5 Games That Prove Final Fantasy Has Become Nothing More Than A Cash Cow

Exemplifies - Making Remakes For The Sake Of It

A couple of years ago, Square-Enix received great acclaim for the release of remastered versions of Final Fantasies X and X-2, which became the first titles from the series' 'Playstation era' to be properly remade.

All eyes have subsequently turned to the upcoming remake of Final Fantasy VII, which obviously has potential to be spectacular if it emulates the experience of the original game but is being cynically perceived as nothing more than a cash cow by many given that its release will be an episodic one.

The release of these would indicate that Square-Enix are now actively going down the path of remaking titles from their most successful period, which is something they've resisted doing for years. Previously, it has only been Final Fantasies I through VI, originally released for the NES/SNES, that have been given the remake treatment. There have been so many of these for so many different platforms, however, that it's difficult to keep track of them all.

Some of these remakes have merely been upscaled ports of the originals (with or without new content), whilst some have been rebuilt from the ground up. The latter has resulted in both acclaimed releases, such as the Nintendo DS versions of Final Fantasies III and IV, and atrocities, such as the smartphone versions of various titles, most notably Final Fantasy VI, that have popped up in the last few years.

Though the game has been redeveloped to be touch-screen compatible, it's clear that Square Enix have been rushing the release of these games onto the Apple/Google Play stores without even a fraction of the care that was given to curating the Final Fantasy X and X-2 remakes.

Nowhere is this clearer than in the game's graphics, which although redone in places to give them a new 'cutesy' overall feel, have just been stretched and copy/pasted in a number of places, to the chagrin of eagle-eyed spotters.

Final Fantasy VI has always been and remains one of the greatest games of all time, even on a phone, but it's painful to see such a wonderfully-crafted piece of art treated with such disdain by its creators just to milk a growing market for all that its worth.