They've already made higher resolution remakes of 1 and 2!
They've already made higher resolution remakes of 1 and 2!
everything is wrapped in gray
i'm focusing on your image
can you hear me in the void?
Me playing VI kinda has me thinking what if it was made as a modern game. Granted, IX HD would be awesome and I know that it, a VII HD, or XII HD would make some fans happy.
Just like the X/X-2 HD is making some happy already.
Yes, they did. However, those were NES games placed onto the PS1/GBA/PSP and still were firmly 2D. They were not given the treatment that X/X-2 HD is.
The only issue with games older than X being converted to HD is that they would essentially have to re-make the game from the ground up. It would be worth it, but I can see SE doing it for one older game, which would more than likely be FFVII.
Newer FF player. Learning the ropes. Game in sig is what I plan on playing when the italicized games are finished.
My Checklist (Italics = now playing, Bold = beaten): I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XII, XIII
Actually, it pretty much is an analogous situation. 1, 2 and 4 on the PSP had their textures, sprites and backgrounds enhanced, so that they fit the HD resolution. X/X-2 is getting the same, the graphics were 3D from the get-go, only textures and character models are given a higher resolution. A similar remake for the PS1-era games would require them to completely redraw the prerendered backgrounds, making work on such a remake far more costly.
The problem with remastering PS1 games is that they can't reuse hardly anything from them. In most HD remakes all they do is adjust the resolution, expand the mesh for player characters and major enemies, and use hd textures on everything else. However, the polygon count in PS1 games is so low that merely adjusting the textures would look awful on any game, be it the blocky FF7 or the less so FF9. In order for them to make an HD version of any PS1 game, they would have to completely remake the game or it would look simply awful. Redoing textures is much simpler than creating all new meshes for every enemy and repainting all the backgrounds and redoing all the magic, and basically recreating all of that as a new game. FF12 has poly counts equivilent to the average current gen game up to about last year, making it a far simpler and far more attractive remaster than any of the PS1 games.
When they say remaking 7 is impossible, what they are really saying is that completely rebuilding the game from scratch would tie up most of the companies resources as they would have to make it perfect to satisfy gamers. While the end result would most likely be FF7 with graphics as good as Advent Children, it would take them far too long for it to be feasible. After all, they are already almost bankrupt and they have to pay their employees.
That is why a few years ago SE said they wouldn't consider remaking FF7 until they had regained their glory or surpassed it. They can't afford to remake 7. But 10 and 12 only need new textures.
TL;DR
They literally cannot afford to remake 7.
This post brought to you by the power of boobs. Dear lord them boobs. Amen
Newer FF player. Learning the ropes. Game in sig is what I plan on playing when the italicized games are finished.
My Checklist (Italics = now playing, Bold = beaten): I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XII, XIII
So then it's no problem that the FF1+2 remakes were remade in higher res 2D. I'm so glad we agree!
everything is wrapped in gray
i'm focusing on your image
can you hear me in the void?
Square Enix is nowhere near "almost bankrupt." Your analysis was spot-on up until that point (namely that a remake of PS1-era titles are just that--remakes, not remasters), but despite some disappointing releases financially recently, Square Enix isn't anywhere near bankrupt. Take a look at their financial reports; despite a bit of a downturn, they're doing fine and still have plenty of cash on hand.
Based on a conservative estimates of active subscriptions to FFXI (approximately 300,000), they're pulling down $54 million in annual subscriptions alone (and to a game for which development and maintenance ten years into its lifecycle is comparatively cheap). Even if Final Fantasy XIV is only moderately successful, an MMORPG with even only a few hundred-thousand subscribers is basically a license to print money.
Final Fantasy VII would be enormously expensive to remake, and I don't anticipate that we'll see a remake for a current generation console ever. I would not be surprised, however, if they went with a PSVita remake or something similar to that. I'd eat up PSVita remakes for VII, VIII, and IX.
Never liked XII. Not interested. It probably wouldn't be released for any system I own, anyway. THANKS OBAMA. AND SQUARE.
Square Enix hasn't been in a financial crisis since the launch of Final Fantasy XI. Recently they've had a string of disappointing launches for title, but nothing that could be considered disastrous. Additionally, they just announced today that Final Fantasy XIV has reached 960,000 applications for beta. I'd wager that they're going to be okay.
I generally find it hard to justify buying new HD releases of games I already own, but this might be one I'd have to consider. FFXII is great, and exploring the massive world was a big part of it. I would especially consider it if they offered a collector's edition or some other type of new content.
Yeah. I'm a little confused why they are doing this in general. Will it earn much more money? I saw the trailer for X and X-II, and I guess graphics really don't bother me much, because i can't really tell much difference. Remaking old school NES/SNES titles with updated modern graphics I understand, but giving FFX/FFXII a minor enhance seems like more work and spending, with very little profit.
Doing HD remake of PS2 titles is actually very little work and money, and therefore makes a lot more profit as a result. It would actually cost more to remake NEW and SNES title, and I could almost guarantee if you did that for the PS3/360, you'd never make enough to justify the effort since you have to basically start from scratch with those.
As for the topic, not sure how I missed it before, but the idea that FFXII getting an HD release would depend on how X and X-2 do bothers me a bit, if only because XII is a very different game.