Things that "Final Fantasy" has taught me:

[Seldon2639]

Final Fantasy has taught me that even in the Height of a technological future people still think swinging giant swords around will give u that strategic advantage....
FF VII for instance

True.

On a similar note, while guns are usually quite weak, and your team can withstand multiple barrages of bullets. If someone holds a gun upto to you in a cut-scene its suddenly very dangerous.
(Final Fantasy 10, when going to rescue Yuna from Seymour)

I'm gonna show my nerdiness for a moment, but have you every played the Star Wars pen-and-paper RPG? "Vitality" (HP) was never used as "you got shot, but it only subtracted twenty HP, you're good", but as (essentially) "you're using vitality to dodge, but when it runs out, you can't anymore, and just die". I see HP in FF games the same way, which is why a bullet to the brainpan is going to kill you right dead, but a barrage of gunfire in a fight might not

 

[dislea]

If your hat is a little pointy you had better have a licence for it!

 

[GloatingSwine]

I'm gonna show my nerdiness for a moment, but have you every played the Star Wars pen-and-paper RPG? "Vitality" (HP) was never used as "you got shot, but it only subtracted twenty HP, you're good", but as (essentially) "you're using vitality to dodge, but when it runs out, you can't anymore, and just die". I see HP in FF games the same way, which is why a bullet to the brainpan is going to kill you right dead, but a barrage of gunfire in a fight might not

And when the bad guy blows up the solar system in your face?

 

[Quiotu]

In the event of an apocalypse me and my closest friends aka my party are guaranteed to survive (FFVI).

Now now... if you don't play your hand right during the apocalypse, one or more of your characters can die at that point.

Alright, better add in something here. And for the record I liked 4, 6, 10, and 12... 7, 8, and 9 were sub-par in my eyes.

Having a poser living a lie as the main protagonist and antagonist is okay as long as they both have really big swords. (FFVII)

Having a young streetrat as the main character works as long as you have other adults in the party that make up for his lack of maturity and story. (FFXII)

Bunny girls win. (FFXII)

Chocobos are natural enemy repellants. (All)

Saving the world comes second to breeding Chocobos. (FFVII)

Anyone can learn magic if you fight with the right crystal. (FFVI)

In Ivalice you need a license to be fashionable. (FFXII)

If you can't come up with a decent story, anmesia always works. (FFVII and VIII)

Being a brutal soldier of the enemy is always forgivable if you wear white and call yourself a paladin. (FFIV)

 

[Necrohydra]

-It doesn't matter how badly battered you are, even dead: one night's rest will bring you up to 100 percent.

-It will always be the same day until you decide to go sleep.

-Pigs can still used weapons, but they can't wear armor!(FF4)

-Being tiny doesn't mean you're harder to hit - it means you'll suffer way more damage

-The strongest creature in the world isn't trying to destroy it. It's minding it's own business in a little cavern or area away from everyone else.

-One set of clothes is good enough for the whole adventure. Unless there's a special event or occasion, then we change outfits for a few hours.

 

[AngryMan]

Most people would want to kill you more if u liked 12, on a side note however x-2 had the most advanced ATB system so far but most jrpgs fans are looking for a decent story and well x-2s, well i won't go into it.

Hmmm... you sure about that? If you ignore the oh-o-standard "save the world from the big mystical menace" plot, a few of the sub-themes are actually pretty good:

- The main character's a reluctant celebrity, who feels like her status is limiting her.
- There's the idealistic interplay between the Youth League and New Yevon. Where FFX presented the dangers of excessive conservatism, X-2 explores the dangers of excessive liberalism.
- coping with loss and death, and separation from loved ones.

There were some very clever moments in that game, I thought. Unfortunately they were in the minority.

Oh, and Hedy Buress' voice acting was WAAAY better in X-2, which was a blessing.

 

[monodiabloloco]

.sdrawkcab kaeps smoorB
.slleps yhpargotrac terces wonk osla yehT


Another thing I learned is that I seem to be the only person who played (and loved) the GameBoy final fantasys. No, the original GameBoy.. the big, grey, battery sucking brick.

 

[Melaisis]

Most people would want to kill you more if u liked 12, on a side note however x-2 had the most advanced ATB system so far but most jrpgs fans are looking for a decent story and well x-2s, well i won't go into it.

Hmmm... you sure about that? If you ignore the oh-o-standard "save the world from the big mystical menace" plot, a few of the sub-themes are actually pretty good:

- The main character's a reluctant celebrity, who feels like her status is limiting her.
- There's the idealistic interplay between the Youth League and New Yevon. Where FFX presented the dangers of excessive conservatism, X-2 explores the dangers of excessive liberalism.
- coping with loss and death, and separation from loved ones.

There were some very clever moments in that game, I thought. Unfortunately they were in the minority.

Oh, and Hedy Buress' voice acting was WAAAY better in X-2, which was a blessing.

I have to agree with your sentiments; Square are very smart storytellers. Unfortunately, the majority of their fans are not. You've raised some of the most obvious theological points featured in only one of the games of the series. Other titles range from environmentalism (FF7), to Hamlet-style 'self-fulfilling prophecies' and the corruption of power (FF8) and the might of ambition in FF9. I agree when people claim that the FF characters are shallow; because the main ones tend to be just that. After all, they are only there so the player can relate to them and be dragged into the story. Now, if we had the chance to play as, say, Shinra in FF7; we may understand the threat of terrorism a bit more and the deep motivations of the company as a landmark for corporate imperialism which is slowly becoming more real in today's world. That's only one example. Yet the haters and fan boys/girls alike are too busy worrying about how big the protagonist's hair is to actually focus the attention on the real, fascinating parts of these stories.

My real contribution to these thread?

You can create an army of mutant magic-wielders from natural gas, mass produce them and only be found out by a team of kids which belong in a Scooby Doo episode rather than a videogame.

 

[Spartanspork]

If a giant bone or zombie dragon attacks me, all i have to do is bring it back to life and it dies.... all else has been said

 

[VikingRhetoric]

Bunny girls win. (FFXII)

Oh my yes.

An entire village of beautiful mocha skinned bunny women.

[/creepy]

Alright, back on point.

An air pirate is so much cooler if you give him a british accent and make him a smart ass.

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

I apparently have absolutely no taste in games and like every awful game ever made...because I enjoy FFXII.

On-topic, Phoenix Downs do not work during cutscenes. Neither do Softs.

 

[noolli]

Baltheir is the coolest guy ever.
vaan is a woosy

cloud > vincent

yes i have only played XII and VII

 

[Battlecruiser]

-Every problem in the universe can be solved by finding the right long-haired pretty boy and beating the shit out of him.

 

[Joeshie]

Am I the only person in the world who actually enjoyed FFX-2?

No.

In fact, I'd say it's one of the better Final Fantasy games.

It's got the best implementation of the ATB system, making the battles look like there's some actual action going on.

Due to the structure where each area has it's own parallel plot running through the game, it's one of the very few RPGs where the player's actions actually feel like they have ongoing consequences. Most games, once you've solved the one outstanding problem of each village, world, or whatever, will never develop or reference that area again.

Also, there's a sense of fun to the game that FFX had sorely missed, dour and joyless experience that it was.

And, quite frankly Yuna had bigger balls than most of the male FF heroes.

I don't know about you, but going around throwing concerts and shopping for the newest lipstick isn't what I would call "fun".

Final Fantasy X-2 is a blight and eyesore on the entire franchise.

 

[Higurashi]

On a similar note, while guns are usually quite weak, and your team can withstand multiple barrages of bullets. If someone holds a gun upto to you in a cut-scene its suddenly very dangerous.
(Final Fantasy 10, when going to rescue Yuna from Seymour)

Well duh. It's because in the heat of battle, the heroes are able to dodge the bullets for the most part. When they hit, it's most often just by a small degree. It's seldom full contact hits.
But in the cut-scenes, they are not warmed up and taken by surprise! That could be deadly! I mean... they have to calculate the different degrees of damage a barrage of bullets can do in some way, right? I find it quite acceptable, albeit seemingly devoid of logic. ;D

Oh right, the actual topic. No, I didn't forget. >:3
From FFI I've learned that you must talk to every measly person in the world if you hope to solve your obscure problems in order to save the world.
Also, every single seemingly useless item is absolutely pivotal to the salvation of all existance if it is categorized as a "key item". (Uh, Crystal Eye? Mmmkay. Oh, a crown. Precious.)
But most of all, I learned what a truly classical plot could consist of, and that the game itself could deliver this in a most powerful way, making due for one encompassingly awesome and immortal game that leaves you sniffling of joy, despite its simplicity.

 

[twilight_dweller]

Putting a mediocre game in 3D will make it a massive commercial and critical success.

 

[Jessiah]

A Gold Hairpin does NOT equal a Slam Dancing Moogle.

 

[Another]

In Spira its okay to were belts as a dress.(Lulu in FFX)

Despite never seeing a big blue lion-thing before you should act like your okay with it. (FFX)

On a side note I have to give Square a big thumbs up for doing what they do. Their games are epic in scope, generally take new philosopical veiw points each game,have proved they are willing to mix things up a little, and even thier "bad" games are still generally better then alot of the games out there. (Except for possibly FF Fables: Chochobo Tales :O