Final Fantasy VII remake can't happen until Square Enix makes a better game

Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada says that the company would be "happy" to make a full-fledged remake of Final Fantasy VII. However, before it can do so, he believes the company must make a game that "exceeds the quality" of the PSone classic.

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Is there any Final Fantasy game more beloved than VII? While fans can spend days arguing over which game is the best, it's undeniable that the adventures of Cloud and company are the most iconic. No wonder fans have been long-clamoring for a remake of the game.

Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada says that the company would be "happy" to make a full-fledged remake of Final Fantasy VII. However, before it can do so, he believes the company must make a game that "exceeds the quality" of the PSone classic.

When asked about a possible remake during the company's annual shareholder's meeting, Wada said that a remake is only possible once the company has made a Final Fantasy game that exceeds the quality of 7. "If they were to release a 7 remake right now, the FF franchise would be done with," a translation by Andriasang explains.

The company has dabbled in an HD "remake" of Final Fantasy VII. At the PS3 launch, the company released a "technical demo"--a real-time render of the game's CG intro.

The most recent addition to the Final Fantasy franchise was XIII-2, which received middling reviews. Final Fantasy Versus XIII is presumably still in development as well.

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    June 26, 2012 12:30 PM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, Final Fantasy VII remake can't happen until Square Enix makes a better game.

    Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada says that the company would be "happy" to make a full-fledged remake of Final Fantasy VII. However, before it can do so, he believes the company must make a game that "exceeds the quality" of the PSone classic.

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      June 26, 2012 12:30 PM

      Let Eidos do it. They seem to know how to make good games.

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        June 27, 2012 12:41 AM

        They did do the PC port. Which was surprisingly functional for PC ports at the time.

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      June 26, 2012 12:32 PM

      so basically all the previous "we can't do it" talk was bullshit.

      and also are they admitting since 7 all FF games have been meh to meh+?

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        June 26, 2012 12:33 PM

        some of us have said that everything past 6 has been meh to meh+ ... I personally liked 7, hated 8 with a passion, and loved 9 and 12

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            June 26, 2012 12:44 PM

            7 was my intro to FF, so it has nostalgia on its side in my book.

            i still want to buy a psp or vita just to play it in bed.

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              June 26, 2012 12:45 PM

              FFIV was mine, and I will admit that if you played VII before VI you may not appreciate everything that VI gave it.

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                June 26, 2012 1:06 PM

                What's always been funny to me is the number of people who draw the love/hate line at 6 and not 5.

                FF6 is much, much more akin to 7 and the later titles than it is to 1-5, except for it being sprite-based.

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                  June 26, 2012 1:07 PM

                  I don't understand why everyone hates FFV. I think people hate it because they have no nostalgia factor. It's a great game.

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                    June 26, 2012 1:51 PM

                    I think part of it is that the story isn't particularly interesting and yeah, for a lot of American gamers, we didn't play it until long after the epic, world-shattering story of FF6, or the intense more-twists-than-you-can-count story of FF7 had become paramount in most of our minds as "The most awesome FF story".

                    That, and the gameplay. FFV uses the job system, which again, most people had likely already experienced in a much more complex and satisfying form in FFT, by the time FFV was widely available in the US.

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                      June 26, 2012 1:55 PM

                      I think the game play of FFV was pretty awesome but yeah, the story suffered terribly compared to IV, VI, and VII.

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                  June 26, 2012 1:18 PM

                  I'd argue that it did it right, though.

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                  June 26, 2012 1:23 PM

                  I really enjoyed VII, I didn't like VIII and I loved IX (although it was a bit too awkward). I think the creators just lost the magic somewhere around then and stopped improving.

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              June 26, 2012 1:07 PM

              Mine was FF III on SNES. I even bought the soundtrack. Come to think of it, that might have been the first game OST I've ever bought. Genji Glove + Atma Weapon = WIN! (and add Mimic for extra salt in the wound)

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                June 26, 2012 1:27 PM

                Note to daggot. Just use the japanese numbering scheme. Mixing it is confusing as hell now that the unreleased final fantasy have actually been released here. FF III SNES = FF 6

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          June 26, 2012 2:37 PM

          IX is my personal favorite.

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      June 26, 2012 12:33 PM

      Pretty creative way to tell your fans that it will never happen.

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      June 26, 2012 12:41 PM

      basically 'nothing has been as good, so if we released it people would realize that everything afterwards has sorta sucked.'

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      June 26, 2012 12:57 PM

      They already have in my book, three favorites would be XI, VIII, and VII-Crisis Core.

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      June 26, 2012 1:04 PM

      VI was a far superior game anyway. Remake that instead.

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        June 26, 2012 1:12 PM

        I second this.

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        June 26, 2012 1:18 PM

        This would be nice.

      • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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        June 26, 2012 1:31 PM

        Keep it 2D
        Repaint the sprites
        HD of course
        BARELY TOUCH THE MUSIC
        Fix a few spelling/grammar errors but don't otherwise Lucas up what's not broken
        Make it Vita/PS3 (or just Vita)

        I will pay one hundred american dollars

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        June 26, 2012 1:46 PM

        confirmed

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        June 26, 2012 2:31 PM

        Yep, VII was made a bit more popular because it was the first 3D title.

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        June 26, 2012 2:59 PM

        What game is this?

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        June 26, 2012 4:02 PM

        VI's pixel-art graphics hold up a lot better than PS1 games do, but the lack of battle animations feels really dated. If they remake VI in a similar manner to how they did IV, I would buy a 3DS just to play that single game.

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        June 27, 2012 3:13 AM

        [deleted]

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      June 26, 2012 1:16 PM

      XII is great in just about every way except for the story, which is a shame because it's really fun.

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        June 26, 2012 1:28 PM

        I agree with that. I enjoyed XII's mechanics after I got used to them. But the story was awful.

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        June 26, 2012 1:39 PM

        I thought the story was pretty cool. A more grounded, political story that's a departure from the 'HOLY SHIT MONSTER GONNA EAT THE WORLD' craziness that the series was known for.

        I think it's really a forgotten gem of the PS2 era, never got enough love.

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          June 26, 2012 4:10 PM

          I thought the concept was neat but I think they fell down on the execution.

          Lots of "hey we're going to this place 'cause... uh... we have to go there now. There's A Thing," style plot arcs without actually exploring the major things that constitute a story like conflict, character motivation, etc. Most of the characters had interesting back stories, but in the slice of their story that we saw their reactions to major plot events were always pretty stilted and perfunctory (unless it was either Vaan or Panelo, in which case it was exaggerated and silly).

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        June 26, 2012 2:51 PM

        Except for the story? Isn't that like the defining aspect of RPGs? At least for me it is, considering that the gameplay is the same for 20+ hours.

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          June 26, 2012 3:17 PM

          Ok, i should say the overarching story is the weak point. I like the characters, but I really don't care about the political intrigue with the two countries fighting over ribbonasty or whatever it's called.

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            June 26, 2012 3:27 PM

            The story isn't weak so much as it is very different from standard FF fare, and far more similar to Matsuno's other titles.

            I just wish he hadn't bailed/been forced out or whatever halfway through, because it definitely shows in the story.

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              June 26, 2012 3:28 PM

              do you have a good write up of the history? Why was he forced out?

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                June 26, 2012 5:02 PM

                I don't think it's ever been talked about very publicly. Over the years I've heard a lot of things, and I know that initially Square's statement was something about him having gotten very sick. I'm fairly sure, given that Matsuno was generally a guy they let kind of do whatever, he likely didn't mesh too well with the kind of corporate meddling that I've always heard goes on at Square with the big titles (especially main series FF titles), and that they sent him on his way.

                I'm sure you've heard the oft-discussed bit about the suits requiring the main character be changed from Basch, to the much more "appealing" Vaan. I suspect strongly there were many things like that.

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      June 26, 2012 1:29 PM

      I thought 10 was a pretty good game. Eight and Nine were pretty mediocre. I haven't played a FF game since those though.

      Really all I want is a real Chrono Trigger sequel :( Chrono Cross didn't do it for me.

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        June 26, 2012 1:37 PM

        same here. I hated how chrono cross played. A billion characters and an annoying battle system. Also, the story seems interesting when I read the wiki, but i just couldn't get into it while playing.

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          June 26, 2012 2:05 PM

          Yea I was not a big fan of how they went from the great system in CT where you could bypass or choose to take on a lot of battles to the CC way of reverting to the old JRPG random encounters.

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        June 26, 2012 2:40 PM

        9 is probably the best FF game in my opinion. the localization is spot on, the humor is great, and the characters are well fleshed out. none of the other FF's had as good character development as 9 did.

        Also the plot is amazing.

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          June 26, 2012 3:18 PM

          i want to play 9..why do most people say it's bad? Is it the super deformed look to the characters?

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            June 26, 2012 3:20 PM

            It had pretty weak antagonists and the main characters weren't very interesting either. Otherwise I think it was a pretty good game and one of the better Final Fantasy games. The skill system was one of the best from the series too.

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            June 26, 2012 3:24 PM

            I honestly don't know. It was popular to hate on it when it came out, and that stigma just kind of stuck with it (kind of like Blade Runner).

            I don't think there's an aspect of it that I dislike.

            It's probably the last masterpiece that Square made. I must have played it like 10 times.

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            June 27, 2012 6:50 AM

            You can play the whole game and not remember anything that actually happened. That being said, there's nothing particularly grevious about the title, it's just not memorable.

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          June 26, 2012 3:25 PM

          I liked 9 a lot more than 8, I'll say that much. It's still not even near the top of the list though after you consider 4, 6, 7 and 10.

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            June 26, 2012 3:33 PM

            Well everyone's entitled to their opinions.

            I've played VI, VII, VIII, IX, and X each countless times now, but I keep coming back to IX. I always end up coming away with something new every time I play that game.

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              June 26, 2012 4:45 PM

              Now you make me want to go play it again, it's been so long.

              I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF TIME!

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                June 26, 2012 7:45 PM

                You should!!! I'm getting the itch to replay it after talking about it.

                It's even better when you make challenges for yourself: I did a no-save game run through and almost wiped in the last dungeon cause of some asshole behemoth that cast meteor when he died. Good thing Vivi had auto-life equipped. I was cursing and jumping up and down.

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          June 26, 2012 8:39 PM

          i thought it was fine - classic style JRPG

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          June 27, 2012 12:00 AM

          Yeah, Quina was an amazing character. And also the talking humanoid rat and the dreadlock guy. Awesome characters.

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        June 26, 2012 4:58 PM

        did you try 12?

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          June 26, 2012 8:40 PM

          im playing it now and not that impressed - Rogue Galaxy was way better for that style

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        June 26, 2012 8:41 PM

        Chrono Trigger remake would be amazing, I guess I should be thankful for the XCOM one at least

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        June 27, 2012 1:48 AM

        Chrono Trigger was so amazing, I really never got on with their other games at all because the JRPG bullshit crept right back in after CT ditched much of the stupidity like random battles.

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        June 27, 2012 4:22 AM

        I really liked X, but X-2 was soooooo bad

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      June 26, 2012 1:36 PM

      I don't really understand his logic here. How does doing a remake of a game (which many people loved) kill the FF franchise? That just doesn't make sense. What if people love it, it sells great and then you can bring even more people into the franchise and some other people who lost interest back in?

      And they do remakes of old FF all the time. I don't quite see what he's saying here.

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        June 26, 2012 2:58 PM

        It can also set the bar the bar too high, so when your other games don't sell as well for 5 iterations people start asking questions.

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        June 26, 2012 8:58 PM

        I know I'm basically waiting for a VII remake before I even touch the franchise.

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        June 26, 2012 9:49 PM

        its Japanese rogic

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      June 26, 2012 1:40 PM

      even if they didn't remake VII; i'd be totally happy if they'd just make a game with the Materia System.

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      June 26, 2012 2:11 PM

      Haha they are seriously suggesting they can't make better game play than a 18+ year old JRPG? That says something about square I guess.

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        June 26, 2012 2:12 PM

        It says more about the game.

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          June 26, 2012 2:38 PM

          Not really, I remember the game. Take out the story and there are 1000 games like it. They will never "improve" the story in the fans eyes, but they could certainly build a better game around it. Personally I'd just like to see someone remake xenogears without touching the fucking story, but thats to obscure.

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            June 26, 2012 3:13 PM

            The story isn't even that good. And that's if you understood it, which a lot of people didn't.

            Sephiroth is "killed," and somehow gains the power to control anyone with Jenova cells and manifest himself, sword included? The main character is so traumatized that he deludes himself into thinking he's from SOLDIER? Not that he lies about it or tries to step into the role, but actually believes it?

            The first disc's story was amazing, and it was all downhill from there. Sec ond disc was ok. Third disc (end of game, don't remember where it starts exactly)felt like they just ran out of time/money and were frantically rushing things.

            Also, the crater having basically one boss encounter was pretty anti-climactic.

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          June 26, 2012 2:38 PM

          Except the game is not as good as the fans make it out to be.

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        June 26, 2012 8:45 PM

        we already know they have a hard time evolving

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      June 26, 2012 2:12 PM

      This is just for the "remake". I would be happy with an iPad HD re-release, maybe with some new character models and touched up backgrounds :)

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      June 26, 2012 2:37 PM

      How was XIII? There was a ton of hype around the time of release, and I haven't heard one word about it since. Was it a dud?

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        June 26, 2012 2:47 PM

        felt like I was playing and old on-rails light gun game.
        except, it had some rpg elements.

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          June 26, 2012 3:40 PM

          That's too bad. For me, one of the marks of a good JRPG (or most games really) is keeping you on track, without loosing the feeling of exploration and choice.

          • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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            June 26, 2012 3:42 PM

            I didn't mind the on-rails aspect so much, but I don't like where squeeeenix is going with their combat system. I prefer the British style of two lines facing off across an open field, calmly exchanging volleys until one side gives up.

            I play MMOs and FPSs for action-combat. I play RPGs for turn-based combat. :(

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        June 26, 2012 4:21 PM

        It was really fun in my opinion. Yeah it was pretty on rails, but I do think it's worth playing if you've got the time for it. XIII-2 is supposed to fix the annoying stuff from XIII but I haven't played it yet so I can't say.

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        June 27, 2012 12:08 AM

        [deleted]

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        June 27, 2012 2:26 AM

        It's extremely linear. Progression system is alright, I guess. For some reason getting summon spells are a must? (In a way you can't avoid them? I'm stuck at one of those fights)

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      June 26, 2012 2:40 PM

      So they are never remaking FF7 gotcha.

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      June 26, 2012 2:48 PM

      They could've just said, "If you want a picture of Final Fantasy's future, imagine a J-rock band playing Crazy Chocobo... forever."

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      June 26, 2012 4:06 PM

      [deleted]

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      June 26, 2012 4:35 PM

      A lot of replies for such a non-story. I guess a lot of people here were aged somewhere from 10-17 in 1997.

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      June 26, 2012 4:56 PM

      How about square enix gets back to making good games?

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        June 30, 2012 2:58 PM

        Their best games were from when they were Squaresoft, IMO.

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      June 26, 2012 4:59 PM

      Sigh... So I guess we wait a very long time until they realise that nostalgia has made FF7 a better game than what it would be if released today. Loved FF7 and 8 equally and if they don't make a FF7 remake atleast make an 8!

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      June 26, 2012 9:00 PM

      Welp guess thats it.

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      June 26, 2012 9:19 PM

      I think of it this way, at least if a remake does happen it will be on the next generation of hardware and not this one which is fine by me.

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        June 27, 2012 12:58 AM

        Yeah, that doesn't sound to bad. I've never cared if they remake it or not, but the further away from the original it is hardware-wise, the more likely I am to buy it.

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      June 27, 2012 5:36 AM

      That's odd - 10 and 13-2 were better than 7

      yes - I went there.

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        June 27, 2012 5:50 AM

        13-2 good? I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that.

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          June 27, 2012 6:49 AM

          dude - 13-2 was worlds better than 13. The game was fantastic.

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            June 28, 2012 11:25 PM

            i never played 13 but 13-2 is god awful

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              June 29, 2012 10:32 PM

              Never played 13-2 but 13 isn't as bad as they say.
              I could just imagine if it didn't have the Final Fantasy name attached to it, RPG fanatics would be singing it's praises and saying it's a must play. But instead it's put in the shadow of VII which imo of course is an old, outdated game anyway. A perfect example of nostalgia.

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        June 27, 2012 1:50 PM

        Everything after VII was trying to live up to VII but failed - and that's from the game's creator.

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