I would have preferred a more traditional style of gameplay, but I didnt think it looked toooo bad guess time will tell.

I do not want flash over substance. In KH2, Everything that wasn't the X button or a flashing Triangle on the screen was severely underpowered. I barely used any non-curative magic when playing KH2, and not simply because it was my style. KH2 gave you a lot to work with, but made most of it worthless. I haven't played the Mass Effect series, but based on your comment, I have little desire to play any entry after the original.

I agree with you on Squenix's ability to make a good FF though. The last main series Final Fantasy game that most people actually liked was released about 12 years ago. Since then, we've had two non-MMO FF games, the latter of which is one of the internet's least favorite games ever.

FFXVI's develpment can't begin until the FF14 team has finished cleaning up their 2010 mess, something they're apparently only now starting to do. Seeing as the gap between FF11 and FF14 was eight years, this means the team's next wholely new game can take as long as until 2021 to release.

At this point, the best hope for Final Fantasy, other than XV being good (we can dream), is the XII team reuniting to make a latter 8th gen game. Considering how that team is scattered across Squenix nowadays, I wouldn't count on it.

Let's hope... and wait... and wait... We already waited 7 years :/

I wouldn't mind the increasingly dark nature of Final Fantasy if Squenix actually went the whole way. No Final Fantasy game has ever had a rating of more than "Teen." Characters angst a lot in the newer games, but the "darkness" is mostly limited to Fantasy Violence, Tobacco and Alcohol use, "Suggestive Themes," and in-game gambling.

In other similar game, you've got blood and gore, "Sexual Themes," "Language," etc. In Persona, your characters shoot themselves in the head. In Nier, the effects of battle are visible when the fight is done. In Tales of Xilia, you hear a woman getting beaten up by thugs. Even in earlier Final Fantasy games, there are themes such as suicide (In FF4 and FF6 in particular).

I'm not saying the Final Fantasy games are being too mature or too silly. I'm saying they're being half-assed. Either give us a serious story that people above the age of 15 or so can take seriously and give a shit about (Yuna/Tidus styled romances where she never actually learns his name need not apply), or give me a more light-hearted game with ocassional serious moments as needed.

The sad thing is, balancing serious and silly aspects is one of the things JRPG's do pretty well at in general, even since 2000. It's mostly Final Fantasy that can't get it right.

Even with great gameplay? FFXIII was flash over substance and that didn't have good gameplay, KH2 did. ME1 was their first attempt, combat in 2 was a lot better, although it took other more RPG features away. But to each their own. :)

Eitherway, you are right on the rest, FFXII team coming back would be great but unlikely. It's just from FF7 to 11 it was nigh on one every year, that was 2011. We've had 3 since. Oh and a personal request, if they can bring back steampunk to FF games, FF13 lacked it.

Can you explain to me how you think the gameplay we saw at E3 even remotely resembles spam X to win?

Yeah, I prefer the turn-based system of FFX. I still think it'll be a good game though.

I have a hard time stomaching jrpgs to be downright honest.

Time and time again the same character stereotypes with flat personalities, cliche overused and predictable plot, cringe worthy dialogues, this over the top obnoxious voice overs.

Why is it that time and time again they have to draw inspiration from anime/manga pop culture? What's stopping them from breaking out of the mold?


I watched my sister play ff13 and within the first hour I have this urge to shoot that pink hair girl in the face. Not to mention that emo kid and a man baby snow or w/e.

I picked up re4 once, terrible terrible script, couldn't get through it.

They put too much emphasis on this "cool factor" over realism and emotional factor within their character and gameplay design.

I've seen ff15 trailer, fits exactly into what I'm describing. It just full of elements that are more style over substance. Looks plenty pretty but impractical.

If someone could break it down for me why the Japanese devs tend to design their game that way, it'd be a very welcomed insight.

Unless they start hiring proper writer and production teams and break out of that jrpg mould, their games will continue to decline in the west as the younger generation of gamers take over the customer base.

Souls series is the only good thing that came out of Japan this gen.

We don't know enough about FFXV's gameplay asides it's going to be sort of like KH. Personally, I'm okay with that. Final Fantasy has been ATB and turn based since the beginning. It's time for a change.

Why? Nobody looks at Halo and says "Yeah, this real-time shooting is getting old. Halo 5 should be a tactical RPG."