Many of them are, yea. But they're specifically named in the FF convention, and at least a few are pretty unique to the series so I think it still counts.![]()
Many of them are, yea. But they're specifically named in the FF convention, and at least a few are pretty unique to the series so I think it still counts.![]()
And I think treating FFI through X excluding VIII like FFXII and XIII (XI, XIV doesn't count) is a little unfair. Or rather, a sort of misrepresentation.
I-III are clones of each other, IV-V have the same basic graphics and gameplay while adding little things here or there to make them different from each other. VII is groundbreaking at the time but has the same basic FF structure, although FFIX also went back to being like FFVII. X added a cool leveling system and was fairly different from the others, but you could still tell it originated from Final Fantasy if you didn't know the title. FFVIII is far different from any of the others, as well as FFXII and XIII. So yes, I would agree to a degree that some of them should be treated as their own game, but not all of them. In fact, not the majority of them. 8 of them are generally the same, I would only distinguish 3 from the 11 titles as original.
*shrugs* They all have different stories and quirks. The earlier games in particular are a lot more similar to one another than these days, yea. But I dunno, I try to be unbiased with everything. My policy has always been that way, I strive to treat things individually for what they are. That's just me though, I realize.
Maybe I'm being a little infatuated with this.
Each to his own opinions, etc.![]()
Well I tend to agree with what you were saying if it helps any. While I think it felt FF enough for me, I like what you said about XIII. And I know what you're saying about the earlier games too, and don't necessarily disagree there either. I'm just weird is all, that's what it boils down to.![]()
I've tried my absolute utmost to like Final Fantasy XIII, and the end result for me is that I still haven't managed to finish it. I heartily dislike the game, and think it's one of the most graphically beautiful disappointments I've ever seen.
To me, the game looks absolutely stunningly beautiful, but has little in the way of substance. I realise that many people disagree with me, but I refuse to be swept into the "Eh, he thinks it's not like old FF, burn him" crowd. I dislike Final Fantasy XIII, but for a very large variety of reasons. I'll grant you that I think it probably would've fared better without Final Fantasy as its title, but that's not MY opinion.
The Battle System to me is remarkably irritating. I never feel like I have a very good grip on my characters. Being unable to control two of 'em doesn't help towards that.
The music - eh, I liked some themes, disliked others, but wasn't overly impressed. Music, however, is VERY much a matter of preference and personal opinion, so I'm not going to bash the game there.
The story - well, I find I could only grasp the details behind it if I read the encyclopaedia data codex. Sorry, but if I have to refer to an appendix for background details, sure. If I have to refer to it to understand the MAIN STORY, the appendix suddenly becomes the story, and the game merely a way to unlock more parts of the appendix. I feel like I have bloody appendicitis already. (Sorry, I really couldn't resist that one).
Character-wise... well, I liked Sazh.I just can't take the characters seriously with their names. Sorry, but "Lightning", "Snow", "Hope", "Fang", and "Vanille"? The only one with a normal name is Sazh fer crying out loud. Yes, I know FF7 had Cloud and FF8 had Squall, but at least the others had marginally normal names. Their characterisation didn't feel very ironed out, and very standard to me.
That's of course how I feel about the game. There are many points of view, but I simply feel it's a fairly bad piece of work, and as such, I find Square choosing to build a full franchise around it (rather like what they did to the most succesful of their Final Fantasies, part VII) a very odd decision, given the amount of hate the game gets. It has many people who love it, but it also has quite a large crowd who singularly dislike the game a great deal.
Damnit, I turned a post into a rant on FF13 again, didn't I? Oh well.
Perhaps it's nitpicky of
EDIT: Last bit got munched, for some reason. Let me try this again.
Perhaps it's nitpicky of me to point out all the flaws that others overlook and not focus on the good, but that's just it to me. The only good part in the game to me is the graphics. It looks astonishingly pretty. The other things just sorta... well, broke the game for me. I tried to like it, and even nearly completed it. But I just can't force myself to play the rest of it.
(Incidentally, these aren't even all the reasons why I dislike it. I held back, for a change)
Last edited by Dr. Ivo Robotnik; 19th-January-2011 at 05:28.
I'd rather not turn this into a thread debating whether XIII was a good game or not, I'd be much more interested speculating with others about what they think happened after the end of XIII that led to.. whatever it is we see (saw rather, thanks for taking the trailer down SE) in this trailer.. but eh.. I dunno. As Quiji said, to each their own opinion.
Fair enough. I tend to rant on things I feel strongly about too easily, sorry about that. (Try starting a Command & Conquer 4 thread, you'll most likely see sparks fly). Frankly, there's a lot of oddity about the trailer. It appears Lightning is pulling a Yuna as in FFX-2, as has been noted before (though I for one will be extremely pleased if it doesn't start with a concert starring Lightning, oddly
), and it almost looks as if time has been turned back a few hundred years.
I'll admit I've become curious about the game now, but I'll be VERY critical before I decide to buy it or not.
Oh don't be sorry, twas your feelings and you are most entitled to a rant every now and then, as we all are!
Though yeah.. I have a few suspicions as to what is going on actually..
Spoiler warning:
Kind of defeats the whole point of a series, don't you think?
Hell, for the most part, I think they keep calling most of the game's Final Fantasy because of the difficulties in acquiring a trademark for alternative titles... That and the added publicity/devoted fan base/money of just slapping on the same ubiquitous title.
I honestly think there are at least 4 different "series" in FF (Not going to make the "Not so Final" Joke).
Bastardization of a series FTW.
Last edited by VeganZombie; 19th-January-2011 at 06:45.
That was sort of my point, it's not really a series in my eyes, and as such I try not to compare them to one another.. A couple of direct sequels and the revisiting of a few worlds aside, the entire "series" is essentially a string of unique games that share nothing in common except mechanics (which lately itself hasn't held too true) and recurring themes. (Chocobos, Moogles, etc)
Each game has a unique universe, a unique world, a unique setting (for the most part), and a new cast of characters. The definition of a series in the true sense, indicates a continual story of some kind.. It can have a change in its setting or an entirely new cast sure, but generally a series doesn't consist of a string of titles that take place in entirely different and unrelated worlds\universes. This is why I take each game as their own thing, as opposed to trying to measure them up to one another.
That implies some continuation (and a tradtional series), and connotes more than just creatures and mechanics, at least for me. Just sayin'.
TOTHEPOINT:
Ok, I agree... and that is more or less what I said in the second part of my post, just elaborated and extrapolated... Or am I missing something? Seriously, I can be obtuse at times.
This is something that happens a lot in game-land, as it were, and I rather suspect that Square-Enix (Squaresoft back then, of course) started the trend. Breath of Fire does the same. Although one could theoretically argue that II is a direct sequel to I (some hints are dropped that you play a long time into the future of part I), but the worlds and stories are so vastly different that it's hard to argue coherently. BoF has some more 'always returning' things though. The main character named Ryu, with a female love interest named Nina, usually a princess of an airy place (yay Windia), the recurring theme of dragons, etc.
Final Fantasy just circumvented the issue by naming any direct sequels that take place in the same setting and world (roman numeral)-2 or more, as evidenced by Final Fantasy X-2, and now XIII-2.
What is completely certain, in other words, is that XIII-2 will take place in the same world and setting as XIII, but with a new storyline, involving Lightning in what almost looks like the role of a Royal Knight or something similar. (I dunno, that was the first thing that came to mind when I saw that trailer).