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Logged a bit of time into FF Tactics Advance today and I'm quickly reminded of why I haven't finished a FF game since the PS1 era (or many traditional JRPGs for that matter)... the cringe-worthy story.

I wouldn't really mind that it's cliche, long, uninteresting, or has a ton of names to try to remember to match with nearly identical sprites, but the fact that it's so forced and I haven't found a good way to cut through the garbage - it really chaps my ass. Furthermore, it's really disheartening to already know right now that if I actually end up liking the game, I probably won't replay it for that reason.

From what small amounts of actual game play I did encounter, it does seem like your standard SRPG fare and that's a good thing so far because I have a strong preference for it. I'll keep at it and see how my opinions evolve.

Bro... Ignore the story and push through. The actual game mechanics are tight.

I am a couple of hours into Final Fantasy Mystic Quest (SNES) and have collected the first crystal and am on my way to getting the second. Pros and cons so far:

Like:
-decent music, though it is weird not hearing any of the standard FF tunes thus far
-the game is fast paced - movement is quick, being able to jump around and use bombs while navigating around the maps is fun
-encounters aren't random
-very much "meat and potatoes" combat

Dislike:
-a bit grindy already
-characters and story are pretty "stock" and bland
-the limit (thus far) of two characters in your party


It very much feels like a "comfort food" JRPG, especially if that food was served by a run-down diner.

The only thing you haven't gotten to yet are the status effects. Those issues you mentioned don't go away.

The 7th Saga did the two-character party thing much better.

FFT:A's story is pretty trash compared to FFT.

Ack wrote:The only thing you haven't gotten to yet are the status effects. Those issues you mentioned don't go away.

Status effects don't seem bad yet. When do the problems start? About to go grab the third crystal...

dsheinem wrote:

Ack wrote:The only thing you haven't gotten to yet are the status effects. Those issues you mentioned don't go away.

Status effects don't seem bad yet. When do the problems start? About to go grab the third crystal...

If I recall, you will start encountering enemies who can use things like petrify to knock one of your members out of the fight in an instant. Two using attacks like that back to back mean you're out entirely.

Mystic Quest and Adventure!

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings

I'm up to the 3rd chapter now. At this point in time I'm enjoying FFXII:RW quite a bit. The world building is strong, the story's not terrible, graphics are great, music's pristine, and the gameplay is growing in complexity. This is not a bog standard RTS by any means thus far. Provided the difficulty balancing stays reasonable, this could be a winner. Maybe.