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Hey Square-Enix: Final Fantasy Versus XIII Is Your Last Chance

I remember it like it was yesterday: perusing the game store shelves and looking for just about anything with "Squaresoft" on the box. If I found one I hadn't played, it was probably coming home with me. One of the big reasons the original PlayStation was the king of RPGs was because a company called Squaresoft continually delivered top-notch titles, time and time again. It was amazing. In retrospect, I don't think we've seen such a stretch of undeniable mastery since…by anyone.

And although I will always love Final Fantasy , and I will even defend FFXIII as being a really, really great game (just not a great FF installment), Square-Enix has given me almost nothing that ranks in the upper stratosphere in the past decade. Sometimes, we just have to face up to facts and accept that the past is never coming back. I still recall thinking, "hey, Squaresoft and Enix coming together…so like, FF and Star Ocean merging…wow!" Yeah, not so much "wow," anymore. And so, this statement is just for you, Square-Enix: you've got one more chance. One. I will remain excited and enthusiastic for Final Fantasy Versus XIII all the way up until its release; I will hold out hope and sit down to play it with high expectations. All those brief updates have been incredibly encouraging – especially that bit about it being "like the old 2D FFs in HD" – and the early footage is impressive. It really looks great.

We still need some actual gameplay but for now, I'm holding tightly to a quickly diminishing faith; a faith that has been eroding away for years; a faith irrationally fueled by frequent reminiscing via FFVII and FFT. I know a third Kingdom Hearts might be on the way, but that's not a deal-cincher for me; the games are cool, but not necessarily my cup of tea. I'd play it (probably) but I want what the old Square was always known for: an epic, memorable, landmark RPG that helps to define a generation. You set the bar years ago; you can't just go and sit in a corner. Therefore, deliver on your last chance or you will be permanently downgraded on my own personal publisher ratings board. You can't continue to keep a top slot simply because of history, you know.

Related Game(s): Final Fantasy Versus XIII

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Riku994
Riku994
14 years ago

I am so with you on this one Ben. I like how we generally have the same taste in RPGs.

Zemus101
Zemus101
14 years ago

Excellent post Ben, I've been thinking this for a few years now I think. For me FFXI was the last Square game I have enjoyed (and for about 6 years at that) now FFXIV looks to be really great, love how it's back to it's old fantasy and exploration roots. I'm sure there's high technology thrown in there somewhere, but it's not obviously the main plot point like it has been recently.

Also, Just want to mention a few of my favorites from yesteryear that don't get mentioned often enough. Chrono Cross, Parasite Eve, and Front Mission 3. We could definitely use these on the PS Store! Please? No? Dang…

Snaaaake
Snaaaake
14 years ago

Depending on the final product, this may be my last Square Enix game.

Does Square Enix's free-falling have anything to do with Saka's departure?

CHAOS THEORY X
CHAOS THEORY X
14 years ago

One…last…chance. They need to listen to their fans, well any that are left…

sunspider13
sunspider13
14 years ago

Well I'm still waiting for Einhander 2, but we all know that won't happen. One of my friends will be getting FFV:XIII so I'll make my decision then. Miss SquareSoft.

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
14 years ago

Would they not called that Zweihander? *walks away nonchalantly after realising what I said was ridiculously stupid.*
Peace.

Fabi
Fabi
14 years ago

Well that makes sense, but then again, that game isn't coming out for another like 3 years, so that's a huge window of opportunity to drop like 3 or 4 other games to make up for the lack of quality.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

yeah but they will all be portable titles.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

I'm with you on this too Ben, have been for a while. XIII was cool, but a massive letdown. XII wasn't bad, but I wanted the old battle system back. We sorta got something similar, but lost all towns and exploration. I will get Versus, but I expect a lot, and maybe I shouldn't, but I feel justified.

This could bleed into another article though Ben, take a look around you, when this gen has there been a major success that defines the generation or the genre? JRPGs are dying or being watered down, the top selling FPS (MW2) is miles and miles behind the biggest technological achievement in FPS thus far (Killzone 2), fighting games are fun but aren't breaking any new ground. Even the GOTY and best TPS of all time (Uncharted 2) isn't burning up the charts like the lesser games out there (Gears of War).

So, apparently this gen quality isn't rewarded with the best sales, mediocrity is. I bet SE is fully happy with all the money they made on the FF name alone in XIII and don't even care that people thought it was a poor FF.

The behavior of the masses this gen confuse me and is dubious at best.


Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 8/19/2010 10:31:39 PM

frostface
frostface
14 years ago

This mediocrity you mentioned worries me too with the Resistance franchise. I worry for the third instalment and it having to compete with whatever CoD or Battlefield that comes out that year.
I have no doubt R3 will be fantastic but will it be justly rewarded or will its sales pale in comparison to another MW or CoD clone?
As for FFXIII, I got it recently, it's my first FF and although I'm enjoying it, I've put it down for a few days and now browse over the case when I'm looking for something I actually want to play. I'd love to be able to compare it with other releases from the franchise but it's all I have to go on and it's good but not great.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
14 years ago

Well, I agree to some extent but that's not 100% accurate. You may say games like Gears or Modern Warfare 2 are "mediocre" but in reality, we both know they aren't. They're excellent. They may not lead the pack, but one can hardly say that mediocrity reigns. To say that would imply that games that receive 5s and 6s can sell like mad…but those NEVER do.

No, in this industry, great games really do sell. We haven't reached the point of the movie industry where trash is the only thing that sells tickets; it's still basically the reverse in gaming. If the game scores a 9 or above, it's a guaranteed million-seller (at least). The best games of the generation are, for the most part, the best sellers. And when we say "best," we do have to include the likes of Gears and MW2 (if only for the multiplayer concerning the latter).

Hey, Heavy Rain can sell 2 million+, and it looks like it will, and the best of the best – Killzone 2, God of War III, Uncharted 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, Assassin's Creed II, Red Dead Redemption, GTAIV, Gears 2, etc. – still sell millions each, and make the developers and publishers money. I love this. I hope it never changes.

But as far as JRPGs go, you're right. It's so depressing to see them all turn into action/RPGs or WRPGs just because they had to kill turn-based. 🙁


Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 8/19/2010 11:02:18 PM

Snaaaake
Snaaaake
14 years ago

"Why make something great when good sells better?"

That is the mindset of everyone now.

Victor321
Victor321
14 years ago

That's exactly what I had mind, Snaaaake.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
14 years ago

Ben,

Your final paragraph…

"But as far as JRPGs go, you're right. It's so depressing to see them all turn into action/RPGs or WRPGs just because they had to kill turn-based."

Why did they "have to kill turn-based"? Why? I have heard no rational, logical or plausible explanation for that at all. I know we are not the developers so anything we say is pure conjecture, but have you ever wondered why they killed it? More specifically, why did it get killed on the home consoles, but not the hand held consoles?

I wish that we could have an interview with a good JRPG developer and ask them to explain why turn based has been essentially killed this generation.

@Snake,

You're right, but that way lies mediocrity.


Last edited by TheHighlander on 8/19/2010 11:09:44 PM

main_event05
main_event05
14 years ago

@ Highlander. I can pull a few strings and see if that can get some other strings pulled. but i'm not promising anything

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

I'll attempt to clarify. Maybe Gears was a bad choice as it does push it's own respective platform, but let's take the multiplats like MW2. I'm not saying it isn't fun or that it didn't deserve its scores, but let's face it, it was no leap forward, not in graphics, not in AI, not in gameplay, perhaps in multiplayer. Killzone 2 had superior graphics, sound, AI, and in my opinion more realistic gameplay (how important realism is is up to the consumer) and yet it falls well short in sales to the more mediocre of the two.

My basic point is in this particular generation, the games that really define genius and push the platform like Uncharted 2 did just aren't the massive success that the lesser games are. Look at how great, unique, and rarely addicting inFamous was, and it still can't touch some rehash like the Halo series in sales.

All of this, plus the fact that mediocre games are pushed by the media strictly because they remain 360 exclusive (Crackdown 2) has rendered this generation ass backwards in terms of rewarding hard working devs. Why make a great story and explorable world in an RPG when clearly what sells is having one direction to go and fast paced action? Why make a sequel look and perform better when you can reskin the whole thing and sell it again?
Why develop for both platforms when a cheap, crappy port will cost less?

You get the idea. Heavy Rain selling 2 million is awesome, but what hope do we have for the future when that kind of quality rakes in a great deal less money than some reskinned, rehashed, pop culture phenomenon?

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
14 years ago

World: I think as long as developers like Quantic Dream, Sucker Punch, and Naughty Dog keep making money with their bar-setting games, we'll be okay. They don't need to sell a zillion copies like MW2; they just need to sell enough for Sony to say to the team, "yes, make another." Uncharted 2 sold 5 million copies (I think) and considering it was only available on one platform, that's pretty amazing. Remember that MW2 is available to 75 million people in the console world, while Heavy Rain, inFamous, etc. is only available to less than half that number.

I know what you're saying about lesser titles (in comparison) being more popular, but perhaps what we have to worry about even more is the rise of casual gamers, who will buy anything they're told to buy and only watch advertisements instead of reading reviews. When gaming used to be all 90% hardcore avid gamers, most everyone who participated knew just about everything there was to know; they couldn't be fooled by ads (even if there were any on TV at the time).

This is the biggest problem, IMO.

Highlander: As I understand it, they will say the reason they used turn-based in the first place is because they didn't have the technology/processing power to produce real-time combat with the depth of a true RPG. Now that we do, there's no reason to be pausing stuff. That's the mentality.

Of course, I've never once bought into that, and I will always maintain that turn-based requires a level of strategy and thought that can (if it's deep enough) eclipse anything in the real-time realm. In truth, it was a lot like crossing strategy with regular fighting; we would think two, three, four moves in advance. Real-time is all about the "now" and the "in the moment"…which, as I'm sure you've noticed, is the motto this planet has adopted- instant gratification.

Plus, factor in the rise of the casuals and the twitchers, and the overall decline of patience and attention spans in the populace (perhaps especially amongst gamers), and maybe they're right. Maybe there is no room for turn-based anymore.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

Totally agree on the turn based stuff. So far Sony has been cool about not cowtowing to the masses, I just kind of worry. Massive sales aren't everything, but the influence of the mass-market-appeal is definitely changing genres that were formerly completely separate. Watering them down in my opinion.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
14 years ago

Ben,

"Plus, factor in the rise of the casuals and the twitchers, and the overall decline of patience and attention spans in the populace (perhaps especially amongst gamers), and maybe they're right. Maybe there is no room for turn-based anymore. "

If that is the case, then you and I are dinosaurs my friend.

@worlds,

When big games have budgets that put individual game projects among the world's bigger corporate units, you can bet that corporate thinking will take hold. Fortunately there are the indie developers who are developing for PSN, unfortunately I don't see any of them working for a couple of years to produce a turn based master-piece.

Perhaps the only thing to do is to let the game companies know that no matter the reasons for turn based being used in the first place, we as gamers do still want the old turn based system. They need to understand (and I agree with Ben on this) that even if the excuse about processing power is true, turn based brings a totally different dimension of strategy and planning. It's that dimension that we want back.


Last edited by TheHighlander on 8/20/2010 12:24:24 AM

Snaaaake
Snaaaake
14 years ago

I still can't get over the fact that PS3 exclusive only had MGS4 and UC2 selling 5 million.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
14 years ago

Trust me, Highlander, we are.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
14 years ago

*Sigh* In that case, I call Tyrannosaurus, if I'm going to be a dinosaur, I might as well be one that is feared. 😉

coverton341
coverton341
14 years ago

Can I weigh in on this….and call Stegosauras (that spiky tail was awesome)

I see what world is saying, in a way. The top selling games are great games, but not technology pushers. Technology pushing games are decent sellers, but if this kind of trend continues developers and publishers will be less inclined to push boundaries and more inclined to push units. Businesses follow the money after all. I do agree with Ben though in the fact that if AAA developers make games that sell decent then Sony will green light more games in those franchises and from those developers. Sony seems to care about the money, but also give an ear to what fans want. Sucker Punch also seems to give clout to fan voice. Just look at the old new Cole design.

On the issue with turn based going out the window, Ben makes a great point. I'm about to speak in generalities, don't shoot me. We seem to be in a new mentality where we have to have it right now. Fast food sales eclipse grocery store tickets, people get up at 4 am to grab their starbucks because they can't be arsed to make it at home, we Tivo because we can't sit through commercials, we can't take the time to go to blockbuster for a movie night in so we Netflix instant queue it, gimme gimme now now. More children are diagnosed with ADHD, ODD, and an assortment of other ailments which in a high number of cases is a misdiagnosis for "can't sit still" syndrome. Youtube videos. Ever notice how if you go to youtube and the video is ten minutes long, the general max for a youtube video, that you immediately sigh and click soomething else, or speed through it to find the key points? TEN MINUTES!

Okay, enough with the generalities, I know that most of us here aren't like that. This community seems to be a little more patient and a little older. Even the younger members here seem to have a level of maturity that is higher than most twitch and casual gamers. But, overall it seems we can't sit still and hence how well would a turn based RPG sell these days? I know I would buy one but I wouldn't play it often because as I age I somehow lose hours in the day. I know a lot of gamers our age don't have time to play lengthy games either and would just pass on it.

Wow, sorry, I didn't mean that to get so ranty and lengthy. I'm done. Back to hiding. Bye.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
14 years ago

@Coverton aka Stegosaurus…

Great points. I have one though to add about what you're saying about finding time to play long games. I personally have purchased far more games in this generation than I ever did on my PS2 or PS1. Perhaps it's not so much that we have too much choice, and so we don't play long games through to the end unless they can be completed before we feel like we need to play something else to catch up? Personally I'd rather buy fewer games that have longer play times, but I bet that publishers wouldn't prefer that…

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
14 years ago

coverton: I'll go with all of that, especially that part about the generalities. 🙂

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
14 years ago

For me, I have already downgraded SE, they have no cache to me at all, no special stuff, they are just another developer who has – this generation – been quite disappointing.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

The tumble into mediocrity has taken many devs down a peg this gen. A shame.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
14 years ago

Indeed, although their tumble has allowed others to shine. Those that have recently tumbled once found their time to shine once upon a time when someone else tumbled. Perhaps that is simply the way of things, a cycle of 'life' as it were?

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

Queue the Lion King music. Wait that was Circle of Life 😉

telly
telly
14 years ago

My thoughts exactly. I'm holding out a bit of hope VS. XIII will be a rebound for them, but no way am I getting my hopes way up again. Because with FF XIII, SE pulled the football away at the last second for the last time.

DARKmark
DARKmark
14 years ago

Square enix has been a big disappointment for me this generation… man they were legendary back in the day

hopefully FFvsXIII will make up for it

and it better stay exclusive 😉

shadowscorpio
shadowscorpio
14 years ago

If it doesn't stay exclusive…..

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
14 years ago

SE…has left the building!

gumbi
gumbi
14 years ago

SE is already down the list for me. They don't have any chances left to retain their status. Now, they have the difficult task of rebuilding that reputation, and restoring my lost faith in them.

Hint for SE; Give us another Legend Of Dragoon!!! Ive been waiting for over a decade. If SE were to announce that they'd immediately shoot back to the top of my list.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

If we ever got any of our old favorite Squaresoft games back, sadly they would return with some cockamamie action based battle system.

aaronisbla
aaronisbla
14 years ago

that would be hard for Square Enix to announce since it was sony who made it…

gumbi
gumbi
14 years ago

@aaronisbla, so it was. I stand corrected. Well that more or less seals it for SE then. Time to pull a rabbit out of that hat, you need it bad.

aaronisbla
aaronisbla
14 years ago

as much as i didn't like the game as much as others, i guess it would be cool to see a sequel for it, it would be totally unexpected

Ayane
Ayane
14 years ago

I think PSXtreme really needs to cool it on the Squenix hate. It's starting to get rather unseemly.
Yeah I know, many among the PSXtreme community feel they've been let down by Square, how majorly disappointing they've become and what not.
But seriously…this is probably the one thing that makes PSXtreme feel like those hack websites that it despises.
Sorry Ben, but as professional as you've been all this time in my eyes, I think this is one of the cases where you let your personal tastes and feelings override your sense of objectivity in gaming journalism, and every so often, fan the similar flames among your readers.

tes37
tes37
14 years ago

There's always the option of not reading this or commenting, especially negatively. Somebody has to keep the fire lit under the gamers' butts to nag SE until we get what we know they can deliver.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

Maybe he has let his own feelings in on HIS EDITORIAL, but he isn't alone in this. It isn't nostalgia alone that makes the Squaresoft of yesteryear so great. C'mon man look around at what SE has released this gen and tell me it has the quality it did.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
14 years ago

WHAT objectivity? This is an editorial. Ever read editorials or op-eds in newspapers? Obviously you haven't because if you had, you wouldn't be attacking my/our professionalism. Everyone seems to be getting along just fine.

There's not even any hate involved in this piece. Maybe you should actually try reading what's there, or make some sort of point that relates to the content.

From now on, if people can't find a way to comment on the topic of an article, and only post to attack the site, the post will be deleted. It's technically off-topic. It's also annoying as hell.


Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 8/20/2010 12:18:16 AM

shadowscorpio
shadowscorpio
14 years ago

I'm in total agreement with you Ben.

@Ayane

Psxextreme really doesn't have to cool it on anyone. This is a site with people are ACTUALLY PASSIONATE about everything related to gaming. All Ben did is offer a reaction to what how Square-enix has been this gen as apposed to previous generations. He displayed his personal views on the issue in a perfossional way and as World stated he IS NOT alone in this.

-Case and point.

You're right Ben it is annoying. And it wasn't even towards me.

kraygen
kraygen
14 years ago

Just another person looking to stir the pot simply to nab that little bit of attention. I think people with inferiority complexes make comments like these just so someone will talk to them.

Like the children who misbehave so their mommies will notice them.

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
14 years ago

In that case Ben, your going to have to delete pretty much all of the Anonymous Cowherds posts. He's never on-topic. I only try to be…
peace.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
14 years ago

Lawless: Yeah, well, I think he has some sort of condition or something.

telly
telly
14 years ago

Genius, IT'S AN EDITORIAL. If you don't know the difference between a news story and an editorial, that's just pathetic. And if you can't be bothered to learn the difference between the two, beat it.

darxed
darxed
14 years ago

It's not hate, It's just an invitation to a company to try to find it's way back to the quality their products had once, and never have had again. I was always a huge FFXIII and SE defender, as my posts in this site have shown, even when they announced the multiplatform deal and that all western version for Nier, but one thing is for certain, and that is that there's just not one game developed this gen that can match the quality of games like FFT, and FF VI to X. Also, the thing is in the days of SquereSOFT, you could be sure the Final Fantasies were going to be great, and you could be sure that any other game produced by Square would be at least good, I mean the shear amount of great games that came from square in the PS1 era was incredible, I remember the joy that were Vagrant story and Parasite eve to play. I used to joke with my friends that Square should just let me send them my billing account and send all the games they made to my house, that way it would be faster… I know that Square Enix has delivered some great games this gen, I mean the KH series is pretty good and I enjoyed Dissidia and Crisis Core a lot too, but It's just not the same anymore… Lately I've been looking at Atlus as the new square… hardly any game from them doesn't catch my eye, hardly any game from them (or published by then *Demons Souls*) is not good…

shadowscorpio
shadowscorpio
14 years ago

@ darxed

Yeah funny how the hardware is a thousand times better than the PSone days yet SE can't match the quality they produced back then. Its like limitations forced them to put heart, innovation, and creativity into making beloved games.

Now its all so easy to make a game 'look' good that they will rely on that for sales, along with the Final Fantasy name.

Thank you Naughty Dog, Santa Monica, and everyone- you know who you are.

No thank you Square-enix.


Last edited by shadowscorpio on 8/20/2010 12:35:15 PM

Jawknee
Jawknee
14 years ago

I really think its time to give Ayane some cheese to go with that Whine.

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