Yahtzee wouldn't touch a JRPG with a 10-foot pole. He especially hates Final Fantasy and, on a totally different note, anything that is good about JRPGs.
You own Square-Enix: What's the next step for Final Fantasy?
- Thread starter SalamanderJoe
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Should I own Square-Enix... Id run things as they were.
But as far as final fantasy goes... I'd (gently) crack the whip on building immersive environments; this includes the people you meet along the way. Pre-FFX may have felt like the best in series, my guess being that besides the strife of the party members, there were other people in the world, with their own little issues and personalities. Coupled with that, most games had you travel the world, which is something Im pretty sure many fans clearly miss.
Make Final Fantasy about the world, not the characters.
But as far as final fantasy goes... I'd (gently) crack the whip on building immersive environments; this includes the people you meet along the way. Pre-FFX may have felt like the best in series, my guess being that besides the strife of the party members, there were other people in the world, with their own little issues and personalities. Coupled with that, most games had you travel the world, which is something Im pretty sure many fans clearly miss.
Make Final Fantasy about the world, not the characters.
If it was up to me, I have a simple problem/solution. Stop trying to give us an epic story and focus on giving us an epic quest. I mean it was good for a while, I personally loved FFX, but they're kind of getting over the top now trying to always make the story bigger and more epic. Just give us something with that starts out simple and builds itself up, over the background of a large world to trek across.
In my opinion, the perfect semi-modern JRPG is Dragon Quest VIII. It keeps everything intact from the old classic RPG's, but improves it and adds modern touches such as voice acting and a 3d world. And like I talked about above, the story and characters start off fairly simple, and build up as you travel the world.
In my opinion, the perfect semi-modern JRPG is Dragon Quest VIII. It keeps everything intact from the old classic RPG's, but improves it and adds modern touches such as voice acting and a 3d world. And like I talked about above, the story and characters start off fairly simple, and build up as you travel the world.
I'm not talking about taste, I'm talking about something deeper, you know?Blitzwing said:
I'm talking about "The Gift of Men", "Everything that has a beginning has and end", "It's too bad she won't live! But then again, who does?". I can quote the nerd bible all day, but the thing is that video games can't be taken seriously as an art form without a history and ancestors to worship and learn from. The industry's obsession with the next big thing hinders it's ability to cherish previous achievements and learn from them. Where would art, and mankind for that matter, be if "La Gioconda" had been nothing more than last week's "hot thing" a few centuries ago?
Some things must die so we can move on to higher levels, not because we don't like them, but because we do. And it is my belief that FF should be left alone at this point, and become something else.
- Ditch Linearity. It sucks.
- Continue to have awesome soundtracks.
- No more emo pre-teen main characters (non-emos are okay)
- Bring back real turn based combat (i.e. Lost Odyssey) no more of these weird systems
- Towns, classes, worldmap, weapons, armor etc bring 'em back!
- No level scaling monsters!
There's probably more.
- Continue to have awesome soundtracks.
- No more emo pre-teen main characters (non-emos are okay)
- Bring back real turn based combat (i.e. Lost Odyssey) no more of these weird systems
- Towns, classes, worldmap, weapons, armor etc bring 'em back!
- No level scaling monsters!
There's probably more.
Gameplay wise:
1. Return the world map. It really doesn't make the game open-ended like some fan's think, but it make it FEEL open-ended.
2. Keep the visible enemies. You can even cut to a battle segment like in XIII.
3. Let us control the character's movement. So many times I've watched as Lightning walked directly into an attack while charging the ATB.
Story wise:
1. XIII had a good concept where the characters questioned both sides, so they made their own. It gives the feeling to the player that we are watching the chaos unfold, while trying to help from the outside.
2. Create a wide array of characters. They've fallen into a rut that sounds like the 7 dwarves: Emo, Gutsy, Quirky, Wise-cracking, serious, and smug seem to be some of the usual archetypes.
3. Allow the characters to develop at the same pace as the story. And I mean full-on friend to enemies, enemies to friends, twists, turns, deaths, etc. this way the characters learn from their experiences instead of sudden realizations. (I remember in XIII, Lightning is indifferent about Hope's plot for revenge, but at the end of a chapter randomly shouts "What am I doing? Revenge isn't worth it! You should stop.")
The truth is, Square-Enix believes we like it this way. The writer for Advent Children actually admitted to writing Cloud as a depressed, distant, self-hating loner because after reading every fanboy arguing about it, he thought that's what we wanted. What Square-Enix needs now is to be able to experiment as much as they like until we find something fresh.
1. Return the world map. It really doesn't make the game open-ended like some fan's think, but it make it FEEL open-ended.
2. Keep the visible enemies. You can even cut to a battle segment like in XIII.
3. Let us control the character's movement. So many times I've watched as Lightning walked directly into an attack while charging the ATB.
Story wise:
1. XIII had a good concept where the characters questioned both sides, so they made their own. It gives the feeling to the player that we are watching the chaos unfold, while trying to help from the outside.
2. Create a wide array of characters. They've fallen into a rut that sounds like the 7 dwarves: Emo, Gutsy, Quirky, Wise-cracking, serious, and smug seem to be some of the usual archetypes.
3. Allow the characters to develop at the same pace as the story. And I mean full-on friend to enemies, enemies to friends, twists, turns, deaths, etc. this way the characters learn from their experiences instead of sudden realizations. (I remember in XIII, Lightning is indifferent about Hope's plot for revenge, but at the end of a chapter randomly shouts "What am I doing? Revenge isn't worth it! You should stop.")
The truth is, Square-Enix believes we like it this way. The writer for Advent Children actually admitted to writing Cloud as a depressed, distant, self-hating loner because after reading every fanboy arguing about it, he thought that's what we wanted. What Square-Enix needs now is to be able to experiment as much as they like until we find something fresh.
Blitzwing: Okay, sure, the owners have every right to decide.
Those of us who are opposite you here, we're saying that we think the right decision is for Square to end it. I personally think they could A) make better games, because I've never been drawn in by Final Fantasy (so sue me for not really caring about even 7 or 8), B) get a reputation as more than a one-trick pony for new gamers, and C) put their resources into things that will feel fresh and new. This could actually result in them getting more money if they get gamers who aren't just FF players into their fold.
Those of us who are opposite you here, we're saying that we think the right decision is for Square to end it. I personally think they could A) make better games, because I've never been drawn in by Final Fantasy (so sue me for not really caring about even 7 or 8), B) get a reputation as more than a one-trick pony for new gamers, and C) put their resources into things that will feel fresh and new. This could actually result in them getting more money if they get gamers who aren't just FF players into their fold.
I have two things to say...
1) Final Fantasy has always intrigued me with its culmination of culture and the feeling that the shit has hit the fan and you and your party are the only one who can save the world.
Thirteen was lacking the mystical sense with a lot of environments that were similar (along with a lot of the same enemy type) It also lacked a lot of the culture that used to be there.
Oh and about the party. Each character needs to feel different with specific skills and such. Half the time in thirteen I wasn't sure which character was best because they all essentially can learn the same skills.
2) combat systems. In this area I think that Final Fantasy needs to take some tips from Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts (1,2, and BBS) has an almost perfect fighting system. I do agree with the guy that says that turn based should be an option but why not make it part of a new game plus or cool unlockable. Imagine playing through the game and finding a secret book that gives the player a new way to fight. That's another thing, SECRETS AND HIDDEN THINGS! Fighting games need to learn about this as well. Exploration with a reward is a great feeling as a gamer.
And this is my rant. FYI for those who care... Square Enix is my favorite game company. FF9 is my favorite FF and many of the others are on my top games list. Oh and in case you haven't noticed, I didn't like 13...
1) Final Fantasy has always intrigued me with its culmination of culture and the feeling that the shit has hit the fan and you and your party are the only one who can save the world.
Thirteen was lacking the mystical sense with a lot of environments that were similar (along with a lot of the same enemy type) It also lacked a lot of the culture that used to be there.
Oh and about the party. Each character needs to feel different with specific skills and such. Half the time in thirteen I wasn't sure which character was best because they all essentially can learn the same skills.
2) combat systems. In this area I think that Final Fantasy needs to take some tips from Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts (1,2, and BBS) has an almost perfect fighting system. I do agree with the guy that says that turn based should be an option but why not make it part of a new game plus or cool unlockable. Imagine playing through the game and finding a secret book that gives the player a new way to fight. That's another thing, SECRETS AND HIDDEN THINGS! Fighting games need to learn about this as well. Exploration with a reward is a great feeling as a gamer.
And this is my rant. FYI for those who care... Square Enix is my favorite game company. FF9 is my favorite FF and many of the others are on my top games list. Oh and in case you haven't noticed, I didn't like 13...
I think they should just END THE FRANCHISE.
Please. They now suck. They were once good but that time is over, don't live in the past.
Please. They now suck. They were once good but that time is over, don't live in the past.
I thought XII did a reasonable job of making the battles seem less staid and rigid, and it also had more of an 'open world' feel (though I use the term loosely).
Mostly though, I think I'd shake up the writing and characterization completely. We need new character types. Badly. It's not that all FF characters are bad or something, it's just that they aren't very original, and they've been getting progressively more formulaic.
Also the in medias res thing...hm. Needs to go, or be modified.
Mostly though, I think I'd shake up the writing and characterization completely. We need new character types. Badly. It's not that all FF characters are bad or something, it's just that they aren't very original, and they've been getting progressively more formulaic.
Also the in medias res thing...hm. Needs to go, or be modified.