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Final Fantasy sucks. Honestly, it doesn't really, but I'm sure that the majority of the people that read this title clicked on the link with an opinion on the topic. Whether you were thinking "What?!?! He thinks it sucks?!? Screw him!" or "Yeah! It's about time someone agreed with me about this," you had an opinion. It's not like the name is unknown. What gamer (whether they like RPGs or not) hasn't at least heard of Final Fantasy? Square Enix has done the best thing possible with the Final Fantasy name over the years by putting out RPGs that people loved. Of course some people may hate Final Fantasy VIII and love Final Fantasy VI or despise Final Fantasy XII because it is too different, but the level of name recognition that has been achieved is phenomenal.
People are complaining right now because Square Enix currently has over a dozen games in development with Final Fantasy in the title. You hear, "Quit milking the franchise." With all of the re-re-releases we are seeing, that's an understandable complaint, but the thing is, people are still buying them. Whether they release the original Final Fantasy with new graphics for the PSP, Final Fantasy IV in full 3D for the DS, or even the long hoped for Final Fantasy VII for the PS3, people are buying these games. They like the original version and want to buy them again in a newer, fancier package. Heck, I'd even be willing to bet that some of the same people that complain about rebuying these games over and over actually end up getting them. They are only complaining because they know that it is costing them more money. Their words say no, but their wallets are saying yes. Square Enix's marketing department is brilliant juggernaut of the industry. Name recognition is selling these remakes and that's all without doing anything new. And yes, believe it or not, Square Enix is making new games.
Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Versus XIII, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Crystal Bearers, and Final Fantasy Tactics A2 are all new titles from Square Enix. They all share two things in common: name and the fact that they are going to sell. Whether sequels, prequels, or spin-offs, they are major players in the upcoming RPG lineup and are not remakes. But what about games like Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales? In Japan its title translated to Chocobo and the Magical Picture Book. While this was clearly a spin-off of the series, it didn't contain Final Fantasy in the title until reaching North American shores. While I can't speak to the game's overall sales figures, I would imagine that the mere title change brought many gamers on board. Bret joked in his last Japandemonium column that "Final Fantasy is now officially its own genre," and he is right on the money. The name Final Fantasy elicits opinions, sparks debates, and most importantly sells games. It doesn't matter if you like what is being done or not, it is making Square Enix a fortune.
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