swaffles23
Member
Shout-out to Masashi Hamauzu for masterpiece FFXIII ost. Truly one of most underrated FF composers
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Today marks the 15th anniversary of Final Fantasy 13
- Thread starter ArtHands
- Start date
My friends first ever was 16 and he loved it. You'll see most of the criticism levied at it is 'its not a real FF game', which makes it a good opener. It's a dumb linear action game with a lot of spectacle and scale.
After that I'd do remake and rebirth as the combat systems are far better and going the other way around might be disappointing.
After that, dig into the classics - 6, 12, 10, og 7, 8 & 9.
I liked 15 too, it has a great vibe. It's better if you were unaware of the hype and early trailers.
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diffusionx
Gold Member
the most playable "real" FF is the last one - 10. But if you want to start old, then FF6 is the best one. The FF4 DS game actually is really nice if you want to go back to that.
I don't know if I would recommend 7 to a new one when the remake exists, even though I like the gameplay of the old one more. 8 and 9 are both very good.
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Crystal Winters
Member
I miss being able to play it on console. I have this foolish Hope that they will Focus and see the Light and that they eventually bring the trilogy back those of us that do in fact enjoy it.
SEGAvangelist
Member
It's BC on Xbox. The Series X versions are great.
Trogdor1123
Member
Square has actually done a pretty good job at pumping out products when you look at it, far better than other studios.
Yoshichan
And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
IM STILL SO MAD
I CANT BELIEVE WADA SHOWED UP BEHIND DONS BACK AND SAID "DON"
AND THEN ANNOUNCED FFXIII ON THE XBOX 360, AN AMERICAN COMPANY BTW. SO FUCKING DUMB I STILL CANT BLVE IT , THE QUESTION IS, CAN U?????????????????????????????????????????????
I CANT BELIEVE WADA SHOWED UP BEHIND DONS BACK AND SAID "DON"
AND THEN ANNOUNCED FFXIII ON THE XBOX 360, AN AMERICAN COMPANY BTW. SO FUCKING DUMB I STILL CANT BLVE IT , THE QUESTION IS, CAN U?????????????????????????????????????????????
rubik's dude
Member
That era of FF between XIII and XV was a dark time lmao. A literal shit streak. The worst one followed by the most broken one followed by the most unfinished one.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Hmm..
This is a very loaded question but I'll give my best one's by suggesting one game from each of the 'generations' that I think are worthy.
8/16 bit: Probably a toss up between FF IV and VI. You won't go wrong with either one, 4 has something of an FFVII style compilation with other games made to continue the story if you want a longer experience.
PS1 era: Final Fantasy IX. 7 gets all the hype and pomp, but IX is a much better game IMO. It is the last of the classical style FF games before the franchise took a more modern fantasy / sci-fi turn.
PS2 era: FFX is the easy recommendation for its importance to the franchise, but I *personally* lean more towards XII. It plays a lot more modernly and games like Dragon Age and KoToR would steal its gambit systems for party management.
PS3 era: You only really have the FFXIII games here, I'd just play the first XIII and avoid the sequels.
After that the more modern games (15, 16) are a lot more accessible and you can play them at your leisure.
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Madflavor
Member
I remember halfway through FFXIII I had an epiphany where I was like "Wait.....wait is this game bad?"
It was hard to contemplate at the time because I couldn't imagine a Final Fantasy game being bad, but there I was playing a bad Final Fantasy game. A gaming titan fell when XIII was released, and the franchise wasn't the same since. Thankfully it's made a comeback the past few years with Heavensward - Endwalker and Remake/Rebirth, but like someone pointed out, 2006 - 2020 was a dark fucking era.
It was hard to contemplate at the time because I couldn't imagine a Final Fantasy game being bad, but there I was playing a bad Final Fantasy game. A gaming titan fell when XIII was released, and the franchise wasn't the same since. Thankfully it's made a comeback the past few years with Heavensward - Endwalker and Remake/Rebirth, but like someone pointed out, 2006 - 2020 was a dark fucking era.
tylrdiablos
Member
I got 5 hours into FFXIII and then started noticing people online saying they were 10-12 hours in and still in the "tutorial zones" or something.
I'll go back to it at some point but I only finished FFIX a couple months back, so current data trends and extrapolations suggest I'll finish FFXIII in 2034.
I'll go back to it at some point but I only finished FFIX a couple months back, so current data trends and extrapolations suggest I'll finish FFXIII in 2034.
poodaddy
Member
This was the Final Fantasy that finally got me over the series. For the majority of my life, this series had me under a spell somehow, and this game broke it, made me realize they were never really as good as I thought, (outside the stand out titles like VI, Tactics, IX, and XII), and that the JRPG genre in general was just honestly not really my thing anymore, too childish and anime like, and I've largely moved on to WRPG's since if I'm in need of an RPG fix, with the exception of the truly excellent SMT games and the recent stand out, Sea of Stars, and I'm happy to have largely stopped caring about Final Fantasy. It's like FFXIII was the abusive spouse that made me realize I need to stop dating fucking morons, (JRPG's), so thanks for destroying the series for me XIII, and happy anniversary! 
IDKFA
I am Become Bilbo Baggins
In my opinion it was better than all previous mainline games, but was beaten by XV.
poodaddy
Member
Those both suck to play but at least there are good characters there and pretty damn good scenario writing for VIII, XIII is just fucking painful to the point of constant cringe with every line of dialogue and every hour of play. Think I'll take the two turds over a bowl of cancer if I have to choose.
poodaddy
Member
What in God's name? Blink twice if you're in someone's basement and this is a coded request for help.
amigastar
Gold Member
Same ol G
Killjoy-NL
Arsic
Sooner
skit_data
N Neilg
diffusionx
adamsapple
Thanks for all your answers, guys.
I think I'm gonna go for Final Fantasy 7 Intergrade at this point.
Ponderling
Member
Each new mainline FF game being worse than the last ensures you will at some point enjoy XIII.
I think by FF XVIII, the entire XIII trilogy will be remembered fondly, and at FFXX even X-2 will be considered a masterpiece.
I think by FF XVIII, the entire XIII trilogy will be remembered fondly, and at FFXX even X-2 will be considered a masterpiece.
Soodanim
Member
I'm not one to be overly dramatic, so I will plainly state that FF13 was a disappointment.
By the time the game opened up I felt like the game was insulting me when presumably there were only 3 chapters left. I decided I had already put all the time I was willing to put into it and gave up for good. It's like I played a 10 chapter tutorial, and it's hard to not feel a bit insulted by that. I don't even remember a single character name aside from the star because she's in the title of the sequel. There's an afro man and a bird, that's it as far as memories go.
What's worse is that I was coming off 12, which I very much enjoyed and have put a lot of hours into again with the remaster.
By the time the game opened up I felt like the game was insulting me when presumably there were only 3 chapters left. I decided I had already put all the time I was willing to put into it and gave up for good. It's like I played a 10 chapter tutorial, and it's hard to not feel a bit insulted by that. I don't even remember a single character name aside from the star because she's in the title of the sequel. There's an afro man and a bird, that's it as far as memories go.
What's worse is that I was coming off 12, which I very much enjoyed and have put a lot of hours into again with the remaster.
Ailike
Member
I can't believe Square shot themselves in the foot with this.
IDKFA
I am Become Bilbo Baggins
What in God's name? Blink twice if you're in someone's basement and this is a coded request for help.
Nah, just my personal opinion.
I believe that every mainline FF is better than the last, with XV being the peak of the series for me. XV might be, IMO, the best JRPG ever made.
I honestly haven't had the time to complete XVI yet, but I see no reason why this won't be my new JRPG king.
Phobos Base
Member
Easily the worst game that I put 60+ hours into. Looked beautiful and had really good voice acting, and whilst I didn't mind the battle system the linear progression and complete lack of towns made it feel soulless. Couldn't get invested in the plot at all - if you have to read the codex to try and work out what it going on, you haven't told the story well. XIII-2 was an improvement, but as soon as we get into time travel and alternate dimensions my eyes just glaze over. Haven't tried Lightning Returns since the concept of a time limit in an RPG doesn't appeal to me.
Muffdraul
Member
FFXIII was the last straw for me. I became a dedicated FF fanboy in 1994 because of FFVI. The franchise did me right all through many years of ups and downs. Each individual game would have a moment or two where it stepped in a big stinky pile of dogshit, but the rest of the game would be so great that a couple of missteps were easily ignored. FFXI was the first sign of real static. Giving an MMORPG a proper series numeral? No. Then FFX-2. A direct sequel that was more of a cringey joke than a real game? No. But those were exceptions I could just ignore. (I loved FFXII despite its less-than-up-to-snuff story and cast, for the record.) During the window between FFXIII's announcement and release, I thought it was going to be a return to true greatness. It was a new FF made by many of the same folks behind VI, VII, VIII, and X... my favorites. The weirdest FFs. The best thing I can say about XIII is that it was a looker and it was a decent JRPG in general. But as an FF, I expected a lot more. It pretty much ended there for me. I ignored XIV of course, I just don't do MMOs. FFXV wasn't as bad as I expected it to be, IMO it was miles better than XIII. But that's not saying much. XVI was the first FF I just literally couldn't finish, I couldn't stick with it because it was just so fucking boring both in story and game play. I liked FFVII Remake and Rebirth, despite the fact that I never wanted a remake. If they could make a new FF following the model of Rebirth, with a brand new story about brand new characters in a brand new world... then I could get back on board the FF train.
TheUndeadGamer
Member
Lightning, my Queen 
, I bow to thy.
WOW time flies fast. Didn’t realize it was XV years ago
, I bow to thy. WOW time flies fast. Didn’t realize it was XV years ago
BoxFresh123
Member
I got my first ever steam foil badge from XIII
poodaddy
Member
Kronark
Member
12 was the first stumble for the series, but 13 was the sad realization that the FF franchise was over and we entered the post-Golden JRPG era of the late 90s / 2000s. It failed on nearly every important aspect of an RPG. Terrible story, bland uninteresting combat system, absolutely unlikable cast, and boring linear world design. The only thing it had going for it was graphics quality and that blinded by light is a pretty good combat theme. 15 then continued the trend of the multi-million dollar franchise being unable to tell a coherent story anymore, with 16 also having an absolute mess of a story. I have no faith any Final Fantasy 17, 18, 19, etc would be a great game until proven otherwise.
Final Fantasy is Dead, and Atlus is the JRPG king now.
Final Fantasy is Dead, and Atlus is the JRPG king now.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Y'know, I'd like to revisit 13. I enjoyed the game back when it came out. The writing wasn't great (though I suspect a fair amount of that was down to the voice acting) and the game really was far too linear, but I thought it was a fun playthrough and the combat mechanics were great. I was a little surprised with how down on the game everyone was. I only played it that one time, though. XIII-2 was a bit messier, and I never bothered with Lightning Returns. It's a significantly less accomplished take on the Final Fantasy X formula, but I feel like it might be more fun for people now, without the weight of expectation.
U n i o n 0015
Member
I rather liked the battle system once I got used to it but overall thought it was quite meh.
And the stupid names for everything, L'cie, B'cie, F'cie, Eat-my-a$$-cie, dear lord.
And the stupid names for everything, L'cie, B'cie, F'cie, Eat-my-a$$-cie, dear lord.
IDKFA
I am Become Bilbo Baggins
I respect it. Disagree, but I respect it.
Yes, I know it's an unpopular opinion and GAF rinses me for it, but I don't care. I own my opinion!
semiconscious
Member
i did just that maybe a year ago. like yourself, i had a good enough time with it originally. anyway while the combat was as enjoyable as i'd remembered, between the linearity, the being limited to certain characters at certain points, & the obnoxious cheesiness of the characters themselves, i eventually bailed about midway. so it goes...
PauloRoberto
Member
I believe FF brand never really recovered from this GARBAGE. Eveything that you might expected in a FF game was underwhelming at best and a absolute SHIT at worst.
poodaddy
Member
Such is why I respect it, good on ya bro.
Kronark
Member
Make sure to pause the game and consult the encyclopedia to understand that L'Cie and Fal'Cie are different things. Also that there is a planet called Pulse, a Fal'Cie called Pulse, and a diety called Pulse and yes they are different things. Pulse and Cocoon also have different Fal'Cie that want different things, because fuck you player we're not going to provide context for any of this in game via dialog until maybe we start implying it 50 hours in.
Chuck Berry
Gold Member
I'm in the minority that loved it. Loved the linearity and thought it was a cool change, loved the soundtrack and thought Fang was hot as fuck. Bought the PS3 version day 1 and still have my copy somewhere.
The menu design was also cool as all hell.
The menu design was also cool as all hell.
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Miyazaki’s Slave
Gold Member
Pixel Remasters of 1 - 6 are extremely playable and have a lot of QOL additions that make them faster to complete. But if you are not a retro game fan, even a little bit, skip them.
FF9/FF12 are both fantastic examples of what a great final fantasy game can be before Gen 7 consoles.
I did not care for FF8 or FFX at all. FF8 isn't worthy of comments. FFX was a linear mess of a maps you just walk through and the story wasn't compelling to me either.
FX2...complete fan service and should be played for the dress sphere/grid system along. It's like sailor moon/super sentai...but its fantasy based...and again, just tons of fan service. Girl bosses before Girl Boss™ was frowned upon.
All three of the FF13 games are skippable...their OST's are great but most everything else was a miss for me. Even their Pokémon game (FF13-2) was a miss and I am a sucker for those types of game mechanics.
*EDIT* Their UI design is very slick in FF13 to be sure.
the post above me isn't wrong about that!
FF14 is great if you like MMO's.
If you just cannot stand older titles with cruft around the edges then start with Rebirth then play Remake.
Ultimately though...to each their own.
FF9/FF12 are both fantastic examples of what a great final fantasy game can be before Gen 7 consoles.
I did not care for FF8 or FFX at all. FF8 isn't worthy of comments. FFX was a linear mess of a maps you just walk through and the story wasn't compelling to me either.
FX2...complete fan service and should be played for the dress sphere/grid system along. It's like sailor moon/super sentai...but its fantasy based...and again, just tons of fan service. Girl bosses before Girl Boss™ was frowned upon.
All three of the FF13 games are skippable...their OST's are great but most everything else was a miss for me. Even their Pokémon game (FF13-2) was a miss and I am a sucker for those types of game mechanics.
*EDIT* Their UI design is very slick in FF13 to be sure.
the post above me isn't wrong about that!FF14 is great if you like MMO's.
If you just cannot stand older titles with cruft around the edges then start with Rebirth then play Remake.
Ultimately though...to each their own.
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U n i o n 0015
Member
They could've avoided so much confusion just by naming things more clearly. I got the pro-tip to consult the encyclopedia in-game before I started playing and I still had trouble parsing everything out while I was playing.
{insert code here}
Member
ElFenomeno
Member
When I realized I had to read the encyclopedia a few times to understand all those terms, I gave up on it immediately, just went with the flow and simply enjoyed the combat, visuals and the music.
a multicultural team of v
Member
it fucking sucked and im sorry but the music fucking sucked too
the only redeeming thing that came out of the entire trilogy was the chocobo music from ffx-2
the only redeeming thing that came out of the entire trilogy was the chocobo music from ffx-2
fart town usa
Member
A thread on Gaf with people providing awful takes on a great game. Whats new?
13 is a great game with an amazing OST, great battle system, and the best stagger system in any FF title.
I bought the Japanese version Day 1 when I was living in Singapore, everyone else had it on the train and none of us spoke Japanese. I gladly double dipped when it released in English.
I also played up to Gran Pulse last year, the game is still a great time.
Some of you here really have terrible taste.
13 is a great game with an amazing OST, great battle system, and the best stagger system in any FF title.
I bought the Japanese version Day 1 when I was living in Singapore, everyone else had it on the train and none of us spoke Japanese. I gladly double dipped when it released in English.
I also played up to Gran Pulse last year, the game is still a great time.
Some of you here really have terrible taste.
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Zephyranthes
Member
I will always recommend Final Fantasy X as a great entry point: it's one of the most well-rounded FFs, the remastered version is available on all current-gen platforms, and it holds up much better than you would expect of a game from over 20 years ago.