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SquareEnix: Why Final Fantasy Needs a Reboot!
- Thread starter siliconmessiah
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Honestly, I think besides KH1 and Birth by Sleep, that series has been going downhill too. I mean, it's still good, but not as good as it once was.
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You prefer whiny Meg Ryan protagonist over Cloud? Ouch.
Final Fantasy VI > Final Fantasy VII > Final Fantasy X
The thread is slowly devolving into "which final fantasy was your favorite and then wank about it"
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Having read the whole thread, naturally - as a fan of all of the mainline FF's to varying degrees (except XIII, I hate it to the smallest atom comprising it), I took a few minutes to think what to say here, with some points that posters here... "pointed" out in mind.
In recent times, essentially every FF game is a reboot of some sort. IMO, FF I - VII - IX are pretty much the same formula reimagined and redefined with somewhat differing game mechanics and characters, with VIII and anything including+after X being a reboot. So the reboot topic is kind of irrelevant in my eyes. What you should look for in an FF game is... simple complexity. However controversial, I can define it easily:
My huge $0.02, heh.
In recent times, essentially every FF game is a reboot of some sort. IMO, FF I - VII - IX are pretty much the same formula reimagined and redefined with somewhat differing game mechanics and characters, with VIII and anything including+after X being a reboot. So the reboot topic is kind of irrelevant in my eyes. What you should look for in an FF game is... simple complexity. However controversial, I can define it easily:
- Characters that are simple to relate to, but are essentially complex in their nature - that simple relation opens the player into their depth. Think: Cecil, Gau, Vivi, Tifa, Tidus (yep, I said it
. He develops from whiny brat into leveled and serious man throughout the game... faces his issues too. All are my opinion of course). The same point goes to the stories. I'd like to set FFX and VII as examples. "Obvious" stories that have a lot of depth and backstory of the world and characters (didn't play FF XI, but I hear it's a rich world as well). You just want to need to explore that.
- Gaming mechanics that are easy to understand and use, from battle systems to minigames to travel methods: a game needs to be first of all, fluid and fun. You need the player to be able to WANT to get in your game deep, and for that, for example a battle system needs to be simple to work with while having a nice degree of depth inside it. IMO, FFX defines that one well. It's turn based, adding time for a novice to get into it, the game explains most of the features well, the sphere grid is confusing at the first few uses, but getting into it is not hard (and I should know, it was my first FF - even first JRPG more than 8 and a half years ago). If you want to master it and challenge it, go ahead. There's item customization for you, summon/Aeon customization, optional bosses which would require you to do those things, and so on. The battle system is very well adjusted to every kind of player. FF VIII I also loved a lot. It's very customizable and adjustable, and you could make every playthrough different with so many options available to you. IMO, the FF with the biggest amount of freedom given to you. FF XII is a close second.
- Minigames are a nice way for the player to relax and try something else when he's tired of the usual grind (see what I did there? ). My examples are the controversial blitzball, which is very fun once you get to know it a little, I'm sure I spent at least 70 hours in it just for the heck of it, chilling out and so on, triple triad (more like triple crack), which is not only fun but also VERY game worthy, and the motorcycle game in FF VII simple but fun. All nice ways for the player to take a break from townrunning and battles.
- Some freedom in traveling and gameplay: don't drag the player by their neck through the story like FF XIII or a part of FFX. Give players lots of freedom in between story events. Sidequests, secret dungeons, and so on. It rewards the player interested in the game world and interested in a challenge, as well as gives him a breather from story events.
My huge $0.02, heh.
I think Square-Enix needs to learn how to put out games on time. How long have we been waiting for Versus?
More like they need to not hint at projects they don't intend to finish... or start (VS XIII, KH3)
I'm really surprised FFVI has only been mentioned twice in this whole thread, and then only briefly. The game had a great and somewhat unique story, solid gameplay, a large cast of uniquely-abled characters, varied enemies, some nice character development, a good amount of customization, a metric fuckton of sidequests, and plenty of room to grind (or avoid it) if you wanted. Oh, and a power-craving, sociopathic clown who destroys the world. How can you go wrong? If you haven't played it, you really should. I'd really like it if SE went back to this approach.
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Still not sure why the included that in Final Fantasy Chronicles, seeing as Chrono Trigger isn't a Final Fantasy game.
Yeah, and that´s why I´m in my OP is stating: "Have i grown old?"
FFVII and FFIX was connected with my teens in a way that no game has never come near. The music, the story and everything.
But, it might just be connected with my age, and not to game quality.
Videogames are not for 29 year olds, so I´ll never enjoy an Final Fantasy game the same way again?
That's just how Final Fantasy "works". Each numbered installment is a different storyline, taking place in a different time, place, universe, etc. That's why it's Final Fantasy XIII-2, and not Final Fantasy XIV. XIV is a completely different story (hell, it's a failed MMO), and not a sequel to XIII.
Also, having never played a lot of FF games, I still don't understand why people hate XIII so much. Of course, I never played it, but still, opinions would be nice. It looks and seems like a good game.
I like the simpler games that are not about the angsty teen. I also started Final Fantasy with FF1 on NES. I loved the series for years. Final Fantasy VIII was playable because it looked good for the time and because the card game within it was kind of cool. After Final Fantasy IX, it started to get stale. (IX was the last good one in the main series). I originally bought my DS after playing the remake of FFIII at a demo unit in some game store. I also enjoyed the Crystal Chronicles games on DS, and thought "There is a spin off of this series I could get into." But then I picked up Crystal Chronicles for Wii and was greatly disappointed. Since then I've gone into the Dragon Quest series and put my hope there. I've abandoned Final Fantasy and can no longer be excited about any new Final Fantasy title. Does it need a re-boot? Maybe. Is Square going to do that? I don't think so.
Currently playing the Psp remake one, have to say its a tiny bit better than the first one, maybe like 5% better. Although it has repetitive soundtracks, ive only heard like 5 different tracks compared to the first which had like more than 13. Bosses are crappier compared to 1st but monsters are better. Story wise of course 2nd wins
If Square-Enix stops being a lazy sack and puts real time and effort into Final Fantasy XV, it can be a fantastic game.
Two of my least favourite Final Fantasy games (X and XIII) are examples of this. They put so much time and effort into relatively pointless aspects of it (those graphics. My GOD those graphics are pretty) that they forgot the fun. Yes, they look nice, but you can only get so far with a game looking nice. These games were linear. They had pretty awful stories. They went against everything a good RPG goes for.
And what is with the FFVIII hate? The game had some stupid flaws (the junction system was broken. Also, you don't want to ever win a battle. Cards, baby! Turn them into cards!) but it was a pretty great game overall.
Two of my least favourite Final Fantasy games (X and XIII) are examples of this. They put so much time and effort into relatively pointless aspects of it (those graphics. My GOD those graphics are pretty) that they forgot the fun. Yes, they look nice, but you can only get so far with a game looking nice. These games were linear. They had pretty awful stories. They went against everything a good RPG goes for.
And what is with the FFVIII hate? The game had some stupid flaws (the junction system was broken. Also, you don't want to ever win a battle. Cards, baby! Turn them into cards!) but it was a pretty great game overall.
FF doesn't need a reboot since every newly numbered game is pretty much a reboot. What they need is new ideas and some motivation to go with it. As for the whole 'Which FF is your favorite FF?' that's been going on here, I'll post mine. 6>10>7>12 The rest are all good games in my opinion but don't come close to those four. Just my opinion though.
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