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Square Enix Would Consider Letting Eidos Work On Final Fantasy

Ben-Dutka 25 Comments

Sure, what the hell?

Square Enix has published some pretty damn good games this generation, and that's partly because they purchased Eidos. That partnership has resulted in the likes of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and the Tomb Raider reboot, both of which garnered widespread critical acclaim.

The Final Fantasy games, however, haven't fared quite so well in the eyes of reviewers and gamers, so why not give Eidos a crack at it? Sacrilege? Nah, no more so than what Square Enix has already done to the series, right? And now, during a recent OXM interview , Lighting Returns: Final Fantasy XIII gameplay director Yuji Abe said they've been considering letting Eidos work on a new FF entry.

"That's certainly been discussed within the company, the possibility of say, Eidos or maybe someone else to look after or maybe take on the Final Fantasy series. And we obviously haven't decided anything concrete, but if we find the right team of developers, the right people who really wanted to do it, and we had the right game, then yes, certainly we'd think about it."

Lightning Returns director Motomu Toriyama agreed and said that it was important to keep Final Fantasy fresh, and to make sure every game is different because that's what the fans expect. Well, that has always been true, but his definition of "different" and the hardcore fan's definition of "different" is very, well…different.

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What Can Square Enix And Capcom Learn From Splinter Cell?

Ben-Dutka 30 Comments

On the surface, it's a bizarre question. I understand that.

Square Enix and Capcom really don't make games like Splinter Cell . Military-based stealth? No, not really. So where am I going with this, you may ask?

Oh, it's quite simple, actually. For years now, fans of the Final Fantasy and Resident Evil franchises have complained bitterly that Square Enix and Capcom have abandoned their original fans in an effort to appeal to perceived Western tastes. In the eyes of many, this has backfired again and again. They just can't seem to locate an identity, as they desperately attempt to be "worldly" with the two iconic IPs. It's a really depressing situation, in truth.

Shifting to the Splinter Cell fan club, it is – for the most part – widely accepted that Chaos Theory was the best of the series. Double Agent wasn't bad and technically, neither was Conviction . But the latter felt like a significant departure from that which made the franchise awesome in the first place: An emphasis on stealth. Sam became more of an action hero and all those wonderful gadgets, all those various ways in which we could stealthily approach an objective, had sort of faded into the background. What replaced it felt more like a third-person shooter than a stealth title.

In many ways, that departure was a mirror of what started to happen years back with Final Fantasy and Resident Evil . There was an identity crisis; a developer's overarching desire to somehow cater to an entirely new audience, all the while sacrificing that which originally built their loyal fan base. To date, neither Japanese publisher has really managed to reclaim the lost glory of either franchise in question. At least, I would say the majority of fans of both IPs agree with that assessment. One could also argue that Splinter Cell was going down a similar path after Conviction .

But look what happened. It seems Ubisoft listened. If you want the details, read my review but in brief, we got our beloved Splinter Cell back. And it wasn't a matter of being "old-fashioned" or refusing to embrace modern trends. Those trends are reflected in Blacklist ; it's flashier, the most significant new mechanic is definitely a nod to action rather than stealth, and Sam is still more of an action hero. But the core has reverted to an emphasis on stealth. It encourages and rewards the tactful and stealthy; the gadgets and techniques are back (and better than ever), and basically, it blends the original core of the franchise with new advancements.

Why, why can't certain Japanese companies do this? If you really think about it, it isn't that hard.

Related Game(s): Splinter Cell: Blacklist

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Child Of Light: JRPG-Inspired Blend Of Limbo And Final Fantasy

Ben-Dutka 10 Comments

For PSXE readers, anything that's "JRPG-inspired" is bound to get plenty of attention.

Ubisoft's smaller-scale downloadable project, Child of Light , was revealed this week at Gamescom, and it sounds awfully interesting. Far Cry 3 director Patrick Plourde spoke about the game during a GDC Europe panel (as cited by Polygon ).

Built in the Ubi Art Framework, which has been used for titles like Rayman Origins , this fairy tale-inspired game is essentially the "antithesis of a AAA game." After the brutal intensity of Far Cry 3 , it appears that Plourde is pulling a complete 180 and is attempting something, "soft, small and feminine." He decided to recreate "the Golden Age of Illustration," back when children's books featured beautiful, intricate artwork from painters like Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac.

And the games that best captured this aesthetic, according to Plourde? The classic JRPGs from Squaresoft, the ones we so often lament losing. However, while those games were the inspiration, Plourde says he's not going back to sprites; rather, he's creating what looks like the concept art for those old-school pixels. As a frame of reference, he pointed out concept art from renowned Final Fantasy VI artist Yoshitaka Amano. As for the gameplay, we can expect a combination of Limbo and FFVI, with side-scrolling gameplay and turn-based battles.

How the hell that's going to work, we have no idea. We just know we want it. ASAP. This game could make my year .

Related Game(s): Child of Light

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Square Enix Needs To Ask FF Fans Only One Simple Question

Ben-Dutka 69 Comments

I can clear this whole mess up. An entire generation of increasingly bitter (and even hostile) Final Fantasy fans vs. an entirely detached company called Square Enix.

We say "detached" because we're still convinced they have absolutely no idea what their long-time followers really want. So, in order to bypass more ugly fallout, I've come up with one single question that Square Enix can ask the gaming community, and the answer will solve both problems. Are you ready? It's real simple; here it is:

If asked, would a Final Fantasy fan say they want Final Fantasy X HD more than Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII? Even more than Final Fantasy XV?

I'm aware that's basically a two-part question, and it's probably not fair to answer both parts until we know a lot more about FFXV. But for the time being, we can go with Lightning Returns . Now, if I'm right, the vast majority of confirmed Final Fantasy fans will say they want FFX HD more. And if that's true, Square Enix would have to see how critically wrong that is; from a business standpoint, it would imply that their beloved FF franchise has only regressed. Many firmly believe this to be the case.

If, on the other hand, I'm wrong, and the majority say Lightning Returns , then Square Enix wins and we have to shut up. We have to recognize that we're in the minority, and that it's completely unfair to bash Square Enix for ignoring their fans because in truth, they're giving the fans exactly what they want. Either way, everything will be resolved. I still say FFX HD would be the hands-down winner in such a poll. That would mean that a high-def remaster of a 12-year-old game would be much more anticipated than the latest, greatest FF in the offing.

Square Enix wouldn't possibly be able to misinterpret those results? They'd have to see it. Right? …uh…right?

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Can We Pinpoint The Origin Of Final Fantasy’s Depressing Decline?

Ben-Dutka 61 Comments

I don't think there's any arguing the fact that Final Fantasy is on the decline. Tragic but true.

And as Square Enix shows no indication of being able to pull the storied franchise out if its tailspin, most expect the downward trend to continue. But here's an interesting question for the long-time faithful: Precisely when do you think the fall began? Where did the slide start?

A great many will immediately say Final Fantasy XIII as it was the first official FF entry this generation and marked the largest departure from the series we all came to know and love. Then again, one could make "tipping point" arguments for many different installments; for instance, some might say Final Fantasy XII , as it was also a significant departure and actually featured the most open-ended design of any FF title to date. That was a bit of a shock.

Others will actually go all the way back to Final Fantasy VII . As incomprehensible as it seems to me, they will say the series was only great in the Nintendo days; i.e., up to Final Fantasy VI , which many do claim is the best FF title ever. Still others could stand up and say that it's undoubtedly Final Fantasy X-2 , as it was the first actual sequel in the franchise and it hinted at a grim future for the franchise. Personally, I'm not down with any of this and I return to the original viewpoint:

It began with FFXIII.

Saying the downward spiral began with FFVII is too absurd for words. I won't even explain why; if you don't know why, you're not qualified to be a fan of the franchise. I'm sorry but it's true. FFX-2 has a bit more legitimacy because as the first sequel, we all got a whiff of a change we didn't like. That being said, the fact that FFX-2 was actually a damn good game has been overlooked far too often. I still say it boasted a wonderfully refined version of the combat mechanic we had in FFX, and is arguably one of the best RPG mechanics ever .

As for FFXII, it was my least favorite in terms of story and it did indeed feel a bit more like a "Western" RPG just because it was more open-ended. But it was still a role-playing game through and through, was it not? And the mechanics, despite being different, still worked almost perfectly. No, I believe the answer really is FFXIII. It marked the start of Square Enix's complete and utter confusion as a company, and it was the first time I actually noted significant flaws in a Final Fantasy fighting system. It was also the first FF that really did feel significantly watered down.

They tried to redeem themselves to some extent with FFXIII-2. And I do believe they succeeded in some respects. But the core of FF is still left behind in the past and I'm convinced we'll never see it again.

What do you think?

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Is It Really Fair To Blame Xbox For The Fall Of Final Fantasy?

Ben-Dutka 56 Comments

I am trying to remain logical and sensible, here. This is not an attempt to rile up the adolescents sitting there in video game forums, just waiting for an incendiary headline.

The point is that being a long-time Final Fantasy fan, I've heard a great many of my brethren actually pointing the finger at Microsoft and the Xbox as a root cause of the demise of our beloved franchise. At first, I dismissed the accusation as biased and even ludicrous. I've heard the following argument many times before- "The minute FF went multiplatform, it started to take a dive." And perhaps, depending on your point of view, one could argue that such a statement is true. It's actually quite tempting to do.

After all, although FFXII was already a departure from the norm of the series, it was still an RPG in every sense of the word. Things started to get a little dicey with FFXIII, wouldn't you say? That being said, I don't believe it's fair or complete to just say, "FF went multiplatform and then went downhill." That's not giving us the entire picture. Why did the series go multiplatform? Well, why did Square Enix purchase Eidos? Why has every single move they've made this past generation indicated a desperate drive to expand westward? It's not that they went multiplatform; every serious publisher who wants to make money must cater to the largest audience possible. One really can't recommend anything else.

No, this is more about the company focus as a whole. They figured they had to put FF on the Xbox because they needed a bigger audience. They figured that audience would include people who were unfamiliar with FFs and in truth, RPGs in general. They figured too many Westerners are interested in more action and less depth. Hence, we started to see the shift in the once-legendary series. Now, we're getting Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII , which most hardcore franchise followers are calling a flat-out abomination. So…wait, doesn't this sort of lend some truth to the admittedly simplistic "Xbox killed FF" accusation? It still seems ridiculous to say.

But in truth, once you examine Square Enix's clear and painful business practices this past generation, one might want to make some assumptions. Like, if FF had stuck with Sony and catered only to the hardcore (which indeed could've meant financial suicide), Final Fantasy would've remained Final Fantasy . What do you think?

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