Will Final Fantasy destroy itself?

Earlier this month, the video game company Square Enix announced the next current-gen installment of its critically acclaimed “Final Fantasy” series. The series, which has been in the hands of almost every role-playing game lover, has been receiving more and more negative feedback since the 2010 release of “Final Fantasy XIII”. The game sold well and was praised for its breathtaking graphics, but it was slammed by critics and fans for its extremely linear story progression and overwhelming mythology.

[Ranma1]

I think Square Enix is trying hard to kill FF, based on this quote from SE, when asked about the future of FF:

"Mass Effect and Fallout allow the players to play with more freedom, and within their story-lines it is quite successful. But we're more interested in things such as first person shooters like Call of Duty." [Quote from Square Enix, Motomu Toriyama]

Source: http://www.techdigest.tv/20...

[darthv72]

I really enjoyed the NES and SNES era of FF games. Sadly i may be the only one on this site to have NEVER played FF7, 8 or 9 but I do have 10 on ps2 and 13 on 360 (actually just the 1st two discs but hey...it was $5)

the series has been such a confusing one to me because I can only associate a few of the versions with each other but as a whole it all falls under the name of "Final Fantasy". That would lead someone to think the games are all related. They very well could be but unfortunately I have not played every version to experience that for myself.

If memory serves, before 13 went multi it was being praised as the next big game in the series (obviously). It was the 1st on the new PS3 just as 10 was the 1st on the PS2 so there was certainly allot riding on it.

But then, it was announced it would be multi and it seemed like no matter the fact the game was coming to the ps3, people were seriously pissed it was coming to the 360. We can speculate that the simple fact the game was no longer exclusive that it would suck. I have to ask why?

we all know changes are made to games during their development cycles. things added/removed but to put the sole blame on the quality of the game, the type of gameplay on the 360 is really crazy. For all we know, the design of the game that was released was the idea they had in mind from the beginning.

Stuff removed would obviously be the scapegoat and the 360 obviously the platform to blame because it was THE thing to do now that the game was no longer exclusive. I'm sorry. I just dont get it.

The franchise would likely kill itself not because of exclusivity but because they run out of ideas to keep this fantasy from reaching its finale'.

[NewMonday]

FF is already dead

it's like zombie now

only thing left is to shoot it in the head

[delta-sniper]

The reason you cant associate any of them is because they aren't meant to be associated. each one is an individual final fantasy meaning it should be the only game of its kind and there should be no sequel. There are a few linking factors though like Chocobos and Cid.

[camel_toad]

Yeh square has already summoned Bahamut down on Final Fantasy. It's doomed unless someone with talent gets hired.

[Irishguy95]

Look, from a non biased point of view(at least I try), FFXIII sucked because it sucked, I don't care what the reason or excuse, great RPGS have been made on the 360 including Multiplat games. FFxiii was just bad because it was. So wha tif a few extra hours content was removed, that wouldn't save 30-50 hour game from simply being bad

[wishingW3L]

I remember reading a similar quote but that one you posted there is completely ridiculous. =0

[zerocrossing]

No, but Wada just mite kill it... :/

[Number-Nine]

I loved FF13 but found FF13-2 to be a complete waste of time.
I know it probably didn't take long to develop since all the set pieces were already in place but c'mon. No need for a 3rd game in FF13 universe.....unless it's vs13. -_-

[tweet75]

good point

[Megaton]

I've abandoned the series, and I had gone all obsessive completionist on every main entry from 6 on the SNES to 12 on PS2.

[Godmars290]

Depends on what they do after FFXIII. After they move on from Lightning.

If Versus has become an exploitative vehicle for DLC like 13-2 did, gets spin offs before reaction to it has been measured or is worse negative then Square should end the franchise. Put it out of its and our misery.

[Blackcanary]

Had to give u a bubble what you said is so true..

[thebudgetgamer]

No, the developers will.

[NeoTribe]

Has it not already?

[josephayal]

Final Fanstasy is dead

[Kos-Mos]

Will this be article be the last one from the author?

[blue_cheese]

i think there is a sort of shortsightedness in Square Enix's current approach to the FF series with FF13. Although it sold well, i found other JRPG's were much more faithful to the spirit of JRPG's this generation like NIER, Blue Dragon, and Lost Odyssey on the PS3 and Xbox360. It seems as if Square Enix is trading its hardcore fan base for a casual market sales approach, and there is nothing wrong with attracting new fans to a series but not when you alienate your core base. that shows a lack of respect for the fans that made a series what it is today.

when you start to compromise what makes a series good or why it appealed to original fans in the first place, i think you start to play with fire. the true tragedy is the fact JRPG developers are not making games like Pandora's Tower, Xenoblades, and The Last Story for PS3 and Xbox360 leaving Square Enix in no competition to make a game for hardcore JRPG fans.

so yes i think because there are no other JRPG series that are staking a claim on the PS3 and Xbox360 its leaving Square Enix with this position to run Final Fantasy into the ground. all i have to say is where is my Pandora's Tower and Last Story for PS3 and Xbox360?

[Godmars290]

FF13 was crippled by inexperience with HD graphics, resource demands, and the need to get the game out ASAP. Then making it multiplatform.

The greater failure was inability to admit to issues and seek the understanding of their fans. Instead as they went multi, flubbed advertising and "standardized" the two version, they only build on mistakes and outright lied.

[Derpy]

Ff13 nearly destroyed my faith in JRPGs, it's so terrible, I certainly didn't waste my money on the sequal. Fortunately Xenoblade restored my faith in JRPGs Xenoblade Is definately the best JRPG to come out of this generation and one of the best of all time. It's everything FF should have been this gen and even if you don't play Wii games much, it's worth having a Wii for this game alone.

[r21]

I just dont know what went wrong...with SE this gen.
Maybe next gen, they wont be stupid with FF and actually listen to fans.

[CrimsonessCross]

Funny enough Hironobu Sakaguchi left Square(soft/enix) at one point and after he left the spirit of Final Fantasy deteriorated. I'm glad he left and did not have to suffer this kind of fate (if nothing were to change).

Until they have someone who has the imagination and spirit of what modern Final Fantasy should be, then it will all be going downhill.

[Godmars290]

And at the same time he's chiefly responsible for the direction Square too towards cinematics in the series. It was that desire which lead to the creation of the movie studio which in turn caused the finical issues which drove Sakaguchi out.

[CrimsonessCross]

Yeah...I remember reading about that. The movie was...interesting, but of course it flopped. Honestly at least he/they tried something new (although it seemed to have NOTHING to do with Final Fantasy from what I remembered haha)...

I think I remember reading something about him wanting to start a new project (game) and not keeping on with final fantasy, which i'm oh so happy didn't happen as he made Mistwalker and has given us Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon (and others I have yet and do not have the ability to play) which were both amazing in their own respective ways :)

[CrimsonessCross]

I'll work off of this and know that change needs to happen, every FF that I have had the ability to play (7 [I started here, don't judge me],8,9,10,10-2) has had a change but a welcome and fun change in it as well. 7 has materia, 8 has junction, 9 has equipment you learn stuff from (and then equip those skills after they are learned) and classes and 10 has character specific-classes with the interesting sphere grid. (10-2 had some sort of switch-up fast-paced class based system...was pretty interesting and some sort of hub based system from the start...not a bad game but I never beat it! XD I have the strategy guide for it too :P)

All of these were open world for the most part, and had their own mini-games on the sides (in addition to their own fantasy world) They also had an interesting and amazing story about them that was just as fulfilling as the other aspects of the game, regardless of who enjoys which games of the series.

I have not played 12 or 13 either and I might have to at some point but hearing about the auto-command stuff for 13 and not really having heard anything about 12 way back when didn't help either.

[Question_Mark]

I'm actually really enjoying Final Fantasy Dimensions on iOS right now. I dare say it's just as good as Final Fantasy IV, V, and VI, you just have to excuse the $28 price tag, and the fact it's on iPhone/iPad. Other than that, I definitely recommend it.

They still need to get the modern Final Fantasy in order, though. Even though it's not one of the "main" games, Versus XIII looks like a step in the right direction.

[Max-Zorin]

Final Fantasy ain't s*** without Hironobu Sakaguchi.

[shenpo_shin]

ff13 saga is the worst ff of the entrie franchise a big POS

Last hope FFversus since its the team behind ff7 and KH-advent children movie

[CLOUD1983]

FF is dead for the past 10 years now, after Square merge with Enix & Sakaguchi left SE try to keep it alive but with every new installment after FFX the series become worse & worse & now as very well "newmonday" said is like a zombie, dead w/o knowing it ,w8ing for some1 to shoot a bullet through it's head to put it out of it's misery.

[DEATHxTHExKIDx]

No, a few bad games that people dont like will not kill Final fantasy. The only one I dont like is XII and I dont plat the MMO ones. People act like XIII and XIII-2 were the apocalypse not even nearly that bad IMo they were good games on their own. and FFXIV flopped hard. So out of main titles FF has at least 10 solid titles against 3 or 4 bad ones.

Ill admit SE may have been screwin around a little this gen but I still support them. The majority of Final Fantasy games are good. A few recent titles could be better but, for me at least it wasnt the end of the world. I still enjoy Final Fantasy hopefully next gen SE gets their act together is all im saying.

[Knightofelemia]

Its not Final Fantasy that will destroy itself it SquareEnix who will destroy the franchise.