Since the new Final Fantasy XV trailer was released, there have been mixed reactions especially coming from long time fans. Some of these fans (myself included) go for an optimistic approach, looking forward to this game bringing back the lost feeling that Final Fantasy games used to have for us while on the other hand there are those who state that the game looks like it will be something too far off what a Final Fantasy game is supposed to be. When Final Fantasy XIII was released it was not a bad game, but we quickly spotted how different it was from the original Final Fantasy style and far off from turn based combat or leveling systems the real difference was in the game's atmosphere itself. Today we are going to see why Final Fantasy XV looks like it will give the late 90's early 00's fans some loving in its own way.
Combining both the 2013 trailer and the recent one, we can begin to see some of the old school vibe piling up with this game. We have to take into account that Square Enix has been little by little giving us classic Final Fantasy material since they released Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn and the trend isn't showing any signs of stopping. Based on this fact let's see some aspects that support this point of view.
Many fans are complaining about the game world looking "too modern" for a Final Fantasy game, but if you take a moment to remember some places in Final Fantasy VI, VII, VIII, IX, X and XII, it basically looks the same with a modern setting that features an architectonic style that crosses between modern and medieval with places taking shapes that range from cathedrals and temples to contemporary buildings you could see in any city on the world. The same thing happens with the strange characters with heavy pieces of armor that appear on the 2013 trailer. They look like knights and not robots as the "ultra-modern" approach may suggest.
There is a nice and interesting contrast in clothing between several characters. Some of them are wearing ceremonial robes while others go for the modern style. This is very noticeable in the 2013 trailer where a faction of "priests" are confronted by a group of agents wearing modern business suits who kind of look like the Turks in Final Fantasy VII. It is also worth noting with the characters that appear on the recent trailer as they are all dressed in modern attires except the main character who has the over the top clothing that is classic on any Final Fantasy main character. The clothing in this game seems similar to the fans but fresh at the same time which is a good thing.
Another aspect that shows that the game hasn't gone all the way into a modern environment are the weapons we see on both trailers. We have the classic big sword, smaller blades, fist weapons with the occasional use of guns. In fact the big sword that the main character uses looks like a cross between Cloud's buster sword and Squall's gun blade, so this character was most probably made with those two guys in mind so there's some nostalgia points right there.
Giant creatures in both trailers gives the same vibe that we had on Final Fantasy IX when the summons took the center stage in the game. After that entry in the series, summons began to get smaller, but with XV it seems like the giant being approach is back in style so who knows what we will see when the game is finally released. This time even normal fauna and flora in the game can look huge depending on the place you are in.
The use of the car is something that has been talked about in both negative and positive ways. The curious aspect of this feature in the game is that if you look at it from a practical perspective it is the same as using a car on Final Fantasy VIII, only that this time you will really drive it around while in the classic game it was just used to move around the world map. This means that the open world structure that the new game will have is kind of a modern version of the giant world maps we used to have on classic Final Fantasy games.
The Final Fantasy arpeggio at the end of the trailer says a lot to the fans. It is sort of a reassurance that all the classic nooks and crannies of the old games will make a comeback on this one. It shouldn't surprise you if the final game includes the classic fan fare (which was absent in XIII) and even some of the menu sounds effects that accompanied the classic games.
This may not be something that is cast in stone, but the purpose the characters show in the second trailer, and the impression that is going to be a long trip in order to do what they plan to do is quite similar to the pilgrimage that Yuna takes in Final Fantasy X. The only difference between the two journeys is that on FFX it was a linear path, while in XV it will be an open world approach which will give players the freedom to explore the world at their own pace.
Wrapping it up
The long awaited Final Fantasy game is the best bet we have at having a current generation Final Fantasy game that still caters to the fans of the series. The game is not the classic style turn based Final Fantasy game that some fans want, but if we open our minds a little and embrace some of the modern aspects that this game will feature there is a great chance that we will enjoy this game as much as we did with the classics and later on with Crisis Core. Let's just hope that the final product lives to our expectations and it becomes the success that Square Enix needs in order to feel confident enough to keep up with the jrpg effort.
Bonus Stage
In case you haven't seen the trailers, here you have both of them so you can get a sense of how the game will be.
Although it is a niche market, role playing videogames (rpg) have
always captivated the minds of many gamers around the world. Be it, because of
their epic stories, likable characters, secrets to unlock or a deep sense of
strategy, this genre is one that may never die. Still, not everything is peachy as Japanese rpg games are still having problems getting into the home console market. This side of the genre has not experienced any type of console boom since the beginning of the previous generation when Microsoft got a lot of j-rpg exclusives for the Xbox 360. Nowadays big scale console j-rpg games can be counted with one hand mostly because most of the fan favorite franchises that rpg gamers would love to see in the current generation have been abandoned, changed completely or downsized to a handheld or casual mobile game. These are 5 of
those sagas that we may never see again unless some kind of miracle happens.
Note:This list focuses on the games that are very unlikely to make it to a home console. I know that some handheld titles are superb, but the focus here will be big scale console experiences like Nino Kuni, Tales of Xillia or the Persona series.
Some will say that turn based battles are slow, but I think that the ATB system makes them fun.
1) Final Fantasy Games (Turn based - Classic Style)
Final Fantasy can basically be called the banner flag of the
entire genre. The problem is that the franchise has changed in such a drastic
way that many fans won't even recognize it as the saga they knew and loved. Evidence
of this change came with the creation of Final Fantasy XIII. That was a time when the
creators themselves admitted that they had been influenced by games like Call
of Duty a, thing that is still daunting to many players out there. Another thing been that infamous
moment in 2008 when the president of Square Enix gave a warning to all
employees about the company focusing on mainstream experiences or "facing the
consequences". All of this became a wave of change that basically washed off an
entire saga away. Up to this day even though Square Enix has pledged to go back to their roots, it is very unlikely to see a full scale turn based FF game ever again on consoles as we did on previous generations.
The Koudelka/Shadow Hearts franchise sort of gave a new face to the genre at the time.
2) Shadow Hearts
Shadow Hearts is an j-rpg series that started with Koudelka
which was an horror styled rpg (PS1) then, the game got its name changed to Shadow Hearts
and spawned 3 games (keeping the dark undertones that identified it) and making it
a series. This is another one of those j-rpg franchises that died off with the
PS2 and basically disappeared. Reasons why don't see it nowadays are that its
main publisher Midway, went bankrupt and was bought by Warner Bros. Also to put a little more salt in the wound, Shadow
Hearts developer, a company called Sacnoth (later known as Nautilus) doesn't
exist anymore as it was dissolved by its owner Azure (a pachinko machine
company).
Grandia 2 was one of the games that helped the Dreamcast have the initial success it did.
3) Grandia
Grandia was one of those j-rpg games with great visuals, an intuitive
and fun battle system and stylish game play. The first Grandia game was made in
order to compete to the rpg giant Final Fantasy VII (appearing on both the Sega Saturn and the PS1) and later on, it became one
of the most cherished franchises on the genre. The first two Grandia games are
considered classics, but many fans believe that from that point on the series
went into a downward spiral that killed the franchise popularity as gamers felt
that Game Arts was stepping away from the original formula that made the game
so popular. Another heavy blow was that the series original creator died in
2011 so the basic essence of the game may had died with him. Up until now there have been no announcements or even comments regarding the revival of this great series. It is important to mention that even though the first 2 Grandia games were the ones that people see as classics, the third one was not bad and it was just a casualty of the decrease in popularity that the series was suffering.
This was one of those with tightly packed towns where you had to play with the camera at all times.
4) Breath of Fire
Breath of Fire was Capcom's contender to the crown back
in the j-rpg days, having its own best titles through the 16 to 32 bit eras. It had good anime styled graphics, an excellent story and well
developed characters that made us feel like they had a very deep sense of purpose, all in an environment that had a kind of Celtic mystical mood. The series took a
dive in Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter (which was praised in Japan, but shunned in America because it went too far from the original formula) and after that, gamers never heard of a new
classic Breath of Fire game again. Capcom announced that they would be
releasing Breath of Fire 6 in 2014, but the game looks nothing like the
original and many fans fear that it will just be a casual mobile game with the
Breath of Fire name on it. Right now, as half of Capcom is at sale, there is a slight possibility that an rpg-focused studio could get the rights to the game and make it right again, but it is still a very long shot.
A game that looked beautiful back in the days where pre-rendered backgrounds were still the rage.
5) Legend of the Dragoon
Legend of the Dragoon was one of the most acclaimed j-rpg games on
the PS One. It had very advanced visuals for its time (exploiting the pre-rendered background trend), a long and interesting
storyline and quality aspects that rivaled those of the Final Fantasy games of
the time. The game was supposed to turn into a series and get a sequel, but for
undisclosed reasons, Sony broke up the group and just cancelled the project in order to relocate resources. Now at our present day and after almost 15 years since it was first released, Sony hasn't shown any interest in reviving the franchise other than a PSN re-hash of the original game. Even Shuhei Yoshida has expressed that the game is one of his best memories in the time he has been working at Sony as he was part of the original team, but not even Yoshida seems to be able to bring this great j-rpg back from the grave.
My hat is of to Namco, because they have never given up on their Tales saga.
Wrapping it up:
Even though this list looks very pessimistic, I have to tell you people that this list was much larger. This article began with 10 j-rpg games that we may never see on consoles, but was later on reduced to 5 because half of them got at least mentioned or referenced meaning they could still come back, like Wild Arms for example. The j-rpg side of the genre is slowly gaining its strength back and it may be just a matter of time before we see it blooming again. Let's just make sure that we put our money where our mouths are and support the games when they come out.
JRPG is a niche genre that has been in the industry since the very beginning. Nowadays it doesn't seem to get so much attention as it used to, but has been little by little regaining some ground in the industry.The thing is that even though it looks as if Japanese rpg games are picking up some speed, companies are dragging their feet and not showing any initiative into releasing titles for the new consoles. At first this seems logical because the older consoles have bigger sale numbers, but if we take things into perspective we can see that there are some things that affect this situation that they are not been seen and we are going to talk a little about them today.
This game is proof that the JRPG genre can evolve.
The gaming media has already moved on
The first thing that a company would want is for their game to get mentioned and shown in order for it to get exposure and rally the fans. This is not that likely to happen with older consoles as almost every trending topic in gaming has to do with the new game systems or the PC platform. Titles that are exclusive to the older generation are taking the back seat and having just a quick mention at best, which is not good for advertising, much less for a niche genre that is trying to make it big again.
The "Tales of" series one of the few that still follows its roots and remains successful.
The new console users are louder and more active
Humans are lovers of novelty by nature so even if older consoles have a greater number of games and units sold worldwide, the new generation is what gamers are into. Be it playing multiplatform games or getting into exclusives (like the smashing success of Mario Kart 8), gamers are all about the new games on the newest platforms, been social networks and the gaming media a clear indication of this. This means that by releasing JRPG games exclusive to older consoles they are dividing the niche and making it smaller than it should be even if business logic tells them otherwise.
This is the first game that boosted PS2 sales back in the day.
Newer consoles thrive on the early release of a new JRPG
It is quite right to say that gamers feel that there is a drought on the JRPG department on every new console and that is fertile ground for success as there is no real competition. You can see this as gamers ask themselves when does Sony (which are known to favor Japanese rpg games) is going to give some role playing awesomeness to the PS4 and even Wii U fans who are eagerly waiting for Xenoblade Chronicles X. If there is something that gaming history has shown us, is that every new console gets its definitive JRPG game early on, but this time that big release isn't even near. Doesn't anybody want that privileged space anymore?
Nino Kuni...We need a sequel to this beautiful game.
It doesn't have to be a really expensive production
When it comes to JRPG games, it isn't that much about cutting edge graphics as it is about a fascinating story and cool game play. This doesn't mean that they should make a game based on stick figures, but they can pretty much make it look good without having to sell their souls for it. All they have to do is focus into the story telling and overall design of the game and there you go. Evidence of this comes with the various Kickstarter campaigns that have been popping up that show indie JRPG styled games that look as if they were AAA high budget productions, so if a small studio can do it, why can't they?
The last game we got that had that Final Fantasy 7-8 feeling.
Wrapping it up
JRPG games have reached their maximum potential for growth on the previous generation and must move on in order to keep growing. The genre had its share of success in the last few years, but it must keep moving in order to keep that momentum going. It is noted that the new generation has not been here for that long, but the fact that there isn't a clear release date for any big JRPG game is kind of weird, considering that the fan bases for each of the new game systems is growing very fast and have already reached a point where profit is possible. Now for all of the JRPG fans out there, let's just cross our fingers and hope for the best.
Video game plot holes and mysteries are something that has always captivated the minds of gamers. They are basically the backbone of a gamer's curiosity and a great part of what keeps a game alive. As years go by, these curious details are turned into lore and lore is what keeps gamers talking about a game story even when it is no longer a new thing. The beauty about this aspect of gaming is that it is not perfect and from that imperfection, games get some sort of intangible form of replay value. So now that we are into the video game mystery mood, let's see 5 of those unexplained gaming enigmas that still have us scratching our heads.
Perhaps this is the past and present of the Shinra Corporation.
1) Final Fantasy VII
and Final Fantasy X... Connected?
Final Fantasy is one of the most famous JRPG game sagas of
all time and still one of the most acclaimed since the very first game which saved Square Soft from ruin (way before the Square Enix thing) when they
were at the brink of bankruptcy. The saga has spawned 14 original titles and
countless sequels, side stories and related games. The mystery with this franchise is based on a small reference made on one dialogue that opened the debate about if Final
Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X are indeed connected in some way.
The dialogue happens in Final Fantasy X-2. It tells us about "Shinra of the Gullwings" who is an Al-Bhed boy who happens to be a genius and plans to use whatever is left of the Vegnagun to create a new machine that can
siphon energy from the planet. it all seems like the dreams of a child, but the project gets funded which entertains
the possibility that this "Shinra" could be one early predecessor of
president Shinra of Final Fantasy VII, implying that the world of Final Fantasy X and X2 is part of a cleverly made prequel. Based on some expressions made by some Square Enix
developers and writers, little Shinra would have tried to make the mechanism on
Spyra, but failed. Then many generations into the future, when space travel had finally become possible, another Shinra from a later generation would embark on a space journey in which he/she
discovers planet Gaia (Final Fantasy VII) and while living there, restarts the project and this time finds success, creating the very first mako
reactor. This theory is a very long
shot, but it is entertaining to read and discuss.
You can check out the quote from the Square Enix staff HERE.
The family guy who is a fan of the magnum gun (among others).
2) Whatever happened
with Barry Burton? (Resident Evil)
The Resident Evil games were one of the first ones that gave
gamers a horror cinematic experience with its high end graphics (for the time) tense atmosphere and fascinating story. Nowadays, Resident Evil is not so much about
horror as it is about action, but its characters have passed the test of time
and are recognized by even the newest of Resident Evil fans. The mystery with this one is that nobody
knows the whereabouts of one of the fan favorites that used to be a key
character in the first Resident Evil game and that character is Barry Burton.
In the first Resident Evil game, Barry Burton was part of
the bravo team, who enters the mansion searching for answers. There he is
forced to work with Wesker because he threatened to harm his family. After a long way of lies and deception, Barry
almost follows Wesker's plan to fruition, but is saved before that can happen
so he manages to escape the mansion along with the others. After that, it is only known that Barry holds
an investigation in Maine and helps Jill get some information about the Umbrella Corporation, but other than
that Barry is missing in action.
Capcom could be holding Barry off for a later Resident Evil
game. Maybe things got so rough that he went to a secluded place with his
family, who knows? Barry swore he would bring Umbrella down so maybe he was the
whistleblower that prompted the government to take action. His current status is "still
alive" and the B.O.W experiments have not ceased so the mystery goes on.
"Wake up and smell the ashes" - G-Man
3) Who is the G-man?
(Half Life)
Half Life is one of the gems of the first person game genre.
Featuring a superb storyline, high quality visuals (for the time) and a good amount of action in a big
world to explore. The franchise gave gamers a lot of freedom without sacrificing story
elements with earned the franchise a great deal of praise. The mystery on this game series is focused on one mysterious character who is simply called "The G-man". This shady guy has made multiple appearances in the games, even
having a full dialogue sequence in the opening of Half Life 2 as well as parts
where he seems to be just observing what happens to the protagonist Gordon
Freeman, sometimes even stopping time just to give a message and then vanishing afterwards.
Some people say that he could pretty much be a future old
version of Dr. Freeman who goes back in time to help his past self, while
others say that he is just part of the beings from the other dimension that
were connected to our dimension in the Black Mesa experiments. On Half Life 2: Episode Two, the G-man makes a reference that implies that he is not working
alone by implying that the things he does are part of the decisions taken by a group instead
of just been himself. The only thing that is certain is that the G-man seems to
have a special interest in Dr. Freeman and that we will see more of him in Half
Life 3... If there ever is one (we can dream, right?).
A teenage girl with some issues yes, but... Killing innocent people?
4) Is Heather really
killing normal people? (Silent Hill 3)
Silent Hill is often considered the strongest rival of the
Resident Evil franchise. It took everything that was considered wrong in gaming
(bad camera angles, tricky controls, grainy graphics) and made it serve as
features in a solid psychological horror environment. The whole franchise is a big mystery that often involves psychology, occultism and even philosophical thinking. This time the mystery has to do with the sanity of Heather Mason who is the protagonist on Silent Hill 3.
This theory comes from a dialogue cut scene within the game
where Heather talks with Vincent. She is clearly distressed and tells Vincent
about the creatures that she had been fighting with and Vincent suddenly makes a burlesque expression and comes with the
phrase "Monsters? They look like monsters to you?". This sole phrase
gave birth to the theory that questions if Heather was really killing the demons
she saw or if it was all an illusion and she had been killing normal ordinary
people that she saw as demons.
The "Monsters?" part happens after 2:25.
Vincent goes back on his remark by saying it was all a joke, but still
some fans of the franchise see it as if he went back on his comment because of the shocked reaction
that Heather had. Evidence that supports the "Heather killed humans"
theory suggests that the cult that was responsible for what was happening in Silent
Hill is reported to have used hallucinogenic drugs on their members to make
them "see the gods and angels" which could have been administered to
Heather in one way or another. Also the dark powers in Silent Hill have a habit
of making people see and feel things which as bad it could have been by its
own, could be even worse with the use of these drugs and after all, Heather
starts the game in a shopping mall which should be *ahem* full of people. Was she just a scared teenager fighting for her life or a murderer? You be the judge.
The evolution of the "Blue Bomber".
1) The transition
between Mega Man and Mega Man X
Saving the most complex for last, comes Mega Man. Otherwise
known as Rock Man or "the blue bomber", this blue robot has been the
subject of many great and successful games going from the original Mega Man
series to the Mega Man ZX games on the Nintendo DS. Right now there isn't much activity
around Mega Man except for his appearance on a comic book and as a playable
character in the next Super Smash Brothers game, but it is still considered a
fan favorite and a classic. If you are skeptic about the "fan favorite and classic" part of the character's reputation see this crowd reaction.
The great Mystery around the Mega Man series comes in the
transition between the original Mega Man and the Mega Man X series. The thing
is that there is no explanation that can tell us if Mega Man X is in fact an
enhanced version of the original Mega Man or if they are two different robots.
One of the theories suggests that Dr. Light put the original Mega Man in
stasis, made the enhancements and left him there in case a hero was needed in
the future, as his technology was far too advanced for humans to understand at
the time. Other theory suggests that the original Mega Man failed in the end
and was destroyed so Dr. Light dedicated his last years into developing a new
version of Mega Man that could not be defeated so easily.
There are many points of view in this mystery, some of them
including disturbing events like Zero waking up and killing everyone (Dr.
Light, Roll, Mega Man), but been unable to find X who was hidden and sleeping
inside a capsule underground. This is based on mere 2-4 seconds of a video
sequence in one of the Mega Man X games where it presents Zero in a place that looks
like a lab that has been trashed and has several blood stains on the floor. As you can see, this is one mystery that has a lot of possible explanations, but not one of them can be called "the definitive truth"...yet.
Mystery is what keeps our curiosity alive and makes life to be fun.
Wrapping it up
There you have it folks. 5 weird video game mysteries are still causing debate in this day and age and will be there puzzling our minds until some official statement is made (which is very unlikely). From horrific possibilities, to lost characters and massive plot holes, these mysteries found in games are a very interesting and thought provoking thing to talk about and with the few ones that you just read about, we are just scratching the surface.
If you know about any other unsolved game mysteries please share them on the comments section as this kind of conversation is always fascinating.
