So, just the one game, or the "franchise"?

[mibuokami]

ZenfoldorVGI said:

Stats87 said:

ZenfoldorVGI said:
Also, why is this game a spinoff but FF Verses XIII isn't? We don't know anything about this game. It could be a full and important non-spinoff, non main series entry, like Verses XIII, couldn't it?

I personally don't consider Versus a spin-off because it is its own game and its own story, having nothing to do with FFXIII. From what I understand, Nomura and Kitase both had their own vision of FFXIII, so this was the way for them both to materialize.

Rising is using an already established character to fill in the gaps of an already established story.

So, FF:CC meets all your criteria for being a "non-spinoff" It has its own story, and it is a different vision of Final Fantasy. I think the real reason is the game is a PS3 exclusive. I believe that if the game was a 360 exclusive, or a multiplat, it would be much more often referred to as a spinoff.

Anyway, that is just my opinion.

Also, wher did you get all that info about the new MGS game? What is the gaps it fills in? What is the story about?

Final Fantasy is in a very unique circumstance because each numbered iteration is never a sequal to the previous, the only way to distinguished the difference between one game and the next being a spinoff or not is by it's attached number or lack thereoff, this is why direct sequal to a non-spinoff such as X-2, Core Crises or Dirge of Cerebus are lumped together with games like CC and Tactic and  are all considered spinoff (or not). Essentially this is more up to the opinion of the individual than anything.

There are few other examples of this type of serialisation.