Famitsu with Sakaguchi on Lost Odyssey...says 40 hrs long, 20 hrs is FMVs...

Stole this from System Wars:

There's an interview with Sakaguchi about Lost Odyssey in the latest Famitsu Xbox360, here are some details from 2ch posters who got the mag:

Story

- The game is about 40 hours long, 20 hours of which are taken up by event scenes or FMV. [Note: This goes against what Ray Nakazato said back in May, which is that there were 6 hours of realtime cutscenes and 1 hour of FMV]

- There is a high density of events, the idea is that instead of having fight after fight, there is event after event.

- Sakaguchi is especially excited that the game will feature many, many event scenes that take place between the party members, adding to the character development and relationships.

- There will be a scene that very realistically depicts what a real funeral is like.

- He feels that Lost Odyssey's approach is very different from FF. LO focuses heavily on strong human emotions and drama.

Gameplay

- The MS Briefing portion that Sakaguchi played is the first dungeon.

- Kaim's lifetime of 1000 years is "lost" from amnesia. This is a plot device that also allows them to strip all his skills so he can slowly remember them for use in battle.

- There are 9 party members in total, and you can set the front and back rows.

- The trigger timing for physical attacks can add special properties to the attack.

- Equipment-wise there's only weapon, ring and accessory.

- The encounter rate is low, instead you're supposed to grow stronger from each series of fights.

- There will be a world map, with a vehicle to move around in it.


Dream of 1000 Years

- Regarding the Dream of 1000 Years, Sakaguchi hopes that people that do not usually read novels or books take the time to read these short stories.

- The Dream of 1000 Years short stories are just text.

- They're presented in short 5-10 min segments of text with no voice but with BGM.

- There are 34 of these short story episodes in total.

- After the release of the game, the short stories will also be compiled into a book form and sold.

I do like the idea of a story-focused game, but too many FMVs and cut-scenes kind of turn me off. Anyway, the game's interesting for sure. So what does everyone else think?

Is this the Final Fantasy-killer? Will Lost Odyssey be Microsoft's JRPG trump card?

- He feels that Lost Odyssey's approach is very different from FF. LO focuses heavily on strong human emotions and drama.

What? So it's even more of a soap opera than recent Final Fantasy? No thanks. I'll take my Black and White Mages and my Warrior and find the exit.

I hate Xenosaga with a passion in part because one spent at least as much time watching cinemas as one did playing the game and it sounds like the cinema to gameplay ratio of LO is at least as bad.

After this and Blue Dragon, its pretty clear that Mistwalker, while a great idea on paper, is a bust just because Sakaguichi isn't the designer he once was.

20 hours of FMVs?

*bashes head on desk*

Thanks a lot.

20 hours of FMV? Yuck, if that's true.

- The encounter rate is low, instead you're supposed to grow stronger from each series of fights.

ASK_Story

I'm not going to ask or comment on any other points but his for now since there are a gazillion. You grow stronger from each fight. Cool, rather than a fixed amount of the exact same fights, that's a neat idea. The question is... are each of these fights in depth detailed combat where it's more than how fast can you use your fighter to crush an enemy in one hit and clean the rest out with one high level spell from a back mage?

If that's the case, I like that a lot. A good change from the traditional type stuff (I.E. Blue Dragon). This is what I want to know.

20 hours of FMV's? Yeah, no thanks. Shame-usBlackley

20 hours of FMV's? Yeah, no thanks. Shame-usBlackley

Stole this from System Wars:

There's an interview with Sakaguchi about Lost Odyssey in the latest Famitsu Xbox360, here are some details from 2ch posters who got the mag:

Story

- The game is about 40 hours long, 20 hours of which are taken up by event scenes or FMV. [Note: This goes against what Ray Nakazato said back in May, which is that there were 6 hours of realtime cutscenes and 1 hour of FMV]

- There is a high density of events, the idea is that instead of having fight after fight, there is event after event.

- Sakaguchi is especially excited that the game will feature many, many event scenes that take place between the party members, adding to the character development and relationships.

- There will be a scene that very realistically depicts what a real funeral is like.

- He feels that Lost Odyssey's approach is very different from FF. LO focuses heavily on strong human emotions and drama.

Gameplay

- The MS Briefing portion that Sakaguchi played is the first dungeon.

- Kaim's lifetime of 1000 years is "lost" from amnesia. This is a plot device that also allows them to strip all his skills so he can slowly remember them for use in battle.

- There are 9 party members in total, and you can set the front and back rows.

- The trigger timing for physical attacks can add special properties to the attack.

- Equipment-wise there's only weapon, ring and accessory.

- The encounter rate is low, instead you're supposed to grow stronger from each series of fights.

- There will be a world map, with a vehicle to move around in it.


Dream of 1000 Years

- Regarding the Dream of 1000 Years, Sakaguchi hopes that people that do not usually read novels or books take the time to read these short stories.

- The Dream of 1000 Years short stories are just text.

- They're presented in short 5-10 min segments of text with no voice but with BGM.

- There are 34 of these short story episodes in total.

- After the release of the game, the short stories will also be compiled into a book form and sold.

I do like the idea of a story-focused game, but too many FMVs and cut-scenes kind of turn me off. Anyway, the game's interesting for sure. So what does everyone else think?

Is this the Final Fantasy-killer? Will Lost Odyssey be Microsoft's JRPG trump card?

ASK_Story

They already have their JRPG trump card...It's called Eternal Sonata.

They already have their JRPG trump card...It's called Eternal Sonata.Gamefan1986

Except the PS3 will also have Eternal Sonata.

But does Mistwalker really need to go the Xenosaga route? I play games because they're fun. Not because I want to watch a movie with little bits or "gameplay" scattered throughout.

But does Mistwalker really need to go the Xenosaga route? I play games because they're fun. Not because I want to watch a movie with little bits or "gameplay" scattered throughout.LordAndrew

[QUOTE="LordAndrew"]But does Mistwalker really need to go the Xenosaga route? I play games because they're fun. Not because I want to watch a movie with little bits or "gameplay" scattered throughout.Jonas_81

I like cutscenes. A lot of people do. Some who don't are just more vocal.

I don't mind cutscenes too much, but if half the game is cutscens, that's a bit too much for me.LordAndrew

I can appreciate that. But I on the other hand like them... provided they don't suck. That's critical though, so that's still up in the air.

And no one commented on my question yet. :(

I have no doubt that Lost Odyssey will take storytelling in video games to a new level of greatness.

I have been anticipating this game since it was first announced about 2 years ago. The new TGS'07 footages blew me away - this one is going to be EPIC.

Lost Odyssey's main theme is already one of the most beautifully haunting pieces of music I have ever heard...lucky Japanese who get the game in December already, the rest of the world will have to wait until February of 2008 to embark on this Odyssey.

And no one commented on my question yet. :(SemiMaster

[QUOTE="SemiMaster"] And no one commented on my question yet. :(Tanjavasi

I imagine so since there isn't any demo or gameplay details yet. Oh well.

You play a lot of these games for a hybrid of a non-interactive story with a pure game experience. I'm not sure why a 50/50 split should scare anyone off. If the story is bad, sure, but that's another issue.Oilers99

If it's an awesome story, great. But does Mistwalker have the abilty to create a truely great story? I hope so, or I'm probably going to pass on this.

I get the point from those of you defending this approach to Lost Odessey, but if this is how Mistwalker wants it then this plot and cast of characters had better be the second coming of Xenogears and not the usual vanilla Final Fantasy tripe.MarcusAntonius

Lost Odyssey is my most anticipated game every! My #1 reason I needed to have an Xbox 360. What got me so greatly fascinated about LO was its Story, and the mature, dark approach to it all.

This information doesn't quite add up though b/c at TGS '07 it was confirmed that the game-play would be over 50 hours long. Anyway, in the 10 minutes Pre-TGS '07 in-game demo presentation along w/ the Developer-Walkthroughs we have seen, there was enough of fighting going on.

btw, I don't know if anyone has seen this LO movie that was shown during TGS '07. In case you have not, please click here.

Also, they will have a Special Presentation this November with. Mr. Sakaguchi, Mr. Uematsu and Co. are all going to be present!!! That should be cool. Needless to say, I can't wait!

For the record, 20 hours of cut-scenes DOES sound a bit excessive. But a lot of this will depend on how they are done. FFX had a lot of cut-scenes, but those proved to be among the highlights of the game. In fact, such cut-scenes were instrumental in how effective the ENDING of the game was. And still, to this day, its one of the most powerful endings of any game ever. The same can be said for MGS3 and its ending.

As for Lost Odyssey, everything I've seen of the cut-scenes has been FANTASTIC. And, for the record, a lot of the complaints about Blue Dragon were concerning its story and characters, not its traditional nature. You see, a JRPG lives and dies based on its story and characters. And Lost Odyssey is bound to prove this for better or for worse ...

I think Xenosaga could've had better sales and maybe continued the series if it wasn't for all those cut-scenes and poor presentation. I think a lot of people (including myself) was turned off by it. I rented it first and after the fifth hour of doing nothing but watching cut-scenes, I called it quits. The game was just waaaaay to slow for my taste.

I think this could be Lost Odyssey's achilles` heel...make that on both heels. Even if the story is the most amazing ever in a JRPG, I don't think that can make up for half of the game being full of FMVs and cut-scenes. I think that's too excessive and a little ridiculous. It's not a game. It's like a entire HBO series that has some interactive menus. I hate the thought of watching a 20 minute cut-scene, go from point A to point B, watch another 15 minute cut-scene, go from point C to point D, and watch another 17 minute cut-scene, etc. I hated this with FFX, especially with Xenosaga, and now I'll probably hate this with LO.

Bummer, really. I was personally routing for Sakaguchi's come back. I really wanted to see him make a second impact in the RPG world with Microsoft. Maybe it will happen after LO.

I think cut-scenes can be terrible to RPGs. I think that's why I loved FFXII so much. The game was about 100+ hours long and only2 hours of that seemed like cut-scenes and FMVs. I think this was a great RPG. 100% gameplay.

If Lost Odyssey was over 80+ hours long and 20 hours of that were FMVs, that wouldn't be so bad...but half of the game is FMVs! Holy o` moly, that's too much!

Sounds cool, but who cares about real-time, real-life funerals? :?Funkyhamster

Well, I haven't played the game yet, but I am very interested in seeing and learning more about this, in the way this will all play out. We know that LO will greatly focus on human emotions. And besides, if I would be actually able to play it now I definitely wouldn't be here, that's for sure.

Anyway, we should know more this November! When they are holding the Special Presentation of Lost Odyssey. Lots more things will be revealed then.

And for anybody, who isn't familiar with the premise of the Story and the great Team involved, you can read this if you want:

STORY/ Development Team:
In Lost Odyssey the player takes control of Kaim, a man who has been sentenced to live for 1,000 years. Game-play revolves around the many generations of which Kaim is a part of, his loves and losses and conflicts of a world nearing a "mystical industrial revolution".

Lost Odyssey's story is being penned by the Award-winning Japanese novelist, Kiyoshi Shigematsu who is working directly with the game's producer Hironobu Sakaguchi on the story sequences. Heading up the artistic demands of the title is well-known Japanese comic artist, Takehiko Inoue, while famed composer Nobuo Uematsu has been recruited to create a more contemporary Soundtrack.

Official Japanese Website:
http://lostodyssey.jp/

We also have: Hiroshi Kawai (Producer), Daiskuke Fikugawa (Co-Director), Takahiro Kaminagayoshi (Co-Director), Takamasa Ohsawa (Art Director) ...

If Lost Odyssey was over 80+ hours long and 20 hours of that were FMVs, that wouldn't be so bad...but half of the game is FMVs! Holy o` moly, that's too much! ASK_Story

It was confirmed just during TGS '07 that the game-play will be over 50 hours long. That's the last I've heard.

You play a lot of these games for a hybrid of a non-interactive story with a pure game experience. I'm not sure why a 50/50 split should scare anyone off. If the story is bad, sure, but that's another issue.Oilers99

If I wanted a movie, I'd buy one. A 50/50 split is far in excess of the balance of any rpg I have come across not named Xenosaga, and I have been an rpg fan since Phantasy Star.

I do think they should have bumped up the gamplay to FMV ratio. However, I'm going to withhold my personal judgement on the game as a whole until I play it.

I think it really matters HOW they use the FMV time. For people who just hate sitting through cutscenes it'll obviously still be painful. But part of the reason people complain about the long-winded Xenosaga cutscenes is that they're really very "technical," with lots of strategy talk and the like, and you find yourself asking "wth just happened?!" But when there is genuinely interesting character development in a cutscene, I have no problem sitting through it.

But when there is genuinely interesting character development in a cutscene, I have no problem sitting through it.amemonii

^ Well, I LOVEDthis Scene !!! XD

The whole interaction between Jansen and the Queen!!!
I like his character A LOT already! And the whole atmosphere and music was so beautiful!!!

...and when he starts talking to himself, saying things like: "I know I am kinda irresistible...I have a good sense of humor..." etc...Hilarious!

Here is also the new TGS'07 Trailer HD:
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25302.html

^ And I also posted some Cool Pics from the TGS Trailer -- Feel free to check them out Here

Lastly,
I talked about the big event that will be held this November! I didn't know the exact day, but now I have just discovered this information. Looks like November 19th, 2007 it is !!! XD

Mr. Sakaguchi, Mr. Uematsu and Co. will all be present + Lost Odyssey will also be playable and we will be getting an Updated look at it.

My Source

[QUOTE="amemonii"]But when there is genuinely interesting character development in a cutscene, I have no problem sitting through it.ananda81

^ Well, I LOVEDthis Scene !!! XD

The whole interaction between Jansen and the Queen!!!
I like his character A LOT already! And the whole atmosphere and music was so beautiful!!!

...and when he starts talking to himself, saying things like: "I know I am kinda irresistible...I have a good sense of humor..." etc...Hilarious!

Here is also the new TGS'07 Trailer HD:
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25302.html

I watched that scene as well and found it enjoyable, which is why I made that note about not minding when character development is going on. It was nice to see some more realistic qualities in a character, with the ackwardness and all, rather than always having it be that perfectly 'choreographed' moment.

[QUOTE="ananda81"]

[QUOTE="amemonii"]But when there is genuinely interesting character development in a cutscene, I have no problem sitting through it.amemonii

^ Well, I LOVEDthis Scene !!! XD

The whole interaction between Jansen and the Queen!!!
I like his character A LOT already! And the whole atmosphere and music was so beautiful!!!

...and when he starts talking to himself, saying things like: "I know I am kinda irresistible...I have a good sense of humor..." etc...Hilarious!

Here is also the new TGS'07 Trailer HD:
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25302.html

I watched that scene as well and found it enjoyable, which is why I made that note about not minding when character development is going on. It was nice to see some more realistic qualities in a character, with the ackwardness and all, rather than always having it be that perfectly 'choreographed' moment.

I would also just like to add the Fact that:
LO will Originally be recorded in English, thus the lip-synch will be adjusted to English VAs/dialogue. Which is Cool! I am really happy about that!

It's much more enjoyable to watch and it obviously makes it more realistic---Especially for a game like Lost Odyssey, where the overall theme will be very mature and dark...still, a little humor here and there is important and Jansen seems to be the perfect guy for that.

I already talked about my favorite Part (part 3...or as I like to refer to it: ~The Moment~ lol) from the 'Developer Walkthrough;' as for the others, please allow me:

Video - Part 1:
I was as surprised as the King was, when he referred to Seth as being his 'Mom' ...but then again, it makes sense if you are a little bit familiar with the Story; still, I didn't see that one coming.

Video - Part 2:
The scene where they had to jump...
"Be careful...be careful okay...okay here I come...Catch me!!!" - Jansen lol

I loved the attention to detail in the characters, the way they react and feel...It's all those 'little' moments that I love.