You’re right, of course. Indie devs with passion are still putting out some great stuff.
My ire was much more for the AAA studios, which seem to have tossed out all the talent and vision that brought them to the top.
I mean, I was Ride or Die with Square Enix for decades, when they were different companies. After 16, I think I’m just done with new Final Fantasy games altogether. Fuck you guys, imma go play 6, 8, and 9.
To be honest I think Final Fantasy might be a bad example. FF16 feeling so weird and being so divisive isn’t because it’s AAA slop, it’s because they always experiment with something in each entry.
This time, they experimented with doing a dark, gritty and punishing word that had basically no levity in it. Even your home base had nothing but NPCs either being quietly depressed or LOUDLY depressed, emphasis on the loud. There was nowhere to go where you could take an emotional break from the impending end of the world. Every chapter of the story up until the very final cutscene did nothing but make the world more depressing.
Rebirth proves that they can create a world that feels massive but not empty, that they can create a gritty story without being emotionally oppressive, and that they can create a game that feels like the classics but in the modern age.
I don’t believe the source material is the only reason they made Rebirth as good as it is. Yes, they knew they couldn’t fuck this one up or else it was the end as a relevant company, but if they had truly lost their soul, they wouldn’t have been able to rise to meet that challenge.
In other words; I won’t write off new FF games unless FF16 becomes the template rather than an experiment I personally choose not to replay.
I don’t play AAA games anymore (haven’t in years) but I still feel somewhat sympathetic to their plight. What has happened to them is the same thing that happened in the music industry and the film industry and a long time ago in the book publishing industry.
The marketplace is too crowded with quality stuff and so it’s extremely difficult to compete with what’s already out there. The only real answer is to take massive risks and hope you can hit a home run. Unfortunately, AAA studios just like big movie studios aren’t set up to take risks anymore. They’re set up to spend a huge amount of money on a project that’s supposed to be guaranteed to succeed. Indies can survive more easily in this space because they’re small so they can take more risks.
It’s like the dinosaurs after the asteroid impact. The big ones are dying off and the tiny ones are surviving and will eventually become birds. Or something I dunno!
Anytime I see FF6 mentioned, I have to refer that person to view Ethra. I’m super stoked to play this game. it’s the sprite style game I’ve wanted for a while. octopath was fun but I dunno…this game looks amazing.
You’re right, of course. Indie devs with passion are still putting out some great stuff.
My ire was much more for the AAA studios, which seem to have tossed out all the talent and vision that brought them to the top.
I mean, I was Ride or Die with Square Enix for decades, when they were different companies. After 16, I think I’m just done with new Final Fantasy games altogether. Fuck you guys, imma go play 6, 8, and 9.
To be honest I think Final Fantasy might be a bad example. FF16 feeling so weird and being so divisive isn’t because it’s AAA slop, it’s because they always experiment with something in each entry.
This time, they experimented with doing a dark, gritty and punishing word that had basically no levity in it. Even your home base had nothing but NPCs either being quietly depressed or LOUDLY depressed, emphasis on the loud. There was nowhere to go where you could take an emotional break from the impending end of the world. Every chapter of the story up until the very final cutscene did nothing but make the world more depressing.
Rebirth proves that they can create a world that feels massive but not empty, that they can create a gritty story without being emotionally oppressive, and that they can create a game that feels like the classics but in the modern age.
I don’t believe the source material is the only reason they made Rebirth as good as it is. Yes, they knew they couldn’t fuck this one up or else it was the end as a relevant company, but if they had truly lost their soul, they wouldn’t have been able to rise to meet that challenge.
In other words; I won’t write off new FF games unless FF16 becomes the template rather than an experiment I personally choose not to replay.
I don’t play AAA games anymore (haven’t in years) but I still feel somewhat sympathetic to their plight. What has happened to them is the same thing that happened in the music industry and the film industry and a long time ago in the book publishing industry.
The marketplace is too crowded with quality stuff and so it’s extremely difficult to compete with what’s already out there. The only real answer is to take massive risks and hope you can hit a home run. Unfortunately, AAA studios just like big movie studios aren’t set up to take risks anymore. They’re set up to spend a huge amount of money on a project that’s supposed to be guaranteed to succeed. Indies can survive more easily in this space because they’re small so they can take more risks.
It’s like the dinosaurs after the asteroid impact. The big ones are dying off and the tiny ones are surviving and will eventually become birds. Or something I dunno!
YES! 6 ftw
Anytime I see FF6 mentioned, I have to refer that person to view Ethra. I’m super stoked to play this game. it’s the sprite style game I’ve wanted for a while. octopath was fun but I dunno…this game looks amazing.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2177510/EthrA/