Perhaps one of the most difficult challenges that a video game developer can have is keeping its fan-base happy; gamers are a skeptical bunch that don’t tend to react well to change. It is this mentality that makes the task of developing for a long-running, fanatically loved franchise one of the most difficult in the industry. As developers try to find ways to keep the franchise new and exciting they are effectively walking a tight-rope; all it takes is just one wrong step and the series’ reputation is damaged inexorably. Square Enix has had to learn this lesson the hard way after the thirteenth major installment in its long-running and critically-acclaimed Final Fantasy series left many of the series’ fans feeling disenchanted with the franchise. Despite receiving decent critical reception, there is simply no denying that some of the series’ fervor has been dampened in the wake of Final Fantasy XIII, so much so that its direct sequel is one of the worst-selling Final Fantasy titles...
While FFVII ranks highly, there's more to the series than one game. Here's Chit Hot's picks for the seven best Final Fantasy characters.
Alex Donaldson: "Hindsight is a hell of a thing, however, and in the years since Final Fantasy XIII, my respect for the decisions its developers made has skyrocketed. In the two Final Fantasy titles since we see both the brilliance and the folly in alternative approaches - and in Final Fantasy VII Remake, we get a more nuanced understanding of what FF13 was trying to accomplish from many of the same development leads."
FFXIII is actually one of the best Final Fantasy games.
I also sort of was disappointed at the time, never as much as the bandwagon. But really all the fantastic 3D rendered cutscenes and I actually liked the characters and the story though convoluted was actually fantastic and the ending was extremely emotional. So much budget and time were put into that game Square had such big plans, I actually have always felt kind of bad for how things played out.
I have been thinking for years how great it would be to get all three games on one disk for PS4 or 5.
Gotta take off the nostalgia glasses. It's the worst FF. Shiva as a bike, I mean come on.
Shiva as a bike is strange but saying FFXIII is the worst FF is not at all a fact, that's simply your opinion.
When I got my series X a year ago, I bought FF13 for nostalgia reasons but ended up being disappointed. When I first played it around the time it launched, I didn't have a lot of experience with final fantasy games, so I enjoyed it. Fast forward to when I played it again, I found that the game had many unnecessary filler moments instead of just giving us meaningful content.
The game is also very linear and a quote on the article said it best. "It is like a sewage pipe that leads to the ocean until it opens up on Grand Pulse."
The story didn't make much sense either and I believe it is my mistake as I played the FF7 remake on PS5 prior which is a night and day difference in terms of pacing, storytelling and likeable characters even though cloud is aloof.
Probably was a mistake to play any of the golden era FFs first (e.g. FF6 through FF10), it makes it harder to enjoy some of the FFs that aren't as good. I think FF12 was where major issues with the series started becoming apparent, and it just got worse from there.
I didn't really care for it that much, the only saving grace was that it had a better story than 15 (overall it was better than 15) and possibly 12, and even then, you had to read some of it through primers, like reading a book. Plus the battle system was reasonably fun for what it was, even if it was more the spectacle that was exciting for me (e.g. summoning). And to be fair, the 13 trilogy got better with every games, I still don't like Snow though.
Ff13 is only good if you haven't played a ff before, or any other games that are decent for that matter.
It is in fact no way the best Final Fantasy game, it's one of the worst
Linear corridors, Cutscene, Fight, Cutscene...rinse and repeat
Dialogue and characters are pretty bad, especially Lightning as the main FF hero, they literally said they tried to make a "Female Cloud" and they failed.
Story was pretty awful
I could go on
I think the only alright thing that came from the game was the music.
That's not a fact that's your personal opinion. The game sold 11 million copies between its 2009 release up until 2014 including critically reviewed as an 8 out of 10 or an 80 out of 100. The game does have some issues but it's not at all a fact as one of the worst FF games.
i liked the game alot but i didnt like how they handled the terminology.
i dont mind reading data logs but it had soo many.
but i always loved the music and how it looked. the battle system wasnt too bad either.
but i like 13-2 more :)
i still dont understand why we never got a remaster of the trilogy
Xbox kinda did. Besides the video files of course which are still best on PS3 due to bluray.
XIII is a pretty solid game, but XIII-2 is WAY better. XIII-2 was one of the few games I decided to go for a Platinum trophy in, early on. Had so much fun the entire way through getting it too!
I hated this to when it released. I haven't much liked a ff game since ff10 as much , aside from ff7remake. I decided to give it another shot on my series x since it's not on a current ps and was liking it quite a bit(just takes me some time to get over things ) until star ocean 2 remake came out I was all over that.
Square should definitely remaster it or something for ps4 ps5
Square Enix Blog: "How do you compose iconic songs that help define a legacy? We speak to legendary composer Masashi Hamauzu about his work on Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XIII, and Final Fantasy VII Remake, and how to make unforgettable music."
Great piece, I read it in full. The vitriol surrounding the game is alarming, but I bought FFXIII launch day. Personally, it was/is one of the best looking games available, the combat is fun and the soundtrack was stellar.
In spite of all that production value, I hated the linearity and the whole constrained feeling the game had. I personally didn't like any of the characters and there was very little to do compared to my favorite FF games. It's good for what it was but not on the level of my faves. I just bought XIII-2 last week as it apparently corrects a lot of my gripes with the first one, but I haven't played it yet.
Furthermore, seeing Lightning get three games while Versus XIII is pretty much nonexistent would leave a sour taste in anyone's mouth.
The visuals, the art direction and the soundtrack are probably the best I've seen this gen- or at least, they're my favourite.
But I understand the problems people had with it's story, characters, and gameplay. Nevertheless, I don't think it's nearly as bad as people say.
Consumers are getting a little bit too entitled if you ask me.
I don't hate FFXIII. I hate how much Square's trying to force it, parading it about as the face of FF even to the point of neglecting VersusXIII by taking Nomura's budget to appease Toriyama.
This piece is exactly my opinion of this game. TBH I was more pissed about how impossible it was to get gil than anything else. I especially loved fighting through/preparing for the Faultwarrens and reaching and beating Attacus.
I definitely enjoyed XIII, as plot hole filled and cheesily dramatic as it was.
Guess I'm just one of those people who like to focus on the positives of my gaming experiences before anything else.
No we haven't. We need to be more harsh so SE can get the point we want new FF's and not endless FF XIII sequels.