Does anyone else dislike the oldschool FFs? (I - VI)

[skatehippie]

Hm...

Um, there's really not much to be said here...but...I just wanted to know if there was anyone besides me who just isn't interested by the oldschool FFs. I've began all of them...played through a little bit...and it's just so hard to find anything to keep me "into" it. Yeah, VI has a good story and whatnot blah blah blah...but the old graphics and midi music just don't spark any awe from me.

I've played all the PS/PS2 games (more or less) and that is how I see the FF series. These games have truly shown the talent of Square as a company...they had the tools to really show what they could do, and they did it well. People seem to disrespect the later FFs and it just pisses me off for some reason. Well except your beloved VII. And in the music forum people actually talk about the older songs...I mean yeah they were good for their kiddy quality and stuff but how can they hold any merit these days? Ahh, whatever...

Personally, I love VIII and X and X-2...yeah, that's right. I am 18, so maybe I was too young to enjoy the older ones while they were around? I dunno. It just seems weird...how can people find so much joy in the horrible graphic/sound quality? The stories are great, but...I can read a good story in a book. I'd like to think what it'd be like if all the FFs were books, not games. Then we'd really see which ones hold their own.

PS: unfortunately VIII would be terrible in book form.

[PeTeRL90]

No way. The old school Final Fantasies are the best. Well, that's just in my opinion, but still.

Don't get me wrong, I like the new school ones too (with the exception of VIII), but the old school ones will always be the best to me.

So many people were weaned on FFVII.

[Flying Mullet]

I love the old school Final Fantasies. :love:

[DocFrance]

I say you shouldn't criticize them until you've completed them. How do you qualify the music as "kiddy" or horrible? I think you've been spoiled by the later FFs.

[Kirobaito]

You know, the later FFs used MIDIs, too. There's no difference.

The old skewl FFs are just as good as the new ones. I don't put any difference between them.

[Xander]

My view on this is that people who began playing the older FF's like I-IV are more likely to like them now and maybe "disrespect" the older games. I think it might be because they just have nostalgia to some people, and the classics are always the best and so on.
I say this because I feel the same about games like Monkey Island. I loved the first 2, the old pixelated Amiga games, but didn't like the newer two just because to me, the classics were the best and you couldn't beat them.

When it comes to FF I think those who begin playing FFVII and above will be more likely to prefer these and then find it harder to get into the earlier ones. Of course this probably isn't true with everyone, but it's just an idea.

Personally I began with FFVII and played some FFVIII before playing some of FFVI. Then I just found myself wanting to carry on with the PS and PS2 FF games, maybe because of the graphics. I own all the old FF games (except III) but I haven't really started playing I-V properly at all yet and still haven't got amazingly far on VI. I think I will like them, but as I said, I think it's different when they give you that nostalgia feeling, and I never knew about FF till FFVII. But of course it might be different for everyone.

I'm sure they are excellent games in their own right, but some people probably criticise the newer FF's unfairly just because they played the classics. But yeah that's what I do with MI, so, can't blame them really :D

[Bahamut2000X]

I love the older games probally more then the new ones now a days. Then again maybe I'm bias cause I'm a old school gamer who started on NES and moved up as time went on. True the graphics aren't the best, but for the time they were better then so many other games. I really don't think graphics and music should really determine all that much of a game. You play GBA right? Cause that's basically what FFIV-VI are in graphic and sound wise.

I'ld actually take some of the older FF's any day over some of the newer FF's which it seems some of them Square made just as a game to show off flashy graphics and earn a a few million dollars, then tell of a epic story.

[Del Murder]

I agree with Xander. You're probably just too young. For example, I could never play a text-based RPG all the way through without hanging myself, because thsoe are before even my time. Each generation has it's own likes.

[Jebus]

Another person basing a game on its graphics. *beats head against wall* That's not what Final Fantasy games are about. They are about a good story, and good characters. Graphics don't make the game. *cough*Asheron's Call 2*cough* You want good graphics go see a movie. I'll stick with my pixelated early ninties crap thank you.

[Sephex]

I like the older ones better. You're probably right about the age thing though.

[DJZen]

Another person basing a game on its graphics. *beats head against wall* That's not what Final Fantasy games are about. They are about a good story, and good characters.

You forgot rock solid gameplay. That's the one thing that keeps me coming back to FF games. That's the one thing I liked about FF8. Personally, I love the hell out of FF1 for the NES. The prologue (NOT the prelude) is just beautiful, and I have a weakness for FM synth. Seriously, back when FF was made it was LIGHTYEARS ahead of Dragon Quest/Warrior in terms of graphics. It was miles ahead in terms of gameplay, but I can't speak for the current shape of DQ/W. I seriously think that people who started playing FF with FF7 (or, god forbid, after) think that FF is supposed to be about looking at pretty colors while getting caught up in a story that no one can possibly follow due to lousy translation. NUKE wasn't a cool spell because it caused awesome graphical effects, it was a cool spell because it did something like 500 damage against WARMECH! BTW, if you want to play a fun text based game, check out the one on homestarrunner. It's hilarious!

[Kirobaito]

It could be the age thing, but I would be the fluke. I played FFVIII first, then VII, then IX, then VI, the IV, and then the others in some random order, and I like them all equally. Well, they all start out equally. I judge them on the actual gameplay and storyline. And I'm only 15, I started out on SNES, I'm definitely a "new skewl" playa.

[DocFrance]

BTW, if you want to play a fun text based game, check out the one on homestarrunner. It's hilarious! From here, ye can move North, South, and Dennis.

[eestlinc]

the old ones are a) awesome b) hard c) the reason ff7-crappy even exist

[DJZen]

Ye are festering with plaguiness. Ye should seriously get this looked at.

[DocFrance]

-Take yon flask.

Ye cannot take yon flask.

[Spuuky]

If I was basing my opinions of these games based solely on graphics then Final Fantasy VII would easily rate the lowest. It's so ridiculously ugly that I can barely even stand to play the parts or the game that aren't battles themselves.

But opinions shouldn't be based on the quality of the graphics. And regardless of graphics, I think the older games are better. The SNES era FF games are on top, followed by FFI and FFIX, then II and VIII, then III and VII. Yeah, I still don't like FFVII. I can't speak for X or X-2 yet.

[Rostum]

Yeah, and if you look around they have actually performed the old FF music in a concert fully orchastrated and it all sounds beautifull. Anyways, I have to agree that I do like the later FF's because that's what I started off with (FFVII) but I have played Origins, FFIV and FFVI and I must say they are good.

You should really base them on the graphics, although I do understand where you're comming from. Apart from FFI you really need to force yourself through a few hours of the game to get into it more.

[m4tt]

I'm kind of in the middle I guess. I like the last of the "old" ones, IV, V and VI, but I don't really care for I, II or III. Of course I've never played III, and I've only played about an hour of I and II combined.

I despise VIII, but I can stand VII. I love IX, and I think X and X-2 are okay.

But if I had to chose, I'd go with IV, V and VI over anything else.

[HOOTERS]

The older FFs I've played (V and VI) are alright but I didnt like them as much as VII, VIII and IX. V and VI were fun for a while but then the battles started to get boring and repetitive and you get attacked every 5 steps. Also the character development and story-lines are pretty lousy (collect all three crystals before big bad guy kills/releases/badgers something). The graphics and music are fine (though it gets annoying after a while when it becomes obvious that all the castles have hired the same interior decorator) it's just these other areas that let the earlier games down imho.

[ZellMog]

I am 18, so maybe I was too young to enjoy the older ones while they were around?

I doubt it. I'm 17 and the older FF's are my favorites. (II, V, and VI especially.) I was playing FFIV and VI when they first came out. :moggie:

[DJZen]

I got FFVI shortly after its initial US release back in 1994. I even had the FFIII (hehehe) hat. In fact, it's still lying around somewhere... For a long time, I was of the opinion that FFVI was the pinnable of a the series and that it did nothing but decline afterwards. Then I got really into FFI and that was my favorite for a while. Now I really can't say which I like best. I like them all, even though there are parts of FFII that are rather like having your fingernails pulled out with rusty pliers. I even liked FFVIII once I started getting into the junction system. It gave me a migraine at first just trying to make sense of it all, but when I did, I loved it. I think what really catylized all that was KH though. Watching the characters fight in real time sorta made everything click for me somehow....

[PeTeRL90]

I am 18, so maybe I was too young to enjoy the older ones while they were around?

I'm 18 too, and my first Final Fantasy was IV when it first came out. Then VI, then I.

[crono_logical]

I don't think age has much to do with it - I touched FF for the first time almost 4 years ago only, and I'm still at uni, but I think the old and new ones are both mixed bags each. 3,5 and 6 were my favourites out of the older ones, and X-2 is a pile of crap as far as I can see :p X-2 in fact also has the worst music of the lot to me :D While on the topic of music, FF7 possibly had worse quality music than 6 with the exception of One Winged Angel, even though it was on a superior console. And yeah, every FF uses MIDI-type music for most things - you'll find even Otherworld from FFX is actually stored in this sort of format if you see the raw data for it :p

[escobert]

I lvoe the old school FFs. Graphics and music mean as much to me in a game as much as a pile of crap would. I think the story brings out the game not just how it looks and sounds.

[Aphelion]

I like the SNES generation (IV-VI) but the others...I can't even see them...

[Andex]

I grew up on Final Fantasy, at the tender age of about 6ish-5ish, (I was a young FF bloomer). So from there i went on, and have beat every classic one: 1, 2, 6/3, mystic quest, 5. It depends on wether you really played the older ones.


Storyline > Graphics

[Lord Chainsaw]

I don't like the NES FFs. Final Fantasy III is the only Final Fantasy besides X-2 that I actually hate. They're like the NES Dragon Warriors, only not fun. I can't stand the battles in the NES FFs. There's just something about those games that I don't like.

FFIV on the other hand, I love. Probably because it was the first Final Fantasy I ever played. It holds a special spot as my second favorite FF, no matter how old it gets. There's nothing greater than getting your ass kicked by a wall.

[DJZen]

Comparing DW1 to FF1 is like comparing Donkey Kong to Super Mario Bros.

[Skogs]

I played FFVI first, which along with VII was probably the most innovative FF. Anyway, I haven't played much of the NES fantasies (mainly because NESticle hates my computer) fantasies, but the later games seem so much richer and more complex. For me, it's not the graphics that turn me off older FFs - it's the fact that I find it difficult to get immersed in the storyline. For me that's where FFVI stood out from previous FFs, and set a precedent for future ones.

[Rase]

I LOVE the old school FF. Just beat FFIV again tonigh for the first time in 6 years. Finally got another SNES.

[DJZen]

I played FFVI first, which along with VII was probably the most innovative FF. Anyway, I haven't played much of the NES fantasies (mainly because NESticle hates my computer) fantasies, but the later games seem so much richer and more complex. For me, it's not the graphics that turn me off older FFs - it's the fact that I find it difficult to get immersed in the storyline. For me that's where FFVI stood out from previous FFs, and set a precedent for future ones.

Play FF2.

[Rase]

Also try playing FFVI. Really nice story line IMHO.

[DJZen]

Read the quote again :D

[Rase]

:O_O: :O_O: :O_O: :O_O: :O_O: :sweatdrop :sweatdrop

Dang, PM me whne I make a stupid mistake so I can fix it without anyone else noticing. :mad:

[aeris2001x2]

there r some outstanding old school ff games and some out standing new ones. u should play them all and your probably find you will have some old school near the bottom of your list and some near the top.

e.g i bet ff2,ff8,ffx-2 will be near bottom but ff4,f6,ff7 will be near top. wheter its old or not has no bearing on its quality.

[DJZen]

Agreed, it's all just opinion. You can definitely look at things in a different light though. I'm currently enjoying all the FF games. Playing favorites would be damn difficult since the merits they all have make them all pretty different from each other. I mean seriously, the only thing that I feel it's fair to judge by is gameplay, and I have yet to find a FF with gameplay I dislike. I greatly enjoy the junction, Materia, Magicite, job, and stat growth systems and greatly look forward to what the next game will offer in terms of new twists on the classic formula.