Level 99?

[Sasquatch]

Because there's someone else out there with a stronger party. Also it shows that you love the game so much that you're willing to spend the extra time to do it.

Stronger? Better? Not necessarily. I'm sure a medium-level party could beat a high-level party, it just depends on who's controlling them.

And to me, it only proves that you have absolutely no life. Beat the game, great. Go through it again to find things you missed, get all the best stuff and go through the sidequests, wonderful. Spend 100 hours on it getting everybody to their max...priority problems.

[DocFrance]

Getting to level 99 is just a test of patience. And proof that you have no life besides Final Fantasy.

[Daedra]

As for me, I'm quite like Xander. I like to play the game normally for the first time, that is to say not spend too much time on side quests, going quite straight through the adventure and so on.
However, after I've cleared the game once, I always do it again, this time trying to get everything. The developpers took a lot of time to put some secret areas, to create difficult challenges, so why not try them ?

[Garland]

Having everything in the game kinda shows that you weren't a good player to play the game how it was designed. - Ex-Caliber

You lost me at this point. How is finding all of the things the designers put into a game not playing it how it was designed? If the creators didn't intend for you to find various items, they wouldn't have included them. And what items should a "good" player avoid finding? I imagine the true videogame master beats a game without uncovering a single hidden secret?

As for level raising - to each their own. Bragging about how you play is equally wrong whether you powerlevel, or play lowest possible level games. Powerlevelling has no bearing on how much of a life you have outside of videogames. I doubt all you low level players stop playing videogames after beating a game quickly. You probably move right on to the next game and never leave your room just like the powerleveller you just ridiculed as a loser. Pots and kettles, people. Pots and kettles. Stop calling each other black.

[Cz]

I think the point that Ex-Caliber is trying to make is that being at level 99 makes the game incredibly easy. Although I don't agree (anyone who does all that work reaching level 99 deserve an easy ride) I do think that high level games are rather dull. That's why I complete RPG's once before raising my levels to anywhere above 70 or so.

[Daedra]

And more and more, challenges are made for powerlevellers, such as the Weapons in FFVII (...) or hidden monsters in FFX (much more of a challenge if you ask me )

[Daydrius]

Sometime, I play the game with 1 character, or put some sort of handicap on myself...I should try that w/the expert version of FF6 that that guy created...seems like it would actually be a challenge

[MagicKnight Locke]

instead of lvl 99,I'd try completing a low level challenge

[Rostum]

In FF8 it's probably better to be level 99 as enemies level up as you do.

[Cz]

In FFVIII, it's best to be at a low level, with high-level spells. The enemies can't use any good magic, but you can. High level enemies just make things more difficult.

[DocFrance]

It's the only RPG I know of that punishes you for leveling up...

[Danger]

Originally posted by DocFrance
It's the only RPG I know of that punishes you for leveling up...

If you're talking about FFVIII, you're not exactly right. At higher levels you can get better items and draw better magic from monsters.

While monster stats tend to raise faster than you as the levels get higher, you're supposed to have better magic from draws and what not (of course an experienced card player can get these things too if they know what they are doing).

If you want to get the most out of your levels in FFVIII, play the game at low levels until you get near the end of the game and you have Ability 4X and a certain GF that gives all the plus at level up bonuses (you guys know the one). Put death on Status Attack, kill the two other characters and send your person to the island where the monster level is set to 100 (Island closest to Hell I believe is the better of the two). I had an average character lvl below 20 when I started there which means by the time I hit lvl 100 I had +80 in all stats besides what I normally get for lvling and junction. Using this you can max out all the stats of your characters at and even though the monsters are leveled up with you, they are still a joke.

So high levels aren't punished in the game if you know what you're doing.

That said, I'm of the opinion that if you get all the secrets, stories, side quests and items in a game, you've completed it, no matter what your level is. I for one will only level up to 99 the second time I play the game and I will cheat or use a trick to do it so that it takes up less of my time. Some examples include the one above (it only took me a couple hours max to level up all my FFVIII characters), the Lete River trick in FFVI for SNES, game genie codes for big experience gains in FF1 and V and Game editors for FFVII PC. I only do this for the perverted satisfaction of desemating everything I come arcoss.

[TheSpoonyBard]

I know I'm being pedantic, but can't you get to Lv. 100 in FFVIII rather than Lv. 99?

[Danger]

Originally posted by Darkness
I know I'm being pedantic, but can't you get to Lv. 100 in FFVIII rather than Lv. 99?

You are right and yes you are being pendantic (even though I don't quite know what that means).

[Mo-Nercy]

Level 99 is an achievement well worth praising. The time and patience required just to get anywhere near that is astounding. Personally I haven't done it and I tip my hat to anyone that has in any RPG.

Having everything in the game kinda shows that you weren't a good player to play the game how it was designed.

I know this was remarked on earlier but I'm still pretty cheesed off at this. I reckon that anyone with a IQ in double digits is qualified to beat a FF game. I've never heard of a person that stopped playing FF because it was impossible to finish. So how can you distinguish between a good player and a bad player?