GI: Square Enix Outlines New Development Approach

Well, I didn't mean that Square was changing Eidos games in a way that appeals to the East. Not that I know of, anyway. But I do know of a perception that first person shooters don't often sell too well over there.

The reality is that Dragon Quest does sell like hotcakes in Japan. There's also a reality that PC gaming isn't big in Japan. Another one is that the 3DS is really, really popular in Japan. Wouldn't it make sense to put the popular game on the popular system with the same art style that has held up for a very long time? Even if one entry wasn't all that great?

Yes, Square has a new president, one that would be stupid to change Dragon Quest into a dark and dreary fantasy. That isn't what the game's audience wants, and the people outside of that audience wouldn't really be interested since we have Dragon's Dogma and Dark Souls to fill that niche.

I refuse to believe that anyone under the age of 30 that is remotely affiliated with online gaming forums has never heard of Dragonball Z.

I'm wary of the "lesson" they're taking here, and not even sure what this suggests their plan is. SE's problem is simple: they're not developing games in a timely manner and they keep trying to reinvent the wheel with their flagship franchise (FF) to the point that people are starting to abandon it. I hate suggesting that a developer needs to be more "conventional", but sometimes things should just be iterated on, instead of scrapped entirely. Atlus and Bandai Namco/Namco Bandai have proven you can do traditional style gameplay in a cool shell.

SE's problem isn't ignoring mobile games and releasing games that are just blowing our minds too hard; they're making really uneven games, not taking advantage of their beloved IPs, taking way too fucking long to develop anything, and generally just forgetting the weird "make every strange concept we have into an RPG" crazy that led them to such success in the 90s. The only grand scale they need to reign in is their obsessive love of CG cutscenes.

I know a lot of people cringe when people say "they need to listen to their fans" but in this case, SE desperately needs to get more in touch with what their audience wants from them and start trying to deliver on it. FF14 is a classic case of out of touch developer arrogance that is modern SE in microcosm.

You need to change your business model to increase communication with customers? Well OK then.

All I want is Final Fantasy Versus, it's all I wan't.....

Honestly, as long as I get Final Fantasy X HD, I'm fine.

That being said, it would be nice to see Square Enix return to form. I kinda miss being all hyped up due to a game reveal from Square.

@petiew: Raggazo, I've always found the Dragon Quest style gameplay to be way too simplistic but there was a fair amount of variety in VIII in addition to the fantastic music and maybe the best ever overworld mechanics; also there was something of a driving narrative whereas in most DQ games it's pretty loose as far as I can tell.

Dragon Quest narrative structure varies from game to game, but they've always had a pretty big focus on the smaller stories encountered along the larger journey. It's not just about killing the super-evil guy and saving the world; it's about all the other adventures encountered along the way.

@hailinel: Yeah that's the problem, JRPG structure is pretty much the best setup to deliver a linear plot; even if the vast majority of those stories are terrible most of the best stories in games period were from JRPGs; to not even try having a well driven narrative really kills any motivation to play the game; especially when the gameplay is mediocre and repetitive.

I'm in the minority here, but my favorite Square games have always been the non Final Fantasy titles (Sword of Mana, Tactics Ogre, Xenogears, Valkyrie Profile, etc.). So outside of TWEWY, they haven't made a game I give two shits about since the PS2 era. I doubt this new approach will lead to a big influx of original I.P.'s, but at least now there's a chance.

In Dragon Quest, it's not the destination, it's the journey. It's a different storytelling focus; one that isn't inherently inferior. And there are a lot of people that would disagree with you on the mediocre and repetitive part.

@fredchuckdave:

Yeah the overworld in DQ VIII is probably the best I've ever seen in a game. Most of the other DQ games have a decent driving narrative though, and the presentation of the story differs a lot from game to game. IV for example is broken into individual chapters following different characters before they meet up, while 5 follows the hero throughout his life. (You start as a kid and end as a father)

Like @hailinelsays the games mostly focus on the quest. Every town has its own unique story, characters and charm. The overall plot is sometimes weak when taken by itself however. Gameplay is fairly simple but some battles do require more strategy than it'd seem at first glance.

They just need to produce a decent single-player FF that isn't too linear and a DQ as good as VIII every 5 to 10 years. For Eidos, I'd like to see more Deus Ex, Thief, Hitman & Tomb Raider if they can keep the developers true to the core franchises, but I can do without these if they can't. A return of the Legacy of Cain games could also be nice.

I think the biggest problem they have is how high stakes all of these big franchises are now and how vocal their fanbases are. It seems like a really restrictive situation to be in. Maybe they need to just focus on creating more new IP for a while.

It might be a bad thing that the thing I want most from Final Fantasy right now is an HD release of FF12's international version.

I mean, FF12's pretty darn good, but c'mon. I should be more excited about whatever SURPRISES they have on the horizon, but they just don't seem to have it in them anymore. I want to be wrong though. Do it, Squeenix! MAKE ME FEEL LOVE AGAIN!