Final Fantasy general

A warning to anyone who might get FFVIII on Steam

Like the FFVII PC game, it uses crappy MID Is. Which means one of the few redeeming things about the game, the music, is ruined.

Whenever people warn me about MIDIs, I barely notice.

"What's out there? What's waiting for me?"

It's impossible for me NOT to notice. I tried playing the regular FFVII PC version for example and as soon as I heard the poor, butchered version of Bombing Mission, I hastened to get the mod to insert my own music. (which was the FFVII Playstation OST)

Listen for yourself.

FFVII has one of the greatest openings in the series and that's due in no small part to the wonderful music. Only FFVI and Terra's Theme comes close really. Every other FF starts off rather boring actually.

YMMV of course, but I would dispute that.

Tidus gets to watch a devastating Kaiju attack within the first five minutes (probably); XII's prologue has whatshisface getting killed; VIII starts with Squall in the infirmary after he and The Rival cut each other up in the opening FMV and then throws a GF fight at you not long after; IV features Cecil returning home after committing a war crime and then (unwittingly) running off with Kain to do another one; V kicks off with a meteor strike that - within a few minutes - causes an earthquake and IIRC rearranges the landscape; II literally starts with a Hopeless Boss Fight against The Empire; etc.

Are we talking about the opening cinematic you see every time before the title screen, or the actual beginning of the game? Because , seem to be conflating those.

"If you aren't him, then you apparently got your brain from the same discount retailer, so..." - Fighteer

Indeed I was referring to both cinematic and gameplay.

FFVIII starts great with an epic FMV and some awesome music but then you're at high school and going through a boring tutorial dungeon. Oh god, FFVIII tutorials were some of the worst.

FFXII is boring beyond imagining to begin with because the Reks part lasts a minute and then you wander around witH Vaan. hell, FFXII doesn't even really get good until you head for the Ozmone Plain, IMO. A bunch of desert, a sewer and an ugly mine. Yuck.

And FFII is the worst of them all. I have to spend a ton of time once I leave Altair leveling up everyone's stats.

I like the opening of VI, personally. Whether you think that lasts until Terra exits the armor, until Locke and Terra escape Narshe, or until they and Edgar flee Figaro.

I have a message from another time...

FFVIII's title screen thing is awful, and it's one of the few times I hated the music. The opening FMV is great though. Probably the best in the whole series, but then you get dropped in tutorial hell.

FFX's title screen and subsequent repeat of it feels very special to me, though it might just be nostalgia talking. I could have done with less blitzball silliness at the beginning, and the stuff that got me into the game didn't come until Besaid.

FFIX's title screen is by far my favourite, because "The Place I Will Return To Someday" is godsent. I also found its beginning very exciting in all its silliness.

FFXII had a very good title video and a strong string of FMVs at first, but then it slows down until you get a full party. Mt. Bur-Omisace is the midway high point, and then you wait until the Pharos.

"If you aren't him, then you apparently got your brain from the same discount retailer, so..." - Fighteer

Starting up FFII Dawn of Souls again, now of a firm mind that I will clear every Final Fantasy game that I own! *

I'm... actually kind of loathe to go outside the rebel headquarters, because I just adore The Rebel Army's theme. Anyway, now on the quest for Mythril.

Also, since I'm thinking of replaying IV, which is more recommended? GBA version, or DS version? Can't seem to find my SNES version lately...

edited 9th Dec '13 8:41:21 AM by EvaUnit01

The DS version is essentially the director's cut of both the plot and gameplay, so I'd vote for that one.

I sure said that!

Bit of a tip: don't give Cecil Auto Potion. Save that for Edward. You want him to have been given 2 or more Augments before Fabul.

I have a message from another time...

Augments? Whuzzat? <has only ever touched the SNES version before, and so is clueless about features in the updates>

Basically, extra abilities that can be given to characters in the party. Temporary party members can leave behind their unique abilities as Augments if they're given enough Augments before they leave.

I have a message from another time...

Unfortunately, they are unremovable once given. Also, it's impossible to obtain every Augment in one playthrough (not counting New Game Plus) because you don't have enough to give. Also, I heard that at level 70+, they give some stat boosts on level up.

This is one of those things you need a guide to exploit.

"What's out there? What's waiting for me?"

The big draws are Hide, Doublecast, Omnicasting, Phoenix, Focus, Darkness, Draw Attacks, and Reach.

I have a message from another time...

Question: If you give a character an Augment - like Auto-potion to Edward - and they leave forever, do you get it back?

"What's out there? What's waiting for me?"

Nope.

The game compensates by going you more of their abilities as Augments. You normally only get one, but giving them two or more will give you the other two.

edited 9th Dec '13 1:27:23 PM by Enlong

I have a message from another time...

You're generally supposed to give the crappier Augments to temporary Party Members so they give their own Augments when they leave. After two Playthroughs, you should have enough to give your final party all the abilities they need, which also give them stat boosts past level 70.

It's a tad tedious, though.

II got kind of stale on me - the plot isn't bad, so far, and the music's cool enough, but I think it's turning into a 358/2 Days situation. By which I mean, neat story and characters and music and stuff, but suffers from not-that-fun gameplay.

Incidentally, both games have a nonstandard leveling system, though I'll take II's Stat Grinding over having to actually equip levelups any day of the week. At least Stat Grinding's only real limitation is the player's own patience.

So I started replaying 5 GBA instead. Cleared the Wind Shrine. God, the music is so much more awesome than I remember it being.

IMO the GBA music is an improvement. The endgame music is amazing.

Life is more fun with infinite MP.

Fire Crystal broke, got the Fire-powered ship.

Haven't done much in the way of grinding so far, but I will now. Need Beastmaster's !Control for Blue Magic.

Liquid Flame was something of an anticlimax (Blizzara Spellblade took off nearly half its HP, Shiva wiped out half of that, and then Galuf-as-Monk beat it up in its immune-to-ice hand form). Speaking of Shiva, I managed to beat her without Fira or Fire rods. Just put Haste on Lenna (White Mage w/Black usability) and had Bartz-serker with Two-Handed beat the tar out of whatever he felt like. Did this at LV 12, btw.

edited 11th Dec '13 8:14:43 AM by EvaUnit01

That's the beauty of Final Fantasy, you can make it as easy or hard as you want it to be.

Life is more fun with infinite MP.

..... This is true.

A Collectors edtion for LRXIII will be available in North America. It comes a LR themed Pocketwatch, an 80 page artbook, plus a voucher for the Aerith garb/equipment DLC.

The downside is that its only available on SE's webstore...

Pretty much on a whim, I loaded up my old FF6 Advance file. I got some Growth Eggs, and spent a several hours level grinding my characters. I got my main 4 up to 99, and several others into the 60s, then went off to the Dragon's Den. The Kaiser Dragon was actually a bit easier than I expected, but I guess I was kind of over-leveled for it, since I used my main level 99 party. Omega Weapon was a bit more difficult, it would pretty much counter everything I did and it could freeze my characters, and it took me a bit to figure out I needed to thaw them with fire magic.