One problem I think the FF has had since FFx has been the complexity of the game. How long did you spend pressing x at just the right time for 200 times in a row just to get Lulu's special weapon? Or trying to get an ultra rare drop from the right creature so you can then make the right weapon so you can break it down to get three more of the rare so you can make more ultimate weapons. And don't forget you need a massive amount of Gil for the parts and if you already beat the game you cannot reach the best Gil grinding spot.
Heh, those types of things have never bothered me on 60+ hour jrpg's. That type of thing are in more than just the ff games. For example, one of my favorite games of all times, Shadowhearts Covenant, has a good 20 hours plus worth of game play, once you unlock the final dungeon of the game, if you wanted to run around and get everyone's ultimate weapons and armor and such. I actively look forward to that part of the game.
No, what I have a problem with, with the latest ff games, is that they are actually getting further and further away from being turn based rpg's. The last true turn based game they put out was, what, 10? Heck, 12 more or less played itself once you set the gambits up. I forgave it that, to a certain extent, 1 because it was the first one that went that route, and I thought it was just an experiment, and they'd go back to turn based, and 2 because it had a larger problem i that the characters in the game were mostly pretty boring.
I remember reading an interview with the main developer/producer, and he basically said they were shooting for a game where the focus of it was the grand politics of the world, rather than the characters. And it showed. Quite a boring game, from a storytelling stand point.
Then, 13 rolled around, and instead of getting better, it got worse. It went back to trying to tell a personal story, for the charcters involved. But, most of the characters are either annoying (Faith, Snow), or kind of boring (lightning). Saaz was the only halfway decent character in the game, imo. I will note that I never finished that game. So, perhaps they got better or worse as the game went along. But, on top of that, the gameplay still wasn't back to what I wanted it to be...i.e. turn based. In fact, it was even farther from what I think it should be.
And, now we have this, ff15. Honestly, I haven't even gotten around to watching the trailer. I should, but I just haven't been about to drum up any interest in the game. From what I've seen, it's not an rpg at all, just an action game with maybe some rpg trappings on it for old times sake. Someone correct me if I'm wrong here.
The technology part doesn't bother me. Alot of ff games have technology in them. Trains, planes, guns, etc, etc. One car doesn't seem that strange to me.
On a side note, I do laugh a little every time I see someone complain about the lightning dodging quest for the ultimate weapon in ff10. I had the same complaint myself, having tried and failed at that game many times. And, then I read the trick to that mini game....and it made it easy. Extremely easy. Took me 2 tries, and about 15 minutes, and it was done. It was so easy then, it was like all the frustration I had with it prior to that was a big fat lie.
Truthfully, I'd rather do that mini quest 5 times in a row, rather than deal with some of that chocobo racing stuff.
