Not to be argumentative, but these games are a natural progression of what FF has been doing all along. XIII is no less a FF game than 6 or 7. The only difference with 13 is you are pressing buttons depleting a meter, rather than pressing a button and waiting for a meter to refill before pressing a button again. These games take the ATB system to a different level, engaging the gamer more than the typical JRPG, but contained within this more active gameplay system are all the spells, skills, specials and summons you've grown to know and love in the past games. Final Fantasy hasn't been about Crystals and Dragons and High Fantasy for years now. It has moved towards presenting Fantasy elements in modern and realistic settings. I would be really curious to see Square or someone else present a game that is nearly photo-realistic and takes place in modern times, in real places, but introduces magic, battle and FF themes into this type of environment. I think that's the direction FFXV is moving towards. Without spoiling anything, this is pretty evident in Lightning Returns.
Play Bravely Default if you want FF games like the SNES or NES versions because I don't think you're going to see Final Fantasy games like you are referring to at all anymore.
Dvader said:Lightning is boring though.
There's a few good reasons why Lightning is the way she is. They are all explored and explained throughout Lightning Returns. She is strong and unyielding, but you learn to love her throughout the XIII stories. She is uncompromising and stoic, but not nearly as annoying as quite a few heroes of the last several games **Cloud, Squall, Tidus** and in the end, despite obtaining the kinds of power no other character has in the past games, she shows she is more human than any of them could ever hope to be.
Updated with DKC:R. I'm on such a roll 
Leo has convinced me to play FFXIII trilogy. I have been craving a good console RPG ever since I finished Ni-No-Kuni which is great no matter what anyone says. I tried and hated Eternal Sonata, and I still haven't managed to obtain a copy of Blue Dragon which I have been wanting to try. Shit I already have the first two of these games,and by the time I finish those Lighting will be available for me to buy at a nice price.
Leo buddy thank you once again for making so much sense
___
Listen to Wu-Tang and watch Kung-Fu
I just finished The Last of Us. It completely lived up to all the hype and all the high scores it got.
robio said:I just finished The Last of Us. It completely lived up to all the hype and all the high scores it got.
Yeah, its pretty awesome. The story, characters, and pacing are all near perfect. And the combat is actually more fun than Uncharted.
robio said:I just finished The Last of Us. It completely lived up to all the hype and all the high scores it got.
Glad you liked it. Since I hyped it so much I'd feel guilty if someone did not enjoy it based on my blh blh.
I should play it again actually.
phantom_leo said:Not to be argumentative, but these games are a natural progression of what FF has been doing all along. XIII is no less a FF game than 6 or 7. The only difference with 13 is you are pressing buttons depleting a meter, rather than pressing a button and waiting for a meter to refill before pressing a button again. These games take the ATB system to a different level, engaging the gamer more than the typical JRPG, but contained within this more active gameplay system are all the spells, skills, specials and summons you've grown to know and love in the past games. Final Fantasy hasn't been about Crystals and Dragons and High Fantasy for years now. It has moved towards presenting Fantasy elements in modern and realistic settings. I would be really curious to see Square or someone else present a game that is nearly photo-realistic and takes place in modern times, in real places, but introduces magic, battle and FF themes into this type of environment. I think that's the direction FFXV is moving towards. Without spoiling anything, this is pretty evident in Lightning Returns.
Play Bravely Default if you want FF games like the SNES or NES versions because I don't think you're going to see Final Fantasy games like you are referring to at all anymore.
What I liked about FF1-7 was that they were a grind. An unchallenging, grind that you could play while doing something else. And for that, I loved them. I got the impression that FF12 on was a complicated jumble of game mechanics. Now some folks like complexity in their games, and that's cool. Just not for me.
I remain open minded, I do still intent to play FF 9-12.
aspro said:What I liked about FF1-7 was that they were a grind. An unchallenging, grind that you could play while doing something else. And for that, I loved them. I got the impression that FF12 on was a complicated jumble of game mechanics. Now some folks like complexity in their games, and that's cool. Just not for me.
I remain open minded, I do still intent to play FF 9-12.
I like the newer FF games, I just think the franchise has lost a step and went from ELITE to GREAT to GOOD, right around the time of Final Fantasy 10-2 and the games that follow is where it began. Someone mentions this in a review for FF10 HD, I think it was either IGN or 1UP and I totally agree. FF11 is an online game, so that doesn't count. FF12 took forever to come out, and I consider it a great game but not as memorable or epic as FF10 and games before it. Its also arguable that the gameplay was changed for the worse, for those like myself who always felt that Final Fantasy had the most enjoyable turn-based combat out of all RPG's (and I feel that's why it was more popular than all other RPG's).
Then FF13 and the two games that connect with it, while kind of a return to a more FF10-ish approach, changed or simplified some things here and there and their quests don't keep you as engaged as games past. I felt Lost Odyssey was a better game in every way compared to FF13...not surprising I guess with Sakaguchi working on it.
Then FF14 obviously is another online game, so it gets a pass. But FF15 is looking more like an action game than a FF at this point.
The old games had style, great characters, awesome turn based combat, great exploration, expertly paced stories, excellent spells and summons, and great hidden goods. Oh, and I miss the overworld system. The new games just stripped out so much of FF's original spirit. Unfortunately, I could say this about so many Japanese ip's.
Nintendo may be the one company in Japan that doesn't change their ip's style to try and fit in with what they think I as a western gamer wants. And is it any surprise they continue to make the best games (in japan)?
aspro said:What I liked about FF1-7 was that they were a grind. An unchallenging, grind that you could play while doing something else. And for that, I loved them. I got the impression that FF12 on was a complicated jumble of game mechanics. Now some folks like complexity in their games, and that's cool. Just not for me.
I remain open minded, I do still intent to play FF 9-12.
Jumbled mess yes, but you can set the game up to virtually play itself; so it just might be the ultimate Final Fantasy for you.
Yeah I was kind of wondering if I should finally play Uncharted since I enjoyed Last of Us so much. But the more I think about it.... nahhhh probably not.
robio said:Yeah I was kind of wondering if I should finally play Uncharted since I enjoyed Last of Us so much. But the more I think about it.... nahhhh probably not.
Yeah might be too much self-awareness going into such a lauded franchise at this late point.
Updated with Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episodes One and Two --AND-- The Last of Us: Left Behind!
Updated with Dragon's Crown. Fun game, but I'm definitely ready to move onto something different.
Updated with CastleVania: Lords of Shadow 2!
Updated with Dragon's Crown and The Walking Dead: Season 2: Episode 2 -- A House Divided!
Updated with English Country Tune:
If you belong to the minority of people who enjoy abstract spacial puzzles, I can easily recommend this. The game eases you in with more different sets of rules you'd think were possible to derive from 5 or so basic elements and then starts combining them in all sorts of mindbending ways. Sometimes the answer is relatively simple. But most of the time IT IS NOT.
SupremeAC said:Updated with English Country Tune:
If you belong to the minority of people who enjoy abstract spacial puzzles, I can hardly recommend this. The game eases you in with more different sets of rules you'd think were possible to derive from 5 or so basic elements and then starts combining them in all sorts of mindbending ways. Sometimes the answer is relatively simple. But most of the time IT IS NOT.
I assume "hardly" is a mistake, because the rest of your description makes it sound awesome...
While I agree with Leo that gamers are whiny, (everybody is whiny on the internet though) I myself greatly prefer the style of the old FF games, from FF10 back. To me, that's when FF was truly FF. Since then they've been great games, but have really strayed from the formula.