Fnal Fantasy: Where did they go wrong?

[AshuraSpeaks]

Pitchfork's guide on socksmakepeoplesexy.com might help: http://socksmakepeoplesexy.net/index.php?a=patff

His summary of FF13 pretty much explains everything I hate, but in an entertaining way. He also explains how awesome the series is, so don't avoid it if you're afraid it will be miles of bile.

 

[BlackStar42]

I thought FFX was the last great one- then it all went wrong.

 

[Manji187]

Bad writing happened. And grindy mechanics.

Not much else to say.

Was the writing ever superb?

IMHO it was mediocre at best, most of the time.

 

[Ophiuchus]

For the sake of context: my favourite Final Fantasy games are 8 and 9. I didn't like 7 and have yet to give serious attention to the ones that came before. I have no interest in arguing, defending or debating this in the current topic.

For me, it started going wrong 'round about the time they employed voice actors. Not necessarily to say that voice acting ruined it (although... hi FF10 laughing scene, how are ya) but... I dunno, maybe that was the point when I stopped caring about that sort of game as a whole. Or maybe it's just that 10/X-2/12/13 are just not to my taste - I've played a bit of Lost Odyssey and thoroughly enjoyed it, presumably because it feels more like my favourite FF games than any other JRPG I've played.

Actually, I should probably hold off on judging FF13 - I got about 20-25 hours in before getting slapped with a whole heap of busy, long story short I haven't played it since May. I was enjoying it back then, although I suspect I might have to start it again 'cos I'm not really sure what the hell's going on any more. Or maybe I'll just restart Lost Odyssey and do that instead, since I enjoyed it considerably more.

 

[MasterV]

They're trying to stick with things they know best.

You're mistaking it with Dragon Quest. Final Fantasy tries to reinvent the wheel at every installment lately (the last decade) and each time they fail dramatically.

 

[Mr. Omega]

It's almost impossible for everyone to agree when it started being bad. Also, I've only played 3 games in the series, so I'm not exactly qualified, but I'll give it a shot...

Analysis:
I say VIII is when things aparently started going downhill. It's not that it was bad (IDK, didn't play that one), it's that not everybody thought it was good. Everyone thought VI was good. Everyone thought VII was good. So if there were people who thought VIII wasn't good, that obviously means that it was the begining of the end.

Peronally:
I say X. I've heard that it gets better, but at least the ones before it gave me reason to keep giving a damn until then. X did not.

The $1,000,000 question, though, is when Final Fantasy went from "debatably good" to just plain "bad". And with fan opinions all over the map, from "VII" to "It never did" or "It always was", we may NEVER know that one.

 

[Superbeast]

Well, I liked X and X-2, and absolutely adore XII (playing it again now). I've only not played XIII due to a lack of a modern console.

But I really did not like VIII - I could just never get into the game, the plot was (IMO) crap and the characters dull and irritating, the system was confusing and I had no idea what was going on.

Basically, different strokes for different folks. I do not think that the games have gone "downhill", I think they have improved massively from the games that everyone talks about as if it was some sort of golden era. But others think differently - it's all just subjective opinion and there's no real right-or-wrong was of looking at the games.

 

[Daedalus1942]

Oooh! linky time!
http://spoonyexperiment.com/category/final-fantasy-viii/

According to Spoony, it started with 8 and rapidly went downhill from there.

That's all good and well except that that was an april fool's joke, and he genuinely likes the game.
He was being sarcastic, therefore your argument really has no validity. I honestly have no idea why everyone hated VIII, as it was probably one of (if not the) most complex of the bunch battle system and story wise.
Also... if you in all honesty didn't like IX... I'm going to go have to go ahead and say you have no soul.
That game had some of the most likeable characters in the entires series, an interesting plot, a cute girlyboy and possibly the most fun sidequests in any of the games to date.

 

[oplinger]

Well, I liked X and X-2, and absolutely adore XII (playing it again now). I've only not played XIII due to a lack of a modern console.

But I really did not like VIII - I could just never get into the game, the plot was (IMO) crap and the characters dull and irritating, the system was confusing and I had no idea what was going on.

Basically, different strokes for different folks. I do not think that the games have gone "downhill", I think they have improved massively from the games that everyone talks about as if it was some sort of golden era. But others think differently - it's all just subjective opinion and there's no real right-or-wrong was of looking at the games.

YOU. HOW DO YOU DO IT?! HOW DO YOU TOLERATE....vaan

*shudder*

....No seriously, how?

 

[Kevonovitch]

they didn't retire the series after ff7 was made. no complaints on the movies though

 

[tomtom94]

It started with the expansion of gameplay known as "Final Fantasy XI" and following on from that they tried to change all sorts of things in XII that didn't need changing.

 

[SuperSuperSuperGuy]

They're trying to take the games in new directions with each new instalment; all of the recent games are very different (I'm not so sure about the ones on the NES and SNES). It's only common sense that some people will like them and others would hate them.

 

[AlternatePFG]

Oooh! linky time!
http://spoonyexperiment.com/category/final-fantasy-viii/

According to Spoony, it started with 8 and rapidly went downhill from there.

That's all good and well except that that was an april fool's joke, and he genuinely likes the game.
He was being sarcastic, therefore your argument really has no validity. I honestly have no idea why everyone hated VIII, as it was probably one of (if not the) most complex of the bunch battle system and story wise.

Actually, no it wasn't an April Fools joke. The only April Fools joke in that series of videos is the one about the original Final Fantasy.

Personally, I stopped liking the series after the SNES era. I can admit that Final Fantasy VII was a good game, but by the time I played it, my interest in the series had waned. I tried giving FFXIII a chance, and by the end of it I just gave up.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

I guess if you want to call it "wrong", they actually try and do other things with the game instead of just re-releasing the same game over and over again like other series do (*cough* Halo *cough*).

 

[megs1120]

If I had to pinpoint the moment that Final Fantasy turned to crap, it'd be the exodus of Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu.

Play Lost Odyssey and tell me that wouldn't have been a fantastic Final Fantasy game.

 

[Harlemura]

Well, XIII's my favourite Final Fantasy.

The fuck is wrong with you? Of all the games in the series, you picked the most linear, predictable and downright boring entry as your favorite?

As opposed to what? 5,000 hours of looking through VII's text boxes? Getting your party smushed after taking three steps from X's save points? Or maybe I should have picked VIII, a game so dull I can't even be bothered to get past the tutorial.

All of them have good and bad points. Just because I prefer one game's good points makes me "wrong"?

 

[Lord Thodin]

I say they started gettin shitty with X-2, and XIII cause both of those were awful.

 

[Lord Thodin]

Well, XIII's my favourite Final Fantasy.

The fuck is wrong with you? Of all the games in the series, you picked the most linear, predictable and downright boring entry as your favorite?

As opposed to what? 5,000 hours of looking through VII's text boxes? Getting your party smushed after taking three steps from X's save points? Or maybe I should have picked VIII, a game so dull I can't even be bothered to get past the tutorial.

All of them have good and bad points. Just because I prefer one game's good points makes me "wrong"?

I agree with T00bz dood, 13 was like a sharp stick in the eye compared to ANY of the others.