

FFXII is so amazing. My favourite since 7 and probably my favourite battle mechanics of the series. Copy it all you want!

Also still waiting for FFXII IZJE HD (._. )

 

[Kagari]

I really hope that information is still accurate. It's pretty old, but it's hard to resist getting hyped about it!

Who knows. The public hasn't seen the game in two years now.

 

[Ghost_Protocol]

Who knows. The public hasn't seen the game in two years now.

It really has been a full two years since we saw the gameplay trailer in Jan 2011.....Wow

 

[Yoshichan]

This is GOOD news.

 

[abasm]

Sort of hoping it gets bumped to the PS4, at this point. It would be super successful as a launch title.

 

[TheJollyCorner]

You post all over the internet but have never seen a doublepost?

hahah neat image. Took me a second.

Sort of hoping it gets bumped to the PS4, at this point. It would be super successful as a launch title.

but would it get nearly the number of potential sales as it would on PS3/360... or even PS3 exclusively?
No matter how awesome PS4 might be, the install base is still going to be too small to cover production costs of a 6+ year development even in the first year of the system's release.
Yeah, I'd love for it to be a next gen game, but it doesn't make a lot of sense from corporate's perspective- unless Sony threw them some money directly.

 

[Kagari]

hahah neat image. Took me a second.




but would it get nearly the number of potential sales as it would on PS3/360... or even PS3 exclusively?
No matter how awesome PS4 might be, the install base is still going to be too small to cover production costs of a 6+ year development even in the first year of the system's release.
Yeah, I'd love for it to be a next gen game, but it doesn't make a lot of sense from corporate's perspective- unless Sony threw them some money directly.

It could do well as a year 1 title - like FFX was to PS2.

 

[Exentryk]

Best outcome would be a cross gen PS3 and PS4 game.

 

[r3z0n]

Lord Nomura shall deliver, ye shall have faith.

 

[Ravage]

I'm quite surprised that there are so many here who didn't see the FFXII influence in Versus. Why do you think us Versus fans are so excited for this game? Provided that the vision remains intact, Versus will be a huge step forward for the franchise (much like FFXII was).

 

[hateradio]

^ That's if it ever comes out.

 

[Narolf]

It has already come out, anyway; just in another form. Yep.

 

[Dunan]

As someone who had drifted away from RPGs and then was fully pulled back in with the amazing FFXII, this news is absolutely fantastic. The more FFXII-like this game is, the better it will be.

Take your time, Nomura and SE. I'd rather wait a while for a truly excellent game that I'll still be replaying a decade from now than a flawed game that I play once and then forget about.

 

[DiipuSurotu]

This is all just from the game's official Wikipedia page, so take it as you will

Most of this was added to the article by G-Zay (also known as Galvanization), a notorious Hiroyuki Ito fanboy from GameFAQs whose favorite pastime is glorifying Ito and his work and creating rumors about FFXV in the hopes that it forces Square Enix to issue official statements regarding the game.

 

[Diablos54]

I've never got the whole 'XII plays itself' stuff. You can do everything manually and completely ignore Gambits if you really want, it just takes a little longer, the choice is still there though.

 

[Narolf]

Yep. By the same line of thought you don't have to use Auto-Battle in FFXIII. There is an option to set skills as the default command.

 

[decoyplatypus]

I've never got the whole 'XII plays itself' stuff. You can do everything manually and completely ignore Gambits if you really want, it just takes a little longer, the choice is still there though.

Jut because you can play without gambits doesn't mean that the combat system is enjoyable without them. The demo's gambit-less battle system did not exactly win rave reviews (there were lots of .hack comparisons). For players who dislike the effect of gambits, the vanilla battle system is not necessarily a satisfying alternative.

I'm quite surprised that there are so many here who didn't see the FFXII influence in Versus. Why do you think us Versus fans are so excited for this game? Provided that the vision remains intact, Versus will be a huge step forward for the franchise (much like FFXII was).

A few things:

1. Versus fans were hyping the game well before the world map was redesigned to function more like FFXII's. Frankly, just reading the posts around GAF, you'd think most of the excitement for Versus centered on Noctis's character design.

2. When would people have seen the FFXII influence? Remember, there isn't that much media for this game, and the footage of the world map is too brief to illustrate the relationship between the zones. For those following Versus closely, it may have been clear that FFXII was an influence on the world map, but that's just one element of the game. If you weren't reading staff interviews, and someone asked you to compare FFXII and Versus, your first response would probably be that the battle systems look nothing alike.

 

[gblues]

This contradicts itself. So it's going to be a world map, but not a world map?

Think Daggerfall: the JRPG.

 

[H_Prestige]

Jut because you can play without gambits doesn't mean that the combat system is enjoyable without them. The demo's gambit-less battle system did not exactly win rave reviews (there were lots of .hack comparisons). For players who dislike the effect of gambits, the vanilla battle system is not necessarily a satisfying alternative.

Yup. FFXII has a pretty boring battle system, with or without gambits. The character progression system is also really lame (lol licenses), even in the international version.

XII was good in its day because it ditched the cheesy japanese melodrama from FFX, had actually good art direction and character designs, characters who talked and acted like adults, huge fields to explore, non-linear gameplay, and tons of sidequests.

 

[Lady Bird]

I've never got the whole 'XII plays itself' stuff. You can do everything manually and completely ignore Gambits if you really want, it just takes a little longer, the choice is still there though.

This has always been a flawed argument, because FFXII's combat is designed around gambits, and it's a bit clumsy without them. First, FFXII throws at you countless trash mobs for you to kill and loot, most of them that do not require any specific strategy (no matter how basic it is) other than hacking them away and taking their loot. This is acceptable because Gambits and seamless encounters streamline it. There's almost no need to use alternative damage skills like black magic (except against the uncommon fliers), MP is easily restored over time just with the effective healing configurations, and that's almost always the most optimal way to play most of the game. Most of the times, any attempt to diversify your gambits other than attack & heal (and a few exceptions like steal and libra) only ends up being a drawback toyou. Second, without gambits, you have to manually open the command's menu to set your actions, a design decision which makes sense due to gambits, but is a step back to previous battle systems when gambits are not around.

You have the option to manually input everything, but then you're not only ignoring the best the new mechanics have to offer (streamlining mindless encounters), you're also converting all the design decisions made around gambits into bumps in your path for fun (trash mobs being even more repetitive and monotonous than archaic turn-based combat).

Although I think FFXII's seamless encounters and customisable AI were a step ahead of what we have gotten with FFXIII, FFXIII's combat is better when it comes to manual input, because it has unique mechanics specifically created to make sure the AI does not takes it over completely (paradigms and breaks) without making the game any less seamless.

 

[Kagari]

FFXII was definitely ahead of its time. To me, XIII was a massive step back in the wrong direction and I really hope they've learned from its reception. FFXIV is a lot like XII too despite being an MMO - which is nice to see. I hope XV follows its lead.

 

[Coxy]

to me FF12 and FF13 are both wrong directions, it's a step in the opposite direction of 13 but it's still a misstep sideways instead of an advancement in line

 

[Narolf]

What would be a step in the right direction then? FFIX?

 

[King_Moc]

Well, if that's true, then great. I loved XII. They desperately need to drop the XIII moniker though. It's a poisoned chalice outside of Japan and will cost them sales.

 

[Kagari]

to me FF12 and FF13 are both wrong directions, it's a step in the opposite direction of 13 but it's still a misstep sideways instead of an advancement in line

As it was said above... FFXII didn't rely on terrible anime cliches and forced drama to tell its story and had a generally believable cast of characters. The game and world itself did a fantastic job of bridging east vs. west ideas as well.

 

[Whompa]

What would be a step in the right direction then? FFIX?

Pretty much everything Versus set itself out to be...a more open RPG, with tight combat, a more grounded *realistic* story, and good character designs that reflect more real life characters instead of people with insanely unrealistic pink hair or spiky banana haircuts. Seriously. It just sounded like they were evolving with the times and getting more in tune with reality. Whatever, maybe that isn't what they set out to do considering the title's name, but they should have known to stay away from the poppy fluffy shit a while ago. Versus looks like they totally stripped it of the ridiculous path Square was going down and pushed the things people responded positively towards.

 

[badcrumble]

Yup. FFXII has a pretty boring battle system, with or without gambits. The character progression system is also really lame (lol licenses), even in the international version.

XII was good in its day because it ditched the cheesy japanese melodrama from FFX, had actually good art direction and character designs, characters who talked and acted like adults, huge fields to explore, non-linear gameplay, and tons of sidequests.

This was all awesome, but I'd argue that the thing FFXII got the wrongest was also what FFX did the best.

FFX's boss battles were nearly all justified by the story (i.e. Sinspawn, battles with fiends and mechanical monsters sent by the Church, guardians of Zanarkand, and Seymour battles). The only boss fights I can think of that *did* feel somewhat random are the octopus toward the beginning, Geosgaeno, Chocobo Eater, Spherimorph in Macalania Woods, and the fully optional Lord Ochu fight, most of which take place *extremely* early in the game. This helps the game feel more focused.

FFXII's boss battles were mostly temple guardians or "here is the strongest monster in the woods!" sort of things. It's a great game, but I think making the bosses feel more story-relevant would have made the game feel more connected to the story.

 

[SougoXIII]

As it was said above... FFXII didn't rely on terrible anime cliches and forced drama to tell its story and had a generally believable cast of characters. The game and world itself did a fantastic job of bridging east vs. west ideas as well.

Believable cast yes but so few of them are actually relevant to the plot. The lack of focus is the reason why I couldn't couldn't get into the story on my repeated playthrough.

 

[Narolf]

Whompa, that's not what I meant. I wholeheartedly agree Versus is going to be a step in the right direction. I've said it before, but this game's "media" tickles my imagination ever since 2006, or at least ever since the 2008 JF trailer my avatar has been taken from. Represent to yourself the universal appeal Shadow of The Colossus generates, with people going on a speculative spree once they beat the game. That's how I feel with Versus, and it isn't even out yet.

I asked him because, as Kagari pointed out, he was saying both were as bad while they are radically on the other side of the spectrum to another... hence my question: what would be the alternative to those two? PSX-like FF? That's the direction Versus lies in, indeed.

 

[Kagari]

Believable cast yes but so few of them are actually relevant to the plot. The lack of focus is the reason why I couldn't couldn't get into the story on my repeated playthrough.

/shrug

I gained a new appreciation for it after playing FFXIII - despite the entirety falling short in the later half.