Board 8 > Andy plays Final Fantasy VI

(+) Yeah! (+)

And very much looking forward to 9, it is my absolute favorite of the PS era.

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andylt posted...

I've decided I probably won't bother with the other extra stuff, at least not right now. Maybe I'll come back to it sometime. That sadly means it's the end of the playthrough itself! As always, thanks all for following + helping + commenting, I've really enjoyed going through this series with you folks around.

I - II - III - IV - (TAY) - V - Final Fantasy VI - VII - (VIIR - DoC - CC) - VIII - IX - X - (X-2) - XII - (RW) - XIII - (XIII-2 - LR) - XV - Tactics - (TCB)

Next up: It'll probably be a while before I come back to this. There's a bunch of games I got over the holidays that I haven't touched at all yet, including Xenoblade, which I've never played before and I imagine will take a long long time to get through. But when I do get back to it, the next will be Final Fantasy IX. I will miss the SNES/GBA era and have enjoyed my time with it greatly! After IX the floor is wide open, I'll probably run another poll to get some kind of consensus. For now though, this'll be it.

I'm playing Xenoblade rn for the first time.

Having a blast.

Woo, playing the best two Final Fantasies back (eventually) to back.

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Yessssss, I love FF9.

I don't quite think it's better than FF6, but it holds a special place in my heart. (My online username is actually secretly an FF9 reference)

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https://i.imgur.com/WhR0Mjr.gif

FF6 & Xenoblade are literally my two favourite games of all time sooooo yay

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Grimlyn posted...

https://i.imgur.com/WhR0Mjr.gif

FF6 & Xenoblade are literally my two favourite games of all time sooooo yay

I share this opinion

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PunishedBen posted...

I share this opinion

Those are my number 1 and Number 3 RPGs of all time.

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Fiop posted...

Apparently the reason the enemies dont give AP in the bonus dungeon is due to a glitch with formations that have a number higher than 256 or 512, or something like that. The formations in the main game are all under this but the new ones with new enemies had to be put in the higher range. One little known thing is Terras morph regenerates based on gaining AP after a battle, so if youre using it, you may notice it not recharging so much in this dungeon.

Holy fuck, TIL

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Also I love how you will be going from the best Final Fantasy to the worst. Should be some really good whiplash as you realize what a tire fire FF9 is

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2nd best FF to best FF, should be a fun ride!

FF9 is overrated (on this board anyway), but its so far from being the worst its not even funny.

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I have yet to finish 9. Ive tried about a dozen times but I always end up getting bored and playing something else. Maybe a play through topic is what I need.

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I remember now that IX is a bit divisive here! But VI had its share of detractors in one of these topics and I liked it a lot, so I hope I'll be one of its fans.

I also didn't know there was such a direct overlap between FFVI and Xenoblade fans, that bodes well for me.

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andylt posted...

I remember now that IX is a bit divisive here! But VI had its share of detractors in one of these topics and I liked it a lot, so I hope I'll be one of its fans.

I also didn't know there was such a direct overlap between FFVI and Xenoblade fans, that bodes well for me.

FFIX is divisive on B8 in the sense that BotW is divisive on B8.

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Leonhart4 posted...

FFIX is divisive on B8 in the sense that BotW is divisive on B8.

And of course by that Leon means that they are both the worst modern entries in their respective series, only beat out by #2 (Adventure of Link and FF2) in terms of sheer garbageness.

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I'd say play I before IX. It's pretty short, and IX makes some references.

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Ashethan posted...

I'd say play I before IX. It's pretty short, and IX makes some references.

IX makes references to every game before it. It's basically a tribute to the series.

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andylt posted...

I also didn't know there was such a direct overlap between FFVI and Xenoblade fans, that bodes well for me.

ya go my tetsuya takahashi

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I wish my first experience with xenoblade hadn't been the 3DS version. I might have liked it more.

I replayed it on the switch and it's gorgeous, but I think it's flawed. the beginning is s l o w and the combat isn't that great overall.

this is just to say that I love FFVI and am cold on/not super impressed by xenoblade.

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FFIX is very good and you're gonna like it a lot probably.

Overrated on this board historically, but that doesn't change it's quality.

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Xenoblade is very good. Like IX, not quite as good as the board hypes it up to be, but high quality nonetheless.

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If you play the remaster of IX, you can speed up the battle speed, which is one of the biggest complaints.

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Well I love BotW so that's another good sign! I will try to keep my expectations in check for both Xeno and IX though, I know how these things can be.

Ashethan posted...

I'd say play I before IX. It's pretty short, and IX makes some references.

I ran a poll a while ago on which to play and IX was a clear second to VI (before stuffing), but I do plan to eventually get around to all of them. Also I'd probably want the GBA version of I+II and they've been a bit annoying to get.

mnkboy907 posted...

If you play the remaster of IX, you can speed up the battle speed, which is one of the biggest complaints.

Yeah I've heard of this problem, but IIRC someone said the trouble is that the battle intros take too long but the speed change increases the whole battle too much? IDK, I'll see when that time comes.

Grimlyn posted...

ya go my tetsuya takahashi

*wikis* oh wow he went from directing graphics of SNES games to being a whole director of full games, cool.

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You can go a bit further, founding Monolith Soft as its head!

his wife is also Soraya Saga, who I've mentioned a few times regarding those earlier interviews & in regards to the Figaro Bros

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andylt posted...

I ran a poll a while ago on which to play and IX was a clear second to VI (before stuffing), but I do plan to eventually get around to all of them. Also I'd probably want the GBA version of I+II and they've been a bit annoying to get.

I hate to be that guy, but Im going to say it, if you play the GBA versions of I and II, you havent really played I and II.

Unlike with the SNES games, these GBA games were not enhanced ports but full blown remakes. There were significant changes to the gameplay at a fundamental level to bring these games in line with modern FF, but in the process it stripped away what made them unique. You wont really get a genuine experience playing these games as they were originally intended this way.

Unfortunately, its difficult to get old school versions of these games today. For I, you basically have two options. 1) The NES Classic. A straight port of the original. Not my favorite, but it works. 2) Final Fantasy Origins for Playstation. The big advantage here is that you also get II. This version also has updated graphics and sound, and a few minor, but very welcome QOL fixes, without going too far and just throwing out the original gameplay.

Everything said about I and II for GBA also applies to FF III DS, except even more so. Unfortunately there is currently no way to play the original version of that game in English outside of emulation.

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So the PS version of I+II is straight up better than the GBA one? I got Tactics on PSOne Classics so that's probably an easier way for me to get them anyway, thanks! Weird that III got a full blown 3D remake but no port of the original anywhere.

Grimlyn posted...

You can go a bit further, founding Monolith Soft as its head!

his wife is also Soraya Saga, who I've mentioned a few times regarding those earlier interviews & in regards to the Figaro Bros

Aw that's sweet. Xenoblade will be my first proper Monolith game but I've played a bunch of the Ninty games they worked on. Cool to think about it being started by Square alums and now being part of Nintendo.

Soraya and her husband Tetsuya Takahashi submitted a script for Final Fantasy VII which was called "too dark" and "complicated" for a fantasy game, but were allowed to start a new project based on the script, which was worked into a full treatment with cutscenes, eventually being released under the name Xenogears

Xenogears was almost Final Fantasy VII?! That is wild.

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andylt posted...

So the PS version of I+II is straight up better than the GBA one?

Not better necessarily (opinions will vary!). What I mean is that the PS versions are more authentic to the originals. Screw FF III DS though. That straight up is bad, which is a popular opinion!

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I think the GBA version of 1+2 are fine, and I generally prefer them to the PSX or original versions. I think the point is that they're not simply "updated ports" like FF5 or 6 Advance; they instead make large scale changes to the game system. For example, instead of having a limited amount of magic "charges" to cast spells, the remakes have a traditional MP system like the other FF games.

It is a matter of preference though. Personally I feel the Advance versions of 1+2 are easier to play. And I wouldn't wish the original version of FF2 on anyone... >_>. But it's up to you.

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FF1 - PS1
FF2 - GBA/PSP
FF3 - fan translation of Famicom

IMO


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The DS version of FFIII was not very good. I think shifting it to 3D killed whatever charm or nostalgia it might have had. Instead, it just felt incredibly generic.

Although, it did lead to FF 4 Heroes of Light, which in turn led directly to Bravely Default. So I guess FFIII DS at least served some purpose.

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1 is also a treat on the original NES cart. Shame I have kin that sold my entire NES collection during a move for a $50.

Seriously, had it, DQ 1 and 4, the gold-cased Zeldas, every Mega Man 1-6, some of the more expensive Sunsoft titles... bleh.

ANYWAYS GBA 1 is also fantastic. The optional content makes it very obvious it's optional and doesn't overpower your party unless you get lucky or grind it, and it turns the spells-per-day system into a traditional MP system.

Also you dont have to grind pirates for an hour to buy one AoE black magic spell that you save for a grueling dungeon only to find the guardians resist it.

Stupid Wizard/Squidlarkins.


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I also didn't really like FF3 DS too much. It was kind of bland, and on top of that the final dungeon was multiple hours long with multiple bosses and no save points, and if you lose to one boss you need to start the whole thing over. I would recommend the Bravely series over FF3 DS if you wanted a good game based on the job class system.

I did play FF1 on Origins and it had a certain charm to it, and would recommend it. It has updated graphics compared to the NES version but keeps a lot of the gameplay the same. It also has a quicksave feature which I used more than I should have.

FF2 on Origins was kind of bad, though, mostly because of the levelling system. I wouldn't be surprised if the remake is better.

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Fiop posted...

FF2 on Origins was kind of bad, though, mostly because of the levelling system. I wouldn't be surprised if the remake is better.

Well, the leveling system in the Advance version was adjusted so it's at least actually playable. It's still weird, but you can generally go through the game without needing to beat up your own characters to get stronger anymore.

It also allows you to save anywhere, which fixes that issue with those stupid trap doors that are in every dungeon. It's not a great game, but I at least found the Advance version of FF2 to be playable and a fairly fun game if you're into old-school RPGs. Compared to say, FF3, which is a better designed game that has no good playable version so I can't even rank it higher than 2...

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VI seems to me like the FF game most set-up for a sequel, and yet as far as I know SE has never considered it, even after "After Years"

I once wrote a sequel to this game (so I once wrote fan fiction, yes) that centered around Gestahl having somehow survived being thrown off the floating continent. Disney stole my script and turned it into episode 9

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