Topic: General Final Fantasy Thread

Well, the weird level-up system is the main complaint, @Zeldafan79 .... I gave up on that game pretty quickly, so I can't really advise on it much! As for FFIII, I only got to play the DS version, which is great but I don't know about the NES one. That has a normal sort of levelling system & it does have lots of jobs you can give characters! Let us know how you get on

I haven't played FFX in a few months but the thing that sticks with me the most is the Sphere Grid system. It of course allows you to customise your characters, and change their "classes" and class archetype stats, like making Tidus into a tank, or making Wakka a glass cannon magic user. It's fascinating but I don't understand why people laud it as the greatest RPG level-up system of all time.

Another FF game I have on Switch is Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age. It's a bit grindy at times (I doubt I'm playing it correctly if I'm being perfectly honest) but the cinematics are decent, the music's good and the characters aren't too bad. I'm new to the series; I only played my first FF game (7 Remake) back in May last year, so I'm excited to see how wrong I am. Maybe the Sphere Grid system sucks, and maybe Vaan is the greatest JRPG protagonist of all time. Dunno.

Lol, both FFX & XII are great, @TheJGG .... Not sure who lauds the sphere grid system as the greatest of all time, though! Tell us more about where you got to in the current one you're playing?

I like FF2. Played it a lot on the gba. I like the weird combinations you can have with your characters, and how their skills are fully customizable.

Basically you can brute force your way to a really op team before even starting progressing on the story, if you wish to grind to achieve that, but you can also just commit to certain character types and let them grow as you go.

@BruceCM Final Fantasy X was strange, I started the game, did everything story-wise, and was doing relatively alright until I got to the Evrae boss fight on the airship. To deal damage you have to move the ship between the back and foreground, and shoot missiles. I couldn't finish it, and restarted the game, to be more prepared. I think it was really late game, and it took me about forty hours to get to that point.

I bought the game itself on discount, it was a physical copy. I paid about £20 for it, which considering that you get FFX-2 as well, is a sweet deal. Of course it's not the best because I had to download the entire X-2 game digitally, but it's better than nothing.

FFXII, I also got on discount but it was entirely digital, something I regret to this day considering the game's twelve gigs. It's very good though sometimes I become significantly underlevelled, and have to spend a good thirty minutes grinding. I just left Eruyt Village, so I doubt I'm near the halfway point. They're both very good, though if I don't beat X soon I may just start X-2 considering I spoilt the plot for myself anyhow.

That's one of the difficult bosses, @TheJGG .... That's not far off halfway through at least the story of FFXII but it'll probably seem more like 1/3rd, depending

Picked up both Cyan and Relm in my last FF VI session. Getting Relm in particular was quite fun! The mini-dungeon before picking her up again is quite fun and a nice change of pace, and the boss is a weird one. Getting Cyan was a bit humorous too. I also offed a dragon in the general area I picked him up in as well as another that was terrorizing the Opera House. Looked more like a dinosaur sprite to me.

I'm...not entirely sure where to look for everyone else yet. I still need Strago, Locke, and [Insert 14th character that I know exists here]. There's an area or two that I haven't spent much time in. For one, I still need to return to Doma Castle as I feel there's more to do there than meets the eye. I also might check out that Fanatic Tower as I THINK everyone is somewhat robust enough for it. Maybe.

For Strago you're already halway there, since only Relm can make him rejoin your group. Now you just need to find him though.

The tower of the fanatics is quite fun! It has a battle restriction that is rather unique. You can absolutely try it out and return later if you don't feel ready for it.

The boss for Relm can be rather tricky, @Tyranexx .... Glad you didn't have too much trouble with that bit, then! Eel also dropped a hint earlier about the best optional party member, too. Were you thinking Cyan wanted to go back to Doma castle?

Nothing but happy family memories in Doma Castle.

Ooohhh....I sense heartwrenching trauma! Now I definitely wanna go back!

Glad to know that I'm halfway there with Strago. Hopefully I'm able to locate him during my next session.

A battle restriction in the Tower of the Fanatics, huh? Not sure if I'm more excited or apprehensive lol.

@BruceCM I really loved how the portrait kept changing. I'm sure it was a two bosses in one approach, almost. I'd consider Owzer's sprite more terrifying than what my group fought though!

Doma seemed freakishly empty when I visited it, which seemed odd. Nearly all the areas I've revisited have changed in some way. I feel as though Cyan might trigger something. @Eel 's blurb above has made me more certain.

Well, one boss to defeat but he spent about half the time hiding behind the female thing, @Tyranexx .... Have you happened to pop back to Figaro castle at any point, too? You might find something to do there, as well

Shadow may have some interesting dreams of you take him to an inn, too. It's not like, a side quest or anything, just a little bit of nice backstory.

The game has several little things like that. It's quite amazing how most of it is completely optional huh.

So @Tyranexx, is it correct for me to assume you are currently doing your first ever run of FF6?
Oh you lucky person! I still remember my first time. I am almost saddened I sold my GBA cartridge. Amazing, amazing game! And so full of cool little secrets.

So since FF VII is largely considered most people's all time favorite as i understand it which one would you pick if you couldn't choose FF VII?

@Zeldafan79 FF VI is also a perfect game (many even put it as the best in the series)

@Zeldafan79 Final Fantasy IX for sure, this game just screams nostalgia and has, in my opinion, the most loveable cast of characters. It got the most uematsu tracks out of the bunch and got me into the franchise, so i would actually pick this one over VII as well.

@Zeldafan79 I'd say Final Fantasy X. Lots of heart, some great voice acting, a fun battle system and an emotional story.

@Zeldafan79 FFVII was never my favorite Final Fantasy

I think it's a great game but also way overrated. My favorite main entry is FFVI but my favorite Final Fantasy in general is the first Tactics game (or alternatively War of the Lions)

@Zeldafan79 VII is kinda meh. Cool world, the first half of the story was intriguing, the materia system was very good. But the overall gameplay was meh, and the story, despite being very intriguing early on is horrendously awful. Once the story goes off the rails it never comes back to comprehensibility again, and the myriad spinoffs, pre sequels and side content managed to somehow make that worse instead of better. People have fond memories from Midgar and the early open map which felt great for its time, along with the cast. People only think they love the story because they remember the good first third or half and have blocked out the disaster that was the second half from their memories. If it wasn't the first game to pull an Aeris, I doubt it would be remembered half as fondly.

The only way to make an FF worse than VII is to make it VIII

IX all the way for me. It was the last game that truly felt like FF, yet is modern enough to not feel truly retro. After that, IV, VI, then I think XIII (controversial), XII, and actually XV (also controversial.) XIII and XV are interesting because you're supposed to hate them, and at first I did hate them, but the more time goes by the more I actually love them.

It's like the reverse of Nintendo games where everybody loves them at launch and hates them 8 years later, then loves them 5 years after that.

The most popular 2 are X and VII, and those tend to be my least favorites. X does some things right, early on, but it falls off the rails early on with another completely nonsensical, incomprehensible story that gets lost in it's own canon.