Which Final Fantasy should I play?

[BlueTsunami]

Honestly...now that I think about the Revolutions ability to download and play classic Nintendo games....I REALLY wouldn't mind downloading Chrono Trigger and playing it on the Revolution. Simply because (this is my opinion by the way) you seem to get a difference experience when playing these games on a console thats connected to a TV....I don't know why......

I don't mean to bring up this in this thread...but I wonder if the Revolution will add anything to the classic games...as far as smoother texture or being able to speed up and slow down.....I don't know...I guess if they did that you might as well as get an emulator and play these games

 

[DuckThor Evil]

This baffles me in that it is the most common tie between people who enjoyed the game. The main characters are flat and uninspired. The only ones with any depth whatsoever are the villans. The meaningful interactions with other characters in the FF8 world number zero. So you have a world that needs saving (imagine that) which you really have no reason to care about, characters trying to save the world that are essentially non-existant, and villans trying to take over the world which you begin to think maybe isn't such a bad idea. Tack on a magic system which you don't use (other than to boost character stats), an ending cinematic that is at first boring tranforming into painful to watch, and you have FFVIII.

Of course, just IMHO. I just wish official reviewers would've had the marbles to call a spade a spade. For other user reviews, check here.

I agree about the magic system, it was bad, because you practically couldn't use magic, but I enjoyed collecting them to make the characters better. I enjoyed the setting of the game and the rivalry between Seifer and the main character, also the some of the enemies and Ultimecias castle were breathtaking. The ending was probably the most satisfying of any FF game so far... Well this is pointless I disagree on just about every thing you said, and I don't think either of us is going to change our minds, so let's just leave it that, I love it You hate it.

 

[PARANOiA]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

I think I'm actually going to go back and replay FFVI (since I've forgotten pretty much everything about the game, including characters and story ). To tell you the truth, I never finished it. I played it years ago, and got quite far (20+ hours?), but just sort of "lost interest". I think I might start it again.

I have Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, which is addictive as hell. Again, I didn't finish it though (can you actually "finish" it??) since it took up too much of my laugh. Playing it before going to work. Playing it on the train. Standing outside work playing that last battle before going inside. Going home, playing it till 3am. Not realising the time, panicking because you've got work tomorrow, repeat, repeat, repeat.

I was considering picking up FF8 for PC, since I don't have a PSX any more. I don't have a PS2, but would consider picking one up for the decent library of console RPG's on it, although the consensus here seems to suggest that the older ones have more merits over anything on VIII and above. Then I could just wait for a PS3

I haven't tried FF1+2 on GBA, since the levelling up system seems a bit... weird. Levelling up for the point of it, rather than progressing your character. Granted, I sent a good ten hours of my life levelling up on those basket-things in FFVII ("Gimme Elixer!"). It's all in good fun

I might try branching out to Vagrant Story, or others by Square, actually. But VI looks like the goer. Can anyone who has played FFVI tell me *why* you liked it so much? I could rant all day about FFVII and I'm hoping there's similarities with it's predecessor.

 

[passby]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

Actually the exercise is useless.

Most FF opinions stem from an individual's preferences with regards to the characters and protagonist - since these play a major role in a FF's experience. In other words it becomes a very personal opinion, and is usually useless reference for others - much more so than any other game. Just witness the vastly differing opinions in this thread on selected installments.

although the consensus here seems to suggest that the older ones have more merits over anything on VIII and above.

I think it is more suitable to say that the designers have changed their target audience somewhat, but the previous audience hasn't moved on.

Can anyone who has played FFVI tell me *why* you liked it so much? I could rant all day about FFVII and I'm hoping there's similarities with it's predecessor.

Great idea. Ignore the 'X says FF<Y> is awesome/rubbish!' comments, unless X has the same preferences as you.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

Actually the exercise is useless.

Most FF opinions stem from an individual's preferences with regards to the characters and protagonist - since these play a major role in a FF's experience. In other words it becomes a very personal opinion, and is usually useless reference for others - much more so than any other game. Just witness the vastly differing opinions in this thread on selected installments.

although the consensus here seems to suggest that the older ones have more merits over anything on VIII and above.

I think it is more suitable to say that the designers have changed their target audience somewhat, but the previous audience hasn't moved on.

Can anyone who has played FFVI tell me *why* you liked it so much? I could rant all day about FFVII and I'm hoping there's similarities with it's predecessor.

Great idea. Ignore the 'X says FF<Y> is awesome/rubbish!' comments, unless X has the same preferences as you.

You make an extremley valid point. Each of our experiences with each Final Fantasy IS different and personal. If thats the case (as you said) then it is hard to convince someone of your favoritism towards one game without them actually experiencing this.

Music plays a HUGE part in the personal experience I believe. If you ever played Chrono Trigger then I would ask you to download and listen to Kingdom of Zeal (on a File Sharing program or just google it and find it).....and tell me what you feel. Whenever I hear that song...it brings me back to my childhood (I'm 19 now). I'm talking about when I was 11 or 12. Its such a wonderful feeling...but very sad since I know that I can probably never reclaim that feeling again with Chrono Trigger.

Some people say Final Fantasy's suck and most JRPG's are no good. But in all honesty I feel more heart from these games.....and the music, just like scent...when heard, brings all those emotions from the game and that particular time of your life...rushing back to you.

Can anyone who has played FFVI tell me *why* you liked it so much?

You should go out and play it (just get an emulator and find the ROM ). Its cast of characters are all unique in their own way (and theirs alot of them). Also as I explained above (about the importance of music in RPGs), the musical score is top notch in this game. The graphics are of course...SNES calibre, but for some reason they don't seem that bad to me. I also like the progression of the story itself and how everyone has their own reason for questing together..but eventually fight for the same cause...very very good game. I recommend playing.

 

[Shark Sandwich]

Now that I think about it, one of the things I like about VI is that it managed to be fairly dark and gloomy without ever being "edgy" or "extreme" or any of that other crap like most games today are. There are no whiny, angsty teenage protagonists, and no goody-two-shoes kids who set out to save the world on their own. Every character was believable and had their own reason for fighting. It's a lot different from the typical "spiky-haired 17 year old boy, his childhood friend, a mysterious girl with a mysterious medallion that has a mysterious power, and the badass old warrior dude set out to gain the powers of all the elemental spirits and save the world from a madman obsessed with power."

Anyway, if you liked Tactics Advance, I can't recommend strongly enough that you get your hands on FFT by any means possible. Imagine FFTA but with better music, an amazing storyline (I'd say the deepst and most mature of any FF game), more challenge, deeper character customization, and more of pretty much anything that you could've possibly liked about FFTA.

 

[representation3]

FF7 was good for the first 3 disks, by the end the story just stopped making sense. (Why does everything have to turn into hidous monsters)

FF9's art direction just drives me mad. It is bad enough that I get happy go luck backgrounds, why would all characters be yah high with with huge heads.

FFT was way too long. Each plot battle takes at least 30 min. Then you get random battles that takes 15min. And watching cutsy characters in 2D spites bashing each other on the head does not exactly help pass the time.

When I want RPGs, I will stick to ones made by Bioware and Black Isle.

 

[Sean*O]

FF VII had the most involving storyline, FF X had by far the best visuals, and FF III/VI is a classic.

They all have great OSTs.

Xenogears was my personal favorite Squaresoft RPG of the PS1 era, with probably the best OST of that era (or any other) as well. Chrono Cross was also a fun Square RPG from that time period.

 

[gurgi]

FF1 and FFTactics (psx and gba) are my favorites from the series. You might play FF1 via the origins remake. I think I still like the original NES version better, because I don't like the fruity SNES character art they put in origins, but the backgrounds, enemies and other improvements are pretty nice, especially the concept art gallery imo. I think there is also an easy mode for those that found FF1 to be too hard.

 

[acaylian]

i think 8 was probably the best story-wise, combat system and card thing could have been better however. 8's story seems a lot more adult oriented and mature compared to the rest of them, i had a hard time getting into 9 and 10 because they just seemed too childish and stupid at times to me personally.

even better than the ff series was the oldschool phantasy star games from sega master system/genesis era, great stories and battle systems, much better than ff i think.

 

[Sean*O]

The original Phantasy Star was a great one. Probably my favorite RPG of the 8-bit console era. Ultima games on my old Atari 800, Ultima IV especially, rank as probably my favorite all time RPGs.

Sorry for going off topic..

 

[archie4oz]

Actually the exercise is useless.

Most FF opinions stem from an individual's preferences with regards to the characters and protagonist - since these play a major role in a FF's experience. In other words it becomes a very personal opinion, and is usually useless reference for others - much more so than any other game. Just witness the vastly differing opinions in this thread on selected installments.

This pretty much sums up my opinion... For what it's worth, V and VII were my favorites...