The future of Final FantasyFollow

The Final Fantasy series always had a special place for me. It is really the one and only series that got me into video games as a whole. I played a few Nintendo games as well as my early sonic adventures but it wasn’t until the day I wondered into my friend’s house and watched the opening cinema to Final Fantasy VII that I really drew a connection to the series. Thinking back to that day I realized that, even for such an early game, it became part of the realization of an important two part question: Where is the final fantasy series going and why is it going in the wrong direction for me?


I think there are really two types of final fantasy fans out there and they have had two completely different experiences as they have followed the series through the years. There is, what I like to call, the first generation fans. Those are the ones who started with the early SNES games and were hooked then. Then there are the FF VII generation who were drawn in by the popularity and revolutionary game play that began with this game. I have always wished I found this series earlier because my experiences would have been much different. I have gone back and played those early games but I feel that I can never really appreciate them because they were made during a time when we thought about video games differently.


With all that aside I would like to talk about a concern I have had about the series and really the whole point of this. Final fantasy XIII has hit the US stores and like any fan out there I grabbed it on day one. It really isn’t a great game in my opinion but it actually exceeded my expectations. More importantly this game has shaped and answered a concern I think I have always had: Where is this series going and why do I think it is the wrong way?

To really understand where this series is going I had to go all the way to the beginning (for me). Final Fantasy VII was triumph and I am sure my opinion is insanely skewed by the fact it was the first real game that opened up the world of gaming for me. What VII taught me was a game can be more then just something with solid game play. It can also be an extremely powerful narrative. I remember almost being annoyed by the fights because they stood between me and the next plot twist. Every time I replay this game there is always something new, something I missed or some interesting subplot I forgot about. Every character is deep (except for the two ‘optional’ ones). The villain was believable and he wasn’t just there because the plot needed a bad guy. You really could understand Sephiroth’s motives and ideals.

It is the same reason I enjoyed Legend of Dragoon. There was a game that had a real solid story but as many bugs and problems as anything I could think of. Most of this was due to the fact of its low budget. However, I can find no fault with it because the solid narrative made any complaint about game play frivolous to me.


Final Fantasy VII represented something about the series and its creators. It shows Square’s greatest strength and also their greatest weakness: innovation. Every single FF game is innovative in some way or another. Each game is unique in its own way. However, as I have said, innovation is also Square’s greatest weakness. Innovation can be very bad if you are changing something in such a way that is either pointless or destructive. There are only so many ways you can come up with a new design model for a fish bowl. At some point you need to let a fish bowl be a fish bowl and start thinking about a design model for a pool.


Another surprisingly effective method to game making is what I like to call the Megaman approach. Changes throughout this series have been very small. Even with improved graphics and tweaks to game play these games really haven’t changed at all throughout the years. The creators found a solid formula and just stuck to it. I am not saying that this method is better then Square’s but it something that I believe they have to consider. If you hit a good formula it is wise to be innovative with that in mind.


When FF VIII hit the market I was jumping out of my elementary school shoes at the excitement. I remember my mother promising me to buy this game and Goldeneye if I took a typing class. Needless to say I jumped at the chance. I believe VIII first showed how innovation can go wrong in this series. We all know the complaints for this game so I will not into detail. To bullet point the magic system was appalling, the pace of the game was all over the place and the characters were extremely unlikable. Square tried out something new and fell flat on their face.


However, I can not say that VIII is a bad game. By the end of the game the story picks up, the characters become deep and meaningful and I was stunned by the epic feel of its fiery climax. Again, this game was like Legend of Dragoon in the sense that the story saved it. However, it wasn’t until three disks in that it actually started so you are going to lose some points for that VIII.


If VII was the triumph and VIII was the ‘redheaded stepchild’ then I like to think that IX was the game most people didn’t get or understand. Now this phrase is a bit misleading. When I bought this game and played it through I was one of those who didn’t get it but I loved every moment of it. It was my entire generation that didn’t understand what IX was all about. Describe the following to any old school FF fan: This game is about political tensions between two kingdoms. This tension creates a new, deeper plot in which the world is threatened and you must fight a cosmological battle to rid the world of an oppressive evil. This world is filled with majestic air ships. Tell them of the cartoony art style. Describe the white mage cloak Dagger wears in the opening scenes and tell them of the character of Vivi. You could be describing IX or actually any number of the older FF games.


IX was Square’s way of bringing back the old school and us second generation players did not really get what was going on. Even so, this game has a solid story second only to VII in my opinion. This innovation was done because of Square going back to their root which seems counterintuitive. It was very similar to the Megaman approach. However, they took a tried and tested formula and created something new and unique with it. This is the sort of games I wanted to see in the future and the strategy I liked.


Then X came out. This game started to define the problems of the FF series. This game was linear and easy to say the least. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just different. However, I can complain about the voice acting even though can be the translator at fault. Remember that awesome scene after Luca in which Tidus tries to make Yuna laugh? Well my father was in the room when that little cut scene came on and he very politely asked me “What the f*** are you playing….?” FF X was a great game though and there isn’t too much to complain about because the story was very good and that is what makes FF game every time. Even though it was simple and not as deep as some of the others it was still enjoyable and you really got hooked on the characters. Even whiny Tidus grew on me by the end. But in regards to that question I propose this game gave me a glimpse of the future of the series: Easy, linear and simple. If you took away the great story in FF X what would you have? Well, actually you would have FF XII.


Final Fantasy XII is the game I love to hate. It represents that dark future that I really hope is not the direction of this series. Do not get me wrong that, I have to give XII credit where credit is due. For game play this game is way beyond average. The fighting system is extremely revolutionary and really fun when you get into it. The hunt system especially was enjoyable. However, they took away the one aspect that makes an FF game: the story. If there is a story in this one I missed it. There is no character development that I could see. I literally had no idea why Vaan was even in the party. It is like they just let some random kid hang out with a vest and no shirt. Why could they do their limit break moves? How does this little flamboyant street rat able to pull this stuff off? As far as plot all I got out of this game was: collect item 1, collect item 2, glue them together, have your hair blowing in the wind (indoors), fight boss, win game.


Now it is very very hypocritical of me to praise FF IX for bringing back aspects of the old school FF games and bash on XII. This game did the same thing by bringing back the majestic airships and the warring nations but IX did it well… it was unique and they created something of real value. However, this really isn’t the answer to my previous question. XIII proved that this isn’t where the series is going. It isn’t much better but I now know why this is Square’s path.


Before XIII came out I did my share of research. I got the basic gist of the game and my expectations where pretty close to what was delivered. I have not finished it so I can’t quite make the full judgment call on XIII. I was promised a visually spellbinding setting with a single linear corridor (not including the ‘calm lands equivalent’). The point of having that single corridor feel was to drive the story which, as you can tell, I am all for. However, something very odd happened… it was released in Japan. Ok ok, so that isn’t the odd part but when it hit the Japanese public it just destroyed the game reviews. I saw more ‘perfect 10’s and all star reviews then I could count. After doing my research I was expected a mediocre game that would snag 7-9 ratings. Unless this thing had a story dunked in liquid gold and rainbows there is no way it was getting over a 9.


XIII hit America and I was a bit less shocked. It received decent reviews because it is a decent game. It wasn’t the liquid, golden rainbow that Japan promised but still very fun. It is a game that offers two things. First it offers a visual feast which I am happy to say is breathtaking. It also offered a rich plot implied but the linear feel which it only sort of pulled off. Some characters a flat, some are awkward but also have some real moments. I really was scared when FF announced a main character that is black. There is nothing wrong with having that in your game of course I was just really scared Japan was going to mess this one up and make a really racist stereotype. I saw the trailer and saw that he had an afro and a baby chocobo in his hair. Immediately I /facepalmed and muttered “Oh, square…” I was fully expecting him to hit the story as the ‘wacky black side kick’ that we have seen in so many old cop flicks. However, I was quite surprised and he has actually become my favorite character. Every now and then he does lay down that ‘wacky one liner’ but his story is really interesting.


Then I asked myself the important question. Why did it do so well in Japan and do as I expected over here? It wasn’t until I saw a video of a test audience of Japanese gamers who were playing the game for the first time that I had my question answered. They were playing in the large expansive area. They spent their time jumping out of their seats at the visual presentation. They looked at rocks and monsters and the sky. I kept thinking that that is all fine and well but I want to see the characters… I want to see their motivation… I want to see the story…


Then it hit me. These are Japanese games created for a Japanese audience. Now these developers are doing what they are supposed to do and appealing to their audience. It got perfect scores in Japan because this game is a really good game in Japan. It is as simple as that. There is a cultural difference that I can in no way even begin to explain or examine. As I see it the Japanese public wants these games to be visually spellbinding, extravagant and a financial titan. Sort of ‘shock and awe’ tactics if I can use the phrase out of it’s context. I could be wrong but I think this is what we are seeing. This series is simply appealing to a different demand. I can see now the road this series will take and it is dictated by the demand of Japan. The FF road runs parallel to the road of Japanese culture. I am not saying that my demand for the qualities of a game are any better then another country, I am simply saying that they are different and since Japan is holding the cards on this series my say means little to the Japanese public.


I fear that every game will be like XIII and we will never see something like a VI, VII or IX again. I must not forget that Square is incredibly innovative and this could change a single game from now but that tried and tested formula was done and we may not see it again. At some point in the rise of the gaming industry both cultures demanded a game with the same aspects Gold was produced for the US which slowly turned to silver then to a rusty bronze while Japan remains glittering and shiny because the public is getting what it wants. Japan wants 'shock and awe' games and I do not think it is the same for us.


Again, it is not worse or better but simply different…I know I am the whining little kid who did not get that cool toy everyone else got but it is still a depressing sight. I also know that I want story out of these games and a video game is not really about it. Video games are there for the game play but I am really playing these games for the story. If this rail corridor shooter is the future of this series I might as well go watch Avatar. However, I am a fan boy and FF VII was that one game that got me hooked. It story is still haunting after all these years and I am sure I will be buying these games for many years to come. I just highly doubt I will ever see a scene in a future FF game in which two characters bond by peeing into the wind over the cliff in a forgotten summoner city of Madain Sari.

The music hasn't been as good since they lost there music composer Nobue Umatsu (and yea I probably didn't even come close to spelling that right). He did the music In FF7, 8, 9, X and I think even the older ones. I guess he still does game music though since he did some for Lost odyssey (and it is epic!).

Anyways I always want to look back at how much I loved Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy 7. I just didn't get into the 2d rpg's that much although I still say to this day Final Fantasy 6 would make an awesome remake. Pre Final Fantasy 6 they just didn't seem very deep and the ones on the original NES to me were just boring to play. Final Fantasy X was a lot more linear then 7 but it did have alot of side quests and secrets you could do such as the celesial weapons, hidden Aeons (loved that part), etc. I haven't played real far into FF13 yet (prob about 4 hours) but it does seem VERY linear. I mean other then the hidden treasure balls every so often its 1 way only. Even leveling up I am finding myself maxing out for that stage so I guess there is no grinding exp to make yourself more powerful if you get to a difficult boss or something (which granted hasn't happened yet). The game seems ok but it is no where near as impressive to play as the previous were for their time, well the previous ones minus FF12 of course which sucks etc (that's right I had to throw it in there).

I kinda noticed ever seen Squaresoft merged there quality has went downhill personally. It is by no means bad but it just isn't as epic as it used to. Could also just be they had such good stuff in the past that we as consumers just keep expecting more and more. Some of there previous games are so good that it becomes a tough act to try and follow basically.

No doubt from what I have seen so far I think Lost Odyssey is a lot more interesting of a game then FF13. If you have a 360 and haven't played it you should really try it. They could have easily slapped the name Final Fantasy on this and it would have been the next epic Final Fantasy game. Only annoying thing is it is a tad hard, and it has random battles. But the story is great, game play is great, and the character development is good. Oh and great soundtrack.

I played Lost Odyssey & i thought it was pretty good. I'm on the Last Disk, near the end, but just can't bring myself to beat it. While I'd say it's stories are certainly better than FFXIII's, I normally don't read codexes but read everyone of the memories in LO I got too, it's gameplay is traditional. Once you get to chapter 9, believe it or not the game-play improves, becomes challenging, & the story actually picks up a bit.

I played FFXI, so found FFXII's similar enough to FXI's that it seemed almost easy, until the hunts after you beat it. Didn't mind it though, but beat it quickly & went back to XI.

This.


So far, I'm loving Final Fantasy XIII. There are a couple aspects that kind of get on my nerves, but that's no surprise. It happens in video games. Overall, XIII goes in my top ten.

Of course you skipped XI in the analysis, which has one of the deepest story lines of the whole series at this point. Just cuz XI is an MMO doesn't mean it's not a Final Fantasy game, with its own RPG movies riddling the game left and right, memorable NPCs, and a vast lore stretching 10,000 years across multiple dimensions and an entire planet that still hasn't been fully realized.

This.

I had views very similar to the OP a few years ago, until I realized... the reason I loved FFVI and FFVII wasn't necessarily because they were amazing games (although I think that, for their time, they certainly were) but because of the effect they had on me when I was growing up and developing as a person. I was a pre-teen for FFVI, and a teen for FVII. The stories were really good, and you became pretty invested in the characters... but really, the only reason I became so invested was because I had never seen characters like them before. EVERYTHING has been done before. If I had read more or watched more movies as a kid, I would have seen the archetypes, had a realistic idea of what would happen, and the emotional impact would have been lessened.

Now, that said, FFVI was one of my favorite games ever because the first half of the game is very linear, while the second half is almost entirely nonlinear. You can take on the final boss with 3 people, or get up to (14?). You can hunt for treasure to make the final battle interesting, or go for a low-level challenge (I just wish they had a reward). There was stat maxing for those who loved it, hidden moves to uncover (the first time I saw Mirager, I freaked out and went "WTF WAS THAT!?!"), and unique stories for every character. Heck, my forum name is taken from my favorite character out of the game (and the MA was added on because I'm from Massachusetts).

FFVII was great as well because it really opened up... but at the end. I still think the Materia system allowed for some of the most amazing spell combos ever (although I think spell combos started in FFVI... Vanish + X-Zone, anyone?); none of them were really needed, but OH MY LORD, were they fun to put together. Plus they had a ton of minigames and sidequests. The story I thought was epic; it still feels like one of the "longest" games to me. But again, most of the impact was because of how I was developing at the time; when SpoilerAeris dies, I had dreams about it for weeks after.



Both were good games, but again they were more good because of the time. I think that if FFX was the first real FF game I played as a teen, I would be laughing at the yelling scene with Tidus and Yuna, gasping when you learn how Yuna's journey would end, and cheering wildly when you crash the wedding. As it was, I felt but an echo.




All that said, Final Fantasy Tactics had the best story out of any FF game I have played so far, hands down, bar none. If you hate politics and reading though, you'd hate this story. THAT'S why I really hated FFXII; it took place in the same world as FFT, but had almost NO tie-ins whatsoever to that game. It was so disappointing (but out of all the FF games I have played, it had the best game play, IMO).


Still haven't played FFXIII; don't own a PS3. Might play it this weekend at a friend's house. I hear Lightning is awesome.

Edit: Here are some examples of "it's all been done before." In many ways FFVI set the foundation of later character types.


Edited, Mar 29th 2010 9:28am by LockeColeMA

On a related note (not that I read the walls of text above), IX might be coming to the PSN.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/108/1080411p1.html

What Allegory said.

What Cat said.

Your post seems to wander and I can't actually tell if you don't like 13 or you just like hearing yourself talk.

At one point you seem to be disapointed in X as the start of then end then complain that we will never see another game like VI, VII and X. You like story driven games but don't want it thrust upon you? Like...enjoying ice cream but you wish there was also pizza available (free roam)?

And the entire bit about Japanese developers making games with their culture in mind or whatever in the **** that whole bit was about...well...no ******* **** man.

I've finished the storyline for XIII and now I'm trying to do all of the balls hard activities on pulse and madre de dios did I love this game. I could not even stomach playing XII for more than 10 hours but I looked forward to finding the free time to play this one.

Any company that has produced 13 versions of a product is bound to disapoint you and thrill you from time to time. I wouldn't be worried about it taking one particular path and you never having another good experience with them again. This one didn't tickle your pickle but the next might! ^_^

I was pretty pissed off when SpoilerTellah died casting Meteo and Golbez just shrugged it off... Suddenly I was without my best caster.

Edited, Mar 31st 2010 12:04pm by LadyOfHolyDarkness

It's official.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/108/1081624p1.html

I love FF XII. I like the story line, which is very long, but cool and the game play.

FF X, is cool, to love it.

FF X-2 I am not sure what happen there. LOL.

FF XI..If I had a better computer, and if I could afford the monthly fees, I would still play. FF XI, is my favorite video game, of all time.

I do not own a ps3 which sucks and I only own a ps 2, so I can't play FF XIII. It looked cool from what I seen on youtube.

I know this will prob never come out, but I would like to play FF XI, offline on my ps 2. LOL. I know, I know won't happen, but I can dream about it.

One thing to note, when I was playing FF XII, my game controller would not pull up the party menu and I had to die to do it, well I just needed a different controller. I guess some ps 2 controllers do not work with the game, because that same game controller I used works with all my other games, but not with FF XII. I went to game stop and bought a different type of ps 2 game controller and now the party menu and map work. Imagine that!

It was funny to me because I used to have to blow myself up with spells, or use my sword to kill Fran, or Vaan. LOL. I stood in front of the boss monsters, ok, now time to die, so I can get to the party menu. I said that to some guy at game stop and he laughed at me.

Edited, May 5th 2010 9:29am by pettygil

You been watching Snow Fairy Sugar too, or is your exclamatory phrase unrelated?

FF XI, is my favorite game, so I will give this game great review. The story line is very deep and this game tends to go on for years. I have been playing for 6 years and I am still not done playing. I love the fishing, and raising chocobos, it's fun. The crafts are fun to. I enjoy cooking, although I know there are other crafts. I love all the classes I can chose to play. It's really a very fun and interesting game to play, sometimes hard, but then I have a challenge. FF XI the worlds are huge. I was thinking wow! I just wish it was cheaper because I am kind of poor, but I find away to play.

I like that I have a video game I can play for the rest of my life. True I can't swim, but other than that I can do almost anything including getting married in the game, if I wanted to. The graphics are really great. It's like I am stepping outside and being one with nature. I can talk with real people and make friends because it's an online game, yea I said the obvious.

This game is very amazing to me. Well done. Even Wow does not look anything like FF XI and the game char's look ok I guess, but in FF XI, the game char's look awesome. I found the fishing to be a bit weird in Wow. Just my opinion. I thought I have to get back to FF XI and right now, and so I did.

I do not know who made FF XI but you did a great job. I love this game forever.

FF X, FF XI and FF XII are my favorite games, and another thing that amazed me, is that FF X and FF XII look great on ps 2..I mean for it's time the graphics were amazing. I also am a big fan of the story lines in FF X and FF XII and FF XI. I find the game play to be very fun and have played for many hours and for many days.