This or That: Final Fantasy Series - Page 2

Xantar · 03-04-2010, 11:53 PM

No love for Final Fantasy XII? Let me advocate for it a little bit in another lame attempt to stir controversy.

First of all, I don't think you can argue that the Final Fantasy formula needed to change. At a fundamental level. Any kind of combat that looks even vaguely turn based just doesn't fly any more.

The story had to change, too. I've read a lot of complaints about how Vaan is a largely inconsequential character (the story arguably centers around Ashe) and how the stakes for the game are mostly about the politics of two kingdoms. But to me, those were good things. It was nice to be controlling a character who had a normal perspective on things and wasn't overly angsty. And it was nice to have a story where you weren't saving the world. Because that meant anything could happen. When you have a saving the world plot, the only thing that can happen is you kill the bad guy and the world doesn't get destroyed. But if instead it's just about a princess trying to get back on the throne, all kinds of things can happen. She doesn't even have to succeed.

Ok, so the story does pretty much unfold the way you expect it to. It was still a good idea. Just like the Gambit system was a good idea that was imperfectly implemented. Come to think of it, it's kind of analogous to the materia system in Final Fantasy VII: it was a good idea in principal taken WAY too far. Having materia slots on your weapons which affect your spells and abilities is good. Having materia for what should normally be unique character actions (like Steal) is bad.

So I'm hoping that in FF XIII Square builds on the ideas they had and refines them. Alas, I do not have a PS3 or Xbox 360 nor the time to play a 100 hour game any more. But I do hope they pull it off.

DarkMaster · 03-05-2010, 12:26 AM

FFXII was awesome.

Here's something mildly fun to think about. People are currently bitching about FFXIII being linear. 4 years ago, people were bitching about FFXII being too open world.

TheSlyMoogle · 03-05-2010, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xantar

No love for Final Fantasy XII? Let me advocate for it a little bit in another lame attempt to stir controversy.

First of all, I don't think you can argue that the Final Fantasy formula needed to change. At a fundamental level. Any kind of combat that looks even vaguely turn based just doesn't fly any more.

The story had to change, too. I've read a lot of complaints about how Vaan is a largely inconsequential character (the story arguably centers around Ashe) and how the stakes for the game are mostly about the politics of two kingdoms. But to me, those were good things. It was nice to be controlling a character who had a normal perspective on things and wasn't overly angsty. And it was nice to have a story where you weren't saving the world. Because that meant anything could happen. When you have a saving the world plot, the only thing that can happen is you kill the bad guy and the world doesn't get destroyed. But if instead it's just about a princess trying to get back on the throne, all kinds of things can happen. She doesn't even have to succeed.

Ok, so the story does pretty much unfold the way you expect it to. It was still a good idea. Just like the Gambit system was a good idea that was imperfectly implemented. Come to think of it, it's kind of analogous to the materia system in Final Fantasy VII: it was a good idea in principal taken WAY too far. Having materia slots on your weapons which affect your spells and abilities is good. Having materia for what should normally be unique character actions (like Steal) is bad.

So I'm hoping that in FF XIII Square builds on the ideas they had and refines them. Alas, I do not have a PS3 or Xbox 360 nor the time to play a 100 hour game any more. But I do hope they pull it off.

While I didn't play FF12 I was there the entire time my roommate did (I was actually running through FF8 again on the TV beside him. We had 3 tvs, 3 PS2s, a 360, a wii and a ps3. It was a good place to live for sure)

Anyway, I watched him run through it. There wasn't anything really amazing about it, and there really wasn't anything bad about it either. Characters were ok, story was...eh to say the least, and the whole thing felt like I was watching someone run through Final Fantasy Tactics with a really similar story and an MMO battle system. Surprise, set in the same universe as FFT(loosely, the world was still called Ivalice and it's presumed that the video game that the kids talk about in FFTA is FFT), FFTA and FFTA2. The Ivalice Alliance strikes again. Honestly you know what was really fun? FFXII Revenant Wings. Like if FFXII had played like that, it would have been a much better game. Seriously.

Overall decent game, Fran was cool, Gilgamesh was awesome. Other than that it was forgettable.

Xantar · 03-05-2010, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSlyMoogle

Overall decent game, Fran was cool

Ok, actually you just reminded me of something else I wanted to say about FF XII: Fran is ridiculous. Her character and storyline were ok, I guess. But she's a bunny woman in a stripperific outfit made out of holes (and a piece of sheer cloth across her stomach for some reason) with stiletto heels. Just try showing her picture to anybody not familiar with Final Fantasy and dare them not to crack up.

She's like a fan service Frankenstein. The character designers apparently pulled five or six fetishes together and threw them all into one character with no regard to whether it would actually work.

TheSlyMoogle · 03-05-2010, 11:40 AM

well she's a viera.

Don't know if you played FFTA or A2, but they pretty much all look like that except for the mage classes of viera.

Xantar · 03-05-2010, 11:52 AM

I know all that. It's still bad character design.

Angrist · 03-05-2010, 12:11 PM

FFV is the only FF game I played for a few hours. It was a ROM and I got stuck on a misty ship.
I didn't like it anyway.

TheSlyMoogle · 03-06-2010, 03:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Angrist

FFV is the only FF game I played for a few hours. It was a ROM and I got stuck on a misty ship.
I didn't like it anyway.

Haha. There was a glitch due to the rom that screwed with the graphics, but on the offhand thanks to the emulator you could turn off the graphical layer that was glitched and see the whole path no problem.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xantar

I know all that. It's still bad character design.

In comparison to all the other scantily clad females in FF games I would say Fran Fran was fine. So she had bunny ears and leather? She also had small tits which might be a first for a sexy bunny girl.

Vampyr · 03-06-2010, 11:22 AM

After this thread I'm thinking about getting FF VI, VIII, and IX to play this summer on my trusty PS2.

edit: And by summer I mean however long it takes me to beat them. I can't get used to the idea I won't be coming back to school in the fall.

TheGame · 03-06-2010, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vampyr

After this thread I'm thinking about getting FF VI, VIII, and IX to play this summer on my trusty PS2.

edit: And by summer I mean however long it takes me to beat them. I can't get used to the idea I won't be coming back to school in the fall.

You're going to look for the actual games for Psx? I think FFVIII is available for download on the PS store for Ps3. IX is available in Japan, but not in America yet.

I'm waiting for them to bring IX and Xenogears to the american PS store.

Vampyr · 03-06-2010, 11:37 AM

I don't have a PS3 though.

I'd probably just get them on amazon - I'll buy FFVIII and FFIX, then get FF Anthology.

edit: Actually I'm not sure if the FFVI on anthology is the real FFVI or not.

Vampyr · 03-06-2010, 08:05 PM

Could someone help me out on this? I'm a little confused as to which Final Fantasy VI everyone is saying is great. I think the real FFVI as released in Japan was released as FFIII on the SNES.

This is FFVI which is on Anthology. Is this the same one people are saying is really good?

BreakABone · 03-06-2010, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vampyr

Could someone help me out on this? I'm a little confused as to which Final Fantasy VI everyone is saying is great. I think the real FFVI as released in Japan was released as FFIII on the SNES.

This is FFVI which is on Anthology. Is this the same one people are saying is really good?

Based on my experience, FFVI is the FF VI in Japan with Kefka as the villain or FF 3 in the States.

BlueFire · 03-06-2010, 09:40 PM

FF3 was an NES title which wasn't released in the States. FF4 for the SNES was our FF2. FF5 wasn't released in the States. FF6 was released as FF3 in the states. Same thing. Only difference in a special FMV opening sequence in the PSX Anthology

Xantar · 03-06-2010, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSlyMoogle

In comparison to all the other scantily clad females in FF games I would say Fran Fran was fine. So she had bunny ears and leather? She also had small tits which might be a first for a sexy bunny girl.

No, my point isn't that Fran was sexy and scantily clad. My point is that her character design is bad and does not work. If she was just a woman wearing that outfit, I would think she's kind of silly looking but then move on. But she's not a woman wearing a stripper outfit. She's a BUNNY wearing a stripper outfit. She's a bunny whom the designers are trying to make sexy for humans.

And if you actually are turned on by her, then what the hell is wrong with you?

Oh wait, I just remember one other problem I had with FF XII. I will describe it in the form of a dialogue.

Penelo: Hey Vaan?

*pause*

Vaan: Yeah, Penelo?

*pause*

Penelo: We're in a cutscene, right?

*pause*

Vaan: Yeah. Why?

*pause*

Penelo: It's pre-recorded, right?

*pause*

Vaan: Yeah, I believe so. The graphics are rendered in real time, but the sound is pre-recorded.

*pause*

Penelo: Then how come there's a one second pause between lines whenever it's time for the next character to speak?

*pause*

Vaan: Huh. I don't know. Technical issues?

*pause*

Penelo: No, that can't be it. People have been doing free-flowing dialogue with realistic pauses for years. Just look at any Disney movie.

*pause*

Vaan: Yeah, I guess that's true. I wouldn't worry about it, though. Since our acting isn't nail-on-chalkboard awful, all the videogame reviewers will claim that we have awesome voice actors. People won't notice a problem until that Xantar guy points it out, and nobody cares what he says anyway.