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I'm not afraid to say that I'm a huge Final Fantasy fan. Ever since I played Final Fantasy VII, I've made sure to pick up and complete every numbered sequel in the series. However, I'm not blind to the fact that the series seems to be in acute decline, in terms of quality. Final Fantasy games of this generation just don't compare to the likes of Final Fantasy VI and VII, among others.
In my opinion, it all began with Final Fantasy XI, which was quite the atrocity that put a great dent in series reputation of high-caliber role-playing. Put simply, there's nothing high-caliber about this particular game. First off, it should never have been a numbered Final Fantasy game. The name "Final Fantasy Online" would have been fine and fit perfectly. Being a numbered game immediately attaches certain expectations. Gamers who expected something as good as Final Fantasy X, or any other game in the series for that matter, were thoroughly disappointed. This MMORPG, a first, and hopefully last, in the series, featured bland graphics, generic gameplay, and cumbersome mechanics. These issues didn't make the game unplayable; it was just fairly mediocre, most especially for a series title. To make matters worse, there are several other MMORPG's, most of which are far superior to Final Fantasy XI and actually worth the large amount of time that this type of game usually requires. What were they thinking?
Next came Final Fantasy X-2, the first true sequel to any game in the series. This game revisited the same world as the prequel and saw the return of some familiar faces. This gave Square Enix a chance to experiment with series traditions. The result was a surprisingly good, and fun, game, but still nothing like the original Final Fantasy X game. Still, it was nice to see the characters that players grew to love in the prequel experience their new lives.
Square Enix went on to develop another sequel to a popular title with Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus. But for some odd reason, the developers decided to make it more of an FPS, a genre which Square Enix has very limited experience with, instead of a true RPG. It makes sense considering the game's star, Vincent Valentine, always wields a rifle, but what doesn't make sense that Square Enix would actually try it. Clearly, it failed. The gameplay mechanics lacked the polish of venerable FPS's from the US, enemy AI staled, and the story just wasn't all there. Another flop in the series illustrated that Square Enix's experimentations with different genres didn't seem to work that well.
And finally, the long overdue Final Fantasy XII was released just this year. It promised to put the series back on track and deliver another amazing RPG, possibly the best in the series. Nevertheless, like a delinquent father, it failed to fulfill that which it promised. Final Fantasy XII was indeed a good game, and no outstanding issues cropped up during gameplay; however, the "magic" of the series was lost. There didn't seem to be anything special about playing the twelfth entry in the series. The characters weren't that interesting, the plot was predictable, the music lack-luster, and the gameplay was repetitive at times. These complaints don't keep the game from being great, but they do keep the game from being anywhere near one of the best games in the series. Final Fantasy XII is clearly at the bottom end of that spectrum.
I'm a little disappointed at the recent Final Fantasy releases. I remember a time when I couldn't wait to get ahold of the next game in the series. Each game was something special and a thrill to experience from start to finish. But that is no longer the case. What does this mean? Some have speculated that the merging of Square and Enix might have caused this decline. That's entirely probable and something to consider. Possibly, the franchise has run its course and simply running out of steam. No dynasty lasts forever. However, I still have faith in the series. The next entry must be one of the best RPG's ever developed. No, I'm not talking about the upcoming Crystal Chronicles nor the Tactics spin-offs. Final Fantasy XIII had better be awesome.
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