Picked up a much-appreciated review on The Escapist daily of Revenant Wings, the new DS game spun off of Final Fantasy XII. I'm not one to weigh my game purchases too heavily on reviews, but this one addresses one critical caveat-- Revenant Wings isn't really an RPG. If you didn't know that, it's probably because Squeenix doesn't want you to. The reviewer, Gearoid Ready, calls it "RTS [real-time strategy]-lite," and provides some concrete examples to back up that assertion.There's been a veritable flurry of Final Fantasy games and spinoffs coming out these days, so many that I avoid making a list for fear of skipping some. But if it's true that Revenant Wings is flimsy clapboard, a feeblish effort that rides its brand name, then the beloved House of Square is most definitely treading into dangerous territory. Damn it if Penelo don't look cute, though.
The relative overexposure of the Final Fantasy series, the thematic repetition, Tetsuya Nomura's increasingly ludicrous character designs-- nothing new. And the mere fact that a series has evolved into new heights of commercialism isn't enough to make most fans suddenly hate something they used to love (though it's enough for some, it seems). But when Square can design a game with paper walls and sell it like hotcakes just because it has a Final Fantasy label on it-- not even an original, mind you, a spin-off-- it might prompt one to wonder: When is it time to stick a fork in it?
Last week-- just a few entries ago, really-- I wondered about whether Zelda needs an overhaul; I'm not convinced it does. But overhauling Final Fantasy is, in essence, as good as creating a new series. All the FF storylines and characters are thematically similar but unrelated, (with a few exceptions). Change the theme, and pull the plug on Chocobo, Tonberry, Bahamut and Cactuar (no!!), and it might as well be a different game. Which might not be such a bad thing.
FFXII was OK with me. I was impressed with it, especially initially-- but it left me with barely any impression; I can't say I loved it. A bad spinoff of FFXII doesn't offend me much. Dirge of Cerberus, the over-the-shoulder action sequel to FFVII-- which is much more firmly installed in fandom-- was a decent game. Not my genre, but again, OK to me-- and universally panned by most other fans who had high, high expectations. If the long-anticipated Crisis Core, an FFVII prequel coming to PSP, is as weak as Revenant Wings seems to be, there'll be few who can be placated.
The second Star Wars trilogy is rather demonstrative of the danger of revisiting the familiar to stroke a salivating fanbase-- you might lose some of that fanbase. Without a change in course for the Final Fantasy series, a label that was once enough of a draw on its own might become a repellent.
Many people I talk to say it already has. What do you think? And if FF has jumped the shark, when? FFVII? X-2? XII? And what makes you say so?
By the way, they updated the Last Remnant site. I know because I check it a lot. Shut up.
