The F Word(s) - I'm Sayin' It!!!

[Radical_Dreamer]

It shouldn't take after either.

In the E3 demo it said 700 B.I. along with some Japanese, which I assumed all meant 700 years before Ivalice. Could be wrong about that, I don't speak or read Japanese. The real question is why they are setting two Final Fantasys (even if you count the Tactics games as a seperate series, it's still close) in the same world, as part of each others history. I haven't played Tactics Advanced, I hope I won't miss anything because of that....

[Symmetry]

I think I would scream if they honestly tried to weave all the Final Fantasy games together. I'm actually pretty disapointed in Square-Enix's latest attempt to go back and create sequels for some of the games. I started playing FFX-2 and ended up trading it in because it drove me nuts.

A number of people in this thread have commented about FFVI, and had they not been posted an eternity ago, I might would comment back. To keep things simple, though - I agree. FFVI was the game that turned me into an RPG fanatic. There are aspects of other games in the series that I like over parts of FFVI, but no one game pulls it all together like it does.

[Chrono'99]

It shouldn't take after either.

In the E3 demo it said 700 B.I. along with some Japanese, which I assumed all meant 700 years before Ivalice. Could be wrong about that, I don't speak or read Japanese. The real question is why they are setting two Final Fantasys (even if you count the Tactics games as a seperate series, it's still close) in the same world, as part of each others history. I haven't played Tactics Advanced, I hope I won't miss anything because of that....

Since Ivalice is the name of FFXII's world, I think the "700 B.I." could more possibly mean "700 years Before Iocus". Iocus was some kind of Jesus-Christ-like person in Vagrant Story IIRC, so maybe the whole FFXII story is related by someone (Durai?) who live After Iocus...

[Radical_Dreamer]

...

Don't tell me Vagrant Story took place in Ivalice as well?

[Chrono'99]

It took place in Valendia. Valentia is the name of a continent in FFXII, and Matsuno said in an interview FFXII indeed takes place in the same world as FFT and VS, although in a different era (the far past)...

[Radical_Dreamer]

So Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and Final Fantasy XII are all stories from the same world? How long will we be wating for a real Final Fantasy game?

Understand that I don't mean that as a slur against FFXII, I played the demo at E3, and my purchase of the game was a foregone conclusion from the moment they announced it. I don't even mind the new battle system. I just like how everything was always different, how each Final Fantasy would be distinct from all the others, here was Final Fantasy A, here was Final Fantasy B, never the 'tween shall meet. It gave the series so much freedom, although I suppose the developers might say that they are exercising the freedom to re-explore worlds they didn't feel they were done with. *sigh*

And they aren't even making Chrono Break. Bastards.  

[V_Translanka]

Please no bitching about Kurono Brake in my FF thread!

The way I see it the FF series has made ONE sequal so far. FFT, FFTA, & VS aren't part of the FF series on the whole. They're spin-offs if anything. FFXII is in the same world, but who's gonna notice? People that played the spin-offs. FFX-2 was the only real sequal in the real series. Guess what? It was different! It went in directions the series had yet to cover. THAT's what I see the series doing. Innovation, change, and trying new things. That's what the FF series is to me.

[Braddeus]

Not that I've even seen any in this thread, but I wish people would just relinquish the FF8 Hateraid.  Nobody likes FF8 because it wasn't intended for the masses.  This was a situation in which you could tell Square said "FF7 made enough money for the next ten years, so damn them all, this is OUR game."  It honestly was made with the type of Chrono Cross-esque abstract randomness that just screamed work of art.  Other than of course FF6, no installment in the series came close to proving as emotionally engaging.  FF8 never bothered to repeatedly remind you that the entire world and its entire population and civilization's history was in danger because it didn't have to.  It was the world of the six characters (and more importantly Squall's and Rinoa's blossoming romance) in danger and that was plenty.  The other thing FF8 did that set it apart from the series and closer to CC was the flawless ambience and mood-setting.  Balamb?  Breezy, carefree.  Galbadia Garden?  Thick, dense tension.  Most of this is due as is the custom, to Uematsu, but can you honestly imagine a more representative "Fisherman's Horizon"?  Didn't think so.  Alright, enough lamenting.  Give FF8 a shot if you never did.  Even if you've correctly heard that it stars the most outragingly nonsensensical final boss in the history of video games.

FF9 - Ho-hum.  The addition of that coveted fourth member was overshadowed --- okay, utterly eclipsed by --- the reiteration of the same @#$%@ing theme at every possible turn.  I BRAAAAGHGGHHGHH with frustration.  I despised exactly 75% of the cast.

FF7 - Believe it or not, this was the first RPG I ever played.  I guess it did an adequate job of hooking people, but only insofar for the victims to see how quickly it falls by the wayside of other FF's.  On the other hand, I would kill to see a live orchestral "One-Winged Angel".

FF6 - I shan't bother.

FF5 - Another much-criticized installment I thoroughly enjoyed.  By far the best gameplay system of the series, but the characters are impossibly weak.

FF4 - Ahhh...I think V_Translanka put it best.

I also won't bother with the first three, not because I don't have the experience, but because I don't feel I can fairly compare them.  FF1-3 shaped the genre and in a sense, games as a whole.

[Radical_Dreamer]

I did hear a live orchestral version of "One Winged Angel"  

Didn't have to kill anyone, but it was certainly worth the price of admission. If and when they make a CD/DVD of the Dear Friends concert, I'm picking it up. That concert was incredible.

[ZeaLitY]

Not that I've even seen any in this thread, but I wish people would just relinquish the FF8 Hateraid.  Nobody likes FF8 because it wasn't intended for the masses.  This was a situation in which you could tell Square said "FF7 made enough money for the next ten years, so damn them all, this is OUR game."  It honestly was made with the type of Chrono Cross-esque abstract randomness that just screamed work of art.  Other than of course FF6, no installment in the series came close to proving as emotionally engaging.  FF8 never bothered to repeatedly remind you that the entire world and its entire population and civilization's history was in danger because it didn't have to.  It was the world of the six characters (and more importantly Squall's and Rinoa's blossoming romance) in danger and that was plenty.  The other thing FF8 did that set it apart from the series and closer to CC was the flawless ambience and mood-setting.  Balamb?  Breezy, carefree.  Galbadia Garden?  Thick, dense tension.  Most of this is due as is the custom, to Uematsu, but can you honestly imagine a more representative "Fisherman's Horizon"?  Didn't think so.  Alright, enough lamenting.  Give FF8 a shot if you never did.  Even if you've correctly heard that it stars the most outragingly nonsensensical final boss in the history of video games.

Alright then -- screw Xenogears and everything else, I'm going to play FF8 first when I get the chance. This sounds like it rules.

That was my biggest turnoff about the FF series --  I found out it wasn't a continuous world or plot. Thus came the ill feelings about cheap marketing through the use of the same name :\

[Radical_Dreamer]

Never let me hear you say "Sc*** Xenogears" again. That game is incredible.

[1stoftheLast]

I played FFIV first, followed by FFMystic quest(if you count that one), then FFVII.  Next came the original Final Fantasy followed by FFVI and the last one I beat was FFVIII.  

For the longest time I maintained that FFIV was the best one ever, but lately I have come to the realization that I love FFVII the most, and it seems in that respect I am in the minority on this board.  However none of the FF's I have played(I'm playing tatics and FFIX now) have ever dissapointed me, I loved them all(except mystic quest of course).

I guess if I had to argue my point it would be that the character development of cloud was the best I have ever seen in a game, the death of the sacrificer was well done and meaningfull, and the main villian was put together to be both awe-some and hated.  In addition the game was able to blend many genres and influences very well.

[Symmetry]

As for FFVIII - I think Squall is probably my favourite Final Fantasy character ever.

I love the world it takes place in. Its very different than anything Square had tried at the point.

My beef with the game comes in the form of its story and a few of the characters that I feel were neglected. I think the Squall/Rinoa dynamic started to overshadow everything.

No hatefest for FFVIII on my part, but it falls short of being the masterpiece FFVI was for reasons I don't want to state exactly because it would give away some of the story.

As for VS - Man, I was in love with that game... until it kicked my ass eight or nine times in a row. I got stuck and gave up. I tried going back and playing it again, but I was never able to get back into the story. I loved the atmosphere of the game, though. The battle system, though difficult, was very fun.

As for FFXII - Someone said they played a demo at E3? What do you mean by the battle system being different? I've heard very little about the game, but I've liked what I've heard so far. After my extreme disappointment in FFX-2, I'm hoping FFXII makes up for lost ground.

[Radical_Dreamer]

Yeah, I played the E3 demo. Did you ever play .hack? It's similar to that, only with ATB. You select a command and a target, then when it fills up, you perform the attack. You are free to move around however much you want the whole time. I like that there are no random battles, and that you can see enemies coming on the radar.

[YbrikMetaknight]

I liked FFVIII.  I hated its battle system (drawing spells was the worst gameplay idea evar), but I loved the story, the setting, the graphics (pretty damn good for the time, and the FMVs still stand up on their own weight), and most of all the music.  Hell, I think that, all things considered, I liked it a little bit better than FFVII, which I think a lot of people put on a higher pedestal than it deserves...much like a lot of people, myself included, do with FFVI.  And I think a lot of people let FFVIII's gameplay get in the way so that they can't see its good qualities...which I suppose is fine if all you care about in RPGs is gameplay, which some people do.