Final Fantasy XIII-3

[remnant_phoenix]

In the latest issue of Game Informer there's a review for Final Fantasy XIII-2. The whole review isn't posted online so I can't link it (there's a blurb on the Metacritic page: http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/final-fantasy-xiii-2), but as I was reading the print copy one thing really jumped out at me.

In the review, he mentions that the worst part about the story is that it ends with a "TO BE CONTINUED..." so sudden and arbitrary that he had to look up some stuff online to be certain that the game didn't bug out and that the ending he saw was actually the end of FFXIII-2. He then goes on to say that the continuation of the story isn't something that DLC can likely conclude and that a FFXIII-3 is all but inevitable.

Now, I am (or I should probably say "was") a huge fan of the Final Fantasy main series.

After I played Final Fantasy XIII, I went through the usual fanboy rage of feeling betrayed and disappointed, but hoped that Squeenix could get their act together and make a decent main series Final Fantasy story down the road.

With the announcement of Final Fantasy XIII-2, I started growing more and more ambivalent about the series.

The thought of a Final Fantasy XIII-3 just makes me want to laugh.

Some small part of me doesn't want to admit it, but "FFXIII-3" would say to me that Final Fantasy has completely jumped the shark and Squeenix cares for nothing but the bottom line (a.k.a. "How much money can we make?")

So, current fans, ex-fans, haters...regardless of your opinion on Final Fantasy or JRPGs, if Final Fantasy XIII-3 was announced (and there's a good chance it will be), what would that say to you?

(Note: Since I don't have a link for the full review and the game isn't yet released in NA/EU/AUS territories, this is purely anecdotal and I know that some will say that I'm just trolling. To that, all I can do is assure you that I'm being honest and if you doubt what I read you will eat your words soon enough.)

 

[go-10]

more Lightning is a bad thing?
huh, go figure :/

 

[Manji187]

So...Final Fantasy XIII-13 anyone? Oh Squeenix, ironically your love of money will be your undoing one day.

 

[kyogen]

I think Kingdom Hearts fans might have a bigger gripe with S-E than FF players, at least the part of the fan-base that isn't into handhelds.

I enjoyed FF XIII, and although I think XIII-3 may be a bit of a stretch, it's not all that different from what they tried with the Ivalice Alliance. S-E needs to make its money back on Crystal Tools and the resources it invested in world-building, so a third game is a reasonable business decision. The challenge now is to make it a good game, but that's a separate issue.

The discipline of having to reuse and reinvent existing assets may actually be good for the FF development team(s), so I'll give XIII-2 a chance, and if I like it, I'm willing to have a go at XIII-3. Type-0 looks better than I thought it would, and Versus will be along sooner or later as well.

 

[mad825]

I used to respect FF for it's creativity now it's just a mediocre franchise making sequels for it's sequels

 

[Otaku World Order]

Ive seen listings for Final Fantasy Versus XIII, which is also supposed to come out this year. Maybe that'll be the last one.

 

[AaronM1D1]

If I was to mail Squeenix, it'd go something like this...

Squeenix, thanks for rectifying all the faults in XIII, but you must be aware that sequeling a sequel will just cause more rage.

Here's what you're gonna do:
Finish Versus XIII.
Finish KH3
Make XIII-3.

Close up shop until you realise that I've just forked out money for what I thought was going to be the end of what's fast becoming the 'XIII Franchise'.

I can tell you all the plot for XIII-3 now:
Noel is pissed about Serah dying.
He tells Snow who is really pissed.
They get Lightning, Fang and Vanille back who are all super pissed.
They kill Caius, thus saving the world.
They exploit some sort of time warphole with Etro's help.
Snow scores a three-way.
The End.

Personally, I'm cool with XIII, it wasn't a bad game, just a bad FF, and as aforemetioned, I've got XIII-2 on preorder = Tasty DLC. I like the XIII series because it's new and it shows SE are at least trying out new things, but for the love of all things holy, please make sure I get Versus and KH3 first.

 

[SycoMantis91]

They don't grasp the concept of sequels do they? They should be reserved for your better products. Metal Gear Solid got sequels because it was great. Superman on the N64 didn't get one because it sucked so hard the entire populous of Jersey Shore got lodged in its throat. Max Payne the game got a sequel cuz it was great. The movie didn't because Marky Mark. Final Fantasy X got a sequel cuz it was great. The Hangover didn't get a sequel cuz it sucked. Wait, it did get a sequel? Shit. Well, I guess anyone will buy anything with a 2 or 3 stamped on the end. Can't blame Square Enix.

 

[Samechiel]

Everything I've heard about 13-2 implies that, while they've actually managed to perfect the combat system and the game looks simply gorgeous, that the story and characters are so absolutely abyssmal that it sucks the fun out of the game and hugely detracts from the overal experience.

Though, I'll be honest. 13 was so mind-breakingly bad that it wouldn't matter to me how much they improved it in 13-2 -they're not ever getting another dime of my money.

 

[redrefugee]

I'd buy it if they they killed off all the characters from the first one. Particularly Hope, Snow, and Vanille.

In fact, I'd consider buying DLC for the first game if all it did was kill those characters off in a particularly brutal fashion.....some sort of giant blender maybe......

 

[burningdragoon]

Wait wait wait. Final Fantasy XIII-2 ends with a cliffhanger!? A fucking CLIFFHANGER!? All 12 main series games (ignore the two mmos), all of which were entirely self contained with maybe a sequel hook or intentionally ambiguous ending here and there. And now you pull this shit. I thought FF13 was fine, not great, not bad. I came away with net positive feelings about. But seriously fuck that noise. Final nail in the coffin from my perspective.

 

[Xpheyel]

XIII-3? That's just silly. It'll obviously be called Final Fantasy XIII-2-a.

 

[remnant_phoenix]

They don't grasp the concept of sequels do they? They should be reserved for your better products. Metal Gear Solid got sequels because it was great. Superman on the N64 didn't get one because it sucked so hard the entire populous of Jersey Shore got lodged in its throat. Max Payne the game got a sequel cuz it was great. The movie didn't because Marky Mark. Final Fantasy X got a sequel cuz it was great. The Hangover didn't get a sequel cuz it sucked. Wait, it did get a sequel? Shit. Well, I guess anyone will buy anything with a 2 or 3 stamped on the end. Can't blame Square Enix.

HA! It's nice to meet a fellow non-fan of The Hangover. Anytime I tell someone I didn't find the movie very funny and thought it was a waste of time to watch, all I get is "What?! What's wrong with you?"

 

[remnant_phoenix]

Wait wait wait. Final Fantasy XIII-2 ends with a cliffhanger!? A fucking CLIFFHANGER!? All 12 main series games (ignore the two mmos), all of which were entirely self contained with maybe a sequel hook or intentionally ambiguous ending here and there. And now you pull this shit. I thought FF13 was fine, not great, not bad. I came away with net positive feelings about. But seriously fuck that noise. Final nail in the coffin from my perspective.

I haven't played it myself so I'm not positive, I'm just going off of what the Game Informer guy said.

 

[Epona]

I used to respect FF for it's creativity now it's just a mediocre franchise making sequels for it's sequels

I don't think you understand the structure of the Final Fantasy franchise. Final Fantasy VII is 7 because it came after 6, not because it's a sequel. XIII-2 is a sequel of XIII but XIII is not a sequel of XII.


Trying to apply how sequels work in other franchises won't work here. In this regard, Final Fantasy is sort of unique, though Dragon Quest games work the same way.

 

[mad825]

I used to respect FF for it's creativity now it's just a mediocre franchise making sequels for it's sequels

I don't think you understand the structure of the Final Fantasy franchise. Final Fantasy VII is 7 because it came after 6, not because it's a sequel. XIII-2 is a sequel of XIII but XIII is not a sequel of XII.


Trying to apply how sequels work in other franchises won't work here. In this regard, Final Fantasy is sort of unique, though Dragon Quest games work the same way.

I think you've just misunderstood on what I said.

It's not a sequel per se, The FF franchise mainly consisted of just reboots but seeing as the overall structure of the successor is based upon and improve upon from the predecessor makes it a sequel.

XIII-2 if anything, is a glorified expansion pack.

 

[Epona]

I used to respect FF for it's creativity now it's just a mediocre franchise making sequels for it's sequels

XIII-2 if anything, is a glorified expansion pack.

You've played it through to the end?

 

[SovietSecrets]

Don't like it? Don't play it. Ignore it and let the others who do like the series continue on. Simple.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

Funny, it appears my copy of FFXIII didn't murder my family and kick my dog. I'm just gonna say this up front before I go anywhere with what I think, I liked FFXIII and I plan on playing it again later.

I think what they are doing is that since they admitted that with FFXIII they wrote the story as they were making the game and made changes on the fly. So they probably thought that since the game ended without really resolving anything that they should make a sequel to that game, which I don't have a problem with. Now that this 'to be continued' has popped up in the sequel, I'm gonna take a guess in that FFXIII-3 will finish the story in this particular story line and be done with it. They probably didn't want to make XIII-2 longer than the story they wanted to tell allows, and I have no problem with that.

Since SE hasn't confirmed anything, I would guess that either this might be the case, or that FF verses XIII will be the conclusion of this story.

 

[F4LL3N]

I have no problem with it. I loved FFXIII, and I plan on getting XIII-2 when I can. I doubt I'll enjoy it any less, and will most probably want the story to continue. Hence, XIII-3 is a great idea.

I don't see why it would be a problem for anyone. Don't buy it. Sure, I admit Final Fantasy is a great universe and they could do a LOT more with it, but I'm not unhappy with what they're doing with it. Well, other then the fact versus isn't coming to xbox (from what I've read).