What would you like to see next from Falcom?

[Leroy]

I'd probably pick Xanadu Next II.. if only to have another soundtrack that would follow in the sheer brilliance of the first one. I really loved the first game and would love a new one that expanded on some things.. maybe multiple characters and some multiple paths that could lead to alternate levels and/or endings.

What would like to see next and why?

[Leroy]

Eh, I don't know if Gurumin without Parin would work. If they were to do it without her I'd rather see the adventures of Motrao and the first drill hero.. that way they could keep the drill mechanics of the first game and all.

[blabla76]

Popful Mail remake !

[Red Hairdo]

Ys Multiplayer Game. : )

[Red Hairdo]

xD HEH

If so, I'd rather want the prequel, Ein!

[FM-77AV]

I don't think a sequel to Xanadu Next would work, as much as I'd want one. I think it would ruin the brilliance of the first one a bit.

I WOULD want a new Gurumin game though. Not necessarily a sequel, but a game in the same vein as it, at least. Cel-shaded, preferrably. I would want more levels than in the first, and it would be awesome if they expanded the whole "furniture" idea. Not necessarily with furniture, but with something. I loved that system a lot, it is a lot more fun that just simply advancing to the next level like in the Super Mario games.

It would be nice with a new Popful Mail game as well (not a remake), as I'm sure she's had quite a few adventures to tell.

What I'd really like to see is a sequel to Romancia, actually. I think they could make something fantastic out of that - just like they did with the Xanadu one.

[Gamemusicfreak]

Ys VII, a full remake of Legend of Xanadu I & II ( that would never happen, but it would be glorious) or Legend of Xanadu III.

[2X4]

I would like to see falcom upgrade the graphics a little. Keep the same creativity and gameplay, just more sophisticated visually. I would most like to see either Ys, LoH, or Xanadu title, but I wouldn't be disappointed either way if they just took the graphics up a notch or two.

[FM-77AV]

I don't think Falcom's graphics are "very good" - I'd rather say they're very bad. For a game like Gurumin they are okay, but otherwise, they're awful. Either go back to 2d, or learn to do 3d.

By the way, if you go play some Nintendo 64 games, you'll notice Falcom's style isn't unique at all.

[FM-77AV]

I really don't think it's intentional. I just think Falcom sucks at 3d. They don't have a personal style at all. It looks generic, but with extremely low-res textures and a very small number of polygons. The games still REQUIRE lots of power, but they sure don't take advantage of it.

By my troth? Ask Deuce.

[gnosis301]

Bad graphics or not, Ys is quite fun. If I had the money, I'd sample more of Falcom's games, because I'm pretty sure they're fun, as well.

[2X4]

wyrdwad said:

And your N64 comparison is ridiculous, by my troth (EDIT: "by my troth"? Is this an auto-replace on I M H O?). I don't know of a single N64 game that used 2D sprites on 3D backgrounds. Every N64 game I've ever seen was either full 2D, or full 3D.

-Tom

Not so. Mario Kart 64 is one example. I agree with you that these games are great and unique, I was just sharing what I would like to see. I think they could put the graphics on par with other current games without losing their unique Falcom qualities.

And I know that OiF has a maximum resolution of something like 800X600, which is pretty low by today's standards.

As far as the "old school" charm, I love old school games, but if game developers only made games that look old school, nothing would be more advanced than atari games. My favorite old school games are ones that pushed the envelope back in their time, like Ys. Let me see some more of that innovation, along with the creativity and signature Falcom feel. That's all I'm saying.

[Leroy]

Eh, Falcom's graphics aren't great on a technical level.. but they're great at what they're aiming to do with them.. and that's much more important to me than to have them spend their manpower trying to outdo Prey's graphics and forgetting about the gameplay. They never try to overreach what they can do technically and end up looking bad at it (ie: almost all 3D PS1 games). I think an important thing to remember is that they probably have to take into consideration the graphical limits of an average Japanese PC. I don't think they're quite enamored with buying the best and greatest video cards every year like the majority of the PC world; almost every Japanese PC game I've played could run on highest settings on an extremely low-end machine.

[FM-77AV]

leroy said:

I think an important thing to remember is that they probably have to take into consideration the graphical limits of an average Japanese PC. I don't think they're quite enamored with buying the best and greatest video cards every year like the majority of the PC world; almost every Japanese PC game I've played could run on highest settings on an extremely low-end machine.

I've had that thought myself, actually. Falcom may be bad at 3d, but that can't be the ONLY reason. I mean, they're making pc games - it's not like they have limitations - and I've never seen a good-looking japanese pc game either (console games, on the other hand). I installed Gurumin on a friend's P3 800 computer and it worked rather well. Sure, had the game been optimized better, it would've worked on a P2 400 machine, P3 800 isn't that bad.

I don't mind bad graphics as long as the game is old or on a system that cannot handle "good" graphics. When I play new games, I want them to look good, as I don't play that many new games. I have far too many old games that look "ugly" that I can play - I don't need more of those.

Gurumin happens to be a fun game, but it's not exactly easy on the eyes - which is its biggest flaw, to me.

But yeah, I'm a graphics-whore (and a videophile) all right - and proud of it.

[Leroy]

deuce said:

Oath in Felghana can go up to 1280x800 (streeeeeeeetch).

Actually.. all three new Ys games can run at any resolution supported by your video card and monitor. Initially, Origin only supported 4:3 resolutions but that limitation was lifted in a recent patch. However, as you stated.. none of the games compensate for the ratio difference, sadly.

I've run each game at max settings at 1600x1200 and they look great (except for the crappy pre-rendered sprites.. I've got to disagree with ya on that one).

As for your other comment.. I think there are a couple posters on this forum that are deliberate contrarians, I've just gotten used to it and basically ignore some of the ridiculous comments I've seen around here (constantly).

[FM-77AV]

deuce said:

Then please, elucidate. What, precisely, do you think Falcom's games should look like?

Something like this, maybe?



Not photo realistic by any means. This suffers from severe hardware limitations, but it still looks pretty nice in my opinion. Had it been a pc game they could've made it a lot nicer (higher resolution, etc). Would've been awesome of Xanadu Next looked something like this.

I'd definitely get more interest in Ys if they scrapped the current engine and made a technical marvel out of it. It would be awesome.

[Leroy]

So.. I figured I'd drop some of my thoughts on what I feel would be nice to see in a Gurumin 2 since the game is so fresh on my mind (again) at the moment.

First and foremost.. let's not keep cool extras hidden by requiring you to beat the game FOUR TIMES. Holy crap. I love the game and it is not exactly long.. but yikes, just.. yikes. I think it would have been MUCH better to have unlocked boss rush on your first completion and Popon on your second.. and costumes are bought with your gold medals that can carry over through all subsequent games, being able to have them all after a second completion (though there could still be some for boss rush wins, etc.).

Second, anything resembling that abortion of a soccer mini-game needs to be left on the cutting room floor unless it is COMPLETELY optional (ie: there's no gold medal for winning). *shudders* Falcom should be ashamed of that mini-game, ashamed.

Okay, now for the meat. Having just played Portrait of Ruin twice, I'm thinking a dual-character Gurumin would rock. Give Popon some mobility skills and you could switch between the two on the fly. You could have some special dual-character special or be able to start a combo with one and chain the other in for a in-combo character switch. Parin could keep the headwear gimmick while Popon could get different swords. Wow, the more I think about that.. the more awesome it sounds. Or say they went the prequel route.. Hyperbolic and Motoro, hehe.

[Neo Kaiser]

Games that I want to see are Ys VII and a remake of Ys IV with the latest engine.

[Inochi 命]

If I had it my way, I'd pause the entire game industry for a couple of months... or a year

I've got quite a bit of Falcom on my plate as it is... besides a bunch of other stuff.

Next from Falcom... more Ys, obviously. Ys VII. Something new for Wii/DS made by Falcom would be cool to see one day, but that's probably just me...

[Leroy]

inochi said:

Next from Falcom... more Ys, obviously. Ys VII. Something new for Wii/DS made by Falcom would be cool to see one day, but that's probably just me...

Speaking on the previously mentioned Popful Mail remake.. I'd be perfectly content if they simply ported the Sega CD version to the DS. That'd be hot. The Turbo CD version could be an unlockable extra.