Final Fantasy - My Retrospective of an Entire Series.

[dscross]

It seems that everyone's best Final Fantasy is the one they first played. Well, except for me; but that's a post for another thread.

Shame about the next game....

So 8 is next, huh?

I dunno which one I played first but I went a kids house and he had 4&6. Dunno which one I played first but 6 is my fav.

I think, (and I honestly think I'm being fairly objective because my first FF was actually 8 followed by 4, and I've played the majority), 6 had the best plot and characters - as I've said further up. It managed to have lots of characters which you care about in a dystopian world and the situation just gets more and more desperate to the point of total destruction of the world. They've never beaten Kefka as a villan for me. And Terra's theme / the battle theme is my favourite music in the series.

 

[CritialGaming]

I've only played:

-IV once
Would've probably liked it more if I played it back in the SNES era, but it was only 10 or so years ago. The final boss is what I most remember, and even if only for that it was worth a playthrough.

-(Started playing V a few years ago but never finished it. I've had the airship for a while but lost track of where I should be going next. I'd like to finish it someday still.)

-VI (III) once
Another I played quite a few years after release. I played it after VII and honestly find it somewhat over rated. The opera scene was cool but I think the game as a whole is another example of nostalgia that I didn't really have playing it later than most.

-VII several times
This was my first like so many other people's, but the story, setting, characters, music (also better than the bulk of III's imho), let alone visuals all added up to a more enjoyable time for me. It was the first game I shed a few tears over; not when Aeris died, but when I finally finished it and looked back at the journey. Say what you will about pre-rendered cutscenes, but they simply pull the heart strings more effectively from a visual standpoint.

-VIII I think twice through
Actually started playing this one two different times and stopped for different reasons, then finally the third time was the charm. It also took that long I think to get used to the Junction System, at which point the game became more fun. I didn't like Squall half as much as Cloud, but didn't mind Rinoa. I lost it during the space scene, especially with the music. I think it's one of the reasons I stopped originally because it was an emotional steamroller. Like, wtf is a game doing turning my face into two rivers. I personally think out of the ones I've played that VIII also has the best music, especially the ending suite. Edea was an intriguing villain too for me at that adolescent age, in that she was a sexy brand of evil, but in a classy way. I still prefer VII more as a game though overall because it was more fun without being emotionally overwrought.

-IX once
Another that I started once before but didn't initially finish, although only on the second attempt this time. I appreciated the lighter tone and more medieval/magical setting as it felt like a classic style rpg. The combat system was interesting enough from what I remember and the game never felt like it dragged. I'd probably put it between the previous two games as far as enjoyment, mainly because I didn't find any of the characters (besides Vivi) or story all that compelling. It was simply a pleasant journey that almost felt like retroactive nostalgia. Probably had my favorite overworld music as well as end boss suite too.

-(Started playing X at least twice but never finished it. One of these days perhaps, but I really didn't care for Tidus much. Pretty bad first impression for the first voiced FF protagonist imo.)

-(Never bothered with XI)

-(Started playing XII briefly but never finished. If I ever get a load of free time soon I'd like to go through X and the Zodiac edition of this one)

-(Only played the demo of XIII. Not in any hurry to return to it.

I haven't touched any later entries to the series since that. They can be so emotionally heavy handed and time consuming (grindy) that I think I had my fill, as they were often a lot to take in at a younger age. Perhaps someday I'll gain a new perspective on them and return to finish at least the others I'd started. I mostly say this because the time I have spent with the series has been some of the best and most rewarding in my gaming history.

 

[CritialGaming]

So after the disappointment of Final Fantasy 8, I was hopeful that 9 would be better. Again I saw articles in Playstation Magazine about how 9 was going to return to the series' mid evil fantasy roots and it certainly looked like it would have a completely different vibe than 7 or 8. So I got excited and got the game when it came out.

Final Fantasy 9 was interesting for me to look back on. People love 9, and to some, it is the best game in the series. But to me, I honestly can't remember much about it. I remember that Zidane and Kuja's Trance forms where basically Super Saiyen 4 forms from Dragonball GT and I thought that was cool. But as far as the main plot pushing everything forward...I don't remember any of it. Yet despite that, I do remember liking the game much more than FF8.

The ability to grind was back and it came back in a big way. Final Fantasy 9 evolved the junctioning system from 8 by giving every piece of gear a special ability that if you used that equipment in enough battles your characters would eventually master that skill and be able to use it without wearing that piece of equipment. For example if you had an accessory like Ribbon, which gave you immunity to all status effects, you could fight enough with ribbon that your character would eventually be able to equip that ability while wearing a different piece of gear. This allowed you to take that very important status immunity ability, and use it while wearing a much better piece of armor.

I loved that system. I really did, because it gave me ways to make my party OP even after reaching level 99. It was great.

From what I can remember of the story I did like it. Vivi's arc as he tries to come to terms with what he is. Er....that's actually all I remember. I can remember the beginning pretty well, but anything beyond the kidnapping of Garnet just becomes a blur really. Which leads me to think that while I had fun with the game, I didn't really think the story was anything special. There weren't any twists or turns in the story that really left an impact of me enough for me to be able to recall them. I remember a lot of the cinematics, I remember the last boss being a fucking asshole, but nothing really beyond that.

I'll tell you what I do remember. The next game in the series I played. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!

 

[Wrex Brogan]

...to be honest, the only FF games I haven't liked are XIII, VIII and the DS version of III. The rest of 'em I've enjoyed in some form or another. Yes, even Mystic Quest.

...kinda annoying how much attention VII gets though. It was good, but c'mon, what about V? And VI? And IX? And Bahamut Lagoon?

...what? That counts as a Final Fantasy game. Technically. Bahamut's in it. And Alexander. That's 2 summons, that's good enough.

1.)Freya's Arc. It's wonderful and moving...and then it just stops once she finds her BF(and is crushed to learn he doesn't remember her at all). At least there's a little bit of resolution in the ending but god it seems like the developers just forgot about her after a certain point.

2.) Necron/The Darkness beyond time. Who is he/it and what does it want? Why is it the final boss and not Kuja? The best theories I've heard is that it's either the representation of Death(AKA Kuja "kills" the heros and they're fighting to survive against the reaper himelf) or the destruction of the multi-verse personified(caused by the shattering of the crystal). Both work but there's no way to know because the game never so much as mentions Necron before it shows up for a fight.

Necron I think is a translation issue - in the Original Japanese he's foreshadowed by Garland and Kuja, and his name makes more sense in context (he's essentially the creature that comes in and destroys the universe at the end of time, but Kuja jumped the gun), but the translation kinda jumbled things around a bit so he comes a little out of left-field. I think that gets fixed in one of the english versions, but the original PS2 translation cuts him out completely.

Basically, he's just the male version of The Cloud of Darkness from FFIII. Turns out IX was like, full of all these references to the older games, but most of 'em got translated out for some reason or another. Bit of a shame, really.

(And what happened to Freya was just criminal. She's one of the best characters and she just gets sidelined so hard. Disgraceful.)

 

[Dalisclock]

Necron I think is a translation issue - in the Original Japanese he's foreshadowed by Garland and Kuja, and his name makes more sense in context (he's essentially the creature that comes in and destroys the universe at the end of time, but Kuja jumped the gun), but the translation kinda jumbled things around a bit so he comes a little out of left-field. I think that gets fixed in one of the english versions, but the original PS2 translation cuts him out completely.

Basically, he's just the male version of The Cloud of Darkness from FFIII. Turns out IX was like, full of all these references to the older games, but most of 'em got translated out for some reason or another. Bit of a shame, really.

That's another possibility I meant to mention. The series penchant for throwing in a Giant Space Flee from Nowhere Boss near/at the end. Cloud of Darkness being the most prominent example though the Nasty form of Zeo(Zero?)mus from 4 also comes to mind. I wanted to say Neo-EXDEATH from V but it was mentioned earlier he was basically a tree so filled with evil he became an evil reality destroying tree demon(which sort of makes sense, I think).

Considering IX is essentially the fan service installment of the main series(in the best way possible), this may make the most sense.

 

[Dalisclock]

Does anyone know when the FF7 remake is meant to be released by the way?

Supposedly in a year or so, but that was before they moved development from the studio developing it back in house, which probably means delays.

Something else to keep in mind, it's been announced the game is going to be episodic, so while the first episode may be released in a year or so, I doubt we'll see the entire game before 2020. Both because XV took like a decade to develop and because episodic games have a bad tendency to schedule slip that I've noticed.

 

[CritialGaming]

So the PLaystation one era came and went with one incredible game, one mediocre game, and one pretty good game. PLaystation 2 came with the first Final Fantasy game to have voice acting, Ten. I got my copy with my PS2 ready to see the incredible new graphics on the next gen system.

I would be lying if I said I loved FFX when I first played it. Man the intro was cool, but because I had to listen to all the dialog and the slow pace of the beginning of the game, I actually TRADED FFX into Gamestop a few days after I got it. It wouldn't be until a few months later that I would have heard how good FFX was, before I got another copy and gave it a real try.

The game grew on me quickly that second time. The story was great, the characters were great (except Tidus), and the leveling system was AWESOME. I thought the sphere grid was absolutely genius. The ability to specialize a character, or say fuck it and leveling them in completely random directions was awesome. After Yuna mastered white magic, I had her teleport to the most power black magic spells to learn those too. She began far more powerful than Lulu on my team, nevermind the fact that she also summons Aeons. The Summoning system itself was great too, being able to summon a beast and have it act for the party for a while until it won the fight or was defeated, or dismissed, was great.

My favorite character in the game was Wakka. Not because he was a great character, but to watch him go from being to devout to Yevan only to watch the horrible truth about his faith come out and how he is forced to adapt himself around it. I thought that was fantastic. The love story between Yuna and Tidus was forced as fuck though and that part annoyed me.

Yet all around the gameplay was mostly great. I liked having the ability to use everyone in the cast at every battle by quick swapping in combat. I liked the temple puzzles and the side missions for the super strong aeons.

Where I think FFX fell flat was the absurd mini-games. Not only did these games suck, but they are all required to unlock each character's super weapon. Which is dogshit. Dodge lightning 200 times in a row, one fuck up resets you all the way back to the beginning. Why not just dodge 200 total strikes, that way fucking up number 199 doesn't lead to a murder. The Chocobo racing thing can go fuck itself. Blitzball, is...alright. It's a hassle but it's functional. Butterflies can die in a fire too. It's just awful. All of it.

It's sad to see the true potential of the game held back by such horrible and frustrating mini activities. As a result I never beat the dark aeons, or Penance. Because I can't be bothered to stress out over bullshit.

Despite that, once I got rolling in FFX it became my second favorite game in the series, and stayed there for a really long time.

 

[McMarbles]

I've played the first 9. 1,2, and 4-6 on the GBA, 3 and 4 (again) on the DS, and 7-9 on the PSP.

I'd rank them 9 > 6 > 4 > 7 > 5 > 3 > 1 > 8 > 2.

 

[CaitSeith]

The Black Mages becoming self-aware individuals, forming their own society, realizing the reality of their short lifespan, and dealing with the inevitability of death is the only thing that I remember from the game (I think I remember more from FF8 than 9). Still, I was mind blown back then for this different approach towards death (colder and less dramatic than in previous games).

I'll tell you what I do remember. The next game in the series I played. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!

And this is where I can't comment anymore. I still haven't played from X to XII. But I'll be back for XIII

 

[Tanis]

I think FF10 was the first FF game I hated the ending of in retrospect.

I LOVED FF10-2's combat system, it's basically a 'job' system but with 'dresses'.

To bad the ending to FF10-2 ruined the emotional impact of FF10s', and the whole 'Yuna is now a bar slut' kind of killed her character for me.
-Though I did like Rule 63 Squall.

 

[dscross]

-VI (III) once
Another I played quite a few years after release. I played it after VII and honestly find it somewhat over rated. The opera scene was cool but I think the game as a whole is another example of nostalgia that I didn't really have playing it later than most.

You thought 6 was overrated? What didn't you like? Would you like it better with updated graphics?

 

[CritialGaming]

-VI (III) once
Another I played quite a few years after release. I played it after VII and honestly find it somewhat over rated. The opera scene was cool but I think the game as a whole is another example of nostalgia that I didn't really have playing it later than most.

You thought 6 was overrated? What didn't you like? Would you like it better with updated graphics?

It's been almost 20 years since I played it but still, very little stood out to me. It's not just the graphics either since I can distinctly remember different areas and events of A Link to the Past or Chrono Trigger even though I haven't played them in as long. But from FF6 all I remember are a dingy looking fort in the cold at the beginning, some castle a bit later, then the opera scene. He rest is kind of a blur of mundaneness. But, I could say the same about FFIV.

My point is it is just like any other game where if you didn't play in the same timeframe everyone else did, you probably won't remember it as fondly. Like it's doubtful that most people who've played the PS1 FFs first would go back to SNES FFs and say they were masterpieces. I grew up in the Coleco/DOS era of gaming too, so it's not a matter of age or "back in my day".

 

[Dalisclock]

I think FF10 was the first FF game I hated the ending of in retrospect.

I LOVED FF10-2's combat system, it's basically a 'job' system but with 'dresses'.

To bad the ending to FF10-2 ruined the emotional impact of FF10s', and the whole 'Yuna is now a bar slut' kind of killed her character for me.
-Though I did like Rule 63 Squall.

Hell, I hated the ending before X-2. I was almost down with the Tidus's goodbye at the end as he fades away, and then you get the bit right after that where he fistbumps his dad in the afterlife.

Way to ruin the mood, FFX.

 

[dscross]

-VI (III) once
Another I played quite a few years after release. I played it after VII and honestly find it somewhat over rated. The opera scene was cool but I think the game as a whole is another example of nostalgia that I didn't really have playing it later than most.

You thought 6 was overrated? What didn't you like? Would you like it better with updated graphics?

It's been almost 20 years since I played it but still, very little stood out to me. It's not just the graphics either since I can distinctly remember different areas and events of A Link to the Past or Chrono Trigger even though I haven't played them in as long. But from FF6 all I remember are a dingy looking fort in the cold at the beginning, some castle a bit later, then the opera scene. He rest is kind of a blur of mundaneness. But, I could say the same about FFIV.

My point is it is just like any other game where if you didn't play in the same timeframe everyone else did, you probably won't remember it as fondly. Like it's doubtful that most people who've played the PS1 FFs first would go back to SNES FFs and say they were masterpieces. I grew up in the Coleco/DOS era of gaming too, so it's not a matter of age or "back in my day".

Nah that not always true. My first game was actually 8. I didn't play 6 until I was in my early 20s, by which point I had already played 7,8,9 and 4. I can honestly say, without first game bias, that 6 has the best characters, world, plot and DEFINITELY the most effective villain in the series. It's rated that way for a reason. If it had a modern feel, you'd like it better I bet. If 4 felt the same it must be somewhat how it's presented to you, whether you are aware of it or not. Chrono Trigger and A Link to the Past play very differently I think.

 

[CritialGaming]

-VI (III) once
Another I played quite a few years after release. I played it after VII and honestly find it somewhat over rated. The opera scene was cool but I think the game as a whole is another example of nostalgia that I didn't really have playing it later than most.

You thought 6 was overrated? What didn't you like? Would you like it better with updated graphics?

It's been almost 20 years since I played it but still, very little stood out to me. It's not just the graphics either since I can distinctly remember different areas and events of A Link to the Past or Chrono Trigger even though I haven't played them in as long. But from FF6 all I remember are a dingy looking fort in the cold at the beginning, some castle a bit later, then the opera scene. He rest is kind of a blur of mundaneness. But, I could say the same about FFIV.

My point is it is just like any other game where if you didn't play in the same timeframe everyone else did, you probably won't remember it as fondly. Like it's doubtful that most people who've played the PS1 FFs first would go back to SNES FFs and say they were masterpieces. I grew up in the Coleco/DOS era of gaming too, so it's not a matter of age or "back in my day".

Nah that not always true. My first game was actually 8. I didn't play 6 until I was in my early 20s, by which point I had already played 7,8,9 and 4. I can honestly say, without first game bias, that 6 has the best characters, world, plot and DEFINITELY the most effective villain in the series. It's rated that way for a reason. If it had a modern feel, you'd like it better I bet. If 4 felt the same it must be somewhat how it's presented to you, whether you are aware of it or not. Chrono Trigger and A Link to the Past play very differently I think.

Yeah presentation is, or has at least become a big part of these games. Battle systems too have always been. Now, if it's something simpler like Castlevania II, which I only recently played a couple years ago, I have an easier time judging it regardless of being really late to the party. I'm of course being subjective based on personal taste, but you're probably very right about FF6 appealing to me more if it was presented like the later games.

I'm this way with movies too. It's like the need to pardon older films right off the bat because they are technically deficient. I watch them more as a nod of respect to the pioneering great ideas and techniques in a variety of facets than for what I actually see and hear on the screen as pure entertainment. They are actually more like cinematic history lessons to me.

I should probably revisit FF6 again with this in mind. I'd probably end up enjoying it more using that mindset.

 

[Tanis]

I should probably revisit FF6 again with this in mind. I'd probably end up enjoying it more using that mindset.

Just don't play the PS1 release.
How a game on a 'superior' system managed to run WORSE...only you, Square, only you.

 

[CritialGaming]

I should probably revisit FF6 again with this in mind. I'd probably end up enjoying it more using that mindset.

Just don't play the PS1 release.
How a game on a 'superior' system managed to run WORSE...only you, Square, only you.

Noted. What about the Anthology (IV & V)? I booted up V last night and finally figured out where my next objective is after leaving it on hiatus for over a year.

 

[Tanis]

I should probably revisit FF6 again with this in mind. I'd probably end up enjoying it more using that mindset.

Just don't play the PS1 release.
How a game on a 'superior' system managed to run WORSE...only you, Square, only you.

Noted. What about the Anthology (IV & V)? I booted up V last night and finally figured out where my next objective is after leaving it on hiatus for over a year.

If I recall correctly, all of the SNES on PS1 collections ran worse than their original counter parts.
-Might be 'fixed' if playing on the PS3/PS4 and it could be based on region. Not 100% on this.
-Odin Sphere (PS2) ran better for the PAL release than the NTSC-U release. :shrug:

I'd argue the best version of FF4 is the 'Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection'.
-It has the original game, with less censorship than the OG NTSC-U release.

Some folks prefer the DS remake, but...I'm a bit mixed on it.

 

[Marik2]

Why did the bully give you FF7?

 

[CritialGaming]

Why did the bully give you FF7?

Spoiler: From the OP

Final Fantasy holds a special place in my heart that will never be replaced. I tried to give Caesar back his copy of the game after I beat it a few weeks later, but he shook his head and told me to keep it. Apparently his family got him two copies by accident and he just gave me one because he knew I liked games and thought I would really like it. He never bullied me again either, though we never became really friends beyond those first few FF7 conversations.

Anyways, FFV has been cutting into the time I'm supposed to spend finishing the Ivory King DLC in Souls 2. The job system is really opening up into something truly exceptional. I've fought my way through the maze of Cid's fire ship and am about to encounter something fierce I think. I'll have to prioritize Souls, but am anxious to get back into this 25 year old game, which is a pretty amazing thing. I *almost* forgot how good these games can be.