Spinoffs (and Remakes)

Basically, what are your thoughts on remakes and spinoffs in the Final Fantasy universe? Are you glad that S-E seems to be devoting so much time to them, or would you rather they focus on something "new"? Do you think the remakes/spinoffs strengthen the franchise by bringing in new gamers who wouldn't normally be exposed to those original stories, or do they alienate fans?

Are there any games that you'd particularly like S-E to make a sequel/prequel to, or remake? Are there any that you think should be "hands-off"?

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From S-E's perspective, I can totally see the appeal of spinoffs and remakes. This is guaranteed money for them. C'mon, you know anything related to FFVII is going to sell. It's pretty much a given that any fans of the original games are going to pick up the spinoffs. There's little risk, but a high profit.

However, I am pretty tired of hearing about the FFVII compilation, myself. Advent Children was disappointing and not really worth the money, and I've heard mixed reviews on the rest in the compilation. And I really don't think a PS3 remake of VII is needed. I don't think the game is all that old, and I still think it's good for a replay, even if the graphics aren't a beautiful as FFXIII's.

Then there's FFX-2, which I've grown to like despite its horror, but I still feel like it hurt X more than carried on the legacy. XII, I don't think deserved a sequel anyway, since the game was not that great, and from my understanding, Revenant Wings is pretty bleh. And it honestly just annoys me that spinoffs were announced for XIII before that game was released. I dunno, it just seems really cocky, I guess.

On the flip side, I do think that it is nice that the classic FFs were remade. I think it helps people who joined the series with X (or even VII) appreciate the older (some would say better) games. I know I would never have played V or VI (both of which I really liked) if they hadn't been redone for the PS in the Anthology collection.

I guess to sum it up, remakes are okay, for games that could really benefit from it. Spinoffs, I'm not such a fan of. So far, none have seemed spectacular, and I feel that they detract a little from my enjoyment of the original (specifically the emphasis on VII backfired for me and made me not even want to play it). I'm also a little worried because it feels like too much energy might be being placed in the spinoffs, and not enough placed in the new originals. I had little interest in XII while it was being developed, and after I played it, I found that while it was better than I expected (and at the time, I liked it more than I do now, after reflecting on it), it couldn't really compare with most of the others in the series. XIII so far seems to be the same way- a lot of people don't seem that interested in it. But this is just my opinion.

There aren't any games that I would want to see remade or continued on. FF VIII would be on my "hands-off" list, however. I don't have faith that S-E would continue it on in a way that I would like, and I enjoy the original too much to want to see it changed around in a remake.

 

I suppose, but maybe that way there will be some discussion. ^_^

This was a long time ago. I'm thinking XIII was revealed a while before XII was released. But that annoyed me at the time, too. I remember the wait for XII as seeming forever, and I was like "Just release that damn game already, before worrying about something else."

I dunno. As far as Agito and Versus go, it just sort of bugs me that there would be games revolving around the idea of XIII (since, I guess none of them even take place on the same world, right? I thought I heard) before S-E knew if people would be really receptive to it all. It makes those games just feel like a way to get our money.

And concerning a FF VII remake, it seems what people want (or what I see the fanboys posting) is the same exact game, with a few extra bosses and prettier graphics. I don't think that's worth it. And contrarily, I wouldn't want to see the game get an overhaul and become unfamiliar. I enjoy the original as it is, poor grammar, blocky people, and all.

VII was the first one I played, and I loved it at the time. But I think other FFs are better; VII isn't the greatest thing ever, like people want to make it out to be. And I feel like the original is being beat to death with all the spinoffs. Sometimes, I think it is better to leave some plotholes (for lack of a better term) to our imagination.