Opinions on the New Final Fantasy Era

[Overseer of Cake]

I've been watching Square slowly plummeting from their well-established throne for JRPG gaming for a while now. Does anybody else feel a little sad to watch a once strong company like this struggling to keep up with modern standards?
I grew up in the post 2D, pre-new gen era. For those of you who aren't sure what that means, it's pretty much games 7-10.

I've played some of the older games as well (1, some of 2, and 3) and the newer titles (12+)

That said, i feel that the Final Fantasy died after ten. Twelve was a great game, but between the style change and gap 11 left as an MMO, it feels like it fits into the newer era. X-2 had an okay story, but it didn't feel like a final fantasy game.

I'd like to know where other people stand on this subject.

[Teenage Wet Dream]

I loved 10, not a huge fan of 10-2, haven't played 12, Loved the s**t out of 13, purchasing 13-2, will buy versus, buying the remake of 10, buying type-0 and the KH 3D.
Square has got me by the balls and I love it.
To each his own.
FFXIII-2 sold 700k in japan first week, I believe, yes that's bad for them, but for any other company they'd love the s**t out of those sales numbers.

They're anything but dying. Struggling but not dying. They just need to keep their promises and keep the public informed.

[Rim The Mofo Sky]

IX, X, and X-2 are my favourites. But XII was one of my favourite stories. I loved XIII, not my favourite but I didn't dislike it. I will buy XIII-2 at some point when it's released.

BUT ********. I WANT VERSUS LIKE A b***h IN HEAT!

[Overseer of Cake]

Teenage Wet Dream

I loved 10, not a huge fan of 10-2, haven't played 12, Loved the s**t out of 13, purchasing 13-2, will buy versus, buying the remake of 10, buying type-0 and the KH 3D.
Square has got me by the balls and I love it.
To each his own.
FFXIII-2 sold 700k in japan first week, I believe, yes that's bad for them, but for any other company they'd love the s**t out of those sales numbers.

They're anything but dying. Struggling but not dying. They just need to keep their promises and keep the public informed.

My only concern is that i'm one of many people who's played a lot of JRPG's. A lot of the newer games aren't really delivering anything new in my opinion (I've seen a lot of the same stuff recycled storyline-wise). I'm not sayin that the new games suck, but the old style tends to be more desirable by a majority fans.
As for the "dying" comment... it was more of my opinion than anything else. The way I see it, there are 3 ff generations.
Gen 1: Final Fantasy 1-6
Gen 2: FF 7-10
Gen 3: FF 12+

Generation 1 and 2 are the ones i've seen most of their creativity stem from. Gen 2 is, and always will be, my favorite. But you're right. To each their own. I was just curious to see other people's thoughts.

[Overseer of Cake]

Rim The Sky

IX, X, and X-2 are my favourites. But XII was one of my favourite stories. I loved XIII, not my favourite but I didn't dislike it. I will buy XIII-2 at some point when it's released.

BUT ********. I WANT VERSUS LIKE A b***h IN HEAT!

It sounded like I bashed X-2 before, but I do like the game. Enough to buy it a second time after my first copy got stolen xd

Perhaps my wording was a little off before. I see the Final Fantasy series at two different angles. I said the series "died" because i feel that some of the magic from earlier games was lost in the newer titles. The first two generations feel like a childhood fantasy story, but the new one seems more action and gameplay oriented.

[Cupcakesu]

gaia_angelleft yum_puddi gaia_angelright


I love a mixture of Gen 3 and 2.

My favorite is XIII, and will probably stay as such for a long time if not forever. X is my second favorite (I'll just group X-2 in here as well). Though I like the majority of Gen 2 anyway. I enjoyed XII. I thought it did a lot right. I just wish the characters had some more overall development.

[Teenage Wet Dream]

Gear Dragon Azure

Teenage Wet Dream

I loved 10, not a huge fan of 10-2, haven't played 12, Loved the s**t out of 13, purchasing 13-2, will buy versus, buying the remake of 10, buying type-0 and the KH 3D.
Square has got me by the balls and I love it.
To each his own.
FFXIII-2 sold 700k in japan first week, I believe, yes that's bad for them, but for any other company they'd love the s**t out of those sales numbers.

They're anything but dying. Struggling but not dying. They just need to keep their promises and keep the public informed.

My only concern is that i'm one of many people who's played a lot of JRPG's. A lot of the newer games aren't really delivering anything new in my opinion (I've seen a lot of the same stuff recycled storyline-wise). I'm not sayin that the new games suck, but the old style tends to be more desirable by a majority fans.
As for the "dying" comment... it was more of my opinion than anything else. The way I see it, there are 3 ff generations.
Gen 1: Final Fantasy 1-6
Gen 2: FF 7-10
Gen 3: FF 12+

Generation 1 and 2 are the ones i've seen most of their creativity stem from. Gen 2 is, and always will be, my favorite. But you're right. To each their own. I was just curious to see other people's thoughts.

I would gen them differently.
Gen 1 = I-IV
1st gen, figuring out what to do. Open space.
Gen 2 = V-IX
Becoming really interesting storywise and more linear, whether the fanboys would like to admit it or not, but still a lot of open space.
Gen 3 = X+
X Linear, don't even try to say it's not, and good story.
XII, idk never played, heard that it's non-linear but not the best stor
XIII - Linear good story.

[Overseer of Cake]

Teenage Wet Dream

Gear Dragon Azure

Teenage Wet Dream

I loved 10, not a huge fan of 10-2, haven't played 12, Loved the s**t out of 13, purchasing 13-2, will buy versus, buying the remake of 10, buying type-0 and the KH 3D.
Square has got me by the balls and I love it.
To each his own.
FFXIII-2 sold 700k in japan first week, I believe, yes that's bad for them, but for any other company they'd love the s**t out of those sales numbers.

They're anything but dying. Struggling but not dying. They just need to keep their promises and keep the public informed.

My only concern is that i'm one of many people who's played a lot of JRPG's. A lot of the newer games aren't really delivering anything new in my opinion (I've seen a lot of the same stuff recycled storyline-wise). I'm not sayin that the new games suck, but the old style tends to be more desirable by a majority fans.
As for the "dying" comment... it was more of my opinion than anything else. The way I see it, there are 3 ff generations.
Gen 1: Final Fantasy 1-6
Gen 2: FF 7-10
Gen 3: FF 12+

Generation 1 and 2 are the ones i've seen most of their creativity stem from. Gen 2 is, and always will be, my favorite. But you're right. To each their own. I was just curious to see other people's thoughts.

I would gen them differently.
Gen 1 = I-IV
1st gen, figuring out what to do. Open space.
Gen 2 = V-IX
Becoming really interesting storywise and more linear, whether the fanboys would like to admit it or not, but still a lot of open space.
Gen 3 = X+
X Linear, don't even try to say it's not, and good story.
XII, idk never played, heard that it's non-linear but not the best stor
XIII - Linear good story.

Putting them in Generations is also really more of an opinionated thing as well. Here's my personal reasoning.
Gen 1: FF1-6
I say this because the first 6 games follow a similar design concept, despite obvious changes in story and setting style. This can be considered the "pre-3D" era as well, and is a key part to the development of the series as a whole.
Gen 2: FF7-10
The 3D concept is where the series begins to split from the original formula. Similar to the Legend of Zelda series, the new environments allowed for a completeley different way to play the game and immerse yourself in the universes. This was where the story aspect of ff began to grow, and is probably the most popular "generation" in the fanbase. I include X because, as linear as it was, it kept a lot of the elements of the earlier 2nd generation while implementing newer ideas. It didn't differentiate too much to be considered a new generation in my opninion.
Gen 3: FF12+
Twelve was the first game to stray from the classic ff formula. (I don't include 11 because it tends to be the black sheep of the series, being an MMO) It had a great story, but it did not feel like a final fantasy. The game focused more on the gameplay aspect, and the exploration was completely different from past titles. This game was very different from the first ten games, and it shows.

As a side note, 12, 11, and x-2 can be considered a bit more of a sub-generation, when final fantasy began to explore different styles. If you take this into account, 13+ can be considered generation 4.

[MooMooJuice]

I started with X-2. then played X, VII, and VIII after that. X-2 was a favourite of mine for a long time until XII.

Out of the games I've played, I prefer the newer ones. I like X-2, XII, and XIII all more than X, VII, and VIII.

After the PS2 came out, all games started to evolve, not just FF. Of course newer games are going to feel different. Switching from voiceless, pre-rendered backgrounds, and chibified versions of the characters to what we have now is very different.

[flavored ink]

Haven't played XIII yet. But X is where it's at. XII gave a really good score for Square. XI online just... failed.

[Overseer of Cake]

MooMooJuice

I started with X-2. then played X, VII, and VIII after that. X-2 was a favourite of mine for a long time until XII.

Out of the games I've played, I prefer the newer ones. I like X-2, XII, and XIII all more than X, VII, and VIII.

After the PS2 came out, all games started to evolve, not just FF. Of course newer games are going to feel different. Switching from voiceless, pre-rendered backgrounds, and chibified versions of the characters to what we have now is very different.

This is why they need to make it a seperate series, in my opninion. When people think final fantasy, MOST of the fans picture Generations 1 and 2 (using my classification format). Square is quite simply capitalizing on their past success to make more money. This is neither wrong or right, but people will certainly be sick of the series once they release Final Fantasy XXVIII.
If they give the series a seperate title, it would be more acceptable. Can you honestly tell me that if they replaced the newer final fantasy games with a new title, they would still feel like final fantasy games?

[MooMooJuice]

Gear Dragon Azure

MooMooJuice

I started with X-2. then played X, VII, and VIII after that. X-2 was a favourite of mine for a long time until XII.

Out of the games I've played, I prefer the newer ones. I like X-2, XII, and XIII all more than X, VII, and VIII.

After the PS2 came out, all games started to evolve, not just FF. Of course newer games are going to feel different. Switching from voiceless, pre-rendered backgrounds, and chibified versions of the characters to what we have now is very different.

This is why they need to make it a seperate series, in my opninion. When people think final fantasy, MOST of the fans picture Generations 1 and 2 (using my classification format). Square is quite simply capitalizing on their past success to make more money. This is neither wrong or right, but people will certainly be sick of the series once they release Final Fantasy XXVIII.
If they give the series a seperate title, it would be more acceptable. Can you honestly tell me that if they replaced the newer final fantasy games with a new title, they would still feel like final fantasy games?

I do not think any FF games 'feel like a FF game'. Each game is independent of each other, they each have their own worlds and characters. As gaming systems grew, so did the creativity of FF.

You think VII feels anything like the first games? I would never compare a game set in a modern time to a game set in a medieval one.

[Overseer of Cake]

MooMooJuice

Gear Dragon Azure

MooMooJuice

I started with X-2. then played X, VII, and VIII after that. X-2 was a favourite of mine for a long time until XII.

Out of the games I've played, I prefer the newer ones. I like X-2, XII, and XIII all more than X, VII, and VIII.

After the PS2 came out, all games started to evolve, not just FF. Of course newer games are going to feel different. Switching from voiceless, pre-rendered backgrounds, and chibified versions of the characters to what we have now is very different.

This is why they need to make it a seperate series, in my opninion. When people think final fantasy, MOST of the fans picture Generations 1 and 2 (using my classification format). Square is quite simply capitalizing on their past success to make more money. This is neither wrong or right, but people will certainly be sick of the series once they release Final Fantasy XXVIII.
If they give the series a seperate title, it would be more acceptable. Can you honestly tell me that if they replaced the newer final fantasy games with a new title, they would still feel like final fantasy games?

I do not think any FF games 'feel like a FF game'. Each game is independent of each other, they each have their own worlds and characters. As gaming systems grew, so did the creativity of FF.

You think VII feels anything like the first games? I would never compare a game set in a modern time to a game set in a medieval one.

That's the point. It's a different world and a different adventure. NOT a different genre. There is a bbig difference. As for ff7 feeling like the first games? Maybe not at face value since each game is indeed different, but yes it did bring back the sense of adventure the older games had. The style, story theme, setting, world... everything was completely different. But you could play the game and it would most definitely give you the same feeling as on of the older games. The magic in final fantasy comes from Square's ablility to put the player into the game for them to experience themselves. Final Fantasy is established for bringing these elements in, when most other JRPG's competing with it in its earlier days did not. Lately, i feel like Square's other titles tend to have that element, but not the newer ff games.

[MooMooJuice]

Gear Dragon Azure

MooMooJuice

Gear Dragon Azure

MooMooJuice

I started with X-2. then played X, VII, and VIII after that. X-2 was a favourite of mine for a long time until XII.

Out of the games I've played, I prefer the newer ones. I like X-2, XII, and XIII all more than X, VII, and VIII.

After the PS2 came out, all games started to evolve, not just FF. Of course newer games are going to feel different. Switching from voiceless, pre-rendered backgrounds, and chibified versions of the characters to what we have now is very different.

This is why they need to make it a seperate series, in my opninion. When people think final fantasy, MOST of the fans picture Generations 1 and 2 (using my classification format). Square is quite simply capitalizing on their past success to make more money. This is neither wrong or right, but people will certainly be sick of the series once they release Final Fantasy XXVIII.
If they give the series a seperate title, it would be more acceptable. Can you honestly tell me that if they replaced the newer final fantasy games with a new title, they would still feel like final fantasy games?

I do not think any FF games 'feel like a FF game'. Each game is independent of each other, they each have their own worlds and characters. As gaming systems grew, so did the creativity of FF.

You think VII feels anything like the first games? I would never compare a game set in a modern time to a game set in a medieval one.

That's the point. It's a different world and a different adventure. NOT a different genre. There is a bbig difference. As for ff7 feeling like the first games? Maybe not at face value since each game is indeed different, but yes it did bring back the sense of adventure the older games had. The style, story theme, setting, world... everything was completely different. But you could play the game and it would most definitely give you the same feeling as on of the older games. The magic in final fantasy comes from Square's ablility to put the player into the game for them to experience themselves. Final Fantasy is established for bringing these elements in, when most other JRPG's competing with it in its earlier days did not. Lately, i feel like Square's other titles tend to have that element, but not the newer ff games.

I've never thought of FF as nothing more than an RPG, and it's continued to be an RPG, so I don't see the problem.
Perhaps the lack of adventure stems from the fact that areas just cannot be constructed the way they were in the old days without the graphics suffering (and these days, that's a big no-no).

[Overseer of Cake]

MooMooJuice

Gear Dragon Azure

MooMooJuice

Gear Dragon Azure

MooMooJuice

I started with X-2. then played X, VII, and VIII after that. X-2 was a favourite of mine for a long time until XII.

Out of the games I've played, I prefer the newer ones. I like X-2, XII, and XIII all more than X, VII, and VIII.

After the PS2 came out, all games started to evolve, not just FF. Of course newer games are going to feel different. Switching from voiceless, pre-rendered backgrounds, and chibified versions of the characters to what we have now is very different.

This is why they need to make it a seperate series, in my opninion. When people think final fantasy, MOST of the fans picture Generations 1 and 2 (using my classification format). Square is quite simply capitalizing on their past success to make more money. This is neither wrong or right, but people will certainly be sick of the series once they release Final Fantasy XXVIII.
If they give the series a seperate title, it would be more acceptable. Can you honestly tell me that if they replaced the newer final fantasy games with a new title, they would still feel like final fantasy games?

I do not think any FF games 'feel like a FF game'. Each game is independent of each other, they each have their own worlds and characters. As gaming systems grew, so did the creativity of FF.

You think VII feels anything like the first games? I would never compare a game set in a modern time to a game set in a medieval one.

That's the point. It's a different world and a different adventure. NOT a different genre. There is a bbig difference. As for ff7 feeling like the first games? Maybe not at face value since each game is indeed different, but yes it did bring back the sense of adventure the older games had. The style, story theme, setting, world... everything was completely different. But you could play the game and it would most definitely give you the same feeling as on of the older games. The magic in final fantasy comes from Square's ablility to put the player into the game for them to experience themselves. Final Fantasy is established for bringing these elements in, when most other JRPG's competing with it in its earlier days did not. Lately, i feel like Square's other titles tend to have that element, but not the newer ff games.

I've never thought of FF as nothing more than an RPG, and it's continued to be an RPG, so I don't see the problem.
Perhaps the lack of adventure stems from the fact that areas just cannot be constructed the way they were in the old days without the graphics suffering (and these days, that's a big no-no).

To be honest, i feel like the story is one of the most important elements. And i feel like it has been lacking in recent days. They are re-using old ideas and implementing new ones that are kind of iffy. Half the fans love them and others hate them. Nostalgia really has nothing to do with me playing the series, since the only two i played as a "kid" were ff7 (which is not even my favorite in the series) and ffx. They have new ideas, but they've taken a hit on the story. This is also a big no-no. It's true that ff is not soley supposed to be an RPG. But that genre is how the series has been established, and is why most of the fans love it so much, nostalgia or not. It's strayed from its roots, and instead of implementing new ideas, milked most of its old ones with new ideas that end up disappointing more than appealing.