Ok so Final Fantasy may have hit a
decline in recent years, well it did. Where did it all start? Probably with one
of the most critically acclaimed games in the series Final Fantasy X Why do I say
this? Like all games it was a huge step forward, detailed character models,
emotions on the faces, and voiced dialogue. All well and good, but it opened
the door for Final Fantasy XI. Final Fantasy XI was a huge and distant development
from any previous games, all online with great separation from the main series.
People may complain about Final Fantasy X-2 and say it was the worst, it was
not, and it had the best ATB in any FF game, and brought back the job system
that was later used differently for FF12. Yes it was a bit girlier, but it also
gave us some more Final Fantasy Heroines, each with personality and
development. Story-wise Final Fantasy 10-2 is lacking against the other games,
unless you plug it into FFX, and the special FMV.
Aside from this Final Fantasy X also ditched the standard leveling, skill and ability charts. Which may be one of the reasons why I dislike it as much as I do, great game though. FF12 ditched the battle scene for a open exploration and battles, alongside this it had a somewhat weak story and an odd item and very different skill system. I enjoyed 12 more so then 10, but still.
When FFXIII hit people panned it as the worst final fantasy, they cleaned it up a bit for FFXIII-2, but the flaws remained. Both great games in their own right, but how’d they go so wrong? I say westernization began in FF11 and expanded in 12, but with the higher ups in Square looking at games like Call of Duty as what they should use as an example it really hurt it. It was meant to be much freer, you can find concepts and interviews everywhere, all cut. I agree with the rumor/semi-fact, that when the game was being put on the Xbox 360 they had to cut down on data usage.
So if we trace it back, progression slowly led to the breakdown of the series. I’m sure the great series can return, and I feel like without voiced dialogue and fully detailed characters the series would have died ages ago. So if FFX, FFX-2, 11, 12, or 13 was the one where it broke down, it doesn’t matter, without every entry the series would have became stale and plain.
Aside from this Final Fantasy X also ditched the standard leveling, skill and ability charts. Which may be one of the reasons why I dislike it as much as I do, great game though. FF12 ditched the battle scene for a open exploration and battles, alongside this it had a somewhat weak story and an odd item and very different skill system. I enjoyed 12 more so then 10, but still.
When FFXIII hit people panned it as the worst final fantasy, they cleaned it up a bit for FFXIII-2, but the flaws remained. Both great games in their own right, but how’d they go so wrong? I say westernization began in FF11 and expanded in 12, but with the higher ups in Square looking at games like Call of Duty as what they should use as an example it really hurt it. It was meant to be much freer, you can find concepts and interviews everywhere, all cut. I agree with the rumor/semi-fact, that when the game was being put on the Xbox 360 they had to cut down on data usage.
So if we trace it back, progression slowly led to the breakdown of the series. I’m sure the great series can return, and I feel like without voiced dialogue and fully detailed characters the series would have died ages ago. So if FFX, FFX-2, 11, 12, or 13 was the one where it broke down, it doesn’t matter, without every entry the series would have became stale and plain.
