I've been thinking long and incredibly hard since Monday -- the day I rented Final Fantasy XIII-2 (with a review pending earlier next week) -- and my thoughts have spread from how often time travel makes for uninteresting stories to whether a sequel was ultimately necessary. But then I started pondering if games weren't necessary and I entered dangerous territory.
For a long-running franchise like Final Fantasy, it's hard to discern which game brought upon the downfall, but spectacular changes (and genre changes) are all over the timeline. First infecting the series was Final Fantasy X-2, the sequel to a solidly finished story, and the initial time Square continued one of the numbered iterations. Reactions were mixed but mostly positive, with praises targeting the publisher's supposed revitalization of the franchise, something that felt unneeded by fans. At that moment, it was clear Square was ready to push Final Fantasy to the mass audience, and it did.
Come an MMO and a brand spankin' new focus on quicker, more fluid combat, Final Fantasy is in a far different state from the original 25 years ago. It goes to show how time flies these days. Though, change is vital to keep the games fresh, so if Square continues to innovate and revolutionize what defines a JRPG, then maybe the series has Hope (terrible reference, I know; that kid was effin' whiny) after all.
Time now for another failed attempt at slumber. I'll definitely expand on this topic after my review. Think of it as a... precursor, a teaser. Jeff out.
I haven't played anything past Final Fantasy IX, so I'm stuck in the era that occurred right before these changes started taking place.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've read about the series it seems like Square-Enix has made some interesting, yet possibly necessary choices to prevent the series from becoming stale. I wish I had more to say, but I don't
This post made me think about my past experiences with Final Fantasy and I really hope that the days aren't numbered. Good read!
I think what's tough is Final Fantasy has such a long-standing reputation here and in the east. Some titles are viewed as JRPG and only seem to find a niche following in the west. The most popular RPG titles seem to be the ones like Elder Scrolls, Mass Effect, Fallout - decidedly different and more action oriented, so I can't really blame them for trying to find a happy medium with Final Fantasy. I actually liked 12 and 13 quite a bit. Maybe not with the nostalgia I have for the older titles, but I still enjoyed them and do want to play XIII-2 at some poin.
ReplyDeletePerhaps another issue though is very few of these titles rae related. Sure, you might get a sequel like x2 or xiii-2 or a prequel like Crisis Core for VII - but you wind up with all new worlds, characters and often mechanics going from 1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 10. I think there's a bit of a catch-22 to the latest Final Fantasy games. I think if they came out as something different, they would be better received by the public - these aren't bad games, but they come with certain expectations that might not be getting met, and that creates a bit of a backlash.
That said? If these were not released as Final Fantasy titles, they wouldn't sell nearly as well either, and that is the bottom line for the development teams.
Wow this was longer than intended, lol.
Well, to literally answer your question: not as long as they keep selling. The reason Square Enix keeps producing games (and a lot of offshoot games) is because it's a brand that sells purely on name.
ReplyDeletePersonally, though, I hope the series doesn't die down. I think a lot of the "fans" are really just nostalgic purists, and my time with both FFXIII and FFXIII-2 have told me these are really good games that are, simply, different. Nostalgic purists don't like different, so they get all upset when Square Enix doesn't make a precise copy of FFVII.
I like that each Final Fantasy is markedly different from the Final Fantasies that came before it. It remains one of the few franchises that doesn't content itself with a yearly carbon copy, and I think fans owe it to themselves to go into these games with a more open mind.