There and Back Again: An FF Nerd's Tale

[Wolf Kanno]

Roughly inspired by this article, and the EoFF Census that is going on *cough* vote *cough* I thought it would be interesting to read about people's experience.

Basically you go through the FF series and you try to recall your first experience with the game, and then list your thoughts on it now. The only game I feel needs to be omitted is XIII, since its so new and people haven't had time to fully "digest" its contents. If you haven't played the whole series, it is no big deal, just do what you can. Generally its better if you've played the games multiple times but maybe your opinions have grown stronger or mellowed out without it so do whatever you feel.

[Jessweeee♪]

I'll only list games I've played multiple times.


FFVII:
I was with my uncle visiting his girlfriend's family. I was told I could just bum in front of the Playstation since they were all talking about grown up stuff. "Oh I think my uncle has this game at home. Let's see if it's fun." Ten minutes later I set the bomb to go off and did not realize that Jesse was stuck. "WTF why can't I leave I'm gonna get blown up this is stupid. I think my uncle has the next one too, maybe it's not stupid like this one is." A few years later I would buy my own copy and finish it (only to have my brother shut if off in a fit of rage after I defeated Sephiroth for the first time) and I enjoyed it. (SPOILER)Aeris's death wasn't a surprise at all since I was spoiled, but it was still a little touching. I had a lot of fun playing it and I enjoyed the story, even if I wasn't totally wowed by it. I still feel the same about it today, except some parts of the story bore me to tears. Like the big flashback. UUUGH.

FFVIII:
I consider this one to be my first and unluckiest Final Fantasy. It was a completely new experience for me gaming wise. Before this I'd only played Gex, Tomb Raider, Sonic, some racing games, and a Threads of Fate demo. So of course I was totally blown away. I had no understanding of how RPGs work and Junctioning was just like wut. I ran from random battles, spammed my summons, and of course got stuck at the Missle Base. My brother and his friend accidentally dropped the TV on the PS1, smashing the console to pieces, before I would ever get past it. I was so sad. Some years later a friend gave me his copy and I accidentally deleted my save file when I was at the end of disc two. Then again when I started over and made it to the end of disc three. FFVIII was the most intriguing to me simply because so many things went wrong whenever I tried to finish it. I was always just dying to know what would happen next and if I would ever see it. One day I did finish it though, and I felt awesome. These days when I replay it, I exploit every little thing I can, getting tons and tons of powerful magic from cards before I even start the SeeD exam. I still enjoy the story, even if I now find some of it to be a little silly.

FFIX:
It was a fun, charming little game. The delay in battles took some getting used to, but after awhile it wasn't a problem. It was never really anything special to me. I really enjoyed it the first time, but I have never been able to finish a second playthrough. I always lose interest! I must have dozens of files that end like halfway through the first disc. I like it enough that I want to finish it again, but not enough that I actually do, I guess.

FFX:
I got this one for my fourteenth birthday with a ton of candy. So the whole time I was playing I was eating candy! It was my favorite for a long time, and the soundtrack was pretty amazing. A couple of scenes make me cringe these days, but for the most part I still enjoy it. The laughing scene will always be my favorite.

FFXII:
The first time I played it the story bored me. A lot. Probably because I never knew what was going on because it would take me ages and ages to get from point A to point B. But it was really fun to play, and I went through it a second time. FFXII is different from the others for me because it grows on me more with each playthrough. When before it was my least favorite story-wise, it's now one of my favorites.

[Bolivar]

I guess I'll start with the order I played them.

VII then - I was a Genesis RPG guy, and I was utterly blown away. To me it was everything we were waiting for in the 16-bit generation, a true revolution, I fell in love with the characters, the events, everything about it.

Now - I don't feel the dialogue is still that much of a step up from 16-bit games (for the most part) but overall my appreciation for it has grown. I'm drawn to the aesthetics, especially the music, maybe more than ever, and appreciate the breadth of mini-games and pacing. I feel I love it more for the Game that it is now rather than the experience (which may sound odd to "interactive-movie"-bashers), and I feel it grows every time I play.

VIII then - It was cool to be playing the successor to VII and they carried over the formula kinda nicely, but I never finished this game for years, i just didn't like it all that much.

now - Complete 180, the first playthrough I finally finished the game on, I simply played through the story drawing minimally and not trying to get 100 of every spell. I found the pacing excellent, the story really enjoyable and deep, it's one of my favorite FF's now.

I, II, III around this time I tried out the NES games on an emulator to see what they were all about. I felt they were all probably innovative for their time, but reserved myself to thinking they're from an era that just wasn't as fun as the newer games.

now - having beat them in different incarnations, they're some of my favorite games. I think their simplicity has allowed them to stand the test of time and become, not surprisingly, some of the best portable games you can own.

FFIX - After FFVIII's disappointment, I completely fell in love all over again with this game. The story was awesome, the artwork amazing, and the battle systems are probably the tightest they've ever been. When I beat this game, I really thought it was better than Final Fantasy VII.

now - while FFIX is still one of my favorite games of all time, I don't feel it took as many risks as FFVII and VIII did, and that always puts it down a couple notches for me. I still get chills everytime I play it though.

FFX - Square recreated the VII experience for me. I feel they once again raised the bar with the first FF on a new console and I was so glad to be there for the ride. Put it down for a while, but enjoyed it a lot. I actually didn't play it again for many years, and only once since.

now - the haters can cry me a river, I still think this is an amazing game. As I've gotten older I feel the more mature elements of the plot hit me that much harder, I think it's one of the great video game stories.

FFTactics then - This is the one game I really hated missing out on, I was searching EVERYWHERE for this game, which seemed to have evaporated from stores years after its release. Just when I had given up all hope, THEY ANNOUNCED THE GREATEST HITS VERSION. A part of me believed it was because I was going around south Jersey asking all around for it. The first time I put the disc in and played it, seeing the graphics, reading the dialogue, participating in the battles, I was almost getting high off the game, it was almost a physical reaction. Shining Force was my favorite RPG series before FF, and this was just a beautiful marriage to me.

now - some of the charm is gone b/c I feel the end relies on luck and exploiting overpowered abilities, but it's still one of the best games ever made to me.

FFIV, V, VI - running up to the release of FFXII, I wanted to beat all the games I didn't, starting with III on the DS, then IV Advanced and V and VI on Anthologies. IV was incredible - I feel that's really where Final Fantasy found its soul and it was a great summer playing that game. V impressed me as well, the job system, cliche characters and setting just did it for me, it was an epic story.

Unfortunately, FFVI is a different case because after years of hearing about the magnitude of its genius, this game was a shattering disappointment when I finally played it. I remember telling my friend on IM I was at Figaro and him replying "Oh man isn't Kefka such an evil villain! He puts Sephiroth to shame! He actually tells a guy to wipe sand off his boots!!!" I was bored to death. The battle system was easily exploitable, and the characters weren't any better (or more fleshed out) than there 16-bit brethren. When I kept telling my friends there still hadn't been any impressive moments, they continuously said "Just keep playing! It'll get better!" When I got to the World of Ruin and they were still saying that, I was done. I put the game down and didn't finish it until I picked it up again with Anthologies, to play after beating III, IV, and V.

now - I still love IV and V, but the magic is somewhat gone after coming back to newer games because the dialogue in those games just wasn't that great. They talk like characters stuck inside of a video game instead of characters in a story. Same with VI. I still appreciate them for what they did, but they don't reproduce the effect of that first playthrough. As far as VI is concerned, I think it did end up getting better, i appreciate it a lot more after seeing everything that it was. It took a ton of risks and had some incredible music and art, but FFV is much better to me.

FFXII then - when it came out, I had a blast exploring the cities, crawling through all the dungeons, but as the hours wore on and the pacing got worse and worse I was extremely disappointed with this game as well. Almost immediately after beating it, I made my "Not much of a Final Fantasy..." thread b/c it just didn't feel like the rest of the series did. I felt it was atrociously paced and not very original with its Star Wars-esque cast and story (that took it much farther than FFII, although it has a lot of parallels with it which may be intentional).

now - like FFVIII, a complete 180, it's now one of my favorite games of all time. On my second playthrough I tried to just focus on the story to avoid the distractions, and it's definitely one of the best done stories in a game. While forming this tremendous appreciation for that, I came to really marvel at the Gambit system, and struck a real gold mine by finding out just how much strategy there is in the game. I played it again a third time doing nearly everything and just loved it. I may have spent more time with FFXII than any other video game, and I did that all in the first 2 years of its release.

To sum up:

VII's probably my favorite, I loved it then and now, and like FFX, my appreciation for it has grown over the years. IX and Tactics are still awesome games, their shine has only slightly dimmed for trifle reasons. FFVIII and XII did complete 180s from their initial disappointments to become two of my favorite games, and I-III are just incredibly tight, fun, awesome games, especially on a handheld. IV and V lost some of the magic from the first playthrough, but they're still great gems from the 16-bit era.

FFVI sucks, though. :P

[Jessweeee♪]

FFXII reminds me of The Scarlet Letter, a wonderful short story that is trapped inside of a novel that kind of drags on.

[Vermachtnis]

I
The first time I played it, I didn't know you could change characters and I played with a Fighter, Black Belt, Thief, and Red Mage. Also didn't know what I was doing. Went place to place killing stuff. Helped that the instruction manual told you what to do. It was really hard.

Now when I play I know why I'm going from place to place killing crap. And I build my team right. The old NES game still retains it's charm. Keep remaking it though and the difficulty is shot.

Skipping II, III cause I've only played through them once.

IV
My first proper Final Fantasy. Played the first version on the SNes and Cecil didn't have Dark and the item names were weird. But didn't know any of that cause it was my first time. First time I played it, I got to the Demon Wall and said screw it. For a really long time it was my favorite game. Not just Final Fantasy, but game period.

Now it's not even my favorite Final Fantasy. I still enjoy the game and can make it past the Demon Wall. And the difficulty actually increased with the remake.

V
First time I played it, it was on Anthology. The load times and weird script didn't leave a good impression. Did like the job system though.

But now with the Advance script, it is my favorite Final Fantasy. I love the job system and the characters. Especially Gilgamesh and Faris and Ghido. And the story didn't take itself too seriously. Which too many of the new Final Fantasies do. Looking at you specifically Dissidia.

VI
Again the first time I played it was on Anthology. Dunno if it was my copy, but the load times weren't as bad as above. Managed to play all the way through. Missed a lot of characters. But even still I really enjoyed it.

Now this game has a lot of hooplah around it. Constantly at war with VII as the most bestesteriffic. I try to not have it bother me, but it does get annoying. Left me a little jaded on the game.

VII
Lot of hype for me to get this game. And this was before I became jaded about hyped games so I was looking forward to playing it. And I wasn't disappointed. I liked the cast pretty well. And even back then, I didn't get why Yuffie got the hate. My cousin who let me borrow his told me to not get her, but I did it anyway and she's been a staple of my party everytime I play the game. And it drives him (and a few other people) crazy. Didn't get the Sephiroth hype back them. Also wasn't that moved about Aeris death. Didn't use her that much was probably why. Wasn't spoiled about it though.

Like with VI above. This game has a lot of hooplah around it. And I still don't get the Yuffie hate. She's a likable character both on and off the battle field. And I still don't get the Sephiroth hype. Still don't use Aeris so I'm still unaffected by her death. And I refuse to call her Aerith. I am not going to speak with a lisp to please some W-types.

Skipping VIII

IX
Same cousin let me borrow this one. Vivi reminded me a lot of the first one and the castles and stuff reminded me of IV so I immediately took to this one. Like most people I was a retard and didn't use the good characters like Quina or Eiko. And mostly stuck with the default team of Zidane, Vivi, Steiner, and Garnet.

Now I know better. Eiko's a staple of my party now. And Quina is there for when I want to be a game breaker. Over all my impression of the game hasn't changed over the years. I blame the lack of hooplah, but that's a good thing.

X
I was blown away by the opening scene. Metal in my Final Fantasy!? I was young and took to Auron as my favorite character cause he was the cool guy. And Lulu cause she had big bewbs. Didn't like Tidus cause I found him annoying. Also didn't care for the voice acting. I was reading faster than them and it was like an echo.

I still love the metal in the opening. Doesn't blow me away so much anymore though. And since a lot of games have voice acting now, I've gotten used to it and don't read anymore. Also I'm not stupid anymore and don't find Tidus annoying. Still don't use him in my active party much though. Lulu still has big bewbs.

XII
Sadly when this game came out, I was jaded on the hype and didn't care too much for it. Also I was stupid and bought into the Vaan is dumb crowd. Blah blah blah. Didn't care for the characters. Also didn't care for the Gambit system.

Now it's in my top five Final Fantasies. I find Vaan dumb, but not in the way he was above. But in an ignorant kind of way. But that's alright cause he's the players eyes, mouth, and ears for the game. Also somewhere between my first play through and my most current, I developed a thing for Ladies of War. Not really that surprising since I've always like Action Girls and Genki Girls and Ladies of War is a grown up Action Girl and a calmer Genki Girl. So I really liked Princess Ashe. And I still don't like the Gambit system, but I learned how to make it work for me. Turn them off and turn on wait.

MYSTIC QUEST IS AWESOME AND WILL ALWAYS BE AWESOME!

[VeloZer0]

The first sentence of the OP suggests a link was intended to be embedded in it. And you didn't post yours.
FYI anyone who reads my thoughts about a game and gets a decade old spoiler can bite me.

I'll give mine a try, for anyone who cares enough to read this:

1999 - FF7 PC
Then (Age 12)
Other than Pokemon this was my first RPG, so needless to say I was completely floored. Not only was it an amazing experience to one who had only dabbled in SNES games before, but I was also discovering this amazing new genre.

Now
One would think that with a first impression like that I would have grown to like the game less as I experienced the full scale of what RPGs have to offer. Not so, in the last decade FF7 has only fallen one spot and is my #2 favorite game of all time. Even as some aspects of the game have faded, every time I replay it I notice something else I love about it. Just recently re-playing it on my PS3 I am struck by how amazing the pre-rendered backgrounds look.

---

2000 - FF8 PC
Then (Age 13)
Coming on the heels of FF7, FF8 didn't really do anything to wow me. I played through but it was more inertia and curiosity as to how it would end that kept me going. And then I got to the very end of the game when you are locked out of all the cities and said screw this and preceded to not touch it again for quite a few years. As I played all the other FF titles it quickly relegated itself to my least favorite FF.

Now
I picked it up again in 2005 to give it another shot, and because I always had the fact that I never beat it nagging at the back of my head. I played though the first disc and came to the following conclusions: 1) I need to give this game a second chance, and 2) I remembered how much I liked Squall's character at the start of the game and how much I absolutely despise the 'character development' he goes though. So FF8 will never get it's second chance because no mater what other redeeming features I will discover it will ultimately leave a bat taste in my mouth.

---

2001 - FF6 SNES ROM
Then (Age 14)
After my letdown with FF6 I eventually realized that there were 6 other titles before FF7. My first one to try was FF6, on a cartridge my brother borrowed from his friend for a week. Needless to say that wasn't sufficient. (As I was also limited to an hour of video games a day). I soon figured out how to use an emulator, and I was off. I was once again blown away by how good FF6 was, even though a lot of things like the suicide scene went completely over my head.

Now
Much like FF7 every time I play this game I find something new to love. Things like really understanding the more dramatic scenes, to really appreciating the music. I love it just as much now as I did back then. (Interestingly enough one of my non JRPG co-workers picked this up as a ROM on his phone at lunch today and I was so excited to see someone new getting a taste of the series.)

---

2001 - FF5 SNES ROM
Then (Age 14)
To me FF5 wasn't especially noteworthy in comparison to FF6 or 7. It was fun and I kept playing. Then they combined the two worlds, and that was, THE COOLEST THING EVER.

Now
I think of FF5 as one of the truly great games I have ever played. Unfortunately in contrast to the FF series it just ranks right in the middle, and never really gets much attention. Except for the two worlds combining into one thing, which now that I am much older and more worldly I can say is THE COOLEST THING EVER to happen in a video game.

---

2001 - FF4 SNES ROM
Then (Age 14)
FF4 came at the end of the FF6->CT->FF5->FF4 emulator enabled tour de force. Though I enjoyed FF4 quite a bit it felt antiquated compared to the other three aforementioned titles. I loved how the character deaths through the story made the adventure feel of truly epic scope, but other than that it did little to rise out amongst the crowd it was in.

Now
As I replayed it over the years FF4 to me felt like the first FF (I hadn't touched NES ones yet) that was outdated. I felt all the underlying elements to a great game were there, it was just before it's time. I was overjoyed when I heard about FF4 DS, and was the ultimate factor in my decision to by the DS at all. And I am extremely glad I did. For me FF4 DS improved the game in just about every way, elevating it greatly in my list of FF titles.

---

DUN, DUN, DUN.
Boxing Day 2002 - I buy my first console, a PS2.

---

2003 - FFT
Then (Age 16)
I bought this when I bought my PS2, and only because it had FF in the title and it was the only one in the store that sort of interested me. And it completely blew me away. It has my favorite plot, cast, party customization and battle system of all the FF titles. It is the only video game I have ever played and lost track of time.

Now
I still absolutely love this game. My favorite game of all time by a mile. This is the only game I have loved so much as to read a Battle Mechanics Guide from start to finish just to understand how it works better.

---

2003 - FF1 Origins
Then (Age 17)
Maybe I'm masochistic, but I loved the challenge of playing through the original. As frustrated as I got playing it, I always came home from school wanting to play more.

Now
Unfortunately I haven't really had time to play FF again. I played DoS, but it was so easy it turned the whole game into a bland grind.

---

2003 - FF2 Origins
Then (Age 17)
Unfortunately with the combat system the way it is I can't take this game seriously enough to form an opinion on it.

Now
And when I tried to finish it for the sake of thoroughness my PS3 keeps crashing at a certain point, and I'm certainly not starting from scratch on some other console.

---

2004 - FF10
Then (Age 17)
I found this game really fun to play. IMO the battle system was a great innovation for the series (though I wouldn't say this is 100% the direction the series has to go in the future). And the plot/characters were basically a big bleh for me.

Now
bleh has moved on to disappointment and then annoyance. Though I have fond memories of the time spent playing FF10 I don't see myself ever picking it up again

---

2004 - FF9
Then (Age 17)
After playing FF10 FF9 felt amazing in comparison. It achieved the impossible of me appreciating the entire cast without me intrinsically liking any of them. And although a lot of people see the whole Terra sequence as jumping the shark, I thought it was exceedingly well done and easily my favorite part of the game.

Now
Playing it now I realize this game suffers from some major problems with pacing, which really put a damper on my last playthrough. Not having it come right on the heels of FF10 has made it look not quite as good in comparison.

---

2006 - FF12
Then (Age 20)
Though I finished the game I have problems with just about everything with it. Had I ever run into any semblance of a challenge I probably wouldn't have finished it.

Now
I have no desire to ever touch it again.

---

2010 - FF3 DS
Then (Age 24)
This doesn't really fit as I just played it this year, but I highly enjoyed this title. I feel this is much the same as FF4, a game that was held back by its hardware.

Now
Talk to me in a year or two.

[Wolf Kanno]

I'm exhausted, so I forgot the link but I through it in there for you so stop your whining.

As for my own list, I figured since I'm one of the more outspoken people in the FF forums, most would know where I stand on most of the titles. But if you insist...

EDIT: This is taking too long and I'm exhausted. I'll post it later.

[VeloZer0]

I'm exhausted, so I forgot the link but I through it in there for you so stop your whining.

As for my own list, I figured since I'm one of the more outspoken people in the FF forums, most would know where I stand on most of the titles. But if you insist...

EDIT: This is taking too long and I'm exhausted. I'll post it later.

Moral of the story: whine until you get what you want.

[Bolivar]

I'm exhausted, so I forgot the link but I through it in there for you so stop your whining.

As for my own list, I figured since I'm one of the more outspoken people in the FF forums, most would know where I stand on most of the titles. But if you insist...

EDIT: This is taking too long and I'm exhausted. I'll post it later.

i assumed you were taking your usual few days after starting a thread to outline your arguments, articulate them in an effective fashion, edit them, map out the anticipated responses, outline your counter-arguments, etc.

Can't wait!

[Wolf Kanno]

Actually, I'm just being lazy due to my sleep schedule being screwed up, making me more irritable than usual. I'm also trying to keep some of my thoughts down to a few sentences but it's been very difficult.

So far I've been averaging three paragraphs per section, i.e. Then (insert 3 paragraphs) Now (insert 3 paragraphs) move to next entry, rinse and repeat.

[Vyk]

Well, out of all the long-winded members on this forum, yours are probably the most enjoyable to me. You put a lot of thought and well-articulated info into your arguments. Its a good read. So I'd say don't try to hold back too badly. Most of us already know what to expect, and some of us actually enjoy it :P I plan on getting to this topic myself sometime. But I'm trying to figure out how to approach certain issues. As a lot of games I only played once, and some of the ones I played more than once I didn't come out the other side feeling any different, better or worse. So I may just have to post my general feelings on entries, since most of my feelings seem to stick with them for some reason

Edit: I decided to give it a try. This is going to be long..

Final Fantasy 1

Then:
Its a testiment to my age as a fan that I can say I played the original Final Fantasy on NES when I was a child. I'm pretty sure I never beat the game originally. Though I did go back years later and conquer it before my NES was lost to a house fire. Dragon Quest was the only other RPG I had played at the time. And there were distinct differences in style and atmosphere. DQ was more akin to the JRPG we're used to these days. Everything was cute and colorful. Not so in Final Fantasy. Granted the Imps were squat and rotund and could hardly be taken seriously. But once you left your home front, this game got serious. The monsters in this game actually looked threatening. Lich looks like a flaming skeleton that wants to eat your face off. Your characters actually grew up into adults. And this game wasn't afraid to kick your ass and send you packing. In that vein I think it was probably the most mature title I played back then. And I loved it. Hanging with the big boys and saving the world and all that

Now:
I've beaten this game for kicks over bored vacations and whatnot. I haven't seriously played it in years. But other than FF2, it still seems surprisngly mature in the art style. Though monsters have kept most of their menacing looks through most of the 2D games over the years. Its hard to take an Onion Knight seriously compared to a Light Warrior, in my humble opinion. I'd given the Dawn of Souls version a try ages ago when that first came out. And could not get over how kiddy they made everything. And easy! I don't think I made it very far back then and shelved the game, completely neglecting FF2 on there as I had wanted to play the two in order, and pretty much just gave up on the whole cartridge. Lately I've been playing both on my PSP GBA emulator and can compare and contrast the two side by side. I played both up to getting to Astos. It took me a good 5 - 10 hours I think of just piddling around in the original. And I really haven't gotten around to beating him yet. Level 7. Tried the DoS version for serious and beat Garland at level 2, which is ridiculous. And got to Astos in an hour and a half. Which is ridiculous. But I'm less turned off by the look of the game. And the sound of the game is great. They really tried to keep the feel of the original. But the ease in which DoS plays is probably going to turn me off in the near future. But its a fun boredom-killer. No fond memories though

Final Fantasy 4

Then: I'm not even going to touch very much on Final Fantasy 2 or 3. I've only played their emulated versions, and only for a short while a piece. I wasn't particularly turned off by FF2, but I was always into other games and just giving it a passing glance. For some reason I never delve into it with any serious intention. Maybe someday I will. But back to the topic at hand, Final Fantasy 4 was of course the next one I got to play. I acquired this game second hand the same time I acquired Final Fantasy 6. From a desperate friend who needed money. So he sold me his SNES, with some really choice games. Mario RPG and Mario All Stars + World came with the deal (Woo). Again I decided to check the games on hand out in order and went through FF4 first. And I blew through it. I can't say I have any particularly fond memories. The game didn't touch me in any special way. But it did its job very well to say the least. The music is some of the most memorable around and renditions are still used frequently, especially noticable in ending credits to some of the games. This game had a lot of maturity to it as well. Cecil destroying towns, then saying screw you to his king and going off on his own, and people dying to help him out (albeit FAKELY). It was pretty epic. Boss battles are what I remember most fondly in this game. The music to the Elementals is still awesome. The three sisters were always fun to trounce. The fight with Edge's parents resonated deeply with me. And the first time I fought Bahamut's wife, the "queen" of monsters and her blasted healing every 3 turns or so. My characters were not hard hitters. But I must have had a crap ton of items at my disposal, or plenty of defense, because I remember that battle took me over an hour. And for someone struggling that hard I should have had the floor mopped with me. But I actually won. And I know you're not supposed to be that pathetic. But it was pretty awesome to me. To struggle that long and come out on top. Win

Now:
I can't say that I've ever played the game completely through again after the first time. Though I really want to check out the DS remake as it seems to add character and depth that was greatly needed to flesh out this epic as much as it deserved. As it stands, the original wasn't quite epic enough to keep me coming back. But like I said, it still did its job well

Final Fantasy 6

Then: Excuse me while I gush, I know its done way too frequently for this game, and it gets old and annoying after a while, but man.. I don't know what kinda spell this game cast on me, but it was 60 - 100 hours of pure bliss. The Snow March still stands as one of my favorite epic game openings. The characters are deeper and more lovable and they actually develop and have extensive backstories. Nothing grand and super deep, but definitely deeper. From the snow march, to Terra's rescue, to meeting the king of Figaro, and the psychotic clown, and finding the king's brother, and saving the traitorous imperial general who eventually tries to kill herself at the despair of losing everything she knew and loved (I didn't manage to save Cid the first time which added a huge amount of dramatic weight). And then the freaking world ended and the bad guy won and I had to try to fix what I failed to accomplish the first time. It was crazy epic and mature at the time for me. And all the little side stories fleshed things out in a much loved way to me. Every character side quest I loved. Finding closure for Cyan, figure out who/what Gau was, and then helping him come to terms with his dad being a douche. Terra learning what loves is, and finding a reason to live in this world. It all resonated very well with me for whatever reason. I loved it. Graphics, pacing, music, story, characerizations, it was extremely hard for me to find a flaw in this game originally. And my second playthrough I got compulsive, and leveled my 6 or 7 favorite characters to the max, got all the awesome relics, learned all the spells for everyone. Crazy

Now: I've never jumped back on this game with anywhere near the same fervor. I still adore it and have fond memories. And everytime I dabble with it, I'm not disappointed. But its an experince I've already experienced. So I feel no real obligation to stick with it if I get distracted. And I almost always get distracted and eventually leave it behind. But its still nice to have it in my life, patiently waiting for when I want to re-experience the epic. I haven't played the Advance version. Though I did play through most of the Anthologies version. And sadly I hadn't noticed any differences at the time. I don't recall the load times being very unbearable either. I just simply got distracted. So the spell is gone. But the love is definitely still there

Final Fantasy 7

Then: I'm going to try to avoid gushing again. But this game cast a spell on me as well. A friend let me borrow his PSone and this game for a few weeks one summer shortly after it was released. And I played it incessantly. I remember forcing myself to take a break every few hours all night long, and would go out and watch the stars for a half hour or so before going back in and having back at it. I loved the pre-rendered backgrounds, and lego-style characters. And I especially loved how serious and mature the plot started. And I extremely loved the post-apocalyptic industrial-punk atmosphere of midgar. I adored the characters and was captivated by the music. It was again, almost perfect. The added bonuses like chase scenes and slap fights, along with tons of highly addictive mini-games. And yes, I teared up for Aeris's demise. Though I liked Aeris, and actively used her in my party. My friend took this game back before I beat it. And I spent weeks collecting all the information and stuff on this game that I could and eventually had a Playstation put on lay-away and promptly bought the game to have ready for when I could finally get my mits on it again. And it was a glorious reunion

Now: I think I did almost the exact same thing with this game, after beating it once and going back and getting compulsive and putting in hundreds of hours, mostly trying out rumors to resurrect Aeris. And again, the spell is gone but the love is still there. I admit most people's gripes about this game are mostly true. Sephiroth has no motivation. He barely has any foreground role in the game. And he doesn't make the best puppet master. Cloud isn't very well characterized or fleshed out and doesn't do a whole lot of notable development. But something about this game that even now I don't require a lot out of it. What it did, it did well in my opinion. It may not stand out as an RPG in general to a lot of people. But whatever niche it filled for me was glorious. I recently dug back into the game on my PSP and was thoroughly enjoying it until I got distracted and wandered away from it, like I do with most games I try to re-visit these days. But again, it hadn't lost its appeal to me. Most of the complaints people have about this game I find charming about it for some reason. To each their own I guess

Final Fantasy 8

Then: Oh dear lord this game took me by surprise. One of the things I loved about previous Final Fantasy games I played was that they weren't typical JRPGs with kids or highschoolers trying to save the world. And now not only do we have highschoolers trying to save the world. But they have cliche annoying personalities. And I always wanted to slap the main character. Not good. My first time through I got to the end of the game and just quit. I lost all interest and felt no desire to finish it. The game was a chore. I hated most of the characters, and found the plot too ... convoluted, and almost pointless. I felt no connection to the world, the characters, or the need to save anyone. Again, not good. Years later I eventually did pick it back up and learned how to do the junction system properly to have a relatively easy time in the game. And did beat it. But I still didn't enjoy it. I've never grown to care about Squall. And I've had the debates where I probably have some weirdly rooted jealous towards him in which I can relate to his anti-social behavior, but where I wanted to have friends in high school (when I played this game) he had friends and kept pushing them away. Wanted to slap him, so hard

Now: I can't honestly say I've ever really "gotten over" my issues with Squall, or the story or most of the cast for that matter. Though I can actually get past all that. But at the core, I still don't find this game appealing. The pastel colors, highschool atmosphere, convoluted plot, and in my opinion sub-par music. Just not my cup of tea I guess. Kudos to those who love it. And very deep appreciation for the people who dig deeper than anyone thought possible and come up with wild and crazy and highly entertaining nonsensical theories about the plot. Reading those threads is really the only enjoyment I've ever had in regard to this game lol And I hate that most of the forum loathes those people who come up with those theories and usually attack them and try to chase them off This game's just cursed

Final Fantasy 9

Then: I'd really like to know whatever spell got cast on me in regards to this game. I could NOT get into this game for the life of me. And I tried. Oh how I tried. I wanted so bad to love this game. Square's "I love you" to its old-time fans. A tribute to days gone by. Though sadly I think they were saying their love to pre-FF6 fans, as this game was neither my beloved steam punk of FF6 nore my more loved industrial punk of FF7. So it just kept feeling bland to me. I couldn't get into the plot, or the characters. And I'm honestly not sure why. And I never grinded enough. This game I think marked my decline in my interest in RPG cliche repetitiveness. Which is sad. This game felt like a chore to slog through for me. I did eventually beat it. But at least two times I got hit with boss battles that I was so ill prepared for that I thought I was supposed to lose. Its really surreal to get horribly thomped by a boss and think "Guess I wasn't supposed to win that one, glad I wasted all those potions!" and then realize "Oh... game over... damn" Poor ol' FF9. I wanted to love you. I did love Vivi though. How could you not?

Now: I have yet to go back and visit this game and give it a fair second chance. And considering how much love there is on this forum for it and how little negativity it receives (I think it may be the least hated in the series) I'm sure I should one day go back and give it another try. And its worth noting that I used the standard crew with Zidane Vivi Steiner and Garnet. And now I'm reading that that's a rookie mistake and I should be using Quina and Eiko?? That may have contributed to my problems in the game. Hrm. Either way, I never garnered a hatred for this game so I'm completely up for giving it another shot one day. I'll have to find some spare time and free up some space on my PSP and have a worth while go at it again

Final Fantasy 10

Then: This game took me completely by surprise. I was seriously looking forward to this game. And I knew the setting and plot and all that so it wasn't quite as out of left feild as FF8 seemed to be to me. But good lord. At the time nobody was very out-spoken with any hatred towards Tidus. So I came at this game with an unbiased/unhyped expectation. So my hatreds were all my own. I have never finished this game. And I've tried at least twice. I think maybe even three times. I'm honestly not sure. But if anyone has watched Spoony's reviews for either this game or FF8, I don't feel quite as vehemently about them as he does, but I have to agree with almost everything he says. And its a lot of how I felt at the time. Rikku's quirky cuteness was enjoyable at the time, though I've grown out of that, and Auron was obviously awesome and badass. But that was it. That. Was. It. I could find very little else to enjoy abou this game, other than maybe the battle system being fast paced and awesome. But I didn't care about progressing the plot, so that was pointless. Good try though I guess. Maybe it was less dumb in Japanese. I'm not sure. But I am not a Tidus-hating-bandwagoneer. I genuinely hated him from the start. And found Yuna to be bland and one dimensional. She might as well not have any dialog. She's so meek and anti-social, letting everyone else make decisions for her. Ugh, sorry

Now: Other than the one or two times I tried this game again back in the day, I've never even considered giving it another fair go. Because I know a few years between then and now isn't going to make Tidus less whiney and irritating. He's just who he is. I hated him for it then, and this game hasn't fallen away into obscurity. Spoony is currently releasing videos reviewing it right now. And I'm with him 100% of the way. I really don't think I could possibly enjoy this game. And thus begins the saga of me not finishing Final Fantasy games anymore (hell, I haven't even played Final Fantasy 13, because I can't see its good overcoming my aversion to its bad. I already know the characters annoy me, and I can't imagine the story is good enough to convince me to spend 60 hours with them... Sorry Final Fantasy, its been a good run. But your creators themselves have admitted its natural that people are to grow out of the series because they have no intention of maturing and evolving the series with its fans. Teenagers and young adults are their demographic and that's how its gonna stay I guess)

Final Fantasy 12

I'm just gonna ramble a sec on this, as I've never revisited it, because my PS2 was lost shortly after I acquired this game and I've never had any means to revisit it even if I wanted to. But I was one of the people who were horribly turned off by the direction this game went. A fantasy Star Wars crap-trilogy inspired offline world of warcraft. Yay.. But that was initial impressions. And I hated Vaan. Maybe a little more than he deserved. But that "I'm Captain Basch!" thing grated on my nerves almost as bad as FFX's HAHAHAHAHAHA scene. But this game I'm willing to admit I may enjoy now that I've had some time to separate myself from it for some objectivity. So this an 9 probably still deserve a fair chance. But this was the end of my Final Fantasy the main series experiences

Sorry for the length and the fact that my opinions are based mostly on emotions and impressions surrounding the game, rather than concrete reasonable issues. I admit I may be unreasonable in some situations. If I can't like a game then I can't like it. Though my hatred probably goes over-board in some regards. Its a combination of my age, maturity, and niche desires out of the gaming world these days. Its getting harder and harder to find any games that can keep me interesting through completion. So its not all Final Fantasy's fault. I'm jaded now and hard to please. And I hate it :}

Edit x 2: Oops. I mentioned Anthologies, but forgot to mention FF5. I forget when I acquired the game. Somewhere towards the end of the PS1's lifespan. I didn't really like 5 though. Bartz was too campy and immature, and the plot didn't really compel me. I did like the characters, especially Faris. But I didn't love the characters. Or the plot. And the job system didn't give me an orgasm the way it does with some gamers (maybe because I experienced FFT before this game). And eventually I ran into Gilgamesh or something and gave up and never looked back. I may give this game another chance some day, but its not as high up on that priority list as 9 and 12 are

[Pete for President]

In order of played first-last;


FFX.
Then: Jumped in without having read a review, without anyone's opinions, without any spoilers. First playthrough was tough at times, both gameplay-wise (ahum Yunalesca) and plot-wise. But I was awesome for sure. Oh how little did I know!

Now: Cause it got better. After several playthroughs I still haven't got bored of Wakka's struggle in faith, Tidus' brilliant 'going-from-hotshot-to-nothing' introduction, the deep corrupt religious theme, the trials, and of course; death. However if I must point out one sheer aspect of brilliance it has to be this game's storytelling. The pace is amazing. The storyline surprising. The characters dynamic. And when does this game really start? For me, getting to Zanarkand marks only the beginning, at the point where the narrating ends. That is one serious accomplishment, considering this beginning is actually 30 hours in. Applause!

FFVII.
Then: High expectations. Especially storywise. They weren't met.

Now: Hasn't changed one bit.

FFXII.
Then: Once again, high expectations. I liked the sprawling cities and environments. Characters were allright. Liked the chess-board. Didn't really like the combat system and the storyline made no impression. Cid was bad-ass and the most memorable moment was Reddas at the top of that lighthouse.

Now:
Hasn't changed that much except for a great apprecation for visual Esper design and some amazing cutscenes. I do feel a certain vibe when I think about this game which is a very good thing.

FF Tactics.
Then: Chapter one was absolutely amazing. Deep conspiracies and a very believable world sucked me in. Wasn't too fond of the final chapter though.

Now: More appreciation for all the characters. And boy, death! The developers truly showed some guts letting this many good guys, innocents and bad guys die. That's rare nowadays and that's why I like it this much. It shows the world and it's events were very far from 'perfect'. Misery and death emphasize that, making this one of the deepest games I have ever played.

That's it. Kept it short.

[Wolf Kanno]

I'm not going to bother posting my original post cause it goes off topic quite a bit. I'm going to do the series in order of the games I've beaten so you can all understand where my bias' lie and use it against me in future arguments (you do realize that's what this whole thread was really about you VII fanboys ) I kid, I kid... or am I?

Final Fantasy IV
Then: This game took me by surprise. I honestly didn't think I was going to like this game as much. It was a bit old by the time I got to it, and my friends were already eagerly awaiting a little gem called Chrono Trigger by the time I started on IV. I had played a bit of VI but due to finding the bad version of the sketch bug, I wasn't allowed to borrow the game anymore... I eventually found this game in a used game store and bought it with my birthday money.

I was really taken in by Cecil and the idea of playing as one of the bad guys. I can't remember a game ever doing something like that back then and I still feel very few titles have done it as well as IV had done. The battle system wasn't anything special but I enjoyed meeting new party members and began to appreciate the simplicity of searching for hidden treasure in dungeons in the hopes it might be a better suit of armor or a stronger weapon. What really kept me going was the villains and the dynamic between Kain and Cecil and I kept thinking to myself how such an old game could be so exciting.

Now: I still love this game but now it's more out of nostalgia cause it's hard for me to take most of the plot serious. There are still parts of the game I enjoy immensly. The retort system enemies have is an element I strongly wish had been used more extensively in future installments. Finally playing the original difficulty of the game, was also incredibly fun. The game has been remade and has a sequel but to me, the original 16-bit version will always be the best and the story ended there for me. I still love Cecil and Kain, I still get chills watching Cecil become a Paladin or watching Tellah die in his battle with Golbez, I mean the game just had so many amazing moments for me. IV's version of Meteo is still my favorite spell in the series. It just looked so awesome.

I also have to give special mention to Golbez, yes he may not have been the main villain and yes he was partially corrupted by Zemus but to this day I still consider him the quintessential archetype for a villain in an RPG. The guy loses two battles in the game and he's still considered a major badass by the fans. He had great atmosphere, a bitching theme, and dear god every moment he has on the screen is just awesome. I still love this game.

Final Fantasy VI
Then: My initial impression of the game was that the combat system was utterly stupid. The spell effects were awesome but I couldn't get the controls down and my friend failed to give me an instruction manual I probably wouldn't have read anyway. This was the first RPG I played and the first FF game. I got to the first battle, got killed cause I kept canceling out my own commands and quickly shelved the game and started on Secret of Mana instead. It wasn't until I became completely enamored with Mana that I decided to give VI another shot cause I felt the premise was interesting. It took me several tries to finally beat this game thanks to the incident I mention in the IV section. So my initial impressions of then is a mix from each time I played.

VI kinda blew me away. I was raised in a household that worshiped Tolkein and fantasy and so while I grew up around the genre, I eventually stopped liking it cause it was shoved down my throat and it always felt the same, elves, dwarfs, wizards and dragons... big smurfing deal... So hear I was, presented with this "fantasy" game that had me in steam punk mecha, trying to prevent magic, the very essential component of fantasy stories, from being resurrected and destroying the world. I was gifted with a cast of characters who were very likable and immensely interesting to follow and suddenly the game was less about just stopping some evil empire but actually about the characters and personal trials. From Cyan struggling with the grief of his families death and destruction of his kingdom, to Terra trying to learn what its like to live as human after being a brainless weapon for the empire for who knows how long, to Locke and Shadow dealing with their own past regrets.

Games were no longer about achieving a high score or completing a task, it was a medium to tell interactive story telling. The opera scene blew me away cause after dealing with all these dialogue scenes I was thrown off by having to learn a script and help play in Celes' charade. The scene is still one of my favorite gaming moments, even if it took my third try to get past that part...

The battle system was fun and varied and the world just enraptured me with its steam punk dystopia. When the world ended and Celes tried to end it all, I seriously was at a loss as to how everything was going to end. Revisiting the ruined remains of the world I knew before was a dark and humbling experience for me. The final battle with the dark ruler of this dead world is a battle I still remember, even if I did Ultima his ass to oblivion in a few rounds, the ass deserved it...

Now: VI is an interesting place for me now. While I'm quick to admit the games faults (though I don't necessarily recognize some of them cause you people are just being whiny little babies at this point...) and I certainly wouldn't say it's TEH BESTES GAME EVAH!!! I still find the game to be a magical experience for me, even if a lot of it is just nostalgia. The GBA remake gave the game a much better and far more eloquent translation and has become my de-facto version of the game. Yes the sound is off but its not like I don't have the soundtrack on my iPod and have memorized this game to the point where I know when to play every track...

I just feel like the game has held up better than most of the others within the series, and while I could give off a laundry list of things they could do to improve the game (nerf the Figaro Bros for instance...) I still feel this game mostly fulfills what I want out of a game. It still has my favorite cast, the best OST, my favorite world design, and one of my favorite overrated villains.

As time goes on, I just find myself appreciating what the game did for the genre and some of its other overlooked aspects. I still love the relic system, and I feel its often overshadowed by the esper system, which only made up 1/2 of the games actual customization system. I love it's second act that puts the sequence of events in the story in the players hands and I greatly appreciate the game spending the second half resolving many of the loose ends for the characters themselves. I never felt there was anything more to say about Kefka after the floating continent.

As for Kefka... he's still my favorite villain in the series, if only cause he was one of the most interesting, he's certainly not the best villain, but he is my favorite. Sure his backstory can be written on the shredded corner of a bar napkin but I feel Dissidia showed why Kefka is so beloved. Cause he's a personality, once you remove the backstories of most of the villains (like in Dissidia) you suddenly realize how most of them are all alike, just being cold, merciless, calculating and ultimately boring. Kefka is the only one who feels like his character from the game, as he wanders around, causes chaos for everyone, and psychotically pronounces the need for more death and destruction. He just stands out among the villains cause he's more about personality than some bizarre and convulated backstory about time travel, dead souls making monsters, and alien origins...

In the end VI, will always remain in a special place in the dark black hole that is my heart. :mog:

Final Fantasy VII
Then: I was really excited for this game, the game had a huge media blitz, and every magazine I read was basically proclaiming it as the Second Coming. I remember playing the demo for the game at Media Play (may it RIP) and was blown away by the intro. Though I had to say that I had issues with the character models. Here we are with these great beautifully detailed backgrounds and I'm using polygon models that make NES sprites look like art, in comparison. If the game didn't have illustrated drawings, I wouldn't be able to tell you what half the population was wearing the sprites were ugly. I gotten so use to games letting you toggle spells to affect multiple targets that I was a bit put off that I had to waste a materia slot for an All Materia but whatever. I plowed through the first disc in a matter of a few sleepless days and finally found myself on the second disc at level 60 cause I couldn't for the life of me tell where the exits were in some of the dungeons cause they blended into the background. Aerith's death scene was beautiful to watch but sadly, I had already kinda figured out she was going to die thanks to the commercials showing a split second of her burial and it caught my eye. So her death held little emotional impact for me.

Trudging through the second disc, my happy momentum was finally stopped by a convulated mess that was Cloud's true past, as well as the sheer nonsense of your party trying to stop Shin-Ra from saving the world... and Tifa always being at the center of it all. I never liked the idea that Cloud was a nobody who was, thanks to so many convulated factors, pretending to be Zack. It was a bit backwards to play a game where your badass character is revealed to be a whiny nobody who sorta "lucked" out. So my feelings for Cloud diminished greatly. I was also annoyed with Sephiroth's absence in the plot after meteor was summoned. He doesn't even give a cocky speech before his final battle. He just stands there looking smug while the rest of your party just laments how awesome he is. He also went down faster than Kefka did... which was a let down after fighting Lavos and the Sinistrals... Overall, I just kinda felt let down. the game had so much potential and I felt it sorta tripped itself up in the process of trying to be artsy and edgy. Yet everyone loved it and ate it up and for the next 12 years, I've had to hear about how it was so awesome. I hate VII fans...

Now: I still hate VII fans, though VI and X fans are also just as annoying... I'm tired of the whole VI vs. VII debate and kinda laugh since in hindsight they both are very similar to each other in both their good points (world design) and bad points (easy gameplay) so seriously, grow up people... I'm damn near 30, and while its fine to argue this nonsense in a school setting there just comes a time when you have to realize that it doesn't smurfing matter if your toy truck/game/dick/phallic symbol is better than the other kids... Just accept that people don't like the game and maybe meet them halfway. I've been having this argument with people for 12 smurfing years, TWELVE smurfING YEARS... Give it a rest, VII fanboys, stop relishing the game like the smurfing infallible Holy Grail of gaming and VI fans, stop with the smurfing inferiority complex.

Now with that out of my system, let's get on to the real discussion at hand. I've come to terms with VII. it may not have been the game I wanted it to be, but at the end of the day it's not a bad game. The gameplay has aged beautifully and I still like how seamless the game adds mini-games to the story sections, even if snowboarding and hopping a ride on a dolphin seems a bit silly for a game that is mostly "doom and gloom". It still has a great soundtrack and while I feel the synthesized sound detracts some of the enjoyment, I still feel the music it rather timeless and probably the last great Uematsu OST he did for the series.

I still don't care for the Cloud twist but I can respect how gutsy it was. I still prefer my heroes to be heroes, not misguided wannabes who through a series of unfortunate events and a healthy dose of alien steroids, finally acquires his dream of not being a loser, only so he can wangst about it in the games crappy sequel movie... I promised I wouldn't go into the Compilation but let's just say I feel its a disgrace to VII and a testament to Squenix being incapable to create the same quality of new stories and IPs like Squaresoft did.

As for Sephiroth, I still consider him to be the most overrated villain in the series, with Kefka as number two most overrated. My main reasoning being that he didn't pull half the chaos that previous villains did and mostly because I feel he was far outshined by Shin-Ra who are still one of the best villains in the series, even if they are technically a corporation in name only and more like an evil world empire in actuality... Despite all this, I still like the guy, but I seriously wish the game had done more for him. His actual story kinda flips around sporadically in terms of detail and I feel it just shows the weakness in VII's writing to me. Others don't mind and that's fine but I never felt that Sephiroth really lived up to the foreshadowing that the Nibelheim flashback presented to the player. I was expecting several epic battles against him, like Golbez, and it turns out, he's an armchair, mind game villain instead, much like Zemus. He does a fine job but like everything else in VII I was looking for something different.

Shin-Ra always held my interest and I never quite understood why your party went along with Cloud's little revenge quest against Sephiroth when Shin-Ra was always doing something a 100x more menacing and evil than he was. Still, the organization had some great characters within it and I like how Hojo took the idea of Dr. Lugae from IV and expanded the idea into a much greater role.

I concur VII is a great game, and while it may never be in my top five FFs and I will simply roll my eyes when fans gush over how "revolutionary" and how it "redefined the JRPG" I will at least concede that I still have fun playing it, even if the character models still look stupid.

Final Fantasy VIII
Then: I was looking forward to this game and played the hell out of the demo that came with Brave Fencer Musashi. I was intrigued by how much the game changed RPG staples like MP and summons and the move to a mopre modern setting was also interesting but overall I was delighted by how Squall was what I wanted Cloud to be. This was the game that blew me away graphically. VII always felt like a mismatch of great graphics and ugly abominations but VIII was the serious graphical leap imho. Going from chibi sprites to human proportioned models was something not seen in any RPG at the time cept maybe Persona 1. I love the concept of Junctioning and Guardian Forces and was intrigued in the beginning about child soldiers and the mysterious appearance of evil witches. In fact, I still feel the Japanese take the mythos of witches and do them better storytelling purposes than western writers. I love Edea's design and I really liked Squall. I could relate to him cause I was generally an unfriendly, anti-social kid in high school who sadly, like Squall, ended up kinda being a butt monkey when I actually fell for a girl... but that's another story...

I loved his inner monologues and the changes you saw in his personality as he learned its okay to be more open with people. I also loved Laguna, who I felt brought more of the classical elements of humor and playfulness to the story, unlike Selphie and Zell's failed attempts. I rushed through the game to see how it would go and was a bit sad when I learned it was going to be a Time Travel story... I hate time travel stories, especially when they are not up front about it. Which is a bit funny considering Chrono Trigger is my favorite game of all time but that game handles it much better whereas VIII's always felt a bit tacked on. Though not as bad as the amnesia plot twist that made me laugh more than fell inspired.

I'm not even going to go into how much I love Triple Triad...

I still felt the game was a bit too easy but overall it wasn't that bad. Though I do have a minor confession, I think what made me love this game was how much it pissed off VII fans expecting a real sequel to VII. Petty I know but you didn't go to my high school...

Now: VIII will forever be my guilty pleasure in the series, I know it is bad, I can go into great lengths about how poorly balanced the combat is, how bad the characterization is for everyone in the cast that isn't named Squall, and I can pick the story apart brick by brick til there is nothing left. The plot is utterly ridiculous in hindsight and like FFIV, never feels as silly while you're playing it until you sit back and reflect on it. Pitchfork from Socksmakepeoplesexy.net describes it best in his write up...

DAY THREE, HOUR NINE: "So I got it figured out guys," Nojima says, having collected himself. "There's a girl who sends people into the past and there's these two - smurf it - three witches out to get her. And there's also this high-tech country that builds a machine to make monsters fall from the Moon, And the main character is this guy from a flying school who has to battle his hated rival while playing card games - okay, Kitase? - and stopping the three witches and all the moon monsters and rescuing the time girl, who's also his sister. But I think what we got here - at its heart - is a love story. The greatest love story ever told."

You can not read that very accurate paraphrase of the plot and not laugh a little, about how silly it is. He doesn't even mention the awful amnesia plot twist. The story is a shamble and several characters never live up to their full potential. Seifer especially who is frequently seen in the artwork yet his role in the game is pitiful which is a shame cause he could have really been interesting. I also never felt like Ultimecia had the same kind of presence as Edea, who was both beautiful and a utter monster. Edea is one of the greatest visual achievements of VIII and the main Sorceress theme fits her better than Man-Adel and hooker Ultimecia. Speaking of Ultimecia, she is the PSX equivalent of Zemus, I don't really give a damn if she was controlling Edea the whole time, her intro into the plot just sorta felt like it came after a Monty Python "and now for something completely different..." jokes. Despite being the mastermind, I never felt like she could surpass the presence of her slave/servant. Edea really should have been the games true villain and they should have just dropped the whole time travel/compression nonsense. VIII would have been a far better game for it.

Despite all of this, I still like the game. Junctioning is fun once you stop the need for muchkining. My last playthrough, I ignored the stat % up support bonuses and just stuck to skills or stat +1 bonuses and found the game to be much more fun. I still love the concept of Junction and I'm annoyed as all hell that its not really as much of a part of the story as Magicite and Materia had been in the previous games. I would have loved to get more insight into it. Still, the game gave me Diablo and Tonberry as a summon, so I can't complain too much. I also feel Squall has been handled far better in his appearances outside of his original game, far better than poor Cloud, whose most accurate portrayal was in FFTactics. I still get a kick out of this game, it tried something really different and tried to shake things up, while it may have crashed and burned it gave me a new experience that other titles can't give me.

Final Fantasy V
Then: I was pretty excited to finally get to play this game. When I first scrounged the internet in the mystical time known as the late 90's, There wasn't as much of a debate between VI vs. VII as much as it was V vs. VI. So I had learned quite a bit from reading the back and forth between import fans and people who didn't import. V was the game that introduced the job class system I loved from FFTactics (which will be absent from this post) and I was pretty happy to get to play with the original version.

The first thing that caught my eye was just how awful the translation is, I've seen worse but I still feel V is one of the top runners in terms of having a pretty awful English script. The other thing that struck me was the game was actually kinda challenging. I had grown soft from playing VI-VIII and the lobotomized IV that V was kind of a kick to the teeth. Yet, I really enjoyed it. The plot was kind of all over the place and Ex-Death sorta felt like a Golbez knockoff with a really unintentionally funny backstory but the gameplay and all the little things you could do in the game took hold of me. I really love V's gameplay.

Now: I still do, and I still consider this game to have the best battle system/customization system in the series. I never really get tired of tinkering around in V which is surprising cause the later games technically have more options but the restrictions the job classes have give more weight and meaning to the customization.

I still can't really tolerate the Anthology version of V and have completely abandoned it for the GBA version which features a much MUCH better localization that actually fleshes out the cast and makes the story more enjoyable as a whole. While I still feel that V's plot and overall cast is a bit weak in comparison to other entries in the series, I am happy to have gotten to see Faris and Galuf who are some of my favorite characters in the series and who can forget Gilgamesh who is more awesome with each playthrough.

Ex-Death is another character whom I've changed my mind about. In hindsight, he's more like Kefka in terms of villainy and accomplishment and in many cases surpasses him. I feel that next to Emperor Mateus from FFII, Ex-Death is the most underrated villain in the series, he really does a lot of badass things in the game and overall, I often found that he and Gilgamesh carried V's story better than the heroes did.

V is a game that still surprises me from time to time. Despite its age, I feel the game has more depth in its gameplay than most of the numbered FF titles and unlike the rest of the series where I've sorta trapped myself in a routine in terms of the gameplay, I always find myself playing V differently each time I pick it up.

It will always be a great sin that V was not released back in the SNES days, I sometimes feel the fan mentality of the series would have been different had it been released before VI and its a shame it took half a decade to bring it over and another five years to give us a decent translation. With V finally played, I feel for my taste at least that the 16-bit era was Final Fantasy's Golden Age cause I feel IV-VI are all outstanding and hit a really nice balance of story and gameplay.

Final Fantasy IX
Then: Oh man I couldn't wait for IX. Playing through FFV again and having been burnt out on sci-fi/modern settings in the FF series, I was really in the need for Squaresoft to try its hands at a setting closer to the classic FF series (i.e. before VI). The artwork was bizarre but I didn't mind, I may have been impressed with VIII's human proportioned models but it doesn't mean I felt it should have been the standard.

IX was the first game that I ever called in sick to work so I could play it. It was winter there was snow and I just got to Treno damn it... I found the game incredibly funny and charming and felt it conveyed alot of the elements I found lacking in VIII. It had a ton of crap to do and the cast was much more down to earth than VII's cast but more relevant than V or VIII's cast. IX is also the first game where I actually was just stunned by its cutscenes. The kinda stuff where I literally put down my controller and had to call my friend up who was playing the game as well to compare notes. I instantly fell in love with Vivi and Freya and was happy to have Zidane who was an amusing cross of Edgar and Locke from VI. I also felt that Kuja was probably one of the best villains to emerge from the series since the 16-bit era. His first appearance in Burmecia was just spectacular and he pretty much surpassed my expectations of him in the subsequent discs.

Combat was nice, only cause I got my four man teams back but it was also sluggish and the first disc had an insanely high encounter rate. The skill system was a nice blend of the Magicite/Materia systems and most of all made Zidane invaluable. I loved the world and I just sort of kept loving everything that the game introduced up until Zidane's past was revealed. I don't like Zidane's backstory cause it frankly the same as Vivi's and I feel it took all the thunder from the character I loved. Once your team gets to Terra, Vivi's role in the plot is non-existent. Which is a shame cause they had done so much for him up until that point. I was also not happy with the ending cause I actually felt Zidane's death would have worked better for the games main theme and I was also annoyed about Vivi's fate.It was just too happy and I felt the game would have been more poignant had it left it with a more bittersweet ending...

Now: I still love IX, but like VII and VIII, I only enjoy it up until a certain point in the game. Unlike the other two though, I still don't consider the last stretch of the game to be bad, just disappointing. It wasn't until my second playthrough that I realized how much I didn't like Garnet cause she was more of a walking plot device than an interesting character and annoying to boot, as well as the revelation that the game really never gives a conclusion to my two favorite characters stories. They sort of just leave them there and give them some half baked resolution.

On the brightside, I started to love Steiner much more with the newer playthroughs, he's a bit of a block head but once you realize he's basically Inspector Zenigata from the Lupin series, he's a hell of a character to watch on the screen. I also started to love Quina more, she/he is just so random and I liked how she/he just lightened up the mood when it showed up, very reminiscent to some of the gags in V and VI.

I actually started to like the customization system a bit more once I really started to exploit it. While IX's battle system is not my favorite in the series, it certainly has its wonderful moments. The cutscenes are still badass and more than anything its just the little things that make me love the game. Like traveling the world map in the early parts of the game and seeing airships flying overhead. ATE's which were stolen from Star Ocean but better implemented in IX and just the serious amount of stuff to do. I seriously could spend hours goofing around in the world doing Chocobo Hot and Cold or tracking down the friendly monsters and so on and so forth. Even the synthesis system is kinda downplayed but made hoarding equipment (which I always do) worth while. Really, the game was just doing so many great things that could have expanded the genre and it was an utter shame Square didn't take any of it further when they jumped to a hardware system that could do IX's ideas justice.

From a gaming standpoint and ignoring the terrible slowdowns and bugs, IX is a masterpiece in terms of design, it's just a complete package compared to VIII and frankly any RPG that was out at the time. It's a great game and my favorite entry from the PSX generation.

Final Fantasy X
Then: I was really excited for this game, this and MGS2 were the reasons why I begged for a PS2 for Christmas. I read an article in EGM the summer before its release and was just amazed at the visual and how cool the battle system was going to be. It looked like it was going to be different. The demo sold me on the game.

I love the opening scenes with Sin wrecking havoc on Zanarkand and Auron just being a smug know it all ass and so the opening had me pumped for the rest of the game which quickly switched to a broken down temple and later to a quiet beach. It wasafter joining Yuna's pilgrimage that I knew we needed to high tail it to Zanarkand so I could learn what had happened to Tidus, I just knew was going down once I got there.

I was right of course... I just didn't realize it was going to take thirty mind numbing hours to get there. Reading a premise of the game a few years elarier when it was in development, I realized the game was FF's take on the Tale of the Yamato-no-Orochi which is a pretty famous Japanese legend. What I didn't realize was that the game wasn't going to take too many risks with by giving the game a cast of characters who are mostly cliched stock characters form the RPG genre, leading me to predict almost every single plot element in the game, and to find the dialogue utterly trivial cause knowing all the cliches they were using, it made dialogue predictable.

The battle sytem was interesting but made fights too easy and summons were just ridiculously overpowered to the point I stopped using them entirely. Blitzball became the only diversion I had for my boredom as I trudged through Spira, hoping that we'll finally get to Zanarkand and the real story could begin; and even that became mind numbingly monotonous.

We finally get to Zanarkand and I am presented with one of the most stupid and idiotic plot twists to grace the series until XIII came along about a decade later. Giving Tidus a cosmological and existentialistic plot hole that sort of just destroys the entire believability of Spira. Don't give me this "It's a fantasy story Wolf, They can do whatever they want cause its all make believe anyway." No, its smurfing stupid is what it is and the big difference between good fantasy that makes you money and stupidity that makes you do book signings in malls. It was smurfing ridiculous and a poor way to implement the games semi-predictable ending. After that brain trauma, the game does in fact pick up and suddenly everything in the game starts to click but its too little too late and the game is over. I was pretty happy to have the ending I wanted for IX, but overall I felt the game was mediocre. I replayed MGS2 a dozen times when I got my PS2 but it would be years later I would touch FFX again.

Now: This game seriously gets worse each time I play it. Each time I find it boring and long winded and each time I find new problems with it. The game is just badly dsign and is the easiest entry in the series. This is not debatable. My GF, who is a noob when it comes to RPGs was able to get all the way to Macalania Temple before she figured out how to activate nodes on the sphere grid. All that time, with starting stats... VIII might have an overly exploitable system that makes the game easy but FFX just is.

The cast is awful with the exceptions of Jecht, Auron and to surprise some people, Tidus, whose narration is about the only enjoyable aspect of the story. Yes, Tidus is a whiny bitch when it comes to Jecht and no, I feel Jecht was actually a pretty damn good father and Tidus is just a wimp but at least Tidus was fun for the times he wasn't flash backing to his not so traumatic childhood. Dear god man, buck up and realize you're in a a FF version of a Boy Named Sue.

Still I feel these three are the strongest parts of the games story, even if Tidus has stupid emotional problems and a terrible plot twist. Auron was great and Jecht is a hoot. Much like VIII, I felt the game might have been better had it been about the main characters parents journey instead. It looked a lot more fun.

Also, dystopia + tropical paradise = doesn't work. Its hard to feel the anguish and trauma of Spira when it looks like crap from a travels brochure. You can't make a proper dystopia in a colorful and very vibrant world. Not to mention Spira's entire cosmology takes the fangs out of any misery the game could throw at you.

Despite all of that, with the recent experience with XIII, I've had to redefine my list. Despite feeling FFX is the most lackluster and mediocre entry in the series, it is stillk a bit more fun and a better time waster than XIII and it's been making me reconsider my pledge to never play the game again. Perhaps XIII's craptastic adventure will be the push to let me see this game at the halfway point much like how it was this game that made me realize VII was actually a pretty damn good game. Who knows, but I have other fish to fry...

Final Fantasy
Then: I've owned a NES copy of the game since VII was released but thanks to the games age and being used, it freezes up whenever I get to Elfland. So it wasn't until Origins came out that I finally got a chance to really play this game completely through.

I was pretty amazed how well it held up, sure it didn't have major cinematics or a deep story, or a great cast of characters but its simplicity and solid gameplay made going through the game a rather enjoyable experience. I also found the time loop plot twist to be rather well implemented and created a very intriguing ending. Really its the little things that make FFI stand out. Its main story is straight forward but its backstory paints a rather interesting world. It was also nice to finally play against all the famous villains referenced in later FF titles, like the original Four Fiends.

The party mechanics was also interesting though I ended up despising the Thief class cause they are useless until they become Ninjas. The class upgrade quest was also a bit of surprise cause I wasn't actually expecting a sidequest in the game. Overall, I found the game far more fun than I thought I would.

Now: I still find the game incredibly fun, its got a weird addictive quality to it like most good NES games. Sort of a weird zoning out experience like you would get in Tetris or 1942. I just love grinding in this game and after switching the thief out for the superior Monk, its even less of a chore.

FFI is an amazing game to me when I place it into its context of its time frame. While other games had you saving the kingdom from an evil wizard who kidnapped the princess. FFI has you seeking out the mystery of why the world is dying and then reveals it's your own damn fault. The time loop/Garland twist is still one of the coolest plot twists in the series for me cause it was just unheard of in games at that time. The game continues this trend by giving you a rather bittersweet ending. You save the world but no one will ever know, which to me is a bit more edgy and biting than what DQ and Zelda were doing at the time. I'm not surprised FFI did so well and I sorta understand what Sakeguchi meant when he said he was more of a storyteller.

Final Fantasy II
Then: I have heard so many bad things about this game before I had a chance to play it, that I seriously thought I was going to have a miserable time going through it. Another part of me was excited cause it was radically different from the usual RPG norm and I always liked the common sense essence to the XP system.

I think the music caught my attention first. I love The Rebel Army Theme and it's still one of my favorite themes in the series. The cast was interesting but what through me off was how much the game was like FFIV in the whole "let's kill off the party member so we can put a new guy in there" granted IV chickened out about the whole killing them part but like some of the IV naysayers, I kinda found it a bit silly killing all these people off. Firion is the kiss of death, I'm surprised no one died in Dissidia that helped him... oh wait...

I ended up liking the battle system more than I thought it would, it appealed to the one part of em that likes mindless grinding and the other part of me that is my inner munchkin. Unfortunately, FFII ended up outdoing both parts of this for me and I ended up grinding myself to boredom and finally just finished the game.

I like the story, its simple but pretty fun and exciting for its time. I also liked the word memorize system but can also say I don't mind it's absence in future entries. Of anything I hated the games inventory system the most. I'm a pack rat who likes to have one of each item and II sorta slams the door on the face of my OCD.

Now: I still like FFII and sort of feel this title gets a bad rap. With my new playthrough, which was being used for the FFII FAQ, (I'll start the III Faq someday...) I gained a new appreciation for the system and stumbled upon its intricacies, the fact its meant to be a "build your own job class" system much like the one seen in VII and up. The stat gains and losses are meant to keep your character within a class frame and I find most haters either suffer from munchkin OCD about this or just keep feeling obligated to max all stats which is not how the game was really meant to be played.

I also have to give a shout out to Mateus who use to be one of my least favorite villains but really after spending time with the game I learned to really like the guy. He's still the only human character to come back from the dead as a demon after he conquered hell. Like to see Sephiroth and Kefka pull that one off... He's definetly the most underrated villain in the series, mostly cause no one likes the NES era FFs.

Skipping XII for now.

Final Fantasy III
Then: t felt like I was playing like a super special awesome version of FFI. That would be the easiest way to describe my feelings of FFIII. I got job class system, a pretty big world to explore at my leisure and was back to the four nameless... oh wait this was the DS entry. Yes, I never bothered with the emulator cause I have issues playing games on my PC, it just feels weird to me. So I waited for the DS versions which means I've never played the actual real version of this game but I don't really care either.

The story wasn't anything new but I did like the stuff about Xande and how the game switched gears from FFI about protecting the Crystals from darkness in exchange for a message about balance. Its nothing special now but in its own time it would be like FFI in the regards of being very different from other games by showing a bit of ameture philosophy. It was also fun to see where a lot of IX and FFTactics references came from cause I felt both games really loved FFIII and took more references from it than other titles. Overall, I had a blast and was pretty surprised cause I had not played a really good RPG on a modern system for awhile so it was kind of sad I was getting more kicks out a 10+ year old game rather than newer games with more complex battle system and complicated stories.

Now: I think one of my biggest regrets in the FF series is that I didn't play III and V sooner. III is just an awesome game and my later playthroughs were great with all the different party combinations I did. I feel my only beef with FFIIIDS stems from the Mognet system that has locked me out of getting the Onion Knight class, Ulitma Weapon, and other optional content. It's just exasperating. at times. Beyond that, I still find the game as enjoyable as the first time I played it and it was the main distraction that kept me from playing Golden Sun to completion.


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I may add more to this, I'm just tired and exhausted and my writing is becoming incomprehensible it seems. I'm also skipping XI and XII for now. XI cause seriously I have not played enough to make an informed opinion but I may add an overall summary eventually. XII, I would love to do but I seriously wan to play through the game again so I want to wait until after that playthrough cause surprisingly enough I've only played through the game once. I have not had the time to play through the game a second time back in th day and now I have a stack of new games I need to get through. So a new playthrough has been shelved (literally) for some time now. I usually come up with my final feelings on a game after my second playthrough so maybe i will gain some new insight in this new playthrough.

For those wondering... On Microsoft Word, this post is about 13 pages long and has over 7000 words. I also held back...

[VeloZer0]

I'm going to do the series in order of the games I've beaten so you can all understand where my bias' lie and use it against me in future arguments (you do realize that's what this whole thread was really about you VII fanboys )

It's funny, because that was my first thought when I saw this thread.

[Depression Moon]

This thread sounds familiar was there one like it before?

FF IX: (This video game is so cool.) I was thinking this silently. I'll name her Tisha. I like the play fight sequence I'll play it again. And again. Oh it's a boy? Now I have to start the game over. I'll name him after myself (I think I did that. Can't remember). Hmm, I'll name her (Nah, I don't want to reveal that yet) Wow this is a big place! Rat girl stole my kill. Ha ha. That creature is funny. It eats frogs? That guy looks like a girl. That girl kicked my butt. KILL! A little boring here, but it's okay. Garnet was such a cute little girl.

FF X: Great this is cool! Look at the graphics! This looks realistic! Whoa a 1000 years in the future. Wakka's cool. Feels like a real world. Cool little mini game. Blitzball is weird. I'm mad that I lost. Seymour is hard. Yuna's mouth isn't moving, but she's talking somehow. I beat the game. What a great ending.

FF VIII: This is something different; a little realistic. Military stuff is cool. Understanding what ranks me up and down is confusing. I really like this. What a sad moment. I finally beat the game!

FF X-2: It's kind of fun. Oh my man playing this game feels awkward, like the laugh scene in X except I get that feeling for practically the whole game. The ending was dissatisfying. Sphere Break makes me mad. I don't understand how Blitzball works anymore.

FFIV: This game is fun. This guy has a tiny bit of MP. You can get summons from item drops in this game? The random encounters are annoying. How do I beat myself? Those kids died. This game is hard. (after losing to demon wall) This game is really hard. Wow I can't even walk through here without getting hurt. More people are dying. Oh, everyone's ok. I ran out of LIFES I'm gonna stop playing. I come back some time later. My situation wasn't as bad as I thought. I finally beat the game!

FFVII: This game is ugly. The people look like legos. A black guy. I'm planting a bomb. Are we bad guys? I guess not. Sort of. There's cussing in this game? Huh, I wouldn't think there be a projects in a FF game. There's a playground. I got robbed. I've had better dog food. I almost got shot. Why do these weird guys love doing squats? Is this a brothel? These men are around me. I feel awkward. One of them gave me their draws and I took it. Now I'm cross dressing. The shopkeeper's in the closet. These men can't tell that I'm not a woman? I'm about to get raped. Lol, there's a pimp in this game and a talking lion too? Bored here. So this is Sephiroth? Bored here. This ninja girl is weird. Cid, your story is beautiful. Yuffie stole my materia. Bored here. So this was the moment when that happened. I didn't feel much I wanted to be sad, but I couldn't. I wish that person hadn't spoiled the game for me by putting that in his sig. Mediocre. My game froze. (stop playing for a year. Come back a year later) My game froze. (Come back another year) finally, I beat the game. It wasn't all that. Why is this regarded so highly? It was the most boring out of all of them that I've played.

FFXII: This is it. Final Fantasy XII! Playing Final Fantasy XII on Halloween and no damn trick or treaters better interrupt me. This opening sequence is incredible. Game's a little slow here. Now it's getting interesting. Look at that dinosaur. I probably have to come back later to beat it. (A little later) Looks like I have to come back a lot later. I really like this battle system. I wonder how this tale will turn out. What's going on here? I forgot why I'm at this temple and with these five other people. The characters look like they're made out of clay during the FMVs. I really like doing hunts and exploring. I've got to grind for some more pelts that I can turn into gold. Summons are weak, really weak. Why did they put them in the game. Even regular enemies can floor them easily. That little bird killed my 12 foot monster. This game is challenging. I've been playing this for how long? Finally I beat the game. It wasn't that satisfying. The story in VII got my attention more than this did.