I hate Square
Jan. 8th, 2008 11:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
croikApparently they hate me, too.
I'm still nowhere near understanding their thought process. They have the Ivalice games: Tactics, Vagrant Story, FFXII… They're different than normal Final Fantasy games. They attract a different kind of fan and they offer a different kind of experience. So why is it that Square INSISTS on trying to make the Ivalice games more like normal FF games!?
Like FFVII. FFVII has been a lot of different things lately: and RPG, a movie, an action game, etc. But the theme of FFVII (emo boys with crazy hair angsting) has always remained intact. Square would never take FFVII and remove the pretty boy angst to be replaced with complicated political and religious controversy. So why the hell do they think replacing Ivalice's political drama with emotional tween crap is a good idea!? WHY!?
The latest culprit: FFXII Revenant Wings. I went into it expecting it to be to XII what FFTA was to FFT, and I wasn't wrong: RW is a watered down, cheap, childish version of a great game. Everything that was good about XII they removed and everything that could have been fixed from XII was passed over or ignored completely. Everything a sequel could have explained or built on was tossed by the roadside. It's like they don't even know what it was about XII that people liked (those of us that did). Those things being:
-NO CHEAP TEENAGE ROMANCE. Can't emphasize that enough. Tired of that, seriously.
-A political storyline based on simple but very human characters.
-A huge world map to explore
-Completely free customizability of abilities
-Efficient and extensive gambit system.
So of course when Square decides to have a sequel, they have to throw in:
-Cheap teenage romance that isn't even fully realized (unless there's some A+ ending I missed - EDIT: there is a secret ending I missed, but I'm too mad at the game to finish it just yet)
-Flakey, predictable storyline full of every cliché fantasy moral in the book. Don't forget, nothing is as strong as the power of friendship! *gag*
-Tiny, often-repeated maps.
-Fixed and unbalanced customization (why do you need four ranged fighters, but only two melee and two flying?)
-Stupid clunky unreliable gambit system. (I would often set Penelo's gambit to Raise, but if everyone was in a sprite mosh pit at that point - which was often the case - and she had to actually walk around someone in order to do it…she wouldn't. If I told Basch to fight a Lamia a few steps away, but he was blocked by a Golem or something, he would just stand there like a moron. And half the time you couldn't see him standing there like a moron, because of aforementioned mosh pit. GREAT JOB A.I.).
Not to mention the characterization was all shot to hell. It's like everyone is *gasp* simplified versions of themselves! Though the really baffling thing was Kytes.
Kytes was in XII. He had a few lines of dialogue--I remember! He was a slacker and an adventurer, just like Vaan. He was blonde and half naked, just like Vaan. So why in RW is a fully clothed brunette sissy!? Who studies magic?? Kytes had like 3 lines and a 1 dimensional personality in XII, and they STILL screwed him up. Poor Basch and Balthier never stood a chance.
I can't imagine that anyone who played and enjoyed FFXII would like this sequel. I can't imagine that anyone who didn't play FFXII would want to play a direct sequel anyway. The only people I can imagine liking this game are those that 1) Don't give a shit about the story and just want to play a silly sprite RTS or 2) Played FFXII and didn't like it, and spent the whole time wishing Vaan and Penelo would fall in love and give birth to cheesy depthless nonsense.
I mean…no offense if you like it, just…I don't understand how it is that you do. Seriously, was there anything to like about RW!? I can only think of one thing off the top of my head, and that's Leviathan's *adorable* wave-pushing animation. Seriously, he was so cute.
But all the returning characters were cardboard cutouts, and the only new character had a story-built excuse to not have characterization. That's a bad sign right there! And then the villain of course was your typical wishy washy doesn't understand the true meaning of love wanker. "It's better to feel the bad emotions along with the good rather than to not feel good emotions at all" YES WE GET IT, THAT PLOT HAS BEEN USED ENOUGH, PLEASE STOP IT!!!
And now for the spoilers~~ (FFXII and RW)
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space because Sil might be reading this
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The really depressing thing, though, is that a FFXII sequel didn't have to be a bad idea. There were a lot of areas where XII could have been improved, issues that still needed resolving. Character depth to be explored. People have told me that XII didn't focus on character, and that's just bullshit - XII didn't focus on your typical wangst-fest characterization with every individual having a little side mission, no. But they're lovely characters with a lot that could have been done with them. Potential that was never utilized.
I liked Vaan. I had hoped while playing XII that Vaan would get one moment to shine, one really important action that would solidify him as the protagonist. That didn't really happen, which is why RW pushed him into the head role so insistently. And I would have been glad to see that done properly - I always thought that there had to be something special about Vaan if only because he was able to see the Occuria's visions like Ashe was, when no one else could. I thought maybe the Occuria had a plan for him, too. But that's not touched on at all in XII or in RW, when there was plenty of opportunity for it. Instead in RW we get Vaan giving half-hearted speeches to 10 year olds spurring them to battle. Ugh.
I liked Basch. The end of XII almost took the wind out of me when I first saw it - how hard it must have been for Basch to finally save his kingdom, only to be caught up in an obligation to his brother that pulls him away from it! When he shows up in RW it's like nothing's changed, despite the fact that he's been living as a Judge Magister for the past year, pretending to be his dead brother…! Has that affected him at all? A little acknowledgement would be nice!! INSTEAD we get a 2 second scene where Basch tells us he's more or less gotten over the war. Wow, that was so insightful, thank you RW.
Not to mention, Ashe rules Dalmasca now. Could we maybe…hear anything about that? No? Okay, moving on.
And damnit I liked Balthier. I liked that he and Ashe had a strange kind of relationship that was completely buggered over in RW (not romance, though I wouldn't mind if it were). I liked that he and Fran shared an unspoken trust (which is included in RW but not highlighted). I liked that he received virtually NO closure concerning his father (father complex ftw - also not an issue in RW). And I liked that for some reason he chose to remain "dead" to his friends for a full year, without explanation or remorse.
When Ashe and Basch show up, they are (presumably) seeing Balthier and Fran alive for the first time in over a year, but no one says word one about their disappearance. Yeah, we all knew they weren't dead, but I wanted more than "LOL LET'S WATCH THE SUNSET FROM MY AIRSHIP, HIGHNESS." Something, ANYTHING that might have lived up to that strange kind of friendship they had.
Was any thought even put into the fact that Balthier chose to remain "dead" to his friends for a year, not even bothering to return for his airship in all that time? What did he and Fran do without a ship for over a year? Were they stuck in Bahamut? Did they wander around like idiots? Having crashed in the Westersand the only way they could have gone was back to Rabanastre or south to Jahara. Why would they intentionally avoid everyone like that for so long, and why doesn't RW even bother to begin explaining it?
I guess the answer is that RW kinda sucks. OOPS.
And now to get REALLY picky.
I'm glad that RW used a lot of XII's music. It was good music. But the fact that they didn't bother trying to remix any of it (just blared it through the crappy DS speakers) makes it seem really cheap. Other than the stuff they played in the cutscenes, I only noticed two tracks that were specific to RW, and at least one of them was just a slower version of one of the XII themes. But what really cheesed me was the map music, and there's a story behind the reason why!
The Cerobi Steppe theme is one of my favorites on the FFXII soundtrack. You come across that area right after the fights in Archades. After a long gaming session I stumbled out of Archades, most of my items gone, kind of wigging out after having to fight Dr. Cid and meeting Reddas and all of that entails, and I thought… I'll at least check out Ceropi, since it's there, before I stop for the day. So I did, and it was damn gorgeous. I caught it during one of the cycles just before/after the rain, where it's still cloudy but some sun still pokes through, and it was just so awesome looking out over the ocean with that simple, beautiful music playing, after having gone through all the frenzy of the boss fight before… Maybe I'd been playing for too long at that point, but I was in awe, seriously.
And then some kind of ring wyrm showed up and slaughtered us ;_;
In short, Cerobi Steppe holds a special place in my gaming memory. And then RW comes along and makes it the generic map music. I know it's a stupid reason to hate a game, but I can't help but be really irritated.
Despite all this…I'll probably still play FFTA2 once it's out. Maybe on rom, if it doesn't come out before my birthday--no way Square is getting another penny from me on faith! I expect it to be even worse than RW but I can't help but want to know everything there is to know about Ivalice canon, even if it pains me. I'm not ready to abandon it like I did FF7. Not yet…!!
Because damnit, I still love Ashley Riot <3
I'm still nowhere near understanding their thought process. They have the Ivalice games: Tactics, Vagrant Story, FFXII… They're different than normal Final Fantasy games. They attract a different kind of fan and they offer a different kind of experience. So why is it that Square INSISTS on trying to make the Ivalice games more like normal FF games!?
Like FFVII. FFVII has been a lot of different things lately: and RPG, a movie, an action game, etc. But the theme of FFVII (emo boys with crazy hair angsting) has always remained intact. Square would never take FFVII and remove the pretty boy angst to be replaced with complicated political and religious controversy. So why the hell do they think replacing Ivalice's political drama with emotional tween crap is a good idea!? WHY!?
The latest culprit: FFXII Revenant Wings. I went into it expecting it to be to XII what FFTA was to FFT, and I wasn't wrong: RW is a watered down, cheap, childish version of a great game. Everything that was good about XII they removed and everything that could have been fixed from XII was passed over or ignored completely. Everything a sequel could have explained or built on was tossed by the roadside. It's like they don't even know what it was about XII that people liked (those of us that did). Those things being:
-NO CHEAP TEENAGE ROMANCE. Can't emphasize that enough. Tired of that, seriously.
-A political storyline based on simple but very human characters.
-A huge world map to explore
-Completely free customizability of abilities
-Efficient and extensive gambit system.
So of course when Square decides to have a sequel, they have to throw in:
-Cheap teenage romance that isn't even fully realized (unless there's some A+ ending I missed - EDIT: there is a secret ending I missed, but I'm too mad at the game to finish it just yet)
-Flakey, predictable storyline full of every cliché fantasy moral in the book. Don't forget, nothing is as strong as the power of friendship! *gag*
-Tiny, often-repeated maps.
-Fixed and unbalanced customization (why do you need four ranged fighters, but only two melee and two flying?)
-Stupid clunky unreliable gambit system. (I would often set Penelo's gambit to Raise, but if everyone was in a sprite mosh pit at that point - which was often the case - and she had to actually walk around someone in order to do it…she wouldn't. If I told Basch to fight a Lamia a few steps away, but he was blocked by a Golem or something, he would just stand there like a moron. And half the time you couldn't see him standing there like a moron, because of aforementioned mosh pit. GREAT JOB A.I.).
Not to mention the characterization was all shot to hell. It's like everyone is *gasp* simplified versions of themselves! Though the really baffling thing was Kytes.
Kytes was in XII. He had a few lines of dialogue--I remember! He was a slacker and an adventurer, just like Vaan. He was blonde and half naked, just like Vaan. So why in RW is a fully clothed brunette sissy!? Who studies magic?? Kytes had like 3 lines and a 1 dimensional personality in XII, and they STILL screwed him up. Poor Basch and Balthier never stood a chance.
I can't imagine that anyone who played and enjoyed FFXII would like this sequel. I can't imagine that anyone who didn't play FFXII would want to play a direct sequel anyway. The only people I can imagine liking this game are those that 1) Don't give a shit about the story and just want to play a silly sprite RTS or 2) Played FFXII and didn't like it, and spent the whole time wishing Vaan and Penelo would fall in love and give birth to cheesy depthless nonsense.
I mean…no offense if you like it, just…I don't understand how it is that you do. Seriously, was there anything to like about RW!? I can only think of one thing off the top of my head, and that's Leviathan's *adorable* wave-pushing animation. Seriously, he was so cute.
But all the returning characters were cardboard cutouts, and the only new character had a story-built excuse to not have characterization. That's a bad sign right there! And then the villain of course was your typical wishy washy doesn't understand the true meaning of love wanker. "It's better to feel the bad emotions along with the good rather than to not feel good emotions at all" YES WE GET IT, THAT PLOT HAS BEEN USED ENOUGH, PLEASE STOP IT!!!
And now for the spoilers~~ (FFXII and RW)
space
space
space because Sil might be reading this
space
The really depressing thing, though, is that a FFXII sequel didn't have to be a bad idea. There were a lot of areas where XII could have been improved, issues that still needed resolving. Character depth to be explored. People have told me that XII didn't focus on character, and that's just bullshit - XII didn't focus on your typical wangst-fest characterization with every individual having a little side mission, no. But they're lovely characters with a lot that could have been done with them. Potential that was never utilized.
I liked Vaan. I had hoped while playing XII that Vaan would get one moment to shine, one really important action that would solidify him as the protagonist. That didn't really happen, which is why RW pushed him into the head role so insistently. And I would have been glad to see that done properly - I always thought that there had to be something special about Vaan if only because he was able to see the Occuria's visions like Ashe was, when no one else could. I thought maybe the Occuria had a plan for him, too. But that's not touched on at all in XII or in RW, when there was plenty of opportunity for it. Instead in RW we get Vaan giving half-hearted speeches to 10 year olds spurring them to battle. Ugh.
I liked Basch. The end of XII almost took the wind out of me when I first saw it - how hard it must have been for Basch to finally save his kingdom, only to be caught up in an obligation to his brother that pulls him away from it! When he shows up in RW it's like nothing's changed, despite the fact that he's been living as a Judge Magister for the past year, pretending to be his dead brother…! Has that affected him at all? A little acknowledgement would be nice!! INSTEAD we get a 2 second scene where Basch tells us he's more or less gotten over the war. Wow, that was so insightful, thank you RW.
Not to mention, Ashe rules Dalmasca now. Could we maybe…hear anything about that? No? Okay, moving on.
And damnit I liked Balthier. I liked that he and Ashe had a strange kind of relationship that was completely buggered over in RW (not romance, though I wouldn't mind if it were). I liked that he and Fran shared an unspoken trust (which is included in RW but not highlighted). I liked that he received virtually NO closure concerning his father (father complex ftw - also not an issue in RW). And I liked that for some reason he chose to remain "dead" to his friends for a full year, without explanation or remorse.
When Ashe and Basch show up, they are (presumably) seeing Balthier and Fran alive for the first time in over a year, but no one says word one about their disappearance. Yeah, we all knew they weren't dead, but I wanted more than "LOL LET'S WATCH THE SUNSET FROM MY AIRSHIP, HIGHNESS." Something, ANYTHING that might have lived up to that strange kind of friendship they had.
Was any thought even put into the fact that Balthier chose to remain "dead" to his friends for a year, not even bothering to return for his airship in all that time? What did he and Fran do without a ship for over a year? Were they stuck in Bahamut? Did they wander around like idiots? Having crashed in the Westersand the only way they could have gone was back to Rabanastre or south to Jahara. Why would they intentionally avoid everyone like that for so long, and why doesn't RW even bother to begin explaining it?
I guess the answer is that RW kinda sucks. OOPS.
And now to get REALLY picky.
I'm glad that RW used a lot of XII's music. It was good music. But the fact that they didn't bother trying to remix any of it (just blared it through the crappy DS speakers) makes it seem really cheap. Other than the stuff they played in the cutscenes, I only noticed two tracks that were specific to RW, and at least one of them was just a slower version of one of the XII themes. But what really cheesed me was the map music, and there's a story behind the reason why!
The Cerobi Steppe theme is one of my favorites on the FFXII soundtrack. You come across that area right after the fights in Archades. After a long gaming session I stumbled out of Archades, most of my items gone, kind of wigging out after having to fight Dr. Cid and meeting Reddas and all of that entails, and I thought… I'll at least check out Ceropi, since it's there, before I stop for the day. So I did, and it was damn gorgeous. I caught it during one of the cycles just before/after the rain, where it's still cloudy but some sun still pokes through, and it was just so awesome looking out over the ocean with that simple, beautiful music playing, after having gone through all the frenzy of the boss fight before… Maybe I'd been playing for too long at that point, but I was in awe, seriously.
And then some kind of ring wyrm showed up and slaughtered us ;_;
In short, Cerobi Steppe holds a special place in my gaming memory. And then RW comes along and makes it the generic map music. I know it's a stupid reason to hate a game, but I can't help but be really irritated.
Despite all this…I'll probably still play FFTA2 once it's out. Maybe on rom, if it doesn't come out before my birthday--no way Square is getting another penny from me on faith! I expect it to be even worse than RW but I can't help but want to know everything there is to know about Ivalice canon, even if it pains me. I'm not ready to abandon it like I did FF7. Not yet…!!
Because damnit, I still love Ashley Riot <3
