Gamers need to realize that when Final Fantasy XIII was announced, last year, as a multiplatform title, the subliminal message that was sent by Microsoft due to that announcement was quite clear. Regardless of whether or not gamers would actually admit it, the undeniable fact remains that such an announcement is destined to create a paradigm shift in the way people view Microsoft forever.

If you pay close attention to the Square-Microsoft relationship and its progression, you would begin to notice a pattern materializing before your very eyes. The pattern is more like water testing. Let me explain, if you are at a lake, and you suddenly feel the need to swim, your first thought would not be to jump in; the first thing you would normally do is test the water temperature; if it’s too cold and you are still feeling the urge to jump in, then you would need to slowly and gradually immerse yourself, in order to avoid jolting your system with a sudden temperature shift, until you are completely immersed in water; only at that point will you be able to swim freely and enjoy the experience. That is exactly what Square Enix has done.

If you notice the gradual story progression of  the Square-developed titles for the Xbox 360, you would easily be able to predict where things are going. In April of 2006, they released Final Fantasy XI Online, a title that was released, over two years ago, on both the PS2 and PC, and was therefore, nothing more than a port of a title that Square has already profited from. In July of 2007, they released Project Sylpheed, a third-person space shooter from a genre that is not one of Square’s strong points.

In September of 2008, they released Infinite Undiscovery, a JRPG title developed by tri-Ace, one of Square’s most important second-party developers. In November of 2008, they released The Last Remnant, a JRPG title, developed by Square’s internal studio, that was initially announced as a multiplatform title, but was suddenly released as an Xbox 360 exclusive. Finally, after being fully immersed in the Xbox 360 waters, in February of 2009, they released Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope, a JRPG title, developed by tri-Ace, that was a sequel to one of Square’s biggest first-party franchises, exclusively on Microsoft’s console!

If we also add the fact that, at E3 08, Square-Enix announced Final Fantasy XIII as a multiplatform title, and the fact that Front Mission Evolved has been recently announced for the Xbox 360, it would be quite clear to us where things are going. Therefore, it is my belief that in 2009, one or more of the following predictions will surely be realized:

1. Final Fantasy XIII will finally be announced for the Xbox 360 in Japan.

2. Final Fantasy Versus XIII will finally be announced as a multiplatform title.

3. Kingdom Hearts 3 will be announced as an Xbox 360 exclusive!

To any gamer that developed an embolism from my last prediction, may you rest in peace.

God Bless You All

Master Samo

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Since the days of the SNES, Squaresoft and Enix have been putting out some of the most memorable JRPG’s in gaming history. Since 2001, these companies have merged into one gaming force, Square Enix, unfortunately for their games, the quality hasn’t survived the transition.

What happened?

Their past games include the Final Fantasy series, the Chrono series, the Dragon Quest series, the Star Ocean series, and more. Games like Final Fantasy VII and Chrono Trigger are the epitome of RPG success. They are what JRPG fans want when it comes to the cream of the crop.

Though since the merger and since Square Enix got rid of Final Fantasy creator Hironubo Sakaguchi, their games have not had anywhere near the success of their SNES and Playstation 1 games.

Quality has been dropping since Final Fantasy X

Final Fantasy X is considered by many to be one of the best Final Fantasy games and JRPG’s in gaming history, but since then Square Enix has slowly but surely gotten worse with each game. This is very evident in how they’ve handled their biggest franchise, Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy XI, and Final Fantasy XII is easily the worst run in the franchises history. All the games have been been clouded in mediocrity, and many fans are getting fed up with this.

It’s gotten even worse this generation

Infinite Undiscovery, Star Ocean 4, and The Last Remnant were all released within the last year, and all of them were mediocre at best. None of these games pushed the JRPG-genre like their games in the past. Some blame this to Square Enix being “greedy” and releasing games on consoles that they are unfamiliar to. They have yet to release a PS3 Square Enix game this generation, and have yet to release the next-gen Final Fantasy.

They continue to push out PSP games and games for consoles such as the Wii/360. All the 360 games have been mediocre, the Wii games are either ports or crappy 2nd hand games, and while the PSP games are decent most would like to have games like Crisis Core and Dissidia on a home console.

Ever since Sakaguchi and Uematsu left…

Squre Enix games have not felt the same.  Even Lost Odyssey felt more like an old-school classic Squaresoft/Enix game than the stuff Square Enix has produced the past couple of years. They are putting out products to make money, and not to create great games. This is obvious in how they’ve changed their buisness strategies over time.

Hopefully with Final Fantasy XIII being a year away they can change their current trend and turn it around. Gamers also have Final Fantasy XIII Versus and a new Kingdom Hearts to look forward to in the future. Hopefully they stop ignoring what made them great, and worry about making great games, and not just broadening their audience.