Final Fantasy

Played AND BEAT 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, Gameboy 1,2, and tactics.

Quite frankly I consider the last 'real' final fantasy 10, and 7 was the last good one.

I'm need to try and get back into FFXIII-2. I'm just not enjoying it as much as FFXIII.

The HD remasters of X and X-2 are fantastic and I would really like to see them apply the same treatment to FFXII (though the Type-0 PS4 treatment would be amazing)

Not too interesting in Type-0. My main FF time is currently playing through FFXIV A Realm Reborn on PS4. It's a great experience and the "Final Fantasy" final fantasy we've had in years.

1: Okay for its day, but isn't worth playing any longer.
2: Was never good.
3: See above.
IV: Was well above average originally; taken up to 9/10 with the remakes.
V: We didn't really miss much, except for those who really love Job Systems.
VI: Easily a 10/10.
VII: Enormously overrated, to the extent that it's cited as being the first JRPG which tried to instill an emotional impact with a main character dying. o.O Palom/Porom, anyone? Tellah? Josef? Earlier FF games tried for that emotional impact, too; the technology was just more limited, which makes 7's (arguably) "main accomplishment" a feat of technology more than anything else.
VIII: My second favorite game of the series. Blasphemy, I know, and it likely invalidates everything else I've written.
IX: I've always found it to be decidedly average.
X: When the series jumped ship by presenting players not with compelling antagonists but with Eldritch Abominations they couldn't come to hate, thereby depriving players of a substantial motivation, without also creating protagonists to fill the void.
XI: I own it, but have never played it because Play-OnLine is an abomination.
XII: Just what I wanted... Kingdom Hearts without the Disney characters.
XIII: Final Fantasy VII-2, and just as overrated.

Closing thoughts: I really wish Squeenix had shown FFVI the love they showed FFIV instead of bastardizing it. I think X was about the time we stopped being loyal fans and started being open wallets to Square. Monopolies tend to have that affect, after all--why make quality JRPGs? There's no competition...

Just my 2 cents, and let me save you the trouble:

• I'm wrong.
  
• I like FF8, so my opinion is irrelevant.
  
• I don't know what I'm talking about.
  
• I'm stupid.
  
• I'm a troll.
  
• The Square-Enix merger is the best thing to happen to JRPGs.
  
• FFVI is overrated.
  
• FFVII is teh bset game evar!!!!1111one!!!2
  
• FFXIII is teh bset game evar!!!!1111one!!!2
  

In response to Rudy's latest post in the Latest Purchases thread...

There is that worry with FF7R, defo. I mean, already he's changed Barret's design to give him shades, which seems so out of place. But regardless of who was directing, I think we would expect a fair bit of change to FF7R anyway, particularly with regards to the script. I don't think they'd be able to pull off the shit they did back then with Barret's character, for example - that of pretty much the stereotypical black guy taken straight out of the A Team. How they handle a character like Barret in today's climate is going to be very interesting, so I expect to see a fair bit of change in him to start with.

But as long as it's still FF7 at its core, I'm not worried too much. Moreover, this is their chance to clear up any plot holes and make things easier to understand (e.g. people still argue about who was controlling who between Seph and Jenova... It was Seph). They can't ignore some of the crap they introduced in Crisis Core etc too, so some stuff related to that I hope is handled well.

As much as I also dislike a lot of Nomura's designs now, I have to say I really like the casual and simpler look of FF8's characters:

It may be where he started to bring in the leathers and belts, but it's not so obtrusive here, and fits Squall well. In fact, the more I look at these, the more I grow to like them. Sometimes I wonder if it's better if a viewer cannot tell who the artist is, because it seems we can always tell when Nomura has designed characters these days, but these FF8 ones I likely wouldn't be able to tell you that this was Nomura's work, aside from the fact there are uses of belts etc, but it's certainly not to the extent used in his later stuff.

In terms of FF's future, I've been saying it for a while, but they need to get Hiroyuki Ito back in the game (FF6, 9, 12). Arguably the best in the series, FF9's design resonates so much with me, and I truly miss it. Other than Ito, Naoki Yoshida deserves his shot at a mainline FF after rescuing FF14 from hell. Many FF fans may not play FF14 because of its online format, but they are missing one of the finest stories in the series. It's just that the nature of the game means he must work on FF14 for years to come with continued story content, which is fantastic, but does limit his chances of getting on board for a potential FF16. I'm sure in the future he will get his just rewards and the shot he deserves tho.

With Toriyama's FF13 series finished too, I think there is the chance now for the likes of Ito and Yoshida to be brought in to reinvigorate the series, because I'm not so sure Toriyama will be rewarded with directing the next mainline FF - I reckon he's got a separate project on the go. Time will tell, but I guess all focus will be on FF7R once 15 is out.

My inner self wishes for a similar treatment for FF6 but with Nomura around I shudder to think what they could do to the characters.

i agree that ff8's design are okayish. I guess that was before the guy had its fame go to its head and he lost it completely on the naked hairless chests and belts all over the place as you said . Never been a fan of that silly gunblade though. I believe he designed the characters for Parasite Eve too, at least the first one. Those designs were okay too, but the game being set in the real world he couldn't really go overboard with that one. I wish they'd do a parasite eve more like the first one. Loved that game so much back then.

i really want FF6 to get the HD treatment, possibly for Switch if it doesn't get FF7. But I wish for the characters to keep some of the Amano vibe. Heck, why not a cell shaded style like telltale's the walking dead series? That would be original at least and if the characters can look less like wax dolls, I'm all for it.

Aw, I always liked the gunblade. Same with Lightning's. Except I didn't like that Squall's didn't actually work properly as a gun; it's supposed to fire rounds that cause the blade to vibrate and deal extra damage whilst slicing the opponent. Ridiculous, tbh. Lightning's gunblade actually functioned as a gun on top of its melee use.

I really like the cel-shaded/Walking Dead style idea for FF6. At least that way they can still keep it stylised without resorting to realism that might make things too out of place or out of touch with the original.

Yeah FF6 wasn't exactly going for a realistic look, as opposed to FF7 which was mostly pre rendered already. So I feel, especially if Nomura was to redesign the characters, that a realistic look wouldn't be the best idea. I think we got a glimpse of what Nomura could do to those through how he handled some FF6 character cameos in the Kingdom Hearts series

Anyone else here enjoying FF15 as much as I am? Been playing it for a few days now. I'm about 5 hours in and utterly pleased. I say that as someone who quickly grew tired of FF13 and whose last complete playthrough is FF7. 

Growing up, I adored Final Fantasy 4 and 6. They were some of my favorite games of the SNES era (and thus by extension some of my favorite games ever made). Final Fantasy 15 to me feels like the vision of those SNES games finally broken free from the limitations of the past.

The freedom of having a fully traversable over world is amazing. No more of this linear FF13 BS. I really love the travel aspect. Tell Ignis to cruise to the next location, check my texts for a few minutes, watch the scenery go by, and then get back to mission work. 

I don't really play video games much anymore. Really pleased to feel that pull into a new world that I haven't felt in a while. 

Haven't picked 15 up myself yet. I'd given both demos a go, but I just hadn't been feeling it with this FF, and the second demo felt really poor to me. I will defo get it eventually, but I'm hearing some bad things about the story/characters, which is a huge turnoff for me... as well as many fetch quests/lack of compelling side quests.

But I'm sure there are some great positives about it as well, although I've made sure to avoid a lot of the game for wanting to keep it as fresh as possible when I do finally play it, so I've tried not to read a lot into it.

I've been playing World of FF, however, which is much more along what I prefer in FF -- i.e. turn-based -- and it's been such a joy. Review coming from me soon, but I've had a really good time with it due to hilarious characters and some great nostalgic moments. It's not an epic FF quest or anything, but it fills a void that has been left abandoned in the FF series for a long while.

I got a chance to dabble into Final Fantasy when I was introduced to King's Quest 6. I forgot which FF I played 3  maybe 4 but since then, I don't think anything other versions has captured the true spirit of the game. At least not for me. 

''Except I didn't like that Squall's didn't actually work properly as a gun; it's supposed to fire rounds that cause the blade to vibrate and deal extra damage whilst slicing the opponent. Ridiculous, tbh. Lightning's gunblade actually functioned as a gun on top of its melee use.''

I actually find it more interesting for a gunblade to actually smash the functions of a gun and a blade together, not to just have a gunblade that functions as a sword and a gun. I mean, we already have weapons that work that way - they're called guns/rifles with bayonets. Don't get me wrong, I liked how it functioned in FFXIII, and it looked good, but it just seems pointless to me. For the time it takes to change the gunblade to the gun mode, Lightning might as well have just whipped out a pistol. Not to mention there's not really any point in using a gun at such a close range when you've got a sword that can hit a larger surface area.

This is also interesting to read - pulled it from a Gamefaqs thread. It seems possible for a gunblade like the one in FFVIII to be a useful weapon, as the blade vibrating can cause more damage than a normal cut, and there might be some hydraulic function in the hilt that stops the vibration from becoming too bad for the wielder.

''The gunblade is NOT a handgun with a big knife welded under the barrel. It is a sword-like weapon that uses the impulse (recoil energy) of a blank cartridge to set up a harmonic vibration in the cutting edge. Theoretically, this would cause much greater trauma than the simple direct-force application of the cutting edge. The theory is based on sound real-world application: vibrating blades cause massive damage with minimal user exertion, as with chainsaws and electric carving knives.

However, the theory has one large flaw: there is no bullet. When a shooter discharges a live weapon, the recoil that (s)he feels is not the energy released by the propellant, but that opposite reaction to the rapid acceleration of the projectile. With no projectile, the vibrations must be produced by the propellant. Blank cartridges simply do not render enough force to be appreciable in this application. That leads me to the conclusion that Squall's gunblade employs another type of ammunition, possibly a totally frangible heavy projectile that would be destroyed, scattered and ejected from the blade through small ports along the spine of the blade. This would also be supported by the pyrotechnics which accompany a successful pull on R1.''
(http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/197343-final-fantasy-viii/63147936?page=1)

( Edited 17.01.2017 22:11 by Leo Epema )

Haha, if it's actually based on real-world physics, then I might let Squall's gunblade have the benefit of doubt. It just sounds ridiculous a concept on paper.

I like Lightning's a lot because of just how quick she does seemingly change her blade from sword to gun, so it is designed to be as efficient as possible for all situations. It is arguably a lot quicker than her having to put her sword away or switch hands to pull out a pistol simply because of how quickly it transforms. It's almost a quick spin in her hand and bam- now it's a gun.

There is one point in FF13 in actual gameplay that easily goes missed by most people where the gun functions in combat. There is a certain boss (Havoc Skytank) you fight from a distance after you reach Hope's home, and if you force Lightning to attack the boss (instead of doing auto-battle, which won't make her attack and hence why this goes missed by most people), she will attack the enemy with a gun combo, which is pretty amusing, and I believe the only time in the game it is possible to do it.

This video has her demonstrating that through the whole fight:

So I think in terms of practicality, I personally like having the best of both worlds with Lightning's, but Squall's gunblade is still cool :p

Lightning does change to the gunblade's gun mode pretty quickly. That said, if she had a pistol strapped to her waist (or even just in her other hand, as she uses the gunblade with one hand - she doesn't have to switch hands), she would be just as fast. Taking that into consideration, I just don't see the point of a gunblade that's a sword with the added function of a pistol. Maybe if her gunblade could transform into an automatic rifle, it would actually be practical as a damage-dealer. As it is, why even use a pistol at such short distances if you already have a sword that can hit a larger surface area, doing more damage?

Being able to combo with a pistol is nice, I suppose, but you might as well go all-out and turn it into a better damage-dealer with an automatic (or even a laser) function.

Yeah, I remember that fight. I actually even liked FFXIII (le gasp!). Still, when fighting at long range, she could just use a rifle or pistol, with a bayonet or slashing blade attached for melee situations.

The aforementioned leads me to conclude that the only reason why you'd want a gunblade that functions like a blade and a gun, is simply for reasons of convenience. Lightning could wield a pistol alongside the sword, but with the blade being able to do both, it doesn't weigh her down as much as an extra pistol would. Otherwise, however, there's no point to it. I really prefer the VIII concept.

 

( Edited 17.01.2017 23:07 by Leo Epema )