Plus it had an exciting opening unlike many RPGs at the time (and still today) so thats a good hook for players to continue and go deeper.
This is something I can't believe more games don't do. Movies figured out decades ago that if you want to get a viewer/player hooked, give them something exciting to start off with. An hour of tutorial/prologue with nothing interesting can suck my balls, and too many games from both sides of the planet still haven't realized this.
Golden Sun.Golden Sun.Golden Sun.
GAH
Twilight Princess man. Twilight "boring as fuck for the first like 3 hours" Princess.
Dammit Disruptor, why do you have to like FF8? You had such a good stream of opinions going on too.
Hmm, I don't know. When taken individually, the parts seem rather meh. School Setting (how very Japanese), walking cliche characters, odd setting that doesn't quite mesh, hit or miss soundtrack (when its good, its fucking awesome, when its bad, its ear raping), the draw system.
I guess I liked the customization of the junction system and the great camera angles combined with great combat music. 9 and 10s combat seemed a step backwards in comparison. The pans and zooms seemed just right.
Oh yeah, and the FF8 opening cinematic/music was all kinds of badass, as well. Too bad by the time you have control your shit is ruined and you're in the infirmary. Way to go, loser.
Oh yeah, and the FF8 opening cinematic/music was all kinds of badass, as well. Too bad by the time you have control your shit is ruined and you're in the infirmary. Way to go, loser.
Well, it sets the theme for Squall the entire game, anyway.
I guess I liked the customization of the junction system and the great camera angles combined with great combat music. 9 and 10s combat seemed a step backwards in comparison.
Oh yeah, and the FF8 opening cinematic/music was all kinds of badass, as well. Too bad by the time you have control your shit is ruined and you're in the infirmary. Way to go, loser.
Exactly, whereas Cloud is blowing shit up to one of the coolest RPG scores of all time. That easily accounts for the hook. Oh, and FF8 being three different games' plots strung together didn't help it much.
If either of you misunderstood, I was speaking mostly about the combat presentation. As all final fantasies from 1 to 10 have essentially identical combat systems. 8's presentation is really, really well done. I actually enjoyed watching the attacks and animations. The camera worked perfectly to zoom in at the right moment, and it overall felt the most cinematic. In this respect, 10 was hit and miss. The summons were ok, but the magic spells were just wimpy. The camera was rather static, too. 9 wasn't particularly impressive either, though the graphics were amazing for a ps1 game.
Beating down Omega? was it? Or was it Ultima. The one hiding by a piano. In a dark corner.
anyway, he was something. Howling moon saves your ass round there.
I have some great after thoughts about FF8. Heck for a mild semester me and some buddies actually played the Card game. until they stopped making/selling the booster packs.
thedude_frombaywatch on
xbl tag: Dynamis King
MineCraft: Menetherin
Steam: Vloeza_SE++
Oh, and for all the anime/JRPG cliches FF7 spouted, you did get to be a member of an actual, true-blue, building-exploding, innocent-killing terrorist organization. I thought that was pretty unique.
Oh, and for all the anime/JRPG cliches FF7 spouted, you did get to be a member of an actual, true-blue, building-exploding, innocent-killing terrorist organization. I thought that was pretty unique.
A true-blue, building-exploding, innocent-killing terrorist organization with a heart of gold.
Oh, and for all the anime/JRPG cliches FF7 spouted, you did get to be a member of an actual, true-blue, building-exploding, innocent-killing terrorist organization. I thought that was pretty unique.
A true-blue, building-exploding, innocent-killing terrorist organization with a heart of gold.
Well, every terrorist organization thinks they're doing what's right.
If either of you misunderstood, I was speaking mostly about the combat presentation. As all final fantasies from 1 to 10 have essentially identical combat systems. 8's presentation is really, really well done. I actually enjoyed watching the attacks and animations. The camera worked perfectly to zoom in at the right moment, and it overall felt the most cinematic. In this respect, 10 was hit and miss. The summons were ok, but the magic spells were just wimpy. The camera was rather static, too. 9 wasn't particularly impressive either, though the graphics were amazing for a ps1 game.
I agree with all these things. FF8 and 7 certainly aren't the sum of their parts, but I just feel that 7 has a zest that not even Kevin J. Anderson could destroy, once taken as a unique whole.
If either of you misunderstood, I was speaking mostly about the combat presentation. As all final fantasies from 1 to 10 have essentially identical combat systems. 8's presentation is really, really well done. I actually enjoyed watching the attacks and animations. The camera worked perfectly to zoom in at the right moment, and it overall felt the most cinematic. In this respect, 10 was hit and miss. The summons were ok, but the magic spells were just wimpy. The camera was rather static, too. 9 wasn't particularly impressive either, though the graphics were amazing for a ps1 game.
I agree with all these things. FF8 and 7 certainly aren't the sum of their parts, but I just feel that 7 has a zest that not even Kevin J. Anderson could destroy, once taken as a unique whole.
If FF6 and 7 were the only 2 final fantasy games, that really wouldn't bother me at all.
Anyhow, more on topic, is it weird that I really, really like the Final Fantasy series, and do not like any non-FF Jrpgs? None of them. I've been a big fan of RPGs in general since I first played a D&D PC game in the early 90s. Got into FF games some time later, and loved them. But whenever I play other JRPGs, I just can't stand them.
Oh, and for all the anime/JRPG cliches FF7 spouted, you did get to be a member of an actual, true-blue, building-exploding, innocent-killing terrorist organization. I thought that was pretty unique.
A true-blue, building-exploding, innocent-killing terrorist organization with a heart of gold.
Well, every terrorist organization thinks they're doing what's right.
Fucking Greenpeace.
You have just touched upon a major part of my first few FF7 LP threads, which is still coming up. Basically, Barett is a world class eco terrorist. Green Peace and PETA got shit on him. Hell, he's even out of ALF's league.
Also, someone mentioned that 8's combat system feels more advanced than 9's and 10's. This is true at least for 9. Nine is a throwback, after all. Lower damage caps, no mutliple 9999 hitting moves, 4 party members, item based learning system that feels like an expanded FF6.
Ten however, is a more advanced system all around. Also a bit more sensical. You've got all these dudes following you around, they should all be able to battle!
Oh, and for all the anime/JRPG cliches FF7 spouted, you did get to be a member of an actual, true-blue, building-exploding, innocent-killing terrorist organization. I thought that was pretty unique.
A true-blue, building-exploding, innocent-killing terrorist organization with a heart of gold.
Well, every terrorist organization thinks they're doing what's right.
Fucking Greenpeace.
You have just touched upon a major part of my first few FF7 LP threads, which is still coming up. Basically, Barett is a world class eco terrorist. Green Peace and PETA got shit on him. Hell, he's even out of ALF's league.
Also, someone mentioned that 8's combat system feels more advanced than 9's and 10's. This is true at least for 9. Nine is a throwback, after all. Lower damage caps, no mutliple 9999 hitting moves, 4 party members, item based learning system that feels like an expanded FF6.
Ten however, is a more advanced system all around. Also a bit more sensical. You've got all these dudes following you around, they should all be able to battle!
FF8 had the best combat system of all the FFs simply due to Diablos and "Encounter - None"
No more fucking random encounters. No more goddamn primitive line-up-attack-return-to-the-line combat(grinding). Just straight to the plot and backstory. That ability is probably why I'm part of the minority that actually liked FF8. I didn't have to dick around with the magic draining.
I love the stories in RPGs, I /loathe/ the ancient combat formula, more games like Eternal Sonata kplzthx.
Yumcake on
Cake is yum, is yum cake? I think, therefore I am. I am... Yumcake.
Suikoden was great, even minor changes like theirs to the turn-based formula was enough to keep me interested. Chrono trigger, Grandia, there are other ways to do combat in an RPG, I just hate that developers keep coming back to the spartan JRPG formula when there's so much more they could do to make it fresh. The combat is the bulk of the game, at least make it fun.
Yumcake on
Cake is yum, is yum cake? I think, therefore I am. I am... Yumcake.
Disruptor: Oh, okay. I thought you were talking about the music. Because then we would have had to throw down.
thedude_frombaywatch: Not quite. I killed Omega in three rounds using Zell. Blitz or whatever it was called is the most overpowered limit in series history, bar none.
I don't understand the effiminate thing though, that's just /weird/. But then, I don't think girls understand why lesbians are so fascinating for the guys either.
Of course we do. Breasts!
And you find it hard to understand why there's something appealing about pretty boys dressed in overly elaborate clothes? Who are maybe slightly more sensitive, sweet and honourable?
Ack, no, Final Fantasy discussion! I didn't even hear of FF until I was in my 20s. Although the PS1 was extremely successful here the NES/SNES really wasn't and Japanese games in general weren't nearly as popular as in America. Growing up for people in my home town (and I'm guessing elsewhere in the UK) it was about Sonic and Duke Nukem, then Doom, Tekken, Tony Hawk, GTA, Tomb Raider and Goldeneye. I still can't understand the fascination with FF games. I found FF7 intriguing but too boring to play through (I got about 2/3rds of the way through and then gave up) and FFX/X2 looked to be the snooziest snoozefests ever. :P
I don't understand the effiminate thing though, that's just /weird/. But then, I don't think girls understand why lesbians are so fascinating for the guys either.
I don't understand the effiminate thing though, that's just /weird/. But then, I don't think girls understand why lesbians are so fascinating for the guys either.
Of course we do. Breasts!
Breasts?
BREASTS?!
WAY TO SIMPLIFY IT JANS!
Okay, here are some other reasons:
- It eliminates the competition (no men involved)
- Women are aesthetically more pleasing to look at for the majority of the population (of course there are exceptions)
- It insinuates the possibility for a threesome or orgy where you (the male) is the only male star (and thus attracts more attention)
Of course lesbianism = hot is usually only true in fantasy/porn, hence it's a bonus if it's included in games, where the fantasy can become more involved (a game involves participation rather than passive watching).
Oh, and for all the anime/JRPG cliches FF7 spouted, you did get to be a member of an actual, true-blue, building-exploding, innocent-killing terrorist organization. I thought that was pretty unique.
A true-blue, building-exploding, innocent-killing terrorist organization with a heart of gold.
Well, every terrorist organization thinks they're doing what's right.
Fucking Greenpeace.
You have just touched upon a major part of my first few FF7 LP threads, which is still coming up. Basically, Barett is a world class eco terrorist. Green Peace and PETA got shit on him. Hell, he's even out of ALF's league.
Also, someone mentioned that 8's combat system feels more advanced than 9's and 10's. This is true at least for 9. Nine is a throwback, after all. Lower damage caps, no mutliple 9999 hitting moves, 4 party members, item based learning system that feels like an expanded FF6.
Ten however, is a more advanced system all around. Also a bit more sensical. You've got all these dudes following you around, they should all be able to battle!
FF8 had the best combat system of all the FFs simply due to Diablos and "Encounter - None"
No more fucking random encounters. No more goddamn primitive line-up-attack-return-to-the-line combat(grinding). Just straight to the plot and backstory. That ability is probably why I'm part of the minority that actually liked FF8. I didn't have to dick around with the magic draining.
I love the stories in RPGs, I /loathe/ the ancient combat formula, more games like Eternal Sonata kplzthx.
Unless you wanted Bahamut or whoever was sitting out in the ocean for some reason, then Encounter - None nets you 'Encounter every 3 steps instead of every step' or something equally crazy. Still very nice, though. The junctioning system was alright, but the big problem I always had was the drawing - endless drawing...
The game would probably be 5 hours shorter if I didn't have to stock magic 1-3 at a time (for the good ones).
That said, getting back to the original topic, I enjoy any RPG where it lets me play the role I want to play. If the game suddenly starts making a bunch of strange, nonsensical choices and weird things start happening, well, I become disinterested.
This is why I feel FF7 is so effective, since you get a bunch of people that attach themselves to a character and then Sephiroth puts a sword through them...and then it's all "I will avenge you!" sort of stuff. I'm also willing to bet that most people played the game in their adolesence or early 20s since the older gamer weren't to prevalent, so I'm sure there's the subconscious "I went on a date with her, you can't do that!" or something, going on). FF8 is kind of similar, except - if I remember right - the big loss kind of thing happens on disc 3 and it's shorter and such. FF7 hit the sweet spot of being released at a point to catch a bunch of 80s babies, though, I'm thinking (along with some 70s).
This is also probably why a lot of Japanese games tend to follow similar formulas. They're almost like drawn out movies, and I believe the role player gets drawn into them the same way they'd love to be Rambo or maybe even DiCaprio's character from Titantic (man, that name is just not coming to me). So, maybe JRPGs excel at putting you into a character you'd like to be (or wouldn't mind being), while western RPGs tend to just let you build your character from scratch (or at least make it appear that way...as it stands, there's really only so much choice in KotOR or Oblivion).
(I'll admit that the JRPGs I've played are mostly limted to Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasies, Breath of Fires, Xenogears, Secret of Manas and some others)
Also, with regards to 'hollywood' Lesbianism, I'm thinking Japanese and American tastes don't differ too much...
UltimaGecko on
The facehuggers want to play with you in the AvP LP. Facehuggers also want you to check out the TF2 cards here. View the in-progress RE mansion recreation for L4D here.
I tend to like Suikoden or even Xenosaga more than Final Fantasy. Not that its a bad game, I love Final Fantasy, but I seem to find the world of Suikoden extremely developed and has a huge history which isn't really explored. The same goes for Xenosaga, but with the exception of that the story and the world is really explored and that its one of the greatest stories of our time.
Final Fantasy is also good, but the introduction of new worlds every day is sort of off putting. I mean in the Tales of series, at least you can see some parts which inter-link but in FF I don't think they do.
Posts
Twilight Princess man. Twilight "boring as fuck for the first like 3 hours" Princess.
Hmm, I don't know. When taken individually, the parts seem rather meh. School Setting (how very Japanese), walking cliche characters, odd setting that doesn't quite mesh, hit or miss soundtrack (when its good, its fucking awesome, when its bad, its ear raping), the draw system.
I guess I liked the customization of the junction system and the great camera angles combined with great combat music. 9 and 10s combat seemed a step backwards in comparison. The pans and zooms seemed just right.
Weeks later, the receipt is long-since gone, and I'm told to insert disc four only to find that I don't have disc four!
Fucking Square gave me two disc threes.
I never got to finish it.
All right.
Roll for initiative.
Exactly, whereas Cloud is blowing shit up to one of the coolest RPG scores of all time. That easily accounts for the hook. Oh, and FF8 being three different games' plots strung together didn't help it much.
anyway, he was something. Howling moon saves your ass round there.
I have some great after thoughts about FF8. Heck for a mild semester me and some buddies actually played the Card game. until they stopped making/selling the booster packs.
MineCraft: Menetherin
Steam: Vloeza_SE++
A true-blue, building-exploding, innocent-killing terrorist organization with a heart of gold.
Fucking Greenpeace.
I agree with all these things. FF8 and 7 certainly aren't the sum of their parts, but I just feel that 7 has a zest that not even Kevin J. Anderson could destroy, once taken as a unique whole.
If FF6 and 7 were the only 2 final fantasy games, that really wouldn't bother me at all.
Anyhow, more on topic, is it weird that I really, really like the Final Fantasy series, and do not like any non-FF Jrpgs? None of them. I've been a big fan of RPGs in general since I first played a D&D PC game in the early 90s. Got into FF games some time later, and loved them. But whenever I play other JRPGs, I just can't stand them.
You have just touched upon a major part of my first few FF7 LP threads, which is still coming up. Basically, Barett is a world class eco terrorist. Green Peace and PETA got shit on him. Hell, he's even out of ALF's league.
Also, someone mentioned that 8's combat system feels more advanced than 9's and 10's. This is true at least for 9. Nine is a throwback, after all. Lower damage caps, no mutliple 9999 hitting moves, 4 party members, item based learning system that feels like an expanded FF6.
Ten however, is a more advanced system all around. Also a bit more sensical. You've got all these dudes following you around, they should all be able to battle!
FF8 had the best combat system of all the FFs simply due to Diablos and "Encounter - None"
No more fucking random encounters. No more goddamn primitive line-up-attack-return-to-the-line combat(grinding). Just straight to the plot and backstory. That ability is probably why I'm part of the minority that actually liked FF8. I didn't have to dick around with the magic draining.
I love the stories in RPGs, I /loathe/ the ancient combat formula, more games like Eternal Sonata kplzthx.
I must played through it 5-6 times across the years and I never replay any RPGs except for the Suikoden series, which is my favorite series ever.
Best thing in FF8 was having Aura and skipping turns until Squall had his limit. So basically, every attack you make is a limit
Real men just leave their HP in yellow range and mash on square.
sore dake desu
vista no de nihongo no nyuushu ga kowarechatta no yo
gomen
Just about sums it up.
http://www.audioentropy.com/
thedude_frombaywatch: Not quite. I killed Omega in three rounds using Zell. Blitz or whatever it was called is the most overpowered limit in series history, bar none.
Yumcake: Uh... ever hear of the Moogle Charm?
Of course we do. Breasts!
And you find it hard to understand why there's something appealing about pretty boys dressed in overly elaborate clothes? Who are maybe slightly more sensitive, sweet and honourable?
Ack, no, Final Fantasy discussion! I didn't even hear of FF until I was in my 20s. Although the PS1 was extremely successful here the NES/SNES really wasn't and Japanese games in general weren't nearly as popular as in America. Growing up for people in my home town (and I'm guessing elsewhere in the UK) it was about Sonic and Duke Nukem, then Doom, Tekken, Tony Hawk, GTA, Tomb Raider and Goldeneye. I still can't understand the fascination with FF games. I found FF7 intriguing but too boring to play through (I got about 2/3rds of the way through and then gave up) and FFX/X2 looked to be the snooziest snoozefests ever. :P
I hate that I can read what you said.
Gonna translate or is someone gonna have to whip out a dictionary. It's too damn late for this!
It's nothing worth translating.
I'm just sad that 3 years of university japanese means that I can read the above and not much else.
Heh. Well, at least you don't have seven years of a dead language...
Breasts?
BREASTS?!
WAY TO SIMPLIFY IT JANS!
I didn't know you did French, XoB!
Okay, here are some other reasons:
- It eliminates the competition (no men involved)
- Women are aesthetically more pleasing to look at for the majority of the population (of course there are exceptions)
- It insinuates the possibility for a threesome or orgy where you (the male) is the only male star (and thus attracts more attention)
Of course lesbianism = hot is usually only true in fantasy/porn, hence it's a bonus if it's included in games, where the fantasy can become more involved (a game involves participation rather than passive watching).
Unless you wanted Bahamut or whoever was sitting out in the ocean for some reason, then Encounter - None nets you 'Encounter every 3 steps instead of every step' or something equally crazy. Still very nice, though. The junctioning system was alright, but the big problem I always had was the drawing - endless drawing...
The game would probably be 5 hours shorter if I didn't have to stock magic 1-3 at a time (for the good ones).
That said, getting back to the original topic, I enjoy any RPG where it lets me play the role I want to play. If the game suddenly starts making a bunch of strange, nonsensical choices and weird things start happening, well, I become disinterested.
This is why I feel FF7 is so effective, since you get a bunch of people that attach themselves to a character and then Sephiroth puts a sword through them...and then it's all "I will avenge you!" sort of stuff. I'm also willing to bet that most people played the game in their adolesence or early 20s since the older gamer weren't to prevalent, so I'm sure there's the subconscious "I went on a date with her, you can't do that!" or something, going on). FF8 is kind of similar, except - if I remember right - the big loss kind of thing happens on disc 3 and it's shorter and such. FF7 hit the sweet spot of being released at a point to catch a bunch of 80s babies, though, I'm thinking (along with some 70s).
This is also probably why a lot of Japanese games tend to follow similar formulas. They're almost like drawn out movies, and I believe the role player gets drawn into them the same way they'd love to be Rambo or maybe even DiCaprio's character from Titantic (man, that name is just not coming to me). So, maybe JRPGs excel at putting you into a character you'd like to be (or wouldn't mind being), while western RPGs tend to just let you build your character from scratch (or at least make it appear that way...as it stands, there's really only so much choice in KotOR or Oblivion).
(I'll admit that the JRPGs I've played are mostly limted to Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasies, Breath of Fires, Xenogears, Secret of Manas and some others)
Also, with regards to 'hollywood' Lesbianism, I'm thinking Japanese and American tastes don't differ too much...
Final Fantasy is also good, but the introduction of new worlds every day is sort of off putting. I mean in the Tales of series, at least you can see some parts which inter-link but in FF I don't think they do.
PHAIL.
Cootches are nasty. Breasts look like lumps of raw meat. Bleah.
There, edited, just for you :P