Final Fantasies worth playing?

[Dragoncat]

Crystal Chronicles tip: Pick the race that best fits your playstyle:

Like brute force? Lilty.

Like magic? Yuke.

Like agility? Selkie.

Like a mix of all three but not overly excelling in any? Clavat. 

This only applies to the original for Gamecube, Ring of Fates and Echoes of Time (which I haven't played) have mixed parties like you'd expect from a FF game. Crystal Bearers is kinda Zelda-y if that makes sense, player character is a clavat, but he's a MAGIC clavat. I must forewarn you though, although the story is decent with plenty of humor (imo), there's a massive difficulty spike at the final boss and I was never able to complete it because of that.

Also the traits up there for the races are just basic and not set in stone, I didn't mean nobody but yukes can use magic, just that their spells hit harder for example. Clavats and selkies are probably your best bet for single player. Yukes make better healers and back line mages in multiplayer, which you will need GBAs and cables for, and at least 3 other people to get the full experience. If you don't have 3 willing friends I recommend just going on your own. Idk how well lilties perform in single player, but I heard they're good front line fighters in multiplayer.

So it's down to whether you want the better agility or not. Selkies also have longer range focus attacks and they'll stay in the same spot after a focus attack, unlike clavats which will charge directly into the enemy. And be careful in Leuda if you're not a selkie. The villagers will pickpocket anyone who's not of their kind, but only if you talk to them, idk if the merchants and blacksmith also do it or not, it's shady, but they're still my favorite. They're like ninjas and pirates COMBINED, what's not to love. Although that description is more obvious in Crystal Bearers.

Edited November 24, 2017 by Dragoncat

[Dandy Druid]

4 hours ago, Ronnie said:

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

Hooray for Crystal Chronicles. I still have my copy and play it from time to time. I love all the random events. I hope you update us on your main class and impressions. 

[Jotari]

I really liked Crystal Chronicles but for some unfortunate reason the game had a habit of wiping all the data on my  memory card T.T Never managed to finish is despite my best efforts.

[Punished Dayni]

IV, VI and IX are my three favourites. Certainly think they're worth trying at least.

As for some of the older ones (I don't think I can really comment on the newer ones as well and most of the comments have involved them and IV/VI):

V is pretty lighthearted and it has the best of the class-focused customisation in the main series. The plot's not bad (but also pretty generic) and it's the title that puts the most effort in its humour. There's not much I can say about it.

III feels quite archaic, even as the remake did attempt to give some story for the warriors of light. I liked it alright, but there are better titles (though I don't think any other title has nipple beams). It's also pretty grindy in the end, I had to grind 10 levels for the final boss alone after clearing the rest of the dungeon.

II has quite a bit in terms of trying new things, especially for when it came out. Also, II is awful. Curiosity about what it did doesn't make it a good game. It's the series's worst title imo.

I is certainly an old entry, being 30 years old this year. But it's not bad, however I don't know if you'd be interested in playing it. Also, the GBA version is at a solid enough pace that the game can be beaten in under 12 hours, even with getting levels all the time up to level 50.

[sirmola]

6 hours ago, Dayni said:

II has quite a bit in terms of trying new things, especially for when it came out. Also, II is awful. Curiosity about what it did doesn't make it a good game. It's the series's worst title imo.

The best that can be said for it is that it tries for a dark plot was before thst was really a thing in vidiogames. Also, there are a few minor references to it in other games (IX has a scene where ramuh tells you a storey that is essentualy a chunk of II's plot.) There is also a prototype for a US nes release that is full of HILARIOUS engrish (square localization back then had a japanese speaker give the game a rough pass, and then had an english speaker make it sound like acutual english. Step 2 never happened here. That being said, don't try to actualy play it. just watch the LP here: https://lparchive.org/Final-Fantasy-II-(by-Mega64)/

Edited November 24, 2017 by sirmola

[SullyMcGully]

Final Fantasy overview:

I: Great game if you're into history, it influenced many later RPGs and isn't as painful to play as a lot of other old games. Contains some of the original themes which have defined the series since, but no chocobos. If you play, play the GBA version.

II: Never played, but sounds horrible. One of those NES era "black sheep second entries". But it has chocobos! If you play, play the GBA version.

III: Historic, as one of the first RPGs that let you customize your characters with a class system. That said, it's still pretty archaic, even in the remake. The music is some of the best chiptune music out there though (unless you get the remake). If you play, play the DS/Steam version.

IV: An early example of epic RPG storytelling. There's very little room for customization though, so gameplay can get boring when you aren't doing a boss fight. The boss fights are amazing, requiring a lot more strategy than series bosses usually do. The music is beautiful, but not the series' best. If you want easy, SNES. If you want hard, DS/Steam.

V: Good story, good characters, good music, and GREAT gameplay. While the job system may seem outdated, there's something to say for it's simplicity. It makes gaining levels a much less tedious task. The world map has all the open world goodness of Breath of the Wild packed into 16 bits, with secrets and summons abounding. Don't settle for less than the GBA version.

VI: Probably the best game in the series. Not much I can say that hasn't already been said. Don't underestimate the power of beautiful music and incredible characters. Don't settle for less than the GBA version.

VII: The other best game in the series. They say it's overrated, but it's still pretty amazing. Steam is probably best, but a lot of its glitches exist in every version.

VIII: The game that tried to replicate VII. It failed. While VIII is great, it's just less than VII in everything except audio and visual quality. Meh story, meh characters, divisive gameplay. The one thing that it really gets right is the music, which is arguably the series' best. All versions are pretty much the same.

IX: Put this at the top of your list. The beautiful graphics, lovable cast, excellent dialogue, and nostalgic music make up for a few minor flaws in the story and gameplay department. It's a fun game that never really becomes a drag to play. While all versions are good, aim for the Steam remaster.

I haven't played anything after this point.

[Jotari]

45 minutes ago, SullyMcGully said:

Final Fantasy overview:

I: Great game if you're into history, it influenced many later RPGs and isn't as painful to play as a lot of other old games. Contains some of the original themes which have defined the series since, but no chocobos. If you play, play the GBA version.

II: Never played, but sounds horrible. One of those NES era "black sheep second entries". But it has chocobos! If you play, play the GBA version.

III: Historic, as one of the first RPGs that let you customize your characters with a class system. That said, it's still pretty archaic, even in the remake. The music is some of the best chiptune music out there though (unless you get the remake). If you play, play the DS/Steam version.

IV: An early example of epic RPG storytelling. There's very little room for customization though, so gameplay can get boring when you aren't doing a boss fight. The boss fights are amazing, requiring a lot more strategy than series bosses usually do. The music is beautiful, but not the series' best. If you want easy, SNES. If you want hard, DS/Steam.

V: Good story, good characters, good music, and GREAT gameplay. While the job system may seem outdated, there's something to say for it's simplicity. It makes gaining levels a much less tedious task. The world map has all the open world goodness of Breath of the Wild packed into 16 bits, with secrets and summons abounding. Don't settle for less than the GBA version.

VI: Probably the best game in the series. Not much I can say that hasn't already been said. Don't underestimate the power of beautiful music and incredible characters. Don't settle for less than the GBA version.

VII: The other best game in the series. They say it's overrated, but it's still pretty amazing. Steam is probably best, but a lot of its glitches exist in every version.

VIII: The game that tried to replicate VII. It failed. While VIII is great, it's just less than VII in everything except audio and visual quality. Meh story, meh characters, divisive gameplay. The one thing that it really gets right is the music, which is arguably the series' best. All versions are pretty much the same.

IX: Put this at the top of your list. The beautiful graphics, lovable cast, excellent dialogue, and nostalgic music make up for a few minor flaws in the story and gameplay department. It's a fun game that never really becomes a drag to play. While all versions are good, aim for the Steam remaster.

I haven't played anything after this point.

In what way did VIII try to replicate VII? It's completely different in both gameplay and story.

[SullyMcGully]

3 hours ago, Jotari said:

In what way did VIII try to replicate VII? It's completely different in both gameplay and story.

Spoiler

There's just this overall vibe it has, where it feels like it's trying to improve on VII's shortcomings (graphics, music, translation) while succumbing to its own problems with things that VII handled better (story, characters, gameplay). The fact that it's set in a modern world and features a cold young mercenary in love with a carefree girl with magical powers makes many of its major aspects feel borrowed. And Ultimecia seems like Jenova in a lot of ways as well.

Edited November 24, 2017 by SullyMcGully

[Jotari]

2 hours ago, SullyMcGully said:

There's just this overall vibe it has, where it feels like it's trying to improve on VII's shortcomings (graphics, music, translation) while succumbing to its own problems with things that VII handled better (story, characters, gameplay). The fact that it's set in a modern world and features a cold young mercenary in love with a carefree girl with magical powers makes many of its major aspects feel borrowed. And Ultimecia seems like Jenova in a lot of ways as well.

Spoiler

I think you're extrapolating quite a bit. An improved resource base is natural for a video game sequel. Cloud and Squall are both aloof but they're still very different characters going through very different arcs. Like if Edea killed Rinoa at some point and Ultimecia turned out to be a space parasite then that'd be emulating. But as far as things go, what you listed are pretty superficial. Would you say Final Fantasy V was emulating IV by both being set in a fantasy world and having crystals in its plot (and moving from one world to another in its later act)? Is Bartz emulating Cecil by travelling with a princess and an old man? I don't see VIII as trying to be like VII in the slightest, in fact I think they actively tried to make it different. I see much more similarities in how plot and gameplay is handled between VI and VII. Memory addled protagonist whom you lose for portions of the game. A secondary cast with optional characters that are colourful and distinct but lack much bearing on the story after their introduction. An antagonist born from inhuman experiments that involve tampering with a natural element of the world. An evil empire more technologically advanced than anyone else that wants to harness said natural resources. Large beasts waking up to menace the world after an earthshattering event.

 

Edited November 24, 2017 by Jotari

[SullyMcGully]

3 hours ago, Jotari said:

SPOILERS

Yeah, well, you'd probably know better. That's just the vibe I get.

Edited November 24, 2017 by SullyMcGully

[eclipse]

Completely ignore everything and crack open XV.  I suggest setting the voices to Japanese, since one character's voice and personality changes drastically in English, and not for the better.  This game features real-time battles, but they're relatively easy.  If I can do fairly well with them, I think you'll do just fine.

Once you're done ogling at the ending scenes, pick one of VI or IX and go to town. Both of them get pretty dark, but I think it's well-done.

Then, grab XIII-2, because Serah's a cool gal.  The music is great, as well.

[ping]

@Jotari, @SullyMcGully - The "that'd be emulating" sentence near the start of Jotari's post is somewhat of an indirect spoiler. I'm aware that FF7 has been out for a long time, but since this is the kind of thread someone who hasn't played the game would check out - maybe it would be better if you put your discussion in spoiler tags?

@topic:

21 hours ago, Ronnie said:

I was thinking of playing X-2 after beating X since I already own it in the HD collection.

Since you own it, I'd definitely recommend to at least checking it out. X-2 has a completely different tone than X had and is very bright, silly, and fanservice-y, which made me very sceptic about the game at first. However, I find the combat system and how it incorperates the Job system to be the most interesting that I've seen in the series. Basically, your characters can switch their classes mid-combat, with a bunch of potential bonuses you can get through these switches. In terms of story, I do not like X-2 that much - it's basically 80% sidequests, which I guess is appropriate since the girls are basically re-discovering Spira and observe how it and its communities changed after the events at the end of X, but I personally prefer a stronger red string in my RPGs. ;)