Does having "Final Fantasy" in the title make you a harsher critic?

I've seen this issue skirted in a number of topics, but I thought I'd ask it outright.

I just a read a post my sdm in the Final Fantasy II forum where he says something along the lines of "FFII as an RPG is awesome, but as a Final Fantasy is just so-so." It got me to wondering, do you, as a fan of Final Fantasy, tend to be a harsher judge on a Final Fantasy game than you would be if it were just a regular game? Or, do you think you are more predisposed to like it because you want to like it? Are there any Final Fantasy games that you think would have utterly failed if they weren't called FF? Are there any that you think might have been rated and received a bit better if they weren't FFs and thus held to a certain industry standard?

For me, I would say that I'm probably in the minority in that I can honestly say that I feel predisposed to like a game just because it's called an FF game. I like this series, I like Square Enix. The games make me happy, and to be honest, I don't really want to dislike their games and lose faith in them. So, maybe sometimes I play dumb or lower my standards/expectations a tiny bit so that I can be very happy with the final project. It just makes me happier to be happy with SE than to spend time finding faults in their games, and to worry myself wondering if they're capable of producing games that move me anymore.

I'll take the bait.

Yes, I do feel having FF in the title makes me judge it harsher. I experienced the series during a time when it was constantly redefining the genre and I do feel that time has set a standard I generally expect from the series. Course, I'm harsher to numbered games than the others. Though, I am a bit of a realist, who can see that Crystal Chronicles is not exactly going to be the same as FFIX. Thus it does become a bit more of a game by game scenario.

I judge the sequels harshly but a) its cause I feel they are abominations, and b) I feel they have to work in the confines of the original scenario and somehow expand it on the same level the game originally evoked. Obviously, I feel one group is doing a better job than the other but let's face it, the Ivalice team kinda cheats as its source material isn't confined to specific characters and places.

Yes, as it should.

Yes and no. Having Final Fantasy in the title, does give me a bottom line expectation. I know what company I'm buying from, so if the game isn't at least decent I know they're just milking the title. But other then that, a game that's "Good" doesn't suddenly become "Okay" if it has Final Fantasy attached to it. Now if we're talking about in comparison things can change. I think FFVII is a good game, but in comparison to the rest of the Final Fantasies it's only okay. But that's different and is a concept that kind of speaks for itself.

i think it's the complete opposite for me :p when i pick up a 'Final Fantasy' game i immediately go 'oooh, this is gonna be great!' and, consequently, overlook some of the smaller inconsistencies or bad features :D it's very stupid of me to do that, but that's just the way i think :)

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Originally Posted by Goldenboko

Yes and no. Having Final Fantasy in the title, does give me a bottom line expectation. I know what company I'm buying from, so if the game isn't at least decent I know they're just milking the title. But other then that, a game that's "Good" doesn't suddenly become "Okay" if it has Final Fantasy attached to it. Now if we're talking about in comparison things can change. I think FFVII is a good game, but in comparison to the rest of the Final Fantasies it's only okay. But that's different and is a concept that kind of speaks for itself.

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

I'll take the bait.

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Bait?
http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...2iu7srrjpg.gif

Nope. I take every game as it's own entry. That goes for every series and genre. I take everything from a brand new perspective. I can never under stand the "It's a good game, but as a part of this series, it is terrible!" argument. Sounds kinda snobbish to me :rolleyes2

I tend to like the game when it has Final Fantasy in the title but that changed with the gamecube spin off crystal something. I remember going to game stop and buying everything with final fantasy in it, even if I didn't own the system it was for.

To me, definitely. But it's only natural for something you hold in high regard to have ditto expectations.

Naw, it just makes it easier for me to ignore whatever flaws it might have. Some people think that's dumb of me, but at least I enjoy the game more, right :D?

Not really. I do expect a new FF to re-define the genre in some way (preferably for the better) but I typically want that from any game I play. If it doesn't offer anything new and interesting then it damn well better excel at the same-old, same-old.

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Originally Posted by hhr1dluv

I just a read a post my sdm in the Final Fantasy II forum where he says something along the lines of "FFII as an RPG is awesome, but as a Final Fantasy is just so-so."

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I should have worded that better. I meant to say in comparison, not that it makes much of a difference. Final Fantasy II hardly plays like Final Fantasy, in comparison to the rest. For the same reason I don't care for Final Fantasy XII.

So yea, I guess you can say I'm biased on a game with Final Fantasy slapped on the title.

It's not so much "Final Fantasy", but "Square-Enix" that affects my opinion. If it's made by Squenix, I'll give it a shot and probably overlook a lot of the minor faults. That being said, if the game is horrible I will not play it anymore, so it doesn't have too much power over my opinion of the game.

I dunno. On the one hand if FF X and FF XII didn't have 'Final Fantasy' in the title I would never have bought them awful games. But on the other hand I do expect every FF to be as good as VI and VII which sadly is impossible.

So it's yes and no from me. It DOES make me a harsher critic on the poor FF's, but I'm more likely to give the bad games a chance than other RPG's. I guess I think "this game MUST be good. It's a Final Fantasy! Must just be me, I'll give it another chance.... Nope it really is this terrible."

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Originally Posted by sdm42393

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Originally Posted by hhr1dluv

I just a read a post my sdm in the Final Fantasy II forum where he says something along the lines of "FFII as an RPG is awesome, but as a Final Fantasy is just so-so."

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I should have worded that better. I meant to say in comparison, not that it makes much of a difference. Final Fantasy II hardly plays like Final Fantasy, in comparison to the rest. For the same reason I don't care for Final Fantasy XII.

So yea, I guess you can say I'm biased on a game with Final Fantasy slapped on the title.

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FFII plays more like a Final Fantasy then all of them after III considering Final Fantasy has it's roots in turn based combat.

I tend to have higher expectations for a Final Fantasy game. XII & X-2 are still good games, but I think that they are average, because I compare a Final Fantasy game to other Final Fantasy games. So, I'm a harsher critic if those 2 words are in it.