The Smartest & Dumbest Things Square Enix Did in 2012

Square Enix. It’s a name that evokes some powerful memories: what gamer hasn’t formed some sort of emotional connection with games like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest over the years? If you play video games, you’ve probably played something developed or published by Square Enix. They’ve got tentacles everywhere.

2012 was an interesting year for the big Japanese publisher. They’ve made some good decisions. They’ve made some bad ones. So as we look back through the smartest and dumbest moves made by every major game maker in 2012, let’s take the magnifying glass to the home of all things moogle and see what we find.

Smartest Moves

Owning Their Mistakes

Final Fantasy XIV was a disaster for Square Enix: even they had to admit that the much-maligned online RPG was simply not a good game. So it’s awesome to see their company committed to fixing things. They’ve got A Realm Reborn—a new take on FFXIV that promises to be better than ever—coming next year, and the developers have been very open about their mistakes and how they plan to make things work this time around

https://lastchance.cc/final-fantasy-xiv-totally-overhauled-is-now-called-a-5929255%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

Same sort of thing happened with Final Fantasy XIII-2; although I didn’t love the latest console Final Fantasy game, it felt very much like fan service for the folks who hated its predecessor, Final Fantasy XIII. Missed towns? Chocobos? Non-linear dungeons? All back for FFXIII-2. It felt in many ways like Square Enix was apologizing for what they had left out the first time around. There’s something very refreshing about a megacorporation admitting to being fallible.

https://lastchance.cc/final-fantasy-xiii-2-the-kotaku-review-5880275%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

Western Autonomy

Even while their Japanese branch feels like it’s floundering, Square Enix’s Western arm is growing stronger and stronger by the month. Great games like Sleeping Dogs and Hitman: Absolution have turned Square Enix North America into a publishing powerhouse, and they’ve even embraced good indies like Quantum Conundrum. Next year’s Tomb Raider is looking pretty solid, and there’s always Thief 4 on the horizon. Somewhere. Hopefully

https://lastchance.cc/sleeping-dogs-the-kotaku-review-5934272%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

Dumbest Moves

This culture of oppressive silence is certainly not exclusive to Square Enix, but they’re one of the biggest offenders. The company will announce games and never mention them again, quietly slip things onto the New Zealand iTunes Store before even admitting they exist, and refuse to give straight answers or explanations for some of their decisions. It’s infuriating.

https://lastchance.cc/gamings-biggest-problem-is-that-nobody-wants-to-talk-5928663%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

Mobile Miscues

Between Final Fantasy Dimensions and Demons’ Score, it’s hard not to feel ripped off by Square Enix’s baffling mobile pricing. Many of Square’s games for iOS and Android are good games, but few justify the insane premiums that we’re asked to pay for them.

https://lastchance.cc/square-enix-defends-the-surprisingly-high-pricing-of-th-5950253%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E