Do you think Squenix has lost vision of the FF series?

[Wolf Kanno]

By this I mean, do you sometimes feel that Squenix has lost the ability to know and plan where they really ant to take the franchise? This of course only works if you assume FF had a vision of where they wanted to go before hand (I know I do). It just seems to me when you look at the series, there is a gradual build up until you hit the PS2 era and then it feels like FF is going everywhere and lacks any solid direction and foundation.

New teams are getting shots at making FF games, and the old team seems stretched out everywhere on all these projects. Sometimes I don't even feel they are as involved. Yes, Nomura has vXIII and out of the XIII project it seems the strongest contender in terms of vision but what of the other two? XIII to me, seems to lack the enthusiasms of the development team and Agito; though looking surprisingly good, still feels like a pet project rather than a real contender.

What of the franchising of IV, VII, and the Ivalice Alliance? Do you sometimes feel that Squenix's sudden turn to going back and expanding established smash hits might be a sign of the company lacking creative force or perhaps a new direction to move away from the old ways.

Or do you get the sneaking suspicion that maybe the cause is Squenix trying to cater to a fickle fanbase. One that stretches over a 20 year history and incorporates a wide range of different ages and social standing?

What are your thoughts?

[Zechs]

To a point, loosing the original creative main team that carried the series, for the most part, up to VIII (IX maybe). The artistic change in X was good. The more story driven theme was a nice addition. So, missing something? In a way, yes. But then again, the older teams who have handled FF titles cannot continue to develop something similar and yet something different. That is where new teams come in. integrating a few newer fellows into the development crew offers newer ideas. In an 'outside the box' kind of thing. But, too many new additions, and thew direction is not focused. Sure with a strong lead it could work. Without that lead, there will be something questionable.

They are probably trying to return to their prime to see what was different then vs now. PSX was the prime for Square, PS2 is like the sister era of that. So the Ivallice Alliance is a good step for that. Dealing with a few remakes and ports is fine. They need to learn what used to work. So a new company branch is perfect for that.

SE has driven further from their prime, to the point they seemingly lost sight of what they would have gone fore. Retracing some steps within the prime allows them to return and take another branch. You got to stick with what works. Even if it is joint with something new. It cannot be all new or it has no of hand appeal rather than test. And this day and age, titles that require testing before that acquired taste sets in usually fail.

[Slothy]

Honestly, I like seeing new teams come in and tackle the series because we saw how well that worked in FFVI. If I had my way mind you, Matsuno would become the driving force behind every FF since XII is the first one in years I can say is truly amazing, but that's never going to happen. The problem as I see it currently, is that the same people have been involved in/running the series for 14 years or possibly more. There comes a point where they just aren't going to be able to push the creative envelope the way they used to if you ask me, and I think we're seeing that these days, especially when they go back and revisit earlier games. The only way Square is going to recapture the glory days if you ask me, is to get some younger guys with a true vision for the series in there. Guys with great ideas and the drive and desire to see them materialize and make them successful. New blood is rarely a bad thing. I'd rather Square take a chance on some new guys with great ideas and have them totally flop than consistently rely on the same people to rehash their glory days again and again.

[Vivisteiner]

I think Vivi22 is right. SE needs some new guys to step up and become new Sakaguchis and Nomuras. My only worry though is that they may leave behind Sakaguchi's original vision, which I believe is still important. The general ethos of Final Fantasy is hard to define, but I will be able to feel when it is being lost. My worry is that the FF series will become all flash and no bang. SE won't fail to make brilliant cutscenes, but will they be able to create characters which connect with us and make us actually care about the plot? Will they have a coherent story? My biggest worry is definitely with the characters and the plot.

Music is another case where someone needs to step up and fill Uematsu's huge boots. No easy task, but Hamauzu has a fair shot. Ishimoto seems pretty good so far(but not amazing to me) and what I've heard of Shimomura in her Versus track is very impressive (but I didn't like her KH stuff so much).

I'm also worried the series may see to far a departure from its fantasy roots. The series is Final Fantasy, and while I enjoy sci-fi, I want them to continue producing fantasy games in the more traditional sense as well. I'm not talking about cliches necessarily, but the sort of stuff in FFIX, FFX and FFXII.

Finally I will make my final point about Final Fantasy. The Final Fantasy series will die when it loses originality. So long as Final Fantasy continues to push the boundaries of gaming in terms of new, fresh gameplay systems and imaginitive, cogent and powerful stories it has every right to continue for a long time to come. FFXIII and FFvXIII could very well be the defining games that decide the fate of the Final Fantasy series and finally confirm or counter the claim that SE have lost their vision.

[scrumpleberry]

I don't think so. I am personally hoping that they make XIII the magnum opus of the team, and then just leave the FF series at that (Yeah, maybe doing rereleases and what have you in newer generations..) so that people remember the series for the fantastic and innovative RPGs that they were. Because I get the feeling that if they keep on going, things might start to look outdated, reused, and crappy - simply because they've done so many of the games now.

Leave Final Fantasy as a great series, squenix. Don't humiliate it and drag it through the mud coughing and wheezing, like Sonic.

[Rocket Edge]

Have to disagree. Square haven't let me down yet, and I don't see them doing so in the future so I'm all for them releasing as many games as they see fit. They are still my favourite games.

[trancekuja]

Actually , first time SE ever disappointed me was the release of Dirge Of Cerberus...Vincent was my favorite char from ff vii and I think he deserved a much more depth and overall quality in his solo debut...that's why I was a bit nervous about ff XII...even had mixed feelings in first hours of game play. Going from random enc to ADB was a giant leap from FF X and since I never actually had a problem with random enc ( I know you think RE are a thing of past and should remain there ) I thought that without them the game will loose that FFF(FF feeling). But later I realized that ADB brought many improvements into battles. If you look back , Squaresoft or SE never aimed to recycle same ideas and use the same formula which proved to be a sucess. Just compare FF7 , 8 , 9 , 10 and 12. For instance after FF7 they could just make the same game with different story but they go and make FF8 - completely different game from previous one ( junction system , character design etc...). Some liked it , others despised it... But one thing that never changed was an amazing and epic story! I was always drown to it like a deer to a truck. That's what distinguished FF from other RPG's I played... To make a conclusion : I sincerely hope that SquareEnix won't ever make change in this aspect of the game. Anything else , I can deal with

[Jessweeee♪]

I trust them

[The Last Oath]

Thats what i thought about FFXII... But it turned out to be a perfect FF in its own right.
There all different but all have their own features and similarities and I know I always end up loving it.

[Fynn]

I think the main vision of the Final Fantasy series was that any game should be... final! I mean, every part is a new story, thus a new element must be introduced. Final Fantasy is a series that keeps its formula changing. Besides, it is just a computer game and I don't think people should lose faith in something that is meant to give entertainment, a gripping story and memorable themes. I just want to see what the new games have to offer. By the way, I simply ADORE the Ivalice Alliance. It's so great, I don't know what to say about it...

[black orb]

>>> FF series needs to evolve and change.. There are tons of talented people out there that can become the next Sakaguchi, Amano, Nomura, etc.. I think SE understand this.

[Depression Moon]

I don't think FF has lost the vision of the series. XII was different with different developers as I can see why they did it, they wanted a change of pace and they made it well, I just wished that the story could have been done better. I don't want to see any other missteps like Dirge of Cerberus, or XI either. I haven't played XI and I'm not saying it's bad, but to me it doesn't seem like it qualifes to be a real FF and should have been a spin off game called FF Online. If they had done that I guess XII would've been XI and XII just doesn't look like an XI. I also think they should probably focus more on their main titles than a lot of remakes and ports, because we're all tired of the long delays between the releases and I say that probably for the meantime keep the older developers to do a couple of projects before retiring and get Uematsu to do at least one full score before going back to Mistwalker.

[Wolf Kanno]

Playing devil's advocate is fun!

Wow, really great comments so far. Though I find it funny no one has touched the question regarding the fanbase.

I'll wait for some more good comments before establishing my real feelings about this topic.

[Slothy]

The thing is, I don't think they're trying to cater to a fickle fanbase that spans 20 years right now. If anything, they're doing more to cater to the crowd that's come on board since FFVII, what with all the FFVII spin offs in the last few years. The remakes and re-releases certainly cater to the older crowd, and are a bit of an attempt to pull some newer gamers into the fold, but let's face it, most people who care enough to play the older ones probably played ROMs when they realized there were six or more games before the one that got them hooked on the series.

If you ask me they shouldn't be trying to cater to the full fanbase with the main series though. Yes FF typically has some unifying elements, but part of the reason there's so much division over what games are the best is because each one totally changed up the gameplay and story formula, and even at the worst of times it was more imaginative and creative than a good chunk of RPG's out there. Granted in the process you piss off some fans, but that's not always a bad thing. I'm a big believer in the idea that if you give gamers a new and creative game that are also fun as hell to play, and the majority will play it and they'll enjoy it. What worries me about the continuation of the series as a whole is that the people behind it are also the people who have been riding on VII's success for the last few years (and fairly poorly I might add, despite my love of Advent Children solely as a visual spectacle). I'm not convinced at this point that they can make the next FF games new, creative, or fun as hell. Honestly, no matter what angle I look at the future of the series from, I can't help but come back to the fact that I don't have a lot of faith in the people running it now. Hopefully they prove me wrong.

[Serapy]

By this I mean, do you [...]
What are your thoughts?

Will you feel the same thing after the release of FFXIII?