A theory about Final Fantasy

ArtOfEscape

Over the years I've chatted to a lot of people about Final Fantasy and a trend I've noticed is that the first game they played seems to remain their favourite over a long period of time, no matter how many FF games they've played after. My hunch is that this might partially account for the huge popularity of FF7, which was the first game available on the PSone in Europe (as far as I know, correct me if I'm wrong!) and therefore likely the first one many players encountered. Same goes for FFX, which seems to be very popular, for the younger cohort with the PS2.

Has this been your experience?

F1ngers

ArtOfEscape wrote: »

Has this been your experience?

No, FF VII was my first and while it is a brilliant game, I prefer IX now.

icarus86

As said above, played vii first but prefer ix. Personally speaking they perfected it with that game:)

animaX

I kinda agree with the OP. There definitely are strong (usually biased) feelings towards the first one played - FF7 for me. I do believe that there are better games than 7 but I still look at it fondly.

_AVALANCHE_

F1ngers wrote: »

No, FF VII was my first and while it is a brilliant game, I prefer IX now.

Is that 3?

Retr0gamer

Started with FFVII and for the longest time it was my favourite game ever, I was a total fanboy. However I matured a bit and realised that while still a superb game, I'd played far better games and there were much better RPGs out there. My favourite FF game would be FFVI closely followed by FFIX. I've also a soft spot for FFIV

_AVALANCHE_

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Started with FFVII and for the longest time it was my favourite game ever, I was a total fanboy. However I matured a bit and realised that while still a superb game, I'd played far better games and there were much better RPGs out there. My favourite FF game would be FFVI closely followed by FFIX. I've also a soft spot for FFIV

So 3,4 and 6?

Retr0gamer

It's 9? You don't know Roman Numerals? FF3 is very meh.

Monkeyto

My first experience was Final Fantasy VIII, which I very much so enjoyed, however I enjoyed Final Fantasy X the most. I'm much more a fan of traditional turned based over ATB, and while I do like ATB, Final Fantasy X hooked me in much more than VIII.

F1ngers

_AVALANCHE_ wrote: »

Is that 3?

No.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_numerals

penev10

FFVII put me off RPGs for years! There were a couple of areas that I just kept getting lost in (towards the end of the second disc) and I gave up. A lot of other things abouit it drove me mad too. It wasn't until I played a few GBA RPGs that I got the taste for them again. Haven't played a FF since! Although I do own 6 and 12.

RedXIV

I would agree with this. Logically I've acknowledged that there are better FF's that VII which was my first, but I'm a sucker for nostalgia, and VII is always the one I think of going back to.

penev10

I've seen a similar proposal as to why Ocarina of Time is so highly lauded and wins Best Game Ever awards all the time. Cant locate the article but it cited the demographics (Ocarina lovers being now in the most vocal age bracket), the timing of release (the other wise poor Xmas releases), the emotive scenes etc.

Basically it was argues that in another generation a different game will wrench the "best ever" title away from OOT based on the nostalgia of the then vocal group.

Retr0gamer

penev10 wrote: »

I've seen a similar proposal as to why Ocarina of Time is so highly lauded and wins Best Game Ever awards all the time. Cant locate the article but it cited the demographics (Ocarina lovers being now in the most vocal age bracket), the timing of release (the other wise poor Xmas releases), the emotive scenes etc.

Basically it was argues that in another generation a different game will wrench the "best ever" title away from OOT based on the nostalgia of the then vocal group.

Very true. Just look at Japan for an extreme case. They voted FFX as the best Final Fantasy game. In Japan once you finish college you are expected to work and forget about games. therefore most of the people voting had played FFX first.

AlmightyCushion

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Very true. Just look at Japan for an extreme case. They voted FFX as the best Final Fantasy game. In Japan once you finish college you are expected to work and forget about games. therefore most of the people voting had played FFX first.

What??? Note to self. Never, ever, ever move to Japan.

ancapailldorcha

Interesting idea as playing a Final Fantasy would probably serve as an introduction to the RPG genre for most people. My first experience was playing a Legend of Dragoon demo which I eventually got fed up off for obvious reasons. My first FF was indeed FFX which I ended up clocking roughly 200 hours on. I don't know if I'd love it as much if I played it again today. The enemies in particular were so rehashed and the voice acting was nothing short of atrocious. Plus, I've been watching Spoony's videos. VII was my third (after XII) and while I enjoyed it, it didn't hit me nearly as hard as FFX.
I'm playing FFVI at the moment. I think I'd say FFXIII is my overall favourite but I can easily see myself changing my mind once I finish VI or eventually play IX.

penev10

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

What??? Note to self. Never, ever, ever move to Japan.

You could always be a Hikikomori

manicmonoliths

I'd agree to a certain extent.

My first FF was VIII and despite its now obvious flaws, I'd still rank it near the top of my list, if not the best of the FFs in my opinion. At the time I played it, I was totally immersed in the story, setting and gameplay. It also has in my opinion the best soundtrack of the series. I didn't even play the game propery, my battle strategy just consisted of repeatedly summoning GFs over and over, which served me well until the Adel fight on disc 3 when you had the damage the boss without hurting Rinoa. It wasn't until a few years ago that I actually went back and played through the whole game properly.

I've since played through the majority of the main series bar I and II (XI and XIV don't count in my opinion) and I'd maintain that VIII is up there with IX and X as the best in the series for me.

As others have said I think it has something to do with when we first started playing games. I started off on the SNES and I think my first proper games were Super Mario All Stars and Link to the Past. To this day, those games along with Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2 and Kirby's Fun Pack remain as playable as ever. Most of my favourite games come from the gaming era in which I grew up, I got an N64 when I was about 8 and PSOne a few years later. OOT, Lylat Wars, Banjo-Kazooie, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, FFVII, VIII and IX are still great games and Majora's Mask is remains my personal favourite.

It's complete nostalgia since there are loads of games from back then that I never played at the time but which I can't get into now, with a few exceptions.

Monkeyto

Retr0gamer wrote: »

In Japan once you finish college you are expected to work and forget about games. therefore most of the people voting had played FFX first.

In my office the reasoning behind it was that with little time they had, they would prefer relaxing than spending their time on rpgs and such. They still game, just on their mobiles. There is one dude who still plays rpgs, but he is pure blood otaku and has his pc decked out with mad obscure figurines and such.

Retr0gamer

Monkeyto wrote: »

In my office the reasoning behind it was that with little time they had, they would prefer relaxing than spending their time on rpgs and such. They still game, just on their mobiles. There is one dude who still plays rpgs, but he is pure blood otaku and has his pc decked out with mad obscure figurines and such.

From what I hear it's just a cultural thing especially considering how work focused the country is.

ancapailldorcha

And there was me about to put up a thread to see if there was a good way to find work there.

Azure_sky

Does Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest count?

noodler

It angers me how much X is left out of these discussions.

Best Minigame, arguably best storyline, most beautiful, best character (Auron), best battle system.

No world map and Tidus' voice shouldn't matter people!

animaX

I loved X too. My boards name is based on it

But it wasn't my first so it doesn't really have the nostalgia feel to it. Might even pick it up when it lands on the vita

ancapailldorcha

noodler wrote: »

It angers me how much X is left out of these discussions.

Best Minigame, arguably best storyline, most beautiful, best character (Auron), best battle system.

No world map and Tidus' voice shouldn't matter people!

This. X was my first. You could literally spend hours on the blitzball. And Auron was awesome. Redemption and no whining about having to

kill his best friend.

I think it's Tidus in general people have a problem with. He's a whiny star athlete. There's nothing relatable about him.

Retr0gamer

I really enjoyed FFX but looking at Spoony's review of the series now in retrospect the story had some really idiotic writing at times. Still think there's plenty of stuff to make up for it including that ending.

ancapailldorcha

Do you have any idea when the HD version is released? I'm scared to think about all the cracks I'll see if I play it again after seeing Spoony's vids.

Monkeyto

Monkeyto wrote: »

My first experience was Final Fantasy VIII, which I very much so enjoyed, however I enjoyed Final Fantasy X the most. I'm much more a fan of traditional turned based over ATB, and while I do like ATB, Final Fantasy X hooked me in much more than VIII.

Just throwing it out there, I mentioned FFX on the first page.

I certainly agree FFX looking back there are some pretty cheese moments alright, but I've no issues looking past them. I am very fond of that game, I'm looking forward to seeing the Vita release!!!

Memnoch

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I really enjoyed FFX but looking at Spoony's review of the series now in retrospect the story had some really idiotic writing at times. Still think there's plenty of stuff to make up for it including that ending.

Erm... X's story was far superior to IX imo. Best story of any FF game.

Retr0gamer

FFX had some ridiculous plot holes and really awkward badly written scenes. FFIX knew what it was, a homage to the older FF games, and it did it perfectly. In my eyes FFIX was much better written since it succeeded in carrying out what it set out to do, even the retarded last boss was a swipe at older FF games where the last boss appeared out of nowhere. FFX was good but had too many silly moments for me and wasn't entirely successful. It's hard to compare the two, FFX's plot was more rewarding than FFIX's in the end but FFIX's was just a lot more fun to get through even if it was a bit simplistic, that's what it was going for.

noodler

Yeah X's story was definitely better than 9's imo.

9 was class and I loved, and I mean loved the war stories, but the second half of the game (and that sh1ty part in Breune-Bru or whatever it was called) was mind numbing. What I call FF8 syndrome, i.e. I loved the first 2 discs but the final two were poor-to-average (mostly because the original baddy, Seifer/Edea and Brahne was much better than what replaced them i.e. Ultimicia and Kuja).

FFX's story had momentum and a steadily increasing pace right until the end. 9 Peaked too early.

EDIT: Retr0! 9's story got crap because it was a homage to the crap stories of FF games of olde is not a valid argument!

Retr0gamer

FF9 didn't have a laughing scene :P

Memnoch

Retr0gamer wrote: »

FFX had some ridiculous plot holes and really awkward badly written scenes. FFIX knew what it was, a homage to the older FF games, and it did it perfectly. In my eyes FFIX was much better written since it succeeded in carrying out what it set out to do, even the retarded last boss was a swipe at older FF games where the last boss appeared out of nowhere. FFX was good but had too many silly moments for me and wasn't entirely successful. It's hard to compare the two, FFX's plot was more rewarding than FFIX's in the end but FFIX's was just a lot more fun to get through even if it was a bit simplistic, that's what it was going for.

Clearly we have different criteria for what makes a better game, which is fine. We'll just have to agree to disagree.

Just because ix was an homage doesn't mean it wasn't inferior. I never really got the big deal about 9.

7 introduced me to FF. 8 was a lot of fun but fell off half way through, I still finished it but it wasn't great. 9 was okay, again fun but didn't come together, especially in terms of story. After 7 I had looked forward to 8 and 9 a lot and was disappointed both times. I must have replayed 7 4-5 times. I replayed 8 twice(though didn't finish the 2nd time.). I tried to replay nine once and didn't get through it. Ten was the first game that recaptured the epic feeling I had when playing 7. Replayed it a couple of times and will probably do so again when the HD version comes out.

You go on and on about how good 9 is. I don't get it. And I certainly didn't feel that way after I finished playing it way back when.

noodler

Ah now, 9 is class. The first two discs and the whole Alexandria on the march thing (using bloody summons to conquer cities!) was brilliantly done. Treno was an amazingly fun city (Gold Saucer - like) and the game's battle system and ability learning was wonderfully simplistic.

The story just gets a bit meh once Kuja becomes the main bad guy.

X doesn't have war in that kind of sense but introducing you to a world where everybody just accepts Sin, and that moreover accept that they must deserve what is happeneing to them for past indiscretions was just a great way to go for me.

Retr0gamer

FFIX is just a fun well designed game. The pace never lets up and there's no slow moments. There's no part of the game when it gets bogged down in dull dialogue. The way it keeps a great pace throughout the game just made the game so enjoyable for me, the same way FF4 did. FF4 and FF9 were no masterpieces in storytelling but it didn't matter because the story never got in the way of enjoying the game. FFX definitely had the more rewarding and complex story but there were points were the game really dragged. I much prefer my RPGs to be like FFIX were there's no parts that drag, it helps a lot in a 40+ hour RPG.

You know for all the criticisms of FFVII it actually has the same pace as FF4 and FF9 which I think goes a long way to explaining it's appeal. No matter how simplistic the battle system, the story falling apart at the halfway point and other admittedly minor niggles, the game keeps pushing you forward without a dull moment. FFVII like FF4 and FF9 are just plan fun the whole way through, and I prefer that to having my fun interrupted by a Shoopuf ride

Oh btw, I love FFX but this argument is more choosing favourites out of some of the best games ever made.

noodler

Retr0gamer wrote: »

FFIX is just a fun well designed game. The pace never lets up and there's no slow moments. There's no part of the game when it gets bogged down in dull dialogue. The way it keeps a great pace throughout the game just made the game so enjoyable for me, the same way FF4 did. FF4 and FF9 were no masterpieces in storytelling but it didn't matter because the story never got in the way of enjoying the game. FFX definitely had the more rewarding and complex story but there were points were the game really dragged. I much prefer my RPGs to be like FFIX were there's no parts that drag, it helps a lot in a 40+ hour RPG.

You know for all the criticisms of FFVII it actually has the same pace as FF4 and FF9 which I think goes a long way to explaining it's appeal. No matter how simplistic the battle system, the story falling apart at the halfway point and other admittedly minor niggles, the game keeps pushing you forward without a dull moment. FFVII like FF4 and FF9 are just plan fun the whole way through, and I prefer that to having my fun interrupted by a Shoopuf ride

Oh btw, I love FFX but this argument is more choosing favourites out of some of the best games ever made.

I think Square did a great job with the vocie-acting consdiering it was their first FF game. I agree they could have gone for a less pre-pubescent Tidus though!

I don't agree at ALL (of course) that FF7's story fell apart the same way 8 and 9's did half way through though.

If anything it got better, the Hunt for Big materia, getting the Highwind, Chasing the real Seph, Meteor, etc etc.

They essentially kept with the same bad guy for the whole game (I said essentially!) with a couple of other minor ones (Shinra, the Turks) unlike 8 and 9.

Memnoch

Yeah agree. I enjoyed 7's story all the way to the end. And for me the end was left a little bit ambiguous still. Maybe it's because it's been so long since I played it.

There were lots of twists and revelations that kept the story interesting.

Maybe that's the difference in terms of preference. Retro seems to focus more on the kind of gameplay that he likes and pace.

For me, the story is very important in an RPG. I love epic stories that really transport you. I love characters that have depth and are interesting to learn about.

Gameplay is important to me too, and I have to say that I really did enjoy the materia system. The other great thing 7 had going for it was the minigames and the whole chocobo stuff and battle square was just ace. The card game in 8 was fun, 9 not as much, and while I enjoyed blitzball a lot in 10, it would have been nice if it had more major rewards to strive for.

Retr0gamer

Once you left Midgar the story of FFVII never reached the heights it had in the early stages IMO. It turned into dragon quest were you were shipped between different towns each with their own sub plot to be solved. It had some good subplots but I don't feel it ever really reached as close to the beginning of the game or Dragon Quest which it was aping.

noodler

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Once you left Midgar the story of FFVII never reached the heights it had in the early stages IMO. It turned into dragon quest were you were shipped between different towns each with their own sub plot to be solved. It had some good subplots but I don't feel it ever really reached as close to the beginning of the game or Dragon Quest which it was aping.

I dunno, little subquests in minor towns seems like a very common aspect of all RPGs.

In this specific case, I'd have said the FF7 ones were all good in terms of moving the main plot forward

I shouldn't have to spoiler these but I will (just in case):

Kalm - the flashback
Junon - Rufus' conoronation
Gold Saucer - too many to list
Cosmo Canyon - ok maybe the bit with XIII's father was a little off-plot but it was excellent and it also introduced you to Bundenhagen
Nibelheim/Shinra Mansion - again: so much stuff here, Cloud's hometown/deception/SOLDIER failures / Sephroith's backstory
Rocket Town - ok again a little off-story but it did get you CID and the Tiny Bronco!

Retr0gamer

They were good but no midgar and definitely not as good as in other RPGs when you compare them to the second half of FF6, DQ5, Suikoden 2, etc. It peaked a bit too early.

noodler

Retr0gamer wrote: »

They were good but no midgar and definitely not as good as in other RPGs when you compare them to the second half of FF6, DQ5, Suikoden 2, etc. It peaked a bit too early.

Nothing will ever live up to Suikoden 2 - we get it!

PhantomShrimp

I started with VII, but have played IV, VIII, IX and X as well. For me personally, I enjoy VII the best.

In my very humble opinion, it could be the stories. Game play didn't change much over VII, VIII & IX but the stories were very different. There is so much to do in each game you kinda get sucked in when you play it first. You spend so long building the characters and investing in their stories, they actually take over your life for a few months as you try and go back, breed ridiculous Chocobos and find very rare Limits. (Ah Knights of the Round)

Everyone I know who has played them, has always devoted quite a large amount of time and has always tried to get more out of the game than simply

jumping off the right hand side of the ship and killing Sephiroth (as an example)

.

VII also has Advent Children, Dirge of Cerebus and (I can't remember the third part right now) going for it which is why it has spent a lot of time in the media.

Overall I love the series and am going to go back and play VII again.

Thank you OP for the inspiration.

super_furry

FFVI was my first, FFIX is by far my favourite. I still don't think there has been another JRPG that can match it for charm and heart.

Retr0gamer

noodler wrote: »

Nothing will ever live up to Suikoden 2 - we get it!

Panzer Dragoon Saga, Earthbound and Mother 3 are 3 off the top of my head that are better.

ancapailldorcha

I've just cleared the town mini-sidequests now in the WoR in FFVI. Great wee distraction to break up the story.

Retr0gamer

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

I've just cleared the town mini-sidequests now in the WoR in FFVI. Great wee distraction to break up the story.

Wish another FF would do the same as FFVI in this regard and go non-linear for the end game. Really loved that part and finding the hidden characters was great as well.

ancapailldorcha

And since they allowed a year to pass until we see Celes again, it meant the characters ended up all over the place. Seeing what became of them was really enjoyable.

RedXIV

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

And since they allowed a year to pass until we see Celes again, it meant the characters ended up all over the place. Seeing what became of them was really enjoyable.

I have to agree, this was probably one of the highlights of the entire series for me.

I also would have been a fan of IX, as stated earlier in the thread, its just pure enjoyment to play though. It tries to be fun the whole way through it even if the trade off is a slightly less complex and fulfilled plot but the game ticks over nicely.

Still think Blitzball of all the minigames in a Final Fantasy was the best, I was stupidly addicted to it

noodler

RedXIV wrote: »

Still think Blitzball of all the minigames in a Final Fantasy was the best, I was stupidly addicted to it

I am a football fanatic, so the whole scouting thing and building the ultimate team (coupled with the ability to get some cool prizes earlier in the game then you otherwise would have) meant I played it for hours.

Loved how it was worked into the game story at the beginning as well as well.

Retr0gamer

noodler wrote: »

I am a football fanatic, so the whole scouting thing and building the ultimate team (coupled with the ability to get some cool prizes earlier in the game then you otherwise would have) meant I played it for hours.

Loved how it was worked into the game story at the beginning as well as well.

If you have a DS I think you should look into getting the Inazuma Eleven games. RPG and football combined

penev10

Retr0gamer wrote: »

If you have a DS I think you should look into getting the Inazuma Eleven games. RPG and football combined

Was about to post that the Japanese is impenetrable and not to boither when a quick check revealed that there was a Western release last year! Happy Days!