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Thread: Playthrough thoughts thread

  1. #121

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    Most of the "final" weapons weren't that good. They were worth getting just to get the abilities really.

  2. #122
    Recognized Member Scotty_ffgamer's Avatar
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    Scotty Ffgamer (Sargatanas)
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    I feel like the way they did the battle system would have worked better either A) you could have more control in the A.I. like with a gambit system and/or B) had the A.I. members fill their ATB bars quickly. I didn't really mind switching constantly to work on filling up the ATB since by the end of the game it fills up really quickly for whoever. you control, but it would have been better to stick with the character you have the most fun playing as while focusing more on using everyone else's abilities when needed. I feel like the way the ATB bar functioned the way it did to force you to use everyone and to learn how to use them, and I did like being forced to a bit because I was genuinely happy with how everyone played except maybe Barret (though, he grew on me quite a bit by the end).

    I never did try messing with the Provoke materia, but it's a shame to hear that it wasn't very useful. I would have liked to skirt attention away from the person you are controlling with a possibly more tanky character. I never really struggled to keep any of the characters alive usually, and when I did I was struggling with the tanky characters just as much.

  3. #123
    Memento Mori Site Contributor Wolf Kanno's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scotty_ffgamer View Post
    I feel like the way they did the battle system would have worked better either A) you could have more control in the A.I. like with a gambit system and/or B) had the A.I. members fill their ATB bars quickly. I didn't really mind switching constantly to work on filling up the ATB since by the end of the game it fills up really quickly for whoever. you control, but it would have been better to stick with the character you have the most fun playing as while focusing more on using everyone else's abilities when needed. I feel like the way the ATB bar functioned the way it did to force you to use everyone and to learn how to use them, and I did like being forced to a bit because I was genuinely happy with how everyone played except maybe Barret (though, he grew on me quite a bit by the end).

    I never did try messing with the Provoke materia, but it's a shame to hear that it wasn't very useful. I would have liked to skirt attention away from the person you are controlling with a possibly more tanky character. I never really struggled to keep any of the characters alive usually, and when I did I was struggling with the tanky characters just as much.
    I pretty much agree with everything here. Honestly I feel just letting the party have faster ATB increase alone would fix my gripes with the party dynamics of combat without hurting the intentions of the design.

  4. #124

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    Quote Originally Posted by Scotty_ffgamer View Post
    A) you could have more control in the A.I. like with a gambit system and/or B) had the A.I. members fill their ATB bars quickly.
    I think A is because they wanted you to switch manually quite often, and B is because they didn't want you to be able to keep healing constantly, like you could in FFXV, which kinda broke the game a bit. It became a matter of how many healing items you'd bought ahead of time.

  5. #125
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    Mayrissa Fablestay (Sargatanas)
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    The Provoke materia does work but not against some of the more strongest enemies toward the game. In Hard Mode you can make Barret soak a lot of damage by using the Provoke + Steadfast Block combo, even more so if you use his ATB on Steelskin This can be useful in sections like the Corkscrew Tunnel in Chapter 4 when you're doing a lot of fights back to back in the train tunnels, and likewise in the Corneo Colosseum and VR Arena.

    The deeper into Hard Mode you go, the more the AI actually seems to target other party members more often rather than tunneling whoever you're controlling at the time.

    Provoke only generally activates when a party member gets critically low on HP though, much like Auto-Cure, and has a hidden cooldown so it won't constantly activate.

    That being said it's definitely a VERY situational materia.


  6. #126
    Memento Mori Site Contributor Wolf Kanno's Avatar
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    That's good to know.

    Small Update!

    Pros:
    • Pretty interesting to see Barret get his own section. I honestly think Barret has probably gotten the best characterization out of the remake. He just feels like less of a caricature in this one and that's super groovy.
    • Speaking of improved characters, Marlene is also just cute as a button as opposed to the afterthought of the original.
    • I am so happy Wedge's cat made it.
    • I had more fun than I feel I should using Barret's gun arm to mow down Shinra boxes and make walls. He also got a really nice ability off of his newer weapons.
    • I find it amusing that Cloud not only seems to remember Hojo, he's already calling him names most players do.
    • I managed to get the Refocus Materia research completed. It's an interesting idea, but I don't like the fact it wastes a Limit Break use considering they are more rare in this version.
    • I finally got my Enemy Skill materia, I've already learned two skills for it, but the ATB cost is pretty steep. Interesting how one of the skills wasn't even a skill in VII despite being a common Blue Magic in other entries.
    • The Chocobos are actually really cute in this game.


    Cons:
    • Once again, we interrupt your roller coaster plot to bring you sidequest hell!
    • Okay, so you weaseled in Leviathan and Bahamut as summons in this game, but once again give a middle finger to Ramuh and Titan? I really feel like this games main issue with materia and summons is that it is not going to leave much to look forward to in future installments. At the rate we're going Comet and Ultima will be the first materia you pick up in Episode 2 unless they are already in this game...
    • Man the heavy foreshadowing in this game is starting to reach comical levels. I love Aerith, but she may need to stop talking for awhile.
    • I feel it's a little late in the plot to be introducing new NPCs for me to stop caring about. Like VII needed another bratty thief character. Not helped that she kind of dresses like Marie from P4G.
    • The Barret section made it more apparent to me of a lost opportunity with changing your character leads for exploration. I felt it was slightly annoying how the game always defaults to Cloud, but having sections showing another character actually using their unique traits to get through an area tells me the dev teams probably should have incorporated that a bit more in some of the earlier dungeons.
    • Ugh, I just got the research request to master all the different magic materia types, but I'm not sure if I really have enough to do in this lull in the plot to get it done. I've had the revive materia on for awhile and it's still only half way to getting mastered. Fell I'm going to have to wait until I beat the game to get that one done...
    • This is not necessarily a con, but I just noticed the game removed the idea that materia creates an "offspring" when it's mastered. It's not really a big deal, but it did throw me off when I finally noticed.

  7. #127
    Local Florist Site Contributor
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    Mayrissa Fablestay (Sargatanas)
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    I'd leave the materia thing until after you've cleared the game. Once you've unlocked Chapter Select you get a boost to XP and AP gains, which combined with an AP Up Materia means you can max-out the magic materia's pretty quickly by farming one of the easier stages in the VR Battle Arena.


  8. #128
    Memento Mori Site Contributor Wolf Kanno's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aulayna View Post
    I'd leave the materia thing until after you've cleared the game. Once you've unlocked Chapter Select you get a boost to XP and AP gains, which combined with an AP Up Materia means you can max-out the magic materia's pretty quickly by farming one of the easier stages in the VR Battle Arena.
    Good to know, but I'm not really sure if I'm going to bother playing this after I finish the main story campaign.

  9. #129

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    Then maybe just don't do it period? You definitely won't need to for completing the game and you won't be able to get everything without some replay/chapter select anyway.

  10. #130
    Memento Mori Site Contributor Wolf Kanno's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Golbez View Post
    Then maybe just don't do it period? You definitely won't need to for completing the game and you won't be able to get everything without some replay/chapter select anyway.
    Oh that's the plan.

  11. #131
    Memento Mori Site Contributor Wolf Kanno's Avatar
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    Update Time, finished Side quest hell and I'm now heading to the Shin-Ra building.

    Pros:
    • I've decided I really do like the Battle Arena in this game. It adds enough nuance to be interesting, offers great prizes, and is short enough not to feel like a slog unlike Star Ocean. Not having to farm GP and simply using standard Gil to enter is also a blessing.
    • I will also give the game mad props for making each character feel distinct, made the arena more interesting and reminded me of Xenoblade in a good way.
    • After Aulayna's advice, I've come around to the Provoke materia.
    • I finally managed to take down Leviathan, who has been one of the tougher fights in this game.
    • I had a sneaking suspicion I was going to have to fight Abzu again, so I'm glad I was right.
    • The Music quest was amusing.
    • The Behemoth fight was interesting and I like the small shout out to Type-0.
    • I've apparently gained 3 out 4 Enemy Skills I can obtain in this game. I'm aware the final one is locked away in Hard mode. Shame Missile isn't one of them...
    • I've obtained an AP Up materia.


    Cons:
    • smurf Jules and his pain in the ass exercise mini-games. The first one wasn't too bad, but the new one with Tifa is a pain with the funky direction of the buttons.
    • I feel this section has pretty much shown me that I really feel nothing for most of the new NPCs. They're just quest dispensing machines as far as I'm concerned except for Madam M and Andrea. I remember when all the characters from Sector 7 appeared and Barret and Tifa were getting all happy and I was like Cloud thinking "who the smurf were these people again?"
    • I'm a little surprised that Barret's second limit break was Catastrophe. Bad enough Cloud's second one was a mini-Omnislash, but whatever. I know the serial escalation is coming.
    • I find it amusing I've probably been killed more often by being careless against normal enemy's with annoying status magic or multi-hit attacks than I ever had with a boss. I didn't realize this until I fought Leviathan and watched it bulldoze my party with Tidal Wave. I don't think I've ever had a boss fight yet in this game that made me have to really pay attention to what the boss was trying to do.
    • I'm kind of disappointed with the Enemy Skill materia in this game. I mean it was OP as hell in the original, but the spell selection in this one is pretty terrible.
    • I really hope the pacing improves in this game. I feel these sidequest lulls in the plot are detrimental to the flow of the game. I was pretty excited to head to the Shinra Building, but now I'm feeling less excited since I killed an entire evening doing quests instead. It's really been the greatest criticism of the game's design for me.

  12. #132
    Depression Moon's Avatar
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    Yeah, on my 2nd playthrough I'm going to kill the arenas.

    I missed the Tifa pull-up mini game on my first playthrough.

  13. #133

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno View Post
    Update Time, finished Side quest hell and I'm now heading to the Shin-Ra building.


    • I'm kind of disappointed with the Enemy Skill materia in this game. I mean it was OP as hell in the original, but the spell selection in this one is pretty terrible.
    Lol, I googled what the actual Skills were, and then just didn't bother learning them because it seemed so limited and uninteresting.

    I don't understand why there were so few. There are 24 in the original game.

  14. #134

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    I have the sense that "offspring" will return in Part 2. There's no way most traditional players would have stuck around Midgar in OG to max their materia. Someone else can tell me how long that grind would last.

    So it makes sense storywise that the ability to clone materia would go completely unknown to the characters (hell, the scriptors could argue it was the Arbitors that kept the materia in check too, because plot).

    Open world is not a place for sporadic restrictions. Unless they actually plan to handle that part differently.

  15. #135

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    The first reasonable place to insanely level grind in the original game is Junon. If you hit that alarm by the elevator to the submarine level you can watch those levels go up real quick. Playing normally, you'll probably only start learning the second spells on Fire, Ice, and Lightning around Corel.

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