From: TheRock1525 | #010
Think of it as "The Assassin's Creed Effect."
Upon which a well-selling but mixed reception for a game gets a sequel based on the same game engine.
It's just weird for Final Fantasy because we're treading on a new ground (kinda, we do have X-2 and DoC). Direct sequels weren't even a thought for the series a decade ago.
Personally, I prefer this to scraping the whole thing and starting over. It would lead to another long-ass development time, when really its easier just to take the pre-existing engine and fix the problems with the story and level design.
It's certainly more efficient, and much preferable to them taking years and years to make a single game, but since the games are so narrative-heavy there's a potential for messiness, I suppose. There's a good point with Assassin's Creed and other examples that could be made (Uncharted, Mass Effect) but those were always planned as the first installments in something bigger. I'm not sure if XIII-2 was planned from the start, but I remember everyone was surprised when it was announced earlier this year.
I, for one, don't think I really wanted any more FFXIII (I only plan on picking it up when it drops to under $20). They could have taken the existing engine and battle system, refined both, and started with that as the basis for a completely new game, and that would have been a decent compromise between the two styles of development. But if the fans really wanted more XIII, then I guess there's no reason not to go for it. I just think it's kind of boring from a creative standpoint, and a third game would definitely be pushing it (to me at least).
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