Tactics Ogre | LuCT remake with Matsuno [PSP] NA/EU Release Confirmed! | TGS Trailer!

Joule · July 2010

Publisher: Square Enix
Genre: Srpg
Release: 11/11/2010 (Japan), 2011? (US/EU)

Staff
Director: Hiroshi Minagawa
Game Design: Yasumi Matsuno
Character Design: Akihiko Yoshida, Tsubasa Masao
Music: Hitoshi Sakimoto, Masaharu Iwata

News:
In the latest Famitsu it has been revealed that a remake of Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together is in production for the PSP. There will be changes to the core mechanics as well as rewritten and expanded scripts for new side stories and characters to flesh out the world. Also to note is that the original staff is being reunited for this project including the director of the Ogre Battle games Yasumi Matsuno.

duckroll from neogaf wrote:

The article specifically says that Matsuno is personally revising the script and making all the additions and changes to the original script. There will be a lot more text in the remake script, and there will be new side stories and characters to flesh out the world and feelings of the characters in the original game. So yeah, this isn't a case of them just using his name.

From Andriasang http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/07/21/flying_get/

Here are a few points from the FF Reunion summary:

- Even though it may look like the game's visuals haven't changed much, they have been improved over the original. They're trying to keep the Super Famicom-like look of the game.

- They'd actually be proud if people would say that it's the same as the original.

- You can change the angle to view the action from above.

- The height-based play and other basic elements of the original remain in tact.

- They're adding a number of new elements for the game parts and battle parts. The battles will be greatly changed.

- The game will have a variety of new skill-based gameplay features.

- There will be new classes.

- The battle maps character count has increased from the 10 vs 10 of the original to 12 on your side vs 18 on the enemy side, for a total of 30 characters on screen.

- This is not a "Tactics Ogre Perfect Version," but a "rebuilding" of Tactics Ogre. It doesn't fit within the framework of a "remake."

- You won't be able to use your strategies from the original for the sequel.

-The magazine also says that the game is being re-imagined under the basis of "If you developed and played Tactics Ogre in this day and age, it would be like this." There will be a number of new gameplay systems.

NA RELEASE CONFIRMED
EU RELEASE CONFIRMED

Scans:

Screens:

Uncompressed Screens:

Character Art:

Trailers:

TGS Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf3KxVIr3kA

My favourite srpg ever makes a return to our world. The fated day has come.

Gilder · July 2010

I don't believe it. There's no way Square-Enix is doing anything with the license. They paid a lot of money to kill and bury it. My heart is accepting this as a hoax to deal with the heartbreak that it either is or that it isn't but America isn't getting it.

Wearingglasses · July 2010

Huh. Haven't played FFT's granddad yet so this is interesting.

Joule · July 2010

Gilder wrote: »

I don't believe it. There's no way Square-Enix is doing anything with the license. They paid a lot of money to kill and bury it. My heart is accepting this as a hoax to deal with the heartbreak that it either is or that it isn't but America isn't getting it.

I'm in shock myself. When S-E trademarked Tactics Ogre like a week or two ago I was like hummm interesting but I did not expect this. Especially with the original staff.

Talith · July 2010

Ffffffffffff it's on the PSP...

Why couldn't it have been DS or 3DS?

Vegan · July 2010

Talith wrote: »

Ffffffffffff it's on the PSP...

Why couldn't it have been DS or 3DS?

I was going to give the standard "graphics and aspect ratio", but with the 3DS I guess that doesn't hold any more.

Wearingglasses · July 2010

It's the easiest to port into, I guess that's what the devs are considering. No need to worry about a second screen yet.

Talith · July 2010

You know a SE artist is just itching for a chance to make some 3D summons in a game. Those elemental random spells could have been their chance.

In any case, I hope this opens up the possibility of new Ogre battle.

Until then I'll wait until the PSP price drops, which hopefully might occur near the 3DS release.

Page- · July 2010

Remake is still bleh, but the series being alive is the best thing.

The best thing.

I can only hope that the changes they make aren't in the direction of FFT. Maybe bit toward Knight of Lodis, but still; Tactics Ogre was such a great game.

Please don't add any stupid camera business.

Radikal_Dreamer · July 2010

I actually own LuCT on PS1. Bought it because FFT is one of my absolute favorite games of all time. I couldn't really get into it, though, and only managed to get like an hour or two into it. Maybe this remake will be the kick in the butt I need to really love this game.

cj iwakura · July 2010

Well there's a shock.

Joule · July 2010

New scan (added to OP)

http://www.siliconera.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/19.jpg

Oh goodness. Look at those spell effects. Even though the scan is blurry the graphics look pretty nice.

Also Aroduc where are you.

Darmak · July 2010

So dumb they're not releasing it on the platform of my choice.

cj iwakura · July 2010

Really getting sick of the 'why PSP?' replies. It's all you ever hear when the PSP gets a good game.

Joule · July 2010

From Andriasang http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/07/21/flying_get/

Here are a few points from the FF Reunion summary:

- Even though it may look like the game's visuals haven't changed much, they have been improved over the original. They're trying to keep the Super Famicom-like look of the game.

- They'd actually be proud if people would say that it's the same as the original.

- You can change the angle to view the action from above.

- The height-based play and other basic elements of the original remain in tact.

- They're adding a number of new elements for the game parts and battle parts. The battles will be greatly changed.

- The game will have a variety of new skill-based gameplay features.

- There will be new classes.

- The battle maps character count has increased from the 10 vs 10 of the original to 12 on your side vs 18 on the enemy side, for a total of 30 characters on screen.

- This is not a "Tactics Ogre Perfect Version," but a "rebuilding" of Tactics Ogre. It doesn't fit within the framework of a "remake."

- You won't be able to use your strategies from the original for the sequel.

-The magazine also says that the game is being re-imagined under the basis of "If you developed and played Tactics Ogre in this day and age, it would be like this." There will be a number of new gameplay systems.

Everything I hear about this game is delicious. The increased unit count is also interesting. Also I guess no more archer dominance haha.

cj iwakura wrote: »

Really getting sick of the 'why PSP?' replies. It's all you ever hear when the PSP gets a good game.

Port begging is pretty dumb. Let's just talk about this game of miracles.

Jurg · July 2010

Hmm. Interested. I tried to get into Knight of Lodis, and it was pretty slick, but then my brother started playing and never let me have the cartridge ever.

Page- · July 2010

Knight of Lodis was a poor substitute for the original, and even that was playable.

I like that they're keeping the old graphics, because I still really like how they look. Making the battles bigger is also great.

Changing the battle system could mean anything. What I hope is that they balance magic. What I think is likely is that they'll remove permadeath.

obligatory

Joule · July 2010

page-

That iMas TO parody is the greatest thing.

Steel Angel · July 2010

Clearly this is just a lame clone of FFT, the first ever SRPG to do isometric battles and feature aristocratic dickery!

Now that that joke is out of the way, I'm glad to see SOMETHING being done with the series. That it's a remake of LuCT doesn't bother me since 1) I never got a chance to play it, just Knight of Lodis and 2) It would theoretically let me maraud with a demigod of an unliving, sorcerous abomination in my party without the annoying reptuation/alignment system of the base games.

mystic_knight · July 2010

My recent purchase of a PSP seems to keep paying off.

Klatu · July 2010

Wow.. day 1.. will import and learn japanese if I must.

I was going to pull out my old LuCT the other day, now I'm going to have to just to tide me over.

blaze_zero · July 2010

Hm, I think I'll check this out for sure. Never got to play the original.

Slicer · July 2010

This will almost certainly be the game that finally gets me to buy a PSP. Thankfully with a 2011 release date and the time between the Japanese and English release I'll have plenty of time to save up for one.

Hopefully this does well enough that they decide to make one more in the vein of the SNES/N64 Ogre Battle games.

Gogar · July 2010

This is the greatest unexpected video game news that I've heard in a long time. I didn't dare dream that they would do something like this after hearing nothing about the series for 8 or so years.

I like how they appear to have kept the same graphical style while making improvements to it at the same time.

Aroduc · July 2010

SIGH

At least the franchise is sort of alive.

As a shambling zombie.

I imagine the changes will likely be to remove the extremely broken training system, marginally less broken magic/dragon magic, and make it easier, particularly at the start. Before you got good equipment, it was a struggle to keep grunts alive what with only needing 2-3 attacks to kill one and all ten of the enemy units attacking at once. But that made it fun and exciting!

Page- · July 2010

Tone down ranged attacks and you'd solve a lot of the early frustrations. That, and properly balance out the classes; there's no good reason for Archers to be better melee fighters than Valkyries. Fixing the classes would also go a long way toward fixing debuff magic, because it just takes way too much cross-class work to get a decent character for that. Also, make armour more useful.

It's also true that the certain knowledge that every turn could end in total tragedy that really helped me love the game. I'd be sad if they did get rid of permadeath.

Talith · July 2010

Permadeath with 12 on 18 sounds like a recipe for a lot of reloading.

Page- · July 2010

If you can purchase new troops at a higher level and not have to train them from the start then losing some fodder wouldn't be as big of a deal.

Talith · July 2010

Certain characters love to eat criticals though. Unique characters. Characters that should know better.

You take every measure to keep them near full health and then an archer or three comes along and says "Thanks for standing still wanker!"

Aroduc · July 2010

Talith wrote: »

Certain characters love to eat criticals though. Unique characters. Characters that should know better.

You take every measure to keep them near full health and then an archer or three comes along and says "Thanks for standing still wanker!"

War's rough, yo.

But I imagine one of their changes would be to move over to an ATB system anyway since watching 18 units take their turns in sequence would be... unpleasant.

Page- · July 2010

Well that's where fixing ranged classes and rebalancing melee classes comes into play. And learning how to prioritize targets properly. It's not that hard to turn most unique characters, at least the useful ones, into wrecking machines.

Gaming-Freak · July 2010

If they're remaking it, then I'm crossing my fingers for a PSN release.

Edit: I'm referring to the original PS1 game, of course.

Pureauthor · July 2010

Nice news. And I like how the article went out of its way to keep emphasizing that the old team is the one working on this.

Page- · July 2010

Tactics Ogre already had an ATB system. It was Knight of Lodis that changed things to turn-based.

Xenogears of Bore · July 2010

TO being unnecessarily cruel in the beginning and super easy in the end is probably the best part about it.

The PSX version is garbage. I wish that if a virtual release of the original game were to happen that they'd make a deal between Atlus and Square and hack in the translation from the PSX version into the SFC cart.

Grislo · July 2010

Probably a case of minor blasphemy, but I might have preferred Knights of Lodis. Ever so slightly.

Anyway, this is all kinds of excellent. And I was just thinking about replaying Ogre Battle for the nth time.

Xenogears of Bore · July 2010

I really dig KoL for being portable and having a very interesting achievement based class change system.

Aroduc · July 2010

Page- wrote: »

Tactics Ogre already had an ATB system. It was Knight of Lodis that changed things to turn-based.

Indeed. I'm misremembering. Although it may as well be a turn system when you're fighting 10 lizardmen with identical levels and equipment so they all have essentially the same ATB value. That was really the big issue with the archers or any clump of like units. They'd just suddely descend on you like one great horrible flock of "fuck you."

Was crazy fun to use hawkmen with shields to push archers off walls to their deaths though. Or attack units through other units with spears... only to have the spear user counter back through that unit once more.

Paladin · July 2010

Ogre Battle!

skyknyt · July 2010

This is news I have been waiting for for years.

Page- · July 2010

I thought the only differences between the sfc and psx version were the music (which I never listened to) and the load times.

Penny Arcade

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