Yoshinori Kitase: I'm convinced FFXIII will be the greatest FF ever

[1Truth2Lies]

Do people know he made this bold claim?

He said this in an interview with VideoGamer.com back in May 2009, which was 7 months before FFXIII released in Japan. We all know how the game went on to be received. It is the most divisive 3D, single-player FF and even obtained the lowest Metacritic score of any 3D, mainline FF (MMOs included).

Can people now understand why some people say Kitase is a bigger problem than Motomu Toriyama? Many claim Toriyama is bad director and is the one ruining mainline FF, but the producer of his games believes he's making masterpieces. That's a much bigger problem, as Kitase can get the all the funding from executives that he wants due to directing FFVII, then he'll go and pump it all into Toriyama's FF games.

I remember when Toriyama haters first started appearing after FFXIII released in March 2010. I was thinking, "Why is nobody also criticising Kitase?" When FFXIII was first announced and leading up to release, everybody was thinking t was going to be a masterpiece because Kitase was producing; nobody even mentioned Toriyama. It was all "Kitase, Kitase, Kitase." Fast forward to post-release and the game not meeting expectations, they put all the blame on Toriyama.

Also, another thing worth noting is that Kitase was the game designer of FFXIII and it was his idea to remove towns, shops, mini-games, and other aspects that people complained were missing. He even alluded to this in an interview with Hyper PlayStation conducted shortly after E3 2006, where FFXIII was first announced. Kitase hinted towards the game design changes he would be introducing by stating players will say, "Is this really FF?" when they play the game. Fast forward to present day and he was right.

Sure, Kitase directed FFVII, which made JRPGs blow up in NA/EU, but he has really fallen off in recent times. I honestly believe that if he were to direct another FF game today, it wouldn't be any better than what Toriyama is currently putting out. Kitase is the George Lucas of gaming. A once great creator that is now a shadow of their former self.

It will be interesting to see if FFXVI by Hiroyuki Ito proves he's still a relevant game director/producer. Personally, I think Ito has still got it, as FFXII's game design was way ahead of its time, as the success of Xenoblade has clearly proven.

 

[Tornak]

Yeah, it really looks like he, sadly, lost it prior to XIII. I want to believe he still has it, but that trilogy makes it difficult to think that.

However, I wouldn't be surprised if he's also burnt out due to these games, we have to remember all the different problems they were founded in (and it shows in the series and its gameplay mechanics). I'll be optimistic and think that he still has talent and a right mind for a business like this, even if he's far behind his prime.

 

[KOKAYI5]

FF13s had some good and bad in them. Maybe Kitase though the whole movie style fugitive story would be a hit and just ended up being wrong. Now that the 13s are done, I traded in 13-2 and LR and kept 13. I'm moving on. I hope whatever Toriyama and Kitase can do better and bounce back in the future... whatever they do. But to be safe maybe they shouldn't be at the forefront of FF16.

 

[1Truth2Lies]

It's nice to see that people have forgiven Kitase for his mishaps with FFXIII, but I hope they're also giving their forgiveness to Toriyama. I don't like how he's been blamed for many things that were actually the fault of Kitase.

That said, I'm looking forward to Kitase/Toriyama team's next game. I just hope it is not FFXVI or FFXVII. I don't want them touching new mainline FF games for at least a decade. I want them to make either FFVII Remake or FFX-3.

 

[KOKAYI5]

Is X-3 a possibility not that they did that drama audio in the remaster version?

I wouldn't make both of them wait till a decade. I'd rather they just get their groove back doing side games like on 3DS or PS Vita.
If they can put their heads together and get FF17 worked on while 16 is coming out and it's good, I'd be ok with it.
They just need to make a big RPG with lots of story, good characters, and exploration. It's not hard. They just over-think it or try to hard to pull WRPG style stuff in the plot.

 

[Mistwalker]

I don't know if 'forgiveness' is a adequate word for me, but I'm fearing the Kitase/Toriyama team working again on future Final Fantasies, because X and XIII both shared some problems, from the linearity (though in FFX it's justified because of the pilgrimage --the perfect excuse) to character design/development. I like both X and XIII (for real. I've played XIII four f-times!), but they aren't my favs on the franchise because they feel as if they had broken the magic the franchise had, specially for FFX, and that after the release of the first PS2 game the franchise hasn't been the same.

That doesn't mean I don't enjoy the series as it is now, but even a fanboy like me can admit it has seen better times.

 

[APZonerunner]

This is why, as PR, it's better to encourage them to never make statements like this.

That said, here's the thing: to somebody, FF13 is their favourite FF, the greatest FF. Opinion is subjective, after all.

 

[1Truth2Lies]

Is X-3 a possibility not that they did that drama audio in the remaster version?

I wouldn't make both of them wait till a decade. I'd rather they just get their groove back doing side games like on 3DS or PS Vita.
If they can put their heads together and get FF17 worked on while 16 is coming out and it's good, I'd be ok with it.
They just need to make a big RPG with lots of story, good characters, and exploration. It's not hard. They just over-think it or try to hard to pull WRPG style stuff in the plot.

I think FFX-3 is a strong possibility, but they'll never say their making it until an official announcement, anyway.

I think they're more likely to make FFX-3 and a FFVII Remake before moving on to another mainline FF. You also need to remember that 2017 is FFVII 20th Anniversary, so I'm sure Kitase will want to get a big FFVII game released or announced by that date. He's already said that FFVII: G-Bike is taste of things to come.

This is why, as PR, it's better to encourage them to never make statements like this.

That said, here's the thing: to somebody, FF13 is their favourite FF, the greatest FF. Opinion is subjective, after all.

I think people will find it disheartening that Kitase (who directed FFVI, FFVII, and FFVIII) was convinced that FFXIII would be the greatest FF ever pre-release. That shows that he saw nothing wrong with Toriyama's directing capabilities and instead believed he made FFXIII a flawless game. Even today, he still believes that path they took with FFXIII was not a mistake. So, really, FFXIII haters need to stop only hating Toriyama for how the game turned out. You either pin the blame on both Kitase and Toriyama or don't make any accusations at all.

 

[KOKAYI5]

Not gonna lie. Starting to see a FF7 remake as a lost cause unless people come back to home systems for RPGs in JPN instead of all the handheld and phone games. 13 was ok. Not by any means my favorite. But to me it was LR and 13-2 that they pushed their luck. If they just moved on to something else (like Type-0 on PS3 or something) right away we wouldn't have such a lasting bad taste in our gamer mouths from the trilogy. From now on they should move on to a new main FF each time unless DEMAND for a sequel (like the game ran over 80 hrs and the unused plots had to be left to a sequel leaving the first to finish on a cliffhanger).

 

[Squirrel Emperor]

It's not like he can just say it's the worst Final Fantasy game ever or anything that puts it under a negative light. He works for a company that is trying to make money by selling a product. You don’t say bad things about a project you’re working on and trying to make money off of to the general public. Kitase wasn’t hired to damage Square Enix’s consumer trust and hurt sales.

He’s suppose to get you, the consumer, to think that they have faith in their project and that everyone is really excited about it. He suppose to get you excited and pumped up about it. He’s suppose to get you guys to think that Final Fantasy XIII will be the best Final Fantasy ever. If he went the opposite direction, he'd probably lose his job.

In short, Square Enix wants your money.

Either he truly thinks Final Fantasy XIII is the best Final Fantasy game ever or he's just saying that in order to sell some copies of the game... Or both.

I will say this. Kitase needs Sakaguchi's guidance. He's lost without him.

 

[Nikolasvanitas]

Do you guys remember the Mega64 parody of the FF13 announcement trailer

 

[KOKAYI5]

I feel sorry for them. Will they ever live this down. Are people gonna bring up 14 preARR and the 13s even when FF18 is out? I want them to redeem themselves.

 

[Joshua]

Kitase has put out so much good work (FF6, CT, FF7, FF8, FFX) that he gets a pass for saying this.

A few other things:
- FF13 not as bad as you think it is.
- FF13-2 is one of the better FF games made.
- Kitase and Toriyama have carried Square Enix on their back the last decade while the creatively stunted Itou hasn't done anything in nearly 8 years.

Alright. All done. Have fun with my post.

 

[1Truth2Lies]

Kitase has put out so much good work (FF6, CT, FF7, FF8, FFX) that he gets a pass for saying this.

A few other things:
- FF13 not as bad as you think it is.
- FF13-2 is one of the better FF games made.
- Kitase and Toriyama have carried Square Enix on their back the last decade while the creatively stunted Itou hasn't done anything in nearly 8 years.

Alright. All done. Have fun with my post.

LOL! Kitase gets a pass because of his prior works even though his current work is average at best? Also, why should he get a pass when he outright said he believes one of the worst received 3D FF games is the best in the series? That's like George Lucas saying the Star Wars prequel trilogy is bette rthan the original trilogy.

A few other things:
- I never said I personally found FFXIII to be bad. I was speaking from the perspective of the overall FF fanbase.
- Many FF fans say FFXIII-2 was even worse than the original FFXIII and has one of the most convoluted and nonsensical plots in FF history.
- Kitase/Toriyama have carried only FFXIII on their backs the last decade, not Square Enix overall. Also, Ito is not creatively stunted. He's already said PS3/360 couldn't handle his gameplay ideas. That's the opposite to somebody being creatively stunted. Even then, Xenoblade outright ripped-off his game design in FFXII and went on to become the most critically acclaimed JRPG last gen, gaining way better reviews than the entire FFXIII trilogy by Kitase/Toriyama. Also, the iOS game Deadman's Cross, which Ito designed the battle system for, was released worldwide the same day LR FFXIII was released in NA/EU. At present time, Deadman's Cross has been downloaded over 4 million times worldwide, while LR FFXIII has barely passed 1 million worldwide.

Yeah, keep believing Ito is creatively stunted. LOL!

 

[Kaii]

Either he truly thinks Final Fantasy XIII is the best Final Fantasy game ever or he's just saying that in order to sell some copies of the game... Or both.

I think it's really worth considering the former possibility. It'd be different if he was a PR person: they're free to tell you that every new game is better than the last. But as someone involved in making multiple games in the series, Kitase can't simply say every game he makes is the best. Furthermore, his artistic integrity is on the line. If he simply lies, then he opens himself to real backlash from the fans -- like this.

I think it really is possible for a game designer to love a game and for fans to hate it. The process of making something and consuming something is different. Maybe it was genuinely incredible to brainstorm ideas, design characters and monsters, and create the battle system for this game. Maybe he thought it was an innovative departure from the rest of the series, which was enough to make it the best in his eyes. Regardless of exactly what it was, it seems clear that what he thinks makes a game great doesn't always line up with what the majority of fans want.

Maybe Kitase is totally right and we're wrong; maybe FFXIII just is the greatest game of the series and we haven't figured it out yet.

 

[Crystal Power]

It sounds like his opinion and nothing to be upset about. Just because you dislike Final Fantasy XIII doesn't make what Kitase said wrong if he truly believe it.

FYI, I think Final Fantasy XIII was a good game, definitely NOT the greatest but it was good imo.

 

[KOKAYI5]

Don't worry, I'm on the same boat as you. You're not alone.

FF13 IMO
Good: graphics, strong women, imaginative dungeons, cyborg foes, fantasy magic in a sci-fi setting like Star Ocean games, long story, music, teaming up with summons in battle, cutscene fights, Hope's dreadnaught mini-game, Hope and Lightning's LBs, Sazh's way of rapid shooting doing Blitz, battle with Cid (best in the game)

Bad: Vanille, comedy scenes with the chocobo chick and Sazh, no shopping in towns, weak synth system, few stats for each character to control their strength in battle (STR, MAG), overuse of status ailment early on, barely any exploration, have to beat game to max out characters, few villains (most weren't really imposing story wise), instant death if controlled character dies in battle.

An okay game. But never do it like that again, Square.

 

[1Truth2Lies]

Exactomundo. Toriyama had the vision to try and get casual gamers to join the JRPG gaming and because of that, there was so much linearity & more that made the game very flawed.
Ah, no matter. I bet you that Square have learned their mistakes in terms of design choices.

The part in bold is a prime of example of people blaming Toriyama for things that were Kitase's fault. It was Kitase that decided to make FFXIII linear and not have towns, NPC side-quests, mini-games, etc. It was also him that wanted to appeal to the FPS crowd, as he's a fan of FPS games and wanted to attract the huge Call of Duty fanbase. Toriyama just directed and wrote the base story. Please apply your blame for FFXIII's flaws on the right person.

 

[KOKAYI5]

Just because Kitase like FPS gamew he wanted to make an RPG be more like one? He should've asked around before doing that. Ask people to see if most liked the idea.

 

[Mistwalker]

Exactomundo. Toriyama had the vision to try and get casual gamers to join the JRPG gaming and because of that, there was so much linearity & more that made the game very flawed.
Ah, no matter. I bet you that Square have learned their mistakes in terms of design choices.

I'm not sure about that. Remember that they tried to do the same thing with a little game called Final Fantasy Mystic Quest back in the 90s? Trying to make a entry-level JRPG to attract more gamers? And we all know how that game went.