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Square-Enix On Final Fantasy XIII DLC, Deleted Content

Final Fantasy XIII continues to be in the news with almost every passing day, and you can certainly expect more of that until the hotly anticipated RPG releases on March 9. It ain't that far off.

This time, the game's producer (Yoshinori Kitase) and director (Motomu Toriyama) sat down to have a chat with the European PlayStation Blog , where they addressed several ongoing topics of discussion in the gaming community. The first is the question of downloadable content; at first, Square-Enix said there wouldn't be any, and then, we heard rumors that DLC was definitely in the works. Well, as for the PS3 version, Kitase and Toriyama said they "felt that the final product is 100% enjoyable" and hence, they're "not planning any DLC at this time." So that takes care of that. Then there's the question of all that content the team apparently removed from earlier builds from the game; rumors abound as to exactly what was removed and why but Square-Enix says the reason isn't anywhere near as sinister as you might believe. Said the pair:

"In regard to the rumoured cut content, we feel it was taken out of context. There are a lot of ideas that are brought to the table, and then the team takes the best ideas out of those, and the final product is polished that way. There was content that were 'ideas' that didn't make the final content, but the team isn't looking to release that as downloadable content."

Obviously, with a project like FFXIII, there will be a gigantic horde of ideas tossed onto the table, which in turn must eventually result in a large chunk of ideas getting thrown away. But they say they didn't take the content out for any other reason, and they certainly didn't take it out to release later as DLC. The latter is a good point because gamers have often complained about developers leaving out certain content, simply so they could charge a little extra for it later on. As for the removed stuff, you'll just have to get past that and hope FFXIII turns out to be the masterpiece it could be.

Related Game(s): Final Fantasy XIII

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coverton341
coverton341
15 years ago

I thought they came out and said that FFXIV was going to be a timed console exclusive and it was eventually going to be on the 360.

bigrailer19
bigrailer19
15 years ago

Coverton-

Thats my understanding as well. Even though at E3 last year, it was said to be a PS3 excluxive.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
15 years ago

bear in mind that a good deal of that DVD9 is MS security (which is useless obviously)

And you bet your ass KH is going multiplat.


Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 2/15/2010 2:47:06 PM

bigrailer19
bigrailer19
15 years ago

Its a sad generation we are in…

reryan
reryan
15 years ago

No offense guys but I'm getting really tired of reading comment after comment bashing SE and Final Fantasy 13. Everyone here, including myself, is very quick to point out when someone is being a 360 fanboy, on this or any other site. But the truth is, most of you decided to hate FF13 the instant you heard it was multiplat. Boo hoo, there are no towns. 13 is not going to be just like previous games in the series. Please stop crying about it.

Jawknee
Jawknee
15 years ago

Then don't read them. Simple as that.

Also, no one said they hated it. Your being disingenuous. The fact of the matter is there's a certain level of quality Sony fans and SE fans have come to expect. Its obvious that dedication to quality has gone out the window with it being released on an inferior machine. The game can only be as good as the weakest link and there is no denying its the Xbox.


Last edited by Jawknee on 2/15/2010 1:24:04 PM

WolfCrimson
WolfCrimson
15 years ago

"But the truth is, most of you decided to hate FF13 the instant you heard it was going multiplat" I'm sorry, but that is simply not true. A very few minority here at PSXE ever did that, most went "hmmm…. alright, but as long as it doesn't affect our version, we're fine. besides, more ppl get to play! woohoo!"

"Boohoo there are no towns. 13 is not going to be just like previous games in the series."?! Again 'm sorry, but you aren't thinking logically. It's the formula present in previous Final Fantasy games (awesome story + expansive world + amazing cast + depth) that made it amazing. That's what people loved about this series. Change that, and you are breaking something that doesn't need fixing. I sure as hell didn't fall in love with the Final Fantasy series just because the name sounded pretty. And about no towns, that's removing a very basic element of a game. To strike an analogy, it's like having an FPS with absolutely no enemies in the game. Or an FPS with absolutely no bullets in the game, just empty ammo-less guns.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
15 years ago

Disliking a game because it's multi-platform has nothing to do with bias to one platform or another. Multi-platform games make compromises for both platforms. Platform exclusives are always optimized for the platform, and maximize the features. FFXIII started life as a PS3 exclusive, and thanks to the efforts of MS is no longer an exclusive. It has demonstrably suffered from multi-platform status.

The removal of JRPG staples like towns, backtracking and non-player characters has nothing to do with the Xbox360 and is a far more significant reason to be troubled about the game than anything else.

The final straw for many PlayStation owners that have grown up with this series of games on the Playstation (1 & 2) is that despite this game having started life as a PS3 exclusive, it's now being marketed in the US as a 360 exclusive. Customers who have shown brand loyalty to Sony and Square Enix are being given the cold shoulder (to say the least) by Square Enix. Why are they being given the cold shoulder? Because MS use some sort of incentive (I'd guess money) to buy Square Enix's affiliation and get Square Enix to de-emphasize Sony and PlayStation to the point where people are questioning whether the game is even available on PS3.

Nice way to endear yourself here though, flame the community.

Hexen
Hexen
15 years ago

I getting sick and tired of seeing comments that bash comments that bash SE and Final Fantasy 13.See!! I can be pretty annoying too.

blitz30952
blitz30952
15 years ago

lol @ HeXeN

Alienange
Alienange
15 years ago

I stopped liking FFXIII when I found out there were no hit points.

WolfCrimson
WolfCrimson
15 years ago

@alienange: No hitpoints? Are you sure? I think that is still there based on the vids I've seen.

@Highlander: Hold on a minute, I thought SE took out towns in FFXIII BECAUSE the medium used by the 360 is not sufficient and because MS pigeonholed SE to using 3 DVDs. If that's not it, then what's the reason?

edit- "multiplatform status" more like "multiplatformitis" lol


Last edited by WolfCrimson on 2/15/2010 2:07:12 PM

Jawknee
Jawknee
15 years ago

no hit points? wtf? is this even an RPG anymore?

Alienange
Alienange
15 years ago

There ARE hit points, I was kinda referring to how you can't kill monsters without first 'breaking' them. Sorry for the obscurity there…

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
15 years ago

@WolfCrimson

SE maintain that they removed the towns etc because they didn't really work with the overall design of the game. I don't think that the key factor in removing them was the size of the game on DVDs. I still don't trust that we won't see some of this stuff return in DLC form. However, I don't place the responsibility for the removal of content at the door of MS. That one is SEs bag to hold.

reryan
reryan
15 years ago

I don't need to be reminded about what was good about the many Final Fantasy games I have played, enjoyed, and even loved. My point was only that any time there is a news story about ff13 the vast majority of comments posted are about how the game will suck and how SE has broken our hearts and ruined the franchise. I believe that to be over-reacting.
And my intent was not to flame the community, it was to voice my dissent on a troubling issue within this community, a website that I have been reading for nigh-on ten years. If you read comments bashing the latest installment in your favorite game series (that hasn't even been released yet in North America or PAL territories, I might add), on your favorite gaming website, wouldn't you say something?

bridgera
bridgera
15 years ago

"But the truth is, most of you decided to hate FF13 the instant you heard it was multiplat."

No, I've decided to lay some hate on FF13 ever since FF12.

rezenu
rezenu
15 years ago

You know…you could just ignore them. You know what I'm sick of? I'm sick of Microsoft waving checks in developer's faces every time they want to make people feel guilty about owning a PS3. This game should have stayed exclusive because now it's going to be one huge controversy soon from now.

And on top of that, I'm not even surprised Microsoft is marketing this as an exclusive game. That's what they do with every multiplatform game. They've tried to crush competition for years, even before they joined the gaming industry.

It's pathetic either way.


Last edited by rezenu on 2/15/2010 5:19:08 PM

Dancemachine55
Dancemachine55
15 years ago

Honestly, I don't think it was the announcement of it being on 360 as well that made us all mad. Sad, yes. But we were reassured that it would not affect the PS3 version, so we were fine with it.

It wasn't until comparison pictures and then confirmation of removed content that we here in the PSXextreme community started bashing it.

The argument IS NOT about it going multiplatform, but what changes have been made since going multiplatform. THAT IS THE TRUTH!!!

For those of you who keep telling us to stop bashing it, look at our comments. It is not just about the fact that 360 is getting it. If the 360 version of FFXIII were the same as the INTITIAL PS3 version when first built as an exclusive, then we would be singing our praise for the game.

INSTEAD, SE keeps coming out and telling us what changes have had to be made and shifting the blame to some other reason other than 360 multiplatform issues. One developer CLEARLY STATED that it was due to CAPACITY ISSUES that certain changes were made, and while we here at PSXextreme know that means because of the limited capacity on 360 discs, SE cannot state that because it would damage their relations with Microsoft.

So, again, it is not solely because of the multiplatform status that we bash SE and FFXIII, but because of what changes have been made since it was announced as multiplatform.

Personally, I'm looking forward to FF Versus XIII. Hopefully SE have learned their lesson from this multiplatform disaster and will keep it PS3 exclusive.

Oh, and I still have my preorder on FF XIII. While I am disappointed with the changes made, I still believe it will be an excellent game and well worth my time to play.

For now, I am enjoying FF VII and FF VIII on the Playstation Network. Even if XIII is worse, I still can rely on the classics.

Jawknee
Jawknee
15 years ago

Dancemachine is correct. i defended Squeenix until i started to see evidence of the game being altered because of its multiplatform status. its craptastic!

BLUE RAY MATTERS!

It greatly enhances movie watching, why wouldn't it do the same for gaming? This game went from being solely designed for the blue ray console to having to compromise for the an inferior format.

This should have stayed exclusive. Not because i get kicks out of Xboxers not being able to play it, but because this is not the Final Fantasy we were promised. its something else. MS dug their fingers in and mutated it into something unholy and wrong. ha!


Last edited by Jawknee on 2/15/2010 7:24:53 PM

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
15 years ago

Yup, it's official!!!!!

Yoshinori Kitase & Motomu Toriyama have now aced all their courses at the obama training Academy for "spin-doctors".

All fluff, without substance!

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
15 years ago

You are correct, I apologize for saying you were flaming the community.

Fane1024
Fane1024
14 years ago

I agree with reryan and Highlander; the majority of the community here seems to have decided with no proof that any perceived flaws in FFXIII are directly the cause of shoe-horning the game onto the 360. While that might be the case, I think they are more likely both results of the same cause, namely that S-E is (foolishly) courting a Western audience, which they see as Xbox-centric.

S-E have proven (with the exception of FFXII, which was awesome and anyone who disagrees can bite me) since the merger that they are entirely capable of screwing up without any outside help.

@ Jawknee

Watching movies on Blu-ray is superior because the Codecs used are superior to those used on DVDs. Blu-ray is just a storage medium, a bigger "box" than DVD. If you put a high-end 1080p video file on a DVD, it will look just as good as on Blu-ray, providing the player can handle that file. It will be short, though.

S-E could put the same game on multiple DVDs as on one Blu-ray (though it might take more than 3, depending on design specs).

While I will agree that a FF game is, due to its scope and use of pre-rendered cinematics, most vulnerable to issues of storage limitations, in most cases the differences between the size of DVD vs. Blu-ray can be overcome by compression. Warhawk is nearly small enough to fit on one CD, FFS.

That said, Sony were 100% right to use Blu-ray, because it does free developers from the need to cram everything onto one DVD.


Last edited by Fane1024 on 2/20/2010 5:44:03 PM

LittleBigMidget
LittleBigMidget
15 years ago

i hope theres a beta for DC universe. It'll destroy FFXIV

LittleBigMidget
LittleBigMidget
15 years ago

thats not what the complaining about. FF13 is just incomplete. Its like sqaure is kicking PS3 owners in the balls. Its infuriating how we PS3 owners are treated like 2nd class gamers. and a FF13 bombing is the las thing we wanted to happen.

Alienange
Alienange
15 years ago

I'm sure FFXIII will be fun as most games tend to be geared towards having fun. The problem with FFXIII is that there is so much expectation that it cannot possibly live up to what everyone wants out of this gens FF games.

Personally, I think the enjoyment I get out of FFXIII will be directly related to how much I spend on it.

LimitedVertigo
LimitedVertigo
15 years ago

Every FF that's come out since VI has lived up to the hype IMO.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
15 years ago

Ben,

I have to bow to your wisdom regarding the death of the turn based mechanic. With the exception of hand held JRPGs I'm not sure what the last truly turn based RPG on a console was. It may have been Xenosaga, or possibly Shadow Hearts, not sure which had the mor recent release.

Either way, the inescapable conclusion is that if turn based game play is your preference, you are S.O.L. . I still hope for a resurrection but I have no idea where it will come from. It depresses me greatly to come to this conclusion, I had been hoping that perhaps there was something. But in trying to find a truly turn based RPG for my wife to play, I have discovered just how rare they are, even on the PS2. I would rant and rail against it, if I knew who to point the finger at, but there's not one company or factor, there are many.

I am beginning to really dislike this current wave of RPGs with their real time and pseudo-real time combat.

I'm also beginning to understand just what kinds of masterpiece some of the last few turn based JRPGs really were.


Last edited by TheHighlander on 2/15/2010 2:34:22 PM

darxed
darxed
15 years ago

Well I don't know what you mean by truly, but the most recent I've played was Persona 4, Dungeon crawling, Turn based combat, RPG gaming in all it's glory! It seems that you are a serious RPG fan so If you haven't tried it (and Persona 3, especially the FES edition) then you should. Last great RPGs of the PS2 IMHO.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
15 years ago

The last true turn-based RPG for consoles was Lost Odyssey for the Xbox 360, which I loved. If they ever do a sequel – and it doesn't look like they're going to – I'll be one of the first to get it.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
15 years ago

More backpeddling by the brain trust. I'll be the judge of the game, but I'm not expecting it to supplant my love for FFVII.

Dancemachine55
Dancemachine55
15 years ago

FF VII FTW!!!

My love of turn-based RPG started with that. I am so disappointed that future FF's from there didn't maintain that simple yet deep MAGIC and MATERIA system from that game. It's the one RPG I continue to play to this day, 13 years after its release.

bigrailer19
bigrailer19
15 years ago

"Well, as for the PS3 version, Kitase and Toriyama said they "felt that the final product is 100% enjoyable" and hence, they're "not planning any DLC at this time."

So does that mean the 360 version might get DLC later as an exclusive? Wouldn't surpise me if it happened. What with FF13 being advertised for the 360 here in the U.S. and not the PS3.

I think I know what happened because they were speaking on a PS blog they didnt mention the 360 but, would leave even more skepticism. I dont know this whole thing has caught my eye, but im pretty much completely over any excitement for FF13 all things considered. I wont be a hipocrit and say I wont be playing it, cus I will eventually, but not before I get the games I'm really looking forward to out of the way.. Heavy Rain, GOW 3, even ModNation Racers!


Last edited by bigrailer19 on 2/15/2010 2:54:27 PM

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
15 years ago

I thought the same thing, if the PS3 version is "100% enjoyable" then what is the 360 version? The first thing that comes to mind is exclusive DLC.

www
www
15 years ago

Money keeps talking….

darxed
darxed
15 years ago

DLC is bad enough but exlusive DLC? I've been a defender / supporter of FFXIII so far, but if that happens, then screw you Square, do they even remember how many times they assured everyone and their grandmas this would be a PS3 exclusive?

Roach721
Roach721
14 years ago

I bet SE will make DLC exclusive to the 360. How much says this will happen. Truly pathetic. It's a corporate America were living in and Bill Gates is the door keeper.

www
www
15 years ago

Lies…

johnld
johnld
15 years ago

Didnt they also say that FFXIII was exclusive until wada messed everything up? I though i read somewhere that even they didnt know wada would go multiplatform.

D1g1tal5torm
D1g1tal5torm
15 years ago

The spin doctors are out.

DemonNeno
DemonNeno
15 years ago

I'm not willing to believe that DLCs' will not exist. I especially don't think that content wasnt removed in the transition of an exclusive to an multplatform game.

Bottom line is, "polishing" a game doesn't require removal of towns entirely. Fitting them on a DVD that already pegs past the # of discs a FF game has ever neederd, makes it more suspect.

How can incorperating a town, which is solely made of characters, going to hamper a game? Is this like a post-apacolytic world?? I don't get it.. Are all the characters nomads..? It's a little overwhelming to imagine how NO TOWNS would polish content.

I call BS. Again, it may actually work out to be a great game, but how can you lack towns? How realistic and compelling can that truly get?

Knightedrik
Knightedrik
15 years ago

"In regard to the rumoured cut content, we feel it was taken out of context. There are a lot of ideas that are brought to the table, and then the team takes the best ideas out of those, and the final product is polished that way. There was content that were 'ideas' that didn't make the final content, but the team isn't looking to release that as downloadable content."

Translation: "Yeah, so what if we gimped ps3 version so we can milk xbox, its our game and we love money. And yes its xbox fault cause you can barely fit movie on dvd much less game. Don't worry, all we cut out is towns. So in closing, F**K YOU DOLPHIN, AND F**K YOU WHALE!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Qubex
Qubex
15 years ago

Lol, there is always something in that "bending" mechanic 🙂

Q!

"The Wizard left Oz"

Mr Bitey
Mr Bitey
15 years ago

I think this really just goes to show how out of touch SE is with it's fan base.

Regardless of why content was cut, they really should have known better then to announce that 1/2 the game was cut.

It's almost like they go out their way to make PS3 owners angry.

Bandit King
Bandit King
14 years ago

Nah, its MS who is trying to piss you off. They want you to feel guilty about owning a PS3 by taking former PS exclusive brands and parade them around on their system in the hopes that you go "Huh, 360 has all PlayStations games. What did I buy a PlayStation for then?". S-E is not rtying to piss you off MS designs the exclusive marketing campaigns to piss off PlayStation owners.

tes37
tes37
15 years ago

White Knight Chronicles does a lot of things right. I just hope they push themselves harder to elevate this franchise from a B to an A by the time WKCII comes out. It is worth picking up.

Dancemachine55
Dancemachine55
15 years ago

Why do they even announce these things? Why does SE go out of their way to say "Due to capacity issues, PR issues, etc. we had to remove this, this and this."

I think Wada or Toriyama have become buddies with someone at MS and they didn't want to hurt the friendship.

Such a shame that money is now the no. 1 concern for making games, not the gamers themselves, the ones who actually BUY THE FREAKIN' GAMES and give the company THEIR MONEY!!!

SE need to learn that money comes from consumers and the gamers themselves, so they need to take care of consumers and gamers before companies and themselves.

I wonder if they still think this deal with MS has paid off? After all the negative attention they've been getting, the content they've been forced to remove, the statements they've been forced to retract, the lies they've had to dish out to their fans, was it all worth it for that extra few million?

Don't they realise they woulda made that extra few million back over time with PS3 sales due to their game? And that their game would've been the masterpiece they'd worked so long and hard for?

FFXIII had the potential to be a 98 on Metacritic, but greed for money changed all that. I hope SE are happy with what they've done.

rogers71
rogers71
15 years ago

"FFXIII had the potential to be a 98 on Metacritic, but greed for money changed all that. I hope SE are happy with what they've done."

Unfortunately for all us Sony fans, I think SE will be very happy. The reason…No matter how the game turns out, because this game is multiplat, it will be the best selling FF game to this point. I could be wrong but I don't see it. Thoughts?

Snaaaake
Snaaaake
15 years ago

Indeed it will be the best selling FF in the franchise and because of that the multiplat will continue.

Just like RE5 sold 5 million to become the highest selling series in the franchise and I bet my UC2 that RE6 will be multiplat too.

Dancemachine55
Dancemachine55
14 years ago

Mario 64, GTA IV, MGS 4, Uncharted 2, Zelda Ocarina of Time, etc. etc. were all given the highest ratings and review scores. Yet Modern Warfare 2 is the highest selling video game this generation.

Not all sales numbers are tied to quality. Just because FF XIII will sell more than any before will not mean that it is better than VII or VIII, or FF X for that matter.

Also, it does come down to personal preference, and in my eyes, FF VII is the greatest Final Fantasy I have ever played. Why? Maybe it was the Materia system? Maybe it was the story? Maybe it was the deep and engrossing characters and environment? Maybe it was the fact that it was the first RPG I had ever played at 11 years old when it first came out. All I know is, no other FF has lived up to VII in my eyes. FF X might be favourites with others, but not really me. Cloud, Aeris, Tifa and even Barret all have a special place in my heart. (The gaming section of my heart of course)