Final Fantasy

[ElvenVeil]

Hello guys Final Fantasy talk !
Now the point, if any, of this thread is to know what you guys like about the final fantasy series; which game is your favorite (why?), least favorite (why), favorite theme, or perhaps even scene - crowning moments of awesomeness.
Whatever you feel to add when you think of final fantasy. I just started playing Final Fantasy VI again, and that's why I wanted to have a little talk, as the games are awesome.

To get into the mood - here is a little tune
YouTube - Final Fantasy Song

Ah yes another funny thing to add would be: What MBTI does the protagonists/antagonists of the games have

 

[Puffy]

Heey,

Yeah, I used to love final fantasy. (: I've played through 4-12 (with the exception of 11), some of them a fair few times. Since moving I don't have a console any more though so I havn't had a chance to catch up on ff13.

If I was to pick a favorite I think I would actually go with ff9 - it is, at least, the one I have played through the most times. Overall, just a good range of characters, a variety of environments (quite a colourful game)

I've always had a fondness for manikins and puppets so the way this symbol was manipulated through the story I appreciated. There's the obvious link with the mages and genomes. Or even in how Steiner and Beatrix are bound by a sense of duty to someone whose motives become questionable. But, in particular, I always felt this made Kuja a more tragic villain than the others. Sephiroth is cool, but I can't appreciate a villain who is basically made out to be 'uber' he has his tragic moments, sure, but Kuja inevitably becomes more human with his realisation that he is simply a tool like everyone else, no matter what power he accumulates. While Necron's surprise appearance at the end was initially off-putting (I like building up to the final fight rather than a surprise monster) it fit this final theme that ultimately everyone is a manikin to death.

Also I LOVED chocobo hot & cold :P. And, and, the dream world at the end - that was pretty awesome, how it amalgamates all the environments of the game into a series of images. I just liked it..

Least favorite.. It would have to be between 8 & 12. I'll go with 8. Simply, I didn't like the junction system. When you understood it it made the game really tedious but simple. Tedious because you have to draw magic all the time, simple because by drawing all the magic your stats are always really high. Omega weapon just wasn't very difficult to me. I thought most of the environment was pretty plain, with the exception of certain garden scenes and the Laguna sequences.

I just didn't like the characters much either. I can understand Squall's dirge but it isn't very fun to watch. My life is a dirge but I don't have a gunblade, I'm not a part of some secret organisation that sends me on missions all over the world, I don't have beautiful girls giving me attention all the time. He just irritated me. There are interesting ways of portraying depressed characters, I just didn't like Squall. It was just quite a slow game in my opinion and had quite a grey, dull feel to it.

/rant

What are your least/ favorites Veil? (:

 

[ElvenVeil]

haha Chocobo hot and cold.. Perhaps the best minigame ever made Kweh.. Kweh?! .. KWEHH !!!!! :P

Well to be honest I am about to just agree with you.. I loved final fantasy IX because of the interesting storyline.. The game is completly broken with the ability system, but I tend to overlook it, as the game itself is just enjoyable overall.. Freya from final fantasy IX is perhaps one of my favorite characters now that I think of.. I am not sure why I am so fond of her. . Perhaps it is all that introverted sadness of hers.
I would say final fantasy IX, VII , VI are my favorite games.. Final Fantasy IX has the best characters I would say.. and also some lovely themes like 'Loss of me' or Sword of doubt (Two of Beatrixes themes).. Final Fantasy VII has without a doubt the most interesting and confusing storyline, and that is a good thing.. Cloud is an interesting person, and I loved Tifa.. But the other characters never said me that much. Perhaps Vincent.. The materia system is brilliant and it has some good themes (in a final fantasy scale, where most themes actually are very good) , like One winged angel or the rather unknown 'interrupted by fireworks'.. Perhaps the most beautiful scene in a final fantasy game.. It is being played when Tifa and Cloud are out on their romantic tour at gold sauser; Tifa wants to tell Cloud what she feels about him but she is so nervous, but when she is just about to tell Cloud, the fireworks are starting and she never tells him what she feels

Final Fantasy VI: This is ranking very high .. if the not the highest (though it is a close race). FF VI has wonderful themes.. it is clearly Nobou Uematsus peak at that time.. Terra's theme for one is wonderful.
Kefka is the main antagonist of the game.. and he is rather.. special : p
Unlike the other plotting, level headed antagonists like Kuja and Sephiroth , Kefka is just insane.. nothing less.. there is a reason why his final battle theme is named 'Dancing mad'
Shadow is also a cool and interesting character.

Final Fantasy V has the class system.. and that is cool , but the game doesn't have that much more to offer.. or that is not true.. good themes and ofc.. BOCO

Final Fantasy VIII is really low ranking.. amongst Final Fantasy III and IV (awful games) .. But final fantasy VIII just... isn't final fantasy. It has fine music, I can accept that, but no equip items (?????? does not compute), no real classes, no good storyline, borring characters.. well the list goes on and on.. and it is a real pity..
The game has two decent characters: Squall and Rinoa, but appart from those two I just couldn't feel the other characters at all. The fact that characters are not in touch with any classes as such, is a real failure as well. Final fantasy VII is a bit unclear towards some of the characters, although they do hint something.
Cloud is most likely a knight, but Barret, Nanaki(Samurai?) and Vincent are not all that clear imo.

hmm
From a character gallery view I would rank the following characters:
Top 3 Main Antagonist: Kefka, Kuja, Sephiroth (VI, IX, VII)
Top 3 main protagonist: Cloud, Zidane, Celes (can be argued that she is the main character) (VII, IX, VI)
Top 3 companions: Freya, Tifa Vivi (IX, VII, IX)
Top 3 antagonist sidekicks: Gilgamesh(he is just brilliant), General Beatrix, The Turks(V, IX, VII)

 

[Latro]

Let's see:
Favorite: FF8. It was actually my first RPG, so nostalgia probably taints my opinion here. But even trying to drill through the nostalgia:
I really liked the junction system.
I liked the characters at the time but in retrospect really only Squall, Rinoa, and to some extent Seifer and Edea are round and dynamic.
I liked the story more generally.
I liked a lot of the aspects of the setting, albeit not all of them. Esthar for example is awesome.

In retrospect the game is way too easy, though, especially if you go low level. Not even necessarily hardcore "omg I killed an enemy reset" low level, but just "mostly card enemies" low level, so that you're, say, in the 20s when you beat the game, as I was in my most recent run.

Anti-nostalgia if you will made me not very fond of FF9, because I had played FF8 and FF7 at the time and was expecting a game like those. I didn't get one. I haven't really gone back to peel away the anti-nostalgia yet (after having played a bunch of the earlier FFs).

I burned myself out on FF10 by doing too much of the endgame content (I have every aeon, every Celestial Weapon, every Monster Arena boss except Nemesis unlocked, most Monster Arena bosses beaten, multiple 255 stats, etc.) while only having done one actual run through the game. Thus my memory of it is mostly comprised of annoying tedium...and yet when I've caught glimpses of the main game (links in videos, things about the soundtrack etc.) I'm seeing a great game there. Another one I should replay.

If I had to give a serious answer about which game I actually think is the best, though, when I try to remove all my cognitive biases and so on, I'm torn between FF7, FF10, and believe it or not FF12. The worst, however, is almost certainly FF13, although tbph FF5 was pretty bad.

Top protagonist: Squall or perhaps Tidus. Squall I can relate to in a number of ways; Tidus just fits really well in a really interesting set of character dynamics etc.
Top antagonist: My actual preference probably goes out to Sin. Sephiroth, although the Jenova thing is interesting, is boring as a character mid-story; his backstory is interesting, but in the context of the actual story you're playing through, he's just a psychopath. Ultimecia was just a nothing, sadly, without even the development of Sephiroth. Kuja was developed in a lot of detail...into a really crappy character, IMO. Sin was quite complicated and interrelated with the rest of the story, characters, etc.; it was an all around brilliant move.



I'll probably come back and write some more later.

 

[Glordag]

I absolutely love the games. Final Fantasy Tactics is my favorite. It just had a very awesome combination of great, strategic gameplay, amazing music, a wonderful story, and a visual style that I loved. It's been a while since I've played it, but I'll try to type a couple of characters...

Ramza - ISFJ. I tried to break this one down by what I feel are his most predominant traits - he's very idealistic and acts on those ideals, and he is also extremely sentimental. I then tried to discern whether he was extraverted or introverted. I decided on introverted. Thus, I figured Si would be the primary function, and Fe would be the auxiliary. That gave me ISFJ.

Delita - ENTJ. Cold hearted and logical, but very driven. Delita seemed to have unnatural visions about the future and an ability to connect the unseen pieces. I felt that his predominant trait, however, was the ability to put things into action in a very calculated a methodical fashion. I went with Te-Ni, giving me ENTJ.

Tactics aside, I would probably go with Final Fantasy VI next, followed by VII. I didn't much care for VIII, never played IX, and I enjoyed most of the rest.

Hmm...I wonder if I can think of an INTP character from a Final Fantasy game?

 

[ElvenVeil]

it's a pity that I actually don't know the names you list above Glordag, so I won't be able to comment on them

The newer the games the easier it should be to type the characters, as they are usually more well developed in the new games. The character type for an INTP would most likely be a 'lone ranger' (perhaps Sixth ranger if we go TV Tropes http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SixthRanger

(the following is just a quick brainstorming) Candidates for INTP's :
FF VI, Kefka, Shadow.
FF VII, Cloud, Tifa (?) , Vincent, Nanaki
FF VIII, Squall, Seifer
FF IX, Amarand, Freya, Kuja

Some of them I am close to already have ruled out more or less. but for the sake of being more accurate I allowed them on. The people added above are all introverts, with a tendency towards keeping their thoughts for themselves. They are (or at least close to) , all Thinkers as well. The N and P will usually be more difficult to decide.

Of those Above I would say that it is almost certain that Shadow is an INTP.
Amarand and Freya are also decent candidates.. However Freya could be an INFP imo.
Nanaki is a bit interesting.. Is he an INTP with a well developed Fe ?

 

[Puffy]

Hmm, personally I feel Kefka fits ENTP better than INTP. Granted he is portrayed as insane so he could be a number of different types that have just been distorted. Then again he doesn't seem in it to just create madness but to become a God. Though tbh, Kefka seems the type of character who was just 'winging it' as it were. I don't think he had a master plan he just improvised and opportunities came to him which he took advantage of. It seems more of an Ne-dom strategy in my opinion.

Plus Kefka is all about retaining a high position and manipulating the others around him, I think he has Fe but that it would be higher than inferior. I would likely go ENTP or maybe INxJ.

For Squall I would likely go ISTP. Seifer, maybe the same, or ESTP (same type as Zell I think - but not too certain.) Edea (as the sorceress/ ultimecia) is likely an INFJ I think.

A general trend I notice is that a lot of the main characters are usually sensation types and the villains are portrayed as intuitives. Which makes sense, the characters having to unravel the master plan of the antagonist.

When you said theme I didn't know you meant music. One of my personal favorites is Grand Cross (FFIX): YouTube - The Black Mages - Grand Cross (FF9) - Guitar - Frets on Fire

 

[Cavallier]

My favorite, by far, is FF12. I know. I'm weird. I just really enjoyed the politics of it all. I also really liked the various characters better since their motivations seemed more real to life than other FF games.

FF13 has been very interesting so far. I'm only about half way through though.

Spoiler

YouTube - Final Fantasy A+ Part 1

Yahoo Watashi Wa Kattaze!!!

 

[Latro]

My favorite, by far, is FF12. I know. I'm weird. I just really enjoyed the politics of it all. I also really liked the various characters better since their motivations seemed more real to life than other FF games.

Other than Ashe, to some extent Basch, and Balthier, I thought that the characters in FF12 were very badly developed. Perhaps not as badly as in some of the games, but pretty badly, especially Penelo and Vaan. The bigger-than-character-level story is quite good, though, much better than in most of the other FFs.

FF13 has been very interesting so far. I'm only about half way through though.

Minus chapter 11 and the new game plus (which are basically the same thing minus another crystarium tier) I found FF13 to be rather disappointing. The paradigm system gets interesting eventually, especially once you have 3 people in your party; you're in less direct control but it feels like you actually have more overall control. You basically have 6 really different moves available to you in a given fight with some subtlety to each one. But then, the paradigm system gets introduced WAY too late. That first chunk of the game where you don't have it has extremely monotonous combat.

Then the non-combat gameplay is essentially nonexistent (run down linear hallways 98% of the time until chapter 11, and then when you're not doing that in chapter 11 you're just hunting hidden monsters and killing them, or exploring a mostly empty but absolutely stunning world). The characters are pretty good, but not as good as they have been. And the story is a big disappointment; there are some really, really good moments (the amusement park comes to mind), but the overall story is pretty dull, imo.

 

[Deleted member 1424]

I've played VII-XIII (excluding XI)


VIII was terrible; its story, it's characters, the battle system, everything. On the positive side Ragnarok was neat, the moombas were pretty adorable, and I suppose there is always nostalgia value.

Favorite Character: Quistis/Edea

Spoiler

YouTube - The Black Mages II : The Skies Above - Maybe I'm A Lion (Final Fantasy VIII)

IX was a solid game, the chocobo side-quests were excellent, the music was exceptional and the characters and story were decent, even if the plot made no sense once you got to Terra. However the end dungeon was a huge letdown for me personally.

Favorite Character: Vivi/Beatrix

Spoiler

YouTube - Final Fantasy IX You are not Confined by Sonicade
YouTube - OCR00320: Final Fantasy IX Place of Return OC ReMix

I actually really liked X. I know a lot of people despised it for Tidus, and I understand why, but being the on the PS2 it had the first (albeit terrible) voice acting, actual faces, and a wealth of detail I'd never seen in a FF title. (and you could switch out characters mid battle!) I was really into the story and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Favorite Character: Lulu
Favorite Character of all FF time: Auron

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V71WOkM0O7UYouTube - FFX Assault/Raid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSiyMNmnWHY&feature=related

XII had great gameplay and an expansive world, however I found the story and characters dull. I literally couldn't make myself care. I was also exceptionally irritated that they replaced Basch with Va'an as the protagonist just to have a metrosexual lead. Penelo and Va'an had absolutely no place in the story.

Favorite Character: Al-Cid




....and I saved the best for last; FFVII. Roll your eyes and bask in your hype aversion if you like, but the subjective fact remains that no other game in the series holds a candle to it. It was not only my first rpg, but really my first video game, and Sephiroth, leather-clad momma's boy that he was, my first love. The materia system was elegant and adaptable, the story riveting, and the music was Uematsu's best work.

It was perfection if such a thing exists, at least before the compilation, which ran it thoroughly into the ground and then sat on it. VII is Square's cash cow now and they'll just continue raping it with terrible spin-off after remake after spin-off. I mean, they took a villain that literally crushed thousands of people without mercy or hesitation (probably killing more than geostigma) and turned him into fucking comic relief! They took all of Cloud's character development and ignored it (making half of the game functionally pointless), turned Aerith into Jesus (well she was always Jesus, but at least it wasn't so anviliscous in the game), and gave Vincent a mindnumblingly stupid background story.

and please don't get me started on Genesis. ughhh

Favorite Character: Jenova/Mukki

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKQCdlRewA0YouTube - Ascension To Cosmo Canyon ~ Final Fantasy VII (OC Remix)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53vfC6YbUhA

I don't think I'll play any future installments. I've given up on Final Fantasy for precisely three reasons; the compilation of FFVII, FFX-2, and FFXIII. I cannot even find obscene enough words to describe the rotten (but oh so shiny) patronizing filth that is FFXIII.

 

[Cavallier]

I was rather pissed when they replaced Basch with Va'an as well. By the end I decided that there wasn't really a main protagonist in FF12. The plot was more about the world in strife and the political intrigue instead of a few guys/girls epically Saving the World sort of thing. That does get a little old sometimes.

Am I really the only one that hated Ash? I call her Princess Ass-Face. I really really hate her.

I thought that FFX2 might have very well sucked the soul out of the FF franchise. It was just so bad.

 

[Latro]

I thought that FFX2 might have very well sucked the soul out of the FF franchise. It was just so bad.

Considered in isolation, I think FFX-2 was better than FF13, and possibly better than FF5. It's horrible when put in the bigger context of the whole series, just because of how it ravages the tone of the series in general, but as a game in its own right I actually didn't think it was that bad.

The Via Infinito is bullshit, though, and the actual main story would've been better off being nonexistent.

 

[Puffy]

Tbh, I did enjoy FF12, but for me I played it more as a challenge than for the story-line or characters. Like the hunts/ secret bosses were really fun and challenging, if you attempted them at the right levels. I think I did everything except Yiazmat (an 8 hour boss fight? No thanks) and the final boss of the story-line. By the end I really didn't care how the story finished, lol. I can't even remember the antagonists name. He just wasn't very memorable, but then that was likely the point. It was more focused on the political aspect so individuals were less concerned, as opposed to the former games where it is often the world vs. the villain.

I don't expect to play any more FF games. I don't have a PS3 or Xbox 360 and have no motivation to buy one, as there are not enough games I want. I had a look at FF13 at a friends and it did no seem worthwhile to me. Far too linear and tedious.

I do expect to play through the older games many times, however. There always comes a time every few years to come back to them :P

 

[Cavallier]

Considered in isolation, I think FFX-2 was better than FF13, and possibly better than FF5. It's horrible when put in the bigger context of the whole series, just because of how it ravages the tone of the series in general, but as a game in its own right I actually didn't think it was that bad.

The Via Infinito is bullshit, though, and the actual main story would've been better off being nonexistent.

I can't pass judgment on XIII quite yet since I haven't finished it. The first 12 hours of linear storyline is a little worrisome though I admit. When do I get to wander around dang it? Yeah, I agree that X-2 isn't bad as a game by itself. It was just so unexpectedly bad in the context of the rest of FF.

/rant

 

[Latro]

I can't pass judgment on XIII quite yet since I haven't finished it. The first 12 hours of linear storyline is a little worrisome though I admit. When do I get to wander around dang it? Yeah, I agree that X-2 isn't bad as a game by itself. It was just so unexpectedly bad in the context of the rest of FF.

/rant

Chapter 11 you have some wandering. There's some exploring to do, but the area is mostly empty really. Although, as in the earlier chapters, this makes sense in the story, but that doesn't really quiet the complaint. Build story partially around gameplay and avoid doing the reverse, dammit.

Anyway, there are some little places to explore which have a few little optional scenes, a couple of which are kinda nice but which ultimately have no significance, and there's a somewhat FFXII-like hunt system that you can go through which of course has the hardest bosses in the game. Also, you start getting enough money and item income to actually do heavy crafting. Then after you beat the game you can do a somewhat new game plus-like thing, which lets you go into the Chapter 13 area and the Chapter 11 area with an additional crystarium tier; you pretty much have to do this to beat the last few "hunts".

There are never towns, though.

 

[jachian]

I Lothe the final fantasy series !!..... I always found it over hyped and not worth my time......

I did play the snes version...... but it couldnt hold my attention.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

....and I saved the best for last; FFVII. [...] It was perfection if such a thing existshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53vfC6YbUhA

I love FFVII and it's probably tied with V and XII for my favorite title in the series. But perfection? Really? VII does not know perfection and neither does any other game in the series. Tedious unskippable cutscenes, lack of challenge, interchangeable characters (gameplay wise) are only a few of the more obvious flaws. Still, I love the materia system, the music (possibly my favorite game soundtrack ever) and I quite like the characters. It's a good enough game that I just wish there was more of it - I wish they would remake it and throw in a bunch of sidequests and more stuff to do.

Honestly, the FF series is full of flaws that seem to have become ingrained in the very nature of the series. Which is one reason I love FFXII. Twelve installments into the series, they actually shook things up. It's the first installment in which you're not just running through an empty, lifeless and static worl- well, actually, you still are, but it's a step in the right direction. Yeah, the characters are dull, but there hasn't been a Final Fantasy game this much fun since V.

Latro, why do you dislike V so much? I know the plot is not very good but it's still amazing.

I really like IV, too. It's the only game in the series that actually manages to pull off making characters feel different (since IX's gameplay sucked. Good story, though). I love the story and it's pace. Everything is so nonstop epic. The soundtrack kicks ass, too.

Never cared for VI. Something about the aesthetic of that game never appealed to me. I didn't like the color scheme, I didn't like the timbre of the soundtrack although the compositions themselves were great. The cast is pretty strong though, and the characters feel different until you get Espers.

I had some fun with VIII, but that game is full of completly baffling creative decisions. It feels like it was made by aliens. And the characters suck, and the soundtrack is Uematsu's worst. The worst FF that I've played.

I did play the snes version...... but it couldnt hold my attention.

"The" SNES version? There are at least four, not counting different releases of the same game, as the US and JAP releases of FFIV and FFVI are remarkably different.