KickStarter Project Phoenix - Indie jRPG with Nobuo Uematsu

[Excidium]

And from the interview:

I don’t think the game mechanic is as important. Game mechanics have to be fun and fulfilling. It doesn’t need to conform to one type of gameplay like for instance turn based classic Final Fantasy-like. That’s why I went for RTS. I think it’s a very natural progression. The only reason why they did turn based back in the day was because they could do nothing else. Nowadays we can take things to real time easier..

Ok, totally not giving a single fuck for this retard and his game anymore.

Time-honored JRPG dev tradition of mimicking the worst aspects of western CRPGs

 

[Whisky]

Anyway, they don't particularly merit it in any real sense, but I'm still pleased that they're getting a decent wad of cash handed to them by naive fools - with any luck, that might make crowdfunding better known and more credible in Japan, and result in someone I actually care about (like Yasumi Matsuno, Yasumi Matsuno or Yasumi Matsuno) starting a project to make some awesome games. Here's hoping. And hey, it might be interesting to see what happens when a bunch of artist types and inexperienced industry nobodies are handed a bunch of cash to make a JRPG. You never know, it might be the next Xenogears!

Honestly, I'd throw my money at any project that Matsuno is a member of. I say this despite the fact that he hasn't been apart of a memorable game team for some time now, save for doing one song for Xenoblade. Us weeaboos, we just have no reason when it comes to this great composer.

I'm... pretty sure you mean Yasunori Mitsuda, but yeah, now that I think about it, I'd definitely pay money just to get that guy to compose another real RPG soundtrack too. I guess I shouldn't make fun of this project for riding on having an iconic composer on the team, since Chrono Cross for instance is pretty much worth playing just because it has a great Mitsuda soundtrack (and some pretty prerendered backgrounds). How about another game with an insane scenario written by Masato Kato and soundtrack by Mitsuda? Now that'd be a Kickstarter worth freaking out about.

It's worth mentioning that even though he probably means Mitsuda, Matsuno is worth throwing money at.

Lore Roll - Critical Fail.

I can't believed I mixed their names up. But yes, Matsuno in charge of a Kickstarter game would be a genuinely good reason to donate, simply because he is consistently able to deliver a quality product. Even his worst (I'd say FFTA) isn't that bad.

 

[Ninjerk]

Yasumi Matsuno got shafted by SquareEnix real bad in FF12.
Loved his other games though (Vagrant Story, FFT, Tactics Ogre)

Hope he makes a kickstarter. It would be freaking awesome to see what he makes with a PE like budget with full creative independence.

Man, that would be like printing money.

 

[Chaotic_Heretic]

Bros, this retard and his shitty Kickstarter will be only good for the music.

But if it funds in the millions, let us try to get Matsuno open a kickstarter for a TB RPG. Sure scope will be low. But I want to play what he dreams up in his head.

 

[Duraframe300]

Even his worst (I'd say FFTA) isn't that bad.

Matsuno didn't do FF:TA.

Well, he produced, but he wasn't actually a designer or writer on it.

 

[Ninjerk]

This is the closest thing I could find to contact information: https://twitter.com/YasumiMatsuno

Help me out here:

Dear Mr. Matsuno,
We the fans have decided

 

[Whisky]

This is the closest thing I could find to contact information: https://twitter.com/YasumiMatsuno

Help me out here:

Dear Mr. Matsuno,
We the fans have decided

Lea Monde winebottle, damn that's cool. Don't really know how much English he knows though, you might have to communicate to him through Queen song titles.

 

[felipepepe]

He tweeted in english before, should be ok to send something to him.

 

[80Maxwell08]

If all RPGs had to be turn based because tech limits how did action games ever exist on the NES? Also what's with this new hatred of turn based?

 

[Damned Registrations]

New? There's been hatred of turn based for decades. Why do you think the FF series started that god awful 'active time battle' system?

Anyways, I've got precious little hope for this thing, but eh, one more game floating around is generally a good thing. Maybe it'll surprise me, or the competition will inspire a better game or lower prices elsewhere.

 

[felipepepe]

The hatred is not new, but this ignorant "it was due technology" shit surely is... is like none of them ever heard about P&P RPGs.

 

[Terpsichore]

"We have no idea what the fuck we are doing but believe in us!"

 

[Chaotic_Heretic]

"We have no idea what the fuck we are doing but believe in us!"

Lol trust us, it is gonna be AWESHUM.
Next Tim Shafter?

 

[drae]

Another interview with more information.

As for the gameplay mechanics, if you recall the hero system of Warcraft III, and the campaigns that centered around those characters, you may find something very similar to that in Project Phoenix’s RTS-inspired gameplay.

“What’s even cooler–you’re working with heroes, not just any old character. These heroes are heroes. They’re just like Legolas. They’ll kill in one shot and nail people’s faces…But there are many many crappy foot soldiers. And they will overwhelm you and you will lose health, and you will die, and that’s where the fun begins. It’s more about tactical gameplay. Where you stand, where you set up your archers, how you set up your group, how you want your groups to behave, these are the decisions your players will be making, not ‘do your special move now.’ Micromanagement just doesn’t feel real.”

-----------------

“What I want to say is basically the reason JRPGs—to be specific, the recent final fantasies have been all about close to realistic facial features and designs, making an impression that it’s really about eye candy and I don’t really see strong plotlines happening with the JRPG genre. And I want to see a bit of plotline, I want to see a bit of story, I want to see people being moved by the story, I want to see people attached to the characters, and I want to have a fun combat system that people can be involved with. With all of that, that really fulfills what the JRPG genre is about. And I just want to fulfill that.”

http://www.jacehallshow.com/news/ga...-hirokai-yura-explains-revitalize-jrpg-genre/

 

[Chaotic_Heretic]

Another interview with more information.

As for the gameplay mechanics, if you recall the hero system of Warcraft III, and the campaigns that centered around those characters, you may find something very similar to that in Project Phoenix’s RTS-inspired gameplay.

“What’s even cooler–you’re working with heroes, not just any old character. These heroes are heroes. They’re just like Legolas. They’ll kill in one shot and nail people’s faces…But there are many many crappy foot soldiers. And they will overwhelm you and you will lose health, and you will die, and that’s where the fun begins. It’s more about tactical gameplay. Where you stand, where you set up your archers, how you set up your group, how you want your groups to behave, these are the decisions your players will be making, not ‘do your special move now.’ Micromanagement just doesn’t feel real.”

-----------------

“What I want to say is basically the reason JRPGs—to be specific, the recent final fantasies have been all about close to realistic facial features and designs, making an impression that it’s really about eye candy and I don’t really see strong plotlines happening with the JRPG genre. And I want to see a bit of plotline, I want to see a bit of story, I want to see people being moved by the story, I want to see people attached to the characters, and I want to have a fun combat system that people can be involved with. With all of that, that really fulfills what the JRPG genre is about. And I just want to fulfill that.”

http://www.jacehallshow.com/news/ga...-hirokai-yura-explains-revitalize-jrpg-genre/

So a more popamole jrpg than western popamole rpgs?

 

[Gurkog]

If the game has tentacle rape I might back it. Someone get on the horn and ask!

 

[grudgebringer]

something like this?

 

[Coriolanus]

something like this?

Cool stuff.

 

[Borelli]

Disgusting. Will need to increase the time i spend on regular porn in order to forget about THAT.

 

[abnaxus]

Project Phoenix is being produced by some of the greatest creative talents in the video game industry, with credits including several Final Fantasies, The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, Valkyria Chronicles, L.A. Noire, Diablo III, Halo 4, Crysis 3, and much more.

Is this for real?

 

[Coriolanus]

Well, FF was always the popamole-est of JRPGs.

 

[abnaxus]

The Wapanese Ali G.

 

[Morality Games]

I’ll be very honest. We are a very small team. It’d be great if we could make branching choices, but I think it would be risky for us. It becomes too complex and I don’t think our team is capable of making a sprawling multiple-endings game, as much as we’d like to.

Well, it's not like they needed my money anyway.

I can live without branching choices if the setting detail in the side stories surpasses the norm in JRPGs.

 

[Morality Games]

I can live without branching choices if the setting detail in the side stories surpasses the norm in JRPGs.

Have they convinced you that this will be the case? Also, "surpassing the norm in JRPGs" is setting a very low bar.

They have stressed "lore", which is fancy speak for setting detail. An example would be the idea the different inhabitants of the world would have to be shown to be culturally distinct, and the environments they live in worth exploring for that reason.

Originally, superficial settings and characters lent JRPGs the ambience of a fairy tale. A combination of getting stale and adding extraneous elements (in Final Fantasy's case, j-pop BS) ruined the effect.

If they stick to their word of a JRPG that stresses mature themes and "lore", it would provide a desperately needed fresh take on the genre. Even if not particularly successful in its own right, it could set a trend.

At this point, almost any other direction would serve the JRPG genre better than where it is now.

 

[Ninjerk]

Where is it right now outside of Final Fantasy?