Final Fantasy Megathread

[magus113]

Originally Posted by Ginkasa

I'm... I don't know how many hours into it, but I've retrieved Ultima and the Emperor has unleashed the Cyclone. Firion and Gus both have 3000+ HP. Maria only has about 1700. Firion is maxed on swords, Gus on axes. Maria has all the spells I frequently use at 10+. I have, like, 300,000+ gil.

I expect I'll finish and post full impressions in a day or two. Maybe three.

Just out of curiosity it seems like you have so much time to dedicate to this...how?!

[Ginkasa]

Originally Posted by magus113

Just out of curiosity it seems like you have so much time to dedicate to this...how?!

Funds have been pretty low, so my wife and I haven't really been able to go out and do a whole lot lately. We usually just veg around at the apartment when I'm not working and she's not at school. I'm either playing a game (which is, of course, been Final Fantasy lately) and she's either doing homework or procrastinating on her homework and playing a game. Sometimes we watch a movie.

Hopefully in the next couple of months we'll be moved and settled and I'll have less excuses to stay home and do nothing. Although, it really only took me about 22 hours to beat FFII which really isn't that much, relatively.

Oh, yeah, I just finished. Beat the Emperor in just one hit. I was crazy over-powered. Ultimately, even though the game is completely broken on multiple levels there is still fun to be had. It was kind of cool not having to worry about, you know, dying or anything like that. I just sort of breezed through the game. Since everything I've read suggests that not being overpowered causes the game to be uber frustrating and not fun at all I don't really mind the lack of a challenge.

Also, except for the initial training hump at the beginning (about 4 or 5 hours total) it wasn't that difficult maintaining my advantage.

***

One thing I noticed about II which I wasn't expecting was actually how much more it felt like a Final Fantasy game over I. Mostly everything you hear about II is regarding the awful "levelling" system and how its broken and unbalanced. The general expectation is that the game is nothing like other Final Fantasy games, but I think its really the opposite. If it wasn't for the Black and White Mages there's really nothing in I that reminds you you're playing an FF game. II, however, has a story that fits in well with the rest of the series, chocobos, Cid, dragoons, an ambiguously evil/good guy, etc. Almost everything that really defines Final Fantasy (at least through to IX) really came from II.

The story, also, is pretty hardcore as far as things go. This most certainly has the highest body count of real characters of any core FF and really paints a bleak picture. I mean, you kill the main bad guy only for him to conquer and break out of hell and unleash it upon the earth. Sephiroth can't claim that. The only real issue with the story is presentation which is expected since it was an NES title originally. If SE ever thought to themselves "We should totally remake Final Fantasy II with and expanded story, better developed characters, and a completely rebuilt from scratch game design!" I would totally buy it. I don't know. I just see a lot of fluffy awesome potential in II's story.

***

Anyway, that's it for me on FFII. If anyone (magus) is still playing II, feel free to go at your own pace. Same thing if anyone is on I (I want progress updates on your thief run, TSM!). I'll be moving on to III soon. I think there were some people waiting for III (?), so maybe we'll get some more company soon.

[Ginkasa]

Final Fantasy III wiki page


Originally released in Japan for the Nintendo Famicom in 1990, Final Fantasy III was the second game to not initially receive a North American release. Unlike FFII, a domestic release was not even considered since they had already committed to releasing Final Fantasy IV for the SNES instead. Final Fantasy III was the last of the "unreleased" games to finally receive localization via a complete remake for the Nintendo DS in 2006 with several changes to the story and gameplay. To date, there still has not been a release of the original game in NA making Final Fantasy III in some ways the "final" Final Fantasy.

The original Famicom version focus on four un-named orphans who are dubbed the Warriors of Light after discovering the Crystal of Wind. They are charged with relighting the four Crystals of Light and restoring balance to the world. The DS remake gives the four orphans names and personalities and slightly alters the early events of the game to allow the player to meet and recruit each one. Luneth is the main character and, in this version, is the only person who discovers the crystal of wind. He is then charged with finding the additional Warriors of Light. They are Arc, Luneth's best friend, Refia, the daughter of a blacksmith, and Ingus, a Knight of Sasune.

The gameplay of III takes more inspiration from I than II. III introduces the Job System which allows the 4 warriors to train in any class and to also switch classes later on. These include the original 6 classes from FFI and add an additional 17 classes. III also introduced class specific abilities (like Jump or Steal) rather than simply having each class alter stats and weapon choices.

A few other new items introduced in III and carried on to later games:

- Moogles
- Summons

At this point, most of the recurring features of the Final Fantasy series have been introduced. Future games simply expand on the existing ideas or introduce new elements that don't get carried over into future games.

As noted previously, Final Fantasy III has only been legally released in NA on the Nintendo DS. It is possible, however, to find the original game emulated with a fanslation. Also, an interesting note: Final Fantasy III is the only core FF title to have not seen a release on a Sony console or any console other than ones made by Nintendo. A port to the Wonderswan was planned, but eventually cancelled due to programming difficulties.

Cid Watch:



Cid Haze is the first Cid to have his very own last name. The characters first meet Cid very early in the game and help him break the curse of the djinn. For their help, Cid donates his airship to the group (but it doesn't last long) and then retires with his wife. Cid returns later in the game to upgrade the group's ship into another airship and reveals that he played a key role in the orphan's origins.

This Cid essentially established the name as a recurring role and also placed into a slightly larger supporting role than in Final Fantasy II. This also cements Cid's association with airships.


*****

Alright, so Final Fantasy III! This is another game I've never beaten. I played it and a got somewhat far, but I've never been a fan of the Job system (either in this or V) and gave up the game when it basically said "Have all dragoons or die!" I thought the game was cheating. Anyway, we'll see how it goes this time.

I will, of course, be playing it on the DS. I'm interested to see if anyone will be or has played the original version via ROM? I'd like to see anyone's thoughts on the original version.

[Typhoid]

I just borrowed FF IV for the DS from Dylflon, so if I get around to it I'll post progress and thoughts.


Edit: I was going to also borrow III, but I turned it down after he said it was "meh".