Jimquisition: Batman Is Everything Wrong With Square Enix

[Ipsen]

The only fallacy I'd point out in this video is that Jim accused Lightning of having no personality but briefly lionized Link a few moments prior. Other than that, the things he's saying aren't wrong, even if I don't agree with all of them. The core concepts of Final Fantasy XIII, one of my favorite games of the seventh generation, are actually pretty simplistic, but it obfuscates those concepts in a miasma of bizarre proper nouns and the narrative does rail on a bit.

The segment about link I think was less about personality and more about iconic nature, and what best brings it out of a character, or even an avatar (like Link, Mario, or even Pac Man resemble).

If you're a fan of Zelda games, or even just know of them, I hold doubt that you can think of any lightly armored swordsman in green without thinking of Link.

From what I can tell, Square has been focusing on dazzling players with visuals ever since the PS1 days. I mean Final Fantasy VII had attack animations that last over a minute and boxarts boasting "Over 120 minutes of mind-blowing cinematic sequences" (PAL version) or "lush 3D animation" (US version).

Same with Final Fantasy VIII: "Nearly an hour of stunning motion-captured CG cinemas seamlessly integrated into gameplay"*

* source:
http://img.gamefaqs.net/box/6/5/9/3659_back.jpg

(my apologies, I don't know how to imbed images on this forum or if it's even possible.

My point is that "Companies focus too much on graphics these days!" is one of those complaints often made against the modern game industry that I don't really agree with. Not when I realize that games from back in the day also tried to attract players with (at the time) cutting-edge graphics.

Only caveat to that is the fact that it WAS relatively unique back then. Sure, it's all relative; we STILL seem (or at least these corporations seem) to have a perpetual desire for better visual flourish, but, by virtue of being a younger medium, at least it wasn't crammed down our throats so far back then.

Also, I think good story (or at least, somewhat entertaining story or premise) was largely an unexpected bonus (in terms of the era of FF4), and eventually demand in this medium. Most likely, coherent stories were an attempt to attract fans of fantasy literature, but I think it caught on with many more people. I don't think we'd be where we are with gaming today if it wasn't for good stories in games; arcade "challenge" gimmicks and platformers would only last so long on their own, IMO (or, could you imagine where Sony would be WITHOUT FF7?).

All that to say...gaming needs to have better story. Or at least, more resonant meaning. And yes, that can occur with any game (even, say, a piece of junk like Haze), but money matters; you reach more people, more people buy your game. And Square was at the forefront of that 'better story' drive, and for quite some time. Then they lost it...in the weirdest way to their coupled 'graphics' drive. I wish they'd get their asses back in gear, but the way things play out in this industry... My eyes have to be elsewhere.

 

[V4Viewtiful]

I think FF went down hill with X but it's always Batman, innit? XD

I hate that SE keep pooping out so much stuff but won't through that money at The World Ends With You 2

 

[endtherapture]

Square Enix should just take a big step back from the pseudo-sci-fi-fantasy nonsense with a steam/cyberpunk anime artstyle and just go back and make something simple.

Keep the flashy graphics but go for a simple, WRPG art style with Japanese anime looking characters, a simple story, simple turn-based gameplay with a twist, and that would help a lot.

 

[Uriel_Hayabusa]

Only caveat to that is the fact that it WAS relatively unique back then. Sure, it's all relative; we STILL seem (or at least these corporations seem) to have a perpetual desire for better visual flourish, but, by virtue of being a younger medium, at least it wasn't crammed down our throats so far back then.

I really don't understand the point you're trying to make. Why should it matter that gaming was "a younger medium" back then?

 

[PunkRex]

I've said this since FF10, the characters designs, personalities and the plot itself are a freaking over complicated mess... scratch that 7's story was a mess, 8's story was a mess, 9's ending was a mess, 10 is a legitimate cluster fuck of pure WUT!?

 

[CrazyFikus]

Regarding Square-Enix and underperforming sales figures, it's not that the games did not recoup their cost, they did so fairly quickly.
It's just that the people in charge were dissapointed because they saw reviews and metacritic scores and guesstimated the sales numbers from that. Which is completley fucking idiotic and probably a topic by itself.

 

[Kuro Serpentina]

My favourite company is Nippon Ichi, but Jim never seems to say shit about them... Heck, I think he praised them for a moment a while back
So, Enix... Madness is awesome, but make the base simple, so the mind can see the focal point in the maelstrom please. It makes things so much better.
Oh & if you could do that sequel to Treasure of the Rudras you were planning back when you made it, that would be nice too

 

[CelestDaer]

I saw that Batman figure and, I believe my response was: "What?"
Hell, I've played FFXIII recently, and there are two things I remember clearly from it: Hope is voiced by Phineas from Phineas and Ferb, and Sazh is the most likeable person in this band of assholes.

 

[orangeapples]

For someone who claims to not remember Final Fantasy XIII, Jim did a pretty good job of summing it up...

Square Enix definitely spent way too much time on Final Fantasy XIII. To think it was supposed to be this grand world in which multiple games existed, but then when we got the first entry it was like 100 people all in different countries and speaking different languages played the 3 word story game. I guess after that colossal fail Square-Enix decided the only way to get out of this was to kill that universe's God.

And I think that Batman was wearing another Batman...

 

[Britpoint]

Jim seemed to imply that Final Fantasy XV will actually exist and be released one day. I laughed at that. Maybe they can publish Half Life 3, The Last Guardian and Beyond Good and Evil 2 while they're at it? Let's have one massive box set of games that are definitely real.

 

[Imre Csete]

Final Fantasy is an experiment to see how much crap can they get away with on brand recognition alone, it's artful trolling at its finest, stop hatin'.

 

[Thanatos2k]

....That Batman figure looks pretty damn cool.

Thing is, looking at it is the only thing that it's good for. Playing with it would probably be horrible, much like how the gameplay in Square's games has taken a dive into the dumpster.

Let's really hope that Bravely Default has actually woken them up like they claim it has - a game with mediocre graphics that focused on the gameplay will herald that every game they make after FF15 (which looks like crap by the way) will be designed similarly.

 

[PunkRex]

I've said this since FF10, the characters designs, personalities and the plot itself are a freaking over complicated mess... scratch that 7's story was a mess, 8's story was a mess, 9's ending was a mess, 10 is a legitimate cluster fuck of pure WUT!?

I pretty much agree but you could at least make sense of the story even if it was a bit convoluted. Ok the 9 ending was a mess. I got to disc 3 on 13 and I hadn't a fucking clue what was happening, at all. And the characters were just awful, every single one. With the possible exception of the bloke with the afro.

But remember 6? 6 was good and the more I think on it the more I am starting to agree with people that it in fact may have been the pinnacle of the series.

Sazh and Fang were likable, Lightning wasn't so bad by the end, the rest were just jarring.

 

[Lvl 64 Klutz]

I just wanted to pop in to say I really need a soundbite of Jim Sterling saying "Stop being so fuckin' *WEEEIIRD* all the time!"

 

[sageoftruth]

Jim, I'm a huge fan of Blazblue. Still, I must admit, I'd love to see you do a similar rant on the Blazblue storyline. It would be a riot.

 

[DTWolfwood]

The last point always makes me lose faith in humanity a little more each time I see it. Why do the average joe defend a corporation? They are soulless money grubby machines, they will do anything to get your money. So why would anyone defend them?

Unless you actually hold stock in the company, publicly shaming them into doing the right thing should be everyone's prerogative.

 

[Lightknight]

Thanks for this Jim. When FFX hit I was hoping that it was a one-off game of miss-matched clothing and such but they just kinda dug in even deeper. They've thoroughly lost my interest and all they really had to do was keep my attention since I've been with them since FF1. Still have that even for Nintendo.

 

[OtherSideofSky]

It seems like Jim has maybe forgotten that Square Enix made Bravely Default much more recently than FFXIII (and declared it a major success, at that). Also that XIII-2 fixed at least the part of XIII's writing that he was complaining about. I mean, this is just about 100% accurate up to around a year ago, but I think this topic might be slightly less "evergreen" than Jim believes. The video really feels like it was displaced in time. Also, it felt like he was really playing for time on both this week's and last week's episode. Hyperbole is one thing, but padding just isn't entertaining.

 

[Karadalis]

We cant remember anything about it because you need three tons of cocaine to understand the convoluted nonsensical "plot" of the usual nowadays final fantasy game.

Squeenix i know you really like convoluted plots ever since FF7 but that game was cherished by people because it had rememberable characters (kept for you Yuffi... no one likes you), not so much because of the plot. The gameplay was fun, the characters where fun, the story? Eh mediocre...

Nowadays thought their characters arent characters.. they are either emo, braindead dudebros or whiny little kids used to show us the newest fashion accidents from the drug addled minds of Squeenix design team. I mean who wears crap like what your usual FF main character nowadays works for combat?

Heck space marine armor makes more sense! SPACE MARINE ARMOR!

You make Warhammer armor look sensible and functional... thats how far you have come.

 

[Darth_Payn]

Zippers and belts and pouches and angles and shit...
Jim you magnificent bastard, this is one of your funniest videos ever! You perfectly captured what I find so off-putting about the Final Fantasy series, and JRPG's in general. What you described reminds me of how Yahtzee described the design of War from Darksiders (or whatever that game was called where you play a surprisingly dull Horseman of the Apocalypse who stole most of his moves from Kratos and Link) "He looks like somebody sat dow, started drawing, and never fucking stopped!" The designers at Squenix probably crap out the nonsensical plots they do because they waste too much time on making everything "look pretty with bright shiny colors". Thing is, they don't have to go down that road. Squenix either published or developed Deus Ex: Human Revolution (and poked fun at themselves with posters for the future game "Final Fantasy XXVII") and that game had more believable outfit designs and characters with personality.