Is Final Fantasy losing its appeal?

Hm...I have to admit...the games are still good and are still playable but...not as they used to be, you know?
It seems that....as the technology grows which makes them have better graphics they don't seem to think that storyline and game play matter anymore. I think that's what happened in XII, I played and I liked the gameplay...but...the story...I didn't like. It was missing somehting...
 
I don't get why people dislike the story of FFXII so much. I'll admit, it did lack a sense of emotional attachment. You didn't feel for the characters nearly as much as you did in, say, FFVI or FFVII, but that wasn't what they were going for. I felt like they were aiming at something much grander. i know that sounds dumb but when you compare it to FFtactics, you'll see what i mean. Both stories are on a much larger scale. so while they shifted their energies away from a love story localized to two specific characters, they put more emphasis on a global story encompassing the obstacles invovled in fighting for freedom. both styles are good. saying that FFXII was lacking is based on a closeminded perspective.
 
I wouldn't so much say that it's losing appeal, but that they just seem to be "running" it into the ground anymore and giving us less than satisfactory stories sometimes.
 
Lately Final Fantasy´s are not losing appeal to newer fans, their getting more adults and consistent (trying to cover a more significant number of fans) , running from manga and anime style, dressing a subject more consistent. And I guess too that fans, through the time, lose some spirit as well... I mean personally there is nothing like the first FF (IX) I played, and the with others things were and still being not the same... After that, only ff X makes me feel almost the same. I like XII in many ways, but it´s a bit cold in passion
 
Hmmm, well i think gaming styles have changed, technology has increased ridiculously in the last ten years and people are becoming emotionally dull to it lol. If i had seen some of the fight scenes from Advent children at the time FFVII was released i would have been hugely overwhelmed lol, just seeing omnislash was enough to make my mouth drop to the floor. Obviously im older now so my tastes are changing, but i think th main reason games have changed is because theres new technology and possibilities than there used to be.
Im still waitin for a new final fantasy to be made which starts off small like in ffix where it was a big thing for the character to be goin to see his first play (vivi), until the end where theyre actively saving the world. There is very little build up these days and the gamer is just thrown into the action, which is fun, but there isnt any time to get to know your character, learn their problems, their strengths and their weaknesses, so you actually give a damn when it comes to them saving th world. And i hate this new trend to say "you choose the fate of the world. Will you be the hero or will you watch as evil..." blah blah blah lol.... im thinkin of Fable and New World wen i say that, where th only difference is a different ending scene dependin what choice you took.... sorry im deviating, but my point really is Square needs to go back to basics and make a plot-driven, compelling game which also has stunning graphics, rather than just pump out games that we dont really care about.

Main points- yes theyre losing appeal coz the plots arent as interesting.
I agree, id love another world map to be put in a newer game.
Make an intersting character lol, X's lot were mildly compelling but nothing like th former lot (dont get me started on FFXII...)

Originally posted by strifehart:
I felt like they were aiming at something much grander. i know that sounds dumb but when you compare it to FFtactics, you'll see what i mean. Both stories are on a much larger scale. so while they shifted their energies away from a love story localized to two specific characters, they put more emphasis on a global story encompassing the obstacles invovled in fighting for freedom. both styles are good. saying that FFXII was lacking is based on a closeminded perspective
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i do agree but i would rather they made another title focusing more on the individual characters you take through the story, as they seem to be leaning towards the style you speak of more and more....

(sorry for re-posting straight away)
 
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Valmelthos said:
(sorry for re-posting straight away)
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No problem, I've merged them for you. :wink:
You can always use the the 'edit' option found on the bottom of your posts if you feel the need to add or change any information in that post. =]

Anyway, I don't think that FF is losing it's appeal I just think that while Square Enix are trying to strengthen and broaden their relationships with new and wider audiences their relationship with older fans is weakening mainly because of the difference between the new and old fans and what they require to attract them.

Old fans more or less care about about great storylines, character developments, gameplay etc and less about graphics whilst the newer fans are all about pretty and shiny graphics over what really matters about the game.

So I don't think FF is losing its appeal, SE just need to find a balance between great looking visuals and a great storyline etc.
 
I am glad to see that it hasn't lost any of its appeal but my worry is that isasmuch as enjoy the games (and hopefully FFXIII will be one of my favorites) is that it will stray too far from its roots and begin to focus a too much on realism as I observed with the recent games. I have grown to enjoy that ATB gauge, job classes, Chocobos, Moogles, the humor and all the other stuff that I liked about the series up to FFX but nowadays with all the impressive realistic looking graphics that I find in other games, I am worry that Squeenix will focus too much on the graphics not enough of what made the series fun to begin with.

I kind of enjoyed the graphics of the NES, SNES and PS1 era of gaming even if is a little dated (with seven with its block models) but newer games seem to intimidate me with their depth not that previous entries din't have depth in them. I want Squeenix to focus less on remakes, crappy FFVII compliations (I think it should be left alone) and more what made the series so great in the first place so that we don't end up with something that is not a Final Fantasy game at all.
 
For me personally, Final Fantasy is not losing its appeal. Once a fan, always a fan I guess xD

Anyway, I don't think Final Fantasy is losing its appeal so much as it is changing it. While storyline used to come first without a doubt, now things such as graphics are the main priority. That's all kids in today's day and age care about, so SE is changing the games to fit with the different audience.

Like Mistwalker said, it's all just about Square Enix finding a balance that will keep new and old fans alike happy.
 
I think SE are doing ok with the FF games myself, I love FFXII, and all the DS games I've played so far as well, and Crisis Core looks amazing so I don't think it's losing its appeal, its just running with the times, remember it was over 10 years ago that FFVII was released, back then we didn't have technology that we have now so I don't blame them for concentrating on the graphics, it makes the game more appealing if anything, maybe not as much to older fans but to newer ones, but it still makes me wanna buy it.

I will play any final fantasy game that I can get my hands on because I am a really big fan so I am not bothered about the failing parts of certain games to be honest.
 
i really don't understand why so many people have issues with fans looking for good graphics.

I remember when i first picked up FFVII and part of the appeal of it was plugging in hours of gameplay, advancing the plot and being rewarded with a cg clip. Being absolutely stunned with the graphics. And i don't know about you, but when I see a bit of the plot being advanced with a cg clip, that part of the plot means more to me.

granted, nothing can beat some solid gameplay and a meaningful plot, but graphics aren't to blame. i've read a lot of posts of people saying that SE is 'selling out' by trying to appeal to more people by upping the graphics. That hasn't changed. SE did that a long time ago too. FFVII was the first final fantasy to shift over to the sony systems. Why? because disk format allowed for more information and hence better graphics (as well as longer games).

as far as the lacking plot dimensions, this is because FFXII had a completely different focus than other FF's. They had a different goal. The story they wanted to tell wasn't about the characters, it was about the masses. It was about the corruption of an ideal.

lastly, trying to compare these two 'trends' makes absolutely no sense. making statements like "the plotlines of FF's have gotten worse because the graphics have gotten better" doesn't make any sense. i suppose the argument could be made that funds and manpower have been shifted to different teams over the years, but you've got to keep in mind that all the teams have grown from production all the way down to translation.
 
I just plainly think its losing its appeal because they are focusing more on the graphics rather then the storyline, ive never been able to get into a game unless there is a good plot for it, sure graphics arefgreat but whats the point if the rest is boring, also whats been annoying me is the fact that they keep changing the battle style, i just find it odd that they have 9 games with the same style then suddenly change it so that every new one that comes out has a different way of fighting that is even more confusing then the last,
so long rant short yes i believe it is
 
Argor251 said:
Final Fantasy's golden age was, in my opinion, from FFIV to FFIX... While FFX was great, it lacked many of the elements of FF that made the games great... For example a world map, and flyable airship... FF12 had even fewer FF elements.. and the spin-offs have even fewer
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Yeah I agree with this. Im not impressed by all the spin offs being thrown at fans and 12 wasnt my most favourite either. I think that X was maybe the last good game SE made that really pulled me in. Yeah it was nothing like the others, but I enjoyed it.

I think SE are getting rid of the old elements that come with RPGs as the games now are real time instead of good old turn based.
 
I dont know what peoples problems are with spin offs myself. If you dont think your gonna like them then dont play them!!! I'm personally still a big fan of the FF series all the way up to XII (leaving out XI as i plan to never pay a monthly fee for any game ever!). I play every ff game as if its my first. So much more enjoyable that way!!!
 
strifehart said:
nothing can beat some solid gameplay
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this.

even with a shitty story and stupid characters, with good gameplay, anything can be good to play. It's the action that matters most, not that characters look realistic or what accent characters have.

I dont know what peoples problems are with spin offs myself.
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Our problem might be that we are casual gamers and only get our gaming needs from one company that we believed was once of an esteemed status that didn't just fire bullshit off the factory line for money.

In comparison

Final Fantasy Tactics (Sqauresoft [the PSP port AND the original psx version]) own the living piss out of DoC (Square Enix) and Crisis Core (Square Enix), and is even better than some of the titles that are given numerical value.

I'd put FFTA up there, but gameplay was actually pretty good. probably the best game for a portable system out there, to be perfectly honest.

Dirge of Cerberus' gameplay wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible. everything else was, though.

The only thing that mattered in CC was Zack's story (which was sxc btw, wish they would have made a novel instead, though.) and a few of the characters. Gameplay mechanics were stale, and salvaged from KHI, which was really gay.

Final Fantasy Tactics was a fully fleshed out game, with good characters and an interesting story. The rts gameplay was brilliant, too. If there's anything I could say was shit about FFT, it'd be that some story characters eventually become the equivalent of a mindless peon that sit in your party window all day.

and Algus, hes a cocksucker :monster:

that's what has sand in my vag when it comes to spinoffs, since Final Fantasy Tactics was the first FF I ever owned and the second one i ever played.
 
hell no only things that they havent come out with any new games but when 13 comes out watch out now
 
I hope so. The entire series sucked after six.

I applaud final fantasy 12 for finally getting rid of turn bases battles and random encounters. Turn bases combat sucks and random battles are annoying. And it didn't have an idiotic love story shoveled right in like all the others. I would fully embrace the series if the characters didn't have stereotypical personalities and effeminate males with questionable sexuality.
 
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It seems to me that many are wanting to play this simply because it looks a bit eyecatching, but I still yearn for more from XIII.
 
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