That's right which game has the overall best writing to it in you opinion? You can use whatever criteria you want but you must defend it.
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That's right which game has the overall best writing to it in you opinion? You can use whatever criteria you want but you must defend it.
>>> You got me here, Im not a writer and I dont read a book since I was in school..
Anyways, I think I can bet on FFIX here..:luca:
I don't think any of the numbered titles excels in writing.
Now, I'm gonna get a lot of hate for this, but I think Tactics Advance has the best writing overall. Tactics was awesome overall, but some story decisions I felt were cop-outs, while the guest characters going mute after joining permanently really killed their development. Tactics Advance gives us some great characters with conflicting motivations. Marche's journey is both selfish and selfless and is built up tremendously well throughout the game. This game does excel in it's writing, in my eyes.
'Writing' means a lot of things but if I were to pick the most insane plot it would be Final Fantasy Tactics.
FFVII probably had the most sophisticated use of writing techniques.
But as far as "words on the page" goes that would be Final Fantasy XII. Alexander O. Smith is a wonderful localizer and writer and he was only enhanced by excellent voice acting.
I echo Fynn: none of the writing is really that strong. So many plot holes.
Of all of the games? X probably has the best writing. Least amount of plot holes, every party member had a big time in the spotlight, crazy twist.
I always feel like X has the best storytelling...but that's not the question being asked.
I love the writing in VII, but it's hard for me to separate writing from plot there as well. IX and XII are really good too...and I am partial to V as well.
What do you feel is encapsulated by the terms "writing" and "storytelling" then? Form and function are not separated in the work I do and they shouldn't be in anything written; if you can't communicate your idea, it isn't a good idea.
I would say it is a toss up between IX and X in my opinion.
As i replay X, I feel it has the best narrative in the series. My favorite FF game is VIII, but its story is one of the weakest in the series, I feel. FF IV had great writing, and by great I mean hilarious.
On another note, we shouldn't get caught up in 'writing' and 'story'. As far as I am concerned, in this context, it's meant to be the same. How can i judge the mere words of a game and not the plot, the reason the words exist?
By writing I understand the cohesion of the story and the techniques used to convey it. That said, I cannot understand how so many people chose X. Yes, it may have little plot holes for a numbered totles, but the total lack of any subtlety kills it for me.
Why would you get a lot of hate for stating such a clear and correct position? FFTA had great writing. There's a reason I've written two essays on it. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by The White Wizard of Fynn
Mostly due to the fact that TA is probably the most controversial FF. Its haters are some of the most passionate haters I have ever seen, taking it's message of going against blind escapism very personally as a sort of "This Loser Is You". I think it's an incredibly well thought-out and well-written story, which all too often gets overshadowed by Tactics (which I still love to bits, BTW), often dismissed for its childish surface and controversial message.Quote:
Originally Posted by SkybladeWhy would you get a lot of hate for stating such a clear and correct position? FFTA had great writing. There's a reason I've written two essays on it. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by The White Wizard of Fynn
I don't compare. Each Final Fantasy is its own story for a reason. They have things that work, things that don't and everything else is subjective. If I was to think of the two entries that I have had a refresher course on in this year -- VII and VIII -- I find both games narratives work for it and wouldn't compare and contrast them.
Can I say Xenogears?
No?
Ehhhh. Hard to say then. I think IX and XII could come close but they're both deficient in a few key areas. I think that's the major problem here - each title has some glaring weakness or another that makes it hard to choose it as the best written.
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance has great writing, yes.
IX. The story starts out very classic princess and then the thief comes along and it's fun and interesting but it's shallow. Then as the game goes on it adds so much depth to it and goes places I wouldn't have thought. The character development is excellent, Vivi grows in a believable and inspirational way, Steiner grows and develops as a character while still being Steiner (one of the things I hate is when a character "develops" by turning in to just an entirely different person) and Zidane's scene where he finally breaks down is just... wonderful. It also finally brought us away from the brooding heroes (don't get my wrong, I really like Squall, but it was a nice change) from VII and VIII and gave us a guy who was just generally caring and supportive and positive. He was there for Garnet, Vivi, Freya, everyone. That was literally his take on life was to just... be a good person.
The story just moves me. It draws me in and I can just so easily lose myself in it.
From a technical standpoint, I don't think that any of the FFs have "great writing". That being said, the immersive value of the stories are most often superb. Obviously there are issues with translation as far as dialogue is concerned. But, what's important to note is that the story-telling capability of a video game is not based solely upon the words that you read. It's the same as in a movie--you don't find yourself embroiled within the story because of dialogue alone. Now, the dialogue has to be halfway decent, but the acting and the direction also play a pivotal role in creating the story. Music is also a huge part of it.
Now, there are some serious golden moments. In FF7, for example, I think Cloud speaking to Cloud (the black-screen freak-out moments) are very well-written. You can hear a sombre, caring voice speaking to the MC just from reading the text. Specifically, I mean the scene in lower-Junon after you save Priscilla.
It's really a tough question, though, because it's nearly impossible to actually pull away the dialogue from the medium. Still, considering you can watch a movie and think "That was some killer dialogue", then I guess none of the FFs are really all that well-written, but the direction, and all the other elements combined turn them into very interesting stories to follow. Regardless of whether the dialogue is "Good", all the elements work together quite well for the most part.
The bad moments, of which there are countless, to be honest, are the same problem you get with a lot of sci fi, where the idea is bigger than the writer/artist's ability to convey that message. Even the best Phillip K. Dick books suffer from spots of awful writing. And that's coming from a PKD fan.