What does Cloud's appearance in Smash mean for Nintendo and Square Enix?
As you probably already know, Cloud Strife, star of Final Fantasy VII, will be a playable character in Super Smash Bros. on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS.Attachment 65877 This will be Cloud's first appearance on a Nintendo system, as Square moved away from making games for that platform after Final Fantasy VI. But why now are we getting this?
Square didn't completely stop making games for Nintendo systems. The Game Boy Advance and DS/3DS systems all have retro and spin-off Final Fantasy games. On the Game Cube, DS and Wii, there was Crystal Chronicles. However, mainline games haven't made it Nintendo's way.
Critics say it's due to the lack of firepower in Nintendo's systems. Every system after the N64 has been technologically inferior to their competitors. Not until the last two generations has Nintendo used full sized discs for their home consoles, the Wii U being the only one in HD. However, with talk of the next generation Nintendo console, tentatively named NX, being more on par with the competition. Capcom is already considering jumping back into the Nintendo ring, and they've allowed Mega Man and Street Fighter's Ryu to appear in Smash, so why not Square Enix?
Here are some possible things Square can do with Nintendo:
Final Fantasy VII Remake and/or Final Fantasy XV on the NX
While the Wii U may not have the power to run large scale HD games like the Final Fantasy VII Remake or the upcoming Final Fantasy XV, the supposedly super NX likely will. This could mean a future release of these games on the next Nintendo console. This could also mean future mainline Final Fantasy games could once again have a home with Nintendo.
Final Fantasy Mario Maker Crossover
Earlier this week, Nintendo updated Mario Maker to include a new "Event Course" mode. In this mode, you could win new Mystery Mushroom costumes, ranging from a Link totem to the Famitsu mascot Nekki. We already have Mega Man and Pac-Man from 3rd party companies as well, so why not a series of NES Final Fantasy costumes? We'd love to see a little Black Mage bouncing on a Wiggler. Or maybe an Astos dropping the Axe on Bowser!
Come on! We know the Paper Mario series is at best a spin-off. While entertaining, it doesn't reach the greatness of the original SNES game. We need Square's know-how of RPGs and Nintendo's know-how of... Mario... to create the next great RPG. Anyway, we're wondering what Geno and Mallow have been up to lately!
Square doing what they do best, Re-releasing old stuff!
Yep, Square has been conspicuously absent from the Wii U's shop, despite of the large library of games they've made for Nintendo systems. We could see a return of many of our favorite Final Fantasy games as well as some that never made it, like Final Fantasy VII-IX. Not sure if the Wii U could handle Final Fantasy X in HD, but if it can, Square needs to give it to us now! It would also be cool to see Chrono Cross and the Parasite Eve games on the Nintendo.
And now for something completely different
Why not make a new series for Nintendo? While Square seems to be getting away from making games exclusive, they could reach a deal with Nintendo to introduce a new series on their systems, if only temporarily (think Final Fantasy VII remake on the Playstation 4). If Square has any creativity left (some would wonder), Nintendo may be getting in the front door to get the exclusive.
What else would you like to see Square Enix do with Nintendo? Are you excited to see Cloud in Smash? In case you missed it, here's the promotional trailer for Cloud's Smash debut.
Edit: Cloud has before appeared on Nintendo systems, in Kingdom Hearts pn Game Boy Advance and Theatrhythm on the DS.
11-13-2015, 12:58 AM
Depression Moon
This is a Final Fantasy site and I'm a Final Fantasy fan, so I'm excited for Cloud. People are getting crazy with character predictions because of this reveal. I only think that it will mean a NX port of the VII remake down the road and that's it.
I am also curious if this is also a result of the voting poll.
11-13-2015, 01:37 AM
Ayen
I'm just going to assume it's as simple as, "Dude, we want Cloud on Super Smash Bros, bro."
"That'd be mega dope, bro! Let's do it."
SE be like "wow, nintendo's got some problems... Let's help them out."
11-13-2015, 02:00 AM
Laddy
He's got Limits and Summons, too? Sweeeeet.
11-13-2015, 02:29 AM
Colonel Angus
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mirage
It's corporate welfare from SE to Nintendo.
SE be like "wow, nintendo's got some problems... Let's help them out."
Nintendo's got problems! lol
If anyone needs pity, it'd be Konami. #VincentInCastlevania
11-13-2015, 02:35 AM
Mirage
The flop of the WiiU is certainly eating away on their savings. I mean they're not going to go out of business next year if it wasn't for a cloud DLC but still.
Konami deserves no pity from anyone. They are clearly not interested in making games that gamers want. They're not even *trying*. They see that putting the same amount of money into gambling machines will earn them 5 dollars more a year, so they're doing just that.
11-13-2015, 09:30 AM
Formalhaut
SE and Nintendo have always been amicable allies, so I don't see this as much of a surprise. It is very welcome though.
11-13-2015, 04:08 PM
Fynn
The WiiU is actually doing splendid lately, despite its rocky start. Not to mention the fact that the 3DS prints money for them.
And I want Sora or Riku in Smash now. Or even better: Aqua. PLEASE! :omgomg:
11-13-2015, 05:40 PM
Del Murder
SE's recent history with console RPG development probably indicates that nothing new will be coming for WiiU. I agree with others that the most we'll see is a port of FFVII Remake on the NX.
However, the 3DS has a lot of opportunities and SE has already taken ample advantage of that platform, mostly with remakes of older games, but there's also Bravely Default. I hope to see even more games like that and maybe they could even revive some old franchises for 3DS sequels like Tactics Advance, Mana, and Vagrant Story.
11-13-2015, 05:48 PM
Vyk
Lots of weird speculation. Has Square even came out and said they're going to start working full scale with Nintendo again? Knowing them this was just a licensing thing that netted Square a couple bucks and Nintendo got ravings. I can't imagine this leading to another Mario RPG. And every if it could would people really want that? Do they really trust Square to be able to recapture the magic without severely tarnishing it instead? I didn't even like that game but I think it's legacy is best served by not touching it. I wouldn't trust Square with a FFVI or Chrono remake either. Incidentally I don't trust them with this FFVII remake. But it is a chance for them to prove themselves
11-14-2015, 08:00 AM
Ayen
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fynn
The WiiU is actually doing splendid lately, despite its rocky start. Not to mention the fact that the 3DS prints money for them.
Pretty sure they still have plenty of money in the bank from past successes, too, so I doubt WiiU's rocky start really hurt them much.
Square Enix "came back" to Nintendo on the Gamecube. Since then, they've likely released more titles for Nintendo systems than any other ecosystem. The mainline Final Fantasy games are the exception, not the rule. In fact, the reason those games take so long to come out is because their directors put them on the backburner to go work on DS games instead. Nintendo has also been the exclusive home for Dragon Quest for over a decade now, which only ended earlier this year with the release of Dragon Quest Heroes. Even then, Square confirmed that Nintendo will be getting both versions of Dragon Quest XI, in addition to localizing the 3DS remakes for the West. Anyone following Japanese gaming news for the past year knows that the opposite is true, that SQEX is now renewing its efforts to support PlayStation devices. What the announcements this week signal is that this does not mean they are abandoning Nintendo. Instead, SQEX is enhancing its commitment across all dedicated devices, under the leadership of its new President.
NX is widely rumored to be a powerful device made from current hardware. If it's architecture is accessible, it should be receiving Final Fantasy XV, Kingdom Hearts 3, and the FFVII remake. Those games are all coming to Xbox One, so it would be unusually bizarre if they somehow sidestepped Nintendo. But it's not a guarantee. The Wii U was more powerful than both the 360 and PS3 but it still missed out on a lot of amazing end-cycle multiplatform games.
11-16-2015, 10:16 PM
I Don't Need A Name
'This will be Cloud's first appearance on a Nintendo system'
Cloud has made multiple appearances on Nintendo consoles, in the form of the Kingdom Hearts franchise and the Theatrhythm franchise on the Nintendo Gameboy Advance and multiple iterations of the DS.
