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[ManaByte]

After the Dark Clouds and DQVIII and now Rogue Galaxy when I look at a new Level 5 developed game I'm excited to play it like back when I saw Chrono Trigger for the first time.

On the other hand the new Final Fantasies don't generate that same excitement anymore. Where the name of the game seems to be more important than the content.

With a Level 5 game it could be titled "Super Happy Fun Shit!" and you'll still be excited to spend 40-100 hours playing it because it's a great and deep RPG.

Anyone else?

 

[Victrix]

Both Dark Clouds sucked

DQ8 was fun, but I doubt it was all them

Who knows about RG

 

[Comfort_Eagle]

Im with you. Dark Cloud 2 and DQVIII are both near the top of my list as favorites on the PS2 or any system for that matter. Level 5 kicks serious ass.

 

[ManaByte]

FFXII disagrees.

I wasn't impressed at all with the FFXII demo. And I LOVE Vagrant Story and FFT.

 

[AniHawk]

The jump of quality between Dark Cloud and Dragon Quest VIII is astounding. They've come a very long way in a very short time.

I'm really looking forward to Rogue Galaxy a LOT.

 

[Error]

I agree, Dark Cloud 2, DQVIII, Rogue Galaxy that's 3/3 right there they are on fire right now.

 

[Shouta]

Level 5 only did the graphics for DQ8, all of the rest of the planning was left to Enix (and the several groups that normally work on DQ games). Dark Cloud, Dark Cloud 2, and Rogue Galaxy are Level 5 games and they're definitely good (well, I know DC an DC2 are, dunno about RG) but they still tons of room for improvement.

 

[jett]

...No.

I love DQ8, but that's mostly an Armor Project game, Level-5 only crafted the engine. I did like Dark Cloud 2...but just to certain point. Rogue Galaxy, bleh.

 

[AniHawk]

Level 5 only did the graphics for DQ8, all of the rest of the planning was left to Enix (and the several groups that normally work on DQ games). Dark Cloud, Dark Cloud 2, and Rogue Galaxy are Level 5 games and they're definitely good (well, I know DC an DC2 are, dunno about RG) but they still tons of room for improvement.

You enjoyed DC too?

Jeez, what's this world coming to? I thought NOBODY liked that one.

 

[Shouta]

Uh, I've always liked DC games and have praised them quite a bit. Then again, I don't expect anyone to pay attention to what I say around here.

 

[belgurdo]

Both Dark Clouds sucked

DQ8 was fun, but I doubt it was all them

Who knows about RG

I concur

 

[fennec fox]

I agree with Mana wholeheartedly there. They're one of the few Japanese developers I can trust all the time.

 

[Elios83]

Level5 is really talented but its games are still far away from the quality and depth of Final Fantasy and other SE RPGs like Chrono,Vagrant etc.
I don't know about Rogue Galaxy though.

 

[Izzy]

As I mentioned in Dragon Quest Yangus thread, Level 5 is working on a PSP game. Should be good...

 

[Mrbob]

Dark Cloud is a great but flawed game.

I agree with Manabyte. Level 5 has pushed themselves to the cream of the RPG crop. In fact, I don't like including them with DQ8 because they only handled the technical aspects, and built an amazing game on top of archiac gameplay. But they only had so much they could help modernize the series whereas if they were involved in the actual game development it would have been a much better RPG. It was a great project for their exposure. Rogue Galaxy puts them back on track where they belong as the premiere RPG developer of this generation.

 

[eeyore the donkey]

someone had to say it

 

[Error]

Square has done shit this gen. FFX, FFX-2, KH, The Bouncer?(if I missed anything correct me) none of those games impressed me in any way.

 

[Elios83]

Square has done shit this gen. FFX, FFX-2, KH, The Bouncer?(if I missed anything correct me) none of those games impressed me in any way.

That is also true,Square has been a major disappointment this gen.

 

[AniHawk]

I liked DC.

Christ, I'm surrounded.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Christ, I'm surrounded.

I also liked DC, it introduced me to the series...

:O

 

[AniHawk]

I also liked DC, it introduced me to the series...

:O

THEY'RE MULTIPLYING!

 

[Error]

without fear of sounding like a major Atlus fanboy(which I am) this thread should be rename to "Atlus what Square used to be"

 

[SolidSnakex]

without fear of sounding like a major Atlus fanboy(which I am) this thread should be rename to "Atlus what Square used to be"

Surprised it took that long for someone to bring them up. They're definetly the RPG company around right now.

 

[jiggle]

I liked DC1. In some ways, maybe even more than DC2.

 

[Ranger X]

So far good for Level 5. They pleased me with all they've done so far (that i have played at least). Squaresoft on the other had deceived me with every single of their game since FF10...

 

[Victrix]

For me, no rpg company is what Square used to be. FF7, Vagrant Story, Legend of Mana, I suppose Xenogears might count, FFT, the Saga series, Parasite Eve, Front Mission 3, even Chrono Cross. So many fun hours. And that's ignoring FF4-6, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, &c &c

This gen... blech. I liked FFX's combat system, that's about it. Romancing Saga I *really* dug, but that's about it

FFTA? Ass. Sword of Mana? Ass. X-2, XI, Dirge of ff7wankitude, and all the other ff7 spinoff crap? Ass. Remakes of old FF games? Ass. Kingdom Hearts? Scary ass. FM4? Ass. Wait wait, I've got it. TETRA MASTER! LOLOLOL. Ass.

Where are the kickass new games, oh Square of yore.

I'm looking forward to 3 on the DS, but yeah... 12 doesn't excite me (though I'll be happy if it's good!)

Hell, I even liked the previous gen of Tri-Ace games better. VP/SO2 > Radiata Stories and SO3.

Humbug.

 

[Guillotine]

They're certainly on a role, but they've got a lot of catching up to do before they can even be considered an equal to Square or Enix.

Still yet, they're my favorite developer of this generation. I fell in love with the Dark Cloud series, and Rogue Galaxy looks like it will also be spectacular.

 

[jj984jj]

4 games, no matter how great you think they are, cannot add up to what Square and Enix have done in the past 20 years.

 

[jett]

4 games, no matter how great you think they are, cannot add up to what Square and Enix have done in the past 20 years.

Yeah, this thread is just downright stupid.

 

[ManaByte]

4 games, no matter how great you think they are, cannot add up to what Square and Enix have done in the past 20 years.

It's more about the quality of the games as opposed to the quanity.

Those four games this gen are far above Square's stuff in consistant quality. These days when you look at a Square game you really don't know what you're getting. Level 5 so far has proven that you could trust them to deliver something that's fun to play.

 

[Rorschach]

4 games, no matter how great you think they are, cannot add up to what Square and Enix have done in the past 20 years.

3 games. And yes, this thread is stupid.

 

[jj984jj]

It's more about the quality of the games as opposed to the quanity.

Those four games this gen are far above Square's stuff in consistant quality. These days when you look at a Square game you really don't know what you're getting. Level 5 so far has proven that you could trust them to deliver something that's fun to play.

Like I said, no matter how great you think they are, as in quality, it still doesn't measure up.

3 games. And yes, this thread is stupid.

2 imo, I didn't like the Dark Cloud games, really hated part 2.

...

Well I guess 3, I liked part 1.

 

[Bebpo]

/Looks at Rogue Galaxy
/Looks at FFXII

:lol

 

[kevm3]

I can see what Manabyte's saying to an extent. With Square of the PSX and the SNES days, you were heavily anticipating their new games because you knew you were going to get an amazing experience. Not so much these days. Kingdom Hearts II and FF 12 hopefully will meet up to standards. He's not saying that Level 5 is surpassing 20 years of Square's work with 4 game releases. He's saying that they're slowly, but surely taking away Square's limelight as the premier developer of rpgs in the present day. Square's past track record has nothing to do with it. He's talking about what the companies are doing right now.

 

[methodman]

by the time rouge galaxy comes out, how much do you guys think a used PS2 will be? or maybe ill just play it on my ps3?

 

[ManaByte]

I can see what Manabyte's saying to an extent. With Square of the PSX and the SNES days, you were heavily anticipating their new games because you knew you were going to get an amazing experience. Not so much these days. Kingdom Hearts II and FF 12 hopefully will meet up to standards. He's not saying that Level 5 is surpassing 20 years of Square's work with 4 game releases. He's saying that they're slowly, but surely taking away Square's limelight as the premier developer of rpgs in the present day. Square's past track record has nothing to do with it. He's talking about what the companies are doing right now.

Exactly.

 

[Victrix]

Making two games that not even anything resembling a majority of rpg fans say are great, one game they didn't develop, and one game we haven't played is slowly but surely taking away Square's ... no. Just no.

 

[MadFuzzy]

Square used to be sub-contractors who wrote other people's games for them?

 

[P90]

Level 5 is nowhere close to old Square, but DQ VIII is much better than anything Square has done this gen.

 

[Musashi Wins!]

well...all I know is that I'll buy Rogue Galaxy sight unseen based on how good DQ is. And they don't make soulless turds like Kingdom Hearts. So I agree, Level 5 >>>> Square.

 

[jett]

Level 5 is nowhere close to old Square, but DQ VIII is much better than anything Square has done this gen.

You know...DQVIII is a Square-Enix game...and Level-5 was not invovled in any scenario or gameplay design decision(and it shows).

 

[Error]

I see a lot of replies by Square fanboys saying that Square greatness of 20 years ago can't be replaced... problem is that nobody mentioned that at least I didn't. My point was that Square was once known of putting quality title after quality title but this gen all that has change they started very mediocre with the bouncer then FFX up until today I haven't been impressed with anything they have done, while Level 5 and Atlus(specifically R&D1) has been making quality title after quality title like Square once used to do.

FFXII is looking like a return to form though that game looks amazing.

 

[methodman]

i liked FF:CC with my friends tho

 

[Lost Fragment]

Huh.

Now that I think about it I can't even remember the last game actually made by SE that I enjoyed. What was their last in-house game to come out here, FMA?

Edit: Actually, nvm, Romancing SaGa is great. Forgot about that one. Buy it.

 

[Dsal]

L5 has at least been productive this gen with a stable of solid titles. Can't say the same for ye olde Square as of late.

 

[Hero]

FFXII is Square's last chance to win me back to that series.

FFX? No.
FFXI? Wow, biggest mistake ever. Shoulda called it FFOnline, idiots.
FFX-2? Hell no.

I wasn't a fan of KH1, so KH2 needs to be stellar and fixed for me to play it.

Valkyrie Profile is the thing I'm looking forward to most, and that's made by Tri-Ace.

Shoulda given me a new FFT, Square. Not that FFTA shit.

 

[ghibli99]

FFXI? Wow, biggest mistake ever. Shoulda called it FFOnline, idiots.

QFT.

Back to the topic at hand, Level 5 has a ways to go before they are what Square "used to be", since when I think of what they used to be, I think of them at the height of their greatness, circa the FF4-Chrono Trigger 16-bit era.

But they're getting there, and I think they'll be a force to be reckoned with in the not-too-distant future. As long as they stay focused and specialized, and not try to dip into too many different genres all at once. Quality over quantity... no Dark Cloud Kart Racing Xtreme, please. :lol

 

[DonasaurusRex]

After all the hits they've had Square is gonna cool off, they are somewhat obligated to make squels that fans demand, problem is, deviate from what worked too much and the faithful fans bag ya, and if you stick too close to the original and your realeases get a little stale. Im sure they'll have something to restore their status with the PS3.

 

[Zweisy1]

Dragon Quest 8 is good work, but it's more of an Yuji Horii/Armor Project game.

Square was never that good to begin with. They've made a few gems like Einhänder or Front Mission 3 but even most of their so called "classics" are stuff I wouldnt touch with 10 foot pole.

 

[DonasaurusRex]

well you are in the minority because from FF2 on they have been solid , almost guaranteed to sell 1mil copies out of respect for the detail they would put in their games.