Quote Originally Posted by chionos View Post
Interesting. I wish there were more information available, but this seems like a good sign.

Square Enix, please go back to being just Squaresoft and making great RPGs. Please? ~ all your fans

On the other hand, this kind of thing isn't what made Square successful in the first place, and this isn't what made the earlier Final Fantasies so great. Teams and committees and subcommittes. They had a creative core, a base of genius from which to work. And now they're looking to function like an assembly line, like a machine. So we'll get console rpgs more often, but will they just be cookie-cutter bulltrout? Will this "studio" be full of geniuses who make new and interesting and thought-provoking and character-driven games again? Or will it be hacks who know the mechanics of making an RPG to make money but not of making an RPG to make fun?

I don't know, and I'm not trying to be negative. I want to see this as a good sign, but it's tough to do so. I've given SE the benefit of the doubt on many occasions and it's been a long time since they actually lived up to my expectations.

It's worth buying into, though, on the off chance this might mean:

Chrono 3
New Star Ocean games
New Mana games
FFXV
Chrono Cross remake?
New IP that's actually playable?
Vagrant Story 2
Final Fantasy Tactics 2 (smurf the advance series)


I'm guessing the new studio will primarily be about new IPs, which is a mixed bag, but if there's even a chance of getting even 1 or 2 items from the list, I'd be ecstatic.
A new IP made with the heart is the only thing that can restore my faith in SE. Let them prove themselves without any stigma of earlier games and I'm really tired of remake hypes and sequelitis in the first place.

To me it sounds like something straight out of a focus group. Developer asks: would you be stoked for a remake/sequel of "[insert title]". The idea is graspable and refers to nostalgia or previous experiences, so focus group says yes. It seems convenient. But during development expectations get funky, people start to meddle, the creative process is limited by having to "stay true" to the original. The developer plays it safe, throws in many references to the original, fan based winks that are cheesy and feel cheap.

What I believe these folks really want is new games that are free from any creative restrictions, new games that can exceed the experiences had from those older games they love so much because they are not tied to it. Starting out from those beloved games to spawn a remake/sequel will rarely exceed their previous experience with said series.

Those are my thoughts in a nutshell anyway.