[General Discussion] Your Opinion On Yasumi Matsuno

Hey, I remember you. I also remember what you're talking about and that I had disagreed with whoever said that.

Matsuno is probably my favorite of them all. Some people may not realize that before Ivalice there was Zeteginia (which thankfully Square hasn't tampered with), but anyways, I love the amount of care and detail that Matsuno puts into his worlds. Everytime I play a Matsuno game I know that I'm going to get an epic story, detailed world, and strategic gameplay. That makes him the most consistent guy in terms of putting forth a creative vision that results in a great game. Even if Square forced Matsuno to sacrifice some of his artistic integrity in FFXII for the sake of appealing to the mainstream, it still had an amazing world with grand landscapes and impressive architecture. Ogre Battle, Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy Tactics, Vagrant Story, and Final Fantasy XII... I'd say that those games prove his ability without question, and I think he's the only director to have two games that got perfect scores from Famitsu.

I agree with you on Nomura, of course. The Kitase/Nomura combo have done nothing but recycle the anime-inspired style of FFVII, and yet none of their subsequent worlds have been able to achieve what Midgar did, which in itself is a microcosm of what Matsuno is able to achieve time and time again. Nomura does nothing but pander to the lowest common denominator with his overstylized, emo, anime-derivative stuff. FFXIII doesn't pique my interest at all. If other people get excited at seeing Shiva turn into a motorbike, that's their thing.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by trackjacket

He's not the only director, but one of. Eiji Aonuma of Nintendo EAD also has two perfect scores to his name (Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker).

I noticed that, but apparently he only served as assistant director in OOT. Majora's Mask was the first Zelda that he would head up as lead director.

Originally Posted by Rotorblade

Isn't Zeteginia a neighboring country to Ivalice in Final Fantasy Tactics? I'm probably mistaken, but it always felt like this world he crafted was connected to that previous Ogre universe.

It's definitely seperate. Zeteginia is a huge continent that includes the countries of Zenobia, Lodis, and Palatinus. Valeria, the main area in Tactics Ogre, is an island off the coast of it. The Ogre games are also connected by recurring characters (some of the Zenobian heroes from the original game) and villains (particularly the Lodis Empire as a belligerent nation intent on subjugating everyone else; the other recurring villain is the evil sorcerer Rashidi, who manipulated the circumstances in the original Ogre Battle and manages to do so in Ogre Battle 64 as well), none of which appear in FFT.

Originally Posted by Kikoha Hater

Megavolt, are there any other designers either eastern/western that you’re not particularly fond of.

Not specifically. The only other game-related person I'm not fond of is Yasunori Mitsuda. He's easily the most overrated VGM composer in my mind.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Yeah, but you followed it with this:

Originally Posted by Rotorblade

Again, I'm not certain, I'm going by a gut feeling here.

I thought it was meant to imply that even though Zeltenia was not it, there still might be a connection somewhere. That's actually why I went into further specifics, though as you say, there's no harm done either way. Consider it an effort to alleviate any remaining doubts rather than an effort to correct anything that was in error.

It's too bad that the Ogre Battle Encyclopedia site doesn't seem to work anymore. That place had a wealth of information on each game from the series.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Rotorblade

That's what I was referring to when I said I corrected myself, though again I agree with what you said in principle regardless of me nitpicking.

Ah, I didn't see that part. Thank you for the clarification. ^_~

Originally Posted by Rotorblade

I HAVE CREDIBILITY, SERIOUSLY! I used to visit that site way back when, I would really enjoy another Ogre game on a platform more capable of capturing its robust world.

Hey, I believe you. Anybody who likes Ogre Battle automatically has credibility in my mind. Not even many people who like the Final Fantasy Tactics approach seem to 'get' the mass army style of Ogre Battle games like MotBQ and POLC. You have to appreciate RPGs for what they are as games and not just what they provide in terms of a linear storyline in order to be an Ogre Battle fan. Ogre Battle's story is told as much (if not moreso, especially in the original game) from the details of its world as it is from standard cutscenes.

Originally Posted by Rotorblade

Too bad Mitsuda possibly went nutso on FFXII. Again, we live in hope.

Now I've got you!

Yeah, I don't know what happened to Matsuno after that one. We can definitely stay hopeful based on what Sakimoto was saying about working on another project with Matsuno.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Rotorblade

Because I am rarely reading thoughts that are just going off pure infatuation, in that respect.

Ouch. Was that an insult, or am I reading it wrong? I was only kidding around since we had just gone back and forth before on the nature of my corrective statements. I didn't intend to antagonize you.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I'm glad I asked. I thought that 'based on pure infatuation' was saying that I write fanboy drivel. Just some curious wording there, I suppose. I almost mistook a compliment for a stinging retort. That's communication on a message board for you.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?