Square Enix Attempts To Explain Low Western Reviews [2/16]

[Sabriel]

Reviews and reactions for Final Fantasy XIII have been mixed. Some love it. Some don't. But Final Fantasy XIII director Motomu Toriyama claims to know why Western critics might not dig the game.

"We think many reviewers are looking at Final Fantasy XIII from a western point of view," says Toriyama in a recent issue of Xbox World 360. "When you look at most Western RPGs, they just dump you in a big open world, and let you do whatever you like..." Toriyama adds that it "becomes very difficult to tell a compelling story when you're given that much freedom".
Does that mean when Western critics like Final Fantasy titles, that they are looking at the game from a Japanese point of voice? Perhaps, you know, those critics just didn't like the game? Maybe they liked other Final Fantasy titles and just felt that XIII was not for them.

It should be noted that Japanese game magazine Famitsu pointed out that FFXIII's linear structure, too.

There is nothing wrong with a critic liking or disliking a game. Their opinion does not change the game itself, but rather, only the perception of it. The longstanding heavy reliance on review scores in video games has created this false feeling of validation.

Source: Kotaku

 

[Martel]

In my opinion, you can't really compare open-world RPGs to more traditional, linear ones. The open-world RPGs are more about the player telling their own story. Traditional, linear RPGs take you through a detailed story. The two styles are completely different and not really comparable - its a matter of personal preference as to which one is better.

This Toriyama person is getting on my nerves, though. The fact of the matter is that FFXIII has received a lot of negative views, and he seems to be a little too sensitive to it, to try and explain it away like that. Whilst standards for games have been dropping considerably over the years (to the point that they might as well not exist at all, in my opinion) there are always going to be critics. Who gives a damn, really? The game is selling by the bucketload. You can't please everyone, so stop trying. And so on, and so forth.

 

[ClaireSensei]

i agree a open world to a linear one is like saying a shooter to a sport game.
just by far way different.
I do like open world they or pretty fun however in the end if the story told right and the characters per and chem is done right then a linear will alway be better then any open map one. Well this is just m opinion on this subject. uh and if i spent 5 years making something then i would defend it just like he doing.

 

[FinalHeart]

LOW scores? Excuse me, I see an 86 on Metacritic, I think that's pretty damn good. When compared to FFIX, maybe it's a low score. But I've absolutely adored games that have had lower Metacritic scores than 86.

Nevertheless, a review is a review. You have to take it for it is, being someone's opinion on the game.

 

[Linnaete]

In my opinion, you can't really compare open-world RPGs to more traditional, linear ones. The open-world RPGs are more about the player telling their own story. Traditional, linear RPGs take you through a detailed story.

This I completely agree with. JRPGs tend to have their own set, scripted stories that the player can rarely influence much to an extent while WRPGs tend to let you make big choices that affect the vague storyline and perhaps the world around you.

That's not to say that more open-world WRPGs like Mass Effect can't have great, compelling stories either. I am sure it is possible to offer a more non-linear approach to much of FFXIII while still having a "compelling" story.

As for FFXIII's story, I'm still rather sceptical towards it at the moment. So far on the surface I have seen better FF stories, but I need to go through it completely to fairly assess how "complelling" it really is.

 

[Dragon Mage]

It's very unfair of Toriyama to make such an asinine statement. Western RPG's with open worlds often have wonderful story-lines, equal to the success of the JRPG story lines. (Yes, there are failures and successes in both, but one does not trump the other unless one particularly appeals to one individual alone.)

As .Swift. here has said, Mass Effect has a brilliant plot AND has a very open setting. Other games include Fallout and Oblivion and several others I don't know about.

Personally, I don't consider JRPG's to be REAL RPG's because any 'role-playing' that is done by the player is insubstantial at best. You're just along for the ride. Equipment customization does NOT count as role-playing.

What this Toriyama fellow SHOULD have acceded is that Japanese game-makers have zero experience in creating story lines with an open world the way Western RPG's do. Thus, they won't try it and stick to the basics they know that still works, just in a different way.


It's more likely the negative reviews are because of a strong female main character, but because it'd be blatantly discriminatory to say that, they get around it by bashing the game via unreasonable and childish points.

 

[Stoic Hero]

I don't think anyone's bashing the game because of the strong female lead, Dragon Mage. Quite the contrary; it's refreshing to see.

I think people in the west are just tired of JRPGs. I'm not, but it seems like most people have moved on to MODERN WARFARE 2 OMG 101001111 AWESOME and stuff like that, leaving me behind to play that "gay final fantasy shit." Sigh. Maturity is something I cherish. I wish more people had it...

 

[Abstract Debauchery]

We don't think it's because we're tired of JRPG's. We think it's because generally SE has the wrong idea on what we like, and that a lot of people don't like the changes made to the franchise. We know that we don't.

However, we could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time, and most certainly wouldn't be the last.

 

[Stoic Hero]

I didn't mean the people on this site, just American gamers in general.

 

[Abstract Debauchery]

We mean't "we're" as American's in general. Sorry about that.

We just can't believe that America is that narr- Oh wait, we almost finished that sentence. D

Anywho, we don't think that most Americans are thinking that JRPG's suck. On the contrary, we know plenty of people both offline and online that think they're the shit. We never once thought that JRPG's were bad... Until FFX that is.

 

[Gingerbread Lesbian]

The main problem is that they're trying to change too much, too quickly. Personally I don't mind, I like the look of what I see but having the chance to make a game in HD seems to have given SE an excuse to have a mass overhaul. Every other Final Fantasy title is similar to the previous one just with changes here and there, whereas FFXIII has changed a hell of a lot since FFXII. All being said, I thought FFXII turned out to have massive potential but was an epic fail so I can't see FFXIII being any worse.

 

[Fusionist]

At this rate I should just learn Japanese and move to Japan and hope I don't look too much of an outcast for being a tall, brown girl xD

I mean, it's the linear-ish RPGs that I love, and it seems that's what Japan's got going for it as opposed to the West. Exploring and defining your own role is great and all in a game, but I love to lose myself in a story and the characters, you know? Perhaps not the traditional meaning of role-playing games, but what else do you call playing a character in a story?

As for the "good ol' days" people talk about in the past FF games, you know what? I didn't really enjoy FFI. I got so bored of just wondering around and fighting with silent characters that had no dialog, I didn't even bother to finish it. It was really FFIV and above that I liked since stories and characters were an important aspect of the games.

EDIT: Random note - what's up with that screenshot of Lightning? She looks way different than how I normally see her xD

 

[Dragon Mage]

I don't think anyone's bashing the game because of the strong female lead, Dragon Mage. Quite the contrary; it's refreshing to see.

I think people in the west are just tired of JRPGs. I'm not, but it seems like most people have moved on to MODERN WARFARE 2 OMG 101001111 AWESOME and stuff like that, leaving me behind to play that "gay final fantasy shit." Sigh. Maturity is something I cherish. I wish more people had it...

I would still be dubious about the female lead. Most critics (the ones people pay most attention to, at least) are long established in their jobs, which means they're old farts, which means they cling to outdated views the world abandoned decades ago. I don't think we'll ever be able to move beyond this particular discrimination entirely until the last generation or so dies off -- at least ones in media positions and the like.

But that could just be me.

About the maturity thing: You, me, and half the world want more of it too, brother...

Anywho, we don't think that most Americans are thinking that JRPG's suck. On the contrary, we know plenty of people both offline and online that think they're the shit. We never once thought that JRPG's were bad... Until FFX that is.

Quoted for the Absolute Truth.

@Fusionist: I agree, that screenshot looks weird. She looks stoned or something.