Get few things off my Chest..

[Hazzard]

Aren't most Final Fantasy characters kids?

No, more like teenagers. Rarely Adults, and mainly teens and young males/females.

[Roto13]

I guess it depends on your definition of the word "kid."

[Vertisce]

I can see it now...Final Fantasy 15. The opening scene is our hero rolling in with his wheelchair. 85 years old going on a crusade to save the world with his trusty upgradeable wheelchair magic rocket mounts! Characters are characters. I play to enjoy the stories. Yes it is sometimes annoying to have some whiny punk for the main hero but...you know I really have no idea where im going with this. 17 is old enough for me for a hero and im 25.

[Wolf Kanno]

That was a pretty funny post Vertisce

I think my only issue is that the games (lately) seem to follow the trend of "coming of age story". Hell even FFXII is guilty of it though not as bad as FFVIII and FFX. Now generally this wouldn't be a real problem. It's not like "coming of age" stories are bad. It's just that when you look at the JRPG genre as a whole, almost 98% are these types of stories. I could grab any Aetlier Iris, Tales game, or some other off shoot JRPG and do a breakdown of the formula and easily compare it to the formula used in the recent FF's. What I'm asking for is a change.

I don't need the tale of some 17 year growing up into manhood or some 18 year old girl who discovers through her travels what is "really important". The FF series needs to take a break and at least use their characters in a different human drama, even 17 year olds can reach a level of understood maturity and don't need some "epic story to show them the way to adulthood". As I stated in my previous post. I would like established characters who have ideological battles with each other. Let's just start in the moral grey ground.

I guess age really doesn't matter I just don't want any more "coming of age" stories cause writers seems to be absent of imagination lately.

[Hazzard]

HOO-RAHH...Wolf Kanno's back and he ain't taking prisoners!!!

[Laddy]

HOO-RAHH...Wolf Kanno's back and he ain't taking prisoners!!!

Seconded, my friend.

I imagine a point where RPG character are well, enique. It usually has this:

-Immature spikey-haired pretty boy with the intelligence of a goat.(Tidus, Zidane.)

-Shy girl that eventually, by the help of the protaginist, becomes more outgoing and assertive.(Dagger, Yuna)

-Some moody stand-in-the-corner type. (Auron, Amarant, Basch)

-Some happy nice guy. (Wakka, Balthier)

-Hyper girl (Selphie, Rikku)

-Some personality lacking character.

Really, I once brainstromed on an RPG, where the protaginist is twenty-six, he's smart, intelligent, brave, stable, mature, and has an actual job: Teaching. His quest is to meet other characters, (Another teacher who's world-renowned, an old smaurai, a would-be actress, a rich tycoon, and a arrogant know-it-all elf.) To discover the meaning of faith and love. I like this concept because it's fresh, and I am deeply considering making this a reality.

[farplaner]

Aren't most Final Fantasy characters kids?

[Hazzard]

RedXIII13...Basch and Auron are no where near moody, they're just mature and been through the hardships before. basch isn't moody at all, and Auron just speaks deeply and concentrates on the mission at hand.

[Honest Abel]

1) Why arn't there any child main playable characters? Children can fight too!

I would not buy a game that featured kids as the main characters. Too annoying, especially if they have voice actors.

[Laddy]

RedXIII13...Basch and Auron are no where near moody, they're just mature and been through the hardships before. basch isn't moody at all, and Auron just speaks deeply and concentrates on the mission at hand.

I knew "moody" wasn't a good word! How about dark? Or badass? I don't like dark or "badass" characters simply because they, erm, lack emotion.

[Hazzard]

Hey, i think i caught you out again. The emotion driven from the 'badass' characters are always strong and passionate. Those are the characters who you can really sympathize with, and they really start to grow on you; making you more eager to see what's happening with them in the story, and striving to see more cinematic scenes with them involved. (By the way, I'm obviously talking about Auron, and I don't know about the rest)...

[Vyk]

So its not technically about age, its about maturity. I'd have to agree with both. Genius and level-headed twelve year olds is a little too unrealistic for me. That's right. Calling magicaly monsterous and damaging creatures out of thin air is more believable than a pre-teen who can understand politics

That might be why I liked 7 so much. Previous FFs did have mature characters, but they were sprites, they always looked like kids. Everything was "mature" about 7, the characters, the story, the mood, the look. I too am 25, but I'm getting tired of the stereotype coming of age crap too. Playing as kids gets old. Which is why I quit XII I think. Too much time as Vaan. I can't imagine a kid having the mental discipline and maturity to handle all this traveling and saving the world. If they're going to have kids they need to be selfish and disassociated and stuff. JRPGs are trying to have their cake and eat it too

[Laddy]

I disagree, when I was twelve and I absolutely adored politics head to toe. I was in the debate club, and I got bored because how light the debates were. Yes, I do find a mature and intelligent child to be acceptable.

[Hazzard]

Example--Larsa. Verdict--Fantastic character, who was believably articulate and intelligent.

But I agree with some of your words, Vyk. I think we definitely need a few more down to earth characters, and I do feel slightly saddened with the lack of character detail and background in the cast of XII. I know for a fact, if I knew more facts about Basch and got to share some sort of emotional attachment, I would of began to reckon he might even be able to par with Auron.

But anyway, we need a good contrast of characters i think. Even if a character is annoying, they can still be considered a fairly good character to some extent, and BTW--If i was someone like Tidus at his age group. You really think I would sign up to be some girl's guardian and fight some fat ugly whale like Sin? Hell no!

So yeah, I do agree with you on some terms. I like your characters RedXIII, they seem interesting. By the way, VII does have a very mature cast, especially someone like RedXIII, who leaves and breathes knowledge.

[Wolf Kanno]

Hey, i think i caught you out again. The emotion driven from the 'badass' characters are always strong and passionate. Those are the characters who you can really sympathize with, and they really start to grow on you; making you more eager to see what's happening with them in the story, and striving to see more cinematic scenes with them involved. (By the way, I'm obviously talking about Auron, and I don't know about the rest)...

But the problem with the "moody" badass characters is that every JRPG has one, hell they have been a mainstay in the FF series since FFVI (Though FFIV and FFII have them as well). Shadow, Vincent (and to some extent Cloud), Squall, Amarant, Auron, and Basch (though he's debatable) on the surface they all seem the same and though they have majot differences, their stories are all very similiar just different circumstances. Most of them, at the core, they are driven by guilt.

So its not technically about age, its about maturity. I'd have to agree with both. Genius and level-headed twelve year olds is a little too unrealistic for me. That's right. Calling magicaly monsterous and damaging creatures out of thin air is more believable than a pre-teen who can understand politics

That might be why I liked 7 so much. Previous FFs did have mature characters, but they were sprites, they always looked like kids. Everything was "mature" about 7, the characters, the story, the mood, the look. I too am 25, but I'm getting tired of the stereotype coming of age crap too. Playing as kids gets old. Which is why I quit XII I think. Too much time as Vaan. I can't imagine a kid having the mental discipline and maturity to handle all this traveling and saving the world. If they're going to have kids they need to be selfish and disassociated and stuff. JRPGs are trying to have their cake and eat it too

Can't say the "popeye" arms count as "mature"

But as Hazzard pointed out, it is possible to have a mature child character. But it only works if the world follows it logically. Larsa is believable cause Ivalice is similiar to medieval Europe. Children were treated as adults growing up so many (especially in royalty) are actually quite mature for their age in those times.

Hell the most mature FF story in the series stars two guys who are only 16 when it begins and that is FF Tactics. Stories don't get any grimer in the FF universe than Tactics...

Keep playing XII, Vaan quickly leaves the spotlight in the story and his "coming of age" is done more in the background (literally). The game focuses on Ashe who actually has a mature story... Yeah she's a bitch at times, but I can handle that better than goody two-shoe airheads like Yuna:rolleyes2

Example--Larsa. Verdict--Fantastic character, who was believably articulate and intelligent.

But I agree with some of your words, Vyk. I think we definitely need a few more down to earth characters, and I do feel slightly saddened with the lack of character detail and background in the cast of XII. I know for a fact, if I knew more facts about Basch and got to share some sort of emotional attachment, I would of began to reckon he might even be able to par with Auron.

But anyway, we need a good contrast of characters i think. Even if a character is annoying, they can still be considered a fairly good character to some extent, and BTW--If i was someone like Tidus at his age group. You really think I would sign up to be some girl's guardian and fight some fat ugly whale like Sin? Hell no!

So yeah, I do agree with you on some terms. I like your characters RedXIII, they seem interesting. By the way, VII does have a very mature cast, especially someone like RedXIII, who leaves and breathes knowledge.

Honestly, I would argue you get as much character background in XII as you do in X. The differences is that X focuses on it cause all the characters have some kind of emotional hang up. XII's story is "plot" orientated so the personal issues the party has, only comes up when they are directly dealing with the issues, instead of listening to them go on and on about their problems, while the player prays they finally get to the point of resolution so they will stop complaining...

I guess what we really have here is a debate on the role archtypes (or stereotypes) should play in future FF's and JRPG's in general.