Final Fantasy

[The People's Hero]

Evenin'

 

I suspect there are threads on this; but I don't like the search function and this is more about the whole franchise.

 

I've been playing a bit of FFXIV recently; I actually restarted about 2 months ago from the beginning as wanted to enjoy the lore etc; not just rush through. Taking my time and indulging myself with some gathering and crafting etc; just essentially using it to relax and pass time during my isolation now; whilst up until this week its just been there for a mission here and there; maybe 2 hours a week. I'm not a prolific players. Not hardcore.

 

Got me thinking a bit about the whole series. I do like to party up but I run most of the stuff solo and can still enjoy myself. I probably do enjoy the party stuff more; but struggle to find like-minded who aren't just there to finish it in 3 minutes to grind for XP; I'm there to enjoy and relax. Anyway that's only relevant as I want to talk single player here.

 

I remember FF7 coming out; as will many of you. I didn't have a PS1 at the time so never got involved but I was aware what a big thing it was. I've generally missed ALL the single player games.

 

I got FFX on the PS2 when I was a student and absolutely ordered that. Never did FFX-2 (think people said it was crap); FFXI was an MMO (?), did do FF12 in a fairly major way back in the day (loooooooooooong delay on ps2) and have gone back to zodiac age. Lost interest at EXACTLY the same point both times I think. 

 

I now have both FFXV and the remake of FFVII. Are either of these any good?

 

Also; my son is 8 and keeps asking me about playing them; in your opinion where is the best place to start him off?

 

Sorry for long and fairly rambling post. Perfectly happy just to hear your thoughts and experiences on the entire series. I think FFX is probably the most I've ever loved a game whilst I've been playing it (Disgaea is close; but the kooky styling/comedy always put me off a bit).

 

 

[Thefox81]

Ive played them all and currently re doing FF12 Zodiac Age as its on game pass. I really liked FFXV. Almost an open world from the get go. Can be easy to complete if you just do the main story. Or if your like me i try to platinum it then you really need to put the hours in and grind, do all side missions, hunts etc. Enjoyable however you decide to play it tho.

[The People's Hero]

2 minutes ago, Thefox81 said:

Ive played them all and currently re doing FF12 Zodiac Age as its on game pass. I really liked FFXV. Almost an open world from the get go. Can be easy to complete if you just do the main story. Or if your like me i try to platinum it then you really need to put the hours in and grind, do all side missions, hunts etc. Enjoyable however you decide to play it tho.

I'm going to force myself back to zodiac age. There's a bit where the pacing just drops off as far as I'm concerned and that's where I lost a bit of interest.

 

 

[Thefox81]

Ive just defeated the 2 demon walls so still got a long way to go myself in it. Going for a platinum if i can.

[RoboFox]

(Avoiding Roman numerals for ease .)
 

As soon as the series tried to go “open world” it lost its soul IMO. The games fell off a cliff after 10. I don’t care for the online games at all. 12 felt completely empty, 13 was straight up shit, and 15 just didn’t really feel like a FF game (although it was decent)

 

7, 8, 9 and 10 are the best in the series. 1-6 are charmingly great (the latter especially) but it depends on your tolerance for retro RPGs. If 10 is your favourite I think there’s plenty of enjoyment to be found in the PS1 generation.

 

8 is arguably my favourite game of all time. I just love it and have played through many times. I even bought shoes to match Squall’s when I was about eleven  

 

8 and 9 often get overlooked because of how incredible 7 was, but all three PS1 titles are interchangeably classic IMO. The FF8 remaster from last year (?) is as great as ever.

 

Edited 21 July 2021 by RoboFox

[Leicester_Loyal]

Only ever played FFX, all I remember was the Blitzball. I definitely enjoyed it but don't think I ever finished it. I always said I'd give one of them a go but have just never got round to it.

[Libertine]

7 Remake is great, as is 15. Never played the original 7 so was excited for the remake as it was always the one people raved about, definitely didn't disappoint. 15 is open world, but I basically stuck to the story as I find some OW games overwhelming. Really enjoyed it once I got into it, funny little world that sort of blends fantasy with reality. Becomes more linear about two thirds in.

 

Also never finished 12 back in the day, something just didn't grab me like 10 did. I did 10-2 back in the day, but the people saying it's crap are probably right to be fair.  Had to do it though as was obsessed with 10.

 

Bought 8 and 9 on PS1 years ago after I played 10 but never got through them. Have considered trying the remaster but not got to it yet.

[Dunge]

I’ve played all the main games from 7 through 15, although missing out the online ones. Fell in love with the series with 7, then 8, 9 & 10 were all great games for me during late teen and uni years. That was the golden era for me and I love that there’s a 7 remake.

 

12 for me started well then dropped. It chugs a bit through the southern areas before just about recovering, then the story and pace collapses on the journey to Arcadia where you’re forced to grind through about 4 or 5 full zones with no storyline only to be rewarded with a turgid matching pairs game. For me it didn’t recover from there, and the otherwise interesting political storyline collapses too. Which was a shame because it had promise.

 

13 was one of the most emo things I’ve ever seen. There were some small things I liked in it - The Sazh/Vanille dynamic was the star for me, and the chocobo treasure hunting game was an enjoyable break to a game full of misery - but most of it was pretty terrible. The ending was barely comprehensible and I wanted to throttle Hope, which I’m sure wasn’t what they were aiming for.

 

15 to me is a recovery from 13. I’ve only played it through once and don’t intend to revisit, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. As with several of the series, I found the storyline weaker as it went along and the ending rather unsatisfactory; there were other technical things wrong with it that suggested lack of bug fixing time. But the antagonist is decent and the gameplay of exploration was a lot of fun, showing a new style of gameplay for a new era of Final Fantasy - one that was taken on and developed to further success in the 7 remake.

 

The 7 remake feels like what I’ve been waiting half my lifetime for. It’s beautifully done, although it does leave me a little worried for the future of the “7 remake series” that they’re planning to dismantle the brilliant original storyline for some reason. But I still love it and there is no doubt I’ll be getting next episode when it comes out.

[Dunge]

1 hour ago, Libertine said:

7 Remake is great, as is 15. Never played the original 7 so was excited for the remake as it was always the one people raved about, definitely didn't disappoint. 15 is open world, but I basically stuck to the story as I find some OW games overwhelming. Really enjoyed it once I got into it, funny little world that sort of blends fantasy with reality. Becomes more linear about two thirds in.

 

Also never finished 12 back in the day, something just didn't grab me like 10 did. I did 10-2 back in the day, but the people saying it's crap are probably right to be fair.  Had to do it though as was obsessed with 10.

 

Bought 8 and 9 on PS1 years ago after I played 10 but never got through them. Have considered trying the remaster but not got to it yet.

I have played X-2 through; I once saw it described as “The wet dream of a Japanese schoolboy” and it’s hard to argue with that. 

[leicsmac]

As per above, 6-10 was the golden era, everything after that lost its charm. Didn't mind X-2 all that much, yeah it was a Charlie's Angels spinoff but the gameplay mechanics and plotline were decent.

 

8 is my personal favourite, 9 is underrated and the FF7 remake wasn't half bad.

[Crinklyfox]

12 hours ago, The People's Hero said:

Evenin'

 

I suspect there are threads on this; but I don't like the search function and this is more about the whole franchise.

 

I've been playing a bit of FFXIV recently; I actually restarted about 2 months ago from the beginning as wanted to enjoy the lore etc; not just rush through. Taking my time and indulging myself with some gathering and crafting etc; just essentially using it to relax and pass time during my isolation now; whilst up until this week its just been there for a mission here and there; maybe 2 hours a week. I'm not a prolific players. Not hardcore.

 

Got me thinking a bit about the whole series. I do like to party up but I run most of the stuff solo and can still enjoy myself. I probably do enjoy the party stuff more; but struggle to find like-minded who aren't just there to finish it in 3 minutes to grind for XP; I'm there to enjoy and relax. Anyway that's only relevant as I want to talk single player here.

 

I remember FF7 coming out; as will many of you. I didn't have a PS1 at the time so never got involved but I was aware what a big thing it was. I've generally missed ALL the single player games.

 

I got FFX on the PS2 when I was a student and absolutely ordered that. Never did FFX-2 (think people said it was crap); FFXI was an MMO (?), did do FF12 in a fairly major way back in the day (loooooooooooong delay on ps2) and have gone back to zodiac age. Lost interest at EXACTLY the same point both times I think. 

 

I now have both FFXV and the remake of FFVII. Are either of these any good?

 

Also; my son is 8 and keeps asking me about playing them; in your opinion where is the best place to start him off?

 

Sorry for long and fairly rambling post. Perfectly happy just to hear your thoughts and experiences on the entire series. I think FFX is probably the most I've ever loved a game whilst I've been playing it (Disgaea is close; but the kooky styling/comedy always put me off a bit).

 

 

I bought FFVII for my younger son when it came out, he loved it so it's probable that your son (same age) would love it as well.  I had to help my lad with some of the puzzles and that got me interested in the game which I later played myself.  FFVII was a landmark game at the time, it hasn't aged particularly well but it still has a great storyline and some brilliant moments.  It also introduced side quests such as chocobo breeding and racing which could be done as an aside to the main storyline. I'd recommend it to any RPG lover.

 

FFVIII was almost as good.  Different in feel to FFVII there was an absorbing card game that could be played as the story progressed, with certain cards only available from certain characters.  When I first bought it for my son I didn't see him for what seemed like weeks, he was always playing it when he could.

 

Many regard FFIX as the weakest of the series but once again, it had a different feel to the story and different sub games, I found it charming.  I'm very glad that I played it and wouldn't recommend that you miss it out.

 

FFX remains my favourite FF game.  The plot is essentially built around a characters journey and the challenges encountered along the way.  Collecting all that there is to be collected is well nigh impossible without a guide, we had a book at the time but I expect that there will be many online guides now.  

 

FFX-2 was the first FF game I encountered which used some of the same characters and locations as the previous game.  This gave the game it's own poignancy, but some may see this as a downside.  It's easy to associate an area of the game with particular events and feeling, and the sequel can change that.  Not as strong as FFX but still worth a play.

 

I didn't play FFXI (online RPG).  I prefer the single player experience.

 

I found FFXII to be a decent game, not quite as high a standard as the previous but still very enjoyable, and Rabanastre is one of my favourite locations in the FF universe.

 

FFXIII was a disaster in three parts.  I didn't like the main character, the gameplay, the largely linear progression and the amount of grinding necessary.  I struggled through FFXIII-1, found FFXIII-2 no better and couldn't be bothered to buy FFXIII-3.

 

I didn't play FFXIV.

 

FFXV didn't feel like a FF series game.  I didn't like the combat system.  I thought one of the strengths of the series was the turn-based combat system and that had been tweaked.  

 

If I was starting to play the FF games now I'd concentrate on 7 - 10.

[kingcarr21]

So my thoughts are very similar to the above posts. FF 7-10 are all brilliant in their own way. If your son can look past the graphics, i know a lot of kids now cant appreciate how great these nostalgia games are. So it may be worth starting him on FF10. I loved the story from 10. The build up throughout the game to eventually fight Sin is brilliant. Though 10 always annoyed me that the characters never asked Tidus what his name was (because you can change his name they avoided the voice acting). So Yuna fell in love with him and didnt know his name  

 

If your son can play with the graphic styles then i would start at 7 and do them in order. I find it hard to decide ultimately which is my fave FF game from 7-10.

 

11 i never played

12 i got bored when it originally came out but i have now just played and completed Zodiac Age. A decent game but you can lose your way in the story

13 is just dreadful, the linearity is beyond a joke. Walk a few steps - 10 minute cut scene - walk a few more steps with no battles - a 20 minute cut scene. Dreadfully made game

14 never played

15 was decent. Driving around in your car with the 7 8 9 and 10 soundtracks playing never got old. I never fast travelled  

 

I would love for my children to want to play through these games just so i can relive it all over again

[LestaFox92]

10 for sure imo but any from 7-10x2 are "proper" FF games, also kingdom hearts is a really good game especially for kids, similar vibe.

Edited 22 July 2021 by LestaFox92

[kingcarr21]

18 hours ago, LestaFox92 said:

10 for sure imo but any from 7-10x2 are "proper" FF games, also kingdom hearts is a really good game especially for kids, similar vibe.

Kingdom Hearts is a brilliant series. Though the story is mind boggling  

[Libertine]

Just bought the All-in-One collection for Kingdom Hearts as was on offer on PS Store. Got some serious hours to play now, about ten games. 

[kingcarr21]

5 minutes ago, Libertine said:

Just bought the All-in-One collection for Kingdom Hearts as was on offer on PS Store. Got some serious hours to play now, about ten games. 

You will come out asking 'What year is it'  

[Thefox81]

Just platinumed FF12 Zodiac Age with a little (ok a lot of) help from online guides. 122 hours in total. Might have to give FF10 a go as that was a favourite of mine.