*joins the long post crew and makes a few points based on things he's read in recent-ish posts*

You can point to older games focusing more evenly on characters, but FFXIII probably does that better than any of the other FF's. Admittedly, it makes it easier when you consider that there are only six characters, but I don't think every game needs a cast of sixteen - my preference is around eight characters, but I guess everyone has their own personal opinion on that matter. But XIII definitely gives an even distribution of character time.

One thing I do miss in FF is something I've only seen once that I can remember (possibly more if I try harder, but I can't be arsed) - player-driven storyline. The ability to change the outcome, even if only marginally, by playing the game in a different way. The thing I'm thinking of is fairly blatantly obvious - the FFVII dating scene. I know FFVI has differing outcomes at certain points depending on your actions, too. This is something that I personally feel the new games lack due to the FMV sequences. Hover, having said all that, VII managed to do it in 3D so I don't see why we would have to go back to 16 bit just to get that kind of thing done effectively. Just make more FMVs if you have to. They spend long enough as it is on developing the games. They could even sacrifice a few FMV sequences so that you still have the same total number of FMVs on a disk but only see a certain number in any one playthrough.

Quote Originally Posted by WK
Hell, the VII example you gave, implies that Tifa and Cloud got it on, but its just as easy for someone to think that they just fell asleep next to each other. Its not like they were naked when they woke up, and had to get dressed, or you even see them kiss and imply a more energetic physical exchange, yet fans were still able to understand what the author was implying.
I love how there are two different versions of this event, too. One of them she's just a little embarrassed about it, the other she is mortified that they were seen. I think that kind of makes it obvious what happened in the latter scenario and gives a good idea of how you, again, can influence the storyline. But yeah, these things aren't written in stone, they are implied - but the same can be said for many things out there in 16 bit, 32 bit and even in the current games. It's what allows for so much debate in FF forums, which is obviously good for us. xD Or bad, depending on how much you enjoy such debates.

I agree with charlie rather than WK when it comes to XIII and how challenging fights were. They were far more challenging in XIII than they were in older games. You could die in almost any fight, whereas in older games your first battle after a sleep in an inn would almost always be an absolute walk in the park. But, of course, this is all dependant on how you play the game, how much time you spend fighting, etc. However, WK is right that if you die, you appear back where you were just before the battle... but that means the game is easier, not the battle. Basically, you die more often, which means battles are harder. You are more limited in your ability to level, which means you can't over-level, which means battles will (for most of the plot) rarely become easy. However, does it mean that the game is harder because the battles are harder? No, because in VII, you can have a save point a very long way away and have to get from one end to another without dying once through multiple battles. This can be easier and can be harder depending on your level in the older games. To be honest, comparing the two and saying that one game is harder than the other... it's not something I would do. They're all beatable in one way or another, for a start, and there are no difficulty levels in any of them. There are simply too many angles to look when it comes to difficulty in these games that, unless it's VIII (where you can be literally invincible for large periods of the game), I would not say any one game is easier than the others. And I suppose you could even make VIII harder if you pushed through the game at speed without making huge efforts in drawing magic, using item/card mod, etc.

I wouldn't say anyone is trolling. It's just opinion based on preference and maybe in some cases lack of knowledge in any one area.

Also, I agree that Kefka is one of the better main villains while Ultimecia is not. This is mostly because for me, the whole Ultimecia time compression thing makes no sense whatsoever. But more importantly, the constant changing of the main enemy in FFVIII makes you less "attached" if you get what I mean. Also, her weird talking just makes her look stupid rather than unique. For me, VIII was about battling sorcerors about as much as Shaun of the Dead was a romantic movie (it was marketed as "A romantic comedy - with zombies" ). I mean, sure, it's there, but let's face it - we were watching that movie for the zombie comedy side. Likewise, the game FFVIII was not about the enemy but about Squall and Rinoa doing their thing. And TripleTriad. I love the game but not for the plot.

I honestly don't think it matters how critically acclaimed another 16 bit main-series numbered FF would be because I don't think it would feel right not having FF push the boundaries of the system like it always does with it's graphics. I mean, I'm playing the old FFs lately (and I've already finished I, II and V this year... and have played a notable chunk of IV and VI long ago, too, but am replaying VI now) and they're great at £6.99 games, but if they were released as a main game today I would be insanely disappointed. Not in the game for it's price, but in the lack of ambition shown by Square Enix. SE is great because it has constantly pushed the boundaries to try to come up with something new. Now, recently that hasn't worked as well (for most people, I still liked FFXIII), but that doesn't mean that they should stop trying altogether and go back to making games that will operate fine on a GBA.