Psykodad
Banned
Fair enough, but what you miss is exactly what you'll find in FF XIV.
Edit:
What OP misses in the FF games.
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Last good FF story was FFX - What changed at Square Enix ever since?
- Thread starter SuperLupeRap
- Start date
- Opinion
Edit:
What OP misses in the FF games.
wvnative
Member
Sounds like FFXIV is for you. The main draw of that game for many is the characters and story. Hundreds of hours worth of story at this point.
Don't let the fact that its an MMO keep you from the best FF story to date. It has all the accompanying high fidelity visuals, music, and production value you've also come to expect from the series. And if you are a singleplayer guy, rest assured most of the content can be experienced solo. Whenever you need to do a dungeon or boss fight, the game can automatically group you with others. You don't have to set up a chat room, get a microphone, e.t.c. if you don't want to.
Can the MAIN story in ff14 be b lined without much grinding? Is everything gameplay wise easy to understand? MMO type games overwelm me
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Sub_Level
wants to fuck an Asian grill.
no last good final fantasy was final fantasy 9
Square turned to shit when they mergered with enix. When they where squaresoft every damn game was awesome.
FFX was still Squaresoft dude. It came out before the merger by like 2 years lmao
It gets to hang out with the cool kids like FFIX and Chrono Trigger, even if you didn't personally enjoy it
Sub_Level
wants to fuck an Asian grill.
Every few levels you will be blocked with a "you must be Level XX to accept this quest". So at this point you do something called a dungeon roulette which randomly puts you in a party in a random dungeon you have done before. Its usually a speedy process.
And lets say you're a high level but get placed in a low level dungeon. Well the game will multiply the EXP you earn relative to your current level so that way you're not wasting time earning tiny EXP.
As for easy to understand, absolutely. XIV has a reputation of being very casual and laid back MMO. You pick a job, and do something called a rotation where you repeat the same actions. As you level up you get more abilities which make your rotation more complex but you're eased into it gradually. At the most, some douchebag might get angry at you for messing something up in a boss fight, but the majority of players are nice.
Punished Miku
Human Rights Subscription Service
XIII is my favorite story in the series actually. Really dark elements, cool mythology, interesting cast. I think XIII-2 really takes the story in cool directions with batshit insane time travel, two new characters that are both actually really likeable and interesting, more mythology. Lightning Returns is also dark and weird, with even more mythology. I genuinely really enjoyed all of it.
The 2nd best one is FFXI, which also takes a larger approach by focusing on mythology and world building.
FFX is my favorite after that, which also focuses on mythology and world building.
Honestly, all the newest ones build huge worlds with richer history and context than any of the old games. The main difference in my opinion is just that games come out so much slower now that the progress can't be seen easily. XV in particular was the worst possible thing, since it took so long to make it feels like we haven't gotten a fully fresh story in the series for over 10 years. And they're following that up with a VII remake, which is also not new.
Next game will feel fresh if they ever decide to make it.
The 2nd best one is FFXI, which also takes a larger approach by focusing on mythology and world building.
FFX is my favorite after that, which also focuses on mythology and world building.
Honestly, all the newest ones build huge worlds with richer history and context than any of the old games. The main difference in my opinion is just that games come out so much slower now that the progress can't be seen easily. XV in particular was the worst possible thing, since it took so long to make it feels like we haven't gotten a fully fresh story in the series for over 10 years. And they're following that up with a VII remake, which is also not new.
Next game will feel fresh if they ever decide to make it.
manfestival
Member
It is kinda amazing reading the responses in here about squarenix. Seems like Square got the worst of it somehow(not talking actual sales figures but in mindshare) and the Enix side seems to not skip a beat. Is Enix mostly in tact? The dragonquest games are super solid and I absolutely loved 11. I can't say the same for other FF games since 10(though I do love 14, as I am actually going through it right now).
wvnative
Member
MMO's have always turned me off due to their timesink nature and boring ass combat. But I have not ignored the praise that ff14 gets. Maybe when I shrink my backlog a bit.
Bigrx1
Banned
I agree OP, X was the last story I really liked as well and that includes FFXIV. I see it praised constantly but to me the story is good for an MMO, but still isn’t all that great compared to single player games plus the MMO part really gets in the way of the narrative. At least for me it did.
Square stopped being great after ff7. The introduction of the cdrom was their turning point and they stopped caring about story, characters and such as much and started focusing more on cut scenes and graphics. Over the years it hasn't changed, it only became more about graphics and then it became about just franchises and brand names. If they did create something new and it wasn't a big hit they left it behind and turned back to proven franchises.
Square for the most part now is a company that has few ideas.
Square for the most part now is a company that has few ideas.
D.Final
Banned
I love both the classic Final Fantasy, and I also love the new ones like Final Fantasy XV which has enormous qualities.
So, I think it depends a lot more on the perspective of how one sees it I suppose.
Everyone has his favorite, whether for one reason or another. And everyone also has what they liked least. I did not like Final Fantasy III (in several aspects, including the plot) and Final Fantasy XIII (of which I have a bad memory since the past generation, and of the persecution of Lightining's idol for several years).
But everyone has his own way of being remembered, both for the good and for the bad, for better or for worse.
So I'm not worried about the present and future of Final Fantasy, because I know that it has at its base the complete change from one title to another, without ever conforming and always presenting new important mechanics. And I consider excellent Final Fantasy also those of this generation such as Final Fantasy XIV and Final Fantasy XV.
D
Deleted member 774430
Unconfirmed Member
I kinda wonder if at some point Dragon Quest blows up in the west and becomes bigger than Final Fantasy.
Not sure if it will ever happen (more like Square Enix wouldn't allow it) but it would be amazing.
sunnysideup
Banned
crazy talk.
finalfantasy tactics, bushido blade, tobal 2, einhänder, front mission 3, final fantasy 9 ,vagrant story, xenogears, chrono cross, parasite eve where all fucking awsome at the time. Square where at the absolute best. Hitter after hitter after hitter.
The snes games where pretty graphically oriented as well. seiken densetsu 3, chrono trigger has some of the best graphics on snes.
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Gp1
Member
Squenix got a big scope management problem in their projects transitioning from the end from PS1 to PS2 generation imho. The PS1 era Square, after FF7, delivered us gems like FFT, Parasite Eve, Front mission 3, Xenogears and Crono Cross. (those two at the end were a classical case of scope management problems in PM that became recurrent in their games).
That movie studio in Hawaii messed them up pretty bad lol
FFXII is great, but imho it would be GOTY if the focused on Balthier and Vash (and wasn't rushed towards the end) . FFXIII family (including Versus) was a mess from the beginning until the end. The entire universe was cut and sewn together multiple times.
Versus XIII had the potential to be one of the best games of all times if the could accomplish what they had proposed.
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TheContact
Member
FF13 had the potential to be such a great game. I think it has one of the best battle systems of any FF, but the story...my god the story.........
Sub_Level
wants to fuck an Asian grill.
Well sales figures do have some correlation with mindshare lol. For better or worse FF has a lot more mindshare in the west than DQ. Despite wildly varying opinions online, both XIV and XV were financial successes. DQXI was the first real attempt at gaining appeal outside Japan since VIII, and it paid off. Hopefully DQXII continues that trend.
Until then, DQ to Americans means Dairy Queen....
Robot Carnival
Member
I will also add my vote to both XI and XIV having great stories. I remember doing the Windurst nation main story and some of the side quests and they were rather moving. one of the later side quest that is mainly just added backstory really moved me to tears. the story in XIV felt little less... involving for me personally, but is still great non the less. especially as some had mention, the story in Shadowbringer is one of the best in the FF series. I would highly recommend trying that if you can, but I also understand MMORPG isn't everyone's cup of tea.
R6Rider
Gold Member
I really only like the older style FF games. I haven't played too many overall. The first one I owned and played through was XII. I've played I, II, and Crisis Core on PSP and never finished X and XV on my PS4.
I got about halfway into XV and got bored, and X was boring right from the start. I do remember playing VII at a friends house when I was a kid, but never really played it through.
Almost forgot! I played a lot of XIV on PS4 when I first got the console.
I got about halfway into XV and got bored, and X was boring right from the start. I do remember playing VII at a friends house when I was a kid, but never really played it through.
Almost forgot! I played a lot of XIV on PS4 when I first got the console.
manfestival
Member
I also really hated battle systems after FF10. Maybe another reason I absolutely adore DQ11
Myths
Member
Something simple will suffice for story. Keep it clear, concise, and without jargon/mumbo jumbo (13 is the prime offender). A great fantasy adventure, with the twists to the world .
Minaba and Yoshida for character design, Kamikuriyo and Amano for Art Direction, Uematsu for Composer, and Nojima (by himself) for Scenario.
.
Hopefully, the next FF will try to take on a style similar to I-VI. Specifically, using next gen technology to accurately bring that abstract as hell Amano style to fruition.
Now this is what I’d like to play but done in a practical way using modern tech.
Minaba and Yoshida for character design, Kamikuriyo and Amano for Art Direction, Uematsu for Composer, and Nojima (by himself) for Scenario.
.
Hopefully, the next FF will try to take on a style similar to I-VI. Specifically, using next gen technology to accurately bring that abstract as hell Amano style to fruition.
Now this is what I’d like to play but done in a practical way using modern tech.
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you didn’t play FF XIV, right?
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EightBit Man
Member
I really love Final Fantasy X, and the game's story is a big part of that. The last, new Final Fantasy I played was XII, which in itself was a great game. In fact, I found it as compelling and addictive as Phantasy Star Online - the JRPG I spent the most amount of time on. But, in all honesty it wasn't really what a Final Fantasy should've been. IMO.
Darkmakaimura
Can You Imagine What SureAI Is Going To Do With Garfield?
Necron LITERALLY came out of nowhere....
SantaC
Member
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Werewolf Jones
Member
So did half the final bosses in the series prior. Cloud of Darkness, Zeromus, it's a tribute to those last minute asspulls. People on this board trying to smack talk FF IX now. Smfh.
Clear
CliffyB's Cock Holster
Meanwhile, in the middle of all this Yoko Taro decamps to Osaka and in conjunction with the talent at Platinum creates Nier: Automata.
A game that for a modest budget, sells really well, and is received better critically than almost anything SE have put out in decades.
Go figure.
A game that for a modest budget, sells really well, and is received better critically than almost anything SE have put out in decades.
Go figure.
Jigsaah
Gold Member
I've always found it hard to follow the story because I would always rush to end game and skip cutscenes. Am I a bad person?
Azurro
Banned
I used to be a big Final Fantasy fan, but between the FFXIII games and FFXV, I feel like I haven't played a good FF in over 10 years, it's crazy. FFXV especially, I liked the characters but they simply forgot to even include parts of the story in the game in the first place. At least FFVII remake has a template to follow, so I'm hoping that doesn't disappoint.
They forgot that they are suppose to make characters and a world we will want to like. Another thing that has been lost to hd is the charm of the bodies expressions that was necessary for older games. You do get this from FF 14 though. I would study Kdramas for body expressions and J doramas for facial expressions. FF14 is really like an older FF game with the over the top expressions and the interesting world and characters to see( I mainly played 14 before the remake and pretty much stopped when it released).
demented waffle
Gold Member
It was good for about 2/3 of it. And that's with them forcing Vaan and Penelo on us. It just sucked later in the story. It started out so strong...
Ferdimage
Member
Unfortunately didn't get to play it on the 360, can't justify buying a new Xbox for one game.
I was happy I was able to emulate it on Xenia, but the game crashes after the Centapede looking boss fight, I definetly enjoyed what I played so far. The English VA is done really well.
Seth sounds better in English than Japanese. So much FF vibes from this game.
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Naked Lunch
Member
Nah - XII still has the best story in the entire series, even with the Matsuno problems. The series needed a tone-shift and people are still shellshocked by XII after all these years.
Valonquar
Member
XII is good but feels like they left a chunk out, and sort of falls apart in the final hours. RobotHulkBahamut was sorta weak as an ending.
Like others here, definitely play FFXIV. It has a pretty good story outside of fetching wine for like 30 different people.
FFXI also had an great story, especially the expansion stories. It's definately dated, but you can solo all the way to 99 with NPCs now pretty easily.
Like others here, definitely play FFXIV. It has a pretty good story outside of fetching wine for like 30 different people.
FFXI also had an great story, especially the expansion stories. It's definately dated, but you can solo all the way to 99 with NPCs now pretty easily.
Psykodad
Banned
Yes, yes you are.
As punishment, you should play Main Story Roulette every day for an entire month.
Jigsaah
Gold Member
NOOOO! Wait, would that work on a new class. Sorry it's been a while. I been MIA since about a month or two into Stormblood.
Azelover
Titanic was called the Ship of Dreams, and it was. It really was.
I totally, totally agree with you OP!
A lot of things happened actually. For one, Mr. Sakaguchi left the company, and Square joined with Enix, and most of the management that stayed in charge was from Enix if I'm not mistaken.
Also, the new SquareEnix was I think a lot more money driven than Square had been previously. They put their eyes on the western markets, more so than they had before. And now Final Fantasy is basically just following what they think will make the most money. With no real vision to it.
In fact, I think that work pretty much sums it up. Every since Sakaguchi left the company lost the vision. There is no vision anymore. That's my opinion on the matter.
Ryu Kaiba
Member
no last good final fantasy was final fantasy 9
Square turned to shit when they mergered with enix. When they where squaresoft every damn game was awesome.
Final fantasy X was the last Squaresoft Final Fantasy and it is a Great Final Fantasy.
sublimit
Banned
Man Yoshida's art is just at another level from every other concept artist/illustrator that i have seen in the industry. I wish the in-game graphics did more justice to his art.Sounds like FFXIV is for you. The main draw of that game for many is the characters and story. Hundreds of hours worth of story at this point.
Don't let the fact that its an MMO keep you from the best FF story to date. It has all the accompanying high fidelity visuals, music, and production value you've also come to expect from the series. And if you are a singleplayer guy, rest assured most of the content can be experienced solo. Whenever you need to do a dungeon or boss fight, the game can automatically group you with others. You don't have to set up a chat room, get a microphone, e.t.c. if you don't want to.
Kev Kev
Member
I felt a noticeable shift in wuality once Squaresoft became Squarenix
I’m not sure what happened, maybe it had nothing to do with the merger, but something changed.
I honestly feel like FFXV was the first game where things felt like they started to get back in track. But the felt severely unfinished in the back half and still didn’t quite reach back up to former quality.
Hopefully FFVIIR redeems them. It looks like it’s going to.
I’m not sure what happened, maybe it had nothing to do with the merger, but something changed.
I honestly feel like FFXV was the first game where things felt like they started to get back in track. But the felt severely unfinished in the back half and still didn’t quite reach back up to former quality.
Hopefully FFVIIR redeems them. It looks like it’s going to.
SuperLupeRap
Banned
After the merger some people left
Director of FFXII left during dev
FFXIV 1.0 was heavily outsourced iirc and tanaka left too
I think the company was trying way too hard with ff13 vs13 agito13
Whats that bias thing called? like when u invest too much but u keep investing to save it. But it ends up even bigger mess.
FF15 was cut up way too hard way too many scenes from trailer (im not talking vs13) did not make the game
And tabata got lucky with Crisis Core and agito 13 being ported because maybe i think we where thirsty for squeenix
Nice avatar btw
Ohh wait and also Yoichi Wada the company ceo wanted to re-use assets
Thats why X-2 happened. iirc and maybe thats why 13x3 happened?
This. And yeah Vivi is one of the best characters ever in FF9
SuperLupeRap
Banned
Depends what you enjoy in a FF game though. If you just want good combat then I guess yeah FF12 is a good game. If you're looking for an entertaining story and world then it's up there as the most boring FF game.
Armorian
Banned
Yeah, it's not great. But in comparison, X-2 has one of the best battle systems in the series.
demented waffle
Gold Member
I keep hearing that. I just couldn't get past the spice girls opening and the dropping me on an airship on a set location. I'm gonna have to try this again one of these days.