Back in 2006, I wasn’t a videogame journalist yet. At that point, the PS3 wasn’t even out yet, and when it did come out, it was far too expensive for me to consider buying one. I mean, I was just a broke college student.
But one day, I casually walked into a GameStop and saw the trailer for Final Fantasy Versus XIII. Yes, this was the trailer that had debuted at 2006’s E3.
Between the HD graphics, the darker tone, and the protagonist who defeated a whole freakin’ army with his magical powers and looked bored doing it, I was blown away. I decided that I was going to need a PS3 and that I was going to have to set aside a good month of my life to lock myself in a dark room with this game.
Over the course of the next six years, I acquired a PS3, became a videogame journalist, and did a whole ton of research on Versus XIII because it was, you know, my job to know about this stuff.
The more I read about it, the more excited I would get. I mean, the return of the massive explorable overworld? A story that would have a darker tone? A vibe that I can only explain as “starting to remind me of the good feelings I had when I played Final Fantasy VII as a teen?” I’m sold. This could be Square Enix’s way of redeeming themselves from a lot of the crap they’ve been churning out.
And let’s be honest here. Final Fantasy’s had a tough run this generation. Final Fantasy XIII was this shallow experience that boxed us in for the first half, then completely lost its direction in the second half. Final Fantasy XIV was such an embarrassment that Hiromichi Tanaka stepped down from his role as Producer in shame, and Square felt so bad that they stopped charging a monthly fee. Final Fantasy XIII-2 was just a bizarre choice that may have worked a lot better had it not had the Final Fantasy XIII curse on it. (It gives a little weight to the superstition about 13 being an unlucky number, doesn’t it?)
A lot of the things that were making the Final Fantasy games suck so badly was going to be addressed by Versus XIII. (Except for that whole unlucky 13 thing, but I imagine that by the time the game was released, they’d drop that number from the title.)
And Liam Neeson was even going to be in it. Not really, but that would’ve been awesome.
But now we’re hearing rumors that the game may have been cancelled. And we’re also hearing rumors of a Final Fantasy XIII-3. What the hell, Square Enix? I’m so confused here that I’m finding it difficult to think up an appropriate simile/metaphor to express my bewilderment.
Back in the PSOne era, Square was this giant name in JRPGs that could practically do no wrong. Especially when it came to Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy VII? One of the best videogames ever made. (Yes, I will fight you over that.) Final Fantasy VIII? Not nearly as bad as we thought it was back then now that we’ve played XIII and XIV, right? Final Fantasy IX? Underappreciated masterpiece. Final Fantasy Tactics? One of the best grid-based tactical RPGs ever made. And the PS2 brought us Final Fantasy X, which was controversial but greatly beloved by many.
So what happened since then?
I really don’t know. It almost feels like, when it comes to Final Fantasy, Square Enix is no longer capable of making good decisions. Am I wrong here? Their recent history is one of just completely messing things up. Versus XIII was my last hope. In fact, at one point I had resolved that if Versus XIII failed to be any good, I was going to swear off the Final Fantasy franchise for good.
And now that’s cancelled too. (According to the rumors, anyway.)
Trust me, what’s about to happen here is not nearly as sexy as what you think is about to happen.
What happened in those six years since that trailer debuted that made Square Enix so squeamish about the game? Was it just complete shit? I doubt it. Final Fantasy XIV stands as testament that Squenix isn’t above releasing a rubbish title under the once-respected Final Fantasy banner. Was development just burning up too many resources? Maybe, but it seems wasteful to completely trash a game after over half a decade in production. Was Squenix scared out of Development Hell by that Duke Nukem Forever disaster? Well, that’s actually kind of valid.
Whatever the reason for this alleged decision, I’m thinking maybe it’s time to give up on the franchise. I mean, the PSOne-era Final Fantasy games will forever be etched into my list of best games ever made. So it’s with a heavy heart I have to say this: Square, I think it’s probably best if I broke up with you. We had a good run, but we’re lying to ourselves if we think this is going to keep working out for us. I wish you the best in whatever you decide to do with your future, but that’s a future I no longer see myself as being a part of.
Besides, you have Enix now, and I have Uncharted.
Of course, Versus XIII could still be rolled up into Final Fantasy XV. In which case… Well, nevermind. I don’t think I’m ready to get my hopes up again.
UPDATE: I’ve been notified of a post on Twitter by Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada. Now, I can’t read it because it’s in Japanese, but I’ve been told it basically confirms that Final Fantasy Versus XIII is still indeed in development.
So how does that change my feelings about the Final Fantasy franchise? Not a whole lot actually. I mean, if we ever see Versus on store shelves, I’ll be the first in line to pick up a copy. But I’ve learned that this is no longer a franchise that I should get too excited about prematurely, because, in this console generation, I’ve been nothing but let down by it.
Square Enix’s debunking of the Versus rumor doesn’t change the fact that the Final Fantasy series is in decline. It just means that we could see one great Final Fantasy game yet this generation (if this even ends up coming out this gen), and frankly, I think the past five years have proven that, as far as this franchise is concerned, we shouldn’t be too hasty to get our hopes up. Final Fantasy XIV had a super badass trailer too, you know.
Nice article & nicely said that’s exactly how I feel agree with everything.
What happened after Final Fantasy X, you ask? Easy, that was Sakaguchi-sans last involvement with the series. His resignation fine Squaresodt due to The Spirits Within flopping led to the the ultimate demise of SE.
Well, since it is just rumor, I’m going to keep on thinking that it’s not cancelled. I don’t think Square-Enix would not say anything about a cancellation like this. Specifically, there will be interviews and people will ask questions regarding Versus, and I believe Square is pretty vocal about things even if people may not like them.
Sounds like you are just another idiot that fell for another PS3 advertisement overhyping a game that in the end doesn’t deliver on its promise. GT5, Agent, The Last Guardian, etc, etc all say hi as well!
God, that title scared me there for a second. Glad it’s just rumours.
I hope they’re not true. I bet they’ve been made by other angry fans, baiting SE to move forward with the project and give us an update.
I am really looking forward to this game.
Oh, and the rumours came from Kotaku? Well those c*nts post bullsh*t all the time. I don’t believe anything that comes from that site. I’ve seen too many lies from them.
Well if this is indeed true, the morons over at Square Enix have now miraculously through their sheer incompetence made Bioware look like gods. What kind of a fucking era are we entering into? The era of suited morons and bad decisions? Bode fucking well for humanity. What’s funnier is that this ain’t a thing specific to the gaming industry, we see this crap in everything from the film industry to world politics.
And to think I read an article about people getting smarter by the year, yeah that’s bullshit if ever.
Maybe I should get into game development and just get a damned company, cause from the looks of it anyone here with half a brain would be fucking gods by now.
Bravo on writing a retarded article based off a false kotaku rumor
Seriously, Bravo
I hope you dont get the hits, this article is obviously for.
neogaf mod, and a real square insider who has been RIGHT, unlike kotaku who only says things like valyrie profile 3 are in dev are never right
Versus will be shown and DATED at tgs
Square hasnt made good games this gen?
front mission 2089
kingdom hearts BBS
valkyrie profile covenant
ff tactics advance 2
the world ends with you
dragon quest IX
chaos rings
and more
tell you to fuck off
Hm… Of those, I only really enjoyed TWEWY and DQIX. Haven’t played Chaos Rings, though (just got an iPhone a couple months ago).
I think the bigger issue is they’ve produced three main-series Final Fantasy games this gen (wait, does FFXIII-2 count as main series?) and, of them, only one has been even kinda-sorta good.
Making judgments based on rumors which are likely false? Seen how the latest reports are that versus XIII is alive and will be at TGS.
To the author:
Canceling this game might be a GREAT decision. Just b/c it disappoints you doesn’t mean it won’t be smarter in the long run.
Tanto you must be biased towards the games you’ve mentioned. Only two of those games at best have been truly good games KHBBS and The world ends with you. The others were just there (my thoughts are supported through website and user reviews for these games).
I think you also miss the point the author was making; comparing SE runs with the PSone and PS2 to this generation(specifically FF games). He has pointed out that on the net is this is just a rumour of the cancellation of Versus, but it strenghtens his claims that the FF franchise for this generation has not made the cut and I whole-heartly agree with the author. I’ve been playing JRPG’s since the late 80′s my first three were Phantasy Star,the orginal FF and Dragon Warrior and in the past 20 years or so I’ve never seen a lack of disinterest from Japanese games companies to make AAA RPG’s especially from SE. They make a ton of side games on the DS and PSP to make money but where are the big AAA budget games for the main systems of this generation. I mean come on BBS was a great game but what’s with all the bs nintendo portable side games Kingdom Hearts II came out over 7 years ago and they aren’t even developing III yet!!
I said this before on many sites Square Enix has fallen the way of Activision and EA, releasing sub-par games under the banner of franchise tags with the sole focus of game sales and not the quality. Names me one good SE game this generation on the major platforms (360 or Ps3)??
I personally liked the article. It speaks as a fans testament to the Final Fantasy series and how it’s degraded severely over time. Everyone knows that the PS1 and PS2 era of Final Fantasy games are what built the legion of FF fans in the first place. If you take those games out of history, (remove them completely) and pretend that these were the first Final Fantasy games ever made, the series would have flopped and the devs would have moved on to a new series. But FF devs are riding the wave of past successes and that’s what’s keeping them afloat. I personally believe that the rumor of it’s cancellation was started to prompt Square into confirming the game/details/release. I also firmly believe that if the game doesn’t get cancelled, it will not see a release date until the release of PS4 (whenever that may be).
I remember how disappointed I was to spend so many years at the launch of PS3 without a Final Fantasy game. With as long as this has been in development, it will surely be released as a PS4 launch title, not before, bolstering both the system sales and the series sales.
replace over rated games with more over rated games!
uncharted sucks have fun platforming then shooter a few people to platform again.
FF 13-2 wasn’t good but it wasn’t bad either, worth the $15 I paid for it.
Another overhyped PlayStation exclusive that doesn’t deliver. What else is new.
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SE Officially denied the rumor and had a meeting recently talking about it. Sure its true they are keeping things under wraps but dont go grabbing straws over false information. If its anyone I’ve lost faith in, its f**king kotaku and their ‘perfect’ scores.