Final Fantasy 7 on Nintendo 64.

[farfel]

Good: Cartridge format meant no loading times
Bad: Cartridge format made games more expensive, and some games got scrapped for memory limits (like FF7!!!!)


If the Ps1 did not exist and Final Fantasy 7 remained on the Nintendo 64 how would itbe different?

No pre-recorded movies obviously.

Would it still have pre-rendered backgrounds? Or full 3D backgrounds like Zelda?

Sprites?

CPU-created music (like FF6)?

Hi-res mode?

[AB Positive]

this is curious, what would a 2D (I assume it would HAVE to be 2D to encompass the whole story) FFVII have been like? Would FF X (on the Gamecube along this line of thinking) have been the first 3D Final Fantasy?

Curious and curiouser...

-AG

[Bratwurst]

I vaguely remember some preview shots of a Final Fantasy game being worked on for the N64 before Square decided to tango with Sony. It was in one of the 95, 96? issues of Nintendo Power in their RPG section and the characters in the playing party didn't resemble those in the final PSX release.

It seemed to be polygon based ala Zelda but for all I know those could have been mockups. I remember the characters looking fairly smooth and rounded, (IE: almost too clean looking).

[hezeuschrist]

Yeah, I remember seeing 3D models of Locke and Celes from FF6, while the N64 version was still in the works before Square jumped ship.

[Shady Smurf]

Actually, I have the magainze somewhere of it saying it was dropped, it ws a remake of Final Fantasy 7, and im pretty sure it was in 99' if im not mistaken.

[StrychNiNE]

Yeah, I remember seeing 3D models of Locke and Celes from FF6, while the N64 version was still in the works before Square jumped ship.

Are you speaking of the Siggraph demo using FF6 characters? I do believe some rumor-mongers were trying to pass it off as an "Ultra 64" as it was called at the time demo, but it was actually running on considerably more powerful hardware. I know it was featured in one issue or another of DieHard Gamefan (best mag ever, worst mascots...wait no, GamePro...worst mascots ever...god that magazine is terrible - why won't someone just shoot them all in the face and be done with that waste of paper? I would be as so bold to venture that it one of the most poorly written, executed, slapped together piece of "writing" that any industry has vomited up...But I seriously digress).

[Cmosfm]

Yeah, I'd like to see this myself....anyone know of some older screens anwhere of it?

I could imagine them putting it on more than 1 cart...a multi cart game! LMAO.

has that ever been done? I dont think so....but I maybe mistaken

[CitizenWhite]

Yeah, I'd like to see this myself....anyone know of some older screens anwhere of it?

I could imagine them putting it on more than 1 cart...a multi cart game! LMAO.

has that ever been done? I dont think so....but I maybe mistaken

Would it even be possible to carry over all of your information to the next cartridge without one of those memory cards that went into the controller? I don't remember any multi cart games, but there is the possibility.

[DotCom]

Did they make a prototype for the nintendo 64 version? Or even a beginning cutscene?

[Shady Smurf]

From what I took, I it was indevelopment for alittle while, but I highly doubt that a prototype was ever produced, from what I read it was'nt even 1/4 done

[Mr. Smashy]

If the Ps1 did not exist and Final Fantasy 7 remained on the Nintendo 64 how would itbe different?

No pre-recorded movies obviously.

Would it still have pre-rendered backgrounds? Or full 3D backgrounds like Zelda?

Sprites?

CPU-created music (like FF6)?

Hi-res mode?

Final Fantasy VII and Resident Evil 2 had many of the same features. They were both on multiple discs on the PSOne, had 3D characters in pre-rendered backgrounds, FMV sequences...

They kept most everything in the N64 version (including the pre-rendered cut scenes).

[farfel]

In 1999 when ROM chips were cheaper/64 megabytes possible. Doubtful that 1996 RE2 could be made. Biggest cart then was just 8 megabytes.



I think FF7 on N64 would look like Xenogears (full 3D/sprtes) and sound like Zelda (minimal music - repetitive). No pre-recorded movies.

[Kid Fenris]

Are you speaking of the Siggraph demo using FF6 characters? I do believe some rumor-mongers were trying to pass it off as an "Ultra 64" as it was called at the time demo, but it was actually running on considerably more powerful hardware.

Correct. The demo wasn't running on Nintendo64 hardware. There is no evidence that any programming was ever done on a Nintendo64 version of Final Fantasy VII.

For more on the subject, see this thread:

http://www.lostlevels.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=99

[TheRedEye]

I was just about to post that thread. Thanks!

[Ze_ro]

I'm fairly confident that you could pull off FF7 on an N64. The only real hard part would have been the cutscenes really, and I think making them as scripted events in the game engine would have worked just fine.

--Zero

[SoulBlazer]

I'm quite sure the game could have been done on that system -- it would have been a VERY expensive game, though. It's too bad the N64 never got a REAL RPG. (And no, I'm not counting the Zelda games or Quest64)

[Rolland]

Yeah, I remember seeing 3D models of Locke and Celes from FF6, while the N64 version was still in the works before Square jumped ship.

Are you speaking of the Siggraph demo using FF6 characters? I do believe some rumor-mongers were trying to pass it off as an "Ultra 64" as it was called at the time demo, but it was actually running on considerably more powerful hardware. I know it was featured in one issue or another of DieHard Gamefan (best mag ever, worst mascots...wait no, GamePro...worst mascots ever...god that magazine is terrible - why won't someone just shoot them all in the face and be done with that waste of paper? I would be as so bold to venture that it one of the most poorly written, executed, slapped together piece of "writing" that any industry has vomited up...But I seriously digress).

There is such a thing as a Ultra 64 development board, if you havn't seen one it would be dodgy to explain.

Now guess which one out of the free subrictions I picked out for EGM and gamepro started showing and which hasn't.

[Push Upstairs]

I have a magazine called "Ultimate Gamer" and they showed a screen shot for FF7 on N64. From what i remember, the characters looked more like the ones in Crystal Chronicles than they did in the actual PSX FF7 (ie: not the realistic looking characters)

[Jasoco]

I look back now and wonder, why did Square decide to go to Sony? Rather than say, Sega who also had a CD based console (Arguably superior if you ask a fanboy) and had a lot more experience in the gaming realm.

Why?

What exactly did Sony do to lure Square over to their side? Is there a reason for it?

Wow.. if you think about how the gaming plane would be different had Square gone to Sega instead.

[MarkMan]

One would assume...

Because the PlayStation sold... the Saturn did not.

[PapaStu]

If I remember correctly, Nintendo wouldn't give Square the development support that they really needed to complete, or even to work on the game. Also Nintendo wasn't up on releasing a 2 or 3 cartridge game, because of the massive costs, and I thought that Square said that they'red be no other way for a game like the planned FF VII to come out on one cart. So they went to where there was party support, and they swore off Nintendo completely.

[farfel]

Sounds like Square expected the N64 to have a CD system (which Nintendo had payed Sony to develop), but when N64 came with a cart Square's FF7 project could not fit.


FF6 was 3 megabytes. FF7 could be an all-sprite game like FF6 and still fit inside a Mario 64 cart (8 megabytes). But with movies? No.

[Jasoco]

One would assume...

Because the PlayStation sold... the Saturn did not.But you have to realize when the game was in development, both sytstems were brand new. No one knew which would actually make it. Square could have just as easily went to someone more experienced in Console creation. So they had to have been lured by Sony.. Bling Bling?

[Push Upstairs]

http://members.aol.com/piku94/FF7.jpg

Pictures 1-5 are N64 Final Fantasy 7

Nothing like the FF7 that came to be.

[Overbite]

dood fulgore was in ff7.

in one of my magazines somewhere here theres a pic of the n64 ff. an article too. i just have way too many mags to sort through to find it.

[rbudrick]

It could be done nowadays with cutscenes. The cart would still be very expensive. Look at it this way...Let's say FFVII completely filled the 3 CDs it was on. Chances are, in 97 they were 600MB Cds. That's 1800 MB. Using a 2GB Chip or a two 1GB chips or four 512MB chips, it could be done. Expensive as fuck, but it could be done.

-Rob

[farfel]

Ya know that guy making a sprite 2D port of Ocarina? I'd like to see someone try the same with Final Fantasy 7. Could be cool.