Square Enix to focus on more Strong IPs

Fine by me, More FF/DQ for me and my friends

^^^If previews were completely concrete in depicting how a game would turn out, then Okami would've been a dull game.

I tend to blame Wada, too. Squaresoft just seemed to lose something after Sakaguchi left and they merged with Enix. Enix hasn't quite been their old self, either: compare Valkyrie Profile with Valkyrie Profile 2, or Star Ocean 2 with Star Ocean 3 and 4.

What if I said SO 3 was my only Star Ocean game and I've never played 2?

I'd rather not.

I choose to view those as part of different series that just happen to have some similar characters.

@nomuru2d,

The problem is that the preview was clearly written to be positive as possible, but makes flaws blatant by disguising them as good ideas (You are never vulnerable).

...Wait. So did DQIX not happen, or something?

Wait, I thought Silmeria was generally well liked?

I thought Star Ocean 3 had better character writing, and certainly better dialogue, than Star Ocean 2. The trouble was the the characters weren't nearly as likeable, and the story felt both more contrived and nonsensical. Plus, it did away with the game mechanics that made the first two Star Ocean games particularly worthwhile. If you combined the strengths of the games, I think you'd have something that could compete with any of the all time greats. But instead, all the improvements in the third game came at the expense of everything done right in the second.

I fail to see any way you could call the writing of Star Ocean 3 "better". The plot pacing verges on incomprehensibly bad, with two thirds the game spent on an almost entirely irrelevant sidequest. The characters are largely ciphers with little personality. The main plot is one big giant "fuck you" to anybody who has played the prior to games.

Re: Silmeria, I wouldn't say its *bad*, but it does not compare well with its much more experimental predecessor, IMO.

That was because FFVII made so much money and popularity for them (the game had allowed them to successfully breach the coveted NA market) that they could afford to take risks and develop new IPs.

And then they dug themselves into a hole and had Enix bail them out.

It's OK. But Lenneth was a thousand times better.

Agreed on the pacing and story, but not on the characters. They have personality, and express it more fluently than the characters of the previous game. They're just not particularly likable. If the second game had had characters who were as expressive, with as natural dialogue at the third game, it would have been greatly improved.

FFVII was itself a very experimental game, although it doesn't seem like one now because so much that was successful about it has been copied ad nauseam.

edited 15th May '11 7:58:06 AM by Desertopa

I've played all Final Fantasy games (at least the main series ones) and I enjoy them all, I won't touch XIV because I don't like MMO's but the others were all enjoyable in their own specific way.

SE should go back to basics, and start from scratch. Somewhere along the line, the design of Final Fantasy gameplay in particular, was really screwed up. I know I'm flogging a dead horse but it must be said. They should have improved and refined the original ATB or FFX's turn-based system. Gambits and auto-battle make things really boring and the spell-spam is just ridiculous.

Grinding in FFXIII is really annoying, it makes me miss random encounters because the enemies respawn so slowly.

But you know, I wouldn't mind if Final Fantasy adopted the Kingdom Hearts battle system. That might have been a better, and certainly interesting route to take.

edited 15th May '11 11:28:57 AM by Shichibukai

That's what Versus pretty much is.

Forgive me if I'm wrong but wasn't XIII designed to make grinding difficult, hence the restrictions on the crystrium? Y'know to try and make players think about tactics rather than just level up and walk through everything.

Besides which, I find you don't really need to grind as long as you don't run from too many battles.

As I mentioned before...if you need to grind in order to beat an RPG, you're playing it wrong.

You mean the godawful movie that had nothing to do with Final Fantasy except in name?

edited 15th May '11 12:27:04 PM by Signed

Then play the older games.

@Phoenix Act: Some grinding is integral to an RPG. Besides which, the tactics are really easy to me but I want to be able to grind to develop the abilities of my party. What's bad is when it forces you to keep grinding; but grinding and training itself, should be a fair way of getting ready to beat bosses. Grinding itself is a strategy, becoming stronger and preparing your next big challenge to the sacrifice of personal time and gameplay pacing.

Paradigm shift is an innovative system but once you get the hang of it, I don't think there's much of a challenge. It's more or less what you'd do in previous final fantasies with regards to character choice, except it limits your options massively and prepackages the party layout, making your characters more or less the jacks of all trades. I'd go so far as to say it's a dumbed down battle system. You don't have MP limits, don't have to ration to keep on surviving, and don't have to plan your party's actions directly. You have less overall management of combat. That's not what Final Fantasy is supposed to be about.

I prefer it when a game doesn't try to dictate exactly how you should play.

edited 15th May '11 1:04:30 PM by Shichibukai

Also, do away with true sequels to any FF. Squeenix cannot do proper sequels for beans especially with the horrible direction they take their games in.

Yeah, give us a Final Fantasy 5 prequel instead, because FF 5 was awesome.

edited 15th May '11 1:37:23 PM by deuxhero

I still like Final Fantasy. I don't care either way if they stop doing direct sequels, but I still like what they're doing...

Yeah, me too, I never got tired of it

*agrees*

edited 15th May '11 2:55:56 PM by sirnoob