Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Footage Enrages 'Net

[Earnest Cavalli]

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Footage Enrages 'Net


The first footage from the Final Fantasy-based rhythm game Theatrhythm Final Fantasy has emerged, and fans are not happy.

Before you read any further, you really ought to watch the clip embedded at right. As I said, it's the first footage from the Nintendo 3DS' upcoming Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, and apparently it's an abomination unto the Lifestream.

Kotaku and Joystiq both bashed the game's lo-fi aesthetics; the former tried its hardest to be diplomatic [http://kotaku.com/5839204/so-that-final-fantasy-music-game-sure-looks-bad].

I gotta say though, I don't really see the problem here. Granted, the game won't win any game of the year awards for its stunning graphics, but in the handheld rhythm game subgenre, hyper-detailed, gorgeous environments are kind of a detriment. I mean, the gameplay is dependent entirely on focusing one's attention on colored circles, and responding to audio cues in time -- cluttering the screen with billions of polygons and textures is just going to make that more difficult.

Then again, maybe I'm not the best judge of this kind of thing. I've played many Final Fantasy titles, but I wouldn't claim any sort of fanboy status.

Perhaps that's the problem. Perhaps my American sensibilities just don't get it. Perhaps there's some innately Japanese -- or, failing that, innately otaku -- element that my Oregonian mind is too sheltered to comprehend.

I bet if I had a Gundam wall scroll I could understand why this footage is so lame.

Source: Andriasang [http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/09/12/theatrhythm_trailer/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed]

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[Snake Plissken]

Eh? Seems okay to me. I mean, the game doesn't seem good or anything, but I don't see what all the fuss is about. It's a rhythm game. Why, exactly, are people upset at a rhythm game? It's dumb, it might sell a mediocre amount of units, it won't break new ground and won't hurt anything, so why get your panties in a twist?

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

I remember hearing about this a while ago and dismissed it, and I kinda forgot all about that game. But, eh....? I don't know, looks too weird for me. Why all the fuss about a rhythm game though? I'm kinda surprised it didn't already happen with Final Fantasy, but better late than never....I guess.

 

[Scrustle]

Well it doesn't take a genius to work out why FF fanboys are raging at it. It's not what they normally expect from FF, so they feel angry and cheated. Of course that is pretty silly, but that's the way it is.

To me, it does look pretty rubbish. I'm not a fan of FF at all (despite trying to be on several occasions) but I don't see how anything to do with the series lends itself to the music rhythm genre at all. The game just looks like a huge single quick time event with some vaguely FF style visuals running along in the background. They look totally unrelated and unnecessary. Some people may like the music, but I'm not one of them.

 

[JWRosser]

I don't....see the point?

But then again, it is Nintendo, and the amount of stupid, pointless games that they've released on the Wii and DS is uncanny.

 

[Mouse_Crouse]

Would I buy it? (Forgetting the fact that I don't own a handheld) Probably not. But I really don't see whats so "offensive" about it.

 

[standokan]

The game made me laugh my ass off, I'll give them that.

 

[Croaker42]

Yep looks like a perfectly mediocre game to me. Looks like I get to button dance my way through several iconic cuts from the series. I mean if I bought into that kind of game. I don't see why the fangroup is so mad.. it is not changing any continuity and bad fanfic etc will still be written to keep that little warped desire of a re/new release of ____ (my favorite ff#)going.

BTW that hypothetical re-release would never live up to expectations.

 

[Delock]

Due to the fact that the internet doesn't translate stuff like sarcasm well, I must ask this question: Is your last sentence a dig at the fanbase, or some not so subtle hints to the Escapist that you believe a Gundam wall scroll should count as a business expense?

(The irony here is that due to the same reason I stated above, without this statement here, it would be hard to tell if that was to be read as a joke or a naive question deserving of flaming. Ah, you have to love impersonal text communication sometimes...)

OT: I don't see the problem here. I mean sure, it looks a bit like shovelware to me, but it's honestly not the worst thing that's happened to the FF series.

It's certainly not worse than the 14 debacle, the decision to screw with fans by renumbering the series (and underproducing the amount of games shipped), removing pieces of the game for the shipped copies, or the flame wars over preference of games.
It's also not setting the bar way too high like with 13 or DoC.

All I can really see here is that it's a rather bland rhythm game that happens to use familiar sights of the FF world for the backdrop you're not going to notice that much, nothing to get in a rage over.

 

[Princess Rose]

**watches clip**

Um... why did it suddenly go into stock footage of FF8?

I clearly saw Terra and Cloud in there (and possibly Rikku), so I was assuming this was one of those Disidia (sp) style games that wasn't going to have a plot.

And then it went into FF8 cut-scenes.

That's... well, that's pretty strange.

I suppose I could see rage from fans who thought they were getting a new plot, not a "greatest hits" collection of memorable stuff from previous titles, but... I think I'm more disturbed that this thing is supposed to have a plot at all.

 

[jprf]

Reminds me of that old ds game, Elite Beat Agents. Won't be as good as that was, but it still doesn't look like something to get upset about.

 

[Earnest Cavalli]

Due to the fact that the internet doesn't translate stuff like sarcasm well, I must ask this question: Is your last sentence a dig at the fanbase, or some not so subtle hints to the Escapist that you believe a Gundam wall scroll should count as a business expense?

Neither.

 

[Chaos James]

Like jprf mentioned, I too was reminded of the great old DS game Elite Beat Agents, except Final Fantasy and not as catchy. It looks like a pretty standard rhythm game, nothing too amazing but doesn't look that bad.

Granted, I'm more looking forward to the suppose Neon Genesis Evangelion rhythm game that I heard about for PSP. Now THAT sounds fun, but I'd play this game if given the chance, I just probably won't buy it as I never play DS games (sans SoulSilver) anymore.

 

[DEAD34345]

It looks terrible, even for an Ipod game. All I would be thinking the entire time is "Hey, the RPG behind all these annoying coloured circles looks like fun! Shame I'm stuck playing some crappy rhythm game...".

 

[RagnaThePig]

So it's Elite Beat Agents, with Final Fantasy music. I don't have a problem with that.

Although, I hope we can deactivate that horrible chiming sound because it ruins the music even more than the Guitar Hero plastic click.

 

[OrokuSaki]

**watches clip**

Um... why did it suddenly go into stock footage of FF8?

I clearly saw Terra and Cloud in there (and possibly Rikku), so I was assuming this was one of those Disidia (sp) style games that wasn't going to have a plot.

And then it went into FF8 cut-scenes.

That's... well, that's pretty strange.

I suppose I could see rage from fans who thought they were getting a new plot, not a "greatest hits" collection of memorable stuff from previous titles, but... I think I'm more disturbed that this thing is supposed to have a plot at all.

I think the point was actually to play songs from the games to scenes from the games. Like how in guitar hero world tour you could play Tool songs on the Tool venue. So the song from FFVIII was shown on a cutscene from FFVIII.

OT: It don't see a problem with it, it's nothing that I would personally buy, but neither was the DS until they announced Kingdom Hearts. The one problem I saw was that it looks like at higher levels it becomes BULLSHIT difficult. That scene with Tidus looks like I'd snap the DS (admittedly not THAT difficult) in frustration.

 

[TitanAtlas]

The whole game is just a big huge quick time event!!! D:

 

[Trishbot]

I'm just sick of all things Final Fantasy. I remember when we got one Final Fantasy game every two or three years... if we were LUCKY. The rest were all other good games in other franchises. But, well, let's forget all those Manas and Chronos and Parasite Eves and Xenogears and Front Missions and Bushido Blades and Vagrant Stories and Tobals...

... Nothing but Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts for as far as the eye can see... until you're sick to death of them all. It just hit me sooner than most.

 

[orangeapples]

I'm not really mad at this game, it is just kinda depressing because it reminded me of how much I want an Elite Beat Agents 2...

 

[RagnaThePig]

The whole game is just a big huge quick time event!!! D:

Yes it is. That is the entire point of a rhythm game : A quick time event synced to a musical track.