Third Time's a Charm?

Posted on Thursday 5th July 2012 at 19:48 by Death Penalty

Did you play FFXIII-2? Did you download Lightning's extra content? Did you feel a bit of a let-down at the conclusion of either, or, more tactfully, "a feeling of mystery and hope"? If you answered yes to these three questions, then you are unlike myself. But you are not alone! In a recent interview with Famitsu, FFXIII and FFXIII-2 director Motomu Toriyama agreed that FFXIII-2 leaves some loose ends, and he promised that we would be shown the meaning of this sometime in the not-so-distant future.

Could this mean more downloadable content? Could it mean a third installment in the FFXIII ? We couldn't possibly comment (though Kotaku certainly isn't above jumping to conclusions), but 'trilogy' certainly does have a lovely ring to it. Of course, there's also the possibility that these unanswered questions could somehow tie in to FF Versus XIII. Remember that game?

Toriyama also commented on fan complaints concerning the concept of having downloadable content in the first place, responding that including such material in the game proper would cause development times to go up. Not the most satisfying reply, but an accurate one I suppose.

In the same interview, Toriyama also admitted that FFX HD, unlike the mystery of FFXIII-2's ending, will not be made clear anytime soon, saying that "there is a lot to look into."

When asked about the Luminous engine, Toriyama explained that, while still in development, teams at Square Enix have begun planning for its use in the next generation of games. With the next generation not all that far off, this could very well be the reason why we've seen a bit of a dearth of new titles or information from the Japanese giant.

Source: andriasang, Kotaku

Posted in: Square-Enix News

Written by	Death Penalty
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Comments

Malevolence	Comment 1: 2012-07-05 19:56
	So he just came right out and said that they cut parts of XIII-2 because of development time and then sold it back to the fans? That's pretty terrible.
Death Penalty	Comment 2: 2012-07-06 04:26
	Quote (Malevolence @ 5th July 2012 15:56) So he just came right out and said that they cut parts of XIII-2 because of development time and then sold it back to the fans? That's pretty terrible. Well, not exactly, Mal, if I read this correctly. He said it was a reason that supported using downloadable content in the future despite the complaints against it. He didn't say that was happened specifically with FFXIII-2, though we certainly have reason to be suspicious given that SE was really trying to get FFXIII-2 released quickly. However, I feel like I remember SE stating early on that they wanted to experiment with using downloadable content in FFXIII-2. Regardless, yeah, it's a pretty weak excuse.
Neal	Comment 3: 2012-07-06 15:08
	None of the DLC really feels like it would fit well into the original storyline anyway, to be honest. I haven't bought any of it but would buy a third installment of the game as long as it had the length of the first two.
Del S	Comment 4: 2012-07-06 17:17
	FF13, a game that split the fanbase. FF13-2, a game that had sales reflecting that split and was hardly a blockbuster hit by the standards of the rest of the series. That doesn't really give a good sign for an FF13-3, does it? Regardless of your own stance on these games, you cannot deny: FF13 did not capture the imagination and the loyalty that FF7 did, which was what Square really wanted. Fine details about the actual games can be argued but the fact is, it's not another FF7. And look what happened with efforts to expand out FF7- Sold well, but VERY mixed responses from critics and fans. SE are marketing only to FF fans with the series, it seems, and this is a dangerous game. It might cause the money to roll in, but FF13-2's diminished sales over the predecessor should have been a warning. They seem to risk losing yet more of the long-term loyal fans, and seem to not have much of a strategy to get new ones at the moment. A third FF13 game is a significant gamble, especially while a pall of smoke from the blazing wreckage of FF14 still casts an ugly shadow over the whole brand name of the series.
Death Penalty	Comment 5: 2012-07-06 18:05
	Quote (Del S @ 6th July 2012 13:17) FF13, a game that split the fanbase. FF13-2, a game that had sales reflecting that split and was hardly a blockbuster hit by the standards of the rest of the series. That doesn't really give a good sign for an FF13-3, does it? Regardless of your own stance on these games, you cannot deny: FF13 did not capture the imagination and the loyalty that FF7 did, which was what Square really wanted. Fine details about the actual games can be argued but the fact is, it's not another FF7. And look what happened with efforts to expand out FF7- Sold well, but VERY mixed responses from critics and fans. SE are marketing only to FF fans with the series, it seems, and this is a dangerous game. It might cause the money to roll in, but FF13-2's diminished sales over the predecessor should have been a warning. They seem to risk losing yet more of the long-term loyal fans, and seem to not have much of a strategy to get new ones at the moment. A third FF13 game is a significant gamble, especially while a pall of smoke from the blazing wreckage of FF14 still casts an ugly shadow over the whole brand name of the series. There is never going to be another FFVII. There was one, it happened, it's over. Every game since FFVII and every game under the FF banner to come will divide fans of FFVII because of this fact; some people may like a certain newer FF better, others may perfer a different one, but you won't have the same body of people in total agreement about FFVII and any other titles (or any two given titles in general). That sounds like I'm being a bit snarky towards Del, and while I guess I kinda am, but more importantly I'm also agreeing with him. You can't, like Del said, keep marketing a series to the same group that bought the last one. Inevitably, like I said above, the 'fan base' is never going to agree. The term 'fan base', in this sense, is kinda bogus; sure, there are the fans that will buy the new FF game no matter what, but that number is much smaller than the number of people that dabble in the series, or really latched on to one particular title. There really is no 'fan base'. Have the FFXIII games brought on new fans? I'm sure they've brought in some at least. As many new fans as some of the previous entries in the series did? Probably not. Fewer people bought FFXIII-2 than FFXIII; that isn't surprising, it's the way that almost every direct series works. I imagine that FFXIII-3 will retain fewer of FFXIII's original purchasers, and, since it's the third plot in the series, it isn't likely to pick up any new players either. So I agree with Del; I don't think it's a very wise decision when they could instead be putting time and resources into a new title in the hopes of branching out to new players in a fresh world.
ILoveMoombas!	Comment 6: 2012-07-07 16:42
	I enjoyed XIII and XIII-2, so I'll most likely buy XIII-3 if there is one (never bought any DLC for XIII-2, nor do I intend to). I do think it was a mistake for SE to try to make the XIII games into a trilogy given their mixed reception, though.
TrueBOSS	Comment 7: 2012-07-08 11:32
	i'm still disappointed it took them so much time and work to bring us XIII in the first place when it turned out to only be an alright entry (which is the worst thing i've every said about a Final Fantasy i like the series so much). I wasn't surprised by hearing there was going to be a XIII-2 or a XIII-3. to be honest. i think square really honestly believes that if it tells itself enough that XIII is better than there PSone era games. then it will become real. I'm hoping they figure something out though. everyone hits a rut at some point but i believe they will eventually pull through with something.
Cactuar1	Comment 8: 2012-07-08 22:05
	I've honestly got my fingers crossed. Too many people still think that FF7 was the best, but in my opinion, it was FF13. I want to see this world expanded as much as they can.
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