Well, the FFVI ports getting new dungeons and a few new sidequests -- that would make more sense for CT. For starters, CT actually IS really well balanced (if you don't overlevel or something stupid like that). Second, the format of the game is a lot more... suitable for additions like that. You wouldn't need to put them at the end or whatever.

I donno I think I just wanted bigger towns. I could've spent hours exploring Zeal if there were hours of content there :( Most games do not get places as cool as Zeal. How many 2D, sprite-based games can you actually notice that the lighting is really damn impressive in? Other than Ct, I mean. Arc 2? Terranigma?

http://sdb.drshnaps.com/images/BGs/CT/Enhasa.png

Look at that. That's really, really gorgeous sprite work. I don't think that all the people begging for a CT port to the GBA really understood how much that would've hurt the music and visuals.

We have the DS now, though.

Excellent point, and at that, how about bringing back CC's "You can run from every battle, even bosses" thing?

and maybe EB's insta-win thing. That would've been great for FFXII. Enemies attack, you go into attack mode, and they run away. Not saying they should necessarily give experience, but maybe drop their items or whatever.

Also SMT:N's "There's a boss here, yo," warning. Another great, great thing to have.

Anyway I think I mentioned this before (in the XG thread maybe?) but have a  sort of side-game you can usually always do. Like I think FFXII should've let you have the option to do some sky piracy in addition to the hunts, although yeah the hunts are sort of what I mean (Arc the Lad 2 did something like that but better, though).

Mm... Action RPGs that have more involved actiony bits. Like, no selection moves from a menu. Especially now that we have buttonier controllers. You know how you could do dive attacks in Terranigma, but in Secret of Mana you just sort of held the button down longer? You know how you can unlock new attacks in Twilight Princess and Okami and it's awesome?

Yeah.

FFVI wouldn't work with the puppet style (and I'm definitely a fan of that style, although I prefer the insanely over-detailed Romancing Saga or FFIX version to the uh, relatively simplistic thing that FFIV has. Judging from the screenshots, it looks like FFIII even had more detail. ). Actually, you know, that's one game where I think they should find a way to adhere extremely, extremely closely to ......... uh... whoever the hell drew it's art. Amano. Christ. AM I STUPID TONIGHT YES INDEEDY.

Something like Okami's rendering method. Imagine Amano style done up in that. Or maybe... something like Paper Mario? Or would that run the risk of coming to close to Virtual Hydlide?

Mostly I just want it rebalanced though, so it doesn't break down to mashing in bum rush every battle. Feedback on how Gau actually functions. Also get rid of those protracted 'strategy games defend the whatever' bits. Also maybe blend the linear and nonlinear throughout, instead of having an entirely linear first half and an entirely nonlinear second half (CT also sort of had this problem).

And Chrono Trigger remake, if I could trust them to not actually remake it but just add in some sidequests to the basic game, expand the towns a bit, and add a "harder difficulty" setting or something. Jesus christ though leave Woolsey's translation alone *the original script was far worse jesus christ*.

I wanna see FFVI get a genuine remake sometime :(

I'm going to add to that.

The idea that non-linearity should improve replay. No, no, no, g'DAMN no.

I like non-linearity, but the notion that it should be there just to improve replay is stupid. It should be there to make your *first* playthrough better.

And if you first playthrough is fun, then your game is probably just more fun in general and actually replaying will ALSO be more fun, presumably.

Also, reward the player for doing well. Not having an excessively obsessive playing style. Etc.

Well, it's the difference between sparse and minimalist, I guess. Some games have sparse stories, as in, stories that just don't have a lot going on, whereas in SMT:N's case it's more that the game knows when to STFU.

What was the one that everyone seemed to hate? Was that Legendia?

Chrono Cross is one of my favorite games, dawg. It's Prime Mover that doesn't like it.

And if you're allowed to complain about the models looking puppety then I'm allowed to complain about the sprites looking floaty.

The high res sprites always reminded me of something from like, RPG Maker. Or Flash. This is also something that bugged me about the recent Atelier Iris games. High res sprites that just sort of float atop a background made of equally hi-res tiles. I don't know why this is considered good sprite works. Yes, they are, individually, nice looking sprites, but if you're sticking a bunch of sprites together, it's more important how everything goes together. Smoothing sprites down a lot actually hurts this because pixelation does sort of give you a gestalt thing.

Not saying the high-res look can't work -- http://www.gumboycrazyadventures.com/default.asp?page=pic&lang=ENG just look at gumboy, for instance -- but if you're going highres, you can't stick to the fairly low-detail, flat looking sprites that the PSP remakes had. Go whole hog.

Also, anyone know yet if characters still lose stats on level-up? That sort of made Tellah even more useless that he was otherwise. FFIV is a massive level-grind, and I have no idea why Square thinking that Tellah losing defense on levelling up was a good idea.

And are the personal skills that characters have actually useful now? It sort of sounds like it, I guess, but... what's the point of giving characters unique abilities if most of them aren't useful?

Worst aliasing problems of 2006 was totally Devil Summoner though jesus christ >:(

By the way how is Abyss on sidequests? Symphonia had tons of extra little things you could do. Not even sidequests really but just little events you could spark.

And if we're using length to define epicness ToS can be a very, very long game if you want to do everything.

But could someone PLEASE explain to me why I can't make any goddamn figurines? I think I'm on disk 2 now! I have the figurine book! Robin's dad is just being a jerk or something.

Also never really got what cooking was good for in that series :(

Symphonia's childishness keeps it from stepping too far into pretension.

First couple hours are sort of dumb though, yeah.

Grinding to buy weapons in DQ8 is sort of pointless given that you'll either A) Find them in the next dungeon. B) Get enough money after said dungeon to buy them.

And how do you even grind in SMT :|

The over-customization problem started with FFVI and the vast majority of pre-FFVII RPGSs weren't, in any case, any better off for not having customization.

In other words, just because something's old doesn't mean it's a classic. And I know there's a lot of like for games like FFIV here, but I don't really see how playing something that non-interactive and un-engaging is really a decent use of my or anyone else's time.

Additionally, the actual point of customization wasn't originally to let everyone become the same, as I think I said earlier. Just because a few notable examples didn't really balance things right doesn't mean the concept is wrong as a whole.

And in any case, FFVIII let you customize your characters quite a bit. Unless I imagined things like the Alchemy Pot or the little "allocate points into different skill groups" thing.

Morrowind, earthbound, baldur's gate 2 AFAIK... Not nearly enough games.

The US version of FFIV may've been dumbed down but having only played the PSX remake I'm going to assume that the dumbing down took out the need for a lot of pointless level grinding and some of the stupid deaths.

I guess it also took out a bunch of items and some of the characters personal skills but I never found most of those terribly useful.