Are you a real fan if you stop at FFXII ?

On a recent topic, some individuals are claiming that if you stop at Final Fantasy XII, that is refuse to play any FFs afterwards, then you are not a real fan. I believe that this is by far one of the stupidest comments I have ever read in my life. Look, I'm 20 years old now, a little old for videogames and all, and in my day I have defeated countless videogames, the majority being RPGs. As far as FF goes, I've defeated FFs I - X and in the process mastered, that is basically complete the game 100%, all of them. How many of you can claim that you still own the golden cartrige of the original Final Fantasy, a working copy of it and a working NES. I can, and it wasn't too long ago since I played the game last. But thats not the point, bragging rights aside I believe that everyone that's on this board claiming they are a true fan has probably defeated FFs I - X and have probably defeated X-2, XI, Crystal Chronicles and maybe (if you can read Japanese) FFXII.

The point is this, and I've stated it several times: SQUARE IS RIPPING OFF ITS FANS! I'm not the only one that has been spreading this message on this Union. I love FF, I really do, but why would I pay a massive amount of money to play Crystal Chronicles multiplayer when I could just play Champions: Return to Arm? In fact, Champions was the better game! Why would I pay massive amounts of online fees to play FFXI when I could just plug in any other FF and have just as much fun? Why the heck should I have to buy two games to get the most of a final fantasy experience like FFX and X-2. Any other FF is completed in one game, one QUALITY experience, whereas both X and X-2 (especially X-2) seemed to be weaker efforts from Square? Now the kicker, and I know this is pissing a lot of FF fans off: WHY SHOULD I BUY THREE GAMES, ON DIFFERENT PLATFORMS, TO COMPLETE MY FFXIII EXPERIENCE? In fact, why the heck is Square even making three games if we, the actual fans of the series, haven't even approved any of the games yet?

I'll tell you why, because Square realizes that it has an army of gamers who are just dying to play the next FF game no matter how expensive it is. Have any of you become sick already of all the FFVII bull thats running rampant in the RPG world lately? How many spawns do we need from that game? FF7:AC, FF7:DOC, FF7:CC, all of the Kingdom Hearts references, a possible remake.....come on! Its all about the cash when it comes to Square lately and calling yourself a true fan just because you're stupid enough to pay massive amounts of money to play anything Square releases with the tag "Final Fantasy" on it is ridiculous. Then you look at the price tag of the PS3, and well, personally for a student in business school on a very tight budget I'm not willing to shell out that type of cash to play a game that may not even be a complete experience cause the rest of it may be concluded on the mobile version! Don't put it past Square to do it either!

Final Fantasy XII, from the way things have been going with Square lately, may just be the last time a gamer can pick up a brand new FF and play THAT GAME AND THAT GAME ALONE to truly experience Square's latest masterpiece. No sequels, no movies, no expensive extras, NONE OF THAT!

So to close, I'll leave you all with this: If I am not a true FF fan for defeating all the "true" games in the series and pretty much memorizing their storylines and falling in love with their characters, buying their action figures, buying merchandise such as posters and clothing and devoting thousands, SEVERAL THOUSANDS, of hours playing each game, then I am sad to say that I guess I will never be a true fan of Final Fantasy. If having to pay every extra cent I have and willing taking slaps in the face from Square is the only way to become a "true fan", then count me out! Personally, I have other great RPGs I can play that won't cost me a fortune, or force me to buy the most expensive platform being released in the next generation of gaming, I certainly do not have to play FFXIII when I have Shadow Hearts: From the New World, Star Ocean Till the End of Time, Grandia III etc.....so with that, I am officially declaring, in complete disgust with Square and its business practices lately, the Final Fantasy XII will also be my last FF ever! Thank you all.

I guess i agree to a certain extent. I don't like the extra ccrap square is puting for VII i also don't like the three games for XIII. The three games won't be the same in gameplay so i see where they went there. However i don't think giving up on the series is a good idea cause the XIIIs could be good.

And i don't think there is a question about you being a fan if you didwhat you say you did, or even if you didn't do all that but you like the series you're still a fan.

I think FF fans come in all different forms, we all have our favorites and no one should dictate if we are fans or not. You don't have to like them all to be a fan. Stop at FFXII if you want, it doesn't make you any less of one.

I personally became a fan of the series at X and for the past three years I tracked down an bought all previous games to it except for VIII which I still have yet to get and  I've complete them too. I'm also 20 and have no intention of stopping playing the series, but since SquareSoft became Square Enix is has come to my attention (and endlessy been pointed out to me) that before this happened the series was orignal, since all these games come that come off it have never repeated the same story line that is until X-2. I agree with you on a lot of the stuff, but I'm gonna give XIII a chance. You never know what could happen, XIII could end up bei the defining RPG of the PS3 where X has in many's opinions been for the PS2.

I've also have quoted endlessly that Square Enix seems to be taking advantage of its huge fanbase in order to make more money. If only we could go back to the good old days when FF was orginal, never used the same story and stuck to the main series only. I think we should just all go back to the first game and play up through the series to remind ourselves why we are fans of this series. :D

edited due to typos.

Sometimes, it's not really about sticking onto whatever something is and then call yourself a true fan. It's just like you know when to say yes and no to a friend, that's what makes you a true friend. If you have loved and will continue loving whatever you have loved before, you are already considered a true fan. Besides, it is not mandatory that you must play FF games and FF games ONLY in your whole life. There are other games out there worthy of your dedication.

It is true that Square Enix is working its brains out to earn as much money as they can out of its loyal fanbase. But, one can't deny, Square Enix is one of the few companies who is capable of giving a certain high level of standard in its games. SE games, in particular, Final Fantasy, gives a kind of "quality assurance" to its consumers. You can be assured of a game that is worthy of your money, worthy of your time and worthy of your commitment. It is not like some games, which i wouldn't name, that you have to inquire upteen times and obtain several opinions from other people who have tried the game, then you would actually decide whether you would want to buy that game. 

Also, all these FFXIII games are not really interconnected with each other directly. They are very different altogether. You can rest assured that playing FFXIII alone will not make you buy FF Versus XIII or AgitoXIII, although you may be tempted to own all these XIII games as a collection. Perhaps, there may be a FFXIII-2, but it has been promised that currently, all these six XIII projects under the FNC theme will not be interlinked in terms of basic story content.

But, the ironic thing about your topic title is, pardon me for saying this, is that  FFXII is not a game that has a satisfactory ending. You can expect a sequel for it. And anyone would just be hoping for a sequel, just like the FFXII ending was craving for a sequel immediately. :)

So, are you a real fan if you stop at FFXII? Yes, you are. Final Fantasy , altogether, are not linked together directly, except for the common similarities like chocobos, Cid and stuff. There can be some titles that you prefer, and they, maybe, are the ones that you are absolutely "fanatic" about. If i'm wrong to say this, please correct me. If you love FFI, FFII, FFIII , FFIV etc... more than anything else on earth, please do name yourself a "true FFI fan", "true FFII fan", "true FFIII fan", true "FFIV" fan. I have not named all the FF titles, but this, just this alone, already makes you a true FF fan.

It is not wrong to stop doing something for a series you are a fan of. And, not buying the future games does not diminish the fact that you're not a FF fan. In fact, not buying the future games, may go to prove that you are one of the most true fans of Final Fantasy, ever. :wink:

Ok,first of all I hate that word "fan".Don't you get tired of hearing "Im am your biggest fan"?Millions of people consider themselves fans of Final Fantasy when they have only played FF VII or some **** like that.

But anyways to answer the question, in the dictionary fan(short for fanatic) means an ardent devotee; an enthusiast.Fanatic means a person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm, as for a cause.

So if your a fan of Final Fantasy you must do the following:

-Buy an Own every Final Fantasy there is including Japanese and PAL versions.
-Have every game 100% complete.
-Treat it like a religion.
-Play Final Fantasy constantly over all other games.
-Have a vast variety of Final Fantasy merch.

Do you think your a fan now?Final Fantasy fans are a rare breed indeed.Im not a fan,there is a difference between loving Final Fantasy and being a fan of Final Fantasy.

Guys like you and me are devoted to Final Fantasy,but to a certain extent.

dude, you need to take a riddlin. i mean i can understand that square is making a lot games but as long as their fun to play then why the big fuss. i like the ff7:ac it was pretty cool. fx-2 was, i'll admit, kinda of weak but overall fun to play. (by the way, i don't think square planned on making that game, it was just popular) but from the beginning every company makes games that will sell so to claim that square is just now only worrying about money is kinda of well stupid. name a company that wanted to make a game that woudn't sell.

and hey, you can always not buy the game if you really don't like it. and apparently you don't. but again seriously you should take some medication for your frustration.

So if your a fan of Final Fantasy you must do the following:

-Buy an Own every Final Fantasy there is including Japanese and PAL versions.
-Have every game 100% complete.
-Treat it like a religion.
-Play Final Fantasy constantly over all other games.
-Have a vast variety of Final Fantasy merch.

vgmkyle

Universal standard, or what? Someone may have fulfilled all but one or two of the above conditions. But you can't just drop a bomb on them and tell them, "No, you're not a true fan. Not even a fan." I think SkyCastle has done things that make him deserve the title of being a "fan", at least.

Everyone here is devoted to Final Fantasy, in a way or another. No doubt, it's just about how much you're devoted to FF itself.

And, SkyCastle , on this point, i believe, is a strong devotee of FF, who was just upset at the way FF is being treated and "milked", in a sense, that his strong "patriotism" for FF has made him come to a conclusion that he should boycott anyone that's making use of the stamp "Final Fantasy" and hence, decided to give no more support to the party responsible for taking advantage of the "Final Fantasy" brand.

In which, THAT ^^, i think, is what a true fan will feel.  

I own a copy of every single Final Fantasy title ever released. That is to say I have the Japanese version of Final Fantasy II and III on the original Famicom. Also, my copy of Final Fantasy on the NES is still in the original box with mint instruction booklet and both maps! Even if the games have been the same or been given subtle differences, I have proceeded to purchase versions of them on multiple systems (FFII on Snes, Final Fantasy Chronicles for PS1, and Final Fantasy IV for GBA).

 I am a total Final Fantasy Fanboy and I am very proud of it. I have played through them and continue to do so every so often so as not to forget the good times. I am a 28 year old man and I dearly love this series and will continue to do so for years to come.

Ok, I'm not an expert with words, but I'm gonna tyr and bring the message out...

If you wanna call yourself a Final Fantasy fan, you don't need to like EVERYTHING Final Fantasy thrown at you (Hey, I didn't like Crystal Chronicles, yet I'm a hgue FF fan. :P ), you just need to really enjoy the experience whenever you play it. Then you can call yourself a fan. Owning everything and etc. etc. as was stated above by vgmkyle, makes you a fanboy.

So if your a fan of Final Fantasy you must do the following:

-Buy an Own every Final Fantasy there is including Japanese and PAL versions.
-Have every game 100% complete.
-Treat it like a religion.
-Play Final Fantasy constantly over all other games.
-Have a vast variety of Final Fantasy merch.

.

vgmkyle

dude, its a game, sure its great, but im sure we all got better thinsg to do

I also believe that Final Fantasy are one of the few series that actually have sequals and prequals to games.

You have to remember that every other company has done this with sequals to Halo with Halo two and also sequals and prequals and spinoffs to Metal gear solid and Devil may cry series with special types of the same game like Mgs2 substance with a couple of new added elements too the game just so people buy it.

You must remember that square has rarely done this but did do it in the olden days by having FF7 international with emerald and ruby only in the european version and then selling it in japan after they brought the first game so they buy it again just to fight them two bosses. So dont be made at Square just because they do what every other developer does with great games like Halo etc by making you buy other games to see the whole story and Square has only done this with Final fantasy 10 and 7 no other ones so dont be so moody.

Look, I'm 20 years old now, a little old for videogames and all, and in my day I have defeated countless videogames, the majority being RPGsSkyCastleDan

Ok,first of all I hate that word "fan".Don't you get tired of hearing "Im am your biggest fan"?Millions of people consider themselves fans of Final Fantasy when they have only played FF VII or some **** like that.

But anyways to answer the question, in the dictionary fan(short for fanatic) means an ardent devotee; an enthusiast.Fanatic means a person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm, as for a cause.

So if your a fan of Final Fantasy you must do the following:

-Buy an Own every Final Fantasy there is including Japanese and PAL versions.
-Have every game 100% complete.
-Treat it like a religion.
-Play Final Fantasy constantly over all other games.
-Have a vast variety of Final Fantasy merch.

Do you think your a fan now?Final Fantasy fans are a rare breed indeed.Im not a fan,there is a difference between loving Final Fantasy and being a fan of Final Fantasy.

Guys like you and me are devoted to Final Fantasy,but to a certain extent.

vgmkyle

I don't know about this. If you can say yes to all 5 of those criteria, you are a fanatic of Final Fantasy, not just a fan. A fan should be able to like the series, but you can't say to them, "NO! You're not a Final Fantasy fan because you don't have a few of the harder-to-get FF's and you play other games!"

I consider myself a fan, because I love the games and I will almost always go out and buy the next FF. I made phone calls all around my city (Adelaide, Australia) just to get my hands on a copy of FFVII. PS1 games are almost impossible to get here now, so most of the other, old, FF's will be beyond my reach, but I still like the games for what they are; fun and a challenge.

As for Square milking there old, and new, games for all their worth, I don't really mind, as long as the quality of the games is still very high. FFX-2 was a bit of a downer, but I still enjoyed it, because it was a follow-on to my favourite game, FFX.

As long as FFXII, FFXIII and its spinoffs are good, then I'll buy'em.

[QUOTE="vgmkyle"]

Ok,first of all I hate that word "fan".Don't you get tired of hearing "Im am your biggest fan"?Millions of people consider themselves fans of Final Fantasy when they have only played FF VII or some **** like that.

But anyways to answer the question, in the dictionary fan(short for fanatic) means an ardent devotee; an enthusiast.Fanatic means a person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm, as for a cause.

So if your a fan of Final Fantasy you must do the following:

-Buy an Own every Final Fantasy there is including Japanese and PAL versions.
-Have every game 100% complete.
-Treat it like a religion.
-Play Final Fantasy constantly over all other games.
-Have a vast variety of Final Fantasy merch.

Do you think your a fan now?Final Fantasy fans are a rare breed indeed.Im not a fan,there is a difference between loving Final Fantasy and being a fan of Final Fantasy.

Guys like you and me are devoted to Final Fantasy,but to a certain extent.

snaggleoooo

I don't know about this. If you can say yes to all 5 of those criteria, you are a fanatic of Final Fantasy, not just a fan. A fan should be able to like the series, but you can't say to them, "NO! You're not a Final Fantasy fan because you don't have a few of the harder-to-get FF's and you play other games!"

I consider myself a fan, because I love the games and I will almost always go out and buy the next FF. I made phone calls all around my city (Adelaide, Australia) just to get my hands on a copy of FFVII. PS1 games are almost impossible to get here now, so most of the other, old, FF's will be beyond my reach, but I still like the games for what they are; fun and a challenge.

As for Square milking there old, and new, games for all their worth, I don't really mind, as long as the quality of the games is still very high. FFX-2 was a bit of a downer, but I still enjoyed it, because it was a follow-on to my favourite game, FFX.

As long as FFXII, FFXIII and its spinoffs are good, then I'll buy'em.

I'm in Sydney Australia, and I haven't seen a ps1 game anywhere that isn't a shop like Cash Converters (For people who don't know, a store where you sell your stuff for less than they're supposed to be worth... Yet they don't claim this. :P )

I agree with the rest too, but FF X-2 was good, I don't see why people give it such bad hype.

Final Fantasy XII, from the way things have been going with Square lately, may just be the last time a gamer can pick up a brand new FF and play THAT GAME AND THAT GAME ALONE to truly experience Square's latest masterpiece. No sequels, no movies, no expensive extras, NONE OF THAT!

SkyCastleDan

So, what your saying, is that if someone makes a sequel to something, you'll have to play that too, or it will detoriate from the original game? That doesn't make sense to me. I played through FFX and enjoyed it very much. So much in fact it's my favorite FF, but that's just my oppninion. Then they released FFX-2, which I thought was total garbage. But didn't that change how I felt about FFX? Hell no, I'm currently going through it again. The reason I bought FFX-2 was not because I felt I HAD to to fully "understand" FFX, but because I was curious what had happened to the characters. FFX were about as selfcontained as any other FF, but a no media can hardly be truly "selfcontained". If it had to, all charecters had to die, before it could end. All the story must have reached a conclusion. No loose ends. If you think back, what about all the characters of previous FF's? What did Steiner do once the world was saved? What about Zell? Did the villian really die? This is the stuff sequels are made of, not "to be continued". You don't need to watch Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children if you played the game, you need to play the game to watch the movie. The case where there might be doubt is when it comes to prequels. Vincent Valentine was always this mysterious character we don't know anything about. Thus, Square makes a game that tells his story. Do we need that to play that to understand FFVII? No, it doesn't take anything away from the original game, but alot of people will like the backstory. But really, being mister mysterious isn't bad either! Mysterious characters are hella cool. They didn't include anything about how Vincent used to wet his bed when he was little in FFVII. They probarly didn't include that in Dirge of Cerberus either, so they could make a new game about that! Right? No, we don't need to know anymore about the characters than what keeps the central story going and makes them believable. Everything else is just fodder for our curiousity. Moving on.

When it comes to the "fan" thing, it really is a vague term. The hardcore will always claim you have to have done what they have, so they can feel important. Like "Ha, I'm a better person than you because I have all my characters level 99 in all Final Fantasies I - X!", which is, of course, wrong. It's a videogame for christ sake. You don't get a higher rank in society because you have whatever limit break. If you play enough Counterstrike, you might earn of it, hell, might even get groupies. But the proffesionals probarly wouldn't call themselves "fans" of CS. Being a fan is not a rank or an accomplishment, it's simply something you are. And in my definition, a fan is just someone who adores something. If you like the FF series as a whole, you're a fan. Of course, you can't just have played 1 or 2 games and be a fan, because then you're just a fan of those specific games. But if you played a good deal of the games, and like them very much, you're a fan. If you want to compare who's the most hardcore/obsessive fan, go ahead and compare stats, gil, epic weapons, whatever, but it doesn't mean you have let Square enix down and is a bad person if you have none of that.

On a recent topic, some individuals are claiming that if you stop at Final Fantasy XII, that is refuse to play any FFs afterwards, then you are not a real fan. I believe that this is by far one of the stupidest comments I have ever read in my life. Look, I'm 20 years old now, a little old for videogames and all, and in my day I have defeated countless videogames, the majority being RPGs. As far as FF goes, I've defeated FFs I - X and in the process mastered, that is basically complete the game 100%, all of them. How many of you can claim that you still own the golden cartrige of the original Final Fantasy, a working copy of it and a working NES. I can, and it wasn't too long ago since I played the game last. But thats not the point, bragging rights aside I believe that everyone that's on this board claiming they are a true fan has probably defeated FFs I - X and have probably defeated X-2, XI, Crystal Chronicles and maybe (if you can read Japanese) FFXII.

The point is this, and I've stated it several times: SQUARE IS RIPPING OFF ITS FANS! I'm not the only one that has been spreading this message on this Union. I love FF, I really do, but why would I pay a massive amount of money to play Crystal Chronicles multiplayer when I could just play Champions: Return to Arm? In fact, Champions was the better game! Why would I pay massive amounts of online fees to play FFXI when I could just plug in any other FF and have just as much fun? Why the heck should I have to buy two games to get the most of a final fantasy experience like FFX and X-2. Any other FF is completed in one game, one QUALITY experience, whereas both X and X-2 (especially X-2) seemed to be weaker efforts from Square? Now the kicker, and I know this is pissing a lot of FF fans off: WHY SHOULD I BUY THREE GAMES, ON DIFFERENT PLATFORMS, TO COMPLETE MY FFXIII EXPERIENCE? In fact, why the heck is Square even making three games if we, the actual fans of the series, haven't even approved any of the games yet?

I'll tell you why, because Square realizes that it has an army of gamers who are just dying to play the next FF game no matter how expensive it is. Have any of you become sick already of all the FFVII bull thats running rampant in the RPG world lately? How many spawns do we need from that game? FF7:AC, FF7:DOC, FF7:CC, all of the Kingdom Hearts references, a possible remake.....come on! Its all about the cash when it comes to Square lately and calling yourself a true fan just because you're stupid enough to pay massive amounts of money to play anything Square releases with the tag "Final Fantasy" on it is ridiculous. Then you look at the price tag of the PS3, and well, personally for a student in business school on a very tight budget I'm not willing to shell out that type of cash to play a game that may not even be a complete experience cause the rest of it may be concluded on the mobile version! Don't put it past Square to do it either!

Final Fantasy XII, from the way things have been going with Square lately, may just be the last time a gamer can pick up a brand new FF and play THAT GAME AND THAT GAME ALONE to truly experience Square's latest masterpiece. No sequels, no movies, no expensive extras, NONE OF THAT!

So to close, I'll leave you all with this: If I am not a true FF fan for defeating all the "true" games in the series and pretty much memorizing their storylines and falling in love with their characters, buying their action figures, buying merchandise such as posters and clothing and devoting thousands, SEVERAL THOUSANDS, of hours playing each game, then I am sad to say that I guess I will never be a true fan of Final Fantasy. If having to pay every extra cent I have and willing taking slaps in the face from Square is the only way to become a "true fan", then count me out! Personally, I have other great RPGs I can play that won't cost me a fortune, or force me to buy the most expensive platform being released in the next generation of gaming, I certainly do not have to play FFXIII when I have Shadow Hearts: From the New World, Star Ocean Till the End of Time, Grandia III etc.....so with that, I am officially declaring, in complete disgust with Square and its business practices lately, the Final Fantasy XII will also be my last FF ever! Thank you all.

SkyCastleDan

i also own every single FF save for hte adventure and hero series on the classic gameboys.

i, personally consider each FF a separate game, and not as a whole series because they are all so different from each other, interms of story, characters, and sometimes even gameplay. so when someone says thay are an "FF fan", I have a tendency to ask which FF's they are a fan of. So I think, even if they won't play the FF's after 12, they are still an FF fan, just fan of the older games, but a fan nontheless.

of course i won't stop playing after 12~

i read a little of the 1st and 2nd paragraph

well even though i only have FFX, FFX-2 and FFVIIAC the movie i am going to plan to buy all XIII except the mobile one. this includes FFXIII and FFVXIII.  also my screensaver and my background of my computer is all Final Fantasy.  plus i have the fenrir and cloud avtion figure and i plan to collect more. 

[QUOTE="lightmonkey"]All you need to be a true FF fan is an absolute love for the series :wink: AsianGamer

How?

the new banner looks great *ahem* FFXIII *ahem*

all i can say is that YEAH!!! there are still many games out there (that square made) that are still fun and sometimes even more enjoyable to play than FF... i mean i loved Grandia even before i knew there was a final fantasy series... and even now, i WILL pick Grandia (first version on the PS) over FF... i will also pick KH over FF... so why play final fantsy???

stunning graphics *ahem* graphics *ahem* *cof* *cof*

i think you need some cough medicine.. :?

Exactly what i was trying to explain. There are things in Final Fantasy that are almost a guranteed feature and will make you choose them over any other game.

If you are a real fan, you won't stop at any game. Its just saying that some people don't stick with things, even thought they are still great. Me, I WON'T stop at FFXII, I'm going to keep with it as along as it goes.

I own all of them except FF and FFII, and thats because I can't find FF Origins anywhere. I've enjoyed every FF that I play, and I think I've played everyone at least twice or more. These games will never get old, they will hold their greatness forever. Even though I play other series that I love to, some being Wild Arms, and Kingdom Hearts, it doesn't change me from not liking FF.

GO FINAL FANTASY AND OTHERS!!!!!!

I must say everyone, great topic and posting here, this is what I like to see at the FFU, you guys have made me proud!

Anyway, I think anyone who says you are not a true FF fan for stopping at XII has a rather shallow mind. I might well discontinue playing the series at XII as well but I would still consider myself to be an FF fan because of my devotion to Square's great games of the 80s and 90s. I don't like where the series is going with Final Fantasy XIII and furthermore, the director of that game is the one who was the scenario director for Final Fantasy X. For me, Final Fantasy X's story was pretty poor. Versus XIII is directed by Tetsuya Nomura and however much I try, I just can't get immersed into Nomura's games and to add to this, I loathe his character designs.

But don't be fooled if XII gives you false impression. You must remember, Yasumi Matsuno is directing XII and I consider him to be one of the best developers around (he created FFTactics and Vagrant Story). If you find XII enjoyable, you could well regret thinking XIII will follow suit, as I don't think it will based on first impressions. Me, like many other people I know, follow the developer not the series and as has been pointed put by Oblivion more than once; when Hideo Kojima stops developing the Metal Gear Solid series, pmany people will follow Kojima-san with his original material but it won't be half as popular as the Metal Gear series solely because of it's name. That's what the industry is like nowadays, it all boils down to franchise and name sales which really saddens me. People who come up with original content - their games won't be half as noticed as the Final Fantasys, the Devil May Crys and the like. I would happily stop at XII and play the old Final Fantasys again.

In many respects you could easily call yourself a fan if you know when to stop playing the games. I see a difference between a fan and a sort of (oh, I hate this word but it's the only one I can use to describe this group of people) fanboy. Fanboys *shudder* will follow the series wherever it goes, buy all the merchandise and still enjoy the series just because of what it is. Fans however would enjoy the series up until when they feel that it's gone to far or got to poor to continue playing. I fall into the "fan" category and the likelihood is, Final Fantasy XIII will not be in my Playstation 3 in the coming years.

I must say everyone, great topic and posting here, this is what I like to see at the FFU, you guys have made me proud!

Anyway, I think anyone who says you are not a true FF fan for stopping at XII has a rather shallow mind. I might well discontinue playing the series at XII as well but I would still consider myself to be an FF fan because of my devotion to Square's great games of the 80s and 90s. I don't like where the series is going with Final Fantasy XIII and furthermore, the director of that game is the one who was the scenario director for Final Fantasy X. For me, Final Fantasy X's story was pretty poor. Versus XIII is directed by Tetsuya Nomura and however much I try, I just can't get immersed into Nomura's games and to add to this, I loathe his character designs.

But don't be fooled if XII gives you false impression. You must remember, Yasumi Matsuno is directing XII and I consider him to be one of the best developers around (he created FFTactics and Vagrant Story). If you find XII enjoyable, you could well regret thinking XIII will follow suit, as I don't think it will based on first impressions. Me, like many other people I know, follow the developer not the series and as has been pointed put by Oblivion more than once; when Hideo Kojima stops developing the Metal Gear Solid series, pmany people will follow Kojima-san with his original material but it won't be half as popular as the Metal Gear series solely because of it's name. That's what the industry is like nowadays, it all boils down to franchise and name sales which really saddens me. People who come up with original content - their games won't be half as noticed as the Final Fantasys, the Devil May Crys and the like. I would happily stop at XII and play the old Final Fantasys again.

In many respects you could easily call yourself a fan if you know when to stop playing the games. I see a difference between a fan and a sort of (oh, I hate this word but it's the only one I can use to describe this group of people) fanboy. Fanboys *shudder* will follow the series wherever it goes, buy all the merchandise and still enjoy the series just because of what it is. Fans however would enjoy the series up until when they feel that it's gone to far or got to poor to continue playing. I fall into the "fan" category and the likelihood is, Final Fantasy XIII will not be in my Playstation 3 in the coming years.

Somegamer

Great Post,But I don't think a lot of people really know what being a fan means these days.People are sooo used to hearing the word they automaticly assume there a fan of anything they like.

If they stop at FFXII there not 100% devoted to the subject,so how would they be a fan?

There is nothing wrong at all with "loving" or "enjoying" the series,but all of you just can not call yourself "fans".

I haven't actually played many FF', only FFX and X2, but so far, from reading others. I think I would have liked FFVII and VIII as they seem to have a interesting storyline. Anyway, I'm a tad held back when it comes to buying any ps2 or computer games. Usually, I'll read about it first in the internet before buying it. Or, I would hear it from my friends and then later buy it. I do'nt have much money to spend so therefore the games i buy are limited. Overall, I think Square has done  a good job with all their games and even though they have good games and some well not so good, they're only human. They''ve done their best and collected a heap of fans around the world. To me, they've done a good job.

:D