Queen's Blood (Final Fantasy Thread)

[Benji]

It's kind of suprising that in a decade no major company has really got behind a turn based JRPG to try and grab that crown. Shame Mistwalker seem to have no intent on making more really.

[TKz]

Well none of the non-Final Fantasy JRPG's ever really made the same amount internationally that FF did. As such, the decline of Final Fantasy's popularity has probably sent out the message that people aren't buying JRPG's. When really, no one's buying them because no one's making them/releasing them worldwide.

The Kickstarter scene has started to pick up on it, but it's not like side scrollers where indy devs can pick up where big companies drop off. A proper JRPG is a bit too massive to be made by two or three guys in a basement somewhere.

It's weird, the 3DS and Vita are the perfect consoles for them. I don't understand why they've never caught onto the massive market for it when games like Pokemon and Bravely Default are super popular.

[RoyWill Rumble]

We buy these games on day one so you people can know ahead of time that it's terrible!

YOU SHOULD BE THANKING US!

Well, if you're buying it on day one, you're just letting us know right on time that they're terrible.

Reviewers and such are generally letting us know ahead of time that shit like this is terrible.

[Benji]

Problem with that is they're not, these games generally get waaaay high ratings based on name.

[RoyWill Rumble]

Problem with that is they're not, these games generally get waaaay high ratings based on name.

If anything, to be honest, they just kinda don't get reviewed—at least by sites I actually follow and care about.

[Benji]

The sites you go to for gaming reviews don't review one of the biggest franchises in gaming? >_>

[RoyWill Rumble]

Absolutely, because they realize they don't give a fuck about Final Fantasy and aren't gonna do it any justice one way or the other.

And they focus on video content.

Basically, Giant Bomb is the only site I go to on the regular. It's wonderful. Joystiq and Gamasutra to a degree, too, but I don't read their reviews all that often because they can feel forced, like many a review.

[TKz]

Giant Bomb did review FFXIII, though. They also did Quick Looks of both sequels.

I mean, I don't really give a shit about the sites you read, I'm not sure why you're making a discussion about it in a topic for Final Fantasy, but they've pretty clearly covered the franchises new releases since they came into existence.

[RoyWill Rumble]

Quick Looks ain't reviews, though. They often supplant reviews. And that, along with podcasts are more than enough coverage, because Giant Bomb knows its audiences. They still do reviews, but they most definitely do not do the amount of reviews that, say, Gamespot, or IGN do.

And I'm discussing it because I made a joke that you aren't being ahead of the curve and warning us by buying day one. You're just telling us on time. That's it.

[tenaciousg]

I know people have been screaming for Final Fantasy VII to be redone, but I really really want Final Fantasy IX redone. It's not my favourite at all but I felt like it was a fun game to play through and I'd love to see it remastered.

Given Square's business strategy over the last year or so regarding the Final Fantasy franchise, I'm starting to give up hope that we'll see remakes/remasters of the post-IV/pre-X series.

[Draevyn]

I know people have been screaming for Final Fantasy VII to be redone, but I really really want Final Fantasy IX redone. It's not my favourite at all but I felt like it was a fun game to play through and I'd love to see it remastered.

Given Square's business strategy over the last year or so regarding the Final Fantasy franchise, I'm starting to give up hope that we'll see remakes/remasters of the post-IV/pre-X series.

Oh me too but I still say I'd love to have it. I've almost thought about going out and picking up a cheap PSOne and picking the games up again to play.

[TKz]

Do yourself a favor and get a cheap PSP! It takes all of 30 seconds to install a program that lets you play pirated PSOne games. From there, you can pretty much play any game from that generation, rather than hoping that it's been released on the PSN in your country.

[Skummy]

I really hate that it looks like it's GTA open world with Kingdom Hearts combat. I don't really like either of those things when they're done by people who know how to. I just want a fucking Final Fantasy. Is that so much to ask? What was wrong with the turn based battle system that people actually liked? Or any of the systems that made the games popular?

From what I loosely understand, the whole JRPG style is much less popular in Japan than it used to be, presumably off the back of MMORPGs becoming successful, so it's a conscious effort to move away from a "dated" format. It sucks, but it's not as simple as "they got rid of everything people like".

And second being disappointed that Mistwalker aren't doing more RPGs; Last Story was genuinely one of my favourite games ever, and one of the best non-Final Fantasy JRPGs this side of Chrono Trigger.

[Liam]

Debating whether to restart a game of FF8. Thought I had a saved game though, but apparently not.

[Draevyn]

So there was a 10 minute gameplay video released for Final Fantasy XV. I know that I'll buy it but I still hate the way they've done this game, and recent ones to be honest. The story should be excellent though.

Edit: I posted it before watching it and now that I've watched it, it's really 10 minutes of "Hey look how beautiful the graphics are while I run through different scenes"

[Avenged Probably]

I know a lot of people hate on the series for the changes in recent years, but for me all Final Fantasy has ever been about is the incredible stories. As long as they keep that up then I'm going to stay invested. Really looking forward to this one.

[stokeriño]

I think if I had dug the XIII story more, I would probably have been drawn into the sequel/spin-off games...even though I would have hated myself afterwards (or during, whilst battling down linear corridor number 238). So cheers, XIII, for making me less conflicted than I might have been.

However, having now been broken of the "buying the new FF game just because" habit, I'm not sure what XV would need to do/be to get me back in. After all, it would be much cheaper/easier for me to actually play X-2 one of these days if I want an FF fix...since it just sits there in its box.

[TKz]

I'll eat all of the fucking hats if those "large open environments" are actually that large and open. No way is that area not littered with invisible walls and trees/mountains conveniently keeping you on the path you need to be.

[Draevyn]

I admit that the graphics are beautiful and if it is as open as it says it is then it'll be awesome. But Final Fantasy games should be about more than just beautiful graphics. And I know it's beating a dead horse but I want ATB back damn it!

[TKz]

I'm pretty sure you're preaching to the choir on EWB about it being more than graphics (I'd argue they're the last thing most care about for this franchise). I don't think anyone on this forum has been satisfied with a Final Fantasy game in over a decade, outside of my forgiving enjoyment of XIII-2.

Personally, I'm pretty sure XV is going to be more of what I don't want from Final Fantasy. I don't want an action battle system, I don't want more bullshit overindulgent stories. I want interesting characters and a ton of side content. I want a realized world that you can explore. Even X, the most linear of the "classic" Final Fantasy games, was packed full of side stuff to get your teeth into.

It's funny that eastern developers were the kings of the RPG genre, whilst now games like Dragon Age are doing what they did years ago to great success. Meanwhile, Square-Enix pours millions into iOS games and try to move as far away as possible from everything that made them a success.