Square-Enix No Longer The Perennial RPG Powerhouse
See Full ImageWhen I first heard that Squaresoft and Enix would be merging, I glanced over at my PlayStation collection of RPGs. Along with all the Final Fantasy titles, I saw the likes of Vagrant Story, Parasite Eve, Front Mission 3, Legend of Mana, Threads of Fate, Chrono Cross, and Star Ocean: The 2nd Story. Enix only did the latter, but hey, it was an awesome RPG and Squaresoft...well, they were the masters. Plain and simple.
But the dream role-playing company never seemed to take shape. Yeah, we still got some of the best RPGs I've ever played, including Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XII, but it has become more and more obvious that FF remains the only guaranteed smash hit from Square-Enix. Games like The Last Remnant (based on reviews, I don't care in the slightest if it ever comes to the PS3), Infinite Undiscovery, and Star Ocean: The Last Hope have proven something to me: I really like Star Ocean, but it doesn't really measure up to expectations; if this was a decade ago, I certainly would've anticipated a little better from the king of RPGs. Now, one can make an argument for or against Square-Enix based on a variety of handheld titles and other games I haven't mentioned here, but I think all RPG fans can agree that Square-Enix hasn't lived up to the legacy of Squaresoft. I'm not really sure why...are they putting all their effort into Final Fantasy XIII? Is this why the IPs and other lesser sequels aren't as great as they could be?
I admit to not knowing the reason, and I further admit that FFXIII will rock; if it doesn't end up being the best RPG of the generation, I'll actually be surprised. I also have high hopes for Final Fantasy Versus XIII. But I'm just pointing out the obvious contrast here: there was a time when I'd peruse the shelf at the game store and if a game said "Squaresoft" on the box, it'd probably be a must-buy. Hell, they even did an awesome 2D side-scrolling shooter in Einhander! And for fans of the JRPG genre, Squaresoft was it. I remember it very, very well. Now, I find myself looking at a game with the Square-Enix logo and saying to myself, "hmm...I dunno." I'm actually skeptical. I would never have expected this when I heard about the Square/Enix combination; in fact, I would've expected the exact opposite. It's like they can do anything FF-related wonderfully, but anything else doesn't seem to live up to expectations. Look at those other PS1 games from Square. I mean, that's just not happening now.
I'm not trying to "talk trash" about Square-Enix or anything like that. I think the developer has immense potential as it always has, and as I said, I have nothing but the highest hopes for any FF installment. I'm merely pointing out a distressing observation that most all RPG fans will agree with, and I'm hoping Square-Enix can turn things around at some point, here. I have my eyes set firmly on End of Eternity, even if it's another tri-Ace-developed title. I guess I just miss the good ol' days of Squaresoft, you know?
4/12/2009 Ben Dutka
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Comments (57 posts)
kokoro
Sunday, April 12, 2009 @ 10:54:10 PM
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WolfCrimson
Sunday, April 12, 2009 @ 10:54:46 PM
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Ben, is it possible to send this article to Square-Enix? hope they read it and see that their fanbase want the quality of games squaresoft produced.
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crapreviews
Sunday, April 12, 2009 @ 10:54:51 PM
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frankly that's all SE means to me now is FF. if it isn't FF then more then likely i don't care about
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Qwarktast1c
Sunday, April 12, 2009 @ 10:54:54 PM
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but i agree that lately all the stuff that squenix has put out (except FF and KH) really isn't really that good.
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shadowpal2
Sunday, April 12, 2009 @ 11:01:51 PM
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Then...when I was 13 I had a sudden random flashback of that memory and one memory where I was in Costco and I used to always go in the game section and I used to see the PS2 game known as FFX-2. I was wondering what in the world could it be about. It looked so different, unique, and cooler in its own way then the rest. So from this random flashback I decided: I AM GOING TO GET A FINAL FANTASY GAME AND UNDERSTAND WHAT IT'S ABOUT.
Well...here I am. I have a bunch of Square Enix games known as...FFX (which is actually developed by SquareSoft...but mind says Square Enix haha), FFX-2, FFXII, FFVII: Crisis Core, FF Tactics: The War of the Lions, KH I, KH II, KH Re: Chain of Memories, and Musashi.
Now...I love all these games. But when I look at some gameplay videos or remember how those kids back when I was 8 all over those Final Fantasy games back in the PSX days...I can only say that...wow...Square surely was something back then. I'm having fun...but definitely not as much fun as they were having.
I hope they come back into the game. But I have a feeling that FFXIII might not do it...FF Versus XIII would.
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Banky A
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 6:18:03 AM
But it's sad because not many people reply to your genius comments ;]
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WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 12:17:29 PM
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karneli lll
Sunday, April 12, 2009 @ 11:30:39 PM
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Scarecrow
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 12:07:26 AM
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Square-Enix is only really 'bout FF, and the occasional Dragon Quest.
ATLUS and Sega are the only real rpg companies left.
Funny, Sony was once an rpg powerhouse. Well Sony of Japan at least.
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Kevadu
Tuesday, April 14, 2009 @ 1:14:16 AM
Here's hoping that WKC is better than that, but at least the reviews of the Japanese version I have seen seem to indicate it's following the trend...
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cegmp
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 12:26:49 AM
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Elyon
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 12:36:15 AM
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godsman
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 12:37:33 AM
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Geobaldi
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 2:59:09 AM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 12:19:56 PM
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Scarecrow
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 1:08:29 PM
Quality rpgs is all I ask for
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Zemus101
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 12:59:47 AM
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Snaaaake
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 2:01:09 AM
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FFX was epic, then comes FFX-2 which was complete trash, then FFXII which I find it frustrating even though it was fun(one journey from a place to another can take me hours).
FFXIII?
Well they gotta make this as good as possible, I'm tired of waiting, I'm a FF hardcore fan, and right now I'm about to quit becoming one and only FFXIII can prevent me from quitting.
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Edito
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 2:42:19 AM
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Tetsuya Nomura only worked for KH, FF e Parasite (these are good RPGs) and Hironubo Sakaguchi is the final fantasy creator how can a game live without his creator??? belive me FF will never be the same again will be good because of the designer Nomura but the storitelling im not sure cause they don't have sakaguchi anymore...
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Edito
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 2:43:13 AM
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Tetsuya Nomura only worked for KH, FF e Parasite (these are good RPGs) and Hironubo Sakaguchi is the final fantasy creator how can a game live without his creator??? belive me FF will never be the same again will be good because of the designer Nomura but the storitelling im not sure cause they don't have sakaguchi anymore...
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Ultimadream
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 3:13:06 AM
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For now the XBOX seems to be gettign them all Star OCean 4, Lost Odyssey... its madness.
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skyscape
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 4:19:27 AM
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They're also churning out an astronomical number of remakes on the DS - not that these are particularly bad, or I'm complaining about them, but it's obviously where the money's at. Most recently they have been criticized for developing the latest Crystal Chronicles game for DS and Wii on the same engine, resulting in a shocking looking wii version. The drive to make a great game is now secondary to making a game quickly that will sell well.
I agree that the main entries to the Final Fantasy canon remain at an exceptional level, but they're also churning out a lot of spinoff games which aren't to the same standard. Just a few short years ago the each game in the Final Fantasy series aimed to reinvent itself, there were no sequels or spinoffs, but now we've got mediocre sequels and spinoffs like Final Fantasy X2, Revenant Wings, Dirg of Cerebrus, Chocobo tales etc, FF Crystal Chronicles (which aren't bad, but it's obvious that the Final Fantasy badge has been tacked on there to sell more) which don't live up to expectations.
Square and Enix were both beloved software developers, but Square Enix is almost as vile as Ubisoft - they hold on to a few lucrative franchises, but churn out a hell of a lot of shovelware.
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raztad
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 8:26:26 AM
SE is all about money this gen, timed exclusivities and spinoffs. Some of those spinoffs are actually good, for example FFVII:CC on the PSP, but it's clear they are spending a lot of in-house development resources on handhelds (mostly the DS) and not enough on HD console games. Some weeks ago we were scared about SE possibly delaying FFXIII cause a DS game, this is madness.
Companies like SEGA (Valkyrie C. is rapidly becoming my fav game this gen over MGS4 and KZ2) and others, show that it's possible to produce excellent HD RPGs. SE's focus, on the other hand, it's to pull out DQ for the DS. WTH DQIX is bound to the DS anyway?
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Tristan
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 5:01:06 AM
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Last edited by Tristan on 4/13/2009 5:01:33 AM
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raztad
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 9:34:07 AM
Try Valkyrie Chronicles, it is an awesome game. VC is a strategy-RPG, but you are able to control individual characters in real time, so it gives you a sense of immersion you cant find in others sRPG out there. It got an real awesome story as well, beautiful art style, is a real masterpiece. If you like RPGs you should give VC a try. The psn demo could give you an idea about VC gameplay mechanics, but it doesnt show how EPIC the game is.
Only 30$ on gamestop.
Last edited by raztad on 4/13/2009 9:34:50 AM
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mastiffchild
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 5:09:54 AM
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I think that KH3 might even go Xbox exclusive outside of Japan and the pressure they put on FF13 and Vs is getting incredible. By the time Vs is released it might well still be the first game SE develop for PS3 exclusively and without the exp of earlier games on the system it might struggle even with Nomura at the helm.
Why buy Eidos? Arkham Asylum looks OK but recently their record's terrible! Did SE really feel the money from the MS deal(which I guess MS did to try and break Japan, which failed, and slow PS3 sales there which succeeded til recently)would compensate for not putting games out on the platform most of their biggest fans bought after years of SE spouting "only on PS3" about FF13? didn't they think people, married to the folly of weak games on the wrong engines(UE3?)even on 360, that bought PS3 for SE games would be upset at their turnabout?
I get why MS did this, and don't blame them at all, but SE have sold their fans down the river and IF FF13 isn't amazing the future could be bleak. And why the desire to make western games and lose what made their name?
Puzzling to say the least to think that while every platform under the sun has new SE games PS3 still doesn't yet that's the console their marketing pushed folk into buying for over three years!
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Douchebaguette
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 5:25:06 AM
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Jackyl
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 6:26:46 AM
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Deleted User
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 9:09:54 AM
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Jordahn
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 9:26:57 AM
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www
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 9:29:12 AM
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I strongly believe FFXIII will rock!!!!!!!!
I don't think any exclusive will match it's quality,yes not even GoWIII,yes i said it and that's my opinion.
Last edited by www on 4/13/2009 9:29:36 AM
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Highlander
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 9:56:56 AM
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Isn't End of Eternity being developed by Tri-Ace and published by SEGA? In a piece about hoping against hope that SE can turn around and do something right, watching End of Eternity seems to do little more than re-0infoprce the fact that SEGA and not SquEnix is really leading the field for Playstation RPG action.
I think that the 'end' happened during the PS2 generation of gaming, SquEnix lost sight of why they were doing what they were doing, it all became about money, and not the art of the game (by which I mean not just the art style, but the art of building a good game). Sure companies have to make money to survive, but based on their games successes in the past concentrating on the art of the game (so to speak) served them well.
This generation though SquEnix seems to be concentrating far more on finance and far less on the art of the game. I think they mad a bad choice of focus, if you look at the 'next gen' game output from SquEnix it's been laughably small, and pretty well limited to the 360. Which is a shame since the western audience has never been their primary audience, and has always been dwarfed by their home market of Japan. Well, it's their bed, they made it and they can lie in it. TLR sucked wind, could it be that using a third party engine wasn't a great idea?
SquEnix are not the legends in their own lunchtime that people would suppose, were they ever?
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FeyeR
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 11:55:42 AM
thats deep.. well the answer is:
I dont care now, and maybe never will.
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Orvisman
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 10:33:28 AM
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But ScrEwnix is not the Square I remember fondly.
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lightel0s
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 10:53:38 AM
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As far as i remember RPGS in SNES days where BAD enough, Excluding the gems that where games like Chrono, FF2,FF3, SOM, 7th saga & soublazer, the rest where pure crap.
ps1? omg what a bunch of bad rpgs we got there and tell me ps2 they are millions of bad rpgs.
now we have rpgs where u can "watch" real rol playing. and we got? a bunch of boys crying because my new rpgs are not like FFX. cmon.... FFX was garbage.
I Congratulate SquareEnix for Gimme awesome rpgs on my Xbox 360, sure they have their flaws like any other rpgs but are funny enough to keep me satisfied. go buy and play games like these, and stop complaining about THESE RPGS im tired of that :) seems u dont remember the BUNCH of bad rpgs we have played before 360 rpgs ones.
stop being so rude. CMON!.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 4/13/2009 11:04:33 AM
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 11:04:51 AM
There isn't a single solitary unbiased fan of the genre who's going to agree with that assessment. Mainly because it isn't true. In fact, it's too ridiculous to even address.
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Douchebaguette
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 8:31:08 PM
I'm replaying FFIX right now and it still kicks any RPG's ass from this generation so far. And FFIX isn't even one of my all time favourites. Your taste isn't bad. It's BIASED.
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lightel0s
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 11:08:17 AM
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BikerSaint
Tuesday, April 14, 2009 @ 1:33:05 AM
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lightel0s
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 11:18:41 AM
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im talking about these 360 rpgs because its the console im playing rpgs right now. not fanboyism, anyways u should try these games.
and sorry for the multiple posts i dont know what happen with my pc.
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 12:21:07 PM
If you had a console that had 3 "good" RPGs and 0 bad RPGs, and you had another console that had 20 good or great RPGs and 100 bad RPGs...which would you take?
The bad doesn't matter. Only the good does.
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WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 12:33:58 PM
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Orvisman
Tuesday, April 14, 2009 @ 9:57:45 AM
@World,
Just one more person made illiterate by playing video games, texting, and whatever else instead of picking up a book and reading once in a while.
I'm not knocking games, mind you, because I'm an avid gamer; but I was also an avid reader when I was younger, which is how I wound up in publishing.
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telly
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 12:14:23 PM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 12:37:18 PM
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Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 4/13/2009 12:37:49 PM
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lightel0s
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 12:40:16 PM
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i think is something related to budget, programming skills or just like the RPG genre is overlooked now. lets face the facts its hard to "surprise buyers" without revisiting some of the formulas u already used in a jrpg.
but as far this GEN goes i dont find rpgs like lost odyssey, eternal sotana, TLR, IU, SO TLH, WNC or Demon souls any bad. its just they are not innovative enough to keep momentum. its not only Square-Enix. it happen to most videogame companies and genres now "more of the same". its hard to find good games these days and especially Rpgs.
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Arvis
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 3:09:26 PM
...a few paragraphs later...
"FFX was garbage."
lightel0s "credibility" = 0
-Arvis
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Highlander
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 3:10:52 PM
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The thing about RPGs that I think is overlooked more often than not, and is overlooked by your message, is that RPGs live and die by their story and characters. Without characters that we can relate to and care about, or a story that involves us an RPG is just another collection of mini-games and puzzles.
Being innovative is not necessarily a major thing, as far as I can see a standard turn based JRPG system could be used un-modified for any RPG, so long as the story and characters were good.
The length of RPGs and their heavily story driven nature makes the RPG the video game equivalent of a good novel. However video games today are driven by action, the more frenetic and violent the better. The mistake that a lot of devs seem to be making is focusing their RPG games more on action with 'innovations' such as real-time combat or third person action. These are not innovations, they are copying features from other games. There is nothing innovative in change for the same of change.
From my perspective, an RPG with great characters, story and - yes - presentation will always win over the action oriented titles. You could have a whole series of RPGS using the same basic combat & skills system an as long as the stry and characters were there it would work, and no one would (or should) worry about a lack of innovation in the game.
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Deadman
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 4:34:34 PM
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lightel0s
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 5:03:46 PM
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Highlander and u are right, if we talk about the later game stories from square enix, they left much to be desired. anyways i found the gameplay entertaining enough to satisfy the lack of "good novel"
and sorry my english is bad. thats why its hard to express myself what im thinking about rpgs these days.
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smileys_007
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 5:38:20 PM
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well.. all i have to say is that you have a pretty "bad" taste for saying that FFX is garbage. I'm pretty sure that the majority will say that FFX is an awesome game.. anyway, it's your opinion and i respect that.
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OPHIDIAN
Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 7:27:42 PM
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I have to admit that I'm also quite suprised that you found FFX boring. My two favourite all time games ever made will have to be MGS and FFX, the story in the latter was just fascinating, the game itself was beautiful. That's one game S-E can be more than proud of.
I have a xbox360, I have played - yet not owned - the aforsaid xbox360 games and I have to say that Star Ocean was a very enjoyable game.
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CptGreedle
Friday, April 17, 2009 @ 9:46:01 AM
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I have been very upset at the fact that so few of their titles have so far hit the PS3. The first game I played on a console was FFVII, and I have been a FF fan ever since. I do not mind it going out to the 360, to help expand the user base of their great games, but to not even come out to the console that helped launch their success... it seems to me that the new management or whatever it is that happened with this merger, has seriously screwed things up!
Please Square Enix, go back to the way things were before the merger! Bring us those hit titles on BOTH consoles, and give us a new reason to buy your games.
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GamerO1
Friday, April 17, 2009 @ 1:19:22 PM
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Unfortunately I thought the take over of Enix was going to be bad for Gamers, and it seems so. Also anyone notice how Squaresofts games are more Action Genre's versus "true" RPG's? I Have !!!
Here are some of the games I really enjoyed from Enix, before Square too over:
7th Saga
ActRaiser Series
Brain Lord
Dragon Warrior/Dragon Quest Series
Grandia Series
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice
Ogre Battle Series
Paladin's Quest
Soul Blazer
Star Ocean Series
Valkyrie Profile Series
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AntDC
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Sunday, April 12, 2009 @ 10:53:30 PM