By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
Mummelmann on 18 April 2023
Edit Thread
Hynad said:
Mummelmann said:

I wouldn't want the ancient gameplay of the 90s to come back, my main concern is that the strategic element has been killed entirely, or so it seems. Strategy and planning has always been a staple of the franchise, even after the first 9 installments. FFVII was the first one I played, which gives it a nostalgic place in my heart, but it was mechanically pretty weak. FFVIII was plain weird, I could never get into the "draw" system of the magic. FFIX was the peak of OG FF, in my opinion.

As I've mentioned, progress is okay, and necessary, but seeing this series turn into a full-fledged 3rd person action game just makes me kinda sad. Especially since the exploration and world-building looks amazing. I felt the same way when Mass Effect 2 and 3 dialed down the RPG elements in favor of action, and Skyrim doing away with so much depth was also a drag. But I understand why it's done; it helps make them more mainstream acceptable.

Between this, Atlas Fallen, Bleak Faith: Forsaken, Lies of P, Hell is Us, Wild Hearts, Exoprimal, Project Eve, Stellar Blade, Lords of the Fallen, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Crimson Desert, Forspoken, Black Myth: Wu Kong, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, and many, many more, it looks like Elden Ring and "spin, hack, glitz, fill bars and shine sim" are the main templates for 3rd person games right now. And it's a bit boring. It's the new battle royale. Don't get me wrong, there are some amazing games being made, and some immensely exciting titles on their way (I have at least 4-5 games on my watch list for this year that are more or less first day buys), but most of the attention seems to go to the blandest stuff following the same formula.

I agree with your point, I really do, but the alternative can't be what we're getting right now, there has to be more than two ways. Regardless, I haven't really enjoyed FF for about 15 years, so it doesn't make a world of difference in this one case.

Did you give FFVII Remake’s battle system a chance? To me, it’s the perfect compromise between both styles. I really wish this battle system would’ve become the new ATB, sticking to the series for a while where they’d iterate on it and polish it over the course of a few mainline titles…

I did, it's a pretty good combat system. I liked the switching system; it's not unlike the older systems as far as control over the party goes. I also enjoyed the slow-down effect on using menus and choosing skills/spells/attacks. It feels much more grounded and meaty than what we're seeing in the latest game. I prefer strategic, turn-based combat myself, or hybrids (like modern CRPGs), or simply 1st person combat with lots of heft and feel to it (so not vanilla Skyrim).

That's what grinds my gears with most MMOs as well; I feel like I lose all immersion when I'm simply staring at the screen, watching my avatar making moves based on hotkey presses and waiting for cooldowns. I remember trying WoW, at the very start, I played it for a few weeks. Against weaker mobs, you could simply mark your opponent and watch your character do everything itself with no input.