So I'm always torn on Final Fantasy games. For the most part I think people fall into two categories: those who think Final Fantasy games are the ultimate expression of video game awesomness and the type of thing Jesus Christ would play if he played games, and those who think Final Fantasy is teh awful lameness.
For the most part I tend to agree with the latter group. I enjoyed FFVII in high school, but what self-respecting nerd didn't? I liked FF X "okay," though I feel I need to point out that my favorite part of FFX was the damn blitz ball mini-game. That's not exactly a glowing review for a game. I liked Final Fantasy X-2 because if you ignored the horrible plot, and the fact that it was, essentially, a crappy attempt on SquareEnix's part to appease its fans who were distraught over Titus and Yuna NOT getting together in FFX, the collection aspect of the game was rather fun. I'm typically anti-kawaii when it comes to my games, and I'm certainly not a girly-girl, but I did really enjoy collecting new costumes and playing with them. Though once I did get them all (like Pokemon...) I figured out very quickly that the dark knight and samurai = win, and pretty much never changed them. Ah well.
But that's it. The other games have done absolutely nothing for me and here's why: they're the same fucking game.
The same characters are in every game. Don't waste my time trying to say they're not. The androgynous hero who is a tortured soul and more often than not has some glaring familial issue (almost always daddy); the love interest who is either too proud or too callow to admit their feelings until the very end of the game when the whole point is moot anyway; the plucky female character who takes on a strange pseudo-sexual little sister role; the cocky male buddy/bromance; the dark, mysterious person who, it will always be revealed, has some sort of connection with the evil entity in the game; the serious, dark, morose, emo voice of reason (this character can be male or female depending); and "the other," who is generally a different race altogether. It's as if they take the characters, dip them in bleach, paint new faces and hit play. Oh joy.
The same world/scenery/scenario is in every game. Oh sure it has a different name, different ethnicities (except those damn chocobos and cactaurs. They are apparently universal) and different fun diversions, but no matter how many cutesy mini-games, or words or vehicles they put into a game, it's the same story every time: Happy, harmonious people are suddenly disrupted by an evil being/corporation and it's up to our heroes to save the world. Really?
I've not played FFXIII, but looking at it, I can tell it's going to be the same thing. But, like a glutton for punishment, I'm going to rent the damn thing and spend my evenings cursing the banality and triteness of the game, and wishing a pox upon the first born children of SquareEnix.
So I guess the real question is who's the bigger fool: SquareEnix, or me? Don't answer that.
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