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Final Fantasy Omnibus


Chaos

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I thought it would be a good idea to create a new thread for this series. It is discouraging that there is not the same level excitement with these games as there once was, and I think a lot of that has to do with the quality of games Square has released as of late.

 

I am hoping to play through FF XIII and FF XIII-2 in anticipation for Lightning Returns. I am not sure how I feel about the Majora's Mask structure of this game.

 

There is also FFXV being developed for the next generation, and I am not sure if anyone plays the MMO.

 

PS3 is releasing FFX-HD, which I hope gets released to the PS4 digitally as well.

 

I really enjoy this series, and VII is my favorite game of all time, so I hope that Square can right the ship and make these games relevant to gamers once more.

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How's that Final Fantasy Dimensions game for the Android?

 

I honestly feel like everything I want out of the franchise will look like that, scaled down and 16 bit and on mobile platforms or as quick cash grabs made by people who actually loved the original games. The series peaked at FFVI and never came close again. Right now it's so far away from what made it stand out and be unique. I really hated FFXII on a ton of levels. If I wanted that MMO style battle system, I'd play one of the dozens of other offerings. The traditional jRPG still has a niche. I understand that a lot of what we got used to about it at the time was based on technical limitations that no longer exist, but either through familiarity or through actual merits to those features people look at a lot of them fondly still.

 

I like something like Dragon Age as much as the next guy but I want something like FFIV or V or VI to be able to play as well. 

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I am assuming Jenn will be along at any moment to provide thoughts :-)

 

I got halfway through both X and X-2 but never finished them. The problem now is that that is a lot of time committed into the games so I don't really want to go back and start them over but it has been so long. Maybe I will give the HD versions a shot.

Also - FF XII is still the only game I own for the PS2 as I kept it in the hopes I might actually play it. Alas - that has not happened

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I finished XIII. Never picked up XIII-2 and don't know if I'll pick up Lightning Returns, either. I really did enjoy XIII, though.

 

Prior to that, I had started X but never finished it.

 

When I did my PS4 pre-order (before canceling it), there was a Final Fantasy game on the pre-order list, but all the previews and stuff I saw made it look. . .well, not really Final Fantasy-like. I just want my "good dudes line up on one side, bad dudes line up on the other side, and fight until one side dies" RPG, and I'm not sure if that's what this upcoming game is going to be.

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I just got into Final Fantasy about 18 months ago.  Played through VII, VIII, X, X-2, and 12.  Actually, FF is the only reason I might break down and buy a PS3 (that's not a typo.  I'm not much of a gamer.  I own a couple old systems and a PS2).

 

Honestly, VII is my least favorite so far.  X was a blast.

 

I'm planning to start FFIX this weekend or next week.  Off from work for a couple weeks due to the holidays.  Looking forward to IX a yet.

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I just got into Final Fantasy about 18 months ago.  Played through VII, VIII, X, X-2, and 12.  Actually, FF is the only reason I might break down and buy a PS3 (that's not a typo.  I'm not much of a gamer.  I own a couple old systems and a PS2).

 

Honestly, VII is my least favorite so far.  X was a blast.

 

I'm planning to start FFIX this weekend or next week.  Off from work for a couple weeks due to the holidays.  Looking forward to IX a yet.

 

IX is really an underrated classic, and it plays more to fans of those older games. I really enjoyed it. I don't think it was as in depth with sidequests, but still satisfying.

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I just got into Final Fantasy about 18 months ago.  Played through VII, VIII, X, X-2, and 12.  Actually, FF is the only reason I might break down and buy a PS3 (that's not a typo.  I'm not much of a gamer.  I own a couple old systems and a PS2).

 

Honestly, VII is my least favorite so far.  X was a blast.

 

I'm planning to start FFIX this weekend or next week.  Off from work for a couple weeks due to the holidays.  Looking forward to IX a yet.

 

IX is really an underrated classic, and it plays more to fans of those older games. I really enjoyed it. I don't think it was as in depth with sidequests, but still satisfying.

 

I really liked IX until the last disc where the existential bs kicks in and you've pretty much gained every ability there is to gain which means that there isn't enough incentive to keep going to the end.

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I'll always love IX just because after VIII which I thought was so ridiculous, IX went back to all of the traditional game elements and brought me right back in.

 

Oddly enough, I always found VIII's ridiculousness endearing for some reason.  I don't think I'd ever argue for it as "the best" but I will probably always argue for it as my personal favorite.  As I have recently discovered thanks to it becoming available anew via Steam.

 

Though it never really gives you the Squall vs Seifer "Rinoa On A Pole" Match that it gives every indicator of building to early on, instead offering the standard and now trite Standard Final Fantasy Main Event to save the world from The Hidden Real Actual Villain Mastermind, and that's not even the biggest frustration of its convoluted and contradictory plot.

 

Somehow it's just fun for me, anyway.  Music's really good and for the time the graphics were, too.

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After Super Mario World, Final Fantasy IX is my favorite game ever. Each character has their own doubts and developments. Most of the loopy plot holes aren't too out of context for the story. While there ain't much side questin' to do, the mini games are profoundly addictive. Chocobo's Hot and Cold, anyone? Personally, I felt like everything that you do in the game is important.

 

 

But yeah, I love FF. I've played most of them and the only ones I take issue with is FFVII and FFXIII. Cloud is so distractingly annoying with his "too cool" for emo-attitude. And it takes for fucking ever to make your party's strength anything respectable in FFXIII. Same could be said in FFXII, but at least there was a story to all that mindless battling?

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When I was young I was one of the "FF7 iz teh best evaaar!!!" but over the years I've grown a deeper respect for the other titles. VIII is deeply depressing and very hard to play through the first time. I think that alot of younger gamers would have trouble sitting through this. IX really is a charming bit of fun that has just enough dark elements to draw in the older gamers. I think it's very under rated by alot of people online.

My vote for the bext game goes to FFX though. I can't quite put my finger on it but the more times I played through this, the more I fell in love with it. The arc that Tidus and Yuna share, the great backstory for almost everyone (LuLu really feels like she needs just a touch more time to really blossom) and then there are a bunch of great side quests. I can't be alone in wanting a full blown tablet version of BlitzBall can I??

 

I never picked up X-2 so it'll be interesting to see how it holds up but Im pumped for the HD release. I just know Im going to waste an entire weekend on the couch looking at every little detail.

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I've played 5-10 and 13. Never picked up the -2 games. 

 

FFV is underrated. A lot of people don't like the job system, but in that game, they took it to a different level. Pretty great stuff.

 

FFVI was the best overall game in the series. Memorable characters, great story, great villain, Esper system was good. Loved how wide open it got after the dark world switch.

 

FFVII is a major achievement in video games. Yes, it got a bit confusing at times, but it has THE single best twist in a video game story ever and has some of the coolest battles in the series. It's "overrated" because so many people talked about it, when in reality, it's a great game pushed into heavens by super fans. It's touted highly for good reasons, but I'm not an apologist for the things the game does wrong (mostly the character development, easiness of the game after FFVI being so tough).

 

FFVIII was a letdown, but the draw system and the card game were great. None of the characters meant anything in the end, though. Squall was absolutely horrible, but I dug the opening cutscene, at least.

 

FFIX is truly exceptional. It's like the FF mixtape. It took elements from all the FF games before it made them great. Vivi is the best FF character of all time and it isn't even close. Sneaky awesome things in that game, including the Excalibur II play through, and the weapon system for learning new abilities. Card game was fun, but not exactly like FFVIII.

 

X had Auron. WAY too linear. Tidus was a decent front guy, but it didn't really start getting good until the very end. The final battles with Sin were great, though. I'm looking forward to seeing how it looks in HD. Some of those cutscenes were fantastic.

 

XIII...ugh. Rushed. All of it. Supposedly there's redemption with XIII-2, but I'm not about to go searching for it.

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I finished XIII. Never picked up XIII-2 and don't know if I'll pick up Lightning Returns, either. I really did enjoy XIII, though.

--I also really enjoyed XIII. I tried to play XIII-2 and gagged on all the Sarah crap. I have no interest in Lightning Returns.

 

I'll always love IX just because after VIII which I thought was so ridiculous, IX went back to all of the traditional game elements and brought me right back in.

--IX is a perfect blend of light and dark, IMO. About the only entry in the series that gets it "right".

 

 

Oddly enough, I always found VIII's ridiculousness endearing for some reason.  I don't think I'd ever argue for it as "the best" but I will probably always argue for it as my personal favorite.  As I have recently discovered thanks to it becoming available anew via Steam.

 

Though it never really gives you the Squall vs Seifer "Rinoa On A Pole" Match that it gives every indicator of building to early on, instead offering the standard and now trite Standard Final Fantasy Main Event to save the world from The Hidden Real Actual Villain Mastermind, and that's not even the biggest frustration of its convoluted and contradictory plot.

 

Somehow it's just fun for me, anyway.  Music's really good and for the time the graphics were, too.

--VIII was the first "modern" FF I played, so I tend to give it a bit more leeway than I might otherwise. I think some of the ridiculousness stems from some truly awful translation choices, which also plagued Tactics (which came out around the same time). Since it's out on Steam I suspect it'll never get another look at by Squeenix, but someone finding the original Japanese language and making a mod with an improved script would get my money.

 

My vote for the bext game goes to FFX though. I can't quite put my finger on it but the more times I played through this, the more I fell in love with it. The arc that Tidus and Yuna share, the great backstory for almost everyone (LuLu really feels like she needs just a touch more time to really blossom) and then there are a bunch of great side quests. I can't be alone in wanting a full blown tablet version of BlitzBall can I??

 

I never picked up X-2 so it'll be interesting to see how it holds up but Im pumped for the HD release. I just know Im going to waste an entire weekend on the couch looking at every little detail.

--A friend of mine bought me a PS2 so I could play X. The story... well, I have been Yuna, the pastor's Summoner's daughter who does what she thinks is the right thing, instead of remembering that she is her own person. This is one that hurts, and it's beautiful, and it hurts.  X-2 takes a little getting used to, but it worth your time.

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Let me burn through some of the others.

 

FFI: If you go back and play this it's amazing how hard it is. For the first few hours of the game you just can't hit anything. It's also amazing how revolutionary it was at the time. People forget that. You can compare it to Dragon Warrior or Ultima but the scope was just so much huger. It was a full world with different means of travel and so many characters to talk to and so much of the world to learn about through them. Things like the wise men and the fiends and the job evolution was mindblowning at the time. You'd hear about people trying to get through the game with four black mages or even just using the Thief because while he was worthless, he became the Ninja! I remember having the Nintendo Power special that just covered the game even before I had the game and I'd read through it over and over again because it was just such an amazing world. Probably my favorite thing was that you had weapons that could also be used as items. For some reason that really stood out to me.

 

FFII: There's not a ton to say about this. We all played it after the other games and the progression system is just so weird and stilted and frustrating. They made it a bit more forgiving in the remakes.

 

FFIII: The job system is fairly limited but I do like the mythos in this, especially the end section. 

 

FFIV: This is the game of my youth. I played it more than anything except for maybe the original Legend of Zelda. FFVI is better but it really does resonate with me. The way you gain and lose characters felt really novel at the time. Cecil's arc is great. Kain's arc is frustrating because it's got one too many drops. The most frustrating thing about the game is that you never really get the satisfaction of beating Golbez due to the twists. The ramping up of difficulty first when you go underground and then when you get to the moon is memorable too. The fact you have really rare (extremely rare) drops adds to the replayability and the specialness. I remember when I got the imp summon and had no idea it even existed and was kind of blownaway. On the flipside, I used Game Genie to unlock a lot of the japanese items. There was one code that sort of twisted the whole thing on its head and you could break the game in amazing ways. I like the additions in both of the remakes which offer different experiences.

 

FFV: There's a lot to like about the job system but I still wish it was just a little more robust in what it allowed you to keep between jobs. My biggest memory of this is trying to play it in 98/99 or so emulated before they'd really worked out the emulation so you kept having to switch between graphics layers to figure out how to get through the ship's graveyard because you couldn't see anything. My other favorite moment is when Butz goes nuts and flies the airship around the world ten times.

 

FFVI: I don't even know what else to say. Searching For Friends is my favorite thing in any video game ever. Getting the band back together and all that. The entire second half of the game can be done in any order. It's part of why I loved Mass Effect II so much. Again, I played this so much as a kid that I started to mess with it on Game Genie. I ended up giving Terra Leo's Shock. Actually, that was one fun thing about the early days of the internet. There were so many fake FAQs and crazy rumors and what not. Yeah, they were there for Final Fantasy VII when that came out but it was all more wild and untamed for FFVI. The game didn't take itself too seriously which helped a lot and it really was the perfect mix of characters with their own unique abilities and adaptability in how you wanted to build them.

 

FFVII: The game that launched millions of PS1 units. In some ways it was cool that it was so mainstream. It was the Avengers or The Dark Knight or The Stone Cold/Rock of Final Fantasy games. You could talk to normal people about it. I hated the three-person party at the time. I didn't like how there were minigames instead of subquests but some of the subquests that were there, like Yuffie's tower were a lot of fun. It was bleak but became less so once you got out of Midgar. I had no use for either the Chocobo raising, which was way too much effort or the giant Weapons which were just frustrating. I remember being in constant fear as a teenager anytime I used the sub. I did a replay five or six years after it came out and had a plot guide which helped but a lot of the game is sort of emotionally artificial because of how convoluted it is. It had its moments like when you visit the observatory for the first time that really do feel special. 

 

FFVIII: I hate this thing. I like: 1.) the initial school setting which is almost immediately jettisoned. 2.) When you try to use Odin in a cutscene mid game. 3.) the Card Game and the ultimate reveal who the card queen is and... uh, my own personal experience where I was fighting the last boss with two characters since I lost everyone else and it took me forever to beat her. But I loathe the underdeveloped characters, the plot, the ridiculous "we all knew each other growing up" twist, the draw system which delinks progression to characters and punishes you for using magic and the leveling system which punishes you in general and that the special unique elements to each character were limited to limit breaks.

 

And that's all I'm doing now because I have a Buddy Rose match to watch or something.

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FF1-3. Played all of them on either original Nintendo or emulator. Found them frustrating, but sort of fun. Finally beat them all later on GBA remakes. I generally enjoy playing them, but none of them are great too me even with the extra material added in various remakes. Still, they are fun to play when I feel nostalgic. That said I probably enjoy replaying Mystic Quest more than any of these.

 

FFIV is probably the most fun FF. The way the stories play out and the general gameplay all made for such a nice experience, especially with the generally solid pacing. Its probably the FF I have replayed the most.

 

FFV. Dug the job systems and found the game to be generally fun. Still there is something missing to bring it to the next level for me. My favorite thing about it is still probably Gilgamesh who was fun in a Team Rocket sort of way.

 

FFVI is my favorite game in the series. I loved music, loved the story, and I loved the characters, especially Kefka who might be my favorite villain from any video game I played. Its one of the few games I can think of where for even a short moment the bad guy truly wins.

 

FFVII is probably my favorite after VI, but I haven't played it in a good long time so I can't really say I recall any majors flaws. I remember generally digging the story and characters.

 

Very happy to not see blind praise for FFVIII. It was one of, if not the worst entry in the main series. A few years ago I saw all this praise for it with no one really being able to specify what they actually liked about it. I found found the leveling system annoying my first play around, but I got used to it and don't hate it too much now though its far from a favorite. The cast is the most bland cast I could recall seeing since the early games when they had almost literally no personality. And its been a bit since I played, but I recall the story not making much sense to me either. The one thing I did enjoy about it though was the battle between Gardens. Thought it was great action filled crazy event.

 

Not sure what it is, but as much as I like FFIX there is always something missing for me to put it over the top. I liked the characters, especially Zidane and his relationship with Garnet. The gameplay was a callback to the style in IV. I do know a few things I wasn't big on though. Never did like Kujah much. He felt like a semi-rip off of Kefka w/o all the memorable lines. The story in th ater stages also fell off the rails a bit for me.

 

Really dug FFX for the interesting concepts that steered a bit away from the norm of the series. I agree that it was too linear, but it didn't bother me as much as it did others. Really want to replay it again with HD PS3 version at some point as I haven't played it since I beat it so many years ago. I know I played FFX-2 to a point, but I never beat it and have very little memory of it aside from Yuna Croft.

 

FFXII is one of my least favorite entries in the series. The story didn't do much for me, and a lot of the main cast felt sort of pointless. Balthier was the only one I recall caring about to some degree. The style of gameplay wasn't terrible, but I wasn't really fond of it either, especially within the FF series. The characters combat wise didn't do much for me as they seemed to lack any uniqueness. Never did beat this one. Despite my complaints I don't really even hate the game, it just wasn't what I wanted out of a Final Fantasy.

 

Still haven't beaten XIII, but I loved the gameplay, dug how the story plays out, and feel the cast is probably the most well developed in the series, at least up to the point I played. It could still all go horribly wrong by the time I finally go back and finish. I like the game a good deal though I again agree about it being linear to a decent fault. Even the actual gameplay is a bit too limiting with how long it takes to completely open up the battle and leveling system. Still a good entry in the series overall.

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FFVI: I don't even know what else to say. Searching For Friends is my favorite thing in any video game ever. Getting the band back together and all that. The entire second half of the game can be done in any order. It's part of why I loved Mass Effect II so much. Again, I played this so much as a kid that I started to mess with it on Game Genie. I ended up giving Terra Leo's Shock. Actually, that was one fun thing about the early days of the internet. There were so many fake FAQs and crazy rumors and what not. Yeah, they were there for Final Fantasy VII when that came out but it was all more wild and untamed for FFVI. The game didn't take itself too seriously which helped a lot and it really was the perfect mix of characters with their own unique abilities and adaptability in how you wanted to build them.

 

 

I actually still have the official Nintendo Final Fantasy VI (well, they still called it III BACK IN THE DAY) guide. 157 pages.

 

The Esper system was great because you could really build characters to be how you wanted. Eventually after a few playthroughs I got into a habit of only letting the "natural" magic users (Terra, Celes, Relm, and Strago) learn magic at all, which IMO made the game even better.

 

It's really the perfect game (along with Zelda) to point to about how as great as games may look now, there's little substitute for quality gameplay at the end of the day.

 

Besides, it featured a goddamn murder at the opera plot. And people actually liked it!

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Very happy to not see blind praise for FFVIII. It was one of, if not the worst entry in the main series. A few years ago I saw all this praise for it with no one really being able to specify what they actually liked about it. I found found the leveling system annoying my first play around, but I got used to it and don't hate it too much now though its far from a favorite. The cast is the most bland cast I could recall seeing since the early games when they had almost literally no personality. And its been a bit since I played, but I recall the story not making much sense to me either. The one thing I did enjoy about it though was the battle between Gardens. Thought it was great action filled crazy event.

 

I love VIII. I love the crazy level of customizability that the junction system gave me. I get the complaint that it sorta penalizes you for using magic, especially in the early going, but once you get into the game and start stockpiling the higher level and status magics, I never found it to be an issue.

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Alright, so I never actually played Tactics all the way through. I always ended up overlevelling early on and it drove me nuts. I think I'd enjoy it more on a handheld. I really liked Tactics A2 because I was able to play that while a captive audience. The really long fights in Tactics just got to me.

 

FFX: There's a lot to like and so much to hate. I really like the battle system. It's turn based but with slightly enhanced elements of strategy. The grid system is a lot of fun in late game when you can make Auron super fast or what not. The minigames to get the best weapons are annoying and irritating and character driven sidequests would be so much more welcome. The biggest problem with the original version is that you can't skip the cutscenes, or at least skip through them. You're forced to druge through the voice acting instead of just reading and hitting circle over and over. Tedious as anything. I like elements of the plot. i hate other elements. I don't love the world and I do miss a world map. It's also extremely linear as everyone else said.

 

FFX-2: Yeah, so I kind of love X-2. The opening section is stupidly fun and I actually never beat the thing despite pumping a lot of hours into it twice, but it's all about the job system. There are so many skills to learn and while they don't cross over as much as I'd like, it's a ton of fun to learn them. Actually getting some of them is a pain though and there's a bit too much micromanaging in the switching between jobs mid battle or what not, but there's a lot to enjoy.

 

FFXII: Hey! I hate this game. Hate it. The plot's ok even though it's sort of Star Wars. I really hate how you have to buy techs/spells/etc and how the only real way to get money is through an excuse for a side quest. I hate the battle system where you're basically just watching your guys fight for the most part. The grid system is crap since it encourages all your guys to be basically the same. I heard they had more job specific layouts in the int'l version but I've never plaid that. I thought the world was expansive and rich in its own way so that's nice, but what I hate the most, without a doubt, is the random chests. I spent hours battling through an area I wasn't supposed to be in yet. Got an armor that made it worth it. immediately died. Fought  my way back there this time with enough life to get back and, oh look, I got a potion instead. What crap. I kind of liked the DS sequel though. It was slight but fun in its own way.

 

EDIT: In general, I like customization but I want my characters to be innately different as a starting point so that I can't customize them all the same way. 

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FF XII is a game I will put in to play, put in 80+ hours, but not actually do much and never finish. The story is a mess, the looting system is a joke, and the characters I'm supposed to care about I mostly want to toss off the edge of the skycity (I'm looking at you, Ashe and Vaan). I do have some fun with the battle system, but only because I try to keep the ranged people with ranged stuff, magic users with magic stuff, etc. The music is incredible and the world is varied and beautiful.

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FF XII is a game I will put in to play, put in 80+ hours, but not actually do much and never finish. The story is a mess, the looting system is a joke, and the characters I'm supposed to care about I mostly want to toss off the edge of the skycity (I'm looking at you, Ashe and Vaan). I do have some fun with the battle system, but only because I try to keep the ranged people with ranged stuff, magic users with magic stuff, etc. The music is incredible and the world is varied and beautiful.

 

XII is a really pretty looking game for a PS2 game. I have always liked how Square used to would push consoles to their limits with these games from a visual standpoint.

 

I felt the same way about IX for the PSX.

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