Final Fantasy, and Square Enix, have reached an all time low

This just blows my shit here. HAHAHA I'M WAVING MY FINGERS AROUND ALONG WITH MY NOW EMPTY WALLET WINING THIS WAY TO HARD TO PLAY GAME...not

 

This game is currently #1 in the japan app store but #28 in the us store. There are tons of 1 star reviews and they keep coming in.

Does anyone know what the japanese gamers think of the microtransactions? Im wondering if they are more forgiving of the game since the graphics and basic gamepay idea of big armies isnt that bad.

 

I'm assuming it's because Android has a massive piracy problem.

 

Pretty much. You mostly mash the X (or A) button and let the game play itself. Occasianally you have to switch paradigms... then continue to mash the X button.

But the combat isn't the biggest issue with All the Bravest, it's just the diarrhea on the turd sundae. The main issue is with the blatant micro-transactions and lazyness. If this were simply a $4 game as is, it would be a horrible game that shouldn't exist. The fact that they charge you money for real characters but not let you pick which one you get, or making KO'd characters inactive for a set time unless you pay real money, shows how out of touch Squeenix is with their fanbase.

"Want FF Versus? Nope, enjoy XIII-2 (which actually isn't a horrible game sans the battle system). KH3? Eh, you'd rather us reuse assets again to make XIII-3. FF7 remake? Silly fans, we're already selling an optimized FF7 on PC. Type-0 localization? Nah, you just want cell phone games. Tactics? What the fuck is that?"

Tales of is an awesome series. Deserves way more credit than it gets in the west.

I like the premise too actually. Be able to fight in a massive 2D battle using a large party of customizable characters with traditional Final Fantasy combat is an interesting idea. Too bad the execution is god awful.

 

I just want the cockheads to give us a localization of Bravely Default. Just... do it Squeenix, what the hell? If Project X Zone and Soul Hackers can get localized, it blows my mind that Bravely Default might not.

As for FFXIII, it had no less gameplay than any other FF. Really, I thought (at times) it presented a bit more of a challenge. And XIII-2 added a bit more with switching paradigms as big hits were about to land.

 

From the "recent" games, i only liked Final Fantasy XII. And also from Square Enix, Dragon Quest VIII (but really didn't played it that much).

Anyway, i rarely play RPGs nowadays. Like all trends, the genre got flooded with so many average quality games that ended up doing itself a disservice. Although i might look into Ni No Kuni after the whole crazyness about it settles down.

 

There have been very few recent games since the merger by Square that I did not like. I can count them on one hand.

It's about the same amount of games I didn't like pre-merger. Because honestly things haven't changed much since they were Squaresoft.

Broken games? Check, Devisive games?Check Questionable quality Spin offs;Check CG movie that was so bad it made them lose a shit ton of money and delayed a merger that was in the works since 2000. Not check. Square Enix actually learned from the mistake of Spirits within and made a decent movie. Not to mention Square Enix hasn't made awkward/weird anime based on FF like Squaresoft did with Legend of The Crystals or Final Fantasy Unlimited.

Squaresoft actually has more bad rep IMO than Square Enix. People are just blinded by broken and skewed views of their youth filled with nostalgia. Well that, and unpleaseable fanbase. Every game since FFVII has had people proclaim each new main game to be "Teh worst ever" when XII came out, it was teh worst, XIII came out and then it was teh worst.


The only ACTUALLY broken/poor quality FF game to come out of Square Enix has been FFXIV and that was at LAUNCH. It was mostly fixed nearly a year and a half ago and A Realm Reborn is taking that to the next level.

Yeah XIII was linear, but linear =/= whether a game is bad or not. X is just as if not more linear than XIII with less content yet people don't give a shit about that because it has areas that you visit with shops(Filled with typical generic NPCs that say one or two lines of unmeaningful dialogue) and a few minigames.
Just like in X , in XIII the game opens up after a certain point where you can backtrack and do sidequests.

 

Yeah. I'd love to play it. If they're worried about sales, they should just call it Final Fantasy: Bravely Default. Watch the sales skyrocket.

You must have an awfully hard time holding the controller comfortably.

No, the Tales of fanbase is an unpleasable fanbase. Most Final Fantasy fans just want the series to go back to it's roots.

For the record, I've played every offline FF and I don't like FF I, II, IX and XIII. Attacking the air instead of the next enemy in I and II ruins the game for me. IX isn't bad and I can see why many like it but I'm not a fan of the art-style, the load times were atrocious, and the battle system seemed slower than VII or VIII, at least from what I remember years ago. I initially hated XII but after numerous chances it warmed up to me. Can't say the same for XIII.

True, linear does not equal bad, but one linear game being good doesn't stop another from being bad. X also had a fantastic battle system. That was the game's saving grace. XIII... no.

It takes around 20 hours give or take for XIII to "open up" to where you could backtrack and do sidequests. In X, there are numerous points early on when you can backtrack and do sidequests. There are various points of no return throughout the story, but once you acquire the airship, you can visit all the previous towns and other locations. You know, like all the previous GOOD Final Fantasy games.

 

Square abandoned me shortly after they merged with Enix.

 

I really enjoyed FF 12 and 13 also. The dialog and characters in the 12 towns were pretty decent and in 13 the towns were not missed. Seriously every jrpg town has people who say the same things

"I'm worried about (the plot)"
"Have you seen my garden? The turnips were great this season!"
"I wish I can find that book I lost"
"Make sure to see (some character) at the inn they've been looking for you!"
"I hope you don't cause trouble here!"

 

XII and XIII? They're exact opposites.

XII is incredibly non-linear once you get past the prologue, with numerous towns and secrets to discover. One time I even wandered off too far and ended up in an area while under-leveled (took a wrong, turn away from my destination) and spent hours fighting tough battles before I was supposed to. Exploration, careful strategy with the gambit system, and overall independence is encouraged by the game.

XIII is incredibly linear, only feeling somewhat free late in the game. You spend the majority of the game following a straight line with occasional turns, exploring only the areas the game wants you to. Unlike XII, this game really needs towns and side-quests in order to break-up the monotony. Minimal exploration, minimal strategy with the paradigm system, and lack of independence is the problem a lot of people have with XIII. They fixed a lot of what was wrong with XIII in XIII-2, even if that game isn't all that great either.

 

So what that they're opposites I enjoyed them both? You can only enjoy a game series as long as every installment plays the same?

 

No, you're more than welcome to enjoy both. I was just commenting on how incredibly different they are from each other and how XIII could've benefited from towns, better side-quests, and an emphasis on independent exploration, which are issues XII didn't have.

You all can like XIII. I'm not trying to change anyone's opinion, just express mine. But as a fan of the series, I can't support the direction Final Fantasy has gone the past few years. From making VII the face of the franchise to whatever the hell you want to call "All the Bravest", Final Fantasy needs to go back to it's roots now more than ever.

 

I miss good ff fames you know we haven;t had a good one since 10. 12 was the most god awful pos ever made.

 

I used to think the same. It felt too much like KotOR or an offline mmo and not enough like an actual JRPG. Took some time, but after a long while I began to appreciate the game for what it did offer rather than hate it for what it didn't.

 

My life philosophy is based on 12... In my personal opinion, the Final Fantasy series has morphed into something akin to what you get with blockbuster movies and it's subsequent spinoff games or in the case of FF, franchise components peppered throughout different systems. Hollywood blockbuster movies are built for general audiences, hitting across the viewer spectrum to make maximum profit, adopting a broad stratagem, using the core components of what can pass as entertainment. All fireworks and very little to no content.

Final Fantasy started out niche and has blossomed into a cash enterprise. The RPG elements are all but gone, except the veneer, eschewing what drove the original success and instead opting for hitting a greater bandwidth of gamers, aimed at the general market. After FF10, I walked away. I have been pondering whether to get FF13, but don't want to be reminded that a franchise is simply a profit gain device at heart, versus my personal connection with something that stirred my imagination.

 

The last good Final Fantasy was Lost Odyssey...

 

How shameless.

 

Right on square enix... if square keeps doing what they're doing they'll be going bankrupt in no time...

Where's Final fantasy versus XIII... still haven't seen that yet and i think its square's last hope for me.

 

That's pretty much exactly how I feel about it, I gave it a few tries and honestly once you stop expecting it to be like the games before, and accept it as a game in it's own right, it has a lot to offer.

I wouldn't argue however against the last stellar FF title being 10, it seems to me like a slow decline into generic mediocrity. This sort of cheap cash grab I find utterly appalling, and I expect more from Square, it seems that the success has gone to their head. As if they hadn't been pushing it to a fair degree with lazy conversions already. They have been one of my favourite developers for many years now, plenty of their titles are games I own and love, if this is the direction they are going to take things they can get stuffed.