Final Fantasy for beginners

[Wry Guy]

The Tales series and many, many other jRPG series make me hesitant for a common reason: They have battle systems lacking in depth or challenge, while at the same time expecting you to fight constantly. I've played and finished most of Tales of Legendia and about 1/2 of Abyss, and I like the story well enough but am just bored when fighting. You don't really need to apply any kind of real strategy from what I've experienced. I just do the same one or two combos forever until I fight a boss, and at that point I do have to strategize a little because I'm underleveled (because I'm not having fun battling so I don't seek it out), and so the boss battles are only strategic because now they last FOREVER because I do no damage and I need to keep going a long time.

The reason I like games from Atlus is they tend to have more varied combat. Even when they're not terribly challenging they do at least require you to think about what you're doing. There's a constant stimulation there, so the grinding doesn't feel as much like a grind. It feels like I'm playing an actual GAME.

In my mind there's a lot of games that are really lacking the game part. So many companies want interactive stories that they neglect to try and seriously stimulate the player. I was playing Infamous 2 not too long ago, as it was free. Moving around was actually pretty enjoyable as Cole. Cool powers, lots of freedom of movement. Sweet. Was anything else enjoyable about it? Nah, not really. Run around and shoot bad guys with electricity. Awesome, that got old fast. Games like Spider-Man 2 and Gravity Rush are nice in that they realize it's more of a playground than anything else, so the story makes almost no attempt to jump in unless you choose.

Lots of games these days have this sense of false grandeur that everybody loves super simplistic mechanics and we want to do the same thing almost mindlessly just to see a story unfold. Not everyone's like that.

[Caostotale]

The Tales series and many, many other jRPG series make me hesitant for a common reason: They have battle systems lacking in depth or challenge, while at the same time expecting you to fight constantly. I've played and finished most of Tales of Legendia and about 1/2 of Abyss, and I like the story well enough but am just bored when fighting. You don't really need to apply any kind of real strategy from what I've experienced. I just do the same one or two combos forever until I fight a boss, and at that point I do have to strategize a little because I'm underleveled (because I'm not having fun battling so I don't seek it out), and so the boss battles are only strategic because now they last FOREVER because I do no damage and I need to keep going a long time.

I had the same issues playing both Tales of Symphonia and, far before that, Secret of Mana, and I would suppose it's because action RPGs are not for me. I don't enjoy having to button-mash my way through RPG battles and I really don't enjoy the AI clusterfuck that often goes on with my non-controlled characters. In Secret of Mana, by two comrades were constantly getting killed or stuck behind shrubs. In Tales of Symphonia, the AI characters would usually just rip through the enemies to a point where I felt like I was interrupting something. On my first playthrough, I remember blasting through the final boss before I'd even gotten a good look at his design or attacks. I also remember using Lloyd for the whole game and getting quickly exacerbated when I tried wrangle the other characters in battle arena fights. I felt like I was playing one of those SNK fighting games where it's nearly impossible to remember the different characters' strengths and weaknesses.

After that, I couldn't get myself through Tales of Legendia. If the characters were generally one-dimensional and irritating in Symphonia, Legendia was even worse. Both games also shared the disreputable trait of having forgettable stories, which is certainly a problem if the battle mechanics provide so few incentives to care.

[ProlificDream]

Okay I could not find another Final Fantasy thread so I figured I would just continue posting on this one, as it already has the theme. My fiance has been wanting me to play FFXI with him. I'm not a huge fan of MMO's. When I'm playing online I'm more interested in shooting things than working towards farming shit. Anyways, I do like Final Fantasy and was wondering if anyone has experience with the game. What are pro's and cons? Just looking for opinions on it really.

[GT459]

personally i found ffxi ugly and awkward to use xD

could just be me though - my sister who was never into mmos played it religiously for quite a while, if you have cash to spare and are looking to go the mmo route though id say wait for xiv - it looks awesome - although they are still accepting beta entries so yeh.....

[TRI Mike]

I don't mean to start or continue yet another "which FF is better" discussion with this but for anyone aiming to get into the series I'd have to recommend one game from each "era" the franchise has lived through. For 2D, I'd say FFVI because the cast, story and battle system is phenomenal, IV and V are pretty good options too. For the early-3D era, I'd definitely go with VII. The graphics haven't aged well but there was a time when for years, the entire industry aimed to imitate that game (and now they copy Call of Duty, what a sad world.) and if you look past the graphics, you'll find an excellent plot, characters, narrative, music and battle system in that game. And for the modern era, FFX is definitely the way to go for pretty much the same reasons: an excellent plot, characters, world and battle system.

XIII is pretty good in my opinion. Not the best FF by any means but I seriously believe the hate it gets is pretty unjustified and unfair. After you're done with VI, VII and X as entry points. I'd definitely recommend XIII.

XI was actually very good. I played it for around two years in 2006-2007 and really loved that game, one of the best gaming experiences of my life. I do admit WoW's superiority but my experience with FFXI was superior because of the people I met and played with and the times I had in that game.

[GT459]

For the early-3D era, I'd definitely go with VII. The graphics haven't aged well but there was a time when for years, the entire industry aimed to imitate that game (and now they copy Call of Duty, what a sad world.)

Did you not play 8?

Not only is the story vastly superior it has also aged fantastically. Only bad part about the game is the romance with Rinoa seems so forced. She is a wet blanket and thats a shame. Other then that its possibly the best FF ever made.

Also XIII is "fine" although I would argue that it doesn't capture the true feel of what a FF game should be. The linear corridor progression as you develop an understanding of the characters etc. FFXIII-2 would be a much better game to show the scope of what a FF game can achieve in this era. The sheer scale of the world, the development of the characters, it is just superior in every way to XIII.

Now, as for XI.

Personally I have played ALOT of MMO's. I mean ALOT. EQ, WOW, TSW, DCUO, APB Reloaded, the list goes on, you get the point. I hated XI with every fiber of my being. To me it was poorly made and clunky. Perhaps I jumped on the bandwagon a bit too late and it had lost its community by the time I joined, who knows. I love FF and I love MMO's, but this game was just bad. Hideous UI, clunky movement, generic quest development. It just screamed, "this is a Final Fantasy game so you will buy it on this merit alone!"

Don't get me wrong though I am psyched about the re-release of XIV: A Realm Reborn. To the point were I even signed up for closed beta access. If they can pull this off then that's awesome. Still hard to believe a single player franchise should have an MMO (I'm looking at you ESO!). The Persona one was fun though.

That's just my 2 cents though.

[Victor]

Nomura didn't touch IX. Automatically superior.

[GT459]

hehe i liked 9 - it was quirky and just fun

although the fact that they went out of their way to make it a throwback to all the other "classic" FF's always put me off slightly - also that bloody dragon when you fly into the purple ball towards the end.....god damn him.....always forget hes there

[Victor]

It was my first Final Fantasy, I believe. Still think it's better than VII or (urgh) VIII.

[GT459]

hmm maybe people just get a strange attachment to the first FF they play?

my first was viii - i then worked back then forward - but viii and x are to me everything i could ever need in rpgs xD

[Steven Hansen]

Ya'll aren't praising Final Fantasy XII enough, which is an egregious oversight as it's possibly the best.

[Victor]

Agreed.

[Revuhlooshun]

inb4 the Star Wars comparisons that make no damn sense. "Dude, Han Solo totally had an evil father that he rebelled against after stepping down from being a Sith lord. And don't you remember when Chewbacca got outcasted from his home world because he decided to leave? Fran's practically a carbon copy."

I know Jake is typing some shit as I speak.

[TitusGroan]

I still think IX's one of the best games ever.

I mean, it still looks incredible to this day, simply because of how strong the art direction is. I look at Alexandria and Lindblum, and I see cities that I would move to tomorrow if I could. Not only that, but there's an actual sense of history when you go round exploring the world and finding little extras tucked all over the place. You find stuff in the library of Alexandria that references stuff that happened centuries ago on another continent.

The music is simply the best soundtrack Nubuo Uematsu has ever done. And he agrees with that.

The story is phenomenal. It's not as batshit insane as VII or VIII, and is focused more on genuine emotion and heartfelt storytelling than random plot twists and time-compression technobabble that makes no sense. I defy anyone to watch Vivi's final monologue and not tear up like an absolute baby.

And it's really easy to get into. The gameplay mechanics aren't needlessly obtuse or overdeveloped. All the characters have their pre-set roles, but you can still customise them with the abilities you set. The fact that you learn new spells and abilities from items is genius. There's a stupidly wide variety of monsters and enemies for you to fight. There's a whole host of sidequests and optional extras, including the incredibly addictive Chocobo Hot and Cold.

Anyone who's not played IX yet has missed out on one of the best games in the genre.

[Victor]

I think it's a fair warning to say the combat is pretty boring until, I don't know, Burmecia. It gets better, though.

[umberhulk]

inb4 the Star Wars comparisons that make no damn sense. "Dude, Han Solo totally had an evil father that he rebelled against after stepping down from being a Sith lord. And don't you remember when Chewbacca got outcasted from his home world because he decided to leave? Fran's practically a carbon copy."

I know Jake is typing some shit as I speak.

Fave character in FF12 is Larsa.

[GT459]

67006_10152641599025457_2028797633_n.jpg guess who got a brand new toy....i just had to show everybody i could....

*edit - to make the post related to topic and not just bragging about my sexi new toy*

my only issue with XII is that I didn't feel like I was actually doing anything tbh - the story kind of felt like it was happening somewhere else while these people did shit all about it but meh thats just me - also the star wars similarities...seem like a stretch *fave character has to be Gabranth.

IX was fun - not progressive enoug for my taste to really get my juices flowing - VII, VIII and X were completely different from everything they had done before - made them a pleasure to play - IX looked nice, played easy, but lacked substance - also that card game....dear god....if i could get a digital way of playing the card game from VIII on its own.....no one would ever see me again xD

[Steven Hansen]

I liked XII having a story in which you were a cog, albeit an important one, rather than the patronizing, self-aggrandizing "YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD WHO CAN DO ANYTHING WORTHWHILE" storyline of most JRPGs.

[TitusGroan]

I liked XII having a story in which you were a cog, albeit an important one, rather than the patronizing, self-aggrandizing "YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD WHO CAN DO ANYTHING WORTHWHILE" storyline of most JRPGs.

To be fair, it's not as if WRPGs are much better in that regard. I mean, Shepard/Dovahkin/The Grey Warden were all essentially chosen heroes who went out and saved the world. It's a pretty common narrative no matter which side of the pond you're on.

[Steven Hansen]

To be fair, it's not as if WRPGs are much better in that regard. I mean, Shepard/Dovahkin/The Grey Warden were all essentially chosen heroes who went out and saved the world. It's a pretty common narrative no matter which side of the pond you're on.

I don't play WRPGs or think they're any better in this regard.

Well, I did play Mass Effect 2. Just 2, though.

Anyways, it being common doesn't make me less tired of it. It makes me more tired of it! And makes XII stand even more squarely resolute as the best game in the series. <3

EDIT: I was rather confused by your reply, but in retrospect I assume you thought I was doing a JRPG/WRPG comparison of some sort because I made a general criticism about JRPGs, I guess? I love JRPGs (and, as mentioned, don't play WRPGs at all). My favorite genre, in fact. Loads of problems, though, within JRPG orthodoxy.