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Grandia HD Collection done by Sickhead Games (porting house for Celeste, Stardew Valley, Dust, and more), allegedly based off the Sega Saturn release

JB2448

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Brian at Nintendo Everything said:
GungHo Online Entertainment has confirmed to Nintendo Everything that it worked with an external partner on Grandia HD Collection. Sickhead Games, a company that previously ported Stardew Valley to Switch, is involved with the project.

GungHo told us that Sickhead has been extremely careful with source material. The team used the SEGA Saturn release and new version side-by-side to give great care when making it.

In developing Grandia HD Collection, GungHo checked feedback and message boards to see what fans want. Because of this, they focused on the Saturn versions. The company is aware that some fans are not satisfied with PS2 versions due to elements such as the frame rate and slowdown. That's why they focus on those issues specifically.

Grandia HD Collection launches for Switch on August 16.
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This seems to conflict with all of the footage we've seen so far, but maybe they got everything together in time for its release next week.

You can see their site includes a listing for Grandia HD as well.

Game Arts, the original development team behind the games, seems pretty stoked as well.
 
Valcrist

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I wouldn't buy that information (that it's based on the Saturn version) really. It also looks like baby's first time using ePSXe. Sound effects are missing, also.
 

FormatCompatible

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I really, really want to believe that but everything they shown so far don't give me much confidence that it's actually true.
 
BassForever

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They better be lying, because on the off chance the remaster IS based upon the saturn version, but looks like the ps1 version then something went horribly fucking wrong.
 
Velocity:Design:Comfort

Velocity:Design:Comfort

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I dont know why there is so much vitriol about these rereleases. JRPG fans are passionate to the point of obnoxiousness sometimes...

I also dont really like people just telling me to get it on another platform as the game is not actually accessible to 99% of people. No one has ps3's set up anymore. I like most people did not purchase a Vita. One of the games isnt even on Steam, the Saturn versions arent in English. Its gonna be a PS version (if you have a PS1, 2, or very rarely still working fat PS3) or this rerelease.
 
MaLDo

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That text doesn't say the games are based on the Saturn versions. The text says that they compared the game with the Saturn versions in order to work on the differences that fans are talking about.
 
WarpSpeedMolasses

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Oct 25, 2017
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Is it possible all the bad looking footage was due to it being a work-in-progress?? I wish they showed new pics/trailer to match up with their current claims :(

As it stands, we're all rooting for it to be good and what they claim it to be. I'm waiting for my concerns to be unfounded.
 
salromano

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None of this info is new. We've known Sickhead was developing the game since the RPG Site preview at E3:



RPG Site said:
He also clarified that the remasters are being handled by Sickhead Games.
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Also on the same day, GungHo sent out this statement:

"We want to be clear, the Grandia HD Collection are not ports of the original PlayStation games, they are remasters," a GungHo Online Entertainment representative said. "We are using the original PlayStation code of Grandia, but working with the Sega Saturn version to craft the definitive version of this beloved RPG."
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Zippedpinhead

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Oct 25, 2017
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They have my money if for nothing else than a portable version of Grandia 2.

Grandia 1 is just a bonus in my opinion.

They had a tough run, and maybe they surprise us
 
Keldroc

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I know this is pretty much a lost linguistic battle already but things are based on other things, not based off them. "Based off" doesn't even make any sense.
 
Hucast

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Fireblend said:
Gonna need proof. If this is a good port after all though, god save my wallet.
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Tbh I think people need to buy the games regardless. They're amazing whether perfect version or not. I can't friggin wait to relive Grandia 2 and finish grandiia 1 for the first time.
 
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dabri

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Grandia 1 and 2 are great games. Im just hoping the ports are solid. I honestly could care less about the differences between the saturn and psx versions as they all come down to a few things.
1: performance
2: sharper textures/ 2d work
3: artistic differences

1 and 2 are already said to be solid even if using base psx code to work from.
There are artistic differences between the psx and saturn (water, smoke, battle transitions). They very well could make these look like one version or the other even if working off psx code.

Am I missing any other aspects that would make using saturn version as base the better choice?
 

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dabri said:
Grandia 1 and 2 are great games. Im just hoping the ports are solid. I honestly could care less about the differences between the saturn and psx versions as they all come down to a few things.
1: performance
2: sharper textures/ 2d work
3: artistic differences

1 and 2 are already said to be solid even if using base psx code to work from.
There are artistic differences between the psx and saturn (water, smoke, battle transitions). They very well could make these look like one version or the other even if working off psx code.

Am I missing any other aspects that would make using saturn version as base the better choice?
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Grandia 1 was developed with Saturn in mind. It could look better on PS1, but it wasn't built from the ground up for that hardware.
They are not artistic differences. They are technical limitations.

Game Arts had a lot of experience with Saturn hardware.
 
jackal27

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Too bad they smoothed out all the fucking textures. That's some 2009 ass remaster crap. I just don't understand how anyone finds that acceptable.
 
dabri

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Ingueferroque said:
Grandia 1 was developed with Saturn in mind. It could look better on PS1, but it wasn't built from the ground up for that hardware.
They are not artistic differences. They are technical limitations.

Game Arts had a lot of experience with Saturn hardware.
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I understand the differences were due to technical limitations but on modern hardware that can compensate for those limitations, it shouldn't be an issue to iron things like frame rate, high res textures, or even change the texture used for water to mimic the water effect used on the saturn version while still maintaining the better smoke effects from the psx version.
I'll even go so far as to wager that for pc, if the game doesn't match visually what is seen in the saturn version, that those assets will be modded in before too long.
 

FormatCompatible

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dabri said:
I understand the differences were due to technical limitations but on modern hardware that can compensate for those limitations, it shouldn't be an issue to iron things like frame rate, high res textures, or even change the texture used for water to mimic the water effect used on the saturn version while still maintaining the better smoke effects from the psx version.
I'll even go so far as to wager that for pc, if the game doesn't match visually what is seen in the saturn version, that those assets will be modded in before too long.
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That was the original idea, a release that would combine the best things of both versions.

Sadly that might not be the case anymore, but I guess we'll see when reviews come out.
 
J_ToSaveTheDay

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Hmm, I'm inclined to not trust this info.

I hope the Sega Saturn part is real, but I can't help but feel like they saw the damning complaints and put this statement out to try and stoke sales on good will just before release. Only time will tell.

I hope a fan of the series shares some in-depth impressions shortly after release to confirm or deny this info and the overall quality of the port/remaster. I missed Grandia back in the day and have always wanted to play it, but sounds like fans say that this could be quite the subpar port based on info from a few months ago.
 
sir_crocodile

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They've said this all before, and video of the remaster doesn't bear it out. Just looks like the psx version with widescreen & a vaseline filter.
 
Hucast

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super moustique said:
Those ports need to be good though. Why would I buy something that isn't a good port, full price ? :P



It just wasn't a good port.
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Yeah the ports need to be good, but i'm talkin about it being psx version instead of saturn. Saturn was so niche that most people played and loved the psx version anyway. Grandia 2 however was a different case where most people played the DC version I think
 
Valkerion

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Velocity:Design:Comfort said:
I dont know why there is so much vitriol about these rereleases. JRPG fans are passionate to the point of obnoxiousness sometimes...

I also dont really like people just telling me to get it on another platform as the game is not actually accessible to 99% of people. No one has ps3's set up anymore. I like most people did not purchase a Vita. One of the games isnt even on Steam, the Saturn versions arent in English. Its gonna be a PS version (if you have a PS1, 2, or very rarely still working fat PS3) or this rerelease.
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here here.

The threads for this game is nonsense. Should PR be insisting its something its not, of course not, no one would say it should. But geeze, the Grandia fans are acting like the game is a piece of garbage just because the floor in the first town are different. It's fine to be critical of what they said, vs what they are showing, even if you have to analyze it closely to know the difference, but I wish people would cool it on the "outrage."
 

Nerokis

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catmincer said:
Oh good because the PS2 version sucked.
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Oh shit. After looking into this, I've now been reminded that Grandia 2 was the one with Ryudo. Somehow I got the idea that was 3.

Well, I loved the PS2 version of Grandia 2, and it seems this HD Collection will have a much better version of that, so there goes whatever apprehension I had about picking this up.
 
Nanashrew

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Oct 25, 2017
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Velocity:Design:Comfort said:
I dont know why there is so much vitriol about these rereleases. JRPG fans are passionate to the point of obnoxiousness sometimes...

I also dont really like people just telling me to get it on another platform as the game is not actually accessible to 99% of people. No one has ps3's set up anymore. I like most people did not purchase a Vita. One of the games isnt even on Steam, the Saturn versions arent in English. Its gonna be a PS version (if you have a PS1, 2, or very rarely still working fat PS3) or this rerelease.
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It's a remaster, this is that one time things from the PS1 version could be fixed, such as the freakin' ground texture being a jigsaw puzzle being all mixed up in the Town of Parm, the very first town, which was a bug in the PS1 version.

Valkerion said:
here here.

The threads for this game is nonsense. Should PR be insisting its something its not, of course not, no one would say it should. But geeze, the Grandia fans are acting like the game is a piece of garbage just because the floor in the first town are different. It's fine to be critical of what they said, vs what they are showing, even if you have to analyze it closely to know the difference, but I wish people would cool it on the "outrage."
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Bruh, the game is missing sound effect too. The camera is all janky in every bit of the footage shown, and there's smoothing all over the art and pixels. People are rightfully critical of what's been shown.
 
Leo-Tyrant

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I will buy this for my Switch. I want it.

However, I also have it for both the PS1 and Saturn, and this is CLEARLY based on the PS1 version. Seems like their PR tried to imply that they wanted to base at least some things from the Saturn but...

Sadly, it doesn't seem like they could, or even tried, because:

  • Textured floors in Parm are still incorrect (wrong locations of textures and baked-in shadow)
  • Saturn higher resolution 2D backgrounds in battle mode are still missing (PS1 lower res are being used)

For all intents and purposes it looks just like the PS1 version with higher res, and filtered (XBR?) textures and sprites.
 
sir_crocodile

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Oct 25, 2017
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Valkerion said:
here here.

The threads for this game is nonsense. Should PR be insisting its something its not, of course not, no one would say it should. But geeze, the Grandia fans are acting like the game is a piece of garbage just because the floor in the first town are different. It's fine to be critical of what they said, vs what they are showing, even if you have to analyze it closely to know the difference, but I wish people would cool it on the "outrage."
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It has a horrible graphics filter that can't be removed.
 
super moustique

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Oct 31, 2017
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Hucast said:
Yeah the ports need to be good, but i'm talkin about it being psx version instead of saturn. Saturn was so niche that most people played and loved the psx version anyway.
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The Saturn version was also JP only so most people didn't play it... But now with the internet, we all know what we missed back then :P

But yeah, the PSX version isn't bad, it's just not as good as the OG.
 
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