Anyone else tired of this?

[Pete]

I'm just wondering if anyone else is getting tired of Square pumping out what seems like endless sequels and prequels for games? I feel like in pretty much every instance, the games were wrapped up well enough on their own, and don't necessarily need a whole other game taking place after the events of the original. It's one thing to expand on technology and to make the game as you truly wanted it to be (the DS expansions), and to create games with an end in mind (KH), but extra movies, and games, just for the sake of making them, seem like a stretch.

FFVII is a prime suspect. It had prequels, sequels and spin offs. I'm sure they were all of quality (hell, Advent Children was good), but were they all necessary? After playing the original FFVII, wasn't there enough satisfaction when it came to the story? I know that I was perfectly content with the ending, and felt like the plot points were all taken care of. I didn't need to know about any parts of the Shinra corp that weren't in the original game. I understand that VII is the most popular of the series, but I feel like Square really just took advantage of the opportunity and shoved out game after game. I'm waiting for Barret's backstory game, GTA: Corel.

FFX has FFX-2, which pretty much missed the mark. But, after playing X, I felt that the ending was sufficient. X-2 just seemed like a way to make some extra money and appeal to FF girl gamers.

Apparently FFXII has a sequel too. I don't know much of anything about it, but I felt that FFXII also ended on a well enough note, so that I can say, OK, this game is over. The sequel just seems forced, especially for a game that wasn't nearly as widely received as any of the others.

Anyone else?

[Zargabaath]

In terms of Final Fantasy I can agree with this, as other series by Square are normal. A staple of Final Fantasy was that each game was not connected and there were no sequels/prequels. Series like Mana, SaGa (which I want a new game from), Front Mission, etc do follow a continium. I would prefer that square work on new I.P (TWEWY) or on very high, Triple-A quality games. Another bad thing about adding new material is that it creates contradictions and inconcistencies in the game's universe, because I doubt that the developers do a very intense research of the game to make sure there are no problems with the flow of the story. Add the fact that sequels/prequels have a very hard time achieving the same level of love as the original and it comes down to

This may not be as easy today with the cost in developing games with today's technology, but it would be nice if it was the focus. It seems like they're given newcomers to the industry a chance to have their shot, but not with the full force that Square is capable of "gallomphing".

I also think that with the sequels/prequels and newer games outside of FF and DQ main series, the stories are getting weaker and weaker and they are dying off at least outside of Japan (Mana and SaGa). Of course a game that has a great reputation Front Mission 5, that really brought the series back up, is not released outside of Japan for foreign fans to enjoy.

With Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XII, I agree with Pete, both ended well. The ending of Final Fantasy VII was not that deep but that too was ok. At times I don't like FF X-2 because of what it did, though my dislike should go to the ones who "OK'ed" the game; it had good parts too it but it broke a special part of the series.

That's it for now.

[Dodie16]

I would have never thought that I would ever see anything else out of FFVII after I played it back when it was first released, and now there's a whole compilation of games that expand on the story.

Idk if this is true or not, but I heard that Advent Children wasn't supposed to be a full-length movie. The original idea was for Cloud to recieve a message from an anonymous person, and the way he finds out who it's from is by talking to a bunch of kids. At max it was supposed to be about 20-30 minutes, but apparently, things got changed to what it is now. Don't quote me on that, but it's what I heard from somewhere a while ago.

I'm sort of getting off topic with all that, so I'll try to veer this post back.

It's just a business move on Square-Enix's part to churn out sequels/prequels. People (like me) will buy it just to see what's in store for thier favorite storylines. Also, I think it's easier for developers to just expand on a story that's already been proven to be popular.

Am I tired of it? I never really thought about it. I pretty much enjoyed what I played when SE made all those sequels/prequels. Even X-2 was fun at times.

[loaf]

Advent Children, was a bit eh to me. I did like it and I did look forward to it. Should have they made it? I don't think so, a whole new story for that movie should have happened, but that's just me. The prequels are pointless IMO, I never cared about the Turks, or Zach, and I especially didn't care about what Vincent does on his off time. FFX-2 was stupid, the story was horrible, something they pulled out of their ass at the last minute.

[GypsyElder]

True.

When Square first started making sequels for FFVII I figured it was because one, it seemed to be the most popular FF at the time, and two, because I'm assuming that they didn't get to finnish the game like they intended too. I've heard over and over again that FFVII was incomplete when they put it out for sale. Everyone knows about the whole "Areis come back thing". I kept finding articles saying that they were trying to hurry and get the game out on the market and didn't have time to finnish it the way they intended. Not sure if that's true, but just something I read. If that's not it, then it's simply the fact that VII was a hit and they probably used it as an opportunity to earn money. So far for VII I don't have any complaints about the remakes, or sequels. They have yet to mess it up. But with that said, I don't think they should be making any more. Crisis Core was fine because it was nice to see what took place with Zack since there wasn't that much explanation in FFVII PS one version. They don't need to make any more, period.

FFX-2, was a disaster. It was like some five year old girls got together to make the story line. I honestly think that if the story wasn't so horrendous, then it wouldn't have been to bad, minus the cheesiness. Obviously just trying to earn money, or grab the attention of another audience (girls) Fail at that. There shouldn't have been a sequel to FFX, the ending was perfect the way it was

I also heard the Advent children was supposed to be a game.

[Pete]

Yeah, that's pretty much my point, Dodie. I can totally understand the business aspect of it. "If it works, let's just run with it," but at the same time, it's kind of ridiculous to make up an entire backstory to a game that has it's own universe established. At some point during the grand scheme of gameplay, you'd have to wonder why some things aren't adding up. What I really don't like is the idea of all these other characters in the earlier games whose stories SHOULD criscross with the main characters of VII, but somehow cease to exist.

At the same time, I feel like the entire point of Crisis Core was simply to explain the one hidden cutscene in Nibelheim, where Cloud and Zack hitchhike to Midgar. I like that it's explained, but I feel like it's not entirely necessary because it's implied within the game. Creating all of the extra characters and the premise of the hidden armies is indeed cool, and helps to explain the Wutai war, but at the same time, I feel like there was enough done within VII just to say there was a war.

It just seems like in order to explain one aspect, they had to create and then explain 15 other, and before you knew it, you had a movie and 4 extra games. I mean it's great that people are buying the games, but I also think that if it's not really in need of explanation, then don't. VII was great as a standalone. Things were summed up well enough, and the ending was fine as it was. Coming up with the disease as a premise for the movie just seemed contrived. The game could've ended without it.

[Sean]

I liken what Square is doing to what Nintendo's been doing for years: Milking existing ideas for what they're worth because the wells have dried up.

Lost Odyssey is the best RPG I've played since PSX Squeenix titles, and that disappointments me a bit, only because I want Square to keep being my definitive go-to guys for RPGs, but they just aren't anymore. I'm really looking forward to following future Mistwalker titles.

But yeah, I'm tired of endless spinoffs as well, especially when they are doing them to attempt to expand on existing lore but doing it in some rather odd or unbelievable sounding ways. They're just making the cannon of the games larger than it was ever intended to be, and that makes tying it all together sensibly very difficult, if not impossible.

Half of the magic of these games is you spend so much time getting to know these characters, and they're all developed uniquely and you get to know all their different personalities, then the game ends, leaving you wanting more. It's the leaving you wanting more part that makes them classics, the stories and characters stick with you, you discuss them with friends, play through them again to see the stories, things like that.

The story of FFX and FFXII was poop. On a stick. As were the characters, dialogues, etc. The last Final Fantasy I thoroughly enjoyed was IX.

[Tokimadoushi]

I personally am sick of the sequels and prequels. Final Fantasy titles have always been stand alone and epic enough that they end solidly and eliminate the need for sequels and prequels. I feel the FFVII franchise has been totally raped - everyone is clambering to watch AC or play the spin-offs but all these new generation gamer kids want to run to the hills when they see the original FFVII ("OMG look at the graphics! I can't play it.")
I refuse to acknowledge X-2's existence so I won't go into it...
I still find it strange that after making the movie and so many spin-offs that a remake of VII is still not on the cards. They remake all the first 6, but the game that they're making the most money off of they won't touch, and few new gamers who have played the spin offs want to play the original because it is so dated. Seems rather pointless...they would rather avoid the real issue at hand, what gamers REALLY want (a remake of VII) and try pacify us by releasing spin-off after spin-off.