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Final Fantasies worth playing?


Ronnie
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Played some of VII and it's very enjoyable. Playing through X and it's amazing. Played through XIII and I liked it (I know I'm in the minority for this but who cares). Just bought XV from Gamestop with their Black Friday sale.

I was thinking of playing X-2 after beating X since I already own it in the HD collection. I also felt like trying out XIII-2 but wasn't sure if it was better or worse than XIII. What sold me was Caius being voiced by Liam O'Brien lmao. Are there other FF worth playing?

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Crystal Chronicles is awesome and really the only FF I do much with. I only played the original and Crystal Bearers though, but...may be worth a checking out?

#TeamSelkie

Alternatively, Tactics is pretty good too.

Edited by Dragoncat
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Yeah I'd say that most of the main series is worth playing, especially if you even enjoyed some that most don't, like XIII.

That said if you're gonna play V and VI (V is a personal favorite of mine btw) then I don't recommend the versions on Steam.

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I basically have your exact opinions so far. (X amazing, VII and XIII good.) FF5 and FF6 are the other two in my top five for the main numbered series, though Tactics (the original one) is great too. FF5 crafted a great job system which is a model for all sorts of other more recent RPGs (the Bravely games for two prominent recent examples), FF6 is just overall solid. Also, not a Final Fantasy, but very much plays like one: definitely check out Chrono Trigger.

I'd say all the mainline games are at least decent except FF2 so you can't go too wrong with trying some out and see which ones stick for you. Obviously some of the older ones are a bit rough around the edges if you're playing them for the first time now, but if you go in expecting that I imagine they'll be fine.

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FF X-2 has good gameplay with the Dressphere system, but the story is silly (but it doesn't take itself seriously thank goodness) and the designs are fanservicey. It has a lot of optional content vs. mandatory content for an FF, but it is minigame heavy in the optional stuff- that might be a turnoff to you.

FFI is short and simple, understandable for its time. If you're interested in the franchise's roots you can play it, but otherwise don't if you don't have the time. The same can be said of the gameplay black sheep that is FFII, and the improver of the job system that is FFIII.

IV is very traditional and nothing great in gameplay, but it did begin the franchise's rise to greatness with its story.

FFV has a story not as strong as IV (and like it is still cliched) and takes itself not too seriously at times, opting for bits of comedy. V's strength is an excellent job system, which heavily influenced the Bravely games (which IMO did it even better).

VI is masterpiece in the music realm with a plot generally considered to be among the stronger ones. The gameplay uses Magicite, which I find to be the prototype of VII's Materia, it is more restricted than the Materia in what it does (no physical options), but it works. It's the pinnacle of SNES technological use and story writing.

VIII has an eh romance at the core of its decent plot, but a great soundtrack. The gameplay had some interesting ideas, but they generally were either tedious or just flopped. It can be skipped.

 

For spinoffs, try the SRPGs that are Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Advance 2: Grimore of the Rift. The Job systems are good, even if the gameplay is slow. I've only scratched plain old Tactics, so I can't say how bad or good it is, but it does have an initial learning curve (for most of the first part I've had lots of character KOs) and two problem plagued translations- one in Engrish, the other in overly flowery fake Ye Olde English. 

 

As Dark Holy Elf pointed out, try Chrono Trigger, it was made by Squaresoft, and is among the highest of classics in JRPGs. It uses the ATB of FFIV to X-2 at its core (that wait for a gauge to fill before your characters can act), with a team of three characters, visible on the map enemies, and the fun addition of dual and triple techs (moves that consume the turns and MP of multiple characters, but are generally pretty good to compensate). The time travel plot is interesting.

Chrono Cross is a sequel with a totally new cast in a new land, but play long enough and you will see it is seriously connected to Trigger. Cross is seen as generally inferior to Trigger, being experimental but failing in gameplay, with serious faults as to how the plot plays out. The music and visuals are liked though.

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Really I'd say every game in the series is worth playing(Let's not talk about VIII though). I think you should put Final Fantasy IX as your priority though. Returns to a more medieval style like FF-FFV. Plus, the game's got some amazing themes. Like loyalty, war, lonliness, nature vs nurture, death, reason for living, and it's presented it very, "maturely," like it's very matter of fact about the suffering and pain people go through, put is always sure to show that their are good things in life.

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If you like Liam O'Brian then he's pretty bad ass in the Final Fantasy IV remake on DS (and I think IOS)...Voice acting isn't a big part of the game but still...he does a good enough job that I know the actors name. All in all it's a widely popular series for a reason, almost every game is of high quality and appeals to a certain audience. Saying your in the minority for XIII probably isn't even true. It did manage to sell a shit tonne and get two sequels after all. So a decent number of people must like it even if the detractors are the louder crowd. If you want personal recommendations, aside from what you've played already, I really liked VIII and IX.

If you want to get familiar with multiple different entries at once then I might suggest the cross over fighting game Dissidia. It has representatives from all the main line entries to the point of publication. You can get a feel for them there and decide which games interest you the most based on that (though that option might come with some slight spoilers).

Edited by Jotari
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FFXIII-2 was a decent game. Recommended if you enjoyed XIII. Speaking strictly in terms of gameplay, I think it's way better than XIII just because it starts as a non linear game with non linear character progression from hour 1 rather than hour 20. It's also got you swapping in monsters that act as your third party member. I didn't care much for the collecting and powering up of monsters, they're mostly there to serve as compliments to your paradigms. The story telling and characters don't see such improvements. The hook for the story is that a major part of XIII's ending has been mysteriously cut out. The main character (and the player) are trying to solve the mystery of what changed that piece of history, and somehow that leads to you saving the universe just like in any Final Fantasy game.

As for more must-play Final Fantasy games, I'd say you're missing 4, 6, and 9. I can't speak for the Steam ports of and 6 and 9, but their version of 4 is really good. It's a port of the IOS version of the game which was a port of the DS version, which is the best version of the game in my opinion. I heard 9 has a fast forward feature on Steam, which is great since that game is riddled with very long animations that hold up the ATB guage battle system. My only recommendation for 6 is not to go for the PS1 re-release. I played on that version, and the load times are awful.

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I'm with Jedi on this one, you're generally better off playing the mainline games for yourself and deciding if you like them or not rather than trying to get recommendations from other FF fans due to how wide the spectrum of opinions on most of the games is. For example I'd wholeheartedly recommend V, VIII and X-2 over the rest you haven't played because they're among my favorites in the series, but I really doubt most people would agree.

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50 minutes ago, Zera said:

The World Ends With You is my favorite Final Fantasy. It's not Fantasy at all, but it's way more Final (it's never getting a sequel).

If this was Reddit, you'd get my upvote cause lol.

Kay guys, thanks for the inputs. I've got a good idea of which games to play next.

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7 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

If this was Reddit, you'd get my upvote cause lol.

Kay guys, thanks for the inputs. I've got a good idea of which games to play next.

Dammnit man. Don't leave us in suspense. What ones have we convinced you of!?

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1 hour ago, Jotari said:

Dammnit man. Don't leave us in suspense. What ones have we convinced you of!?

Crystal Chronicles
IV, VI, IX, X-2, XIII-2
Tactics
Chrono Trigger

Edited by Ronnie
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36 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

Chrono Trigger

That's not Final Fantasy.

 

 

But it's better.

 

Anyways, what I recommend is FFIX, which I haven't played, but I've heard good things about it.

VI has to be my favourite FF, having likeable characters, a great story, and good gameplay. I'd recommend that you play the SNES version, but the iOS version also exists.

V is...okay. It doesn't have much of a good story like IV, but it's got likeable characters and the Job System, which is pretty neat to mess with.

IV is pretty good, but not my personal favourite. Has a good story, mostly likeable characters, and a cool world to explore. Has plenty of versions, of which I recommend the PlayStation or DS version, but the SNES version is also okay.

Also play The World Ends With You

 

 

 

 

 

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I would not recommend Final Fantasy IV (at least not the DS version). It is, and you can quote me on this, "A massive f***ing level grind". I gave it to a friend just to torture them, forgot to ask for it back, moved to a different state, and was happy that I lost it. You're much better off replacing it with Bravely Default - not even Bravely Second, Bravely Default, the game that's 50% recycled content because Square Enix thought 20 hours wasn't long enough. I also hate the ATB system, but whatever. I rate FFIV a 4/10.

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50 minutes ago, Zera said:

I would not recommend Final Fantasy IV (at least not the DS version). It is, and you can quote me on this, "A massive f***ing level grind". I gave it to a friend just to torture them, forgot to ask for it back, moved to a different state, and was happy that I lost it. You're much better off replacing it with Bravely Default - not even Bravely Second, Bravely Default, the game that's 50% recycled content because Square Enix thought 20 hours wasn't long enough. I also hate the ATB system, but whatever. I rate FFIV a 4/10.

Get good. The DS version of 4 isn't that much of a step up from 4. And 4 is one of the easiest games in the franchise.

I never recall having to grind ever.

Edited by Jedi
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The DS/Steam version of IV is what I recommend without a doubt, the other versions just don't compare given the gameplay and story additions of that one. IV DS and V are my favorites for sure.

Edited by SecondWorld
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How come no one has recommended XII yet? Is it because of Vaan? lol i dont hate vaan i promise

On a serious note, XII is a good one. Really enjoyed the characters (well, Balthier, Fran, Larsa and Basch, really), the gameplay, the voice work and the soundtrack.

Also, glad to see you'll play Crystal Chronicles. May I ask how you'll get a hold of it, though? It's for GC and might be a little difficult to get. Well, maybe it will be.

EDIT: Oh. Someone did rec XII. I can't read.

Edited by saisymbolic
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I would like to note the Steam version of IV includes an easy mode that wasn't present in the DS version. "Hard" is the name given to the game's original difficulty. I can't speak for how different the easy mode is, but I can't imagine it taking out the grind very much. Characters learn spells by leveling up. And there are many points in the first half of the game where it dumps low level characters on you and expects you to level them up to become usable. And I love getting to level up Palom and Porom.

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12 minutes ago, saisymbolic said:

How come no one has recommended XII yet? Is it because of Vaan? lol i dont hate vaan i promise

On a serious note, XII is a good one. Really enjoyed the characters (well, Balthier, Fran, Larsa and Basch, really), the gameplay, the voice work and the soundtrack.

Also, glad to see you'll play Crystal Chronicles. May I ask how you'll get a hold of it, though? It's for GC and might be a little difficult to get. Well, maybe it will be.

EDIT: Oh. Someone did rec XII. I can't read.

Lol can't blame you for missing it since it was just one person who recommended it briefly. I was considering XII since it recently got an HD remaster.

I have a Gamecube and Wii and Crystal Chronicles is just an easy eBay search away from being bought lol.

Edited by Ronnie
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3 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

I was considering XII since it recently got an HD remaster

Yeah, I think you should check it out. I haven't played it, but I've heard good things about it's gameplay and story.

 

56 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

lol I know, but others recommended it and I never played it so might as well include it.

Chrono Trigger is extremely good, so I would definitely recommend you to play it. Try the SNES version however, not the DS one (which is basically the SNES version except worser translation, iirc).

 

38 minutes ago, Jedi said:

And 4 is one of the easiest games in the franchise

I sort of agree. I definitely did not find the need to grind much in IV.

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If you have not yet decided which version to get of  VI, the GBA version is really good (that is the one I have played). The IOS version is the same game with touch controls and new, less pixilated and more cartoony graphics and a new UI. I have heard that the touch controls are bad (and the new graphics and UI are very devisive. THe steam version is the IOS version with out the touch controlls, although it keeps the new graphics and UI. Here is a vidio comparing the veisual differences between the SNES and steam versions (the gbe version looks almost exactly like the snes version, with slight  color palate changes to compensate for the GBA's lack of backlight):

As for FF4, there are at least 4 very different versions:

1. SNES: the US version gimps the gameplay to make it "Simpler" for us audiences.

2. PSX: better translation, fixes gameplay differences, has massive loading times

3.GBA: slightly better graphics, much better translation and intact gameplay. has bonus dungions. THe us localisation has bugs that the EU version fixed.

4. PSP: New grafics that look like steam/ios fe6, new translation. THis release also includes "the after years", the meh sequal. and a short new campain called "interlude"

5. DS: Complete ground-up 3d remake. Have not played or seen it. apparently harder, with much more detailed plot. phone and steam versions are based on this one.

 

ONe last thing: chrono trigger's IOS version is apparently a "bad port". People have told me to avoid it. The ds version is the best one, IMO. (i think the Ds and GBA translations of FF games are almost always better than the snes ones (they are also less censored, if you care about that). The relative quality of the two translations is the sort of thing that starts flamewars.)

Edited by sirmola
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