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[Final Fantasy] - FF XIII released in Japan, FFCC Crystal Bearer released in US
Vincent Grayson
Frederick, MDRegistered User regular
Frederick, MDRegistered User regular
On the tail of XoB's FF thread we've just pushed several pages past 100 (http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=105375), I thought I'd go ahead and push us into a new one.
We had some awesome discussion last time, and ended with the most recent main series game, and I'd love to see that keep going.
So on that note, let's discuss spin-off titles.
Now, I'm not talking about your garden variety "other" series games that just got the FF name slapped on them for marketing purposes, but your real-deal FF spinoffs.
I don't expect this thread will make it to FFXIII's release date, so I won't bother making a fancy OP at this point.
What to start with? How about everyone's favorite "easy" FF title, Mystic Quest!
We had some awesome discussion last time, and ended with the most recent main series game, and I'd love to see that keep going.
So on that note, let's discuss spin-off titles.
Now, I'm not talking about your garden variety "other" series games that just got the FF name slapped on them for marketing purposes, but your real-deal FF spinoffs.
I don't expect this thread will make it to FFXIII's release date, so I won't bother making a fancy OP at this point.
What to start with? How about everyone's favorite "easy" FF title, Mystic Quest!
Vincent Grayson on
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This discussion has been closed.
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Release Dates:
SNES
NA 10/05/92
JP 09/10/93
PAL 93
What's the Deal?
I bet a lot of you remember this game, and bought it expecting another FF title just like Final Fantasy II that you had finished the year before. But no, you got something very different. Turns out, those zany Japanese developers thought the American FF enthusiasts might like a game built to cater to our weak game-playing skills.
What did we get? Mystic Quest, the easiest of the FF titles, which I'm fairly certain I recall was actually impossible to lose.
What sucks about it?
Depends on who you ask. Some might say everything about it sucks. Others enjoyed it. It was simple and charming to a degree, but lacked the epic story and interesting characters we had just gotten from Final Fantasy IV. Many fondly remember it as the game Square gave us because apparently Americans like easy games.
Which version to play?
There's only one, so it's an easy decision. I'm a little surprised we've never seen even a port of the game. I suppose it really wasn't popular at all.
Fun Facts:
MQ was the first FF title to feature any real interaction with the world around you. You could (and had to) chop down trees, blow up certain objects, climb up walls, and a few other things.
In Japan, the game was named Final Fantasy USA: Mystic Quest.
(all credit to post formatting and idea goes to Xenogears of Bore)
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
I was going to come in here and be all like, 'This is the gayest thing I've ever read on this forum.'
But, then I just felt jealous.
Honestly, man, that's what you took away from Final Fantasy 8? I wish it had meant half as much to me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZYTLUk7Nwk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdzV941AX1o&feature=related
Aaaaand that's about it. Frankly, 'Final Fantasy USA' was a bit insulting.
There was something mystical about the experience. I thought the music was good.. the simplistic storyline was designed so that my young developing brain could understand it.. the battles were pretty fun (loved watching the monsters get more torn up as the battle raged on).. and the interactive environments were imaginative and fun.
For it's time, and for hooking new RPG nerds into the genre and series, this game was excellent.
I felt pretty bitter about this game for quite some time. But looking back, it wasn't super bad. Still, I wanted something with a bit more substance at the time.
I started with MQ because I thought I'd go in order of release. Tactics will be up next.
I grinded mobs in the ice cave until I was level 99. I was a strange kid.
A few months later I finally figured out I had to push a pillar just right so I could hop onto it and then onto the next platform to proceed. The game was pretty easy after that.
I had a similar problem to this, though I didn't grind like a crazy man. I don't remember where I got stuck, but it might've been here. I know it was something they gave you no indication as to what you had to do, nor that it was even possible given the gameplay up to that point.
Anyway, my nostalgia filled mind loved it. Mainly because I'd never played a 'real' FF before. Plus my parents picked it up in a twin pack deal with Link to the Past making for one sweet Christmas present of unexpected extra game goodness.
Ya if I remember properly mobs in dungeons will respawn if you re-enter it. The battle points on the map are the only things you couldn't grind.
But you always did those as soon as you could because you got good shit for finishing them.
Magic Online - Bertro
Cue the epicness!
So what's next? The Legend games (aka: Square's shameless attempts at cashing in on the franchise by sticking the FF name on some SaGa games)? FF Adventure (which founded the Sword of Mana series)? Chocobo Racing?!? There's so much to choose from!
LIES!!!
Max level is 41 :P
Did I even play that game?
Also, the music is rockin'.
The first FF title to feature environmental interaction was Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden, which was sold in the United States as "Final Fantasy Adventure".
3DS: 1607-3034-6970
Oh yeah well what about FF1 where you blow up a boulder and use a rod to break a plate in the floor
What about that
Yeah I actually thought that was the game we where talking about until I saw the box art on one of those song clips.
Haha I remember visiting my grandma 8 hours away and going to the store with her and her buying me that and FF Legend 3 (of which i hadn't played or know anything about 1-2) and I played the hell out of both of those
That's the boy. The outside of battle environmental puzzles were really quite good. Think Golden Sun type stuff but with a range of weapons instead of psychic powers.
This thread is such a nostalgia trip from those long lost days where you'd be lucky to get three or four games a year and you'd play them endlessly. I must have reloaded my end game save to refight the final boss and watch the end credits so very many times.
If I wasn't ass-deep in DQIV on DS right now I'd so be digging this out tonight. What the hell, I still might.
We need a way to identify you people.
I really wish they'd re-use the Robot/Cyborg/Human/Mutant/Monster thing from FFL3. Granted, after a certain point it was stupid NOT to be human (with some exceptions) but early game...
I just can imagine a game on the Wii or PS3 with Chrono Trigger level of graphics and a stupidly huge number of robots and monsters. Maybe with a few thousand dungeons and random dungeon generators.
In fact, if they'd just remake FFLegend 1, 2, and 3 for the DS, I'd be happy. And the SNES Romancing Saga games.
You should do the Kingdom Hearts series as well.
Which one, FFL2 or RS2?
No US release?
The combat. The first time I played FFXII I hated the combat system. I had played JRPGs all my life and was really put off buy what I can now recognize as something more similar to a WRPG system. But at the same time, I now know how things could have been done better. I don't think the ATB system in XII meshed well with the Gambits. If the ATB bar had been a strait action bar (once the bar fills up you can take an action) that would have been one thing, but instead the ATB fills up after you pick an action. This means that with the Gambit system telling my characters to attack the nearest target when not doing anything else, I can't switch over to a character and have them manually do anything without clearing their current action and waiting for the ATB to fill up again on the new action. Its rather annoying.
The story. Half of it is politically based while the other half deals with gods and objects of magic power. This isn't a problem in itself, but the way they go about telling the story leaves much to be desired. The characters can be talking about both in the same scene using references instead of clear dialogue. The result is that the player may not know exactly what is or isn't of any importance in a particular scene. Some games jump around leaving the audience playing catch-up with the story, but it seems like XII can jump around without the audience even knowing it.
The characters. Easily the least offensive part of the game to me. Vaan and Penelo feel tacked on, but the stories of Ashe, Basch, and Balthier are interesting enough to keep me playing. I just wish there was a greater character focus. I've gone through rather longer stretches of the game without learning anything about my party, and I'm not even 20 hours in yet.
The world. The best and worst part of XII, in my opinion. The city of Rabanastre is a sight to behold. Sometimes I forget the game is on the PS2 because the number of people populating that city are so numerous. Most outdoor explorable areas are passable, some better than others. The real offender in the world category are the dungeons. Boring, same-y, lifeless dungeons. Underground areas are endless halls of the same texture and geometry repeated over and over and over again. They are the reason I can never finish a playthrough of this game. They are what remind me of my time spent in FFXI the most. Boring, fucking dreadful dungeons. Also lolbrown.
Magi things one.