Retro STrife wrote:Unfortunately I can't say the same for FF12. I played it to completion on the PS2 and with so many RPGs to catch up on (most of which I know I'll never actually get to) I just can't justify going back to it. Maybe it's a good game and I was just burnt out on Final Fantasy games at that point, or just disappointed that it couldn't match FF10, but I trudged through that thing and couldn't wait for it to be over. Plus, I thought FF9 was overrated too, and each FF game took me over 100 hours and like a year to beat, so FF 12 may have just been the final straw for me. I was burnt out on the series, and hoping the FF7 Remake can bring me back. Meanwhile, I'm still working on Xenogears as my current RPG, which I started well over a year ago and barely touch at the moment....
If you completed FF12 and still hold the same opinion, then maybe it's just not your cup of tea. I think it is proof, however, that at least through 12, Square was still radically innovating their series with each installment. 12 has been extremely influential in the development of open-world the action RPG. And I think one of its strong points that really stands out is in the quality of the dialogue and the complexity of the characters.
FF10 is hard to match. I honestly consider it the peak of the series.
I too am replaying Xenogears and thinking of doing a review. Want to collaborate with me? Lol.
Alucard1191 wrote:Apparently having a few shots and ranting about how Squaresoft (and Enix) have let me down is how I'm spending this hour.
Not a bad way to spend an hour! Lol. But at least there's still hope for Dragon Quest! I think we've all been let down in one way or another by Square Enix. It all started with the merger. Since then, it seems they've been more motivated by money than creativity.
FFX is very much a game that wants to you to sit down, be quiet, and listen to it tell a story. It doesn't care that you have a million things to get done, it simply expects you to make time for hours of non-skippable exposition. That being said, the story itself is actually pretty meaningful and has a very emotional ending. I would say it's worth giving a second look.
FFX-2 has some very fun mechanics, but it's very difficult to look past the ugliness. On display is some of the truly worst costume ideas ever devised for a game. FFX had some pretty bad ones (like Lulu's dress of belts), but this is on a whole other level. I was always mad at SE for making X-2 because I liked that X had a conclusive ending. X-2 was a prime example of bald money grabbing disguised as "responding to fan feedback." I've talked to the fans, SE! They didn't want this trash!
As for FF8, if you need to summon GFs in battle, then I'm sorry to say it but...you're playing the game wrong. The system is designed so that leveling up your characters is irrelevant (and actually something that should be avoided) because enemies (and bosses) scale with your level. If you want to make your characters into unstoppable gods, junction magic cleverly and avoid getting EXP by turning random encounters into playing cards. When you are able to get Diablos pretty early on, level up his Enc-Half and then Enc-None abilities which allow you to run through the game without fighting randos. FF8 has a really ingenious system that me and my friends still to this day exchange anecdotes about. It all comes down to finding all the powerful magic in the game (but not using it, because junctioning them boosts your stats like crazy).
GameOfThrones, I will say the same to you that I said to Retro Strife about 12. If you played it thoroughly and still came away with a negative opinion, maybe it's just not your style of game. But for those of us who love to tool around with battle systems and team composition, FF13 has some incredible challenges in the form of its many exciting boss battles. The regular bosses in 13 are like the superbosses from other FF games. I just think that's awesome.
