Square-Enix Square Enix plans to focus on 10 strong series

FFXIV actually had the potential to be a good game but for some strange reason, probably executive meddling, they rushed the game out earlier then they should've and it shows because it was lacking so many features and had so many serious game design problems, that it was basically an alpha of the intended game. SE is trying to fix everything that went wrong with the game but it's gonna take some time.

If you like the more fantasy-themed games, I suggest checking out "The 4 Heroes of Light". SE released it less than a year ago and it's basically a game that goes back to their roots. It was intentionally modeled to look and play like Final Fantasy III(the one for the DS), and the soundtrack is partially composed with 8-bit samples so it's got that retro feel to it. I just recently started playing the game and I like it and from what I've heard from others, it's a pretty solid title.

Also I personally loved X and XII and I think that both of their stories and their gameplay hold up pretty well compared to the other FF games. XII is one of my favorites because of the gameplay imo. I have nothing against random battles and turn based playing but I love FFXII's battle system and how they put enemies on the map. Made the game and world feel more realistic I guess.

 

Dragon Quest is probably the best franchise right now for them, next to final fantasy, but I'd definitley like to see some improvements as well

 

Depends heavily on the region. In Japan, Dragon Quest is definitely their strongest series but in the US, FF and KH always seem to do better from what I've seen.

 

I really liked X and XII as well, and like you I think I enjoyed XII's battle system more. But, in all honestly, I think the Paradigm system for FFXIII was sort of a creative idea which I commend them for that and I don't hate it as much as others did. What I really found annoying was how linear the entire game was, but not to the point of not enjoying the game at all. It was really aesthetically pleasing. I'm pretty sure Versus XIII is having a battle system like Kingdom Hearts so that should be pretty cool, considering the underlying story.

That being said, I'm sure it's all easy for us to say what we want, and sure they are a company built for consumers just like pretty much every company is, but like everything it takes time and money and from their reports even though they're reaping in millions of dollars they're still falling short of quota so hopefully that brings it to their attention enough to actually go back and change some things about their games. Just because they have the physical capability to make sequel doesn't mean that every game they make needs a sequel.

 

Spoiler

SE Masterpieces, is it about FF ? KH ? Both ?
Edit : It was only trademarked in Europe, maybe SE finally decided to fill the European gap (Chrono Cross, Parasite Eve etc ...)
Also, one of the projects that SE abandoned this year was Final Fantasy Haeresis XIII (abandoned April 25).
http://tdr.uspto.gov/jsp/DocumentViewPage.jsp?78873711/NOA20110425230200/Notice%20of%20Abandonment/1/25-Apr-2011/sn/false#p=1

 

http://www.andriasang.com//e/blog/2011/05/19/kojima_nomura_ffvii_remake/

Could just be nothing, but given that rumors have been flying in regards to a VII remake for years, maybe it has some truth to it.

Either way, I hope we see some trademarks soon aside from in EU, at least then we may have some idea what they're planning for the future.