Brand New Trailer Revealed.

[Cloudane]

If it was a game under a different name, most of us would probably be raving right now.

This is a good point, at least people would act differently. Personally, I don't think I'd be all that interested.

Such is the power of brands - we've come to expect Awesome Things out of the Final Fantasy brand, which has two effects: it puts people's expectations into the stratosphere (which can be bad if they don't live up to those expectations) and it makes people interested in the game when it wouldn't have necessariy caught their eye as some random RPG.

The thing is, the two people who really really made FF shine, have gone. They're busy making things like Lost Odyssey shine. And so far, their successors have yet to prove that they can do much without essentially rehashing old material (X-2, XIII, vsXIII etc) or abandoning most of what people expect and doing practically a different concept altogether (XII). The brand name is still there, most of the people are still there, but the soul has moved on.

(I hope to be proven wrong)

[Jessweeee♪]

Hahaha, yeah, if it wasn't FF I'd be like, "Oh my god if this is what it looks like then every game after this is going to feel like that one Superman game that everybody says is sucky." But it is, so right now it's "Oh my god if this is what it looks like it's gonna be pretty awesome."

[Dreddz]

The thing is, the two people who really really made FF shine, have gone. They're busy making things like Lost Odyssey shine. And so far, their successors have yet to prove that they can do much without essentially rehashing old material (X-2, XIII, vsXIII etc) or abandoning most of what people expect and doing practically a different concept altogether (XII). The brand name is still there, most of the people are still there, but the soul has moved on.

If Lost Odyssey told us anything its that Sakaguchi had no ideas left. At least the people sticking around tried to do something innovative with FFXII. If Lost Odyssey was what Sakaguchi's vision of future RPG's was then its a damn good thing he left Square before he turned Final Fantasy stale.

[Bahamut2000X]

Lost Odyssey is more of a Final Fantasy then most Final Fantasy's are anymore.

And don't talk about stale when SE has reused the same characters for games now, and been milking a game that came out 10 years ago for everything it's worth.

If anyone has gone stale it's SE.

[Miriel]

If it was a game under a different name, most of us would probably be raving right now.

I really disagree with this idea. If this were a game under any different title, I wouldn't give it a second thought. I wouldn't buy, play or be interested in the game in the least. The only reason this game gets the benefit of a doubt is BECAUSE it's a Final Fantasy. Because like Cloudane mentioned, people have brand loyalty.

Anyway, I was super excited about FFXII. I think in general, MOST fans were really excited about XII. So when people express a general dislike or disinterest in XIII, I don't think it's because of some deep held belief that the glory days of Final Fantasy are over. I think it's just that this game doesn't look all that great.

[Dreddz]

Lost Odyssey is more of a Final Fantasy then most Final Fantasy's are anymore.

And don't talk about stale when SE has reused the same characters for games now, and been milking a game that came out 10 years ago for everything it's worth.

If anyone has gone stale it's SE.

I think Square have done a decent job with keeping the series fresh. Your grasping for straws by saying that reusing characters is making the series stale. Both XI and XII were vastly different from previous entries, and even if you didn't like them you hadn't played anything quite like them before in the series. And guess what, they were made after Sakaguchi had left.

XIII hasn't overly impressed me so far but its miles better than if they decided to return to turn based combat. If you want the series to remain relatively the same forever then go play Lost Odssey. I want something different so I'm happy we won't have anything like that in the Final Fantasy series anymore.

[Ouch!]

Lost Odyssey is more of a Final Fantasy then most Final Fantasy's are anymore.

And don't talk about stale when SE has reused the same characters for games now, and been milking a game that came out 10 years ago for everything it's worth.

If anyone has gone stale it's SE.

I think Square have done a decent job with keeping the series fresh. Your grasping for straws by saying that reusing characters is making the series stale. Both XI and XII were vastly different from previous entries, and even if you didn't like them you hadn't played anything quite like them before in the series. And guess what, they were made after Sakaguchi had left.

XIII hasn't overly impressed me so far but its miles better than if they decided to return to turn based combat. If you want the series to remain relatively the same forever then go play Lost Odssey. I want something different so I'm happy we won't have anything like that in the Final Fantasy series anymore.

I'll agree that from a gameplay perspective, Lost Odyssey doesn't exactly offer innovation in any substantial form, but it was never meant to. The turn-based combat system was, however, relatively solid. Where Lost Odyssey really shone was in its storytelling (specifically with the introduction of the Thousand Years of Memories short stories interspersed throughout), and that's what made it one of the best RPGs I've ever played in a decade.

That said, I'm rather disappointed that Final Fantasy is straying away from the direction FFXII took; I'm rather upset that the battle system isn't anywhere near as robust as they originally seemed to suggest. It's a battle system which could really make use of manipulation of its environment, and I'm annoyed that they're returning to the whole "allies on this side, enemies on that side" approach.

[ljkkjlcm9]

Lost Odyssey is more of a Final Fantasy then most Final Fantasy's are anymore.

And don't talk about stale when SE has reused the same characters for games now, and been milking a game that came out 10 years ago for everything it's worth.

If anyone has gone stale it's SE.

I think Square have done a decent job with keeping the series fresh. Your grasping for straws by saying that reusing characters is making the series stale. Both XI and XII were vastly different from previous entries, and even if you didn't like them you hadn't played anything quite like them before in the series. And guess what, they were made after Sakaguchi had left.

XIII hasn't overly impressed me so far but its miles better than if they decided to return to turn based combat. If you want the series to remain relatively the same forever then go play Lost Odssey. I want something different so I'm happy we won't have anything like that in the Final Fantasy series anymore.

QFT

I've been playing Lost Odyssey cause one of my friends said it was an amazing RPG... and it's fun and I'm enjoying it, but in no way does it stand out as something truly spectacular. I can only play the same thing for so long before I get sick of it.

I loved FFXII, I thought it was truly awesome and different. The new gameplay really made the game worth playing. Plus being able to make any character proficient at whatever i wanted allowed a bunch of customization. I am looking forward to XIII, to see what new things they can offer. The battle system already looks quite different and I'm hoping it is. even if it has "turn based" combat, if they add new things to vary it more, I will appreciate it greatly. The World Ends With You is one of the best games I've played in a long time, and that's because it was something NEW. While sometimes it is nice to go with something familiar and "safe" it can grow stale quite fast. SE is trying to do a balance of giving the fans of the old games more of what they love, while trying to branch out and add something new.

Now, I personally look at any RPG for any system with interest, so regardless of the Final Fantasy title, I'd look into this game... maybe not AS much, but I still would. But on that note, NO single game will ever sell a system for me. I'm only playing Lost Odyssey now because my new roommate owns a 360 and the game, otherwise I'd never have played it.

THE JACKEL

[LunarWeaver]

I'm not a fan of Sakaguchi. In fact, I didn't really like the series until Sakaguchi went away. While I'm already going for it, I should just say I love Nomura too ! This whole forum can now commence hating me a whooole lot.

Anyway, this looks smurfing sexy to me. I'm pretty pumped myself.

[Bahamut2000X]

Both XI and XII were vastly different from previous entries, and even if you didn't like them you hadn't played anything quite like them before in the series.

Firstly...your mentioning XI? Honestly? It's an online game, of course it would be different from the rest of the games. I don't even see how or why you would use this as a comparison. It's the equivalent of saying WoW is vastly new and different from War Craft 3. Their 2 entirely different genres of gaming require everything to be vastly different.

And guess what, they were made after Sakaguchi had left.

Well that would explain why they forgot to write a story for XII then. It was about 50 hours of grinding followed by a few hours of plot. I hardly think creating a lot of new game play by sacrificing the story is a fair trade off.

I think you misunderstand me, I'm all for innovation, but at the cost of the story and characters, no. RPG's simply put are about the story and characters, not fancy graphics or gameplay. It bothers to me to no extent when games try and one up themselves and others in terms of graphics and gameplay so they can 'redefine the paragon of RPG excellence' when it was just redefined last week. There's honestly only so much rehashing of 'new' ideas before it's all crap rehashed again.

I'll agree that from a gameplay perspective, Lost Odyssey doesn't exactly offer innovation in any substantial form, but it was never meant to. The turn-based combat system was, however, relatively solid.

I'll disagree, I think Lost Odyssey was innovative in itself by NOT trying to rewrite how RPG's are played and being probably the first RPG in close to a decade to go back to the very roots of RPG's and do turn based combat. I think it was pretty brilliant just for the fact that they didn't feel the need to spend years creating a new system of something we've "Never seen exactly but kinda sorta have already but not really the same as the game before" that so many other games are doing.

[Old Manus]

What the hell does 'front and centre' mean? I've never heard anyone use this phrase, and it was in FFX too.

[Dreddz]

Firstly...your mentioning XI? Honestly? It's an online game, of course it would be different from the rest of the games. I don't even see how or why you would use this as a comparison. It's the equivalent of saying WoW is vastly new and different from War Craft 3. Their 2 entirely different genres of gaming require everything to be vastly different.

I wasn't comparing it directly to the previous games. I'm just saying it was a different direction they took and one that generally pissed off the fans of the previous games. It was more importantly a brave move by Square, something they needed to do after FFX I thought.

Well that would explain why they forgot to write a story for XII then. :monster: It was about 50 hours of grinding followed by a few hours of plot. I hardly think creating a lot of new game play by sacrificing the story is a fair trade off.

I think you misunderstand me, I'm all for innovation, but at the cost of the story and characters, no. RPG's simply put are about the story and characters, not fancy graphics or gameplay. It bothers to me to no extent when games try and one up themselves and others in terms of graphics and gameplay so they can 'redefine the paragon of RPG excellence' when it was just redefined last week. There's honestly only so much rehashing of 'new' ideas before it's all crap rehashed again.

FFXII was far from perfect, I agree that its story was lacking and even its soundtrack was less than stellar. But the gameplay felt fresh and innovative at the time and removed some unnessesary aspects from previous FF's by having all the action in real-time. FFXII still remains one of my favourite games in the series.

And if your only playing RPG's because of their stories and characters then why are you even playing games to begin with. I enjoy RPG's for lots of reasons but gameplay always remains the most important. There is a lot of fun from being able to customize your characters and thinking of strategies to fight enemies. The story is just a ways of giving the game meaning. I agree that graphics don't nessesarily mean much but there still a nice bonus. But giving us new ways to go about leveling up characters and whatnot is very important. Especially now when the genre is entering one of its dark ages.

[Rocket Edge]

Lost Odyssey is more of a Final Fantasy then most Final Fantasy's are anymore.

And don't talk about stale when SE has reused the same characters for games now, and been milking a game that came out 10 years ago for everything it's worth.

If anyone has gone stale it's SE.

I think Square have done a decent job with keeping the series fresh. Your grasping for straws by saying that reusing characters is making the series stale. Both XI and XII were vastly different from previous entries, and even if you didn't like them you hadn't played anything quite like them before in the series. And guess what, they were made after Sakaguchi had left.

XIII hasn't overly impressed me so far but its miles better than if they decided to return to turn based combat. If you want the series to remain relatively the same forever then go play Lost Odssey. I want something different so I'm happy we won't have anything like that in the Final Fantasy series anymore.

I agree.

I can't help but feel slightly let down with the trailer (also a moment to say I don't like it when FF goes sci-fi, like this is sometimes showing). Have to say though that the graphics shouldn't be a let down as I don't think the trailer is fully justifying them. But hell, even if they are like that, we can expect the next one to be far better in that department as its the first one to grace the next gen console. The differance between FFX & FFXII were pretty big.

But anyway, that aside, I really hope Square don't let us down. I feel if this one doesn't tick the right boxes then it will be detrimental to the franchise. Maybe its because it is the first on the PS3 & 360, but I feel this one has a real burden on its shoulders to succeed. Anyone else feel like this?

[Cloudane]

Oops, what have I started :laughing:

XII should be called Marmite Fantasy. You seemingly either love it to bits, or hate it. Well, maybe hate is a bit strong, I don't hate it. But I do rate it below any other FF including 8.

I fully respect, but don't personally agree with, all this about change for change's sake and moulding it to what people are demanding. Sometimes what people say/shout/demand that they want isn't actually what is best.

Trying to think of an example - Everquest (online MMORPG) is best I can come up with for now: it was quite difficult getting 'necessary' things done in the early days without other players, and this got tedious sometimes, but it really brought the community together. People complained, but the devs just pointed this effect out and said that's how it's staying. Eventually the people with the 'vision' left, and the company behind it began to mould the game to player demands. The bond-forming stuff disappeared and it's been more like an online single player game ever since.

My view is: if you don't like the style of a traditional RPG, go play something else, rather than expecting the game to become something it wasn't intended to be.
However, the newer people behind FF are saying the opposite: the series/brand/franchise (whatever) is changing direction, and if you don't like it, go play whatever "FF Classic" style games may be out there. That's fair enough, and that's what I'm doing, although I've not given up on Final Fantasy just yet, not after all this personal, emotional and financial investment!

The new trailer gives me a *lot* more hope and excitement than any previews of XII did, so there is hope. The only thing that really put me off was the Star Wars theme (I know there have always been Star Wars influences, but it's never been a clone) and vague hints at what looked like another war story. I would prefer a return to some single Evil Sinister Fellow of Ultimate Evility, but hey, that's just me.

A lot of people hailed XII for its lack of involvement with the characters, saying it was a more subtle story or whatever, and that its lack of teenage angsty moody character or love story was what made it. I disagree. I'm only about half way though Lost Odyssey so far (so no untagged spoilers please!) but I was immersed in it from the very beginning and have been ever since - and so far there are no stereotypical teenagers, the lead character is an adult by far, and no love triangles or blossoming. Yet that is still managing to be awesome, emotionally engaging and immersive. Everything that FF was.

[Jessweeee♪]

Looks like some people haven't played TWEWY yet o: