Final Fantasy XV may not even land for another few years, but after Final Fantasy XIII, XIII-2 and XIV, Square Enix really need to step up their game to make XV the best Final Fantasy yet! Below is a list of five things Square need to do to win back Final Fantasy players hearts!
So here we go:
1. The Return of the Job System
I loved the job system in Final Fantasy and never really understood why Square removed it. It gave you much more freedom to do what you wanted with the characters but add improvements, not just simply choose a job but assign skill tree’s within that job. For example a ‘Black Mage’ learns spells mostly to do with elements such as Fire, Water and Lighting. Earning XP and levelling would allow you to choose the elemental path you wish to follow. If you want to be predominately a ‘Fire Mage’ then upgrade the ‘Fire’ skill tree.
Doing this will allow players to have more freedom with their characters and classes. But also once you change the character’s job you would be given the option to carry over some of the weaker skills from the current class to the new selected class. E.g. swapping from a ‘Black Mage’ to a ‘Ranger’ the character could still use some of the basic skills he/she learned from the ‘Black Mage’ class, such as the Fire, Thunder spells, but would be weaker and cost more Magic Points. It would kind of be like multi-classing, only the previous class is significantly weaker than before, but the option is not mandatory, so if you dislike a class and it’s skills or would find them useless you can choose not to carry them over.
Likewise if you suddenly find the skills you have carried over are now useless you can choose a ‘Forget’ option which would remove the skill/skill’s from the character.
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31 Comments
Agree !!! Another thing that can be including in the little things is having actual secret areas that are hard to access and a ridiculous hidden boss. I miss things like weapons from vii, omega from viii, ozma from ix and those damn annoying dark aeons :@:@ lol. I personally enjoyed xiii and xiii-2 but they were so easy :(
Dark Aeons! Aw, I miss those! I remember how fustrated I got trying to beat Dark Bahumut! And I second your idea! Secret area’s and ridiculously hard bosses! I love when games present a really hard challenge!
I did also really enjoy both XIII and XIII-2. But yes they were way too easy! I believe I beat the end boss in under 10 minutes! I was quite disappointed!
Materia. FF 7 weapon and magic system is still my favorite. Job system for sure as well.
it kinda sounds like the author has only played final fantasy 13, and maybe a touch of some early ones :P
i wouldnt mind materia again sometime, but i think the job system like in 3 would be awesome. or maybe take a jobless approach like number 2 again. while 10 was well done, the idea of characters having but one class could mess up the game easily. also, i really like keeping the same party all the way through. 7 was phenomenal, but i generally like ones like the first three where its just one set of characters (though all the guests in 2 were sometimes annoying)
but as long as the game isnt as hard to get into as 8, or have the movies and plot line of 13 (as mentioned) i’ll buy it, and probably still like it.
I don’t consider myself a Final Fantasy “expert,” I have only played 1, 7, 8, 9, X, 2/3 of X-2, XII, and tactics. But what they really need is something NEW, INNOVATIVE. Think of each of the games, (I’ll be using the ones I have played for my reference…) 7 had the materia system and was really cutting edge for ps-x. 8 had the draw system and card games. 9 had chocobo digging. 10 had blitzball, cmon, I spent hours alone playing blitzball. 12 is my personal favorite for combat and weapon customization, and the hunt quests were fun as well. So many people want something from their past. I want something new, something that hasn’t been thought of yet. Something that makes me want to pay money to play it, not just because it’s there, but because it’s fun.
From what I’ve heard and read, 14 was a major let down, so I am optimistic Square-Enix will deliver something great.
And if not, I can still keep waiting for Suikoden VI…….>:(
I agree that the story needs to be a lot better. the towns need to be better. The stores need to have armor,Shilds,Helmets,Boots,arlets and weaopons and stuff. I don’t care if they use the class system or not although I didn’t mind it. I liked the final fantasy 7 and 8 systems best. A lot of people did not like 8 but I thought it was pretty cool also 7 had a nice sytem. Fix the battle system and the story and towns plus a good friend betrays u or is in danger and a love story snd you got a game.
That was a good brainstorming session, Ryan. Personally, I would expand upon the “little things” and have Square revamp their musical approach. Music plays a big part in my gaming experience, which is why I hold Final Fantasy and Castlevania in such high esteem.
I miss the feel of the old soundtracks Square (Uematsu) used to crank out for FF 4, 6 (GOAT IMO), and 7. They were both catchy and engrossing, able to weather the test of time, and possessed barely a weak spot at all. In short, they were complete albums (at least from a video gaming perspective). I think as Square embraced more sophisticated 3D graphics, they felt the need to update the sound and make it more grand and epic to suit the visuals. Sometimes, this formula works, but compared to the earlier soundtracks, the newer ones just don’t have that unanimous addictive quality and staying power. Aligning the new musical scores with earlier FFs won’t make or break the series, but it wouldn’t hurt.
What I think that Final Fantasy XV should have, is a MASSIVE environment, much like Oblivion and Skyrim, but EVEN LARGER :D
And the game I love the most in the series, is FF X, with all the side quests, hidden areas, and that really hard boss (Don’t remember what he’s called, but I hear you usually have to fight him for at least 1 hour, with almost maxed out characters)
But I agree on all of the suggestions from the author, except for the darker environment. It’s cool if it’s war and something like that, but in my eyes, Final Fantasy is a bright game-series, with everything I personally love, magic, fantasy worlds, monsters, sword fights and other melee styles, guns, bows, to say short; everything in Final Fantasy is what I love.
But Square Enix have to look back on what they have done before, I liked XIII, but I think it got a bit boring after I completed it the first time… And I played X 4-5 times, and have still not completed everything in the game.
Seeing a lot of hate for FFXIII, which just so happened to be my favourite (Although I haven’t played either VII or IV – aparently the 2 best.) I’ll admit, there was a little too much cheese, but it’s still nowhere near as bad as X was (those cutscenes were actually terrible.) I’ve never been one for the whole side-quest thing but it might be nice to have side-quests that actually mean something. It’s always been about the story for me, and I enjoyed XIII’s linear gameplay, but as long as the side-quests add to the story I’m keen. The whole good vs. evil thing has to go. Let’s see a group thrown together that all have morally gray regions, let the player decide who they think is good and who’s bad. The stereotypical group, “Strong serious leader” “Happy young girl” “Distressed damsel/ love intrest” etc, etc, should now become athing of the past. Lastly, the battle system, I did like XIII’s, more than any of the other’s I’ve played anyway. But there was still a lot more that could be done for it – I’ll leave that one open to square-enix though. I hope we get some news on XV soon, excited to see what they put together this time.
I’ve played every final fantasy from 1 – 13-2, with the exception of the two MMO’s… I even played mystic quest when it came out (man was that one bad) – the thing that all of the great FF titles have in common is, like the Op suggested, the storyline. The problem with the recent ones, however, isn’t particularly lack of depth, imho, it’s the character choices squeenix has been making. STOP, for the love of god, STOP making half the characters whiney little 14 year old emo bitches! STOP IT!! 12 was particularly horrific in that respect – I don’t at all mind the mechanics of 12, but i have to skip the cut scenes when I’m playing it because they piss me off so much.
FF 6 and 7, to us old school gamers, were (arguably) the best two games in the series, followed closely by 5 and 8, and none of them had thinly veiled attempts to appeal to the 12 year old gamer crowd (…well …. moogles…). You started to see hints of an issue in 9; 10 came along and was pretty good, then 10-2 hit and everything went to hell. Even young gamers anymore are mature enough to deal with adult themes – I’m not saying the game should have an M rating, just knock it off with the cutesey pie &*%# already!
Stop worrying about the graphics, Square Enix! Bring back the job system, the amazing storyline and characters, the endless customization and drop the future retro feel- it makes me sick.
I want a good old fashion, in-depth, medieval times Final Fantasy.
To rek: Squall and Cloud were both brooding emo you opinion is void.
My fav (and I have played all but 7) was 8 for leveling system. Plot wise 8 was really weak. I really liked both 10 and 10-2 battle systems as well at 13 and 13-2. A kind of battle system that has choose-able jobs, lets you change characters mid battle (or leader), maybe an “auto” fight for the basic battles (training) with a better system for boss battles. As for plot, just don’t leave any plot holes that a truck can drive though would be nice, I’m a sucker for a good story (maybe even a little romance.)
Nice brainstorm I agree with a lot of it. My personal favorites were FFT ,FFIX, FFVI, FFV, FFXII and FFIV. (Lol don’t worry I still really love VII) I loved the formula of these games and think SE should look back at some of these ideas and expand on them.
FFT- Best story and dioaluge. Loved the job class system. Probably the most intellegent game in the series imo.
FFIX- Wonderful story and heart felt characters. Great build up and cutscenes. Probably my favorite soundtrack as well.
FFXII- Tied with IX imo when it comes to the cast. Amazing open world and visuals. Tons of hours of side quests to do. Great battle system. Mature scripting and doesn’t swirve off into a cliche. I also really liked Vaan (yes one of the few) He wasn’t a tragic hero but rather a dreamer with a strong head on his shoulders willing to fight for what he believed in. He should remind the player of themselves because he is a normal person who took a large step and made a difference and in the end his dream came true.
These are just some examples I have. While I wasn’t a huge fan of X (sorry guys I think it’s overrated), X-2, XIII or XIII-2, I still think SE can redeem itself to it’s old fanbase if they put their hearts into it.
Man, i would like them to bring back the upgrade mode on VIII really just loved putting magic together like curaga for hp and such and i really loved the battlemode in VIII, still on VIII i loved we really tried to find rare bosses like “behemoth”? dont remember the name i think? :) anyway XIII-2 i was to confused with all the time traveling, find artifacts and the worst part i meen was getting the core god damn i used a long time, i love VIII most but 9-10 is okey sry bot been to long since i played 7 so really dont wanne bring my opinion on it. sry for my bad english
There’s one thing EVERYBODY is missing out. THE VICTORY FANFARE!
My favourite FFs are 9 and 12. 13 was terrible after playing 12! From 9 I liked the characters/story/setting/and the skill learning from armour. From 12 I liked pretty much everything (except for the camera which you couldn’t change the invert.)
I like the idea of the job system being in 15 but this could, in theory, take stuff away from the story/character development.
I also like the way the victory fanfare would play when a BIG battle had been won rather than all the time in 12.
The battles in FFs seem to be getting easier and easier so I think it requires difficulties (automatic actions in battle is NOT fun. ‘what should I do now?’ “x” ‘now?’ “x” … :-S
Most of these comments just sound a lot like final fantasy 12 except for the job system which I would really like to see but I do agree I would love to see square return to some of there more classic and original designs and move away from the more common games of today to bring back the real ff games that we know and love!!!
Bring back the espers, ff 3 (US) ff 6 in Japan
I must agree to points 3 to 4 but 1 and 2?
Well I must confess I hated the battle system in FFXIII. For me it was too fast and I couldnt really see the animations or the flow of the battle the only thing you could do is pressing the x button^^.
As for the Jobsystem I dont think that it has a place in the future FF.
For example we take your kind of story than I want to see unique lookin characters with prequisited classes to make the character realistic. I dont want to see a mage character after an change with a big heavy blade ;).
So yeah I agree to 3 and 4 but I want to see an overdone battlesystem, maby a slower one^^, and some unique characters with original names not like “snow” and “lightning” :)
It s my opinion after all but fell free to comment.
good day.
Dude… Instead of nerd ranting on and on about a hypothetical video game, why don’t you just say FF7 remake? Boom, done!
FFXV should be
7+8+T+ Dissidia
I think the golden age of Final Fantasy was VII, VIII, IX, and X. one of the things they all had in common (also something they kind of ditched in the last few botched FF games) is a love story between the main character and another. they can’t just set it to the side, or make a connection between two other characters, it’s not real enough. I think it’s essential.
I would have to disagree. I think we could do without the High School love drama that FFVIII and FFX brought. I think IV and IX did a good job on it but still, I would prefer it to be professional like Balthier and Fran if we must have it.
Don’t specifically agree with any of these. You have some decent ideas, but toward the “end” of each, it falls flat. Specifically, I think your idea about having more side quests than 13 provided is an excellent idea(such as Chocobo racing and raising for example).
However, I was never one to enjoy the occasionally complex Job System. To their own games(Tactics and Tactics Advanced) they were a great idea, however to a main FF game, I don’t believe it would work out too well. Too many times I ended up having to buy more units in FFT due to messing my current/previous ones up.
I do agree on bringing back full party control, though I dislike the idea of switching the party during combat, and a “Team Attack” as that would leave your whole party unable to move while the enemy(often in haste) obliterates you.
Your civil war idea could have it’s benefits, but it generally fits under the same lines of the previous Final Fantasy’s. One group suddenly realizes it would be “better” to go against the other group’s plans and eventually is defeated due to the “hero” group always winning.
Changing entire armor set designs? It would be interesting, however would take much longer to code, and even more-so to do properly(there’d be more glitches than you could stand pre-patch).
Lastly, the problem with “listening to the players” is that everyone’s opinions are different. Likely 80% of the Final Fantasy fan-base on the western side of the world would LOVE to see a more mature story. Yet, those on the eastern side of the world tend more toward immature games due to their target audience.
It isn’t about bringing back the greats, it isn’t about making enormous changes that’ll turn Final Fantasy into something it’s never been. Square needs to stick to their roots(which I agree with) and stop trying to violently change their games settings. Though I’ve never played FF12, or any before 7, the change between FF10 and FF13 is so drastic it’s nearly impossible to believe the same company designed them.
Bring back initiative, bring back the imagination behind the games. Let our minds drown in the vast plains and waters of mythology and lore. Bring back an actual story, rather than trying to make it overly realistic.
We don’t care as much about the graphics as we do the story, we don’t care as much about the voice acting as we do the character progression.
Sounds like the writer wants a love child of FF and DA:O. There are a lot of elements from older games that I would like to see but, I would settle for just a more open world and better story.
The thing that FF missed is not the likes or dislikes of the players , but its own world. I’m not talking about a planet , but , rather , a form of character act , think and live. Yeah , both futuristic and medieval times can be used. The thing missed is the unknow world that you expect to discover , we always try to reach new and different places , bosses , countries and kingdons .(and , if possible , empires engaged in conflicts).If we could decide what the character would do , the whole history could be more atractive. And be weak is just ridiculous. why have HP , TP , MP and summons limits? Why we can’t get more and more power and become near like a God? and why just 3 or 4 characters on the team , why not 7? or 8? use two characters for weak monsters and 7 for the bosses. yeah , more gigantic and godly Bosses make us fight with total force. auto-battle is useful and change characters on mid-battle is good. yeah , change weapon-armor and it affect the look is just very amazing. and the class can be used , if properly delivery. and the Major Bosses could leave to us more than experience , why not , their own power flowing on the veins of the characters? For me , emotion is needed , but melodramatic cutscenes are loss of time. And a powerful-beyond-limits villain causing rampage and conspiration , is always funny.
I’m sorry guys but have we all forgotten how we played those games when we were like 10. the thought we had to put into each action, how each characters story developed we got more engrossed in the character.
What may seem like a pointless point like a turn based system or a cheesy love story with a emotionally detached main character is actually the heart of the game.
vi epic story, vii a story that I will most likely tell my grandkids, viii people tend to not like it due to the complex time travel story. ix had bright characters that brought life into what was actually a dark setting, x had the story had a great idea on developing characters, nice tactics for a battle system, xii brought a vegrant story feel to the game with great story and open world.
I dont a want a skyrim knock off with a ff tag. dont want massive lands to explore with endless side quests, what I genuinely want is a original story like vi, vii, viii, ix and x. a airship I can actually fly a cheesy love triangle, bring weapon back, bring back turnbased combat or one where you actually have to think about your actions rather then time your button presses or something more innovative, hell I want to spend 40 hours in the northern creator grinding on magic pots for gil and exp >.<
we've become spoilt and lazy over the past years. I want to see my time played back in the 500-600 hours, not 12 hours with a 99% completion, I mean it ain't going to happen as the masses outnumber the people who agree with me and everyone now days wants a linear hack and slash and thats where the money is £40 on a game that will last you a week at max then become a dust collector.
graphics do have an effect but if it was that important why do alot of people still play rpgs from the 90s early 2000, hell i'm replaying vii, vagrant story, zelda and phantasy star ep I-II and on a hdtv they look like crap but still a million times better then any game released now days
my point games lack passion now days and thats what ff had way back when
Man the best final fantasy i ve played is the best game i ve ever played and its final fantasy x. I think that not just FF got boring but a lot of PS3/Xbox360 games, to tell the truth the best three games i ve played was FF x, persona 4 and resident evil 4, all of them for ps2.
In my opinion the games should be made with better graphics but without losing its fun, i really was disappointed when i realize that the games got boring.
Now with the PS4 an Xbox720 release I hope the games will be much better than the previous generation. :D
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I am a die hard Final Fantasy fan. I have played since I was 6 years old. The part that gets me is that I will continue to buy a Final Fantasy title no matter what… well maybe not 10-2.
Final Fantasy has let me down in a lot of ways, but at the same time I love a lot of things about every single game. Know what I am playing now? 13-2, FF3 on a SNES system. I don’t like 13′s battle system because it was a lot of button mashing, and with the linear storyline in both 13/13-2 I became very bored. At first it was like “I love this game, the graphics are awesome, and eventually it’ll be open world on disk 3 (xbox). This was a great way to pass the time, but in the end it just seemed horribly misleading, I saw a little piece of open world gaming, and then it was back to the same grind as before.
My idea for a FF title is simple. A group is gathered at a local bar. Crisis hits somewhere outside, and as the group looks at one another a small party is formed. That’s where you come in. You get to pick which 4 people you want to be in your party for the rest of the game. Does it have to be for the rest of the game? Hell no! Change it up! Meet a survivor and swap people in different destiny’s.
FF lacks decision making now a days. I want a sword that looks different. I want a gauntlet that actually changes the way my character looks (body army, helm, etc). I want a magic system that lets me mold a mage the way I want them to be, adding lightning to fire magic, or even gasoline to fire damage. Napalm you say? Imagine an FF title that literally let you change what the character looked like, how they acted and what they said. It’s these things that make up an RPG, and until they fully take our ideas to heart and do something with them, Bethesda has you beat.
Daniel