Ray Huling argues that the next crop of Final Fantasy games will be, like theYamato, obsolete by the time they hit the ground. Impressive in their size, yet obsolete at the time of their completion. Huling says that the games have become such giant enterprises, it’s sapping the fun out of the whole production (does that mean ‘obsolete’ or simply ‘not fun anymore’?):

… the optional elements that demand so much effort to achieve on the DS represent only a bite-size version of the gaming Gargantua Final Fantasy has become. Mini-games, bestiaries, accessories, rare monsters, rare weapons – Christ! The humongousness of it all defies belief, defies completion. Sure, people have achieved all that can be achieved in a game like Final Fantasy XII – one of its FAQs, not even the largest, is spread across more than 770 pages. But people built the actual Battleship Yamato, too, which now lies in two pieces on the floor of the ocean off Okinawa.

Just as has happened with the main plot, the sidequests of Final Fantasy have become ends in themselves, separated from any notion of the fun they were supposed to provide. Final Fantasy has the most compelling profile of any videogame. It bristles with guns – but what can actually be done with all of that firepower?

I suspect there are many that would disagree, and while I didn’t like FFXII for a variety of reasons, I just turned it off and hoped the next iteration would strike my fancy (and if not, oh well — there are plenty of other fish in the gaming sea). I’ll agree that plenty of aspects of the games are ridiculous, but that’s hardly confined to the Final Fantasy series. Is the game formula ‘obsolete,’ or just tired (or is Huling just tired of it?)? And what does obsolescence (of a non-technological variety) really mean in the context of RPGs or games more broadly?

The Battleship Final Fantasy [The Escapist]

Remakes of classic games are often a dangerous proposition, risking alienating fans of the original games in order to attract new players. For this week’s Frankenreview we’ve gathered opinions from RPG-centric sites along with the more mainstream gaming press to see how Final Fantasy IV measures up.

RPGamer
It is disappointing, then, that while the characters are tweaked to update and strengthen their personalities and motives, the main story and its transitional events are left entirely untouched. The happenings which progress the narrative often conflict with common sense or with the game world itself. The characters are the most believable they have ever been, but their actions are not. Added lines of dialogue, mostly with NPCs, explain or foreshadow the most spastic story moments and definitely create a rounder, more interesting world. Logic-defying occasions still stand out, though, and reveal a thick, solid line Square Enix refused to cross when remaking a famous game with a large fan following.

RPGFan
The opening FMV is marvelous, but that’s basically the first and last time you’ll actually be impressed. More FMVs would have given the game the cinematic feeling it deserves, like the FMV’s in Final Fantasy VIII. FFIV uses a polished in-game engine for cutscenes, which is not bad but underwhelming. The resolution and detail are average for DS. Stylistically I found myself even less impressed. The characters looked cleaner and more mature back on the SNES. The blocky, disproportioned, childlike models do not suit the game’s mature story.

G4 X-Play
The best changes to Final Fantasy IV are the minor ones. The game is less stingy when it comes to precious items. A new feature rewards players for uncovering every corner of dungeon maps. This tiny innovation does double the work. It provides much needed access to resources and it encourages players to get into more fights. The game encourages and, more importantly reduces, the tedium of grinding by rewarding exploration – an act that, for most of us, is a reward in and of itself.

GameSpot
Although it has been rereleased several times throughout the years, this full remake of one of the most celebrated stories in video game history is in many ways more poignant and impressive than it was all those years ago, despite minor irks with the voice acting. With a cast of memorable characters and villains, a more accurate and authentic translation, a new skill-customisation system, and a few important new story elements that help to better explain key plot points, this is the definitive version of Final Fantasy IV that everyone should experience.

Interesting. RPG sites are generally more forgiving with roleplaying games, but not so much when you futz about with a classic.