Is Final Fantasy Trying to spread out too much?

[Shaissa]

I've been thinking with all the Final Fantasies out there, are they trying to do too much now?
With the Final Fantasy Theatrrhythm being a musical kinda game, Dissidia a fighting game, DOC was a 3rd person shooter, XI and XIV are MMORPG's, XIII and XIII-2 being... Actionish Rpg's. Are they trying to spread out too much or are they doing the right thing with what they are doing?

 

[Ohri-Jin]

Well considering those games or most of them are pretty successful I guess its the right thing to do. Ppl seem to enjoy them. Personally I think they are all mediocre shit games. Thing is even though I never played any of them I just never was intrigued by them. So if they dont catch my eye its already a fail for me.

Dont play pc games, dont play handhelds, dont want games for phones and ff13 and its sequel never interested me.
I want substance or maybe Im just too nostalgic?

I dont know bro... Its just sad....

 

[Omegadruid]

Well... I think they are trying to appeal new players because the old players are well... old. I never played any final fantasy after XII but I really wanted to if I had the money . Dissidia seems really cool and just a nostalgic and awsome concept, even if the gameplay isnt that good I would still buy it because of it having most of final fantasy characters. I read a lot about XIII.. Most people criticize it but I think I would like it. Most of the players want a game that never changes..but the truth is that strategy is not viable economically. I love Final Fantasy, even with the Square Enix era. It may not have the same feeling or quality(Games rounding between 8/10 to 10/10 in the squaresoft era) but it is still pretty good as far as I am concerned(Games rounding between 7/10 to 9/10 SE era). One thing I dislike though atleast in the final fantasy XII department is the lack of that epic soundtrack. There are some good songs of course but most of them are just like background music..Not really worth listening if you ask me unlike the other final fantasies where even Music from towns , dungeons and bosses were worth having on the mp3. I am as far as Pharos and but I already heard the last music and I found it nice . So the only 2 final fantasy tracks I would listen would be the Main theme which isnt original to final fantasy XII I think and the last song.

 

[PhoenyxAngel]

It depends I guess.....the fighting game style of Dissidia really worked for SE. I guess it depends on what they're trying to branch out with, what genre they are attempting. A fighting game for a FF spinoff was a great idea in my opinion. I'll hold judgement on Theatrhythm until I actually try it out. But when I first heard about it I had to laugh at SE....it did seem like they were trying a little too hard to branch out and get new players. A music game for FF? That just seemed like a horrible idea. But like I said....I'll wait until I play it to pass judgment.

As for the MMOs, well I don't like the idea myself to be honest. I've never been an MMO fan and when SE decided to do an MMO I felt like they were betraying the fans in some weird way. I know that's a bit dramatic but that's kind of how I felt at the time. And then I was extremely disappointed when FFXIV was announced as an MMO. Which turned out to be a train wreck.

I do kinda wish that SE would stick to JRPGs and that's it. Just their RPGs. I'm probably one of those fans who just wants them to go back to the way things were. Taking the time to make a great, solid, FF title and not have 20 million other things in the works which prevents their most anticipated games from actually being released *cough* Versus *cough*.

Of course they are a company that relies heavily on sales. They need the money to continue making their games, and they're not getting much from the JRPG games because the general gaming community are more interested in action games, music games, shooters, etc. So it's kind of smart to branch out into those territories.

 

[Richard B Riddick]

SE's business model is similar to disney's.

They spam a number as high a number of titles as possible and rely on brand name recognition and existing fan base to produce profits via volumetric statistics.

With disney you can see it in their crappy, low budget sequels no one has seen or cares about: mulan 2, little mermaid 2, lion king 2, etc.

There's a big difference between how Pixar does things and how Disney does them. Toy Story produced sequels which had quality and market appeal. Disney spams sequels that don't.

SE is taking the disney approach of mass spamming low quality titles as opposed to the pixar approach where everything they release is quality work.

There are also similarities between how disney tries for a formulaic approach where everything they release is vaguely similar and how SE does things in contrast to how everything Pixar does is stand alone and doesn't necessarily adhere to formulaic metrics.

Whether or not that practice is justified due to business model, cost overruns and existing market circumstances is anyone's guess.

 

[Tucker]

low budget sequels no one has seen or cares about: mulan 2, little mermaid 2, lion king 2, etc.

I...I love Mulan 2...and the Little Mermaid 2! I love them almost as much as the originals

Anywhos...They're trying to appeal to more audiences. Many people only play shooters, not rpgs, and it's like that with other genres too. I think they are best with RPGs, and that they should just stick with them.

 

[Richard B Riddick]

I...I love Mulan 2...and the Little Mermaid 2! I love them almost as much as the originals

Anywhos...They're trying to appeal to more audiences. Many people only play shooters, not rpgs, and it's like that with other genres too. I think they are best with RPGs, and that they should just stick with them.

Honestly, I've never seen any of the disney sequels.

I always assumed they were low budget, carbon copies of low quality released with profit margins rather than quality production in mind.

Can't say I've seen any of them, though.

Still, look at Toy Story. A lot of people say the sequels were better than the originals. There's a big difference between how Pixar does things in terms of attempting to produce quality work in everything they do, and how Disney does things in terms of the originals being good & the sequels being lower budgeted and there maybe being less emphasis on quality.

 

[Tucker]

Honestly, I've never seen any of the disney sequels.

I always assumed they were low budget, carbon copies of low quality released with profit margins rather than quality production in mind.

Can't say I've seen any of them, though.

Still, look at Toy Story. A lot of people say the sequels were better than the originals. There's a big difference between how Pixar does things in terms of attempting to produce qu
ality work in everything they do, and how Disney does things in terms of the originals being good & the sequels being lower budgeted and there being less emphasis on quality.

Then you cannot judge them if you have not seen them. Never assume.

But anywhos...don't want to travel off topic.

I wouldn't say Square is just making a bunch of low quality (not graphics, but game itself) games. I liked all the games many hate I liked Dirge, and I thought it was much too short. I haven't played the MMORPGs, but that appeals to many people so that way more people can get involved into the FF series. TBH, I think it's fine that they do that, but don't include it as a main game. If they make another MMORPG, don't call it "Final Fantasy 16". I think the basic FFs should be RPGs. It's more orderly

 

[Richard B Riddick]

Then you cannot judge them if you have not seen them. Never assume.

But anywhos...don't want to travel off topic.

I wouldn't say Square is just making a bunch of low quality (not graphics, but game itself) games. I liked all the games many hate I liked Dirge, and I thought it was much too short. I haven't played the MMORPGs, but that appeals to many people so that way more people can get involved into the FF series. TBH, I think it's fine that they do that, but don't include it as a main game. If they make another MMORPG, don't call it "Final Fantasy 16". I think the basic FFs should be RPGs. It's more orderly

I'll try to find the sequels. The originals were good.

'Low quality' doesn't imply 8 bit graphics and 8 khz sampling of sound. It has more to do with the development process.

Its like Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2. XIII-2 isn't low quality because the graphics or music are inferior. Its low quality as they re-use a lot of the things from XIII and cut corners to decrease development costs on things that would normally constitute a quality title. Its like a re-make of a movie where they re-use props, sets, and effects to produce a low-cost generic carbon copy of something pre-existing. As opposed to a legitimate effort at producing something of quality on a stand alone basis.

It would be like.... Beyonce releasing a CD. Then, taking 5 minutes to re-edit & remix every track on it and re-releasing it as a sequel to the original. It would be cheap and affordable. And, in a way: completely lame. A legit effort at a quality work may be to produce original works than an album full of remixes.

But, I don't know whether or not people realize that games like XIII-2 are remixes.... so, whateverz.. yeh.

 

[Omegadruid]

Well you all make very interesting points. But I guess as long as they keep doing the main JRPG series it shouldnt be a problem that they try to spread out the final fantasy variety. I just hope they learned their mistake with Final Fantasy XIV and never make an MMORPG again or atleast dont make it a numbered title..

 

[Master Cat]

At one point, I agree that perhaps Square Enix is spreading the Final Fantasy series a bit too much and that this may lead to some low quality games, as @Richard B Riddick discussed. However, I also think that it's great to have some variety thrown in the mix.

Although I love JRPGs, I thought it was an awesome idea to have an online FF game such as FFXI, and for the most part, I believe that it was a pretty high quality, successful game during it's prime (not now obviously). Unfortunately, FFXIV wasn't so lucky, but that was Square Enix's fault with the whole production process. ;

I enjoyed FF: Dissidia and FF: Crisis Core as well. Although I can admit that they have their flaws and they aren't the absolute best works that Square Enix could've delivered, they broadened the realm of FF games into different genres while staying true to the series overall.

I'm actually looking forward to FF: Theatrhythm, the first FF music game ever. Many people may find it silly, irrelevant, etc., but I think that the game is paying a tribute to the wonderful, epic soundtracks that many fans have grown to love over the years. Plus, it'll be a fun and cute handheld game. It's not the sort of game one should take too seriously anyhow...

I think the main issue that people seem to have with Square Enix (including myself) is that it goes off on a tangent with releasing these non-traditional games that it appears to be betraying the origins of the Final Fantasy series...

 

[Yatsumiko]

Personally, I don't think they're doing the wrong thing at all. It's like a person who is fantastic at baseballs (Jrpgs in this case) trying other sports to see what he(she) is successful at. You get a feel at what your fans enjoy, what new fans enjoy, and the brand's limit as a whole. Sure some of the games aren't as beautiful (not just graphics wise) as some of the previous ones, but each game is good in it's own way. For example, I like the fact that in final fantasy X-2 / xIII you can swap your 'profession' mid battle to accommodate to the battle at hand.

On the other hand, I didn't like final fantasy XIII's monsters. They were too generic (metal). Rarely were there any actual living creatures like in Final Fantasy X or previous titles.
The company is just trying to get an idea of what the players (customers) want. I'm sure if the games were that big of flops they would just stick to Jrpgs.

 

[Shaissa]

My whole point is trying to get away from JRPGS (which is what I see them slowly doing with each non-remake game.) I mean can you see Dragon Quest being a non-jrpg, or Call of Duty or Halo not being a FPS? I mean isn't that why people wanna buy the games? I understand trying to spread out a little as long as it's the same general genre, like a TRPG or maybe a third person shooter... but in the end if I'm going buy a FF game I want a JRPG, if I buy a CoD game I want a FPS...and etc.

 

[L]

They are doing what every terrible company in the industry is doing: they are trying to appeal to a wider audience, which has cost every company long time players. But they don't care, $ is worth more to them than making a 10/10 game (and really, famitsu can choke on my dick. I don't care that Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the first game to get a perfect score from famitsu, it just goes to show how their standards have fallen to endorse and encourage the amount of complete shit games being released) It's like gaming is not even about enjoying the entire game anymore, just the highlights and cover art.

Every generation releases thousands of games. This Generation, I bet there are less than 20 titles worth buying.

Disgaea
Disgaea 2
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy XII
Tales of the Abyss
Rogue Galaxy
Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry 2
Devil May Cry 3
Grand Theft Auto
Scarface: The World is Yours
Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts II
Kingdom Hearts: RE: COM
Persona 4
Persona 3
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
God of War
God of War 2
Shadow of the Colossus
Dragon Quest VIII
Star Ocean: Till The End of Time

Games that I enoyed on the PS2 and purchased, just off the top of my head.

Tales of Vesperia (purchased)
Halo 3 (purchased)
Halo: ODST (rented)
Halo: Reach (purchased)
Catherine (haven't gotten around to buying, rented)
Oblivion (purchased)
Skyrim (rented)
Mass Effect (rented)
Mass Effect 2 (rented)
Mass Effect 3 (rented)
Saints Row 2 (rented)
Saints Row: The Third (rented)
Assassin's Creed (borrowed)

I enjoyed these games. But not as I would have enjoyed any of the previously mentioned.

Perhaps I am looking back on PS2 games with rose-tinted shades? I would like to believe that I am not, since I regularly play my PS2 and even my Gamecube. Fuck yeah Tales of Symphonia, Tales of the Abyss and Final Fantasy X.