FFVI Review Post

[WildRaubtier]

That right there is actually the definition of customization, I am picking and choosing the skills I want for a party member and there are several characters in VI who really don't need magic so teaching them is a waste of the player's time. By the way you are arguing this, there is no customization in JRPGs because you are obligated to always use everything for every character, which I don't agree with.

It's still not customisation if you're refusing to learn an ability that can be learnt without penalty (time/order not withstanding), it's more like you've simply neglected to maximise that character's abilities. For example, take Cloud's limit breaks in 7. It's quite possible to learn Meteorain before Climhazard, and the former is so much better. Am I customising Cloud by switching to limit 3 before learning Climhazard? (I feel at this point it's necessary to point out the answer is 'no'). Meanwhile, I've also equipped Cloud with a fire materia. As long as that materia is equipped, I can't use that same slot for anything else. Additionally, once I remove that materia, Cloud cannot use Fire. Compare to 6, where you have the same system with magicite, sure, until you earn a maximum of 100 ABP, at which point you can remove your magicite and continue to use whichever spell(s) you just learnt at any time without penalty. That's the difference between a system that is customisable and one that is not.

I can use your argument on every FF except FFI for crying out loud.

Actually, you can't! Even 1 forces you to pick only 3 out of 4 spells available for each magic level. You'd only be successful trying to apply it to 4.

Equipment is hardly new and I'm not implying VI somehow how did it magically different besides the Relics but it is an important part of VI as your equipment is often more important end game than what magic your taught your characters.

Again, this is entirely industry standard. I can't think of any game where ignoring appropriate stat bonuses in favour of simple attack power results in better results. Further, your point is entirely invalidated due to the lack of difficulty in 6, where a lack of any difficulty to speak of kind of renders any thought about equipment moot.

As for relics, well, maybe if there were more than half a dozen that did anything unique. The vast majority just do typical accessory stuff.

Smurf man, Fallout 3's ending is largely the same no matter what you do and yet it's considered a non-linear game. I'm not even suggesting VI is in Elder Scroll territory, I am only stating the obvious which is that the player is handed control of how the sequence of events unfold and how certain choices by the player will actually modify the ending or your ability to even partake of some of the optional content.

You seem to have confused the concepts of optional content and linearity of content here! To be fair, my paragraph wasn't as well articulated as it could have been since I needed to head to work. If any content is optional, then of course it's going to be non-linear. And while 6 certainly gains points for the sheer volume of optional content (yet only at the late game stage), trying to claim that optional content is non-linear is pretty bogus.

Choose to ignore getting Relm back, well looks like Strago is in that cult until Kefka is gone.

Linear content? In YOUR non-linear endgame?????

Chose to jump ship ASAP at the Floating Continent, well Shadow is now dead and you lose the ability to see the final dream revealing his backstory, but you gain the ability to see Relm's dream.

Choosing to save Cid even nets you two very different outcomes

I think there's a lot of misconception over Shadow. I don't even know which of "missable" or "optional" is more appropriate, considering to even use him you have to do something entirely unintuitive and unconventional. I'd imagine that his being killed off is the normal option. Regardless, sure, well call these minor details you'd have to slog through 30 hours of gameplay to see a couple of small changes "replay value."

We'll be fair, here, and throw in the three or so scenes that change depending on what characters you've reunited with at the end of the game. This is barely even worth replaying the entire game for, as you can simply reload a save form before recruiting the relevant character to make the difference. For most characters, though, the endings simply show a portrait of the character you missed and pans some scenery during their unique scenes. That's not replay, that's missed content.

Simply recruit everyone and head straight to Kekfa, you lose out on learning about Strago's past, watching Cyan gain closure to his story, Terra learning that her parents were not the only ones to bridge the barrier over Esper/Human relations, Closure to Gau's story, and a few more things.

All optional content, and not even stuff you have to play through the entire game again just to see.

I'm not really sure how much further I could have gone to make it plain that I wasn't offering a comprehensive run-down of what made FFVI's system customisable, unless you're incapable of recognising "such as" and "for example" as synonyms. Wolf did his expectedly superb job providing more examples though.

You offered two points. The first was, to your own admission, mostly irrelevant, and the second was bogus entirely.