Should I play FF7?

[Mystik3eb]

You're right, Zeality. FF8 was fantastic.

*sigh* I hate talking about Final Fantasys because there's just so much crap involved with peoples opinions it drives me nuts, but I might as well get this out of my system now and never speak of it again (ha, likely) =p

Ok, my first Final Fantasy was the very first one: FF1 on the NES. I own a fucking copy, and it's a kick-ass game. Hard, long, kinda boring and drawn-out with the much needed level-up times, and no story-line or character development whatsoever...but for whatever reasons it's got this flare that nothing else has, which is why I love it.

FF2 and FF3 were too shitty for me to even try playing past a few hours, and those were painful hours. Maybe someday I'll play through farther so I can finally say I've played them all the way through.

FF4 is amazing...but I have a hard time playing it through all the way because the gameplay bores me. The story is amazing, the character development is wonderful...really it's the first game of its kind of depth, and it's wonderful. I need to play a SNES version that fixes the awful load times on the PSX and allows me to run, which the PSX version did fix...but...agh.

FF5 is...agh, I have mixed feelings. I hate the job system because it takes way too long to level everything up, and being a perfectionist (to a degree), this becomes a pain in the ass. I love everything else about this game. The music (which was actually engineered by Mr. Mitsuda, go figure) is some of the best in the series, the story is sweet, the world is pretty...yea. FF5 would be one of my favorites if not for the stupid job system.

FF6...good god. This game is the best Final Fantasy for every reason that exists. In every way. 'Nuff said.

FF7 is a good game, it really is. I don't agree with the multitude of hype associated with it, mostly since the in-game graphics have ALWAYS made me wanna puke (even when it was brand new, it was...yuck) and the sound quality was even worse, but FF7 is quite a good game.

FF8 is awesome, better than 7 in everyway except story, honestly.

FF9 was my favorite for the longest time until I once again realized how perfect 6 is. 9's problem is its short length, and the Trance system is flawed, plus the ending with Kuja and Necro is...eck. But 9 is my second favorite.

I hated FFX. Great story, graphics and music, great characters with great acting (except for the terrible acting done for Tidus and Yuna...ugh). I hate the gameplay in X. It's just...awful. I can't play the game without cheating, and even then it's too much a pain in the ass to really enjoy it. X-2 is pretty good, much improved and quite possibly the best ATB system ever, but...it's too...I dunno, isn't really worthy of being called a full-feature game.

I refuse to play online games, so I automatically dislike FFXI. The best thing about the FFs is their storyline and character development, and FFXI has none. 'Nuff said.

Ok, I'm done with listing my opinions.

[Sentenal]

I think I've given my critque of FF8 before, but if not, I'll give it agian.

I'll start by saying that I really enjoyed the first part of the game.

Now, we move on to why I don't like it.  Lets start with characters.  It seems like every character in the game was given some social disorder.  Squall is an anti-social despression, Rinoa is an over-hyper monster, Selphie is too cheerful, Zell is a wuss.  Irivine is a "cowboy".  The only character that doesn't really have a social disorder is Quistis.  Laguna is alight though, I guess.  Meh, to awkward with him some times though, and his group seemed to be bumbling idiots.

Next is story, don't read if you don't want spoilers.

Story was good at the start.  A mercenary group, fighting in battles.  Then we move past that.  Story is decent most of the game.  Its the story between characters that sucks.  There is the super awkward Squall-Rinoa thing going on.  Half way through the game, guess what!  You find out that every one of your characters grew up together, and didn't even remmber each other, and all winded back up together!  What a coincidence!  Lame.  The whole time compression thing at the end was confusing too.  But overall, the story is passible.

End spoilers, for now.

We move on to gameplay.  The draw and junctioning system.  This effectively punishing you for using magic, and at the same time makes the game super easy.  The draw system makes magic into items.  You have limited amounts of them.  The junctioning system punishes you for using them.  You see, the game encourages you to add the magic to your stats, thereby giving them stat boosts.  A good thing, right?  No.  Firstly, it lets you beef up your characters way past where they are supposed to be.  Makes it too easy.  Secondly if you actually do you your magic, it takes away the stats you built up.

Now, even with the beefed up stats, we have another toy.  GFs.  They are nessisary.  Basically, later in the game, you become dependant on these.  Summoning and summoning.  And it takes forever for their animation to get done.  Dependancy on GFs is a bad thing for gameplay.

Zeality, let me assure you the debate on FF8's quality, and the debate on Chrono Cross's quality are much different.  People who don't like CC don't like it because its not CT2.  While it may be somewhat similar in the FF8 case, FF8 is a love it or hate it game.  Its not because people want it to be FF7-2.  Its because, well, what I said above.

[Mystik3eb]

Well, I dunno Sentenal. I think loads of people who dislike 8 dislike it because it's not FF7-2, actually, more than you've given credit. That's been the case for most people I've asked. It is the sad truth that most peoples first RPG was FF7. That made it the best in their mind (we humans are typically strange that way), and anything else wasn't as good. When FF8 was drastically different, that turned off LOADS of FF7 fans, and that's the simple truth.

Yes there are plenty of people who don't like 8 as much as the others for legit reasons, but really it's one of the best games out there. Whether you like it or not is all taste.

That's a pretty universal truth actually, one I realized not too long ago: just cuz I don't like it doesn't mean it isn't good =p

[Sentenal]

In most cases, I would agree, but not in this one.  I think that non-RE4 Resident Evil games are good, although I won't touch it because of controls.  But I will not acknowledge that FF8 is good.

And I didn't play FF7 for the longest time, I've always been an SNES rpg man.  I dislike it because of the reasons above.

[Anonymous]

Aside from the amnesia thing, I don't have a problem with the story of VIII.  The battle system was quite simply too different.  The problem isn't that the battle system wasn't FFVII-2; it's that the battle system sucked.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Hadriel]

Oops, didn't log in.  Thought I told this bloody thing to log me in on every visit.

[nightmare975]

Your stats were always crap if you didn't junction magic, and if you used magic, you lost points on your stats!

When I fought Ultimecia, she blew alway some of my magic which was junctioned to Quistis' HP, droping it from 9999 to 4520. I am not kidding! God that was the worst thing that ever happened.

[Mystik3eb]

I liked the system in FF8. It doesn't take more than a day or two to get completely levelled up and totally junctioned with the best magic for all your characters, so that you don't have to use any magic except for the fight against Omega Weapon...although Aura makes the fight against Ultimecia much faster, as long as you have Lionheart with you. Gold is never a problem, getting cards can be rather helpful, getting GFs Abilities levelled up on Cactuar Island really is quite fun...*sigh*...

Dude, how can you guys not like FF8? It's brilliant.

[Burning Zeppelin]

FF8 s brilliant, one of those "best games youve never played" things, fully underrated because some people though FF7 was the sex. FF8 included brilliant character development, not just for villains but for the protagonists, a unique (but annoying) end boss battle. About the great character development, yes they were stereotype, but that is what added to the charm. And the battle engine is as unique as...FFx2! (only good thing about ffx2 was the engine, save for the skimpy outfits )

[V_Translanka]

What? I like FFVIII, but there was hardly any character development for any of the characters outside of maybe Squall, Rinoa and uh...that guy...in the flashbacks (yeah, it's been a while and I'm bad w/names)...

Anyways...I hate how people say that FFVIII 'punishes' you for using Magic. I mean, that's like saying you're being punished in Chrono Trigger if you only use Cyclone and no other Techs period. It's not the game's fault if you're playing it wrong. >_>

The storyline was okay, but it felt a bit rushed. One of the best FF endings though. The game was like a good movie...but it was like a Hollywood movie. Perhaps they were trying to acquire a bigger girl-fanbase (which they managed as far as I saw) w/the heavy focus on the love story and I don't mind that...But w/Squall's 180 akin to Cecil, I just didn't like it as much as I could have. There just wasn't enough character development...I think Irvine could have been a really good character if they had bothered to develop him at all...

Plus, the card game wasn't completely random and the cards were actually useful! Go Gilgamesh card! I probably wouldn't have beat the game as easily w/o you! Ah, Holy Wars...^_^

[Burning Zeppelin]

...I think Irvine could have been a really good character if they had bothered to develop him at all...

No, dont say that! Square Enix might here you and make a FF8: Return of Irvine as a vampire cyborg ninja pirate...JEDI!

And yeah, FF8 was the full on emo ff, and most guys i know dont like it, yet most girls do >.>

And Mystic3eb (i think) FF9 is not short if you play the *shudder* Chocobo sidequest and get every item from it. Ragnarok=Shock=9999

Oh, and Sentenal, the long GF animation helps with Boost, but i agree it gets very tedious

[Mystik3eb]

What? I like FFVIII, but there was hardly any character development for any of the characters outside of maybe Squall, Rinoa and uh...that guy...in the flashbacks (yeah, it's been a while and I'm bad w/names)...

Anyways...I hate how people say that FFVIII 'punishes' you for using Magic. I mean, that's like saying you're being punished in Chrono Trigger if you only use Cyclone and no other Techs period. It's not the game's fault if you're playing it wrong. >_>

The storyline was okay, but it felt a bit rushed. One of the best FF endings though. The game was like a good movie...but it was like a Hollywood movie. Perhaps they were trying to acquire a bigger girl-fanbase (which they managed as far as I saw) w/the heavy focus on the love story and I don't mind that...But w/Squall's 180 akin to Cecil, I just didn't like it as much as I could have. There just wasn't enough character development...I think Irvine could have been a really good character if they had bothered to develop him at all...

Plus, the card game wasn't completely random and the cards were actually useful! Go Gilgamesh card! I probably wouldn't have beat the game as easily w/o you! Ah, Holy Wars...^_^

Your points are exactly what make FF8 not one of the best Final Fantasys, for me.

And Mystic3eb (i think) FF9 is not short if you play the *shudder* Chocobo sidequest and get every item from it. Ragnarok=Shock=9999

Oh I did, every single time. Goddamn that Chocobo game was so much fun. I could play that game all day long. That was the best Chocobo Side Quest in all those games, though the gifts weren't quite as rewarding as 7.

That would've been another of 8s weaknesses, their Chocobo system was too short, too boring, and not beneficial enough (except for finding the Ragnarok in Disc 4, which is nigh-on pointless aside from leveling up on the 'Islands').

[V_Translanka]

I don't even remember the Chocobos in VIII...>_> I remember the mostly useless cars though...

I don't remember FFIX being short...I mean, there was so much character development going on, maybe I just got lost in how great it was to fixate on the time that was passing?

Oh yeah and Chocobo Hot & Cold is byfar the best sidequest of all the FFs. Chocobo Racing/Breeding in VII was boring as all get-out. VIII's card game kicked IX's card game's ass. I still like IX more, but VIII's not far behind because I liked the story and the few characters that are developed are developed well. But Tactics rulz dem all!!!

[Mystik3eb]

I suppose FF Lists are in order. Here's mine:

14: FF3
13: FF2
12: FFXI
11: FFX
10: FF Tactics
9: FFMQ
8: FFX-2
7: FF5
6: FF7
5: FF8
4: FF4
3: FF1
2: FF9
1: FF6

I hated Tactics. Shining Force is a far superior game of that format. Go play that instead =p Hell even Bahamut Lagoon is better, especially now that it's been translated...

...I forgot about that...now I can play it for more than a couple incoherent hours! Sweet!

...now I gotta find a translated version/patch. >_<

[V_Translanka]

I like the Shining Force games...But I find them to be far too simplistic SRPGs...They're more like beginner SRPGs. The Fire Emblem games are better than the Shining Force games. Bahamut Lagoon's dragon breeding system bored me to tears, but it was a good game...average SRPG fighting system.

There was just so much you could do w/Tactics. It really was a Strategy Role Playing Game. And the story was immense and awesome! Great game. Best newschool (post-16 bit ) RPG I've played.