When Games Go Multi-Platform

In recent gaming news, the online community blew up upon hearing Square Enix president Yoichi Wada indicated that the company is considering a multi-platform release for Final Fantasy Versus XIII during an investor meeting in Tokyo. Previously at it was announced that the title would be a Sony PlayStation 3 exclusive.

In the video game industry, as in any business, the primary objective is to get your product in the hands of as many people as possible. Then from this point of view, going multi-platform makes a world of sense. Why should a company limit themselves to one audience when you are able to put out your product to another audience that also fits your target market?

[alphakennybody]

...original content will be cut. I don't mind game going multiplat , but I do mind when original content are cut to suit another hardware limitations.

[RosoTron36]

LOl. I don't even have an xbox... Fanboys at their best; ignorance. I simply implied if it goes MP, don't cut the content to gimp the game even it means other platforms will have hella amount of CDs. Let's take our heads out of ass for once ladies... Maybe once... think before you speak.

Edit:
Thanks Icarus ^^v I see someone also has the "Common Sense" card; and knows how to play it well.

[iPad]

They have to cut content so the other system can handle it.

LOL

[darthawesome90]

By going multi there will be cut content and less quality. While making money is important(a plus to multi) Square should be more concerned by their reputation. I mean most people consider Final Fantasy X to be the last good game from Square and it came out almost 10 years ago! That's proof that the only reason Square is still afloat is their reputation and the hope that they will once again create a game equivalent to FFVI,VII,X, and maybe one with a story equivalent to FFVII:Crisis Core.

Square seriously needs to start thinking about quality not $. If you know your history then you know why the Japanese are beating us in the car industry, and tech industry. Build quality and your customers will come back!

[kissmeimgreek]

i doubt SE are to concerned with winning over old fans.

[JAMurida]

Still though, you have to think to yourself, "How many of those people who got it on 360 would of gotten it on PS3 if it was still exclusive?" I personally know two people who had both a PS3 and 360 yet choose to get it on the 360 for personally reasons, (controller, achievements, XBL party chat, etc...). But if it was exclusive they would of went with PS3. And of course there are many other things that could of come into play. I even remember going to the BX on base and they had all the PS3 copies of FFXIII sold out, while there were at least like 5-6 copies of the 360 version in stock. If someone wanted the game and they had both consoles, they would of went with the 360 version in that case.

When you think about it that way, that 1.3 million on 360 could of been translated onto the PS3 as well, maybe not at the full 1.3 mil but at least half or little bit more maybe? I personally think SE would of still made good sales even if they did stay exclusive.

[chiwoo]

yeah i agree stay on one system the power of the ps3 will make it ground breaking like titles god of war 3 uncharted 2 killzone 2 and upcoming GT5 and with nomura directing the game it could be the best FF since FF7.

[DevastationEve]

To me, when I bought Resident Evil 4 on gamecube because it was exclusive at the time it didn't bother me. I already had a gamecube and several of its best games. But now in this time of economic troubles if the same scenario was to play out and instead I only had a PS2 then I would've been glad that it was later released.

From a company perspective keeping Resident Evil 4 exclusive to a console that was clearly sinking under the tide of another more popular and profitable console probably ate away at Capcom's conscience. Likewise, when Square Enix sees how well Microsoft's Xbox 360 has been able to sell and compete with other consoles...well 2 and 2 makes four doesn't it?

Now about this whole "fitting the game onto lower hardware". The thing is that Xbox 360 wasn't no dummy to HD games. Sure, it didn't ship with bluray. But it's not all that much under PS3 as the fanboys have put it. FF xiii had cuts done to it as a result of being a bad port, but technically it's still a visual masterpiece.

It's not for its graphics that the game got slammed, it's because the game is different. Ghost says above that fans of any of todays rpgs don't know what real jrpgs are. That's not true at all; just because the system is different and the development was aimed for something new doesn't take away from being a jrpg. It's just modern.

Does putting sixaxis or motion controls into a game like Uncharted or Metroid change the fact that they are 3rdPS and fps respectively? Does it make Uncharted unworthy of Tomb Taider's more "traditional gameplay"?

I'm picking up xiii on Monday. Hopefully vs xiii will be multiplat and then I'll get it as well, if not then that's cool.

[AAACE5]

Based on the way SE treated this situation, it has always been a possibility that the game would go multiplat! Which is why they didn't show too much of the game. FFXIII was a test to see how people would react to a change in the formula of the franchise and to see how well it would sell on another console. If FFXIII had have sold less than 100k on the 360, then SE would have probably just kept to the Ps3 for the future games, but since the game sold pretty ok, they are considering a multiplat.

@Eddy Raja... It's no secret that content gets cut from every game that is made, reguardless of which platform it is on. The thing I don't get is, how so many gamers can complain about content getting cut before they even know what kind of content was suppose to be included!

When FFXIII was announced for the 360, gamers immediately went on the offensive about the game being gimped to fit on 360! What they fail to realize is the game was in development for several years as a Ps3 exclusive. It was announced as a multiplat a few months before the game was finished. The japanese version was released late last year in november or december.

Theoretically, that leaves a small amount of time to cut content and restructure the game for a release. The only known content missing form the game is the different languages. They couldn't alter the game too much from the original that released in japan, so it must be the game they originally intended to release!

[BigPenguin]

Dude, the hell are you talking about? It took them over a year and a half to release in japan it after they announced it going multi-plat. They had said they were almost done right before the announcement.

There was also the interview where it was said that they had cut almost an entire games worth of content, then the art director was sequestered by SE and not allowed to give anymore interviews so he could never clarify his comments. Why would that happen unless they were afraid he would let slip just exactly what had been cut, and more importantly, why it had to be cut. Because when you are saying lies to the public, about how the new multi-platform release will not gimp the PS3 version, what you don't want is someone else undercutting your message.

[sikbeta]

lol an article with the Headline:

"When Games Go Multi-Platform" and the Picture of the FFvs13 Character, dumb, it wasn't announced!...

A Games that was meant to be Exclusive and suddenly go Multiplat, that can only mean the game will be "Downgraded" to a level in which there is no Big Difference Between the Gaming Devices when the Game is Played, so it'll not Push the Hardware as it was meant to be...

[jjohan35]

Square Enix, unfortunately, has gone down the drain in recent years. I don't think they'll ever retain the charm they had in their games during the PS and PS2 generations.

[mookins]

Exactly. I don't mind either but to cut content grates my nerves.

[bakasora]

go f**k yourself $quareenix and wada

[patterson]

When games go multi, things get cut and delayed. For the consumer it's a bad thing.

In the case of Square-Enix, they've gone on record with both FF's and said they were exclusive and looks like both won't be now. That makes them look bad. Had they said from the start it would be multi, people wouldn't have been as bothered.

[rob6021]

I personally think they're hoping for another big check from MS to make it go Multi-platform. (ff13vs.) Why do you think there's no mention of the 360 version yet, cause MS didn't buy it yet.

[ALFAxD_CENTAURO]

''Why should a company limit themselves to one audience when you are able to put out your product to another audience that also fits your target market?''

Bye bye to the
Performance Capabilities
Probably a cut of a Massive Extra Content for Blu Ray Storage when they can deliver something unique without a downgrade of something because of the limitations of the other Hardware.

Bye bye to the real Final Fantasy.

[IcarusOne]

Didn't the "real Final Fantasy" exist on NES, SNES, PS1, and PS2? Stop being so obsessed with tech specs. Last I checked, FF was a game about story and connecting the gamer to an emotional experience (i.e., Aeris' sacrifice). You don't need hardware for this. Just a story.

[darthawesome90]

Hardware isn't that important but when the entire game is like a narrow corridor with no exploration (pulse doesn't count) in comparison to all 12 Final Fantasy's before it, you know something is wrong.

Most people are not complaining about the graphics...Just the LARGE lack of content caused by disc space. I dont mind if the hair is static and doesn't move in the wind. But I do MIND when everything that has made Final Fantasy great in the past 20 years is GONE!

Also you can tell FFXIII was not what it could have been just by looking at the battle system. The auto-battle was ridiculous, manual chaining was near impossible by the end of the game and it's obvious that much of the game was simplified to suit new people to FF (mostly on the XBOX). For example customization on FFXIII was a joke and mostly useless. Also the lack of items and spells in comparison to its predecessors was outstanding.

[corneliuscrust]

A great point by icarus and look at all the disagrees.

FF wasn't about the graphics until the series got VERY stale. It USED to be about the story, which was tossed out the window years ago so that we could have the utterly linear mess of a game that is FFXIII. It was planned as eye candy from the start. It didn't end up as a lousy game because of the 360 port. It ended up as a lousy game because SE BUILT A LOUSY GAME.

[RosoTron36]

Exactly. Lol. Kids these days... Obviously too stubborn to realize what quality games are considering this generation is all about "DLC." At the end it's all about the bottom line; profitability. But what we gamers ask is quality.
Back then quality games turned to profitable assets/IPs. Because the fanbase increases <the best PR are fans: quality games = people will buy = words will spread = more will buy = fanbase will increase>. These days... well if the check clears who cares eh? Sad...

[ALFAxD_CENTAURO]

Bye bye to the real FF in this Generation.

[sikbeta]

That's not a Valid Point when you Talk about SE, leave alone Squaresoft

This something that people don't get it, FF Franchise is Huge, not just Huge, have millions of fans all over the world and everyone knows that, Fans are Expecting the BEST of FF, this isn't about the Game being Multiplat, the problem is that in order to achieve a High Quality Game that every FF fan is expecting, SE need to make the 2 Different Version of the Same Game and Push the Hardware of Both Platforms at the same time, it's clear that SE can't do that

If I take FF13 as an Example, what they did with that game was Creating "Middle-Quality" Game, not making it better for any of the 2 Platforms and Every FF Gamer got screwed thanks to that

[WMW]

when games go multi-platform you don't get games that look like as good or play as good as kz2, kz3, uc2, mgs4, gow3 and gt5 plus many more.

[IcarusOne]

Yeah! You get games like Arkham Asylum and Red Dead Redemption. Wait...oh, I just contradicted you.

[XabiTheHumble]

There is always exceptions but notice how you only named 2 :)

[corneliuscrust]

great multiplatform games? off the top of my head...

BFBC2

Skate3

Borderlands

Assassin's Creed 2

Dead Space

SF/SSF IV

Castle Crashers

Bioshock

GTA4 (L&D and TBOGT) the expansions were great

(and if you include multiplatform that went to pc)

Gears of War

Mass Effect 1&2

L4D & L4D2

sure it's a debatable list...and ppl can argue about graphics vs gameplay and what makes a "great game", but don't act like games become junk as soon as they go multiplatform. It's up to the dev to keep the game at a high quality.

[Colonel-Killzone]

Square went to the 360 simply cause of this back when ff13 was a so called "exclusive" the ps3 had 23.5 million ps3 out worldwide. Square simply underestimated the consumers thinking they was not gonna sell much if it was exclusive. Ff13 sold over 4million copies on the ps3. Seriously now a lot of people did not buy this because of the delay which was because of the 360. Square you are retarded for thinking that we would not buy this game it sold insanely in japan and crazy worldwide also. Still as long as I get my kingdom hearts I will be happy.

[sikbeta]

SE is using x360 as part of their "westernization Program", they want to expand in the Western Market seeing how, by lowering the Quality of their Games, Japan is turning the back on them, they're Failing miserably by trying to do that because, Ironically, Fans from all over the world are Expecting Real JRPGs like Squaresoft used to make, which were more Appealing to the Japanese market and other Markets as well...

[colonel179]

I loved how they put a picture of Final Fantasy Versus XIII when they haven't even said or confirmed anything yet. The speculation is very high, but the probability? we don't know yet.

[madkrazygames]

But at some point in time, FFV 13 is going to the 360. It's all about making a profit this generation for third party developers.

@Moonboots:

When are fanboys not crying? That's the better question.

[kanetheking]

now they are doggying ppl with dlc.4 maps for 10 pound HA i got mm10 for that and now u see all the mm dlc which goes up to 20+pound

[Moonboots]

1. More gamers get to enjoy the game and the devs/publishers enjoy more revenue.

2. Fanboys cry

[-MD-]

+Bubbles

You can tell by the number of disagrees we're getting that fanboys are upset.

[ukilnme]

Indeed they are upset. I want some disagrees too. Remember, I lose an hour of sleep for each one.

[captain-obvious]

LOL @ xbox fanboys
@ murderdolls
you your self was bitching about an article that says that SCC is going to the PS3
let alone ME and L4D
along side some other 3rd party 360 exclusive

but now all of a sudden you care/agree about more players ??
give me a break you fuckin hypocrite

you guys are OK with a PS3 title going multi
but if a 360 title gone multi
all hell well break loss
and half of you well end up killing them selves

lol

[Obama]

so you won't care even if the game is gimped?

[zatrox]

That's IF the game truly gets gimped by a multiplat release.
If Microsoft really wanted FF13 they could've just put it in 5 discs if it was necessary. Don't act like space is too much of a bother for devs.

[kissmeimgreek]

Please see #2 of Mr. "MoonBoots's" post

[Moonboots]

Just for the record. I've not been here long but you will see that I am in no way aligned with ANY one console. I would never limit myself like that.

Obama I never want to see a game suffer but these claims of "gimped" I find usually exaggerated. I believe FF was the game it was going to be no matter if the 360 was involved or not. I am no developer but I do know things get cut all the time for reasons that don't involve the tech.

I would use Lost Odyssey as an example of a "bigger" world that worked just fine on the 360. Actually, it was more FF than FF13 and was a 360 exclusive. Much more open with towns and everything people complained about in FF being cut and the graphics are gorgeous.

Fact is, nobody knows the real details and are basing most of this on their own assumptions.

[mookins]

I care if it goes multiplatform because I don't want to pay for stuff that should have been on the damn disc to begin with and I want my sixty dollars worth of the game. You may not care but I do and a whole lot of other people do. It has nothing to do with fanboys or fantalk. People want quality games and the only way that can be achieved is if a console is used to it's fullest without another system compromising the content that's in the game.

GROW UP.

It's not always about a stupid console war.

[RonXD]

Once again, don't fuck with my Kingdom Hearts 3 square enix.

[kissmeimgreek]

id be more worried of square doing something stupid like put it on the wii. im sure that after epic mickey disney might decide to make it MP. you never know!

[Noah]

I could care less if FF13 Versus go's Multi, Square has lost the passion for JRPG.
Atlus and from software FTW.

[gano]

This was damn near promised back when they first annouced ff13.
This could be the last great ff, this was also y people picked up a ps3.
That multiplat talk is pure hyperbole garbage. It's confusing people for 1 because we are still at this standstill of not moving forward with new tech.
2 they are over charging for a old format. Really y would you pay 60+ for a worse looking ver on 3 disk when there is a format that can hold it on one, plus looks better, plus could hold more data!?
3 The reviews openly lie about certain said games, the media said bluntly that going forward is bad just stay where u are. ha u don't need a job jus keep askin your mom and pop for money. don't go to 3rd grade jus stay in 2nd.
4 if you really wanna play said game go for what system it's on. These clowns keep saying it's business , it's business. Well check it: we know it can't fit fully on both but lets say your childhood friend for years get a job decieving people. He tells u it's only business. Now it's your job to decievie him. is it only business then if it hurts u and his family?

[Obama]

I highly doubt Nomura would allow the game to be multiplatform. We will see but I highly doubt it.

[ZombieAutopsy]

Yea it makes sense but i could see FFv13 staying exclusive just because Sony does own a pretty hefty chunk of stock in SE and they seem to have a good business relationship for the past decade with Sony publishing some of their games and movies. At the same time though it would be good for Sony if the game went multiplat in the sense that if SE makes money they make money but FFv13 could be a system seller and it would make a good game to call exclusive. In the end who cares though as long as the game doesn't suck we all win.

[BABY-JEDI]

I remember when Japanease people had HONOUR.[uncountable] the respect that people have for someone who achieves something great, is very powerful, or behaves in a way that is morally right. If they broke or shamed this code or this way of being. They would lose face/respect & thus fall on their own sword. Here's the sword, fall on it!!!!!

[colonel179]

The situation with Final Fantasy Versus XIII I think, is very different. When FFXIII went multiplatform, the first concern was the status of VersusXIII, and they confirmed, and reiterated that VersusXIII would stay exclusive. They then, released at least 2 trailers reiterating further the exclusivity to the PS3.

This goes beyond fanboyism, and brand loyalty, because when FFXIII was announced, PS3 wasn't even out yet, the Xbox360 was just launching, and nobody would have guessed the impact it was going to make on the market, so having it PS3 exclusive, was just something based on the success of the past, not the present (at that time).

With FFVersusXIII though, they have already stated it was going to be PS3 exclusive no matter what, and I know this gen., developers and/or publishers have lied cynically, like with Bioshock, although at least Bioshock had a 1 year exclusivity.

For me, Square Enix is trying to make a quick buck, they have stopped planning for the long run, and even when "reaching a wider market" make sense now, on the long run, they will be harmed for these decisions.

Just like we didn't know the 360 would make a great impact in the US, or the Wii worldwide, we don't know how the market will be next generation, and Square Enix are playing with their fans who made them be where they are, so next gen, people could refuse to buy their games if they continue with this "quick buck" strategy.

[PirateThom]

The lies are probably what annoys people more than anything, if the game was announced as multiplatform to begin with, that would be it, but to build anticipation under "exclusivity" and then the hype that comes with the "bombshell" just annoys people. I think publishers know this now so have no issue announcing a game for one platform, only to add others know the news becomes a hot topic.

This is where Kojima gets all my respect. He said, from day 1, Metal Gear Solid 4 would be PS3 exclusive, even with the rumours (mostly from unnamed sources via fanboy blogs admittedly), he reiterated it time and time again... and it stayed and will stay exclusive. Then Rising was announced and not ONCE was there any confusion over its release status, the platforms were confirmed quickly and that was it.

[Killzone3Helghast]

Here are Tetsuya Nomura's roles in FFXIII Versus:

Director, Concept Game Designer, Character Designer & Base Story

-----

Now with that in mind, I think he has said this before but he only designs with one system in mind and not to mention that a game developer and or artist HATES absolutely HATES having limitations to what their imagination can do. I can tell you if Wada goes through with multiplatform Nomura will have a BIG say in this.

[colonel179]

I think you are right, my guess is that Nomura is to Square Enix as Miyamoto is to Nintendo. Everything that happens with their games, they are in complete control and very aware of it. If the game goes multiplatform, then Nomura gladly accepted, I really don't think they will force him or threaten him to make it for the other console. (unless after the announcement, you read a press release that he leaves the company).

So whatever the case will be, Nomura will have given his 100% approval.

[Whitey2k]

wada says: ok where making final fantasy 13vs to xbox360

Nomura says: i wanna stick to the playstation 3 so i can use my creative mind

Wada says: ok i make a deal if we make this a multiplatform game then we can do a remake of final fantasy 7

Nomura says: agreed!

[EverydayGuy]

If FFV13 goes multi, I'm buying it second hand. Bought FF13 with LE strategy guide for almost $100, biggest mistake of the year for me. Got to chapter 11 and quit.

[HopSkotch]

I'm interested to see if this game came to the Wii as well, could u imagine how much content would be lost if they tried to make it similar on every platform?

[zatrox]

Sorry, not really related to the article but more to the title, but when games go multiplat nothing really happens. You can put a FF in 5 DVDs, there's no problem with that. And it can fit in one blu ray, no problem either. The game keeps being the same, and only fanboys like exclusives.

[UltimateIdiot911]

Gamers love exclusives too. It doesn't take a genius to figure out exclusives get more time and resources into it thus making it a better game in most cases.

[CountDracula]

Shit happens

Timed dlc exclusives for stuff that should have been in the retail disc in the first place (and sometimes is).

Also, one version (usually Xbox 360 version) almost always looks and runs a Little better than the other.

[BABY-JEDI]

If your word has been proven to be worthless then you are worthless. Don't give me buisness ethics because they have none. This move would prove exactly where their word LIES!

[biggame901]

My point exactly.

[RageAgainstTheMShine]

Does Microsoft have honor?
Does SquareEnix have honor anymore?

SquareEnix is not the same Squaresoft that made Final Fantasy I-XII anymore.
Like Microsoft SquareEnix is money driven not game driven anymore.

[JAMurida]

It really is sad that FFXIII has become a game more talked about in PS3 vs 360 comparisons, how it should of been exclusive instead of multiplat and what not, then the game it was trying to be. I don't see much of, "Hey do you remember this part in XIII?". And it seems FFXIII Versus might be headed in the same direction.

But just as I said before, if it goes multiplat than w/e, just don't cut content/quality to make both versions "equal". Money over quality or quality over money..... which will it be SE?

[PirateThom]

That's because there's nothing particularly memorable about FFXIII.

The battle system works well, the graphics are nice and the story is decent enough... but there's no big, standout moments. Point a to b game, but a pretty point a to b game.

[DigitalAnalog]

And I haven't even bought XIII yet. I may not speak for others, but I'm pretty sure a lot like me boycotted the game furthering the sales even lower. Heck, I'm surprised it STILL sold 4 million on the PS3, exclusive territory or not!

**As a side note: How much you're willing to bet that FFXIII will receive the "boos" on E3 the moment it's announced multi-plat?

-End statement

[BABY-JEDI]

When people disagree about human ethics. If you agree with it being OK that your words are worthless (many thanks to the disagree's you have proven your worth) LoL

[biggame901]

I don't necessarily have an issue when games go multiplat. That's not a big deal. However, I have a problem when the game itself suffers, or is gimped to fit everyone, and not pushing the boundaries and having the best effort put forth.

I also have no respect for liars and frauds. SE has been nothing but this since this generation began. If you wanted the games to be multiplat, then say so at the start. But to have numerous trailers and have stated numerous times that Versus is PS3 exclusive, only to now backtread on your word, I have no respect for you.

SE has sacrificed their honor and reputation in exchange for a quick buck. For their sake, I hope it was worth it.

[Knightofelemia]

If Square does it they are just doing it to rake in the sales wich every developer will do when it comes to muli platform games.And Microsoft will waste all that cash to advertise the game and the sales will double on the PS3 again. But the debate will start again 3-DVDs vs 1 Blu-Ray. I could careless FF13 was not really that great and the fact they prolonged the game to work on the Xbox version did not win me over. Right now I just want Ar Tonelico 3 to get translated to english and I'll play that instead.

[chiwoo]

square enix made infinite undiscovery and the last rhement exclusive to the 360 and those games did poorly. If versus 13 does go multi platform its gonna take even longer to come out in which next gen would be almost here.

[Bodyboarder_VGamer]

The problem with multiplats is this one: PS3 owners are always the most affected by it.

The X360 it's "easier" to develop for (according to devs), plus, it has a good ratio of sales. That means that the PS3, that is "harder" and more time consuming to make games just get a half-assed port for the sake of doing a couple of more sales. Devs doesn't care about taking advantage of blu-ray or other aspects of the console because they know that the majority of sales are coming from the X360... The only way we can see games taking advantage of the PS3 it's when they are exclusives and that's why we love them so much but X360 owners doesn't care because they always get the better version and think that the game they're seeing it's the best the devs could do. But then you see games like Uncharted 2 and you understand that there's so much more.

The advantage of having blu-ray for a game like FF are plenty and very obvious. You'll have an entire world in a single disc compared to having chunks of it divided into multiple discs. There's more space for CGI, dialog, music and to include many extras. IMO

[Bodyboarder_VGamer]

After reading the article it is obvious that the author's (Tim Jang) focus are the sales (which he hides by saying "more gamerz will play teh game!") to take a jab at the PS3 fanboys than the quality of the game itself...

[DBWTim]

You are correct, although I'm not sure I said, "more gamerz will play teh game!" though. =)

I also would like to apologize for the misleading title. I just used the rumor of Final Fantasy Versus XIII as it was the latest example of online reactions to multi-platform news.

In terms of quality of multi-platforms, I think it's common knowledge, at least in the past, that when the "lead SKU" is the PS3 then the quality isn't as greatly impacted as vice-versa. Burnout Paradise and Final Fantasy XIII come to mind. Of course, it all comes down to business decisions by the product teams and the timelines they're given. Hopefully with worldwide numbers for each of these consoles closing together, developers with put more thought in their development and not just develop for 360 and port it over to PS3.

Also, I'm not sure how much being multi-platform affected Final Fantasy XIII anyways since it was already hugely behind schedule and would probably have been rushed out in any case. At least from my experience, usually if it's either face the wrath of stakeholders or the wrath of end users, the stakeholders usually get their way. I'm pretty sure Square wanted it out for their fiscal year reporting.

I think that since the games industry is a big business now with huge numbers of stakeholders, it's not just as simple as putting out the best quality game as possible. Most company's aren't as lucky as Valve or Blizzard to say, "It'll come out when it's good and ready."

It seems most businesses nowadays are about making it "good enough" with concessions in quality to make the most profits. Should we be happy with this? Probably not, but that seems to be the modus operandi these days. On the bright side, I have been seeing companies take end users more seriously recently, so there is still hope.

[chiwoo]

I agree squre enix has not really did anything this gen on consoles except FF13 in which some many fans did not like. games like uncharted 2 killzone 2 god of war 3 those developers are using the power of the ps3. plus they did say it was gonna remain ps3 exclusive. but knowing microsoft they will dish out cash to make this multi platform to make them stay competitive since they need 3rd partys developers. they should at least finish the game then ship it worldwide then work on the 360 version.

[Zepherite]

I'm pretty sure FFXIII would have been identical if it was an exclusive; For a start it was announced on 360 too late in the day for any major changes. Also take a look at this site if you've got some time on your hands:-

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

It's quite in depth and shows just what a rushed port the 360 version was, giving further credence to the idea that the PS3 version was all but finished when work on the 360 started.

For example, it highlights problems with the 360's shadowing and anti-aliasing, that shouldn't be there if it had been ported properly. There are actually certain points (and vice versa obviously) when there are high poly character models in cut-scenes, where the 360 version out performs the PS3 slightly (and vice versa obviously). This is due to the 360's GPU and it tells us there was processing room to spare. Essentially there was really no attempt to optimise this game for the 360.

The only real difference should and could have been the resolution during FMV sequences, due to limited space of a DVD. As it stands the videos in the 360 version are done with a horrible codec, so the quality could be vastly improved with extra space to spare.

What this all means is that FFXII is almost certainly the exact game that it was meant to be and if there were any changes they were minor. PS3 fans can rest at ease; I think that versus will be left untouched and the extra development time should, if Square Enix get there act together, mean that the 360 version will see an improvement in visual fidelity over FFXII.

The only way I can see any game breaking changes being made would be if the game was a sprawling open world from start to finish e.g. red dead redemption, but with a FF style epic story. Again this is because of the lack of space on the 360's disc format of choice.

[PirateThom]

That Digital Foundary article is a little ridiculous and blantantly pro-Xbox. Any other article they wrote never blames the devs if the PS3 version is running behing.

Fact is, the 360 version is inferior, but so was Star Ocean 4.

[Zepherite]

It is inferior your right, just like I said above. Fact is it's far worse than it should be because of a rushed port. How close to the PS3 version it could have been is up for debate. I'm willing to bet its a hell of a lot closer than some people would like to think.

Not sure how it was blatantly pro-xbox; It talks about the pro's and con's of both quite fairly I found. The only reason it goes into more detail with the 360 version is to find out why the 360 version is inferior, not which console is better. As I said they find alot of evidence to suggest that, with a little extra development time, the 360 version could have been a lot better than it is.

[DigitalAnalog]

No, because you failed to consider 1 important factor:

Tetsuya Nomura.

Nomura STATED that "all visions come true when the game is "exclusive".

Most detractors would put emphasis on how the 360 did NOT affect the PS3'S graphics. That may be true, but let's continue down the statement shall we:

“It’s not just about how pretty the graphics are but more of how much limited amount of movement we can put on one go and how big our imagination and ideas are. The PS3 is the machine that is closest to being able to express our imagination.”

Keywords: Imagination, PS3, express....
Non-keywords: Graphics, pretty...<---- listen AND OBSERVE

Still in denial?

As evidence, go look for the 2007 trailer and observe the battle sequence between lightning and the NPC's. See the difference between the presentation?

http://www.thekoalition.com...

Hope this put you and your other denials to rest.

-End statement

[RAVEN81]

ff13 suck so bad its not funny , it wasn't ff it was a action game at the most so if it go's mp good for them. pls come back squre soft .

[pinkyxyz]

I wonder how you all would of felt if alan wake went multiplatform? All of those little tricks that the developers used for the lighting in the game and blurr effects probably wouldn't have even seen the light of day if it was multiplatform. Not because its not possible on the PS3, its because theirs no way The developer would have had the time 2 totally different types of hardware and get the exact same quality in 6 years while utilising both systems strength and weaknesses on a non multiplatform engine. Final Fantasy 13 is the best example of what happens to a game when you try to switch engines mid-development and your strapped for time. You get a game that seems like it could of been greatness but falls short because financial obligations and the company underestimating a console audience's buying power

[Zepherite]

Remedy are well known for taking the time they need to get things right. If they had have chosen to go multi-platform they would have done both consoles justice. It would just have taken longer to finish it or it would have had to be a timed exclusive.

As it is, they spent so long changing the game to fit the game play to the story they wanted, that the only option at this stage would have been to do timed exclusive anyway.

If you want to know the real reason why it won't go multi-platform then take a look at a box shot. It's published by Microsoft.

I personally think this is a shame. I'm sure there are plenty of PS3 fanboys out there that would like to play exclusives like Alan Wake and Mass Effect, just like I'd love to get my hands on Metal Gear Solid 4 or Killzone 2 two series I invested a lot of time in, in my ps2 days (I'm still not sold on uncharted I've heard good things but from what i've seen it seems a little been there done that).

[TwistedMetal]

looks at gta4 lack of stuff to do, looks at alan wake complete gimp down, looks at fable series gimp crap, looks at ff 13 another game that got gimped, thats 1 to many gimped games.

[NYC_Gamer]

wish mass effect goes multi so i can play on my ps3...

[VideoGameJimmy]

I remember a time when I wanted games to be on multiple platforms... that was last generation... This generation exclusivity just feels natural. Halo 3 feels right on 360 and God of War 3 feels right on Playstation 3. I was upset to hear about the changes that had to be made to Final Fantasy XIII, but hey money is what runs the industry. As long as I get to play the game I'm good.

Why must we have console wars? Just go get all the consoles, because we all know you secretly want to play Just Dance with your 6 year old sister :D

Also, Square-Enix I WANT MY DAMN KINGDOM HERTS 3!!!!

[baodeus]

@darthwesome90

Hardware isn't that important but when the entire game is like a narrow corridor with no exploration (pulse doesn't count) in comparison to all 12 Final Fantasy's before it, you know something is wrong.

Then u haven't played FF10. FF10 is the same thing (narrow path, no exploration, except great plain = pulse for leveling etc...) and it didn't stop FF10 to be consider as one of the best in FF series. FF7 and 8 were both on 4 cds and that didn't stop them from being great. Why suddenly it matters on FF13?

@ Can any level headed Sony fan helps the sony fanboy answering these questions?

1. Are there any CONCRETE evidences for what being remove from FF13 when it goes multi-platform?

3. FF13 was originally design for PS2 which use DVD, then why it is gimp because it goes to x360 which also used DVD?

4. Why DVD didn't gimp Crysis graphics, physics, open environment game play?

5. Why FF13 is gimp on the PS3 when it plays at 720p, 2xMSAA, 1080p CG movies, uncompressed sound, just like other linear, no exploration or closed environment PS3 games like UC2 or KZ2 or GoW3?

6. Why it is due to x360 limitation when it under perform (FF13), but it is due to developers fault when PS3 under perform on multi-plat games (red dead redemption)?

4. How bringing up UC2,KZ2,GoW3,MGS4 is relevant to what PS3 can do for RPG? Do they have open environment, sandbox type,free roaming etc...? Why not use similar RPG/sandbox games that are exclusive to PS3 like infamous, white knight chronical, Disgaea 3, demon soul, valkyrie chronical, Ar Tonelico 3, Atelier Rorona, cross edge, Trinity Universe, or Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll,?

5. If x360 gimp PS3 RPGs, then are there RPGs exclusive to PS3 that look better then exclusive RPGs on x360? (Mass Effect, Lost odyssey, fable 2, Magna Carta 2) Just remember that these games have open environment, free roaming, exploration, and TOWNs.

I still haven't got any answer for these questions every time i ask them, so hopefully someone can give me some answers. I might have to post them again if these topics came up AGAINNNN to infinity and beyond n4g. I just see a bunch of sony fanboys pointing finger with no legit evidences to prove otherwise. U guys make other PS3 owners look bad.

[s45gr32]

1. Here is the evidence:

http://www.escapistmagazine...

2. After knowing the PS3 was coming out Square Enix decided to bring Final Fantasy 13 from PS2 to PS3 as a premier game for the PS3.

3. Crysis 2 is not out yet and the PC version of Crysis the one you are talking about is the STEAM, IMPULSE, Direct2Drive version of Crysis. The DVD version is not the one with all the bells and whistles is Crysis yes but at low settings.

4. Is the developers fault nothing to do with xbox 360 or PS3. The difference is that Sony doesn't allow game developers to sit back and relax if any issues arise with say multiplat game. Like Ghostbusters issues were fixed in less than a month, Bayoneta's long loading times were shortened in less than a month. AS Read Dead Redemption in about a week or two all of its issues are going to be fixed. On the other hand Microsoft allows game developers to sit back and relax, Final Fantasy 13 still have the same issues for the 360,Star Ocean 4 still crashes and freezes on the xbox 360, Gears of War 2 still laggy as hell, etc. etc. etc.. Hopefully that clears it out.

5. They are fanboys and they were awed by UC 2, KZ2, God of War 3 and MGS4 visuals. Demon Souls is a good example of the limitations of DVD format for RPGS in the sense it brought a 40 hour single player campaign with online play to boot.

6. Uncharted 2 yes its linear but is a 20 hour single player campaign with online play. Great Storyline memorable characters and has the feel of a sequel of a movie (the good sequel not the bad one). Killzone 2 visuals and soundtrack all the way and God of War 3 scale. Okay Final Fantasy 13 lost an entire videogame worth of content, it took away towns,etc. etc. Final Fantasy 13 is an RPG and I would of have loved if Final Fantasy 13 had PS2 visuals if it meant to keep the original Final Fantasy 13 in. .......................

7. Good one, Mass Effect is just KOTOR minus the Star Wars franchise, Fable 2 is a 10-18 hour game that is identical to the first one with a few new upgrades like having a dog or raising a family (typical Western RPG). Now Folklore on the other hand is by far the most underrated PS3 RPG exclusive which also happens to be the most unique. The goal is not out to save the world (thank god)is to rescue the soul of your mother. You get to capture your enemies and use their abilities like Pokemon or Monster hunter. It has a very unique world atmosphere and style. The real world is bleak and grey, its like a dead world. The world of the dead is vivid, and alive. Then there is also the reporter who wants to get a story that will grant him an exclusive (hmmm money). Is not very linear and there is lots of exploration. Demon Souls looks great, has a unique online play were you get to see how other players die via their souls, fellow players can leave tips or clues on how to pass certain parts, or leave clues for your downfall. Lots of exploration, free roaming, and it looks great. 360 RPGs exclusives are been there done that its the PS3 RPGS that are INNOVATIVE not just visuals.

So from a gamers point of view, the xbox 360 only offers great last gen games that don't push or move gaming forward. In contrast PS3 exclusives push and move gaming forward. Perfect examples, the uncharted franchise, ROFM, LBP, Folklore, Infamous, Demon Souls, etc. etc....

[s45gr32]

Yeah I don't mind a game going multiplat, the downside is of course content will be cut, visuals downgraded, and a plethora of dlc to buy, etc. etc. etc.. That's the problem if the game goes multiplat the game developer should use the PS3 to its full potential; unfortunately, is expensive to do so therefore is better for game developer not consumer to just port the game from 360 to PS 3.

[sirCHAUNCEY]

the whole problem is when they have to cut out tons of shit to fit on the dvd for xbox is what pisses me off the most. THAT is the problem. If they made it fully and ported it on 10 dvds then that would be perfecty fine with me. I just don't want my FF fucked with thats all

[baodeus]

@s45gr32
Thanks for some great responses. Nevertheless, it is still isn't clear on why FF13 is gimp due to x360 when it went multi-platform.

1. So they according to your source, SE remove a zoo, lightning home, etc, so why can't they include that on 4 DVDs instead of 3 (the 3 DVDs weren't even fill up, each disk still have ~ 2 gig worth of space)? New developers like Myst Walker can afford to put game on 4 discs (lost odyssey) when an establish developer can't. MS want FF series on their machine because FF is “THE JRPG” to get, therefore, it doesn't make any logical sense that they would charge SE for disc royalty. SE wants to reserve those cut out portions as paid DLC would make more logical sense.

2. Demon soul is a great attempt to explain the limitation of DVD, however you forgot about game like Red Dead Redemption or GTA4. The details and the scale of these games are enormous compare to demon soul with better graphics and also have multi-player; up to 16 players even. Action RPG like KoF:cod can also be played single or 4 player coop online, with better graphics, and millions of things going on screen at once (a person can ditch out 1000+ projectiles that reflect off walls, split into more projectiles, seek out enemies, destroying 100 of enemies while decimating the entire environment ).

3. Sony should have more reasons than MS to make sure that 3rd parties run well after they advertised the PS3 as the “Real” next gen console, but multiplatform games often having problem running on it would stain Sony image. Beside, game now a day are much more complex, large so glitches is inevitable. Remember that both PS3 and x360 games are prones to lag and glitches. For proof, there are plenty of videos of UC2/KZ2/Mag lag/glitches on youtube (thanks youtube). You seem to only mention x360 as having that problem.

7. PS3 is not the only console pushing for innovation or gaming forward with folklore, LBP or modnation racer (RFOM, Infamous,UC are not innovative games)

-MS push online gaming for console with Live, support Indy games developer (Live has an entire section dedicated to indy games), innovative games like viva piñata, xna (allowing player to create any games in 2d or 3d), Lost Odyssey (innovative story telling and mature setting with 1000 years old main character who is a grandpa rather than the usual teenager going through puberty stage like other JRPGs), Fable 2 (beside the realistic dog, do u know that the multi-player of demon soul is an upgrade from Fable 2. There are spheres, representing other players in fable 2,floating around in your world that u can interact with, look up on their information, listen to their conversation, invite them to your world, trade and offer goods. )

-Wii = The Blob (one of the most innovative games out there) and motion control that expand console gaming to all ages (even a grandma can play game).

Multiplatform games like Portal, bioshock etc…are also quite innovative.