Dear Square Enix: Final Fantasy Doesn't Need Sequels
Final Fantasy XIII-2This isn't about that popular rumor; I have no idea if it's true and I don't really care.
But it has once again prompted an ire-laced article, in that Square Enix has once again confused and annoyed a loyal following that has been with Final Fantasy since the beginning. That being said, I must clarify my stance on sequels, just in case this rant is misinterpreted:
Many of the greatest games of all time have a number in the title. That includes everything from Uncharted 2: Among Thieves to Super Mario 3 to Metal Gear Solid...oh, just pick one. There are few - if any - video game franchises where the majority of gamers would agree that the original title is the best of the bunch. I have no problem with this; unlike in Hollywood, sequels in gaming often equate to higher quality (if only due to better technology as time goes on).
But regardless of the numbers at the end of the Final Fantasy adventures, none were actually "sequels" until Final Fantasy X-2. That wasn't bad, despite what anyone says, and I also enjoyed Final Fantasy XIII-2 (although for all the wrong reasons). Still, one of the biggest reasons FF was so well loved centered on each entry's freshness. A whole new world, a whole new set of characters, and yes, even a whole new intricate combat mechanic, even if the turn-based architecture was mostly intact.
Everything was different from one title to the next, all the way up through FFX. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. And this was a big part of this franchise's allure; what other series can claim this? The RPG fans adored this because they not only knew they'd get a masterpiece, they also knew they'd get a new masterpiece. Truthfully, what can we really say this about today? Anything? Maybe instead of focusing on sequels, Square Enix, you should focus on that which made FF stand out in the crowd. You know, the quality no other franchise could really attest to, the quality that kept everyone coming back for more...?
Freshness. A new world to explore with new characters to learn about and a new gameplay style to experience. Sequels? Leave that to everyone else and focus on what you do - or rather, did - best. Don't worry. We'll wait. No, we don't need FFXIII-3. We need FFXV and we need it to be...well, you know. You know, but Square Enix doesn't. Obviously.
Tags: square enix, final fantasy, ffxii, final fantasy xii, final fantasy games
5/27/2012 9:36:15 PM Ben Dutka
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Comments (35 posts)
Ludicrous_Liam
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 2:34:19 AM
Last edited by Ludicrous_Liam on 5/28/2012 2:35:23 AM
4 up, 0 down
ShadowHound
Sunday, May 27, 2012 @ 10:36:51 PM
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2 up, 0 down
Animeboy415
Sunday, May 27, 2012 @ 10:50:43 PM
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3 up, 12 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Sunday, May 27, 2012 @ 11:28:18 PM
9 up, 0 down
cLoudou
Sunday, May 27, 2012 @ 11:41:26 PM
I'm sorry but your reasoning as to why there needs to be a XIII-3 is laughable.
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GalbadiaBears
Sunday, May 27, 2012 @ 11:51:54 PM
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Ultimadream
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 4:42:44 AM
0 up, 1 down
Excelsior1
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 6:49:03 AM
We can have all the "fresh" FF games one can dream of but the current make up and leadership of Square is more likely to deliver a western like action RPG than to give us the the epic JRPG experience we had grown to love in the PS1 to early PS2 era.
Ask yourselves this. Would you even trust the often requested FF7 remake in the hands of Square? I know I sure would not.
I do have some sympathy for Animeboy's request(yes, he could have phrased it better and put a spoiler alert warning in his post) for a sequel since it's obvious he cares about the game. I have even more sympathy for Ben because he comes from a dying breed of Final Fantasy/Square fan that is even less likely to see his wishes fulfilled in the long term by Square unfortunatley.
4 up, 0 down
Underdog15
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 2:00:15 PM
3 up, 2 down
Excelsior1
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 6:03:40 PM
Anyways, veteran FF/JRPG fans convinced me to look outside the Playstation brand for some great JRPGs like the The Lost Odyssey, The Last Story and Xenogears. I do not regret it for a second.
Last edited by Excelsior1 on 5/28/2012 6:53:05 PM
1 up, 0 down
Underdog15
Tuesday, May 29, 2012 @ 9:21:34 AM
In Solaris, did you find the poster of Tifa in a child's room?
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flamefury42
Sunday, May 27, 2012 @ 11:13:40 PM
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flamefury42
Sunday, May 27, 2012 @ 11:15:04 PM
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ZettaiSeigi
Sunday, May 27, 2012 @ 11:55:24 PM
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GalbadiaBears
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 12:00:57 AM
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1 up, 0 down
ZettaiSeigi
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 12:07:07 AM
1 up, 0 down
gunblademaster
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 12:55:26 AM
FFXIII didn't...
There is your reason.
4 up, 1 down
Dancemachine55
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 1:42:46 AM
While the story was confusing and too political, and the characters weren't that memorable, I think XII had the best combat system by far!!!
It had a great mixture of real-time movement coupled with turn-based combat and complete control over all party members. You could even set up pre-emptive actions for characters to automatically perform, such as a healing character automatically healing a characters below 30% health, the tank always positioned closer to the enemy and first to strike to keep attention on them... it was like an offline story-driven MMO on a PS2!!!
I'd be happy with a return to FF XII's battle system, if S-E don't want to go back to the oldest traditional turn-based system from FF's I - X.
1 up, 3 down
Excelsior1
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 11:32:45 AM
Zettai is spot on about FFX-2's battle sytem which is my favorite in the series. When I think about it the dress sphere changes are similar in some ways to the paridigm shifts in FF13...anyways I digress. Granted, FFX-2 was nowhere near the game FFX was when it comes to the story and characters but I still had a lot of fun with the game.
It's always nice to see a fellow Auron fan Gunblademaster. I know it might sound juvenile but let's just say Auron rocks.
Now, I did not like FFXII at all but I do respect the fact others do. I never could get into it mainly because I did not like the dull story. Call it mature or whatever...it just did not feel very Final Fantasy like to me. Dull is the very first word that comes to mind when I think of Final Fantasy XII. I'm also not a big fan of MMO type battle systems so I really strained to finish the game. I enjoyed the bonus disc that came with the collector's edition more than the actual game. Sorry. I would even go as far to say FFXII ranks as the biggest dissapoinment in my gaming life. I was so hyped and left so dissapointed. I know I'm not alone. Ultima, and bebestorm said the exact same thing the other day.
Even when I try hard to strip my bias away from FFXII because of my dislike of MMO type batlle systems I still think it was missing the qualities that make an epic FF game like a good story and strong character development. There was defintely something missing when it comes to that FF charm. Balthier was excellent but the rest of the cast was just awful in my humble opinion. Terrible pacing to the game as well.
Reading this thread and the other one the other day about a possible sequel to FF12 makes me realize just how decimated the FF fanbase is. What used to be a pretty powerful fanbase has almost turned apathetic towards the franchise. Anybody can see that when it comes to thread counts on the major gaming sites. Interest in the FF franchise is nowhere near where it used to be. There is still some passion there when it come to long time fans but it's defintely dying out fast. There is no way Square has not noticed this so they must have made a calculated choice to move on whether we like it or not.
1 up, 0 down
Underdog15
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 2:02:06 PM
You are 100% correct about the gameplay aspect. A game can thrive or die on that part alone. When it comes to horrendous gameplay or excellent gameplay, things like graphics, sound, and sometimes even story, take a backseat.
Even I won't play the world's best story if the gameplay is horrendous.
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Dancemachine55
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 1:36:34 AM
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Finish a game before you announce another one!!! Put all your time and resources into each major title, and have the handheld title be the sequels and spin-offs!!!
It worked in the past, so why ignore that successfull formula now?!?!?
FF fans have been waiting on FF VS XIII for too damn long now!!! When FF VS XIII is released, it better damn well be worth the wait!! The longer you put it off, the higher your fans expectations and the more you have to lose!!
Square Enix has officially gone CooCoo if they release a FF XII sequel BEFORE Vs XIII.
I am so close to giving up on S-E for good. I hope somebody replaces the boss of S-E soon, cos that guy is a moron!! (sorry, fogotten his name)
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ZettaiSeigi
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 2:00:22 AM
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Phoenix
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 2:02:58 AM
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While I havent played XIII-2, and dont plan to either, I cant believe you find X-2 a good title ben, imo it's easily 1 of the bottom FFs ever made, maybe even worse than XIII, the story was BAD, the characters were boring, and I think the only saving grace of the whole game was the combat...... funny, it's kinda like Grandia 3 that way...... another SE title..... O.O
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Ishkur
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 3:36:08 AM
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It's time to let go.
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___________
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 4:49:59 AM
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just because a games not set on a predecessors events or world or whatever does not mean its not a sequel.
if anything this just perfectly lines how the industry has changed this gen.
previously sequel meant whole new game within a franchise, now it more means same old same old with just a new coat of paint.
or for some cases same old same old with a old coat of paint!
the GTA series would be another perfect example.
every numbered title has been a completely different game!
does that mean there not sequels?
exactly what i was saying the other day about sequels being too much like their predecessors.
sequels these days are less sequels as they are DLC packs!
games need to get back to the idea of sequels being a reinvention, taken a well known beloved franchise and taking it to new heights.
dont get that mixed up with turning it into something it should not be!
like what crapcoms done with RE and others.
perfect example of what sequels should be would be assassins creed 3.
its such a different game from assassins creed 2, literally everything has been changed!
new story, new characters, new environments, new timeline, new gameplay.
everything!
a perfect example of how sequels should not be done would be ACB.
nothing significant added to the series, well except MP but who plays AC for the MP!?
exactly!
no one!
developers really need to get back to creating totally different games but that still feel relevant to the franchise.
another perfect example of that would be the reboot of prince of persia.
SUCH a different game, it could not of been any more of a departure!
but it was so successful and beloved simply because it was a totally new game yet it felt familiar, relevant to the PoP franchise.
FAR too many sequels these days feel like extended versions of their predecessors.
or at the very most vastly improved versions of their predecessors.
when they should be completely different games, but yet still relevant to the series.
not reinventing the wheel, just finding a new way to use it.
1 up, 0 down
Ultimadream
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 4:54:18 AM
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Part of the charm of Final Fantasy was the constrast between each game built around athe similar JRPG formula and Iconic FF features like summons, chocobos ect.
The FF series has to have the biggest devide in fans between any series, just because how different they are from one another, example many fans of VII, VIII, dislike IX for is retro atmosphere (I personally love all three!) or some dislike the battle system in XII as it feels more like an MMO or Dragon Age.
When it comes to sequels, there has not been anything substantial, X-2 added nothing to what X built but sidetracked from it until giving us the ending we wanted... if you completed it 100%. As for XIII-2 That did start from the original and expand on the universe, but it did seem a bit over the top in comparision. However It did add an interesting antagonist, something XIII-1 seriously lacked.
But as an FF fan I am against sequels, the charm of FF is to be brought into a completely new world, new characters, new story but keeping the RPG gameplay we love and true sense of an adventure. I personally feel S-E now need to conclude XIII with a XIII-3 or find some clever way to link Versus XIII in to conclude it. other than that I'll be waiting for Final Fantasy XV.
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ProfPlayStation
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 5:31:03 AM
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The only reason FFX-2 worked at all is because FFX was a massively loved entry in the series. "Please, sir, I'd like another," was completely fitting. Yet with FFXIII, I'm still flabbergasted at their decision to have another go with the most hated FF in the history of the franchise. You don't patch a broken and sinking ship; you build a new ship!
For all the good times that Square(RIP)Enix has given us with this series, I'm sure that most everyone would have been able to forgive them if they had said, "Whoops, we screwed up. We'll get it right next time." Instead we got, "Wait, wait, you just don't understand why this is so good! Here, have another one!" They shot themselves in the foot, and then immediately did it again with the other foot; now they have nothing upon which to stand their reputation.
With the way Versus (sans XIII, please) keeps getting pushed to the side, I'm starting to doubt that even that could be decent. The market analyzers and penny-pinchers are running the show now, and not the artists.
2 up, 0 down
Coffeya
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 7:17:50 AM
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duomaxwell007
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 9:08:20 AM
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BigBoss4ever
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 11:26:28 AM
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3 up, 0 down
Douchebaguette
Monday, May 28, 2012 @ 2:25:43 PM
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Take your time, Gooch. I'll await your next major installment and chant to it. Just like I purchased a Wii to play the Last Story (and Xenogears) - it was worth it.
3 up, 0 down
BigBoss4ever
Tuesday, May 29, 2012 @ 12:25:37 PM
2 up, 0 down
Ludakriss
Tuesday, May 29, 2012 @ 2:34:05 PM
Anyway. Simple and quaint. I'll be joining with you two. Xenogears & Last Story xD
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ethird1
Tuesday, May 29, 2012 @ 5:47:07 AM
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THey they should do a sequel to the story line of Final Fantasy: War of the Lions.
After all this, then they should redo Final Fantasy 1 into a MMORPG for all systems, using the very simple fire magic, ice magic, and battle systems. It should be quick and fun to play. It should be free to play, much like Guild Wars.
Then after all of THIS, they should come out and make a TRUE FINAL FANTASY that fans would love.
And they should fire the person running SquareEnix now and bring back the original chreater of FF.
2 up, 1 down
ZettaiSeigi
Reply
Sunday, May 27, 2012 @ 10:01:48 PM