Final Fantasy

[Nate]

Classic is in the eye of the beholder. The SNES games are overr-rated. And 10-2 was good!

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!!

C'mon...the storyline was bad, the ATB was nowhere near as good as in the PS1 FF's, it was cheesy, well...the songs were good...

Besides, the job system attained total perfection in Final Fantasy Tactics. The job system in X-2 sucked. What is this, dress up Barbie? *Shakes head* There was no character customization, the Black/White Mage jobs (oh, my bad, DRESSPHERES) didn't even have a physical attack option! Talk about bad decisions...Square-Enix shoulda left FFX alone. The ending was FINE. Life doesn't always have a happy ending. GET OVER IT.

[Rocketshipper]

the storyline was not bad! There was way more mystery in it than in 10. FF 10 gave away most of its plot twists too early, 10-2 kept a lot of it's plot hidden until late chapter 3 and 4. I liked Shuyin and Vegnagun. Leblanc was amusing, her group reminded me of Team Rocket. I thought Nooj an Barelie were really cool (Nooj also looks like my tenth grade history teacher ) I liked the non-linear mission format. And what's wrong with Cheesy? I liked the new vibe the game had. Yes, the songs did rock. *sings along to Koda Kumi* "Ienakatta
Tsen no kotoba wo
Haruka na
Kimi no senaka ni okuru yo
Tsubasa ni kaete"

I don't know about FF Tactics, but the job system didn't suck in X-2. It's one of the only FF games that didn't suffer from "AP syndrome", meaning it didn't take a zillion and one years to earn enough AP to learn new attacks. I liked X-2's magic system much more than 10, which I think was kind of easy. FF5's job system didn't really have character customization either, but I never hear anyone complaining about it.

[uc pseudonym]

Before anything else, an administrative note: Chichiri, "wtf" is not truly appropriate for these boards (which are, I'm sure you know, intended to be child friendly). No, it isn't caught by the filter, but we all know what you mean.

Meanwhile, let me see if I stand on common ground with many of you. I will definitely agree that classic is in the eye of the beholder. I would also agree that there is at least the possibility of old-school games being vaunted as classics over new games (similarly to the Star Wars movies). For example, I am a fan of FFX, though many series fans strongly dislike it.

The only real problem I have with FFX2 is a lack of Auron. I haven't played it enough to make any statement was to its battle system.

An aside note: FFV does have fairly good character customization. For the beginning of the game you have only the basic jobs, but eventually you gain the ability to mix and match, creating some interesting characters.

[Fireproof]

If you want character customization, try FFTA. It's my current favorite game of all tiem. You cand o so much with the characters, but it's not cumbersome at all. You want a fighter with white mage skills? You got it. You want a Moogle gunman who can use black mage skills? Easy. I really like the nonlinear missions format too, it really compels you to explore the game and find as many intresting story tidbits as you can.

[Rocketshipper]

well, if your like me, then you'll have every character master every job possible, then there won't be much variety between them. I agree that the Mime job alowed for some custimazation. Mime was the coolest job EVER!!! In the last half of the game I defeated most bosses by having all my characters mime comet 2 over and over. FF X-2 does have some custimazation. You can use different acessories and garment grids to let your characters use the abilities of dressspheres they don't have equiped, and the different garment grids also give you different abilities, like the "Highwind Roads" grid lets the girl using it attack as soon as battle begins, and other grids give you stuff like auto-haste or defense against certain atacks, etc.

[Chichiri]

Classic is in the eye of the beholder. The SNES games are overr-rated. And 10-2 was good!

10-2 was NOT good. It's pop culture garbage that was so similar to charlie's angels it made me want to puke.

Beauty might be in the eye of the beholder. But looking at the games subjectively, other than graphics, 10-2 does not beat out FF4 or FF6 in almost any category.

But I won't take it too much to heart rocketshipper, because your order is completely screwed up anyway.

As far as job customization, FFx-2's sucked. It was okay that you could switch jobs in mid battle, but Kaemmerite hit the nail on the head. you want job customization? Play FFT, FFTA, or FF5. They do it right. X-2 does not.

and on a side note, while I put 10-2 on the bottom of the crap barrel with 8, I'm not against all new FF's. I enjoyed both 9 and 10 a lot.

[Nate]

If you want character customization, try FFTA. It's my current favorite game of all tiem. You cand o so much with the characters, but it's not cumbersome at all. You want a fighter with white mage skills? You got it. You want a Moogle gunman who can use black mage skills? Easy. I really like the nonlinear missions format too, it really compels you to explore the game and find as many intresting story tidbits as you can.

Tactics Advance...hmm...

While the storyline was below par (COUGHneverendingstoryripoffCOUGH), the graphics were nice and the jobs were neat. BUT, I DON'T like having to learn abilities from weapons. It makes no sense, and it's irritating, ESPECIALLY since you can't get mythril weapons any other way than winning them from random battles. Not a single one of my characters ever got a mythril weapon, so I never got to use any combos. Talk about a stupid idea...call me old-fashioned, but I prefer the Job Point system of the original Tactics better.

In the original Tactics, I can have a black mage with summoner secondary abilities wearing heavy armor and the ability to teleport around the map. Or, I can have a knight with white magic second ability wielding two swords and the ability to ignore height on the map. The best part is, you don't need to equip weapons to earn these abilities! Everything you do in Tactics earns you JP, which can be saved up and used to "purchase" abilities on your current job's ability list. For example, if you're a white mage, you can spend 100 JP to learn Cure 2, or you can save that 100 JP and wait to learn Holy at 600 JP. INFINITELY better than Tactics Advance's "you earn JP at the end of a fight only and it only goes toward the ability you have on the weapon you are currently equipping." LAME.

I liked Tactics Advance, don't get me wrong...but it was just nowhere near the unstoppable juggernaut of perfection that is the original Final Fantasy Tactics.

Which, I might add, UNLIKE Tactics Advance, is currently a Greatest Hit, and can be found fairly easily at any game store for twenty bucks or cheaper.

[Rocketshipper]

Beauty might be in the eye of the beholder. But looking at the games subjectively, other than graphics, 10-2 does not beat out FF4 or FF6 in almost any category.

I would have to disagree. I DO, subjectivly, think X-2 beats out those two in many categories, and infact I think almost ALL the FF games beat them out in many category's, considering where I put 4 and 6 in my ranking. But this is all becoming rather pointless. Which game any of us prefers is based on our own SUBJECTIVE opinions so there is no point coming along and saying "so and so final fantasy is the worst in the series and anyone who likes it is stupid" as if it's a FACT or something, because it's not, it;'s just your opinion ><. I think Final Fantasy 7 is the best, but I'm not going to go yell at anyone who gave it a low ranking and say they "lost credibility" or something like that.

I don't know why I even bother to tell people which FF games I like because this ALWAYS happens to me. I can never escape the FF6 fanboys. It's almost like talking about politics or something.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

See, Mr. SP? I knew you'd come up with some lame excuse to why 6 lost. Just admit it! Six is good, but it's not the best in the eyes of the majority!

its not a lame excuse! its the truth!

[Chichiri]

[quote="Rocketshipper"]I would have to disagree. I DO, subjectivly, think X-2 beats out those two in many categories, and infact I think almost ALL the FF games beat them out in many category's, considering where I put 4 and 6 in my ranking. But this is all becoming rather pointless. Which game any of us prefers is based on our own SUBJECTIVE opinions so there is no point coming along and saying "so and so final fantasy is the worst in the series and anyone who likes it is stupid" as if it's a FACT or something, because it's not, it]

I'm not a FF6 fanboy, it's just FF10-2 blows hard. If FF10-2 is sooo much better than 4 and 6, then tell me why sites like RPGfan (http://www.rpgfan.com) all rate FFX-2 in the 70's range and all the 4 and 6 reviews got 80-100%? They look at things fairly, it's their job. Yet, they gave X-2 the mediocre score it deserves.

As far as 7 goes, it's just highly overrated. Some fans think that FF7 cures cancer and is Godly, which it isn't. A good game it is, a masterpiece it isn't.

You can argue that 10-2 is better, but you'll never win. It's not. There's no reason to. It's a stupid, pop-culture trash game. Nothing epic about it. Nothing special. The job system is cool you say? It's nothing that hasn't been done before in another Final Fantasy -- and most likely they did it better. The game was really just one really long sidequest.

FF4 and FF6 at least bring something to the table. You can argue your point all you want, but you won't find any good, reputable sites that rate 10-2 higher than 4 and 6.

[Rocketshipper]

I'm not a FF6 fanboy, it's just FF10-2 blows hard. If FF10-2 is sooo much better than 4 and 6, then tell me why sites like RPGfan (http://www.rpgfan.com) all rate FFX-2 in the 70's range and all the 4 and 6 reviews got 80-100%? They look at things fairly, it's their job. Yet, they gave X-2 the mediocre score it deserves.

I don't make a point of listening to critics very much. They are human too, and game rating is subjective, no matter what anyone says. They are entitled to their opinions, but it's not as if it's written in stone or something. I'd like to point out that many critics, like Official Playstation Magazine, gave Final Fantasy 8 perfect or near perfect scores, but that doesn't stop many people from hating that installment of the game.

As far as 7 goes, it's just highly overrated. Some fans think that FF7 cures cancer and is Godly, which it isn't. A good game it is, a masterpiece it isn't.

Ditto for almost every 6 fan i've run into on any message board I've been to. It goes both ways.

You can argue that 10-2 is better, but you'll never win.

And neither will you. No matter how many times you post and say you think 4 and 6 are better, you'll never change my mind, or the minds of anyone who disagrees. It's all just your opinion. I don't really care if X-2's battle system and gameplay was the most unique and original system in the universe or a total rip-off of an earlier better system (yes, 5's job system did rock. It's my second favorite system, after Materia) and I don't care if the plot was cheesy and less serious, or pop-culture-ish. All I care about is that I had FUN playing X-2. That's all that mattered. And personally I'm not having fun in this pointless argument.

I'm making a new resolution. If I can help it, I'm NEVER telling anyone on a message board which final fantasys I like. It always causes too much trouble.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Ditto for almost every 6 fan i've run into on any message board I've been to. It goes both ways

...

im a ff6 fanboy, but i don't praise it like that. I just believe its the best rpg out there for many reasons

[uc pseudonym]

As a member, not a moderator, I am going to have to ask this discussion to either end very quickly or merely stop. Arguments are fine, provided they do not become vicious, but at a certain point they are no more than silly. I would term this one of those points; I have been reading this thread for days and hearing the same things repeated time and time again. No one's opinion is going to change.

[Kisa]

*raises hand*
I like FF7, 8, 10, 11 (although 11 got tiring after awhile...)
YAY CHOCOBOS AND MOOGLES!!!!! ^^''

[Tommy]

Hey,I`m new here and this is my first post.I just want to say I love the FF series and Im glad there are Christiansl ike me who like it too.My favorite FF is a three-way tie between FF7,8,and 10.My favorite good guy characters is Zell Dincht from FF8 which is where I got the second word in my user name and my favorite overall character is Sephiroth.

I cant wait for FF7:Dirge Of Cerebus either.

(Sorry,but I dont have an icon or those big pictures r whatever.I just joined this site 5 minutes ago,gotta take the puppy out,later!)

[Zedian]

My favorite FF ever is Final Fantasy VI (SNES version that is). There is just something about that game I love and when I think of everything Final Fantasy is, I think of that game. I'm kinda giddy that Final Fantasy XII is returning the moogles to play a more important role (Like the way they did in FF VI), so here is hoping to a nice return for the series.

My second favorite FF game is Final Fantasy VIII.

[Chichiri]

I don't make a point of listening to critics very much. They are human too, and game rating is subjective, no matter what anyone says. They are entitled to their opinions, but it's not as if it's written in stone or something. I'd like to point out that many critics, like Official Playstation Magazine, gave Final Fantasy 8 perfect or near perfect scores, but that doesn't stop many people from hating that installment of the game.

You can't trust game reviews in magazines anymore. If you want good honest reviews, you really have to look at websites that really criticize and find flaws in games of a single genre.

In case of RPG's, most magazines have crappy reviews of the game.

I remember in a ToS magazine review, people said the game was "too hard" and the battle system was "too complicated". I don't know about anyone else, but I hardly died at all in the game. I know many others who didn't either.

I recall EGM's review of Star Ocean 3. They had stupid complaints like "Oh the enemy falls down. it's so annoying and troublesome (which it's not)." Also, they said something like "I can't find where to go next." The game was rather linear and the reviewers were just idiots.

In case of EGM's review of SO3, I'm in firm belief that if the game was called "Final Fantasy: Till the End of Time", it would have gotten 9's and 10's.

note: I still have a subscription to EGM, but I read it mainly for fun. If any game does pique my interest, I check it out further at a good fansite for the genre.

[agasfas]

Finally fantasy.... I've only played a few: FF9, X, and part of X-2

I loved FF9 dearly. It had an awesome story that was engaging. I fell in love with the characters. Vivi is the man!

FFX was also quite good. The character were cool and the story was nice. So after playing FFX i was so pumped up to play FFX-2. But after i was a few hours into it, it really seemed to drag. I mean, it wasn't "bad" per-se... but I lost my drive to continue to play it. It really served no purpose in my opinion. It's hard to explain... Though I will admit, the new battle system was kind of interesting/cool, but so was X's .

It's not bad, but it's not too impressive. Kind of like an average, in the middle game. I could always pick it up again and finish it, buy why?

I always wanted to play FF8. It's a bit different way of battling, but it looks kind of cool. Also, I've only play a little bit of FF7. I borrowed it from a friend but didn't get too far. So I really have no opinion on this one--looks interesting though .

Though to be honest, Chrono Cross tops the list of my favorites with FF9 coming in 2nd.

[Bobtheduck]

Chrono Cross and FF9... That is definately atypical

[Nate]

FFIX was good, it's actually quite high on my list of FF titles, for multiple reasons. It had excellent music, awesome graphics (for the time), an atypical main character (he doesn't have a big sword! *mock gasp*), fun side quests...and the "in-jokes" from other FF titles were great. It also had the second-kewlest summon ever, beating out Eden from 8 but not quite good enough to top KotR from 7. Plus, FOUR character parties! W00t! Brought back memories of the old days, it did...

Things that bothered me, which made it not on the top of my list were few and far between, but...

1. NO experience from boss fights? Gimme a break...that's where you're supposed to get TONS of experience from.

2. Learning abilities from weapons...I have mixed feelings on this one. On one hand, it's kinda stupid and doesn't make any sense. On the OTHER hand, it makes it worthwhile to search out the rare weapons and armor that I usually don't bother with in other FF titles.

3. You didn't even know who the final boss was until you fought him. It made it very anticlimactic, at least to me, because the final boss really hadn't done anything to me, and I really didn't care about him. When you don't hate a final boss, something is wrong.

These reasons and more are why FF9 is number four on my list of top FF titles. ^^

P.S. Quina RULES! And I like Moogles!

[blkmage]

No experience from boss fights makes it harder.

[uc pseudonym]

But should that be a justification? The first Final Fantasy games are more difficult because once an enemy dies all attacks targeting it miss. This is not a challenge, this is lazy programming (by today's standards, I mean). For that matter, if you got no experience at all would make it harder.

[Mr. Rogers]

i.love.finall.fantasy.
i.wish.my.dumb.dog.didn't.spill.orange.juice.on.my.play.station.and.brake.it...T_T
anyone.willing.to.sell.an.old.PS1?..XD
but.FF7.was.my.favorite...i.liked.7,8,and.10.too.
i.heard.6.is.supposed.to.be.one.of.the.best...but.i.havent.played.it.yet

[Nate]

No experience from boss fights makes it harder.

I agree with uc, that doesn't mean it's justified.

Experience points are a mathematical way of expressing how skilled your character becomes. In real life, if you start weight lifting, you can't lift 350 pounds right off the bat. But as you train, you can lift more and more weight. You've "levelled up" by gaining "experience points" from weight training.

So by that token, everything you do related to weightlifting would net you experience points.

Logically, everything you do related to battle in FF games would give you experience. Is the game saying you're not gaining experience from boss fights? That would be a false assumption; if anything, boss fights should give you MORE experience than regular enemies, as bosses tend to be tricker and require special tactics to defeat, rather than regular enemies that you can normally beat with just a few regular attacks. Therefore, you would gain great experience from fighting a boss, which should translate into great amounts of experience points, as opposed to zero.

I just nuked out a fantasy game. ^^;; But try and find a flaw in my logic.

[plutogrl03]

I'm not much of a gamer but I like the storyline(s) of the Final Fantasy series. If there was a way I could just watch the cinematic parts that would make me happy.
*runs to avoid getting pummeled*