You own Square-Enix: What's the next step for Final Fantasy?

[SalamanderJoe]

A conversation struck up between me and my mates recently about JRPGs and how Final Fantasy has gradually been getting...not "worse", but maybe "out-dated". It then dawned us. What do you actually do with a series like Final Fantasy? Square-Enix is obviously trying to expand into new areas with Just Cause 2, Tomb Raider, Deus Ex and...err...Mindjack...but what about it's baby of sorts?

*A reboot seems pointless when the next big number in the series usually changes everything.
*Remakes are done on a regular basis, or left alone completely. (Final Fantasy VII for example)
*Straight sequels are often...dodgy. (X-2 and XIII-2 are very mixed opinions)
*A new direction has been done. A lot. There's way over 100 spin-offs like Tactics, Versus and Dissidia and THEIR sequels combined.
*Ending it would destroy Square-Enix. Not in sales, but in shares held by investors.

So to cut to the chase, you own Square-Enix now. What do you do next with FF?

 

[drbarno]

Crossover with Dragon Quest!

 

[ten.to.ten]

Keep doing what they're doing now except stop trying to make MMOs. I was pretty happy with FFXIII, personally.

 

[ramboondiea]

i wouldd cut all pretences and start making amazing movies instead, releasing the occasional game that would be tie in with the movies. first endeavour would be an epic three part steam-punk fantsy with two tie in games, id be rich
id also change the name rectangle annex just because i can

 

[JWRosser]

Even though I have no problem playing the older games with their 'outdated' graphics - I love them - I wouldn't mind seeing them with current gen graphics and voice acting (I'm specifically talking about 7, 8, and 9 here, but the others would also be fantastic remastered). Although I know this isn't a popular opinion....

 

[GundamSentinel]

Pretty much the same as it has always been doing, making new and good FF games. People will complain, people always complain. Just stay away from dodgy MMOs and things'll be okay. For the record, I liked the newer FF games.

*Straight sequels are often...dodgy. (X-2 and XIII-2 are very mixed opinions)

Well, one can hardly form a valid opinion of a game that's far from being released.

 

[SalamanderJoe]

*Straight sequels are often...dodgy. (X-2 and XIII-2 are very mixed opinions)

Well, one can hardly form a valid opinion of a game that's far from being released.

Point taken. I like the look of XIII-2 actually, probably because I wanted to see Lightning get more screen-time.

 

[putowtin]

stop making cutscenes with some interactions and make games with some cutscenes

 

[SwimmingRock]

Stop focusing on the characters nobody likes or just stop making such unlikeable characters altogether. Bam, Final Fantasy fixed.

Seriously, FFXIII could have been great. I liked the combat, the setting, the background to the story and then the actual game starts and it all goes to hell.

Why wasn't Cid featured more prominently? He actually seemed to have interesting conflict going on.

What was Roschs deal? Sure, keeping the peace, but could we get to know him a little more besides just having him shoot at us? Also, why did he look like Sephiroth with short hair (I like calling him SephiRosch)?

Why, when Snow gets recruited by the games only cool character (Cid) to take part in guerilla missions against the godly tyrant, do we wander about with the Mope Brigade through a freaking garbage dump for 2 DVDs worth of play?

Why did the Chocobo song suddenly have lyrics? Damn it, Square, I want answers! 13 Had potential most games can't even glimpse and you threw it all away on annoying characters, half-assed characterizations, poor pacing and enough clichés to kill an elephant if those clichés were written on feathers and those feathers dropped on the elephants head.

What was the scientist lady with the boobies researching? What did she find out or accomplish? Why did the bad guy kill her in a completely pointless movie so ridiculously campy villainous it would be embarrassing in a childrens cartoon?

Why does Lightning walk so funny? So many questions I simply can't comprehend. Where did Square go so wrong? Was it our fault? The Gods? The inevitable will of The Great Wheel? C'Thulhu?

I'm begging you, whoever's in charge of the FF teams, please stop making the games suck. I used to love them. My first RPG was FF6/3(US version) and it was the beautiful beginning of a lifetime of JRPG joy, but now I can't even hear your name without sighing disappointedly. I want to like Final Fantasy again, I really do. But I can't. Not like this.

Whoo. Sorry about that. Got a little carried away.

 

[Archangel768]

1. Make the characters as least annoying as possible.
2. Give the game two battle systems that people can choose to play through. My reasoning? Not that good. I like turn based battles and this is a tradition in the Final Fantasy series so I would have one of the battle systems turn based. The other would be real time action so the game could appeal to a larger audience.
3. Make the game overall more mature. I believe Final Fantasy XII was onto something good but, the choices to make Vaan the main character instead of Basch and adding Penelo in there prevented the game from becoming well received by the fans. Another problem was the pacing of the story, it was quite slow and many parts of the game dragged on. I believe if they didn't add Vaan, Penelo and make the story so slow, this game would have been much better for everyone.
4. Make sure the team working on it is really motivated to make an amazing game. Do not try to westernise it at all, instead make it what it is, that is a Japanese game.

 

[King Toasty]

Ignore Final Fantasy, work on Kingdom Hearts 3, you bastards!

 

[Freechoice]

Sell the thing to Nintendo for a copy of Mother 3 and a DS.

 

[LogicNProportion]

Updates of VI and VII.

Fire Cait Sith's VA, and take a dump on Gackt's porch.

 

[TheEvilCheese]

Kill it with fire, sell the movie rights for a bajillion dollars and retire to my volcanic island base of evil.

 

[Ilyak1986]

Well, Squaresoft *did* try to make a movie before. It was called FF: Spirits Within, and it bombed so hard that Squaresoft had to merge with Enix to become Square-Enix. I personally enjoyed it but...

IMO, FF stories are deeper than can simply be made into a 3 hour movie. I suppose it can be done with 3, 3-hour installments ala LotR, but even that has its critics that so much was left out of the movies which was present in the books, despite the fact that the movies were the epitome of EPIC.

Not to mention that movies probably cost far more than games to create.

However, if I was head of Square-Enix, IMO I'd just reform the gameplay to the fact that there is less "you encountered a monster. Kill it. Pick up lewtz. Repeat.", and even *MOAR* focus on the story. Yes, combat systems are a part of gameplay, but the whole "let's make a freaking RITUAL out of bashing a monster" has honestly irritated me. I see random encounters as a necessary evil to provide some modicum of "gameplay", despite the fact that, oh, visual novels are pretty damn popular in Japan, and the only gameplay they have is decision making in order to move the story (EG "Do I kiss the heroine? Yes/No). IMO, if VNs can get away with *that little* interaction and have just ONE route provide a fantastic anime (Fate route = Fate/Stay Night, Ein route=Requiem for the Phantom...aside from the REALLY STUPID last one minute), then why the heck do RPGs have to have all of the monster bashing to begin with? Because U.S. gamers are attention-deficient numbskulls that always want to stab/shoot/kill something?

That kind of crap is the reason that games aren't seen in the same light as books and movies.

IMO, if I was head of Square-Enix, I'd cut out all of the combat except for the *absolutely necessary*, and by absolutely necessary, I mean that if it doesn't advance the freaking plot, or provide exposition, then cut it out. Yeah, okay, you might run into the occasional monster, but not being able to take 3 steps out of towns without something trying to kill you = "Can I please get past these randomly colored weird-looking oversized dogs and continue on with the story already?"

IMO FFs are fantastic at telling a story, and all of the combat just takes so much away from them. I'd do away with as much of the filler combat crap as possible, and tell the "MUST KILL SMASH STAB EVERYTHING IN SIGHT" gamers to go and find an FPS.

 

[Raziel_Likes_Souls]

I'd get someone who could write better than a Twilight fangirl, that's for sure. That, and I wouldn't leave any of my IPs *cough*Parasite Eve*cough* on the backburner long enough for a child to hit puberty.

EDIT: I'd also try to make this possible:

If Atlus can put Dante in Nocturne, they can sure as hell find a way to make that picture reality.

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

A proper Final Fantasy Tactics II, with multiplayer.

 

[icame]

Kill the IP. Recall all copies of FF13. Burn them. Instead, bring last story over to N.A.

 

[dyre]

Ignore Final Fantasy, work on Kingdom Hearts 3, you bastards!

this!

I'd also use any extra funds from not making any more FF games to increase funding to real developers (like Eidos) to make games for me

 

[King Toasty]

Kill it with fire, sell the movie rights for a bajillion dollars and retire to my volcanic island base of evil.

Already done. Square-Enix recently announced they were buying Blizzard's palace atop a mountain of skulls. Blizzard is now moving to ALL OF CANADA.