Final Fantasy Reader Q&A

IGN: You asked, and they answered; last week two of Square Enix's biggest talents found themselves in the damp heart of London to promote Dissidia, the PSP brawler that brings together heroes and villains from Final Fantasy's past and present – and we took the opportunity to present the two with some of your questions. Thanks to everyone who submitted a question, apologies to those whose queries didn't make it through – and check out our special video feature, just to prove that we're not making it all up.

[ToastyMcNibbles]

wait a minute! i thought dvd-9 had more than enough space! /sarcasm hmmmm

[jack who]

but i don't speak Japanese?

[ToastyMcNibbles]

neither do i! im simply talking about the whole "blu-ray isnt needed dvd is enough argument" even though this is a very small problem which i dont care about its still something to think about

by the way i love how within a matter of seconds you get 2 agrees lmao awesome...by the way i didnt disagree with you buddy

[CaseyRyback_CPO]

The game gets gimped to run on the 360. An optimized PS3 game is second to only crysis, runs install free, in HD, amazing sound, and stream loads. An optimized 360 simply can't compete.

Its not going to be just the voices, its going to be animation/textures/video which all have to be compressed to fit on the ps2's storage solution.

Ah well.. woulda been nice to see an Uncharted style ff13. heres hoping versus stays exclusive. Square is amazing at pushing hardware, its unfortunate that they have to put training wheels on with ff13.

@ jackwho, the guy who probably knows nothing about jrpgs..

the japanese actors usually do better voicework than western. And people do speak japanese, second languages are very common outside of the USA. would be nice to have the option, but thanks to dvd.

[Wizeguy21]

Agreed! Right now they have to cut the japanese voices. What else will they have to cut next to make room on the dvd?

[skip2mylou]

thats why their are subtitles in games that have japanese voicing option

[CaseyRyback_CPO]

i sincerely hope that they build the PS3 version, and dont limit anything because of the 360's shortcomings. but this is an example of them deciding to kill the option to keep the versions equal.

[RyuStrife]

Maybe he wants to listen to cheesy English voice acting.
*add in* There are people who likes the Japanese voice acting, and prefer subs. I prefer subs too. So I'd say add it in, it's not like you have to use it. Just the extra option is great enough.

[Kushan]

"At the moment we're thinking of releasing the voice in English only."

That doesn't sound final or confirmed at all to me. The title of this article isn't even the title of the source it's taken from, the author clearly just wants to start a flame war.

I just find it so stupid that everyone is ready to jump on the 360 for "gimping" FFXIII, based on a frivolous line from a Q&A that clearly isn't even final. They even say "Do many people want Japanese Voices?" and I think that's a good indication that they'll listen to the fans and decide what THEY want.

[UltimateIdiot911]

Just the fact that they have to consider removing the Japanese dub because of the 360 already demonstrate that the 360 version is limiting the PS3. We don't know what else they removed or will remove because of the 360 version.

If they really had listen to their fans, Star Ocean, TRL and other JRPG would have been on the PS3.

[HDgamer]

Put it like this, most people watch anime only watch it with the original japanese dub and english subtitles. Simply because those actors put emotion into their roles no matter how big or small it is. English voice actors haven't accomplished that yet.

[Lifendz]

please tell us all how many discs the game will be on so the fanboys can stop with the whole "blu-ray doesn't matter."

[Kushan]

No, but you're all ready to blame the 360 for that, when really it's Squeenix being lazy. The term "lazy developers" has been thrown around needlessly a LOT regarding the PS3, but that's a prime example right there of a lazy decision - one console can't do it, so we wont bother doing it on another. Hell, there's nothing stopping them putting it up as DLC for the 360 and having it on disk for the PS3 (I believe one game already did this, a sports game I cannot remember the name of).
Do you see what I'm getting at? There's absolutely no reason why a limitation of one console should affect the other, other than developers just not caring. If you're going to get pissed off and annoyed at this (still not final, can't stress that enough) decision, aim your anger towards Squeenix, not Microsoft.

[Blaze929]

usually has a very good English voice cast for their games anyway so it's not like this is some Anime where Engligh dubs are so terrible its unbearable. I never had a problem with the voice acting in any Square games; especially Kingdom Hearts so I dont know why people are acting like the game will be ruined becuase of "cheesy" english voice acting.

[Knightrid808]

So true. I can't stand watching anime with english dub. English voice actors need to learn how to do it like the japanese and try and put forth feelings not just reading from lines and think its done.

[UltimateIdiot911]

It may be the laziness of the developer but SE has or should have been working on FFXIII for a while as they have yet to release a single title on the PS3.

Apparently a lot of games these day, games do get limited because of another console. That's the problem with multiplatform is that developers try to keep equal. If there is enough reason that one version is superior to another by a few notches especially a heavy hitter, people will naturally gravitate towards the better version unless misinformed. This will great a losing situation mainly because developers have to spend more money to create 2 version and if people pick one over another by a huge margin, the money spent on the other version will likely cause a lost. For the consumer, the lost is a dumb down game.

I have yet to seen a multiplatform pulled off what Uncharted, MGS4 and KZ2 did.

[Ichiryoka]

How many times developer gimp the PS3 version of multiplatform games by TRYING to make them "EQUAL"? Man this equal thing never works, if the used the full potential of the ps3 and actually make multiplatform games based on what the ps3 is good at, do you really believe the 360 and ps3 version look, sound, and run the same?

No... it wouldn't. I cant say which would look better, I might get chewed out for that but I'm sure you know.

Edit:: @ ultimate, kind of weird how we were thinking the same thing huh?

[FamilyGuy]

this was going to be in all japanese translated games now, the fact that he even asked makes him seem out of the loop. Plenty of games already released have the option so they should too.
I know people are grateful for the choice in Soul Calibur, Street Fighter 4 Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm and soon Tekken 6.

Just imagine, what if the "soon to be finished/released" japanese version has an english subs options? It'll be the most imported game in the history of console gaming...

[heroicjanitor]

And @Kushan the lack of a hard drive on all 360s will stop them

Edit: It matters because then it is included by default on ps3 disc and people without a 360 hard drive can't use it. Microsoft rushing to get all of playstation's great franchises is causing a lot of them to be ruined. They want to be the cheaper version of playstation, and they are succeeding and dragging the games down with them.

[CaseyRyback_CPO]

The gimping-jump happened the day it was announced at e3 because Square themselves propped up FF13 as a title that would utilize all spu's, boasting % figures and other things. Not just today. Today is more evidence of the fact that choices are being made with the 360's obvious restrictions in mind for the title. Which fuels the gimp-train.

Exclusively designed games are a thing to behold, and are amazing game experiences that enjoy the opportunity of being optimized for 1 specification of hardware. Killzone2, Little Big Planet, Uncharted, GT5P, Warhawk, WipeoutHD, Resistance, Motorstorm2 are all unique that they have amazing visuals and the standard amazing gameplay. This level of polish isn't found in multiplatform games at all. Amazing sound, amazing gameplay, and amazing visuals are pretty standard for PS3 exclusives.

Those are the main reasons that ff13 going multiplat causes most to cringe at the thought of the 360 getting in on the action. Lets be honest here, the 360 could hardly run MASS EFFECT without stuttering and bogging down, all of its SE designed RPG's/Most games Race Pro/Ninja Blade etc are reviewed with bugs/glitches/graphical shortcomings noted. So when you read that a major ps3 exclusive, with all the things that are inclusive to ps3 exclusives are going to be compromised so that Microsoft can get a chunk of the FF pie, it bothers most. Sure multiplatform games that are optimized for the 360, let me repeat that, optimized for the 360. Run better on it. Even when a ps3 is the lead hardware, you can't lead spu development that translates into basic pc development. And thats the bar or the goal of the developers, to keep all versions equal. In those instances, the PS3 doesn't stand a chance when it has to limit its capabilities.

So far you have ps3 titles that are unrivaled when it comes to performance/technical ability/graphics. Knowing that FF13 COULD have been yet another one of these, but now it has to be equal to the 360 version is what gimped the argument since day one of the news. Its the 360's hardware, its the 360's DVD drive. When the 360 pushes out a title that puts killzone2/gran turismo/uncharted to shame then we can all have this conversation again, and we can focus on lazy developers.

But for now the ps3 has shown what its capable of to date. And with a year head start, the 360 has shown what its capable of to date. Hope that helps the understanding. But You had people with high expectations for ff13 lowering them due to the 360's specifications.

In a perfect world they would fully flush out and killzoneize FF13 for the ps3, and do what they could with the 360 version.

[Kushan]

"And @Kushan the lack of a hard drive on all 360s will stop them "

...how? How on earth does that stop them doing anything? The point of DLC is that it's OPTIONAL. Lack of Hard drive didn't stop anyone else releasing DLC, map packs and such. Hell, it didn't stop Capcom releasing SSFIITHDR. And considering it's really the kind of DLC that should be free anyway, what's it to SE if some players can't download it? What does it matter to them?

But that's just it, isn't it? What DOES it matter to them if you can't listen to the original Japanese soundtrack? PS3 or 360, doesn't matter, SE doesn't care, they know it wont affect sales and it'll just cost them money, so why SHOULD they bother?

Especially when people are happy to pin the blame on Microsoft, eh?

[I did not murder him]

Did you read the text?

[SaiyanFury]

I speak Japanese, but even if I didn't I love the inflections in Japanese speech. With western vocalisations you lose those inflections and intonations and it just ruins the experience for me. Japanese games should have a mandate for a Japanese language tracks. Also a lot of the time, the western voice track can be absolutey abysmal. Tenchu: Shadow Assassins is a perfect example of this.

On another note, I'm glad I went with the PS3 because I have the advantage afforded to me that is Blu-Ray. People can debate numbers and format relevance all they like, but the simple fact of the matter is that BD has more space than DVD-9. With Final Fantasy XIII on BD for the PS3, the space is there for the Japanese language track. On the 360, the space is not there.

[meepmoopmeep]

i thought Crisis Core had awesome voice work in english.

anyway, i'm getting this on PS3 anyhow. having extras doesn't hurt.

and yeah, i just hope the actual game won't be limited by DVD-9, if any,
that's more important to me.

[CrazedFiend]

The DAY AFTER M$ pushed the deal on them, Square had to start deciding how they were gonna gimp the game.

As far as we know, voices could be the very least of what was cut from the original plan for the game.

AND by dividing their development resources, they also pushed back the production schedule. Waiting longer for less is the way I see it...

PLUS you guys in the West got NO demo.

I wish they could have just held out for FFXIV when they've built a system that could hold it (-_-;)

Bubbles to you Casey!

[CrazedFiend]

He!!, 60% of all the games I own are in Japanese (no joke).

Even if I WAS considering FF for the 360, that news alone just put a big "X" on that one!

Way to lose a customer you never had M$!

[solidsnakus]

fanboys shure are fuken retarded, who the fuk gives a shiit about japanese voice acting, if you want to not understand whats going on that bad then go buy the asian version or w.e

[rockleex]

There's something called "subtitles".

And Japanese voices mostly sound better than American voices for Japanese games.
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