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@runtheplacered: Did we read the same article? I'm not using any language, or tone that the author isn't already using (repeatedly). If you were fine with his, no need to act like I'm some awful person.
Why is Advent Children crappy? It's probably the most visually stunning blu-ray that I own. The story is a little weak, but these guys don't even want new story. They want the same exact game that they already played. With that in mind, I fail to see how it can be a crappy movie.
And wanting an HD remake is fine. But bitching and moaning when any game gets released that isn't the exact one that you want, for years on end, is a bit excessive.
Why is Advent Children crappy? It's probably the most visually stunning blu-ray that I own. The story is a little weak, but these guys don't even want new story. They want the same exact game that they already played. With that in mind, I fail to see how it can be a crappy movie.
And wanting an HD remake is fine. But bitching and moaning when any game gets released that isn't the exact one that you want, for years on end, is a bit excessive.
Discounting portable games as shit just because they're on portables isn't fair. I had no problem sitting on my couch and playing DQ9 with my DS hooked into my sound system. As Jim's latest video pointed out, technical limitations force development efforts into things like extra features or a larger world to explore.
But DQ9 was SE's only good game this year.
But DQ9 was SE's only good game this year.
I like how mattrodroid claims he is an adult and has taste in other posts, but displays severe childishness towards people that have a different opinion of him.
Ok, intricacies of the battle system? One healer, one melee, and one offensive magic user, spam X, rinse and repeat. The battle system was full of flash with no substance or control, much like the whole game. Cutscenes were beautifully rendered, but lacked everything else. Cringe inspired dialogue, characters with the same cliched personalities that go through magical bouts of "character growth" with no trigger, a final boss and ending that made no sense, a wasted landscape that the player wasn't able to explore or uncover the secrets, a bad villain, etc.
Everyone claims that Sazh was a great character, but it was more due to the rest of the party being absolute douchebags. Amazing through and through, seems like a bit of a stretch.
Ok, intricacies of the battle system? One healer, one melee, and one offensive magic user, spam X, rinse and repeat. The battle system was full of flash with no substance or control, much like the whole game. Cutscenes were beautifully rendered, but lacked everything else. Cringe inspired dialogue, characters with the same cliched personalities that go through magical bouts of "character growth" with no trigger, a final boss and ending that made no sense, a wasted landscape that the player wasn't able to explore or uncover the secrets, a bad villain, etc.
Everyone claims that Sazh was a great character, but it was more due to the rest of the party being absolute douchebags. Amazing through and through, seems like a bit of a stretch.
@runtheplacered: No, this really isn't how it works. If someone wants to say a game is fantastic they're perfectly open to their opinions. You're really betraying yourself when you decide to use other Final Fantasy games as the standard for fantastic since you're just letting yourself get caught up in the endless "The Final Fantasy game I liked is incredible, but the one you liked is passable at best" debate.
And since when is a company weighed by the number of bad games they publish as opposed to their good ones? I'm fairly sure most people didn't buy the bad games and can't really justify any grudge.
And since when is a company weighed by the number of bad games they publish as opposed to their good ones? I'm fairly sure most people didn't buy the bad games and can't really justify any grudge.
Also, I look forward to the release of XIII Versus. It will help continue to show what kind of a shitty game Final Fantasy will turn to be.
And for those people who greatly believe that FFXIII was amazing, take a look around you. Even people who plays most of Squaresoft game found it to be shitty. I found it shitty. My friends and room mates found it shitty. If we can have a vote for the biggest video game dissapointment of the year, Final Fantasy XIII will win, hands down.
And for those people who greatly believe that FFXIII was amazing, take a look around you. Even people who plays most of Squaresoft game found it to be shitty. I found it shitty. My friends and room mates found it shitty. If we can have a vote for the biggest video game dissapointment of the year, Final Fantasy XIII will win, hands down.
Last fucking thing,
Does anyone ever notice how RIDICULOUS they overprice their games? $39.99 for a fucking DS re-release of Chrono Trigger? And they're still having money troubles?
Does anyone ever notice how RIDICULOUS they overprice their games? $39.99 for a fucking DS re-release of Chrono Trigger? And they're still having money troubles?
Well I loved DQIX, but aside of this game I didn't have too much fun with other Square Enix this year.
Square-Enix had a discussion on "what is Final Fantasy?" and stripped it down to its core, which is combat and cutscenes. In a word: streamlined. There is no people to bore you, no towns to explore, no open world for the first 20 hours of gameplay, no where to deviate. You are constantly moving forward into the next battle. Battles are now quicker because control has been taken away from the player. Gameplay options have become much broader. You can no longer operate all your characters directly. Character customization has pretty much been put on auto-pilot. After exiting one fight, the player simply daisy chains to the next until you reach the next cutscene. Rise, wash, repeat.
While my grief really comes from the game's lack of player control, I don't think its a bad game. It's just different and maybe I will have to adjust. Though, for the record, I thought Gran Pulse was brilliant.
While my grief really comes from the game's lack of player control, I don't think its a bad game. It's just different and maybe I will have to adjust. Though, for the record, I thought Gran Pulse was brilliant.
The sad thing is, Square Enix also released my favorite game of this year. I think I've spent more time on Dragon Quest IX than any other game this year, and it got a fraction of the attention FFXIII/XIV got. And now, after these two massive flops, what does Square Enix do? They make FFXIII-2, which I almost guarantee is gonna be all graphics, no substance, like its predecessor.
/sigh
/sigh
@Linktrigger
I realize their prices are always ridiculous, but I couldn't help it with Crono Trigger. I mean, it's effin' Crono Trigger.
I'm playing through XIII right now, and it just hasn't grabbed me. There's no characters I'm rooting for, nothing in the battle system that makes me want to get into fights. It's like they expected the visuals to carry them across the finish line. Overall, it's just kind of average.
The Square part Square Enix is being crushed. I think they're taking on too many projects (FF spinoffs, Kingdom Hearts, Remakes) and they're not focused on quality. Here's hoping for a better 2011.
I realize their prices are always ridiculous, but I couldn't help it with Crono Trigger. I mean, it's effin' Crono Trigger.
I'm playing through XIII right now, and it just hasn't grabbed me. There's no characters I'm rooting for, nothing in the battle system that makes me want to get into fights. It's like they expected the visuals to carry them across the finish line. Overall, it's just kind of average.
The Square part Square Enix is being crushed. I think they're taking on too many projects (FF spinoffs, Kingdom Hearts, Remakes) and they're not focused on quality. Here's hoping for a better 2011.
Why are people saying "this year" like it's still 2010? .....The only game I bought from Square Enix last year was Birth By Sleep. One of my favorite games of 2010. With that said...... "The World Ends With You" sequel. Make it happen.
"Sorry diehards, but it’s time to face facts, Final Fantasy XIII was one of 2010’s biggest disappointments."
speak for yourself, guy. ffxiii surprised the shit out of me with how much ass it kicked. it was pretty much my personal game of the year (and when i say 'pretty much' i mean 'assuming mass effect 2 didn't exist'), and has my absolute favorite jrpg battle system that i've ever played by far.
honestly, every time i see "most people were disappointed by ffxiii," i think, "well, call of duty is currently the most popular video game franchise, so 'most people' clearly have shit taste."
speak for yourself, guy. ffxiii surprised the shit out of me with how much ass it kicked. it was pretty much my personal game of the year (and when i say 'pretty much' i mean 'assuming mass effect 2 didn't exist'), and has my absolute favorite jrpg battle system that i've ever played by far.
honestly, every time i see "most people were disappointed by ffxiii," i think, "well, call of duty is currently the most popular video game franchise, so 'most people' clearly have shit taste."
I always get amused when people clamor for THIS Square-Enix to try and fulfill their wishes on a dedicated Chrono Trigger sequel. It's like they WANT their childhood to be raped.
I totally agree with you, i remember the jolly good old times when you saw Squaresoft name on the cover and tought "holly crap this is some serious shit!", now, i watch a box that shays square enix and say "meh", i actually had a conversation like this with a friend like 2 days ago, i told him the times where Square used to be the shit about RPG´s and averything that came from them was like a golden turd from god, now everything they make is like brownish fecal matter from some hobo. Square used to be the go-to guys when you wanted a good, hell no, a fucking well made RPG, not anymore now my radar is pointed towards Atlus and mistwalker for that.
Also square could make a fuckton of money if FF 5 and & got the same boob job FF4 got on the NDS
Also square could make a fuckton of money if FF 5 and & got the same boob job FF4 got on the NDS
I agree with EggmaniMN.
FF13 was brilliant, if a little polarising. Nier was AWESOME, and most definitely underrated.
Stop whining like little bitches, and get back to your next installment of Call of Duty.
FF13 was brilliant, if a little polarising. Nier was AWESOME, and most definitely underrated.
Stop whining like little bitches, and get back to your next installment of Call of Duty.
I'm convinced we're all stuck in some bizzaro world where Final Fantasy gets panned in America but Dragon Quest XVIQLMNOP gets praised.
You know, in my experience the "logical consumers" are actually just SE's dumbass fans. The ones that keep wanking over a FFVII remake and complaining about profitable, quality handheld releases distracting from wasteful HD development? Those are SE's dumbass fans.
I'll admit FFXIII and FFXIV didn't turn out well, but I've grown up and expanded my RPG horizons beyond SE and Final Fantasy, so its not like I'm starved for JRPGs. There are other SE franchises to enjoy and also several other great JRPG developers out there, such as Atlus, XSeed and Marvelous Entertainment.
Oh wait, most of them are "screwing around" on handhelds.
Instead of pretending to pine over a Chrono Trigger sequel, why not sign the petition to get The Last Story to the Wii in the US and EU territories? This way, we can get a game graced by Sakaguchi and Uematsu and your otherwise useless windbagging would be useful for a change.
I want FFVII to get a remake in about 2017. This way when you get it and look in the mirror, you'll be about 40 and wondering what the fuck you did with your life wasting time "demanding" that shit.
Also, MVC3 is happening because the stars aligned and Capcom got all the licensing rights to do it finally. Companies like EA, Sega and others were getting in the way of that for a bit. Yeah, remember Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects? That was kind of an obstacle. Took 11 years for Capcom to get the sequel. Turns out Capcom vs. SNK was a bit less of a fuss in terms of licensing.
In other words, it had nothing to do with fans demanding it.
I'll admit FFXIII and FFXIV didn't turn out well, but I've grown up and expanded my RPG horizons beyond SE and Final Fantasy, so its not like I'm starved for JRPGs. There are other SE franchises to enjoy and also several other great JRPG developers out there, such as Atlus, XSeed and Marvelous Entertainment.
Oh wait, most of them are "screwing around" on handhelds.
Instead of pretending to pine over a Chrono Trigger sequel, why not sign the petition to get The Last Story to the Wii in the US and EU territories? This way, we can get a game graced by Sakaguchi and Uematsu and your otherwise useless windbagging would be useful for a change.
I want FFVII to get a remake in about 2017. This way when you get it and look in the mirror, you'll be about 40 and wondering what the fuck you did with your life wasting time "demanding" that shit.
Also, MVC3 is happening because the stars aligned and Capcom got all the licensing rights to do it finally. Companies like EA, Sega and others were getting in the way of that for a bit. Yeah, remember Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects? That was kind of an obstacle. Took 11 years for Capcom to get the sequel. Turns out Capcom vs. SNK was a bit less of a fuss in terms of licensing.
In other words, it had nothing to do with fans demanding it.
I'm having difficulty finding respect for this article.
It's not only because I disagree with your major premise. I am one of the many people who adored FFXIII; I find a lot (not all) of the negativity on Dtoid towards it to be sporadic, subjective and unconvincing, so it's enough to bring me to wonder how presumptuous is your claim of its mediocrity.
If you want to demonstrate your feelings towards the game's commercial success and the company, by all means do so - but back up your statements with proof and evidence. You imply FFXIII was poorly received and Square Enix performed miserably this year, so show us a fair array of review scores, cite critical analyses, link to sales figures and compare them with anticpated projections - anything but (as is currently written) unreasoned assertions.
It should be easy to demonstrate your point. Considering how obviously different our tastes deviate, you'll understand if I don't take your word on most of the above claims.
But above all, I'm disappointed to see the more negative monthly musings being frontpaged. It's depressing.
PS. I'm not contesting your opinion on the subject just yet. Although I would maintain my stance on the quality of FFXIII even if the evidence falls in your favour, my desire to see your above reasoning would be sated.
PPS. For those eager to dismiss my entire objection based on my reference to subjectivity - bear in mind that subjective criticism ought to have reasoning behind it and is all too often often absent or malnourished. In cases where analytical conclusions are drawn from flimsy reasoning, it is entirely unreasonable to expect it to carry any weight. And since this article isn't a critical analysis of FFXIII or other 2010 Squeenix games, it's not really the place to be arguing the relevance of subjectivity in broad critical assertions.
It's not only because I disagree with your major premise. I am one of the many people who adored FFXIII; I find a lot (not all) of the negativity on Dtoid towards it to be sporadic, subjective and unconvincing, so it's enough to bring me to wonder how presumptuous is your claim of its mediocrity.
If you want to demonstrate your feelings towards the game's commercial success and the company, by all means do so - but back up your statements with proof and evidence. You imply FFXIII was poorly received and Square Enix performed miserably this year, so show us a fair array of review scores, cite critical analyses, link to sales figures and compare them with anticpated projections - anything but (as is currently written) unreasoned assertions.
It should be easy to demonstrate your point. Considering how obviously different our tastes deviate, you'll understand if I don't take your word on most of the above claims.
But above all, I'm disappointed to see the more negative monthly musings being frontpaged. It's depressing.
PS. I'm not contesting your opinion on the subject just yet. Although I would maintain my stance on the quality of FFXIII even if the evidence falls in your favour, my desire to see your above reasoning would be sated.
PPS. For those eager to dismiss my entire objection based on my reference to subjectivity - bear in mind that subjective criticism ought to have reasoning behind it and is all too often often absent or malnourished. In cases where analytical conclusions are drawn from flimsy reasoning, it is entirely unreasonable to expect it to carry any weight. And since this article isn't a critical analysis of FFXIII or other 2010 Squeenix games, it's not really the place to be arguing the relevance of subjectivity in broad critical assertions.
There are people who are just way too obsessed with graphics, which is what FF13 is.
Realistic Graphics, in my opinion, don't make a good game. Loveable characters, ambient music, fun, gameplay and challenge are the ingredients of a decent game. The graphics don't have to be realistic, they just have to fit the game.
And creativity - I mean, it's not there in FF13 as in the previous ones. Donkey Kong got a 10/10 on Destructoid, and it doesn't even have that great of a graphics engine - But two chimps making their way through volcanos, bramble bushes, beehives etc - that's something not everyone could create. And that's what Square Enix needs to do.
Don't you think so?
And Chrono Cross, I just don't get it. The people I hear it from that likes the game are the ones who never played Chrono Trigger before. FF13 was the same disappointment I felt as Chrono Chross. If die hard
Realistic Graphics, in my opinion, don't make a good game. Loveable characters, ambient music, fun, gameplay and challenge are the ingredients of a decent game. The graphics don't have to be realistic, they just have to fit the game.
And creativity - I mean, it's not there in FF13 as in the previous ones. Donkey Kong got a 10/10 on Destructoid, and it doesn't even have that great of a graphics engine - But two chimps making their way through volcanos, bramble bushes, beehives etc - that's something not everyone could create. And that's what Square Enix needs to do.
Don't you think so?
And Chrono Cross, I just don't get it. The people I hear it from that likes the game are the ones who never played Chrono Trigger before. FF13 was the same disappointment I felt as Chrono Chross. If die hard
The real problem with SE is that they try to hard WAIT hear me out. They put sooo much fucking time on the graphics of FFXIII that they even had to cut a lot of things out because they could not "animate" them in time, and substituted it with datalog bullshit. I did not like FFXIII.
But the biggest thing I believe is that the have to many fucking games in development at the same time. Last time I counted it was like 9 games but feel free to count them yourself. Seriously SE put your men to work on Versus, Agito and the next Kingdom Hearts, when that's done feel free to do something else. But MAKE SURE that those 3 games are as good as possible.
But the biggest thing I believe is that the have to many fucking games in development at the same time. Last time I counted it was like 9 games but feel free to count them yourself. Seriously SE put your men to work on Versus, Agito and the next Kingdom Hearts, when that's done feel free to do something else. But MAKE SURE that those 3 games are as good as possible.
i just want a Parasite Eve on PS3(sequel to The 3rd Birthday would be nice)
and a remake of FFVII-FFVIII, yeah2 remakes and reamkes but these 2 games deserve it, about IX im not sure since it's sakaguchi's favorite game, but then again you see games like silent hill, castlevania, devil may cry, okamiden being handled by different teams so yeah it's possible too.
and a remake of FFVII-FFVIII, yeah2 remakes and reamkes but these 2 games deserve it, about IX im not sure since it's sakaguchi's favorite game, but then again you see games like silent hill, castlevania, devil may cry, okamiden being handled by different teams so yeah it's possible too.
@squirrelyg
"You do realize that they said it would take something like 10 years to remake final fantasy 7."
Which is complete and utter bullshit...
"You do realize that they said it would take something like 10 years to remake final fantasy 7."
Which is complete and utter bullshit...
@Byronic Man
You're basically asking what was wrong with FFXIII?
In a nut-shell:
- Linear gameplay [in of itself not an issue but the game doesn't try to hide it or have interesting level design like say Gears of War].
- Repetitious gameplay [Combat + walking = full game - there's one section where the game has any kind of variety and that's Hope riding on the back of that thing in the Vile Peaks.]
- Boring combat system - You never really have full control over your party in the game, you're just telling them to attack, defend, use magic and so forth - in later battles you don't have time to select your abilities [and the interface is horrible anyway so why would you want to?], and auto-battle just takes more control away from the player.
- Horrible characterization - Every character in the game goes through a transformation ala every JRPG ever, but unlike most good games there's no real reason for it. Hope, Lightning in particular. Nothing significant occurred that should have changed their whole personalities the way it did. Furthermore, the few side-characters, and indeed the main villain, are horrible characterized and the player leans little to nothing about them. So why should they care?
Horrible dialouge - "Moms are tough" being the line I'll always remember - but there're hundreds of horrible, horrible lines in this game, and they're all said so dramatically.
You're basically asking what was wrong with FFXIII?
In a nut-shell:
- Linear gameplay [in of itself not an issue but the game doesn't try to hide it or have interesting level design like say Gears of War].
- Repetitious gameplay [Combat + walking = full game - there's one section where the game has any kind of variety and that's Hope riding on the back of that thing in the Vile Peaks.]
- Boring combat system - You never really have full control over your party in the game, you're just telling them to attack, defend, use magic and so forth - in later battles you don't have time to select your abilities [and the interface is horrible anyway so why would you want to?], and auto-battle just takes more control away from the player.
- Horrible characterization - Every character in the game goes through a transformation ala every JRPG ever, but unlike most good games there's no real reason for it. Hope, Lightning in particular. Nothing significant occurred that should have changed their whole personalities the way it did. Furthermore, the few side-characters, and indeed the main villain, are horrible characterized and the player leans little to nothing about them. So why should they care?
Horrible dialouge - "Moms are tough" being the line I'll always remember - but there're hundreds of horrible, horrible lines in this game, and they're all said so dramatically.
@Byronic Man
You're basically asking what was wrong with FFXIII?
In a nut-shell:
- Linear gameplay [in of itself not an issue but the game doesn't try to hide it or have interesting level design like say Gears of War].
- Repetitious gameplay [Combat + walking = full game - there's one section where the game has any kind of variety and that's Hope riding on the back of that thing in the Vile Peaks.]
- Boring combat system - You never really have full control over your party in the game, you're just telling them to attack, defend, use magic and so forth - in later battles you don't have time to select your abilities [and the interface is horrible anyway so why would you want to?], and auto-battle just takes more control away from the player.
- Horrible characterization - Every character in the game goes through a transformation ala every JRPG ever, but unlike most good games there's no real reason for it. Hope, Lightning in particular. Nothing significant occurred that should have changed their whole personalities the way it did. Furthermore, the few side-characters, and indeed the main villain, are horrible characterized and the player leans little to nothing about them. So why should they care?
Horrible dialogue - "Moms are tough" being the line I'll always remember - but there're hundreds of horrible, horrible lines in this game, and they're all VA'd so dramatically, and over the top.
Elevator music - How many tracks do you remembers from FFXIII? I've not played the game recently and I can't remember a single song from the game because the music was incredibly boring...
Plot holes - There're many, many plot holes...
Horrible ending - The ending is a giant deus Ex Machnia
..there're even more common complaints but there's a small examples as to why FFXIII is seen as a bad game...
You're basically asking what was wrong with FFXIII?
In a nut-shell:
- Linear gameplay [in of itself not an issue but the game doesn't try to hide it or have interesting level design like say Gears of War].
- Repetitious gameplay [Combat + walking = full game - there's one section where the game has any kind of variety and that's Hope riding on the back of that thing in the Vile Peaks.]
- Boring combat system - You never really have full control over your party in the game, you're just telling them to attack, defend, use magic and so forth - in later battles you don't have time to select your abilities [and the interface is horrible anyway so why would you want to?], and auto-battle just takes more control away from the player.
- Horrible characterization - Every character in the game goes through a transformation ala every JRPG ever, but unlike most good games there's no real reason for it. Hope, Lightning in particular. Nothing significant occurred that should have changed their whole personalities the way it did. Furthermore, the few side-characters, and indeed the main villain, are horrible characterized and the player leans little to nothing about them. So why should they care?
Horrible dialogue - "Moms are tough" being the line I'll always remember - but there're hundreds of horrible, horrible lines in this game, and they're all VA'd so dramatically, and over the top.
Elevator music - How many tracks do you remembers from FFXIII? I've not played the game recently and I can't remember a single song from the game because the music was incredibly boring...
Plot holes - There're many, many plot holes...
Horrible ending - The ending is a giant deus Ex Machnia
..there're even more common complaints but there's a small examples as to why FFXIII is seen as a bad game...
I'm convinced XIII was Square trying to tell us that they just want to make CGI films. Horribly cliché CGI films with crap voice acting and bad writing/story but CGI films non the less.
The last Square game I truly enjoyed was TWEWY. They were once my favourite team, relying on them to give me a new world and story to explore and love every few years. But now, fuck em. Atlus is my new best friend.
The last Square game I truly enjoyed was TWEWY. They were once my favourite team, relying on them to give me a new world and story to explore and love every few years. But now, fuck em. Atlus is my new best friend.
Honestly, for those people who think Square Enix isn't doing well, just look at this thread. Have you seen the same reception when it comes to the Mario franchise? Of course not. Square Enix is obviously doing something wrong and it's cause their fan base to be quite upset.
Gonna have to agree unfortunately, was not a good year for SE, though FF13 was good it was not good enough, Dragon Quest IX was dull for me in comparison to the likes of Golden Sun and 4 Warriors of Light. To be perfectly honest it was a poor year for JRPGs in general.
I was not disappointed by FFXIII, so this automatically invalidates the entire discussion. Just as you can have two people say NIER was great and NIER is crap in the same page. Perhaps I didn't want it to be something it was not, perhaps I am merely IGNorant, as the saying on the net goes... I do agree however that, all things considered, SE is not in the same shape as Square and Enix in 1997-2000, possibly because you can only be young once.
I love that they are making games for the PSP and DS (though I lament that, because a game is made for DS, it may not see the lifted limitations of the 3DS, not just in graphics and such, but on what can be done or included). I don't want to have to sit at a TV to play a spiffy version of a game that already runs on the PSP (read: I want a portable FFVII remake, because even on the PSP, it would still look better than its original incarnation...AND include analog control). Heck, Birth by Sleep was basically "Kingdom Hearts 0"!
Yeah, I know, consoles have a bigger spotlight than the handhelds (and especially the PSP, buttmonkey of Sony that it is), but dammit, I want to play my decade-old facelift-game anywhere I damn well please, not just whenever my folks aren't using the PS3 as the DVD/Netflix player.
Yeah, I know, consoles have a bigger spotlight than the handhelds (and especially the PSP, buttmonkey of Sony that it is), but dammit, I want to play my decade-old facelift-game anywhere I damn well please, not just whenever my folks aren't using the PS3 as the DVD/Netflix player.
I swear, most of you guys are more susceptible to peer pressure and the power of suggestion than you realize.
Atlus makes good games, but they aren't even close to being on the same level as SQEX. Catherine is their first HD console game, period. Forget bitching about SQEX not releasing anything on PS3 until 2010, Atlus still hasn't released a single game for 360, or PS3 to date. And it's not like Catherine even really looks like an HD game. All they do is "screw around on handhelds," and the Wii. They publish a lot of sub-par games as well.
I've got nothing against Atlus, but the level of double standard going on here is staggering. But if everyone just repeats it enough, if the media repeats it enough, you guys start to believe anything. "Atlus is the greatest, all SQEX does is release handheld games." Even just stepping back for a second and taking a look at what you are saying should reveal the contradiction.
Atlus makes good games, but they aren't even close to being on the same level as SQEX. Catherine is their first HD console game, period. Forget bitching about SQEX not releasing anything on PS3 until 2010, Atlus still hasn't released a single game for 360, or PS3 to date. And it's not like Catherine even really looks like an HD game. All they do is "screw around on handhelds," and the Wii. They publish a lot of sub-par games as well.
I've got nothing against Atlus, but the level of double standard going on here is staggering. But if everyone just repeats it enough, if the media repeats it enough, you guys start to believe anything. "Atlus is the greatest, all SQEX does is release handheld games." Even just stepping back for a second and taking a look at what you are saying should reveal the contradiction.
Like Sony, SquareEnix got too big and arrogant for their own good, and everything went downhill from there.
dude quit your whining, it's this sense of entitlement that makes it still uncool to admit you are a fan of videogames. Square doesn't owe you anything and you dont seem to understand the difference between your opinions and facts.
you obviously know nothing of game development yet you talk like all of this would be easy and project your own OPINIONS onto the public at large. by no means did Final Fantasy XIII suck and it sold quite well. it got favorable reviews from everybody but Jim Sterling and that guy is an idiot who seldom knows what he's talking about. if you don't like Final Fantasy and the way it is then move onto something else, nobody is making you play these games and many of us still like them. you are just letting your nostalgia make you love blind to the fact that XIII is no different from the others, the gameplay is easily the best in the series and if you think the story was dumb, get a grip because I've got news for you, it's no worse than any of these other crackpot stories. This series was always made up of contrived plots and anime tropes.
also usually when a game is delayed it's for a good reason and i dont think releasing Deus Ex before it's ready would help them any
you obviously know nothing of game development yet you talk like all of this would be easy and project your own OPINIONS onto the public at large. by no means did Final Fantasy XIII suck and it sold quite well. it got favorable reviews from everybody but Jim Sterling and that guy is an idiot who seldom knows what he's talking about. if you don't like Final Fantasy and the way it is then move onto something else, nobody is making you play these games and many of us still like them. you are just letting your nostalgia make you love blind to the fact that XIII is no different from the others, the gameplay is easily the best in the series and if you think the story was dumb, get a grip because I've got news for you, it's no worse than any of these other crackpot stories. This series was always made up of contrived plots and anime tropes.
also usually when a game is delayed it's for a good reason and i dont think releasing Deus Ex before it's ready would help them any
The article is good and raises some valid point although it pains me to see that it completely forsakes the only good things about Square-Enix lately: portable games.
Still, first I'd like to touch on the home console games subject. FFXIII was a good game. Not great, not fantastic, but it was good and if the game didn't have Final Fantasy XIII slapped on the cover, maybe people wouldn't bitch as much about it. About all the flaws Resonanse pointed are true and that doesn't leave much room for debate at all. I myself being a long time FF fan have lots of trouble even putting the XIII blu-ray on the drive, much less play it. The "Do you have the courage to face your destiny" tagline never felt so true as far as I'm concerned.
As far as Final Fantasy XIV is concerned, I was a closed beta tester and just after a few hours of gameplay, I knew the game would bomb.
However portable SE (both on the DS and PSP) has been very generous in terms of quality games:
- Crisis Core: We all sort of knew the story already, but SE pull the game off brilliantly. Yeah it could be a bit of a button masher and "random" encounters aren't really random at all. But music and plot clearly made up for the flaws of the game making it a worthwhile experience.
- Dissidia: How come no one has mentioned this game? It took something as generic as a fighting game and actually added depth to it. The storyline is as cliché as it could get, btu everything else is very good. Again, it's not a perfect game but it's damn worth the time you decide to give it.
- Kingdom Hearts BbS: First off, I'm not a KH fan. I barely know the basics of gameplay and story of that game, but lately I've been watching my GF playing it and I can tell you that the game does look like a lot of fun.
- The World Ends With You: Again, another game I have not played but I heard so much good about it I'm really curious to.
- Dragon Quest DS games: I think most people here have already said what needs to be said about these and since I haven't played it aswell, I'll keep quiet on the subject until I have.
So yeah, 2010 for SE hasn't seen the release of a GREAT game from SE besides DQIX but that doesn't mean all hope is lost. They have proven with their portable games that when graphics aren't all that matters, they can put out and do some great games filled with good content. I believe that's what they should be aiming for in 2011.
PS: My first real post here, I hope it was good enough xD
Still, first I'd like to touch on the home console games subject. FFXIII was a good game. Not great, not fantastic, but it was good and if the game didn't have Final Fantasy XIII slapped on the cover, maybe people wouldn't bitch as much about it. About all the flaws Resonanse pointed are true and that doesn't leave much room for debate at all. I myself being a long time FF fan have lots of trouble even putting the XIII blu-ray on the drive, much less play it. The "Do you have the courage to face your destiny" tagline never felt so true as far as I'm concerned.
As far as Final Fantasy XIV is concerned, I was a closed beta tester and just after a few hours of gameplay, I knew the game would bomb.
However portable SE (both on the DS and PSP) has been very generous in terms of quality games:
- Crisis Core: We all sort of knew the story already, but SE pull the game off brilliantly. Yeah it could be a bit of a button masher and "random" encounters aren't really random at all. But music and plot clearly made up for the flaws of the game making it a worthwhile experience.
- Dissidia: How come no one has mentioned this game? It took something as generic as a fighting game and actually added depth to it. The storyline is as cliché as it could get, btu everything else is very good. Again, it's not a perfect game but it's damn worth the time you decide to give it.
- Kingdom Hearts BbS: First off, I'm not a KH fan. I barely know the basics of gameplay and story of that game, but lately I've been watching my GF playing it and I can tell you that the game does look like a lot of fun.
- The World Ends With You: Again, another game I have not played but I heard so much good about it I'm really curious to.
- Dragon Quest DS games: I think most people here have already said what needs to be said about these and since I haven't played it aswell, I'll keep quiet on the subject until I have.
So yeah, 2010 for SE hasn't seen the release of a GREAT game from SE besides DQIX but that doesn't mean all hope is lost. They have proven with their portable games that when graphics aren't all that matters, they can put out and do some great games filled with good content. I believe that's what they should be aiming for in 2011.
PS: My first real post here, I hope it was good enough xD
@Kezra
If FFXIII didn't have Final Fantasy written on it, it would've disappeared amongst all the other mediocre games that came out this year.
If FFXIII didn't have Final Fantasy written on it, it would've disappeared amongst all the other mediocre games that came out this year.
I think it's a little unfair to pick on a company that's been on the downslide for more 'n a couple of years now. <.<;
Excellent blog! I totally agree that they aren't listening to the fan base, but I honestly hope that they don't remake VII in HD. Square Enix fans are are some of the most fickle people around. If that game ever came to light, I feel that it would be picked apart immediately. I just hope, in my heart of hearts that they get focused and release the NEW games that we're all craving, not just rehashes of the older games. Nostalgia's only worth so much, and as Thomas Wolfe once wrote, you can never go home.
So basically you what you want is for Square-Enix to just rehash all their old franchises, and create sequels to games that would never live up to the hype and would utterly disappoint. It just sounds like a lot of whining to me.
I'd rather see Square-Enix take chances on newer titles. I can go back and play FFVII anytime I want, and sure it doesn't look as pretty as games coming out right now, but who needs it to? The graphics at the time were amazing, but they weren't what made the game great.
If fans would just take games for what they are and not what they want them to be I think they'd be a lot happier. After all FFXIII had a lot of good points. Was it one of their best works? No. But everyone seems to expect their games to relight the magic that FFVII brought. But that was a long time ago, and its not as easy to please us as it was over 10yrs ago.
The systems have changed, and so have the demographics. If people just played FFXIII for what it was I think a lot more people would have enjoyed it.
I'd rather see Square-Enix take chances on newer titles. I can go back and play FFVII anytime I want, and sure it doesn't look as pretty as games coming out right now, but who needs it to? The graphics at the time were amazing, but they weren't what made the game great.
If fans would just take games for what they are and not what they want them to be I think they'd be a lot happier. After all FFXIII had a lot of good points. Was it one of their best works? No. But everyone seems to expect their games to relight the magic that FFVII brought. But that was a long time ago, and its not as easy to please us as it was over 10yrs ago.
The systems have changed, and so have the demographics. If people just played FFXIII for what it was I think a lot more people would have enjoyed it.
@teakayfortoowon:
I also believed that at one point. But being an RPG fan, and with the RPG drought that has been going on specially on the PS3 (well, at least compared to PS2 standards) I believe the game would have been received better.
That doesn't take away it's huge flaws though, but the fact that it was directed by a team of new people headed by the usual guys (Nomura and Kitase) does add to the fact that it was almost a new team trying to develop a new game. (lack of experience much?)
While reading the post-mortem of FFXIII on the gamedeveloper magazine one or two months ago (i love post-mortem articles xD) the SQEX man talking to the mag pointed out as the biggest flaws in their development process were (and I'm quoting):
1) Lack of a shared vision
2) The universal engine and narrowing down the specs
3) Getting started (!)
4) The limits of traditional team structure
5) Internation player tests came too late
I'd say that the simple fact they are able to aknownledge that they made such mistakes is a step in the right direction for numbered FF games, even though if I don't buy the excuse such as 4) because that shouldn't even been an issue. Either you are satisfied with your team or not. Don't go complaining about it afterwards.
Still I myself have troubles playing FFXIII and I have no idea if I'll ever finish it. I just hope that the portable teams can teach something to the home console ones.
I also believed that at one point. But being an RPG fan, and with the RPG drought that has been going on specially on the PS3 (well, at least compared to PS2 standards) I believe the game would have been received better.
That doesn't take away it's huge flaws though, but the fact that it was directed by a team of new people headed by the usual guys (Nomura and Kitase) does add to the fact that it was almost a new team trying to develop a new game. (lack of experience much?)
While reading the post-mortem of FFXIII on the gamedeveloper magazine one or two months ago (i love post-mortem articles xD) the SQEX man talking to the mag pointed out as the biggest flaws in their development process were (and I'm quoting):
1) Lack of a shared vision
2) The universal engine and narrowing down the specs
3) Getting started (!)
4) The limits of traditional team structure
5) Internation player tests came too late
I'd say that the simple fact they are able to aknownledge that they made such mistakes is a step in the right direction for numbered FF games, even though if I don't buy the excuse such as 4) because that shouldn't even been an issue. Either you are satisfied with your team or not. Don't go complaining about it afterwards.
Still I myself have troubles playing FFXIII and I have no idea if I'll ever finish it. I just hope that the portable teams can teach something to the home console ones.
I just wanted to say: I REALLY want Versus XIII. Just so it's clear that your statement that it is "shit like nobody really wants" is not exactly true. I would vastly prefer to have Versus than a VII remake, because I've already played VII. Admittedly it was brilliant, but I really fail to see how better graphics would make it better.
@KezraPlanes: "Dissidia: How come no one has mentioned this game? It took something as generic as a fighting game and actually added depth to it."
Uhhhh, what?
Uhhhh, what?
@MichaelJLowell
What what?
I dislike most fighting games for being mindless button mashers and having impossible to do combos that you need to spend 2 months to master and usually having little to no story that makes them only good to play when you are with friends.
Dissidia isn't a gem, nor does it do anything new, but it simplified everything and added a small storyline that actually kept some interest into playing it in single player mode. Add to that the simple way you can do spells and other special moves and whatnot and a good customization scheme and you got a good little game there? Nothing spectacular but good enough.
What what?
I dislike most fighting games for being mindless button mashers and having impossible to do combos that you need to spend 2 months to master and usually having little to no story that makes them only good to play when you are with friends.
Dissidia isn't a gem, nor does it do anything new, but it simplified everything and added a small storyline that actually kept some interest into playing it in single player mode. Add to that the simple way you can do spells and other special moves and whatnot and a good customization scheme and you got a good little game there? Nothing spectacular but good enough.
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