Gaming The Final Fantasy Thread

What's your favourite single-player FF?


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esmufc07

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Just on Spotify, gone through VII, VIII and X so far
Aeris’ Theme always gets me emotional and Cids theme manages to combine that militaristic sound with a melancholy feel. It perfectly enraptures Cid and his failure to realise his dream all his life. Man I loved Cid. Hope they don’t tone him down in the remake.
 

esmufc07

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How do people feel about the 7 remake? I'm up to Chapter 14 and I'm underwhelmed so far. The battle system feels more like a Tales game than a FF game so far, I'm not really liking the button mashing aspect.
I think it’s great and I enjoy the battle system. Bosses have been made tough and I don’t think it is just a case of button bashing as if you do that you’ll likely come unstuck, particularly on hard. It isn’t a perfect game and they fleshed Midgar out far too much, but I’m hoping that once we’re out in the open world we’ll begin to see the story move on a lot more.

Which Chapter is 14? Shinra HQ?
 

Zen86

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Aeris’ Theme always gets me emotional and Cids theme manages to combine that militaristic sound with a melancholy feel. It perfectly enraptures Cid and his failure to realise his dream all his life. Man I loved Cid. Hope they don’t tone him down in the remake.
The city of the ancients music still fills me with dread, too many painful memories when I was a kid. I’m definitely going to dig out my PS1 and PS2 and give them another run.
 

Vidyoyo

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Harsh I think. Had some great characters (Auron) and I really enjoyed the story. Dark Aeons and the Monster Hunter Arena were great side quests too.
True, I don't think you'll convince me about the story but I'm happy changing my opinion to underwhelming instead.

Terrible implies it's beyond redemption, which it isn't. Setting is great, music is wonderful. Auron and Rikku are alright.

Weirdly too, it's probably the most replayable one just because the gameplay is so tight.
 

EwanI Ted

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I think it’s great and I enjoy the battle system. Bosses have been made tough and I don’t think it is just a case of button bashing as if you do that you’ll likely come unstuck, particularly on hard. It isn’t a perfect game and they fleshed Midgar out far too much, but I’m hoping that once we’re out in the open world we’ll begin to see the story move on a lot more.

Which Chapter is 14? Shinra HQ?
The plate comes down at the end of 13. Shinra HQ is next up in the original, but the remake might put some other content in first? Hopefully no more hunting cats.

I thought you had to attack to make your ATB fill up faster? Maybe that's where I've been going wrong. I've been evading and attacking non-stop to get the ATB up without taking damage before using an Ability/Spell, which is the part that's been annoying me. I've not found it difficult at all, though some of the bosses take forever. Obviously I'm just on normal difficulty at the mo and usually in FF the difficult stuff seems to optional content towards the end, so I guess that'll be the same here.
 

Zen86

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True, I don't think you'll convince me about the story but I'm happy changing my opinion to underwhelming instead.

Terrible implies it's beyond redemption, which it isn't. Setting is great, music is wonderful. Auron and Rikku are alright.

Weirdly too, it's probably the most replayable one just because the gameplay is so tight.
I quite enjoyed X from what I remember. The only thing that bugged me was the voice acting. It was pretty god awful from what I recall
 

Irwin99

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Anyone seen people using the site tiermaker to list the rankings of their favorite FF games? I couldn't upload here but i'd go;

S rank: FF6, FF7 original, FF8, FF9
A rank: FF10, FF4
B rank: FF5, FF2, FF7 R
C Rank: FF12, FF14, FF1, FF 3,
D rank FF 13
 

esmufc07

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Anyone seen people using the site tiermaker to list the rankings of their favorite FF games? I couldn't upload here but i'd go;

S rank: FF6, FF7 original, FF8, FF9
A rank: FF10, FF4
B rank: FF5, FF2, FF7 R
C Rank: FF12, FF14, FF1, FF 3,
D rank FF 13
12 should be B, 7R should be A at least if not S.
 

Irwin99

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12 should be B, 7R should be A at least if not S.
I need some perspective on why people like 12 so much. It's not bad, particularly with the zodiac age which lets you speed everything up, but it just was not my thing and I get a bit lost as to why it's thought of as some lost masterpiece when...it's not brilliant.

7R was definite A (maybe even S) before the last two chapters left a very bitter taste and subsequent re-playthroughs just annoyed me that we were heading to that conclusion. Willing to reassess in a few years time when it's completed. FF2 might raise a few eyebrows but the GBA version I played was more enjoyable than FF1.

What would be your list?
 

esmufc07

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I need some perspective on why people like 12 so much. It's not bad, particularly with the zodiac age which lets you speed everything up, but it just was not my thing and I get a bit lost as to why it's thought of as some lost masterpiece when...it's not brilliant.

7R was definite A (maybe even S) before the last two chapters left a very bitter taste and subsequent re-playthroughs just annoyed me that we were heading to that conclusion. Willing to reassess in a few years time when it's completed. FF2 might raise a few eyebrows but the GBA version I played was more enjoyable than FF1.

What would be your list?
7R I need to go back and play and decide whether it was actually very good or whether or not nostalgia was clouding my perspective.

12 I wouldn't say is fantastic but I don't think it is a terrible game - I just think the expectations for XII were so high after a huge wait from X/X-2 it was bound to disappoint. Lack of strong characters though was a big let down

I haven't played FF1-5 so I can only do 6 onwards but...

S - 6, 7, 8, 9
A - 10, 7R
B - 12
C - 15
BURN IN HELL - XIII
 

Vidyoyo

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I need some perspective on why people like 12 so much. It's not bad, particularly with the zodiac age which lets you speed everything up, but it just was not my thing and I get a bit lost as to why it's thought of as some lost masterpiece when...it's not brilliant.

7R was definite A (maybe even S) before the last two chapters left a very bitter taste and subsequent re-playthroughs just annoyed me that we were heading to that conclusion. Willing to reassess in a few years time when it's completed. FF2 might raise a few eyebrows but the GBA version I played was more enjoyable than FF1.

What would be your list?
I like 12 a lot. The plot isn't as melodramatic as other FF games which is a big plus, and especially rare for JRPGs. The political themes give it a grand air and it's got some charismatic characters (e.g. Balthier).

The gameplay is rewarding if you're willing to go hard into the gambit system, although it's piss easy by the end. I think I died <5 times and that was only when I wandered into the wrong areas...

Criticisms from me are that the job system doesn't suit the characters and the delivery of story is all over the place - especially in the middle where you go hours and hours without advancing it.

I couldn't imagine playing it on PS2. It's so slow without speeding it up. That quality of life feature was more than necessary; arguably should have been in the base game.

Here's my list from what I've played:

S rank: FF6
A rank: FF7, FF12, FFT
B rank: FF10, FF9
C Rank: FF8
D rank: FF13
 

Irwin99

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I haven't played FF1-5 so I can only do 6 onwards but...

S - 6, 7, 8, 9
A - 10, 7R
B - 12
C - 15
BURN IN HELL - XIII
Agree with that.

I like 12 a lot. The plot isn't as melodramatic as other FF games which is a big plus, and especially rare for JRPGs. The political themes give it a grand air and it's got some charismatic characters (e.g. Balthier).

I couldn't imagine playing it on PS2. It's so slow without speeding it up. That quality of life feature was more than necessary; arguably should have been in the base game.

Here's my list from what I've played:

S rank: FF6
A rank: FF7, FF12, FFT
B rank: FF10, FF9
C Rank: FF8
D rank: FF13
You can say that again. Going through those huge environments with MMO pace/gameplay was not fun at all. ZA gave the game a massive boost in that respect.

I think FF4 is seen as the big transition for the series and I would really recommend the Nintendo DS version (available on steam too) which has cutscenes and voice acting. FFV has a fun class system and quite funny characters but the overall story is a bit meh and a drop from FF4.
 

Vidyoyo

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You can say that again. Going through those huge environments with MMO pace/gameplay was not fun at all. ZA gave the game a massive boost in that respect.

I think FF4 is seen as the big transition for the series and I would really recommend the Nintendo DS version (available on steam too) which has cutscenes and voice acting. FFV has a fun class system and quite funny characters but the overall story is a bit meh and a drop from FF4.
Yeah, I hear great things about FF4. It's been in my to-play list for ages (probably the Steam version).
 

Drawfull

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Agree with that.



You can say that again. Going through those huge environments with MMO pace/gameplay was not fun at all. ZA gave the game a massive boost in that respect.

I think FF4 is seen as the big transition for the series and I would really recommend the Nintendo DS version (available on steam too) which has cutscenes and voice acting. FFV has a fun class system and quite funny characters but the overall story is a bit meh and a drop from FF4.
I did 90% or prob more of a 99 of everything (apart from Zodiac Spear) perfect file on PS2, stopping because TZA was announced and I was doing the Mandragora loots at the time which are hell, so it was a good excuse.

That said, IZJS had the speed up, although I never imported it, and so it's only with TZA that I realised how slow the original was. At the time, it wasn't an issue.

13 was the last good battle system, hence its elevated position. NCU and NEUNCU are fun.

This would be my list. I still play 12 TZA what feels like daily, but I prefer the original.

12 Orig
10
12 TZA
9
13
8
7 (10 years ago this would be a lot higher, but it's aged like shit)
10-2
13-2
15
7R
the rest
 

Maxii

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My personal preference;

S - 8, 12
A - 7, 9
B - 10, 6, 5
C - 1-4
Z - 13

FF8 - Probably my favourite of the series. Has it’s flaws for sure and so easy to break the game but if you just play it through normally start to finish without drawing 6 times per fight and stockpiling magic to junction then it stays relatively challenging. It has the best soundtrack out of any of the games so this is one of the reasons I love it so much.

FF12 -Always a controversial one as the majority of fans didn’t like it, but I actually loved the gambit system. It wasn’t perfect but it was a nice change from the previous games. I really liked the story too, although they could have done a bit more with Vaan as he was a bit forgettable.

FF7/9 - Both great games but fall just behind the previous two. I haven’t played the VII remake yet so can’t comment on that. Love the soundtrack in 9 too.

FFX - I’ve a bit of a love/hate relationship with this one. When it first came out I absolutely loved it. I found the whole storyline around Sin really interesting in my first playthrough and Seymour was a good antagonist. But as someone already mentioned the voice acting was awful and the soundtrack was pretty poor bar a few tracks. Any time I’ve gone back to replay it I can’t seem to get through it again. X-2 was actually pretty good even though it was a bit overboard with the whole girl power thing.

FF4/5/6 - 6 is easily the best game out of the pre PS games, Exdeath was a great character in 5 which had a good story. Never fully finished 1, 2, 3 or 4 but they were a bit basic and forgettable from any of the versions I played so just bunched these together.

FF13 - Ugh. Was so excited when this came out, but what a disappointment. Unlikable characters, poor voice acting, shit story, linear path the whole way through. Just all round shit show. Couldn’t bring myself to even play XIII-2 but heard it was actually an improvement..

Shout out to FF14 even though it’s an MMORPG, had a blast with it for a year or so.
 

fellwin

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Im playing ff12 for the first time And just completed it. What a ridiculus dialogue. Every character speaks like they are of highest birth, with arcane wording of convoluted meaning. They are all 1800 poets it seems
 

el3mel

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So I have been playing FFX remastered recently, am I the only who didn't like the boss fights in it at all ? I found most of them to be ridiculous and annoying, really. It's a good game away from that, even though I feel it didn't age well at all in several aspects, voice acting and the story in general are cringeworthy by modern standards.
 

el3mel

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FFX final boss spoiler :
I couldn't believe my eyes when Yojimbo just Zanmato the boss twice in a row finishing him in 2 blows without even letting him attack more than 3 times ! Cheapest way to defeat a final boss ever. When I summoned him I thought he can't use it on bosses and will do his other attacks. Well, service well paid I guess. Good job, mercenary!
 

KirkDuyt

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FFX final boss spoiler :
I couldn't believe my eyes when Yojimbo just Zanmato the boss twice in a row finishing him in 2 blows without even letting him attack more than 3 times ! Cheapest way to defeat a final boss ever. When I summoned him I thought he can't use it on bosses and will do his other attacks. Well, service well paid I guess. Good job, mercenary!
I remember just grinding everything out to beat all the optional stuff. It's always a bit of a letdown that they forced you to do it before beating the story boss who you would proceed to kill with a single attack command.

I loved X when it came out though. I'm sure the voice acting is crap, ya?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Makes Hayden Christensen sound like Shakespear.
 

el3mel

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I remember just grinding everything out to beat all the optional stuff. It's always a bit of a letdown that they forced you to do it before beating the story boss who you would proceed to kill with a single attack command.

I loved X when it came out though. I'm sure the voice acting is crap, ya?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Makes Hayden Christensen sound like Shakespear.
:lol: Yeah voice acting absolutely didn't age up well at all. Cringeworthy at best.

It's a good/decent game though. Didn't blow my mind like FF6 but it was worth the time spent on it. Some aspects in the game I think age wasn't kind to it unfortunately.

I liked the animated cutscenes though. They were great, shame there weren't many of them.
 

No Love

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Pretty cool seeing people talking about FFX. I found myself thinking about firing it up at the weekend. Some of you may know, there’s a UFC fighter called Deivison Figueiredo who fought on Saturday and he reminds me of Vuroja, the guy who plays Blitzball for the Kilika Beasts. :lol:

That weird little anecdote aside, the intro song to FFX, ‘Otherworld’ still bangs hard and is a staple of my gym playlists.
 

KirkDuyt

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Pretty cool seeing people talking about FFX. I found myself thinking about firing it up at the weekend. Some of you may know, there’s a UFC fighter called Deivison Figueiredo who fought on Saturday and he reminds me of Vuroja, the guy who plays Blitzball for the Kilika Beasts. :lol:

That weird little anecdote aside, the intro song to FFX, ‘Otherworld’ still bangs hard and is a staple of my gym playlists.
Speaking of likenesses, Isnt the Besaid keeper called Kepa?
 

No Love

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Speaking of likenesses, Isnt the Besaid keeper called Kepa?
“Keepa”, I think. And he starts off weak as feck, if I remember correctly. :lol:

That’s where Chelsea went wrong, they didn’t sign Botta and Jassu to protect him!
 

Ainu

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“Keepa”, I think. And he starts off weak as feck, if I remember correctly. :lol:

That’s where Chelsea went wrong, they didn’t sign Botta and Jassu to protect him!
They should've signed Jecht Shot to lead the attack. Or better yet, his mate Jecht Shot II.
 

Irwin99

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I thought X was fine. Never really understood the dislike some people have for it and I just view the VA's as quirky rather than bad (laughing scene aside). One of the things X did really well was making an engaging journey through linearity, which FF13 in contrast does extremely badly. In X you have a great sense of moving on a journey and a purpose but it's environments have nice little breaks the player can have for story, Blitzball, character development, shopping, world and lore building etc. If ever there was an RPG that does linearity in a good way it would be X imo. Great soundtrack too.
 

Robertd0803

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My personal preference;

S - 8, 12
A - 7, 9
B - 10, 6, 5
C - 1-4
Z - 13

FF8 - Probably my favourite of the series. Has it’s flaws for sure and so easy to break the game but if you just play it through normally start to finish without drawing 6 times per fight and stockpiling magic to junction then it stays relatively challenging. It has the best soundtrack out of any of the games so this is one of the reasons I love it so much.
Just curious, why would you not stockpile magic to junction? What would be the point in deliberately making it way more difficult for no reason?
 

Maxii

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Just curious, why would you not stockpile magic to junction? What would be the point in deliberately making it way more difficult for no reason?
Just because every fight becomes trivial when you do. I guess it’s just a preference thing
 

Robertd0803

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Just because every fight becomes trivial when you do. I guess it’s just a preference thing
Ah right, makes sense. Have a friend who struggled with the junction system to the point that he gave up when he got to Ultimecias castle where you lose everything.

I did think that battering Omega Weapon in about 5 minutes was an indication that I was probably too overpowered in the game at that point in fairness.

To this day I maintain the hardest part of that game was trying to beat Edea at cards.
 
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Maxii

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I wonder why they made it like that
It’s a strange system for sure. I guess they understood that most people wouldn’t spend that amount of time drawing endlessly from each encounter, but the option to do it is there so you can easily become op if you wish. But it makes the game incredibly boring drawing so much.

Another cheese is to try and not level at all. Mobs scale with your level and gain stats quicker than your characters do, so random encounters actually become more difficult the higher your level.
 

SuperiorXI

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It’s a strange system for sure. I guess they understood that most people wouldn’t spend that amount of time drawing endlessly from each encounter, but the option to do it is there so you can easily become op if you wish. But it makes the game incredibly boring drawing so much.

Another cheese is to try and not level at all. Mobs scale with your level and gain stats quicker than your characters do, so random encounters actually become more difficult the higher your level.
This is also annoying, I much prefer systems whereby you can encounter strong/weak enemies at various points so you get a sense of accomplishment at levelling up while also having that challenge still there.
 

Irwin99

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I wonder why they made it like that
8 is my favourite FF but the junction system is an interesting but flawed idea. In my opinion, it confuses a lot of people I've introduced to the game and who find it too hard and just end up junctioning any old magic to any old stat but when you pick it up (and it is actually easy to understand) your characters can become god like killing machines. Stockpiling early low level magic isn't really a game changer but access to more powerful spells really tilts things in your favour.

Weirdly, I kind of find that entertaining to see just how powerful my characters can get. The island closest to hell and Omega weapon are still a challenge though. It'll be interesting to see if/when they remake 8 how they could balance the game better and maybe prevent players from getting access to high level spells until late game.
 

1950

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Ah right, makes sense. Have a friend who struggled with the junction system to the point that he gave up when he got to Ultimecias castle where you lose everything.
Do we know each other? :lol:

I got stuck there on my first playthrough and only finished the game a decade later starting fresh.