Ben-DutkaJapanese sales weren't exactly stellar (especially by Final Fantasy standards) and now, some disappointing coverage is starting to hit the Internet. As the embargo lifts on Saturday, January 28, you can bet that we're mere hours from facing a deluge of reviews.
But is this the first time in the franchise's storied history where most of the fans seem to be rooting against positive reviews? Based on last week's PSXE poll, the majority of gamers aren't interested in Final Fantasy XIII-2 at all, and most hardcore fans of the series seem to have dismissed the sequel before the scores are in. And yes, it really does feel as if the FF faithful are expecting and in fact hoping for 6s and 7s from major sources.
The reason why is obvious: they want Square Enix to finally recognize the mistakes they've made, and bring us back to the days when Final Fantasy was an iconic RPG. I never thought I'd see the day when an upcoming FF launch was surrounded by rampant negativity; I was just convinced that whenever a new title released, the vast majority of the gaming world be excited. Even those who weren't really into Final Fantasy tended to enjoy the launches of entries in the past, if only because they were technological landmarks and everyone could "ooh and ah" at the fancy graphics.
But that just isn't enough anymore. The production values of FFXIII-2 are guaranteed to be high; however, the essence that is Final Fantasy (a great story, memorable characters, and a role-playing mechanic) seems to have been left behind. I'm not sure there was ever a time when any FF faced such an impenetrable wall of hostility. Even FFX-2, which did have to deal with plenty of hatred, was received relatively well and long-time fans found the sequel to be a novelty. After all, it had never happened before in franchise history.
But things have changed…oh, how they've changed. Toss in the distinct possibility of a Final Fantasy XIII-3 , and the entire FF community appears to be rebelling en masse.
Related Game(s): Final Fantasy XIII-2
I'm not even anticipating FF XIII-2. Personally, the only S-E title I'm actually interested on right now is FF Versus XIII. I hope they get their asses working on this long-delayed vaporware… errrm, I mean, software.
I think the fact that its development was in the middle of the development of a (most likely) better FF title (FFvsXIII), was one of the bigger impact for the much lower-than-usual FF anticipation. For me personally, I just wanted to know everything about Vs.III and wanted it FFXIII to be over with so SE can focus on the real, non-milking title.
FF is really best kept as a one hit saga, imo. When I was younger, I always wanted them to continue with the characters and story of a FF title because the fact that I've grown into them. However, (having experince X-2)I realize that if they did, and no matter how good it becomes, it would feel like a step down in some ways because like movies, sometimes you just can't beat the original. Now the fact that FFXIII might go into a trilogy? That's hollywood-style milking a franchise.
I am expecting negative reviews on XIII-2. Let this be a constant reminder and forever burned into the skull of Square enix that they are doing it all wrong.
This is sad and unfortunate. I really enjoyed FFXIII. I will no doubt enjoy FFXIII-2. However, maybe I will enjoy it differently if the story is thin and weak. Perhaps XIII-2 and XIII-3 should be one game if the story is going to suffer in XIII-2.
It's just that I know I am in the minority and really want SE to understand that. Yes there is a small amount of gamers that are enjoying the story and gameplay of XIII. But there is a vast majority of gamers, gamers who have made you what you are that really don't enjoy this new FFXIII. SE just doesn't care. They have a story to tell and by the looks of it have decided to tell this story in 3 games. They are going to tell this story no matter how badly the sales are. To bad they feel they are above their fan base and don't understand how they are able to actually make a XIII'th FF…….THE FANS! All things must come to an end SE and you should listen before it's to late.
I liked FFXIII a lot as well mainly because I liked the story and characters. I don't know how I will react to XIII-2 if the story is less focused and characters are weak. The last time I ran into that problem was in XII and I had to force myself to finish that game. I'm getting XIII-2 day 1 so I guess we'll have to wait and see.
As for the scores it will pull in from major gaming websites. It looks like its going to end up being an 8 rated game. IGN's review is up and they scored it an 8. After 4 critc reviews the PS3 version metascore is 80 and 360 is 84.
Last edited by Excelsior1 on 1/27/2012 10:14:13 PM
The answer is YES.. I'm still buying it though but I don't think there will be XIII-3.
I would prefer to buy 10 CoD's than this nightmare.
…I… I'm not sure which I'd prefer
What is this Final Fantasy XIII-2 you speak of?
I don't think SE has what it takes to make an rpg anymore. I think we are seeing the best they have to offer with the staff that's currently employed. If not, they could be purposefully trying to destroy people's interest in FF.
The possibility of a FFXIII-3 has made my expectations even lower for this game. Obviously they're milking it worse than the FFVII franchise (at least Crisis Core there was fun)…. S-E completely forgot what it takes to make an RPG
Specially now reading how terrible the endings are for this game… I already HATED the original's ending. I mean seriously – did they ever consider that maybe – JUST maybe if they wanna save any rep they have or regain their fan audience – then instead of investing in a seriously disappointing game… a FFVII remake? Kingdom Hearts 3? FF versus XIII (it's been announced since the PS3 first hit the market… wtf is up with this?????), Chrono 2 Something trigger/cross (I WOULD DIE for this!! S-E would have my absolute love and support if they did announced this and did a GOOD job at it)… heck even a Grandia.
I mean really – LEAVE FFXIII alone – you got your chance, blew it and blew it some more from what I hear with FFXIII-2.
Sequels are obviously not your thing S-E… you need a GOOD story to pull those of and you can't start if you never had a foundation in the first place… only Atlus and Monolith (Xenosaga *hearts*) can pull those off.
You might remember a time when Square Enix was known soley as "Square". When Monolith SOft joined the team (Squaresoft), majic happened.
I have followed the project that Monolith Soft was behind (Xenogears, XenoSaga, Xenoblade) and I must say that I honestly think that they were behind SE's past success.
Square Enix doesn't known what they're doing anymore. FF versus 13 is the only game by them that I'm anticipating . The only thing that keeps me hopeful that this game will give us a reason to say that it's worthy of the Final Fantasy name is that Tetsuya Nomura is the head of the project.
actually remember reading that squaresoft was the often incorrect name for the company, which was known as square co. squaresoft was the term they used to reference their games. Squaresoft just happened to stick
Wada and his most loyal followers need to be given the boot from Square. They have done nothing but drag down the Square name that the old team worked so hard to create such a high regard for.
Square-Enix needs a complete and total restructuring. They need to find what works and what doesn't work for them.
Back to the drawing board, what doesn't work? What should we change that we are doing now to appease the fans?
– Cancel FF XIV MMO. Or at least make it a Japanese release only.
– Cancel FF XIII-3. XIII and XIII-2 got decent reception, but there's more money in a faster release of Versus XIII.
– Looks at the structure of older and more popular FF entries and go back to the older formulas of towns, world maps and deeper turn-based combat.
– The most treasured FF entries had the best stories, so maybe hire better writers to create an incredible epic involving sabotage, deception, murder, love and power struggles.
If anyone from S-E were to announce something like that, I honestly will die of shock!!
And S-E HAVE TO listen to their fans!!! Why won't they listen?!?! We're the ones buying their games!!!
Kingdoms Hearts 3!!!
FF Versus XIII!!!
FF VII remake!!!
Vagrant Story!!!
More hardcore RPG, less action-oriented/simpler battle mechanics!!!
Is that so hard?
Last edited by Dancemachine55 on 1/28/2012 7:51:31 AM
@Dancemachine
Waaw. Deception, sabotage, murder? These words mixed with a title of Final Fantasy…
I don't think you realize to what extent you have just intrigued me. Really. Wow.
I do however still want to move my character in battle. I think, to date, the best battle mechanics are FF12. It was so, lively, fun AND just plaid good.
Along FFX-2.
go die Wada & Co, period.
I'm still excited for FF XIII-2 and after scoping out a few reviews, it seems to be pretty decent. IGN gave it an 8.0, Play UK an 8.0, Playstation Official Magazine US an 8.0, you get the pictures, lots of 8.0s (for the PS3 version at least).
That being said, they need to turn their attention to FF Versus. It's what everyone wants, what everyone is craving, and they need to give that one programmer working on it that they have trapped in some god-forsaken closet a break. Progammers need sunlight too.
IGN is about as trust worthy as a used care dealer
i don't know of Play UK but magazines are know to give wonky scores to get sales
an 8 average as far as ff's go is a disappointment in itself. Secondly, while I generally can't stand IGN Clement's review was very fair in comparison to the ridiculousness we heard from Japan. He admitted that the story is devastatingly underwhelming for a series that usually weaves incredible narratives.
FF XIII-2 is already coming out? Huh. I had no idea.
Which should tell you something, since I've been a FF fan since the first installment.
Wake up, Squeenix. Your fans hate you now.
yes.
Nah! the least anticipated FF title goes to the new abomination thats rumored to be the third entry.
I wouldn't like to think that people who are into gaming could have that big an inertia of judgement. I have played the demo for FFXIII-2 and according to my demo impressions this one catches the essence of a Final Fantasy game with astonishing visual design, great gameplay and good character design. I still don't know about the story but there's no need to be pessimistic about it when everything I have seen about the game turns out to be a big step forward. Yes, that's a big step forward from the glossy swiss cheese called FFX with much more interaction with NPCs, complex environment design and more depth in party management. That's a JRPG to be excited about if there was ever one in this gen. I used to criticise Square-Enix in every single opportunity but I'm willing to be a staunch defender if this one holds true to my first impression.
oh wow, you didnt just take a swing at final fantasy X. final fantasy XIII-2, a big step forward from final fantasy X? i'll give you that its a big step forwards in graphics because thats expected of square enix with every final fantasy iteration, but its definetly a few steps back as a final fantasy game. recent final fantasies (xiii and xiii-2) are more action/adventure game with light rpg elements than an actual jrpg.
"i used to criticize square-enix in every single opportunity..", i'm sorry but that line just tells me that you dont know what the final fantasy franchise really is about. its like saying you are starting to like square enix only after they started putting crap that arent final fantasy into their new final fantasy game. most fans are pessimistic or flat out hate the final fantasy XIII games because its far from being a final fantasy game and with the changes they made by "listening to their fans", its clear that they dont care about their loyal fanbase at all.
for the record, i agree with what ben has been saying about final fantasy 13. its a great game but it may be the worst final fantasy (main/numbered) ever. when they gave the game the final fantasy tag, i expected a final fantasy jrpg, not an action/rpg lite. The high production values are still there, no question about it, but it was far from a final fantasy game/standards. it used to be just the name final fantasy and squaresoft would make me buy a game day 1 but, after ff13, not anymore.
here are the reasons why i dont like final fantasy 13 games and why i'll wait till way later to buy it.
party leader dies means game over
killtubes (have no problem with linearity but this one was just too much)
level/ability caps
extremely fast combat pacing relative to previous ff games (autobattle? really?)
characters cannot be godlike when maxed out
half ass spells (spells look the same minus colors)
no towns or npcs
no worldmap
unchangeable party of 2 people and 1 monster
DLC
QTEs (looks cool but makes it more of an action game)
rumored trilogy
from what i hear, combat was made faster ff13-2
cut out content which they probably used to make ff13-2 and possibly 13-3
those are only the things i came up with from the top of my head. there is a big reason why LOYAL FINAL FANTASY FANS were pissed off by 13 and pessimistic about 13-2. its because they promised to give us a final fantasy game, attaching the final fantasy tag to the game, but they didnt deliver. they didnt give us a final fantasy game. they gave us a completely different game while claiming its what the FANS want because they listened to the FANS. then with all the disappointing news popping up lately, can you blame long time fans for losing interest in a once great franchise?
i will still get this game because i like a good story, most likely when it reaches $10 bucks. judging from the first game and fan feedback, wont be long. i'm just hoping that it wont sell enough to become a greatest hit. that way i can get a regular box with it instead of a damn red box.
They fixed the killtubes and party leader dying issues from what I have read. It's going to be a good game. Maybe not the best FF game but I doubt it's going to be awful. Just because Ben says whatever about FF13 or even 2 does not mean it applies to everybody or it's gospel. People's tastes obviously vary when it comes to the FF series. Maybe luisliu really feels that way as crazy as it might sound to us. FFX is probably my favorite FF game but I have a hard time picking between FF7,8, and 10.
I for one did not care for FFXII at all. It's my least favorite main FF game because I thought the story and characters(except Balthier) were dull as hell. I also despise MMO type battle systems. Please keep that western World of Warcraft nonsense as far away from the main FF games as possible. I know others may feel differently but I'm not going to condemn them for that.
I liked FFXIII a lot more than I did XII but I do think some of the complaints on your list are valid. The killtubes in particular were hard on me because I despise extremely linear games but the story and characters saved it for me.
Plus, another way I look at it is there is not exactly an abundance of JRPG material out there to select from. What else is there?
I've actually had to play old JRPGs to get my fix and I was fortunate enough to get the oppurtunity to play The Lost Odyssey recently. Now, that game evoked feelings in me about a JRPG that I have not felt since FFX to be honest. There's probably a good reason for that considering Final Fantasy's creators made the game.
Last edited by Excelsior1 on 1/28/2012 9:28:29 AM
I thought I read something a few days ago by you that said you weren't going to engage in cheap-shots anymore, Excelsior1. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you obviously didn't mean it.
@ Excelsior1
What else is there? You don't seem to be on top of the situation. There are the offerings from Gust, Idea Factory, Namco Bandai, Level 5, and Nippon Ichi Software for example.
Ooops! The swiss cheese was called FFXIII and not FFX. A colossal typo prone to so much debate. I feel like an idiot :S
FFX is naturally one of my favorites.
Last edited by luisliu on 2/1/2012 2:25:57 AM
Well many seems to 'haters gonna hate' it everyday, but I can honestly say I am looking forward to it immensely. I am curretly replaying XIII-1 and already reminded why I love the game, the battle system is constantly engaging and the characters all have strong motives and charisma. In short I love XIII and cannot wait for XIII-2.
If there is any FF I never cared for other than sidequests or online titles, its X-2. I was very much hyped for XII but beyond let downed.
I cant wait. I dont care what the haters say. I say haters gonna hate. Final Fantasy XIII-2 is the only game i want this month. Between Final Fantasy XIII-2 & SoulCalibur V i'll take FF XIII-2 over a fifth installment of a overrated fighted that should have died with the arcades.
I honestly don't know what to say anymore….
The idea of XIII-3 actually makes me cringe. How could SE be so out of touch this generation?
I just don't understand why they would choose the least-liked FF game to pull sequels out of…..it doesn't make any sense at all :/
The only hope I have left now is for: FF Versus XIII and Kingdom Hearts III.
I don't want to hate SE, but they are NOT making it easy for me…
It started with the announcement of FF XIII going to 360.
Then S-E mentioned they had cut towns and a world map.
Then we played it, and found they had made the combat more simple and action-oriented for "Twitch-gamers".
Then S-E mentioned they were aiming for the CoD crowd, the all flash / no substance gaming crowd.
Then S-E act all surprised when their Twitter account explodes with "Yes" replies when they ask the fans if they want a FF VII HD remake, but still won't do it.
Then FF XIV bombed as an MMO.
Then FF Vs XIII was delayed. The 1 FF game fans want the most.
Then S-E announced FF XIII-2 was nearing release and was the reason for Vs XIII's delay.
Honestly, can you blame us for not liking Square Enix or FF XIII-2 right now?!?!
Good summary Dancemachine55, pretty much a lot of the reasons I don't want this crap…and the game sucks so damn much imo.
Also XIIII-2 plot is an abomination…I'm okay with bad joke plots like Bayonetta or No More Heroes.But serious plot that fails? and on a JRPG? and one called Final Fantasy? no way!
And something personal but this XIII verse characters looks like High School musical actors.I just can't like this new direction.
Last edited by Oxvial on 1/28/2012 7:57:58 AM
I'm playing FFVIII on my PC, I guess time changes everything.
You know what I can see happening? The current regime at Square will take any negative feed back the wrong way and just turn Final Fantasy into a flat out action JRPG. One thing is clear. The old school fans just don't matter that much to Square anymore because they covet the western market it so badly. They listen but only as much as they care to because they have an agenda that I think they will to try see play out even until the end of days.
Well if this agenda that they are pursuing ends up destroying them, so be it.
FF XIII has an 83 Metacritic score, yet its sequel apparently lost two-thirds of its audience according to Japanese sales data. How bad does a game have to be to chase away two-thirds of its audience? Like a 3 or 4 out of 10? That's why I don't think review scores mean anything at all.
As far as me personally, 15 hours of FF XIII practically put me in a monotony-induced coma (though it sure did look pretty lol), so there's no way I'd even consider buying its sequel.
Is because that even if is a 8.0 game is one that nobody really wanted, also it has an awful plot and on rpg's that's critical flaw,
No. FFXIII-3 would be the least anticipated title after preceded by FFXIII-2.
FFXIII-2 doesn't look like a bad game. It looks pretty good, actually. But it's not what I want out of a Final Fantasy game.
Just got Final Fantasy IV (PS1) this week and I've been really enjoying it. Great music, and a great challenge! I pretty much fell asleep playing FFXIII, even though I liked it. FFIV's battle system requires constant planning and focus. All the spells are valuable, every skill needs to be used, and you can't just rely on sword attacks like the later games in the series. And it's just as fast-paced as XIII's if you turn the battle speed up to 1. It's a pure, focused, meaty game with nothing unnecessary.
I guess that's what my problem is with XIII and XIII-2. They're just going through the motions. They're pretty, they have good music, there have teh RPG Elementz(TM) but to me they feel really insubstantial. I had to make myself play and I didn't think it was very engaging.
if sqeenix wants out of this mess, delay every other crappy game they have planned and focus on vs13, thats the best thing they have going right now. and for the love of god, a good story, a battle system that requires skill and a brain oh and character development please!!