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[jaxword]

I've never really been interested in the Final Fantasy series but I got Theatrhythm since I like rhythm games and it's got me in the mood to give the series a go.
Someone recommended Final Fantasy 9 to me, and from a quick look on Metacritic that seems to be the highest rated one, but I was just wondering if anyone here agrees with that or would recommend a different one?
Besides Theatrhythm, literally the only Final Fantasy games I have played are the first one and Crystal Chronicles so anything aside from them is an option.

There's three "generations" of FF and it depends on what style of jRPG you want to start with.

There's the old school on the NES and SNES. If you can play top-down 2d Jrpgs with tiny sprites and nonmoving enemy pictures, then go for FF6. They're also about 2/3 the length of the later games.

There's the 3d generation of 7, 8, 9. Similar gameplay but on a 3d plane, same lining-up to do battle. The maps are generally still static frames that the 3d models explore. Enemies move in battle now, but they're still very blocky. Nine is probably the most technologically advanced of those, but I prefer 8 because it has better music.

Then there's the modern era which has full voice acting and full world integration (spinning cameras, zooming, etc.) That's X, X-2, 12 and 13. There's heavy debate over which of those is the best. I'd say if you like open-world mmorpgs, try 12. If you like heavy story and dialogue scenes, 13.

Also, if you want the EASIEST battle system to pick up and learn, X is the way to start.

In the end, though, every single person has their own preference, ignore metacritic or any of those sites. They all have their strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Noi]

I would't suggest 6 to start with, but that's only cause I'm in the incredibly small canoe of people that don't like it that much. Like jaxword said, opinions and all that.

My suggestions for games to jump in from each "gen" would be 4, 7/9 and 10/13. Or hell, even 1 if you play the versions with MP instead of charges.

 

[Canis lupus]

Just play them all up till FFX. The last good FF game according to 90% of the people.

Just a little question, does FF1 and FF2 have stories?

 

[Natetan]

I dunno I think XII has amazing voice acting. plus I love the dense politics of matsuno, even if it wasn't fully realizaed

 

[jaxword]

Just play them all up till FFX. The last good FF game according to 90% of the people.

Just a little question, does FF1 and FF2 have stories?

FF1 is a large Dungeons and Dragons campaign of various disconnected events, so not really.

FF2 definitely does, however, a clear antagonist and overarching theme.

Ironically, FF3 goes back to the disconnected events.

 

[Noi]

Just play them all up till FFX. The last good FF game according to 90% of the people.

Just a little question, does FF1 and FF2 have stories?

They both do. FF1's is much more basic and revolves around the NPCs and enemies (since your party is user created), while FF2 has the normal pre-established characters and narrative.

Edit: Beaten, though I do disagree on FF1 just being a bunch of disconnected events!

 

[Canis lupus]

FF1 is a large Dungeons and Dragons campaign of various disconnected events, so not really.

FF2 definitely does, however, a clear antagonist and overarching theme.

Ironically, FF3 goes back to the disconnected events.

Good to know, how's the story in FF2? Does the disconnected events work for the gameplay?

 

[jaxword]

Good to know, how's the story in FF2? Does the disconnected events work for the gameplay?

FF2 was Square's first attempt at an overarching villain.

FF1 was a long fetch quest. The King says to go here, get item, get the next item, figure out where the next item is, go get it, etc.

FF2 was "The Emperor" is out to take over the world, here are the quests involved with stopping him, get this item, talk to this guy, attack these guys, etc.

They're both fetch quests as all early jRpgs are (and Dragon Quest) but FF2 tried to link them under one banner.


Note: FF2's battle system is VERY broken and you'll need some tips if you jump in blind. It's a system that's never been used since.

 

[Aeana]

FF2 was Square's first attempt at an overarching villain.

FF1 was a long fetch quest. The King says to go here, get item, get the next item, figure out where the next item is, go get it, etc.

FF2 was "The Emperor" is out to take over the world, here are the quests involved with stopping him, get this item, talk to this guy, attack these guys, etc.

They're both fetch quests as all early jRpgs are (and Dragon Quest) but FF2 tried to link them under one banner.


Note: FF2's battle system is VERY broken and you'll need some tips if you jump in blind. It's a system that's never been used since.

The only tip you need to play FF2 effectively is to not treat it any differently from any other FF game.
Overthinking it is what causes people problems.

 

[laika09]

The only tip you need to play FF2 effectively is to not treat it any differently from any other FF game.
Overthinking it is what causes people problems.

I tried to play it like a sane RPG and stopped after extrapolating my progress to a 180+ hour playtime. The leveling system is broken and I had no patience to grind it out the "real" way, given how bland and uninteresting the rest of the game was. 90% of the art was lifted straight from FF1, the music is terrible apart from the castle theme in Altair, your fourth character's progress is constantly reset, the dungeons actively punish exploration, the encounter rate is too high by half, the world map has obnoxious roadblocks that drag out the playtime and the story was about as unengaging as I could possibly imagine (and still manages to approach Garland-time-loop levels of absurdity).

So anyway, I wouldn't recommend trying to play it like any other game because you'll just end up bored and frustrated and hate yourself for it.

 

[Aeana]

I tried to play it like a sane RPG and stopped after extrapolating my progress to a 180+ hour playtime. The leveling system is broken and I had no patience to grind it out the "real" way, given how bland and uninteresting the rest of the game was. 90% of the art was lifted straight from FF1, the music is terrible apart from the castle theme in Altair, your fourth character's progress is constantly reset, the dungeons actively punish exploration, the encounter rate is too high by half, the world map has obnoxious roadblocks that drag out the playtime and the story was about as unengaging as I could possibly imagine (and still manages to approach Garland-time-loop levels of absurdity).

So anyway, I wouldn't recommend trying to play it like any other game because you'll just end up bored and frustrated and hate yourself for it.

If you play any of the remakes, you don't have to grind at all for any reason. You can literally just set your group up and progress the story and you'll end up where you need to be. This is how I play it, and I didn't appreciate the game until I did that. Pick a weapon type or two for each character, pick a couple of spells, and stick with them throughout the game and everything takes care of itself. Although if you play the PSP/GBA versions, your magic might actually level too quickly which means you may want to replace your spells - particularly cure - at least once before the end.

I don't agree with any of your other points at all for any version but the original Famicom version in the case of graphics and encounter rate. The remakes gave the game a unique look, and the encounter rate is lowered a bit. The story is pretty interesting, especially for the time, and I would say that FF2 does what FF4 tried to do better in most respects (and it's something I've said several times here on GAF).

And the music is awesome, especially the overworld music and the final dungeon music.

As for playtime, just a couple of months ago, I beat the PSP version in less than 9 hours:

Screenshot

 

[jaxword]

You sure you want to post that pic when someone's just starting FF2?

 

[laika09]

If you play any of the remakes, you don't have to grind at all for any reason. You can literally just set your group up and progress the story and you'll end up where you need to be. This is how I play it, and I didn't appreciate the game until I did that. Pick a weapon type or two for each character, pick a couple of spells, and stick with them throughout the game and everything takes care of itself. Although if you play the PSP/GBA versions, your magic might actually level too quickly which means you may want to replace your spells - particularly cure - at least once before the end.

I don't agree with any of your other points at all for any version but the original Famicom version in the case of graphics and encounter rate. The remakes gave the game a unique look, and the encounter rate is lowered a bit. The story is pretty interesting, especially for the time, and I would say that FF2 does what FF4 tried to do better in most respects (and it's something I've said several times here on GAF).

And the music is awesome, especially the overworld music and the final dungeon music.

I've only played the Famicom version, so I guess that's the disconnect. The level system in the Famicom version is straight-up broken, the type of broken that if games back then weren't on 9-month development cycles then it would've been canned or rebuilt from the ground up. I'd give the PSP remake a go if they ever released it on PSN... does it still have those horrid trap rooms?

I appreciated what they were trying to do with the story, especially for the time, but I still found myself bored by it. III had a much more interesting world, cities, characters, and diversions. Even FFI I found more engaging but that's probably because it made no apology for being highly generic.

But I really hated the music, especially the battle tracks and the overworld theme.

 

[Aeana]

You sure you want to post that pic when someone's just starting FF2?

I don't really see the problem, but all right.

 

[BreakyBoy]

I just replayed FF2 a few months ago, this time on the FF Origins version, which isn't as different from the original Famicom version as the GBA/PSP remakes, but it's close enough to my tastes.

Honestly, I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. Aeana is pretty much spot on. The game is more or less built to allow you to succeed with a pretty wide variety of tactics. The trick is that it's also built for you to more or less pick a "build" and run with it. Pick someone to be your healer, pick someone to be your mage, and pick someone to be your tank. For each character, also pick the type of gear they'll be using and stick to it as much as you can. The game rewards you tremendously for specializing. As for the rotating fourth party member, in all cases it's pretty easy to look at the gear/skills they come with and realize they're either a tank/fighter/healer/mage. Play them accordingly as a support to your main cast, and you'll be fine. Don't waste time trying to shoehorn them into some other role you might want for them. That's what the three main characters are for.

It's still a tough game in parts (the dreadnought in particular can be tricky if you're not ready for it), and it has some questionable design decisions (wtf trap rooms), but overall it's very enjoyable if you like to play RPGs for the actual gameplay they provide. The story isn't half bad for such an old game too.

Also, FF2 has some beautiful tracks. Honestly, it's a lot like most other FF OSTs, the best songs are the main themes, the battle themes, a moody dungeon or two, and a great ending medley to wrap it all up. To wit, the two battle themes are excellent, the main theme/rebel army are gorgeous, the dungeon theme is deliciously moody, and the finale is pretty good too.

I linked the Famicom OST tracks below for fairness, but look up Symphonic Suite Final Fantasy if you want to listen to a great arrange album for both FF1 & 2.

Main Theme
Dungeon
Battle Scene 1
The Rebel Army
Battle Scene 2
Finale

 

[Natetan]

I also really like FF2 although the first time I played it even on iOS it was really hard. That's mostly because I had terrible agility from not equipping shields and dual wielding weapons the whole time.

I've never played the original version, but yeah jus choose a weapon and your set. Buy as little magic as possible. You pretty much only need fire, cure, life, esuna, and maybe exit and swap. If you can get down to mysidia early with minnwu and grind a bit for the string equipment you'll sail through the rest of the game. Some might say exit spell and early mysidia is cheating, but I enjoy playing the game that way.

Probably because I only played this game recently, I really like a lot of the music. Pandamonium is fantastic, and I really like the Dist castle music it sounds like DQ. I like how lonely the Famicom overworld music sounds. It is somewhat lacking though, but the whole remake sounds awesome I think. The boss battle themes are both fantastic.

 

[OMG Aero]

There's three "generations" of FF and it depends on what style of jRPG you want to start with.

There's the old school on the NES and SNES. If you can play top-down 2d Jrpgs with tiny sprites and nonmoving enemy pictures, then go for FF6. They're also about 2/3 the length of the later games.

There's the 3d generation of 7, 8, 9. Similar gameplay but on a 3d plane, same lining-up to do battle. The maps are generally still static frames that the 3d models explore. Enemies move in battle now, but they're still very blocky. Nine is probably the most technologically advanced of those, but I prefer 8 because it has better music.

Then there's the modern era which has full voice acting and full world integration (spinning cameras, zooming, etc.) That's X, X-2, 12 and 13. There's heavy debate over which of those is the best. I'd say if you like open-world mmorpgs, try 12. If you like heavy story and dialogue scenes, 13.

Also, if you want the EASIEST battle system to pick up and learn, X is the way to start.

In the end, though, every single person has their own preference, ignore metacritic or any of those sites. They all have their strengths and weaknesses.

Thanks for the advice. I decided to go with 9 in the end since I felt like trying a 3D one, the PS1 games are easier to get because they are on PSN and the art style looks more appealing to me than 7 or 8.

 

[PowderedToast]

just started X up and WOW does this thing need a new dubbing. S-E can't release this again, it's just nowhere near modern standards. it approaches shenmue levels at points.

 

[ULTROS!]

Just wanna say I finally completed FFII and I realized it's just ok. Not my favorite though. The only main FFs that I haven't completed are FFIII and FFXII (not counting XI and XIV).

just started X up and WOW does this thing need a new dubbing. S-E can't release this again, it's just nowhere near modern standards. it approaches shenmue levels at points.

It was considerd outstanding back then during the dawn of dubbing.

 

[Aeana]

Just wanna say I finally completed FFII and I realized it's just ok. Not my favorite though. The only main FFs that I haven't completed are FFIII and FFXII (not counting XI and XIV).



It was considerd outstanding back then during the dawn of dubbing.

Funny how FF10 is considered the "dawn of dubbing" when games in the early 90s on CD systems had English dubbing!

 

[Gravijah]

Funny how FF10 is considered the "dawn of dubbing" when games in the early 90s on CD systems had English dubbing!

maybe i just have low standards, but i found the English dub for Snatcher to be pretty damn good for what it was.

 

[Aeana]

maybe i just have low standards, but i found the English dub for Snatcher to be pretty damn good for what it was.

Nope, it was absolutely fantastic. That entire translation is one of the best of the era, and still stands as one of the best translation jobs in games.

 

[QisTopTier]

I liked the dubbing in the lunar games >.> oh and thousand arms was hilarious.

FF12 had great dubbing though

 

[BIONIC-ARRRMMM!!]

So I just downloaded FFVIII off of PSN, what should I expect?

Keeping in mind that the only FF I've beaten was 7 last summer (which I ADORED), and 80% of 13 before my PS3 YLODed <_< (which was generally an ok game, but still kinda sucked).

 

[RDreamer]

FF12 had great dubbing though

It's too bad there was a weird effect or compression on everyone's voice so they sounded like they were talking into a hollow tin can or something.

So I just downloaded FFVIII off of PSN, what should I expect?

Keeping in mind that the only FF I've beaten was 7 last summer (which I ADORED), and 80% of 13 before my PS3 YLODed <_< (which was generally an ok game, but still kinda sucked).

Expect a battle system that's very different from most RPGs. You can game it pretty easily, but I'd suggest not for your first time through. Also, you can be an obsessive weirdo with the system, and that kind of ruins it, too. Don't sit there and draw hundreds of spells. That'll be boring, and you'll hate the battle system after that. Just play normally, and it has a really fun system. I loved it. Also, grinding is pretty useless since enemies level up with you, unlike what you saw with FF7. The story is alright, but it has some large flaws, so go in expecting that, and you should be satisfied. The soundtrack is amazing, though, and I love the pace of the game. The first disc is also one of the better first sections of any FF, in my opinion.

 

[QisTopTier]

So I just downloaded FFVIII off of PSN, what should I expect?

Keeping in mind that the only FF I've beaten was 7 last summer (which I ADORED), and 80% of 13 before my PS3 YLODed <_< (which was generally an ok game, but still kinda sucked).

Expect drama love story stuff

 

[Glass Rebel]

Is this the thread where I tell you guys that I'm about to finish my first mainline Final Fantasy, namely FF1 on iPhone? I started III-IX, got pretty far in some entries but never finished any and decided some time ago that I want to change that.

I'm at the last dungeon (Chaos Shrine) and was close to dropping it thrice thanks to the awful amount of random encounters. But it hasn't put me off the series yet. FFIV on DS is next after I finish FF1 since I have a savegame on DS. Maybe I'll look into FFII iOS after that. Should I?

 

[Natetan]

Is this the thread where I tell you guys that I'm about to finish my first mainline Final Fantasy, namely FF1 on iPhone? I started III-IX, got pretty far in some entries but never finished any and decided some time ago that I want to change that.

I'm at the last dungeon (Chaos Shrine) and was close to dropping it thrice thanks to the awful amount of random encounters. But it hasn't put me off the series yet. FFIV on DS is next after I finish FF1 since I have a savegame on DS. Maybe I'll look into FFII iOS after that. Should I?

I highly recommend FFII for ios.,great music, and if you're coming off FFI then the gameplay should be ok. Just be sure you understand how to play the game first. Put Maria in the front row, sell her bow and never use bows again, and give her a rod/staff because they are actually very strong in this game. Make sure you give everyone a shield and avoid dual wielding weapons. Also i highly recommend going to Mysidia early once you get the mithril. If youre feeling adventurous wander over to the mysidia cave early to pick up golden hairpin and black clothes (both excellent end game armor). Grind the exit spell as you go to the mythril cave. Buy minimal spells; cure, fire, and swap for everyone, and then exit ( chest in mythril cave, don't buy it) life and heal on one person each. You really don't need more than that. Choose one weapon type for each player and stick with it , (fire spears in mysidia are a must for frion and guy though). After you get back from mysidia, then just use swap on the weak enemies in the early section of he game as you walk between towns on all but one of your players. Then heal them up and then swap with the remaining person. This will lower inn costs which are tied to your up and mp amounts in this game. If you do all this you'll never have to do very much boring grinding (getting to mysidia and grinding around there is tough keeps you on your toes!) remember you can home button out of the game. When you restart you'll be out of battle. You can kind of Pick and choose your enemy encounters his way. Very helpful for getting to mysidia early.

 

[Kagari]

Not even 2000 posts yet in this thread, come on guys

 

[The Abominable Snowman]

Missed out on FF10, 12, and 13. Since getting rid of my PS2 and PS3, the only option I have is FF13 on 360. Walked into Best Buy, with the intention of buying some cheap FF, and its, well, it's split into 2 different games and $35 total. Still sounds good, but I wasn't looking to drop more than $20. So how does FF13/13-2 fit in? Action-y or more story heavy?

I heard 13-2 was more action driven (Which I Love), but FF13-2 is confusing without playing the first, with many things not as easy to get. But on the other hand, I've heard that 13 wasn't worth trudging through, but those views might be extreme.

So GAF, if you had no experience with FF13 and had to do it over again, would you skip FF13? Do a quick playthough of FF13? Treat FF13 and 13-2 the same and play with equal dedication? Or is 13 Like the main course at a 4-star restaurant and 13-2 like a good buffet?

I want to play through 10 and 12 one day too, but I dont think itll be anytime soon that it'd come to another platform.

 

[Kagari]

How good is your PC? You could always buy 10 and 12 and emulate them on your PC using PCSX2.

 

[harriet the spy]

Not even 2000 posts yet in this thread, come on guys

I'll indulge.

I have played every mainline final fantasy, bar 11 (when it came out i just didn't have the time / money for an online game. I would like to speed through it someday, but i assume at some point, servers will be turned down, and i will never be able to play it :/), and 13.

I finally got over my dislike of the first chapter of 13 and the massive antihype generated by the internet. I am currently near the end of chapter 4.

It's... surprisingly not bad. At least not nearly as bad as the internet had told me it was.

The bad:
-It looks like the story is going to suck.
-I don't like the world very much. I also think it looks ugly. There is particular graphical style to 'modern' FFs, that you started seeing in FFVIII, in X, XII to some extent, and is in full force in XIII. The style that gameloft aped in their ios game. I really don't like it. I am an apologist for FFVII's universe- i liked a lot how it looked. I really would like SE to do just the next FF in significantly different-looking universe, whether pseudo cyberpunk ala VII, or even better, FF-style fantasy ala VI,IX.
- No HD town/ ultra linear (i'll get back to that later).

The average: The music seems like a mix of brilliant and very uninspired. I don't like the main theme at all (the one which i supposed will be turned into this episode's disney song). The cast is fairly classic FF fare, but pretty average- it goes from the quite bad (Fucking hope, please die soon - and snow is pretty bad as well, though not as bad as wakka was for instance), to average (vanille, who beyond the porntastic voice acting is not super irritating yet as a character), to the pretty good (lightning, sazh).

The good: The combat! The combat! I am really enjoying it right now. In 'classical FFs', most combat was a completely pointless, challengeless grind. It was a very repetitive chore to go through before getting to mildly interesting fights (bosses); I am not sure I could get over those problems now. The only challenge was trying to get through the fight as quick as possible.
FFXII tried to alleviate the repetition by the gambit system, but in the end most fights were still challenge-less, and the MMO aspect amplified the grind a great deal. The gambits felt to me like a simple disguise to the repetition.
In some sense, combats in FFXIII are even more automated than in XII, they nearly play themselves. But they finally removed entirely pointless aspects of the system (no need to heal after fights), made it fast and at least somewhat challenging. I have rarely died so much in non-boss fights. I would still be in favor of pushing this a bit further - almost no fights should be easy, and there should be less of them. But as it is, I have rarely had as much fun in a jRPG fighting system. Cherry on top: i really like the fighting music theme. It's pretty brilliant.
Now, the linearity is a pain. But combined with a decent fighting system, I find that this FF, _in small servings_, is one of the most fun i have played. In big servings, the linearity starts to make the whole thing a chore and makes me want to quit.

So i guess that I have been playing this game quite differently from the way i used to play jRPG (like a lot of people, i have been playing this genre less and less this gen). I start the game, play for 30 minute, have my fun, save, and turn it off. I don't think i could play it for hours, but as it is, i am having far more fun than i expected. I hope XIII-2 uses a similarly fast-paced system.

 

[The Abominable Snowman]

How good is your PC? You could always buy 10 and 12 and emulate them on your PC using PCSX2.

Well, my GPU fried in my desktop, and like my PS3 I gave my other gaming desktop to my little brother. My laptop doesn't even run Dreamcast 100% smoothly.

I don't game much, but when I do I dive into the game. I'm a fan of more traditional or old school games, My last game, aside Skyrim on ultra-low settings, was Avernum. Over 100 hours on Skyrim, over 40 hours on Avernum.

 

[Kagari]

Well, my GPU fried in my desktop, and like my PS3 I gave my other gaming desktop to my little brother. My laptop doesn't even run Dreamcast 100% smoothly.

I don't game much, but when I do I dive into the game. I'm a fan of more traditional or old school games, My last game, aside Skyrim on ultra-low settings, was Avernum. Over 100 hours on Skyrim, over 40 hours on Avernum.

13-2 is definitely better than 13 but really... 10 and 12 are better than both in my opinion. If you can somehow get a PS2 again I'd recommend it for those games.

 

[laika09]

Missed out on FF10, 12, and 13. Since getting rid of my PS2 and PS3, the only option I have is FF13 on 360. Walked into Best Buy, with the intention of buying some cheap FF, and its, well, it's split into 2 different games and $35 total. Still sounds good, but I wasn't looking to drop more than $20. So how does FF13/13-2 fit in? Action-y or more story heavy?

I heard 13-2 was more action driven (Which I Love), but FF13-2 is confusing without playing the first, with many things not as easy to get. But on the other hand, I've heard that 13 wasn't worth trudging through, but those views might be extreme.

So GAF, if you had no experience with FF13 and had to do it over again, would you skip FF13? Do a quick playthough of FF13? Treat FF13 and 13-2 the same and play with equal dedication? Or is 13 Like the main course at a 4-star restaurant and 13-2 like a good buffet?

I want to play through 10 and 12 one day too, but I dont think itll be anytime soon that it'd come to another platform.

Your enjoyment of 13 will mostly be dictated by your level of tolerance for standard anime tripe and/or your potential insistence that every game be open-world/micromanaging/moddable/emergent/whatever. (Yes this is highly reductionist, on purpose.)

If you don't really care and just like playing normal games made for normal people then it's an inoffensive game with great visuals and music and high production value.

13-2 is essentially the same but the corridors turn into corridors with little siderooms and there's a level select screen because apparently people demand those nowadays.

They're both great games.

 

[Noi]

Now, the linearity is a pain. But combined with a decent fighting system, I find that this FF, _in small servings_, is one of the most fun i have played. In big servings, the linearity starts to make the whole thing a chore and makes me want to quit.

This is one aspect that I think is just further amplified by the camera angle when you're walking about, since it's almost always aimed from behind the camera. Maybe also by the fact that encounters aren't random. It was brought up in the FFXIII announcement thread, but we can go back to Final Fantasy X and find the same, linear pathways on the minimap, with events happening at the regular intervals down the same road. Not to say that FFX doesn't have some non-linear sections anyway, as I recall that parts like Mt. Gagazet can be pretty easy to get lost in.

Another difference could also be how both games are arranged. FFX has the party constantly together, going from point A to point B to point C. In XIII, you spend time with Party 1 in Point A, swap over to Party C who is at Point D, etc. I personally don't mind either approach, but I can see how the latter could annoy people more than the former.

 

[encephalon]

Maybe it's just me, but after I played FFXIII I went back and played FFX and FFX's maps seemed smaller and more constricted to me.

 

[BlackJace]

Say what you want about XIII's gameplay, but its music is leaps and bounds better than many others in the franchise.
IMO of course.

 

[Noi]

Maybe it's just me, but after I played FFXIII I went back and played FFX and FFX's maps seemed smaller and more constricted to me.

I think it's the scale. FFXII probably comes closest, but to me at least, no other FF quite captures the same feeling of walking through Gran Pulse for the first time. One of the moments when the camera's location actually helps with making everything look even bigger.

 

[harriet the spy]

This is one aspect that I think is just further amplified by the camera angle when you're walking about, since it's almost always aimed from behind the camera. Maybe also by the fact that encounters aren't random. It was brought up in the FFXIII announcement thread, but we can go back to Final Fantasy X and find the same, linear pathways on the minimap, with events happening at the regular intervals down the same road. Not to say that FFX doesn't have some non-linear sections anyway, as I recall that parts like Mt. Gagazet can be pretty easy to get lost in.

I definitely agree about the camera angle, but i'll also say that FFX is one of my least favorite FF, so the linearity hurts them both pretty badly imo.

I like the constant party change - it forces me to play differently with each team and further amplifies the interesting aspects of the battle system. But I wish there was a bit more variety in the environment.

 

[Kagari]

Maybe it's just me, but after I played FFXIII I went back and played FFX and FFX's maps seemed smaller and more constricted to me.

PS2 limitations?

 

[RDreamer]

Missed out on FF10, 12, and 13. Since getting rid of my PS2 and PS3, the only option I have is FF13 on 360. Walked into Best Buy, with the intention of buying some cheap FF, and its, well, it's split into 2 different games and $35 total. Still sounds good, but I wasn't looking to drop more than $20. So how does FF13/13-2 fit in? Action-y or more story heavy?

I heard 13-2 was more action driven (Which I Love), but FF13-2 is confusing without playing the first, with many things not as easy to get. But on the other hand, I've heard that 13 wasn't worth trudging through, but those views might be extreme.

So GAF, if you had no experience with FF13 and had to do it over again, would you skip FF13? Do a quick playthough of FF13? Treat FF13 and 13-2 the same and play with equal dedication? Or is 13 Like the main course at a 4-star restaurant and 13-2 like a good buffet?

I want to play through 10 and 12 one day too, but I dont think itll be anytime soon that it'd come to another platform.

13 is hands down no questions asked the better game. No hesitation here. Pretty much everything in 13 is better than 13-2. I guess if you value freedom, then sure 13-2 has a bit more. Other than that, though 13 is better. 13 is the main course. 13-2 is kind of if you still want more of that battle system then play it (and be disappointed mostly).

The thing about 13 is that it has one huge problem. The first chunk of the game is like a really large, extended tutorial. That's its large failing, really. It's annoying, and I wish it wasn't like that. But other than that its other flaws are just kind of smaller flaws. I think other than that the game works pretty well for what it tried to do. The battle system is really awesome and fast paced. The music is pretty amazing. Not quite up to some of Uematsu's, but it's different and it's great. The story is alright, though it would be better if they explained the mythology and stuff better in game and not in the encyclopedia stuff (or just not at all). I liked the characters, for the most part. Sazh is one of the best characters in the FFs. He's funny when he needs to be and his arc is serious and he's great then when he needs to be. I also personally loved the character dynamics of 13. They don't just automatically get along and all go the same direction like most of the FFs. They actually fight, bicker, and leave each other.

13-2 just shit on things. I mean I like it, I guess, but at the same time its flaws feel worse than 13's. The story is just garbage. 13's wasn't great, but this is just hot garbage. Everything is just "a paradox did it olol!" The music is alright, but I'd take 13's soundtrack over it any day. The battle system is kind of the big thing for me, though. That's where 13 shined. It was tough when it needed to be and had a nice learning curve to it. I had some really fun, intense battles throughout. And it always mixed things up, forcing you to use certain classes and character combos, so you really had to change things up and come up with something different. 13-2 was like baby mode all the way through. It was a joke. It took the best piece of 13 and crapped on it. On top of all that it's kind of disappointingly small. Really, though, I liked it for the most part. It was a nice distraction, but anyone that says it's better than 13 is certifiably crazy.

 

[Dark Schala]

I haven't played FFX since I was a teenager, and I'm waiting on the HD version now to relive the experience.

I like FFX, but it's one of those middle FFs for me. However, for some strange reason, I feel so nostalgic whenever I think about the ending bits of it, see bits and pieces of its artwork, see its environments, or hear the musical score. Perhaps it is a case of something I had elaborated upon before: Nojima, Kitase, & co did such a good job building up Spira to what it was.

Also, it's probably because it was the first game I played where my parents and brother watched the entire narrative unfold. If I take that into consideration, that is probably one of the major reasons as to why I feel so nostalgic for the game in general.

Related artwork:

 

[Sallokin]

I definitely agree about the camera angle, but i'll also say that FFX is one of my least favorite FF, so the linearity hurts them both pretty badly imo.

I like the constant party change - it forces me to play differently with each team and further amplifies the interesting aspects of the battle system. But I wish there was a bit more variety in the environment.

X is definitely my least favorite. I get why a lot of people rank it at the top, but it never clicked with me. I'll revisit it again when the HD version comes out, but truthfully I'd rather have an HD release of FFXII:I, which hopefully would follow if X is successful.

Side note: Freya needs more love! She's one of my favorite characters.

 

[RDreamer]

X is definitely my least favorite. I get why a lot of people rank it at the top, but it never clicked with me. I'll revisit it again when the HD version comes out, but truthfully I'd rather have an HD release of FFXII:I, which hopefully would follow if X is successful.

Side note: Freya needs more love! She's one of my favorite characters.

It'd be a crime if they never released FFXII: International in HD. I'm playing it now with PCSX2 and that game just looks soooooo good. There's so much detail in there, it's crazy. And international seems to fix some of the problems with the license board.

And Freya is awesome. Definitely one of my favorites. She was one of my favorites just from design alone, before the game was released.

 

[Noi]

snip.

I share similar complaints with XIII-2, but that game gave me these guys in HD.

Can't bring myself to dislike the game cause of it. The cutscene you get with all the bosses from the Snow DLC was worth the price of admission to me as well.

Great art.

Man, part of the reason why I kinda wished X HD was an actual remake and not an HD port was so they could get more mileage out of the environments. There's a lot of pretty stuff in X that I feel just walking through a beaten path in the middle of it doesn't quite do it justice.

 

[BlackJace]

Isn't the X Remake/Remaster stuck in development hell or something? We haven't heard a word about it since its unveiling, no?

 

[Kagari]

Isn't the X Remake/Remaster stuck in development hell or something? We haven't heard a word about it since its unveiling, no?

I don't know about 'development hell' but they most certainly announced it before they started work on it.

 

[Sallokin]

Isn't the X Remake/Remaster stuck in development hell or something? We haven't heard a word about it since its unveiling, no?

I think the last thing they said was that it was still extremely early on in production. Aside from that I think the only other thing they said was that it was a remaster and not a remake from the ground up.

 

[RDreamer]

I share similar complaints with XIII-2, but that game gave me these guys in HD.

Can't bring myself to dislike the game cause of it. The cutscene you get with all the bosses from the Snow DLC was worth the price of admission to me as well.

That was my other complaint with it, though. They give you a colosseum with... nothing. There's literally nothing in the game. I mean I'm not normally one to rag on DLC. I won't buy it if I don't think it's worth anything, and I won't complain about that, usually. But they built an empty arena and the only way to get any use out of it is with DLC. It just seems kind of wrong to me, especially after playing all the KHs. I kind of got there and thought it would be like that, and then they'd just add some cool stuff afterwards. But nope. Empty.