On a relentless FF bender: after VII, where to next?

Here, don't read anything anyone has said, I'll sum up what you should do (again):

Play them all and find out what you like the best, go in any order if you feel that it wont hinder your experience with earlier games (such as ffIII) due to the fact that as the series goes on the gameplay seems to be overshadowed by the story, but luckily Square seems to pull off something original or refreshing each go-around.

Also I played FFIII on a ROM which wasnt too bad, you can wait for the DS release, but playing the NES version seemed a bit more magical to be honest.

Also I'd stick wtih the GBA version of FFIV, although I didn't finish it, the menus are cleaned up and easy to navigate, rather than older releases which are a bit frustrating.

But seriously, everyone hates or loves each FF, and trying to get a unanimous opinion on one would take a miracle. You could expect to shake hands with Jesus before you see two people agree on this subject. Play the games with an open mind, don't let anyone corrupt your opinions about the games before you play them

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by badrad

A company is out of touch with their gaming roots when they value the dollar so much more than their own fans. Remember that.

Yes, Squenix truly shines when they release tired sequel after sequel of the same angst-ridden tale of Pretty Boy Joe's romp through Anime Cliche land, featuring 100% more androgynous villains and self-congratulatory references.

I would recommend every FF game really, but Tactics first. It's my personal favorite in the series, it deserves every ounce of FFVII's ill-gotten praise. My second favorite is 6. It's basically VII-X minus the suck. And although it's not FF, I would definitely recommend Chrono Trigger above all else.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Quote:

A company is out of touch with their gaming roots when they value the dollar so much more than their own fans. Remember that.

But then at the cost of losing some of their fan base. Well perhaps not to entire lose them, as I have high hopes or XII, but I'll excuse them for calling it "exploring different RPG elements" this time around with what they tried to pull with X-2. Of course we'll probably be expecting to see more of this type of crap coming up, perhaps not now, but in time. Somehow, I actually think XIII will pull of a nice job, I don't know why, but it does seem a bit more mature, this time around.

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These replies are all excellent. The sheer amount of praise for IV and VI has certainly convinced me to begin one of them before VIII; probably IV, due to its availibility. I do intend to play them all (up through IX), so it's not like I'm going to completely miss one. So far I've thoroughly adored the stories of those I've played (except for I, I guess; that didn't have much in the way of development), and I'm quite eagerly looking forward to experiencing finally the others.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by badrad

As you can see, no one really agrees. Some people hate 7 and 6 and love 8 and 10, the exact inversion of my feelings. Now I'm not gonna say they have no taste, it's just amazing how much different people can enjoy different things.

We can almost universally agree that X-2 is awful though.



You don't understand why SE would do that? One word: money. FFX was the most expensive Final Fantasy to date. FFX-2 was a way to recycle the vast majority of the assets, produce a cheap game, and reap more profit. They chose the game that would be easiest to make and sell, not what would match FFX.

A company is out of touch with their gaming roots when they value the dollar so much more than their own fans. Remember that.

Well, FFVII wasn't that "bad" for a PSOne game. At least it was better than X-2. That all female party member game.

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Quote:

A company is out of touch with their gaming roots when they value the dollar so much more than their own fans. Remember that.

All gaming companies get into the business in order to make money, you dumb wop.

FELIPE NO

Actually, you should probably try 8 next and use it as a gauge. If you like it then keep going up. If you don't like it, then go down. Only reason I say that is because 8 was the turning point for me.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by russ

I like VIII a lot, but I guess I am in the minority. Of course you should play VI because it is the best of the series {outside of Tactics}, but I would suggest avoiding the PSX version of it. I would play VI and VIII before playing IV, but that isn't to say that IV is bad, it is just, to me, inferior to VI - VIII.

I wondered who that was sitting next to me.....

I can only comment on 3 ps1 games, since I haven't played the other 2 I have yet....

I like VIII as well--The story kept you involved, and the music was great. You could steal magic and Summons from your enemies. Then Junction that magic to your weapons to give it that element. Also, there is a compatibility with Summons that can play in your favor. And another thing that puts this game on my "plus" list: The women in your party don't use the typical staff. Thank you.

VII dealt with a problem we are familiar with as well--the over-mining of certain items (fossil fuels) which could lead to the destruction of the planet PLUS a little of the Gaia theory thrown in (you know, the planet can protect/heal itself when it's hurt).

IX was a "throwback" game, honoring the past games. It had elements from previous games, and if I remember, it's tagline was: "The Crystal is Back." I had fun with this game overall, although I wasn't too thrilled with some of the characters and the surprise ending.

I would play IX last--not for chronological reasons, but because of the fact it hints at previous games and WAS the last FF game for the PS1.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

THREAD CLOSED. DISCUSSION OVER.

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Gee, Deni, say what you really mean.....


This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

What's with all the X-2 haters? Were you taking the game too seriously? I viewed it as a strange japanese game and had a blast playing through it. The thing about the ff series is the games often take themselves to seriously. FF X-2 doesn't which is why I think it's good.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I stopped enjoying Final Fantasy after FFVII. I've played FF I-XI (X-2 included. XI is good but it's a MMORPG. Won't factor it in here).

FFIV is most likely the best one in the series. Storyline and character development-wise, it is years beyond itself. Plot twists abound, to boot. If you want the best of it, download an English-translated JP Rom. The American version for the SNES was kinda butchered and made real easy. Download a rom of it off of dgemu or something. There are some poseur translations that suck, so be careful.

FFIV spoiler:

My favorite damn part is when Golbeze kicks your ass in the underworld and Rydia makes her comeback. Best twist companied with music change ever, PERIOD ;D I enjoyed it so much that for some reason I saved state and rewatched it a few times. God I love this game.

I also highly HIGHLY recommend FF Tactics. The story is incredible. Probably the best PS1 RPG hands-down. You can buy it cheap online for around $20, to boot. You'd think a goodie like this would cost more, but it never got the acclaim the main series did.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I didn't include this earlier, but yes, Final Fantasy Tactics is an EXCELLENT game. Next to Final Fantasy VI, it's my favorite.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I can only read so much FF viewpoints, so I stopped after around post 25.
To add my reiterations:

FF IV: Excellent story, with genuine development between Cecil and Rydia throughout the whole game. Plus, even before VII:

Spoiler:

a powerful character dies near midway!

FF V: I love this game to death because I was so fixated on mastering every job class. Also, major points for Exdeath again

Spoiler:

being a tree and all, and SHOCKER: another main character dies! Which one? That's pointless, that teaches you not to powerlevel so early

FF VI: This is many people's favourite for good reason.
1) Kefka = truly insane + THE laugh + success
2) Many characters are in here, but they all have sufficient backstory and it's just neat seeing all these people come together to save the world
3) Soundtrack is pretty impressive on all counts, imho
4) etc. just play this NOW, and never look back

FF VIII: I liked FF VIII, and don't see why many people complain about it's junction system. It's not that hard! Towards the end, the story is rather slapped together. I mean how logical does this sound:

Spoiler:

time is compressed and a soceress from the future was controlling a sorceress in the present to try and kill you and then you go to her dimensionally warped castle to assassinate her while she waits for you so she can start chucking planets at you

It's true!
I liked the highly abusable limit breaks here though.

FF IX: Back to a light hearted feel. The best reason for complaint is the battle system lag. You input the command, but it literally comes out 10 seconds later. This isn't due to disc reading or anything, it's just the way the whole battle system seems to be. We have a beautiful character mix in here, and a likable main hero. People go nuts over Vivi, but Beatrix is also a compelling factor to play this.

FELIPE NO

FF X-2 was a lighthearted game that didn't take itself too seriously? Except that it bastardized characters from a game that DID take itself seriously. If X-2 had been a stand alone, it would have been fun. Lame, but fun. But as it stands, it belittles everything you did in X.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?