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[Sub_Level]

I almost think Larsa would have been a better protagonist than Vaan. The stark differences with his brother are portrayed very well, serving as a nice basis for a 'good guy' vs 'bad guy' premise. Up to this point he has been in the story quite a lot anyway. Plus he is young and sheltered so you still get the same sense of learning and discovery of the world that I assume the writers wanted the audience to identify with when they chose Vaan.

On a related note, yes the star wars parallels are there. The princess, the resistance, the empire, the desert. But to call XII a straight rip off is a huge over simplification. The resistance is basically a bad joke in this game and really the story is more about a land caught between two warring empires. Its not your typical resistance vs empire drama. Hell there is even a nuclear weapon parallel with the nethicite. That is cool and unusual for a story in this setting.

 

[manipulate]

I almost think Larsa would have been a better protagonist than Vaan. The stark differences with his brother are portrayed very well, serving as a nice basis for a 'good guy' vs 'bad guy' premise. Up to this point he has been in the story quite a lot anyway. Plus he is young and sheltered so you still get the same sense of learning and discovery of the world that I assume the writers wanted the audience to identify with when they chose Vaan.

On a related note, yes the star wars parallels are there. The princess, the resistance, the empire, the desert. But to call XII a straight rip off is a huge over simplification. The resistance is basically a bad joke in this game and really the story is more about a land caught between two warring empires. Its not your typical resistance vs empire drama. Hell there is even a nuclear weapon parallel with the nethicite. That is cool and unusual for a story in this setting.

Agreed, 100%. I've actually always thought that Larsa is a better character than almost all of the characters in the main party. He is comfortably the best "child" character in the FF franchise. He's not annoying, but he's still very much a youth.

 

[Aureon]

I've been playing LR after liking XIII-2 very much.
The hell is that shit?
Combat is decent, good, even - but the story doesn't make the slightest bit of sense?

 

[Zantetsuken88]

Hitting a bit of a roadblock now with my FFXII IZJS playthrough - which is my laptop not really performing all that well. Keep getting some massive slowdowns during certain parts and it just kills it. Of course it speeds up again if I switch back to native resolution but then it looks so disappointing

This is why we need an official HD remaster release Square... Where is it?

I've been playing LR after liking XIII-2 very much.
The hell is that shit?
Combat is decent, good, even - but the story doesn't make the slightest bit of sense?

LR was so disappointing and I didn't even bother finishing it. I've not lost interest in a FF game ever up until I played that game.

For the premise to be entirely on a timed basis just completely ruins the game for me. I couldn't relax or enjoy anything. And honestly I wasn't particularly hot on the battle system either.

 

[Sub_Level]

At the Phon Coast now. 25 hours. Finally started doing some Hunts.

Oh dear. They are being killed in one hit. Should have done these earlier.

 

[manipulate]

This is why we need an official HD remaster release Square... Where is it?

If XII HD remaster with IZJS isn't at E3 I'm gonna be despondent. It's the 10 year anniversary and everything!

 

[Sub_Level]

There is an FFXII hunting mark npc who is pretty much named BallSack...

 

[Zantetsuken88]

It's like Balzac or something isn't it? lol.

Well, Performance is getting even worse for some reason so I've had to downgrade to x2 resolution for it to run smoothly and it just doesn't look as wonderful as it did at 3x.

I'm going to try it out on Linux on a different machine to see if it's any better but I'm not holding my breath. *sigh*

All I want is for a XII remaster to be announced, or for them to finally release the IX remaster on Steam. I can't imagine why it's taking so long.

 

[Sub_Level]

It's like Balzac or something isn't it? lol.

Well, Performance is getting even worse for some reason so I've had to downgrade to x2 resolution for it to run smoothly and it just doesn't look as wonderful as it did at 3x.

I'm going to try it out on Linux on a different machine to see if it's any better but I'm not holding my breath. *sigh*

All I want is for a XII remaster to be announced, or for them to finally release the IX remaster on Steam. I can't imagine why it's taking so long.

You know if they announce it, its gonna be another while before it actually comes out. So by waiting for the announcement you're just waiting for the new wait.

I've heard Windows 10 runs PCSX2 slightly better. Something to do with CPU utilization.

Or you could run at native PS2 resolution and experience it the way it was meant to be played LOL. I'm playing on a PS2 and its still a pretty looking game.

 

[Sub_Level]

Indefatigable

FFXII teaching new vocabulary every day. Who needs a thesaurus.

 

[Tenrius]

Woot, just finished FFXII myself. Took me ~90 hours spread over six years.

Sub_Level, how are you doing it so fast? Then again, I did lots of side stuff (and also overused Poach in the first half of the game). I didn't do most of the later hunts though and didn't collect the extra espers, so there's still plenty to do. I'll probably be taking a break though.

Great game all in all! The gameplay was great and the story had its moments occasionally. I wish there'd be more aerial battles though, those were awesome.

The writing got seriously goofy at times though, especially towards the ending. Like, what is this supposed to look like (spoilery bit of dialogue from Pharos, a lategame location):

Spoiler

Reddas: So this is the Sun-cryst.

[Ashe approaches it, grasping the Treaty-blade in one hand, and the Sword of Kings in the other]

Ashe: King Raithwall stood here. With this sword he cut the Sun-cryst... and took its power in his hand.

[Vaan approaches her]

Vaan: But you're going to use the sword to destroy the Sun-cryst. Aren't you, Ashe.

Ashe: Don't interrupt me, Vaan.

Is the ending supposed to lead up to Revenant Wings? Should I play that game?

 

[Aters]

Woot, just finished FFXII myself. Took me ~90 hours spread over six years.

Sub_Level, how are you doing it so fast? Then again, I did lots of side stuff (and also overused Poach in the first half of the game). I didn't do most of the later hunts though and didn't collect the extra espers, so there's still plenty to do. I'll probably be taking a break though.

Great game all in all! The gameplay was great and the story had its moments occasionally. I wish there'd be more aerial battles though, those were awesome.

The writing got seriously goofy at times though, especially towards the ending. Like, what is this supposed to look like (spoilery bit of dialogue from Pharos, a lategame location):

Spoiler

Reddas: So this is the Sun-cryst.

[Ashe approaches it, grasping the Treaty-blade in one hand, and the Sword of Kings in the other]

Ashe: King Raithwall stood here. With this sword he cut the Sun-cryst... and took its power in his hand.

[Vaan approaches her]

Vaan: But you're going to use the sword to destroy the Sun-cryst. Aren't you, Ashe.

Ashe: Don't interrupt me, Vaan.

Is the ending supposed to lead up to Revenant Wings? Should I play that game?

Many people hate Revenant Wings, but I like it. The game is like a mini RTS, but it's still challenging and fun. The story is not very good to be honest but there's one thing worth mentioning: this game is the only game that Vaan is the central character. The story is all about Vaan. Also, this game has some deep connection with the lore of Ivalice, the gods and etc. It also has the best CGI in any DS games.

It has a metacritic score of 81, not bad at all.

 

[Fou-Lu]

So, I've finished all the mainline (non-MMO) games in the FF series now, and I want to delve into some sequels or spin-offs. I have played the original Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and the DS CC games extensively and I have also played Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions. My favorite games in the mainline series are probably VI, VII, IX, X and XII with honourable mentions to IV and V, but I very much enjoyed them all, even II and XIII. What would you guys recommend I look into playing first?

 

[Aters]

So, I've finished all the mainline (non-MMO) games in the FF series now, and I want to delve into some sequels or spin-offs. I have played the original Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and the DS CC games extensively and I have also played Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions. My favorite games in the mainline series are probably VI, VII, IX, X and XII with honourable mentions to IV and V, but I very much enjoyed them all, even II and XIII. What would you guys recommend I look into playing first?

Hm Dragon Quest?

Just kidding.
Many people liked Crises Core on PSP (I didn't feel it).
FFTA2 on DS is a solid strategy game overall even though it's much less serious than FFT.
Dissidia 012 on PSP is a fun brawling game, just ignore the story.
I enjoyed FFXII Revenant Wings on DS, probably spent 100 hours on it.
Four Heroes of Light on DS and Bravely Default on 3DS have the FFIII and FFV vibe deep in their veins.
You can even try FFXIII-2. I don't think it's as bad as some people said.

Spoiler

I was not kidding about Dragon Quest, go play DQV now!

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

So, I've finished all the mainline (non-MMO) games in the FF series now, and I want to delve into some sequels or spin-offs. I have played the original Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and the DS CC games extensively and I have also played Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions. My favorite games in the mainline series are probably VI, VII, IX, X and XII with honourable mentions to IV and V, but I very much enjoyed them all, even II and XIII. What would you guys recommend I look into playing first?

Final Fantasy Crystal Defenders. It's a small nice tower defense game. I find it hard.

 

[Fou-Lu]

Spoiler

I was not kidding about Dragon Quest, go play DQV now!

I've played it. Multiple times. Best DQ game by far. Well, that I've played.

 

[Aters]

I've played it. Multiple times. Best DQ game by far. Well, that I've played.

So you've played all the best stuff.
The spin-offs are all flawed in one way or another, you really have to try them by yourself to see which one suits your taste.

 

[Fou-Lu]

So you've played all the best stuff.
The spin-offs are all flawed in one way or another, you really have to try them by yourself to see which one suits your taste.

I might give XIII-2 a shot just because I have it sitting here on my steam account. I liked the first game more than most, so I wouldn't be surprised if I enjoyed the second.

 

[yunbuns]

Hitting a bit of a roadblock now with my FFXII IZJS playthrough - which is my laptop not really performing all that well. Keep getting some massive slowdowns during certain parts and it just kills it. Of course it speeds up again if I switch back to native resolution but then it looks so disappointing

This is why we need an official HD remaster release Square... Where is it?



LR was so disappointing and I didn't even bother finishing it. I've not lost interest in a FF game ever up until I played that game.

For the premise to be entirely on a timed basis just completely ruins the game for me. I couldn't relax or enjoy anything. And honestly I wasn't particularly hot on the battle system either.

I enjoyed the battle system specifically because it remember somewhat X-2 and the dresspheres, but the clock was a major turnoff for me as well. They gave us an interesting world to explore but then gave us a time limit which makes you constantly feel rushed. It was a strange choice.

 

[Lunafreya Nox Fleuret]

I might give XIII-2 a shot just because I have it sitting here on my steam account. I liked the first game more than most, so I wouldn't be surprised if I enjoyed the second.

It is an ok game but you need to pay maximum attention if you want a hope of understanding anything. The story itself is incoherent without looking at datalogs. I don't see why you wouldn't like it if you enjoyed the first.

 

[Zantetsuken88]

So this might be very old news but I'd never heard of it before.

Final Fantasy Chips?

The OSTs reimagined as chiptunes. Some of them are like 'oh ok yeah sure, this is what it'd sound like'.

Some like FFIX's Mount Gulug are nothing short of insane.

Spoiler

and I love it

Also, I purchased the FFVIII OST on vinyl today on SE's online store sale. So excited to get it as it's my favourite OST!

 

[Funyarinpa]

Emulating FF1 GBA on my commute. I quite like the soundtrack and how vast the world is. It's simple in a pleasant way.

 

[Ashodin]

Hey guys, I don't know if you all are into this sort of thing, but I started up a FF play by post RPG game in community OT, called Final Fantasy: Retribution.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1198201

I'm looking for some players, and since this is the FF Community thread, I thought I'd see if anyone has any interest.

Thanks!

 

[Falk]

Final Fantasy Chips?

The OSTs reimagined as chiptunes. Some of them are like 'oh ok yeah sure, this is what it'd sound like'.

Yeah, this is my default reaction at this point too. There are way too many chiptune remixers out there, both that use it as an aesthetic and the hardcore ones who stoically stick to the limitations of the original hardware (channels, panning, etc)

I've heard so much of this (not just Final Fantasy) that I can more or less have a general idea of what it's already going to sound like. It's also the problem I have with Smooth McGroove - the arrangements are great or better, but in the end it's all... really predictable.

The best chiptune arrangements are the ones that take liberties with the arrangement, I feel. I want to be surprised.

 

[manipulate]

Also, I purchased the FFVIII OST on vinyl today on SE's online store sale. So excited to get it as it's my favourite OST!

Good taste confirmed! When I get a bit more money I'm going to buy the OSTs to most of the FFs after VI.

 

[Wazzy]

The VIII chip tune album is fantastic but I can't find it anywhere, especially on YouTube except for some previews. There used to be a channel but it got shut down.

I also wish they did each games whole album because that would be amazing.

 

[Professor Beef]

The VIII chip tune album is fantastic but I can't find it anywhere, especially on YouTube except for some previews. There used to be a channel but it got shut down.

I also wish they did each games whole album because that would be amazing.

OH MY GOD YOUR AVATAR LMAO

 

[Wazzy]

OH MY GOD YOUR AVATAR LMAO

Rinoa = Zero

 

[Sub_Level]

Gonna finish XII this weekend. Been a fun ride.

VII on my plate next. Been a decade since I played it. Have any of you played the New Threat VII mod? It has gotten continual updates, including one this a few days ago. Adds fights, sidequests, and makes the game harder (but its not necessarily one of those 'hardcore' mods)

 

[CrimsonCrescendo]

Really hoping we get a FF XII remaster confirmation by E3 or I'm gonna have to buy a new PS2

 

[neoemonk]

I finally decided to take the plunge and go for platinum trophies in the FF XIII trilogy on my PS3. I've owned the whole thing for quite some time but never played 2 or 3. I had to start XIII from the beginning as I no longer have my original save file. I really enjoy the battle system and music in this game. The story isn't bad either. Makes more sense this time as well. In 2010 my daughter was born, I had a full time internship, and was taking summer classes in college so I wasn't exactly getting a ton of sleep. Looking back I'm not sure how I even found the time to play back then.

 

[Mediking]

I'm loving FF X HD (first time playing it) but I can't help but get annoyed by the onslaught of bosses and puzzles...

It's becoming a major pain.

I thought I was nearing the end of the game... but turns out the game keeps throwing boss fights every few minutes after exploring or puzzle solving.

 

[Sub_Level]

Boarding the Bahamut with my party in the low 40s wasn't a good idea lol but managed to beat FFXII. Vayne put up a hell of a fight with those Barriers and Debuffs. Got really close to some game over and had to frantically throw phoenix downs and elixrs everywhere. Penelo got the final hit lmao.

I'm loving FF X HD (first time playing it) but I can't help but get annoyed by the onslaught of bosses and puzzles...

It's becoming a major pain.

I thought I was nearing the end of the game... but turns out the game keeps throwing boss fights every few minutes after exploring or puzzle solving.

FFX isn't particularly long. Zanarkand, the end of the pilgrimage, is like the 90% point so you can use that as a gauge for where you are. The puzzle there can be a bit annoying but just persevere.

 

[SuperChoco]

VII on my plate next. Been a decade since I played it. Have any of you played the New Threat VII mod? It has gotten continual updates, including one this a few days ago. Adds fights, sidequests, and makes the game harder (but its not necessarily one of those 'hardcore' mods)

Hmm... Haven't heard of it let me google that...

This mod aims for a reasonable but fast-paced level of difficulty, something that can be played seriously or for fun and which offers a lot of new content to discover. Bosses and enemies have been revised and a bunch of new ones are joining their ranks. There are also extensive flevel edits that allow for the use of different party leaders on Disc 3, an Extra Battle where the player can unlock new bosses by trading in items, additional side-quests, and a range of optional cutscene skips, additional save points & merchants, and other conveniences to ease gameplay for those feeling a bit jaded with the game.

Hmm. That sounds pretty cool. Though....

This mod also allows for the use of Aeris past Disc 2, because why have eight when you can have nine? One of the parameters with this was to keep the 'footprint' this creates for the story to an absolute minimum. By and large, events play out in the same way; only a few lines of dialogue needed to be altered slightly to make it work.

Pfft. Nearly 20 years and people still can't let go.

I finally decided to take the plunge and go for platinum trophies in the FF XIII trilogy on my PS3. I've owned the whole thing for quite some time but never played 2 or 3. I had to start XIII from the beginning as I no longer have my original save file. I really enjoy the battle system and music in this game. The story isn't bad either. Makes more sense this time as well. In 2010 my daughter was born, I had a full time internship, and was taking summer classes in college so I wasn't exactly getting a ton of sleep. Looking back I'm not sure how I even found the time to play back then.

It's up to you, but I really wouldn't advise getting the platinum for 13. I like 13, but the trophy to get every item is super grindy.

 

[Mediking]

Boarding the Bahamut with my party in the low 40s wasn't a good idea lol but managed to beat FFXII. Vayne put up a hell of a fight with those Barriers and Debuffs. Got really close to some game over and had to frantically throw phoenix downs and elixrs everywhere. Penelo got the final hit lmao.



FFX isn't particularly long. Zanarkand, the end of the pilgrimage, is like the 90% point so you can use that as a gauge for where you are. The puzzle there can be a bit annoying but just persevere.

I just got to Seymour Flux... I gotta fight this guy AGAIN? Another annoying boss with super long health that can only be beat my having my Aeons have Overdrive ready??? I love this game but stop throwing boss fights every few minutes! Its like... explore, cutscene, puzzle, boss fight, explore, cutscene, boss fight...

 

[Sub_Level]

I just got to Seymour Flux... I gotta fight this guy AGAIN? Another annoying boss with super long health that can only be beat my having my Aeons have Overdrive ready??? I love this game but stop throwing boss fights every few minutes! Its like... explore, cutscene, puzzle, boss fight, explore, cutscene, boss fight...

You certainly CAN beat him and the bosses after him by spamming your aeon overdrives.

But you can also look into using some basic strategy with spells like Reflect and Dispel. Buff your party with Protect and Shell. You might be amused to know that Seymour in that fight can actually be inflicted with poison if you use Bio, which is rare for an FF boss. Use your heavy hitting spells and attacks. Dunno what else to tell you haha

There is a boss in Zanarkand with three forms. Your Aeon overdrives will not be enough to stop her, even if you unload every single one. Have fun.

 

[Mediking]

You certainly CAN beat him and the bosses after him by spamming your aeon overdrives.

But you can also look into using some basic strategy with spells like Reflect and Dispel. Buff your party with Protect and Shell. You might be amused to know that Seymour in that fight can actually be inflicted with poison if you use Bio, which is rare for an FF boss. Use your heavy hitting spells and attacks. Dunno what else to tell you haha

There is a boss in Zanarkand with three forms. Your Aeon overdrives will not be enough to stop her, even if you unload every single one. Have fun.. Have fun.

I love this game because of the awesome writing and music but..... -___________-

 

[ArchedThunder]

Fuck this zero second Chocobo race trophy in FFX with a rusty fork. This is so fucking aggravating! Why does the chobobo control like a fucking brick? Why does it turn on its own some times, even in front of fucking balloons? Why do the birds track you? Why do they spawn birds literally on your head some times? Why do birds sometimes hit you even when they're five feet away and even go right through the other person some times and hit you? WHY ARE THERE MOMENTS WHEN YOU GET HIT WITH MULTIPLE BIRDS BEFORE YOU CAN EVEN MOVE AGAIN?
UGH I HATE THIS! I have not been this mad at a game in years.

EDIT: 6 hours.
6 fucking hours and I finally got it.

 

[Sub_Level]

The reason the chocobo race nightmare is in ffx is because people do it.

You couldn't resist the torture. You secretly like it and get boners from thinking about the obstacles and timer.

 

[ArchedThunder]

The reason the chocobo race nightmare is in ffx is because people do it.

You couldn't resist the torture. You secretly like it and get boners from thinking about the obstacles and timer.

I just want to platinum the game, I didn't realize any of the trophies would be bullshit (this is my first time through the game).

 

[Falk]

Depending on your sustained focus (lightning dodging) you just did the worst part of the platinum.

 

[Ultratech]

Yeah...FFX's "minigames" for the Ultimate Weapons were awful.

The worst thing about the Chocobo Racing was that you had to get BELOW 0.0.0 for the damn Sigil. (Oh, you got 0.0.0 on the dot? TOO BAD. YOU LOSE.)

Lightning Dodging isn't really hard, it's just kinda boring after a while. Like Falk said, it's really more about maintaining focus. (The 2-3 times I did it, I lost track and went a bit over the required amount.)

Blitzball: I actually kinda liked it, but getting the damn Sigil was annoying since it was hard to get it to actually show up as a Prize.

Butterfly Catching: Very annoying since you really can't afford to screw up during it. I'd still argue Chocobo Racing is worse, though not by much.

 

[Aters]

I never got those sigils when I played FFX. Those minigames gave me cancer.

 

[iosefe]

Not gonna lie

Butterflies were easy. Took me maybe half an hour to an hour. It's been a while

 

[aravuus]

Literally the only reason I decided not to get FFX HD a week ago was because of the terrible, terrible mini-games. Fucking hate every single mini game in it.

Game's much more fun emulated, especially with the save editor hack that moves nodes to random new spots in the grid.

e: X/X-2 HD digital is still on sale though - is X-2 worth it? I recall reading the HD version has some new system that's not present anywhere else

It's pretty much the only modern Final Fantasy I've only quickly tried. I remember loving the battle system, can't remember why I stopped.

 

[MultiJhonny]

What the hell? How did I never know we had a FF General OT

 

[Professor Beef]

Butterfly Hunt was 2ez

Chocobo Race was not fun at all, but it was more randumb than hard.

Fuck Lightning Dodging though.

 

[Labadal]

I never completed the chocobo race (got 0,0 but didn't know it wasn't enough) and I never bothered with the lightning minigame.

I made my own weapons instead.

 

[Falk]

Literally the only reason I decided not to get FFX HD a week ago was because of the terrible, terrible mini-games. Fucking hate every single mini game in it.

Game's much more fun emulated, especially with the save editor hack that moves nodes to random new spots in the grid.

e: X/X-2 HD digital is still on sale though - is X-2 worth it? I recall reading the HD version has some new system that's not present anywhere else

It's pretty much the only modern Final Fantasy I've only quickly tried. I remember loving the battle system, can't remember why I stopped.

It's probably talking about monster capture, but 'not present anywhere else' is a stretch. Not in any English version, probably more accurate.

I think if you can take the game for what it is (a lighthearted romp, rather than oh my god ffx is desecrated, MUH YUNA) and have a high tolerance for bubbly jump-hi-fives and weirdness in general, it's worth experiencing.

I really, REALLY like the OST. It's different, and it still works. Combat is really good, although with some fundamental issues (a queue system for most special attacks means you can lock out or get locked out while autoattacks continue) if you want to dig into the hardcore theorycrafting aspect of it.

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

That event y'all.