Video Game Discussion Thread

[V_Translanka]

I've got to agree with Lance VII's assessment of VII being dull. I just never cared about the characters more than I was annoyed by them. Clod was an idiot I was constantly seventeen steps ahead of, teh Yuffster was an embarrassment to both Thief and Ninja job classes and Ol' Sephy-head...well, I know too many actual fans of the game that can't even tell me when he was doing what or when he was just sitting up there in his crater...I admit he looks cool when he sets fire to things and he DID kill Aeris, so that's some bonus points (though I cannot believe they took so long to kill her)...

I do agree that characters are a big part of what makes VI great, but I do not agree that VII's soundtrack is better than VI. There's just too much variety & greatness in VI...Partly due to the fact that almost every character is tied to an equally awesome theme from the biggies like Terra, Locke & Celes down to the more side characters like Cyan, Shadow & Relm. What was neat was that even though the cast was quite large they still managed to flesh out so many of them and make them unique and stand out from one another (even though like half of them could equip swords...or at least knives...)...

If you haven't even played all of it I don't think you should go around saying how it's overrated...How can you accurately judge something without experiencing all of it? It makes it look as though YOU have too much FFVII bias going into it. Even I eventually powered through VII (though I cheated my way around having to actually go through the crater myself)...though I haven't quite mustered up the fortitude to conquer Mystic Quest or FFII (I got close once for FFII though!)...lol

[BearFrog]

If you haven't even played all of it I don't think you should go around saying how it's overrated...How can you accurately judge something without experiencing all of it? It makes it look as though YOU have too much FFVII bias going into it.

I'm giving my opinion based on what I've seen so far. Let's say I decide just to compare the first five hours of Final Fantasy VII and the first five hours of Final Fantasy VI. I'll say that I got a lot more done and went through a lot more adventure in VI, but I cared about the adventure more in VII. VI is fast-paced and pretty hard, wheras VII's story isn't as fast paced. You spend quite a bit of time in Midgar, and by that point in FFVI you've already hung out with Cyan and found a Phantom Train, taken out Ultros, battled Kefka and seen Terra turn into an Esper. I just feel like VI doesn't take time to savor the setting and just sorta rushes through the plot.

And as far as VII bias goes, I'll say that I liked Xenogears quite a bit more than VI (still talking about the 5 hour mark) and felt a great attatchment to the world and setting. I had never played Xenogears up until a year ago and if anything I should have bias in favor of VI which I played years earlier. I feel like VI is going to get better and impress me at a certain point, but thus far, it hasn't. I haven't heard every single song by The Rolling Stones, but I can still tell you that The Beatles are a better band based on knowing every Beatles song and knowing a decent number of Stones tunes. I'm sure I'll enjoy VI, but honestly, I feel like VII, IV, Tactics, IX and X kick its ass completely. That's not VII bias.

[alfadorredux]

I liked both VI and VII, although I honestly can't remember what I thought of VI the first time I played it--it's just too long ago.

For me, FF VIII was the real implausible, this-is-crap, throw-the-controller-at-the-TV game. I'm sorry, but you can't have a character who is supposed to be a super-competent mercenary bug out in the middle of an assassination mission to act like a Typical Teenager and expect the game to be treated seriously--I don't care how old she's supposed to be. If any significant fraction of SeeDs were like Quistis, no one would have hired them, and without the SeeD/Garden system, the world-building disintegrates completely. And that's without taking into account the ridiculous coincidence on which much of the plot hinged, or the fact that all of the characters were either stupid or obnoxious. A slightly unusual combat/magic system wasn't even nearly enough to save this dog. It makes X-2 (which wasn't very good either) look like a work of genius by comparison.

::deep breaths:: Just had to get that one off my chest.

[Lance VII]

Well, off the top of my head (not in a particular definitive order, but vaguely the order they'd go in):

Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy Tactics
Chrono Trigger
Pokemon
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy IX
Chrono Cross
Xenogears
Guardian's Crusade
Dragon Warrior Monsters

And I'm not sure these guys count, but if they do:
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Tomba 1 & 2
Brave Fencer Musashi

I need to play Xenogears. My fiance has Episode 2 for PS2, and we're gonna start living together this summer, so I may give it a try.

[neo-fusion]

I've got to agree with Lance VII's assessment of VII being dull. I just never cared about the characters more than I was annoyed by them. Clod was an idiot I was constantly seventeen steps ahead of, teh Yuffster was an embarrassment to both Thief and Ninja job classes and Ol' Sephy-head...well, I know too many actual fans of the game that can't even tell me when he was doing what or when he was just sitting up there in his crater...I admit he looks cool when he sets fire to things and he DID kill Aeris, so that's some bonus points (though I cannot believe they took so long to kill her)...

I do agree that characters are a big part of what makes VI great, but I do not agree that VII's soundtrack is better than VI. There's just too much variety & greatness in VI...Partly due to the fact that almost every character is tied to an equally awesome theme from the biggies like Terra, Locke & Celes down to the more side characters like Cyan, Shadow & Relm. What was neat was that even though the cast was quite large they still managed to flesh out so many of them and make them unique and stand out from one another (even though like half of them could equip swords...or at least knives...)...

If you haven't even played all of it I don't think you should go around saying how it's overrated...How can you accurately judge something without experiencing all of it? It makes it look as though YOU have too much FFVII bias going into it. Even I eventually powered through VII (though I cheated my way around having to actually go through the crater myself)...though I haven't quite mustered up the fortitude to conquer Mystic Quest or FFII (I got close once for FFII though!)...lol

I love both VII and VI, but VII is my all time favorite game. FF6 ranks just behind Chrono Trigger some days and just ahead of it other days.

I will say that FF VII's soundtrack (to me) has more standouts, while FF6's is just more well-rounded. (Why am I doing some in roman numerals and others normal numbers I don't know).

[V_Translanka]

The only ones that ever stood out to me in VII were Aeris' theme & OWA and then not as the MIDI in-game, but only the orchestrated versions...>_>

I have VI up there with CT as well (FFT rounds out my top 3)...I think with FFVI they took a step from DQIV in that they made a story that focused on each individual characters separately that starts off incredibly linear and then becomes open world in the second act. Some of my favorite parts of VI are the little things though, like character dialog that's dependent on who's in your party & when (not really seen in FFs prior) made for stand-out, almost quiet moments (or ridiculous fun)...but also other quirks like Edgar's tribute to Jason Voorhees or Woosley's bizzare notion to make Sabin's final Blitz sound incredibly gay...lol, ok, I admit, Woosley polished things at times for FFVI...but I still don't like localizations...!

[Lance VII]

I can't believe we've been discussing FFVI all this time and NO ONE has mentioned Kefka.

Easily my favorite villain of all time.

[BearFrog]

I can't believe we've been discussing FFVI all this time and NO ONE has mentioned Kefka.

Easily my favorite villain of all time.

You mean The Joker?

[Lance VII]

I can't believe we've been discussing FFVI all this time and NO ONE has mentioned Kefka.

Easily my favorite villain of all time.

You mean The Joker?

You son of a submariner!

[Acacia Sgt]

You son of a submariner!

Oh uh...

Run run or you'll be well done!

 

[BearFrog]

V_Translanka, nice avatar.

But yeah, I totally dig Kefka and think he's pretty awesome...but he's basically The Joker.

And VIII I think had the benefit of looking fantastic, having fantastic music and being set in a very believable world but had the flaw of a weak major cast and weak storyline. VIII was style over substance.

[Yourgingerestfan]

Finished 13 last night .
Well worth the long wait.

[V_Translanka]

I can't believe we've been discussing FFVI all this time and NO ONE has mentioned Kefka.

Easily my favorite villain of all time.

I totally did mention him when I said Woosley polished some things...!

V_Translanka, nice avatar.

Which one? It's kinda random & rotates between a few different ones...

But yeah, I totally dig Kefka and think he's pretty awesome...but he's basically The Joker.

idk about that...I suppose part of him is like TDK's Joker in that his goal is similar (sorta, though Kefka was thinking broader)...but Kefka also goes through the underling takeover story-arc (aka The Starscream) and then there's the relationship between his insanity & his lust for power which more than differentiates the two (and makes Kefka all the more interesting)...

[Romana]

Sooo my Slim PS3's stopped working; it turns on but the TV doesn't display anything and the fan quiets down right away. I then have to hold in the power button for about 30 seconds to force it to shut off. I can probably get it repaired due to warranty but has anyone encountered the same problem?

[V_Translanka]

It's possible that FFXIII can somehow destroy PS3s or something...

http://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/03/16/final-fantasy-xiii-freezing.aspx

http://kotaku.com/5494326/rumor-final-fantasy-xiii-ps3-has-freezing-issues

Although those are saying freezing issues (and mostly with the PS3 fats), so I doubt it's the same problem you're having FaF, but when I read about it, I thought about your posts.