Expanding to Various Platforms.

April 1, 2008, 7:54 PM

Bambi and I were discussing Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy VII earlier. We were talking about how the newer Kingdom Hearts titles are all going to be released on different platforms (PSP, DS and mobile), much like most of the VII compilation. We've concluded that we despise the idea of expanding to different platforms for each game in the same series.

So, what are SE up to? Are they genuinely trying to create games for every console so that no one misses out? Hardly - the games are not released in chronological order and all of them are on different platforms so someone's always missing out on something. Are they just up for making a really big profit? I'd say they lose money that way.

Discuss: Are you in favour of different games being released on different platforms or are you like Bambi and I where you become increasingly infuriated at the loss of another title?

April 1, 2008, 8:01 PM

Well, you know my stand on this seeing as we were discussig it lol

I just can't afford to keep up, and Im sure most other people can't either. It's getting beyond stupid. i mean I have a DS and a PSP both of which I got over Xmas, which was quite lucky as the DS i got off the mothership and the PSP i bought for 50 quid off a mate at work
Had I not, I know I wouldnt be able to afford them and miss out on games Imight actually want. It makes me mad

And not only that but all these effing games come out all within months of each other and I neither have the time nor money to buy and complete them like I used to

/end rant

Backloggery · April 1, 2008, 11:23 PM

You'll probably find that most of the games in the series that make their way to another console are spinoff titles rather than the main series themselves. FFXIII and KHIII to my knowledge will continue to stay on the PS3 while the PSP, DS etc are just getting filler titles. I personally don't have a big problem with making more titles across different platforms as long as they're of a high standard so it doesn't look like they're doing it to make a quick buck, sometimes they've pulled it off, other times they haven't.

Now as the company's main aim is to make money and not to appease every single fan then SE do have a right to expand to other consoles to widen their audience and potential revenue. The DS for example has almost 70 million sold WW and 22 million in Japan alone where SE are popular as hell so it makes perfect sense from a business standpoint to release a FF, DQ or KH game on the console since it's cheaper to make a game on it so it's not too much of a risk.

I don't feel personally that I have to buy every SE game under the Sun since most of it doesn't particularly appeal to me and so I concentrate on other games on the platforms that I do have. I don't agree when it comes to the multiple barely improved ports like FFI+II which have seen about 5 re-releases over the last 7 years or something or the ever expanding FFVII Compilation but moving franchises to other consoles won't exactly make me despise the company itself. I just won't bother buying the fucking game.

April 2, 2008, 5:22 AM

It bothers me that I need to purchase every stinkin' console available in order to play each title; however, as SE expands to multiple platforms, they can appeal to a wider audience--not just those who only own, say, a Playstation 3.

Fortunately, I can live without playing the FF/KH games that release on the PSP/DS/mobile.

April 2, 2008, 9:55 PM

I hate the concept too.

I hate how you have to go out and buy the different consoles, or hand-helds or whatever, just to enjoy a story you starting getting into 10+ years ago. It was all good while they were putting stuff out for Sony only like the PSX and the PS2, but I'm not gonna go out and buy a DS, a GBA, a PSP, a whatever, and have a console just to play one game.

Gay.

April 4, 2008, 12:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VoN

It bothers me that I need to purchase every stinkin' console available in order to play each title; however, as SE expands to multiple platforms, they can appeal to a wider audience--not just those who only own, say, a Playstation 3.

Fortunately, I can live without playing the FF/KH games that release on the PSP/DS/mobile.

While that's true, it's frustrating that they're not always appealing to the same audience.

I doubt we'll ever have such a simple example but let's say we have one million fans. Five 200,000 groups have only a Playstation 2, a Playstation 3, a Nintendo DS, a PSP or a Mobile, respecitvely. If one game in a compilation or a series is released on one platform but not another, you're only appealing to 1/5 of the fans whereas, if you release the game on all five, you're keeping all one million of your fans.

April 4, 2008, 8:41 AM

Yeah. it's so annoying.

I really want to play Crisis Core, but I don't have a PSP, and I don't have a spare £100 to go and buy one off of Ebay. I've only just bought a Nintendo DS so I can play the FF's released on that, and now there is Crisis Core already on the PSP. It's so annoying, because I really want to play the titles, but because there are so many and on different consoles it's just far too much money! :(

Backloggery · April 4, 2008, 3:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riku

I doubt we'll ever have such a simple example but let's say we have one million fans. Five 200,000 groups have only a Playstation 2, a Playstation 3, a Nintendo DS, a PSP or a Mobile, respecitvely. If one game in a compilation or a series is released on one platform but not another, you're only appealing to 1/5 of the fans whereas, if you release the game on all five, you're keeping all one million of your fans.

That line of thinking is flawed, each machine is still getting an FF game of some sort so they're still selling to all those groups just not with the same game. Since every console has completely different specs to each other then of course each game is going to be built to suit that console and be as such be exclusive, this is far better than making one game and porting it all over the place where certain versions will be gimped. We have EA already to do that for us and I don't want SE to do the same.

As I've said already the Nintendo FF games seem to be based around the Crystal Chronicles/Tactics as well as several DS remakes and the odd other title while the PlayStation machines are getting all the games based around the actual main series and the FFVII spinoffs. It's not that much different when you look back on the last 6 or so years.

While it is annoying to an extent that SE are doing this I suppose it's not worth being pissed off because they want to expand their market.

April 9, 2008, 6:25 PM

fortunately for me I own a PS3, PSP and a DS so I can get most of the final fantasy games when they come out but what I don't like is SE releasing games exclusively for Japenese mobile phones. Final Fantasy Agito XIII and Final Fantasy VII: Before crisis are two games that I want to get when they are released but i can't!

April 10, 2008, 5:43 AM

I've always seen Square as being, if not innovative, than at the very least brave enough (or smart enough, or dumb enough) to try different things...Multi-platforming a series sounds weird...but w/the Final Fantasy series, what's it really matter? I mean, the continuity is barely an issue...

About FFVII Compilation though, I think that a lot of Japan's population that's interested in SE & the FF series probably already have the required systems.

But anyways...you'll always have someone complain about it either way. Either they're on too many systems & spreading it too thin or they're too focused on one system & not spreading the love.