A Full Final Fantasy Fmarathon (Community Edition)

[Christmas]

I remembered if you do it right, you can avoid the fixed encounters though. Need to enter a secret room or something.

[Fynn]

So this went by fast. Just beat FFIX, and I just couldn’t put the game down. It’s another one of those games that just gets better every time I play it. Now I’m warm and fuzzy and can’t even find the right words lmao

I beat Ozma and generally did most of the optional stuff, which I’ve been pretty good with on this marathon so far. Next up is FFX, which might be long or very long, depending on whether I actually try to beat the Dark Aeons and Penance this time. Then a quick playthrough of X-2 NG+ and I’ll be venturing into unknown territory with XI

[Christmas]

FFIX is relatively easy. The dark aeons in FFX may require you to get your stats to a certain level which may take some time.

[Fynn]

Ok so big update. I beat FFX! And also, I beat Penance! I’m happy I did this, it was a terrible experience!

I’m honestly glad I got this out of my system because I always felt I was missing something by not doing the FFX post game, so now I finally did it I know what I’ve been missing out on and it was an absolute travesty. Honestly, in this run of FFX I actually appreciated the story a bit more but the battle system has completely and utterly failed me. I was bored out of my mind through most of the game, then spent literally half my playtime grinding in the stupid monster arena, hoping everyone was right and the CTB system would really shine with the optional bosses, but it never did. In fact, that section only exposed how deep the flaws of CTB go and I just longed for death. But now I’m finally done and never have to go back to it ever again

So now I’m doing NG+ in X-2 and I’m honestly just so burned out on Spira. I just want to move on to XI so I hope I can make this quick

[Wolf Kanno]

Yeah, I don' know what it is, but the Spira entries are weird for how much acclaim their battle systems are when they are in fact, not terribly good or better than what came before them. I still argue that Xenosaga 1 and even 2, do the CTB concept better. Hell, SaGa Scarlet Graces has a much better version of the system as well.

[Fynn]

It’s all the aesthetics, honestly. CTB has all the aesthetics of strategic gameplay without actually giving you in-depth strategic turn-based gameplay we now know is possible through stuff like Megaten. X-2’s iteration of ATB is all about the aesthetics of fluidity, later evolving into XIII’s ATB, but ATB is a hybrid system that’s meant to be a blend of the speed of real time and the depth of turn-based battles, and those two elements just skew it way more heavily towards action - meanwhile, XII’s ADB feels way more like a natural successor to that, but it’s also less flashy. So yeah, aesthetics

[Fynn]

I got so into XI I forgot to update my status here lol

So I finished X-2. By doing NG+ and only doing what you need to do, it took a measly 8 hours. So a personal record. It was pretty fun. Having everyone use a mastered Mascot completely wrecked the game and Shuyin went down in one single hit My opinion hasn’t really changed. It’s still a decently fun game with a campy vibe, though once again I don’t really understand why people love the job system as much as they do when there’s better iterations of ATB in the series, but that’s all subjective. Good dumb fun, overall, and the 1000 Words scene always gets me. On that note, by now the soundtrack has well and truly grown on me.

Now I’ve moved on to XI and having fun there! Rolled a tarutaru red mage. Will probably post more in the other thread WK made and come back here once I’m done with that and start XII. This will take a while

[Fynn]

Alright, I’m cheating a bit but life gets in the way lmao

So I’ve spent the last two months of my life in Vana’diel. I got very near the end of the Rise of Zilart expansion, but lost steam due to my vacation, and combine that with me not wanting to spend too much on my subscription and others I’ve played with moving on from the game, I just kind of decided to call it quits for now and move on to FFXII within the next few days.

I did very much enjoy my time with FFXI though! But I have to say it wasn’t exactly what I expected. I went in because I had been told for a long time it’s one of the better FF stories and I felt dumb missing out on it. What story I got was… ok? Certainly above average for what MMOs usually are (I assume), but it wasn’t something that would really justify staying in this game for so long on its own.

What really works for FFXI is it’s exceptionally realized world and, surprisingly for me personally, the multiplayer aspect. This world is sometimes too big for its own good but it’s still very fun to experience it first hand since it really feels like a lived in place with its own smorgasbord of cultures. And even though there are now trusts to help you out a bit, this game is the most fun when you’re playing with others. Whether they’re alleviating the boredom of the grind, helping you find your way through one of the many intentionally confusing dungeons that you’re not meant to beat alone, or joining you on that epic story battle, FFXI truly shines brightest when you’ve got someone to play with. I almost feel like I did myself a disservice by playing with others - playing alone after that just felt super empty every time

So I stlll need to get some stuff in order and enjoy the rest of my summer break from work, but fairly soon the marathon should be back on track as I move on to FFXII: the Zodiac Age, one of my all-time favorites!

[Fynn]

Just got out of the Barheim Passage and I am having a blast. Almost went broke buying gambits - I forgot they’re pretty much all available from the start in TZA lmao

[Fynn]

So I had a break due to a number of reasons, but now I’m back at Raithwall’s Tomb! I forgot how to play the game a bit lmao. I’ve been conserving my LP for when I unlock the second jobs, which should be about now as far as I remember

[Jinx]

I still wouldn't list it as a favorite by any means (nor did I finish it), but I really enjoyed FFXII a lot when I played it back in the summer of 2020. I think when I first played it a few days after it was released, it was NOT Final Fantasy to me. I don't really feel that way now, but also I'm better at non-turn based combat in general, as well. Isn't it one of your favorites, Fynn?

[Fynn]

Yup. From the mainline games it’s tied as number one with VI for me. Though for some reason it’s taking me quite a long time to get through it this time. It’s probably because I have a lot more going on in my life than I did back in 2018, and it’s definitely a much more involving game than X

[Quindiana Jones]

Are you playing with the 4x speed toggle activated?

[Fynn]

Sometimes. Sometimes with 2x. Sometimes 1x. Really depends on my mood and what I’m doing

[Fynn]

Ok so it’s been a while but I’m finally done with XII, so I’m pretty confident in saying I’ve reached the tail end of my marathon, with the upcoming XIV being the coup de grâce. But I still have one trilogy ahead of me…

But before that, what about XII? It’s still one of my favorites, which is why I feel I’ve treated it unfairly this time. Due to many distractions like the holidays, Disco Elysium, and finally getting my hands on Persona 5, I decided to make a beeline to the ending. It’s a real shame because FFXII’s real charm is in its expansive world, lore, and side content, so cutting all that out feels very disrespectful. Nevertheless, it hadn’t been that long since I cleared XII from top to bottom, and I didn’t want to get burnt out on one of my favorites of all time, so I decided to just move on.

Now it’s no secret I’m not a fan of XIII. What little I’ve played of XIII-2 felt even worse and LR looks interesting but I never got around to it. Still, whatever grievances I have with my trilogy, I plan to give it another fair shot. I’m paying close attention to the datalog and trying to have fun with the game as much as it will let me. I’m also playing on easy because I can’t deny the fact that I don’t want to spend too long on these I’m up to chapter 3 now. Only ten to go…