The FINAL Fantasy: Is This The End of an Era?

Final Fantasy has been one of the biggest RPG series of all time, especially for those of us who grew up in the '90s. This article looks at the history of Final Fantasy, the "downfall" of Squaresoft, and where the series is headed....

[Need4Game]

Yes. Will there be new Era? That'll depends on the success of FFXIV.

[Godmars290]

That's the MMO.

M-M-O.

Hope what you're thinking is FF15 or FFXV. Not that its coming off as any better for the simple fact that whatever scale they present in the attacks, that one game itself will only take place in one area of the world without the whole world being at stake.

[Need4Game]

FFXIV/FF14 is where they get the Money to make another Final Fantasy. No Money, No Game.

http://massively.joystiq.co...
having so many bubbles do not make one more knowledgeable.

here some more article acknowledging M-M-O Final Fantasy, a Final Fantasy.
http://www.ign.com/articles...
http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...
http://www.gamesradar.com/f...
http://www.egmnow.com/artic...
http://www.computerandvideo...
http://gamingbolt.com/squar...
http://www.vg247.com/2012/0...
http://www.gamesindustry.bi...

M-M-O Final Fantasy, is still Final Fantasy.

[wishingW3L]

FF is known for being story driven and I have not played any of the MMO though because I have never been a fan of the genre but what kind of story can it be told though an MMO?

[Panthers]

MMOs have stories, but they just typically don't focus around you a the main character. You are more of the unsung hero helping the faction you chose. SWTOR tried to break this mold (with great success) but the rest of the game was weak.

The stories revolve more around your faction and their leaders/enemies

[Godmars290]

I have no idea what you're even talking about.

At present the only thing this current FF14 is a further money sink than the one which was first released. Both of which are based on a subscription model which is no longer viable, in the West for the most part.

And regardless of how well it does, if it even does well, that's still not going to do anything for the worthless level of storytelling Square-Enix seems only capable of.

[Need4Game]

Gamers who don't buy Games, won't have no Idea that it cost Money to make Games.

You Win, I'll never Win against Idea-less people.

[Godmars290]

I refuse to believe that you and others fail to recognized that the original FF14 was a shoddy and overly expensive release, or that for all the hype surrounding this new version it has yet to be released or even make a dime. That nearly twice as much has been invested in it while it has things like the negative reaction of SWTOR to contend with.

And if you are I refuse to go near anything you're that fan-blind to support.

[Need4Game]

I'm out of bubble.

Well at least you acknowledge that Making Game Cost Money.

I acknowledge the possibility of no more Final Fantasy and Square-Enix going Bankrupt. That also means no FFXV, FFXVI, FFXVII, FFXVIII, FFXIX, FFXX, FFXXI, FFXXII, FFXXIII, FFXXV, etc.

When that happen, I'll continue living.
You want to keep being a Disgruntle Fan, that's your Freedom.

[Godmars290]

"Well at least you acknowledge that Making Game Cost Money."

*facepalm*

I never once failed to recognize that games both need money to be made, and are made to make money.

What you don't seem to understand however is that if Square goes bankrupt, this game will likely play a large part. That much money has been put into it without it yet showing any return. That its been in development for so long that the market its entering has changed to such a degree that it may never make its money back.

[aixao]

Godmars290, his first comment already closely summaries what you just said.

news: "The FINAL Fantasy: Is This The End of an Era?"
Need4Game: "Yes. Will there be new Era? That'll depends on the success of FFXIV."

at least now you understand his first comment.
Arguing for the sake of Argument, Godmars290 never disappoints.

[Pain]

FFXIV will be successful and a lot more fun to play then what ever boring playing by yourself offline FF will ever be.

FFXIV is a FF Game with a truly great FF story,some might not agree.. but i could care as much as the Church cares for Gay marriage when it comes to there small opinion's, so is this the end of the a era? not really just a new direction so let there be light cuz its warm and fuzzy like a shaved Canadian beaver.

[DEATHxTHExKIDx]

I think they're about to hit there stride again. Ive heard a lot of good things about FFXIV AND, FFXV looks to be the best in years. Then of course theres FFX/X-2 HD.

I personally still have lots of hope for the series. Probably because I rlly didnt feel the burn from FFXIII like some fans. However I did not like FFXII.

[Summons75]

Nope, besides the haters who were never fans to start and a minuscule part of final fantasy, series is still strong. 13s sold well and praised by critics and lightning is the number 1 character in Japan right now hence the focus. Final fantasy 15 had a strong backing and 14 managed to ride from the ashes and bring back those fans too. Sorry haters you still lose.

[Elda]

@Summons75...AGREED!!!. I can't wait for FFXV & FF-XIII is one of my favorite FF games.

[Ogygian]

Meh. When the FFXV third person shooter and sequels fail, Square will finally go bust and let some other studio which actually cares what fans think buy and continue the series, and make remakes.

[sephiroth420]

considering in the interview at e3 i think there is much hope for the future of final fantasy, first look at how they handled ff14 a realm reborn, i think 15 is going to be amazing with the action styled battle system, to me it definately makes more sense having one button for attack and have the ability to chain them together, than having just one attach for attack, i hope they go back to old worlds from previous games and expand on that world, i really hope they go back to spira and make a game where you play as Braska, Jecht and Auron, im sure that would make a great game. i think they will learn a lesson from ff13, honestly i wish they had never leaked that first video of 13, it made it look amazing, the game was still good but not what we expected.

[sephiroth420]

oh shit i totally missed my original point, yeah i think this is the end for the turn based era of final fantasy.

[Elda]

I hope the FF franchise continue to put out games for FF fans such as myself,FF is my favorite jrpg franchise,whenever I hear news of a new FF being developed for release I'm like a excited kid,I don't care for the MMO's but the standard games I do enjoy. Some were (story wise) impressionable & some were forgettable,but I enjoyed playing them because of the beautiful graphics,worlds,production & gameplay,I do have to say this generation Square have been disappointing with their slow developing process with the franchise but hopefully this coming generation the developing process won't be as long,I'm definitely looking forward to playing FFXV so far it looks amazing!!

[Simco876]

If you don't like this new type of Final Fantasy then you are out of luck.

To me, the Final Fantasy I knew is dead. I had so much hope for FFXV but then it was crushed. I will look more into it, but if it's more of the same (XIII, XIII-2) then I will pass.

All good things must come to an end though, I don't hate them for moving toward a different style of game play, it's their game after all.

[CLOUD1983]

Final Fantasy X was the last FF that kept the flame alive & fans happy, I know that there is some things some fans didn't like about FFX like that there is no world map & open world to explore like in the previous FF but no1 can disagree that the game deliver in story, characters, soundtrack, secrets, battles & that's why FFX is No2 in sales & my 2nd favorite FF after FFVII.

After FFX chaos spread, no1 can say for certain what was the reason, some say it was the departure of Sakaguchi, some say it was the merge with Enix, some accuse Wada & maybe some believe that some1 cursed SE to never make a game who will captivate the hearts of fans ever again, who knows the point is after FFX FF was never the same again, for me die literally & I still w8 for a new installment able to resurrect it from it's coffin.

FFXV is going to sell very good, I'm sure every1 believe the same, so for now & until FFXV released SE have 1 more card to play, although almost every1 is going to buy FFXV old & new fans the impressions of fans after finish with this game will play vital role to the future of SE, there is countless fans out there who w8 to play this game before they decide if the new FF's from SE is worth their money & attention, so SE can't blew this one they wont have another chance, unless ofc they finally decide to remake FFVII, in that case everything change.

[contradictory]

meh, i still enjoyed FF XII
come at me bro.

i really did like just about every FF between III-XII
and then... XIII came.....we don't speak of the dark times here....

[izumo_lee]

I think FF12 gets a bad rap cause of the 'main character' & i also think the game was too 'mature' for many fans of the series. The political guff & 'what the heck' is going on in the story confused a lot fans.

If you look past Vaan & really focus on what the story is trying to lead you the game is actually very good. The battle system has a steep learning curve but once you understand using gambits its pretty genius.

If you liked Final Fantasy Tactics than FF12 is a spiritual successor to that game cause it uses many of that games lore.

Is it my fave FF game....no but i did enjoy it for what it was trying to be.

[Williamson]

I just picked up ff13 and so far I'm enjoying it, I'll skip 13-2 and go straight to lightning returns when it releases.

[Elda]

It's good that you're enjoying FF-XIII,imo FF-XIII-2 wasn't as fun as XIII,I'm thinking about buying LR also.

[Williamson]

Would I miss any crucial story if I skip 13-2 and go to LR? Also is lightning only playable in 13-2 through dlc?

[contradictory]

glad to hear it.
there are many fans ( me included )
who disliked it but in the end there's only so much that can be done about it.

at the very least the game looked gorgeous
and the music was very nice.

that's about all compliments i will ever give the game i think...

[DEATHxTHExKIDx]

Id say XIII-2 is actually worth a try. I personally had more fun with XIII-2 but, its ur choice.

[xxxF0XD1Exxx]

Personally, I felt the only thing compelling me to finish 13-2 was the fact I'd invested so much time in the game(s) already. 13 just didn't have the same impact on me the other titles did. All the character interactions and dialogue was cheesy and cliche. It reminded me of watching a really bad anime with poor localization.

FF7 had one of the most natural, well-scripted stories ever. It is a perfect comparison against FF13. Barret delivered some of the most hilarious, curse-filled lines in gaming. When he spoke, you could hear his voice reading words on-screen. He had personality injected in every line. No one else could have conveyed what he did, how he did it.

Fang of 13, on the other hand, delivers a lot of tired one-liners and boring filler. Her personality and lines could have been injected into any character model and worked. She wasn't particularly unique or memorable.

Yeah, 13 is pretty. The battle system is relatively fun, but it's all fluff with no content. Even the music, which helps drive the atmosphere and emotion in the game, is lacking. Many songs are generic, dull, even downright annoying ex. the God-awful Engrish song that loops in 13-2's New Bodhum. *shudder*

[goldwyncq]

Nova Chrysalia, the world in LR, is the result of what happened at the end of XIII-2. So yes, you'll be missing quite a lot if you skip XIII-2. At least watch a playthrough in youtube before going straight to LR.

[CanadianTurtle]

I hated FF13, but FF15 looks amazing so far