Do we expect too much?

[Warbsywoo]

The question is this: Do we expect too much from future titles in Final Fantasy? Do we compare them way too much to older titles?

I came up with this question myself a couple hours ago when I was playing through FFXII and after visiting the Shoutbox before that.

I mean, I find FFXII to be an excellent game, to be totally honest, not boring as some people put it. Also, with the upcoming release of XIII, people are already looking to see if they compare with the older titles of the series in terms of battle structure and others of the like. And most comments seem to fall in a negative light, as far as I've seen.

I think that we should see the game standing alone, and not let our views be influenced by the title Final Fantasy on future titles.

 

[GunbladeGirl]

Yea,somewhat,I think we are,because alot of us have played the old school FF's and so we expect future ones to be the same.I think we should all just focus on what the game IS.For example,FFXII.We shouldn't compare it to FFVII because they're completely different from each other.The FF's that we see NOW are taking different paths from the old FF's.So,when we play a game like FFXII,instead of comparing it to an older FF,we should just focus on what FFXII IS instead of what we THINK it should be like or what we WANT or EXPECT it to be.

 

[eisprinz]

We do expect a fair bit from these games. Especially the fact that they have to cater to fans on opposite ends of the interest range.

I think I like FFX-2 a lot more than some fans did, simply because I didn't expect too much from it, and got something that was pretty decent.

I guess it just depends on what everybody asks.

I think it's fair to ask that the plots be more interesting that FFXII, because they've delivered better stories pretty consistently. This is one thing that a majority of fans will insist upon.

We could've learned a lot more about the characters than we did. Balthier's potential was interesting enough - but the fact that we don't really learn much more than a few teasing allusions to the past is a disappointment.

I don't think it's fair to ask things about the battle system, because of the splintered wishes. Some are die-hard traditionalists who want to return to turn-based, others are more experimental, others think hack'n'slash should be tried...

In general, I think it might be a good thing to expect a lot. If we begin to expect less, there's a chance of us being able to loosen up and enjoy these games more - but there's also a chance of game companies working at lower potential.

 

[Onceman]

I agree with all the above. Square has given us some very good games in the past years, and in turn has produced a legion of very spoiled fans with entitlement issues (granted, this happens with nearly every long-running popular thing, be it a band, game, movie, etc.).

As every game is quite different (including direct sequels or spinoffs, the mechanics are most often very different), I tend to look at each one as a new game from a standalone series. I also pay close attention to the previews and press so I know what to expect and where to place my expectations. For example, I knew Dirge was getting mediocre to bad reviews, so I decided whether or not to buy it (which I did). Action-wise, it was decent, but I liked the story quite a bit. Same with X-2. I knew it wasn't going to be on par with X, but I liked it for what it was.

So, I don't mind Square tinkering with their "sacred" Final Fantasy series. Making a shooter (DoC) I thought was a great idea. They're just not up to par with the rest of the developers in that field. Same with hack 'n slash (FFvXIII), although I think they're quite good in that area, considering the KH games. I just look at it as S-E broadening their horizons, and in the end, it isn't up to us what S-E does with its franchise. We can only respond by choosing to buy it or not. Case in point, I have no interest in MMORPGs. Hence, no FFXI for me.

 

[F. F. Fan]

Yes, I think some people do expect too much. However… Me, personally, I at least expect the same level of quality as seen before. That’s not to say that I thought FFXII was an awful game, far from it. It had an excellent storyline (IMO), excellent graphics, and a completely different battle system which I did enjoy and so on...

My only gripe would be the level of character interaction and the absolute end of the game (just before the credits). I don’t know, I just expected a lot more from the ending that we’ve all come to expect. To me, it was fairly dull and dry, in my opinion.

As for the character interaction, it just felt more...... professional and cold than what I'm used to in past titles.

To answer your question though, I think FFXII stands pretty well on its own despite my gripes with it. If anything, I think the problem lies with the onslaught of sequels and spin-offs ruining the quality of the originals.

 

[Summoner Yuna]

I think what happens is that some people are reluctant to change. For example, some people don't like XII just because there aren't random battles. I think this is close minded. Just because something is different, it doesn't mean it's bad. As for the story, I can't comment on that because I haven't played it. I will say, though, that we have the right to expect a great story. In my case, if the story isn't gripping, I won't have enough motivation to play through the game no matter how fun the gameplay is. Character potential shouldn't be wasted as well. What I mean is, a game should be judged on its own merits.

 

[Hayate]

Hrmm...yes, we do put out expectations a tad high and expect much out of the FF games.

Comparing is inevitable for an FF game. There is no way around it. For XII, I put it on its own scale and I still think it's a bad game, story wise at least.

People love the old games so much, it's that they want certain features in the future games and they end up comparing it to older games and such.

 

[Saix]

I don't think people "expect" anything in a way. It's just the same ignorant people wanting the same type of story as VII, the sphere grid from X, and various other components from previous installments.
But no, it's different every time, and there's always a collect group of dogmatic retards who want to complain about every aspect of the game just because it hasn't got any fucking materia.


So no, we don't expect too much. We just "expect" it to be identical to the last few games.

 

[PreZ]

I think we don't expect too much from it, we just expect it to be like the other games. Like in XII and X, the battle systems got revamped and that turned some people off, I think people should be more open to RPGs though, If they all got their way all FF games would have Materia, a Sphere Grid and an ATB battle system.

 

[Hayate]

Rofl. PreZ and Saix on the same wave length there.

Yeah, I agree though. We do expect things from the past but we really know in the back of our minds that it is not going to happen. So, therefore we know not what to expect. ;;

I do think we set our standards a tad high sometimes though.

 

[Edward Elric]

well i know i expect perfection from the greatest RPG series on the planet, but thats cause for the most part that's what they've given me. i've come to expect certain things...great, deep characters, a long and engrossing plot, and a good battle system. i guess when things change, i don't like it. i'll be the first to admit that i need to broaden my horizons though.