Aquova said:

I'm playing through FFIII right now, and while I really like the job system and gameplay as a whole, the story is really really weak. They tell you you're the heroes of light, but that's it. I'm nearing the 3rd crystal and I don't know who the main villain is, or if there even is one. I don't know what the end goal or quest is, heck I didn't know that

Spoiler

the heroes were on a floating continent until they left it.

I don't need to have the story laid out before me, but they are really not revealing much.

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The spoilered part was not something you were supposed to know. It was supposed to be a surprise. And it remains one of the biggest 'wow' moments in games for me, personally. The transition still gives me goosebumps to this day.

It seems like you're expecting a very specific kind of game, though, and FF3 isn't it.

Aeana said:

The spoilered part was not something you were supposed to know. It was supposed to be a surprise. And it remains one of the biggest 'wow' moments in games for me, personally. The transition still gives me goosebumps to this day.

It seems like you're expecting a very specific kind of game, though, and FF3 isn't it.

Click to expand...

I think it's because I've played other games in the series before this. Compared to

finished XIII recently (again, I had finished it on ps3 at launch) and its still a guilty pleasure. Been playing FFIV on the side, im about halfway or more done apparently, im doing the now, and im really liking it, but the lack of direction sometimes is quite jarring. Its like im missing a cutscene or something. Latest example:

After you do the Or maybe back then you were supposed to wonder around aimlessly until you triggered where you were supposed to go, I dont know. This all sounds harsher than it is really, Im actually really enjoying it like I said and think the game has narrative and gameplay beats far ahead of its time and better than most stuff in other games. But theres a couple of spots (there was another earlier in the game that felt the same) where it just feels like it needed a little more direction.

Or hey, maybe im just old and too casual these days :3

MAX PAYMENT said:

Would you mind comparing IV to V? What makes V better?

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IV is (assuming we're talking the 2d versions) a very linear experience, probably the most so in the series INCLUDING FF13. It hands you particular characters and particular gear at particular times, with extremely few options as to how to use them; with the exception of a single gimmick dungeon your sword guy always uses the newest sword, your spear guy always uses the newest spear, and if the whims of the plot dictate that spear guy rotates out of your party, you aren't using Jump until he comes back.
However, even though the system is locked down like this, encounters are almost never designed around making use of your current party's abilities, and when they are it's treated more as the plot gimmick of giving you someone (back) just in time rather than a puzzle.

V, on the flipside, gives you an open palette of character choices and encounter design built around problem-solving. Since you can switch between every battle and mix and match abilities freely, this means a large number of puzzle bosses and even puzzle standard encounters, as well as room for more interesting yet longer-lasting loot. And finally, a far wider variety of abilities are available; it's the first in the series to open up use of monster skills, and includes several buff/debuff centric jobs, which used to their utmost can solo the game's optional megabosses (also a new feature) at character level 1. Yet it's also marvelously balanced for play however you like; there's a yearly charity event run here which randomly distributes job choices and it's extremely rare for participants to have to break down and use something else.

Mandoric said:

IV is (assuming we're talking the 2d versions) a very linear experience, probably the most so in the series INCLUDING FF13. It hands you particular characters and particular gear at particular times, with extremely few options as to how to use them; with the exception of a single gimmick dungeon your sword guy always uses the newest sword, your spear guy always uses the newest spear, and if the whims of the plot dictate that spear guy rotates out of your party, you aren't using Jump until he comes back.
However, even though the system is locked down like this, encounters are almost never designed around making use of your current party's abilities, and when they are it's treated more as the plot gimmick of giving you someone (back) just in time rather than a puzzle.

V, on the flipside, gives you an open palette of character choices and encounter design built around problem-solving. Since you can switch between every battle and mix and match abilities freely, this means a large number of puzzle bosses and even puzzle standard encounters, as well as room for more interesting yet longer-lasting loot. And finally, a far wider variety of abilities are available; it's the first in the series to open up use of monster skills, and includes several buff/debuff centric jobs, which used to their utmost can solo the game's optional megabosses (also a new feature) at character level 1. Yet it's also marvelously balanced for play however you like; there's a yearly charity event run here which randomly distributes job choices and it's extremely rare for participants to have to break down and use something else.

Click to expand...

Are the 3D versions of IV any different?

Tenrius said:

Are the 3D versions of IV any different?

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Yeah, there's some new mechanics in play. The general difficulty has also been raised (especially the bosses). I consider it the definitive version, although a lot of people hate the graphical style.

Tenrius said:

Are the 3D versions of IV any different?

Click to expand...

Very. In addition to fixed abilities, you gain others organically throughout the game, and while each can only be learned once they can also be saved between playthroughs and the more you teach to characters who later leave the party the more they'll give back to you after leaving.

I didn't find it quite as engaging as 5's variety, since it encourages planning several loops ahead rather than free-form adapting strategies, but it does add some needed crunch.

Tenrius said:

Are the 3D versions of IV any different?

Click to expand...

It's much more strategic now. You can't get by with not thinking on every boss now. The gameplay is improved a lot.

So I would take 3D IV over V and VI. It has both good gameplay and story while V and VI only have one of that combination.

jb1234 said:

Yeah, there's some new mechanics in play. The general difficulty has also been raised (especially the bosses). I consider it the definitive version, although a lot of people hate the graphical style.

Click to expand...

Mandoric said:

Very. In addition to fixed abilities, you gain others organically throughout the game, and while each can only be learned once they can also be saved between playthroughs and the more you teach to characters who later leave the party the more they'll give back to you after leaving.

I didn't find it quite as engaging as 5's variety, since it encourages planning several loops ahead rather than free-form adapting strategies, but it does add some needed crunch.

Click to expand...

Lothar said:

It's much more strategic now. You can't get by with not thinking on every boss now. The gameplay is improved a lot.

So I would take 3D IV over V and VI. It has both good gameplay and story while V and VI only have one of that combination.

Click to expand...

That sounds good. I had the impression the 3D version had a mixed reception though.

How do the Steam versions of IV and III 3D compare to the DS originals, by the way? Not too buggy? An awesome GAF member, Shade gave me III on Steam for Christmas. I still might go with the DS version for my first playthrough though, as people seem to be reporting many gamebreaking bugs in the user reviews.

Yabberwocky said:

Hi, GAF, quick query - after finally stopping and starting for years, I'd made it my goal for 2017 to finally play FFT. I'd previously played (well, started multiple times) the physical PSP version without any issues in the cutscenes. With the digital version on my Vita, the opening cutscenes have a ton of stutter and lag. It's frustrating, as the cutscenes are absolutely fantastic. I can't figure out if it's an issue for me specifically, or if it's a problem that effects everyone. I couldn't really find anything on Google.

Click to expand...

Bizarre update, I did find a solution, though I'm still not sure of the exact cause. I did find someone else with a similar issue on GameFAQs, except their problem was with a UMD copy on the PSP. I'm not sure if it means there is an issue with the processor in my Vita not being able to stream too much at once, but I did end up turning off the internet on the Vita out of desperation, and now the custcenes play perfectly. Again, not quite sure what that means for my Vita, but I haven't had an issue with any other game I've played on it. I thought I'd share in case any one else ever ran into the same issue.

At any rate, FFT looks utterly gorgeous on the Vita, and that opening cutscene is still superb. Phil LaMarr and Hedy Burress are both fantastic, and completely unrecognizable as Ramza and Agrias. 'Tis your birth and faith that wrong you, not I is still one of the GOAT lines. I will finish FFT this time, I will, I will! I think I've started FFT over six times, and gotten about five hours in once. I will, I will.

I sat on this entry for a few days. The previous page of this thread took forever to load for me, and I didn’t want to compound the issue!



When we last left our heroes, Delita’s sister, Tietra, had been kidnapped by a brigand group called the Corpse Brigade. The kidnapping was part of a botched attempt to kill the head of the Beoulve family, Lord Dycedarg, Ramza’s older brother.

The Corpse Brigade is a group of would-be revolutionaries who took to crime and rebellion over their treatment by the aristocracy following the conclusion of the Fifty Year’s War (shortly before the start of this game). Ramza and company have been fighting the Corpse Brigade since the start of the game, and things are now reaching a head. Our heroes are making their way to Fort Ziekden, the headquarters of the Corpse Brigade. Along the way, Ramza and Delita were forced to kill the sister of the Corpse Brigade’s leader, Wiegraf. Oh, and Ramza also booted Argath from the party.

If you want to read any of the previous installments, you can do so by following the links below.

Part 1: Tutorial vanquished! Enter Chapter 1… : http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=226789728&postcount=244

Part 2: Grinding JP and beating up poor people: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=226959190&postcount=501

Intermission: The Job System Part 1: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=227240962&postcount=736

Part 3: Raising the Stakes!: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=228397189&postcount=1590



And now we conclude Chapter 1!




These last two maps were basically completed immediately after the 3 battles covered in part 3. My main team consisted of 3 knights, a black mage, and a white mage. I could have started diversifying my physical units, but I figured that I would stick to basic jobs before Chapter 2. As I mentioned last time, I plan on doing a follow up to my Job system overview, focusing on what I think of as the 8 intermediate jobs. That will probably come between this playthrough installment and Part 5.


Battle 8: Windflat Mill
We are immediately taken to a cutscene when entering this location



For those following along at home, Tietra is NOT of noble blood. She is the sister of Ramza’s common-born friend, Delita.



As we saw in the case with the kidnapping of the Marquis, Wiegraf thinks that the Corpse Brigade should be fighting for a better future. I think his men are wising up to the fact that they are basically cannon fodder for Ramza’s murder machine.



Learning that his sister is dead, Wiegraf decides to fight us himself.



As you might expect, he’s not all that happy.



This is another map where you can end the battle by defeating the enemy leader. This fight heavily skews towards physical units, pitting you against Wiegraf, two monks, a knight, and a chocobo. The chocobo is a weird inclusion. I assume he is supposed to be Wiegraf’s trusty mount. In this fight, he mostly serves as an enemy healer.



Wiegraf is a white knight, one of the first special units you encounter in the game (besides Ramza). He has the same high HP and pATK of a knight, but also has ranged sword skills. As such, you should probably focus on killing him and not bother taking out all of the other units first.

But before you can do that, more talking!



…. A lot of talking!



With that matter cleared up, Wiegraf gets down to business.



The man-cicle in this picture is Delita. As I mentioned, Wiegraf can attack from range. Unlike a mage, his sword skills do not have a charging/cast time. There’s not a ton of maneuvering room on this particular map, so you should just press forward and attack with your physical units. If you are under-leveled, you could try to sneak around the mill. That would buy you a couple extra turns to boost your pATK with focus (assuming you have it equipped).

Speaking of under-leveled, guest characters like Delita don’t gain exp outside of story maps. As such, he’s 3-5 levels lower than all of these enemies. You can probably guess the consequences of that…



Let Delita take a nap while you fight Wiegraf.

Wait. Did I say fight? I meant more talking!



Ramza is convinced that his brothers are as sick of fighting as he is. They couldn’t possibly have other motivations!



Final Fantasy IV reference!



This fight has a lot of exposition. Any time you or Wiegraf have a turn, you are in for some more. In between all of this verbiage, I have been hitting Wiegraf with physical and magic attacks. At this point in the game, his 150+ hp takes some time to get through unless you are way over-leveled.

He manages to take out my white mage before the gabbing resumes.




Right before Wiegraf’s HP reaches 0, he will give up.



You are rewarded with more talking.



At least this talking leads to some revelations.



Larg and Goltanna are the Lions referred to in the PSP/Mobile game’s subtitle. The Marquis we rescued back in Part 2 of this playthrough wasn’t picking sides I guess.



If you think that Ramza is acting naïve in this scene, you should remember that he’s like 15 at this point. What were you doing at 15? Not murdering unruly poor people and attempting to rescue kidnapped maidens would be my guess.



In addition to all of those cool sword skills, Wiegraf can apparently teleport. He does so now. That’s the last we’ll see of him. Yup. I’m sure there’s nothing more to that story thread!



Tietra’s been moved to Fort Ziekden



I love the sprite work in some of the smaller character moments. This game does a great job portraying emotion without giant tears, exaggerated hyena laughs, or those anime steam-coming-out-of-the-ears icons that we used to get in 16-bit RPGs.

Battle 9: Ziekden Fortress

This is the final battle of the game’s first chapter. Unlike some of the final battles in upcoming chapters, this chapter doesn’t stick you in a multi-map fight, and isn’t really any harder than what has come before. If you made it this far, you are probably ready to proceed.



Gragoroth makes his appearance with his kidnapped hostage, Tietra. And, far from being banished from the Beoulve manor, Argath has shown up with Ramza’s older brother Zalbaag.



Ramza and Delita arrive on the scene as tensions rise.

The next scene is very important. Originally I had a series of 11 screenshots here making this post even longer than it already is. I think the same series in GIF form gets the point across better



And with that, the paths and destinies of all of our major players are set.



Ramza’s asshole bro takes off. He will get his later.



No one seems to pay attention to the fact that Gragoroth A) is not dead, and B)snuck away inside the fort.



This is yet another battle where you have to defeat the boss unit, rather than every enemy unit on the map. This goal suits us fine; as I’m sure everyone is dying to stick a sword up Argath’s backside.

Of course, being a pivotal point in the game, you don’t actually get to play yet! Let’s have some more dialogue! This is another lengthy exchange, so let’s break out the animated gif again to save some screen real estate.



You might have caught the nod to Final Fantasy VII at the end of that sequence. As we well know, not even flower girls get happy endings in Square games. RIP Aerith! (spoilers)

Finally we get control of the battle!



Let’s take a look at the foes.

Argath is armed with a crossbow, and is therefore able to attack at range. Unlike bows, crossbows cannot fire over obstacles. However, they tend to be more powerful than their longbow counterparts.

In addition to Argath, you will be facing 2 wizards and 3 knights. Because you can end the battle by defeating Argath, you should focus on him. However, taking out the mages quickly is never a bad idea, especially if you can’t take Argath down in a turn or two.



If you are underleveled (say level 9 or lower), you may want to delay the conflict a bit by circling around the fort. As with the last battle, this will give you an extra turn or two to cast focus and make any other preparations you wish to make.

Also like the previous battle, Delita is still an under levelled guest NPC. He will be knocked out pretty quickly.

Once again, triggering Ramza’s turn means more talking! Last gif for this post, I promise.



Argath persists in trying to be the Douche Vader to Ramza’s naïve Luke. Ramza’s having none of it though. He’s proletariat at heart. He swears!



Ramza finally realizes that Delita has been lying face down in the snow through all of this discourse.



Delita is seeing red now. Too bad he’s weaker than a 6 year old in a fight.

When Argath eventually moves into your range, hit him with everything you got. If you have been following my playthrough chapters so far, you probably know what that entails in my case. To me, my black mage!



And with that the battle ends!



Rot in hell, Argath.


After the battle, you are rewarded with another cinematic sequence



Tietra is good and dead



But maybe someone should have paid attention to Gragoroth. He manages to blow up Fort Ziekden with himself inside.



We already know from the prologue that Delita doesn’t die here!



A pretty good strategy when you make a mess of things



And now we see that Chapter 1 was Ramza retelling his story, bringing us back to where the prologue left off.



If you forgot, or are joining this playthrough part way in, Delita resurfaced after the events at Fort Ziekden to kidnap the Princess Ovelia. Ramza had thought him dead for the year that has passed since Fort Ziekden.



And with that, we finish Chapter 1 of Final Fantasy Tactics. We also finish this installment of my play through.

- END PART 4 -

I love the LP updates. They make trying to get through 3D!IV worth it.

Alright. I jumped ship to FFV.

raspberry pi is awesome.

I'm not actually enjoying FFXV at this point anymore. It still has its moments, sure, but I feel so burnt out on pretty much everything even after a sufficiently long break. It felt like the best thing ever for the first 30 to 40 hours. I'm at 55 now and everything just feels like a chore. :/

EDIT: Well, I played around for a bit and somehow started enjoying the game again. Crestholm Channels is an awful dungeon though.

MAX PAYMENT said:

Alright. I jumped ship to FFV.

raspberry pi is awesome.

Click to expand...

V is the one that I'm on. I am like maybe half-ish into the game.

My Jobs:
Bartz: Warrior, Summoner, Samurai
Lenna: White Mage, Red Mage, Ranger
Galuf: Monk, Time Mage, Ninja
Faris: Black Mage, Mystic Knight, Dragoon

The Monk, Warrior, and Red Mage I pretty much no longer use. But they were useful for a period of time!

I just got the Water crystal jobs in FF3... Which ones should I be utilizing?

Well...Still playing through ffxv.

Ch3 took me forever. My do all quests mindset stretched it out a bit lol

Aquova said:

I just got the Water crystal jobs in FF3... Which ones should I be utilizing?

Click to expand...

Depending on if you are doing the original or remake, Dark/Magic Knights are handy but are really limited with their equipment options at the point you are at.

Vikings and dragoons are decent upgrades for frontline fighters.

Evokers are weird since you don't have total control of their spells.

Just finished ff13-2, not the ending i was expecting, but it was nice to be surprised. got the next few weekends off, think i'll finish off the trilogy for February. i've really come around to the 13 series, even though i don't necessarily enjoy all of the characters, the battle system and the occasionally enjoyable narrative keeps me going. looking forward to playing as lightning again.

This event still seems so far away.

A very small progress update. January has been a great month for me, although unfortunately I've put aside Final Fantasy 1 a little, thankfully not because I'm stuck but because another Final Fantasy title took up my time. The mobile game Brave Exvius has been extremely addicting ever since I started it last week, and got two 5`rare units for my party in Luneth and Ace. I was very happy about that, and has since progressed a little in the story, earned my first esper, learned about the mechanics and right now I'm farming the Ariana Grande event. She's one of my favorite singers, so I was ecstatic to see her in the game, and she was a reason I finally took a closer look at the game.

Click to expand...

I just arrived at Cosmo Canyon (FFVII). This game is so charming, replaying it on a psp has been great so far. Atm my party is cloud (atk), tifa (atk+sup) and aeris (summoner+w.mag).

The turks are funnier than I remembered

This morning I have continued my journey in Eorzea, and beaten a few MSQs to get to MSQ 100. I know there's a long way to go, but I am enjoying the trip, and plan on doing 10 MSQs a day for the next 9 days, so I can get to the lvl 50 content. Anyway, I am not used to being on a full server, as I am in Europe and usually play when the Americans have gone to bed on Ultros. I also met a random gaffer in the wild.

Click to expand...

I also discovered new areas, and attuned to a few Aetherytes in Limsa Lominsa which is a region I haven't been that fond of, but it hides some beautiful locations to the East. I found this high-tech fortress that reminded me of Eos:

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I went on to find this beach which I did not expect. Again, it reminded me of Galdin Quay in Eos, and it was so stunning to look at:

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But what was most impressive to me, was the other day when I went to do a little quest, where I had to find some stuff at a random stone. On my way there I saw in the horizon a pretty special looking horse and knight riding it. He looked way too cool and strong and was a lvl 57, and I was lvl 30 at the time. I tried my luck and stayed to my own business and kept my distance from him, but he ended up slaying me in one swell swoop. After that I went there again and slowly people gathered at the FATE and resulted in this huge battle. I haven't seen a bigger battle than this so far, but I was amazed and now I want that Odin figure. I wonder if he'll play a part in the story.

Click to expand...

JCV said:

So I have just finished Lightning Returns. I kind of liked the general idea of the game, but only crap that ending is everything that is wrong with the FF13 saga in one 10 minutes cutscene:

Spoiler

- Ok, we know that you have to rescue Serah. Stop saying it every line.
- Noel yoloing out of nowhere to try to save Yeul again, and they end up reunited thanks to fucking Caius of all people, the guy responsible for destroying everything.
- Snow not dying at the end of the Yusnaan quest because... love and miracles? And then coming out of nowhere to punch the clavis to oblivion...
- Supersaian of friendship at the end with eidolons and all the pals.
- Everyone just chilling at the end, cracking jokes. Sazh just popping out of the soul thing with his son, Snow being like: "Always late, old man, hahaha". You know, just casually FLOATING IN SPACE AFTER KILLING A GOD.

This trilogy man...

Click to expand...

Just finished 13-2. Is it worth finishing the trilogy just for closure? The reviews I've read say its a fun game to play but a real disservice to the characters in terms of how it all wraps up.

It's too bad that the 30th anniversary event turned out to be nothing.

I am undecided on whether to pick up FFXII on PS4 or PC when it debuts. It seems like PS4 will be first, but PC is often cheaper (especially when it's late). I guess I will let my backlog at the time decide.

kswiston said:

It's too bad that the 30th anniversary event turned out to be nothing.

I am undecided on whether to pick up FFXII on PS4 or PC when it debuts. It seems like PS4 will be first, but PC is often cheaper (especially when it's late). I guess I will let my backlog at the time decide.

Click to expand...

I can't believe we didn't get VIII and IX on PS4, easy money surely?

Jennipeg said:

I can't believe we didn't get VIII and IX on PS4, easy money surely?

Click to expand...

IX would probably be easier than VIII.

Still, Final Fantasy launched in December 1987 IIRC, so I suppose that we may get more announcements in the spring or summer. They have the whole year for 30th anniversary stuff.

Jennipeg said:

I can't believe we didn't get VIII and IX on PS4, easy money surely?

Click to expand...

As Kswis said, there's really a whole year for announcements within the anniversary period...

OT, I haven't had much (any?) time to play games this year with work, marriage, buying a new house / moving into it and a second baby due next week, but I've played through Lindblum in my FFIX playthrough (that started in December). With the ability to skip the pre-battle flyover alone, I'm having a ton of fun with it (even more than I remember on release).

kswiston said:

IX would probably be easier than VIII.

Still, Final Fantasy launched in December 1987 IIRC, so I suppose that we may get more announcements in the spring or summer. They have the whole year for 30th anniversary stuff.

Click to expand...

Thats true, I hope we get some news on this soon.

BumRush said:

As Kswis said, there's really a whole year for announcements within the anniversary period...

OT, I haven't had much (any?) time to play games this year with work, marriage, buying a new house / moving into it and a second baby due next week

Click to expand...

That sounds extremely hectic. Congrats on the upcoming baby and new house!

I give respect to the parents who go ahead with baby #2 or 3 just as they are starting to get some freedom with toddler/preschooler #1. Our Daughter turns 3 this coming month, and I feel like I am just starting to get some time back to myself. The fact that my wife is a professional (coordinating research scientist) probably contributes to things, as I was the one who had to drop some of my work contracts in favour of childcare. We wanted to avoid full-time daycare in the early years, so I went from working 60-70 hours a week when my wife was on mat-leave to 20-30 hours plus having my daughter at home 3 days during the week. Somehow, it feels like the 60-70 hours was less work!


Back on topic, I started playing Chapter 2 of Final Fantasy Tactics, but since I want to write part two of my job system overview, a lot of it was just opening up the mid-tier jobs.

I managed to squeeze in a couple more hours of Final Fantasy XV. I am still not used to the battle system, but I am generally enjoying things so far.

kswiston said:

That sounds extremely hectic. Congrats on the upcoming baby and new house!

I give respect to the parents who go ahead with baby #2 or 3 just as they are starting to get some freedom with toddler/preschooler #1. Our Daughter turns 3 this coming month, and I feel like I am just starting to get some time back to myself. The fact that my wife is a professional (coordinating research scientist) probably contributes to things, as I was the one who had to drop some of my work contracts in favour of childcare. We wanted to avoid full-time daycare in the early years, so I went from working 60-70 hours a week when my wife was on mat-leave to 20-30 hours plus having my daughter at home 3 days during the week. Somehow, it feels like the 60-70 hours was less work!

Click to expand...

Thanks bud! And yes, it's hectic, but all good stuff so it's fun / exciting. You think you'll have another?

When you finish your FFT playthrough / posts you should just turn it into the definitive RTTP.

Man, so the anniversary event was a bust. I thought for sure we'd get PS4 VIII and IX announcements. Like, that's easy street stuff right there (presumably). Ah well.

So I'm one trophy away from the XV platinum and I participated in the moogle chocobo festival stuff. It was a fun distraction for an hour or two. Carbuncle is a really cute little fur buddy to have around and I wish he could have traveled with the bros all along.

Next is wrapping up World of Final Fantasy. And then I thought about playing Type-0, but not sure that's an entirely good idea based on what I've heard. Still, I own it, seems I should play it.

Okays lets do something I definitely did not do before in a thread which certainly wasn't very much like this one!


Updates!
What do ya think goes here? Links to posts made after this one of course!

• Disc 1
Pt.01 - The Materia Roadblock
Pt.02 - Tutorials & You!
Pt.03 - Reactor Rehashin'
Pt.04 - Affection Equalizer
Pt.05 - Meeting Moms
Pt.06 - Nightmare in Bee Land
Pt.07 - Scummy Places & People
Pt.08 - That area may have been evacuated
Pt.09 - Tricky Tower I
Pt.10 - Tricky Tower II
Pt.11 - A New Threat
Pt.12 - Where were we going again?
Pt.13 - That Time, 5 Years Ago I
Pt.14 - That Time, 5 Years Ago II
Pt.15 - To War!
Pt.16 - Bow your heads low, all hail Shinra
Pt.17 - High Seas Havoc
Pt.18 - Hojo's Day Out
Pt.19 - Its all fun & games...
Pt.20 - ...'til someone gets hurt
Pt.21 - Desert Despair
Pt.22 - By Bird, Buggy & Boat
Pt.23 - Field trip to the planetarium
Pt.24 - A Proud Heritage
Pt.25 - Men in Black (Capes!)
Pt.26 - Am I meant to like this guy?
Pt.27 - The most valuable materia of All
Pt.28 - A Mismatched Pair
Pt.29 - Turning Point I
Pt.30 - Turning Point II
Pt.31 - Look Due North
Pt.32 - Spoiler Alert!

• Disc 2
Pt.33 - Into the snowy lands
Pt.34 - 544 Steps
Pt.35 - The Shivering Mountain
Pt.36 - Would someone please stop him?
Pt.37 - Breaking News, Live from Junon!
Pt.38 - A world not yet ruined I
Pt.39 - A world not yet ruined II
Pt.40 - A world not yet ruined III
Pt.41 - Chase that Thieft!!
Pt.42 - Rescue that Thief!!
Pt.43 - And the newest leader is?
Pt.44 - Final War
Pt.45 - Ain't no getting offa this train
Pt.46 - Compilation of What I
Pt.47 - Compilation of What II
Pt.48 - The Return to Midgar
Pt.49 - Fine Feathered Friends
Pt.50 - The Hunt for Red Submarines
Pt.51 - Operation Meteor
Pt.52 - Aren't we missing something?
Pt.53 - Hope
Pt.54 - Making up for past failures
Pt.55 - Stop the Cannon! I
Pt.56 - Stop the Cannon! II
Pt.57 - Stop the Cannon! III

• Disc 3
Pt.58 - The Price of Freedom
Pt.59 - Great Cavern of Wonders
Pt.60 - Final Boss Rush
Pt.61 - And then...

Amazing Stuff!
Take a reeeeaaaallll close look at some things in the game an walk away going... wut.

• Hell House! Its a big house shaped monster on the path to Sector 6! Quite a strange baddie!
• There are mutant turtles living in Midgars sewers. Enough said.
• Ghost Hand! The ghosts drain your HP but their hands in yours drains baddie MP. Got it?!
• Loco Weed. This item "confuses" whomever its used on.
• Deadly Waste! Yeah you can carry toxic waste around with you, what of it?
• Brain Pod! That is one reallllllly weird enemy design.
• Interactive/Playable flashback! Gameplay + plot together at last!
• Inside the Lower Junon weapon shop is a sweet skull & crossbones poster with a sword through the skull!
• (^^);
• The huge golden statue of Dio overlooking the Gold Saucer. What the heck!
• The basketball game game in Wonder Square is called Super Dunk... but ya don't actually do dunks!
• Cactuars do flying jump kicks!
• Heavy Tank, the result of crossing a triceratops with a tank o.o;
• How so many plot clues are optional/missable. Gotta love it!
• The battle against Palmer ends with him being hit by a truck! That's no smooth Turks-esque retreat at all!
• Using a shotdown plane as a boat. Whaaaaat?!
• The whole "spy" plot point. Its first brought up in an optional scene and then once more at its conclusion. So if ya missed/skipped that optional scene the whole thing really comes outta nowhere!
• The only places ta encounter & fight Zenny is forests. Yet the post-battle scenes with her take place in open grassy plains devoid of trees. What.
• That ya can open the menu in a couple screens within What's mind, but not in some present day screens where you're actively running around doing stuff!
• People all over the world know Shinras Huge Materia & Meteor/Sephiroth plans every step of the way. So much for them being secretive?
• This & Goddamn T being blocked from going snowboarding in Icicle Inn, yet they can at Wonder Square.
• Getting CPR'd after failing the first sub mission lol. A real nice lil touch / callback to the early game.
• Theres an area in the game titles "???" and another titled "????" ;
• ???

Rest Easy!
Wanna avoid paying for an Inn or using up Tents? Theres a good number of places ta go sleep an fully restore your HP/MP!

• #1: Fort Condor (unless ya lose the final battle!)
• #2: The weapon sellers home near Gongaga
• #3: One of the homes in the Forgotten City
• #4: Holzoffs home at the Great Glacier
• #5: Your airship the Highwind
• #6: The Villa in Costa del Sol
• #7: Godo's house in Wutai
• #8: Look's house
• #9: The Mideel Nurse

Screen Count!
Wonder how many screens each place contains? Provided I dun get to caught up in the moments to jot down an accurate list, keep an eye on this continually updated list!

Platform - 1
Sector 1 Station - 1
Sector 1 - 1
No. 1 Reactor - 7
Sector 8 - 2
Last Train from Midgar - 2
Sector 7 Station - 1
Train Graveyard - 2
Sector 7 Slums - 3
7th Heaven - 1
AVALANCHE Hideout - 1
Sector 7 Item Store - 1
Sector 7 Weapon Shop - 1
Beginner's Hall - 1
Johnny's Home - 1
Inside Train - 5
Winding Tunnel - 8
4th Street Plate Int. - 3
Lower Sector 4 Plate - 3
No.5 Reactor - 7
church in the slums - 2
Inside the Church - 1
Church Roof - 1
Sectort 5 Slum - 4
Church - 1
Slum Outskirts - 1
Earthen Pipe - 1
House 1f. - 1
House 2f. - 1
Materia Store - 1
Item Store - 1
Weapon Store - 1
Look's House - 2
Sector 6 - 2
Sector 6 park - 1
Wall Market - 3
Inn - 1
Item Store - 1
Honey Bee Inn - 5
Pharmacy - 1
Diner - 1
Materia Store - 1
Boutique - 1
Men's Hall - 1
Bar - 1
Weapon Store - 1
Corneo Hall - 1
Corneo Hall, 1f - 1
Torture Room - 1
Corneo Hall, 2f. - 3
Sewer - 2
Plate Support - 2
Plate Section - 2
Sector 0 - 1
Shinra Bldg. - 2
Shinra Bldg. 1f. lobby - 1
Shinra Bldg. 2f. lobby - 1
Shinra Bldg. 2f. Shop - 1
Shinra Bldg. 3f. lobby - 1
Elevator - 1
Shinra Bldg. 59f. - 1
Shinra Bldg. Stairs - 8
Outside Elevator - 1
Shinra Bldg. 60f. - 2
Shinra Bldg. 61f. - 1
Shinra Bldg. 62f. - 5
Shinra Bldg. 63f. - 2
Shinra Bldg. 64f. - 1
Shinra Bldg. 65f. - 2
Shinra Bldg. 66f. - 3
Shinra Bldg. 67f. - 3
Shinra Bldg. 68f. - 2
Shinra Bldg. 69f. - 1
Shinra Bldg. 70f. - 2
Midgar Highway - 1

Chocobo farm - 2
Chocobo Ranch - 1

Marshes - 1
Mythril Mine - 4

Kalm - 1
House: 1f - 4
House: 2f - 4
Rear Tower (Pagoda) - 1
Bar - 1
Item Store - 1
Weapon Store - 1
1st floor of inn - 1
Inn: 2f - 1

Nibelheim - 1
Nibelheim House - 2
This's House - 2
What's House - 1
Nibelheim Item Store - 1
Nibelheim Inn - 2
Mt. Nibel - 6
Mt. Nibel Cave - 3
Nibel Reactor - 2
Nibel Reactor (Int.) - 2
What's Past - 1 [not actually a screen but a save point]
Mansion, 1f. - 3
Mansion, 2f. - 2
Mansion, Hidden Steps - 1
Mansion, Basement - 5
Nibelheim - 1 [burning]

Base of Fort Condor - 1
Entrance to Fort Condor - 1
Fort Condor - 1
Watch Room - 1

Under Junon - 2
Weapon Store - 1
Priscilla's House - 1
Dolphin Offing - 1

Airport - 2
Junon Airport Path - 1
Locker Room - 1
Upper Junon - 3
Materia Store - 2
Weapon Store - 2
Bar - 1
Item Store - 2
Barracks - 5
Respectable Inn - 1
Junon Path - 4
Lower Junon - 3
Shinra Member's Bar - 1
Junon Inn - 1
Junon Dock - 1
Path 2 - 1
? - 2 [Junon Elevator]
Dr.'s Office - 1
Office - 1
Junon Branch, 2f. - 1
Junon Branch, 1f. - 1
Press Room - 1
Gas Room - 1
Junon branch, (ext.) - 1
Canon - 3
Elevator - 2

Cargo Ship - 4

Costa del Sol Harbor - 1
Costa del Sol - 2
House for Sale - 1
Cellar - 1
Bar - 1
Johnny's New Home - 1
Costa del Sol Inn - 1

Mt. Corel - 7
Corel Reactor - 1

North Corel - 4
North Corel Inn - 1
Ropeway Station - 2

Terminal Floor - 1
Speed square - 1
Platform - 1
Chocobo Square - 1
Ticket Office - 1
Event square - 1
Round Square - 1
Ghost Hotel - 1
Hotel Lobby - 1
Hotel Shop - 1
Hotel - 1
Wonder Square - 1
Building 1f. - 1
Building 2f. - 1
Battle Square - 1
Arena Lobby - 1
Dio's Museum - 1
? - 1 [Battle Arena]
? - 1 [Gateway to Heaven]

Corel Prison - 4
Container - 1
Prison Pub - 1
Mayor's Old House - 1
Basement - 1
Corel Desert - 2
? - 1 [Dyne Cliff]
? - 1 [Elevator to Gold Saucer]
? - 1 [Jockey's Room]

Old man's house - 1

Jungle - 2
Meltdown Reactor - 2

Gongaga Village - 1
Weapons Store - 2
Items Store - 1
Mayor's Home - 1
Inn - 1
Zack's Home - 1

Cosmo Canyon - 6
Item Store - 1
Pub "Starlet" - 1
Nanaki's Room - 1
Shildra Inn - 1
Elder's Room - 1
Gate of Naught - 1
Materia Shop - 1
Observatory - 3
Bugen Research Center - 1
Cosmo Candle - 1
Sealed Cave - 1
Cave of the Gi - 4
? - [Seto's Cliff]

Rocket Town - 1
Weapons Store - 1
Shanghai Inn - 2
House - 4 * [two of these become Goddamn T's House after meeting him]
Item Store - 1
Rocket Launching Pad - 2
Ship Hallway - 1
Goddamn T's House - 2
Cockpit - 1
Duct - 2
Materia Room - 1
Engine Room - 1
? - 1 [Escape Pod]

Weapon Seller - 1

Temple of the Ancients - 23

Bone Village - 1
Sleeping Forest - 2
Corral Valley - 2

Forgotten Capital - 7
Forgotten City - 9
Water Altar - 1
Corral Valley Cave - 2

Icicle Inn - 5
Weapon Store - 1
Gast's House - 1
Icicle Inn Bar - 1

Great Glacier - 54
Frostbite Cave - 2
Cave - 4
Icicle Area - 1

Base of Gaea's Cliff - 3
Gaea's Cliff - 4
Inside of Gaea's Cliff - 10

Crater - 2
Whirlwind Maze - 7

Highwind - 5

Mystery House - 1 *
Chocobo Sage's house - 1 * [was Mystery House until we learned his name]

Plains - 1

Wilderness - 1

Wutai - 2
Wutai, Old Man's House - 1
Wutai, Cat's House - 1
Bar [Turtle Paradise] - 1
Item Store - 1
Wutai, Pagoda - 1
Wutai, Main Mtn. - 3
Hidden Passage - 2
Wutai, Godo's Pagoda - 1
Zenny's House - 2
Hidden Room - 1
Wutai. Da-chao Statue - 8

Mideel - 1
Mideel, Item Store - 1
Mideel, Materia Store - 1
Mideel, Weapon Store - 1
Mideel, House1 - 1
Mideel, House2 - 1
Mideel, Clinic - 1

Coal Train - 1 [more like 3 but couldn't enter menu on 1st or 3rd screen]

Materia Cave - 4

??? - 1

Ancient Forest - 5

Underwater Reactor - 9
Inside Submarine - 5 * [can't open menu in torpedo room + 2 rooms in red sub]
Submarine Dock - 1

Hallway - 2
Research Room - 1
Cargo Room - 1

8th Street - 1
Midgar, Sector 8 - 3
Sector 8, Underground - 8
Winding Tunnel - 20
sector 0 - 1
Mako Cannon - 2
? - 1 [cliff What & This sleep on]

Highwind, On deck - 1
Northern Cave Crater - 1
Inside Northern Cave - 15
Bottom of Nothern Cave - 2
Inside the Planet - 3
???? - 1

- Area Count!
The world is one big screen but each region has its own name an I'ma list 'em all!

Midgar Area
Grasslands Area
Junon Area
Corel Area
Gold Saucer Area
Gongaga Area
Cosmo Area
Nibel Area
Rocket Launch Pad Area
Wutai Area
Woodlands Area
Icicle Area
Mideel Area
Cactus Island
North Corel Area
Goblin Island
Round Island

Now that I'm moved in I'm going to set up my Pro and finally dive into FFXV. Anyone have any non-spoilery advice?

BumRush said:

Now that I'm moved in I'm going to set up my Pro and finally dive into FFXV. Anyone have any non-spoilery advice?

Click to expand...

I'm only 3 hours or so in, but play the tutorial.

BumRush said:

Now that I'm moved in I'm going to set up my Pro and finally dive into FFXV. Anyone have any non-spoilery advice?

Click to expand...

Change your control type. The default is terrible.

Also consider using wait mode.

Thanks guys...I forgot that I'd have to DL the game so I didn't get a chance to play last night. Maybe tonight for an hour or so!

An so we begin with shots of space, which Star Ocean 2 would go on ta ripoff in its intro... or wait, maybe not. This wasn't space at all! It was some lady spacing out! Ya, lets go ahead an pan the camera further and further out away from her.


All the way out to... the title! Thats one crazy looking city btw.


Now lets follow this train to its destination! The pain station! Finally get some action goin' on here as your allies beat the crap outta what are prolly just ticket checkers. Instead of contributing to some ass-whooping, this spiky-haired guys just showing off. Not what I'd call a team player!


The first line of dialogue in the game is very appropriate since FFVII would go on to be many peoples first jrpg or first FF game, or both! By checking this guys corpse we get our first loot, 2 Potions! Since looting bodies isn't really a thing in this game, this serves ta showoff how chock full of one-off or rarely used things FFVII's full of.


Anyhow the first order of business is to speed up text display, gaudy up the menu colors, and select Active / Recommended / Wait. Hold up. I get Active & Wait but what the heck is Recommended? That don't tell me anything!! To the manual!

FFVII English Instruction Book said:

Recommended: For moderately skilled players. Time stops while the screen effects are displayed when using Magic and Items.

Click to expand...

I dun get it. Lets just be a moderately skilled player an move on.


After just a few steps we're sucked into battle, but this is no random encounter! You see this guys charging at Ex-SOLDIER. They each go down in 1 slash which warrants a victory pose? Like I said this guys a showoff. First level up may be worth celebrating! Unlike so many other jrpg heroes, Ex-SOLDIER started at Lv.6!


Ex-SOLDIER clearly isn't this guys name nor much of an alias. What gives his name and then proceeds to say he doesn't care what anyone else in the groups names are. Jerk. Unsurprisingly this doesn't earn him any trust points.


Pushing on, What gets assaulted by a dog with a tentacle among other things such as a floating plant-thing? Followed by some heavy handed lecturing courtesy of You. On the bright side, the first treasure chest of the game has been gotten!


Following some more preaching, this time down an elevator, You gets slid into the back row to since he's got a long range weapon. Less dmg taken, same dmg dealt on baddies! Nearby is the games first ladder and with no introduction to them needed the party climbed up and ran around abit... only to end up getting sneak attacked. Which just put You back in the front row!


Turns out Jessie is nearby and decided to tell people how to ladder. Thanks? Alil late but its the thought that counts. Right down below is the first save point! Shouldn't be to many more "firsts" left right?!


Over in the next room is any videogamers biggest nemesis... knee-high invisible barriers!!!!! Except this is a dinky lil orb smaller than someones foot. Its also not invisible. But try as I might theres simply no way to get around it!! Guess its as a good a time as any to collect our first not-already-owned Materia of the game!


It's the Restore Materia which means magic healing instead of chugging potions! ...or maybe not, cause there is nothing in any of the menus which allows me to make use of it. Why give thing now if you're not gonna let people use thing right now?? Well ignoring that its back to business. What's gotta set up a the bomb in order to collect his paycheck. Someone, maybe Jessie?, calls out and says there's more to the reactor than what it seems but doesn't go into detail. Thanks again Jessie?


You doesn't care an just wants ta see this place go boom asap. The bomb gets set and its boss time! First one btw. Naturally! Guard Scorpion has very effective moves such as telling ya who its going to attack thus giving them time to defend and taking its sweet time doing anything else! It has a counter attack but What has foreknowledge of this and the team waits it out.


What then unleashes his Limit Break for the first time and scraps that junker of a robot! From its busted body drops the first new weapon, a shiny new gun for You! This somewhat closes the gap between his and What's power but only somewhat.


The gun sees its first use real quick. Always good ta test new things, even when a timebomb is counting down! On their way out What gives Jessie a helping hand as payback for her earlier helpful hints. What then jumps across a small gap. Do you see him? No? He can jump really really high. An ta think people were calling his jumping in AC into question. The proofs right here! He jumps several stories vertically to clear a short horizontal gap. Eat it, haterz!


On the subject of amazing feats, the whole party was right nearby when this happened. Were their insides liquified from the intense heat of the blast? Eardrums ruptured from sound of the enormous explosion? Suffered at all from smoke and other fallout? Bodies battered and bruised from debris flying everywhere? Not one bit!


See? Perfectly fine and already thinking over what a fine job they did. Another, but much smaller bomb frees 'em an sets Wedge's butt ablaze. Everyone splits up in order to not draw attention to themselves while all heading to the train station. Going right back to where they started eh?


While most people are running around in terror, miss space case casually walks up to What with as clueless a question as they come. Like did you not see or hear that gigantic explosion?! What decides she's pretty stupid and tells her to go kick rocks and read the paper if she wants to info so badly. Taking out that reactor messed up the power grid something fierce. The other 7 may be trying to compensate but I sure as heck wouldn't stick around at a time like this.


My question exactly. Although not in reference to what's going on in town, but to the size of this dialogue box! Why's it so huge???


Now here is a good use of a huge dialogue box. The space gets used! Used for crappy AVALANCHE propaganda... or is it some religious thing? The end is nigh and Shinra is the devil! Repent now! Winners don't use Mako!


What practices some non-violent resistance by ignoring the incoming cops, who surprisingly don't immediately open fire on him. What a nice world to live in eh? Being the cool guy that he is, What jumps onto a moving train and leaves them in the dust with a peace out! Meanwhile Wedge seems kinda incoherent about now. Translation issues? "What never came." What didn't come? I really dun get this line.


Everyones surprised that someone just burst into the moving train car they're in and rightfully so. What a stunt to pull! Some combination of both being a freelancer, being late, and being a showoff earns What a dock in pay. Sucks for him!


TRAIN GRAVEYARD. Check a map of Sector 7 or head on down to city hall. That places name is in the official city books and documents!


What takes the time to talk to a vagrant and members of the group. Wedge has always felt like a sidekick but after blowing that reactor to hell he feels like he's doing honest to good work! Biggs can sleep on a moving train. While STANDING UP. An Jessie well is she on a watch list? She prolly should be... o.o;


Told ya so.


Generalizing much? I bet the MidGAF forums has a slum defense force!


Oh dear this guy seems like one of those wise old bartenders just wanting to pass along his knowledge, so lets just move along to a couple of nearby guards. What're they guarding? idk. But they're quite the mismatched duo!


This dudes squatting in a corner doing god knows what and he's asking What what What's doing? Wait, what? Come see what...? Help, I need an adult!


Oh he means the pillar? That long, rigid, pointed thing towering before them? Well sheesh! Nothing shifty about that at all! He could stand ta be less morbid about it though. An no thanks, I dun wanna return to your "strange and wonderful place"!


You is calling but that's a wrap for now!

Alright. After finishing FF VI Advance, Aeana convinced me to play the GBA version of Mother 3 (1.2 fan translation), which turned out to be one of the best decisions ever when it comes to video games (but that's for another thread).

And to keep up this GBA winning streak I'm strongly considering just jumping right on to FF V Advance !!

Up to level 46 on FFXIV. Now it wants me to grind to 49, which is incredibly obnoxious. Guess I'll be doing a lot of Palace of Dead in the next few days.

(The story remains pretty inept, up to the very end. Interesting things do happen every now and on but they're portrayed in a very static fashion. I also never grew to care about any of the NPCs, which is a shame. Hoping the expansion does a lot to fix this.)

I am finally finished with FFX HD. I gave up on getting the achievement for the chocobos race with the 5 treasure chests at Remiem Temple, but I completed all of the other side quests, including maxing out the sphere grid.

Of all the Dark Aeons,Yojimbo gave me the most trouble as I was unable to live through Wakizashi but I managed to beat him by sacrificing aeons to him while I recovered my party. I fighting the Magus Sisters all together but it proved too difficult and I didnt want to grind anymore to adjust my setup so I just fought them separately.

Nemesis and Penance were not too tough, just long and tedious. Nemesis was much easier because I was able to spam Wakka's Attack Reels. Penance took a couple of tries as I was unprepared to deal with Judgement Day but I eventually managed to make sure he never had two arms alive when the body took its turn.

It's nice to be done as mentally the game was becoming tedious from grinding out the sphere grid. I'm gonna read a few books before I hop back in to another game. I will either do a quick FF4 run with the GBA version or do a initial level FF8 run next. FF8 is going to be a grind so that will probably be put off for later.

I have been fully distracted by Fire Emblem Heroes this past week. I'm going to try to make time for more FFT soon though.

Hopefully more people continue their playthroughs (or start new ones)

wtd2009 said:

Just finished 13-2. Is it worth finishing the trilogy just for closure? The reviews I've read say its a fun game to play but a real disservice to the characters in terms of how it all wraps up.

Click to expand...

The game is alright. The battle system is interesting and the game has a few good story bits (especially the mythos parts). I don't think it does any disservice to the characters, I mean if you managed to endure them in FFXIII-2 then it's pretty much in the same vein.
I'd say go for it.

How does FF9 hold up? (please be honest). Never finished it back in the day, maybe played it for about 10 hours and really don't remember anything. Thinking of getting it as a PS Classic (good thing I kept my PS3 around).

TheKastorian said:

How does FF9 hold up? (please be honest). Never finished it back in the day, maybe played it for about 10 hours and really don't remember anything. Thinking of getting it as a PS Classic (good thing I kept my PS3 around).

Click to expand...

FFIX is the best game in the series

This is a fact

You can like others more if you want, but that's not about quality

Fdkn said:

FFIX is the best game in the series

This is a fact

You can like others more if you want, but that's not about quality

Click to expand...

Don't be this guy. There is no objectively best FF game, and if there was, it wouldn't be the one with the most ungodly slow combat system in the series.

TheKastorian said:

How does FF9 hold up? (please be honest). Never finished it back in the day, maybe played it for about 10 hours and really don't remember anything. Thinking of getting it as a PS Classic (good thing I kept my PS3 around).

Click to expand...

The biggest point of contention is that battles run really slowly. Other than that, the story holds up well, the characters and music are top notch, it still looks pretty nice, and the mechanics are as fun as ever.

TheKastorian said:

How does FF9 hold up? (please be honest). Never finished it back in the day, maybe played it for about 10 hours and really don't remember anything. Thinking of getting it as a PS Classic (good thing I kept my PS3 around).

Click to expand...

I don't particularly like it's story or characters but it's probably the most polished of any PS1 game, still looks great now

It's funny, I can't say in all my years with FFIX before reading others opinions on gaf did I once consider that the battle speed was slow or might be a problem for some. I totally recognise it's a common thought seeing it come up often enough but it just never bothered me.

Plus one to adoring it, much recommended

Nairume said:

The biggest point of contention is that battles run really slowly. Other than that, the story holds up well, the characters and music are top notch, it still looks pretty nice, and the mechanics are as fun as ever.

Click to expand...

Yeah, it's still a great game, but those battles are just awful. I'm glad the PC version has the speed boost, which alleviates a lot of that.