Wait…they're worried it'll be too long ?
In a recent Kotaku interview , Square Enix boss Hajime Tabata said they were trying to keep Final Fantasy XV under 40 hours in terms of completion length.
But it's getting "harder and harder" to make that happen as they add more content. Right now, he says the team is trying to "work around" the problem because such a length might be "too much for players." I'm sorry, but what the hell is this guy talking about? Since when are Final Fantasy developers worried that the game will be too long ? Since when is any developer of a role-playing game concerned that a lengthy adventure will turn off the RPG fans who…uh…you know, want lengthy adventures, usually?
All this really does is prove once again what Square Enix is trying to do, and why FFXV isn't an RPG. It's a mainstream action game with RPG elements that targets Western consumers who really aren't hardcore role-players. Hardcore RPGers have yet to understand a syllable Square Enix has uttered in regards to this game.
Related Game(s): Final Fantasy XV
Just toss out the assured over abundance of fetch quests and grinding.
NOO.. it's most assuredly not, rpg's must be lengthy and when it comes to Final Fantasy XV(which is the most awesome game of the entire generation of FF's except FF VII,VIII,IX)it must be at least 70 to 90 hours.. lots of content, cutscenes of cource r key element at least 7-9 hours total cutscenes and lots of dlc's
Last edited by N0T0Ri0UsGaM3R on 1/20/2015 12:37:35 PM
lmao… don't want it too long… And how is 40 hours an incredible amount of time? That's child's play in the rpg world.
It's more action game now than rpg. Twisted and evil.
I thought 40 hrs was the standard game play length for JRPGs.
Depends how much of this is fetch questing and how much is awesome varied content.
Also Ben I don't exactly think this game is designed 100% for Westerners, they completely recostumed the main characters to appeal to the Japanese market. The original Costumes were sooo much better in my opinion, and to be honest were more appealing to my western eyes 🙂
As for why they are concerned about the length, maybe Japanese gamers are sick of long games too? If it is padded out gameplay and repetitive fetch quests I too wouldn't mind the length being trimmed.
That or Square Enix is desperately trying to appeal to both markets which isn't going to work very well.
I dunno, I just want to play the game and see if it feels like an Action RPG, or an Action game with RPG lite mechanics. It's hard to tell just from watching it.
Last edited by xenris on 1/20/2015 1:23:57 PM
It's trying to appeal to us though. That's like all Japan has tried to do over the last 8 years. Toss themselves out the door and pretend to be us. The very fact this game is open world is a very western thing to do right now. Name me one open world game that sells real well in Japan (and don't say Monster Rancher or something)?
I can name you, however, some Final Fantasies that sold well both here and there and none of them had anything to do with open world'ness.
EDIT: Heck. it's totally evident in FFXIII when they decided to drop Gran Pulse into the game. They got the memo from someone that the game needs open world stuff cuz' westerners like that a lot.
And what did american reviews say? "It doesn't get good until you get to Gran Pulse. That's when it OPENS up an becomes fun"
Last edited by Temjin001 on 1/20/2015 1:55:54 PM
Because no FF before FF13 was so linear in nature.
Every FF game has had a world map, which in my opinion is what open world games stemmed from. In a way FF games have always been about being open world, they just open it up slowly to you, but once you get close to the end you have the whole thing open to explore.
Shenmue, and Yakuza are open world and Japan gobbled those games up. Spacifically Yakuza, and the Way of the Samurai games are now open worldish, although they are kind of small in comparison to what we usually get here.
Almost all the Final Fantasy games that sold really well here 7 8 and 9 all had huge world maps, and the FF games before 7 also had open maps.
FF10 was the first one to be more closed off, and 12 went back to being more open again.
I think the FF games that sold well here sold well because they were designed well, I think FF13 was designed terribly both from a gameplay perspective and a story perspective. Gran Pulse I doubt was because of westerners, it seemed like they didn't trust people to "get" the combat system so they had a 30 hour tutorial before they let the game open up.
Besides the fact that FF13 put all its money into production values, the game had poor itemization and leveling up, hardly any side quests, no cities with which to buy new gear and discover side quests in, etc.
FF13 was lazy. Its not like the linear portion had anything interesting going on in it either, it being linear did not benefit the game at all, didn't have sweet puzzles or other awesome things that come with linear games, it was just bare bones.
Again open world can be good if the content there isn't rehashed, just like linear can be garbage if there is not much content there either.
"That or Square Enix is desperately trying to appeal to both markets which isn't going to work very well."
This. They've been trying to do it since FFXIII and that's precisely when the downturn began.
I think there's quite a few different opinions on what "open world" actually is. I could go back and claim stuff from the NES, like Zelda or Faxanadu as "open world" but it really wouldn't help address the modern gamer's understanding of what an open world game actually is.
I think the problem is less about world maps and "roaming" which can be done in basically any game, but more about the playing structure. The sort of events that must happen in order to have forward progression.
Any FF will "open up" as you play them but they only open up after following the cues that the story (which constitutes the bulk of the playing experience) directs you to follow. In a loosely bound structure the game more or less expects you to spend many hours enlisting in disjointed quests that don't meaningfully progress the story.
What ends up happening is a game like Fallout 3 which has about as much story and primary plot advancement of a smaller short story, whereas something like Xenogears could fill a novel.
btw. I don't think Shenmue actually sold well and it's near what? 15 years old. The DC died shortly after Shenmue launched. And Shenmue didn't spawn any successors after it's manner of play.. an indicator of success. Shenmue 2 was actually content taken from the first game's production and partitioned into two games. I'm still waiting for a sequel.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 1/20/2015 10:11:10 PM
@Ben, yeah I think that is what happened in FF13 as well, I can't think of anything good to say about the game other than the graphics.
@Temjin What if the world of FF15 opens up in a similar fashion as other FF games? I know you could go almost everywhere in FF12 but it came at a high risk, the enemies basically would kill you on sight.
I agree with how open worlds work, but remember not all open worlds let you at the whole world right away, GTA3 did things really well, with the three islands being unlocked over time through the story.
Shenmue was my first example, Yakuza was the main example I was using. Yakuza is the closest thing to a Japanese GTA game minus the vehicles. Yet it manages to have a great story going on in it and it sells crazy well in Japan, so much so that they have always been hassled to localize it in the west.
I too am waiting to see what happens to Lan Di, and those stinkin mirrors. Shenmue 2 ended in such a painful cliff hanger.
I don't even know what's going on anymore. I certainly don't mind FF going the proper action/RPG route if it's indeed a GOOD GAME. That's all that matters to me. Action heavy or turn based, whatever… if the gameplay is great then they should assume we'll want to play it for 40+ hours, right?
All I hear from this, and maybe it's mostly just me, is that the game is fun for awhile, but you'll get bored and won't finish it if it's more than 20-30 hours or w/e.
Last edited by Zemus101 on 1/20/2015 1:50:23 PM
Sad that they are focused on that but I kind of see where we they are coming from. They don't want gamers to simply buy the game, they want them to complete it. I think all of us hardcore rpgs fans can look on our shelves and see a good amount of rpgs we purchased last gen that we didn't complete and conversely, there may be games like Uncharted, Killzone, Gears, and Resistance that we played through multiple times with an overall playtime eclipsing that of the rpg.
Ken Lobb had an interesting interview a couple of weeks ago and he said something in it thats kind of relevant here. He said since we've grown up and have pretty busy lives alot of the times we play games with sort of a mental clock, and we pick games that we know we can make progression through with about 15 minutes of playtime. And while we sit down with the intention of playing that long if the games sucks you in, you will play longer. RPGs are a commitment to make a significant advancement, so I wonder of that's why we may pass over it unless we are in the perfect conditions for a lengthy play session.
Last edited by n/a on 1/20/2015 1:57:19 PM
Hahahah. Sorry, apparently the success of past FF games means nothing anymore. And did they not see the sales of Skyrim? I stopped cared after FF13, but now it's getting hard not to just laugh. They really have no idea what consumers want.
Very nicely said I'm glad there is some non-sheep, non-blind-fanboys journalist out there that get what is going on & say things exactly the way it is, this game is mostly an action game with some RPG elements they target western audience mostly & not JRPG fans, SE don't give a fuck about their old fans anymore & that's more than obvious.
I hit the 40 hour mark in Dragon Age: Inquisition yesterday and I'm loving the fact that I have PLENTY more to go. I put an embarrassing amount of time into Skyrim and Ni No Kuni too. I'm sure they are aware of the success those two games had in the west, so I take it as they are not attempting to make an RPG. If it's not an RPG, my interest level drops by probably 70%-80%.
The brilliance of the classic FFs is you really COULD play through them in under 40 hours if you really wanted to. But they made such amazing worlds, had so many awesome corners to explore again and again and made leveling up and equipping your party with the best stuff that you would probably WANT to spend more like 100 hours playing. Hopefully they find a way to strike that balance, and let those of us who would love to hang out in an awesome new Final Fantasy world for months on end do our thing too 🙂
I am not sure about you all but I have moved on. I looking forward to The Witcher, Bloodborne, Persona 5 etc.
Those games can keep me busy for at least 2 years.
Agreed. Although I will get this game because it is originally what I got a PS3 for.
Those games you listed have got me seriously hyped.
help
What in the f**king hell is wrong with you Square-Enix??!!! 40hrs too long? I put 40hrs in Dragon Age Inquisition and didnt even realise it until I was way past the 40 mark. I had over 70hrs before I did! Listen here SE!!! Its clear you want to kill and bury the most beloved franchise you've ever made by westernizing it,turning it into a GOW/DMC action game.
SE clearly have lost their minds folks. They have become too corrupt and must be allowed to die. I am not buying anything from them ever again.FFXIII was the last straw that broke the camels back! When XV bombs and they lose theyre money and go bankrupt I will hold a somber vigil with FFVII's soundtrack at Cemetary hill near where I lived during a most beautiful sunset and remember the franchise and its life before the corruption claimed its soul…
hah in no way is that off putting! 40 would be great! Just like my lovely time in ffx again!
So…Square. Reached 120 hours in FFX HD. Why in the f*&^ would I want an RPG to be anything but absurdly long? The only thing thats been absurdly long is the development time. Stop touting your E-shlong like you got something special. I went from pre teen to young adult in the time its taken for you to make the game so it had goddamn better be absurdly long.
40 hours…In Fallout alone, you could reach 100 hours with several different characters. 40 hours for a game with a set character and a set plot and a set everything else and its only 40?? STOP IT SQUARE JUST STOP.
Stop. Seriously, stop. Just stop. Please stop.
Tales of Symphonia to platinum -600hrs
Dark Souls 2 640hrs to platinum, 4 playthroughs and all available dlc.
Don't give me this crap about over 40hrs is too long. 200 hours is nothing if an RPG captures you and keeps you interested.
-shrug- it depends on who is playing it and how much time each individual has to be able to play it. I'm certainly interested but I dunno if I have enough time to spread out 40+ hours as I used to be able to do.
If the main story is 40 hours then that is ok, if it includes all sidequests then hell no!
Part of the old ff games was being able to head off and find hidden things (items, weapons, bosses) that had maybe been mentioned at some point during the game, or were because of your own initiative trying to find things out. Things like vincents backstory in 7, omega weapon in 8, that hellish multi-coloured ball in 9, could go on and on. These things make a final fantasy game, not just a story fleshed out with pointless sidequests that have no relation to the story, and they are there for the people who want to find them.
On a side note, picked up lightning returns for £10… actually enjoying it, but its not what I would call a Final Fantasy game. About 40 hours in and nearly finished (with most side quests…) hopefully XV isn't going down this route.
What in God's name is going on there? I can't deal right now.
They dont want to make any real lengthy rpgs any more to take away from their mmorpg FF 14. Monthy dues are a must!!
What I can't figure out is why they didn't start a new I.P. for these new action heavy FF games? And stick with turn-based for the true FF ones? It could have been THAT easy.
FF13 should have been called something else.
i'm not sure but thats sounds about right length for an RPG so idk what the problem is, is it that gamers are too lazy that they can't handle a 40 hr game now but in saying that dragon age the new one is way longer so yeah again whats the problem SE
happy gaming
The longer the better! Nothing longer nothing stronger (ha ha)!
SURELY they are referring to the Demo, right….?
The only thing I know, is that the last Final Fantasy, I didn't pre-order, buy new, or even look at used. I felt like a fool buying 13-2, cause I never actually ever finished 13, and just wasted my money on the followup.
13 was one of those games that probably would have fared far better if it hadn't gone NEAR the Final Fantasy title. What I played wasn't really bad… Just… it didn't feel like a Final Fantasy.
At this point, I don't know that I even care anymore. Until Square Enix flat out FIRES the morons running them into the ground… I don't know that I will ever care anymore. If I hear rave reviews that something they spun was actually, good, I'll bite. That's why I grabbed Bravely Default. I heard it was actually good. Other than hearing people say stuff was actually good, after it launches, I really don't follow Final Fantasy or even Square in general anymore.
If I'm having too good of a day, and want to temper my enthusiasm, I'll just find something Square-Enix recently said, and it'll be sure to thoroughly piss on the flames of my faith in human creativity, sense and intellect, and utterly lower my expectations in life.