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[linko9]

Replayed FFV for the.... 6th? time and finished a few days ago. It remains my favorite RPG ever. It's always been hard for me to explain why, but I really love everything about it. Characters, story, music, visuals; everything about it just clicks with me. But I think the most important thing is the Job System. It's great because even though every character is a blank slate, capable of fulfilling any role, you need to treat them all differently at every given time. Even when you max out every job for every character, you're still going to give them different abilities. In essence, what's so great about the Job System is that it limits you. Unlike in FF6, etc., you can't just learn every magic and then go into battle and use any of those spells whenever you want. Instead, one character gets !White, one gets !Black, etc. Obviously, once your level is high enough, it doesn't matter all that much, and you might as well just give everyone !X-Fight (!RapidFire) and !White, but at that point you've done a lot more grinding than is necessary to do everything in the game.

Also, the game is hilarious.

Ito be praised.

 

[CorvoSol]

-FF13

A big WTF at the opening chapter 11 movie. Of all the things to use like that, a chocobo? Really? Screw you, too, Square. The bit with the Adamantoise didn't help. Meh. Liking chapter 11 beyond that.

Never play the intro to Type-0, then. That sound will haunt me to my grave.

Yeah, there's an awful lot of plot convenience there. Never really thought about it before, but you bring up some interesting points.

Then again, a lot of people do treat her as special since she can talk to Chocobos and Wyverns (Hiryuu).
She only uses low-level magic in those scenes though, so it's not completely outside the realm of possibility of her actually knowing it. (Whether it's as strong as shown is a different matter entirely.)

As far as the meteor stuff goes, it had to have landed on the city itself (the only reason you'd see it later is that it fell with the city, but didn't break on impact for some reason; more plot shenanigans).

Can't argue anything else though. I got nothing. I try not to think too hard about FFV's plot.

To be honest, I never noticed it in my first playthrough. All I remembered the first time through was that she had a BIG head. I didn't know I hated her till I beat the game. To me, Neo-Ex-Death will ALWAYS be That One Boss, because I could NOT beat him as a kid. At last I just grinded to master every job class and went and busted his chops.

Then I discovered why I hated her more than anything.

Spoiler

Why did this little girl, who doesn't join your party till the game's THIRD ACT, get to narrate the ending and NOT the main character, Bartz?

The hatred only grew when Dissidia was coming out and users at GameFAQs insisted that 5, 6, 7, and 10 would be represented by Krile, Celes, Aerith and Yuna respectively. KRILE. UUUUUUUUGH.

I make it a point of killing her myself at the beginning of the final battle and finishing Neo-Ex-Death without her so that I can get the One True Ending.

Yeah, I hate the reimagining of the characters. or should i say i hate the original artwork? Whatever their avatar pictures looked like in the snes version looked great, and then they made it look terrible.

vs

I honestly don't have a problem with Cecil's design in Dissidia. I kinda like the blending of Amano and Nomura going on there. But there's no denying that Cecil has lipstick and Kain paints his pointed nails. I think Kain has lipstick on, too? Hmmm.

But otherwise, I like the designs for Dissidia. Especially the Warrior of Light's second alt.

 

[Noi]

If you're gonna hate on Dissidia's Cecil, hate on Amano's original design then, since it's what everything is based on.

Which in 3D, looks a hell of a lot better than this.

In FF4:CC, they change his overworld sprite to match the amano art, but kept his battle sprite with the goofy over-sized circlet. I kinda wished they'd changed that too just to keep everything consistent.

 

[CorvoSol]

Cecil's Dark Knight armor is so cool. If he were as cool as Golbez, he could join the Four Armored Fiends of Manliness.

 

[Natetan]

If you're gonna hate on Dissidia's Cecil, hate on Amano's original design then, since it's what everything is based on.

I did say I disliked the original design work; i was referencing amano's art work.

I had never heard of amano until a few years ago, and never saw any of that fem artwork until recently.

Frankly, I wish they would have just based the remakes/reimagined games off of the finished product of the game instead of the art work. I love the avatar pics in ff iv and vi.

 

[Ultratech]

Since we're showing off artwork, here's the original Amano art for Kain compared with Dissidia's design:

It's really pretty accurate, though the Dissidia design obviously looks a little better because of the helmet. Too bad he still has painted fingernails...

 

[CorvoSol]

Final Fantasy V: At long last I have met with GILGAMESH! It's surprising to see that, contrary to popular opinion, Gilgamesh has always been a very competent warrior, despite his goofy nature. Soldiers in Castle Bal inform me that Gilgamesh alone is the reason a large number of them don't come home. I wonder whether he's still funny or not in Type-0, since the scenes he's in all seem fairly tragic. But then, it's Type-0. It's the saddest Final Fantasy since II.

In castle Bal, grinding Objet D'arts. I think I'll master Ninja and then move on. I can wait to get Rapid Fire elseplaces.

Final Fantasy Type-0: I did what I think is the hardest RTS mission in the game, just outside the gates of Milites' Great Wall. At the halfway point in this mission Milites sends a giant airship over the wall to bomb everything you own and make you start the mission most of the way over again. You cannot kill this airship, as far as I can tell. Also did some grinding in the badlands between Lorica and Milites, leaving Jack at level 96. It's only a matter of time now before he maxes out! Then I'll have 13 others to finish! Thank you multiple Growth Eggs.

 

[Meccanical]

It's really pretty accurate, though the Dissidia design obviously looks a little better because of the helmet. Too bad he still has painted fingernails...

What, you don't like men having painted fingernails and lipstick?

They don't have to bow down to your cultural norms, they can wear all the make up they want.

Spoiler

I'm joking, just in case someone has a broken joke detector

 

[CorvoSol]

What, you don't like men having painted fingernails and lipstick?

They don't have to bow down to your cultural norms, they can wear all the make up they want.

Spoiler

I'm joking, just in case someone has a broken joke detector

Yang is plenty manly, though. HIS STACHE IS HIS MIGHT.


AAaaaanyway, I think I've lost my mind to Rydia. Like, I'm in some kind of abusive relationship with her chapter. Even though her Challenge Dungeon RNG is frustratingly unreliable, I just keep going. I spent most of my spare time today trying to get all her stuff so I can get the summons so I can move on. I have maxed her levels and cash out, guys. I'm scared. I don't see a light at the end of this tunnel anymore.

Also, can anybody tell me if Adamant Armor is broken? Because if it is, it could save me some time.

 

[Natetan]

Since we're showing off artwork, here's the original Amano art for Kain compared with Dissidia's design:


It's really pretty accurate, though the Dissidia design obviously looks a little better because of the helmet. Too bad he still has painted fingernails...

I didn't say it wasn't accurate. I prefered the end result we got in the original SNES game. I wish they would have been true to that.

 

[jaxword]

I had never heard of amano until a few years ago, and never saw any of that fem artwork until recently.

Frankly, I wish they would have just based the remakes/reimagined games off of the finished product of the game instead of the art work.

The 'finished product' was BASED off the art work, so you basically want the remakes to be even more degrees of distance from the original?

And "fem artwork" ? Really? Come on.

 

[CorvoSol]

FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST, THANK GOD ALMIGHTY I AM FREE AT LAST!

There is, a tale, in TAY, THEY CALL, RYDIA'S TALE! It has been, the ruin, of many a poor boy, and God, I know I'm one. Mothers, tell your children, not to do what I have done!

TAY: I have finished the RNG for Rydia's tale. All four summons, and a Green Tail. The Green Tail is so easy to get though, that I might grab another. I think I'm addicted . . . also, I started Yang's tale. Just building up outside Fabul to pick up some stuff. And I could RNG any time in Kain's Tale and have done with it, were I 10 levels higher.

V:Lenna's fed the daggum Wind Drake and nearly died like, ten times now. To be honest, I really think Bartz gets with Faris in the end, because Lenna is suicidal and Krile is more abominable than Ex-Death. That or the green haired girl back in Lix. Got Golem, Requiem, etc. Feels nice dual-wielding crap.

Type-0: Have I mentioned this month that I love this game? I landed in a valley north of Milites and found a valley of Malboros at level 93. It was beautiful. Jack is level 99, and so is Seven. The happy couple, before heading off on their honey moon, has decided to help young Trey along, too. I also found my way into the ruins of Lorica, which thing I had not anticipated wandering into that cave. It's pretty beautiful down there, and also fairly tragic. Oh, and those horrifying Buster Sword Demons are at the bottom, so yay. I really enjoy how the game has a bunch of interesting areas to explore in the far flung corners of Orience.


But seriously, I am SO happy I finally finished Rydia's Tale. Freaking gonna own that final dungeon if/when I ever get there.

 

[Ultratech]

Finished the Prologue and the first chapter of the 013 story in Dissidia.

Nothing of note really happened in the prologue and the first chapter was all about Cloud moping/complaining and his trying to find a reason to fight, which promptly got cleared up when ol' Sephiroth showed up to fight.


The more I read about TAY, the less I feel like ever playing it. Just sounds so grindy and boring.

Is Type-0 what you'd consider import-friendly? (Or is it simple enough to figure out the commands and other stuff?)

 

[HiddenWings]

And "fem artwork" ? Really? Come on.

I like Amano's artwork, but you do have to admit that his males aren't all that masculine.

 

[honorless]

Based on the work he's done for FF (I'm not familiar with much else of his) Amano's a pretty skilled illustrator but not much of a character designer. The main character art I've seen for FF is overly complex, full of non-functional or impractical accoutrements, and in some cases so sketchy that it's tough to interpret. also everybody's an albino vampire with sameface

I've never seen him do anything as basic as a turnaround, which is indicative of where he falls on the scale of designing a character versus making a cool illustration. Translating those drawings into something suitable for 2D animation would be nightmarish...which is pretty much why they didn't.

His enemy/monster drawings are fantastic, though.

 

[Ultratech]

Based on the work he's done for FF (I'm not familiar with much else of his) Amano's a pretty skilled illustrator but not much of a character designer. The main character art I've seen for FF is overly complex, full of non-functional or impractical accoutrements, and in some cases so sketchy that it's tough to interpret. also everybody's an albino vampire with sameface

I've never seen him do anything as basic as a turnaround, which is indicative of where he falls on the scale of designing a character versus making a cool illustration. Translating those drawings into something suitable for 2D animation would be nightmarish...which is pretty much why they didn't.

His enemy/monster drawings are fantastic, though.

I think that was more of technical limitations at the time than anything else. But yeah, it's worth saying that some of what he drew would be tough to bring to life in 2D (3D in some instances).
I'd argue it could be done today, but it'd still take a large amount of work.

But I can see where you're coming from saying that some of his work is a bit busy (see his FF2 work...LOT of stuff going on there).

Dissidia is the one of the few instances I know of where his actual character design sketches are more or less rendered in 3D with a few touchups.
(This is partly why most everyone else looks mostly unchanged from VII onwards. Amano did most of the primary character design for FF up to VI.)

Speaking of, here's a nice piece I found that doesn't seem indicative of some of his other work:

 

[Natetan]

Based on the work he's done for FF (I'm not familiar with much else of his) Amano's a pretty skilled illustrator but not much of a character designer. The main character art I've seen for FF is overly complex, full of non-functional or impractical accoutrements, and in some cases so sketchy that it's tough to interpret. also everybody's an albino vampire with sameface

I've never seen him do anything as basic as a turnaround, which is indicative of where he falls on the scale of designing a character versus making a cool illustration. Translating those drawings into something suitable for 2D animation would be nightmarish...which is pretty much why they didn't.

His enemy/monster drawings are fantastic, though.

Yep I agree. Monster designs are really good

 

[jaxword]

Speaking of, here's a nice piece I found that doesn't seem indicative of some of his other work:

Is that FF related?

 

[Ultratech]

Is that FF related?

From what I can find, I believe it's some art he did for a book. The piece in question is referred to as "The Sword and the Stallion".

 

[CorvoSol]

Finished the Prologue and the first chapter of the 013 story in Dissidia.

Nothing of note really happened in the prologue and the first chapter was all about Cloud moping/complaining and his trying to find a reason to fight, which promptly got cleared up when ol' Sephiroth showed up to fight.


The more I read about TAY, the less I feel like ever playing it. Just sounds so grindy and boring.

Is Type-0 what you'd consider import-friendly? (Or is it simple enough to figure out the commands and other stuff?)

To answer the first comment, TAY is actually not THAT grindy. It's just that if you DON'T grind, and mind you, you do NOT need to grind until you reach the final dungeon, you will HAVE to grind in the final dungeon. So I am grinding now in part because I want things like the Blue and Adamant Armor and the 2nd Level Band and Rydia's summons (which, by the way, contrary to popular belief, are worth it if Cockatrice works in that goddamn final dungeon) so that I don't get to the Lunar Depths and have to deal with random encounters eating me alive.

The final dungeon is something like 30 floors deep, if not 60. These floors are full of monsters who can and will tear your party to shreds. Cecil will be useless until almost the final floor, but if you DON'T bring him along, [spoilers]Golbez dies[/spoiler]. It's a fun, classic style JRPG and hearkens greatly to Final Fantasy of yester year. It plays the difficulty up to obscene levels, though.

As to your first question, I do consider Type-0 import-friendly. There's a spreadsheet on GameFAQs that tells you everything you ever need to know, but as long as you follow the yellow arrow and orange dot, you'll likely never get lost. To the second, commands are displayed on the screen at most times. O is Limit Break, Triangle is regular attack, Square is magic, and X is either healing magic, defense, or dodge, depending on what you have equipped and whether you push the button or hold it down. Playing with the menus for like, ten seconds is enough to inform you of their purposes, as there will inevitably be some key word in English to help you along.

 

[Labadal]

The only thing I didn't like about Type-0 (from the demo) was the fact that time goes by and you can't do everything you want. I understand why they went with that idea, but it doesn't sound fun and seems to hinder exploration.

 

[Ultratech]

To answer the first comment, TAY is actually not THAT grindy. It's just that if you DON'T grind, and mind you, you do NOT need to grind until you reach the final dungeon, you will HAVE to grind in the final dungeon. So I am grinding now in part because I want things like the Blue and Adamant Armor and the 2nd Level Band and Rydia's summons (which, by the way, contrary to popular belief, are worth it if Cockatrice works in that goddamn final dungeon) so that I don't get to the Lunar Depths and have to deal with random encounters eating me alive.

The final dungeon is something like 30 floors deep, if not 60. These floors are full of monsters who can and will tear your party to shreds. Cecil will be useless until almost the final floor, but if you DON'T bring him along, [spoilers]Golbez dies[/spoiler]. It's a fun, classic style JRPG and hearkens greatly to Final Fantasy of yester year. It plays the difficulty up to obscene levels, though.

As to your first question, I do consider Type-0 import-friendly. There's a spreadsheet on GameFAQs that tells you everything you ever need to know, but as long as you follow the yellow arrow and orange dot, you'll likely never get lost. To the second, commands are displayed on the screen at most times. O is Limit Break, Triangle is regular attack, Square is magic, and X is either healing magic, defense, or dodge, depending on what you have equipped and whether you push the button or hold it down. Playing with the menus for like, ten seconds is enough to inform you of their purposes, as there will inevitably be some key word in English to help you along.

Yeah, I've read up on some of the final dungeon there...

Spoiler

how they reused like a TON of bosses from I to VI

. Doesn't sound horribly fun.

I dunno, I may try it out on my PSP if and when I feel like it eventually.

Good to hear about Type-0 though. That stuff sounds easy enough to figure out, so hopefully I'll mess with it one of these days.

 

[CorvoSol]

The only thing I didn't like about Type-0 (from the demo) was the fact that time goes by and you can't do everything you want. I understand why they went with that idea, but it doesn't sound fun and seems to hinder exploration.

You mean the Free Time segments in the school? Well have I got good news for you! On subsequent play-throughs, all In-School Events that have already been viewed cease to cost you Free Time, meaning the player is free to go and explore and do whatever they want! And since, on the fourth playthrough, I am still stumbling across places to go, I'd say that's not bad.

Yeah, I've read up on some of the final dungeon there...

Spoiler

how they reused like a TON of bosses from I to VI

. Doesn't sound horribly fun.

I dunno, I may try it out on my PSP if and when I feel like it eventually.

Good to hear about Type-0 though. That stuff sounds easy enough to figure out, so hopefully I'll mess with it one of these days.

I despise the PSP version's art style. I don't know why, but it looks hideous to me for some reason. I much prefer the sprites in the Wii version, although being able to carry the game around would certainly be nice. The bosses in the final dungeon do lead into a gigantic WMG, though:

Spoiler

Creator has been wandering the cosmos recollecting his people's crystals to build a new world. Are all the crystals in the first six games his?

Gave up on trying to get the Grey Tail in Kain's Tale. I mean, it's worthless, really, and the RNG to get it is long, frustrating, and complex. So much so that I honestly don't know how many other Tails I'll really bother getting now. I think I may try for the Red Tails still, and Pink, but otherwise whatevs. I have 4 Blue Tails and 6 Green Tails, as well as three chunks of Adamantite. I should be able to outfit the men with Blue Armor, and at least one of the ladies with Pink Armor. That'll leave Adamant Armor for whichever other one, which should be enough defense to allow my party to get safely through the game.

 

[Dark Schala]

Wahahaha, congrats on finishing Rydia's Tale, CorvoSol. That entire chapter is a pain in the rear.

Regarding Type-0, how did you end up handling the SO missions? I found that they came and went pretty fast in terms of giving you the text for the info and then launching you into the mission. I found that sometimes I didn't skim the text fast enough. I might be better at doing that now, but it was kind of disappointing before.

I'll post the next FFIV thingy later. Been stressed with exams and stuff and I need a break.

 

[CorvoSol]

Wahahaha, congrats on finishing Rydia's Tale, CorvoSol. That entire chapter is a pain in the rear.

Regarding Type-0, how did you end up handling the SO missions? I found that they came and went pretty fast in terms of giving you the text for the info and then launching you into the mission. I found that sometimes I didn't skim the text fast enough. I might be better at doing that now, but it was kind of disappointing before.

I'll post the next FFIV thingy later. Been stressed with exams and stuff and I need a break.

Hahaha, I didn't. The only Special Orders I have done in 4 playthroughs are the ones in the Temple of All-Magic. Otherwise I have never done a single one, hahaha.

And yes, I finished Rydia's chapter. And upon purchasing Last Story and Xenoblade and in light of my more or less two weeks left before leaving my Wii behind for two semesters, I believe I'm not doing more RNGs. I MIGHT try the Red Tail, but otherwise, whatever. I have enough Blue tails for 4 men, plus 3 Adamantite. I think that should be enough of a buffer, if not enough to help me skirt Omega and The Lord Dragon. How cool is that title, by the way? The Lord Dragon. So cool. And the LORD Dragon said unto Cid Lufaine, His servant, "Thou Shalt Sacrifice thine first borne son, Chaos, unto me. And it WAS good."

 

[Dark Schala]

Feeling pretty exhausted today, but I’ll try to crack some jokes or something.

This is where Final Fantasy IV’s story ends. It’s too bad, but at least it ends on a high note because the raid on Fabul was pretty cool.

Last time, Tommy unleashed the Dragonzord on Fabul and Golbez won the war.

Fabul

Today we’re going to regroup. King from FFType-0 is apparently wounded. So we’re going to do the best thing to do in that situation: steal the kingdom’s treasures.

Batman is finally all decked out in Black Armour.

Rubbing alcohol, you mean?

By the way, if this White Mage’s magic isn’t as good as Beer’s, that says something about Fabul’s health care system entirely. It must be garbage. King, dude, what are you doing? Where is your money going? Beer just learned Cure 2 and she’d recently learned Life 1! C’mon.

Unless the White Mage usually administers Karate Power / FFT’s Chakra to wounds.

While we’re here, let’s go see Donnie’s wife.

I can’t help but to feel she’s being a little disingenuous because she knows Donnie could take everyone on by himself.

Strongest Final Fantasy female, confirmed.

This affirms that Baron is the only nation in the world with airships. It probably means that they’re a recent invention because it would be utterly selfish of Baron to keep this technology to themselves, I feel. Especially in peace times. It depends on when the King of Baron went crazy, though.

King used to be a really good Karate so he apparently fought on the front lines or something. Now that’s what I call a King! Oy, Bolton, take note!

Since Donnie’s wife is busy fixing up her dented frying pans in their room in the castle, I guess we need to stay at the Inn.

We must rescue all of the beer. And it is reiterated that Baron’s the only nation with airships. Airships > Every Other Ship.

Baron’s Sea Power is no match for Fabul’s Sea Power. Anyway, I kind of have a problem with this. Baron has just initiated an attack on Fabul and stole its crystal. Fair enough. This is an act of war. They didn’t declare war on anyone, though.

But wouldn’t sending an official ship from Fabul carrying a gang of dudes with a political coup or something in mind also constitute an open act of war, and will pretty much be a declaration of war? Is anyone at all thinking tactically or are thinking of the political ramifications of this act?

No one?

And what’s going to stop Baron’s light sea patrol from spotting the ship with a scope, alerting the Red Wings, and having the Red Wings bomb it to smithereens?

Who’s Baron’s military tactician?

No, wait. Does Fabul even have a damn military tactician? What kind of fool staged a defensive strategy where the enemies were allowed to get into the castle unintentionally?

Right, I’m playing Final Fantasy IV. I forgot. Sorry.

No, together you swore to overthrow the King or something. This would have made for a better story focus, but alas…

Even Bolton knows this conversation is getting awkward and is going nowhere. Thank goodness.

In the morning, we meet up with the bedridden King.

Oh lord, does this mean that King is the Fabul military strategist? Help us. Someone. I certainly hope that ship is disguised in Baronian flags or something because saying that you’re coming from Fabul to the Baronian Sea Power Military might not be a good idea.

Even if we’re going on a cargo ship and are smuggling Batman and everyone else in as supplies or as sailors, I don’t think sending a ship from your territory into enemy territory would be the brightest thing to do unless you have a white flag attached to your ship.

But Batman’s the only Dark Knight? Why are King’s articles mixed up in this dialogue sequence? And who is "The True Evil"?

Anyway, the Black Sword (now Batman’s all decked out in black!) is Batman’s strongest weapon as a Dark Knight. It can instakill some enemies if they’re weak against that. We’re going to take full advantage of that whenever possible.

If Golbez acquires all the ships? Yeah, he’d be able to be in charge of all of the world’s trade and travel routes if he has both the Airships and every nation’s sea ships at his command.

Because Batman can now instakill lots of stuff, we should take everyone’s equipment off. They won’t need it anymore. >.>

Poseidon’s in this game?! We’d better not be all “lol, the gods, they suck” otherwise Poseidon’s going to blow us clear across the world away from our destination.

We’re on a boat.

Hey Cid!

Batman and everyone else showing Donnie’s wife the attention and respect she deserves as a Karate. Basically she wants Donnie to kick a lot of ass as soon as we get to Baron. Oh, I certainly hope we kick a lot of ass too.

I didn’t capture it, but there’s this nice part where Donnie’s wife waves goodbye while we set off for Baron. It’s nice. Operation Beer Get is now in effect.

Also, “HOY”. “OOOOOYYYY” would have been acceptable.

Main Theme of Final Fantasy IV

There’s something I’ve always loved about old video game music and sound effects. Whenever there’s a lot of sound effects going on, one of the channels in the music would be subdued or dropped in favour of playing the sound effect. We’ve got sailing sounds going on right now, so the percussion is dropped and it makes the BGM very mellow and fitting of what’s going on right now.

Whether it’s intentional or not, it’s a very nice effect.

I’ll fully admit that I used to just move the cursor up and down menus to create this effect for a lot of BGMs in various games on older platforms.

Help us with what? Finding a new brand of beer? Hooking us up with an airship? Taking Baron down from the inside (which would be the best idea in the world, seriously)? I hope it’s the last option!

I’ve always wondered if this was the game’s way of showing that Bolton can experience omens or something. Obviously it’s supposed to be like that.

Or he’s just a little baby who doesn’t think a pirate’s life is a life for him. Faris > Bolton.

Suddenly, the ship begins to shake.

What’s that tentacle doing there sticking out of the ocean? We’d killed the Octomamm a few hours ago!

I just love how the sailors are saying a piece one by one just to make it seem like they matter in this entire affair.

Bomb Ring

Damn you, character limits!

I always thought the sprite made Leviathan look like a prehistoric skeletal creature.

Oh, and there's this kinda funny part where the ship's crew is scrambling around, the captain tells them to 'stop it!', and then they stop for a few seconds only to panic again.

In case you didn’t notice, Clair got thrown into the ocean. Donnie jumps in to save her as we approach a maelstrom. I can’t recall seeing any nets or anything on that ship so I don’t think they’re going to come back. An utter shame. Clair deserves more than this, dammit.

Bolton just loses his balance and falls down.

By the way, I don’t think Batman’s very concerned about his party members. He just walks towards people or events as they happen. He’s more concerned with his beer. As a real Dark Knight should be.

Everyone, including the ship, are drawn into the vortex. We've finished before we've even started anything. I think Leviatan and Baron's Sea Power Military are in cahoots. Batman didn't know a thing about Baron's Naval Military, did he?

Welp, Batman’s dead, you guys.

This can’t be how it ends, right? Square wouldn’t have the balls to just kill the main hero and his friends off like that.

You’ll have to play the sequel “Final Fantasy IV: Batman’s Dying Dream” to get the full story!

Next time, we’ll start playing Batman’s Dying Dream.

 

[CorvoSol]

http://i.imgur.com/Fpkhb.png[/IMG]

Welp, Batman’s dead, you guys.

This can’t be how it ends, right? Square wouldn’t have the balls to just kill the main hero and his friends off like that.

You’ll have to play the sequel “Final Fantasy IV: Batman’s Dying Dream” to get the full story!

Next time, we’ll start playing Batman’s Dying Dream.

Oh, you poor, poor man. I was like you once. Then this happened(spoilers!):



Then this:



Oh, and one game where it was also legitimately heart-breaking, and one game where it was mind bendingly stupid.

Come to think of it, there are actually a bunch of games where Square does this.

Spoiler

Chrono Trigger, the original ending for FF6, FFX, FFVIII(lol), FFXIII-2, P3B, Sword of Mana, and MAJOR SPOILERS FOR A GAME YOU DO CARE ABOUT AND MIGHT PLAY AND ALL THAT AND REALLY DON'T READ FURTHER I'M WARNING YOU OKAY HERE I GO TYPE-0

 

[Professor Beef]

Oh, you poor, poor man. I was like you once. Then this happened:

http://i.imgur.com/igg2z.jpg[/IMURL]

Then this:

[URL=http://imgur.com/QfygQ][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/QfygQ.jpg[/IMRL][/QUOTE]

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/Hvb0H.jpg

Is your's broken? ;D

 

[CorvoSol]

Is your's broken? ;D

Is yours?

Sarcasmception!! oooooooh~~

 

[Ultratech]

Everyone, including the ship, are drawn into the vortex. We've finished before we've even started anything. I think Leviatan and Baron's Sea Power Military are in cahoots. Batman didn't know a thing about Baron's Naval Military, did he?

Welp, Batman’s dead, you guys.

This can’t be how it ends, right? Square wouldn’t have the balls to just kill the main hero and his friends off like that.

You’ll have to play the sequel “Final Fantasy IV: Batman’s Dying Dream” to get the full story!

Next time, we’ll start playing Batman’s Dying Dream.

Nah, I think Leviathan just Back Attacked them with a big ol' Tidal Wave. They never saw it coming...

Spoiler

It was REALLY hard to find/make a Tidal Wave sprite.

Here's a sneak peak of Batman's Dying Dream:

 

[jaxword]

I like how no remake or retranslation even bothered to try and explain Leviathan killing all the sailors to get to Rydia. Not even a throwaway line from Edward or something that says "I saw the other sailors get to safety on a raft."

Nope, Leviathan is a the god of the ocean and he just kills whoever he wants just because.

 

[CorvoSol]

I like how no remake or retranslation even bothered to try and explain Leviathan killing all the sailors to get to Rydia. Not even a throwaway line from Edward or something that says "I saw the other sailors get to safety on a raft."

Nope, Leviathan is a the god of the ocean and he just kills whoever he wants just because.

He's contractually obligated to do so by Bahamut. He was probably like, "Well, the law says that only a just person can beat me in a fight, and they all died, so they aren't just. The girl survived, so MAYBE she's just."

 

[Jedeye Sniv]

Hey I didn't know people were doing this, neat. I've been playng a lot of FF in the past few weeks, FF VI and FFT specifically. I've never really played much of the series before - I had a few aborted attempts at the DS versions of III and IV but couldn't get into it, mostly due to the massive difficulty spikes a few hours in and the sparse save points, whereas I'd been used to the more forgiving DQ series. I'd always been interested in what I'd seen of VI though, the steampunky style was visually really unique so I'd always had it in the back of my mind to play it one day. In the meantime I picked up FFT on iOS and gave it a try, only to be a bit overwhelmed by the job system and accidentally saving myself into some unwinnable fights, I got about 10 hours in twice and left it alone for a good long while.

I picked it up recently and started again and now I'm a lot better, forging ahead in chapter 3 and feeling like I understand how to get the best out of the game (for me at least!). It's really rewarding and it's one of the few times where I've really had to try and try to get into a game before it revealed itself to me properly. I love it, that mix of classic turn-based rpg combined with the movement, I've never played a game like it before but I'm hooked.

Today I got an hour in to the monastary thinking I was doing ok until I got to Weigraf who kicked my head in before I had chance to admire the scenery. So I've dropped back an hour and am happily grinding away to get my fighters and mages to where I want them NOW rather than the down-the-line scenario I had in my head pre-Weigraf. Dual weilding monks for all! Hahaha!

I've also sunk about 20 hours into FF VI over the past few weeks, and I just finished the opera section today. I was floored, I was not expecting this game to be as inventive and fun as it is. The bits I played of III and IV were pretty vanilla fantasy stuff and didn't really grab me, wheras VI has surprised me consistently with the varied characters and scenarios.

Splitting the big cast up into subteams early on kept me on my toes, and the stories were tight and interesting, and then the Opera blew my mind. It was so fluid, the handover from Locke to whatshernameMariabird was slick and I was amused that I got to be onstage. The music was pretty good, and I'm someone that hears people talk about FF music with insane reverence and think they're a bit odd (sorry!), but it was tuneful and I was captivated by how well choreographed everything was for a SNES game. My previous "best 16 bit RPG" title was held by DQ V but this is steadily taking over.

I also like how there isn't a job system in this game - I'm enjoying it a little bit in FFT but tbh I find them a bit tiring to be constantly juggling level ups, so playing two job systems simulatiously would be a bit taxing I think. Although the esper system might get like that I'm feel, we'll see.

It's really fun getting into this series for the first time. I'll make sure I keep updating this thread, it'll be cool to share my excitement with people other than my lady who doesn't give a shit

 

[CorvoSol]

Are you playing the PSP version of Tactics? If so, just get the Dark Knight and coast through the game. I had three by chapter two and never had any problems ever again. If you're on the PS1 version, Ninja x Knight is the way to go.

As a matter of fact, Ninja/Knight is pretty much the killer combo for the series. I mean, in the Advance games it's really Ninja/Paladin with hints of Fighter/Samurai, but basically Dual-Wield + Knightswords is the way to go unless you have the game-breaking Sword Skills of The Thunder God, Agrias, Meliadoul, and, to a much lesser extent, Beowulf and Cloud.

UPDATES:

THE AFTER YEARS: Prepping to go into the godawful Lodestone Cavern in Palom's Tale. At this point I am DONE RNGing. I can't be asked to care about even the Red Tails because I just got Xenoblade and Last Story, so I don't have the time. I'm just going to do everything I can to get to the final tale and pray that Blue Armor and Adamant Armor is enough to cover my party all the way to Creator. I still dislike Leonora, though. But honestly, Palom's tale is one of my favorites because it's hilarious. Palom earns my trust by being the only character in the game to have the good sense to question and mock anything.

Playing through the chapter, my little brother notes how absurd it is that Leonora insists that the Epopts job of caring for the kingdom is taxing on them as there are only seven of them, when in EVERY OTHER KINGDOM one man is capable of doing the job. He joked about it being kind of sexist, and added that it couldn't be the added stress of having a crystal, because FuSoYa ruled an entire race and tended to eight crystals alone for decades. But the Epopts just can't handle ONE crystal on their own.

Taking the Crystal down into that cavern is immensely stupid, though, because there is no exit. Palom will inevitably be cornered down there. He SHOULD have taken it somewhere like Eblan, which had all kinds of exit strategies.

V: You know why I hate Krile? Because she pulls stupid bullcrap that isn't right at all. Ex-Death is hopped up on Crystal Power, commanding four of them, has the Light Warriors at his mercy, is INSIDE his home turf of the Guardian Tree, so by all means, he ought to be mother effing invincible at this moment. And then Krile hits him with ONE DAMN SPELL and it KOs him until the Crystals revive him.

Mind you, Krile has had NO access to job classes, and cannot have any spell better than Thundaga, since that's the highest level magic her world has, and Galuf, casting those same spells on Ex-Death, didn't have enough to KO him in a single spell. Oh, and her Wind Drake FLEW her to Moore, which is surrounded by mountains that my OWN WIND DRAKE couldn't reach. Also, where did she get this Wind Drake that flew her there? It can't BE the one that was hers that we went and saved, because I JUST LEFT THAT THING all the way on the shores of Ex-Death's Continent, and the one she's using was still in Bal. This is why I hate Krile: She breaks every damn rule the game has, and she always has to one-up your entire party. Freaking, FOUR WARRIORS OF LIGHT can't do CRAP to Ex-Death while he's freaking mainlining Crystals but ONE SPELL from Krile and OH NO EX-DEATH IS DEAD!

UGH UGH UGH. Go join Genesis in the club of FF characters who get away with bullcrap.

Also, I mastered Hunter with Bartz, so now I can basically do Dual-Wield Rapid-Fire Spell-Blade. So boss. But even though Bartz is a walking killing machine, KRILE WILL BEAT HIM WITH ONE BLOW BECAUSE SHE IS THE SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE.

Type-0: Even though I have an entire party at level 99, I cannot pass the first room in the Tower of Agito. I freaking BEAT DARK SUZAKU and I STILL can't get through one room in this tower. But to be fair, Dark Suzaku was a fair fight, and this is not. Dark Suzaku, for those who care, is

Spoiler

a level 200 boss who employs level ??? versions of party members and monsters to wear you down. I say I beat the fight, but I'm not sure. I killed everything it sent at me and the battle ended. If I won, though, I dunno.

The first fight in Agito Tower? Like, SIX level 128 Tonberries. And if the fact that the room is full of Tonberries who can OHKO you isn't bad enough, THEY USE STOP. I'm sorry, were you gonna dodge that before using another Flurry, Jack? NO YOU WEREN'T. Oh, hey, Seven, we really like seeing your bike shorts, so how bout you pause right there while we uh, poke you? Hey, Trey, don't be shy. Don't wanna come near us? We'll come to you.

TONBERRIES RUIN YOUR LIFE.

 

[Natetan]

So ive been toiling through FFIII DS, and got burned twice on the fire dragon enemy thing blocking the fire crystal.

So i decided to watch a lets play of the NES version of the game, and man does it look better. Graphically the game looks pretty nice actually, better than i expected. And it plays so much faster, there aren't unecessary animations when you find a secret passage etc. Plus the characters dont look all chibi and stupid as well as bad DS 3D animation.

 

[CorvoSol]

So ive been toiling through FFIII DS, and got burned twice on the fire dragon enemy thing blocking the fire crystal.

So i decided to watch a lets play of the NES version of the game, and man does it look better. Graphically the game looks pretty nice actually, better than i expected. And it plays so much faster, there aren't unecessary animations when you find a secret passage etc. Plus the characters dont look all chibi and stupid as well as bad DS 3D animation.

The NES version, which for some reason, is more beloved, also has the godawful CP system, an ungodly encounter rate, and holds back the Ninja and Sage classes until you reach the bottom of Eureka. Ninja and Sage are also more broken in the NES version, as Ninjas can equip everything without penalty, and Sages can use Summons without the whole Light/Dark thing. I liked the DS version, though.

Is it possible to miss out on Coral Rings in FF5? ExDeath swallowed Istory, which is where they were sold, I think.

 

[Ultratech]

The NES version, which for some reason, is more beloved, also has the godawful CP system, an ungodly encounter rate, and holds back the Ninja and Sage classes until you reach the bottom of Eureka. Ninja and Sage are also more broken in the NES version, as Ninjas can equip everything without penalty, and Sages can use Summons without the whole Light/Dark thing. I liked the DS version, though.

Is it possible to miss out on Coral Rings in FF5? ExDeath swallowed Istory, which is where they were sold, I think.

CP system isn't bad unless you're constantly switching classes (which aside from the early game...you probably shouldn't be).
The only real negative about the Famicom version is that a good number of classes border on useless and some classes are inherently better versions of previous classes. (See Knight > Warrior, Black Belt > Monk)
The DS version actually did a good job of rebalancing the Jobs. (Except that the Knight/Black Belt example still stands hilariously.)

As for Coral Rings, they're still sold someplace along with the other Rings...

Spoiler

check Mirage Village; it's in one of its hidden shops

.

 

[CorvoSol]

CP system isn't bad unless you're constantly switching classes (which aside from the early game...you probably shouldn't be).
The only real negative about the Famicom version is that a good number of classes border on useless and some classes are inherently better versions of previous classes. (See Knight > Warrior, Black Belt > Monk)
The DS version actually did a good job of rebalancing the Jobs. (Except that the Knight/Black Belt example still stands hilariously.)

As for Coral Rings, they're still sold someplace along with the other Rings...

Spoiler

check Mirage Village; it's in one of its hidden shops

.

Yeah, I found 'em. They're super useful for the Shinryu and Leviathan fights, that's why I always try to get 'em. I think the Fire Ring might also be helpful for the Omega fight? Oh man, NOT looking forward to the Shinryu Verus/Omega Mk. V fights, but I promised myself I would fight all the superbosses in the series as I went along. So far, I've been good about that, save XIII and XIII-2, which I likely won't get around to ever doing (because I returned XIII-2 to my friend, and because I simply haven't the time to prep for Vercingetorix.)

 

[Jedeye Sniv]

Are you playing the PSP version of Tactics? If so, just get the Dark Knight and coast through the game. I had three by chapter two and never had any problems ever again. If you're on the PS1 version, Ninja x Knight is the way to go.

As a matter of fact, Ninja/Knight is pretty much the killer combo for the series. I mean, in the Advance games it's really Ninja/Paladin with hints of Fighter/Samurai, but basically Dual-Wield + Knightswords is the way to go unless you have the game-breaking Sword Skills of The Thunder God, Agrias, Meliadoul, and, to a much lesser extent, Beowulf and Cloud.

You are operating several levels beyond "normal player" I'm thinking. I just checked the reqs for the Dark Knight and I think it would take me another ten hours of grinding just to get up to 8 in the classes let alone crystalising that many enemies I'm halfway into chapter three now, I think my pair of dual weilding monks will have to do me for the time being!

That said, after grinding for about 4 hours in the past couple of days I just blew through the monastary, taking out Weigraf in a single turn which was nice. Now I'm tearing through the story missions and the whole thing is starting to get a lot more interesting now I'm getting the hang of the characters. I'm still not entirely sure what side Ramza is on (neither?) or who the two teams are led by and what they want, but the stuff in the scriptures was interesting and I'm getting the gist of it.

I'm not sure what classes to start levelling now that I've reached the optimum build I've been working towards for so long. I get the feeling I could get ultra nerdy and game breaking at this point but I'm not sure I'm that sort of player. I think I'll just continue to muddle on through, see where I gets me.

 

[CorvoSol]

Dark Knight breaks the game clean in two, so of course it requires a bit of a major sacrifice to get.

Knight/Ninja, on the other hand, isn't that hard.


Just got 3 of the "New" Classes in FF5. I guess I'm going back to Castle Bal, but on the other hand, I almost feel like it'd be faster to just march down into The Void, grind Movers for a day, then leave the Void to finish World 3.

 

[jaxword]

I really really really want to try Theatrhythm but I can't afford it after tuition ate all my savings.

The temptation to watch youtube is great...

 

[Jedeye Sniv]

Dark Knight breaks the game clean in two, so of course it requires a bit of a major sacrifice to get.

Knight/Ninja, on the other hand, isn't that hard.


Just got 3 of the "New" Classes in FF5. I guess I'm going back to Castle Bal, but on the other hand, I almost feel like it'd be faster to just march down into The Void, grind Movers for a day, then leave the Void to finish World 3.

I don't know why, but Knight/Ninja for me is hitting at half the damage of Monk/ninja. Plus you get the regen stuff from a monk too. My magic users are the ticksy ones, I have a really high level black mage since I just want to deal big damage but my other guy I'm not sure about. Right now he's an Orator and I might get him to Arithmetician pretty soon, but end up taking him back to a lower-tier magic user (probably black mixed with time, I like time magic). And then I have a chemist who's been with me the whole time, mixed with theivery for the hell of it. She kicks surprising amounts of ass.

Does anyone use their story characters as their battle team? I have Agrias just sitting there but never used her, now she's a dozen levels under all my team. I figure these guys can come and go at a moment's notice, I don't want to underlevel my core dudes in favour of these fairweather friends.

This game is so much fun.

 

[Jedeye Sniv]

So I just got to the second, infamous Weigraf fight in FFT and got my arse absolutely handed to me in short order. Those monsters and their attacks are insane, I have absolutely no defence against it, they one-hit my guys right away. Does anyone have any tips for this or do I just need to go grind for another few hours? I was totally over levelled for the fights before it too but that one is just...woah.

 

[Natetan]

So I just got to the second, infamous Weigraf fight in FFT and got my arse absolutely handed to me in short order. Those monsters and their attacks are insane, I have absolutely no defence against it, they one-hit my guys right away. Does anyone have any tips for this or do I just need to go grind for another few hours? I was totally over levelled for the fights before it too but that one is just...woah.

It's probably the stupidest thing about fft. The hardest boss is incredibly hard and half way through the game. Honestly the game ore wiegraf is quite challenging.,post wiegraf is super easy.,the game is really unbalanced for the worse.

Some people go the yell route. I generally get a bunch of ninjas. Three or so.

 

[Natetan]

The NES version, which for some reason, is more beloved, also has the godawful CP system, an ungodly encounter rate, and holds back the Ninja and Sage classes until you reach the bottom of Eureka. Ninja and Sage are also more broken in the NES version, as Ninjas can equip everything without penalty, and Sages can use Summons without the whole Light/Dark thing. I liked the DS version, though.

Is it possible to miss out on Coral Rings in FF5? ExDeath swallowed Istory, which is where they were sold, I think.

the ds encounter rate is punishingly high in my opinion and the battles are slow. The da music can be quite good though

 

[linko9]

The NES version, which for some reason, is more beloved, also has the godawful CP system, an ungodly encounter rate, and holds back the Ninja and Sage classes until you reach the bottom of Eureka. Ninja and Sage are also more broken in the NES version, as Ninjas can equip everything without penalty, and Sages can use Summons without the whole Light/Dark thing. I liked the DS version, though.

Is it possible to miss out on Coral Rings in FF5? ExDeath swallowed Istory, which is where they were sold, I think.

Pretty sure they sell coral rings in Mirage (secret Armor shop), but I might be misremembering. Also, I ended up with a few in my inventory without ever buying any, so you must find them in chests or as a drop somewhere.

 

[Dark Schala]

Final Fantasy IV: Batman's Dying Dream, the Prologue

Last time we left Batman, well, he's dead.

Poor Batman. While the party was in pursuit of a new brand of beer, Leviatan back attacked the party with a Tidal Wave because he's the King of the Sea and he can do whatever he wants to get whatever he wants. Killing sailors and People Who Fight Things / Light Warriors is not important to him!

While Batman lies dying on that beach, he begins to dream before dies. He finds himself whisked to another land. Perhaps another game entirely. Nothing is as it seems here. Yes means no, and no means yes. Portraits and clocks attack him, and apparently his objective is to defeat some sort of statue. It's absolutely bonkers.

Moonside

Batman finds himself in a bar. It's all neon and strange in here. Well, you know, we could try a new brand of beer in here, but Batman’s in a dream and the beer here isn’t real.

This place is as neon as the 1980s. What is this place, anyway?

Make up your damn mind!

We’re in some place called “Moonside”? We’re going to the Moon? What? The Moon is a place in the sky and we can’t possibly go there. We’ve just invented Airships, after all. We don’t even know what the Moon is like! I suppose that because of this dream, Batman expresses an unconscious desire to go to the Moon somehow. Well, that’ll never ever happen.

We should probably talk to some NPCs to see what’s going on in here. Maybe at least one of them will be helpful…

Let’s get the fuck out of here. Now. Batman, your dreams are screwed up. Is this a consequence of being a DKnight?

We eventually come across an invisible Mr T with a golden tooth, some guy who loves sharpening things, a guy who thinks Batman is something called a “Parking Meter”, and some dude worshipping a statue.

Let’s go beat up that statue!

Battle Against an Otherworldly Foe

Evil Mani Mani Statue brings out the evil in everyone! Batman has no magic, so all we can do is physically attack. The Evil Mani Mani can get in a few criticals on you, and can cast a Glorious Light attack which has the capacity to OHKO you, so watch out. Sometimes it can get lucky in a battle with the Flash attack and the criticals, but keep healed and keep on your toes. You’ll down it quick enough.

After defeating the statue, Batman still finds himself in a dream. Well… We should probably try to wake up.

Next Time: We’re still in Batman’s Dying Dream Nightmare because the next party members are annoying children. (I'll make a serious post next time, but the opportunity was too good to pass up. Much thanks to Ultratech.)

 

[CorvoSol]

Pretty sure they sell coral rings in Mirage (secret Armor shop), but I might be misremembering. Also, I ended up with a few in my inventory without ever buying any, so you must find them in chests or as a drop somewhere.

No, they do. I have 4 Coral Rings and 1 Fire Ring, in case I need that against Omega. I'll get three more before starting the Void. For now, though, I'm mostly just collecting things out of World 3. I'm only missing Self-Destruct, Mind Blast, and Roulette for Blue Magic, and 1 Song. I need to get Bahamut and Phoenix, then I'm ready to pretty much march on Ex-Death's stronghold. I'll stop to grind on Movers, too. I hope the difficulty doesn't spike too much between the endgame and the Sealed Temple, though, as I'm pretty excited as 5 ends to get rolling on FF6.

But I don't want to really rush through the main series. Just so long as I'm done with everything but X and XII by the time I come home from school, so I can go through those. Correction, X, X-2, and XIII. I'll likely do Tactics, and maybe Tactics Advance, but Tactics Advance II can go watch its mommy hang herself with a doll after having her soul sucked into an Evangelion.

I don't like Tactics Advance II. It's fun, and MOST of the cast are cool, but Luso is insufferable, and the crafting system literally ruins the game.

 

[jaxword]

It's probably the stupidest thing about fft.

No, the stupidest thing was the people arguing over their ending interpretation 10+ years later despite the creator flat out saying what happened.

 

[CorvoSol]

No, the stupidest thing was the people arguing over their ending interpretation 10+ years later despite the creator flat out saying what happened.

Hey, if I want to say that Ramza is actually Jesus and he actually fulfilled the Zodiac Brave Story and that the Gods of Ivalice are good and were on Ramza's side the whole time, and I choose to back all of this up with wild interpretations of the game's plot, I WILL.