Final Fantasy thoughts...

[drmrboyc]

I noticed several people in the introductions mention they like RPGs, MMOs and a few said Final Fantasy in particular. I've enjoyed the entire series, so I have some questions for players of Final Fantasy.

If you've played several of the Final Fantasy series, what are your thoughts about how they moved away from turn based and into more action combat with 12 & 15? Are you a FFXV hater?

Have you played 11 or 14 and did you or do you still enjoy them? If you play(ed) them, what's your favorite job?

What is your favorite Final Fantasy story line? Also, what is your favorite Final Fantasy combat system?

I'm really interested to hear everyone's opinions!

P.S. If you play FFXIV on diabolos server, hit me up! I'm Abi Whitemend.

[Dub-Z]

I noticed several people in the introductions mention they like RPGs, MMOs and a few said Final Fantasy in particular. I've enjoyed the entire series, so I have some questions for players of Final Fantasy.

If you've played several of the Final Fantasy series, what are your thoughts about how they moved away from turn based and into more action combat with 12 & 15? Are you a FFXV hater?

Have you played 11 or 14 and did you or do you still enjoy them? If you play(ed) them, what's your favorite job?

What is your favorite Final Fantasy story line? Also, what is your favorite Final Fantasy combat system?

I'm really interested to hear everyone's opinions!

P.S. If you play FFXIV on diabolos server, hit me up! I'm Abi Whitemend.

I wouldn't say 12 is action, although it was a big change for the main games. I did ultimately enjoy FFXV more than not, but it was missing so much, and I don't think I like the action route they took, and I don't think it really works to spaz all over like that, controlling one character, doing all these multi-button holds, but never having direct control, instant response time or animation snappiness that a spectacle fighter like Bayonetta would offer. Seemed at odds with itself. and I probably would have enjoyed an FF12 approach where the characters maybe just do their highly cinematic stuff in the way FF 13 presents it.

I think FFVII Remake should turn out pretty good, but my initial impression from the reveal was that at least the proof of concept they showed looked like a reskin of 15, down to the shimmy between walls and crouch under debris that Noctis does. I'm hoping that Square taking it in house means the conceptualization will be more unique, but that they hopefully don't go off the rails with development, tech and budgeting like the Versus XIII + Luminous era.

I played only a bit of 11 before I had to move at the time, and never got to go back to it. I was enjoying it and had come from previously playing Phantasy Star Online. I did play a trial of 14 for a week or so after watching "Dad of Light" on Netflix and really loved it, but I just have too much of a backlog and can't commit to an MMO, I think.

My favorite FF storyline is probably Tactics. It's the only one that really feels like a tight, well written story and not just an awesome adventure that I love + all the best moments. Even though 6 is my favorite, with 12 right after.

[Verhoven 69]

FFVIII is soooooooooooo unbalanced with it's junction system. Story wise, it had a more happier ending.

[Verhoven 69]

I hate FFXV because the "complete" version still required Downloads. Couldn't SE just burn the correct version in one BD?

[Verhoven 69]

Given the technology of the time. I wouldn't be too hard on it.

[kalin]

I played 1-7 and enjoyed them a lot but didn't play any for a while till FF15. I didn't think I would enjoy the newer ones for some reason, but 15 was amazing. Great music, great bro-trip, great ending. Really was blown away! The combat just got a bit old by the time it was finished, but a lot of fun.

[bytejunkie64]

I've only beaten IX and XV, but I've played all the non-MMO entries to lesser degrees. Neither IX nor XV were my favorites, though. IX came around at a time when I had tons of free time to play it, and XV was short enough to beat over the course of a few weekends. My favorite battle system is ATB, followed by the reworked battle system from II in the remakes. That said, I also like the SaGa games that made it over here. My favorite numbered entry story-wise is IV, followed by VI. Mechanically my favorite was V, followed by II. I also tend to judge platforms based on how many Final Fantasies I can play on the platform without hacking or emulating.

[drmrboyc]

This belongs as a sticky for the internet. Like...the entire internet. Whenever someone logs onto the internet for anything this is one of the stickies.

[Evocati]

I forgot to mention my love of FF Tactics. Especially the War of the Lions localisation.

[Brakon]

I live the older FF games I even Like the first 13 game. But as for the mmos I currently play FF14 and have for a year straight now. Its been both fun and annoying and worth all the money spent on it. FF9 is the best one.

[DEVIL JACKAL]

Love ff, even the not so great spin offs. I've beat most ff titles I've heard of and I play 14 on the semi reg. I just wish for a true turn based title again but I know it'll never happen

[ExecutiveOdin]

FF1: The Warriors of Light are trying to restore power to the four crystals and bring the elements back to the planet. Without the crystals power the wind has stopped, the seas are still, and the earth is rotting...I don't remember what fire is doing but that volcano dungeon is rough. It's made by Hironobu Sakaguchi who was planning on quitting game design after making it. Thus why he named it his "Final Fantasy" and afterwards was going to go do something more interesting like, become a fisherman. Yeah if he thinks fishing is less boring than game design then he obviously had some issues with the industry. But he hit huge success. Also Nobuo Uematsu did the music and that guy is a boss. I still have the midi versions of a lot of his songs in my head.

FF2: Again the crystals make a return representing the four elements and already the battle system as seen major changes. Still made by Hiro and music is still by Nobuo Uematsu.

FF3: Now there are eight crystals! That's twice the Fantasy! Also they changed the combat system again and you are no longer locked to a specific class for the character. Additionally the classes are also given by: crystals!. Again Hiro and Nobuo killing it. Also the pretty art you seen in character concepts and stuff for final fantasy is don't by an artist named Amano. I've really dig the style and think it would be cool to see an entire game done in that design.

FF4: Another eight crystals, four light and four dark. Most people would know this as the american FF2 on SNES and I am no exception. Fun Fact: I rented FF6(3 in america) like ten times growing up. We had a video rental section in our local grocery store and whoever stocked it filled it with RPGs. I suddenly wish I could go back and thank that man. Anyway I rented FF6 over and over and over and one christmas my mom announced that she bought me "that fantasy game you like" and when I opened it it was this. I had never even seen this game before and gave zero fucks. Beat it like 5 times. The combat goes back to fixed classes and is heavily storied and emotional. Hiro, Nobuo, and Amano are my favorite people.

FF5: Four Crystals supplemented by the return of a ton of class crystals. I don't feel like the story here is as strong as FF4 but I didn't play this one nearly as much. It's still great though. Hiro, Nobuo, and Amano did it again. The main character name is Butz.

FF6: I can't gush enough about this one. All magic is from creatures known as espers, when an esper dies it becomes magicite (pro-tip: that's a fucking crystal) and allows people to learn magic which triggers an esper genocide. The game is just brilliant and I still have my childhood copy that I eventually did buy in my desk. The graphics, the story, and sounds and music the variety of character is all so staggering. If you havent looked up that like swedish opera singer doing a version of Cele's opera scene on youtube do it. It's fucking emotional. Hiro etc etc are like my uncles. I'm going to refer to them as HAM from now on for ease of typing. I love HAM.

FF7: The game is 3D now so all the normies jump on our bandwagon. Also the game is amazing so of course they do but I'm a gamer so I'm bitter at everyone. The crystals now are "materia" which is solidified mako energy pumped from the earth. To me it sounds like mako is just the oil you get from fossilized espers. But this is two games in a row with no, like solid crystals of elements or etc. They are sorta referenced but it's not like they are the main goal. There is no HAM this time. The A was replaced. But they are my uncles now.

FF8: I still don't get why "time compression" was such a big deal. It feel like everything would be the same but...faster? Would you even notice? One massive crystal now and it's evil. This is sort of a divisive FF. I was in the middle of the second playthrough of FF8 when I got a PS2. A classmate told me that PS2 bade PS1 games prettier so I immediate restarted my file to play on PS2 from the beginning. Again just Hiro and Nobuo with the new guy.

FF9: Crystals are responsible for everything and are planetary cores. Is it even possible to satisfy all 100 nobles? Why is the steal rate so low? Why is the encounter rate so high? Only beat this once. I want to write more but I just don't remember enough. I know I liked it though. Hiro had a buddy help with this one and Nobuo is still great.

FF10: Crystals feel more like technology than magic? I dunno again only played it once. It didn't feel like it was made for me anymore. I did finish it and think fondly on it but...it's different. It felt different. Nobuo still did music and is wonderful but I feel like Hiro is less interested or something.

FFX-2: Lulu got knocked up by fucking Wakka? What? Crystals give you clothes now? Nobuo what is this pop shit? Where are you buddy? Hiro why? This was NOT made for me. Didn't finish it.

FF11: I wasn't going to mention spinoffs like Mystic Quest and Legends and I think an MMO should count in that. I played it for almost four years.

FF12: Hiro is gone. So is Nobuo. This is zombie final fantasy. It's a fun game. I like a lot about it but I just never stayed motivated through it. I blame my own brand of crazy though. I just couldn't decide on what jobs to give the characters and it drove me nuts. I hate to say it but I was they just had classes. The combat system is radically different. Where are my uncles?

zombie FF13: Played this for like five hours. There is no bandwagon anymore. Shiva is a motorcycle?

zombie FF13-2: Why? Was that really popular? Oh the chicks are hot...christ. Never played it.

zombie FF13-the hot chick returns: Never thought about playing it.

FF14: Another MMO. I hate how squares websites work and the split between steam and non steam.

zombie FF15: I played this for about twelve hours but my roommate mentioned he is waiting until all the DLC drops before he plays it. I stopped to do the same and because I loved the beginning of the game so hard that I want an excuse to restart it. Going to play the absolute shit out of this when I get the time again. My main complaint is similar to my FF12 complaint in that I wish the main character had a single assigned weapon class like the rest of the party does. That's just me though.

Fuck that was long.

[Yoshi]

I strongly believe the best FF games are those set in Ivalice. It is no coincidence that those are also largely the ones where Yasumi Matsuno was involved, whom I consider to be one of the most talented Japanese developers.

[Spect3r]

FF 8 is quite good, the rest is meh

[Eldarion]

If you've played several of the Final Fantasy series, what are your thoughts about how they moved away from turn based and into more action combat with 12 & 15? Are you a FFXV hater?

I am a hater. I like the turn based combat. The last FF I played was 12 and it wasn't too bad though I couldn't finish it, I did eventually watch a lets play and I loved the villains, probably the most interesting villains in the series. My two biggest problems with the new square is how they put graphics first before anything else, which results in insane development cycles. Then of course they bastardize how FF used to play. Also they keep making characters generic ability wise and able to do almost everything which is boring. I wish they would release more to placate fans of more classic JRPG gameplay, outside of mobile devices.

Have you played 11 or 14 and did you or do you still enjoy them? If you play(ed) them, what's your favorite job?
I did not play them. I don't believe they should have numbered them as part of the main series.

What is your favorite Final Fantasy story line? Also, what is your favorite Final Fantasy combat system?
I thought 6 had a really good story, a main character struggling to find purpose or motivation, abusing magic, almost every character had a pretty good subplot too, interesting themes throughout the game. 10 actually had a really good battle system, being able to see turns ahead of time to create more strategic moves, a big emphasis of status effects, certain weapons types being good for certain types of damage. Being able to swap characters in an out made the 3 character limit less boring, also it had some of the best boss battles. It failed by requiring every character to participate to get experience, I wish they would fix that. I know they did in 13 which had a similar character swapping system.

Also, Final Fantasy Tactics is my favorite game.