Poll: Square Enix, and what i think of them

[Space Spoons]

Oh, Square-Enix... There's so much I could say about it, but I just know my points have already been made.

I will say this, though: I'm getting pretty damn tired of the "angsty pretty boy" main character mold. Granted, Vaan broke the trend slightly... But only because he had no personality whatsoever. Seriously, he was like plank of wood to me. I just... I got nothin'.

It's gotten to the point that Tidus has become my favorite protagonist of the series, because he's capable of expressing a full range of emotions and doesn't seem to have that same allergy to bright colors.

You have not played pre FF7 have you...

That was Squaresoft, not Square-Enix. Two different companies, in my opinion.
There were some great characters from the pre FF7 games. Locke Cole is probably my favorite, followed by the Figaro brothers, with Rydia at a close third.

Ivory: I guess compared to the others, he wasn't... I'm just saying, he didn't really stand out to me.

 

[TheWickerPopstar]

Probably already mentioned but XII played itself...

seriously... it was like watching someone else play the game

It could be...but that's the player's choice. I never really used the gambit system for a whole lot more than specifying who I wanted initializing the encounters. It certainly doesn't require gambits and I find it more fun without heavily relying on them.

 

[Akihiko]

^ Final fantasy 7, 8, 9 and 10 were all developed by Squaresoft. ;p It wasn't untill X-2 time when Enix and SquareSoft merged to make Square Enix.

If you're going to complain about Square Enix milking the final fantasy series, then you should also be complaining about alot of other developers, although i admit SE are particularly bad for remaking games. Alot of the remakes done for other consoles i'm quite happy about, i recently bought FInal Fantasy IV for the DS and i can honestly say i'm really liking it, was never able to play the original version and with this now i can, with improved graphics as well. Also Crisis Core was enjoyable for me aswell. I admit some games were a complete disappointment like for example Dirge of cerberus, which was Devil May Cry gone wrong..

I agree with the fact in terms of the Final Fantasy franchise, ever since Squaresoft merged with Enix, the FInal Fantasy games have gone deeply down hill. X-2 wasn't too bad, but it wasn't really a proper final fantasy game, and as for Final Fantasy 12, that was one of my biggest disappointments ever, for me the idea of clashing a turn based style active timer battle system with real time clashed vigerously, imo it should be one or the other, not half way between plus the characters annoyed me, Fran and Basch being the only two characters i liked, but thats just my tastes, considering allthe good reviews it got, it seems alot of people disagree....

Square Enix have made some really good none Final Fantasy games, like recently i completed The World Ends With You, which i thoroughly enjoyed, plus it was very unique, completely different from most jrpg's. Kingdom hearts 2 i can't comment on as i've only played the first(Squaresoft made the first one iirc).

 

[1blackone]

I think most of the dissapointment of the casual Square fan with FFXII (e.g.they only play/rent the major FFs) stems from unfamilarization with the Ivalice Alliance games and how thier stories are told diffrently from other FF titles.

If you didn't know, there are 3 official worlds of Final Fantasy called Compilations. the Crystal games, the Gaia games, and the Ivalice Alliance, with a fourth world, Fabula Nova Crystallis, annnounced to begin with XIII and its spin-offs. In ALL of these games, designers/directors try to stay within thier respective compilation's themes. For instance, the Gaia games, like FFX and FFVII, commonly try to highlight the interconnection between thier Planet's very life force and the individual, while crystal games highlight human's thirst for power.

THE IVALICE ALLIANCE, which FFXII is in, focuses on how huge powerful countries and governments affects, and is affected by, the the lives and actions of the individual. All of the games use thier main character like a living behind-the-scenes camera documenting the events and fallout. In FFT it was Ramza, in FFXII, Vaan. It's only natural for the game to not focus or develop on Vaan because, actually, he isn't THE focus, none of the singular characters are, think of them as croutons for a salad: added extra bits for accentuation.

The MOST IMPORTANT part of Ivalice Alliance stories is HOW the chracter's affect and are affected setting and plot, not necessarily the characters themselves. The exception being (to great success) Vagrant Story wich had both...the only thing that comes to mind that would be a reference to this type of story delivery would be the anime Junni Kokki (twelve kingdoms)

As for the gameplay itself, it seems to me that alotta the gripe over FF12 seems to be from people not being able to utilize the gambit system and posistioning properly. Maybe they played the game like FFIV and didn't move the characters around and only used menu commands(?)

The truly unique aspect about FFXII though was that it was the first time in a main FF game surroundings became a factor. For instance, when you hunt the dark unicorn mark in the forest, after you engaged it, you could swing out your long range weapon user and healer to the branch above it, outta harms way, while your tank and attacker held him fixed; ALL in Real-Time! . Not only was it refreashing, it injected an added layer of strategy, provided your lvls weren't too high for the enemies. This, and countless other scenarios happened at least with ME during the game. I wonder, did the people dissatisfied with the game not experience this?

I just wanted to let the people who didn't like FFXII know what the stories intentions were. hopefully illuminating what part of the plot is central to the story. But hey, if you STILL don't like that kinda story theme, so be it. But DON'T say it sucks. Remember, just because 'YOU didn't like it' means exactly that, JUST...YOU didn't like it. It doesn't mean it was poorly executed and every one else perceptions of a good game is forfeit.

 

[jdnoth]

Final Fantasy is overall probably my favorite game series to date. It's one of the first games I ever played come to think of it, but I must admit that its really gone downhill. The characters and the storylines have historically, been very important to Final Fantasy games. But I'm beginning to wonder just how many times they can rip off Star Wars and remake fucking Tidus as the main character. Sure, FFX was a great game. I loved the leveling up system, It's probably one of the most innovative RPG level and skill engines to date. But the characters were pathetic, and the storyline was just god awful: It was something straight out of one of those corny American 70's kids shows about high-school, re-adapted for Japanese pre-teens. I was embarrassed to be seen playing it. What happened to the sarcastic sociopaths like Squall? Why was I playing with this blond, American, pop-culture, sports prick called Tidus? I think I've seen him before. Wasn't he Mark-Paul Gosselaar's character in Saved by the Bell?

And was anyone asking for a rehash of the combat system in FFXII? What I liked most about Final Fantasy (apart from the storylines, fuck you for ruining that too) was the calm and calculated manner in which you could play the game. It was almost mathematical. Some of the later bosses requiring real levels of intelligence from the player. And in FFXII we basically had a hack and slash affair. Just smash x until the enemy is dead whilst running around in circles trying to dodge the enemy's attacks. I'm reminded of the phrase "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". This is more along the lines of "If it's perfect, don't you dare fucking break it". And that's just what they did.

 

[DannyDamage]

Vaan wasn't very good design wise either. At first I just thought someone had taken Zidane artwork and removed the tail. This was maybe another factor in me thinking Vaan was as plain as pie.

Another note to add to the thread is my amusement at the folks that think the FF series is a LONG line of sequels and prequels, Fools.

I haven't played TTA2 yet, but I've played Tactics and Tactics Advance. I got to grips with the Laws system but it DID piss me off, quite a lot. It had a pretty basic story TBH compared to the first game but Tactics 1 only had 1 race and few jobs.....sadly.

 

[DannyDamage]

Final Fantasy is overall probably my favorite game series to date. It's one of the first games I ever played come to think of it, but I must admit that its really gone downhill. The characters and the storylines have historically, been very important to Final Fantasy games. But I'm beginning to wonder just how many times they can rip off Star Wars and remake fucking Tidus as the main character. Sure, FFX was a great game. I loved the leveling up system, It's probably one of the most innovative RPG level and skill engines to date. But the characters were pathetic, and the storyline was just god awful: It was something straight out of one of those corny American 70's kids shows about high-school, re-adapted for Japanese pre-teens. I was embarrassed to be seen playing it. What happened to the sarcastic sociopaths like Squall? Why was I playing with this blond, American, pop-culture, sports prick called Tidus? I think I've seen him before. Wasn't he Mark-Paul Gosselaar's character in Saved by the Bell?

And was anyone asking for a rehash of the combat system in FFXII? What I liked most about Final Fantasy (apart from the storylines, fuck you for ruining that too) was the calm and calculated manner in which you could play the game. It was almost mathematical. Some of the later bosses requiring real levels of intelligence from the player. And in FFXII we basically had a hack and slash affair. Just smash x until the enemy is dead whilst running around in circles trying to dodge the enemy's attacks. I'm reminded of the phrase "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". This is more along the lines of "If it's perfect, don't you dare fucking break it". And that's just what they did.

Hahahahaha, implying that the Japanese could rip off Star Wars. WTF!?!?!?

Think you'll find it's the other way around I'm afraid.

You could play FF12 with the gambits on or the gambits off so you could play it 'old school' or you could play it differently. Did you not realize that?

Also, I thought 10 was one of the ones with a little more effort put in in ways; more character development than 7 (by far) and probably 8, 9 and 12 too (IMO)

Haha copying Star Wars........classic.

 

[jdnoth]

Final Fantasy is overall probably my favorite game series to date. It's one of the first games I ever played come to think of it, but I must admit that its really gone downhill. The characters and the storylines have historically, been very important to Final Fantasy games. But I'm beginning to wonder just how many times they can rip off Star Wars and remake fucking Tidus as the main character. Sure, FFX was a great game. I loved the leveling up system, It's probably one of the most innovative RPG level and skill engines to date. But the characters were pathetic, and the storyline was just god awful: It was something straight out of one of those corny American 70's kids shows about high-school, re-adapted for Japanese pre-teens. I was embarrassed to be seen playing it. What happened to the sarcastic sociopaths like Squall? Why was I playing with this blond, American, pop-culture, sports prick called Tidus? I think I've seen him before. Wasn't he Mark-Paul Gosselaar's character in Saved by the Bell?

And was anyone asking for a rehash of the combat system in FFXII? What I liked most about Final Fantasy (apart from the storylines, fuck you for ruining that too) was the calm and calculated manner in which you could play the game. It was almost mathematical. Some of the later bosses requiring real levels of intelligence from the player. And in FFXII we basically had a hack and slash affair. Just smash x until the enemy is dead whilst running around in circles trying to dodge the enemy's attacks. I'm reminded of the phrase "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". This is more along the lines of "If it's perfect, don't you dare fucking break it". And that's just what they did.

Hahahahaha, implying that the Japanese could rip off Star Wars. WTF!?!?!?

Think you'll find it's the other way around I'm afraid.

You could play FF12 with the gambits on or the gambits off so you could play it 'old school' or you could play it differently. Did you not realize that?

Also, I thought 10 was one of the ones with a little more effort put in in ways; more character development than 7 (by far) and probably 8, 9 and 12 too (IMO)

Haha copying Star Wars........classic.

I'm not saying the characters didnt develop, I'm saying they are faggots. And yes, it was exactly the same as Star Wars. Cry all you want fanboy, it wont change anything. And whether or not you switch off gambits, it's still an ARPG, and you still get an annoying string of monsters following you wherever you go if you decide you maybe don't want to fight every single one of them.

http://www.epinions.com/content_275006525060 This is a good article on the copying and general sucking of FFXII

 

[Natural Hazard]

Hmmm Square Enix... bit of a cash cow tbh. However i'd still buy the games or at least rent just to see how bad their games are getting. But they aren't as Bad as that lovely company we call EA... god my hatred for them extends many many many times more than towards Square Enix. Also like someone above said the Merger destroyed one of their most popular game series that being "Final Fantasy"

 

[yeah_so_no]

I'm fairly new to gaming, but so far, I like Square Enix. Mind, I liked FF3 and FF4 for my DS, and I liked CC before I got sick of all the frickin' side missions, and am enjoying FF12. But I'm really loving Nanashi no Geemu, which has managed to scare me in a way that normally only Japanese horror movies have done. And one could argue that "Nanashi no Geemu" is just "The Ring" only with a video game instead of a video tape, but I don't care because they are doing it really, really well--the game inside the game creeps me out even more than the ghosts trying to eat my head at this point, and I like how you can't fight the ghosts--when they come for you, you have no choice but the run and hope you're faster than them, or be very, very still and pray they ignore you. This way, it feels more realistic--you're not a big badass beating the crap out of the undead, but a very real, very terrified college student who has no idea why all this is happening.

 

[Crunchy English]

They hit some sort of "nerve center" in FF7 and never made the lightning strike again.

Of course, it was after FF9 the original creator, who was the real brains behind the operation, left.

And the Enix merger thing, that has been discussed... basically the Dragon Quest run the show.

 

[DannyDamage]

They hit some sort of "nerve center" in FF7 and never made the lightning strike again.

Sony were so happy Square had agreed to leave Nintendo and make disk based games with them, they gave them more money for advertising than they'd given anything else. They whored this game just as much as any of the other games on the back of the console's box.

IMO, FF7's cast are just as much mascots for Sony/The PSX as Crash Bandicoot and Croc were! - Couldn't think of any other Sony mascots off top of my head.

I'm not saying the characters didnt develop, I'm saying they are faggots. And yes, it was exactly the same as Star Wars. Cry all you want fanboy, it wont change anything. And whether or not you switch off gambits, it's still an ARPG, and you still get an annoying string of monsters following you wherever you go if you decide you maybe don't want to fight every single one of them.

It was actually more like the first FF Tactics (and older games) having a story with Kingdoms and conspiracies etc.

You sound like you wont be pleased either way. You'd complain because it's nothing like the old games or complain because they're all the same.

Little off topic sorry, but Star Wars is NOT as original as we westerners make out, my friend. It's "ours" and therefore we'll act like it's the first/the best.

 

[Sethran]

The keep making the same fucking games. How about creating something that doesn't take place in a fantasy world with guys that look like girls?

Allow me to dissect your ignorance.

Firstly, not one of the Final Fantasy games is the same. They may have the same name and take place in the same general continuity, but that doesn't mean they're the same. That'd be like saying every character or instance in WoW is exactly the same, or that every episode in a popular TV show is the same.

Fact of the matter is, they don't make the same game over and over again and they rarely re-use the same world and events. Each individual game is set in a different world, with different rules, with different characters, weapons, and a different storyline. They might have the same general plot points, but then again you could give me any movie in existence and I could tell you what's in it just based off the genre and director.

Now, let's refer to another statement someone made that irritates me--

'Sold out to the 360' -- wonderful phrase, considering that SquareEnix is now going to make a metric ton more on FF13. If going for the better deal is 'selling out', then by all means hate them for doing the smart thing. Then again, and maybe this is just me, but just maybe they knew that some of their fans were on the Xbox 360, which is the cheaper of the two consoles between PS3 and 360, and that they could not only get more money but be sure not to alienate their fans that are on different consoles, as they have done by putting games on the SNES and Gamecube for their fans over in Nintendo-territory.

Nobody said they were 'selling out to the Gamecube' when Crystal Chronicles came out, funnily enough.

Now, if you guys are going to bash a development studio I'd suggest you get a bit more insight into it than just "They make JRPGs and thus they suck", because that sort of ignorance is not something that I particularly like representing the gaming community, and nobody should be proud of the fact that they don't know enough to make an educated opinion.

Learn a bit before you start bashing, and maybe you won't get ripped for it. Opinions are all well and good, but ignorant opinions that serve only to spread ignorance and make yourselves and the people who might believe you look bad will not be tolerated.

And, of course, before I go--

I think Square Enix in general sucks. I haven't seen a single title by them that I thought was interesting or had a half-decent storyline.
The last good Final Fantasy game was X, and that was the last game made by Squaresoft. The merger totally ruined them, I think.
I don't even bother checking out their titles anymore.

Ok, let's look at this from a logical standpoint. You say you haven't seen anything by them that was interesting or had a half-decent storyline, which is odd considering that Square is the dominant company in SquareEnix and Square has always been about story-driven games, thus indicating that just about all of their games have very well developed stories.

You then come back and say that the games developed by Squaresoft were good, which makes little sense if you think SquareEnix games are bad because essentially SquareEnix is Squaresoft with a changed name.

Then here at the end you say that you don't even look at the titles -- So how do you know they suck if you don't even look at them just because they got their name changed?

I'll leave you with those thoughts, and maybe next time you people will read up before you start bashing companies. What you're doing now is no better than that woman who said Mass Effect was nothing but a sex-simulator designed to corrupt children, without ever having played the game or read the storyline.

Edit: Something I just noticed--

I'm not saying the characters didnt develop, I'm saying they are faggots. And yes, it was exactly the same as Star Wars.

Ok, first of all, stop talking. Do not just randomly call characters 'faggots' because it's not only an insulting term to use, it's pure malevolent ignorance and I will report you if you keep using it. Secondly, list precisely how any of the Final Fantasy storylines has ever copied Star Wars. Precisely.

 

[Flunk]

Where is the love it and I don't care option? I love their RPGs (except Dragon Quest) and I will probably end up playing just about every one they ever release. If you don't like their games I suggest you just show your dislike by not purchasing their products. Otherwise just go away and don't bother me. I don't go around making topics about how much Halo sucks... I think.

P.S. None of the official numbered Final Fantasy games is a remake although preitty much all the older ones have been rereleased/remade on numerous systems over the years.

 

[Space Spoons]

Secondly, list precisely how any of the Final Fantasy storylines has ever copied Star Wars. Precisely.

Darth Vader Sin is Luke's Tidus' father.

I kid, I kid. Star Wars and Final Fantasy couldn't be more far apart in my mind. Sometimes, the main character follows the same guidelines [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hero_with_a_Thousand_Faces] that the characters from Star Wars do, but that doesn't mean they're ripping off George Lucas.

There's the Biggs and Wedge thing, but I thought I'd heard that that was exclusive to American localizations... And even if it's not, it's a homage if it's anything. Hardly a ripoff.

 

[Sethran]

Biggs and Wedge are recurring characters in the Final Fantasy franchise, and they are indeed homages not ripoffs. They occur in all versions of the games too. @_@

 

[Natural Hazard]

Same as Cid, well some of em

 

[crono738]

Needs a "Can go fuck themselves for being Nintendo whores" option...

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

In my opinion, Square Enix does seem to be going downhill, but that doesn't automatically mean FFXIII will suck. Besides, the main character has boobs, so that's a plus. Also, how is it "selling out" that FFXIII is also going onto the 360? Using that argument, Squaresoft sold out with FFVII by releasing it on the Playstation. Also, my favorite main character is Zidane. Don't shoot me.

 

[Natural Hazard]

In my opinion, Square Enix does seem to be going downhill, but that doesn't automatically mean FFXIII will suck. Besides, the main character has boobs, so that's a plus. Also, how is it "selling out" that FFXIII is also going onto the 360? Using that argument, Squaresoft sold out with FFVII by releasing it on the Playstation. Also, my favorite main character is Zidane. Don't shoot me.

Just anouther argument For The Fanboys at the end of the day, its a smart business decision taking into account that i no alot of people that transfered from the ps2 to the 360 due the PS3s slow start up, so its only right that it should appear on both platforms.