View Full Version : A Full Final Fantasy Fmarathon (Community Edition)
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It seems like it's exciting to be an FF fan again. FFVII Remake, regardless of how controversial it was, has definitely reinvigorated the community we have here, as traffic really hasn't slowed down to the point it was before ever since the release. And now, after several dozen years of stewing in Fabula Nova Crystallis games (and knowing the VII remake was coming), we can finally leave that moment of series history behind with the announcement of an - apparently pretty far into development - FFXVI.
But do you know what has changed about FF for me personally in recent times? I've finally been able to play FFXV. As many of you have been made aware through my gushing over here and on Discord, I absolutely loved every minute of the game. To the point that it made me realize how much I love this series that I'd become slightly disillusioned with in recent years. Even though it's been a while since I've beaten it, the feeling lingers, so I've decided to do an FF marathon to really get some happy hormones out of that!
"But Fynn," you might say, "you've only just had an FF marathon not that long ago!" While that may be true (but it isn't, since it feels like long ago, to me), there are a couple of things that I feel I need to do differently this time!
First of all, the last time I was a bit limited in what games I could play at that moment, so I only played the mainline games from I to X. Now that I have them accessible on platforms I have on hand, I can play pretty much every single game that's come out at this point.
Second of all, I want to see all the stuff I've missed. Last time I kinda rushed the marathon in order to just get the games over with, but this time, I will be making my sweet time and doing all of the available optional content (with a few exceptions - see list later, plus I can decide later if I want to just move on or not), while also incorporating all the games I haven't had the oppotrunity to play yet - so yes, that includes the XIII sequels, as well as the MMO titles! Exciting! Oh yeah, on that note - I'll be playing most of the sequels to the main games as well, as well as one game that's not technically a numbered game, but I want to count it for reasons.
Third of all, and most importantly, I'd like this time to be more of a community experience. That means that, if you have the time, I would like to invite any and all of you to do this with me! Now, you don't need to do all of the games that I list, and you don't even need to do it in the same order. But if this thread inspires you to replay any FF in any number, get in the thread and let's exchange experiences! If the last marathon has taught me anything, it's that your opinion on an FF can change drastically if you replay it years later. You might just notice some things you've never noticed before - and that's kinda neat if you ask me!
I feel this community aspect would be the most interesting while playing the MMOs, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there I guess!
So, without further ado, my personal FF marathon list is as follows:
Final Fantasy (PSP)
Final Fantasy II (PSP)
Final Fantasy III (NES)
Final Fantasy IV (PSP)
Final Fantasy IV -Interlude- (PSP)
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (PSP)
Final Fantasy V (GBA)
Final Fantasy VI (GBA)
Final Fantasy VII (PC)
Final Fantasy VIII (PC*)
Final Fantasy IX (PC*)
Final Fantasy X (Vita)
Final Fantasy X-2** (Vita)
Final Fantasy XI*** (PC)
Final Fantasy XII (PC)
Final Fantasy XIII (PC)
Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PC)
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII*** (PC)
Final Fantasy XIV*** (PC)
Final Fantasy Type-0** (PC)
Final Fantasy XV
Yes, I'm playing IV on PSP this time despite the DS version being the best. That's really because 1) I'm in the mood for the Lunar Ruins and 2) snce I'm doing the sequels, I want to keep things consistent. What do those asterisks mean? It's no big deal, really.
*For FFVIII and IX I plan to play them on Steam, as I want the Remaster and Moguri Mod versions respectively, since I'm not too happy with the PSN versions, but I don't know if I'll be able to get them in time - if that happens to be the case I'll just be switching to the PSN versions.
**X-2 and Type-0 are games where I'll be doing New Game+. For X-2 it's because I 100%ed it fairly recently, and I honestly think it's a much crappier game than many people think, so I'll be attempting to blaze through it. For Type-0, I am obviously doing NG+ so I can get the rest of the story.
***I don't own XI and Lightning Returns, and I'll have to buy Shadowbringers to get the full current XIV story experience. So I'll need to wait for sales to get those, as is the case with VIII and IX. With the MMOs, an additional note I'd like to make is that I'll be trying to focus on plot there - if I apply my philosophy of doing all optional stuff there I'll be here for a decade.
There are three other game's I've been considering adding, but there are a few issues. Crisis Core is the most palatable of the Compilation of FFVII, but I wouldn't really know when to play it, plus I worry I'd just burn out on it. FFXII: Revenant Wings is a Toriyama game, which is an automatic yuck, but it's also just really different in terms of gameplay from anything else in the series. And then there's Final Fantasy Dimensions, which is a neat little throwback to the older titles, but somehow no place on the list feels like it's appropriate for it. I'd also happily add World of FF to my list, but I don't know where to add it, again, plus I just plain haven't bought it yet.
So with all that out of the way, time to jump into FFI! The warrior Leo, white mage Clara and black mage Dmitri are all back from my previous game, but this time they're joined by the Monk Kiba! Since I'll be braving the Soul of Chaos and Chronodia dungeons this time, I figured I'd need the raw extra damage.
Now whether you're joining me or not, let me know in the thread: what's your most memorable FFI moment? What's your favorite party setup? When did you first play FFI?
maybee
09-26-2020, 02:48 AM
A marathon ! Sounds fun ! :jess:
Ok, so last time I only had a little bit of time to play but I still managed to reach Pravoka and beat up Bikke. So I’ll be going to Melmond soon, I guess, but not until I buy all the level2 spells - which will take a while since everything here is privy. It is legit funny to me how the monk is much more better off naked now since all any armor does is lower his evasion. But it still looks like nunchucks are better than nothing for now
Wolf Kanno
09-26-2020, 07:37 AM
My fave team is the one you're playing as. I did have a blast going through the original NES version for Operation Rainfall way back and using a team of Knight, Monk, Red Mage, and Black Mage which really changed up the way I saw the classes. I find it the most fun to play the classic FFs without a dedicated healer. The big thing I walked away from was how I saw the Black Mage class. Your instincts tell you to conserve their magic in dungeons for the boss fights, but frankly, most of the bosses have high magic defense so they do crap for damage. Instead use all those spells to clear through random battles easier and conserve your healing magic.
As for where to put some of the other games, I would throw them onto the very end for the most part. This is going to be a daunting task so no points in burning yourself out especially with mediocre fodder like Revenant Wings and Crisis Core.
Yeah, I’m wondering if I even want to put those there at all. The only ones I’d actually be happy to play are Dimensions and WoFF, and as you’ve mentioned, it makes sense to put them at the end since they’re mostly throwback titles.
I’ve noticed that about Black Mages as well! This was another reason I decided against the Red Mage: magic just isn’t that viable end-game and I’ll do much better with a more physical-oriented party. All the higher level spells are group spells so it really does make them great at clearing larger groups of enemies quickly.
Anyway, I’ve actually finally decided to try the Peninsula of Power and got the money I needed in just one battle so that was great! But then I realized that Elfheim is a thing that happens before Melmond, and that’s usually another spot I have to stop and grind for cash, so instead I’ll just take advantage of the Peninsula, just to make the early game a little smoother.
Shauna
09-26-2020, 09:55 AM
I have never actually played FFI. Is this a good time to jump in? But... I have so many other games on the go that I'm simply not playing...
It’s fine, Shauna. I’ve put some other things on the back burner for now as well. If you haven’t played it yet, this might just be the best opportunity! What version do you have available?
Shauna
09-26-2020, 11:35 AM
I can have any available version. :shifty:
Actually I think I have the Dawn of Souls cart about somewhere... Not that i have any reasonable means to actually play it. But I am pretty sure I own the PSP version on one of the many things that can play it. I'd probably boot up that one.
Either is great tbh. The PSP has the slight edge with a new dungeon, higher res graphics, and the optional bosses from future FFs actually having their respective boss themes.
Shauna
09-26-2020, 06:57 PM
So i dug around, and i do own digital copies of the PSP versions. And a PSP somewhere. But that is not my preferred way to game. I am a couch and TV sort of girl.
Anyway I got copies of the PSP version and am playing it super stretched out on my 52" TV.
I did not name the characters myself because I am lazy.
So we got Sasuun the Warrior, Arvis the Monk, Sarina the White Mage and Delila the Black Mage, off on a whirlwind adventure to fix a bridge.
Awesome, Shauna! Hope the team works out for you as it has been for me :)
Meanwhile, I’ve reached the cavern of earth. Thanks to the peninsula of power trivializing money farming, this has so far been my fastest playthrough of this game yet
Update for the day: so I got the job upgrades and have brought back one crystal, so I’ll be going after Marilith tomorrow and possibly taking on Earthgift Shrine before the water crystal? Who knows!
Wolf Kanno
09-26-2020, 10:19 PM
I feel like I'm the only person who doesn't sequence break Marilith.
maybee
09-27-2020, 03:27 AM
Can we join in this marathon too ? Might need to download FFVII, FFIX and FFXIII via Steam if we can.
Of course! This is exactly what this marathon is for!
As for the sequence breaking: idk I just like to get the prestige classes ASAP, especially when I’m doing Soul of Chaos.
qwertysaur
09-27-2020, 05:27 AM
Revenant wings is also not a good game.
I think I'll play along. Time to dust off the old PSP. :p
Yay qwerty! :D The more the merrier!
Also just for the record - anyone can play any version of any of the games that they want. I just listed my own personal list, and it should by no means be considered a standard for this marathon!
Alrighty, three crystals down, all four of the Earthgift Shrine bosses beaten! That leaves us one more crystal, three more Soul of Chaos dungeons, the new timed dungeon they added to the PSP version, and then the Temple of Chaos. If all goes well, I’ll be done with FFI today :)
Wolf Kanno’s advice has been as enlightening as always. The Monk is an absolute badass and he pretty much trivializes bosses. I’m very happy that I went with him and that I am keeping him naked at all times. Funnily enough, the Monk and Master Monk are the only job pair that got a complete redesign for the 20th anniversary version, looking nothing like the originals or the Wonderswan/PSX/GBA version. I wonder why that is. I know he monsters have been redrawn to more faithfully represent the Amano artwork, but was this the case here? Did Amano even design any of the jobs? Did Kazuka Shibuya have anything to do with the remake sprites?
JJ Strife
09-27-2020, 04:01 PM
I might join you when you get onto FF4, but I'll play the DS version because I've never played that version, even though I have the game on my 3DS.
Also, I never finished Lightning Returns, which I did want to do, just to find out how the concluded the story (if they did)
The DS version is my personal favorite, but I’ve decided against it this time just to switch things up. Keep in mind that it’s also the hardest version though, unless you really take advantage of the new augment system. I’d advise you to look up hoe to get some of the most useful ones to get by.
So I’ve reached the Flying Fortress and that’s where I’ll have to end it for this week. I’ve done two of the Soul of Chaos dungeons, went up all the way to the top floor only to be reminded just how brutal Shinryu and Omega are. I’ll need to prepare. Time to get the last crystal, then I’ll actually do Whisperwind Cove before finishing Lifespring Grotto.
So I’ll be busy a couple of days and won’t be able to play until Friday, but I’ll definitely be able to give tips and cheer on anyone posting their progress here!
Wolf Kanno
09-27-2020, 10:42 PM
The DS version is my personal favorite, but I’ve decided against it this time just to switch things up. Keep in mind that it’s also the hardest version though, unless you really take advantage of the new augment system. I’d advise you to look up hoe to get some of the most useful ones to get by.
You should play FFIII by emulator so you can play the original Famicom version Fynn. Just a thought... :shifty:
maybee
09-28-2020, 03:40 AM
Same here. Love FFIV DS the most out of the FFIV versions, but might go for a easier version for the marathon.
remy5623
09-28-2020, 05:49 AM
I'm still working my way through my first playthrough of the series, but I'm tempted to start over from the beginning just so I can join you.
At the very least, I think I'll replay the games I've already finished when you get to them - well, probably not II, since I just finished it for the first time around a week ago. It's been almost 10 years since I've played IV, though. It's well past time for a replay.
The DS version is my personal favorite, but I’ve decided against it this time just to switch things up. Keep in mind that it’s also the hardest version though, unless you really take advantage of the new augment system. I’d advise you to look up hoe to get some of the most useful ones to get by.
You should play FFIII by emulator so you can play the original Famicom version Fynn. Just a thought... :shifty:
I was thinking about that, but ultimately decided against it. I remember the horror stories D: Plus, I know the Geomancer isn’t nearly as good in that version and we can’t just have that
Wolf Kanno
09-28-2020, 07:06 AM
The DS version is my personal favorite, but I’ve decided against it this time just to switch things up. Keep in mind that it’s also the hardest version though, unless you really take advantage of the new augment system. I’d advise you to look up hoe to get some of the most useful ones to get by.
You should play FFIII by emulator so you can play the original Famicom version Fynn. Just a thought... :shifty:
I was thinking about that, but ultimately decided against it. I remember the horror stories D: Plus, I know the Geomancer isn’t nearly as good in that version and we can’t just have that
But other classes are way better in the Famicom version like the Evoker class and the two prestige classes are actually worth the trouble acquiring. Besides, playing the original versions of some of the classes will make you appreciate their better incarnations in later installments. :wcanoe:
I mean it would certainly make things more cohesive as I wouldn’t be playing a 3D game until VII...
Wolf Kanno
09-28-2020, 08:00 AM
:nudge:
qwertysaur
09-28-2020, 06:15 PM
Found my PSP :bigsmile:
Now I need to locate the cable to charge it. For some unknown reason I stored them separately like a dumbass :shobon:
I like how with Nintendo handhelds I’m pretty sure that if you left your device and some kind of apocalypse struck and it would be discovered by future civilizations 2000 years later, I’m pretty sure the battery would still be at least half full, whereas with Sony handhelds you leave it on sleep mode at full charge and go grab a drink from the fridge, maybe pet your cat and talk to your dad a bit, and when you’re back the forces of entropy have already consumed it all and you need to grab your charger
Wolf Kanno
09-29-2020, 02:59 AM
Yeah the PSP has like the worst battery life of a modern handheld. Not as bad as the Game Gear, but its pretty bad.
The Vita is exactly the same
Well, it’s Friday evening, which means I’m back in action! Going into the Whispereind Cove now. Gonna attempt Liegspring Grotto after that and try to beat Shinryu first. I hope I’ll be able to take on Omega after that. Fingers crossed!
Shauna
10-02-2020, 07:35 PM
I spent an hour today wandering about aimlessly talking to all the NPCs hoping for a morsel of guidance. Classic jRPG goodness. Managed to get myself into Marsh Cave and find the crown, and then defeat the dark elf dude.
Now time for more aimless wandering until I figure out what to do with the Crystal Eye.
I'd probably hate this more if I hadn't very recently played DQ 1 and 2.
lol yeah, compared to DQ2, FFI’s fetch quest isn’t really all that complicated.
So I’m done with Whisperwind Cove and I got myself an Ultima Weapon \o/ My levels aren’t still kinda low for Omega though, so I’ve decided to actually try the Labyrinth of Time before attempting Lifespring Grotto again. We’ll see how that goes tomorrow!
So I just lost over an hour of progress because you can’t save in the Labyrinth of Time. And I was nearly done with it too! But since I’ve already done this content in the past and am feeling angry, I’ve decided I’m going to ditch the rest of the side content and just move on to II :monster:
Get ready, Chaos! In coming for you!
This hasn’t been mentioned yet but I really love the remixes Nobuo Uematsu made for the PSX release of this game. It’s great that we have more than one battle theme but in general, these new arrangements are some of his best work. I think the final dungeon is a standout among the series as I feel final dungeon themes are usually written differently
REBAijjSrjE
Shauna
10-03-2020, 07:07 PM
I got super deep into the Earthgift Shrine not realising it was an optional dungeon. I saved it outside the battle with Cerberus. I kept almost losing and resetting the emulator and was very concerned that I was trapped on that floor forever, unable to beat any of the bosses.
I eventually just let myself die and thankfully was kicked out to the entrance. I think i will leave that for a while longer. ��
Anyway i recently got the airship and have now been flying about aimlessly. Jobs levelled up! A robot in a cave told me to find a sky fortress or something and fight Tiamat. No sign of where that is. Maybe I'll just power through Mt Gulg.
Mt Gulg is the place to go, yeah!
The optional bosses in the dungeons generally require more strategy than the main game, which is pretty effortless in this version. I recommend focusing on beefing up your fighters instead of casting spells on them.
Meanwhile, I’ve started II!
Shauna
10-03-2020, 07:20 PM
Yeah I didn't know it was an optional dungeon, and i was like L25. It was a bad idea. I'll get back to it before long.
qwertysaur
10-03-2020, 08:07 PM
The worst part about the extra dungeons are you must clear them multiple times if you want to get everything. Earthgift Shrine 4 times, and twice each for Hellfire Chasm and Lifespring Grotto.
Whisperwind Cove you only clear once, though it is the longest. And then you also have the Labyrinth of Time...
Ok so I’m on my way to Semmitt Falls now. Minwu is in my party and he’s really great. The biggest problem right now is money, however. Everything is very expensive, I haven’t managed to buy every spell I wanted and I can’t keep my armor up to date either. Debating on whether I should buy anything other than clothes on Maria since she’s my Mage.
Whatever the case, every time I replay it I’m just shocked at how much I love FFII. The character growth system in its most updated form is very smooth and intuitive and allows for plenty of customization. I also just love how bleak this game feels compared to the first, and this is really evident in the incredible soundtrack, arranged by Tsuyoshi Sekito this time around.
As for my plans for the side content, I’m not really sure what to do. I definitely want to do Soul of Rebirth, which is why I’m using the Swap trick on Minwu to boost his HP and MP to high heaven. The downside is that makes resting at the in cost a lot of money. And now they’ve also added the Arcane Labyrinths which... idk Soul of Rebirth felt very appropriate for FFII, adding more story on top of the old one, but I don’t feel extra dungeons would add anything worthwhile to FFII? Unlike I’d remake, FFII actually remains a little challenging so it’s not like I’m craving an optional boss stronger than the Emperor.
remy5623
10-04-2020, 07:39 AM
I love the character progression system in FFII! And it's kind of funny to hear you say your biggest problem is money. I remember it being like that for a short while in the beginning, but pretty soon after Semmitt Falls I ended up having more than enough money for everything I needed. By the time I got to Mysidia, I was sitting on piles and piles of cash with nothing to spend it on :p.
Maybe that’s the thing and I’m just at the point before money stops becoming a problem ;) Also, the inn costs are very high if you drain Minwu of most of his HP and MP. I didn’t even know that was what the cost depends on
remy5623
10-04-2020, 08:08 AM
Ah, true, the prices at the inns skyrocket when you get really low on HP/MP.
I wish it were made clear which spells are white and which are black from the getgo. Since one raises spirit and the other raises intelligence, I think it’s a pretty crucial thing to know before I teach them to my mages :(
Wolf Kanno
10-04-2020, 05:32 PM
Yeah FFII is very coy about how all of it's mechanics work. Another hallmark of Kawazu's design philosophy for anyone who has ventured into his other series.
For money woes, the big thing to know in the early game is that you have to kill all the enemies, you get a penalty if any run away. The best way to get money is by selling items that they drop, especially magic scrolls. One of the best early game power leveling tips is to get your barehanded strong enough with your team to be able to pick fights with the imperial captains in Fynn. In addition to having one of the highest enemy levels for a good chunk of the game, they drop Flame Bows and Toad and Curse Scrolls and even Gold Armor. Most of those items will make farming them easier, and you can sell them for a small fortune. Once you get the canoe, you can then try to get to Mysidia early in order to purchase the Swap spell for the rest of your team.
Don't worry about getting high level magic though. Technically after a certain level, their effectiveness increase is marginal at best. So getting magic up to level 8 or 9 is probably for the best unless you're hoping to see all the cool new animations in the remake. You'll want the basic three elemental spells and Flare to be decently leveled, but you should focus on healing, life, and buff spells the most.
remy5623
10-04-2020, 06:27 PM
My biggest regret when I got to the Emperor in Pandaemonium was not having Flare past level 5 on anyone. It and Ultima are the only things that seem to do decent damage to him.
I support! This is an endeavor I've been doing for quite some time now. My list is sort of similar but it will include all the spin-off Final Fantasy titles as well! I'll be looking forward to hearing your progress.
I dubbed my marathon "Quest to Play Final Fantasy", maybe we could come up with a cool title that would generally be accepted by the community for those of us who take on this pilgrimage.
It's gotten to the point where I've procured a PS2 & PS3 to have access to older games like FF7: Dirge of Cerberus for sake of playing through as much of the Final Fantasy based titles as possible.
qwertysaur
10-05-2020, 03:35 AM
My biggest regret when I got to the Emperor in Pandaemonium was not having Flare past level 5 on anyone. It and Ultima are the only things that seem to do decent damage to him.
Did you get the blood sword?
remy5623
10-05-2020, 05:05 AM
Yes, but I never bothered to look up what it does. I took one look at its attack stat and ditched it. Whoops ^^;.
Wolf Kanno
10-05-2020, 05:37 AM
That's understandable. I mean I believe the Blood Sword thing was an oversight on the developer's part of begin with.
Last time I didn’t even get the Blood Sword :p The emperor still isn’t that bad if you buff yourself right
Oh right, I forgot to update my progress yesterday!
So I made it all the way to Kashuan Keep. I think I’m actually a bit over leveled as pretty much none of the enemies at the snowy cavern could hurt me. Josef was actually lagging behind the rest of my party a bit. So far it’s been pretty effortless. It definitely helps that the bosses at the end of dungeons have been very minor so far
Spuuky
10-05-2020, 11:26 PM
FF2 is a lot of things, but "balanced" ain't one
Managed to put in a tiny bit of gameplay today and I finished Kashuan Keep! Forgot the Red Soul was such a hassle to deal with
Wolf Kanno
10-08-2020, 04:24 PM
I jumped back into an old save file for Origins to play me some FFII. It is very interesting coming back to this game after marathoning so much of the SaGa franchise that spun off from this entry. It's interesting to see what they held onto and what they drastically changed. The biggest likely being the magic system as it's the one element that has not aged well from FFII but SaGa tends to take in a very different direction by emphasizing buffs/debuff magic while generally downplaying offensive magic. I can see even FFII carries that same concept but old habits die hard and I want offensive magic to be better than it actually is.
I’m at the Dreadnought now and the good news is I got a Berserk scroll. Bad news is I taught it to Firion, assuming it was white magic like in IV. It’s not. His intelligence stat is bad so getting the spell to hit is a nightmare. I’ll just need to rebuy it later and teach it to Maria
Lord Golbez
10-09-2020, 09:19 PM
The game doesn't even have any kind of symbol to indicate white or black magic? Am I misremembering or didn't even the first game use some kind of symbol to designate white and black magic?
Dunno about the original but the PSP and Advance versions had designated back and white balls yeah. FFII only uses tome icons
Lord Golbez
10-09-2020, 09:41 PM
Probably best to just use a FAQ to determine it then.
I normally do just use the wiki but I forgot
OK I got as far as reclaiming Castle Fynn :D Now I just need to get those masks to get to Mysidia. Also, got quite a lot of new spells. Lost of enemies dropped some black magic and the Fynn magic shop really helped expand Firion’s repertoire. I’m really looking forward to using Aura, Slow and Dispel!
Alright so while I do prefer II to I, the dungeon design in this game is one of the more frustrating in the series. Dungeons are just extremely long with so many winding pathways. It doesn’t help matters that I just can’t run from battles at all, making each dungeon way longer than anything in FFI. For that reason, I really don’t think I’m gonna bs doing the Arcane Labyrinth after all
Wolf Kanno
10-11-2020, 08:22 AM
Yeah, FFII has some awful dungeon design. The Trap Rooms don't help. I think my other major gripe was the terrible inventory system, but in hindsight, it just forces you to stop hoarding shit you don't need. I'm getting ready to tackle Pandemonium tonight.
Alright, I’m in Leviathan and Ricard just joined my party! He is one of my favorite temporary party members in this game, alongside Minwu
qwertysaur
10-11-2020, 09:23 PM
in whisperwind cove now, about to beat up ultros.
Wolf Kanno
10-12-2020, 11:32 PM
I forget how weird Pandemonium is. The only thing I'm missing to complete the collections in Origins is encountering and beating Iron Giant. It's on the sixth floor but I didn't realize you access that floor on the fourth, which you need to take to get back to the fourth floor which finally leads you to the seventh floor. So I kept walking past the floor I needed. This is not helped that it's a rare encounter like War Machine in FFI. When I tried to use Banish to reach a lower level, I forgot the level of the spell determines how many floors it takes you back and I've been grinding, so using the spell sent me back to the Jade Passage. I opted to leave and try to raise some of Leon's stats because I've had to give him the Masemune and full Genji Gear just to have him not suck compared to the rest of my team.
Wolf Kanno
10-13-2020, 09:25 AM
Finished it off tonight. I kept having issues because the source I originally used to find the Iron Giant was wrong. The big guy is on the fifth floor. When I finally encountered him, a Lv. 16 Ice spell shaved off 95% of his health. Sadly he didn't drop any of his awesome loot. I tackled the Emperor and chose not to use the Blood Sword. I missed the second one on accident so I only had the one, but I figured all my SaGa experience would help out here. Sure enough, once you get most of the buffs up, he can't touch you. Starfall, his signature attack, did maybe 230ish HP worth of damage to my whole party and most of them have health over 2000hp. I will admit I had some luck with the RNG in the fight and he never used any of his melee moves with their drain effect. He stuck to magic so it was a pretty one sided affair.
With FFII finished, I'm going back to my playthrough of FFIX I was doing. Once Fynn gets to FFIV, I'll probably jump back in since I have an unfinished file for that.
Nice one, Wolf! Would you say the Origins version is much harder than DoS?
As for me, I’ve reached the Cyclone (I still can’t get over how good that wyvern cutscene is). I imagine I’ll be finishing the game this weekend, though probably not Soul of Rebirth yet. I think I’m gonna try the Arcane Labyrinth before going to Pandaemonium to get Richard’s spear. I’m later gonna give him both that and the blood sword so that he can carry them over to SoR.
Wolf Kanno
10-13-2020, 05:49 PM
Nice one, Wolf! Would you say the Origins version is much harder than DoS?
Yes and no.
DoS is based off the Easy mode from Origins. Origins had two modes, Easy and Normal with Normal making the game play like the NES original. Easy had re-targeting features, enemies dropped more money, and gaining stat bonuses may be a bit more generous. Another change is that some treasures were changed from the original such as a chest with Eye Drops in Pandemonium in the original suddenly giving you an elixir instead.
DoS keeps re-targeting as a permanent feature. Stat gains no longer reduce stats (so raising spirit doesn't lower your strength anymore) and the inventory system is based off the ones seen in FFV and beyond where items stack, and you can carry one of every item in the game. In the original items were treated as separate pieces and Key Items also took up slots in the main inventory and couldn't be dropped, meaning you lost a third of your inventory space over the course of the game. So a lot of quality of life changes that remove some of FFII's fake difficulty. The one feature removed though is the Action-Cancel bug has been removed, so leveling magic and weapons skills is a bit more challenging in the DoS version but the other fixes to the system kind of offset it and honestly makes the game less tediously grindy for it.
DoS and the PSP version also add in a few gamebreaker weapons and equipment which is par the course for the extra content.
So which is your preferred version?
Wolf Kanno
10-14-2020, 04:10 AM
I don't know. I've never actually played a version of FFII that wasn't Origins.
maybee
10-14-2020, 02:23 PM
Had a dream about this last night, that I played FFI and FFII and then started FFIII and then got chased by a FFIII boss. I think my brain is saying "You want to start this, but FF3 is putting you off from starting".
qwertysaur
10-14-2020, 08:48 PM
I was getting bored of spamming protera, giants gloves and healera so I finished up FF I and am moving to II. I'll do the labyrinth of time later. :shobon:
qwertysaur
10-16-2020, 06:52 PM
Got lucky and snagged a berserk tome as a drop from a random magician that appeared when I checked out the arcane labyrinth.
Well I beat the Emperor, which means it would normally be time to go to Palamecia, but I’ve actually decided to take on the Arcane Labyrinth for Richard’s best weapon. I’m actually really liking it so far. It’s interesting how they used the keyword mechanic here and I like how you can just skip the puzzles on repeats and just gun for the exit. That will definitely make later visits much less painful than Soul of Chaos. I do regret not coming here earlier for Minwu and Josef’s weapons though
And I got Abel’s lance, woo! Time to confront Leon
RIP Richard. You will be missed :(
So now I’m doing the Arcane labyrinth several times again so that I can get everyone ultimate weapons. Since Leon’s ultimate is a spear, I’m sorta turning him into a Richard mk. 2 right now. Hes still got a ways to go though
Almost done with the Arcane Labyrinth! Now only Guy is missing his ultimate weapon. Now that I’ve got all the keywords and I can just gun towards each floor’s exit, it’s really going by fast
Ok the ultimate weapons absolutely break the game. My agility was boosted to the point that I could run from pretty much any battle, and the Emperor went down in four turns. Quickest Pandaemonium run ever!
Ok, so as I thought, I couldn’t finish SoR today. But I did get pretty far! I actually already have the Ultima Tome (not that i plan to use it lol), but while Richard could pull everyone up to and including the Ultima Weapon fight, the Unknown Palace is still a big much for me to handle. Going back to the passage now to get some new spells and back to the grind I go...
qwertysaur
10-22-2020, 08:17 PM
I now have both masks, and the crystal rod.
Just beat the Emperor. Buffs and the blood sword really made this fight super easy!
Had a lot of fun with II. I actually genuinely enjoy this game more than I and always feel bad about it being such a bad sheep. I’ll hush a bit more later, now I need to see the ending sequence!
Gonna jump straight into FFIII tomorrow and I’ll be attempting the NES version for the first time ever! You set me up for this, Wolf, so now you will help me :colbert:
Wolf Kanno
10-23-2020, 08:02 AM
Man you've beaten SMT1, you'll be fine with FFIII. You just can't approach it like a modern FF where you can mash X to win is all. If you've played the NES version of FFI, you already know what to expect.
I have not played the NES version of FFI. This is my first NES FF actually played in its original form.
Wolf Kanno
10-23-2020, 08:17 AM
Well then you're fucked. Though in all seriousness. Just approach it like Dragon Quest.
So SJ important question I need to ask is whether staying in a job influences stat growth or does changing jobs just change all your stats. Like should I spend some time as, say, a black belt to get more HP even if my character is mostly a mage
Wolf Kanno
10-23-2020, 08:23 AM
The only stat that affects your characters is vitality which affect HP. So yes, you'll want switch out mages to monks on occasion to fix their HP totals. None of the other stats affect anything and spell charges are based on the class and level.
Alright, thanks. I’m probably gonna start with a party identical to my FFI setup and go from there. And I’m gonna name them after the manga adaptation - shocking, I know :p I’ve noticed that’s actually the second most popular choice among players, right after the DS names, but hey, at least it’s not as basic as using the DS names :monster:
So we’ll have Muuchi the warrior, Doug the black mage, Melfi the white mage and J. Bowie (probably just Bowie did to character limit) the monk.
KentaRawr!
10-23-2020, 11:34 AM
I've been meaning to show my cats the *entire* Final Fantasy series. I might go ahead and see if I can't catch up with everyone. I'll take pics! :p
Wolf Kanno
10-23-2020, 07:19 PM
Alright, thanks. I’m probably gonna start with a party identical to my FFI setup and go from there. And I’m gonna name them after the manga adaptation - shocking, I know :p I’ve noticed that’s actually the second most popular choice among players, right after the DS names, but hey, at least it’s not as basic as using the DS names :monster:
So we’ll have Muuchi the warrior, Doug the black mage, Melfi the white mage and J. Bowie (probably just Bowie did to character limit) the monk.
You should have done what I did and just give them a theme naming scheme. ;)
7737077369
Lord Golbez
10-23-2020, 08:13 PM
What a cute little Behemoth.
Ok I’m pretty far in now. Got the boat. Only problem is I have no fucking clue what I’m supposed to do lol I’ve played III so many times and like, I forgot? I have Desch, there’s this whole bad tree with Hein going on but I don’t have the fire crystal jobs yet, and I know you got scholar before that fight... just what am I missing here?
Ah ok, I got my bearings. Found the Gulgan Gulch, so now I’ll be going to the Tower of Owen. Which also means I’ll be getting my second batch of jobs soon! Any recommendations on those? Any of them useful?
Wolf Kanno
10-23-2020, 11:14 PM
Knight is easily the best of the group and should replace any warriors you have. They are largely a statistical upgrade to warriors but unlike their NES and DS counterparts, they don't have access to white magic. They do have the Cover ability and their defend command will drastically reduce damage that isn't magic. They get better equipment and weapons than Warriors as well who should be having a harder time getting upgrades by this point.
Thief is an upgrade from their awful NES counterpart. The can't defend themselves, but they can open doors that usually require magic keys. Goldar's mansion is the place the class really shines. Thief is the only class where the proficiency mechanics come into play as the items they can steal are directly related to their proficiency. Luckily, most enemies only have basic items to steal but it' nice to always have a healthy supply of potions.
Rangers are a pretty decent class that is different from their DS counterpart. They don't have Barrage, instead they are the class that has access to Lv. 1-3 of White Magic, making them good support units. Bow and Arrow mechanics work the same. The real big difference is that Arrows are more difficult to come by in the NES version, most shops don't sell many of them and they need to be found. To compensate for this, Arrows have a significant damage increase. For example, elemental arrows in the DS version have a base damage of 17, whereas their attack power is 30 in the original.
Scholars are a bit rough in this entry. Scan shows an enemy weakness, while Peep shows their HP. They have no access to magic, but like their DS counterpart, their Intellect is on par with the Magus class making them especially potent with magic casting items. Books are good when exploiting elemental damage but are rare, with the first three having to be found and the last three are unobtainable until the Invincible is unlocked. The biggest issue with the class is their criminally low vitality. Not a huge deal in a basic playthrough, but for those hoping to grind to max levels and hp, gaining a level or two in this class will make that nearly impossible. To give you an idea, the scholars vitality stat doesn't even hit double digits in the NES version until you're Lv. 70. Their vitality maxes out at 15 at Lv. 99 compared to the 35 in the DS version.
I'd switch a warrior for a knight, keep your white mage if you have one or switch them for Red Mage if you want variety, black mage can become a Ranger if you want. Simply buy as many elemental arrows as you can comfortably carry on your person for the Hein fight. Keep your Monk the same until the Hein fight and have them switch to Scholar in case you get a level up and make sure to give them an elemental book. In my playthrough, Hein seemed to have a knack for dodging physical attacks so don't expect the knight to be as useful as exploiting elemental damage. Hein also has access to all three -ra spells and no status magic, so you're going to need a dedicated healer for the fight.
Good tips! Knew I could count on you ;) I’ll try to do just that. Gonna be interesting going into that fight without a black mage. Unless I do actually decide to make Melfi a red mage for a little while
Wolf Kanno
10-24-2020, 07:32 AM
A black mage is not a bad idea, if Ranger fails to be useful you may need to resort to that.
So I switched to the setup you told me about and actually beat Hein with zero issues. He was also weak to fire all the time, so that was kinda weird? But yeah, pretty cool, but I think I’m gonna go back to Black Mage, White Mage and Monk for now. Scholar is pretty much a one time job, I still prefer white to red, and idk as much as I like the Ranger, I think I’ll get more utility from a Black Mage. Will most likely be switching things up with the water crystal though, what with evokers, bards, etc becoming available!
Well, I did manage to get to the water crystal today. I’ve only really switched Bowie to Black Belt, as other than that I don’t really see any viable options. Not interested in thief for now, don’t really feel like doing Viking and Geomancer this playthrough, and Dragoon and Magic Knight can’t really be used effectively yet because of the lack of viable equipment options. As for bard and evoker - I think I need to know a bit more about the jobs before I try them out
Wolf Kanno
10-25-2020, 05:53 AM
Man you play really conservatively :lol:
I was waiting for you to tell me which jobs are worth trying ;)
Also I now realize the FFI PSP sprites are actually based on FFIII. The mages are at a 3/4 angle, which they weren’t in the original, while the monk and master monk (black belt in III) are pretty much HD versions of the III sprite. It’s neat, because I guess the versions in III are far closer to the series “canon” while I had a lot of early installment weirdness. Thief isn’t jacked and doesn’t have a mustache though lol. I do kinda wish they’d gone all the way and given the White Wizard a kitty hood.
Wolf Kanno
10-25-2020, 08:20 AM
Fine I'll explain the classes for you. :p
Geomancer - The first time the class ever appeared and it's a doozy. Terrain is a weird ability in this entry. There are eight abilities in total based on the eight terrains. Three do damage to all enemies, two do damage to one enemy, the other three will instant kill one of them. The major drawback of this class is that if the Terrain ability misses all enemies, the Geomancer will be hit with Backfire, which does damage based on 25% of the Geomancers max health. When the moves land, the class is a beast, but the backfire effect is a real detriment, especially when the instant death stuff has the highest failure rate. The class is best used Underwater, in Caves, or on the open field because these three terrains do the group hitting attack and have the lowest backfire potential. They are also the only magic class with the Defend command.
Dragoon - First appearance in the series and not quite the beast this class is in later installments. Dragoons have their jump ability as usual. Jump can actually miss, which may seem odd for some people. Jump does higher damage but not necessarily the 2x people are used to and spears don't garner any more benefit for it like later installments. There are also fewer Lances in the NES version than the DS one. It's best attribute is that Jump still allows a character to dodge attacks which is the main reason why it's so damn useful for the Garuda fight.
Viking - Another tanky class like Knight. They come with the Defend command and are decent fighters. the original incarnation has higher vitality than their DS counterpart, but lack the DS versions higher strength. They are not bad units, but Knight largely covers what they do. You may want to use Vikings during the time where Knight gear is scarce and then switch back when the endgame knightswords arrive.
Magic Knight - Doesn't really shine until the endgame. They come with the ability to use low level white magic barring Aero. There main claim to fame is being able to use Samurai Swords which are the only physical weapons that can injure dividing enemies without making them divide. You'll want one or two of them for the Cave of Shadows and likely carry one into the final areas until Ninja is unlocked. They are an okay class in the defense department and thankfully the "dark blades" are generally stronger than a lot of Knight swords. The issue is that you need the Invincible to get this class any gear in the original. The DS gave them access to a few Knight weapons.
Evokers - This class is way better in the NES version. Evokers can soft summon the game's main summons. Basically they will either cast a Light or Dark Attack. Dark usually does some kind of elemental damage while Light is usually a debuff though some have other effects like healing, buffing, and physical damage. The elemental attacks only hit one enemy but do decent damage on par with a Black Mage. Where the NES shines over the DS version is that the status spells have 100% accuracy in the original, making this an ideal class for crowd control. Shiva's Paralyze skill or Leviathan's Petrify ability will do wonders for you in the Cave of Shadows.
Bard - The first incarnation of this class isn't so bad. In fact with the exception of Str. and Int. the DS version actually lowered the stats of this class for some reason. They are still on the flimsy side thought and Harps are not terribly great weapons. Their two commands are Scare and Cheer. Scare will lower all enemies level by 3. If use it enough time, enemies will actually run away. Bosses are of course immune to it. Cheer raises the whole party's physical attack power and will stack. In fact I don't think it even has a limit. So yeah, Bard's are neat.
Black Belt - Oof, easily the powerhouse of this group. They are an upgraded monk who get the Buildup skill. They are not quite as broken as their DS counterpart (which can one shot Cloud of Darkness and break the damage limit) but they are still one of the strongest classes in the game. There is a reason the DS version moved this class to the final crystal. The biggest issue with this class is their abysmal magic defense. Like seriously, their MND and INT will never go higher than 1 so they take lots of damage from magic. the class has the highest vitality in the game, so they are the perfect class to grind in for HP gains, especially if you've had a character stay a mage for too long.
Ok, so I’ll likely set the Knight to Magic Knight once I have the equipment to back it up, and I’ll probably actually change my back mage into an evoker once I can actually buy the spells for them. Dragon I’ll probably only use for the Garuda fight. Bard sounds really cool but also I only have a white mage left to change, and I don’t think I feel safe ditching my dedicated healer :/
Also, if it’s not too much trouble, feeling like giving me a rundown of the earth crystal and eureka jobs? ;)
Wolf Kanno
10-25-2020, 09:05 AM
Devout - A Tanky upgrade White Mage, they get access to all the higher tier white magic spells. They are nerfed in the DS version having lower stats and spell charges for their magic.
Magus - Same deal as the Devout, a more robust Black Mage with access to all the endgame spells. The stat spread isn't quite as bad from the DS version. The NES version has lower strength but higher vitality. As with the Devout they have higher spell charge count for all of their magic.
Summoner - The is like the most tinkered with class. The NES version has slightly lower stats except for Vitality of which it has a huge drop off from the DS version. The NES version has lower spell charges as well but summons are pretty brutal. Summoners do the full summon showing off the signature attack of all their summons.
The main issue with the classes is that they are a lot like Internet Explorer. You'll use them once to help you get Sage and then they are all instantly obsolete. Granted, Eureka is no cakewalk, so thankfully these classes are good.
Sage is a beast of a class in this game and is the ultimate mage class. They can use any white, black, and summon spell in the game, and unlike their nerfed counterpart in the DS version, they use the full summon. Their overall stats are also better in the original making them fairly tanky, and they have the highest spell charges for all eight ranks of magic of any magic class. With three slots per level you can heavily customize them to your liking. Just remember that the Lv. 8 magic is in Eureka's shop and super expensive so choose wisely.
Ninja is the ultimate melee class in the game. They can equip any item that isn't the Onion Gear. They have the best melee stats on par with Black Belt but actually have real magic defense, so they can take better damage. They have no special ability but they can equip the rare Shuriken item that is super expensive in Eureka. Shuriken has the same attack power as the Onion Sword and when a Ninja uses it in battle, the weapon is lost since it was "thrown" so you'll need to equip a new one every round. I'd save them for CoD personally.
Lord Golbez
10-25-2020, 07:16 PM
Yeah, if you can do that, you'll probably get lots of kills and maybe your team will pwn the other team.
Ok so was no one gonna tell me the Cave of the Circle is one of those bullshit mini-only dungeons in this version? :stare:
Wolf Kanno
10-26-2020, 05:17 AM
:shifty:
So I thought I’d be able to finish the game yesterday, but I didn’t. I got as far as finishing the cave of shadows though, so I’ll be finishing it either on Friday or Saturday, I guess. Current party is a magic knight, evoker, white mage and black belt.
Oh right, forgot to mention I got Odin. I’ve decided the bosses in FFIII got hard but also did quick. I’m also very happy they don’t hit more than once per turn, which is what they did in the 3D version. Whose bright idea was that?
Wolf Kanno
10-27-2020, 06:57 AM
That was to compensate for the re-balanced classes. If you were playing the DS version, you should have classes that could hit the visual damage cap by this point. What's the highest damage you've seen so far?
Around 2k-3k from dual-katana-wielding magic knights. Granted, this isn’t consistent - they only got so much in Falgabard Cave, but still
Ok so I beat Doga and Unei, got Leviathan, on my way to get Bahamut, and then all that’s left is the three final dungeons gauntlet. I’m probably gonna try and kill two birds with one stone by taking on Eureka with all Black Belts so that I can also grind everyone’s HP lol
Welp, that’s FFIII done! Overall I think I actually had a much easier time with the NES version. Perhaps I was better prepared, more experienced, and just knew what to expect much more. The jobs may be less balanced but I think one of the main reasons this wasn’t nearly as terrifying is that bosses only attacked once per turn! That and the speed up feature made grinding go by faster :p
So yeah, that’s the end of the NES era for me. I’ll probably talk more on the matter later. For now I need to go to bed and tomorrow I’m entering what I consider the golden age of FF - the SNES era!
So I started IV and am about to get on the ship from Fabul, which means I’ll have Cecil become a paladin very soon. It’s been very nice so far. I always like just playing IV because if just goes by so fast, especially on the PSP version. I’m actually using the original background music this time, which makes it all the more mindblowing just how big of a leap this was after FFIII’s sound. Mind you, I’m not doing this because I don’t like the rearrangements, as Junya Nakano did a fine job, I just want to use the new arrangements for TAY just to keep things fresh ;)
On that note, while I do like the new versions - great call on Nakano’s part to take some elements from Celtic Moon - they don’t feel like as dramatic of an improvement as the arrangements for previous remixes do. I mean, that’s kind of to be expected considering I through II were rearranged from 8 bit music, but I still think of the three arrangers so far (the other two being Uematsu himself and Sekito) Nakano kinda feels the most basic. Uematsu really outdid himself for the for the first game, but Sekito’s work on II and III were mindblowing, with the arranged music for both being much better than the original, with the possible exception of FFIII’s battle themes. I am now very upset I had slept on Sekito for so long
lol I forgot to update on Sunday. I’ve actually made it to the Underworld, and I even got to the Tower of Babil. Now I’m back stuck on the surface and about to pick up Edge, to get a taste of my final party (which I was never a fan of tbh? Like give me Yang over Edge any day tbh). I should be done with the main story pretty soon, but then of course I intend to do Mt Ordeals and the Lunar Ruins. I’m probably gonna be keeping Edward in my party a lot. I wanna see those stats soar once he passes level 70.
Also, wife intends to start FFIV DS this weekend so that’s exciting! This will be her first time to be playing IV, so I’m excited that she’s starting with my favorite version, though I do worry a bit if the difficulty won’t be discouraging. Sadly, that’s the only version available to her now, since the GBA cart is back with my parents and I’m playing the PSP version (which doesn’t even have a Spanish translation, which is her preferred language). It’s gonna be fun, playing the same game at once :D
I’m almost at the end now. Got Bahamut - forgot I had to use reflect so I did the lair of the father twice lol - all that’s left now is the final dungeon and a couple chests I didn’t get at the Sylph Cave because Malboros. Once I beat Zeromus, it’s Cave of Trials and Lunar Ruins time!
Shauna
11-08-2020, 09:40 PM
As an update to my own slow as heck crawl through the series, I slammed through to the end of FFI within the last week. Poked my head into all the optional stuff, not my cup of tea, so I called it a day on this one.
It was fine? I won't be playing it again. Nothing about it was engaging enough to make me care about doing it again.
I booted up FF2, played through the first fight and then saved it, ready to pick up whenever. Let's see how I deal with the worst one!!
You’ll do fine, just make sure you know what role you want each character to fill and then just stick to developing that way. And whoever tells you this is the worst one is a pile of poo-pop garbage :colbert:
As for me, I’ve just beaten Zeromus, but I’m not done with the FFIV part of my marathon just yet. Time to get everyone else’s best weapons on Mt. Ordeals and beat Zeromus with them. And then it’s time for the Lunar Ruins! Then comes the Interlude, and then the After Years. I’m still a long way away from V, but that’s fine :)
So I’ve got a long weekend now. Managed to beat the Lunar Trials yesterday. It was a pretty cool experience, with the only trial I didn’t get the full reward for being Rosa’s. Other than that it didn’t exactly feel very challenging, but it’s nice that each character’s trial was actually unique and kind of added to their story. Kain’s trial gets special mention. For as frustrating as it is with its final battle, it was very fun to play a murder mystery, however basic it was. Though if I were to compare all the post-game stuff that they added to the ports, I’d say the Lunar Trials were probably the weakest. Aside from the trials themselves they kind of had a similar setup to the Soul of Chaps dungeons, but Soul of Chaos was actually challenging, which made the whole experience more compelling. The Labyrinth of Time may be annoying but at least it had a very interesting gimmick, and I think the Arcane Labyrinth may be my favorite new addition to the series as it’s interesting both in terms of mechanics and story. I feel really stupid for skipping it before and now I regret not visiting it multiple times throughout the game to get everyone’s weapons. Oh well. I’m also curious to see how the Sealed Cave and Dragons’ Den compare. I’ve only beaten the latter once years ago and I’ve never actually beaten the former, so it’s definitely gonna be interesting.
I think the coolest part about the Lunar Ruins comes from hindsight, seeing how they’ve pretty much inspired the After Years. The challenge dungeons are the obvious result here, but even in terms of story you can see that some of the story ideas in the trials later got much more fleshed out in TAY (see again: Kain’s trial). Now I’m actually even more excited to go back to the After Years. Sadly, I still have the Interlude to deal with, which may just be the title I’m least looking forward to on my agenda. Thankfully, it’s also super duper short so I hope to get it out of the way tonight
Ok, so another update. I beat the Interlude and it was pointless as ever. Thankfully, Ceodore’s Tale was far more interesting. I’ve managed to beat it and will now attempt its challenge dungeon. I honestly find it pretty funny how they make it pretty obvious the Hooded Man is Kain from the getgo only for him to say he must kill Kain at the very end lol
So a little side note here but I need to complain about one Jason Schreier, Kotaku’s resident “JRPG expert”. In his review for FFIII he advised readers to play the game only to the point of reaching the Crystal Tower and then abandoning it forever. I’m not even gonna comment on that one tbh.
But the reason I bring him up is that before starting TAY, I saw his review and it was bad, of course, but the main point im interested now is how he complained about the game being unbalanced since you face flan-type enemies in a chapter where you only have physical fighters. And sure enough, you do encounter flans in Ceodore’s Tale, but you know what else you can find there? Shops that sell all the elemental attack items. And they’re dirt cheap. Idk how someone who can’t even comprehend basic tools like this can call himself a JRPG expert tbh
Wolf Kanno
11-15-2020, 07:17 AM
Don't know how he missed that. :lol:
So I only need to finish Ceodore’s challenge dungeon five more times to get all the items lol
This may sound tedious but there’s actually something incredibly relaxing about going through these dungeons and just farming strong items. I also like to use this opportunity to reach the level cap, but since the cap here is the same as in Kain’s Tale, where I’ll be importing these characters, and that cap is fifty, I’ll be doing no such thing. Ceodore is level 33 now so I expect him to be 35-ish by the time I’m done
Rydia’s Tale is done, now I need to just do the challenge dungeon and reach the level cap. I’m at 25, so I think I should reach 40 pretty easily. I also got all the nuts and bolts needed to restore Calca and Brins without much effort so I’ll have them available later. Of course I will never, ever use them again because they are incredibly bad, but a) I’m trying to do everything I can in this marathon and b) I can’t let Luca down, she worked really hard on those dolls.
Btw I really like how Luca is pretty much immune to the negative effects of moon phases. Attack and Big Throw are categorized as different things, so they will never be penalized at once. That’s pretty useful, and considering how good she is with her axe, I can actually see myself using her in my final party. I’m looking forward to Yang’s Tale a bit now, but honestly I’m looking forward to the other tales even more, especially the twins
Got all the treasure from Rydia’s challenge dungeon and reached level 40 no problem. The dungeon actually felt kinda mean, with some very strong enemies that my team was not really geared towards, but I got through somehow. I actually lucked out and got the bomb summon to accidentally drop after one encounter and it seriously made the whole ordeal go by much more smoothly. On to Yang’s Tale next!
And Yang’s Tale done. It felt very short for some reason? Also I find it absolutely hilarious that Ursula’s birth scene in Interlude completely contradicts what happens here, which only goes to show just how half-assed the Interlude was. Now it’s Challenge Dungeon time. I’m probably gonna be here a while since I’m only level 21.
DeadRinger1986
11-23-2020, 03:34 PM
Fynn this is so great, where you at? Final Fantasy (original) is underrated within the series, in my opinion. The NES Classic port is fun, pretty darn authentic, and incorporates all the annoyances of the original :) which is cool to me, to see where they went wrong at what they improved upon in later games. I couldn't put it down!
I am in the SNES era right now. Halfway through FFIV and it's already my favorite I-V. Question though: I have a pretty long marathon list, but intentionally left out the FFIV sequels because of widespread bad reviews. Should I add them in? Are you maybe influencing me to now? Hmm... I am indeed playing it on PSP complete collection... Can anyone support the sequels?
My list again:
Final Fantasy (NES Classic) (done)
FFII (Origins) (done)
FFIII (PSP) (done)
FFIV (PSP) (current)
FFV (PS1) (done)
--------------------------------------------
Secret of Mana (PS4 remaster?)
FFVI (PS1)
Chrono Trigger (PS1)
FFVII (PS1)
FF Tactics (PS1)
Xenogears (PS1)
Chrono Cross (PS1)
FFVIII (PS4 remaster)
FFIX (PS1)
Vagrant Story (PS1)
FFX (PS4 remaster)
FFX-2 (PS4 remaster)
Drakengard (PS2)
Drakengard 2 (PS2)
FFXII The Zodiac Age (PS4)
FFXIII (PS3)
Nier (or Replicant PS4?)
FFXIII-2 (PS3)
Lightning Returns (PS3)
FF Type-0 HD
WoFF
FFXV
Nier: Automata
FF7R
FFXVI
I’m playing the After Years right now actually and I personally really like it and think all the negativity is overblown. It is quite grindy though.
Might as well update my progress now! Done with Yang’s final dungeon and getting to level 40 was actually pretty damn quick compared to Rydia. Now I’m doing Palom’s Tale and am making my way down the Troia Waterway. I think this one’s my favorite so far!
DeadRinger1986
11-24-2020, 03:47 AM
Ah who am I kidding of course I'll give them a shot. Might have to take a break from IV after all the Lunar Ruins stuff though, we'll see!
So I’ve recently completed all the Palom content and the main story of Edge’s Tale. Now I’m getting ready for the challenge dungeon as I’ve been getting wiped up to this point. Edge’s chapter is always really weird to me since there’s not a lot of Edge in it really. The Eblan Four are a bit amusing to play around with, especially since Edge’s Tale is the only one where you get a full party, but it’s also kinda sad how useless they become in the final chapter. Like Edge was already the weakest link in the final party of IV imo and now you get four more guys that are basically worse clones of him. I like that they’re so diverse in terms of equipment but giving each of them one of Edge’s skill in a reduced capacity was just... a very weird point. Their bands are fun but the only one that’s really powerful is the full-party one and those are never practical.
So yeah, I’m very slowly nearing the end of The After Years. I am definitely enjoying myself, but this game really shouldn’t be as long as it is. I feel some chapters don’t really add much. Of course, I’m also making the journey longer for myself with the challenge dungeons. I wonder if the 3D version is better about this since they took out the CDs. Is the game balanced enough then that you don’t need to grind to the level cap in each chapter?
DeadRinger1986
12-02-2020, 01:38 AM
Enjoying your thread since I'm still in FFIV; just read a few of your other posts up there. First of all, I like Kotaku but the Crystal Palace and beyond is collectively one of the best parts of III. Couldn't put the PSP down!
Secondly, when you were talking about optional dungeons you said you were curious to see how the Sealed Cave was (a relatively quick early-game cave), were you referring actually to "???" ? The ??? cave is mostly a disappointment. While it's fun (and very productive) to be in a cave where you only encounter colored dragons, you get to a point where you can both kill them by sneezing on them, AND breeze through the final dungeon without a scratch...all before being able to last more than two turns against the Iron Giant. After that, it's just a very long grind against unfit enemies, until you can beat him. The cave itself is about one screen long.
Unless, is there another "Sealed Cave?"
Anyway, you finish The After Years? I just got through the Lodestone Cavern where you can't wear anything metallic until the Dark Elf.
And Shauna, II is actually one of my favorites so far. Gets my award for best of the NES era.
I think I was actually referring to the Sealed Temple in FFV Advanced. I didn’t cover any extra dungeons from FFIII, aside from the ones where you get the optional summons, since I was playing the NES version :)
Might as well update my progress on The After Years then! Edge’s challenge dungeon went by quick - no surprises there considering it was timed. I’m currently on Edward’s Tale, which means I’ve completed Porom’s Tale in its entirety and... let me tell you, while Palom’s Tale might be my favorite, Porom’s is probably the weakest. Our girl Porom was done dirty, as her story not only doesn’t really add anything to the overall narrative, but it’s also not really her story, but everyone else’s. First it’s all about Palom, then about Kain, and Porom doesn’t really get to do much aside from wonder if she’ll ever find love and do something with her life without her brother. And I generally really like Porom as a character - it’s need to see the other twin all grown up, and she’s one of the best characters in the game in terms of gameplay, but the writers really did her dirty. Or maybe they just didn’t know what to do with her.
Her challenge dungeon went by pretty fast too but I had to do most of the grinding outside of it, which was different.
Finished Edward’s story and now grinding for the Challenge Dungeon. With these characters, it’s an absolute slog.
You guys, I’ve actually been playing this game far more frequently than all the previous entries on this marathon, and I think it’s already taking me longer than all the previous four combined.
The After Years is long.
So I haven’t updated in a while, but I’ve definitely been playing. Edward’s Challenge Dungeon took me really long. It was interesting but those same mechanics that made it interesting also made it kinda grueling, especially considering the fact that this tale probably had the absolute worst party in the entire game. When Edward is the strongest member of your party, you know you’re screwed.
Then came Kain’s Tale, which was pretty much the best one yet, with probably the best challenge dungeon party in the entire game (though it still took super long because leveling four characters at once takes ages here). I like how this ties up most things together for the climax and honestly, aside from giving people more value for their money, I feel like combining Ceodore and Kain’s chapters together was a terrible choice for the Wii version. It’s clearly meant to be played near the end, as played at the beginning it makes several chapters irrelevant (mostly Porom’s) and the other chapters just feel like filler instead of enhancing the intrigue of this plot. After Kain’s Tale you’re pretty much just ready to finish things.
Now I’m in Golbez’s chapter and it’s another one of those very interesting chapters. Golbez himself is a very odd character, serving as both a black mage and a tanky warrior that draws attacks, making him a sort of reverse Paladin, but not a dark knight lol While I already knew the reveal, I feel like this being the first time you actually defeat the Maenad and she stays dead, only to come back later thus revealing there are more, was really well done. I’ll be finishing this off soon and then it’s time for the final two challenge dungeons before the big final chapter!
I’m also thinking about what my final party should be. My previous run I basically did the classic party just with Golbez instead of Edge, but now I wanna do things differently. Considering going with the kids (Ceodore, Ursula, Luca, Palom, Porom) but I have my doubts about that setup. I’m pretty set on going Palom and Porom at least, just for fun. Porom is probably the best healer with dual cast and while Rydia is probably a better black mage in every way, I don’t think this game is hard enough to warrant such min maxing, and I like the idea of the twins reuniting for the climax. Cecil is a character I think I want there if only because he’s absent for most of the game, but then he’s also probably just the best character all around, like in IV proper. But then maybe there are some other characters I should consider?
Almost done!
I’m on the final tale now, entered the depths, beat all the bosses from I, II and III. My party consists of Cecil, Ceodore, Ursula, Palom and Porom and I’m quite happy with this setup! I’m gonna be approaching the hardest bosses soon so I’m actually thinking of skipping ahead and nabbing Dualcast for Porom before coming back to take out the hardest of the bunch. I’m kinda mad that you really only get proper access to Cecil once you enter the depths and he lags behind the others in terms of levels if you did all the challenge dungeons.
Beat The After Years! I very much enjoyed my final party, definitely didn’t enjoy having to bring in Rydia to the Bahamut battle as she was 15 levels behind everyone else, but I beat that too. Overall my opinion of TAY has remained the same. It’s a good game that overstays its welcome a bit and relies too much on nostalgia, but it’s still absolutely solid. Ursula is my new favorite character as she absolutely wrecks the game. I also really enjoyed the little shipping moments between Edge and Rydia. Looks like 17 years was enough for him to mature into someone anyone would want to commit to. Did not enjoy the fact that Kain didn’t get a lady, or is even over Rosa after all those years. Then again, he is an incel, but at least it looks like he’s okay with it now lol
Now it’s time for FFV! I’m thinking of doing something differently this time. Usually I just played around with two physical fighters and two mages, but I’ve decided I probably won’t be giving my characters such rigid roles this time and switch them around more. So I’m actually thinking of starting out with Knight, Thief, Monk and Blue Mage this time around. I’ve never played a game where I didn’t have a white and black mage in my initial party, so this is gonna be interesting.
Also, I’ve decided to make a little addition to my marathon. Chrono Trigger is actually going to be in there between VI and VII. Now I know it’s not an FF, but I kind of feel like it’s appropriate to put it in there. The makers of FF and DQ both worked on this game and you can see it’s influence on the following projects of both (those being FFVII and DQVI). I might change my mind if I decide that I really want to jump into VII right away but for now I’m just really looking for an excuse to replay CT soon ;)
Wolf Kanno
12-15-2020, 10:17 AM
Guess this means I should boot up my Let's Play again. Still have to do that Suicide Squad final party. ^^;
Ok, so I’m not very far in yet but I’m playing V! Reached Tule and my party is Bartz the Thief, Lenna the Blue Mage, Galuf the Monk and Faris the Knight. I also leveled up Lenna as a white mage once so she could have level one white magic as support.
Exciting! Definitely a faster pace than what I was going at when I started. FFV is my favorite out of the first six final fantasy titles.
So I haven’t updated in a while but in between Christmas stuff and Nier Automata I have still been playing FFV! I’m at the merged world currently and going into the Desert Temple
Long time no update but I got something big! I beat the main story of FFV, as well as Shinryu and Omega. My setup was Bartz and Krile as Freelancers and Lenna and Faris as Mimes, with all abilities learned. Was at around level 38 and didn’t have any problems with anyone. Shinryu and Omega were complete pushovers with the element-absorbing equipment. So now I’m about to head out into the Sealed Temple! Hope Neo Shinryu and Omega Mk. II are more of a challenge ;)
And that’s FFV done! Omega Mk II was a pushover but Neo Shinryu actually had me scratching my head. I see people online say you need to be level 80 for both but I was level 40 and did it? For Neo Shinryu I really had to rely on Quick a lot but with some patience I got him and hey, I actually beat him with my own strategy! Bartz was jumping and had some backup blue magic, Lenna had blue and time and had the Force Shield, so she was basically the support wall, usually the only one to survive after Almagest, but she was enough. Krile had time and combine, since there’s a nice combo of items that really hurts dragons, while Faris had time and summon (basically just for Golem) and attacked with Apollo’s Harp for massive damage. Levels really don’t matter that much in this game, though I have to admit my elixir stock was nearly dry. After that battle Enuo was pretty much an afterthought.
So yeah, that’s it for me. I never planned to do Cloister of the Dead since it really just doesn’t seem that interesting or important. Giving you Necromancer after Enuo is honestly ridiculous. So yeah now I’m playing VI and I’ve made it to South Figaro
Wolf Kanno
01-30-2021, 10:18 AM
Necromancer is a pretty fun class once you figure out how to acquire their spells. It becomes a pretty good replacement for the Black Mage class. Though I agree it sucks that it's useless since there is nothing left to use the class against except old Ex-Death.
So I’m really not updating frequently but I’m just way too into FFVI to spend time on this lol
It’s tied with XII as my favorite FF and yet I’m always amazed with how good it is when I come back. The Floating Continent is up now, so I’ll be finishing the World of Balance soon. Just trying to get some rages, lores, and spells on my mages before that
Ok, there we go. I’ve beaten both VI’s main story and the Dragon’s Den. Theoretically I could also go in again and beat the Omega Weapon but since it’s still the same dungeon and Kaiser was harder than Omega, I really don’t feel like it. In general, VI has been an absolute blast and the Dragon’s Den a really interesting dungeon. I’m sad the later games don’t have these expensive post-game optional dungeons, since I’ve come to like them very much.
On that note, we’re at the end of an era! The 2D FF games are now behind me and it’s all 3D from here - with the exception of Chrono Trigger, of course, which I’ve already started and have already been found innocent during the trial ;) I think I’m gonna do a little summary of the games I’ve played so far in the upcoming days, so if you’re interested, watch this space
From Discord I know I’m not the only one doing this marathon, so I just wanted to give a quick shoutout to all those who are on this journey as well! It may be a long road ahead, but you’re doing great! But most importantly, let’s all have fun reliving this series that brought us all together :)
So this is back! Since I had a big break and got distracted by a few games, I’ve decided to restart this with the pixel remasters! So far I’ve got the Nitro Powder in FFI. Rolling with a team of Warrior, Monk, Red Mage and Black Nage, and it’s been interesting! The Marsh Cave has been particularly tough, though I feel this is mostly due to the fact that I’m playing a version of 1 with Vancian magic for the first time
Bubba
12-04-2021, 08:33 AM
The White Wizard of Fynn not opting for a white mage is the biggest shock since Janet Jackson got her nipple out at The Super Bowl.
I’ve never done a run without a white mage in this game, despite having replayed it a lot, so we’ll see how that goes!
Wolf Kanno
12-04-2021, 09:25 PM
I see you're doing my team I used my last playthrough of FFI. ;)
No healing safety nets but damn does it hit hard.
Yeah it hits super duper hard
Quindiana Jones
12-05-2021, 08:33 PM
Man, I remember way back when I did a full FF playthrough, though it ended early shortly before finishing 7. It was such a delight playing 1-6, though.
I really need to give it another shot one day.
And there we go, FFI is done. The Pixel Remaster was a really cool way to experience this! I loved the graphical style and the music was just insane. Chaos was considerably more difficult than anything else, though I can see how having a white mage would have mitigated a lot of that :p Still glad I had the party I had because it made me think differently about a lot of the encounters.
Wolf Kanno
12-06-2021, 10:39 AM
Slammed dunk that one pretty fast. Will be interesting to see how fast you'll move through the next two. :lol:
It’ll probably take me a while, since just like at the beginning of this one year ago, I’m only doing it on weekends. But for I through III, I’m fairly sure I can do it one weekend per one game ;)
Also, for those of you who are not on Discord, I named the Warriors of Light after EoFF friends. The warrior was Karifean, monk was Mooncat (Galuf’s new username), red mage was Jinx, and black mage was Sheetlebug. I was very pleased that they seemed to be so enthusiastic for this! For FFIII I’m going to do something similar with another batch of EoFF friends ;) Unfortunately, I only name characters who don’t have default names, so III is going to be the last one where it happens, but I want all friends to know they’re valid and important to me, even if they don’t get to be an Onion Knight :bigsmile:
Started FFII! Once again the presentation of the pixel remaster is really doing it for me. I’ve reached Kashuan Keep and so far this has been the smoothest FFII experience I’ve had. I’m going with my old reliable team of Firion as a paladin/white mage type with sword and shield, Maria as a black mage who uses bows and Guy as a pure warrior with twin axes. Not only does auto battle make everything go by fast, but I feel like there’s much less grinding required. Spells like protect and shell, for example, seem like they have 100% accuracy right out of the box, so there’s no need to level them.
The minimap is also great as you can see all the treasures, so there’s less time spent getting lost in those terrible, terrible dungeons. On that note, the dead-end rooms no longer seem to have a booster encounter rate, so while they’re still annoying, they’re much less deadly. One tiny little QOL change that I love is that spell tomes are now color coded, so you can tell which ones are white magic and which are black without consulting a guide. Considering they work off different stats, it makes a big difference.
Forgot to update this, but I’m at FFIII now! Final thoughts on II: still love it to bits and the pixel remaster might just be my favorite way to experience it. The battle system is now extremely smooth and I never needed to stop to grind, like not even once. The soundtrack rearrangement also really brings out the somber tone of this game. What’s interesting is that of all the Pixel Remaster soundtracks so far, this is the only one to pretty much just stick with an exclusively symphonic soundscape.
FFIII is great. I’m happy that we finally have a 2D version that has all the QOL improvement the Advance versions had. They added Phoenix downs for purchase now but funnily, still no tents in this game lmao. This is also the hardest game yet, since I and II were pretty much cakewalk. It’s nowhere near as challenging as the original OR the 3D version, but I’ve still had more game overs than in the previous two combined lol. It’s definitely not a frustrating experience though and with no capacity/adjustment phase, it feels really great to experiment with jobs.
Current team is WarZidane as a Knight, Pumpkin as a Ranger, Wolf Kanno as a Monk and Mr Carnelian as a White Mage. About to awaken the water Crystal now. There’s a lot of quirky jobs that’s about to unlock so I expect the party to look very different after that ;)
Ok, so this update is long overdue! Managed to finish FFIII AND FFIV in the meantime and just started V :D
So FFIII PR might just be my favorite version of the game. It’s still challenging (though I may have been underleveled), but because of the way saves work it feels much more fair. Cloud of Darkness was incredibly hard and required a ton of strategizing (and luck), but because I could quick save just before I appreciated that a whole lot more.
FFIV PR, on the other hand, feels like the easiest this game has ever been, but I think it’s still my favorite 2D version (DS still wins imo). It doesn’t have the jank of the SNES and GBA version, and it actually has consistent aesthetics, unlike the PSP version. And personally, I really don’t miss the extra GBA content at all. Biggest drawback probably is the script. It’s still good, since it’s pretty much identical to the GBA script, but it feels really weird going back to it and terms like Elemental Lords and Sand Ruby after the 3D version and the PSP version using the GBA script with 3D version terms swapped in.
Now FFV feels very good so far. Difficulty feels unchanged from GBA and the music is just to die for - par for the course for the Pixel Remasters, of course. Will try to take it slower here since VI doesn’t have a concrete release date yet (and I do just love playing around with the jobs). But after that it’s VI and we can finally move on to a game that I haven’t beaten last year :p
Update time!
FFV done. Didn’t take very long to max all jobs and then once you do, everything, including Shinryu and Omega, are trivial ;) Really loved the pixel remaster. I especially enjoyed the fact that FFV finally got a really nice, high-quality rearranged soundtrack!
Now FFVI comes out on Wednesday, and Wednesday can’t come fast enough :hyper:
Wolf Kanno
02-18-2022, 06:38 PM
I have another friend doing something like this right now. The three most interesting things to come out of it for me listening to him was:
He never played FFV. We're talking a guy I thought was a die hard fan who loves the MMOs and FFIV is there favorite entry.
He's never finished FFVI. This I knew but it's always been a point of contention between us when talking FFs.
He has decided he hates The After Years after replaying it.
Good times.
I'm still hoping for a console release of the Pixel Remasters. Hopefully by summer or autumn.
Update time! FFVI Pixel Remaster finished and it was incredible! Reminded me why I love this game so much in the first place and the refine music is nothing short of phenomenal!
Now I’m on FFVII - PC version with the Reunion mod. So far, so good. Right now I’m about to make my way to the Shinra building, which means I’m almost done with Midgar
Christmas
03-14-2022, 12:42 AM
FF VI
Did you cry like a little girl when Celes attempted Suicide? :(
Did you replay Kefka's laughter multiple times and get high? :bigsmile:
Did you use the official EOFF guide over here to figure out how to play? :bigsmile:
http://home.eyesonff.com/showthread.php/76549-Tell-me-how-to-play
You mean like, this time or any of the fifty times I’ve already played this game before?
Christmas
03-14-2022, 06:37 AM
This time because I asked! I did not ask for the last fifty times which is why those things most likely did not come to your mind! :bigsmile:
BTW, are there mods for FF VI now?
So I’ve got an update for FFVII! I’m still not done with it. She long
But I’m slowly getting to the end. I’m about to visit Bugenhagen with the Huge Materia, and I’ve already done the Chocobo sidequests, and everyone besides Cloud have their final limit. I’m gonna try the battle arena next to finally get Omnislash.
Speaking of Huge Materia, the new translation has alleviated a lot of the issues I had with disc 2 and I am enjoying VII many times more than I did the last time I attempted it. Part of it may also be the fact that I’m actually doing the side stuff this time instead of breezing through because it is genuinely fun. So yeah, I’ll be moving on to FFVIII Remastered soon!
Christmas
04-04-2022, 04:59 AM
Wow, you finished the chocobo part this fast? The rest should be a breeze. I mean, if you dun intend to fight the weapons, having knight of the round with W summon will see things thru. :bigsmile:
I do intend to fight the Weapons! I’ve never done Ruby and Emerald before so I imagine I’ll probably still spend some time on this game. I also still don’t have Omnislash, but the Gold Saucer is my next stop, so I’ll be spending some time there.
Fighting weapons is fun! The materia system definitely makes it easy with the insane combos you can do. FFVII is a game I always play through when I feel overloaded with stuff. Probably because there is a sense of familiarity with it. In my last playthrough, I think I got almost everything except all the items in the Chocobo race (the misc. items) and maxing out all the stats for every character. I think at that point, it's just being nitpicky.
Reading this thread makes me want to pick up where I left off on FF12.
Do it! That’s exactly what this thread is for :D Feel free to post your progress, too!
Christmas
04-04-2022, 11:58 AM
I do intend to fight the Weapons! I’ve never done Ruby and Emerald before so I imagine I’ll probably still spend some time on this game. I also still don’t have Omnislash, but the Gold Saucer is my next stop, so I’ll be spending some time there.
I rmb i spammed hero drink plus Omni Slash back in those days against Ruby Weapon. Gotto love Final Attack + Revive for Auto-Life. :bigsmile:
I rmb Omnislash was relatively easy to get (at least for me). I am just worried about those missable items like Barrett's Ultimate Weapon.
I did actually pick that up for him - and for Cait Sith - so I don’t think I have any important missable to worry about. And if I do, well it’s too late now anyway :monster:
Well, after attempting Emerald once, I’ve decided I’m not having fun and I won’t have fun grinding, so I just went and finished the game without beating Ruby and Emeral lmao
All in all though I really enjoyed this run of FFVII. Two things made it more enjoyable than the last time. For one, the side activities are actually legitimately fun and focusing more on them during disc 2 really made me feel like I’m part of this world. The other factor is, of course, the retranslation. While there are fundamental issues with the script that no translation can fixed, this one actually went a long way in making the whole thing flow better and a lot of the more nonsensical parts of disc two are way more contextualized. So if you’re looking to play the OG FFVII, I personally think there’s no better way to play it than on PC with the HD background mod (Remako) in tandem with the Beacause retranslation mod. They’re actually packaged together in this neat little bundle called the Reunion mod!
And now I’m playing FFVIII Remaster and I’m using a set of graphical mods collectively called Lunatic Pandora and the game looks gorgeous now. I’m about to enter the fire cave for my SeeD exam and I can’t take my eyes off this game!
Christmas
04-05-2022, 07:13 AM
Haha, ya. Those 2 can be quite a bitch. Need some preparation to take them down. :bigsmile:
Careful of the random T-Rex in the training centre!
Alrighty, that’s FFVIII done! Gonna start IX tomorrow.
So I basically like VIII more every time I play it and this time has been a blast, as expected. The game was very easy though - not that that’s a bad thing. And the mods I used definitely made the remaster feel like an actual remaster!
Christmas
04-24-2022, 05:40 AM
Did you beat Ultima & Omega Weapons as well?
I did! They weren’t hard. What was annoying though were the fixed encounters in the Deep Sea Research Center that skyrocketed Squall to level 85. Still, levels thankfully don’t matter much and I managed to get even the level 20 something characters to 9999 HP :monster:
Christmas
04-25-2022, 01:49 AM
I remembered if you do it right, you can avoid the fixed encounters though. Need to enter a secret room or something.
So this went by fast. Just beat FFIX, and I just couldn’t put the game down. It’s another one of those games that just gets better every time I play it. Now I’m warm and fuzzy and can’t even find the right words lmao
I beat Ozma and generally did most of the optional stuff, which I’ve been pretty good with on this marathon so far. Next up is FFX, which might be long or very long, depending on whether I actually try to beat the Dark Aeons and Penance this time. Then a quick playthrough of X-2 NG+ and I’ll be venturing into unknown territory with XI :excited:
Christmas
05-11-2022, 11:08 AM
FFIX is relatively easy. The dark aeons in FFX may require you to get your stats to a certain level which may take some time.
Ok so big update. I beat FFX! And also, I beat Penance! I’m happy I did this, it was a terrible experience!
I’m honestly glad I got this out of my system because I always felt I was missing something by not doing the FFX post game, so now I finally did it I know what I’ve been missing out on and it was an absolute travesty. Honestly, in this run of FFX I actually appreciated the story a bit more but the battle system has completely and utterly failed me. I was bored out of my mind through most of the game, then spent literally half my playtime grinding in the stupid monster arena, hoping everyone was right and the CTB system would really shine with the optional bosses, but it never did. In fact, that section only exposed how deep the flaws of CTB go and I just longed for death. But now I’m finally done and never have to go back to it ever again
So now I’m doing NG+ in X-2 and I’m honestly just so burned out on Spira. I just want to move on to XI so I hope I can make this quick
Wolf Kanno
06-03-2022, 06:56 PM
Yeah, I don' know what it is, but the Spira entries are weird for how much acclaim their battle systems are when they are in fact, not terribly good or better than what came before them. I still argue that Xenosaga 1 and even 2, do the CTB concept better. Hell, SaGa Scarlet Graces has a much better version of the system as well.
It’s all the aesthetics, honestly. CTB has all the aesthetics of strategic gameplay without actually giving you in-depth strategic turn-based gameplay we now know is possible through stuff like Megaten. X-2’s iteration of ATB is all about the aesthetics of fluidity, later evolving into XIII’s ATB, but ATB is a hybrid system that’s meant to be a blend of the speed of real time and the depth of turn-based battles, and those two elements just skew it way more heavily towards action - meanwhile, XII’s ADB feels way more like a natural successor to that, but it’s also less flashy. So yeah, aesthetics
I got so into XI I forgot to update my status here lol
So I finished X-2. By doing NG+ and only doing what you need to do, it took a measly 8 hours. So a personal record. It was pretty fun. Having everyone use a mastered Mascot completely wrecked the game and Shuyin went down in one single hit :D My opinion hasn’t really changed. It’s still a decently fun game with a campy vibe, though once again I don’t really understand why people love the job system as much as they do when there’s better iterations of ATB in the series, but that’s all subjective. Good dumb fun, overall, and the 1000 Words scene always gets me. On that note, by now the soundtrack has well and truly grown on me.
Now I’ve moved on to XI and having fun there! Rolled a tarutaru red mage. Will probably post more in the other thread WK made and come back here once I’m done with that and start XII. This will take a while :)
Alright, I’m cheating a bit but life gets in the way lmao
So I’ve spent the last two months of my life in Vana’diel. I got very near the end of the Rise of Zilart expansion, but lost steam due to my vacation, and combine that with me not wanting to spend too much on my subscription and others I’ve played with moving on from the game, I just kind of decided to call it quits for now and move on to FFXII within the next few days.
I did very much enjoy my time with FFXI though! But I have to say it wasn’t exactly what I expected. I went in because I had been told for a long time it’s one of the better FF stories and I felt dumb missing out on it. What story I got was… ok? Certainly above average for what MMOs usually are (I assume), but it wasn’t something that would really justify staying in this game for so long on its own.
What really works for FFXI is it’s exceptionally realized world and, surprisingly for me personally, the multiplayer aspect. This world is sometimes too big for its own good but it’s still very fun to experience it first hand since it really feels like a lived in place with its own smorgasbord of cultures. And even though there are now trusts to help you out a bit, this game is the most fun when you’re playing with others. Whether they’re alleviating the boredom of the grind, helping you find your way through one of the many intentionally confusing dungeons that you’re not meant to beat alone, or joining you on that epic story battle, FFXI truly shines brightest when you’ve got someone to play with. I almost feel like I did myself a disservice by playing with others - playing alone after that just felt super empty every time ;)
So I stlll need to get some stuff in order and enjoy the rest of my summer break from work, but fairly soon the marathon should be back on track as I move on to FFXII: the Zodiac Age, one of my all-time favorites!
Just got out of the Barheim Passage and I am having a blast. Almost went broke buying gambits - I forgot they’re pretty much all available from the start in TZA lmao
So I had a break due to a number of reasons, but now I’m back at Raithwall’s Tomb! I forgot how to play the game a bit lmao. I’ve been conserving my LP for when I unlock the second jobs, which should be about now as far as I remember
I still wouldn't list it as a favorite by any means (nor did I finish it), but I really enjoyed FFXII a lot when I played it back in the summer of 2020. I think when I first played it a few days after it was released, it was NOT Final Fantasy to me. I don't really feel that way now, but also I'm better at non-turn based combat in general, as well. Isn't it one of your favorites, Fynn?
Yup. From the mainline games it’s tied as number one with VI for me. Though for some reason it’s taking me quite a long time to get through it this time. It’s probably because I have a lot more going on in my life than I did back in 2018, and it’s definitely a much more involving game than X
Quindiana Jones
11-07-2022, 05:35 PM
Are you playing with the 4x speed toggle activated? :D
Sometimes. Sometimes with 2x. Sometimes 1x. Really depends on my mood and what I’m doing
Ok so it’s been a while but I’m finally done with XII, so I’m pretty confident in saying I’ve reached the tail end of my marathon, with the upcoming XIV being the coup de grâce. But I still have one trilogy ahead of me…
But before that, what about XII? It’s still one of my favorites, which is why I feel I’ve treated it unfairly this time. Due to many distractions like the holidays, Disco Elysium, and finally getting my hands on Persona 5, I decided to make a beeline to the ending. It’s a real shame because FFXII’s real charm is in its expansive world, lore, and side content, so cutting all that out feels very disrespectful. Nevertheless, it hadn’t been that long since I cleared XII from top to bottom, and I didn’t want to get burnt out on one of my favorites of all time, so I decided to just move on.
Now it’s no secret I’m not a fan of XIII. What little I’ve played of XIII-2 felt even worse and LR looks interesting but I never got around to it. Still, whatever grievances I have with my trilogy, I plan to give it another fair shot. I’m paying close attention to the datalog and trying to have fun with the game as much as it will let me. I’m also playing on easy because I can’t deny the fact that I don’t want to spend too long on these ;) I’m up to chapter 3 now. Only ten to go…
Quindiana Jones
01-06-2023, 03:39 PM
I always find XII suffers from having a very compelling story and characters that need to be straight-line played through to engage with at an appropriate pace, but the interesting and deep gameplay needs to be handled at a leisurely and exploratory pace.
No matter how you play XII, you sacrifice a bit of one for the other. Which is a bummer, because both parts are great.
Christmas
01-07-2023, 12:48 PM
I felt asleep at the first fight of FFXII and have never touched it. :(
Quindiana Jones
01-07-2023, 09:19 PM
You're wrong and I don't respect your opinion. :colbert:
Alrighty, that’s FFXIII done
Overall, I enjoyed it more than I expected. It’s still immensely flawed, but after cozily breezing through it and reading the datalog as it updated, I do kind of get why people like it now. Also it’s still a damn gorgeous games even all those years later!
Now I’m on XIII-2 and already struggled a bit with how insanely messy the PC port is. Thankfully, I think I found a good patch. Now I just need to learn to deal with Serah’s clothes being changed by magic. And Mog. The worst moogle.
So I’ve finished XIII-2 for the first time and you’ve been on discord lately, you know I’ve been losing my mind over it. In many ways.
It’s really hard to put into words what my relationship with this trilogy has become. It’s an amalgamation of good and bad that just won’t sit still and I’m having difficulty making sense of this. But I’ll make an attempt to at least keep this brief
XIII-2 is an improvement over XIII in pretty much every way. I like that there’s more freedom right from the getgo, and while I still really don’t like the battle system, the battles go by considerably faster. In fact, all the exploitable episodes are nicely bite-sized, so the game just flows so much better. I’ve had a lot of fun just going from place to place and seeing what I can find.
The story is just as haphazard as the previous game, if not more so. It’s more campy and fun with more personal scenes, but as I went along I kept getting the feeling that the game had no idea where it was going. Caius failed to grip me as an antagonist since I feel he’s extremely overpowered (like seriously, you’d think an all powerful immortal walking around Gran Pulse around the time of the War of Transgression would make a bigger impact on the events of XIII but it doesn’t) and his motivation feels half baked. I get it, he wants to save Yeul, but does it really count when he’s going directly against her wishes and destroys the world as we know it? Also, for how much he talks about saving here, it’s also frustratingly unclear what their relationship even is since I don’t think they ever talk. About the only idea taken to it’s full extent in this game is Alyssa, whose disappearance at the end of the plot makes so much sense and is done in a remarkably subtle fashion.
Still, the story had some neat moments, but overall I’m frustrated that it throws pretty much everything established in XIII out the window, since the lore established there was one of the few truly redeeming things about that game, imo. Don’t get me wrong, I had great fun with XIII-2, much more than with XIII, but throughout the time of my playthrough I couldn’t help but feel cynical about it. Everything about its design felt like an apology, like a desperate plea from SE to the fans to keep giving them money at a time when the brand’s image was in a dire situation. Everything had to be decided by what’s popular, from Caius being a sympathetic villain and whose theme was specifically written to occupy the same space as One-Winged Angel, to a moogle being a companion after fans crying XIII didn’t feel like FF, to the entire reason behind this story centering on time travel being the fact that Chrono Trigger is one of the most beloved SE titles ever, no matter how little sense it makes to take a sequel to XIII in this direction.
The music is great though. I still prefer XIII’s soundtrack, but XIII-2 gets kudos for being very different for FF. And overall, I definitely see myself replaying XIII-2 sooner than XIII. I just need this manic episode it’s sent me down to end.
Now, moving on to Lightning Returns. I’ve only just started the game, got to the point where I’m sent back to the Ark. so far, the impression is really good. The PC port runs like butter on max settings out of the box, which wasn’t the case for the previous two even after extensive modding. In general, I really dig the new vibe and aesthetic and I’m hooked from word go. The battle system is also a huge improvement. I’m really looking forward to experiencing this for the first time. Feels like this game could be something special.
Quindiana Jones
01-26-2023, 02:55 AM
I completely forgot that XIII was a trilogy.
Honestly, playing them all now in succession, FF would have been fine as a brand if they just didn’t bother with XIII and XIII-2 and only released Lightning Returns lmao
Christmas
01-27-2023, 11:39 AM
Wow, now that you put it this way, i think you made a lot of sense!
Quindiana Jones
01-27-2023, 02:23 PM
I'm very much looking forward to your entire playthrough of FFXIV.
I'm very much looking forward to your entire playthrough of FFXIV.
You have no idea how many people are looking forward to it lmao
Shauna
01-28-2023, 03:31 PM
not many people tbh just one or two really loud members
Christmas
01-29-2023, 03:39 AM
Seriously man, i nvr played FF XIV. Could use a synopsis. :b
not many people tbh just one or two really loud members
That’s still more than have ever waited for me ^^;
Shauna
01-29-2023, 10:21 PM
Seriously man, i nvr played FF XIV. Could use a synopsis. :b
it is fun
also you get a lot for free
And that’s Lightning Returns done!
I never thought I’d come out of this trilogy this positive, but I actually really loved this game! It’s almost as if all of my grievances with the previous two were directly addressed here, but it also didn’t feel like pandering. It genuinely felt like the game the creators had in them all this time that they couldn’t realize before due to inexperience and mismanagement. It’s the most competent and most coherent of the three games and I just genuinely enjoyed the way the story unfolded too! It’s really a shame so few people got to even play it, due to the reputation of its predecessors. All I can say is, unless you really just hate Lightning, I think there’s a fair chance this one might win you over just like it did me.
So now it’s time for XIV! My sub is active, my game is up to date, so now it’s time to roll my character and see what all the fuss is about!
Guys i am still not done with XIV lmao
But I am on Endwalker, so I should have some final thoughts written out sometime this year
Wolf Kanno
11-09-2023, 10:41 PM
Nine months later...
I know. You could have a full baby in that time. So if you just got pregnant, that’s probably not enough time to catch up on FFXIV lmao
How do you even begin talking about something like FFXIV? I've spent nearly a year catching up to something a lot of people have been very invested in for a very long time. I've burned a lot of my life on this. I've also barely really scratched the surface.
I do not regret this experience.
Maybe saying I scratched the surface is selling the stuff I actually managed to do short. I have finished all of the currently main story content, which at the point of writing is up to patch 6.5, so I've finished Endwalker, as well as the post-Endwalker scenario (aside from the three or four quests we'll get in 6.55, but that doesn't concer me right now). I've finished all the raid series, trial series, alliance raids, some job questlines. Basically a lot of what would normally be considered the "main story" in a regular game, I guess.
There is a multitude of quests that all add to this game's already gargantuan lore. This includes tribal quests, which I have not even touched, because I didn't even craft anything, ever. I never had to. I had good friends looking out for me while I continued this odyssey.
I could list statistics like this for a long time, but it still wouldn't really mean anything. Again, how do I even talk about a thing that has consumed a good chunk of my life for the better part of a year?
FFXIV is good. It is very good. I was told the beginning would be rough, and it was, in a way. I've played XI for two months, but this was the first time I actually sunk my teeth into a current. active MMORPG. It was rough because everything was overwhelming. But as I made my way through A Realm Reborn, a patchwork of scraps left over from SE's apocalyptic disaster that I was told by everyone else was the worst bit of the game and that I would need to endure it.
And yet I was sucked in. Part of it was the company. At this point it should be mentioned that I was accompanied by a whole bunch of people who helped me feel welcome in this large world. Shauna and Matt's free company Wonderous Fails (or WonFa, as we all call it) was delightful, helping me learn the ropes and giving advanced tips when push came to shove, even allowing me to embarrass myself during high-end content later on. They said I did good, though. And then there are Formy and Mr. Carnelian, who weren't even planning to play XIV, until I told them I'm gonna do it last year when I met them during their wedding and asked if they'd like to join me. And then they agreed, despite, like me, having very little to do with MMOs. Last but not least, I would be remiss not to mention Adam, our long-banned fellow EoFFer Doomgaze, a veteran of the game who happened to be looking for people to play with. And so a fairly steady light party of four was born, though of course we joined up with other people from WonFa (shoutout to Jess and Jinx for being very helpful guides during our initial few dungeons), especially for things that required more people, as well as the many people we've encountered only once through random chance using Duty Finder.
The other thing that kept me going were the little things. Let me make myself clear - while the story and characters in XIV is quite good, the entire structure of it is quite mind-numbing. It is quite unavoidable since that is the general structure of an MMO, but going from quest to quest to do all those little minor things and reading novels-worth of text just to advance the story a little bit was tough. But then we had little moments that got enhanced by this, like when, after a brutal attack from Garlean forces a bunch of people got killed, you were tasked with carrying every single one to the cart to give them a proper burial. The action bar filled up quite slowly for Roegadyns, but very quickly for Lalafells. You got to feel the weight of the events through your own actions, and little moments like that in the game really made the story shine at some points.
I won't go into detail with every expansion, but I will say it's remarkable that they managed to keep the story going so well for so long while making it more exciting and well thought out with every entry (with the exception of maybe Stormblood being just alright, but that's still a commendable effort). Shadowbringers in particular stands out as an incredible paradigm shift in terms of story direction and character writing, though honestly, every expansion feels like it adds more depth to this world and the people that inhabit it. In fact, I'd say I probably chose the best moment to speed through this game, as Endwarlker truly does feel like an excellent coda for everything that has come so far.
So this is probably it for me until Dawntrail comes out this summer, which I am very much looking forward to. For now, my lovely Hrothgar alter ego will take some much earned rest while I continue this marathon, probably starting XV after New Year, because I need a break too.
P.S. Y'shtola is the best Scion. #sorrynotsorry
Wolf Kanno
12-19-2023, 05:04 AM
I'm happy you finally reached the current end, and found a new game o love.
Psychotic
12-23-2023, 09:42 AM
Yeah it's p good isn't it hey remember that time we did the stone vigil and i showed you my hippo
Of course. It was lovely to do it with you
We are so back
Time to finish up this fmarathon thing. FFVII Remake continues to be outrageously expensive even during steam sales, so FFXV is definitely the final game I’ll be covering for this marathon. It feels like it’s been a while since I did this, but that’s honestly simply because XIV took nearly a year lmao
So I’ve started FFXV! And by that I mean just barely started since I’ve just arrived in Hammerhead. Thanks to my new GPU, the game is running much better and at higher settings than when I played it the last time, so I have to say it’s gorgeous! The tutorial felt a bit clunky, but I’m starting to feel the combat again and I’m reminded of just how cozy it feels. The boys are also a lovely gang and I really enjoy their interactions.
Honestly, I’ve always held XV in high regard so I’m happy to get back to it, but also kinda sad this marathon is almost over. It’s honestly kinda hard to believe I actually reached this point
Christmas
04-21-2024, 02:34 PM
UPDATE?
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