The Look of Evil (big spoilers)

[Cloudane]

Did everyone else think "hmm, Dysley has EVIL written all over him" long before the 'big revelation' that he was an evil fal'Cie named Barthandalus? Like, the first split second you even see the guy?

I thought that was a bit weak if it was meant to be a surprise. If his Aura of Evilness was any stronger he'd have been cackling and stroking a pet cat in his lap.

What other FF characters are like this? I guess Seymour was a bit.

[Raistlin]

Yeah, the "plot twists" in this game are pretty weak.

[arcanedude34]

Yeahhh... Square does a bad job hiding villains. Seymour, Kuja, Dysley, Vayne, Edea, Golbez...

[Wolf Kanno]

The only real twist with Dysely was the nature of his evil. I pretty much thought he was at least a l'Cie when I first saw him and thus a bitch to the Fal'Cie so I was a bit surprised he turned out to be Fal'Cie, but not at all surprised that he was evil.

I'm pretty much with Raistlin on the game's plot. I also agree with arcanedude34 that FF has never exactly been good about hiding main villains in the series.

[Cloudane]

The only real twist with Dysely was the nature of his evil. I pretty much thought he was at least a l'Cie when I first saw him and thus a bitch to the Fal'Cie so I was a bit surprised he turned out to be Fal'Cie, but not at all surprised that he was evil.

I'm pretty much with Raistlin on the game's plot. I also agree with arcanedude34 that FF has never exactly been good about hiding main villains in the series.

Yeah true, I had him pegged as evil and connected to the fal'cie in some way immediately but actually being one... Well it wasn't a 'huge surprise' but it wasn't a certainty as an outcome.

I don't mind with characters like Kefka and Sephiroth where they're introduced as Evil McNasty with no attempt to hide it. I think where it got me with Dysley was that it was made out to be a plot twist and yet anyone could see that he radiated Evilness from day 1 even in his character info page. I guess it could be explained that we're supposed to feel part of the Cocoon population's mindless gullability but it didn't really work IMO.

Just nitpicking, I liked the game in general. Just the odd quirk.

[VeloZer0]

Yeahhh... Square does a bad job hiding villains. Seymour, Kuja, Dysley, Vayne, Edea, Golbez...
Seymour and Vayne are the only ones out of this that you weren't supposed to immediately identify as evil. When I first saw Golbez there was some doubt in my mind though.

They did throw me for a little but of a loop with Seymour, as soon as I saw him I immediately thought "Final Boss!". Kind of weak considering you weren't supposed to know he was evil at all.

When I first saw Vayne I judged him as a fair and just ruler who would probably do a better job of ruling Dalmasca that the hereditary appointed monarchy that the empire displaced. It was also obvious that they couldn't let someone in his position be benevolent, and he would be a major villain of the game.

[Ontibile]

Seymor and Vayne I nailed right off the bat. Seymor just looks... slimy... and that first speech from Vayne, ugh, gross. *shivers*

Genesis threw me for a loop. I don't know why, but for some reason my brain couldn't accept him as being evil. To this day my brain struggles to see him as evil. I think I've been brainwashed.

Sephiroth in Crisis Core when he was semi-sane was still scary as smurfs. Even if you had never played FFVII you would know he wasn't a good guy he was radiating so much creep-vibe. I was sitting there going, any minute, anyy minute now... just wait for it... waaiit for it... and he looses his mind! And then, even though I knew it would happen, I sat on the couch declaring, "I knew it! I knew it!" Scared the crap out of my cat.

And, yes, the moment I saw Dysley I went, "Aaaand you're evil."

[VeloZer0]

Anyone who repeatedly quotes a play instead of actually talking in a way that makes sense has psycho written all over them.

I don't know if it was a ret-con or you just couldn't tell because of the primitiveness of the polygon sprites, but in FFVII Sephiroth seemed fairly likable and as normal as a super soldier could be expected to be. This clashes with how he appears in CC and AC, but makes much more sense. Also the fact that they completely changed Clouds character into an emo [female dog] from his FFVII character doesn't give me a lot of faith that the Sephiroth adaptation is completely authentic.

If I didn't know Sephiroth was evil before the flashback I would have been split 50/50 if he turns evil or is the cool hero you idolize and have to avenge their death.

[Ontibile]

I don't know... a couple of times in CC the way Sephiroth looked at Zack made me think he was either going to rape him or kill him.

He was creepy. Genesis was just... unhinged. Sephiroth oozed, IMO anyway.

[VeloZer0]

Yeah, that was my point. In CC he was super creepy, but I didn't get a creepy vibe from him at all in FFVII.

[docta fizz]

Yeahhh... Square does a bad job hiding villains. Seymour, Kuja, Dysley, Vayne, Edea, Golbez...
edea ish not a bad guy, and for the record I think this is a much better than throwing "evil itself" as your final enemy (I.E. Necron)

[Cloudane]

Edea of course was the opposite in the long run, and I would have to admit that one did have me fooled. They did kind of pull Ultimecia out of a hat though (I'd say out of somewhere else, but this is a family site :D)

[Loony BoB]

All I thought - every time I looked at him - was the word 'Pope'. Really, how Popey was this guy? Totally popey.

I don't think him being one of the bad guys was meant to be a surprise. Maybe him being the main villain was meant to be a surprise, but I don't think that was a shocker either. Even him being a fal'Cie wasn't a surprise to me.

[Cloudane]

Yes well, the current Pope has an evil look to him as well. Something very fishy about that fella, you mark my words.