Great article about the Final Fantasy series

Mark Hamill

Aurongroove wrote: »

that's a bit stupid mate, your saying: he found the game bad, a game prized for high quality graphics and an engaging battle engine, by watching the cut scenes on youtube in order to complete the game

I completed the game, and you might as well just watch the cut scenes on youtube. The battle system was monotonous at best, autonomous at worst and the graphics where simply a pretty series of wall papers on a long linear tube.

Aurongroove wrote: »

Its becoming more and more obvious that a lot of FF fans are growing up into sad adults who no longer have the capacity to get immersed in a world like FF.

Ha, make sweeping bs generalisations much? The last RPGs I played before 13 were dragon quest 8, tales of eternia and blue dragon. All three were far more immersive than 13, even blue dragon who had characters and dialogue more irritating than Jedward.

Aurongroove wrote: »

The dodgy story telling for me didn't spoil the games immensely better qualities. (such as, the story itself, or the battling, or the exploration)

The story in 13 was one of the worse stories I have ever encountered, and I've read "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coehlo.

Aurongroove wrote: »

I predict a similar backlash against vs 13 despite all the traditional elements, but it won't matter because there are younger gamers ready to take the place of every disgruntled "series fan" running away in a huff because he dosn't know what he wants and because Square Enix didn't give it to him, go online, assign impossible levels of perfection on the game with the benefit of retrospect of it already being released.

I predict that vs 13 will be as ****e as every ff since 10-2 because they dont care about making good stories any more

Retr0gamer

Aurongroove wrote:

Its becoming more and more obvious that a lot of FF fans are growing up into sad adults who no longer have the capacity to get immersed in a world like FF.

I've got to disagree. The FF series back when we were all young and impressionable was the only RPG exposure a lot of us had. RPGs are much bigger now and the FF series really needs to step up to better competitors now not just from JRPGs but from the resurgence of western RPGs as well. That's why people demand more of the series and why shouldn't they when Atlus with a fraction of the budget can create JRPGs that wipe the floor with recent entries and Bioware and Bethesda creating excellent entries in the much more open WRPG genre.

Kiith wrote: »

I can only speak for myself, but the story is the only thing that keeps me interested in a JRPG. The battle system, the exploration, item creation etc...are all a means to an end. And that end is the telling of a story.

Not for me. I think that for a JRPG to be good it's got to have one of two things, a good storyline or a good battle system. If it has both then that's even better but if it's only got one then I'll probably enjoy it.

Grandia: Childish Storyline + Awesome battle system = Great game

Final Fantasy VII: Terribly flawed but compelling storyline + awful battle system = Great game

Panzer dragoon saga: Awesome story + Awesome battle system = Awesome game

Legend of Dragoon: Retarded story + god awful battle system = The game from the sweaty cracks of satans ballsack.

But then that's just me.

Mark Hamill

Aurongroove wrote: »

the ending in XIII was great

The only thing great about the ending was that it was a great big pile of sh*te. So many things make no sense and seem to be pulled out of the writers bum:
1)All of a sudden people can turn back from being those crystal enemies (the things you turn into if you dont fulfil your focus) by sheer force of will?
2) Why, if for the entire game the characters keep pointing out that killing the end boss will destroy cocoon do they go and kill him anyway? What did they think would happen?
3)Since when can those two girls mold together and turn into a big dragon thingy? thats not summons worked in this game (they accompany the summoner, not replace). Why didn't they tell the others they could do this?

OxfordComma

carbonkid wrote: »

Think everyone is pretty much thinking the same thing, although you might be giving Nomura too much credit...he directed advent children remember!!!

We also expected alot from the first FF for the PS3

I think Nomura's one of the few very talented people that are still with Square Enix. Sure, Advent Children was an abomination, but the Kingdom Hearts games are (in my opinion) excellent for the most part. Still, FFXIII has definitely taught me not to expect too much from Square Enix...

carbonkid

Oh i do think Nomura is an excellent character designer. I just dont have high hopes for them as a director...then again i never played Kingdom Hearts.

Guess we'll find out with versus XIII.

OxfordComma

carbonkid wrote: »

Oh i do think Nomura is an excellent character designer. I just dont have high hopes for them as a director...then again i never played Kingdom Hearts.

Guess we'll find out with versus XIII.

As a director, he's very good at telling a good story that keeps you guessing to the end, and creating a good atmosphere. I loved the original KH game, thought it was excellent. None of the other KH games have really lived up to the standard set by the first game, although Birth by Sleep (out this September) is apparently very good, or so I've heard. However, the gameplay in Nomura's games tends not to be very good... KH II in particular had awfully repetitive and dull gameplay. Maybe Versus XIII will be different though!

Retr0gamer

I think Nomura is a total hack as a game designer. Kingdom Hearts 1 was good but everything else has been a bit crap and Advent Children was scutter. He's even lost it a bit as a character designer by putting zips on absolutely everything.

noodler

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I think Nomura is a total hack as a game designer. Kingdom Hearts 1 was good but everything else has been a bit crap and Advent Children was scutter. He's even lost it a bit as a character designer by putting zips on absolutely everything.

KH2 was better in every way bar the difficulty Retr0 - if you haven't played through it then yous should.

Mega-offaly

Mark Hamill wrote: »

The only thing great about the ending was that it was a great big pile of sh*te. So many things make no sense and seem to be pulled out of the writers bum:
1)All of a sudden people can turn back from being those crystal enemies (the things you turn into if you dont fulfil your focus) by sheer force of will?
2) Why, if for the entire game the characters keep pointing out that killing the end boss will destroy cocoon do they go and kill him anyway? What did they think would happen?
3)Since when can those two girls mold together and turn into a big dragon thingy? thats not summons worked in this game (they accompany the summoner, not replace). Why didn't they tell the others they could do this?

This.
Wanted to love 13(especially after 12........) and these 3 points were all that stuck with me after I finished it...:(

seraphimvc

gonna bump this i just found out pitchfork wrote FFT!!!!

http://socksmakepeoplesexy.net/index.php?a=fft

fcking.awesome.game.

i read it(it is quite long) while running the FFT ost playlist behind, this really made my day.
ohboy, the Elmdor battle:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8IbXceOZls&feature=related
My personal favourite, running past throught the plain.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=790UL0_J4Xg&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

and if you look many commentd under the youtube videos, man, you wonder why cant Square produce some epic game like they used to do back in 90s