The Offical Final Fantasy Game Thread

[Brother Jack]

See I never got into any of that crap. So to me it is still just VII, and it is truly an epic masterpiece.

I go back and forth between IV, VI, and VII as which is my favorite, but there is no denying the effect VII had on the industry. I still love it. Lately the past few years I've been going back and playing a lot of the old classics. Like a few years ago I went through VII and IV. Now I'm trying to go through VI and VIII. Sad that I still have more fun playing any of these then anything beyond X.

IX is my favorite after VII. I love the old school feel of it. It's the last of its kind in the series and a breath of fresh air for that reason, especially in hindsight now that the series seems to be getting gloomier and gloomier. I mean, I was blown away by the trailer to XV but at the same time the general art style and tone seem to be so derivative and uninteresting to me. The story and characters also do not look particularly remarkable, which is a shame since that used to be one of the greatest aspects of the series.

 

[Solidus]

IX is excllent, no doubts there. I too loved the throwback to FF I-IV with the art/design and feel.

I would love to see that again. I actually want them to make a classic type of FF in all ways with classic gameplay as well. Just updated in smaller ways.

I would say for me it goes

VII
VI
IV
IX
VIII
X
I
V
II
XII
X-2
XIII

 

[Octoberist]

Yeah, part 9 is UNDERRATED AS ALL HELL. And it features the most flamboyant gay character I've seen in a game. That's not meant to be derogatory at all. The dude was wearing a skirt and thong.

 

[Havok83]

Random question about Final Fantasy 12:

Were Balthier and Fran romantically linked? I think it's a shame that this was never fully explored. I thought it would've been a given.

I never got the impression that they were. Here is what the voice actor Gideon Emery had to say about it

Do you think Balthier and Fran were romantically involved? What’s your personal opinion?
Balthier and Fran an item? No. But plenty of flirting. The problem is they’ve known each other for so long that for them to become romantically involved would ruin their relationship. And it’s worth too much to risk. (At least that’s my take) I must admit I did find Fran very cute, though.

http://sentientonline.net/?p=1231

 

[Nathan]

X-2 was a great title. Cant wait to play it again. I remember being really intrigued with the story and wanting to know what the deal was with Yuna/Tidus and their doppelgangers back when it was released.

And yes the dress sphere was awesome

I thought the gameplay in it was great. That was the one big improvement and I thought X should have played like that from the start. I don't think I've ever finished it. It was fun, but felt completely unnecessary. Wasn't it just made because people were unsatisfied with the ending of X?

 

[Havok83]

I thought the gameplay in it was great. That was the one big improvement and I thought X should have played like that from the start. I don't think I've ever finished it. It was fun, but felt completely unnecessary. Wasn't it just made because people were unsatisfied with the ending of X?

Nah it wasn't unsatisfaction that led into X-2; it was good reaction

IGN: Why was Final Fantasy X the first Final Fantasy game to be given a true sequel?


Kitase: We included a short story/movie titled "Eternal Calm" in FFX International, which was released in Japan in January 2002. "Eternal Calm" showed life in Spira, after the ending of the original story in FFX. Fan reaction was larger than we expected and we decided to continue the story of Yuna and surrounding characters in a sequel.
At that time, our team was ready for a new challenge (for a new game, not a sequel) but we thought that creating a sequel to FFX would still be a challenge in a different way and so we made the decision to create a sequel.

Motomu Toriyama: FFX was a "complete" product that it made it very difficult for us to just say good-bye to it. Also, the characters were so appealing that many fans wanted to see more of them. However, what really triggered us to move forward with a sequel was the inclusion of the "Eternal Calm" in FFX International (only released in Japan); a short story that depicted the world of Spira two years after the ending of the original story.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/11/25/final-fantasy-x-2-developer-interview

 

[Nathan]

If that's all it was, I'm surprised there wasn't a VII-2.

 

[Octoberist]

VII-2 was Advent Children in some ways. I wish it was a video game instead of a film however.

 

[X Knight]

is there a release date for X/X-2 HD?

 

[Soapy]

IX is excllent, no doubts there. I too loved the throwback to FF I-IV with the art/design and feel.

I would love to see that again. I actually want them to make a classic type of FF in all ways with classic gameplay as well. Just updated in smaller ways.

I would say for me it goes

VII
VI
IV
IX
VIII
X
I
V
II
XII
X-2
XIII

LIST WARZ!!

VI
IX
Tactics
XII
XI
IV
VII
Crystal Chronicles
X
XIII
V
III

 

[Brother Jack]

VII-2 was Advent Children in some ways. I wish it was a video game instead of a film however.

Man was that movie a disappointment. It wasn't terrible but it did not do justice to the original game at all.

 

[Octoberist]

That, and there so many..fan-baiting moments where they've forgot to tell a story or even have character development.

 

[Octoberist]

LIST WARZ!!

VI
IX
Tactics
XII
XI
IV
VII
Crystal Chronicles
X
XIII
V
III

From the ones I've played:

7
6
9
10
5
12
13

 

[Drz]

6 and 9 are the best.

 

[KevanG]

I've only played a bit of I and none of them between II-VI.

 

[DigificWriter]

FFVII is the single most overrated game in the franchise. It's a good game, but it's nowhere near the pinnacle when it comes to what the franchise has produced as part of the numbered core series. Final Fantasies VI, VIII, IX, X, and XIII are all better games, surpassing VII in terms of story, game mechanics, and, in the case of the VIII, IX, X, and XIII, graphics.

My Top 5 favorite games in the core numbered series:
FFX
FFXIII
FFVIII
FFVI
FFIX

 

[Nathan]

FFVII is the single most overrated game in the franchise. It's a good game, but it's nowhere near the pinnacle when it comes to what the franchise has produced as part of the numbered core series. Final Fantasies VI, VIII, IX, X, and XIII are all better games, surpassing VII in terms of story, game mechanics, and, in the case of the VIII, IX, X, and XIII, graphics.

And I almost thought you were serious.

 

[DigificWriter]

^ I AM serious. All of the games I mentioned ARE better than Final Fantasy VII.

 

[Nathan]

Well, in that case.

[YT]OsuAKtHwny4[/YT]

 

[DigificWriter]

^ I feel bad for you that you're so shallow that you have to mock my opinion to make yourself feel better.

 

[KevanG]

To be quite honest you would be the first person I've heard speak well of FF XIII. Usually I hear one or two positive points and the rest is bashing it. I haven't played it, I watched some gameplay videos and I have little interest in playing it. It looks very linear and not that great. I preferred FFVII when I could just wander around the world and mess around for twenty hours like I do in Fallout.

 

[DigificWriter]

^ This idea that FFXIII is hated is, in all honesty, a fallacy. People might've criticized its linearity, but it was nonetheless very well-received, receiving an 8.5 from Gamespot, an 8.9 from IGN, and a 39 out of 40 from Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, along with many other positive reviews. It also sold incredibly well, with 6.6 million copies having been sold worldwide as of January of this year.

I might be in the minority in terms of ranking it above Final Fantasy VII, but I've never understood the love for that particular installment, which I personally felt had a very weak storyline and an even weaker main protagonist - Cloud - who was grossly overshadowed by his supporting protagonists, particularly Barrett and Tifa, as well as by the game's villain(s).

For me, Lightning is an infinitely better protagonist than Cloud, and the characters Square Enix surrounded her with compliment her perfectly, each standing out in their own unique way but not to the point that they overshadow or eclipse her. I also love FFXIII's storyline.

 

[Solidus]

It just shows the terrible state of gaming journalism. If it is hyped and has a franchise name most will say "it's okay". Most fans were pissed, and there were lots of critics that panned it. Especially later on many critics changed their minds and said..."Ya it was not that great." Jim Sterling I think nailed it with his review. That showed even more so with the sales of XIII-2. People just lost interest. XIII sold so well because it was the first next gen FF, of course it was going to sell well, hell I bought a copy too. Bad games can sell lots of copies.

That and it was not praised like previous FF. Ya the game was not said to be the worst game of all time. But for a FF game (which we were used to very high quality) was a step down. I mean I've played much worse games. But as an FF game it was a massive disappointment to me and many others. I really hope after FFXV they try to go back to the roots with their gameplay. Story is always secondary in video games. Gameplay is the most important aspect.

I think all of the characters in XIII were just terrible. And more importantly the gameplay since after X-2 has just become boring and too simplistic, taking away from the core gameplay that made FF work for so many years before. The story for XIII I thought was convoluted and just poor voice acting/characterization.

EDIT:

Ya Soapy I forgot about FF Tactics. Truly a gem of a game, it would be high up there. But I just kinda figured I would rank the core games. But FFT one of the best games out there.

 

[DigificWriter]

^ You're entitled to your own opinion concerning the relative quality - or lack thereof - of FFXIII, but it is rather ignorant to just dismiss the positive reviews the game - and its sequel - legitimately garnered just because you didn't personally like it or because the praise for it wasn't universal.

Sites like IGN and Gamespot aren't run by amateurs, and the people who review games for them don't just give a game high marks because it's part of a franchise. They give games high marks because those games have genuinely earned said high marks.

FFXIII-2 might not have sold as many copies internationally as its predecessor, but it was still very much a success, mixed reviews notwithstanding.

 

[Solidus]

^ You're entitled to your own opinion concerning the relative quality - or lack thereof - of FFXIII, but it is rather ignorant to just dismiss the positive reviews the game - and its sequel - legitimately garnered just because you didn't personally like it or because the praise for it wasn't universal.

Sites like IGN and Gamespot aren't run by amateurs, and the people who review games for them don't just give a game high marks because it's part of a franchise. They give games high marks because those games have genuinely earned said high marks.

FFXIII-2 might not have sold as many copies internationally as its predecessor, but it was still very much a success, mixed reviews notwithstanding.

No....IGN especially is one of the worst sites out there. And after the Kane and Lynch debacle with Jeff at Gamespot they have lost a lot of their credibility as well. There are things that are reviewed well and that opinion may not age as well. You read most articles now about FFXV or any of the future installments and most talk about FFXIII to be something not cared for as much. I remember in one of the chat sessions with Sessler a while ago he was saying the same thing. That and people change their minds. FFXIII was surrounded by so much hype, as time went on including myself many were just like "Meh."

And with SE in really big trouble right now they need to get fans back because after FFXIV and that whole debacle they have shaken fans to say the least.

I'm just hoping SE get's their act together and out of these financial woes they are in and figure it out. Go back to the classic gameplay.