Favorite Stretch In Each Game

[The Captain]

For most of us, we've grown up playing the games in this series and there are times many of us get all nostalgic for a replay. What stretches in each game do you look forward to the most? Perhaps it's certain battles or storyline moments? Maybe just the music in a particular scene? Or the feeling playing through a stretch again brings back to the first time?

I'll pick a few for myself:

FFVI: From South Figaro through the battle of Narshe against Kefka. By that point, the adventure has really begun and you've been introduced to nearly half of the cast already. For me, it also contains some of the most memorable parts of the series including the Phantom Train and Poisoning of Doma as well as Locke's clothing thievery and learning about the secret passageways below South Figaro. That they split you up into three mini-adventures so early was such a surprise when I first played it and I loved how the multi party battles were such a recurring event in the game.

FFVII: Cosmo Canyon. The music, the first time you see and hear about the planet and the energy forces and learning about the true fate of Nanaki's father. A real highlight of that game for me, one I'm very interested to see how the remake tackles... in probably 2022.

FFVIII: From saving Balamb Garden through FH. Something about this stretch of the game has always been my favorite part. Once again, I think by splitting the group up and being able to focus mostly on Squall's inner turmoil, the stakes are raised. Plus, the revelations about Balamb's true potential and the overall vibe of FH when you arrive there remain in my memory long after I last played the game. Likewise, the music in this section is a realy high water mark for me.

FFXII: From escaping prison through the Barheim Passage. Also fairly early in the game but I think the relentless plotting was excellent in this stretch. Basically being thrown right into the story and spending this entire section just trying to escape to get back to square one was highly enjoyable. I also liked how unique the Barheim passage sequence was, with the electricity eating mimics and zombies that came out if you let the lights get too dim. As a bonus, I loved that much later on you can return here to explore the other half of the passage where high end enemies and treasure awaits.

So what are some of your favorites?

Take care all.

[Karifean]

FF VIII - Between first boarding the Ragnarok and entering the Lunatic Pandora again. Exterminating the Propagators, giving up and re-rescuing Rinoa, getting to fly around on the goddamn Ragnarok, and meeting with President Laguna, so much good stuff.
FF X - Zanarkand Ruins, no contest.
FF XII - The Lhusu Mines. I'm not particularly fond of the dungeon gauntlet of Sewers + Sewers again + Nalbina + Barheim, nor the sandseas after, but the mines are just kinda a really cool place and the location that actually got me hooked on the game.

Gonna have to think on the rest.

[SeasideArms]

FFVIII: From saving Balamb Garden through FH. Something about this stretch of the game has always been my favorite part. Once again, I think by splitting the group up and being able to focus mostly on Squall's inner turmoil, the stakes are raised. Plus, the revelations about Balamb's true potential and the overall vibe of FH when you arrive there remain in my memory long after I last played the game. Likewise, the music in this section is a realy high water mark for me.

That's super interesting, cause that is always one of my least favourite sequences in the game because it feels so stressful. Probably because it upsets the established order of things so much. (It's still great though. I just feel like I need to take a breather afterwards. I think following it up with FH was a genius idea for exactly that reason.)

For me, it's Winhill. After the tension, excitement and action of the assassination attempt, its peaceful atmosphere (except for those darn bugs) feels so cathartic. The music is sweet, the characters are interesting and it's nice to get to know more about their inner lives and what motivates them.

[Wolf Kanno]

FFI - pretty much everything after you get the airship. The freedom in the game combined with all the best loot and job upgrades always makes this portion of the game fly by as opposed to the long drag that is Elfland and finishing the southern continent in general.

FFII - I don't really have one, but I do really enjoy the Dreadnought sequence for the Star Wars reference.

FFIII - Probably the sequence with Aria, it starts with the revelation that your home is a floating continent, has some really eerie music and one of the most tragic deaths in the game all with some of the game's best music and the first actual character theme in the series.

FFIV - Either the whole final half of the top world starting with Mysidia and Cecil's quest to become a paladin all the way to the end of the Tower of Zot sequence. Has probably the most intriguing party configurations, some of the most memorable moments in the game, and the coolest dungeons. My second choice would be the entire final act where you finally go to the Moon, come back to fight the Giant of Babil and learn about Golbez's true heritage, and leads to the final dungeon and ending.

FFV - The entire second act on Galuf's world up until the world's merge. I really feel like it's the point where the plot picks up and you finally have access to most of the classes and a means to really get them leveled up quickly. The Dawn Warriors are cool, and you get highlights like Galuf's death, Battle on the Big Bridge, Forest of Moore, and ExDeath's Castle.

FFVI - Easily the toughest one for me, because I love this whole game,though I may give this to the second act as well starting with Terra's disappearance and ending at Kefka destroying the world. You get some super memorable sequences, good character moments, access to espers, and some of the coolest dungeons.

FFVII - Midgar, easily my favorite sequence. No sequence afterwards ever really grabbed my attention like that part.

FFVIII - Probably the whole Dollet sequence. It was cool seeing the changes from the demo, I loved the SeeD grading mechanics, and I feel you get one of the coolest sequences with the robot spider. For the most part, the entire first disc is my favorite part of FFVIII.

FFIX - Don't have a particular favorite but perhaps the entire opening up until the party finally reaches Lindblum and splits up. Some great sequence like the kidnapping, the Evil FOrest, the battle with the Black Waltzes, and Vivi learning he's a synthetic being. Nice stuff.

FFX - The opening sequence up until the end of Besaid. Lots of cool mysteries, the cast is still likable for me and the pacing is nice and never overstays it's welcome like the rest of the game.

I'll do the other half later.

[Wolf Kanno]

W~POST!

FFXII - The whole middle section between leaving the Garif village until you finish Archades. I know most people kind of hate this part since the plot gets a bit thin through here but I feel the plot we do see is really cool with Fran's backstory, Balthier revealing his origins to Ashe and some good moments with the Vayne and the Judges. This section just also happens to have most of the cool locations available and some of the coolest dungeons in the game as well.

FFXIII - Eh, don't really have one, but I guess I would say Chapter 7 and 8. After what feels like forever in the early chapters trying to drag out everything, we finally get some emotional pay off with the sequences in Palmoporom and Nautilus with the conclusion of Hope and Sahz's story arcs which are likely the only memorable ones in the game. From a gameplay perspective, Chapter 11 is the best part of the game since we're finally allowed freedom.

FFXV - Probably everything from Altissa until Nifleheim. Altissa is easily one of the coolest locations in the game and the plot really picks up here and is in many ways the major climax of a lot of plot threads started in the early chapters. It's then followed up by some of the most gut-punching story chapters and interesting game design moments.

FFTactics - Easily the first chapter when you're dealing with the Death Corps and watching Ramza and Delita's innocence get ruined.

Tactics Advance - Probably the final stretch of the game where Marche really has to knock his friends heads together to convince them to go back. It's easily the most poignant moment in the game.

[Rez09]

FF1: Oddly enough, the start of the game up to the TNT. A lot of the time I play this game now I'm doing challenge runs, and that means the start of the game is really stressful, particularly post Bikke fight until Astos, as many team combinations have a HELL of a time dealing with the Marsh Cave and AoE magic, so you think about the most effective way to spend your money and time prepping yourself for the biggest challenge of the game. There are other difficult moments ahead still of course, particularly the Earth and Ice Caves, but its still a downhill ride after Astos, and so that first part I enjoy the most.

FF2: Any stretch of the game not involving dungeons are greatly appreciated, though the Lamia queen bit is my favorite story fight, and Pandemonium is my favorite dungeon. Hrrrmmm. . . Actually, probably post Pandemonium appearing. I love how the dungeon itself gets more icy/crystally as you climb it, and having to travel to the Jade Passage to even get into the castle is pretty neat, not to mention Borghen in a box is still the best thing in this entire game.

FF3: Basically from the Nautilus until the end of the game. I love the exploration that opens at that point, the underwater shrine, and tracking down the summons.

FF4: Sneaking into Baron, for sure. I like most of the game, but this part was so exciting the first time! You are finally going to talk sense to the king, but you've gotta go all Metal Gear about it, then you have those boss fights and find out the truth. Super good.

FF5: Tracking down the tablets for the sealed weapons. The Pyramid of Moore is one of my favorite dungeons in the series, but even without it tracking down the tablets and picking which ultimate weapons you want in the order you want is one of the best ideas the devs have ever had. Whenever player choice has a big impact on things I appreciate it, and the ability to prioritize what gear you want and when is exactly the kind of choice I love making, and it makes treking around the world to find these things down so much more of a reward than a chore.

FF6: Kind of a tie here, depending on the situation. I generally play this game extremely underleveled, and in that context the stretch from the Magitek Research Facility to Ultima Weapon, as the minecart section, Cranes, IAF, and Ultima Weapon fights are just nuts without a lot of preparation, and I love that rush when trying to avoid being brutally murdered. In general context, Darill's Tomb till the end of the game -- I love the open ended part of the game, and picking up who and what I want and when. It's basically the best aspects of Romancing SaGa 3 with vastly superior characters and more interesting gear and options.

FF7: I guess probably Midgar -- the location and events are interesting, and Sephiroth's sword in the president's back at the end leaves a hell of a mark on the player. Overall the first disc is quite strong though, and definitely the best part of the game.

FF8: The first disc, for sure. The mercenary feel the game kicks off with was both different and crazy interesting to me, and the the Dollet mission in particular really gets me hyped for the rest of the game even now, not to mention the X-ATM is one of the best fights in the entire series. The Laguna sections really, REALLY drag the first disc down, but they are short and honestly not anywhere near the downer disc 2 onward manage to be.

FF9: The start of the game again, now that I think about it. That whole opening section up until the Ice Cave is super strong, and I really love the humor. The sword fight is pretty awesome, especially that music. <3 Actually, this game on the whole is quite strong musically, so maybe listening to the OST should be my pick. Hmm. . . Steiner and Beatrix defending Alexandria is 30 kinds of badass too. Meh, yeah, no, definitely the start.

FFX: Since you can finally freely do things, from the airship until the end of the ga -- oh, wait.

FFXII: Probably . . . the start until Raithwall's Tomb? Ehhh, I don't like the Reks section much, but yeah, I enjoy the start of the game here again as well. It remains pretty strong narratively from this point forward, but I really, REALLY dislike the battle system, and this is about the point when I need to start paying more attention to what I'm doing I find, so it dips off a good bit for me. The Demon Walls are basically my own mini-final bosses.

FFT: Honestly, I'm down for this game narratively the whole way through, and though I have favorite fights, like Elmdor and the Gallows, it's actually getting Agrias in my party that makes it for me. Which is right before the Gallows anyway, as I recall.

Seriously, Holy Sword. <3