Why I'm Uninterested in Final Fantasy XIII

Jason Trent, Associate Writer

March 1, 2010

Final Fantasy XIII, perhaps one of the most anticipated titles this year, drops in a couple of weeks (March 9th in North America). Anticipation for the game is bigger than ever, so why can't I get excited?

Back in the day, I loved the Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy VII was my first experience with it, and through Final Fantasy X, I eagerly awaited as new titles were released. When I was younger, I couldn't buy games with the same frequency I do today. I'd normally get a game for my birthday or for Christmas, and it would have to last me through the entire year. Because of this, Final Fantasy games were a great way to get the most out of my gifts. They presented an awesome story, interesting combat (for the time), characters I felt connected to, and lasted a good 50+ hours on my first time through.

Then Final Fantasy XI released, and though some liked it, I couldn't get into it. I blew over 50 hours of time on the game, and never felt like I progressed. I was disappointed with the story, and felt like its core gameplay was everything other Final Fantasy titles were not. Eventually, I cancelled my subscription and moved on to other games. Later, Final Fantasy XII released, and I was again excited to revisit the series. Although the twelfth entry in the series was a traditional RPG instead of an MMORPG, I still found myself unable to get interested in the game.

So what happened? Why was I suddenly disinterested in a series I'd once loved? I think the problem is this: between Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XII, gaming changed in the West. We became more inclined to play games that gave us instant gratification. Sure, Final Fantasy XII may have offered an overall great experience, but there were those little things that I couldn't wrap my head around. I no longer want to spend a huge amount of time taking turns attacking in battles. These did little more than eat up time and take me out of the story experience. I'd grown to prefer something a bit more dynamic and action oriented. I found that I'd moved to a point where I'd become spoiled by RPGs such as Mass Effect and Fable where battle and exploration has been tightly woven together. Further, managing every little stat, spell, and piece of equipment had become tiresome. I wanted less time spent in menus, and more time spent actually playing. I'm not saying that the game should be dumbed down, but there's a point where something needs to be streamlined in order to make the game more enjoyable.

Whether or not people want to acknowledge it, gaming in the West has moved far away from the the style of Japanese game development. It's interesting to see Japanese developers be so set in their ways and seemingly unwilling to meet both audiences in the middle. Obviously there's still a place for JRPGs, but for how long? It couldn't hurt to make bigger changes than the series has seen while still retaining a sense of identity. I'm reserving judgment for the game's release; I owe the series that much, and although I want to like the game, I can't really blame myself for being cautious.