Final Fantasy XIII Announced At E3

Thought it's not terribly surprising, it's nice to hear. Final Fantasy XIII has been announced for the PlayStation 3. It actually sounds like there will be three separate titles: A traditional RPG, a mobile game, and a 'versus' title. From the article: "FINAL FANTASY XIII. They pulled a serious bait-and-switch on us. Sword-and-gun-wielding heroine who looks like Yuna, flipping her way around a high-tech, futuristic world ... Motomu Toriyama will direct the game. And apparently FFXIII isn't the only game coming out of this universe--there's a, uh, mobile game too. Oh. It's Final Fantasy Agito XIII ... Final Fantasy Versus XIII?" Additional announcements include a new Crystal Chronicles and Dragon Quest for the Wii, and a Final Fantasy VII universe title for the PSP.

Comments

Re:My first reaction

[spun]

No, because I don't expect them to be in any way a sequel. And because I've only ever bought one, FFX. Yet I still understand that these games are not sequels. "Final Fantasy" simply means it has cactuars, chocobos, and some random guy named Cid in it.

Most console RPGs are this way, in fact.

[Valdrax]

Not to troll, but are there any other game "series" where every (well, almost every) installment features a completely new plot and new characters?

The Dragon Quest series.
The Tales series.
The Grandia series.
The SaGa series.
The Wild Arms series.
The Shining Force series.
The Atelier series.
The Breath of Fire series (even if there's always a Nina).

In fact, I'm hard pressed to think of console RPG series that has had more than 2 games where the games actually are sequels: The Arc the Lad, Lunar, and Ys series are the only I can think of.

No.

[Valdrax]

Why, do you feel like the game would be more valuable to you and more fun if they didn't make anymore games after it?

Besides, if you're still buying Final Fantasy games by the 13th game, and you feel bad about it, then you've got some kind of weird self-abuse issues.

They're not sequels, they're an RPG trademark

[ObligatoryUserName]

Final Fantasy is a strong brand amongst the current gaming mainstream (different from the general population mainstream) because they have consistly been some of the most emotionally aware games (they actually try to have an emotional impact beyond surprising or scaring the player).

For people who judge games solely on how fun they are to play minute to minute, the brand is weak. For people who have estabilished an emotional connection to Final Fantasy, the brand is strong and that's why they sell a lot of copies. They have established loyalty beyond reason. Good for them! It makes it easier for them to sell their games.

I only bought FF 1 for the NES way back when and Tactics for the GBA; I would have gotten 7 but the PC demo scared me away with long boring animations. So this is an opinion based on how other people talk about the games rather than first hand experience.

Where's the Plot!

[KefabiMe]

Some buddies of mine were chilling around watching Advent Children the other day. We were lamenting about how Final Fantasy VII blew our minds early on in the game, and kept blowing our minds up until the end. That game instilled a sense of *wonder*, and many late nights were spent just wanting to play a little bit more to find out what the hell was going to happen next! The game before that, Final Fantasy III (or VI for you purists), had a great plot line as well.

However, every single Final Fantasy since then has been good, but *not* the awe-inspiring series we remember. Even the Final Fantasy movies were more about being pretty than about the actual story. The last Final Fantasy I played through was Final Fantasy X, and I always had a feeling that Square was more focused on kick ass cutscenes than having a kick ass story. ='(

Here's my wish list:

• Final Fantasy III (VI) being redone with awesome graphics, but with the EXACT SAME CHARACTERS AND STORY LINE! I just want to see how that awesome game could look on the PS3, Wii, whatever...
• Final Fantasy VII redone with updated graphics, but with the exact same characters and story line. I have almost no confidence that Square can make a truely AWESOME *story* anymore, rather than just a good story.
• Fire their current writers, hire the old ones or some fresh talent, and focus on PLOT and CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. If someone starts talking about how cool some CG cutscene could look, CAN HIS ASS.

I want *great* things for Final Fantasy, I really do. But it just seems it is past it's prime. It's become a money maker for an already rich Square rather than the epic story they used to make when they were a smaller company and closer to bankruptcy.

Re:Where's the Plot!

[njfuzzy]

I actually think that your attitude come very close to the one at Square that is causing this problem. You don't tell a great story by trying to emulate past success. You tell a great story by doing something new and different. Doing it again, by its very nature, is going to be less unique.

Re:Where's the Plot!

[badasscat]

However, every single Final Fantasy since then has been good, but *not* the awe-inspiring series we remember. Even the Final Fantasy movies were more about being pretty than about the actual story. The last Final Fantasy I played through was Final Fantasy X, and I always had a feeling that Square was more focused on kick ass cutscenes than having a kick ass story. ='(

Honestly, part of this is probably just that you have grown older and more jaded. Another is probably that you may no longer be as open-minded as you think you are. You are obviously looking for the same experience FF7 gave you, rather than opening yourself to a *new* experience that may be different, but just as satisfying. If it's not like FF7, it's nothing to you. (Your comments about remaking FF7 and FF3 reinforce that.)

FFVII is my favorite game of all time, and to me it was a truly religious experience as well. And I also admit to being totally unimpressed with FFVIII and I couldn't even make it through FFIX. But FFX... FFX deeply affected me in a way no game had since FFVII. It was not the same experience - it was sort of quieter, and more subtle - but it was just as deep. FFVII threw everything but the kitchen sink at you whereas FFX I remember as being almost serene. It was exactly what I wanted to play at that somewhat older stage of life (vs. FFVII), and I felt truly sad when I got to the end.

I also think it had the tightest gameplay of any FF since VII - not just the best story. There were a half-dozen boss battles right at the end and all of them were amazing. And I grew to love the sphere grid system (though it did take a while).

My point being, I don't think it's necessarily that the series has peaked than it is just that you're looking for something other than what Square is producing these days. FFVIII was the only time I sort of felt like Square was trying to recreate something from FFVII, and it fell flat. FFIX and FFX were both somewhat different styles, one a lot more successful (IMO) than the other. But you can't always look for the second coming of FFVII, because you just can't recreate the same magic. But you can make new magic, and I think Square has done that. You just have to be open to it.

I did think FFX-2 was a big disappointment after X, though even it had its moments. But it's yet another example of how lightning never strikes in the same place twice.

Re:My first reaction

[ReverendLoki]

Does anyone else feel a little ripped off every time they buy a new sequel to a game called "final fantasy"?

Such is the stock witty remark made by every other person who doesn't care for the Final Fantasy series. Seriously, I've heard this "original" comment from no fewer than 20 different people.

Like most things, there's actually a reason and a story why they name a seemingly unending series "Final". Wikipedia has a nice summation, which can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_fantasy#Overvie w

Or, for those who don't feel like following a link:

Square Co., Ltd. first entered the Japanese video game industry in the mid 1980s, developing a variety of simple RPGs for Nintendo's Famicom Disk System (FDS), a disk-based peripheral for the Family Computer (also known as the "Famicom," and known internationally as the Nintendo Entertainment System). By 1987, declining interest in the FDS had placed Square on the verge of bankruptcy. At approximately the same time, Square designer Hironobu Sakaguchi began work on an ambitious new fantasy role playing game for the cartridge-based Famicom, inspired in part by Enix's popular Dragon Quest (known to some in the United States as Dragon Warrior). (At the time, Enix and Square were separate companies; they did not merge until about 17 years later.) Sakaguchi had plans to retire after the completion of the project so he named it Final Fantasy because it was his final game, although it was also going to be Square's final game. In fact, it's commonly believed that the game was named Final Fantasy because of Square and not Sakaguchi, although Sakaguchi himself has confirmed it was named because of his plans for retirement. Either way, Final Fantasy turned out to be far from being Square's or Sakaguchi's last game. Final Fantasy reversed Square's lagging fortunes, and became their flagship franchise.

Dragon Quest Wii - Huge!

[Castar]

Wow, if Dragon Quest Wii is the nex Dragon Quest, instead of a side-series like Crystal Chronicles, that's *huge*. Dragon Quest is the best-selling game series in Japan, and its presence on Wii pretty much assures it's going to be a success there.

Dragon Quest isn't as big as FF in the states, but Dragon Quest 8 sold a lot of copies over here nonetheless. The GameCube had a shortage of good RPGs, so hopefully this helps turn Nintendo's fortunes around.

Also, it sounds like a swordfighting title, which will fit the controller well.

Re:Final Fantasy "Whatever"

[Adriax]

You're complaining about this NOT being a cookie cutter sequel?
Jesus, who do you work for, EA?