@arbitrarywater: The PC controls for FFVIII aren't terrible if you have a controller. With a controller the only weird thing is that you need to use the d and f keys to escape from battles. All of the other controls properly map to a 360 controller like it was a PS1 controller. It isn't ideal, but the load times and resolution upgrade make the game much more playable (make sure you have the Roses and Wine mod).
I think Chrono Cross is the perfect spiritual successor to FFVIII and I'll lobby hard for it.
@arbitrarywater: If you unlock encounter none as early as possible, the game is only 20 hours. If you speed run the game, the game takes about 12-13 hours (like 10 if you're playing on PC). You should totally play this game.
I'm working on getting him to play something. I think Chrono Cross or X-2 would be the perfect followup to FFVIII.
@claybrez: Romance novels and low budget, straight-to-dvd "this has a plot but it's mostly about the boobs" movies come out all the time and no one bothers to critique them. Same goes for a lot of the premium cable shows that feature violence and nudity and little else, like Spartacus. There are a lot of low quality, high nudity/sexual content products that come out to little to no critical response because they aren't worth a critics time. What is the point of critiquing low cost stuff made for an audience that doesn't actually care about things like critical opinion?
@slag: The replies to that tweet are amazing. "Those non-fans will make you shut down your whole company next! You just wait!" It's like the company statement and the replies exist in two different worlds.
@arbitrarywater: I am so happy that we had that revelation. I'm also glad that I was able to get that door puzzle frustration off my chest. That thing sucked so much. The FFVIII podcast is on the way... it's over 3 hours long.
My choice for features that should be carried forward is JRPG multiplayer from FFIX. That game actually has an oft-forgotten 2 player mode where player 1 and player 2 can split up combat control between the 8 potential members of your party. FFIX is one of the only JRPGs I know of that accommodates co-op play at all and that is a real boon considering those games have a tenancy of lasting 40-60 hours.
Allowing both players to split up character control allows each player to have a sense of ownership over which characters they play as and that could allow for a deeper connection to those characters. Also giving players a way to share an experience beyond simply watching solves one of my main issues with role playing games, that they are largely solitary, lonely experiences that create an illusion of companionship through party systems. It is much easier to get another person invested in the story and the experience if they have some sort of stake in the gameplay.
I've never seen another JRPG, or really any role playing game, attempt a similar system. I've seen RPGs like Child of Light use a secondary helper character, like the cursor in Super Mario Galaxy, to allow a second player some form of input, but that is far from the level of interaction that controlling characters in combat provides. I've also seen more open-ended games provide full co-op, but those games tend to not be as story focused as an FF game. All-in-all, I think FFIX's system is a forgotten gem and I think it solves a lot of problems, even if it isn't a perfect solution.
@2mello: Wait. Are you also responsible for Chrono Jigga and Nastlevania? If so, I may or may have jammed out to those two albums at work for a few weeks in a row. Glad to hear more of your work!
Just finished the last game a few hours ago and I'm gonna have to pass. Glad that this game turned out well, but I think I prefer the tighter sequencing of the Uncharted games to the more open world Tomb Raider stuff.
thatpinguino's comments