Why Final Fantasy Sucks.

[noyhauser]

Now Im usually not one to try to ruffle feathers or make broad pronouncments, but this time I feel like I have to...

*rant mode... in OVERDRIVE"

I should start off by saying I don't hate ALL final fantasy games, and I've played all of them up to a point. The Final fantasy series used to be synonamous with quality all of them in english for the SNES and I love them all. I just think that since FF7, the game has worn out its story and its like a really bad movie franchise that is trying to suck the money out of people. There has not been new innovation in that game since 7 except for graphics which shouldn't make a game better than another. Every new one is the same old such and such character going to save some small part of his life (friend love interests ect, ect) then gets caught up in some big conspiracy that threatens the world (sound familiar?). There are always summons and magic ect ect. The game hasn't changed in over 5 years and people still buy the product. Thats not to say that it can't be done well. The best game was Final Fantasy tactics, and since then none have equaled. The storyline in that game was amazing and realistic. People actually die in that game, people turn on each other and war is made out to be a very very bad thing. It had huge undertones with Religion (no I mean real religion not like the stuff they tried to put out in FFX) where religious zealotry causes fear bigotry and death. Also in the new games, I just feel like I'm playing a cookie cuttered story with candy apple characters whenever I play anything above FF-7. Its like i'm playing a game of cliches now. Its like its been dumbed down for the level of children. If want a real hero i'll play as Ramza Belouve in tactics ... that was a real heroic character that had HUGE character development. Play Tactics and you will see what I mean.

Also most of the FF line isn't really an RPG. Since the SNES games all FF has become is a storyline that you followed to get to the end of a story. there were always the ultimate combinations. In FF8 you might as well not use anything but summons since they could do 9999 damage which no physical attack could do. yeesh. Play a game like Baldurs Gate and they you will see what a real RPG is like.

well thats the end of my vent. Please come and criticize. I'm just sick and tired about people raving about how Final Fantasy is the greatest thing and how FFX-2 is the only sequal and its going to be great. No its not. I'm done with squaresoft now, all I can see now is them ripping the series for all its worth, not changing it just so they can make as much money off of it as possible.

*rant mode off*

[nikki_the_insane]

I, myself, do not think that Final Fantast is the best game out there, but I don't think it isn't any good. True the game play does not change much through out the series, but you try to come up with something that is new for the game. They stick to a certain type of play throughout all the games for a reason. You can easily learn how to control and edit stats and weapons on characters, so you don't have to spend 4 friggin hours trying to figure out the new battle system. With every game there is a main character, even with FFTactics. With a game that continues on like it does, it's hard to come up with something brand new every time. Sure the plot might be a little the same, but it is still a well done game none the less.

[jeisan]

i agree with noyhauser on this one, the last FF game i played was 8 and i prolly wont play another one. if for no other reason than i hate having to run around in circles in a middle of a field for hours on end just so i can fight a boss. thats not fun or entertaining to me. i just think square should hold up and not develop a new FF every 12 months. they do an exellent job with the chrono series (chrono trigger/cross) and there have been only 2 of those to date, hopefully the 3rd will come out soon.

[noyhauser]

I just think that there has not been anything fresh in the series in the last five years. And its fakeish bubblegummy world it puts together bothers me even more. Its like they have torn the bottom out of the genre. FF tactics was different because it was believable. A family feud, best friends turn enemies. How the story is presented, as a historian revealing the past, and who the real hero of the story was, makes its really engaging. FFT had a similar broad plot as other FF does (I won't tell you who the real villain is but its a HUGE SHOCK), but the way its presented and run makes it utterly different from all the others. FFX for the most part made me want to kill tidus rather than help him.

I keep using FFT because I and most people who played all the FF titles agree it was the best one. It had all the elements of a good RPG, Real customability, Multiple classes and differing strategies. I've seen a 100+ combinations of peoples "Ultimate Group" most of them are different. It also had so much potential in the game that you could go back and play it 3 or 4 times and not get all the secrets. You could even get cloud in the game.

I guess Im just bitter that the series has gone so downhill. I would do anything for them to publish a new version of FFT, that used updated graphics and made another wicked storyline for it. But alas it was too out there and didn't sell like the manufactured goodness of FFX, so I will never see that wish completed.

[m477]

I thought FFX was actually pretty good. Of course, FF7 didn't really bring anything new to the series either, mainly better graphics and such...

[jeisan]

some of the reasons i like chrono cross so much: there were crazy twists and turns in the plot, the multiple endings, the 40 playable characters, being able to see enemies on the game so you could avoid a fight if you wanted or just run right into them and since there was a cap on the amount you could level up between boss battles this put an end to the tedium of running around in circles for hours just so that you are strong enough to beat said boss. you were always strong enough, you just had to figure out the right way to beat them. there is also no way to get and see everything on one go through the branching storyline.

[Marc]

I had never thought about it before, but you have a point noyhauser. There were no real improvements or changes after FF7. I also think FFT is the best one. I'd also like to add another Square title: Vagrant Story.
People usually claim that its battle system is complex but I think it's neat. It gives you so much freedom and so many choices that makes you wanna play again and again.

[cathy]

I personal, never liked FF games. I installed many times the FF7 and FF8, but i just can`t get to like to go on.

Lots of gamers must like the FF7, course i am selling them like crazy. And, my prices are very steep $ 130.00 to $ 150.00. still i cant buy them fast anough to put up for sale. As soon i have one up for sale, the same day is sold. The FF8 is also hot game to sale. Now, i am talking the one for the PC. I never try to sell for other system. It might be very cheep, though.

[Luxpyre]

I like FF because they have good stoylines and are always very well made games. The battle system overall has not changed much, but it does fluctuate from game to game. The series has followed the same almost genre of story with the super bad guy threat to all existance in some way that has to be stopped by our band of stallwart heros for most iterations, but FFX actually was different from the old mold and that is it's strongest point. The battle system did not change much, but the storyline is one of the most original in the series.

[Luxpyre]

Having said all that, I also wanted to say that FFT's story line was awesome as was Xenogears but I can't stand the strategy gameplay! The only way I got anywhere near the end of the game before I just turned it off and never touched it again was by cheating. I realize most people think the gameplay was awesome but not me. Oh no...not me...shudder. Nothing is good like a fun and original idea that is well developed and then presented well in a game. Like Ico. I couldn't get enough of that game.

[jeisan]

yeah ico. i dig that game its really cheap right now, like $7.00

[x2468]

i'll play FF once it comes out on Xbox, till then square can go suck a nut.

[lineartube]

lol the reason why I didn't got a Xbox WAS because it doesn't have Final Fantasy.

[lita hayata]

somebody's already said - "it's the games that make the console, not the bits". that's ok, i think. snes was great even without sonic. playstation was great even without link. and final fantasy series have a part in that triumph. but i played FFX to the end - and it's really bad. i do concur with noyhauser: tactics IS the best one. FFIX is a cute thing still, but don't go with the following - it's just fmv.

[aaron]

Bad mouthing final fantasy. Over the years that I have played the games on PSX and PS2 they have gotten better. So if you have to bad mouth it, you have to go through me!!!!

[EscaFlowne]

AND ME! I love FF but certain one's are lacking.

[Eternal Wind]

I only love FFX(everything),FFVIII(storyline) and FFVII(everything)

[dreamer]

HUm...It's true that I stopped since FFVIII for I dunno which reason...

[noyhauser]

Originally Posted by aaron

Bad mouthing final fantasy. Over the years that I have played the games on PSX and PS2 they have gotten better. So if you have to bad mouth it, you have to go through me!!!!

Im sorry the games are crap. the ONLY thing that has gotten better is the graphics and thats it.

NO innovation in Gameplay (in many cases a regression)
NO Improvement in storyline
NO (or very little) character development

I've been playing RPGs since NES came out. I've seen some bad ones, and some great ones.... however most of the ones out now aren't anybetter than FF2 in most respects except graphics. The latests ones out are pretty lame. Go Play Chrono Trigger, now THAT was a wicked RPG... most of the others since then have paled in comparison.

[Eternal Wind]

Now now...different ppl has a different view on games,no need to get nasty all over,ya? peace!

[TwistedMac]

right.. im just gonna go ahead and say i think FF has a sweet taste and it hasnt been letting fans down since #7 at all.. FF10 ahd an amazing storyline IMHO.

my 2 sen

[aaron]

Hey Twisted Mac, where did you get that clip from? Just wondering.

[Gaki]

Square need to make a new version of Bahamut Lagoon, i've been waiting about 6 years.

(-_-; )

[Winter]

Here is the reality; FF series of old catered to gamers. FF series of recent caters to teenyboppers.

The girlies of the game world.

Plain and simple.

[TwistedMac]

Originally Posted by aaron

Hey Twisted Mac, where did you get that clip from? Just wondering.

The clip is from Azumanga Daioh (best anime ever) and i got it from TyPe-ZeRo (another user on this forum)...
he's the guy with the caboose (from red vs blue) avatar.

Originally Posted by Winter

Here is the reality; FF series of old catered to gamers. FF series of recent caters to teenyboppers.

The girlies of the game world.

Plain and simple.

i beg to differ... that sounds mostly like an "i heard them before they got famous" comment.. personally i think that's just BS.. but maybe that's just me..