The Final Fantasy Thread

[The_Liquid_Laser]

I've been sensing that there are quite a few Final Fantasy fans on the boards here, so I thought I'd start a thread for all things Final Fantasy. Maybe you want to just say which one is your favorite, or maybe you want to discuss game music, or maybe you want to post a novel length fanfic rewriting Tidus as the main character of the Wonder Years. Either way this is the place to put it (and chances are I'll probably enjoy reading it because yeah I'm that sick).

Let me start things off by just giving a few of my opinions on the FF series. Feel free to respond to any of these or just post your own thoughts about whichever game you like.

Final Fantasy 1 - This was one of my favorite games on the NES. I think I played through it 3-4 times. I just loved creating different parties and taking them out to level up. A couple of years ago I bought this on the Gameboy Advance and it just didn't seem like it had aged well to me. RPG's have come a long ways over the years and my standards have gotten a lot higher.

Final Fantasy 2 - Tried playing this on the GBA, but I couldn't finish it. I can't get into the old school RPG gameplay like I used to.

Final Fantasy 3 - This is the only Final Fantasy I haven't played. My wife has this game on the DS and has said it's really fun.

Final Fantasy 4 - I played this when it first came out on the SNES. It totally blew me away. The story and gameplay had just advanced by an amazing amount since FF1, and console RPGs were kind of scarce at the time it was released. It's a game I'll have to play again soon to see how it still holds up, since I don't remember many of the details. I do remember thinking that the ability to jump a million feet into the air and then spear someone coming down was one of the coolest things ever.

Final Fantasy 5 - This game was really fun to play but I never finished it. The story is meh, but the job system is fantastic. I think if I had played this before FF Tactics was released I would have played it more, but I was first introduced to the job system in FF Tactics.

Final Fantasy 6 - This game is truly awesome. I never got to complete this game when it was originally released because my SNES was stolen before it came out. Just a few months ago I managed to sit down and play through it entirely for the first time. Even though the graphics are outdated and the game is smaller than modern RPGs because it was designed for a cartridge, I believe it still holds up very well. I love how they developed the background and motivations for several of the characters, and I love how the story takes a very different turn about 2/3 of the way in. It's truly a great game and it's amazing what they could pull off limited by 16-bit technology.

Final Fantasy 7 - This is my favorite game of all time. (Not just my favorite FF, but my favorite game period.) I think a lot of it has to do with it being the first console game to fully take advantage of CD technology. CD's were slower than cartriges, but had way more memory storage. It just so happens that RPG's are the perfect genre for slow yet gigantic games. So FFVII had a huge world with lots of FMV cutscenes and plenty of evocative music tracks. Also the story and gameplay are kickass. It was an innovative idea using new technology that was executed fantastically. That and I totally didn't see the Gwen-Stacy-like plot twist coming. Well, I could go on forever about this game, so I'll just stop here for now.

Final Fantasy 8 - My impression of this game is great story, sucky gameplay. The characters in 8 are some of my favorites in the series, and yet the game will forever have a black mark for the horrible gameplay that came with it. Normally I like to do a lot of the optional content in these games, but with FF8 I just rushed through to see how the story would progress. (The one exception is that I did find the card game to be pretty addicting.)

Final Fantasy 9 - I can't think of anything I'd call "exceptional" with 9, but I do think it was "very very good" in every single way. This game was purely enjoyable from start to finish. I don't know why but I still love that Blue Mage chef character. This is a game I keep meaning to buy so I can play it again. (Unfortunately my list of must play games is growing faster than I can play them.)

Final Fantasy 10 - I remember playing the PS1 RPGs and thinking, "the only thing these games really need is voice acting". Well FFX added just that, and I think it really helped me get attached to the characters. I don't know why I got so attached to Tidus, since another side of me just sees him as the Final Fantasy version of Fred Savage. Also while I love FF music in general this game probably has my favorite music overall. Did I mention that the story and gameplay were kickass? Yeah this game had it all. I rank this as my #2 favorite FF game after 7.

Final Fantasy 11 - A lot of people don't count this as a Final Fantasy, but I've spent several years where this was the game I played the most. I've completed the main storyline, and I'm contemplating if I want to stick with it to finish the expansion storylines. It's a fun game (and a frustrating game) and I agree it's much different from the single player Final Fantasies.

Final Fantasy 12 - This is the opposite of FF8 for me: awesome gameplay, sucky story. I mean I've logged about 100 hours playing this game so I can't say it's anything but fun. At the same time the story was irritating to me because it seemed to parallel Star Wars too closely. I'm not sure I could stomach another playthrough even though the gameplay is top notch.

Anyway I'm going to stop here for now. What do you think of the Final Fantasy games? Which is your favorite? Is there anything you've always wanted to talk about, but never thought anyone would listen? Well here's your open invatation.

 

[Mondo]

Final Fantasy 7 is by far my favorite of all of them!
I only played 7, 8, and 10 though..

Once I'm not swamped with work/school.. I'd really want to play the other ones which are good.

But I also have a video for you
YouTube - 08/18/1978

 

[Oom]

My favorite is #2 for SNES (also known as 4). Coming in a close second is a tie between 8 and 9, with 10 having the most satisfactory gameplay of them all.

This game has nostalgia written all over it. For a while now I've been in the habit of collecting old games I used to play for nostalgic reasons. And it just happens that I recently bought 7,8, and 9 off of ebay!

GO FINAL FANTASY

 

[The_Liquid_Laser]

Final Fantasy 7 is by far my favorite of all of them!
I only played 7, 8, and 10 though..

Once I'm not swamped with work/school.. I'd really want to play the other ones which are good.

But I also have a video for you
YouTube - 08/18/1978

LOL that link is hilarious!

My favorite is #2 for SNES (also known as 4). Coming in a close second is a tie between 8 and 9, with 10 having the most satisfactory gameplay of them all.

This game has nostalgia written all over it. For a while now I've been in the habit of collecting old games I used to play for nostalgic reasons. And it just happens that I recently bought 7,8, and 9 off of ebay!

4 is on my "games I need to play again" list. Sounds like you have a lot of PS1 game playing to do.

 

[Fluffywolf]

ff:X is my most favorite final fantasy. I really enjoyed the storyline and the gameplay.

I only played 7 and 10 until the end. The others I got bored with sooner. I really didn't like ff:XII, as you said the storyline sucked. And I couldn't bother with it for very long.

 

[ladypinkington]

LOL that link is hilarious!



4 is on my "games I need to play again" list. Sounds like you have a lot of PS1 game playing to do.

I need to play it, FFIV sometime soon as I just got it afterall.

7 is my favorite overall. I have never been so pissed off at a game and never have been so emotionally charged from a game- well no with the exception of Argo in Shadow of Colossus, why is it the best people- (yes the horse is people and Flower) have to die?

It should have been Brown Hair! I like that there was a dog character who I renamed Red Dog in FFVII as well. Okay he might be more like a lion or tiger kind of thing but he'll always be a dog to me,lol.

Also Sephiroth is my all time favorite FF character, I want to see a game where he is the hero. He was just misunderstood, sure he killed some children but he is Sephiroth Jackson, Montel. My dream FF game is one where Sephiroth and his failthful dog saves/destroys the world, whichever-so long as the dog doesn't die,lol. I want the meloncholies to be in control and rule the world,lol.

LOLOL

I always name the main character Poopee too in my FF games,lol.

 

[RiderOnTheStorm]

I have played and collect all of the FF games.

FFVI started it all for me. <3 that game to death.
Shadow, Locke, Terra and Kefka rock. My text ringtone is Kefka's laugh. Slight obsession? Perhaps. As a result I adore anything FF on youtube.

[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Teky0izHSrE"]Kick ass version of Shadow's Theme[/YOUTUBE]

Final Fantasy College Saga

Here's my old cat, Sephiroth.

 

[Oom]

4 is on my "games I need to play again" list. Sounds like you have a lot of PS1 game playing to do.

Yes it does.

But it might take quite a while for me to finish all 3 of them as I'm busy with work and my SO most of the time. My free time is limited.

The good part about buying them again is that when I'm having a bad day, I can just start up my ps1 and it puts me back in a great mood.

 

[Wyst]

Final Fantasy VII is what started it all for me as well. I bought a Playstation because I say a commercial for FFVII one day when I was 17. I had to play it.

They don't make games like that anymore. The way the areas were drawn out has a very unique, yet somehow old-school, RPG feel to it. Ever since FFX, each FF has been 3D rendered and feels very cookie-cutter-ish.

I don't like them very much - although they have some good elements in them.

FFVII's music is also AMAZING.
AMAZING story.
Gameplay is also AMAZING.
Materia system.. awesome.

FFVII is handsdown the best FF since the series moved to the playstation in the mid-90's.

 

[violet_crown]

Thank you for starting this thread Wyst! Im so so obsessed with Final Fantasy. I remember back in high school literally counting down the days before the next one would come out.

I think that II, VI (III) and VII are my favorites because theyre the ones that I played through with my mom, so they have a lot of sentimental value in addition to being fantastic games.

Runners up would probably be XII and VIII. I really liked XII because the storyline was probably the best and most realistic in addition to being astonishingly beautiful. VII was awesome because it was the breeding ground for some awesome slash fic (you know, back when I was still into that hehe).

Knight's of the Round Ultimate Edit: Additions just to bite off liquids style

[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj23EGjnX-E&feature=related"]Squall and Vincent[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6NIVvqMxZo&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Echannels%2Ecom%2Ffeeds%2Fshow%2F132%2FYouTube%2DTag%2Drobot%2Dchicken%2Dadultswim&feature=player_embedded"]Robot Chicken FFVII Spoof [/YOUTUBE]

 

[Feops]

I missed out on a bunch of these as they were released, but I loved 6 and 7, disliked 8, was kinda meh on 9, and liked 10.

I have a difficult time actually writing out what I like or dislike about an RPG, because what I value most is a sense of immersion, but that's such a vague feeling. 6 and 7 had a nice strong buildup, character development, and a storyline I cared about. Kefka/Seph had a strong and early showing, their appearances emotionally charged. The esper/materia systems were simplistic and very integrated with the story. The story was mostly serious but took ample oppritunities to poke fun at itself.

8 felt jumbled up and I had little empathy for what was going on... I didn't care about emo Squall or his little band of supermercenaries or whatever the final boss was doing (I don't even remember). It was too serious. 9 took out a lot of the bad bits in 8 but didn't replace it with good stuff so it was pretty bland. 10... had a hint of a mystery about it that I felt interested enough in figuring out. I didn't care about most of the world, or the people, but that starting hook carried me through just to see how it all turned out.

FFT has to be the final fantasy game that drew me in the most. The character development was immense and the plot was surprisingly deep with politics and religion and aspects of the caste system. The job system was fun and encouraged experementation. FFTA disappointed me greatly though I understand that the market was different.

 

[ladypinkington]

Oh my gosh, I googled Sephiroth Hello Kitty and it actually came up with an image!
LOLOL
Two awesome tastes that taste awesome together!!!!!!!!!!!

EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love the person who read my mind and drew this!

 

[jenocyde]

7 is also my favorite, and I loved the music in it so much. I love 10, but I really hate it at the same time. But it's my #2 after 7. I won't touch 12 again. Hated it. 4 was pretty damn great at the time.

 

[Wyst]

I'm playing through XII right now. I've never beat before so we'll see how far I get before I get tired of it.

I've actually never beat IX either....

EDIT: but I've played through VII at least 5 times.

 

[BlackCat]

[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6NIVvqMxZo&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Echannels%2Ecom%2Ffeeds%2Fshow%2F132%2FYouTube%2DTag%2Drobot%2Dchicken%2Dadultswim&feature=player_embedded"]Robot Chicken FFVII Spoof [/YOUTUBE]

Lmao. That is AWESOME.

As for me, I really liked FFVII, FFIX, and FFT. FFVII was good, but I didn't really feel like completing anything other than the main story (I didn't want to grind to beat the weapons etc). FFIX compelled me a lot more, I really liked the characters and the story. I got my main party up to level 99, got every secret weapon, I did everything. I beat Ozma, I really liked it.

But final fantasy tactics (the original for the PS1)... don't get me started on that. I probably invested 700 hours into that game. I beat the game three times, had 3 totally maxed files (had everything), yeah. Just playing random battles was fun. I had everyone learn every kind of magic, then made everyone have the secondary job of Calculator, it was beastly.

As for the other ones, I really disliked VIII, and I couldn't really get into VI or any of the ones before that.

My party in the games-

FFVII- Cloud, RedXIII, Cait Sith (I'm sure you could tell I liked cats!)
FFIX- Zidane, Steiner, Freya, Quinna
FFT- Lancer + Calc, Ninja + Calc, Main character's default job that kicked ass (I had ultima) + Calc, Orlandu's default job + Calc, and Beowulf's default job + Calc. Man I kicked ass. Lol.

And as for FFX, it was mediocre for me. I remember I used Yuna and Wakka along with the main character.

 

[violet_crown]

8 felt jumbled up and I had little empathy for what was going on... I didn't care about emo Squall or his little band of supermercenaries or whatever the final boss was doing (I don't even remember).

I think with the exception of Terra in VI I always like the supporting cast better than the lead(s).

My party in the games--

FFVII- Cloud, RedXIII, Cait Sith (I'm sure you could tell I liked cats!)
FFIX- Zidane, Steiner, Freya, Quinna
FFT- Lancer + Calc, Ninja + Calc, Main character's default job that kicked ass (I had ultima) + Calc, Orlandu's default job + Calc, and Beowulf's default job + Calc. Man I kicked ass. Lol.

Man, it was all about the Cloud, Red XIII, Yuffie trifecta of doom for me. Also, Red XIII is probably the most clutch video game character ever conceived off.

 

[Alwar]

I have tried to go through Final Fantasy VI for the SNES a couple times because I never did when it was a new game, but so far I get bored. I think it's because I play old RPG's out of nostalgia and FF6 isn't a part of it for me. Keep trying to play Majora's Mask and the result is the same.

 

[01011010]

I've been playing Crisis Core: VII on my psp.

 

[forzen]

The best final fantasy will always be FFIII/FFVI. The only game in the series that had the right atmosphere as well as an awesome battle system (FFVII materia system was also great, but FFIII/FFVI was the first). Not to mention 14/15 characters, each with an awesome backstory.

FFXI was good too...if you like to push one button for 3 hours while waiting for a mob that 3 other linkshell was also waiting for. Not to mention the rediculous lantency difference between japanese and american server. But when you do get the rare mob, and beat it. It's one of the most satisfying Final Fantasy till the next time you have to spam one button to get the next rare mob. Oh story was good too, oh and 6+ hours boss fight if your into those things. Not to mention Linkshell drama, that never gets old lol.

Other final fantasy was certainly good too, but in a "i beat it, it was good...time to beat the next RPG" kind of way. In another words, good but forgetable.

 

[Udog]

My favorite is FFVI. The first hour of the game was cinematic in a way I've never experienced before, especially with Uematsu's music simply blowing me away. In fact, one of my dreams is to someday be good enough to play this on piano.

After that, I'd have to go with FFIV as it was the first one I played. Final Fantasy VII was the most enjoyable overall, and while I loved the story to FFVIII the gameplay was tedious.

Sadly, I haven't played any of the FF's since VIII. And I never finished V.