There are some things that never change, like the UK's unpredictable weather, the tastiness of Skittles and Final Fantasy being a turn-based RPG. But Square Enix have hinted at a future for the series that might be a little different, suggesting that they're taking the successes of Western RPGs onboard and noting that you ignore such dominant trends 'at your peril'.
'I think the nature of the franchise is to present something new each time,' said Yoshinori Kitase, producer of Final Fantasy XIII-2. 'In the global market we see many players moving away from games that used turn-based systems toward what you might term an action-RPG.
'That's a trend, and you ignore things like that at your peril.'
Kitase also suggested that Final Fantasy XIII's battle systems showed that the series was progressing, although I challenge anyone to look at FFX, FFXII and FFXIII and tell me that the most recent venture didn't seem like a corrective step back after the creative risk-taking of FFXII.
'FFXIII and FFXIII-2's battle systems have those elements of speed and action that are the key words for us, though that doesn't necessarily mean we're going to stick to the same route in our next game,' continued Kitase. 'That's something only time can tell.'
Well, they have to do something. Final Fantasy XIV proved so bad that not only did it manage to topple several executives, but CEO Yoichi Wada made a public apology for the game and admitted that 'the Final Fantasy brand has been greatly damaged'. Still, there's always FFXIII-2 to look forward to. [EDGE]
http://www.dealspwn.com/square-enix-hint-actionrpg-future-final-fantasy-83748
What do you think of this? Would you miss turn-based combat or do you like the idea of FF being an action RPG series?
No troll is too much for me to handle. I rehabilitate trolls, I train people. I am the Troll Whisperer.
