Sakaguchi: HD graphics are “excessive” for videogames

[Crescent]

AHAHAHAHAHA Exactly what Ive been going on about!! Im so ecstatic that "The Man" Hironobu Sakaguchi finally said it HIMSELF!! **srsly if you've joined THIS forum and you dont know who this Man is hahaha...Go to hell.

I LOVE Final Fantasy(*cough*VII*cough*) so im VERY resentful at the shitty direction the FF franchise has gone. All about pretty n fashionable characters and having extra costumes..For the record Im a girl I could care less for that shit.

I had intended to create a thread on this great Man and his company Mistwalker (who also involves Nobuo Uematsu!*sigh*) just to see if anyone has played (or even kno of) his latest game "The Last Story". Lol I hate Nintendo Wii but now I have to buy one just for this man. Ill give this man and his studio all my money seeing as SE is goin to shit. Not into the hype for FFVersusXIII pfft.

Heres the link for anyone who agrees with me n*ahem*HIRONOBU SAKAGUCHI mwahaha sry everyone im just excited is all:
Sakaguchi: HD graphics are “excessive” for videogames « BeefJack - The Gamer's Sauce

ps. lol Is it just me or is he having a lil dig at his former employer lmao. Truth hurts hah. SE has turned HIS series into complete n utter shit with their latest poor excuse for a FF let alone a 'game'..

Let me know what you think. It doesnt matter if you dont agree.

[Xanatos]

It took me quite some time to decipher your post, I think I finally got it, well, more or less. While I have immense respect towards Hironobu Sakaguchi I have to kindly disagree with his "HD graphics being unnecessary" point. Graphics are in my opinion equally important as every other aspect of the game, better graphics equal realistic and more believable characters and the world they're in.

As for the quality of newer games, people bitch way too much and judge even the slightest change to the series, be it for better or worse. Fans also glorify older games way too much for no good reason, point out flaws of newer games, but keep a blind eye to same if not worse flaws in same games they so much adore. Take Final Fantasy IV for instance, a game praised for it's story and characters, but if you stop and look at it for a minute you can see how moronic, cliched and simple minded both characters and story, especially the story, are.

[che]

The FF series is taking the best route it possibly can right now. It's called marketing to your biggest list of consumers. Sucks that you feel that you're out of that market. I bet you'll still buy it anyway because you think every new game might be an FF7. OH WOW. I scrolled up, being like "well, maybe he likes FF8." but then I saw your sig. ****ing owned.

Also, what I think he means (without even reading the article because I'm sure it says a bunch of bullshit just so people will read it), is that you don't NEED graphics to create a successful videogame. You need substance. Polygon boobs dripping with water are great, but it's nothing compared to the conversation and thus emotion you get behind liking those boobs because you are controlling a character in a game that might be able to enjoy them (FF7, coincidently).

and blah blah blah. I'm not reading that article, btw. Tell me something I don't know.

[Zargabaath]

While he says developers focus on HD graphics too much and forget other aspects of making a game.

However: Despite this, Sakaguchi was determined to get The Last Story looking good and not blame any graphical shortcomings on the Wii’s lesser capabilities – something he feels he and the team achieved. And going on the images we’ve seen so far, the game looks glorious.

“I was really averse to allowing the quality of the graphics to drop just because we were working on Wii, which doesn’t have HD graphics. I do really think that, in the end, what we’ve created can hold its own against other hardware.”

Graphics do have their place just not really high on the totem pole. I can see where Xanatos is going. I would say better graphics allows body language to be presented better. A character looking down in FFVI could mean they are looking at the ground or crying. Not much to go by. I would be good with PSX or PS2 era graphics for the rest of my life.

He may have taken a dig at his former employer, yet it was him during development of FFIV that started focusing on making the games graphically amazing as well. So let's not get confused.

[Calvan]

(Such a needlessly hostile post. *sigh*)

I like pretty graphics as much as the next person. Though I have to say. While certainly not excessive, (Quite the opposite, I find it to be very nice.)
What I will say is now that HD TVs are finally dropping in price, I might get one now.

Playing my PS3 on an SD TV is starting to burn out my retinas.

[OnOneRyder]

As someone who's been out of the franchise since IX, coming back for XIII-2 I can say it doesn't have the slightest feel of the old games. Be they psx releases or SNES, I don't think it is out of line to say a large amount of that change can be attributed to attempts to make something graphically pretty whilst putting lesser emphasis on the story.

[Crescent]

Sorry everyone I was just so excited I wrote the thread in such a blind happy rush as soon as I found the article..I actually backspaced all of it cause I reread it n thought "um..ur such a retard" but then thought screw it this is how i really feel XD. Its ok if u dont agree but yes! I love FFVII like a crazy bitch but u cannot bring me down..for the record I really liked XII but XIII..No..Just No. Thanks everyone for ya replies!

[Rowan]

Everyone's points are valid. Everyone wins.
edit:
While my respect for sakaguchi extends furthar than the expansion of the universe, I cannot agree that any kind of improvement in graphics are 'excessive'. It's obvious the point he was making is that characters, storyline, progression etc are far more important than visuals. He is right. Music is also an incredibly important factor that will allow you to truly immerse yourself in the world. You could play and track from ff7 8, 9 or X and I will be able to tell you, on the spot, exactly when that track is played in the game. Music creates a stronger connection. Unfortunately FF13-2 suffers from an absolutley awful few heavy metal songs and have opted for the more lyrical pieces now. Graphics more-so enhance the experience. Which is why im so adamant about a recreation of FF7. I could trust the characters, story, music etc, but could look forward to stunning visuals and a whole lot of extras. I dont think it would be excessive and neither does the majority of their fanbase currently. As Che said, its about marketting. But if thats true, then why havn't they made the most demanded remake in gaming history?

[Bubble Boy]

yeah I get what he's saying, there's more emphasis on stuff looking good and the gameplay doesn't match up with what you're seeing.
For example, I highly doubt we'll ever see a game as awesome as Legend of Zelda: OOT.
It's heading more towards, "wow, those are great graphics!" For example, with the game, Heavy Rain, not bad, but not great and you hear the praise concerning it mostly for the graphics, not the gameplay. But I guess I shouldn't diss it too much since it is primarily just an interactive movie.

[Fluffy]

I had intended to create a thread on this great Man and his company Mistwalker (who also involves Nobuo Uematsu!*sigh*) just to see if anyone has played (or even kno of) his latest game "The Last Story". Lol I hate Nintendo Wii but now I have to buy one just for this man. Ill give this man and his studio all my money seeing as SE is goin to shit.

Obviously this is just my opinion, but... I would not recommend buying a Wii for The Last Story. I was hugely disappointed by it. It does so many things wrong.

Buy one for Xenoblade instead.

[SOLDIER #819]

I can't appreciate the subtle graphical leaps games make nowadays. It wasn't like before where you had FFVI --> FFVII --> FFVIII --> FFX... or whatever series you want to use as a timeline. If you look at a big title from 2008 and compare it to one from 2011, you'll certainly see a difference. But man, I don't know how people get hyped up about this from month to month. It's like watching paint dry on a wall. And it probably extends dev time by who knows how long just so we can see that minor improvement we forget about after getting one hour into a game. Seriously why do people pay so much for this.

Which is why im so adamant about a recreation of FF7. ...

But if thats true, then why havn't they made the most demanded remake in gaming history?

They lack the polygons necessary to make Adventure Children Cloud look good in a one piece dress and tiara.

[Crescent]

Obviously this is just my opinion, but... I would not recommend buying a Wii for The Last Story. I was hugely disappointed by it. It does so many things wrong.

Buy one for Xenoblade instead.

Well I won't know until I play. Regardless I strongly support Sakaguchi and any other game developer that shares the same outlook on the way they approach video game design. I cant accept mere graphics' to be a fundamental aspect in which to define a 'great' game. Especially when they neglect much more critical aspects such as gameplay and storyline, which is how I feel for all the FF's after X. I love trying to decipher the dialogue amongst what is actually being said and what isn't as opposed to seeing facial expressions and observing body language,its much more (forgive me everyone)*ahem* MAGICAL n enigmatic to read between the lines. Hey don't get me wrong Im all for refined graphics (Shirtless Sephiroth at the end of FFVII in HDGGI*happilydrowninmydrool*) But again my point is when gameplay and storyline have been thoroughly neglected in favour of looking 'pretty'. Fk just forget it. You know how much money game developers these days pour into graphics?? TOO. FKN. MUCH. Remember SE relicensed Unreal Engine 3 late last year as well as showing off their new photo-realistic engine 'Luminous' thats supposedly "capable of cloth and fluid simulation, realtime reflections, and new methods of detailing 3D models"XD(unless its to remake my FFVII) But Iam only one customer so when SE compare their profits for each FF released depending which ones brings in the most $$$ for them thats the market they're inclined to accommodate..but then again they haven't remade my bloody FFVII (Idon't mind but if they did Id vomit,piss,shit rainbows) They're might be some behind-the-scenes politics we aren't aware of because they have said it'll take 12 years and Sakaguchi has his own company to take care of as well as Nobuo Uematsu...everybody's got their own thing going and 5+ years to make a single (GREATEST) game IS quite risky from a business standpoint and would require heavy sacrifices from everyone on such a large team and when you factor in the (very) possible violent backlash from the longstanding diehard fan base HEH someone else can pray for you cause Ill be in Shinjuku SE HQ with my pitchfork and a masamune I bought on Ebay for half price..Back to the topic thread, my viewpoint is a pretty piece of shit is still a piece of shit and until SE pulls their heads outta their ass we will hardly see the return to form the series deserves. My God I just miss my Squaresoft

[Angantyr]

480p looks horrible, get a better TV.

[Dodie16]

Obviously this is just my opinion, but... I would not recommend buying a Wii for The Last Story. I was hugely disappointed by it. It does so many things wrong.

Aww man... I'm actually pretty sad to hear that. I was hoping it'd be on the same level as Lost Odyssey or something. :/ Might be at least worth a rental at any rate, especially since I already own a Wii.

[Fluffy]

Aww man... I'm actually pretty sad to hear that. I was hoping it'd be on the same level as Lost Odyssey or something. :/ Might be at least worth a rental at any rate, especially since I already own a Wii.

It might be worth a purchase. I'm cheap, so I probably wouldn't unless the price dropped to $20 or so, because I wasn't as impressed as I hoped I'd be.

Complaints: The game is short, and it's too easy. There isn't a whole lot of equipment, and you can mostly pass it up anyway. The battle system is fairly cool, but you can unfortunately brute force your way through most battles, so it actually appears like a more interesting battle system than it really is.

The story/characters are pretty interesting, though. I can only understand some spoken Japanese (only a little really, but most of the stuff was pretty simple), but from what I could understand, it definitely was pretty nice. The graphics are rather pretty for a Wii game, too.

So, yeah. Not a bad game. I just wouldn't buy a Wii for it. Definitely worth checking out to form your own opinion if you already own one, I think.

[Nidogod]

I guess the two points I'd like to make are that 1) I don't know if I trust this coming from a guy who has a respectable number of gorgeous yet shallow titles under his belt. He should have to apologize for Blue Dragon and The Spirits Within before making declarations like this, and I can't tell if he's saying he noticed his own fault when making Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, or if he's pointing a finger. I just can't trust this coming from a guy who's entire catalogue of titles (many of which are great) are well known for their cutting-edge visuals. It would be like Michael Bay say that CGI and explosions detract from the plot of a film and shouldn't be used.

Secondly, with the success this gen of titles like Bastion, Limbo, Braid, Super Meat Boy, NSMB, Geometry Wars, Minecraft, the Castlevania and Contra reboots, ect, ect, is anyone really arguing with this point? Indie and big time developers alike are making games that return to the roots of gaming (in both visuals and gameplay) and the community is eating it up.

[Crescent]

I guess the two points I'd like to make are that 1) I don't know if I trust this coming from a guy who has a respectable number of gorgeous yet shallow titles under his belt. He should have to apologize for Blue Dragon and The Spirits Within before making declarations like this, and I can't tell if he's saying he noticed his own fault when making Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, or if he's pointing a finger. I just can't trust this coming from a guy who's entire catalogue of titles (many of which are great) are well known for their cutting-edge visuals. It would be like Michael Bay say that CGI and explosions detract from the plot of a film and shouldn't be used.

Secondly, with the success this gen of titles like Bastion, Limbo, Braid, Super Meat Boy, NSMB, Geometry Wars, Minecraft, the Castlevania and Contra reboots, ect, ect, is anyone really arguing with this point? Indie and big time developers alike are making games that return to the roots of gaming (in both visuals and gameplay) and the community is eating it up.

Yeah I acknowledge those but I believe consistency is much harder to acheive, NOONE is immune to the occasional slip up from time to time but in any business enterprise you must experiment and take risks(I guess that can apply to the um..'different' direction FF has gone but.. STILLXD).. Unfortunately it *nuclear* bombed...These things happen to the best of those in the corporate world..Such a business venture is what (Ithink) led to the Enix merger..For me I make a conscious choice not to hold that **WORSTEVERRR** 'slip-up' over his head, lets leave the directing to Tetsuya Nomura ahh Hes so awesome(*WARNING*FFVII FANMODE*)He "only" wrote the original story for VII, he was the character designer AND in charge of the original scenario concept..Ohoh um I try not to rebuff someones argument cause I cant distinguish between what is personal preference and what is cold hard facts or both..because I loved Lost Odyssey u see..OH also I think he's tryin to be careful when he makes the statement though- “....but at the same time, I don’t know how to put this, but there’s an element that’s slightly excessive about it all…” Hes trying NOT to point the fingerXD Im pretty sure he still beats himself up over Spirits Within and what happened as a result..Dont worry I still love you!!...*ahem** Plus hes got Nobuo Uemtasu on his team so he winsXD

Gosh..I havent played any of those games you mentioned so I cant comment..Sry I dont really care what evryone else is "eating up" I can only comment about what I want as one customer whos always on the lookout for an epic game but I need to care (nragenvent) when its affecting the quality of the games I buy especially my favourite ones.. What else am I gonna do paint my frkn nails gtfo XD

[Zargabaath]

lets leave the directing to Tetsuya Nomura ahh Hes so awesome(*WARNING*FFVII FANMODE*)He "only" wrote the original story for VII, he was the character designer AND in charge of the original scenario concept

Sorry to burst your bubble. But the original story to VII was mainly written by Sakaguchi with Nomura as help. The final scenario was done by Kazushige Nojima and Yoshinori Kitase. The latter who directed VII as well. Being director and final scenario writer, Kitase should get most of the credit.

[Crescent]

sorry to burst your bubble. But the original story to vii was mainly written by sakaguchi with nomura as help. The final scenario was done by kazushige nojima and yoshinori kitase. The latter who directed vii as well. Being director and final scenario writer, kitase should get most of the credit.

WOOHOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! No love lost there!!! XD

*merged*

OOh while we're on the subject of the core Squaresoft members..I heard Tetsuya Nomura is in leading the team on FFVERSUSXIII..While Im not a religious person SWEET JESUS Ive regained some hope. Please deliver! *butucanneverbeatmyVII* kthanxbye

[Nidogod]

Yeah I acknowledge those but I believe consistency is much harder to acheive, NOONE is immune to the occasional slip up from time to time but in any business enterprise you must experiment and take risks(I guess that can apply to the um..'different' direction FF has gone but.. STILLXD).. Unfortunately it *nuclear* bombed...These things happen to the best of those in the corporate world..Such a business venture is what (Ithink) led to the Enix merger..For me I make a conscious choice not to hold that **WORSTEVERRR** 'slip-up' over his head, lets leave the directing to Tetsuya Nomura ahh Hes so awesome(*WARNING*FFVII FANMODE*)He "only" wrote the original story for VII, he was the character designer AND in charge of the original scenario concept..Ohoh um I try not to rebuff someones argument cause I cant distinguish between what is personal preference and what is cold hard facts or both..because I loved Lost Odyssey u see..OH also I think he's tryin to be careful when he makes the statement though- “....but at the same time, I don’t know how to put this, but there’s an element that’s slightly excessive about it all…” Hes trying NOT to point the fingerXD Im pretty sure he still beats himself up over Spirits Within and what happened as a result..Dont worry I still love you!!...*ahem** Plus hes got Nobuo Uemtasu on his team so he winsXD

Gosh..I havent played any of those games you mentioned so I cant comment..Sry I dont really care what evryone else is "eating up" I can only comment about what I want as one customer whos always on the lookout for an epic game but I need to care (nragenvent) when its affecting the quality of the games I buy especially my favourite ones.. What else am I gonna do paint my frkn nails gtfo XD

These stream of conscious-esque posts of yours are a unique breath of fresh air in a very challenging sort of way. I hope I don't misconstrue what you're saying. LO was definitely the only JRPG I enjoyed this gen, and it really did take me by surprise with how well it was done (didn't play Tales of Vesperia, though). Far be it from me to point a cold, judgmental finger at a guy who has clearly proven his writing chops in the past, I'm just playing the part of captain obvious in stating how much of a shock it is for a guy, who's most popular titles reveled in graphical supremacy, to be claiming he doesn't want to be held down by a need to be graphically superior at all times. If it leads to better titles, god bless him and may he continue.

If you're looking for new games to try, definitely czech out the ones I named. They are all retro in spirit with distinct throwback visuals, gameplay that is simple to learn but difficult to master, and best of all are dirt cheap. They are part of this new revolution where with the Xbox Live Arcade and Steam and stuff, indie developers are able to make these quaint, labor of love projects, and distribute them to a wide audience. They are relevant because the graphics are the exact opposite of cutting edge, but the games are selling great and are getting fantastic scores.

[Crescent]

These stream of conscious-esque posts of yours are a unique breath of fresh air in a very challenging sort of way. I hope I don't misconstrue what you're saying.

Thankyou!Thats kind of you I love that word 'Unique' esp when its used on me ...OMFG Ignore me.

..but please dont even worry bout miscontruing Idonteven kno wth i say and u made a very good point

If it leads to better titles, god bless him and may he continue.

Amen. *Sakaguchi's actually tired of talking about Final FantasyXD. I hope Mistwalker and his current videogames get more recognition provided they're actually good..WTFAMISAYING??!!!!!XD I get more of FF feel from Lost Odyssey than XIII. I call it my 'FFXIII'. But thats another story...

If you're looking for new games to try, definitely czech out the ones I named.

*whispers*I was going to