Final Fantasy

Using KOTR will be a cakewalk, yes. But if you use it on the 3rd-final boss, the succeeding bosses will get HP boosts of 60,000 and 80,000. Final boss HPs also are based on other factors, including the average level of your party, how many you have at LV99 etc. However, if you do use KOTR anyway, HP boosts won't matter much. I never used it, plus the sequence takes too fucking long anyway.

Ultimate weapons have unique characteristics which determine how much damage they do. Cloud's does more damage the higher his HP bar is. The more enemies Vince has killed, the more his does. And the higher the enemy's level, the more Yuff's does. Yuff's is also awesome for the fact that it ignores the damage cap when using Morph on an enemy too, making it much easier to Morph enemies and get special items, such as Ribbons. So an easier option may be to try Morphing Master Tonberries in the crater if you need some Ribbons. They have a lot of HP though, so maybe level up in the swamp a bit first.

It will take a while before you unlock the Special Battle in the Saucer though. You gotta win the top two prizes in the normal battles first, which requires a good few goes. The rewards are good, but I think it's only worth it for optional boss stuff. It's well worth checking out though if you're gonna do a couple of side quests - battle square is one of the best.

Did anyone else notice that FF4 on the DS was ludicrously harder than the SNES original or GBA rerelease? Seriously especially after you destroy Mist & are walking through the desert woth those over powered sand worms. Or making your way to Zeromus' lair in the moon.

Vorash Kadan said:
Did anyone else notice that FF4 on the DS was ludicrously harder than the SNES original or GBA rerelease? Seriously especially after you destroy Mist & are walking through the desert woth those over powered sand worms. Or making your way to Zeromus' lair in the moon.

SuperLink said:

A lot of people thought it was way easier due to Auto-battle.
Honestly I always found FFIV bloody hard! The amount of grinding and level jumping in that game made me usually stop playing when I got to the moon v-v

FFIV is inherently a hard game thanks to regularly changing party members without any warning whatsoever but FFIV DS went overboard when it comes to the overall difficulty and the additional amount of grinding needed. I'd say it's more or less supposed to be a remake for fans of the original looking for a challenge, and not for people new to the game.

I've done it, I finished Final Fantasy VII! Huge weight lifted off shoulders. I actually thought the final battle was pretty easy. I'm tempted to get into VIII or IX, but I'll at least give V a good poke. I feel weird. Fifteen years after trying for the first time, I've finally finished FFVII.

Wahey, now you're on the path to becoming an FF nut case like me, right? Right!?

You got a PS2, or PS2-enabled PS3? Obvs I'm suggesting you check out FFX. Or just wait for FFX HD on PS3.

Yup, got a PS2. Nope, won't be getting FFX. I remember being put off by the voice acting, back in the day. Besides, I don't really plug in my PS2 any more. I have more than enough Final Fantasy games to be getting on with. Stop adding more to my list!

Grim. Missing out, lad, missing out!

Good job Martin, now beat 4,6,8 & 9.

Don't have IV ( ), but I have the others you mention.

Wait 4 isn't even on the psn yet? Bummer, well if you have a DS of ANY KIND I'd say beat that one for a REAL challenge (you'll hate some of the caves, desert part after visiting Mist & on your way to the final boss) & play the original so you can grt a sense of just how the game has changes.

For purities sake I'd download it from the Wii's Virtual Console as well as the ORIGINAL Final Fantasy, now THAT'S HARD!! It's tough just staying alive long enough to level up.....seriously it was & still IS very brutal, don't even TRY the 4 white or black mages challenge your first time through!!

I don't know about other regions, but EU PSN has Final Fantasy V - IX on the 'PSone Classics' section, and I have them all. What's weird is that the box art icon for FFV on my XMB is a cover art for something called 'Final Fantasy Anthology'. Don't really get that, as it's just one game?

Anyway, I'd possibly pick up the DS version of FFIV if I saw it super-cheap. Otherwise, I'm not really interested. I've been playing through FFV, and to be honest I wouldn't want to play something more basic than that. You must remember, I have no nostalgia towards FF games before VII. Going back to the original NES instalments is just painful, to me.

I will say the story so far in FFV hasn't really gotten going. There are two pink women (one of whom is a pirate who pretended to be a man), who are obviously sisters or something (pink hair, little hints whenever the princess mentions her father). One generic main guy who I've named Falmer (after the subterranean elves from Skyrim), and some old man with Alzheimer's/amnesia.

I've just defeated Siren (after the ship graveyard). Up to this point it's been an incredibly basic affair, with a crude storyline and no real character-development that I didn't see a mile off (had the "Faaaaaaaaaatheeeeeeeerr!" bit that's in everything ever), and random battles happen with annoying frequency. To boot, I haven't been doing much other than hitting X in all the battles. With bosses I'll have the princess keep my party cured, but that's about it.

In all, I can't see me sticking with FFV through to the end. It's just so very, very basic in all ways.

Anthology was the ps1 release of iv and v in the same case.

I, II and IV are on the PSN store, but only PSP versions of them. I tried to play V the other day, but it seemed really slow

Well this again is the reason I draw from when I say FF7 is COMPLETE overhype & doesn't live upto its namesake. Those of you who feel strongly about 7 most likely STARTED with it. I've been playing FF since it was a Nintendo exclusive so I've got a better, less squed view of the series over all.

What you need to make sure to do Martin, is to seperate yourself from recent games. Don't hold the same expectations that you've experienced in later installments or else you really won't enjoy the originals.

Also if you want to play the series in it's entirety then you need to get FF3 for DS, as that's the ONLY release the game has seen outside of Japan.

FFIII also on the iTunes App Store if you have an iPhone/touch or iPad, I really liked that game (had it on DS) and it was the first FF that I completed.

( Edited 13.02.2012 23:28 by Stulaw )

Vorash Kadan said:
Well this again is the reason I draw from when I say FF7 is COMPLETE overhype & doesn't live upto its namesake. Those of you who feel strongly about 7 most likely STARTED with it. I've been playing FF since it was a Nintendo exclusive so I've got a better, less squed view of the series over all.

Just depends how you look at it, man. We started with VII, you started with I. As much as our view of VII is fecked, equally your own view of the original games could also be frosted with that awesome nostalgia.

Vorash Kadan said:
What you need to make sure to do Martin, is to seperate yourself from recent games. Don't hold the same expectations that you've experienced in later installments or else you really won't enjoy the originals.

Yeah, I know. It's easier said than done, though. I'm not even sure if it's because it doesn't match up to the PlayStation instalments of FF, or if it just doesn't match up to newer games in general. Or something else.

It's not like I played VII this time thinking how awesome the graphics are, etc (I know you didn't say this). To be honest, the only reason I persevered with it was through sheer determination to finish it once and for all. It looked and sounded like ass the whole way through (talking about VII, here).

But I'm nostalgic for the game, so none of that shit mattered. All that mattered was that I liked the story (central component of any RPG), and was nostalgic towards all the MIDI compositions and locations in the game.

Vorash Kadan said:
Also if you want to play the series in it's entirety then you need to get FF3 for DS, as that's the ONLY release the game has seen outside of Japan.

Really? That's odd. I won't be going out of my way to buy it, in any case. I have no desire to have clocked every single FF game. If I wanted to do that, I should have gotten into the series years ago. Or come to think of it - I shouldn't have given up with VII when it came out. Maybe then I'd have naturally progressed onto all the others.

As it is, before finishing VII a couple days ago, all I had ever played was a large amount of VII, a reasonable amount of VIII, like a 30 second go on every old FF on NES and SNES emulators, and an FFX demo which I disliked. I'll probably just stick with the ones on my PS3, to be honest. Since the stories are all unique, I don't have to feel like my Final Fantasy experience in incomplete or anything like that.

Having said that, my DSi hasn't been switched on for over a year (maybe two?). Perhaps I'll get FFIII and fire her up. Playing on a small screen will piss me off, though.

So trade in your i for an XL duh. That's the equivalent of having a psp on EACH screen only not in a widescreen setting. And really if playing on a smaller screen ruins it for you you shouldn't even consider being a gamer since you seem to focus too heavily on the shallow aspects of a game's enjoyment instead of seeing the whole picture dor what it is...I swear this younger generation of gamers has no sence of true value...sigh it's gonna be the 80's crash all over again if things keep up.

I'm guessing IV wasn't released on PSN because the updated port had been released on PSP. It's a shame you didn't like FFV though, I ended up really attached to it. If you didn't like that I also doubt you'll like IV or III much.

That and FFIV isn't easily available on consoles, only handhelds, and I know handhelds aren't really your thing unfortunately Martin.

Vorash Kadan said:
Well this again is the reason I draw from when I say FF7 is COMPLETE overhype & doesn't live upto its namesake. Those of you who feel strongly about 7 most likely STARTED with it. I've been playing FF since it was a Nintendo exclusive so I've got a better, less squed view of the series over all.

I'm kind of like you Vorash, I can't say that my view of FF is nostalgia-fogged in the slightest since I didn't get into FF until it started coming back to Nintendo (first game was Dawn of Souls, then Crystal Chronicles, then the succeeding GBA and DS games), I never played VII until like 2005 and even though it's ugly as hell I definitely recognise it as a great game.

PS. Vorash everyone has their gaming niches, you can't say that people aren't ~true gamers~ because they don't like something-or-other.
And don't use your age to make you sound high-n-mighty either, that's poor sportsmanship and for all you know some of us are about as ~old~ as you.

I swear this younger generation of gamers has no sence of true value...sigh it's gonna be the 80's crash all over again if things keep up.

"It is not wise to speak on subjects you do not know all facts about" right?

( Edited 14.02.2012 16:54 by SuperLink )

Go on Josh lad.

Gamers in their mid-twenties are seen as the younger generation now? Vorash, you must surely understand the value of opinions. You can't make everyone love the games you love. Just because someone starts playing a series midway through doesn't make it a sin. Yeah, I started with VII, likely since it was the first FF released in the UK, as Martin pointed out. And yeah, it's probably my fave for the fact it was the first RPG I played and holds a lot of dear memories for me. Doesn't mean I haven't appreciated all the games I've played in the series before it. Doesn't mean I have some disjointed, warped view of the series, especially since each game is different. Doesn't mean I can't love all the games after VII more than the ones before it. Doesn't mean you can constantly shit on everyone who thinks VII is a good game and show a complete disrespect to 'younger' gamers who happened to miss out on years worth of games. Just because I was born in the 80s and the UK, missing out on many Atari, NES and US-only games, doesn't mean you have the right to look down upon me. What about those that only started playing with FFX or XIII? These are likely cases since they were the first FFs on the PS2 and 3, respectively. It's fine to try to recommend past games in the series to them, but if they don't like them, who cares? No need for the disrespect.

I personally really respect people that have taken on board my recommendations and opinions and tried to get into the series. Martin is in that list too, since at least he's trying with FFV, and tried with FFX - both are perfect examples of the classic and modern style FFs, yet he isn't too fond of either from what I can gather (opinion might have changed on V now?). But it just comes back to opinions. Not everyone is going to like everything you like, but I respect people for their views.

There really is no need for pretentiousness. That's not what gaming is about at all and quite frankly I lose respect for gamers who act like that.

Your views are no better than anyone else. It's simply an opinion on a game, which you happen to think is better than another. Age or time shouldn't come into it at all, it has nothing to do with whether a game is good or not. I happen to think nearly the entirety of the NES library is utter rubbish, but I don't go around bragging that I know better.

Not even going to lie. if VII wasn't my 1st final fantasy it wouldn't have stood out that much to me.so i see where alot are coming from.

Guarantee ya this though, at least one of the FF's are on peoples favorite(s) list.

~Going back to figuring out how to beat Yomi on XIII-2. everyone else was easy to me, except him. A very good game btw, if you didnt play it yet.

XIII-2's been awesome. Really exceeded my expectations. I'm looking for Yomi now, but need to tackle Long Gui too. Just 10 fragments left.

Ah, FF5... for quite some time I just couldn't get into it for the simple fact that it didn't look as good as FF6 and I just couldn't make sense of the job system... for my defense, that was when trying the game on an emulator, back before there was any other way to play this in English.

Then came the GBA port, and I kinda forced myself a bit a ended up liking it very much . Still not my favourite episode or anything, and doesn't hold a candle to FF6 still IMHO, but an absolutely charming game. Plus, the job system is ace .

Yes the 80's crash eas caused by everyone & his uncle making consoles that over loaded the market, but the comparison I am making is focused on an ever growing focus on visuals & other shallow aspects of games that don't last the test of time since consoles are always evolving. It may seem important & nice now, but if quality in graphics is overly focused & other, more influential aspects of game development are ignored the audience as a whole will lose interest...just like the 80's crash. You'll understand what I mean once you've been playing for a couple of decades & have lived through 4-5 console generations.

FF7 isn't terrible, I never said it was; however the constant conversation piece it has become is what makes fans look shallow & ignorant. Whenever FF is brought up it more than likely draws towards 7 & any other mentions are ignored, this is not because 7 is grand, it's due to the fact that it was the first main stream FF because there wasn't as many people playing games as there were when ps1 came out. Again my statement stands, it is ignorance that keeps 7 in the spot light & nothing else. On top of that how many people even UNDERSTAND the story of 7 as a whole? Cause if they did sephiroth wouldn't get nearly as much praise as does & people would be annoyed by Cloud, praise Zack & be glad when that annoying dits Aeris (don't care about Aerith, Aeris sounds better) got killed.

Sure people can have different views on things, but those views are constantly evolving through experience. Juat because you feel a certain way now doesn't mean you'll feel the exact same way when you understand something new. I'm not saying what I say to sound pompous, it's the experience I've gained over the years that have helped broaden my understanding of certain situations.

I apologize if I've offended anyone, but I only speak on what I've observed from others & learned myself over the years & don't regret saying any of it, because to do so would mean I would be lieing to myself & you all.

Vorash Kadan said:
Yes the 80's crash eas caused by everyone & his uncle making consoles that over loaded the market, but the comparison I am making is focused on an ever growing focus on visuals & other shallow aspects of games that don't last the test of time since consoles are always evolving. It may seem important & nice now, but if quality in graphics is overly focused & other, more influential aspects of game development are ignored the audience as a whole will lose interest...just like the 80's crash. You'll understand what I mean once you've been playing for a couple of decades & have lived through 4-5 console generations.

And you're wrong, the focus on visuals is part of what makes games appeal to such a wide audience. Each gen improves on itself, each new visually impressive big game is a big deal, they get big launches, big sales. You have a mainstream market for games like Wii Sports, who just want a bit of harmless family fun, and you have a mainstream market for games like CoD which continue to sell shitloads simply for powerful graphics and its brand name.

The console industry needs a nice grasp on both these markets if it wants to remain as successful as it is now, and yes, it is currently very successful, the sheer number of cash-ins with low quality gameplay but nice-enough graphics also just happen to sell pretty darn well, so the personal interests and tastes of a few hardcore gamers (a niche) will never cause the industry to crash.

If you think all game developers do is care about visuals you're not looking very far, there's still shitloads of artistic and developmental variation even outside Nintendo you know.

Sure people can have different views on things, but those views are constantly evolving through experience. Juat because you feel a certain way now doesn't mean you'll feel the exact same way when you understand something new. I'm not saying what I say to sound pompous, it's the experience I've gained over the years that have helped broaden my understanding of certain situations.

Fact is I'm 21 and have a nice handful of experience, Martin's a fair bit older than me - and who cares all that is practically irrelevant considering the ~younger generation~ will be ultimately the new mainstream. Treating others like kids is only gonna get you treated like a kid.

And yep you're right, those are the main reasons FFVII is popular. But it's a lovely game so.. who cares? Sure people bum Cloud a little too much and people think Sephiroth's totally badass when he's actually really pathetic, but either way, Cloud's a well-written and good protagonist, and Sephiroth's a well-written and good antagonist.

PS. Zack is my second favourite FFVII character
after Tifa. For reasons.