The Final Days of Final Fantasy 205
An anonymous reader writes "Could the Final Fantasy series have finally come to an end? About.com's Adrien-Luc Sanders thinks so in his article The Final Days of Final Fantasy. I'm sure many people here remember Final Fantasy VII and how it helped Sony win the console market away from Nintendo. The article contends that Final Fantasy's glory days are over, that with the release of Final Fantasy X-2, the underwhelming EverQuest clone Final Fantasy XI, and the much-delayed Final Fantasy XII (finally confirmed for a 2006 US release), we've effectively seen the end of Final Fantasy. Is it time for Square-Enix to give up on Final Fantasy?"
Give this man the John Dvorak award! (Score:5, Interesting)
Even if SE completely abandons offline games they will still paste the Final Fantasy name on their games, though I expect to see a Dragon Warrior MMO before the next MMO FF.
End of Final Fantasy? (Score:3, Interesting)
the answer is no (Score:5, Interesting)
the answer is a resounding no. However, they need to go back to what made it so special in the past. That is, back off of the convoluted plot, the rediculous looking and uninteresting characters, and the complicated and boring skills systems. Instead, bring back the spirit of adventure. Those that have played it will remember the magic of getting to finally pilot the air ship in FFIV, where you could FINALLY go over mountains and such, and visit those remote places in the overworld. It was the gameplay, the original and loveable characters (even characters we may idolize to some extent... it'd be nice to be as cool as Locke) that makes FFIV and FFVI the best in the series for so many of us.
SquareEnix needs to take a step back and return to its roots. FFIX was a step in the right direction, if you ask me. FFX was a supreme dissapointment, and FFXII looks to be much of the same. A gorgeous soundtrack will only take you so far.
gamers grow up... (Score:3, Interesting)
I remember saving allowance money for months to afford Dragon Warrior IV, with its hefty 59.99 price tag from Toys R Us...
I played the heck out of these games, and cannot say the same about the 'next gen' iterations (Dragon Warrior VII as an exception, but just because the game is so damn long, and seemed to hold my attention)
I don't think the problem is that Square-Enix is stagnating... I think it's getting increasingly more difficult to hold the gamer's attention who grew up with these games. I remember crying when Celes lept off the cliff in FFIII (FF6), but the famous 'death of Aerith' in FFVII completely failed to evoke the same reaction. It was too predicted, and scripted... though the music was tear-jerking.
Anyway, I don't think the games are going anywhere. Square-Enix needs to reach harder into the younger market though, and bring in new fans to the series.
Re:Might not hurt... (Score:4, Interesting)
That said, VII in many ways nailed the coffin shut. First off, it was so popular that Square followed a formula and all the rest have been pretty much the same. Am I the only person annoyed by the general hero, now little more than a thin, androgenous anime figure?
FFX did it for me; I couldn't play the same hero character. I probably won't return to a FF title, if for no other reason than animation alone; I'm tired of playing anime games. But that's my own personal opinion and a large majority of gamers don't seem to mind this. So I'll stick to whatever else comes along.
Re:the answer is no (Score:3, Interesting)
You remember Kefka (sprites) [ffcompendium.com], right? Take a look at some of the original concept art [ffcompendium.com] and the resultant FMV interpretation [ffcompendium.com].
On the rest of it, I'll agree with you in FFIX good, FFX meh.
One big reply.. (Score:3, Interesting)
The thing is, that the FF team are VERY ambitious when it comes to what they do. They make very wide changes for every game. Trying new things. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. So I don't blame them for the misses. The harder you throw the more you can miss. But for the misses...and most of them were oh so close....
2J:A very clumsy level up system. Just didn't work at all. The biggest miss.
6:Yes, you heard me right. A wonderful game that fell apart for the second half of the game. The fact that the game is so wonderful for the rest of it makes it even more painful.
8:A broken combat system made most of the game a timewasting chore. (You can convert Tents to Curegas which you can junction for a near invincible amount of HP through most of the game)
X-2:A wonderful combat system, and the episodic nature of it..but yet...
Ok I'll be frank. The tone of the game was wrong. It tried to be light and airy, but frankly, it was just painful. It was too depressing. After playing through X, (best story of any of the games), watching the hidden depression of Yuna was WAY too much. way way WAY too much.
But I liked that X played like a pilgramage. It worked for that game. It felt way more personal than any other game in the series. As well, I liked the micro-level ups.
Re:Is Final Fantasy coming to an end? (Score:3, Interesting)
Auron's plan the entire story is to manipulate Tidus and Yuna, to make them fall into love, so that Yuna would be incapable of sacrificing Tidus for the greater good, destroying the church of Yevon and getting his revenge on Yunalesca, and fufilling Jecht's last wish.
The actual story is about the "fall" of Yuna, and how her rejection of her religion saves the world of Spira. It's more philisophical than a love story. Auron is the puppetmaster.
Whoa Whoa Whoa.... (Score:2, Interesting)
Since 2002 he has been designing websites for various clients, often utilizing animated interfaces in Flash and Shockwave or creating branded 3D-animated logos. He is also currently working on several small indepenent animation projects.
Not exactly an expert or valued opinion in my book. Scary that one independent animators opinion on a few games he didn't like would spark everyone so much. Got a bad feeling this is the future of web marketing...