What do you think about Final Fantasy?

[Wyverian]

Its my belief that since 8 it has gone down hill with a sharp jerk up on 11 and back down again. I find the first 8 and 11 to be great but 9, 10, 10-2, and 12 to be a waste of bloody time.

[Alastor]

Wyveian, I understand where you're coming from if you started with FFVII, but most agree that FFIX is really how a Final Fantasy game should be, it's a classic. I think you have to ignore the whole deformed-character-style they have because it's all good fun. More equipment allows for more diversity in FFIX, different character combinations, no dull aspects of gameplay (Draw? Who came up with this? He or she should die!) and the story and music is really great (the story has similarities to FFVI, which is pretty cool).

I think FF started going downhill basically when Sakaguchi stepped down as a Producer. While this allowed them to reinvent themselves, they've really lost track of what the vision of Final Fantasy is.

I mean, in all honesty, wtf was FFXII's story about? It was politics here and there again and your characters were shallow as HELL.

[Tenchu]

Originally Posted by Alastor

but most agree that FFIX is really how a Final Fantasy game should be, it's a classic.

How can you say that? You say they milk the title too much, and have made to many Crystal Chronical and FFVII spin offs. Do you even know who makes these games? They are not all made by the same people. The license owners and the original creators are not the same. There are 2 guys that work on the main games of Final Fantasy, and these are always the best games. These guys were not involved in Crystal Cronicals or Dirge of Cerberus. I forget their names, Yoshinori Kitasae? and Tetsuya Nomura? They are the genius behind it. If every game was made by them the entire series would be excellent. You can hardly count Crystal Cronicals as Final Fantasy just because it has the name in the title. That is like buying a Nike shirt in Thailand and being disapointed because it stretched in the wash, it is a fake, not a real Nike. You see?

Anyway, these two men worked on FF 1 through to FF 12, and are now doing FF 13. They did Advent Children, it shows, but the other spin offs are not them. They did do FF X-2, and they admit they did not want to do it so just rushed it and had some fun, they did not take it seriously.

But what is wrong with FF X? I started the series there. And I have played FF VIII and VII after that, which was hard given the graphics, but I was pretty bored, so it was okay. Personally, I think FFX is actually the best. Not because of the graphics, but the story, it was excellent and compelling. It even made me cry at one seen. I actually got so involved in it I hated Seymour so much, I was happy he kept coming back! So I could kill him again and againa and again. I love that game, at least in general veiw, it was not poor. I think your opinion is isolated, and not shared. There was some critisizm that it was not a very free game, which is true, but that only effects replay value after about the 3rd replay the game might get dull quickly. I managed to play the game about 30 times myself! The first time I played it I did it in about 100 hours... I dunno why. At the end it took only 20 hours or so! But that was to just kill sin, and not get the cool weapons or kill the dark aeons or anything (I had the international version, not the US). That game was good.

FF12, would you believe, I have not yet finished it! I have to get it again. I relocated myself into another country and now am going to buy it again soon. But what FFX lacked in freedom this game makes up, however now it lacks in story. I hope they manage to combine these two concepts in FF13 to make the perfect game. I think it will be good. They should.

Anyway, there are not many titles I appreciate as much as Final Fantasy. In fact, I will list the only games I think are worth playing, ever; Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XII, Age of Kings, Resident Evil 1, 2, 3, 4 and Nemesis, Tombraider series is good too. Aside those, I don't play any other games. Just those titles.

[Prizm]

Could never get into FF. I played IV, V, and VI back in the day, and I never finished them. I couldn't care about the characters, and the plots were just plain boring. Crystals this, crystals that, airships, save the world yet again blah blah. I played 7 for a week or so, and that too just wasn't interesting.

The series is just fanboy fodder now. Like Megaman.

[Alastor]

Excuse me but umm.. what're you talking about, Tenchu? :P

Square is milking Final Fantasy. I mean, they're just doing remakes, spin-offs and whatever. Why the hell is Nomura and Kitase working with shit like Dirge of Cerberus and Crisis Core when they should focus on XIII? YES, they did work with DoC and CC, although Kitase was only the producer of DoC.

I would much rather they started making different games, but in the end, all Square can do is Final Fantasy (possibly Kingdom Heart as well) and that really shows that their game designers are lacking in creativity.

Also, I can tell that you're a very isolated gamer yourself, having a rather limited view of what games to play. You say you like FF? Try playing different RPG's like Grandia or the Shin Megami Tensei games. I find Grandia III to be an excellent game. You like Resident Evil? Why haven't you played Parasite Eve II? What about Silent Hill and Project Zero? Try Uncharted if you like Tomb Raider.

If you don't appreciate FFIX, it's because you don't know the roots. The nostalgia feeing you get from playing FFIX is just really overwhelming, as you see bits and pieces form all previous FF games.

[Tenchu]

Originally Posted by Alastor

I would much rather they started making different games, but in the end, all Square can do is Final Fantasy (possibly Kingdom Heart as well) and that really shows that their game designers are lacking in creativity.

... They are a single game company. There are a lot, and none of them have hundreds of titles. It is good, one game company has launched 2 of the biggest titles in gaming history. Is Final Fantasy the biggest selling game series ever? I think it is. Most games hit platinum on the first day of their release. They are doing something right. And stats like these say you are wrong.

Originally Posted by Alastor

Also, I can tell that you're a very isolated gamer yourself, having a rather limited view of what games to play. You say you like FF? Try playing different RPG's like Grandia or the Shin Megami Tensei games. I find Grandia III to be an excellent game. You like Resident Evil? Why haven't you played Parasite Eve II? What about Silent Hill and Project Zero? Try Uncharted if you like Tomb Raider.

I make my money kick boxing. I dont have time to test and try every game. I did play Silent Hill 2. That was good, so I tried 3 but it was poor. I played Star Ocean, the battles in that were too hard at the end. I mean, it simply involved going back the way you came to do repetitive leveling up before you could progress. It was poor put together. Magna Carta was the same. But I find most games might interest others but they bore me. I do enjoy playing a good game a lot, but it has to be the best game. I read magazines and look at what games are out, so I know what is out there. I only get what really interests me, for one reason or another. It is not an isolated knowledge of games I have, it is a picky taste. If I am going to devote a couple of hundred hours to something, I make sure it is the best out there. I dont waste my life on random shit.

[Alastor]

Selling the most doesn't mean it's the best. 2 titles isn't anything to flaunt with. Especially considering that one is Final Fantasy, and the other is Final Fantasy + Disney.

I mean, you're allowed to like FF, I'm not saying your opinion is wrong, but you really have missed lots of other great titles. I recommend you try out at least one of these games:

PS1:

Parasite Eve II
Adventures of Alundra
Metal Gear Solid
Silent Hill


PS2:

Project Zero/Fatal Frame
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Okami
Devil May Cry
Onimusha: Warlords
Grandia III
Silent Hill 4: The Room


Grandia III especially since you like FF. It was made by Square-Enix. And since you also dig Resident Evil, try the first or latest Silent Hill.


EDIT: To clarify, I don't really play much at all, haven't done so the past 2 years or so. I'm a very picky gamer myself, and since I want to be a game designer, that makes me all the more picky. If I sit down and play a game and see too many flaws in game design, I immediately get turned on. It takes a lot to impress meas I don't have time to play a bunch of games, either. So, as a fellow picky gamer, heed my advice and try either of those games. Personally, I'm looking forward to FFXIII because it seems to have interesting and involving gameplay.

[Tenchu]

I know what all those titles are, and they don't really interest me. Onimusha? That is about the Samurai right? Made same people who made resident evil. I think I played one of those games once but finished it so quick it was kinda lame because of that.

Seriously, I am not isolated. I know these games. I dont like them. I like the ones I said. Everyone is different. But you seem to be implying Final Fantasy is not all its cracked up to be, when, like, a few million people are telling you your wrong. And this does not make you think?

Good luck with game design. It is a long road, and you will only succeed if you are prpared to spend 5 years at the bottom in a company, and then start slowly working your way to that position after that. It not easy.

[Alastor]

My friend finished this Mario game very quickly omg it's lame because of that? Yes it must be, despite the fact that it's MArio Galaxy, crowned the best damned game ever made.

I post regularly at one of the oldest FF sites, and the general consensus there is that Final Fantasy is a good franchise, they're good games but they're not OMG SO AMAZING THEY'RE THE BEST. Most of their opinions differ from mine, but no one there really absolutely oves playing them, they like FF for other reasons. I don't listen to fanboys either because they're blinded by love for their games. I was like that with Devil May Cry too, but then I opened my eyes.

Also, you said you know the games and don't like them? You haven't tried either Silent Hill I suggested. I'm very certain you haven't tried Alundra or Okami. Ever given Project Zero a genuine shot?

I think you're one of those gamers who only play games you're familiar with, and refuse to try out a game with a title you're unfamilir with. So let's just leave it at that, because I really won't be arguing with you anymore about this. You have your opinion, I have mine.


Now, as for game designer... ahh, no. Take a look at Massive Entertainment, where I want to work. Applying for game designer, among a few other things, only require 3 years worth of experience. I don't want to work at Square-Enix or Capcom or Konami or any other hot shot Japanese game company.

[Genkaku]

Overrated.