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Awhile ago, a friend and myself decided that we would go and split the cost of FFXI so that we could test it out and that way if one of us didn't like it, then we would be out only 25 dollars instead of 50. We installed and began playing it. We were impressed at first, but our enthusiasm for the game went quickly out the window as we felt less like we were playing a Final Fantasy and more like we were playing Ultima.

Anyway, I got to thinking about it and I kept wondering whether I was really giving FFXI an honest try, or if I just subconsciencely comparing it to it's predecessors and not letting it stand as it's own game. And then that got me on the subject of what exactly it is I expect out of each Final Fantasy game, and why wasn't I getting the same sort of experience from the most recent games(X,XI,and X-2) that I did from the past ones?

So that leads me to the subject of this post, What makes a Final Fantasy a Final Fantasy? Why do we love and regard this game series almost over all others discuss.

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"Like an Angel from the underworld, or a devil from paradise" Faye Valentine: Cowboy Bebop

Well...I think there are many factors that makes a FF game what a FF game is. Personally for me there are a couple of things. First thing for me is the characters. The characters have to be fun a likeable and have a good background story to them along with the good character building. Another thing is the music. Music is always important. Music is what sets the mood for the scene or situation or boss fight. Those are the things for me that amke a FF game an FF game.

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"Ye better start believing in ghost stories; you're in one!" -Captain Barbossa (Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl)

I agree with the thief*COUGHCOUGH*treasure hunter. the music and characters are reaaal imporatantt. I also liked the battle systems with the magic/attack/item/summons. thats what kicked it up a notch.and the mysteries. the FREAKIN UNSOLVABLE MYSTERIES!!!! makes us want to play the game even more....

I agree completely with the hunter. A great slew of characters, a plentiful selection of spells, and music you can still humm to yourself for whatever kind of situation you may be facing during the day. I am very skeptical about this FFx-2. From what I have seen in the commercials, I have two questions. 1. Are there really only 3 characters? 2. Guns? OK, the gunner job for the moogles in FF Tactics Advance is pretty cool, but just leave out the GLOK 40s. About the characters, FF absolutely needs many characters for an almost limitless amount of combinations of characters to support and compliment each other.

And Cid. If there's not some guy named Cid in it (ff1 is excused) it's not an FF. Is he in X-2? I'm starting to doubt its status...


Jace

Hey leave FFXI alone! Regardless of the way it functions as a whole in the series its still friggin amazing. But as to the newer FF's I agree FF10 And its counter parts sucked. here are the problems i have with these.
1.- To much technology! No castles And excess amounts of technology ruined the game. Cmon GUNS?!?! This is also a problem i had with 8. 9 was on the whole more enjoyable due to the return to Old school, The older FF's give you a feeling of the entire world being at a cross roads between high technology And the Medievil times. Excluding FF7 Which was strong enough in the way it performed to Make me Happy
2.- WHERE THE HELL WAS THE WORLD MAP IN FF10?!?!
3.WHERE THE HELL WAS THE AIRSHIP IN 8!!!!!
4. NEED FOR A GOOD VILLIAN! Great villians are A must have. The villian should have a strong Evil About him , and represent all of the problems in the world.
5. THE main character can't be a whiney Loser Goth, Or Kevin Arnold Wonder Years Rip Off. Some one knows What im talking about I hope. Or a bunch of lame chicks. The problem with 10 2 was We all knew that the characters we were going to end up using were a bunch of garbagey loser characters from a Game You didnt like.


I might edit this later but thats all i can think of

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If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

Quote (Jace @ 16th February 2004 21:48)

And Cid. If there's not some guy named Cid in it (ff1 is excused) it's not an FF. Is he in X-2?

Yes he is, look around in Zanarkand for a bit. Its easy to find him.

Final Fantasy is a game that permits you to drift off and have false worries. There must be an original storyline filled with original characters. The game must be well put together and not rushed. There must be a well thought out battle system and new skills to aquire**. It must be a challenge to go thruw. And there has to be a sort of love scheme, im a sucker for those.

** Thats the reason I dislike the job system, its repetitive.

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Yeah, I barely post.

What do I look for in a Final Fantasy? (What do I look for in a great RPG?)

1. A solid plot. (A compelling plot.)
2. A well-written script. (A well-written script.)
3. A logical and practically usable (although not necessarily convenient) battle/experience/skill learning/growth system. (A logical, straightforward, and convenient battle/experience/skill learning/growth system.)
4. Great music. (Great music.)
5. Convenient forms of transportation. (Convenient forms of transportation.)
6. Experimentation with new ideas. (Usage of tried-and-true ideas which are known to be good things to put in the type of game you're making.)

In FFs, I seek at least a decent game, along with a certain degree of experimentation. I don't seek a best game, but when it does come out I will be pleasantly surprised.

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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 )

Definatly need one of the characters to have amnesia, think they are someone else, and/or a dark past.

FFIV: Golbez didn't know who he was until FuYoSo freed his mind and Kain's dark past
FFV: Galuf with his amnesia as well as Faris till she met Reina
FFVI: Terra started off with amnesia and you had Locke and Shadow's dark pasts
FFVII: Cloud thought he was a different person
FFVIII: All the characters (except Rinoa and Irvine) forgot they grew up together
FFIX: Zidane did not know where he was from and Vivi's dark past
FFX: Tidus sort of had amnesia to everyone on Spira and you had Auron's dark past
FFX-2: Paine's dark past

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War is for the participants a test of character; it makes bad men worse and good men better. - Joshua Chamberlain

U sir R a n00b >:-( - Cactuar

Well, the Final Fantasy series has been built on exceptional quality and innovation within the once young RPG genre. However lately the series has been saturated in hype so quality has suffered as a result. The only reason the series is what it is is because of the early groundbreaking titles. There's really nothing magical about the Final Fantasy name. It's just that the competition has been weak, which is why I'm waiting for some other company to come out of hiding and reinvent the RPG once again. Square needs to be humbled so that they may create quality games again. Without Final Fantasy Square is next to nothing, and where there's competition, the consumer wins.

This post has been edited by i90east on 18th February 2004 01:12

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FFXI (Siren server)
Tauu the Windurstian Tarutaru!
White Mage & Paladin

Connor has posed an incredibly genius question, its just too bad the current writers of the new final fantasies wont ask themselves the same thing. It is apparent to me that they lack the ability to make a Final Fantasy with its pure essence and well... awesomeness... not a word, oh well. I believe that FF is great becuz its like your watching a good movie with all the perfect elements. It has all the cool castle, medieval stuff without going too Dnd'ish (Take no offense DND players, i just dont like that game very much). It has enough technology without going overboard like the Matrix. They have likeable characters, some in which are rarely 2 dimensional. And it has the good ol' fashion "lets save the world" story. Now who doesnt want to save the word (with the exception of the ones who wish to conquer it) and if that is to dull for you, oh well lets add about 200 sidequests and hurray! we wont get bored.

I really loved the characters. The characters , for me, are the major high-point in FF games. That's probably the reason FFVI, FFVII, and FFIX are high on my list of favorites.

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Wow. 1,000 posts.

I miss you all now that I'm in boarding school! ;_;