Final Fantasy
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FFIV, FFVIII and FF Tactics were my absolute favorites.
IV was II on the SNES for me and it was my first RPG, so it holds a special place.
VIII was my first FF since IV and my first 3D one at that, and I just had so much fun with it.
IX was great and VII wasn't bad either.
Somehow and for some reason I can never hold VII up so high on a pedestal as others often do... I did have fun with it and I had a lot of fun with the spin-offs (Crisis Core especially).
*edit*
Beyond those... I enjoyed X and X-2. Had a bit of fun with XI for a while, though I only ever managed to get Paladin to level 70 (with cap being 75).
After playing enough XI I just couldn't get into XII.. MMO battle system is fine for an MMO but it got sickening when I'm playing alone.
IV was II on the SNES for me and it was my first RPG, so it holds a special place.
VIII was my first FF since IV and my first 3D one at that, and I just had so much fun with it.
IX was great and VII wasn't bad either.
Somehow and for some reason I can never hold VII up so high on a pedestal as others often do... I did have fun with it and I had a lot of fun with the spin-offs (Crisis Core especially).
*edit*
Beyond those... I enjoyed X and X-2. Had a bit of fun with XI for a while, though I only ever managed to get Paladin to level 70 (with cap being 75).
After playing enough XI I just couldn't get into XII.. MMO battle system is fine for an MMO but it got sickening when I'm playing alone.
I think every Final Fantasy should be judged independently from the other ones. That's why they're cool for different reasons.
I like VII because the character design was rather cool, the battles were pretty fun (For the time), and the sidequests felt rewarding. The main problem I have with the game, however, is that the characters become cardboard cutouts of their disc one selves by the time Cloud has that lifestream thing happen. The whole "real Nibelheim scene" thing was also retarded. Cloud being a clone, albeit cliche, was much cooler than him beating Sephiroth by just throwing his sword out of his stomach, then later having a long (but still easy) boss fight with him. However, it was made up for by how fun the game really was in the longrun. Especially with collecting the final weapons.
I don't like VIII as much as the others, I admit, but it was still fun to just walk around and get into random battles on disc 3. GFs were fun to watch, too. The cast also was actually.. likeable as characters. Of course, Squall suffers from the same disease ALL main characters suffer from (The whole cardboard cutout thing), but the end of the game just feels like a long somewhat entertaining sidequest anyway. My gripe with this one is the weapon system, which somehow irritated me more than the junction system.
IX was pretty neat. I lost my original memory card some years ago, so I don't play it anymore, but it was still cool. The boss fights sometimes were unbearably annoying, the characters didn't really have much chemistry, and Zidane is Zidane, but hey, the trance thing was really cool. I still played it and loved it anyway. It also had, at the time, my favorite sidequests. I remember I was excited to do them. That was pretty much the highlight of the game for me.
X was a bit of a rocky place. I didn't get it until MUCH later, and I played X-2 first, and really, it was because I didn't care. And still, I don't really play it much anymore. It was amusing playing through it, but I didn't really like the amount of grind the sphere system had me doing. It was like I would start level grinding, and I'd be like "ooo i'm a bad mofo now" and I'd go to the NEXT ROOM and get slayed. Then it was mooooore griiiinding, until I went to the next room again and got whupped. I have a tendency to be underleveled on FF games, but that was just ridiculous. At least Aeons were cool though.
X-2 was really fun until the end. The battles looked terrific, the dresspheres were amusing, and it was overall an entertaining game. Sure, they looked slutty, but at least they weren't boring. They had personalities! (something I see gamers seem to hate in their characters) I never found myself too frustrated or bored to play it during its run as current game, and nothing about the system made me mad. Its plot was braindead, but I think it was.. supposed to be. So no problems there. I just wish they didn't do that thing that is always on RPGs where you get to a point where every monster is either a cakewalk or instant death. It's really bad on this one (as well as VII and XII)
XII is my current favorite. The plot might've been a bit lame, the voice acting was superham, but those two things are tolerable if you have a sense of humor. Gambits were awesome, even if I did only set three at a time, and sure boss fights weren't all that hard, but the hunts were really fun, and just going to some map and wandering around attacking stuff was fun too, which made level grinding not so bad. It was getting tiresome having characters just stand in a line, because well it isn't entertaining after a handful of game with it. It also seems silly after a while. I was excited when I saw the characters walking on their own and no random encounters. It made it less frustrating to try to go from A-to-B without Zubat coming out and pecking at you for 2 HP each hit, and escaping won't work. I was glad that was over. It was great having freedom in battles. It's really a step in the right direction, a direction where JRPGs can be fun and not just entertaining.
I like VII because the character design was rather cool, the battles were pretty fun (For the time), and the sidequests felt rewarding. The main problem I have with the game, however, is that the characters become cardboard cutouts of their disc one selves by the time Cloud has that lifestream thing happen. The whole "real Nibelheim scene" thing was also retarded. Cloud being a clone, albeit cliche, was much cooler than him beating Sephiroth by just throwing his sword out of his stomach, then later having a long (but still easy) boss fight with him. However, it was made up for by how fun the game really was in the longrun. Especially with collecting the final weapons.
I don't like VIII as much as the others, I admit, but it was still fun to just walk around and get into random battles on disc 3. GFs were fun to watch, too. The cast also was actually.. likeable as characters. Of course, Squall suffers from the same disease ALL main characters suffer from (The whole cardboard cutout thing), but the end of the game just feels like a long somewhat entertaining sidequest anyway. My gripe with this one is the weapon system, which somehow irritated me more than the junction system.
IX was pretty neat. I lost my original memory card some years ago, so I don't play it anymore, but it was still cool. The boss fights sometimes were unbearably annoying, the characters didn't really have much chemistry, and Zidane is Zidane, but hey, the trance thing was really cool. I still played it and loved it anyway. It also had, at the time, my favorite sidequests. I remember I was excited to do them. That was pretty much the highlight of the game for me.
X was a bit of a rocky place. I didn't get it until MUCH later, and I played X-2 first, and really, it was because I didn't care. And still, I don't really play it much anymore. It was amusing playing through it, but I didn't really like the amount of grind the sphere system had me doing. It was like I would start level grinding, and I'd be like "ooo i'm a bad mofo now" and I'd go to the NEXT ROOM and get slayed. Then it was mooooore griiiinding, until I went to the next room again and got whupped. I have a tendency to be underleveled on FF games, but that was just ridiculous. At least Aeons were cool though.
X-2 was really fun until the end. The battles looked terrific, the dresspheres were amusing, and it was overall an entertaining game. Sure, they looked slutty, but at least they weren't boring. They had personalities! (something I see gamers seem to hate in their characters) I never found myself too frustrated or bored to play it during its run as current game, and nothing about the system made me mad. Its plot was braindead, but I think it was.. supposed to be. So no problems there. I just wish they didn't do that thing that is always on RPGs where you get to a point where every monster is either a cakewalk or instant death. It's really bad on this one (as well as VII and XII)
XII is my current favorite. The plot might've been a bit lame, the voice acting was superham, but those two things are tolerable if you have a sense of humor. Gambits were awesome, even if I did only set three at a time, and sure boss fights weren't all that hard, but the hunts were really fun, and just going to some map and wandering around attacking stuff was fun too, which made level grinding not so bad. It was getting tiresome having characters just stand in a line, because well it isn't entertaining after a handful of game with it. It also seems silly after a while. I was excited when I saw the characters walking on their own and no random encounters. It made it less frustrating to try to go from A-to-B without Zubat coming out and pecking at you for 2 HP each hit, and escaping won't work. I was glad that was over. It was great having freedom in battles. It's really a step in the right direction, a direction where JRPGs can be fun and not just entertaining.
I love Final Fantasy and I find their stories absolutely wonderful despite what others may think. My favorite is actually a close tie between FF6 and FF7, both were just spectacular pieces of story telling and design. FF6 had a kick ass story, villain, and game play that was rock solid. FF7 had all that and had a wonderful villain, which in my books was JENOVA. Sephiroth was a tragic villain once you actually get deep into his story and was nothing but a pawn in JENOVA's scheme, she was the true threat in 7 and always will be for me.
I equally enjoyed all the other numerical games except 8 and X-2...I just hated 8 for it's story and gameplay. FF4 was the first to really deliver an engaging story, and I loved FF2 because it had a really innovative and brilliant stat system that only needed a few things ironed out and it would have been grand. Tactics is indisputably awesome with a change in game play direction and a story that's very enjoyable. I also loved Crisis Core, it was a well done prequel to 7 that could stand on it's own and is the only FF7 related thing that is worthy.
I have yet to play 12 but I'm getting around to it but aside from that I loved Final Fantasy in all it's glory. I've always found them far more interesting than that of many WRPG's, and people are too harsh on the franchise sometimes, but I'll keep playing them until they stop making them.
I equally enjoyed all the other numerical games except 8 and X-2...I just hated 8 for it's story and gameplay. FF4 was the first to really deliver an engaging story, and I loved FF2 because it had a really innovative and brilliant stat system that only needed a few things ironed out and it would have been grand. Tactics is indisputably awesome with a change in game play direction and a story that's very enjoyable. I also loved Crisis Core, it was a well done prequel to 7 that could stand on it's own and is the only FF7 related thing that is worthy.
I have yet to play 12 but I'm getting around to it but aside from that I loved Final Fantasy in all it's glory. I've always found them far more interesting than that of many WRPG's, and people are too harsh on the franchise sometimes, but I'll keep playing them until they stop making them.
The very first time I played a Final Fantasy was actually the Sephiroth battles of FF7 at a cousin's house. She gave me the controller and went "play it!" I was so confused with her yelling "regen" and "attack" and things while trying to grasp the combat system kind of scared me for a while. After a bit, I got FF8, and that was the first one I finished and it holds a special place in my heart because of that. I really do identify with Quistis' insecurity and Squall's initial hatred of people and having to rely on them. My main beef is with how quickly the romantic plot had been moving, as it really didn't seem to click. "We need to get Squall to trust us! Let's badger him and throw the annoying twit -- sorry, "free spirit" -- at him until he caves!" ... I suppose that might be a little unfair, considering my male friends tell me that Rinoa is quite obviously a faithful representation of normal girls, but I hate normal girls. Annoying, chittery and useless things they are. Er, to rope this meandering steed back on topic, I really do like FF8, the characters and plot (though twisty and a bit bonkers) are decent, and the soundtrack is possibly the most beautiful one (I listen to it constantly even to this day).
FF7 is one that I understand the hatred, but the people who are most vocal about it can't honestly be arsed to remember a few details. Referencing the "Unskippable" feature this week on Dirge of Cerberus, is it really so hard to remember that Meteor's in the sky, that Yuffie and Vincent are evacuating people out of Midgar before it falls? The story is incredibly fascinating ... Cloud's psychosis and Sephiroth's maddness are fantastic examples, but not many people see that far. Though I will admit I had no idea why Sephiroth would take Jenova's head, a later explanation that he wanted the "wisdom" contained in it made some sort of twisted sense. It's one of those games I will play again and again, and with the knowledge from Advent Children, Dirge and Crisis Core, find nuances that give me a new appreciation. The game is still quite challenging for me, even now, and exploring Midgar is incredibly fun. I suppose I enjoy the story more than anything else .. honestly, that's about the only reason I purchased Dirgeand to oogle Vincent.
FFIX ... that game is wonderful. I didn't want to play it at first because of the character design but I eventually gave in one day and fell in love with the story, the characters .. the soundtrack and setting. There were parts that just broke my heart - Vivi's realization, Zidane's breaking point... Kuja's shakespearan rants were also a plus. The chocobo hot and cold is quite possibly the most addictive thing I've ever played.
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FFX - This game made me cry at the end. Very badly. Seymour's voice was lame and Tidus could have toned down the whiny, but this was a very awesome game. ^^ Very happy with it and I still replay it to this day. The Bevelle Temple still screws me up, and I kind of put off finishing my file every time I play because of what happens with Auron and Jecht, and everything else. Waaaah. XD;
FFXII - I don't understand the hate on this one. The story is solid, albiet entirely political, but the voice acting was awesome. The hunts were unparalleled in their depth and challenge, not to mention the Espers that you didn't get via the story - the trek to get Ultima being probably the hardest thing I've attempted and still haven't completed. The characters stay true to who they are and that's what I love about it. No forced pairings, no neat ending, people go back to what they were doing before or what was reasonably foreseen for them. Not a FANTASTIC OMG game, but the worlds were expansive, beautiful, and what you could explore was amazing. The gambit system helped manage real-time battles and it helped especially when you were doing those marathon battles (Hell wrym, snow wyrm in the paramina rift) though ... the licence board near the end where you could have everyone do everything was rough. I didn't know what to do with Penelo (I had left everyone with what they started with in terms of weapons) and eventually made her a mage. But still, solid game.
HOLY WALL OF TEXT BATMAN. XD;; to anyone that finishes that, I commend you.
FF7 is one that I understand the hatred, but the people who are most vocal about it can't honestly be arsed to remember a few details. Referencing the "Unskippable" feature this week on Dirge of Cerberus, is it really so hard to remember that Meteor's in the sky, that Yuffie and Vincent are evacuating people out of Midgar before it falls? The story is incredibly fascinating ... Cloud's psychosis and Sephiroth's maddness are fantastic examples, but not many people see that far. Though I will admit I had no idea why Sephiroth would take Jenova's head, a later explanation that he wanted the "wisdom" contained in it made some sort of twisted sense. It's one of those games I will play again and again, and with the knowledge from Advent Children, Dirge and Crisis Core, find nuances that give me a new appreciation. The game is still quite challenging for me, even now, and exploring Midgar is incredibly fun. I suppose I enjoy the story more than anything else .. honestly, that's about the only reason I purchased Dirge
FFIX ... that game is wonderful. I didn't want to play it at first because of the character design but I eventually gave in one day and fell in love with the story, the characters .. the soundtrack and setting. There were parts that just broke my heart - Vivi's realization, Zidane's breaking point... Kuja's shakespearan rants were also a plus. The chocobo hot and cold is quite possibly the most addictive thing I've ever played.
; FFX - This game made me cry at the end. Very badly. Seymour's voice was lame and Tidus could have toned down the whiny, but this was a very awesome game. ^^ Very happy with it and I still replay it to this day. The Bevelle Temple still screws me up, and I kind of put off finishing my file every time I play because of what happens with Auron and Jecht, and everything else. Waaaah. XD;
FFXII - I don't understand the hate on this one. The story is solid, albiet entirely political, but the voice acting was awesome. The hunts were unparalleled in their depth and challenge, not to mention the Espers that you didn't get via the story - the trek to get Ultima being probably the hardest thing I've attempted and still haven't completed. The characters stay true to who they are and that's what I love about it. No forced pairings, no neat ending, people go back to what they were doing before or what was reasonably foreseen for them. Not a FANTASTIC OMG game, but the worlds were expansive, beautiful, and what you could explore was amazing. The gambit system helped manage real-time battles and it helped especially when you were doing those marathon battles (Hell wrym, snow wyrm in the paramina rift) though ... the licence board near the end where you could have everyone do everything was rough. I didn't know what to do with Penelo (I had left everyone with what they started with in terms of weapons) and eventually made her a mage. But still, solid game.
HOLY WALL OF TEXT BATMAN. XD;; to anyone that finishes that, I commend you.
That's an interesting take on it! For me, I always thought once Sephiroth went mad from the misinformation he took in on account of Gast's reports, he became incredibly powerful. Nomura's stated somewhere that Sephiroth's true power may never be known. He overpowered Jenova and used her and through the sheer strength of his will, assimilated her powers and used her limbs as he did. Even in AC, because of how strong his will to do what he planned to be a God, it split into three forms (Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo) and he will never truly disappear (like Lucrecia in the Crystal Cave). But I do agree that his story is tragic .. he was the perfect soldier, but that nagging feeling of his origins, (nudged along by Genesis) sent him spiralling into that madness he never came back from.-Seraph- said:
/end geek talk
I've found that most people fall into one of two camps: the FF8 lovers and the FF9 lovers. Personally, I enjoyed 9 right off the bat, but I learned to appreciate 8 for what it was. Anyway, 7 was my first one so it'll always have a special place. As for my favorite, I'd have to go with 6. That's the one that set the table for all the games in the series that came after it.
I have a great hatred of FF and i have no idea why, but i do have a favorite. Its FF8. Probably just because of the gunblade and it was the first game i played where you can summon a giant fire demon from the pits of hell and make it cause fire to rain from the sky and destroy all those foolish enough to get in my way. I know there were more powerful monster things but Ifrit is always going to be my favorite.
I'm sad to admit that I've only played the handheld ports..but, I still loved each one, and am desperately awaiting ffxiii, since it'll be the firsrt main title I'll be able to play on a console.
I like the whole Ivalice mythos because they are all heavily based in political conflict with a side of the world-saving missions. Final Fantasy Tactics remains my favorite because of its intense storyline and incredible customization. I liked IX as my favorite "traditional" final fantasy partially because it had a sense of humor and a great art style. VII gets tiresome with all the rabid fans spewing Vincent out of every orifice but I enjoyed it on the first playthrough so I guess it was alright. I never got into VIII but I've heard good things. VI was the one that I was always really interested in but never invested the time in. It looked like it had a good balance of the funny and the serious. I have no real desire to play the other games. The Chrono mythos does the job enough for me.
I'll write my numerals in arabic, cause I'm thick like that, k.
1, 2, 3- Was ok, definately not at peak performance.
4- this is the one that really got me into final fantasy, if only due to creating the classic battle scheme. Also, I quite enjoyed the story, though Rosa could have been given at least a little more emotion then a cardboard box.
5- haven't played it
6, 7- great titles that both show how much the series had matured, but they both seem a bit over-rated by the hoards of blindly loyal fantards.
8- another great game with possibly one of the best overall plots, but is defeated by itself for having Ultimecia in it.
9- overall good, but not surpassing it's predesesors. Fun art style, but can we please give the main villain some pants.
10- My personal favorate, it has a good story, and the battles, while not in the standard system really felt cinematic and enjoyable. Best thing about it was that it had a more fantastical setting derived not from medievil europe that ultimately won me over, so I'm willing to ignore Yuyevon's stagnation. But the sequel sucked balls anyway, not even Yuna in a mini-skirt could save it from becomeing just another pointless sequel full of dull cliche.
11- does not count as final fantasy.
12- I have mixed feelings for this one. On one side we have what is probably the best combat ever mixed with improved voice acting, but one the other we have a generally unlikeable cast and story to boot. It didn't suck, but half of it did.
So now that I've had my Yahtzee esque rant, I supose that all we've left to do is await the release of Fabula Nova Crystalis and Dissidia.
1, 2, 3- Was ok, definately not at peak performance.
4- this is the one that really got me into final fantasy, if only due to creating the classic battle scheme. Also, I quite enjoyed the story, though Rosa could have been given at least a little more emotion then a cardboard box.
5- haven't played it
6, 7- great titles that both show how much the series had matured, but they both seem a bit over-rated by the hoards of blindly loyal fantards.
8- another great game with possibly one of the best overall plots, but is defeated by itself for having Ultimecia in it.
9- overall good, but not surpassing it's predesesors. Fun art style, but can we please give the main villain some pants.
10- My personal favorate, it has a good story, and the battles, while not in the standard system really felt cinematic and enjoyable. Best thing about it was that it had a more fantastical setting derived not from medievil europe that ultimately won me over, so I'm willing to ignore Yuyevon's stagnation. But the sequel sucked balls anyway, not even Yuna in a mini-skirt could save it from becomeing just another pointless sequel full of dull cliche.
11- does not count as final fantasy.
12- I have mixed feelings for this one. On one side we have what is probably the best combat ever mixed with improved voice acting, but one the other we have a generally unlikeable cast and story to boot. It didn't suck, but half of it did.
So now that I've had my Yahtzee esque rant, I supose that all we've left to do is await the release of Fabula Nova Crystalis and Dissidia.
My favorite was 9, it seemed the most original to me and Vivi is awesome. 7's ok, 10 would be good if the system worked a little better. 12's too MMO battle/travel like to me. 1 and 2 are pretty good the rest I havn't played.
Isn't that the best part? You get the MMO "experience" without the whiny four-year-olds?chaser[phoenix said:
Plus, it's not as grind-tastic as an actual MMO, and you're actually working towards something rather than endless grinding so you can end up grinding something else so that you can, in turn, be strong enough to grind something even different.
Personally, I think it was great.
I have alot of mixed feelings for FF as a whole. square softenix having their massively embarrassing army of do-or-die fanboys behind it's enterprise ever so restlessly awaiting the next of yet another title with another generic 4-9 character trait party with another casual pre-teen fantasy-fiction novel like story behind it.
I liked FF2 & 3 because those games kept turn-base JRPG's the way they were suppose to play, liner to the measures of the story, classes that don't repeat themselves for another five thousand times over and very little quick time events. what kills me nowadays is with most FF's (especially 7) is when said titles promise to be dramatically engaging to players both in gameplay and in story when really square is only giving us cheap dialogue(Aerith dies)
and unskippable button sequences for special attacks(fuck you cloud, squall, cat-demi god dude from FF9 and anyone else who abuses this right within said FF's)
if I really want to read something "engaging" I'd head to my local library and watchmen, the endless and miracle man.
excuse my ranting but for christsakes this is a game company that now holds it's on manga/anime corp well associated with akamaru and shounen jump. is it rly that hard to bust out a new writing material?
I liked FF2 & 3 because those games kept turn-base JRPG's the way they were suppose to play, liner to the measures of the story, classes that don't repeat themselves for another five thousand times over and very little quick time events. what kills me nowadays is with most FF's (especially 7) is when said titles promise to be dramatically engaging to players both in gameplay and in story when really square is only giving us cheap dialogue(Aerith dies)
and unskippable button sequences for special attacks(fuck you cloud, squall, cat-demi god dude from FF9 and anyone else who abuses this right within said FF's)
if I really want to read something "engaging" I'd head to my local library and watchmen, the endless and miracle man.
excuse my ranting but for christsakes this is a game company that now holds it's on manga/anime corp well associated with akamaru and shounen jump. is it rly that hard to bust out a new writing material?
If the PS1-era games are anything to go by, Square really like to pull a fast one on gamers with regards to the last boss.
In FFVIII, you thought that
by the middle of disc 3, that idea gets shot to hell, and the GF's suddenly become something of a big plot device (for reasons not explained, and if there WAS an explanation offered, it wasn't convincing). Oh, and the heroes seem to be amnesiacs (the whole lot of 'em) as well.
In FFIX, there was a Big Bad swap in the end, for no apparent reason. In terms of switching this was the bigger offender, seeing as the real Big Bad was not made apparent (not even referenced in any of the past events). He just appeared to swap with Kuja in the final battle.
FFIX is my favorite, bar none. FFVIII suffered from a bout of chronic incoherence, that and the Junction/Magic system is a tad bit broken. At the very least FFIX had a story you could follow, gave me nightmares (oh GAWD!!! Kuja's man-thongs!) and likable characters (best cast in my opinion).
I won't add unnecessary hatred on FFVII, seeing how much flak the olde cash cow is taking. I don't want to beat on a dead horse (or cow in this matter).
In FFVIII, you thought that
Sorceress Edea would be the big bad
In FFIX, there was a Big Bad swap in the end, for no apparent reason. In terms of switching this was the bigger offender, seeing as the real Big Bad was not made apparent (not even referenced in any of the past events). He just appeared to swap with Kuja in the final battle.
FFIX is my favorite, bar none. FFVIII suffered from a bout of chronic incoherence, that and the Junction/Magic system is a tad bit broken. At the very least FFIX had a story you could follow, gave me nightmares (oh GAWD!!! Kuja's man-thongs!) and likable characters (best cast in my opinion).
I won't add unnecessary hatred on FFVII, seeing how much flak the olde cash cow is taking. I don't want to beat on a dead horse (or cow in this matter).