Should Final Fantasy pull a "mass effect"

[Al_Taransky]

Some players prefer Male lead characters, Some Players prefer female lead characters. The 3rd person shooter game Mass effect solved that problem by giving the player the ability to choose the gender of the character.


The online sequels of Final Fantasy like 11 and 14 have that option but regular games like 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,12,13 and 15 don't have that option.


The Main character of Mass Effect is Alex Shepard. If you notice Alex is a unisex name because You have the ability to choose what Alex will be Alex's Gender, skin color ,sexuality and etc. You can make Alex look like you or look like your girlfriend. Also you can choose the characters Alex can romance.

In Final Fantasy the love interest of the main character fix.

Left Picture is Alex as a Man and right picture is Alex as a woman.

I think this can give the game replay value.

 

[mbuzma]

I wouldn't mind that at all. They would need to hire 2 voice actors for the protagonist, but that's not really a big issue.
I played Mass Effect 2 and IIRC both male and female Shepard can romance the same characters, so even scripted romance in FF could work.

 

[Al_Taransky]

The romance never had customization ability in Final Fantasy. They always have a fixed love interest. Imagine if Cloud have the option to romance Tifa instead of Aeris, He wont be broken hearted instead since Tifa wont die but Aeris will.

 

[mbuzma]

I know, that is why I mentioned scripted (or, in other words, fixed) romance. The only potential issue is the possible controversy that would arise from the possibility of having gay/lesbian relationships in the game ( but then again Mass Effect has that as well and yet is pretty popular so...).

 

[Heatman]

It's nice to make the game in such a way that gamers would chose the sex of the characters, but that would be a huge work for the developers in making arrangements for the voice actors. In my opinion, I think that the developers should decide the sex of the characters and make arrangements for the voice actors for each character. It's should now be the decision of the gamer to chose a male or female character.

 

[Al_Taransky]

I know, that is why I mentioned scripted (or, in other words, fixed) romance. The only potential issue is the possible controversy that would arise from the possibility of having gay/lesbian relationships in the game ( but then again Mass Effect has that as well and yet is pretty popular so...).

I dont really think it will be controversial anymore. Final Fantasy 13 have lesbian characters. The main character of Overwatch is Lesbian

All American Tv show have an LGBT quota filled. In case of Japan, Gay romance is also very popular to Japanese women. Japanese women are so into 15 because they ship Noctis to male characters.

Muslim countries I think are the only ones will be so against it but they are not really a major gaming market.

 

[Athanas]

I am comfortable with both male and female characters.

 

[Al_Taransky]

It's nice to make the game in such a way that gamers would chose the sex of the characters, but that would be a huge work for the developers in making arrangements for the voice actors. In my opinion, I think that the developers should decide the sex of the characters and make arrangements for the voice actors for each character. It's should now be the decision of the gamer to chose a male or female character.

Yeah they will need an extra voice actor to re-record the lines in with an opposite gender but it is not really that hard. Saint's row and Mass effect managed to do it easily and those games are from companies not as big as Square Enix.

 

[overcast1]

I prefer the male lead. It makes me relate to the game. I am not sure with the FF though. It's their baby and it depends on their choice. But I'd only play the game with the male leads.

 

[Al_Taransky]

I prefer the male lead. It makes me relate to the game. I am not sure with the FF though. It's their baby and it depends on their choice. But I'd only play the game with the male leads.

So You didnt play 6,13 and X-2 because all of those games have female leads. Specially X-2 where it is composed by an all female team lead by Yuna and her team mates are females too.