Quote Originally Posted by Bolivar View Post
Then again, we really have no clear indicator what it actually means that Versus will be an "action" oriented RPG. Crisis Core seems to fall under that vague category, and that's gotten a great reception.
Nomura has been quoted to say it will feature a battle system similar to the Kingdom Hearts games. Though he has hinted to a few interesting gameplay innovations... My problem with KH's system is that its "style over substance". You can pull off incredibly impressive feats by tapping a single button. In a more traditional action game, it requires some level of skill to do the same. There is also a huge difficulty issue in KH compared to more traditional action games. I don't doubt that Versus will be visually impressive in execution but I do feel that it will not be as rewarding.

I think more than anything, the Final Fantasy brand, the main series, has always signified high quality games. Each release has always been acclaimed by both the fans and critics. FFXII is an exception, but that results more from it being in a completely different category of RPG than the series had been up to then, or up to XI, but it was a still a high quality product. So I have no reason to be cynical about versus, we'll just have to wait and see. All we really have is 2 trailers, a couple screenshots, and some vague statements.
The main series has always tried to be of the highest quality but I do feel that SE has dropped the ball in the PS2 era. X-XII have all recieved rather mix reviews, both within the professional circle and the fanbase itself. I also feel the games were horribly mismanaged. I agree with many critics on SE's buisness policy that the series has a serious lack of direction and the company is borderlining on mismanaging the franchise. Its already started to happen but how far it goes will depend on the fanbase.

Granted SE is a buisness and the point is to make as much money as possible. My problem stems from the fact that SE is realizing that slapping the FF moniker on a game automatically means it can move a few hundred thousand units with little effort. The quality of these titles is questionable but mostly good... for now... Perhaps its the pessimist in me but I've seen it happen too many times not to take notice but I worry SE is going to to tarnish the reputation the franchise once had as being known for high quality.