View Full Version : Fynn's Final Fantasy Fmarathon
I have good news and bad news.
The good news is that I have the ultimate weapons for my main three and have obtained Bahamut. I also got a bunch of Energy Crystals from Elnoyle and stacked everyone's HP with Holy. Squall now has 9999 HP and 255 Str. I am now on my way to face Ultima Weapon.
The bad news is that because it took a lot of effort to look for all those things, Squall's level is now 65 :(
Oh, it turns out I can apparently get infinite stat boosting items now that I have call shop and all the refinement abilities. I guess that'll help a bunch!
Hooray for good game balancing! \0/
I mean, honestly, I still think this is only an option for the very patient. I still don't know if I'll actually have enough of that to really go through with it. Plus, there might really not be a need for it.
maybee
12-20-2016, 11:16 AM
Nooooo the FF VIII airship theme is my fave
:ohdear:
Well now
Discussions of the VIII soundtrack have been a total trainwreck so far :p
Speaking of total trainwrecks, I like 'The Mission' and wish they used it more.
I mean no trains actually got wrecked in that mission but you were on a train so it's mostly relevant.
Also IMO "The Stage is Set" is so good it makes up for any other deficiencies in the soundtrack (not that I believe there are many but, you know, devil's advocate and all that ;))
They were okay, but really, I think there are a lot of tracks that serve the same purpose that came before and later that just do it much better.
Remember, guys, I still like this soundtrack. Anything with FITHOS LUSEC WECOS VINOSEC is pretty good, tbh. It's just that throughout most of the game it's the bland tracks that play. And all those baffling instrument choices... :roll2
Karifean
12-20-2016, 12:44 PM
I mean, honestly, I still think this is only an option for the very patient. I still don't know if I'll actually have enough of that to really go through with it. Plus, there might really not be a need for it.
Haha yeah no. It's insanely tedious. If you do ever feel like stat-maxing for some reason, play the PC version and use Chocobo World. Otherwise just get some good junctions going and you won't need it. With your stats you shouldn't have any trouble against anything besides Omega Weapon and Ultimecia anyways (maybe Ultima Weapon if you don't kill it fast).
Ah man. Refresh my memory. Why do I have to beat Ultima Weapon fast?
Karifean
12-20-2016, 07:12 PM
Ah man. Refresh my memory. Why do I have to beat Ultima Weapon fast?
Ultima Weapon is a glass cannon, mostly. He won't do much damage to you with his regular moves if you have good defenses, but he's fast and his attack pattern is random. One of his attacks is notably Light Pillar which deals 9999 damage and you can do nothing to reduce it except use Defend to nullify the damage. So technically there's nothing except chance stopping him from putting out constant Light Pillars leaving you with no room to counter attack. (It doesn't happen though)
On the other hand, a single Lion Heart will kill him instantly. So there's that. Really he should be no problem whatsoever.
Wow
One Lion Heart was actually enough!
Karifean
12-20-2016, 10:35 PM
Told ya =P
Wolf Kanno
12-20-2016, 10:42 PM
Yeah, the real challenge for me with Ultima Weapon is drawing 100 Ultima spells from him without killing him first. I remember Omega being surprisingly easy to fell as well compared to other super bosses in the series.
Ok, I may totally diss this soundtrack, but the Time Compression theme is just gorgeous
It totally should've replaced Blue Fields as a map theme on Disc 4
I WILL PERSONALLY MURDER THE PERSON WHO THOUGHT THE ORGAN PUZZLE WAS A GOOD IDEA
Skyblade
12-21-2016, 09:59 AM
When it comes to the soundtrack for FFVIII, how can anyone not mention the Triple Triad music? "Shuffle or Boogie" is probably my least favorite track in the entire series, and its creator deserves death far more than the creators of any of the puzzles from Ultimecia's castle.
When it comes to the soundtrack for FFVIII, how can anyone not mention the Triple Triad music? "Shuffle or Boogie" is probably my least favorite track in the entire series, and its creator deserves death far more than the creators of any of the puzzles from Ultimecia's castle.
I like Shuffle or Boogie! I can play the piano version too! Kinda. A bit.
I'm pretty okay with Shuffle or Boogie. It's catchy and has an arrangement that's inoffensive enough compared to some other tracks
Done! Ultimecia was much easier than I remembered.
Moving on to IX!
Everything's easy with Lion Heart! Did you use the ultimate cheese combo? (Meltdown + Aura + Renzokuken/Lion Heart)
You'll catch up to me fairly quickly on IX, I'm only at Dali and moving slooooow as I'm playing Neptuina at the same time.
Exactly :D Zell helped out with his limits. Went down in no time.
Also, guys, the jingle that plays when you pick up an item is identical to the Chrono Trigger one!
Uh I actually said no to the rat kid and he's gone
Wat do
Shauna
12-21-2016, 01:27 PM
GAME OVER
Uh I actually said no to the rat kid and he's gone
Wat do
That I have never experienced this problem makes me concerned about how readily I accepted the offer to become a slave
He was standing by the ladder later. TBH, I was really worried I wouldn't be able to progress for a moment XD
I also just realised that apart from that very first action where you keep a lookout for him there's nothing that you actually do as he 'slave'. I mean he even carries the ladder!
He's still not the nicest person
Pumpkin
12-21-2016, 03:44 PM
YEAH FFIX :omgomg::omgomg::omgomg::omgomg::omgomg:
maybee
12-22-2016, 07:25 AM
Uh I actually said no to the rat kid and he's gone
Wat do
Best playthrough of FF9 ever :lol: short but sweet
So I've reached Dali and I really don't have much to comment on other than I'm just melting inside. Back when I was a kid I could only emulate the old games and would constantly fantasize about what a 3D FF would look like abs from all the info I had available at the time, IX looked like it had everything I was looking for. After playing it, I was not disappointed. It's a great tribute to the pre-VII games that creates its own unique identity. And I love every second.
Scotty_ffgamer
12-27-2016, 05:07 PM
Thanks to you and night fury, I'm now played ng through VIII. All while I was playing through XV I was itching to play VIII since it's been a while since I've played. Used to be a game I played through yearly. I'll probably be itching to play ix while I read your playthrough I'm sure.
Bubba
12-28-2016, 10:16 AM
Glad to see this is still going! I'll be back commenting more when you reach FFX :D
maybee
12-29-2016, 09:22 AM
Same, can't wait to hear some thoughts on FFX.
Shauna
12-29-2016, 10:53 AM
Well he doesn't like FFX so you better be looking forward to it being torn to shreds!
Karifean
12-29-2016, 11:24 AM
Yeah I dunno if I'm really gonna be looking forward to his FFX thoughts all that much ^^;
Oh well I'll just have faith that he finally realizes that his opinion has been completely wrong all this time.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves, if he says too many mean things about Final Fantasy IX we might have to ban him from the franchise before he even starts playing X.
At least when it comes to the characters and story. The game systems are fair game as a lot of them kinda suck - even though it is still my favourite game ever. I'm also on IX at the moment, just finished disc 1.
I gotta say... the battle system in general frustrates the hell out of me. The 'jobs' are completely broken for the first 1/3 of the game until you finally get some summons, Trance is awful, the ATB is too slow, the 'Steal' system is infuriating, animations take too long. If a party member has 'Confuse' and you tell someone else to hit them to remove the status, if they die before your turn the one who was gonna hit them will hit SOMEONE ELSE IN YOUR OWN TEAM.
Sorry this has been lacking in updates, guys. I'm still visiting my parents so I haven't had the time to really write anything substantial here, but I am playing the game and making substantial progress and I'm almost done with disc 2! I'll have a mondo update ready when I get back home summing up all my thoughts on stuff that has happened up until that point. So far I can say that this is easily the best game of the PSX era and that the narrative is almost as well-paced as IV's. This is also actually the FF I know the least because, despite the fact that I love it, I've only played and beaten it once, while all the others I've at least played more than once.
And guys, X may be one of my least favorite games ever, but I still have good things to say about it! I'm not a monster. I mean, it's not XIII, at least!
But yeah, don't be expecting to hear a lot of nice things. Remember I went into VII fully expecting it to be great and look how that playthrough turned out :3:
Shauna
12-29-2016, 12:08 PM
The opposite could happen though!
I've played it again fairly recently, actually
So I doubt it
Pumpkin
12-29-2016, 04:14 PM
Fynn logic:
"Ugh, FFX, what a dissapointment" > keeps playing it
"I love FFIX!" > plays it once
I know, right?
I can't even explain it myself
Also guys, let's face it - you aren't here just to hear me praise the games you love. You enjoy it when I talk shit too ;)
Formalhaut
12-29-2016, 08:56 PM
Also guys, let's face it - you aren't here just to hear me praise the games you love. You enjoy it when I talk trout too ;)
Yeah, trash-talking is one of the best bits of LPs.
Also guys, let's face it - you aren't here just to hear me praise the games you love. You enjoy it when I talk trout too ;)
True enough. I mean, if everyone agreed with me all the time, who would be left to feel smugly superior over?
You're providing a vital service
maybee
12-30-2016, 07:05 AM
Fynn logic:
"Ugh, FFX, what a dissapointment" > keeps playing it
"I love FFIX!" > plays it once
Final Fantasy Stockholm Syndrome.
Also guys, let's face it - you aren't here just to hear me praise the games you love. You enjoy it when I talk trout too ;)
True enough. I mean, if everyone agreed with me all the time, who would be left to feel smugly superior over?
You're providing a vital service
Funny. I could say the same thing about you, but I try to be a nice guy :)
Okay, time for the promised update!
Got all the way to disk 3 in the week or so that I've been playing. And I think I know now why I've only played this once compared to other FFs - I-VI are much less dense in dialogue and event scenes than VII-X, so that makes them easier to beat. And IX has been consistently inaccessible for me for the longest time, since I had emulators and the handhelds for I-VI, had VII and VIII on PC, and then the PS2 for FFX. So I basically had all these FFs to pick up for all the free time I had until high school, which is when I got a PSP and bought FFIX. At that point I was much better at games and once was enough for me to beat it (up until that point it always took me at least two tries to beat a game), and once I beat it, I moved on to other games since I didn't really have enough time to replay older ones. So there we go. I liked IX better than X, but simply had far fewer opportunities to beat it.
The story flow is very balanced so far and I enjoy that the overall feel of this game is like a combination of FFIV and FFVI, with a small taste of what FFXII will be like. You can definitely feel this is a Hiroyuki Ito game and by God, this man needs to make more FFs, for all of our sakes.
Most of the music is amazing. There are of course the ever popular choices of Vamo Alla Flamenco, Vivi's theme, and all of Beatrix's themes, but I'm actually much more impressed by the more subtle, Medieval/Renaissance-inspired tracks, thanks to all those Music History classes I had back in music school. I love the title screen, the South Gate theme, the Cleyra settlement theme for how authentic they feel in their modal arrangements and limited woodwind instrumentations. And then there's the Gizamaluke's Grotto theme that sounds very early-baroque and it made that dungeon so much more enjoyable. On the other hand, we have a lot of weird tracks that really bring the soundtrack down. While I enjoy the fact that it's an homage to old FF battle themes, I thinkg the main battle theme sadly fails in being nice to listen to otherwise. It's mostly just too slow, which just further emphasizes how slow the battles are. And then there's tracks like the Black Mage Village theme that just cause me physical pain. I do like the Tetra Master theme much more thatn Triple Triad's, though, due to how soft it sounds, and I also think the boss theme is criminally underrated. We haven't had such a tense-sounding boss theme since FFV, and that one's also one of my favorites!
Speaking of, I really adore Tetra Master. Yes, it has a big random element to it, but that's the fun part, really, since you can't really exploit the system easily because there's always risk involved. The game is also much more clear with its rules with no weird and terrible rules accidentally spreading because you played someone different, and the game board being bigger as well as the added arrow mechanic really make this game so much more fun to me than TT. I am a bit sad, however, that it no longer influences the rest of the game in any way. Then again, maybe it's for the best that it's self-contained?
The battles are slow but I've gotten used to them and that doesn't bother me anymore. I like that stuff like regen actually benefits from it since the long wait times for the animations don't actually stop the regeneration process.
This game is also giving me huge Chrono Trigger vibes, in a very good way. The beginning at Alexandria where you have so much to do with Vivi really reminds me of the Leene festival. Much like CT, FFIX really rewards you for exploration and looking over every little nook and cranny. The maps - both dungeon and town - are very robust and there's tons of places and content to get lost in. If you know Xenoblade Chronicles is my favorite game of all time, you will understand why this makes IX so enjoyable for me, and why a certain other beloved installment that lacks this is so low on my personal list >.>
Not wild about the party splits that happened throughout the first two discs, to be honest. Sure, they did a great job with helping flesh out the characters (one of the best casts in the series, might I add - I even like the controversial Amarant, Eiko, and Quina), but I am pretty miffed that Steiner and Freya are lagging behind. I mean, I couldn't play them at all for almost one full disc. Also, Quina just keeps joining and leaving, doing whatever s/he wants! No, ser, I will not have it!
Speaking of Quina, s/he's incredibly fun. I never felt like their comic scenes were out of place or anything. It's just so refreshing to essentially have this embodiment of chaos and indulgence following you around and just rolling with everything you do. The wedding scene literally made me cry. And s/he's the best named blue mage in the series, no contest. Not only is eating a monster so much better than counting on the enemy to use one specific move on one specific character, but the selection is amazing and tons of spells are available early on. I only need six more spells to have the complete package. And not only are many of the spells very useful, making Quina a perfect replacement for Dagger, Vivi, or both, s/he's also a good melee fighter! Win-win!
Not a fan of the world map design. I kind of talked about this with Wolf when I played VII, but I get the feeling that FFVII is really the last FF to have a fully interactive world map that encourages exploration. The map is big and rich with a lot more places to explore than VIII, for example, but you're still kind of limited in where you can go at specific times, making the map way more fragmented than the older games. Also, it's kind of a bummer that literally 1.5 of the four continents have any civilization on them. It's justified in-story, I know, but it still would have been cool to have some more towns to explore.
Moogles are the best save points ever and I literally can't fathom why they haven't kept this in for every single FF after this one.
Zidane and Dagger's romance is pretty cute and though I enjoyed Squall and Rinoa a lot as well, you can tell that this love story was written by people who already learned a lot more about this specific motif. It also helps that it doesn't take center stage.
I don't know if this is because I missed something or anything, but it was just so weird that it wasn't until disc 3 that Dagger got any other summon besides Ramuh. And then suddenly Tot gives her Shiva, Ifrit, Leviathan, and Atomos? Why couldn't I get at least part of the others earlier? That would have been really rad.
The graphics are still great and the art style is one of my favorite in the series along with XII's and the other Ivalice games. Nowadays it reminds me greatly of Bravely Default, and that's a very good association to have.
I'm enjoying you enjoying IX :)
Have you played any Chocobo Hot and Cold yet?
Yeah, but I'm not focusing too much on it. It's pretty a'ight
Ok, I kind of hate Oeilvert, especially since I don't know how to pronounce it. I have no idea which way to go in order not to miss anything and suddenly enemies just take much longer to beat???
Not sure what you're fighting in Oeilvert, but if you come up against 'Epitaphs' a soft will insta-kill them.
I also dunno how to pronounce it. I've always said "Ol-ee-vert" but I know that's wrong, it's just how it looks at first glance. According to FF Wiki it is pronounced œjvɛʁ (uh-ii-vehr)
I expect it's supposed to sound French or something. And no, it's mostly the ogres. They're not exactly tough, but they slice away big chunks of my HP and I have to spend s lot of time either using potions or relying on Reis's Wind.
Pumpkin
01-04-2017, 06:44 AM
Oeil means eye and vert means green, so it's green eye, I guess. Which would be like what Fox said up dere
Oeil means eye and vert means green, so it's green eye, I guess. Which would be like what Fox said up dere
I'm more tsun than dere ^^
Only at Cleyra on my playthrough at the moment. One of the few points of the game I'm not particularly keen on (the absolute worst bit though is Fossil Roo). I dunno what is it about Cleyra, all the plot stuff surrounding Beatrix is really good but I just hate it as an environment to explore.
Doing the candle puzzle in Kuja's castle now. It's pretty cool and I've noticed my characters have very little more abilities to master, so that's pretty awesome, I think!
That said, as much as I'm enjoying myself, I kind of can't wait for this marathon to be over so I can play other games. Playing nothing but FF for a while can get a bit tiring. Which is a bit weird when you consider I had no such feeling with Dragon Quest when I played all of those in succession and still yearned for more, especially since those games are far more similar to each other mechanically.
I expect I'll finish IX over the weekend since we have Firday off here, and I hope two weeks is enough for me to beat X since I'll be getting DQVIII on the 20th :p
Loony BoB
01-05-2017, 03:44 PM
• Speaking of, I really adore Tetra Master. Yes, it has a big random element to it, but that's the fun part
:Oo:
What's the matter, BoB? Salty that I'm good at a game you aren't? :spin:
Loony BoB
01-06-2017, 10:17 AM
Who said anything about how good I am at it? It's RNG. You can't be good or bad at RNG. I'm pretty good at Triple Triad, which actually relies on you being good. xD
No, I stopped playing it very early because of the random element. Why play a game that can beat you no matter what when you can play a game that relies on actual skill? I mean, there aren't even any rewards to playing Tetra Master. The moment I discovered that combined with the RNG element, I just stopped playing TM immediately. It just lacked any kind of fun for me. No sense of achievement when you (or RNG) do well, just a sense of happening to have luck swing your way on that occasion with no benefit to having luck swing your way. Just a bizarre minigame to me.
Poor BoB. Doesn't realize working around the RNG is a skill ;)
Just got the airship, btw. Which means we're almost done here
Loony BoB
01-06-2017, 11:58 AM
Working around RNG is not a skill. xD It's luck. You can increase the odds in your favour but it is still RNG. It's the same reason I grew out of playing Snakes and Ladders. Once you realise that it's just random who wins, the game becomes a lot less fun. Honestly, it's a shame, though. I'd love to have seen Triple Triad with so many cells, and certain cells blocked out. But they ruined it with randomness + no reward.
And for what it's worth, I was quite good at TM. I just got no sense of achievement from my wins whatsoever... exception: The ones you have to do in order to progress story at some point (I think?), I got the sense of "thank God I don't have to play TM anymore and can continue the story".
Except the RNG only decides direct card duels, and TM has way more aspects to it!
Loony BoB
01-06-2017, 12:45 PM
Having all these aspects doesn't make it more enjoyable to me. I mean, complexity for the hell of it doesn't always work right. I just wish they'd have done it as they did with TT - skip the RNG bit and make cards useful in the regular game, give us a reason to collect. But if you like it, power to you. xD
If you want to actually annoy me, though, look to Hot & Cold. Man, now that is a game that got me salty.
I do like Hot &a Cold. Pity I don't have time to really dig into it. I really need to finish this game ASAP now as even though I'm really enjoying it, it's starting to wear on me a bit and I really need to be done with this marathon because I really, desperately need to play something that isn't FF
Karifean
01-06-2017, 02:01 PM
Take a break, dude Xx
BUT I NEED TO GET THIS DONE
Also, do you guys think it's okay if I just stick with Dagger, Vivi and Steiner for the rest of the game?
Also, should I replace Dagger with Eiko? I like Dagger more as a character, but those extra white magic spells are nothing to sneeze at
I like Hot and Cold conceptually, what I don't like is spending a billion hours not finding a gorram Chocograph.
Fynn - I almost always end up using Zidane/Dagger/Vivi/Steiner for the entire game. They're a really strong combo, easy to use, familiar and good characters. Eiko can be useful in certain situations but it's pretty rare that you miss her. Dagger ends up with basically everything you could need anyway.
What about Full Life?
Are you planning to fight Ozma? Because if you're just doing the standard game I don't see any situation where you'd be so desperately and completely almost dead that you'd need Full Life instead of a normal phoenix down
Just made it to Memoria. IX has hands-down the best penultimate disc of all the PSOne FFs, with everything making sense within the context of the game and having the least badness of all. The You Are Not Alone scene, however, was incredibly forced. I get what they were trying to say, but it really came across as sloppily put together.
Defeated the four fiends... again...
Guess it's time to kick Kuja's butt! Hope I'm ready!
OMG I FINALLY DID IT!!!
http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/IMG_6285.jpg
It took me six or seven tries! I was about to throw in the towel!
So now it's time for X, huh...
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang, but with a whimper
Necron really is a jerk unless you have all the necessary auto abilities equipped, at which point he's an unbelievable pushover!
If you fail you have to do Kuja again as well don't you? I'm never sure how I feel about that in these games; on the one hand it's really cool as it makes the tension of the second phase that much higher. On the other... it's infuriating when you're struggling. I think on balance it's fine in, say, FFVIII where you go straight from phase to phase in one fight, but in IX you've got a long cutscene in the middle so that's not acceptable.
maybee
01-08-2017, 03:18 PM
OOOOH BOY TIME FOR FFX
https://68.media.tumblr.com/a625dbc5dfe73c495b56953629584b8e/tumblr_nriajvdfPw1qhbkd9o1_400.gif
Going with the expert grid
Like a boss :cool:
Formalhaut
01-08-2017, 06:47 PM
Going with the expert grid
Like a boss :cool:
How bold. How daring. How expert.
Guys
There are so many butts in this game
Formalhaut
01-08-2017, 09:04 PM
Guys
There are so many butts in this game
Zanarkand fashion is pretty out there, isn't it?
Not Zanarkand, though! I've seen the most of Rikku's and Kimahri's so far, so at least they're keeping it equal l-opportunity!
FFNut
01-08-2017, 09:24 PM
I really liked the sphere grid of X. It had me think on how I wished to build each one, however I can see how it would make them all feel the same. Plus X has Blitz Ball! I know you're not a fan of X. Hope it isn't pure torture for you.
OK, just about to reach Kilika. Had to leave for work so I had to put my Vita to sleep right after beating that big fin thing. So far, while I'm still not a fan of the whole "you must use X character against Y enemy" because I feel the game really doesn't utilize this mechanic well, I quite like the fact that battles go by fast. The Expert Sphere Grid actually makes me think about how I should develop my characters, which is pretty cool.
The story actually starts out pretty strongly - it's the later, more ham-fisted segments that I take issue with - though the lack of voice direction is apparent from the start. I still think all the main voice actors are actually really good on their own, but you can tell they're not really told what to do and everyone sounds like they came from a different show. I actually like JAT as Tidus (and yes, that's TEE-dus :colbert:). As I insinuated earlier, the camera work is incredibly clumsy. I have no idea whether all the butt shots are intentional fanservice, or just total ineptitude on the part of the developers who never how to think about how a movie-like scene is meant to play out. That said, the CGI cutscenes are nicely directed and have aged fairly well. In general, the HD graphics look really good on the Vita.
I am so glad the music got redone. With the new arrangement, the absolute worst battle theme in the history of JRPGs may still be the absolute worst battle theme in the history of JRPGs, but at least it's much more bearable with a lot more "oomph" to it. Other than that, I like that it's an actual piano playing the Zanarkand theme this time around, and the new guitar duet for Besaid village is very welcome.
Btw, can anyone tell me what exactly differentiates Energy Blast and Energy Ray? Valefor is the only aeon to have two overdrives and so far they seem to be mechanically identical? What?
Also, hello there, mini-map! It's fun that you decided to appear now, in the game that probably needs you the least (well, apart from XIII, I guess, but that game had one AS WELL!). Where were you when I neede you the most? Like in FFIII? Hm?
maybee
01-09-2017, 02:22 PM
Energy Blast gives you a chance to hit the monster again from memory. You're making me want to replay this game and do the Expert Sphere Grid- even though I'm European and had the Expert Grid from the beginning, never done it. Always felt like I was awful at games, and would screw it up.
Karifean
01-09-2017, 04:19 PM
Energy Ray is faster but weaker, while Energy Blast is slower but I think tied for the strongest single-hit aeon overdrive in the game (if only Valefor had the Strength to back it up).
Found the kid that wants to be a blitz ball!
Reach for the stars, kiddo
Just lost the blitzball tournament
The lousiest, most frustrating piece of trout mini game I've ever had the displeasure of playing. Good thing I'm never touching that again. And I don't care that Wakka won't have his celestial weapon. He can bite my shiny metal ass.
I really like Blitzball - probably my favourite mini-game in the series - but I strongly dislike the forced Blitzball match. I hate how long it takes for everything to happen because you're being interrupted by cutscenes and events every 5 seconds.
To me, X has the single worst selection of mini games in the entire series. I miss Tetra Master.
To me, X has the single worst selection of mini games in the entire series. I miss Tetra Master.
What else has it got? Lightning dodging... yeah that's pretty terrible. Chocobo race... I hate that more than anything in the universe.
Here's a thing that happened to me one playthrough - I may have told this story before. I was trying to get the item I needed for Tidus's celestial weapon, so I had to hit the 0:00.0 time on the Chocobo race. Fair enough. So I suffer through it for god knows how many attempts until finally, success! 0:00.0! And I got a smurfing Turbo Ether for my trouble.
Whoever used a < instead of <= in their code, or checked their floating point to an extra point of precision... they are my nemesis for life.
What else does it have mini-games wise... Cloister of Trials? Yeah, hate that. Monster arena... I liked at first but became horrendously tedious.
I think I'll agree with you on everything but the Blitzball.
I actually like the trials
The rest can die in a fire and Blitzball is just... I have no words.
Okay. Real talk.
How in the heck did the blitz season just start, Wakka? We just took part in championship finals.Last time I checked, that's how you end a season!
Formalhaut
01-10-2017, 09:00 PM
I think it was a tournament to open the season. Kinda in reverse, I guess. I think the tournament you're forced to play is some special one to celebrate Yu Yevon or something. I don't know, it's been ages for me, roll with it :p
FFX has the worst set of mini-games ever. It is sooooo bad. I repeated that forced game like four times to win the cup. And those cutscenes, gosh, I don't think you could skip them either. That took a damn long time.
I think it's more like, they needed it to be finals to build tension, but they needed it to be the beginning of the season to let players play blitzball during the game. It didn't occur to them that you can't both have your cake and eat it :roll2
Karifean
01-10-2017, 09:40 PM
To be fair, Blitzball Tournaments are like literally all the damn time during the season. Not that that excuses the lousy writing, mind you =P
Yeah, I'm OK with that aspect of it. Football does the same thing; you have a main championship that runs every week for months and months, plus some tournaments on the side. Having a season opening mega-tournament before the championship proper gets underway seems a perfectly reasonable thing for a sport to do.
What is NOT reasonable is when Wakka walks in and says "Alright boys, we've been seeded! Two wins, and we're the champions!" The Besaid Aurochs - who have never won a game ever and presumably only qualify for this tournament because there are literally only like... 8 populated areas in Spira - got seeded. Go. to. hell.
Just did the operation Mi'ihen thing. I don't know why, but this part always felt super boring. Partly because Mushroom Rock Road is just so incredibly bland in terms of presentation, and partly because I can't be made to care about the Crusaders storyline no matter how much the game tries to make me.
Something I don't get - they said on more than one occasion that the Crusaders have been rejected by Yevon (Seymour himself confirms it, saying that though their and the Al Bhed's mission is against the teachings of Yevon but they long for the same peace as Yevonites so it's okay), but the game also says the Crusaders have been called that since they've been taken under Yevon's wing, and Kinoc is explicitly stated to be one of the four Maesters who is in charge of the Crusaders.
This is a huge discrepancy. Of course, you could explain it away that this operation is only conducted by a specific group of Crusaders that have decided to use Machina to defeat Sin, but not authorized by the church of Yevon. But Kinoc is there and it looks like it's pretty much an operation that has been prepared by the higher-ups - so Maester Kinoc. Also, Wakka hates the Crusaders because apparently they've rejected Yevon's teachings (and then there's the fact that his brother was one and died), but this doesn't make sense since the Crusaders are a part of the Yevon church and are run by Kinoc!
Who in the hell wrote this shit!
At this point, it seems like the most logical thing would be to just create a subsidiary of the church that can go against the teachings should the Maester in charge deem it a necessity to make things better (which is still a farce since Kinoc has pretty explicitly stated he's doing it to give people a false sense of hope). So if this has been verified by the church - to the point that, again, they have a Maester run a whole thing - HOW IN THE HELL HAVE THE CRUSADERS BEEN REJECTED BY YEVON?!
That's why this whole subplot was pointless. Sure, we needed to see how undefeatable Sin is, how much destruction it causes and that Tidus can feel Jecht, as well as hinting at the corruption of the Yevon clergy, but there's plenty of scenes later on and earlier that drive that point home anyway. This, coupled with the fact that the bland environment here is so padded out, makes it easily the least interesting part of the game for me so far. The death of the Crusaders ultimately rings hollow to me because it seems like the writers had no idea what to do with them in the first place and failed to make me interested in any one of the characters from this faction - even though this had huge potential, considering Chappu and stuff.
Have I mentioned that I love Kimahri? Because I do. The moment we hear him speak for the first time is so heartwarming because you can tell he cares a lot about Yuma and this whole thing and in general has a heart of gold even if he doesn't use lots of words to express it. And then there's his "Pick spot. Shut up. Wait." which is just perfect.
Too bad he's really hard to make useful. I really wish he had his own section of the Sphere Grid...
Loony BoB
01-13-2017, 12:49 PM
Agree that Kimahri is great. I agree and disagree with Blitzball. I honestly don't know if I love it or hate it. xD
Definitely agree with Fox regarding the other minigames though. Horrid. Especially chocobo racing, or whatever the hell they call that thing.
Sidenote: For anyone who likes Lulu, or just the general backstory of FFX, I encourage you to check out Guardian (http://dippywerewolf.deviantart.com/gallery/38222634/Guardian), a comic which seems rather true to the story. It covers the journey of Lulu and I found it to be really well done so far. The first 90 pages are all what I'd consider to be pre-Tidus, so pre-FFX.
Psychotic
01-13-2017, 04:52 PM
Kimahri is as good of a character storywise as he is in combat. Uncharismatic and uninteresting. Sorry!
You just can't appreciate the charm of a stoic, Psy ;)
I get it, though. Not everyone has the capacity to appreciate a good stoic.
Pumpkin
01-13-2017, 07:26 PM
I love Kimahri :flirt:
I love Kimahri :flirt:
See? Pumpkin here knows a good stoic when she sees one
Okay. Here comes the stupid.
Why the HELL did Yuna think agreeing to marry Seymour - and not telling anyone the reasons for it - was the best way to go about exposing him?
Is she a fucking idiot? She's a fucking idiot, isn't she?
Anyway, beat Spherimorph so I decided to backtrack and get all the Jecht spheres. Now these are actually pretty cool as they remind me of the Laguna plot line from VIII.
Yeah. I'm a Yuna fan overall, but that was unbelievably dumb.
But... but... I didn't want to get you involved!
THEY'RE YOUR GUARDIANS. They are obligated to get involved! Baka Yuna.
FFNut
01-14-2017, 10:23 PM
I always wondered that too. Kimhari would follow her to the end of Spira and back without letting her break a nail yet won't even tell him her reason.
maybee
01-15-2017, 06:48 AM
You have to remember though that once you become a "traitor " in Spira, everybody despises you and Yevon wants you dead. Yuna loves her guardians and didn't want that to happen to them- she was willing to sacrifice herself and not have Tidus and the rest have to deal with anything if she messes up. Yuna didn't want to marry Seymour, maybe at the beginning for the " greater good for Spira " but then she finds out the truth and doesn't want her friends to become a traitor with her if she ever had to battle Seymour.
Also drama for Tidus/ Yuna shippers :monster:
Yeah. Basically the whole wedding plot line is so evidently just there to make the player (through Tidus) feel threatened. I really can't see any real reason behind that - aside from the bullshit he's saying it's for - for Seymour to want to marry Yuna. It really doesn't feel like he has any real plan, when you think about it. How did this guy become Maester when all he really wants to do is kill everyone to end their... suffering... good God this is dumb. This is pretty much the worst thing about Toriyama's writing, and I swear it appears in all his FFs.
Also, while that may be true, maybee, the fact that she didn't think about consulting any of her guardians about it beforehand is incredibly stupid. Had she done it, her plan might actually have succeeded and everyone around might have at least understood and not intervened - or even helped! - so the plan would have worked.
That said, her reason for getting married is incredibly contrived and flimsy and this is pretty much where this game jumped the shark for me :p
Formalhaut
01-15-2017, 02:35 PM
Just did the operation Mi'ihen thing. I don't know why, but this part always felt super boring. Partly because Mushroom Rock Road is just so incredibly bland in terms of presentation, and partly because I can't be made to care about the Crusaders storyline no matter how much the game tries to make me.
Something I don't get - they said on more than one occasion that the Crusaders have been rejected by Yevon (Seymour himself confirms it, saying that though their and the Al Bhed's mission is against the teachings of Yevon but they long for the same peace as Yevonites so it's okay), but the game also says the Crusaders have been called that since they've been taken under Yevon's wing, and Kinoc is explicitly stated to be one of the four Maesters who is in charge of the Crusaders.
This is a huge discrepancy. Of course, you could explain it away that this operation is only conducted by a specific group of Crusaders that have decided to use Machina to defeat Sin, but not authorized by the church of Yevon. But Kinoc is there and it looks like it's pretty much an operation that has been prepared by the higher-ups - so Maester Kinoc. Also, Wakka hates the Crusaders because apparently they've rejected Yevon's teachings (and then there's the fact that his brother was one and died), but this doesn't make sense since the Crusaders are a part of the Yevon church and are run by Kinoc!
I think the entire Mushroom Rock Road business is to so just how hypocritical Yevon is. It's pretty much lampshaded by Seymour when he goes "just pretend you didn't see them". I agree though: I find the entire Mushroom Rock Road segment to be a chore to get through. You go through the nice Mi'hen Highroad with Auron, beat up a Chocobo Eater and so on, then you encounter a dreary, bleak and grey rock formation. With a fairly mediocre plot as well. Probably my least favourite part of the game. Maybe that and some of the stuff at Seymour's mansion.
Have I mentioned that I love Kimahri? Because I do. The moment we hear him speak for the first time is so heartwarming because you can tell he cares a lot about Yuma and this whole thing and in general has a heart of gold even if he doesn't use lots of words to express it. And then there's his "Pick spot. Shut up. Wait." which is just perfect.
Too bad he's really hard to make useful. I really wish he had his own section of the Sphere Grid...I made Kimahri useful by giving him steal. Having two thieves really bolsters your coffers in the long-run. It makes his spear strikes incredibly weak though, but then again, I've got enough heavy-hitters in Auron, Tidus, Wakka, Lulu (magic), etc. After picking up the highlights from Rikku's grid, I tend to give him a return sphere and go on a more standard path, going down either Wakka or Auron's trees. I agree he's the hardest to make fit out of your group.
I'm making him a paladin of sorts. Down Auron's path with some white magic
And there it is... everyone and their mother is an unsent. Since death is just something you shrug off in this world if you're driven enough, it really makes you wonder why Sin is such a tragedy...
This just keeps getting better and better :roll2
Psychotic
01-15-2017, 07:13 PM
You just can't appreciate the charm of a stoic, Psy ;)
I get it, though. Not everyone has the capacity to appreciate a good stoic.I appreciate Auron :colbert:
Key word: good ;)
Also, so far in this marathon FFX is the game where the equipment matters the least. Kind of a shame, especially to what came just before and just after.
Psychotic
01-15-2017, 10:30 PM
Oh, okay, I get what's going on. Right, stand still, I'm going to have to punch you in the face. No no, don't worry, I'm told it's a very reliable cure to the Confuse status effect.
Key word: good ;)
Also, so far in this marathon FFX is the game where the equipment matters the least. Kind of a shame, especially to what came just before and just after.
Also considering they built a whole system around it. Rikku allows you to build new equipment, but almost none of it is worth a damn. I think my weapons for Tidus went something like: Starter Sword, Brotherhood, Celestial Weapon.
Oh, okay, I get what's going on. Right, stand still, I'm going to have to punch you in the face. No no, don't worry, I'm told it's a very reliable cure to the Confuse status effect.
When you think about it, Auron isn't really a stoic. He isn't really a quiet, stable, reliable figure - everyone says that things have gotten complicated since he joined. He also tends to get very emotional in certain situations, really hamming it up in the second battle against Seymour, for example.
Don't get me wrong, I like Auron. I just don't think he fits the archetype half as well as Kimahri. And while Auron can be kind of a dick sometimes, Kimahri's got a really sweet, soft center.
Since I'm sick and have three days of paid leave, I have enough time to really sink my teeth into X. In short, I caved. I'm playing blitzball and have attack reels already. I'll do my best to get everyone's Celestial weapons.
Karifean
01-16-2017, 05:20 PM
Well have fun with that. I hope you're good at Chocobo Racing. Remember, have love~ :love:
Also there... really aren't that many unsent just wandering around. The ones that are are people with a very strong sense of responsibility (like Belgemine, Auron, Mika and Yunalesca) or ambition (Seymour). Everyone else pretty much just loses themselves after they die.
Appreciate my glorious hyperboles.
Formalhaut
01-16-2017, 07:25 PM
You are describing like a good chunk of the main cast, though!
Ugh, chocobo racing. THE WORST.
Know the face of true despair
http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/IMG_6292.jpg
Karifean
01-16-2017, 08:11 PM
Upupupupupu
You'd think I should know that it's the birds I should be dodging, not the balloons
Apparently my hands have something different to say about that
And all the while that swing drum carries on, relentlessly, singing a requiem to all my pride and dignity
Karifean
01-16-2017, 08:27 PM
*shrug* I guess I'll keep being that one guy who actually looks forward to doing the chocobo race every playthrough.
I DID IT!!!
That was actually relatively swift and painless
Know the face of true despair
http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/IMG_6292.jpg
HAH
You think you know pain
You have not scratched the surface
Skyblade
01-17-2017, 05:48 AM
I DID IT!!!
That was actually relatively swift and painless
There's a little bit of adapating to what you need to do, and a fair amount of RNG, but I never thought this one was among the hardest.
Butterfly catcher is harder (until you learn to navigate entirely via the minimap).
Lightning Dodger is complete BS. I did it legitimately, once. Most recent time I just built a key macro on my computer (yay, Steam). No reason to torture myself that way again.
Oh, it wasn't hard. It was just incredibly unfair and random.
Huh
Beat Yunalesca on my first try. Didn't think learning Holy would make that much of a difference.
Huh
Beat Yunalesca on my first try. Didn't think learning Holy would make that much of a difference.
Well done! She has some nasty, cheap moves in there. Along with Evrae probably one of the more satisfying bosses to dispatch
Wouldn't say either of them was particularly satisfying tbh
Got the jupiter Sigil!
Two celestial weapons down, five to go.
Skyblade
01-18-2017, 10:21 AM
Got the jupiter Sigil!
Two celestial weapons down, five to go.
Some of them are a lot easier than others. Let's see when you get to the fun ones. :)
Yuna and Auron've got theirs already. The worst part about them was that they were a bit time-consuming.
Gonna do Kimahri next.
Psychotic
01-18-2017, 01:32 PM
Kimahri is the only one I could never get. Good luck.
It was actually ridiculously easy to get. Got it on my first try.
Got the Venus Sigil. Once I found a spot where lightning always struck, it was just a matter of patience.
Seriously, neither lightning dodging or butterfly catching are as bad as chocobo racing or blitzball, since they lack the randomness and the sheer tedium.
Now, on to Rikku's weapon. The last one.
Karifean
01-18-2017, 03:00 PM
Eh, the randomness factor in Chocobo Racing is way overemphasized by critics.
It's not that I'm trying to be mean here. It's just that in that game I was the closest to completely losing my mind out of shear frustration.
And I got them all
Time to end this
Karifean
01-18-2017, 03:52 PM
I know the game has that effect on people and I'm not trying to deny that, but the criticism I hear so often, that the birds are random, is just not true.
Pumpkin
01-18-2017, 04:15 PM
How dare you insult Lady Yuna :mad2:
And it's done. The marathon is over.
http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o509/Paplyk/IMG_6307.jpg
It's late now, so I can't go into detail yet. But I'll have some detailed thoughts on X and the whole marathon tomorrow, so stay tuned!
Karifean
01-18-2017, 09:32 PM
Congrats!
Of course TZA is the one true way to end this marathon, but you're excused on that one... for now =P
Sigh... I wish :/ And yet here I am. Still no PS4. Although I'm hoping TZA will at least get a Steam release somewhere in the near future!
We can do a revival of this marathon then, eh? :D
Formalhaut
01-18-2017, 09:37 PM
Congrats!
Of course TZA is the one true way to end this marathon, but you're excused on that one... for now =PWell, it isn't really out yet. I'd definitely love to see a FFXII LP at some point!
EDIT: Now that you're done... has your top ten ranking of the FFs 1 - 10 changed? Has any of these games moved up or down in your estimations?
In any case, not a moment too soon. I got DQVIII on pre-order so I should have it on Friday :D
Karifean
01-18-2017, 10:13 PM
Now that you're done... has your top ten ranking of the FFs 1 - 10 changed? Has any of these games moved up or down in your estimations?
Since you might have missed that edit.
Okay, starting off with some thought on X:
-Overall, I'd say I enjoyed it. I'm a bit more forgiving towards it now, but it still doesn't change the fact that I think it's the weakest game I've played in this marathon.
Some good stuff:
-I liked the battles for the most part. Manipulating turn order is an interesting concept that can make for very satisfying battles if executed well.
-The music is nice for the most part, mainly thanks to the input of Hamauzu, though some of Uematsu's and Nakano's tracks are very nice as well. I don't think there was ever really an FF with poor music, so that's pretty much a given.
-I also like some of the story themes going on, and though the execution leaves a lot to be desired, IMO, I feel the story comes from a sincere place and it appears to have genuinely touched a lot of people. Had it been handled differently, perhaps I'd be as enthusiastic about it as so many other people.
-I mostly enjoyed the party and their interactions. Like I said earlier, despite the glaring lack of voice direction, the individual voices are actually pretty good and help convey what the characters are like very well.
BUUUUUT
-While battles are interesting on paper, the system is anything but balanced. Having just four elements and having them plastered all over (not to mention the really stupid thing where fire is good against ice BUT ALSO vice versa) takes away the depth of the system and you're basically left with "switch in X character to win"
-I cannot understand why people love the sphere grid so much. Sure, it lets you customize your characters freely, but it's insanely cumbersome compared to a regular leveling system. And then there's the fact that most of the sphere grid is tiny, negligible changes, but the rest is insanely broken and not even that hard to access (e.g. Holy, Full Break). And then there's the fact that Kimahri is pretty much screwed from the getgo - it took me a lot of early effort to make him useful from the start, though it did pay off in the end.
-Whoever thought this format of chocobo racing was a good idea needs to be hanged by the balls from a bridge. Same goes for the guy who thought expecting the player to play fifty blitzball matches was reasonable.
-Hands-down, the worst dungeon design in the whole marathon. Still not as bad as XIII's "keep holding the analog stick down for forty and hope something interesting happens soon", but the simplistic nature of the areas is not compelling in the slightest. My wife started FFIII while I was playing X, and let me tell you, that game's first dungeon was more complex than X's final dungeon. And that is saying a lot.
-Uematsu should be lynched for that battle theme. I get it, man. I know you were burnt out after composing for IX - one of your finest work, tbh, and it's no wonder you had little energy left for this game. But you had two more perfectly good composers. Either of them would have done a better job than you. Because that battle theme is the worst thing. Probably even worse than the original PS1 Persona battle theme even though it's not as actively ear-assultingly bad. I'm sorry to say this, since I've admired you for your work for so long, but this travesty is honestly one of the bigger contributing factors why I don't like this game too much.
-As I mentioned before, the story is tragic and touching on paper, but the execution is very, very flawed. The thing about stories like this is that usually less is more. The less the characters would keep talking about their feelings and oh how hard it is to be a summoner/have a bad dad/have to be on this journey and see death constantly. Aside from maybe two cutscenes and the characters constantly talking about it, the game doesn't really take its time to show you how horrifying this reality is and why the summoners think it's worth it to bring the Calm. Just looking at the game, you'd think it's just a nice little story taking place in a tropical paradise - visual storytelling is a thing and it's a thing that I think X fails at. Add to that the fact that there's enough unsent to make up a soccer team (in a game where you have seven party members and the number of plot-relevant characters that aren't in the party isn't even that much), and the whole tragedy of death - or should I use the game's insanely pretentious terminology and call it a "spiral of death" - ends up ringing completely hollow.
-This brings me to absolutely the worst part of the story - Seymour. I don't care that he has the worst voice, looks like he has a can opener on his head, or that his robes seemingly give him a beer belly. Seymour is terrible not only because he has no place in this plot, but he actively makes it worse just by existing. I can see exactly what they wanted to achieve with him - a creepy dude with mommy issues who wants to become one with this force that is integral to the world. But while it worked with Sephiroth because he was at the center of FFVII from the very start even before you knew about himm, Seymour fails because the main story would be completely unchanged without him. And yes, him being there makes it worse. He's there to build tension regarding Tidus and Yuna's relationship with that whole wedding bullshit, but Tidus and Yuna already have conflict - they're falling in love even though in the end one of them will be gone. Same with how he wants to merge with Sin - it adds nothing to the plot, which is that Sin is a huge threat anyway and you would want to rid Spira of it regardless of his input, so it's really hard to focus on how Sin is such a terrible force of nature that fucks up people's lives when the game is also trying to put a human face on it -- oh wait, we already had that too with Jecht! And we don't need another corrupt Yevon official - Mika and Kinoc are already there and are scummy enough for us to mistrust the institution. I have a feeling - and I am actually certain about it with regards to the romance plot - that the story could have had more focus and worked more effectively had he not been there. It's really enough that Tidus doesn't know that Yuna is going to die and that she's letting herself fall in love even though she knows it's not meant to be - that alone is far more gut-wrenching on its own than with a forced marriage plot and having Yuna behave like the biggest idiot on the planet.
In the end, I don't actively hate this game. My main problem is that this game follows some sensibilities that I really do not enjoy. And with X being so popular, you can see why this has caused problems in the future. People who loved X (and there were many) were very conflicted about XII - which is a game that actually really speaks to me on so many levels and I can't wait to play it again once TZA comes out - so then when XIII came out it followed X's sensibilities and exaggerated them even further, making for a game that I found no enjoyment in. I just find it sad that X was big enough to make such an impact on a series that I thought could be going a different, more interesting direction.
Thoughts on the marathon as a whole coming in a few minutes.
I am very happy I managed to fulfil my goal with this marathon. Sure, I had breaks in the meantime, but I still managed to play these FFs in order, which is something that I'd been planning on since forever. On the one hand, it was cool to experience all these games again - some only for the second time, while others for the third, fourth or fifth), but at the same time, I'm kind of glad I have this behind me and can give all those FFs I just played a rest for a good couple of years :D
Thanks to everyone who has been following me and supporting me throughout. This wasn't really a Let's Play and not a lot of interesting stuff really happened, but you guys stuck around and offered advice. And I'm very glad that happened ;)
Now that you're done... has your top ten ranking of the FFs 1 - 10 changed? Has any of these games moved up or down in your estimations?
Ugh... Hate questions like these. I have no top ten ranking. Ranking things is pointless because this stuff constantly changes depending on mood and other factors. Whatever lists I made in the past are irrelevant at this point regardless of the marathon because these things are constantly fluctuating and I'm not gonna go ahead and limit myself by introducing a list that will dictate what I am allowed to say my favorite FFs are :p
What I can tell you, however, was whether my enjoyment of specific games in the series has remained the same, decreased, or increased from when I last played them!
FFI - unchanged
Despite being able to choose a different party at the start, I don't think there's a lot of replay value in this game. It's short and you can breeze through it, which is probably why I played it so many times. Nothing struck me as better or worse than I remember, though.
FFII - unchanged
What I said about I pretty much applies here as well, except instead of jobs say weapons and spells. Seriously underappreciated little gem. It still has one of the best overworld themes in the series, IMO.
FFIII - increased exponentially
I never imagined picking the Geomancer could be such a game changer! Seeing all those spells take thousands of damage by the game's mid-point is so satisfying.
FFIV - increased
Another game I've played many times, but this is the first time I've noticed how perfectly paced it is. I still think it has the best-constructed story in the series, even if the plot itself is not that interesting by today's standards.
FFV - unchanged
Still the same funny romp with jobs and excellent music as it always has been. FFV is pretty damn timeless.
FFVI - unchanged
It's still the same tale of epic proportions, though I will admit that I've played it way too soon after the last time for it to not feel repetitive.
FFVII - decreased
How could I forget how bad Disc 2 was? I was honestly baffled by how sloppy this game was since in my memory it was one of the greats. Seeing how bad that second disc was made me have this tiny crisis that made me wonder if it was even worth it to continue the marathon. But I persevered. I honestly blame the horrible translation for tarnishing my experience as well.
FFVIII - increased
I forgot how cool the junction system is, how strong the main cast was, and how much more cohesive the narrative was from VII. So glad this game happened.
FFIX - unchanged
FFIX is still as great as ever. An incredibly charming game that deals with some heavy themes while still having tons of stuff to do. A perfect end to an era.
FFX - increased
While I still don't like the fact that X's popularity overshadows so many games that deserve to be remembered better, X was nevertheless a bit more fun to play than the last time I tried the HD remaster. Still wish they'd edited Seymour out for this version, though :p
FFNut
01-19-2017, 10:20 AM
Your assessment of X is fair, I for one enjoy X but I am a massive fan of playing Blitz. "1, 2, 3... TEACH US HOW TO BLITZ"
I still don't get the battle theme hate. I love it. Love love love it. Is it my favourite battle theme of the series? Not sure... but it's definitely up there with VII and VIII's
It's just agonizingly slow and insanely disjointed. Like Uematsu was just throwing out all the unused ideas he had for previous battle themes.
Maybe to you it's no big deal, but for around two years in music school we've had a whole class devoted to musical piece analysis. And seeing how bad this theme and having to endure it every five minutes was smurfing painful :grumble:
Speaking of, I think ranking regular battle themes will be much easier!
1. FFVI
2. FFVIII
4. FFVII (tbh, this is only this high because of that one part; you know the one)
5. FFIV
6. FFV
7. FFII
8. FFIII
9. FFIX
10. FFX
I don't really feel strongly about the top three, but I do about the bottom three. Uematsu can't really do slow battle themes. But at least IX and III (ESPECIALLY III) make up for it with excellent boss themes. X... not so much.
Karifean
01-19-2017, 03:19 PM
Heh, VI would probably be near the bottom of my list. Actually let's try this...
#1 VII
#2 VIII
#3 IX
#4 X
#5 XIII
#6 V
#7 IV
#8 I
#9 X-2
#10 VI
X-2 wasn't even part of the marathon, you ninny!
And you are dead to me. And not because you put VI at the bottom, since the top of my list was pretty arbitrary. But X at number 4 is just blasphemous. You dare come disrespect me in my home, on the day of my daughter's wedding.
Of course, if I were to make a list of all the regular battle themes in the series, XIII would win, but I'm going just by marathon games :p
Regular boss themes are next!
1. FFIII (ESPECIALLY that B-part! It's understated and yet so epic because of it and with the buildup before! Brilliant!)
2. FFII (yes, the weird vaguely Middle-Eastern sounding one. It's so good.)
3. FFV
4. FFVIII
5. FFIX
6. FFVII
7. FFVI
8. FFIV
9. FFI
10. FFX
Karifean
01-19-2017, 03:27 PM
Oh, well, I don't really feel like I can properly judge the II and III themes since I haven't heard them in action =P
But X at #4 is perfectly justifiable. It's catchy as hell. I do kinda wish it didn't play during monster arena and superboss shenanigans to separate those from regular goons a bit, but eh, that's a problem with sound direction, not the music itself.
IT IS PUKE-INDUCING! HOW CAN SOMETHING SO IRREDEEMABLY BAD AND OFFENSIVE BE A 4!!!
Also, just found out people are actually hating on the remastered soundtrack? Where I found it a vast improvement over the original in every way? Whaaat?
on another note, apparently there's a Japan-only (thank God) tie-in novel creatively titled Final Fantasy X-2.5 and in it Tidus kicks a bomb because he thinks it's a Blitzball and gets blown to pieces and only Yuna can bring him back because she had sex with him
i died
Shauna
01-19-2017, 03:52 PM
yeah that's old news, get with the times
And apparently Nojima said in an interview that that was actually fanfiction that he accidentally submitted to SE and they okayed it WHAAAAAAAT!!!!!! :lol:
Karifean
01-19-2017, 04:19 PM
Stop getting caught up in the bullshit fan speculations of old times xD
But it's hilarious
It seems SE have even less respect for their story than I do XD
Skyblade
01-19-2017, 06:19 PM
I wholly agree on Seymour. He is, easily, my least favorite part of the entire game. None of the story involving him makes sense, he has no role in the grand plot at all, is a terrible character, is a bad idea executed poorly, and basically just reduces the quality of the entire game.
Of course, if I were to make a list of all the regular battle themes in the series, XIII would win, but I'm going just by marathon games :p
Geez you gotta be kidding me... good thing we're only going by your marathon games :lol:
You got something against Blinded By Light? XIII was trash in every regard except music, and Blinded by Light is just amazing.
You got something against Blinded By Light? XIII was trash in every regard except music, and Blinded by Light is just amazing.
Against it? Not at all! It's the highlight of the XIII soundtrack as well. But it's not up there with VII/VIII/X battle themes. It's got that really catchy melody, but then seems to get to the halfway point of the piece and say "so... uh... what should I do now? I KNOW!" *repeats prematurely*
Considering you say X's is "up there", I can clearly see we'll never see eye to eye on this matter :p
Or on any other matter. Ever. :stare:
Or on any other matter. Ever. :stare:
This we can agree on! :jess:
...wait :eyebrow:
Skyblade
01-20-2017, 04:54 AM
You got something against Blinded By Light? XIII was trash in every regard except music, and Blinded by Light is just amazing.
What good songs did it have besides Blinded by Light? The only ones which come to mind are slower or faster versions of that same song.
There are a lot. Dust to Dust, Serah's theme and all its variations (especially the Godly Archylte Steppe theme), the Nautilus theme, and many others. Whether you'll contest its memorability or not, I think Hamauzu is an amazing composer with a distinct, impressionistic style that I love.
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