Sakaguchi provides glimpse into Final Fantasy IX development

@Jhoalot
Yeah it was my favorite also^^

@Jhoalot,
funniest one too! Zidane flirting with Dagger was priceless (especially the scene where they're going up a ladder climbing aboard an airship and he grabs her butt thinking it was part of the ladder by "mistake")!

@Jhoalot
IX was the last Final Fantasy game I truly enjoyed.

@Soc he absolutely was, as was he it's soul. makes sense: he was the creator, afterall. once he was let go from Square, the series has definitely been in a slow decline and becoming more and more a shell of what it used to be. final fantasy just isn't final fantasy without sakaguchi at the helm. it's sad to see something that was once so fantastic dwindle into mediocrity.

@Soc

It could also be because this was back in the Square Soft days, not Enix.

@Chazzr

Final Fantasy Dissidia (fighting game with a mess of a storyline, not a JRPG at all)
Final Fantasy Tactics A2 (Couldn't play it b/c I never want to return to Ivalice ever again. FFXII was sooo bad it ruined that world for me.)
Star Ocean ports (I don't count these b/c they were made by Tri-Ace and only published by Square-Enix).
Insert any random Kingdom Hearts (1st was fun, but the menus in combat to get to magic were irratating and the story grew WAY too complicated for the sequels).

I repeat, Square-Enix has been going down-hill every year since IX came out. Final Fantasy XIII was trash compared to IX. The graphics were pretty and the story was meh, but the gameplay was terrible and boring.

@ChillyWilly
I read that FFXII "ruined" Ivalice for you and immediately understood why you haven't liked anything by SE recently.

That aside

To associate SE with any of its Final Fantasy games and then say that Star Ocean was not SE because it was only published by them is moderately hypocritical. SE does not have a single developer that makes all of its games and therefore "only publishes" all of its games. I suppose they "only published" SupCom 2 and will "only publish" the new Deus Ex.

@Chazzr

Nothing arbitrary about it. Most of those games I dismissed simply b/c I have 4 criteria SE must meet before I will acknowledge they have made a game as good as FFIX (which they made over 10 yrs ago):
(1) Must be a JRPG
(2) Decent story
(3) Fun to play
(4) Actually made by them, not just published by them (otherwise you could say Disney made Ponyo just b/c they release it, when Disnwey had nothing to do w/ making it, just as SE had nothing to do w/ making any Star Ocean games)

Your list of games met some of those criteria, but not all of them. Name me 1 game on the list that hit all 4 marks (you could argue Tactics A2, but as I said, I will NEVER return to Ivalice again). I'm not saying SE makes garbage games, just that they currently are a mere shadow of their former glory.

@Chazzr
Methinks you're just looking for an argument at this point. If you read my comments carefully, you'd have seen I agreed with you that A2 was probably a contender for being a good game that SE made. I wouldn't know though b/c I have boycotted it and refuse to support any more games set in the world of Ivalice due to my own personal dislike of Ivalice stemming from the utterly horrible FFXII.

I loved SE (past tense). They gave me sooo many good memories growing up, w/ FF1, FF3, FF6, ChronoTrigger, FF7, FF9, etc. I just want them to make a (JRPG) game I can enjoy as much as those and I've been waiting over 10 years and don't plan on holding my breath for one anytime soon. It's rather depressing how far they've fallen IMO.

@Chazzr

Add to the above list of classic SE games: Super Mario RPG & ChronoCross. Now tell me if any game made in the last 10 years can hold a candle to that list of games in terms of fun factor/enjoyment. You might be able to name 1 or 2 games, but that is a woefully low number of good games for a 10 year stretch of time.

With every new game they release they seem to be going further in the wrong direction and away from what those of us who grew up on their games want out of them. If we are in the minority and a small enough market for them to not consider trying to appease, than so be it. But they will not get another dime out of me until the reviewers say a new game of theirs harkens back to their glory days. FF12 & FF13 left such a bad taste in my mouth :(

Don't give credit to Square Enix for Dragon Quest VIII (or IX, for that matter).

Those games were made by Level-5.

Your original remark was correct. Square Enix hasn't MADE anything good since the merger.

(Kingdom Hearts 1 was made just before the merger.)

@ChillyWilly

SQUARE IS NOT A DEVELOPMENT COMPANY. Continuing on from there
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 was great
The World Ends with You is undoubtedly the best handheld RPG to date
Kingdom Hearts series (Birth By Sleep being the highlight atm)
FFCC: Echoes of Time
Final Fantasy XII (don't know why you don't like this)
Dissidia
FFTA2

If you're too in love with old shit to see what's good now-a-days, just keeping playing FF9 repeatedly until you die. Just try and gain some perspective - You don't like them because you're stuck in the past of "they don't make 'em like they used to!", not because they aren't pure fun with great story. Take off the rose shades once in awhile and you'll realize that FF9 wasn't as perfect as you think it is, you probably just played it at a point in your life where it worked for you and it stuck with you. I'd take The World Ends with You over FF9 any day.

@Punkrawk Bbob
Another of my main gripes with the SE? Well, let's go through your list:

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 (PSP)
The World Ends with You (DS)
Kingdom Hearts series (Birth By Sleep) (PSP)
FFCC: Echoes of Time (Wii & DS)
Final Fantasy XII (don't know why you don't like this)(PS2)
Dissidia (PSP)
FFTA2 (DS)

All of their "Best" games (according to you) are either on handhelds or last generation consoles. I'm not knocking handhelds, but I want a game that I can enjoy on my HDTV. SE has not made a good console game in ages.

So what's in store for the future of SE?
He [Yoichi Wada, CEO of Square Enix ]explained that Square Enix is preparing for this change [consoles face extinction] by ramping up production of social and browser games at its Japanese studios, and also closely monitoring 2010’s beta roll-out of PS3 MMO Final Fantasy XIV.
http://www.gamegrep.com/industry_news/27561-consoles_face_exctinction_says_square_enix_chief/

So the future of Square Enix is games like Farmville? You cannot argue with the fact that they are not the great company they once were.

@Co
Agreed!

@Co I did just that. However, the disc bounced off the wall and flew towards in a vain counterattack against my eyes.

@Rentaro

I believe the reason is that VII and VIII were both realistic in terms of character design and the kind of world they were set up in. Arguably you could call something like FFVII cyberpunk (not really, but for the sake of comparison, let's just say it is), whereas FFIX has very almost storybook-ish, Miyazaki-like character design and is probably construed as childish. I think that's why FFIX gets so much flack because it went from realistic character design and presentation to something similar to Disney.

I honestly can't speak for the plot however. I've played VII and just started IX not too long ago. I'm sure the other commenters can provide more insight.

@Rentaro

I think any FF fan will tell you that VII-IX are all great games, like saying Mario Bros 1-3 are all great. There's just a smaller fan base that hold IX the best of the three, like the smaller fan base associated with Mario 2.

@Rentaro
For me it was because it was the only one I never actually finished. The characters are weak archtypes that in my opinion appeal to 14 year olds, whereas this game came out after FF's traditional audience had outgrown those ideas (Haha! Steiner tripped -again-! Vivi is so introspective and thoughtful, just like me! Why won't girls talk to me?!). I also didn't appreciate the designs. It was as if the entire game drew inspiration from Kefka's 'clown-chic' collection.

For me it was the style of the game that put me off along with a lot of skill grinding, missable items, and overall weird story that ultimately put me off and made me say "Eh, I don't need to finish this one."

I will give the game one thing though. It sure showed me when I thought I was so smart for using Fire on a tree boss.

@IsItInYet

Perfect description. I agree with this answer.

@Rentaro IX was what made me start to hate VII. Played both around the same time, but IX will always hold a place in my heart, after Chrono Cross of course.

I hate people who praise VIII and then have never heard of I through IX. Honestly, I will always put IX on top and VIII on the very bottom where poop belongs.

@Tsubasa1 sorry meant to say VII is poop, not VIII, that also holds a special place.

@Rentaro

A lot of people like myself who loved VII were so turned off by VIII that I never bought IX, and only wound up playing it a couple years ago. What a tragedy FFVIII was.

@Tsubasa1

How is 8 good? The battle system is utterly broken the story is abhorrent, the character backgrounds are all done in one lazy sentence "we all came from the same orphanage." The love story didn't work at all unlike 7 and 9 where it was believable. The ENTIRE game Squall doesn't give a crap about anyone, then SOMEWHERE randomly he cares for absolutely no reason and we're supposed to buy it? Further Rinoa is a whore who's after Seifer at first...thinks he dies then wants to bone Squall because Zell is a 4 year old in a mans body and Irvine is a complete pussy. But seriously WHY does she even care about Squall? They never say why or even give you a hint other than he's the next closest bone-able male. Were there ANY likable characters in this game? I couldn't find one...Quistis was hot I guess...

@acefondu

Replay it after you get a girlfriend. Final Fantasy VIII had a fantastic story.

I too hated it at first after coming from the best 3D game to date in FFVII, but once I replayed it years later after meeting my soon to be wife I realized how good it actually was. The draw system was incredibly flawed for people with OCD like myself, the GF sequences were long, but other than that the game was spectacular. Including the story!

@Rentaro VII was a landmark: the first game to employ CG cutscenes, the first FF to be in 3D, had a rich cast of characters and a story unlike anything prior to it, so I think that's what makes it such a "fan favorite" in most ways. VIII, while i enjoyed it personally, doesn't seem to be as favored amongst the 3 PS FF titles (at least in conversations i've had personally) due to it's higher learning curve. IX, though, was really an homage to all of the FF fans from the days before VII. that's why all of the characters are "super deformed" and Vivi looks the way he does and also why each character plays to a "class" and many, many other references to previous titles. it's probably not as popular outside of the "original" fan-base for this reason and it was also the 3rd FF in 3D and a lot of what made VII so memorable was already the "norm" by that point. just my take, anyway.

@(Unverified)

You're the type that would call Spirited Away childish. And for that, I'm calling you an idiot.

In my opinion, the direction of FFIX is the direction the whole series should have followed. The virtual predecessor of early Disney design and 80s-era Henson fantasy flicks.

FFXIII with its gritty sci-fi-and-boobs direction just didn't feel right.

@acefondu

FF8 had an amazing story and a great romance. No idea how you can be so clueless to think that FF7 or FF9 had anything resembling romance. They were both too childish and immature, like middle school romance. Hell, FF7 had Cloud moping about Aerith the entire game you really had no idea if he even noticed Tifa. FF8 had Rinoa's personality overpowering Squall's defenses, that's why he ended up falling for her. Then he basically said screw it to everyone and everything that he knew for the chance to be with her. FF9... that had a romance? Was it that frog eating creature? Honestly, I think Beatrixx and Steiner's romance subplot was better than Dagger/Zidane, if they even had one.

FF8's battle system is also a blast for min/max'ers. You can seriously break the game if you know what you're doing, and there's a rewarding feeling realizing you outsmarted the system. Ya know, back before you could just go on the internet and read how to do everything, discovering it yourself was awesome. Plus Irvine was the man.

@Punkrawk Bbob "FF8 had an amazing story and a great romance. No idea how you can be so clueless to think that FF7 or FF9 had anything resembling romance. They were both too childish and immature, like middle school romance. Hell, FF7 had Cloud moping about Aerith the entire game you really had no idea if he even noticed Tifa."

Just because you prefer Tifa over Aeris doesn't mean Cloud is childish. The fact that Aeris got killed by Sephiroth further makes it hard for Cloud to move on. Perhaps it would be more understandable (and less teen angsty) for you if you had someone you love killed violently.

"FF8 had Rinoa's personality overpowering Squall's defenses, that's why he ended up falling for her. Then he basically said screw it to everyone and everything that he knew for the chance to be with her."

I'm actually fond of FF8, but Rinoa did seem to me like she picked Squall just because she realized she didn't have a chance with Seifer. Nothing wrong with that (it's actually realistic), but it's also not the storybook romance people make it out to be. Perhaps if Quistis flirted as hard as Rinoa did, Squall might have gunned for her instead.

"FF9... that had a romance? Was it that frog eating creature? Honestly, I think Beatrixx and Steiner's romance subplot was better than Dagger/Zidane, if they even had one."

I'm sorry FF9 didn't have the brooding hero you wanted it to have. After weaning a new generation on characters bordering on emo like Cloud and Squall, I can't blame the new generation for thinking heroes should be like them, which Zidane is definitely not.

The romance was there, though, if not as overly dramatic as you seem to want it to have. Much more realistic, though, despite the cartoonish characters.

"FF8's battle system is also a blast for min/max'ers. You can seriously break the game if you know what you're doing, and there's a rewarding feeling realizing you outsmarted the system. Ya know, back before you could just go on the internet and read how to do everything, discovering it yourself was awesome. Plus Irvine was the man."

Here we have to agree. I appreciate FF8's battle system, but it probably was a deal-breaker for more casual gamers. :D

@(Unverified)
QFT
Everything you've pointed out are problems I had with the game too.
That and the blatant rip-off of the plot of Dragon Ball.

@Draco84

Agreed. I've had enough of this futuristic technology stuff. Give me back my knights, actual mages, a world map to explore, and purposeful chocobos.

@Bumper
That what i had liked when 7,8,9 came out it futuristic for 7 and 8 and you though they might go futuristic again then they were like BAM medieval time bitch we're going back old schools on y'all asses.

@AriesWarlock

I think the correct term is little people.

@AriesWarlock I think the correct term is "fantastical." You know, the adjective form of "Fantasy."

Call me crazy, but fantastical character designs in a fantasy series seems most fitting.

What is it with Final Fantasy XII that people hate? The game is amazing. It has the best acting in any FF to date and the story is so mature and rich. The battle system is either hit or miss. For me, it was a hit. The characters were great (yes, even Vaan. At first I thought he'd be as annoying as Tidus was, but no. He was just fine). I'm not arguing with you. I respect your opinion, but it just makes me sad that people hate FF 12. What was it about 12 that makes you hate it so?

@SpecDotSign
My personal reasons for hating FFXII?
(1) Hated the combat.
(2) Characters were bland (I like being assigned classes, not having to choose who should serve what role) and 5-6 hours into the game I realized I don't care about a single one of my characters. If the story killed every one of them off I wouldn't care. Compare every one of those boring characters to Kain in FF3, who revealed himself to be a traitor or the twins, who sacrificed their lives turning theemsleves to stone to save the rest of the party. That is writing a story with memorable characters.
(3) To get the most powerful weapon (Zodiac Spear) you had to leave 4 chests throughout the game UNOPENED!!! How obscure and bizarre is that! That had to be leaked by the coders of the game b/c no gamer would every intentionally just leave 4 random chests in the game unopened. Makes it so you need to have a guide book for every single step you take in the game.
(4) Voice actors repeatedly pronounced words incorrectly. Irratating.

For those & many more reasons I personally hated FF12.

@Codenamexen

I agree, I loved Vivi because he looked like the black mage from the orignal Final Fantasy.

I played II to death, but III was $120 when it came out in Canada, and as a 10-12 year old, I just couldnt swing it, I played it at my grandparents place, but its way too long of a game to get done a couple hours at a time every Sunday.

I never really got the whole FFVII thing, its an okay game, but I don't see it holding a candle to FFIX, I didnt like VIII either though.