I know this series has really fallen into the gutter with the sub-X follow up XIII and the abomination known as XIV, but back in the day it seemed like Final Fantasy games were a real event. Each were different in their own way, but carried over themes and ideas from each installment, and back in the SNES and PS1 days, Square was at the top of their game and the Final Fantasy series deserved all the acclaim it got.
Final Fantasy started out as a basic Role Playing Game not unlike Dragon Quest/Warrior in it's first three NES installments. Take four characters, level them up, and beat the bad guys. Pretty simplistic start, but work for what they are.
Final Fantasy IV started something new, however. Square injected a real storyline with twists and turns and personality that added to the already strong RPG elements. This continued with V (though with less focus on story and more on a revolutionary class system) and VI (arguably the greatest RPG of all time) as Square grew, so did their ambitions. But they never lost the original spirit of Final fantasy, the magic of the quest and characters before you.
Unfortunately, while making Final Fantasy VII, Square got a taste of something that would ruin them. CG cutscenes. While used sparingly in the PS1 installments, Square somehow got the idea that this was what players wanted from Final fantasy games. Interactive cutscenes, and the ability to play a movie. This culminated in what is probably the worst best selling game of all time (in my opinion, of course) Final Fantasy X. Shallow characters, a mess of a story, lack of any real exploration, and one of the worst minigames to ever be created.
Final Fantasy and Square would never get away from shallow movie games with a lack of heart or gameplay after X. XI was an online MMORPG that should not have been a main series game, XII was an unfinished mess thanks to Square dumping what remaining talent they had left causing Matsuno (Creator of Final Fantasy Tactics and Ogre Battle) to have a breakdown and leave the company midway through development. Then there was X-2, a total fucking embarrassment.
Then we come to today, with a shallow on-rails RPG and a broken MMORPG to represent what Square has fallen into.
But I'll always remember the series at it's peak. Final Fantasy III-IX (excluding VIII for misinterpreting what made VII so good) are still some of my favorite RPGs, and even though the people behind these games will probably never be involved with the franchise again, it's nice to remember a time when RPGs were equal amount story and gameplay with strong character development and some real heart put into it.
In conclusion, here are the battle themes from Final Fantasy I-X (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_NzoRLRR0o&feature=related)!
(The best theme is from IX)
Oddly enough the only 3D FF game that I've played more than half-way through is IX, which I thought had an entertaining enough story-line and a simple enough to understand combat system.
I tried getting into VII and VII, but for whatever reason they both got really boring really quick for me, and I couldn't force myself to keep playing them. I have to admit, though, that I haven't really given the 2D FF games a fair chance. Perhaps one day I'll give FFVI a try (I think it was initially released as FFIII in the U.S.).
Well, VII does have a really slow start that kind of annoys me. It's the one reason I hesitate when replaying it. The story and characters are much better than all the side story crap released since would have you believe. Though I did like Crisis Core, even if it wasn't very Final Fantasy, it was fun.
I think VI is regarded as the best in the series, though. If you have the chance, that might be the one you want to try.
I haven't played VI in so long, but I recall it being a good game.
IV is probably still my favorite though.
VI is a great RPG. It's when Square struck the balance between great story and great gameplay, which they only ever really came close to once more since. (Which was IX)
Quote from: Foggle on January 02, 2011, 10:13:52 PM
Honestly, aside from 5, which apparently absolutely no one cares about or likes, the first 10 are pretty good games. I fucking hate Squall and 7 is overrated to hell and back, but they're pretty good games. Crisis Core was also pretty cool.
X-2 is fucking retarded, 11 is a mediocre MMO, 12 is a mindless grindfest, 13 is more (bad) movie than (bad) game, and 14 is by far the worst game of 2010, but the first 10 are all at least decent in my book. 4 and 6 are the only ones I'd ever call exceptional, though.
I like V quite a bit. :( I don't like that the story isn't anywhere near as fleshed out as IV (the game they made right before it), but it's a fun game. It needs a remake to flesh it out, though. An Oath In Felghana style remake would do wonders, but it's not like Square is on the level of Falcom these days. It's way better than X, though.
The only thing I like about X is the battle system, everything else from the laughing scene to the main character makes me want to flush my old copy down the toilet. Except for Auron. He is the only redeemable thing about X that's not the battle system.
Quote from: Desensitized on January 02, 2011, 10:45:53 PM
VI is a great RPG. It's when Square struck the balance between great story and great gameplay, which they only ever really came close to once more since. (Which was IX)
Quote from: Foggle on January 02, 2011, 10:13:52 PM
Honestly, aside from 5, which apparently absolutely no one cares about or likes, the first 10 are pretty good games. I fucking hate Squall and 7 is overrated to hell and back, but they're pretty good games. Crisis Core was also pretty cool.
X-2 is fucking retarded, 11 is a mediocre MMO, 12 is a mindless grindfest, 13 is more (bad) movie than (bad) game, and 14 is by far the worst game of 2010, but the first 10 are all at least decent in my book. 4 and 6 are the only ones I'd ever call exceptional, though.
I like V quite a bit. :( I don't like that the story isn't anywhere near as fleshed out as IV (the game they made right before it), but it's a fun game. It needs a remake to flesh it out, though. An Oath In Felghana style remake would do wonders, but it's not like Square is on the level of Falcom these days. It's way better than X, though.
The only thing I like about X is the battle system, everything else from the laughing scene to the main character makes me want to flush my old copy down the toilet. Except for Auron. He is the only redeemable thing about X that's not the battle system.
Eh, 5 didn't really do it for me. I'd rather play it than any of the 3D ones, though.
In all honestly, after you see some of the lesser known RPGS out there, I'd say Final Fantasy no longer seems special. But they weren't always bad. In fact the original was actually decent.
The problem with Final Fantasy VII is that it has aged horribly. In fact I'd say it's no longer playable. The game just looks horrible. Plus the soundtrack is so low quality, even for the original PlayStation, due to them using midi files.
I wouldn't say it's unplayable, but being forced to use the D-Pad in a 3D game is a fucking travesty.
Of course it's aged badly, it's an early 3D game. But looking past the graphics and clunky control, the game itself is actually pretty good. It's one of those games that really does need a remake, and I don't even think that of Square's other PS1 era games including the other FF games.
I wouldn't be surprised if there was a 3DS port done down the line.
Also, of course FF games aren't special anymore. Square milked the brand with spin-offs and lousy sequels made by hacks. Pretty much everyone involved moved on to make RPGs at other companies by now.
First one I played was VII and it was alright. It's also one of the titles where you still got to rename all the characters so I never knew or cared what their original names were. Got to disc 2 before i had to return it.
X had some annoying mini-games and fairly linear play, but kind of fun for completists and that traditional RPG sequencing your combat moves was fun, and I liked that overall fighting your fate storyline that shows like Scrapped Princess or Matrix Reloaded used.
I wanted to like X-2 because it had the girls-centered characters but the repeated map layouts got annoying.
I also played XII which has even more wooden characters but some more automated combat scheme.
Just curious, if you're saying some of those Final Fantasy RPGs aren't so great, what RPGs would you recommend take their place?
Exclude MMORPGs, since those are a completely different beast that sucks away more life than we have these days.
Quote from: Angus on January 04, 2011, 07:46:57 PM
Just curious, if you're saying some of those Final Fantasy RPGs aren't so great, what RPGs would you recommend take their place?
What do you mean?
Like what RPGs would you have rather played instead of the next Final Fantasy title?
I tried one of the Grandias for a bit.
Then there was the Lord of the Rings title that acted like an RPG, but wasn't as rich.
Well, nowadays I turn to the handhelds mostly for RPGs as I prefer the genre way better there. But if you want me to list RPG series I enjoy (and have played), it would be easy:
Suikoden series (except 4)
Vandal Hearts
Mother series
Phantasy Star series (except 3)
Terranigma
Valkyria Chronicles series
Persona series
Grandia 1
Chrono Trigger
Valkyrie Profile 1 and 2
Mana series
Star Ocean 1 and 2
Wild Arms 1-3
Mario RPG series
Brave Fencer Musashi
Ys series
Threads Of Fate
Parasite Eve
Arc The Lad 1-3
Fire Emblem series
Half Minute Hero
I've only played 2 Tales games (Symphonia and Destiny) so I can't give a fair opinion on them, but Destiny was pretty sweet.
I could also argue Yakuza being an action/RPG mixed with a beat em up, but I won't this time. I just love bringing up the series because it is awesome.
Quote from: Angus on January 05, 2011, 05:14:06 PM
Like what RPGs would you have rather played instead of the next Final Fantasy title?
I tried one of the Grandias for a bit.
Then there was the Lord of the Rings title that acted like an RPG, but wasn't as rich.
Well if you just mean RPGs in general, here's a solid list of games I prefer/would rather play. :)
Suikoden II
Secret of Mana
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate 2
Fallout 3
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines
Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2
Demon's Souls
Sorry if I got carried away. :P
Nice. Yeah, I forgot about Baldur's Gate II: Dark Alliance. That was a fun dungeon crawler along with Diablo and Dark Cloud.
Listening to the battle themes now. I've only gotten to play FF VIII-X. VIII is my favorite. My favorite game with so much wrong with it but I loved the adventure. As for what went wrong with the series? I think Square didn't take the time to translate all the greatness of the old games into the new ones A.K.A not putting a fucking world map in the game. X really is one of the most overrated games ever. I shouldn't have made my brother get that as his first PS2 game (I got Devil May Cry har har, that's what he gets for making us get a GBA that he fucking lost instead of a Dreamcast) Oh and we actually got FF8 because they didn't have FF7 at the store of however was getting it for us. I got interested in the series after a friend let me hold disc 1. It was scratched up so we couldn't get into the village where Vivi found out the truth about himself.
Which reminds me, my brothers and me had a messed up PS1 that couldn't save so we had to try and go through FF 8 and 9 without dying. Um yeah, we didn't make it. My oldest little brother and me went restarted FFVIII possibly hundreds of times. That cutscene at the beginning really helped us want to do it all over so many times. Anyway, when we got our PS2, we were finally able to save and beat FF VIII and IX. Good times.
Oh and I finished listening to all the battle themes. I think IX pretty much has the worst out of the bunch.
That's what happens when you lose all your talent and are left with nothing but hacks to make your games.
All you have to do is compare the PS1 Brave Fencer Musashi with the PS2 sequel Samurai Legend Musashi. The former is funny, action packed, feels like an epic adventure, and has a lot to do. The latter is poorly written (with awful voicework), monotonous, is basically a straight line in level design, and has almost nothing to do outside of tedious gimmicks that add nothing.
The only difference this gen is that because the impressive graphics of FF games are standard, people are realizing it.
Final Fantasy X is just as shit as XIII is, and for all of the exact same reasons.
Or compare Parasite Eve 1 & 2 to The 3rd Birthday. The former are cool action-RPG/survival horror hybrids with an interesting plot while the latter is Gears of War without the cover system and with a woman who gets her clothes torn to shreds whenever she takes damage (I'm serious) instead of big, burly men. Not to mention that the story and dialogue are basically just masturbatory fanfic material (and the kind you might find on Gaia Online, at that).
All the talent moved on to other places. Monolith, Mistwalker, Atlus, Level 5, and I think even Intelligent Systems and Brownie Brown... All of which are doing far better things than Square is these days.
Wait, ex-Squeenix employees are working at Monolith? What!?
The Xenogears team, yeah.
They split off, made Xenosaga for Namco, got bought by Nintendo, and recently made Xenoblade. (Which is apparently awesome)
Square made a lot of boneheaded decisions when the PS1 died.
Oh, Monolith Soft, not Monolith Productions. For a second there, I thought some Japanese RPG developers joined an American FPS company. :lol:
Quote from: Foggle on January 29, 2011, 12:11:18 AM
Oh, Monolith Soft, not Monolith Productions. For a second there, I thought some Japanese RPG developers joined an American FPS company. :lol:
lol, oh yeah. For a second I forgot that there were two Monoliths. :sweat:
Quote from: Foggle on January 29, 2011, 12:11:18 AM
Oh, Monolith Soft, not Monolith Productions. For a second there, I thought some Japanese RPG developers joined an American FPS company. :lol:
:lol: That would rock.
Something I'm curious about...
What the fuck is the meaning of the title Dissidia 012: Duodecim Final Fantasy? What happened to the other 10? What the hell does Duodecim mean? Where the shit did they get the name Dissidia from in the first place? Why is there a 0 before the 12; are they planning to make 100 of these games? This is, in all honesty, the stupidest title for a video game I've ever seen in my life. Yes, worse than Dudebro: My Shit Is Fucked Up So I Got to Shoot/Slice You II: It's Straight-Up Dawg Time, because at least that's supposed to be funny. Yes, worse than Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days, because that one merely stems from Square Enix's apparent inability to solve a simple division problem.
I know Square Enix is trying to out-pretentious themselves with each new game they develop, but what the fuck?
Quote from: Foggle on February 26, 2011, 11:28:00 AM
Something I'm curious about...
What the fuck is the meaning of the title Dissidia 012: Duodecim Final Fantasy? What happened to the other 10? What the hell does Duodecim mean? Where the shit did they get the name Dissidia from in the first place? Why is there a 0 before the 12; are they planning to make 100 of these games? This is, in all honesty, the stupidest title for a video game I've ever seen in my life. Yes, worse than Dudebro: My Shit Is Fucked Up So I Got to Shoot/Slice You II: It's Straight-Up Dawg Time, because at least that's supposed to be funny. Yes, worse than Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days, because that one merely stems from Square Enix's apparent inability to solve a simple division problem.
I know Square Enix is trying to out-pretentious themselves with each new game they develop, but what the fuck?
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages2.memegenerator.net%2FImageMacro%2F4406765%2FHa-Ha-What-a-story-mark.jpg%3FimageSize%3DMedium%26amp%3BgeneratorName%3Dtommy-wiseau&hash=4090872ececed2da2639428c2a1821b0c48fafe4)
Is that the fighting game? Hell, I can't keep up. Anyway, I downloaded Final Fantasy, 3 Dragon Warriors and some other NES RPGs for my cell phone yesterday. Man, I haven't played Maniac Mansion in forever.
Because whoever names their games these days is functionally retarded.
I had no idea what it meant until I googled it too. Apparently it means 12 or (2+10), and Dissidia is derived from a latin word that means one who causes conflict.
I don't know why they don't just take the simple route and call it Final Fantasy Fight or something. Because these titles are nearly impossible to pronounce and just confuse average customers who will be scared away by the 5 titles with XIII in them and the blank game covers.
You mean like Chocobo Racing? :shakeshakeshake:
As far as spin offs, I just want a Crystal Chronicles that's as good as the first Gamecube one.
That was the best console FF since IX.
I started playing Final Fantasy for the first time on I believe Sunday. Damn that hole in the ground dungeon is hell.
So, over the past couple of weeks a friend of mine has been coming into my room and has been playing Final Fantasy 13 all day long for several days (its quite distracting when I'm trying to study, but then again I can't say shit to him seeing as how I leech off of him for Molecular Biology recitation answers every week, so I count it as fair game). We both laugh at how corny the dialogue is in this game. I don't know if its just the English translator or if it was originally written to be this way, but its way too hard to take any of the characters seriously with such hilariously bad writing (to be fair, the voice actors themselves actually do a pretty good job, in that they would sound much better with a half-way decent script to work with).
When I stop to think about it, though, this is probably the only FF game that I have gone almost all of the way through, but in that regard this doesn't really count since I basically watched my friend play all of the way through, though I did admittedly try playing the game a few times for shits and giggles whenever my friend occasionally challenged me to take on some tougher bosses or enemy encounters. I'll give the game honest credit for 2 things: as someone who doesn't care for JRPGs primarily because I really can't get into most turn-based combat systems, the one in FF13 is actually pretty good, definitely better than the combat systems of any other FF games that I have tried, and most other JRPGs that I tried in general (I like how it puts importance on positions like in Chrono Trigger, and it actually calls for quick timing since it moves along a lot faster than most other JRPGs that I know of), and overall I actually had some fun with the deeper mechanics of this games combat system in terms of assigning and changing roles in mid-battle for party members and whatnot; the second thing I'll give it credit for is the battle theme music....I mean, wow, it would have to be good if the game forces you to listen to it through just about every single fucking battle, but in this case its amazingly good, to the point that I got disappointed whenever it was exchanged for boss music during the times my friend was taking on the different boss fights in the game.
Other than that, though, I still have a relatively negative impression of FF games. I also really don't understand how anyone at Square Enix thought it was a good idea to make an underaged girl make the most perverted battle noises ever, and I still can't get over the fact that Snow's supposed finace looks like she's fucking 12. Also, the black guy somehow gets the shittiest stats in the game and is embodied with just about every african american stereotype in existence. Damn, Square Enix may just be full of racist bastards. Also, why the fuck does almost everyone in the game have some sort of accent (ranging from Souther to Australian)? Sersiously, what's supposed to be the point of that? Stuff like that kind of makes me appreciate that there was no voice-acting in FF9 back when I played a little more than half-way through that game. The dialogue in FF13 can make me laugh or chuckle when I'm in a good mood, but when I'm in a serious mood and trying to study for upcoming exams, it just distracts me by making me cringe.
Yeah, I think I've been exposed to WAY more of this game than I wanted to be....but at least I still get those weekly recitation answers. :sly:
Who did they get to voice the characters in 13?
That does bring up the topic of games you've watched others play more than you've tried yourself. For some of the Final Fantasy games it's been about 50/50 but other games I don't mind when it's 80/20.
I'm sure Desen will love this: http://www.1up.com/news/final-fantasy-x-hd-remake-coming-vita-ps3 :)
I actually laughed. People have been begging for a 7 remake for years and they pull this out.
Square really deserves all the crap they get. :D
I don't even know what to say.
Oh man. These guys, I swear... :whuh:
Quote from: Desensitized on September 14, 2011, 02:26:38 PM
I actually laughed. People have been begging for a 7 remake for years and they pull this out.
Square really deserves all the crap they get. :D
:D Yeah. It makes no sense whatsoever. I guess they picked FFX because it would be easier to remake than the PS1 games.
It would be a cinch to re-release the PS1 games. The only really challenging part would be re-rendering the backgrounds, but considering how graphics software has progressed I doubt it would be hard at all. I also know for a fact that they have HD versions of the cutscenes from the games because they showed them to the staff of PlayStation Magazine back in 2004.
What the heck is Lightning even wearing in this picture?
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.novacrystallis.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F03%2F602214_10151467115417221_611667241_n.jpg&hash=1cd9b4cfe9fab4aa5167ae9d412c34c75c463497)
I swear, FF somehow finds ways to become even stupider with each new game released.
While I'm certainly not an FF fan, I always found FF9's character designs to be the most appealing of the 3D games for me, in particular. Something about the light-hearted fantasy elements of that game's art design in general actually kept me playing it for much longer than I could tolerate any other FF game. I much prefer it over the pseudo-realistic character models and pretentiously dark tone of most of the other 3D Final Fantasy games.
I can't believe there have been THREE Final Fantasy XIII games. Nobody wanted the first one and it has reflected with the second ones gigantic fracture in sales from the first.
Bring back the FFIX team. The X team has had way too many chances.
Quote from: Foggle on March 21, 2013, 07:34:55 PM
What the heck is Lightning even wearing in this picture?
Wow, just wow. That just looks ridiculous, and not in a "ridculously awesome" way. That has got to be one of the worst designs I've ever seen for a fictional character, ever.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on March 21, 2013, 08:56:33 PM
I can't believe there have been THREE Final Fantasy XIII games. Nobody wanted the first one and it has reflected with the second ones gigantic fracture in sales from the first.
The only reason they're making XIII-3 is because Lightning's apparently popular in Japan, and they fucked up with the ending to XIII-2.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on March 21, 2013, 08:56:33 PM
I can't believe there have been THREE Final Fantasy XIII games. Nobody wanted the first one and it has reflected with the second ones gigantic fracture in sales from the first.
I thought the first one looked okay, but then it came out. XIII-2 improved some things from the first game, but also threw out literally everything good it had going for it. Lightning Returns seems to be like X-2 except even more insipid.
QuoteBring back the FFIX team. The X team has had way too many chances.
They mostly just need to dump that Toriyama guy ASAP. He's been responsible for many of Square's worst games - FF XIII trilogy, The 3rd Birthday, and MindJack.
Quote from: Rynnec on March 21, 2013, 10:09:57 PM
Wow, just wow. That just looks ridiculous, and not in a "ridculously awesome" way. That has got to be one of the worst designs I've ever seen for a fictional character, ever.
It's like... half jungle camo, half white dinner vest with a popped collar on top of a purple undershirt complemented by a choker, goggles she isn't actually working, a single shoulder pad, different colored/length gloves, part of a window curtain functioning as a skirt, asymmetrical leg armor exposing her thighs... PLUS bare midriff complete with visible thong. She's probably wearing two different shoes as well, one being a hooker boot, and the other a croc.
QuoteThe only reason they're making XIII-3 is because Lightning's apparently popular in Japan, and they fucked up with the ending to XIII-2.
Yeah, I've heard XIII-2's ending is one of the single worst moments in video game storytelling history.
I've been playing Crisis Core recently (you know, that FF7 prequel for the PSP), and I've been pleasantly surprised at how not terrible the writing is. The dialogue has been fun and unpretentious so far, with Zack and Angeal being very likable characters. Knowing Square, it might get worse later on, but so far I'm impressed, and wish they'd get this guy to write some of their major console releases.
Most of the complaints about CC's story come from Genesis (aka Gackt's insert avatar) and the unnecessarily large role he plays.
I honestly can't remember the last time Final Fantasy was a triple-A title.
Except for automatic game overs when the party leader dies, I don't find FF XIII that bad. I like the overall story of it. XIII 2 though, I haven't anything good about its ending, so I'm not interested much in it. Hopefully the third one won't be screwy.
Quote from: Avaitor on March 21, 2013, 11:47:56 PM
I honestly can't remember the last time Final Fantasy was a triple-A title.
It still is, really. Have you seen the graphics in FF XIII? A lot of people were surprised that the PS3 could even render that shit.
Quote from: Peanutbutter on March 22, 2013, 01:19:32 AM
Except for automatic game overs when the party leader dies, I don't find FF XIII that bad. I like the overall story of it. XIII 2 though, I haven't anything good about its ending, so I'm not interested much in it. Hopefully the third one won't be screwy.
I agree that XIII's story is decent, I just found the characters (outside of Sazh and Lightning) insufferable, and the presentation of it all to be bafflingly convoluted. XIII-2's story has almost no redeeming qualities from what I've seen, though.
I hate the party leader death mechanic too. It shows up in a lot of games that I actually like, and often causes loads of frustration.
She's probably wearing two different shoes as well, one being a hooker boot, and the other a croc.
:D
Quote from: Foggle on March 22, 2013, 08:53:05 AM
Quote from: Avaitor on March 21, 2013, 11:47:56 PM
I honestly can't remember the last time Final Fantasy was a triple-A title.
It still is, really. Have you seen the graphics in FF XIII? A lot of people were surprised that the PS3 could even render that shit.
It may be popular, but it hasn't felt relevant in a looooong time.
Quote from: Avaitor on March 22, 2013, 11:39:19 AM
Quote from: Foggle on March 22, 2013, 08:53:05 AM
Quote from: Avaitor on March 21, 2013, 11:47:56 PM
I honestly can't remember the last time Final Fantasy was a triple-A title.
It still is, really. Have you seen the graphics in FF XIII? A lot of people were surprised that the PS3 could even render that shit.
It may be popular, but it hasn't felt relevant in a looooong time.
Oh, I agree. I'm just saying that they're still technically AAA games from a budget and polish standpoint.
I still wish I could get excited for FF XIV but the COD vs mages trailer left a bad taste in my mouth
Quote from: Avaitor on March 22, 2013, 11:39:19 AM
Quote from: Foggle on March 22, 2013, 08:53:05 AM
Quote from: Avaitor on March 21, 2013, 11:47:56 PM
I honestly can't remember the last time Final Fantasy was a triple-A title.
It still is, really. Have you seen the graphics in FF XIII? A lot of people were surprised that the PS3 could even render that shit.
It may be popular, but it hasn't felt relevant in a looooong time.
The last time it was relevant? The PS3's launch when it was still listed as an exclusive.
Basically before they actually played Final Fantasy XIII.
I actually liked Final Fantasy IX's story, even though I didn't actually bother finishing the game. It'd be cool if they got whoever wrote the story for that game to do another FF game.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on March 22, 2013, 03:31:21 PM
I actually liked Final Fantasy IX's story, even though I actually didn't bother finishing the game. It'd be cool if they got whoever wrote the story for that game to do another FF game.
It was the same guy behind Final Fantasy VI.
In other words, the guy who should be given more to do.
IX definitely had the best story out of any FF I've played.
Quote from: gunswordfist on March 22, 2013, 11:02:39 PM
IX definitely had the best story out of any FF I've played.
Yeah, until the third disc when the game forgets what's it's doing.
I love IX dearly, but it has a lousy ending that I couldn't stand even when I was 16.
Oddly enough, I only ever played up to the 3rd disk of the game. After that, I stopped playing, though it wasn't because of the story, but more-so because the part of me that hates grinding reminded me of why I'm not a fan of RPGs to begin with, and then I quickly lost interest in the game. I did look up the rest of the story, though, and it still seemed interesting to me, but maybe it'd be worse in actual execution had I played through the rest of the game normally. Either way, though, its probably the element that kept me interested in playing the game as long as I did. With FF 7 and 8, I honestly couldn't make it past the first disc in either game because I couldn't get into their stories, and I'm just not a fan of the gameplay in RPGs, so I found it pretty hard to sustain my interest in playing them.
I'm not really into Final Fantasy like I used to be, but I'd still play it if it interests me. Outside of Mass Effect I am tired of RPGs in general though.
When it comes to RPGs and Final Fantasy I was very late to the party. I didn't play my 1st Final Fantasy until 2004-ish, and that was Final Fantasy 8. I have a soft spot for FF8 mainly because it was the 1st one to break me in. Originally I was just trying it out because I just wanted to see the limit breaks, and then that turned into me sticking with it because of the summons, which ultimately turned into me seeing myself a lot like Squall back then (Long story, was going through some stuff back then) so I stuck around for the entire ride. FF8 was also the only game that I traded in and bought back more than 4 times. I got hooked onto the junction system (oh how I heard the mixed opinions about that system and the Draw feature). Once I got used to that system it turned into the easiest and funnest FF game that I've played (out of the bunch that I've played)
From FF8 I went onto FF10. No doubt, it was a gorgeous looking game, but I was not expecting it to be that much of a dump. I'd say outside of Auron and Lulu, I hated the characters, but even then I didn't make it through to see all the characters in the game. Not to mention Blitzball is the worst mini-game I have ever played. Anything blitzball related I can't stand. "ARGH" Hate this game.
From there I went to FF7. Coming off of FF8 and 10, graphically speaking, it was hard to accept FF7. I understand it was suppose to be ground breaking, but I hated the blocky/chibi look. I still hate it, but eventually I got to a point where I'd put my love for graphics aside to see what made this game so great, and even then I still wouldn't call this game great, but it is good. Like I said though, I started with FF8 and I just got so accustomed to the junction system whereas here in FF7 materia made it seem like you're playing the same character. At least in FF8 all you really have to do attack only. Character wise, the cast of FF7 blows FF8 out the water. I only like Squall and Quistis (I think that's her name), and Rinoa grew onto me. I found her so annoying when I 1st played the game. In FF7, outside of Barret and Cait Sith, I like everyone else.
Coming off of those to go all the way back to FF4 and what do you know, character speaking FF4 is a beast. I plan to finish FF4 eventually, but I really like the cast of FF4. Cecil and KAIN (I just like yelling that name. Blame Trinity Blood) are too good.
I haven't played FF6, but I heard those characters trumps the characters in FF4, and perhaps I'll get a chance to play it one day.
FFXV might be the one game that actually brings me back to JRPGs (RPGs in general).
Quote from: Avaitor on March 21, 2013, 11:47:56 PM
I honestly can't remember the last time Final Fantasy was a triple-A title.
2001
I'm not really sure why I keep buying them, honestly. I'm really weird with Final Fantasy games. I'm big into RPGs, yet Final Fantasy is probably lower tier for me.
Final Fantasy I: Beat on the GBA.
Final Fantasy II: Beat on the GBA. Not really sure how I stuck all the way through with that one.
Final Fantasy III: Beat it on the DS. There's barely any plot so once more, I'm not sure how I stuck with it all the way through.
Final Fantasy IV: Played for about half an hour with it on GBA before I got bored and quit. I also have the PSP "Complete Collection" version, which I plan on getting to someday.
Final Fantasy V: Played for about half an hour with it on GBA before I got bored and quit.
Final Fantasy VI: Played for about two hours on the GBA, and was legitimately enjoying it until I got stuck on a battle because I couldn't figure out how to use a characters moves, so I quit.
Final Fantasy VII: Played for about an hour before I got bored and quit.
Final Fantasy VIII: Never touched it. Don't plan to.
Final Fantasy IX: Played for about an hour before I got bored and quit.
Final Fantasy X: Played until the final area when I finally realized how stupid the plot and characters where, and I quit.
Final Fantasy XI: Wasn't interested in an MMO, so I never touched it.
Final Fantasy XII: Played for about an hour before I got bored and quit.
Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core: Played for about an hour before I got bored and quit.
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings: Played for about 15 minutes before I realized how much I hate RTS games.
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance: I like Tactics styled games, but the whole "Judge's Rules" thing on the battlefield killed it for me.
Games I own but haven't played yet:
Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring Of Fates
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes Of Time
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Don't know what it is man. It's a series I've always wanted to enjoy but just haven't been able to get into. I don't want to dismiss all the titles when I know each one is standalone though, so maybe that's why I keep trying. For what it's worth though, XV looks interesting and my buddy who really likes FF might play XIV's revamp with me on PS4.
You got stuck on FFVI with Sabin's blitz attack right? I got past it once a long time ago but can't remember how I did it. If you can get past it, it's a pretty excellent RPG as a whole.
If you like tactical RPGs you really should play FFT. Other than some HORRENDOUSLY unbalanced battles later on, it's pretty great.
It was probably the blitz attack, yeah. I remember the fight took place on a mountain. It really was a shame. Reading through my own list, it's the only main series game that I was genuinely enjoying when I played it.
The move is called Pummel, and you use left, right, left I believe.
It's the timing that makes it difficult. The explanation is not clear enough on when you're supposed to do it.
Yeah, you have to do it real quick. But as long as you know what pattern you're supposed to push the buttons, you should get it eventually.
Now if only I knew where the damn cartridge was. XD
This thread reminds me of how old I really am.
Gosh, it really has been ages since FF was an A-list blockbuster.
It is amazing to think about back when Final Fantasy X was first revealed and how big a deal it was compared to now.
Square really dropped the ball.
They delayed Final Fantasy XII too damned long. By the time it came out many gamers had stopped caring and moved on to other things.
That Japan has turned into a creative wasteland hasn't helped matters.
What I wouldn't give for a return to the glory days, but it's not going to happen.
I really wish I had kept my old issues of Official US PlayStation Magazine. They had a great retrospective when X came out that celebrated the series, especially the PS1 games. What a great time to be a gamer.
Quote from: GaryPotter on June 28, 2013, 06:14:25 PM
They delayed Final Fantasy XII too damned long. By the time it came out many gamers had stopped caring and moved on to other things.
And the exact same thing is going to happen, or already has happened, to Versus XIII/XV. Hell, I was barely out of middle school back when the game was first announced, that's a long-ass time.
QuoteThat Japan has turned into a creative wasteland hasn't helped matters.
Nor that there have since been a dozen, much better received RPG's that have come out on both sides of the pacific.
Quote from: GaryPotter on June 28, 2013, 06:14:25 PM
They delayed Final Fantasy XII too damned long. By the time it came out many gamers had stopped caring and moved on to other things.
That Japan has turned into a creative wasteland hasn't helped matters.
What I wouldn't give for a return to the glory days, but it's not going to happen.
Unfortunately this is where I'm at with FFXV. They waited entirely too long give any update about the game till it felt like they scrapped the game altogether. I may get it, but it's looking fairly bleak. I really need to be blown away by whatever clips I see from now to the release.
They should not have made FFXI an online game and instead called it Final Fantasy Online and used one of their other teams to make a proper Final Fantasy game to hold fans over after X until XII was done. The problem is that none of the core fans wanted XI just like they didn't want XIV- that's a different audience and the other fans are left in the dust.
Instead of some of the garbage they released in the PS2 generation like Unlimited Saga, the terrible Mana games, and the disappointing Musashi sequel they could have focused their efforts a bit more.
If they ever remade Final Fantasy IX and released it on the PS3/XBOX360 as a downloadable game, I'd honestly be willing to get it and give it another play-through. That's the only 3D FF game that I was ever able to get into in the first place (I still haven't tried any of the 2D ones, yet).
The problem with IX is that the pre-rendered backgrounds are very busy, with lots of movements and the occasional FMV clip. On a CRT in 2000 it looked spectacular, but on an HDTV or PC Monitor it's terrible. Those games were best experienced in their proper time. Playing them today as new games probably wouldn't be very enjoyable.
Meh, I don't see how a FF IX remake would be that much better than the original.
I never bothered to try to get into FFIX. Graphically speaking, it looks gorgeous, but I don't know. Kiddy protagonist is something I've been against for quite some time now. Kinda the main reason why I don't like the Kingdom Hearts games. If I were to ever get back into playing the JRPGs I'd probably try it out.
Quote from: Grave on June 29, 2013, 05:05:35 PM
I never bothered to try to get into FFIX. Graphically speaking, it looks gorgeous, but I don't know. Kiddy protagonist is something I've been against for quite some time now. Kinda the main reason why I don't like the Kingdom Hearts games. If I were to ever get back into playing the JRPGs I'd probably try it out.
Zidane is 16 years old. He's just short and looks more like a kid than most other FF characters.
I actually like its characters specifically for the reason that they didn't come off like over-angst-driven teenagers. That's an element that I can't stand about the other 3D FF games that I have tried.
That, and I also like that its battle system didn't come off as convoluted as in FF VIII, which is honestly something I just didn't get.
That said, I'm not really a huge fan of FF IX, but being that I'm flat-out not a fan of most RPGs (including JRPGs), this is one of the few that surprisingly held my interest for a while in terms of story and gameplay.
Great, another Luffy... (I mistook him for being a child)
Like I said, if I were to ever get back into the JRPGs I'll give it a whirl.
I definitely understand what you mean about FFVIII's battle system. It took me 2 playthroughs (roughly 2 years) to fully understand it, not to mention I was following a guide as well. Thinking about it now, I still wouldn't be able to explain it all that well.
Why aren't they just calling Lightning Returns Final Fantasy XIII-3? This is just getting confusing and stupid.
Oh, and the pre-order's stupid too. Put Lightning in Cloud's uniform! Hurr!
If it were Cloud's Kingdom Hearts outfit, I'd be a little more interested.
Quote from: Nel_Annette on July 02, 2013, 10:41:11 AM
Why aren't they just calling Lightning Returns Final Fantasy XIII-3? This is just getting confusing and stupid.
Getting? :lol:
Quote from: Nel_Annette on July 02, 2013, 10:41:11 AM
Oh, and the pre-order's stupid too. Put Lightning in Cloud's uniform! Hurr!
Well, they
do have the same face.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.duelinganalogs.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F01%2Ffinal-fantasy-secrets-revealed-600x400.jpg&hash=6dde20e862c96e0ddb360652561314d792df0c62)
Quote from: Foggle on July 02, 2013, 11:12:23 AM
Quote from: Nel_Annette on July 02, 2013, 10:41:11 AM
Why aren't they just calling Lightning Returns Final Fantasy XIII-3? This is just getting confusing and stupid.
Getting? :lol:
:hayguyz:
I'm just glad they changed Versus and Agito's names. Holy fuck this is convoluted.
Quote from: Nel_Annette on July 02, 2013, 11:15:08 AM
I'm just glad they changed Versus and Agito's names. Holy fuck this is convoluted.
Yeah, thank god. I'm honestly surprised they didn't call FFXIV Final Fantasy Online XIII.
I went to Square-Enix's website for the first time in a long time, and noticed that they got rid of all their old video game websites.
I'm sort of not happy, honestly. I used to have loads of fun on the Chrono Cross site back in the dial-up days.
What Final Fantasy is: by Toriyama (http://www.gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=215662)
Quote"Let me start with how we used to define Final Fantasy. When the games consoles were almost everything that mattered, in those days we aimed to make the most out of the specs of the popular consoles to be able to offer cutting edge, supreme gaming experiences to our users. That was what we were looking for.
Since then though, I think the environment in which gamers play has experienced quite a drastic change. Now, we need games angled towards more casual gamers as well as those for more high-end players, like Lightning Returns. But what all these different types of Final Fantasy games have in common is that they offer players deep and engaging immersion in a fantasy setting. That?s what we always think of when we?re creating a new Final Fantasy."
Funny. Especially when there were only 3 games in the series that were lauded for graphical capability the first of which came after
six installments of the series had already been released. Final Fantasy was not always about that, Toriyama. You might want to go a bit further back to figure out how it lasted six highly popular installments despite not being driven by graphics.
It's not that the gameplay was "too complex"- the gameplay is the only thing about this series that still is good. If you water that down for casuals with everything else in the series that has been watered down you'll be left with nothing that made the series popular. The gameplay was the one thing everyone praised from Final Fantasy XIII, now imagine if that was weak too. I don't see dumbing that down improving the series popularity.
How did these people end up in charge of the series?
Compared to other RPG's during the 16-bit era, FF looked no different. It was Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG that were lauded for their graphical capability.
What is he even talking about in that second paragraph? If RPG's are the most casual genre out there gameplay-wise, if he really wants to attract "casual" gamers along with "hardcore" ones, then SE should go back to the old-school FF gameplay sans random encounters, that's as casual as FF gets.
Or they could just make a new Mystic Quest game.
It's exactly as linear as FFXIII and has the old-style battle system.
But that didn't sell sooooooooo... maybe he should actually remember that gaming didn't begin with the PS1. He seems to be having the same problem that EA has.
Squeenix trademarks Shinra, creates a new cloud-based service with the name. (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-09-19-shinra-technologies-is-square-enixs-cloud-gaming-company)
Make all your jokes here.
Square Enix wants your opinions on Final Fantasy (https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WDCDNXJ)
Do us all a favor and tell them to make games the way they used to.
I always forget about Final Fantasy games. The franchise just seems so irrelevant. Have people even talked about it much since the beginning of the PS2 era?
People seem interested in XV.
So interested that they bought PS3s for it nearly a decade ago.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on January 20, 2015, 06:20:15 PM
People seem interested in XV.
So interested that they bought PS3s for it nearly a decade ago.
What, was XV foreshadowed ages ago or something?
Quote from: talonmalon333 on January 20, 2015, 06:21:38 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on January 20, 2015, 06:20:15 PM
People seem interested in XV.
So interested that they bought PS3s for it nearly a decade ago.
What, was XV foreshadowed ages ago or something?
It was originally Final Fantasy Versus XIII and was delayed about a hundred times.
Of course I was never interested in it because it was related to Final Fantasy XIII. But I'm told this will be different than every other garbage console game they've made in the last fifteen years because Square tells them it will good.
Like 3D Realms told me Duke Nukem Forever would be worth the wait and John Romero told me Daikatana would be good. I'm supposed to base my hype on nothing but empty promises from a company that has consistently failed to deliver.
Sonic cycle eat your heart out.
What do you guys think is the best in the series?
8.
VI.
It sometimes seems like Final Fantasy VI is the unanimous favorite of the series.
a lot of people love it. i need to play it.
Am I the only one who didn't like the 3D graphics in Final Fantasy III?
So I've been browsing Amazon and noticed Type-0 HD has a "Day One Edition"? What's the exclusive content? Is it just the FF15 demo or like costumes or what?
This document is from the Final Fantasy Reddit. It details the differences between every port/remake of each game, and recommends what the best version of each game is. I figured I'd post it for anyone who is thinking of playing any one of these games.
https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=C7395B12A5507374!225&ithint=file%2cdocx&app=Word&authkey=!AHGvb5WWtrpXf10
:worship: THANK YOU!!!!
Good shit! :thumbup:
Is there one of these for the spin-off/sequel games, as well?
Which spin-offs?
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest - SNES
Final Fantasy Tactics - PS1
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - Gamecube
Nothing else is worth your time.
Quote from: Foggle on March 03, 2015, 04:05:27 PM
Is there one of these for the spin-off/sequel games, as well?
I'll try to look, but I don't see one. Though Spark's post is right. :P
Looking at that list, I am reminded that it's a shame how IV didn't get a proper American release on the SNES, being that it decreased the difficulty so drastically to the point of being kind of silly. I guess that's still better treatment than what V got, though.
But Mystic Quest is awful and Crisis Core is amazing. Type-0 looks fantastic too, and I've heard good things about the Tactics sequel. We can't write off all the spin-offs just like that!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVlnj1lui6I (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVlnj1lui6I)
Anyway about every one of those spin-offs is only available on one system. Not much to sort through.
You didn't mind Mystic Quest, Spark?
The music is one of the best soundtracks in the series. Gameply-wise, meh. It's a beginner's RPG and for that it's fine.
I just watched Gamexplain's Game & Watch of the FFXV demo and I have to say. I'm impressed.
The characters are the least annoying in a mainline game since IX (and before that, VI), the direction is really good and actually feels like Final Fantasy instead of the goofy crap they put out last gen, and the art style feels more like VII (which is the only modern-style art that still feels something like the old stuff) instead of everything after IX which has never felt anything like the classic stuff to me.
The battle system is excellent like most Final Fantasy games are. Only this looks truly next gen, something I've been hoping to see since the move to the PS2 but never got.
Can we just call it Final Fantasy X and pretend the mainline games after IX never happened?
As someone who's actually played the demo, it's wonderful. I'm very hyped for the game now, and the old story trailers are making me more excited than they ever did before. Type-0 is really good too. :joy:
I wish Spark would post links.
Quote from: gunswordfist on March 23, 2015, 04:16:03 PM
I wish Spark would post links.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1LxeQuOfbE
How's that? It's about an hour long, though.
Game looks surprisingly great. First mainline Final Fantasy I've actually been interested in playing in a long time.
Sheesh, be careful what you wish for, indeed. I'm going to have to watch that during dinner. :D Hopefully this is also the first mainline Final Fantasy I am interested in awhile. And this is coming from a guy who thought X and Advent Children was alright. Underwhelming, though.
By the way, was I the only one who didn't like the Junction system in VIII?
No, I'm sure I am the only one that likes it.
I bring it up because I think it was one of the main off-putting parts of FFVIII. I honestly never beat that game.
Figured since there's a Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 8 Remaster I thought I'd give this a little reboot. I'll get to FF8 in a bit. I'm a little worried about FF7R. Not in terms of gameplay, but in terms of it coming out on the PS4. Truthfully I feel like this should've been a PS5 title. I know we're only guessing right now but one can only assume the PS5 will be coming out in 2021 (early 2021 maybe?) and we're only getting Midgar. 2 Blu-ray dvd's for Midgar in it's entirety. Considering that FF7 had 3 disc and Midgar was at the beginning, and so for FF7R we're only getting Midgar which begs the question how long do they plan on going with this game? Being a PS4 owner I cannot see this game being finished on the PS4 (not in its entirety, that's for sure). I feel like square should've made this game specifically for next gen. Other than that I like what I'm hearing about everything else.
Final Fantasy 8 is finally getting a little bit of respect. To answer the question from 4 years ago, I do like the Junction system. It just takes a while to get used to. Once you start understanding it and getting the hang of it you can literally turn the game into easy mode. It's just very time consuming. I've said it a couple of times now. FF8 was my 1st Final Fantasy and introduction to rpg's so I have a soft spot for it. At the time, I was going through a (excuse the language) "fuck everybody" phase and I saw Squall and I found myself to be like Squall quite a bit so I was hooked from there. And then I liked seeing the summons along with limit breaks. Now about 15+ years later I can say that the characters in FF8 are terrible and Sephiroth and Vincent are probably my favorite characters out of 7. Final Fantasy 4 on the other hand is where I find all the great characters. Anyway, that tangent set aside it's about time FF8 gets a remaster.
I just noticed that FF8 has been available on STEAM for at least a few years, so I imagine it's the HD remaster aspect of it that has everyone excited.
Fun Fact: Despite being notorious on these boards for being one of the few people who didn't grow up with Final Fantasy, FF8 is the one game that I did play on the PS1, or at least tried to play. My older brother and I rented it from Blockbuster three times trying to beat it, taking turns playing through the story, and as I recall we ended up getting stuck trying to defeat a boss on the third disc, and just ended up giving up from there.
I barely remember the game, but I'd have been open to replaying it if it weren't for the fact that I have so many other games on my backlog.
Possibly. I think I saw something along the lines of the steam version looking worst than the ps1 version (I don't know the details. Something about not having or losing the files to the original FF8) so that's a strong possibility. As for me, I don't play games on the PC.
Me neither, for the most part, but I do have some mid-to-late 90's games on there from Steam (like Half-Life and classic DOOM games), since even my cheap laptop can still actually run them. Actually, it'll at least go up to 6th generation standards for the most part, as I did play Max Payne 2 on my PC as well without any issues aside from occasional screen-tearing.