Does anybody still care/get excited when a new Final Fantasy game is released ??

[NightWolve]

"FINAL FANTASY® XIV"

Just saw the ad for it pop up right here in the forums. I clicked it to give Aaron some change; Google Adsense pays for the PCEFX hosting and domain, with change to spare, so I try to remember once in a while to click the ads that pop up that are relevant to me.

http://store.na.square-enix.com/store/sqenixus/en_US/list/ThemeID.29853700/categoryID.64514800


Anyway, I was wondering, does anybody still get excited when a new Final Fantasy game is released ? Anybody give a shit ? Or like me, is it a very far off distant memory when you used to REALLY care about the series and it had your undivided attention ?

[Tatsujin]

erm..no ^^

I think I never was ^^

[NightWolve]

I logged 100 hours in FF8, it was alright. I bought 9, left it in the backloggery, PS2 came along, bought FFX and decided to skip forward. Enjoyed it, still have to go back to 9 though, then go forward and do X-2 and 12. Then there's the spin-off Dirge of Cerberus. I don't think I have any interest in these online versions. To get caught up in them and being subscription based, it would suck up too much time. I remember getting addicted to a MMORPG, Ragnarok Online, and playing it 4 weeks straight. I just sort of don't want to allow that to happen again I guess. Single player, one adventure/story is how I prefer to roll in principle for the rare times that I do sit down and finally get some game-playing done.

There was a time where anything Squaresoft produced was instant gold to me and I'd go out and immediately buy it. If anything, just to show support for the RPG genre. I guess that feeling has been long gone and there's not been another company nor will there ever be that'll ever inspire the same sentiment. I sort of lament not having that kind of enthusiasm anymore. But that's how it goes as you get older, I guess, and your interests, life, focus, etc. change...

[HailingTheThings]

No. Final Fantasy should've ended after the first one. I mean it's called Final Fantasy*, not "Alright, hold on, umm-like there will be some many Fantasies, just you wait."


*I know some duder named it that bc it was meant to be a swan song or something, blah-blah-blah can't remember deets. Also, the games are okayish, I'm just buttin'. hehe

[TheClash603]

I actually played through FF XIII and I enjoyed it to some extent.  I bought FF XIII-2 and played 10 seconds and thought I couldn't do it again.

The MMORPG stuff doesnt interest me at all, but I may pick up the first FF released on PS4.  Then the next 2 after that I will skip.

Final Fantasy Theaterythm Curtain Call has been pre-ordered though.

[pulstar]

There used to be a time I cared. I cared during FF2 & FF3 (SNES numbering) and FF7-FF9. During the Playstation days (when I was old enough to not have to rely on my parents to buy me games) I bought FF7 & 8 Japanese and again in English (my Japanese is only really basic at best). Final Fantasy 9 I enjoyed although it was absolutely sluggish. FF10 was okay, not great. I didn't like 12 and however much I was looking forward to 13, it disappointed me immensely (and all of the spin-offs of 13 as well).

Square just don't make games like they used to. I enjoyed the Romancing Saga series on SFC. Anyone play Unlimited Saga on PS2? If you haven't, don't.

[MrFulci]

Someone bought me Final Fantasy for the NES as a gift, X-mas probably. I remember looking at the box, wondering wtf this game was.

Then I remembered seeing the game box at Toys 'R Us, it had the red border ticket, $10 clearance game.

I wasn't into RPG games like this. Turn based. This may have been the first "complicated" one I played. Other than Shining Force, Dragon Slayer... I can't think of other turn based RPGs I had played at that time.

The first time I played it, OK, I had to choose characters, name them...

It was interesting wandering around, I couldn't afford to buy anything, then I remember dying after putting 30min or so in. I was thinking, "Well, that sucks", and thought it was a stupid game.

I think I decided to give it another go, and go further into it, then I found that NES strategy guide, and didn't have to worry about creating my own maps anymore. I actually brought the game to show someone else, and that person then became a bit hooked on RPG games, as that person then sought out sequels.

Sometime later, I borrowed and played the SNES games.

After that, I have not looked forward to any of them. I stopped.

[Bernie]

NW, you certainly need to go back to IX.  It was where they went back to the basics, and got away from all the crazy shit in VII and VIII.  Those two are my least faves of the series.  I guess my favorites in order... they'd be.
FF
FF III- SNES
FFII- SNES
FF X
FF IX

[Psycho Punch]

Nope. But I never cared about the Final Fantasy so I'm a little biased
I guess it only attracts the weaboo crowd and the occasional person that buys only because he heard about the series. And a portion of the longtime fans (who might or might not be weaboos) too.

The "Final" Fantasy is as final as Ancient Ys 2 "The Final Chapter" lol.

[tggodfrey]

We had the NES one.....Found it hard and didnt have a very good personal direction with the game.  probably plays a handful of hours on it and lost interest.  Might give it another go one of these days.

[xcrement5x]

I've played all the mainline games up to 13, bought 13-2 but couldn't really get into it either.  Now there is a 3rd game in the sub-series about Lighting again. 

I think Lost Odyssey and Last Story are the closest thing to a real FF that's been released in the last several years.

[o.pwuaioc]

removed

[CGQuarterly]

Final Fantasy X killed my interest in the series.  So, no.

[bartre]

Final Fantasy has been really up and down in my book.
i liked 1, 6, 7, 8, and 9
3, 5, and 10 were okay.
2, 4, 10-2, 12, 13, and 13-2 all sucked hard.
never played 11, 14, or lightning returns

it is worth noting that when they did the "reset" in 14, they actually had an in game apocalypse.

honestly though, i think part of the reason i have no real interest in the FF series anymore is due to the fact that i have maybe 10% of the free time i had back when i played most of these games.

[CrackTiger]

FFVII was the last Final Fantasy release that I cared about and as much of a disappointment as it was, being a huge step backward in the series, I at least appreciate it for what it is. But FFVIII did not satisfy my passion for RPGs in any way. It felt like Resident Evil Emo Quest.

But that is just as far as new unique entries go. I was super excited for Final Fantasy on Wonderswan and it lived up to my high expectations. The PSP remakes look great as well, but I can't be bothered to try them until I get a PSP that can play on a TV.

[VestCunt]

Beating FFI should be a required for anyone with more than a cursory interest in video games.

I was excited about FFII (IV) SNES. Played it -- disappointed.

Heard about the real FFII & FFIII -- Excited. Played them -- disappointed.

Lost interest in the series.

Saw someone playing FFVII and calling it an RPG = vomited

I've rolled my eyes at every new Final Fantasy game since.

[NightWolve]

I guess I should recap my start with it also.

FFI (NES) - Beat it, was happy to find yet another RPG similar to Dragon Warrior and others.
FFIV (SNES) - Loved it, really solidified my love of the RPG genre along with Ys Book I & II which I got about at the same time. The music in both games, the story, that put the RPG genre at the top for me.
FFVI (SNES) - It got nowhere near the replay time that FFIV did (beat that like 5 times). It was enjoyable, but I only beat it once.

FFV (SNES Emulator) - Sometime in 2001, I found a group called RIGG founded by Stephen Harris (who went on to run www.RPGFan.com for some years) and while hanging around there, I met hardcore gamers and learned about the fan translation craze. I learned of Neill Corlett's patch and about a FF game that never made it to the states. Excited, I got the ROM, patched it, and gave it a playthrough. Well, if I don't remember much of a game, and didn't develop any attachment to it, it was probably just average, and that's what I guess was the case with FFV. I have the PS1 remake, but yeah, that's in the backloggery for God knows how long.

(As you know, the fan translation craze took root with me, mostly Ys games, I even got to work with Neill on the Ys IV project. He did the hardest programming part, and together we got the script extracted, moved the project forward.)

FFVII (PS1) - So after SNES, my next system was PS1, bought this of course and absolutely loved it.
FFVIII (PS1) - While I did log 100 hours into it, max out all characters, I understand why people hate this one. I enjoyed it, but it's certainly far from my favorite in the series.

FFIX (PS1) - Bought it, sat unopened in my backloggery.

FFX (PS2) - Next system I upgraded to was PS2, but that would be my last... So this game comes out, immediately bought it, and I was tempted to go back to 9 to do things in order, but I couldn't wait, I made the time for this game despite work and whatever else. I think it was great, but maybe I'm easy to please relative to others.

FFX-2 and FFVII (PS2) - These were also purchased, and sit in the backloggery all comfy... Who knows when I'll finish my originals off... Still have lots of PS1 as well as PS2 games to do. :/

[xcrement5x]

X-2 gets a lot of hate, but the battle system in it is great, and it's pretty fun as long as you don't take it too seriously.  It's not going to be an epic save the world story, just a fun romp.

[esteban]

ANSWER: No.

[o.pwuaioc]

All you guys that were disappointed with VIII and even VII, do try out IX. Your backlog will thank you. It was a definite throwback to older games and had the feel of an SNES Final Fantasy.

[CrackTiger]

All you guys that were disappointed with VIII and even VII, do try out IX. Your backlog will thank you. It was a definite throwback to older games and had the feel of an SNES Final Fantasy.

I made it pretty far in IX. It was infinitely better than VIII, but still stale nu-Square and running around static bavkground images like that for hours is extremely boring.

You should try Tengai Makyou The Apocalypse IV to see what anti-Square JRPGs can be like.

[o.pwuaioc]

I made it pretty far in IX. It was infinitely better than VIII, but still stale nu-Square and running around static bavkground images like that for hours is extremely boring.

You should try Tengai Makyou The Apocalypse IV to see what anti-Square JRPGs can be like.

My point isn't that it's the best of the RPGs, but it's a throwback to the old Square RPGs.

[pulstar]

IX is good but it is extremely sluggish (especially when the mist is about on the world map) which put me off replaying it more than twice. It was good though. Surprisingly one of my favourites was/is V.

I remember seeing pics of it in a magazine with information about a release date but it never happened. About 1999 I picked up the cart from a game shop in London and really enjoyed it. The story is quite sparse but I thought the overall experience was really enjoyable.

[Opethian]

Bravely Default is the new experience. Final Fantasy died many years ago

[NecroPhile]

The last 'new' Final Fantasy that piqued my interest was the PSP remakes.  I give zero fucks for the truly new stuff.

[BlueBMW]

Final Fantasy F'in Mystic Quest!  Best in the series!

FF1: Played it, liked it.
FF2-3: Never played
FF4: Played it, loved it.  Replayed it on DS, loved it again
FF5: Played some of it but in Japanese so I got stuck with no guide
FF6: Never played it (blasphemy I know...)
FF7: Played it multiple times.  Favorite in the series (is one of my personal top 5)
FF8: Played it.. Wasnt as impressed
FF9: Never played
FFX/X2: Never played
FFXI: Played it, but without friends to play with couldnt get very far
FFXII - Present: Havent played any of them
FFMQ: played it, loved it

[reson8er]

I play FFXIV on a daily basis, and (obviously) think its a pretty great game.  It manages, quite elegantly, to bring a lot of past FF nostalgia and integrate very well t into a modern game.

More to your point though, I was very disappointed by XIII, so much so that they will have to prove that the series is worth it to me again. 

If you have any Q's about XIV, feel free to ask.

[pulstar]

Bravely Default is the new experience. Final Fantasy died many years ago

Bravely Default is nice but I think it's been given such praise because there really isn't a Final Fantasy (or other JRPG series) to challenge it. Compare it to FF4,5,6? It doesn't stack up favourably. The game is too slow paced and drawn out. Everything takes ages to do. Not that I don't like Bravely Default, I do, I just don't think it's that good.

[Opethian]

It is unfair to compare it to games that were released 15+ years ago in a time where the genre was hot and standing out was a challenge. Look at what RGPs are not now. THat is my basis of the experience.

It sad that they could not survive like the Dragon Quest series has. I love them all and I wish I had a way to play DQ X stateside.

[pulstar]

It is unfair to compare it to games that were released 15+ years ago in a time where the genre was hot and standing out was a challenge. Look at what RGPs are not now. THat is my basis of the experience.

It sad that they could not survive like the Dragon Quest series has. I love them all and I wish I had a way to play DQ X stateside.

It is unfair, I understand what you're saying, but the comparison is going to happen. And it's not to say Bravely Default is bad by any means but it feels like they've stretched every moment to the extremes to make it a 60+ hour game when it could have been more succinctly told in 30 hours.

There may be hope with DQX, it's been announced (albeit a streaming service, the same as with smartphones) for 3DS. Hopefully this means they'll think a but more about releasing it in the US/Europe.

[SamIAm]

Square is a deep disappointment.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't say that their NES/SNES games are Shakespeare-level masterpieces. But what they seemed like was the gestational phase of something really grand. After they got big, though, Square seemed to alternate between indulging in creative excesses and falling back on niche audiences to the point that what they make just doesn't matter anymore.

I still enjoy Spoonyexperiment's FFVIII review. That game was when the rocket started falling back toward the launchpad.

This might sound strange, but I like to compare FFVII to Sgt. Pepper. You have to give it serious credit in at least a few specific aspects even if you hate it. Most people find it quite enjoyable overall. But fans intimately familiar with the whole catalog usually think most highly of the stuff that came   right before it. Even if it set new standards at the time, it wasn't actually that influential; other works would have caused the shifts that it did. You can clearly see many signs of creative troubles to come. And the stuff they produced immediately afterward was appallingly bad.

What I'm saying is, Final Fantasy games now are like if we endured the Beatles staying together and producing shitty albums all through the 70s, and now it's the 80s and some people are hoping they'll get their mojo back. Not gonna bet on it.

[JoshTurboTrollX]

Square is in the same boat with many developers nowadays.  (like Capcom and Konami)  They just fail to keep my attention with new releases.  I haven't really enjoyed playing a FF game since FFX on the PS2.  Any by 'enjoyed' I mean any little bit of enjoyment that I had while playing.  Some of the older ones were not very great either, but I did get some enjoyment out of them and was glad I got to have the experience of playing through each of them.

With that said, I feel another list of how I felt about each game is necessary. 

Final Fantasy I NES- I played this after playing through both Ultima: Exodus, Quest of the Avatar and Dragon Warrior I.  I didn't understand what the fuss was about, but I thought it was a neat RPG that could be fun to some.

Final Fantasy II SNES - this was the game in the series that really got me into Square made RPGs.  I loved the soundtrack and just about everything about the game.  The remakes (and after years) on PSP are fantastic too!

Final Fantasy III SNES - This was "The Game" to many in my inner circle of nerd friends in school.  I thought the storyline and overall presentation/music was really well done.  Not sure if I like it as much as the previous entry, but I did enjoy it quite a bit.  The main problem with FFIII is that it came out the same year I got my Turbo Duo in 1994.  I was so wrapped up in Turbo RPGs (CF2, DE2, DragonSlayer) that at first impression I was flat out unimpressed with the visuals/soundtrack of FFIII.. What no redbook or cut-scenes?...... meh..

Fast forward to the PSone games-

FFVII- seemed really cool, but it was hardly the same style RPG I was used to.  Better than FF8 for sure, but yeah, I dunno..  I was also not that big of a PSone guy as I was a stubborn Saturn supporter till the very end.  I was constantly protesting to my friends that I was having way more fun playing our US ports of Shining the Holy Ark, Panzer Saga, Dragon Force and even Dark Savior!  And... I was damnit!

Believe it or not, I'm only now (finally) playing through Final Fantasy IX on the Psone.  So far, it's nice, but those 32-bit graphics are hard on my eyes.  This should have been released on Dreamcast. 

FFX on the PS2 was IMO better than any of the PSone Final Fantasy games.  I liked the presentation and soundtrack a lot.  While it definitely feels like a movie/cut scene filled with really long battles, I still found it entertaining.

That's it thought.  The MMO ones are crap, 12 and 13 just don't keep my interest and I couldn't care less about the spinoff games (X2 or XIII-2) and that nonsense... 

I do enjoy the handheld remakes to some level.  I wish Square could make a good Final Fantasy game again.....

[rag-time4]

I cleared VII but thought it sucked. Didn't care for any of the characters in that game. Tried VIII and IX but never got into them. Too big a change from the snes to playstation. Walking around the map became more difficult because everything was less clear. In VII I had to turn on the red pointer arrows just to see where the are exits were.

FFIV: The After years, however, I was excited about and really enjoy. Similar sequels to the other classic games would get me similarly excited. Vi being the one I want to see most, but I would buy and play them all.

[reson8er]

That's it thought.  The MMO ones are crap, 12 and 13 just don't keep my interest and I couldn't care less about the spinoff games (X2 or XIII-2) and that nonsense... 

I do enjoy the handheld remakes to some level.  I wish Square could make a good Final Fantasy game again.....

I'm not going to try to persuade, change or argue your opinion, but I will say this:

I've been playing Final Fantasy games for about as long as most, and have come to the conclusion that there are 3 types of FF players. 1. Those that thought 6 was the pinnacle of the series, and are into old school games, hate VII to present. 2. Those who grew up with VII + and find playing the older games difficult due to simplicity or mechanics and or production value. 3. Those who just love the recurring themes of FF and generally look past old or new to enjoy what they like.

Personally I fall into the 3rd group. I love whichever Final fantasy I enjoyed. Could care less for 1,2. Found 3 very basic, though somewhat enjoyable due to job system, 4 was good, but simple I didn't care for character restricted roles, 5 I haven't played through 6 is really good but again character restricted roles, 7 great, 8 sucked, 9 didn't care for, 10 I though was pretty mediocre, Played 11 for 5 years, 12 was my favorite, 13 sucked, 14 is great.

Both MMO's are quite the games. 11 has just celebrated its 10th anniversary as a PAID subscription MMO, where most MMO's are either FTP or dead. In my opinion it speaks to the quality of the game.  XIV is a real love letter to the Final Fantasy brand and its fans and celebrates the series. To date XIV has amassed over 2 million players with a paid subscription model in 2014. Again, not trying to change your opinion, just wanted to point out that while the series has it fair share of duds (which vary from type to type), the MMO's are certainly not crap, you may not care of them but they are for their audiences are quality products.

We would all be lucky if the same amount care and attention went into the main line FF games going forward as the MMO's.

[JoshTurboTrollX]

While I may pull back on the comment saying the MMO's are crap and replace it with XI and XIV just aren't my bag, man- I will say I was really disappointed to see Square throw a number after two games that play nothing like the rest of the series.

Why didn't Square call Mystic Quest or Crystal Chronicles- Final Fantasy 5 and Final Fantasy XI respectively.  They were major escapes from the series, and shouldn't have been included in the already lengthy series as far as sequels go.  Spin offs? Cool, but why just throw a number at the end and bolster the series?  They should have been called Final Fantasy Online 1 & 2 IMO.

[reson8er]

While I may pull back on the comment saying the MMO's are crap and replace it with XI and XIV just aren't my bag, man- I will say I was really disappointed to see Square throw a number after two games that play nothing like the rest of the series.

Why didn't Square call Mystic Quest or Crystal Chronicles- Final Fantasy 5 and Final Fantasy XI respectively.  They were major escapes from the series, and shouldn't have been included in the already lengthy series as far as sequels go.  Spin offs? Cool, but why just throw a number at the end and bolster the series?  They should have been called Final Fantasy Online 1 & 2 IMO.

Agree 100%, its a bit misleading to attach a mainline number to the MMO's and spin offs.  Its a sneaky way to get people to try the game without knowing its online only. From the looks of it XV will be an action RPG, so who knows what the are doing lol.

[roflmao]

I thought I had responded to this thread awhile ago but maybe I never actually posted it. 

My first foray into the FF series was FFII on the SNES, and it completely blew me away. For me, they haven't made anything that was "just right" since then.

I recently picked up FFIII for the SNES and my son and I have been slowly plodding through it.  We recently played through II and couldn't put it down - this we put down for weeks at a time, though I still think it's better than any of their 32+ bit releases.

I tried a couple of times to get into FFVII on the PS1 but it never stuck. The second time I even made it to disc 2!

Skipped FF VIII all together.  Maybe someday I'll try to revisit it.

FFIX I *loved* almost as much as the SNES days.  I'm holding out judgement, but It may even rank higher than FFIII for me.  I've played through it twice - once on my own and the second time with my then-5yr-old. And he loved it too.

FFX I never could get into (though the first time I played it I nearly made it to the final boss in hopes that it would turn around).

And I haven't put any serious time into any FF game since then.

I LOVE Mystic Quest. It's awesome and even though I recent'y played though it I can see myself playing through it again within the next year or two.  And I've had it for a loong time.

I also love Tactics, though some of the matches play way longer that they need to so I don't play it at much as I used to. :/

[Bernie]

I know I will catch shit for this, but IMO, Final Fantasy II and III for SNES blew away anything the Turbo had to offer at the time.  I still play those two games from time to time, and they never get old.  It would have been awesome to see what they would have looked/sounded like if they had been ported to the pc engine via SCD.

[NecroPhile]

I know I will catch shit for this, but IMO, Final Fantasy II and III for SNES blew away anything the Turbo had to offer at the time.

Sure, but only if you specifically mean the Turbo and ignore the PCE; Tengai Makyou was competitive to Final Fantasy IV two years before the latter existed.

[JoshTurboTrollX]

I know I will catch shit for this, but IMO, Final Fantasy II and III for SNES blew away anything the Turbo had to offer at the time.  I still play those two games from time to time, and they never get old.  It would have been awesome to see what they would have looked/sounded like if they had been ported to the pc engine via SCD. 

However Phantasy Star IV blows away anything Square has ever created on SNES or anything after that! 

I also enjoyed Phantasy Star V, Phantasy Star VI: Episode II, Phantasy Star VII- C.A.R.D. Evolution, Phantasy Star VIII-Universe and whatever the hell new PSO games that came after that...

[Bardoly]

That's it thought.  The MMO ones are crap, 12 and 13 just don't keep my interest and I couldn't care less about the spinoff games (X2 or XIII-2) and that nonsense... 

I do enjoy the handheld remakes to some level.  I wish Square could make a good Final Fantasy game again.....

I'm not going to try to persuade, change or argue your opinion, but I will say this:

I've been playing Final Fantasy games for about as long as most, and have come to the conclusion that there are 3 types of FF players. 1. Those that thought 6 was the pinnacle of the series, and are into old school games, hate VII to present. 2. Those who grew up with VII + and find playing the older games difficult due to simplicity or mechanics and or production value. 3. Those who just love the recurring themes of FF and generally look past old or new to enjoy what they like.

Personally I fall into the 3rd group. I love whichever Final fantasy I enjoyed. Could care less for 1,2. Found 3 very basic, though somewhat enjoyable due to job system, 4 was good, but simple I didn't care for character restricted roles, 5 I haven't played through 6 is really good but again character restricted roles, 7 great, 8 sucked, 9 didn't care for, 10 I though was pretty mediocre, Played 11 for 5 years, 12 was my favorite, 13 sucked, 14 is great.

Both MMO's are quite the games. 11 has just celebrated its 10th anniversary as a PAID subscription MMO, where most MMO's are either FTP or dead. In my opinion it speaks to the quality of the game.  XIV is a real love letter to the Final Fantasy brand and its fans and celebrates the series. To date XIV has amassed over 2 million players with a paid subscription model in 2014. Again, not trying to change your opinion, just wanted to point out that while the series has it fair share of duds (which vary from type to type), the MMO's are certainly not crap, you may not care of them but they are for their audiences are quality products.

We would all be lucky if the same amount care and attention went into the main line FF games going forward as the MMO's.

A pretty decent analysis of three various types of Final Fantasy gamers.

After reading this, I must say that according to your descriptions:

1. Those that thought 6 was the pinnacle of the series, and are into old school games, hate VII to present.
2. Those who grew up with VII + and find playing the older games difficult due to simplicity or mechanics and or production value.
3. Those who just love the recurring themes of FF and generally look past old or new to enjoy what they like.

You seem to fall into the number "2" camp far better than number "3" - not a criticism, an observation.  I definitely fall into the number "1" camp, although I definitely do not hate VII.  You seem to be trying to make yourself out as impartial, but your own description of yourself makes your bias towards the newer Final Fantasy games quite obvious:

Could care less for 1,2.
Found 3 very basic, though somewhat enjoyable due to job system
4 was good, but simple I didn't care for character restricted roles
5 I haven't played through
6 is really good but again character restricted roles
7 great
8 sucked
9 didn't care for
10 I though was pretty mediocre
Played 11 for 5 years
12 was my favorite
13 sucked
14 is great.

You only gave unqualified praise for the newer generation of Final Fantasy games - VII, 11, 12, and 14, and you made sure to express your feelings that you, "...find playing the older games difficult due to simplicity or mechanics and or production value." for all of the pre-VII games.

People love to make themselves out as being impartial, but actually most of us are a product of our times...   O:)

[reson8er]

That's it thought.  The MMO ones are crap, 12 and 13 just don't keep my interest and I couldn't care less about the spinoff games (X2 or XIII-2) and that nonsense... 

I do enjoy the handheld remakes to some level.  I wish Square could make a good Final Fantasy game again.....

I'm not going to try to persuade, change or argue your opinion, but I will say this:

I've been playing Final Fantasy games for about as long as most, and have come to the conclusion that there are 3 types of FF players. 1. Those that thought 6 was the pinnacle of the series, and are into old school games, hate VII to present. 2. Those who grew up with VII + and find playing the older games difficult due to simplicity or mechanics and or production value. 3. Those who just love the recurring themes of FF and generally look past old or new to enjoy what they like.

Personally I fall into the 3rd group. I love whichever Final fantasy I enjoyed. Could care less for 1,2. Found 3 very basic, though somewhat enjoyable due to job system, 4 was good, but simple I didn't care for character restricted roles, 5 I haven't played through 6 is really good but again character restricted roles, 7 great, 8 sucked, 9 didn't care for, 10 I though was pretty mediocre, Played 11 for 5 years, 12 was my favorite, 13 sucked, 14 is great.

Both MMO's are quite the games. 11 has just celebrated its 10th anniversary as a PAID subscription MMO, where most MMO's are either FTP or dead. In my opinion it speaks to the quality of the game.  XIV is a real love letter to the Final Fantasy brand and its fans and celebrates the series. To date XIV has amassed over 2 million players with a paid subscription model in 2014. Again, not trying to change your opinion, just wanted to point out that while the series has it fair share of duds (which vary from type to type), the MMO's are certainly not crap, you may not care of them but they are for their audiences are quality products.

We would all be lucky if the same amount care and attention went into the main line FF games going forward as the MMO's.

A pretty decent analysis of three various types of Final Fantasy gamers.

After reading this, I must say that according to your descriptions:

1. Those that thought 6 was the pinnacle of the series, and are into old school games, hate VII to present.
2. Those who grew up with VII + and find playing the older games difficult due to simplicity or mechanics and or production value.
3. Those who just love the recurring themes of FF and generally look past old or new to enjoy what they like.

You seem to fall into the number "2" camp far better than number "3" - not a criticism, an observation.  I definitely fall into the number "1" camp, although I definitely do not hate VII.  You seem to be trying to make yourself out as impartial, but your own description of yourself makes your bias towards the newer Final Fantasy games quite obvious:

Could care less for 1,2.
Found 3 very basic, though somewhat enjoyable due to job system
4 was good, but simple I didn't care for character restricted roles
5 I haven't played through
6 is really good but again character restricted roles
7 great
8 sucked
9 didn't care for
10 I though was pretty mediocre
Played 11 for 5 years
12 was my favorite
13 sucked
14 is great.

You only gave unqualified praise for the newer generation of Final Fantasy games - VII, 11, 12, and 14, and you made sure to express your feelings that you, "...find playing the older games difficult due to simplicity or mechanics and or production value." for all of the pre-VII games.

People love to make themselves out as being impartial, but actually most of us are a product of our times...   O:)

Hmm, well as we all know, no one is impartial.

Personally I try to play every game without preconceived notions about it.  I grew up playing the final fantasy's and dragon quest on the NES so my opinion about those games comes from how I felt about them as I played them when they were originally released. I always felt the series got better as it went along, which is reflected in my choices. I tend not to care for earlier RPG's in general since they were so simplistic, however there are exceptions just not with Final Fantasy.

I consider myself type 3 because even having played these games and not cared for them, over the years I've tried to go back to appreciate them and have expressed opinions above. Of course I don't mind if you think I'm type x and not y.

When it comes to the modern games, I don't think they're all great, I just tend to like where they've taken the series building on with mechanics primarily the job system. Love me some job system.

[BlueBMW]

Since we are bringing other RPG seried in here.. 

The Lunar games (either sega cd or playstation) were fantastic IMO.

But of course Skies of Arcadia blows all of them away with a moonstone cannon.

[JoshTurboTrollX]

Did you also enjoy Lunar DS?  I thought that was a pretty big let-down. 

[reson8er]

Since we are bringing other RPG seried in here.. 

The Lunar games (either sega cd or playstation) were fantastic IMO.

But of course Skies of Arcadia blows all of them away with a moonstone cannon.

Agreed lunar is fantastic, same goes for Grandia man I miss Game Arts. Skies is woefully underrated. a real gem of a game.

[BigusSchmuck]

Can't say I care about the Final Fantasy series anymore. Lost interest with 8 and 10, but had a lot of fun with 9. However, I did play FFXI for about a minute until I realized how boring it was just running from point a to point b. About the only new SquareEnix games I get excited for are the Dragon Quest games but hell Dragon Quest X is still stuck in Japan and is online only. Absolutely lame. Even worse they are talking about doing crossovers with all three of SquareEnix's online games FFXI, FFXIV and DQX! What the hell is a chocobo doing in Dragon Quest?

[Ninja16608]

After X I lost interest but up till then I was a hardcore player of the FF series.

[KGD]

Last game I played was FF8. I bought FF9, but was turned off by the protagonist having a tail, for some reason. FF2 is, for me, the best of the series, followed by FF3(US) for the sheer scope of the great game in the little cart.

[Digi.k]

I actually played through FF XIII and I enjoyed it to some extent.  I bought FF XIII-2 and played 10 seconds and thought I couldn't do it again.

The MMORPG stuff doesnt interest me at all, but I may pick up the first FF released on PS4.  Then the next 2 after that I will skip.

Final Fantasy Theaterythm Curtain Call has been pre-ordered though.

I am actually enjoying ffxiii-2 after playing lightning returns.  Both great games.

[Digi.k]

Since we are bringing other RPG seried in here.. 

The Lunar games (either sega cd or playstation) were fantastic IMO.

But of course Skies of Arcadia blows all of them away with a moonstone cannon.

the last FFXIII game lightning returns.. it really reminds me of Lunar Eternal Blue especially the final boss.. where you fight god in order to save the current world.. even that boss reminded me of Zophar




anyway I am thinking of picking up the japanese OST for FFXIII-2 some tracks I just love.. especially the dance techno stuff!

such an 80's vibe to this !!

Groovy Chocobo theme

Wayback Copy