[General Discussion] Your Opinion On Yasumi Matsuno

Originally Posted by Megavolt

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.

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.

Anyway, I love Matsuno. In a world of homogeneous stories and gameplay, the man is subversive. It's his strongest and most admirable trait, someone I hope other developers would aspire to emulate as far as quality is concerned.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

The country I was thinking of was called "Zeltenia" in the initial translation of FFTactics. Again, I'm not certain, I'm going by a gut feeling here.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I looked it up, and they were two separate kingdoms in two separate worlds: Zetegenia and Zeltennia. Just wanted to squash anything that could snowball from what I said.

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

Oh, Final Fantasy Tactics is definitely overrated on a gameplay standpoint. The time spent grinding in that game in the beginning to get to some level of efficiency is a gigantic strike against it. I definitely find the Ogre Battle series of games to be Matsuno's best foot forward, have you tried them, GoldfishX?

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

Until Nippon Ichi? Dude, just... come on. Seriously.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Front Mission for starters, Bahamut Lagoon. Emulation was well available for those, not sure if translations were complete either two. Though Front Mission 3 was definitely not worth missing out on, and that saw release stateside.

Edit: Do you discount Shining Force as an SRPG? If not, there you go.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Nothing, really -- that I'd want to mention here. There were just games prior to their games' availability. Though I take what access I did have for granted, I was emulating successfully around 1999. Personal shock. I'd still count Shining Force, personally, as well.

FELIPE NO

See, it's a fact that FFTactics tends to get better as you invest time into it. Since that's when you get more options for character setups and such. So I'm not sure how you come to that conclusion, considering in chapter 3 the worst part about Riovannes is, even in the face of preparation, Rafa being dumb. Though I hear that specific movement causes her to act a certain way, it certainly isn't fun to just waltz into. Anyway, I've always felt that it's getting started in Tactics that is usually the most cause for frustration as you go along and that much I've seen universally agreed upon between most folks. As far as you discovering SRPGs via Nippon Ichi, just color me surprised it seems.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Well, just know that my love of Matsuno and his games/stories have not blinded me to all of that. Because... well, yeah.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Django!

I would disagree, but only to a certain point. The game is difficult at the beginning, when you're all a bunch of squabs barely fitting your armor. Later on when you get mid level skills and classes the game becomes incredibly easy. And then they give you Thunder God Cid and just ruin the difficulty.

But, I think that was intentional. By the time you get him the game is more about wrapping up the story line. Most of the game is out of the way by then, and only side quests and such are left to explore.

On another note, since I've been playing back through it I've found the game to be much easier than play throughs several years ago. I chalk that up to having a rather intimate understanding of the gameplay, knowing what classes work best where and how to be an efficient group of killers. Mainly, though, I've had to do very little grinding.

My point isn't that it's impossible to break through the beginning. It's that it is grating. Specializing leads to a more enjoyable experience, but I found myself having over leveled characters in spite of this. There's tons of variety to Tactics, and that is its most redeeming quality. Again, I just hate starting new games for it.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by GoldfishX

I like my solution: Design the game right, so I don't have to restart because I can't get out and level the fuck up/change abilities and I don't have to use a strategy guide to warn me the (potentially) hardest battle in the game is coming up!

FFTactics certainly isn't the only game to put you in these fucked up situations... nor does it force you to only use one save file.

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

Xenogears.

You had a lack of memory cards and I didn't, sounds like a personal problem, not to sound heartless. Certain old school RPGs are notoriously unforgiving, that's a fact of life. There are things people had to do to get around them, and I feel it's a giant gray area of those who used those methods such as mapping their own dungeons or writing down equipment and growth stats when games wouldn't spell it all out for them.

Yeah, FFTactics threw you into a fucked up situation, I don't deny that. I also can't deny there are things certain players would do to avoid things like that, because it certainly wasn't the first or last time you'd fall into a "no going back" scenario.

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

Originally Posted by Megavolt

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.

You're a day late and a dollar short, I'm afraid. I had already corrected myself, but further specifics never hurt, I suppose.

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by Rotorblade

I looked it up, and they were two separate kingdoms in two separate worlds: Zetegenia and Zeltennia. Just wanted to squash anything that could snowball from what I said.

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. 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.

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

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Yeah, that's definitely a slip-up. But I've got you elsewhere, don't worry. Well, I do enjoy when you opine on the series. Because I am rarely reading thoughts that are just going off pure infatuation, in that respect.

Elsewhere: http://www.gamingforce.org/forums/rp...tml#post564484

FELIPE NO

You're reading it wrong, I suppose. It was meant to be a compliment.

Most amazing jew boots

I try too hard at times, but I'm glad that's all sorted out. Again, it's nice to, in simple terms, find someone who can see a game for what it is rather than what they would like it to be.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

See, you have misunderstandings... and you have people being obtuse.

There's nowhere I can't reach.