Topic: Final Fantasy/Kingdom Hearts Fan Thread

@CaviarMeths, interestingly enough, I'm on exactly the boss fight where "that person" shows up again. Though, I've lost three times in a row, because only Cecil and "That Person" are the only ones left alive whenever the fight really gets underway, and it seems like EVERYTHING heals the boss, instead of injuring him...

EDIT: I tried the boss fight again after typing this, and won this time (well, it took two more tries. Somehow that stupid doll boss managed to beat me before I got to the one giving me trouble...)

I think I've finally come to terms with my hatred for Final Fantasy 6. I can mostly thank RPGFan's community for making me realize that I'm not the only one who sees its flaws - most people do, even its hardcore fans...it's just that a lot of them accept the flaws and still enjoy the game despite them. At the end of the day, it's not a game for me.

Don't get me wrong, I still think it's a terrible game, but now I don't care if I'm the only one who thinks that. It's not worth the anger and mind space to hate a game, so I won't. That also goes for:

Panzer Dragoon Orta
Kid Icarus: Uprising
Half-Life 2
Secret of Mana

And to a lesser extent Kingdom Hearts II, though I'm actually kind of enjoying it this time around. Not to any great extent, but enough to see where its strengths lie.

I'm doing a big play through of Dragon Age right now, almost done the first game and then onto the second, but I'm really itching to do a full run of FF9 again. It's been years. I can probably play it alongside DAO and DA2, but Inquisition will need my full attention.

That, and wrapping up FF12, will be my January gaming project. If I have time before the end of the month, maybe I'll crack open KH1.5 or hit FF12: Revenant Wings.

I know this is a FF fan thread but I can't see how we can not mention Dragon Quest (Warrior) series. I have to admit I never played this series much, I had the NES game from the Nintendo Power offer but I never got far in it cause at that age I didn't know what I was doing. I was thinking of giving the series another go but I was wondering is Dragon Quest IX a good place to start the series or do I need to play the others first?

Time for a FFIV update:

Finished up my first visit to the Tower of Babil (where you fight the mad scientist, who transforms into a robot). A couple of really big sacrifices. First was Yang, which I totally forgot about, which is a shame because he's been one of my favorite characters so far, so it's sad to see him go (again). Next up soon after was Cid. Can't say I was particularly affected by his sacrifice (he already felt like a "filler" party member, for the time he was with you), but he sure went out with a bang! Now, I'm making my way through the cave where those Ninja are.

@Tasuki, I haven't played any DQ games either, but from what I understand they are like FF games in the sense that they are all independent stories (might want to get the word of someone who has actually played them to confirm, though).

Time for a FFIV update.

Edge joined my party (Yes!! I always liked him, but for some reason I was thinking he was FFII, so I was pleasantly surprised to see him). Finished my business in the Tower of Babil (at least for now) & defeated Rubicante (the last of the elemental archfiends).

Anyhow, I now have to head to the Sealed Cave in an attempt to find the final crystal. Doing some self imposed grinding beforehand, though (there's noplace down in the underworld that has Edge compatible armor & he's the weakest member of my group, being the only one under level 50, so he gets injured pretty easily. Need to toughen him up a bit. Leveling the others is just a nice bonus).

Also, in addition to the Sealed Cave (which is where I have to go story wise), I also have access to the Sylph Cave & Eidolon Cave. Are these two optional, or will the story lead me to them in the future? If they are optional, do I only have a certain amount of time to get to them, and what level should my party be before tackling them?

Thanks to anyone who can answer!

I may be loc'ed out and going crazy but I thought FFX was an awesome game. Don't hear too many mention it as a better FF game.

FFX is pretty much disliked in some circles, not as much as VIII(?) but not very fondly remembered.
Personally I find the game to be too linear and rough around the edges for my tastes. Yes, FF games are usually quite linear but never felt this linear. Most of the time I found myself constantly walking forward in a literal straight line through what felt like purely cosmetically different areas to get to the next cut scene event and boss battle. Despite each character having they're own purpose in a fight, the game (way later into it) decides you can now have characters overlap each other! Too bad the game's leveling system makes that feel like a really bad idea, by making your choice to stick away from a certain path a commitment due to conflicting design elements. Not to mention the combat, which I admittingly liked at first because it let me disperse enemies quickly and efficiently, turns into a slog super quick due to battles being random and having to constantly swap out characters and waste turns to level them up. That last reason is why I put the game down, I hit Seymour up in the ice mountain place got my butt kicked and decided I need to grind or reset my save to an earlier point for a better chance. Did I mention the PS2 version doesn't have the ability to skip cut scenes? UGGGHHHHHH.
Personal gripes aside, if you liked the game my power to you.

It's actually my favorite as well, though that might because it was my first in the series.

To be fair though, I never managed to finish the others I've played (I, II, & IV on GBA, and XII on PS2). I'm currently retrying IV though (on Android, which is a port of the DS version), and am liking it more this time. I know it may seem shallow, but I find it easier to really get into when it's in 3D.

Its battle systems and sphere grid are pretty fun. I even enjoyed the puzzles that everyone else on the internet seemed to dislike.

I loved the South Pacific influence in the location and architecture designs, but I hated the character designs. Tidus, Wakka, and Lulu are the worst offenders. They look awful. Most of the NPCs and bosses look awful too. As far as the writing goes, there's about 3 characters in the whole game that don't irritate the hell out of me, and the story was a total teen soap opera. I can be a sucker for some sappy stuff, but it was pure, unbridled wangst.

Overall, I'd give it a 6 or 7 out of 10. I liked it and have played through it a couple times, but I'm not in any hurry to do it again. Honestly, I think the reason it's so well regarded is that we were all 15 when we played it. On the other hand, I would have been 17 when I first played FFXII (pre-ordered that nifty CE steelbook) and was rather disappointed by it at the time, but it's now one of my favorites.

FFIV update.

Completed the Sealed Cave (that "Demon Wall" boss was so intense, can't believe I forgot about it). Kain also left the party (I knew it was coming, but I just wasn't sure when). Also, I got the Lunar Whale, so off to the Moon!

I have yet to play IV (dunno if should go for the GBA, DS, or VC releases), but I have heard that the characters leave and rejoin the party constantly. Do you have time to strip them of their equipment before they leave, or do characters leave at times where doing so would be super inconvenient (i.e. directly after a boss battle)?

A lot of it does happen before/after boss fights, but it never transitions directly from fight to cutscene where they leave (it'll happen in the next room over, after defeating the boss, for example), giving you time to strip them of their equipment. There's only one time I've experienced so far where it transitions from fight to the event, and the enemies in that fight are weak for that area, so if you strip before that fight, it won't hinder your chance to win.

The only problem is that it does happen often, so you'll probably have to be familiar with the story to know who's going & when (just be sure to expect things to happen during or after pretty much every dungeon. That could be party growth, shrinking, or a bit of both).

NOTE: I still haven't beaten the game yet, so there could still be something I don't know (I never beat it on GBA, and have just caught back up to where I was at, playing the Android version, this time).

I don't remember having much trouble with equipment with the revolving cast. Most equipment is somewhat character-specific anyway, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. For example, it's really no biggy if you leave a really good bow on Rosa before she leaves the party, since no one else really benefits from bows anyway.

FFIV update!

Anyhow, a lot happened, and I think I'm going to be heading into the final dungeon (or maybe just boss fight, but I doubt it'll be that direct, lol).

You're almost at the end! Any plans on playing After Years?

I still have $17 left in my Google Play account, so yeah, either The After Years or Dragon Quest IV (never played a DQ game before, but I've heard good things).

EDIT: BTW, my party's average level is in the mid 60's. Is that high enough to tackle any of the optional dungeons?

FFIV update!

Spoiler free version: Instead of going ahead with the story, I'm doing some side stuff, currently.

FFIV update.

FFIV update!