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I'll be honest, I usually play an RPG twice. Once to get through the story, and the second to actually "play the game" - i.e. to overgrind, to get every secret I can, and so on, for that 100% completion. It's fun, but I'll put it down in favor of a puzzle or even a Street Fighter-esque fighting game.

So why in particular does FFVI, with a fairly linear story and the like, somehow manage to be fun, even when I know exactly what's about to happen? Any thoughts?

I think simply in terms of gameplay, its replayability is because of:

The many many characters, much more than usual for RPGs - some who can use magic, some who aren't controllable, some who are semi-controllable, and some who can use weapons, some who can't, some who can use armor, some who can't.

There are non-linear parts of the story

The game expands from very linear to very open

The environment is constantly changing

There are many optional game-changing items - ones that upgrade skills to other skills, and one that allows equip-all

Espers allow custom growth but the scarce +2/lvl espers make it so that you can't beef up every hero the same way each game

Espers allow custom magic for each player

The Colloseum and Veldt provide accesibly diverse and deeper battlegrounds

Gogo gives you many options at the price of mediocre stats

And the story is great - struggle for freedom, save a race of magic, stop a madman, kill gods, social commentary through heroic adventure, etc.

(Welcome new members ) I think it's because the quality of storytelling. It's just great to experience. I don't play it as often, but I think about it all the time, so it's almost like I do play it all the time.

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Praise Be To Helix!

I just think the WoR is so deep and interesting that it's a joy to wander around. It must take an immense amount of time to get every scrap of information. Thinking about it makes me want to play it again. I didn't mind the WoB however there are better games out there. The WoR is what sets FFVI apart in my opinion.

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Scepticism, that dry rot of the intellect, had not left one entire idea in his mind.

Me on the Starcraft.

I've only ever played FFVI through once. I started playing i90east's Expert Version hack once, but never got very far. I basically play RPGs once to get the plot, and get as any of the secrets as possible, but I rarely if ever replay an RPG--and generally speaking, I don't play the same RPG again. (The one exception is Super Mario RPG, which I've played twice.)

I might play it again sometime, though, since the last time I played it was over 7 years ago.

This post has been edited by Glenn Magus Harvey on 19th November 2010 20:40

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Check the "What games are you playing at the moment?" thread for updates on what I've been playing.

You can find me on the Fediverse! I use Mastodon, where I am @[email protected] ( https://sakurajima.moe/@glennmagusharvey )

I play all the RPGs I own several times...to be honest I've probably played VI once or twice a year since 1994. It's like rereading a great book or watching a movie you love again, the experience changes but it's just as special, deep, and meaningful as the first time, if not more so. At least as far as RPGs go, the only ones I haven't played multiple times are fairly recent purchases, though I can pick up a JRPG again much quicker than a WRPG.

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"If art doesn't risk upsetting expectations and challenging its audience, it can only stagnate."

Perhaps I get my "reliving the experience" fix through not replaying something but thinking about it over and over again, different parts of a story, or different characters, and then, of course, going online and talking about it. Such as with y'all.

I know that shortly after finishing the FFVI, it was one of the big things on my mind, and I was thinking too much about the music of it (piano reductions included) up to a whole year after finishing the game. These, along with having extra saves at particularly dramatic moments in the game (such as right before fighting AtmaWeapon) just to relive those moments whenever I wanted to, really cut down on any desire to replay what I'd just played and thought and over-thought and thought-over about.

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Check the "What games are you playing at the moment?" thread for updates on what I've been playing.

You can find me on the Fediverse! I use Mastodon, where I am @[email protected] ( https://sakurajima.moe/@glennmagusharvey )

Having never finished FFVI - I was under-leveled by the time I decided to take on Kefka's Tower, and because I had only used about five or six different characters throughout the World of Balance, I had to do so much grinding I eventually decided to give the game an indefinite rest and watched the last scenes on Youtube - I can't really say. I do have two guesses though: First, the dialogue is well-written. Hooray for Woosley!

Second, do you know that "bssh!" sound the game makes every time you cast a spell? I think that could be it as well.

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"When we think there's no hope left, we keep looking until we find some!" - Claire Farron

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I think that could be it as well.

That could be what? What makes the game so much fun, you mean, so basically a sort of Most Wonderful Sound?

Yeah, the casting noise for blue magic (from Gau and Strago) is also awesome. As is that gigantic AtmaWeapon.

This post has been edited by Glenn Magus Harvey on 21st November 2010 03:24

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Check the "What games are you playing at the moment?" thread for updates on what I've been playing.

You can find me on the Fediverse! I use Mastodon, where I am @[email protected] ( https://sakurajima.moe/@glennmagusharvey )

I always replay it because of the great story, characters, music, bosses and the very awesome towns

I already beat the game seven (maybe ten) times in the last year and have just begun two more games xD

So that's why I find it playable and playable no matter how many times I play/beat. lol

I know, I have some big problems.

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A Magitek Elite knight! :P

Bringing back what crashed. A FFVI community!

Quote (sweetdude @ 19th November 2010 19:35)

I just think the WoR is so deep and interesting that it's a joy to wander around. It must take an immense amount of time to get every scrap of information. Thinking about it makes me want to play it again.

Finally there's something we can agree on eh Sweety?

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www.youtube.com/blinje
The victor sacrificed the vanquished to the heavens

Quote (Blinge Odonata @ 3rd January 2011 18:13)

Quote (sweetdude @ 19th November 2010 19:35)

I just think the WoR is so deep and interesting that it's a joy to wander around. It must take an immense amount of time to get every scrap of information. Thinking about it makes me want to play it again.

Finally there's something we can agree on eh Sweety?

I'm starting to feel the same way lately, sweetdude (lol). Yeah, I feel, to me, that's when the game becomes legendary. The game loses linearity, and not only does it maintain it's story, the story is enhanced. It's why I consider it infinitely replayable, because of it's storytelling.

Edit

I loove Odonata's nickname for you, sweetypie, XD

This post has been edited by BlitzSage on 3rd January 2011 23:42

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Praise Be To Helix!

Quote (BlitzSage @ 4th January 2011 00:41)

Quote (Blinge Odonata @ 3rd January 2011 18:13)

Quote (sweetdude @ 19th November 2010 19:35)

I just think the WoR is so deep and interesting that it's a joy to wander around. It must take an immense amount of time to get every scrap of information. Thinking about it makes me want to play it again.

Finally there's something we can agree on eh Sweety?

I'm starting to feel the same way lately, sweetdude (lol). Yeah, I feel, to me, that's when the game becomes legendary. The game loses linearity, and not only does it maintain it's story, the story is enhanced. It's why I consider it infinitely replayable, because of it's storytelling.

Edit

I loove Odonata's nickname for you, sweetypie, XD

Funnily enough I did play it again after this and did the three character ending to the game. Yeah I don't mean to be too argumentative, I just like discussing stuff or putting new ideas on the table, not usually with an aim to convince anyone but just for the sake of conversation. My name here is pretty bad already so anything else is probably an improvement!

Speaking of the WoR, I suppose it's just another reason why SE's excuse that linear games (particularly JRPGs) tell better stories is untrue. The same company in one of their best titles threw in a huge non-linear section at the end and for me it was the part with the best storytelling.

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Scepticism, that dry rot of the intellect, had not left one entire idea in his mind.

Me on the Starcraft.