Final Fantasy

[Gypsy]

One thing I think is great about the FF series is some of the things that you know will be in there. Biggs and Wedge. A Cid. Moogles. There is usually a play or drama of some kind that you have to participate in: the play in the Golden Saucer for FFVII, the concert in FFVIII, My Canary in FFIX ... what was in FFX? - and the opera in FF3!! Lorentz, you're right about the Opera. That was one of the most memorable things in any FF game. Have you heard the remix done by Dark Apocrypha?
Um, what else was there ... oh, you know that in some point in the game, you'll be navigating with someone other than the main character (is that an FF thing .. or a squaresoft thing? Because they did that in Chrono Trigger too ...)
Oh, and the card games! (Forget Blitzball - yuck.) I like FFIX's card game the best. I drive my brother nuts by talking to everyone I see with the square button.

[uc pseudonym]

I'd say that's just a good game thing. Though Square has a good corner on that market...

Yeah, I'm not a big fan of mini-games, but FF games usually have good ones. Though I'm afraid I have to agree about blitzball, I didn't really like it. It's complex and interesting, sure, but I didn't have much fun doing it.

[Gypsy]

Yeah, no kidding. And there was so much variation to it too - nothing was cut and dry. They even said in the tutorials that the outcomes often depend on chance - which is perfectly fine for a card game, but not a sports game. Oh well, I'm not a big sports game person anyway ...

[WhiteÃ…ngel]

I played all of these... I had bought an attachment at the Japanese market when I was a kid and played all the Japanese versions for my super nintendo.

I enjoy the old games stories better and the recent art better.

I have only played up to ff8 then stopped.

I hope that one day a Christian title can be as popular.

[uc pseudonym]

I hope the same, but I doubt it. For one, too many people would be convicted or offended by a Christian game. They don't want to play something that will have direct relevance to their lives. Of course, if most of the world was Christian.

Actually, I've designed one myself. But though I'm a programmer, I have nothing near the time, equipment, skill or money required to make a game. At least it was fun...

[WhiteÃ…ngel]

a Christian game can be a Christian game with bible thumping...

And eventually the world will be all Christian and every knee will bow, but I think it is up to us to bring media like this to help it along.

Those who are convicted and shy away.. will eventually come back to it, but it is our JOB to help our brothers and sisters with their sin and help them realize they should repent, etc but it needs to be done nicely, calmly, giving hints without preasuring. We have free will, but we still need to lift each other up!

[uc pseudonym]

Hmm... maybe this is an intergenerational miscommunication, or just an area/denomination thing. Where I come from, "Bible thumping" is a bad term referring to beating people over the head with ideas and attempting to force them to convert. What were you talking about?

[WhiteÃ…ngel]

I was being a bit too literal... but that is what i meant.. the game should be subtle, but attract many people new and old christians just because the game rocks and still has good content.

[HeavensTek]

FF3 is classic

FF7 has the best story

FF9 was just plain cool....


my fav though...

Final Fantasy Tactics

[uc pseudonym]

How good is Tactics? I've never actually played it.

[Gypsy]

(shrugs) Steve could tell you.

[LorentzForce]

Originally posted by Anison Twilight
LorentzForce you couldn't be more wrong in saying the storyline in FF9 is anything like the story line in FF7. FF7 has one of the most complicated storylines in the Final Fantasy series. NINE, on the other hand, has the simple " save the girl" stortline through most of the game. In FF7 any one can summon and use White and Black Magic, but in FF9 the classic Final Fantasy class come into effect. Summoner, knight, lancer, Black Mage, etc. That's why they're so different...

Sorry, lost my head there for a moment...

PS: If you can't already tell my favorite is FF7 followed closely by FF8...

sorry for replying so late

i meant the same story as being 'i didn't play it yet'. i didn't play FF7 either (i saw my cousin play, but not enough to grasp exactly what goes on), so it's the same story with FF9.

[HeavensTek]

Do you remember a game called "shining force" for the old sega genesis? or Vandal Hearts? it's kinda like that except with massive character development and job/class splits like in FF5. not to mention killer graphics and one of the best musical scores i've heard from a FF game....

you're given thousands of dynamic battlefields and you play an elaborate game of final fantasy style rpg "chess" with a deep political storyline and endless options for characters.....i actually tamed (charmed...whatever) a dragon and was using it as one of my frontline fighters for a good portion of the game......

lots of hidden characters and secret items....very cool end bad guy.

my only problem with the game is that i got really into it and beat it too quickly.

definately worth picking up a used copy from EBX and giving it a try....

[uc pseudonym]

Is it similar to Ogre Battle, but with singular units? I think I understand what you're talking about, though...

[HeavensTek]

yah kinda like ogre battle......singular units.....all the characters gain levels and skills, at least until you get one killed, then you need to either reload or replace em.....sometimes you come across unique characters (non-player made) that you have the option to allow join up that have special abilities or powers.....very cool character ideas too

almost a hexigonal strategy game minus the annoying hexigonals.....

http://www.gamespot.com/ps/strategy/finalfantasytactics/screenindex.html

[Stephen]

"Is it similar to Ogre Battle, but with singular units? I think I understand what you're talking about, though..."

I have not played Ogre Battle...But I have seen screen shots...and yes it is like it. Its like chess with rpg...if that makes sence. I loved FF Tactics....the whole class thing was awesome....FF Tactics is very similar to Vandal Hearts....(game that was before Tactics) Word of caution though...the whole demon content of FF Tactics is rather high...most enemys you fight...as in bosses....are demons....if you can ignore that as myth....the game is a blast. If you manage to get the Chaos blade...its even better....laughs as he goes off to turn people to stone with his sword.

[HeavensTek]

i actually found Cloud and the Ultimate Weapon later on in the game.......easter egg stuff...

the class system was definately great......reach a certain level and you have the option of upgrading to a new class.....

squire lvl 10 = knight lvl 1 (i think)

white mage lvl 10 + bard lvl 15 = geomancer lvl 1 (bad examples....can't remember the specs)

i kinda enjoyed the demons in it.....especially since your goal is to brutally slay them all......hehe

God is proud of my bloodthirsty hatred of video game evil.....

i hope..

[WhiteÃ…ngel]

yeah .. that was one of my favorite games....

Shining Force had many characters played at the same time and they would start off as kids and grow up as you played or gave them certain items. they could end up as a different character depending on how you trained them. The strategy was really fun to play and the trun based style wasn't unequal to give the game ai the advantage. I miss games like that.

[uc pseudonym]

Alright, I see what you're saying. A question, though: can you recruit said demonic characters to your team? Or are they strictly villains?

[HeavensTek]

you could probably tame or capture some of the weaker ones and make them fight for you........but i never bothered (next to a dragon or 2).......i realized that farther along in the game you got, the less useful tamed monsters get.

when you tame/capture them, they become a "good guy" though so i'm not exactly sure about the deeper spiritual ramifications of all that.....heh (forgiveness?)

Shining Force is still one of my fav games though....i managed to find a PC version of it last year.....just need to find Shining Force 2 and 3 now....

=)

[WhiteÃ…ngel]

if you want a copy of all the best SNES games or genesis games... if you have a dream cast look for the cds called dream snes or sega smash ... they have all of the best old games on them.

of course that is unless you still have the old snes and sega genesis .. then just search ebay, pawn shops, yard sales and flea markets and your bound to find some copies.

[Mithrandir]

I have to say 10. But ONLY for the battle engine. It was WAY over due. I'm gonna have to write a walkthrough for that too, after I finish flusing out VIII.


I haven't actually touched that one in a while, though.


My FF-VIII Walkthrough

[Gypsy]

I also liked the battle system in 10 for the most part. I loved the way you could keep switching party members during the fight. Everyone could level up evenly, and I wasn't stuck with the losers to be killed off withing 3 seconds by the final boss, like in other FFs.

[Gypsy]

Side thought - I was just wondering about everyone else's gaming techniques. For instance, in an FF game, I would rather shut the game off than run from a battle. I get killed - yeah, but oh well. I just have this thing about using the run, flee, scream-like-a-little-girl-while-crawling-away-from-a-battle commands. I also love taking a seemingly weak character and making them scary. For instance, in FFVIII, Irivine ended up being stronger than Squall. I'm currently playing FFIX and my Eiko is ... frightening.
Anyone else do that, or am I just weird?

[Mithrandir]

Well, My FFX characters all have 255 on every stat but luck and magic. I'm working on luck first, then I'll go for magic. BTW, Neat trick for leveling up Aeon's max HP: Get a controller that has the 'turbo' feature (X button down all the time = multiple pressings). Go to the Zoo in the calm lands and talk to the guy. Select fight monsters and just set something on top of the x button. It will automatically select Besaid then the dingo dog, then confirm and go into battle. Your characters should be able to mop the floor with him, and you get 2 Strength Spheres. After about 12 minutes you will have 56 spheres (enough to add 100 HP to your Aeon's max HP.

Sorry, I digress...

Story of my life...

[Mithrandir]

And on the PC version of FFVIII, well all my character's are maxed WAY out on that one.

(Then again, I wrote the cheat... )

[Gypsy]

Really? Quistis and Zell sat on the bench for my game. I just recently purchased FFVII and VIII for PC. I already know the differences between the PC and psx for VII, but what about VIII? Oh, and will VIII have the XP problems that VII did, you think?

[Mithrandir]

I wote a simple batch script that replenishes the contect of the import file from the companian game. Long story short, I can put a keyboard from another machine on my floor and press the space bar with my foot. That gives my chicobo 255 of the hardest to find items. Then I 'bring him back.' Once he's here, I get the items, then send him back. Press space bar with foot. Repeat. Some of the items you can import include 'STR UP,' etc.

My pleonastic applogies to those self proclaimed 'purists' who can't abide cheats.

[Gypsy]

(laughs) call me a purist then. Although, if you've already beaten a game on your own skill (and sometimes brains) I think it's cool to use game enhancements on your second time through. Oh well, gaming is gaming and there's no right or wrong way to do it. Whatever floats your boat as they say ... but I do happen to think it's cool that you can make your own cheats. I stink at programming.

[uc pseudonym]

Said "game enhancements" are quite fun, after a game has been beaten fairly. I'm very strict on doing nothing to a game until I beat it fairly. But after that...

And yes, I never run from battles. I wouldn't go as far as you, but I hate running away. Of course, I generally level up enough before moving on so that I don't have to run away, just to try to keep the situation from occuring.