Justin Graham

Now Playing: Soul Calibur II (GC), Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII (PS2), Final Fantasy IV (PS), SaGa Frontier (PS) Has Absolutely No Interest Whatsoever In: Final Fantasy X-2 (PS2)

Square, Give Me a Sequel I Want to See

As a fan of Japanese RPGs, I've played many games from a large number of series over the years, but very few games can claim to have captured my attention (and my free time) as the Final Fantasy series has. My first hands-on experience with the franchise came with the watered-down SNES version of Final Fantasy IV, and the SNES version of Final Fantasy VI (known as FFIII) is easily at the top of my list of personal all-time favorite games. For years, I've looked forward to each successive game in the series, wondering what new stories they would bring, and on occasion, fantasized about how cool it would be to see Square release a sequel to one of the previous games in the franchise.

The ultimate mama's boy.

Cut to October of 2002, when Square released its first screenshots of Final Fantasy X-2. The image of a gun-toting Yuna sporting hot pants painfully seared itself into my retinas. It was like a horrible April Fool's joke made real. Since that time, the more information I've read about the game, the more pain I've felt. Square has taken the wonderful characterizations and themes that had been established in Final Fantasy X and turned them into a Charlie's Angels-cum-J-pop nightmare. Generally, I like to think of myself as open-minded when game designers decide to try something new, but I just can't bring myself to agree with this in any way. As you're reading this, FFX-2 is out on store shelves in North America, but I won't be buying it. I hope Square realizes that by changing the tone and theme of the game to such an extreme, they're more than likely alienating a significant portion of Final Fantasy X's audience.

However, this isn't the end of it. As many of you are most likely aware, Square Enix has plans to release a DVD movie sequel to Final Fantasy VII. I'll admit I'm very intrigued by this, but while it doesn't break my soul like X-2's initial announcement, I'm not jumping for joy, either. Beyond the initial hype and euphoria of Final Fantasy VII oh so many years ago, the game has steadily slid down my list of favorites in the series. The game simply hasn't aged well for me. I still plan to purchase a copy of Advent Children when it becomes available, but as a sequel to a Final Fantasy game, it doesn't excite me the way I think it should.

This picture is composed of a thousand painful words.

So what do I want to see? How about a sequel to Final Fantasy VI? With such a well-established setting and the number of great characters it had, in my mind it seems like a great choice. The plot could focus on events occurring as the world continues to rebuild itself after Kefka's defeat, such as the reemergence of the kingdom of Doma, or perhaps a new kingdom that sprouts up to replace the Empire. It would be fun to see how the characters' lives have changed and how the world has gotten along without magic, and if nothing else, it would be great seeing characters like Terra and Celes back in action. Just don't put them in hot pants.