Final Fantasy Topic

[Life]

So me and GJ talk a shitton about FFV and FFVI and that inspired me to make a lasting topic about Final Fantasy.

Which ones do you play? Which one is your favourite? Stuff like that. I'm currently doing an efficient run of FFV on my phone and FFXIII on my Xbox. 13 is my guilty pleasure when not playing Farcry 3 or Borderlands 2.

[TheHeroGaol]

I've played all but XIII and XIII-2, and for as much shit as it gets (at least from people i know) Final Fantasy is still one of my favorite series.

FFI is my time waster. I spent the entirety of my Calc 2 class last semester playing it on my ipod. (and still got a B fuckyeah)

It's surprising how addicting it is for being so old and simple. Great games age well i guess.

FFII is honestly one of my favorites in the series. The leveling system is simple, but but at the same time brilliant.

Hit shit with a sword, you get better at hitting shit with a sword. It's almost realistic.

My only gripe with the game was that any magic besides cure and berserk was almost useless.

FFV is great, and I love the setting. One of my favorite FF worlds.

I was always a skeptic about FFVII. All i heard was hypehypehypethisgamegivesmenerdbonersjustlikeTifa and that turned me off to it.

But it's a very solid game, I give it props for bitch-slapping me with my terrible expectations. I saw what they meant about Tifa too holyshit dem polygons.

VIII has my favorite battle theme, and Vivi is adorbs.

X is excellent cuz blitzball. Oh god that laugh WHY TIDUS WHY.

fuck XI.

XII is pretty good, for some reason I actually like the license system. Basch is badass.

I need to play XIII

FFXIII? what?

As far as off-shoots go, i obviously LOVE FFTA and FFTA-2. FFTA absorbed my childhood, and the sequel was surprisingly just as good.

Even if the story is just DAMMIT MEWT ESCAPISM IS UNHEALTHY CAN'T YOU SEE!?

The original Crystal Chronicles is incredibly fun. Needing 4 fucking GBAs AND CABLES to play multiplayer is really my only gripe. But it pays off if you do.

So yeah. I like FF.

/walloftext

Edited January 23, 2013 by TheHeroGaol

[Constable Reggie]

Final Fantasy 5 was my personal favorite, with 8 probably being my second. I didn't particularly like 2 (really wonky) or 9 (couldn't hold my interest). 7, 6, and 4 are decent enough. 1 is a classic and still holds up very well, and 3 (ds version), for all its big flaws, I really enjoyed, moreso than 7, 6, or 4. Haven't played 10-12, and 13 and 13-2 can go fuck themselves.

Final Fantasy Tactics was extremely amazing, I'm not sure how anyone can consider Advance or Advance 2 to be nearly as good.

Edited January 23, 2013 by Constable Reggie

[Excellen Browning]

I played.... 1, 2 and 4 on the GBA, as well as FFTA. I got to the second half of FFT (i think) but forgot how I wanted to build my characters and lost interest due to my roster becoming a mess. Also attempted 5 and 6, but couldn't bring myself to care beyond a few hours into the game.

FF1A was a timesinker I guess. It didn't really stand out as a great game to me, but it was enjoyable I suppose. I beat all of the bonus dungeons but the final one, I think.

FF2A's leveling system was hilariously broken and I abused the shit out of it while I played it, to basically make the game easymode and my starting characters ridiculously OP.

FF4A was great and I beat it, if there were bonus dungeons on earth I beat all of those, and I cleared the Lunar ruins for every character. On my final save, everyone but Rydia was level 100 and had the best equipment setup they could have.

Edited January 23, 2013 by Daigoji Excellen

[Ϲharlie]

I used to be quite a Final Fantasy fan, but my interest in the series mostly died out around the time FFX-2 was released. FFIV and VI are my favorite games in the series, and possibly my two favorite games of all time. I'm currently playing through FFIV:TAY.

[Esau of Isaac]

I've played pretty much everything in the Final Fantasy universe, outside of a few that never came over to America. And XIII-2 and XIV, but I'm trying to work on those.

VII-IX are among my favorite RPGs out of the hundreds I've played, so that says a lot for how much I like them. X's great too, and while I wouldn't rate it as highly it's still high up there. Let's see, if I had to give a list from most-liked to least-liked it'd probably be something like:

[spoiler=Space saver]VII

VIII

IX

X

II

VI

V

IV

I

III

XIII

XII

I'm a bit odd compared to most of the fanbase I suppose, in that I absolutely love II, whereas it's almost universally despised. Also, I'm really not a huge fan of XIII, but even though I greatly dislike the game I still like it more than XII. Outside of some parts of the battle system XII was a snorefest for me. The plot was meandering, the characters were (most of them) unlikable...

I think what left the worst impression was the lack of an engaging soundtrack. For all the other games, even XIII, there's one or more tunes I took away from it that wowed me or brought me into the world. The first time I stepped out of Midgard and heard the

I was floored. It gave a feeling of exploration and adventure, but tinged with caution at the unexpected. When I first walked through the halls of

I was fully immersed in the bright, clean hallways of Squall's home. Even Final Fantasy IX's soundtrack, which was at times a hit or miss with me, impressed upon me the feeling of gentle exploration with its world map theme. Outside of maybe the title screen I honestly don't remember a single tune from XII.

Edit: Actually, I'm gonna go check the OST now to be sure and see if anything pops out in reminiscence.

Edited January 23, 2013 by Esau of Isaac

[Life]

My turn.

Played: 1/2/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/13.

Currently playing: 4/5/6/13.

Have beaten: 5/6/9.

The top four games in the series (and a tier above the rest in my opinion) are 6, 9, 5, and 13.

6 is the first FF game I've beaten. It's the only game where I've beaten challenge runs (I logged my Fewest Steps run here back in 2011). It's a straight-up fun game that presents you with several answers to any given problem and truly gives the freedom of exploring the world (World of Ruin of course). And Ultima is straight up fun to spam on Kefka. Also really good story and music with truly excellent characters. Probably the only game that doesn't try to paint its characters as perfect people (I'm looking at you, 4 and 8).

5 and 9 are the next two on my list and couldn't be more different in terms of gameplay. But both are lighthearted and both were made excellently. Music is very good in both and 9's characters are probably the best in the series. Only thing that bugs me about 9 is that inane Chocobo sidequest because I hate Chocobo Hot & Cold. Oh and V can be misforgiving on first tries (Garula and Liquid Flame say hi).

13, like I mentioned above, is my guilty pleasure. It's got some very visible flaws (Hope, game being a bit too linear rather than acting like FFX) but I can forgive all of that thanks to Sazh Katzroy and the battle system. Go ahead and hate it, I think it's brilliant. That's why I 5* every battle and you don't. The game actually tells you if you're being efficient. Music is incredible along with the graphics and there's a lot of customization that exists. Overall fun game.

The rest:

1 - It bores me a bit too much since there's no real explanation for what's going on. The world's fucked, go save it. Decent game.

2 - I hate this game completely. Shit, I get bored on my way to goddamn Flyn.

4 - Feel free to disagree but this game is more like an interactive cutscene. Bleh. My current run is at the Tower of Zot but I have no incentive to continue.

7 - Overrated and hasn't aged well. But what grinds my gears is that the only difference between any two characters is their weapon and Limit Break. I might as well be controlling cardboard cutouts. Don't get me started on how awful the characters are either.

8 - Renzokuken. Renzokuken. Diablos. The end.

10 - I liked it and would like to play it again but my PS2 emulator is crap.

[Excellen Browning]

FF13 is Tunnel Fantasy: the game

[TheHeroGaol]

5 and 9 are the next two on my list and couldn't be more different in terms of gameplay. But both are lighthearted and both were made excellently. Music is very good in both and 9's characters are probably the best in the series. Only thing that bugs me about 9 is that inane Chocobo sidequest because I hate Chocobo Hot & Cold. Oh and V can be misforgiving on first tries (Garula and Liquid Flame say hi).

1 - It bores me a bit too much since there's no real explanation for what's going on. The world's fucked, go save it. Decent game.

2 - I hate this game completely. Shit, I get bored on my way to goddamn Flyn.

4 - Feel free to disagree but this game is more like an interactive cutscene. Bleh. My current run is at the Tower of Zot but I have no incentive to continue.

agreed on 5 and 9, two of the ones i've spent the most time on.

1 - can be given some leeway given that its #1. It holds up surprisingly well for it's age, even if it is devoid of plot.

2 - care to elaborate? I enjoyed the amount of customization offered towards your characters (outside of base stats) which gives it great replay value.

4 - Agreed. Call me crazy, but it has my vote for most overrated FF.

FF13 is Tunnel Fantasy: the game

Final Hallway XIII

Edited January 23, 2013 by TheHeroGaol

[Espinosa]

6 is the first FF game I've beaten. It's the only game where I've beaten challenge runs (I logged my Fewest Steps run here back in 2011). It's a straight-up fun game that presents you with several answers to any given problem and truly gives the freedom of exploring the world (World of Ruin of course). And Ultima is straight up fun to spam on Kefka. Also really good story and music with truly excellent characters. Probably the only game that doesn't try to paint its characters as perfect people (I'm looking at you, 4 and 8).

FF8 has perfect characters, you serious?

[Elieson]

FF8

Oh don't get me started

The crappy and extremey broken yet equally mundane Draw system, the underdeveloped characters who, by game end, are still identical, even after space travel and killing the moon, per se. The depressingly simple GF system that left you essentially useless without one. And need I say, Triple Triad?

The only redeeming quality I found from this game was the fact that you make money as an employed crew, as opposed to magically procuring consistently similar amounts of money from killing wild animals and insects. But still, anyone with a 1st grade education and dial up Internet could get around that and break the ethics code for acquiring salary bonuses.

I think if FF8 had simply been titled something else, it would have been an ok game in itself, maybe. But it wasn't. It was titled Final Fantasy, and it delivered about as much satisfaction (compared to the other games in the series) as poking through my dogs shit in the backyard to find worms.

Games like 1, 2, and 3 pioneered the game series. 4, 5, and 6 were all steps up, and 7 certainly proved to be a good game due to a whole new style of gameplay, (even though prolonged character dev did suffer). 8 was IMO the first step DOWN in the series. 9 brought back a whimsical feel of early games with a new skin, new elements, and characters you wanted to connect with. FFBlitzball was a fine tunnel game, with pretty pictures and a really unique spin in a battle system. Dolly Dressup X-2 killed my love for blitzball and was just so damn boring. 12 had a forgettable cast but a legit story with too much filler battling, and 13 is X-Tunnel on steroids.

It seems to me that Square is more experimenting with battle mode and levelup development than story branching and such.

[Gone2Ground]

FFV is my personal favorite, just due to the fact that when Galuf dies they actually try to use Pheonix Down on him and they explain why it doesn't work (Sort of). Much better scene than Aerith dies.

[grandjackal]

FF8 has perfect characters, you serious?

I think he means to say that they written them as though they're to be taken seriously, which they failed (FF4's writing is a bit basic, FF8's just pure retardation).

So, since this is clearly opinions thread, might as well give thoughts.

1-Classic. Good. Very depthful despite how basic it is in construct. Only real issue with it is that some dungeons...Some dungeons...Fuck Earth Cave...

2-Some people either love it or they hate it. I think it's ok. I lied the idea behind weapon levels, but it kinda sucks that some weapons are clearly superior to others (lol, bows are awful). Also, magic in this game is indeed balls for the most part.

3-Urgh. Second most hated. Pretends to have choices then strong arms you into them (Dungeon with split monsters where only Dark Knights can kill them straight...). Just feels kinda cheap. Also, I never know what in the hell I'm doing or where I'm going. Even FF1, the first game, had the decency to give you directions. How do you fuck it up 2 titles later?

4-This game would be fine if it ever gave me a damn choice. Has the least freedom out there, and it suffers hard for it. Otherwise...I really like the music?

5-Favorite in the serieeeeees. Probably the game that demands the most brainpower, since there is always room to improve, and at the same time is fun casually since unlike in 3, all the choices the game gives you are not only just good but you aren't forced at any time into certain choices. Serious good times.

6-Awesome soundtrack, love the setting and story, and love the cast in how they maintain identity and yet throughout hte game you can tightly mix and match to make any team work. Characters play the most unique here by far (Setzer's Loaded Dice~<3), and it's awesome. Also, suplexing trains.

7-Overrated but still good. Best soundtrack in the series, still love the setting and characters, just the inner mechanics are all very basic so it might feel a little underwhelming. Also, this game is beautiful all things considered. I won't praise it like it's a gift from the heavens, but I can understand how people might cherish it, especially since it was the first for many.

8-To think it was followed up by this embaressment. This isn't just my most hated in the series, it is my least favorite game that I've touched. Ignoring the story and characters because there are none, but everything about it is needless. It's complicated for anyone just jumping in, and retardedly easy to break if you do. HP and Str junction, refine tents and Diablos card, and suddenly the best you have t thin fights through is if you can time hitting R1 correctly. It's basically an interactive movie, and it's a shitty movie at that.

9-In my top 3. Returns things to a siplicity and does well with it since though characters don't change much at all, the dynamic of equipment and their skillsets can do so much to change someone (like Amarant going supportive into insane offense with No Mercy, Vivi going from black mage to best healer with dar absorption+Doomsday). That, and it's just a pleasant homage to Square's roots. It's nice respect.

10-Egh...10 is a game that is kinda on the fence for me. It's too basic and easy, but it's at least not straight retarded like 8. There is at least some gameplay here, and it has a sort of so bad it's funny aspect to it (as opposed to 8 which is so bad it makes you hate people). It's cute, but it's not one I would care to play a lot.

12-The game was good until it decides that huge HP=difficulty, and then throws Reverse at me. Once that happened, fuck it. Typical Ivalice curse: Holds your attention until lategame, then it stops giving a shit.

Haven't played 13, don't really care to.

[Esau of Isaac]

the underdeveloped characters who, by game end, are still identical, even after space travel and killing the moon, per se.

I have no problem with you not liking the characters, but they were definitely not all the exact same by the game's end. Most of them, especially Squall, made drastic changes by the finale.

[Elieson]

I'm referring to everyone playable Not named Squall x Rinoa x Laguna

[Esau of Isaac]

All other main characters retained their character traits, but made changes through development. Like the other FFs.

[Narga_Rocks]

2-Some people either love it or they hate it. I think it's ok. I lied the idea behind weapon levels, but it kinda sucks that some weapons are clearly superior to others (lol, bows are awful). Also, magic in this game is indeed balls for the most part.

I never did much in terms of offensive magic, but I love this game's buffs. Nothing like piling on bserk and haste multiple times and then doing massive damage to stuff you started off doing like 50 damage to. And then with this game's osmose you never really run out of MP since you can drain lots of MP against stuff with no MP for some reason.

[Constable Reggie]

Who here prefers Tactics Advance / Grimoire to the original and why? I'd like to know some preferences, because I personally can't see the appeal in the advance series whatsoever.

[Esau of Isaac]

I personally loved FFTA. It felt like such a robust, huge game in a tight, compact cartridge. It had its ups and downs, but I had a lot of fun with it.

Of course I can't say I like it more than the original, but I definitely think it was a fun, enjoyable title, one of the better ones on the Advance.

[TheHeroGaol]

Who here prefers Tactics Advance / Grimoire to the original and why? I'd like to know some preferences, because I personally can't see the appeal in the advance series whatsoever.

My question for you is if you like the original so much, how do you find no appeal in the Advance titles? Just curious.

I personally loved FFTA. It felt like such a robust, huge game in a tight, compact cartridge. It had its ups and downs, but I had a lot of fun with it.

This, basically.

Not to say it's a better game than the original, but it holds a special place in my heart as one of the games i grew up with.

It was fun, engaging, memorable, and i personally liked it more.

"One more mission... *looks at clock* Holy shit it's 4am?!"

[Excellen Browning]

Probably the only game that doesn't try to paint its characters as perfect people (I'm looking at you, 4 and 8).

Did you even pay attention to the text in FF4? Or could you not read when you played it?

[Just call me AL]

I have yet to get around to playing FFs 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. I don't think I'll get into 11 and 13 anytime soon though, or even want to.

3 I kinda liked 3, but my points against it is that it was kinda of a step backwards while it was trying out new ideas. Forcing your characters to specific classes, some dungeons and items require specific classes to complete and obtain. Not to mention, the gameplay leaves you kinda blind. I think there's at least one boss whose weakness is pretty much given away though, so maybe it doesn't leave you completely blind, but eh...

4 was pretty much my gateway into the main series. (FFTA was my first entry into the series, period.) I'll admit it doesn't have much freedom here.

5 is easily my most favorite FF. I feel Grandjackal pretty much hit all of the finer points here. Everything that would normally be a chore just seems fun. You're never forced to a specific class. (You can even head back to good old Freelancer after mastering all classes.) Oh, and Gilgamesh is best henchman.

7 would easily be my second favorite at this point. I haven't beaten it yet, but I'm working on that. I find the cast rather interesting personally, and I love the setting too. Not to mention, it has one of the best soundtracks. The mechanics are somewhat underwhelming though, but it's still fun. And it's interesting to see how the concepts originally planned for the game changed so drastically. (Sephiroth and Aerith were originally supposed to be brother and sister for starters.) I won't say that it's the best game in the series, especially since THAT's a touchy subject in and of itself. But if there's anything I don't like about it, I will say this. Materia leveling was easier in one of its prequels.

[Espinosa]

Why should the characters develop? Is this what we want from a game?

[Esau of Isaac]

But if there's anything I don't like about it, I will say this. Materia leveling was easier in one of its prequels.

Crisis Core? Yeah, but the battle system in that one was pretty eh. I mean I like the KHII thing as much as everyone else but CC on the whole felt kinda lazy. The plot really meandered when it left FFVII's established bits, and the inclusion of a few plot points really grated on me (Gackt's existence at all for example).

It was all worth it for the last bits though. I can ignore all of the things I hated for that final glorious battle and cinematic.

[Duff Ostrich]

My history with Final Fantasy is at best anemic. I first played the Gameboy title Final Fantasy Legend (not a true FF game) when I was a little kid, and I only ever beat the first dungeon. Monsters could transform into random forms by eating meat. It was strange.

A few years ago I finally played Final Fantasy Tactics (the sloooow PSP version) and I was very fond of the political story it had to tell. The same goes for most of Matsuno's work that I've experienced. The game was really tough for me to get used to though, and certain sticking points (mostly Wiegraf) were so challenging, and untelegraphed, as to be unfair. Fire Emblem never puts the player in a position like that. Luckily the game's difficulty (with the help of several broken item drops) eventually bottoms out, and I did manage to finish it.

Lastly I started playing FF1 for no good reason. I tried both the original and Dawn of Souls iterations, and found the latter a much more enjoyable experience. NES FF1 bested me at the Earth Cave, where the return trip after the Lich proved fatal on several attempts. I can only take that level of frustration for so long before moving on to something else.

I've never tried the most beloved mainline entries, barring a very short stint playing a couple hours of Midgar in FF7.

Edited January 24, 2013 by Duff Ostrich