For almost 25 years, Square Enix has established themselves as the kings of what is affectionately known as the JRPG, and their crown jewel has been the Final Fantasy series. From the very first Final Fantasy which helped popularize the genre, to the groundbreaking Final Fantasy VII, considered by many to be the best game of all time, and beyond to the newer generation of games which raised the bar technically and in terms of gameplay, the series has become synonymous with role-playing games.
Fans would happily wait out the agonizingly long development cycles for each game, knowing that with the newest Final Fantasy would be an amazing experience.
Sometime after the release of Final Fantasy XII, that began to change. At 2006’s E3 conference, not one but three Final Fantasy titles were announced, and to this day, only one of them has seen the light of day. Additionally, a second MMORPG has been announced and (kind of) released, a sequel to one of the most polarizing Final Fantasy games was announced, and most recently, a remake of FFX has been scheduled for release, despite the persistent cries for a remake of FFVII.
There have been rumblings that Square just isn’t the same RPG giant it once was, but is this a case of quantity over quality, or are all of these upcoming games future classics? Let’s take a look at the games within the Final Fantasy series that have been announced or hinted at, to see whether Square Enix is on the verge of greatness once again, or a complete and utter collapse.
Final Fantasy XIII-2
After the lukewarm reception Final Fantasy XIII received upon its release, it seemed highly unlikely that it would become only the second game in the series to get an official sequel, and yet that’s exactly what’s happening. The game is expected to be released in Japan this winter, just two years after the release of XIII, which is a staggeringly short period of time for a Final Fantasy game. The developers have chalked this up to having the framework of XIII already done to work off of, but they insist major improvements will be made in the sequel, including tweaks to the combat system, branching dialogue and a darker, more serious story.
That sounds great, but it doesn’t address the concerns of gamers who have no interest in returning to Gran Pulse, or playing as characters who looked and behaved like stitched together versions of previous Final Fantasy protagonists.
Final Fantasy Versus XIII
Final Fantasy Versus XIII was announced alongside FFXIII in 2006, as part of a shared universe of games called the Nova Crystallis Series, but since then, Versus XIII has remained a mystery in every possible way. Versus XIII looks like it will be unlike any other Final Fantasy game before it, combining action-RPG gameplay similar to the Kingdom Hearts series with third-person shooter elements. From the limited footage that has been released of the game, the setting and tone looks to be based more on our own world than the standard airships and giant magic chickens in previous Final Fantasy games.
Everything about Versus XIII sounds like it could be the ambitious reimagining that the series may need, only there’s no sign of this game coming out any time soon. Earlier this week at the Tokyo Game Show, Square announced that Verus XIII has entered 100% full production, which begs the following questions: what the hell does that mean, and what percentage has the game’s production been running at for the past five years?
Final Fantasy Type-0
This one is a bit of an odd duck when compared to the other games on this list. Type-0 was originally called Final Fantasy Agito XIII back when it was announced alongside Versus XIII and FFXIII in 2006, until the developers came to the realization that, aside from sounding cool, the name Agito had nothing to do with anything. Originally intended as a mobile phone game, Type-0 has been reworked for the Playstation Portable, easily making it a handheld game with one of the longest development times ever. Type-0 will apparently follow a group of twelve playable protagonists, each named after a playing card with their own unique weapons, and the game will have a combat system similar to another PSP game, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.
The game is set for release in Japan next month, and it remains to be seen what plans, if any, Square has for bring the game overseas.
Final Fantasy X HD
The hi-def re-release of Final Fantasy X was announced earlier this week during the Tokyo Game Show, marking the return of one of the most popular games in the series. FFX was a major milestone for Square, as it proved they could make the transition to 3D environments and voice acting without losing the rich storytelling and deep gameplay that had made the Final Fantasy games so popular (that would come later). FFX is also the only other game, aside from FFXIII, to receive a direct sequel, which makes the decision to release FFX HD somewhat puzzling. HD collections have become immensely popular in the last two years, and series producer, Yoshinori Kitase, had been quoted as saying that if demand was high enough, they would “seriously consider” a collection featuring FFX, FFX-2 and FFXII.
Final Fantasy XIV
Now technically, Final Fantasy XIV has already been released for the PC, but technically, said release was such a disaster, Square Enix has decided to redesign the game entirely post-release, while people continue to play it. FF XIV is the second MMORPG in the series after Final Fantasy XI, but from the moment the game was announced.
It was clear it had its work cut out for it in a way XI never did. For one thing, Square’s first foray into the world of MMORPGS came in 2002, a full two years before World of Warcraft was released, forever becoming the measuring stick for all future games like it. By the time XIV launched its open beta, the lack of things to do and agonizingly long periods of idle time had gamers frothing at the mouth.
After the game’s producer resigned from the project (and presumably threw himself into the sea), it was decided that everything, from the graphics to the battle system to how and when quests occur, would be completely reworked, and the game’s 30 day free trial was extended indefinitely. Square Enix insists that the Playstation 3 version of the game is still forthcoming, despite the lack of success MMOs have had on consoles thus far, and FFXIV currently having the appeal of a wasabi suppository, so fingers crossed that they figure out how to make the game fun before it’s released…again.
Link: http://deltagamer.com/16249/is-square-enix-killing-final-fantasy
