Pebkio said:
thedoclc said:
3)The quote is "...brevity is the soul of wit..." and it was said by Shakespeare's most verbose character (EVAR) in an ironic way. That being said, yes, Square-Enix's habit of making movies instead of games should stay far away from this.
4)Wait, why'd you just make point 3 if you turn around and say you'd like a "no-game" version?! Then... what's wrong with just getting a huge movie? Just because you didn't like grinding doesn't mean that you should encourage them to make a big long cutscene.
5)That is a bigger discussion than just FF7 remakes. Enslaved costs as much as Fallout 3? Uh.. bwuh... nani? Seriously, that just sounds like an "extras" disk on special editions that cost the same.
6)Nothing in FF7 will ever compare to "Talking makes you die" from Dragoon, so fixing all of the dialogue wouldn't be getting rid of anything wacky.
7)..you... you don't like playing JRPGs, do you?
8)Really? This is FF7's midichlorians, man. Do you really want a scene where some scienist just exposits "Sephiroth's weapon is a fascinating thing that permanently kills whatever he stabs after falling 50 feet"?
Or maybe a scene where Aeris' ghost shows up and explains that she was going to need to die anyway to actually reach Holy? Because, guess what, that's what the science really was. It just wasn't explained because none of the other characters knew (including Copenhagen). Did you really think she left EVERYONE behind just go pray and come back?
1) Bad voice acting kills plot-heavy games. Players have had those characters in their heads now for over a decade. They've been given a voice by the fans, each one unique. Given the disaster of voicing Samus in Other M, Link in the old cartoons, and the cringe-worthy moments of FFX, bad voice acting can do so much harm that - all things considered - it's probably a better bet not to. Also, much like PS:T or BG or even the early Fallouts, FFVII had so long a script that voicing it all would cost a fortune and drive up price while making the game absurdly long. Voicing over the game would in my opinion be a mistake, as they'd be far more likely to screw it up big time than get it right.
I'll give you another example. I'd absolutely loved FF IV as a kid. Then I saw my friend's DS remake. Even with the same plot, I'd been repulsed by the characters. Having seen the vague, cutesy sprites of many years ago, my imagination had filled in an entire voice and style for every character loosely based on the art but also on my imagination. When the DS remake didn't capture it, I had trouble liking the style. Gamers have given their own spin to each character.
2) Touche regarding that you -could.- My dislike for the grind-tastic remains, and the series is notorious for it.
3) Yes, I am well aware of the irony that Polonius manages to spout a bunch of bland, boring, silly advice and conclude it with that line. The line is truly ironic, given how flowery it is. Subverting the line was its own joke (the joke was originally from the Simpson's, I think, where Reader's Digest cut it down to "Brevity...is wit,") and having incredibly long animations kills the game's pacing. Agreed.
4) That wasn't what I said. I said difficulty sliders including a no combat option. Allow players to move the combat difficulty up or down as they see fit. Some players hate RPG combat and basically want it to be an interactive movie. Not my choice, but hey. Also, Bioware is offering something similar on ME3. They have a mode where you take all "default" decisions and just fight, a mode for plot, and then the gameplay style we're all familiar with. They're letting players tailor gameplay to their own desires. Most JRPGs don't even let players adjust difficulty to suit their preferences. That's a mistake.
No inconsistency in my statements at all. I would urge a designer to include game modes I would not myself use because they would be more fun for players seeking different experiences. I plan to make my own decisions and do my own shooting in ME3, but I agree with what Bioware is doing.
5) Agreed. I don't believe all new releases should cost the same. The amount of content and pre-release demand can alter prices - as they do on Steam, and as they did when I paid $80 USD for FF III (well, VI) on my SNES way back when. Gaming is cheaper now than ever (adjusted for inflation) but charging the same for all new console releases is just weird. However, specifically regarding FF VII, I think it would not justify a $60 USD price tag for a remake. Whether the -market- would bear that price is another discussion. Whether SQE would ask $60 USD for it is a third.
6) It can help. There are a few translations or odd, poorly phrased lines from the dialog. However, some of the charm from older games by the company came from their strange translations and inability to get across certain points. Some of it was Nintendo's censorship (Ayla's dialog from the SNES and DS versions of Chrono Trigger come to mind) and some is just...funny. (You spoony bard!) Japanese linguistically drops a lot of subjects which are understood from previous sentences in a way English cannot, has different pronouns and formal tones based on your sex, the social standings of the speakers, and so on. Some of it just doesn't carry across well. For example, I could include a neat little bonus for bilinguals by having a character speaking Japanese slip up and use the honorific form on someone he should be addressing in the humble form. In Japanese, it could be a natural Freudian slip. In English, the same mistake would make you sound like an absolute moron. And, sometimes the translators pick an English word with a "shaded" meaning (denotation vs connotation) that may not have been meant.
7) Sorry, wrong. You should be able to skip cut scenes, fast forward dialogs, and so on in all games regardless of genre. JRPG's are just a notorious offender. Likewise, the player should always be able to access notes about their current objectives. Again, JRPGs are a notorious offender. Also, the player should be able to rewatch past scenes, period. (Really, don't the devs realize we have phones, friends, family, kids, clients, patients, husbands, wives, parents, pets, and everything else which may demand our immediate attention before we get back to their game? Or we may be replaying a hard section and not in the mood to see the same non-interactive video for the sixth time?)
8) Yeah, see, if I were re-cutting Episode 1, it would still suck, but the entire midichlorians thing would stay on the editing room floor until that reel could be swept up and burned. Gameplay/story disconnects jar a player right out of the experience by changing the rules of the setting in a way that breaks immersion.
. I hope your other 232 posts are as mind-bendingly awesome as this one. If it isn't obvious, I like your post for personal reasons.
