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[sephiroth7x]

I am curious, you mention that since voice acting (10 onwards), you grew more disillusioned with the franchise. Outside of XIII and its subseries which seems to be universally despised (and for good reason), that leaves X, XI, XII, XIV, and XV. What exactly did you not care for about these?

XI and XIV are online games and I struggle with them for various reasons so I cannot totally comment on them. From what I have seen and attempted to play they are very good well made games, but the time and effort needed to stay relevant in them is just not for me at all.

However, as for X, XII, XIII and XV.

X - I felt the game was really awkward. That's the only way I can describe it. The laughing scene, the wedding, the shit villain, the poor soundtrack (to me, I know this is universally loved)... I felt as if the jump in generation caused a gap in charm that I had previously loved. As for battle systems and mechanics, the game is classic and I particularly like the way you can chop and change characters in and out, something that should make a comeback. I enjoyed my initial play through, but realised on my second that so much of the game just didn't click with me for one reason or another.

XII - Hated the battle system when the game first came out. I have since bought the Zodiac Edition on PS4 and will attempt to go through it again at some point in the future. One thing I did enjoy however, was the art direction and character design... specifically the Judges, I thought were fantastic. This is the one game that I hope on my revisit, that I will enjoy as the style of the game and its aesthetics really impress me.

XIII - Great battle system! Loved how they tried to merge two conflicting styles and very nearly pulled it off! However, a shoddy story with some truly awful characters (Hope... I mean... ugh) and I never digged Lightning... I feel they pushed her too hard (I wont spend ages on FFXIII, its well known why it isn't particularly liked).

XV - A truly disjointed game. The first eight chapters feel so... boring. They have done a great job updating the game and making it feel less tiresome but then the game goes into overdrive from chapter nine and you cant help but feel if they had tried to bring that together... it could have been something phenomenal!

I think what I am trying to say is that since X with the introduction of voice acting, nothing is left to the imagination. I suppose if I was comparing a book to a movie I would say the same... when you read a characters line, you imagine the voice, the way it is said, the style in which it is delivered... so you build an idea of these people yourself. Whereas in scripted and acted games, it is done for you... maybe I am just a dinosaur of gaming and lust for those old style traits?

As for the Brave series, yes I have looked at them for a while, and have been recommended them before, but I struggle with the art style... (I am a picky arse), but am sure I will pick it up at one point.

 

[Dr. Claus]

XI and XIV are online games and I struggle with them for various reasons so I cannot totally comment on them. From what I have seen and attempted to play they are very good well made games, but the time and effort needed to stay relevant in them is just not for me at all.

However, as for X, XII, XIII and XV.

X - I felt the game was really awkward. That's the only way I can describe it. The laughing scene, the wedding, the shit villain, the poor soundtrack (to me, I know this is universally loved)... I felt as if the jump in generation caused a gap in charm that I had previously loved. As for battle systems and mechanics, the game is classic and I particularly like the way you can chop and change characters in and out, something that should make a comeback. I enjoyed my initial play through, but realised on my second that so much of the game just didn't click with me for one reason or another.

XII - Hated the battle system when the game first came out. I have since bought the Zodiac Edition on PS4 and will attempt to go through it again at some point in the future. One thing I did enjoy however, was the art direction and character design... specifically the Judges, I thought were fantastic. This is the one game that I hope on my revisit, that I will enjoy as the style of the game and its aesthetics really impress me.

XIII - Great battle system! Loved how they tried to merge two conflicting styles and very nearly pulled it off! However, a shoddy story with some truly awful characters (Hope... I mean... ugh) and I never digged Lightning... I feel they pushed her too hard (I wont spend ages on FFXIII, its well known why it isn't particularly liked).

XV - A truly disjointed game. The first eight chapters feel so... boring. They have done a great job updating the game and making it feel less tiresome but then the game goes into overdrive from chapter nine and you cant help but feel if they had tried to bring that together... it could have been something phenomenal!

I think what I am trying to say is that since X with the introduction of voice acting, nothing is left to the imagination. I suppose if I was comparing a book to a movie I would say the same... when you read a characters line, you imagine the voice, the way it is said, the style in which it is delivered... so you build an idea of these people yourself. Whereas in scripted and acted games, it is done for you... maybe I am just a dinosaur of gaming and lust for those old style traits?

As for the Brave series, yes I have looked at them for a while, and have been recommended them before, but I struggle with the art style... (I am a picky arse), but am sure I will pick it up at one point.

Ah! Thanks for going further in detail. I do agree with many of your points, though I would like to point out that the laughing scene in particular was supposed to be very corny and over the top. Tidus is force laughing to try to cheer up Yuna.

For XII, I really enjoyed the battle system... once the Zodiac Age released. Before that, it felt a bit too loose. Being able to specifically choose jobs felt great and could bring some good customization. I would love another mainline entry into Ivalice as the world/design is just so "classic" Final Fantasy to me.

If you can, I suggest you look at Dragon Quest XI. It releases later this year and I think it is mostly devoid of all voice acting. May be up your alley.

 

[bufkus]

Interesting, I did not like the Saga games. Just going by what a poster said here about OT being similar to golden age square efforts. I just want them to do epic 2D on a modern console that isn't Nintendo's.

then you'll probably get bored by octopath traveller. the game uses a very similar story style to the PS1 saga frontier games.

 

[Mr Hyde]

My feelings for Final Fantasy are on a positive note. I recently played through the Royal Edition of Final Fantasy XV and it was great. Square Enix has done a commendable job in putting the loose ends together and create a more coherent experience than when it first released, and the story, art design, combat system and overworld are all top notch. It also has a strong soundtrack from Yoko Shimomura, boasting some of the best battle themes in the entire series. I also liked the sense of adventure that the car and camping brought to the table, and the character development was well made as I connected really well with the heroes and their comradery. Not once could I relate to the snarky remarks from fans about "boy band" and other ridiculous comments.

FInal Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age was a blast from the past. I always felt sorry for the game, because I remember how the game was subjected to an enormous shitstorm at its release, which by the way every numbered Final Fantasy since VII has encountered, and it was sad to see this kinda reaction when the game was so good. I couldn´t understand it. With the remaster it seems that the hard feelings towards the game has faded, and it can finally redeem itself and show people what an amazing adventure it really is. It felt good to reunite with the excellent cast and world of Ivalice, along with some much needed QoL-improvements. My only gripe is that Matsuno never had the chance to finish it, as I believe it would have been even greater if he had stayed to the end.

When I think about it, I´ve only ever been disappointed by two main line Final Fantasys, X and XIII-2. The rest of the games are in my opinion well crafted with fun characters, inventive combat systems, deep lore and hundreds of hours of entertainment. I appreciate how Square Enix is experimenting with the series to keep it fresh and up to par with other modern games, and sometimes it works and sometimes it don´t, but the mere fact that the series is constantly evolving is for me a good sign because I´ll never be able to guess what´s coming out of the receiving end. Final Fantasy will live long after other series has run themselves in the ground, just because SE has the guts to allow its development teams to be creative.

I´m not worried one bit about the state of Final Fantasy, in fact, it´s better than ever and Final Fantasy XV was a big step forward to an even brighter future, as it combined the best elements the franchise has to offer.

 

[Dr. Claus]

My feelings for Final Fantasy are on a positive note. I recently played through the Royal Edition of Final Fantasy XV and it was great. Square Enix has done a commendable job in putting the loose ends together and create a more coherent experience than when it first released, and the story, art design, combat system and overworld are all top notch. It also has a strong soundtrack from Yoko Shimomura, boasting some of the best battle themes in the entire series. I also liked the sense of adventure that the car and camping brought to the table, and the character development was well made as I connected really well with the heroes and their comradery. Not once could I relate to the snarky remarks from fans about "boy band" and other ridiculous comments.

FInal Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age was a blast from the past. I always felt sorry for the game, because I remember how the game was subjected to an enormous shitstorm at its release, which by the way every numbered Final Fantasy since VII has encountered, and it was sad to see this kinda reaction when the game was so good. I couldn´t understand it. With the remaster it seems that the hard feelings towards the game has faded, and it can finally redeem itself and show people what an amazing adventure it really is. It felt good to reunite with the excellent cast and world of Ivalice, along with some much needed QoL-improvements. My only gripe is that Matsuno never had the chance to finish it, as I believe it would have been even greater if he had stayed to the end.

When I think about it, I´ve only ever been disappointed by two main line Final Fantasys, X and XIII-2. The rest of the games are in my opinion well crafted with fun characters, inventive combat systems, deep lore and hundreds of hours of entertainment. I appreciate how Square Enix is experimenting with the series to keep it fresh and up to par with other modern games, and sometimes it works and sometimes it don´t, but the mere fact that the series is constantly evolving is for me a good sign because I´ll never be able to guess what´s coming out of the receiving end. Final Fantasy will live long after other series has run themselves in the ground, just because SE has the guts to allow its development teams to be creative.

I´m not worried one bit about the state of Final Fantasy, in fact, it´s better than ever and Final Fantasy XV was a big step forward to an even brighter future, as it combined the best elements the franchise has to offer.

If given the option, where would you like to see Final Fantasy move to in the 16th mainline entry? Would you prefer a classical knights/magic, a steampunk/deiselpunk (FFIX/VI-style), or a more modern/futuristic take? Personally, I would like another FFIX-styled entry. Something about its world is just so refreshing compared to the futuristic/modern takes of 8, 13, and 15.

 

[Mr Hyde]

If given the option, where would you like to see Final Fantasy move to in the 16th mainline entry? Would you prefer a classical knights/magic, a steampunk/deiselpunk (FFIX/VI-style), or a more modern/futuristic take? Personally, I would like another FFIX-styled entry. Something about its world is just so refreshing compared to the futuristic/modern takes of 8, 13, and 15.

Sure I wouldn´t mind a new entry in the same vein as IX. I do have a soft spot for this whole "fantasy based on reality"-thing that´s been going on for a while, but I think it would be refreshing to go in a different direction next time. A medieval fairy tale setting with old castles and magic forests, on the next gen-systems, would be quite interesting too see.

 

[KevinKeene]

As long as there are people defending 15's story, the franchise won't heal. That's how I feel.

 

[Alebrije]

Well, FF these days feels like an experiment franchise instead of a solid one; when you play a Souls or Dragon quest game you know what to expect but FF its a mix of battle systems and art direction to the point that you have people that enjoyed XV but not XIII. Think that after X the series became a rollecoaster of experiments and have not found its identity. The series has abuse of the “strawberry fantasy” , it’s a shame the dark fantasy theme has been relegated to a second or third place in the series and it’s just used little times. FF VII was the last game that used a lot the dark fantasy art direction , but even VI (III) had a darker thematic.

I used to follow every release but after XII lost any interest.

 

[Dabaus]

I think 13 permanently damaged the brand beyond repair. The delays, the radio silence for years, the way in which it was announced for the 360, and finally the actual game itself. It is the game that defined Final Fantasy for over a decade and it ended up being one of the worst in the series IMO. 15 was certaintly a step in the right direction but the story could have been better and it was weak on the RPG elements. The masses seemed to like based on its sales so that's good.

Moving forward, FF7 Remake is basically legendary status that I do not believe will live up the hype whatsoever. The announcement of it being episodic really put a damper on things, radio silence for 3 years, a director known for taking his time spread between 2 projects, and is at best still a year two away doesn't sound good. Add in whatever predatory dlc/lootbox plans SE will inevitably throw in there and a potential day and date xbox port (I add this because that's not where SE's fan base resides) and I think were looking at a huge disappointment. Id love to be wrong but I don't see it.

Further off even if FF16 was announced next week at e3 its still another project well beyond the 7 remake. In all likelihood 16 will be next gen. Assuming they are even working on it now. Its not looking good