Should i get back into Final Fantasy?

crithit5000 · Post by **crithit5000** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 5:53 am

Just wait until it cums prematurely in your mouth with the most broken battle mechanics ever.

"Hmmm...I'm level 50, but my attacks do only 150hp of damage yet my GFs do 9999 damage and take four minutes to animat...ah fuck."

Ayanami · Post by **Ayanami** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 6:21 am

crithit5000 wrote:"Hmmm...I'm level 50, but my attacks do only 150hp of damage yet my GFs do 9999 damage and take four minutes to animat...ah fuck."

This is one of many reasons why FF8 is the worst of the series.

Mortificator · Post by **Mortificator** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 9:02 am

I don't think any FF game can challenge II for the worst.

I liked VIII. The GF animation would probably annoy me if I tried to play the game on a console now, but on an emulator you could just fast-forward.

MathU · Post by **MathU** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 9:18 am

crithit5000 wrote:Just wait until it cums prematurely in your mouth with the most broken battle mechanics ever.

"Hmmm...I'm level 50, but my attacks do only 150hp of damage yet my GFs do 9999 damage and take four minutes to animat...ah fuck."

What? Are we playing the same game here? Most GF's are useless when you junction things right.

unsane · Post by **unsane** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 10:20 am

Mortificator wrote:I don't think any FF game can challenge II for the worst.

I'm going to have to agree with Turrican on this one, and disagree with you and the vast sea of FF2 haters. IMO it is underrated - fans of the early FFs should not be dissuaded from trying it. It's as though people force themselves to dislike it just cuz there's "omg no standard xp system".

SamIAm · Post by **SamIAm** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 10:32 am

If you like RPGs, then the FF series is usually a pretty good investment of your time. Pretty much every game in the series except for 2 and 11 has loads of people who will say its the greatest game they've ever played.

I used to be really into RPGs, but at one point I made a switch to action games and never went back. I've tried to rekindle my interest a few times, but every RPG I try to play strikes me as having gameplay as exciting as racing to see how fast you can format an Excel spreadsheet, and a story like a pretentiously complicated version of Star Wars with massive teen melodrama. That's just my take on it, though. You might have a blast.

unsane · Post by **unsane** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 10:52 am

SamIAm wrote:I used to be really into RPGs, but at one point I made a switch to action games and never went back.

I hear that. I feel like i slowly "grew out of" single player console rpgs, but i never really understood why. As i've aged i've become more of an action junkie. So i can only really enjoy action rpgs now, but mostly stick to non-rpgs; whereas when i was younger i played almost exclusively rpgs. Perhaps my imagination poofed.

Motorherp · Post by **Motorherp** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 11:18 am

The random encounters system used in many of these games is un-immersive, completely boring, and totaly f*cking annoying. Battles used to play out this way due to technical limitations of the hardware but there really has been no excuse for their continued existance for past 15 years or more. Its nothing but poor game design and all the final fantasy games absolutely reek of it. Therefore, to answer your original question, I'd say no, it's not worth it.

evil_ash_xero · Post by **evil_ash_xero** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 1:13 pm

Final Fantasy, for me has been totally ruined since 10, and the overabundance of cinemas and story. It's not even a game anymore.

However, I didn't like 8, but 9 was alright. VI and VII is where they peaked. VII needs remade REALLY bad though, since those polygons look pretty darn rough nowadays.

On a sidenote, has anyone here played Dragon Quest VIII much? I thought that game was just phenomenal.

s/m

lgb · Post by **lgb** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 1:35 pm

1: Basic, classic, gotta play it once.
2: Same as above. They tried something new, and yet everyone hates it.
3: Jobs are cool.
4: 5 people and the first real story (unless you count II) is cool.
5: Final Fantasy III-2. I swear.
6: Very cool. Probably the best one on the SNES.
7: Very cool. A step up from 6, now in 3D!
8: Never played.
9: Never played.
10: Fun. Similar to 2 because of the Sphere Grid. A bit more linear than most, but still excellent.
X-2: Who said it was CGI porn? That is not true at all. Played a bit like X, but a bit different too (exp is back)
11: Never played. Heard it's like 12 though.
12: Fun. Felt like an online game, but still Final Fantasy.

I'm not a huge FF fan, I just think they were a bit fun.

JacobXScum · Post by **JacobXScum** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 1:42 pm

SamIAm wrote: I've tried to rekindle my interest a few times, but every RPG I try to play strikes me as having gameplay as exciting as racing to see how fast you can format an Excel spreadsheet, and a story like a pretentiously complicated version of Star Wars with massive teen melodrama.

HA! Awesome.

Fighter17 · Post by **Fighter17** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 1:51 pm

crithit5000 wrote:"Hmmm...I'm level 50, but my attacks do only 150hp of damage yet my GFs do 9999 damage and take four minutes to animat...ah fuck."

Don't forget pressing Square a lot to get extra APs for GFs.

Damn, that was the game that made me stop playing RPGs in general. Took me 60 hours to beat it (everyone was Level 99, got all GFs, etc.).

And the boss was so easy it was funny.

JacobXScum · Post by **JacobXScum** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 1:53 pm

I'm pretty much totally against RPG's. If i want to take turns i'll play a board game. I do like some action based RPG's and a few people were talking about Seiken Densetsu 3 on another thread. Never played it so I figured I'd give it a whirl. Even this game was far too slow for my tastes. And then there's the incredibly slow and cumbersome menu system. And then there's the battle system, that seems to be real time, but in actuality is STILL pretty much turn based, with all the waiting. Then there's what i percieve as a somewhat combo/finishing move system with the bar that charges up on the bottom, where you can occasionally unleash some sort of special move. Seems neat, but is pretty lame. And all these things are secondary to the fact that i had to run around the castle for like a half an hour and read painfully large quantities of story. (which the story itself didn't seem to bad, but if i want a story i'll read a fucking book) Or maybe i just didn't get it, which is entirely possible. Then again, it didn't really do anything to make me interested in "getting it."

Basically this game illustrates all of my problems with RPG's. Too slow. Too much story/cinematics. Turn based battles. Too many factors based on random events or basically "digital dice rolls."

Pretty much, if you can put the controller down without pausing the game to go to the bathroom, then return and not be dead, i won't like it.

I do like Suikoden. Play that instead.

Gorecki · Post by **Gorecki** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 1:57 pm

I don't understand the criticisms of VIII. I used the GF's primarily as a means of junctioning magic to stats, which can pump your characters' attacks up considerably if you do it correctly. The draw/junction system is my favourite out of all the recent FF games (VII and onward). At the end of it, I had Squall with the Lionheart blade who could do about 200,000 points of damage with his limit break, and Irvine with so much death magic linked to his attack that almost every shot would cause instant death.

And the story as well is fantastic. It's suitably epic but also spends a lot of time on the characters, something which FFXII really falls down on.

elfhentaifan · Post by **elfhentaifan** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 2:42 pm

Gorecki wrote:I don't understand the criticisms of VIII

we're all alone in here with that opinion

Post by **Ghegs** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 2:57 pm

I liked VIII.

IX was decent enough, except for the surprise final boss. Seriously, WTF was up with that?

I used to play JRPGs a lot, but then I just drifted away...last I played was FFX, which I just stopped playing at the 35-hour mark when I realized I just don't care about what happens there.

Nuke · Post by **Nuke** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 3:00 pm

First part of aFinal Fantasy VIII review, for those of you who don't understand why most of us disliked it.

Ayanami · Post by **Ayanami** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 3:05 pm

Gorecki wrote:I don't understand the criticisms of VIII. I used the GF's primarily as a means of junctioning magic to stats, which can pump your characters' attacks up considerably if you do it correctly. The draw/junction system is my favourite out of all the recent FF games (VII and onward). At the end of it, I had Squall with the Lionheart blade who could do about 200,000 points of damage with his limit break, and Irvine with so much death magic linked to his attack that almost every shot would cause instant death.

And the story as well is fantastic. It's suitably epic but also spends a lot of time on the characters, something which FFXII really falls down on.

Story in Final Fantasy 7 and onwards is terrible. The characters are my beef. Cloud and Squall are both terrible heroes.

I know all about the terrible draw system and how you have to spend a ridiculous amount of time drawing magic just to junction 99 what ever to make your stats soar. I did not use the GFs at all really, it just really pissed me off that I had to either manipulate the draw system like a cheap floozey, or use the annoying GFs. I forget who posted it, but Final Fantasy usually has a broken game system that can really be exploited to where the game has no challenge at all. Either that or terrible balance that makes some characters/jobs/ideas completely a waste of time.

Final Fantasy 2 sucked because of the terrible dungeon design and the magic system. I didn't mind the no XP thing with weapons, it progressed the way it should mostly. Magic however, is a waste of time except for Berserk. Ultima is a joke, and unless you had your Maria casting a spell every single fight your magic was going no where. The game is also really easy untill the last 2 dungeons where the difficulty gets an odd spike, and where the game finally decides it is going to inflict you with a bunch of status effects that you have had the items for but never seen in the game untill then. Finally there are just a countless number of empty rooms in dungeons.

drboom · Post by **drboom** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 4:23 pm

X-2 is fantastic. It's a totally overlooked part of the series. I put 60+ hours into it, played it twice and still will go back to it (once I finish Odin Sphere). The battle mechanic is excellent and its a non-linear rpg, so you can move at your own pace. I've played through everyone except 11 and I could never make it through X. That lead-you-by-the-hand style sucks. I felt like I was barely playing it.
And the Dragons Quest series are friggin' excelent as well. I have VIII waiting for me for a rainy day (or month - VII took a long time).

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 4:46 pm

crithit5000 wrote:"Hmmm...I'm level 50, but my attacks do only 150hp of damage yet my GFs do 9999 damage and take four minutes to animat...ah fuck."

Gorecki is right, once you get the hang of junctioning you'll rarely ever need to use a summon again. It's not a perfect system, but not nearly as bad as some make it out to be.

crithit5000 · Post by **crithit5000** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 5:31 pm

The thing is I sort of like FFVIII, but there's no way you could convince me that the Junction system or drawing magic is fun or intuitive.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 5:40 pm

As with anything else, it depends on your tastes - for those who prefer their games to move along quickly then having to draw all that magic will (understandably) drive them nuts, but for others who don't mind spending some time experimenting to find the best combinations of stuff it's interesting to see what all the different monsters have that's worth taking (and then seeing which of those works best with which stat/ability), not to mention toying around with the monster leveling system, and seeing if later on older monsters have better stuff.

I can completely understand why some people don't like FF8 (and the Junction system isn't the only flawed thing in it, to be sure), but there are also good reasons why others do like it. Personally, of course, I spent the most time playing Triple Triad, but that's just me.

Jon · Post by **Jon** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 5:48 pm

I still think FFVIII had by far the best ending as well as one of the most appealing female love interests in the series.

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 6:32 pm

Question about Final Fantasy Adventure for the Gameboy....is it true that Sword of Mana is a remake of that game? And if so, which one is better?

Speaking of which, in the latest edition of GameInformer, they make FFXIII, for the PS3, sound like an action-RPG. I could definitely live with that, because VII is the closest (outside of the handheld games) that the series has gotten to that.

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 8:11 pm

I recently gave FF8 another go in my PSP, and noticed the game has aged quite well. By stealing items and refining them into magic, I was able to avoid a lot of drawing, concentrating in getting more and better items for the GFs.

By half of disc two, I was dealing massive damage to the enemies' weak points, and abusing Zell's Armageddon Fist was a blast. I managed to refine a Speed-Junction scroll, in addition to the two you can get normally in the game, meaning that my party always got to strike first with elemental damage AND status effects at the same time. I had only a couple of game overs, but playing the game sure was fun that way, even after all these years.

So, yes. Get back into FF. Just not 7 or 11.

Necronopticous · Post by **Necronopticous** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 8:18 pm

The short answer is yes.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 8:22 pm

dave4shmups wrote:Question about Final Fantasy Adventure for the Gameboy....is it true that Sword of Mana is a remake of that game? And if so, which one is better?

I do believe that Sword of Mana is a remake of Seiken Densetsu/FF Adventure. I haven't played it myself, but I know that it wasn't received particularly well - no idea how it compares to the original.

elfhentaifan · Post by **elfhentaifan** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 9:25 pm

drboom wrote:X-2 is fantastic. It's a totally overlooked part of the series. I put 60+ hours into it, played it twice and still will go back to it

I'll never be able to touch it again!

Gorecki · Post by **Gorecki** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 9:37 pm

The ending of FFVIII is one of the all time great endings in computer games, although I'm one of the people who agrees with the theory about it being a twist ending (which I wont go into here because of spoilers).

And as much fun as I had with the battles and trying to find every secret and complete every side quest, the primary reason that I love the game has nothing to do with gameplay. I just love the art direction, love the atmosphere, love the characters, LOVE the music, and love the story. The game managed to move me, which happens very rarely in any medium since I'm a cynical old bastard.

Basically I'm saying that you should get back into FF games, and start with VIII. Which is exactly what you're doing, if I read the comments below correctly. So hooray for you!

Gorecki · Post by **Gorecki** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 9:39 pm

elfhentaifan wrote:

I'll never be able to touch it again!

Jesus God! And I thought that the 120 hours I spent on FFX was bad.