QUESTION ONE: We'll get the easy ones out of the way first. Favourite Final Fantasy, avec quick explanation as to why that is so.
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 | | Adam Larck |
Have to go with Final Fantasy VIII. I loved the Draw system in the game, along with the card game. The storyline kept me engaged as well. Also, I really got into the characters and liked doing the sidequests for full completion. Still my favorite one in the series to go back to play.
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 | | Josh Boykin |
Without a doubt, FFIV is my favorite of all time. It was my first RPG, and I've always been an avid reader, so the immersive storyline really appealed to me. I can still remember spending hours sitting in front of my TV, renting and re-renting Final Fantasy II so I could find out about Cecil and Co on their adventures. I think FFIV was the first time I really realized that a video game could be something deeper than "Move from A to B while killing C and collecting D for extra lives."
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 | | Stephen Randle |
It was the first one I played, and in my eyes it will take heroic efforts to be surpassed. Final Fantasy VI is a near-perfect game in my eyes. Fourteen unique playable characters with their own personal storylines, an incredible soundtrack, the greatest villain in FF history, the game is so deep without ever being frustrating or boring. Well, maybe when you're trying to break the Cursed Shield, but other than that…
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 | | Joe Roche |
This is a weird question for me because I desperately want to say FFVII and be that guy who says FFVII and then goes all emo about Sephiroth. I BUT I'm going in a different direction and I'm going to say FFX takes the nod in my mind. I may come off as a bit of a fanboy but top to bottom I thought FFX had the best characters. Tidus was a solid protagonist to the point where when he starts to fade away at the end of the game I started hoping that there was some other way the game could end. Also the game gave us Auron who was the balls and frankly the end of FFX had a bigger impact on me emotionally then the end of VII or really any other FF so screw you if you don't agree that's my pick. |
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 | | Quizmaster |
May I say that FFIX gets overlooked a lot, but should be right up there on "best" lists. Roche gets 550 points for being both unconventional and unapologetic for it.
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QUESTION TWO: Now do it for your least favourite Final Fantasy.
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| | Adam Larck |
Sticking with just the mainstream series, I have to go with Final Fantasy XII. My main problem was the battle system. I just didn't like the semi-control that you have. It will be interesting to see how the current game's battle system will be. Plus, the storyline never drew me in like a lot of the other games in the series did.
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| | Josh Boykin |
VIII, you're an unholy bastard. I HATE DRAW MAGIC, AND I HATE SQUALL LIONHEART, AND I'M WRITING LIKE HARRY POTTER IN THE FIFTH BOOK. In all seriousness, though, with the exception of Triple Triad (which was the only reason VIII was in my PS1 for any extended amount of time), I just wasn't a fan of the story and development in the first few hours of the game. After the from-the-beginning action VII offered, I simply wasn't interested in VIII's love story. I'll give it another shot someday, I'm sure…
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| | Stephen Randle |
It's a tossup between VIII and XII. For years, it was a snap call on VIII because the game was so dull and complicated, the story didn't really make sense, and Draw magic will remain my least favourite FF mechanic probably forever. But at least I managed to play through most of that game before giving up in confusion. FFXII was visually incredible, but the characters were dull, the story was uninteresting, and the boss battles done in real time were just ridiculous and relied waaaay too much on chaining limit breaks. Actually, I pretty much hated the entire ‘real-time' battle system, with control over only one character, while letting "macros" handle everything else, especially since you don't even have access to 90% of the macros without progressing. Which becomes a hassle during battles where positioning determines if you get hit or not. FFVIII was confusing, but XII was so damned boring that I got to the land of the bunny people and then gave up and never looked back. At least I felt bad about never finishing VIII.
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| | Joe Roche |
This is a bit of a cop-out but I'm saying Final Fantasy X-2, and that has everything to do with the fact that I loved FFX so much. Frankly too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, and FFX-2 was, lets just say a bit to silly for me. Frankly I think the idea of continuing a story, or spinning it off is dangerous for the FF series which is why I'm nervous about the new direction where FF13 is going to essentially continue on into the future. Oh and if you don't know what I'm talking about I imagine you've never finished FFX but some characters should stay dead, some memories should stay the way they were originally written -- so blah to you FFX-2. |
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| | Quizmaster |
I don't think there's any shocks here. Which is fortunate, I'd hate to deduct points from some smart-ass picking something like FFIV as the "worst" one. A hundred points each.
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QUESTION THREE: Favourite RPG that isn't Final Fantasy?
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| | Adam Larck |
The Suikoden series. Recruiting all 108 characters took a lot of time, yet I loved trying to do it. The different formations that could be formed for special attacks and combos were also fun to see what could be done with who. Even the huge battles with troops were fun, although they were still probably one of my least liked things in the series.
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| | Josh Boykin |
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. It's ridiculously in-depth, and the number of characters and possibilities the game offered the player really set a new standard for modern role-playing games. I love watching the combat, and since I'm an old D&D nerd, I sometimes like to turn on the text option and watch the dice rolls… ::grins::
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| | Stephen Randle |
For reasons that I can't explain, I love the original Wild Arms for PS1. Maybe because it was the first RPG I bought for that system, but something about that game grabbed me and wouldn't let go until I finished it.
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| | Joe Roche |
What makes FF such a great experience for me is that I don't tend to enjoy JRPG's at all other then the FF series which I desperately adore. In this place I might even throw Mass Effect which I know was improved upon by Mass Effect 2, but again I have a love-hate relationship with RPG sequels. Plus Mass Effect was a new take on the WRPG with a futuristic, sci-fi setting which I loved and that's why I'd put it above things like Jade Empire, or Oblivion and it's why I still own a copy of Mass Effect and not those other options (I'm looking at you, Dragon Age: Origins). |
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| | Quizmaster |
Everyone gets 100 points for playing all sorts of different RPGS. You nerds.
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QUESTION FOUR: It's the big issue lately, so how do you feel about the accusations of increased linearity and decreased difficulty in FFXIII?
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| | Adam Larck |
Surprisingly, I'm alright with this. I think this will let me spend less time fully beating the game than past ones in the series. While I still expect to spend at least 60 hours wandering around doing side missions in such later on, this is still a substantial decrease from past games in the series. Hopefully, this will just allow me to get to other games quicker that I've been wanting to play during this big first quarter.
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| | Josh Boykin |
Well, I feel like those are two different problems for me. I DO mind a decreased difficulty; I feel like gaming as a whole is making a trend towards easier "normal" difficulties and hand-holding, which makes me feel like I'm not accomplishing as much after a game is done. I'm doubting that XIII will be a cakewalk by any means, but I sure hope they don't prove me wrong. As far as increased linearity is concerned, well, I say more power to ‘em. I make decisions every damned day of my life, and in every other RPG I've bought in the last couple years. I think that FFXIII is aiming to tell a story, a story that doesn't have a lot of branching paths, and I'm ok with that idea. Then again, I like reading books, and I stopped reading Choose Your Own Adventure books in grade school.
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| | Stephen Randle |
I think it's a good thing. Part of the reason why I have trouble finishing FF games is that stretch of game where you can go anywhere, grind levels, and do all sorts of side quests. Then, once you finish everything…where do you go to finish the game again? Where was I in the storyline? And God help me if I have to take a break from gaming for a few weeks, because then I pick it up again and struggle desperately to remember what I was doing. And then I remember months later how cool the game was, and I re-start the entire game. And the cycle resumes. Increased linearity might ensure that I actually finish the game in a single stretch. I can't comment on decreased difficulty, because I've never really found FF difficult other than the super optional bosses that they put in there to frustrate the crap out of you.
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| | Joe Roche |
I understand their reason for streamlining things and here is my biggest problem with their reasoning - no casual gamer is going to play a game that takes 16 hours to really kick into gear. I've never met one person who would even THINK about spending 16 hours (longer then most regular games) just learning characters and settings before the game actually springs to action. So the idea of simplifying the game to appeal to a casual audience even though the casual audience will never pick up the game, and thus you've made an addition at the expense of your established audience to attract an audience who isn't going to play your game anyway because it takes 16 hours to get going. |
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| | Quizmaster |
I think unless Final Fantasy turns into an arcade rail shooter like House of the Dead, it's still going to be less linear than 80% of games on the market anyway, but good points all around. No points, though.
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QUESTION FIVE: Did you play FFXI/Are you looking ahead to FFXIV (The MMO FF's), and do you think going into MMO's was/is a good direction for FF?
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| | Adam Larck |
I looked at FFXI once, and never again. The series will always be single player to me. Plus, as far as fantasy MMO's go, I think World of Warcraft pretty much got it solidified. However, if no monthly fees were charged to play, I could see myself picking it up.
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| | Josh Boykin |
I didn't play FFXI, and I don't have any real interest in FFXIV. I think it's because I want STORY from a Final Fantasy title, and I don't really get how I'm supposed to really get a story out of an MMO. I enjoy questing and partying with friends and whatnot, but what makes a Final Fantasy memorable for me are the stories, the characters, and the emotion, not the casting system or the monsters (the things which carry over to an MMO, I'm guessing.) I can't really think of how they would address that issue, but if FFXIV does it (and doesn't cost me more than the $50 a year I already pay for XBLA), I'd certainly be willing to give it a shot
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| | Stephen Randle |
I never played MMO's until WoW got its claws into me, but from what I heard, FFXI seemed incredibly hard and frustrating for my tastes. I'm waiting for more info on XIV, but with my Wow habit kicked, I'm willing to give almost anything a shot if it can hold my attention (I'm currently attempting Fantasy Earth Zero, a free MMO from…hey, Square-Enix…what a coincidence). I don't know if MMO's are the way to go anymore, since WoW has pretty much cornered the market, especially in terms of fantasy, but you'll never know unless you try, and as long as they don't try to be a "WoW killer" (because it ain't happening), they can probably attract enough fans to be worthwhile.
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| | Joe Roche |
Nope. Didn't play them, didn't care to play them - have no interest in MMO's. That being said it's a natural progression for the FF universe and it makes complete sense to try it. Actually they'd be foolish to not try it because Square Enix has a built in audience and an established name in Final Fantasy so why not try to exploit it when you share a very similar audience with the MMO audience. |
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| | Quizmaster |
Hey, remember how Sony came out with a hard drive for the PS2 which only ever really had one use: storing Final Fantasy XI data? Everyone who mentioned World of Warcraft gets 1500 points and hopefully, the attention of the people at Blizzard who have free copies of Starcraft II and Diablo III available for poor gaming reporters like us.
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QUESTION SIX: You're strapped in with your eyes held open like that dude in Clockwork Orange. Pick your poison: Advent Children or The Spirits Within?
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| | Adam Larck |
No contest, and you wouldn't even have to hold my eyes open. I liked Advent Children. I thought it was a decent tie-in to the series and it did a good job bringing the characters in. While the story was out there, the action sequences made up for it.
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| | Josh Boykin |
The Spirits Within. Only because I haven't cleared VII yet (I know, I'm full of FAIL), and I've told myself I'm not going to watch Advent Children until I do so.
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| | Stephen Randle |
Advent Children hands down. At least it was a recognizable FF movie. The Spirits Within was a wonder of CGI, but I found it to be missing one important factor: F***ING FANTASY, YOU IDIOTS!!! Sorry, I've been holding that in for a while.
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| | Joe Roche |
I sound like a broken record but I hate when FF games are spun off or given sequels. Frankly I invest so much time in a FF game that I want the experience to just end. Sometimes things are just perfect and I often feel that if I invest 40-80 hours playing your game you should have plenty of time to tell a story arc and let things end in their natural progression. Needless to say Advent Children can suck a d*ck, and The Spirits Within isn't much better but default I'll take my glass of milk and watch that one thank you very much |
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| | Quizmaster |
A Clockwork Orange sucked. There, I said it. Malcolm McDowell is awesome, though. Boykin and Roche get 5000 points for being brave enough to be willing to watch The Spirits Within.
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BONUS QUESTION: What is it about FF that gets you to keep playing it over two decades and multiple console generations, even though most of the games are totally unrelated beyond the name and the occasional chocobo?
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| | Adam Larck |
What keeps me playing is the fact that I'm a big RPG fan. I try to pick up any RPG that catches my interest. However, the problem is I don't often have the time I need to give to these games, so they end up getting shelved and played from time to time. I've always made an exception for Final Fantasy, though, because I've always thought the stories and characters were developed great. Plus, I'm a big fan of Nobuo Uematsu and the rest of the staff that works on the music for series.
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| | Josh Boykin |
I think what keeps me playing FF titles is exactly what the question says: the games are completely unrelated. I was really disappointed when I heard that Final Fantasy X-2 was going to come out, and since then FF has fallen into the same sequence of sequel-whoring that other successful franchises has (VII alone has TONS of sequels and prequels in Japan), and though I respect SquareEnix for catering to the demands of the fans, I respected them MORE for opening and closing a story in one fell swoop. A Final Fantasy title is like a good book: it has a strong plot, interesting characters, and keeps you involved from start to finish. Final Fantasy is more than a game, it's an experience. And I suppose that's really why I'm looking forward to XIII's linearity, because I really want to experience a game again, and I'm hoping XIII gives me that chance.
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| | Stephen Randle |
I can't quite quantify what's kept bringing me back all these years. Maybe it's the fact that they're all connected by consistent images and memories, like moogles, chocobos, and good ol' Cid, but each game is a totally new game, in a new world. Maybe it's the characters that have always been well-designed and fully realized, with unique motivations and character moments. I know the classical, incredible and infinitely replayable soundtrack that each game brings to the table. Plus, you can't lose at an RPG if you simply play long enough. Suck it, FPS powergamers.
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| | Joe Roche |
This one is easy -- it's the deep, engaging storyline and amazingly well developed characters. I can appreciate a great story and Final Fantasy keeps me coming back for more because almost every time out of the box we get a truly memorable experience, which is rare in this day and age of games that I forget ten minutes after I've taken them out of the console. |
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