Snickerd00dle's Summer Game Challenge 2011

[Xeogred]

You're right, I really should

Especially since I've never beaten FFIV.

Oh, the scandal...

This sir is an outrage! Seriously, go beat it. It won't take that long, and you should have the utmost fun doing so!

I intend to. I'm interested in the new psp version, so I'll get to it soon, I promise!

You know what's almost worse? I've never even played FF6.

I never played FF8 for more than a few minutes either, but reading Crabmaster's account of his playthrough on that has made me feel that was the right choice.

Yeah the PSP remake was so awesome. I've heard the DS one has some weird class system and basically changes the mechanics of the game, it's got dubbing, and the 3D graphics just looks like it ruins the aesthetics of the game to me. The PSP remake was slick and really awesome, old school FF all the way, and FFIV to the core. It also includes all the GBA extras, you can switch out your characters at the very end and there's a new Cave of Trials to get their ultimate weapons (didn't bother, but something to mess with another time around), and then there's the post game dungeon that sounds huge.

To top it off then there's Interlude, a short hour or two story that sets up for the sequel, The After Years, which I hear is a good 15 hours at least in itself and it seems pretty cool so far.

I was very happy with the purchase. It would have been utterly perfect if it included the hard type difficulty as well though, considering I played and beat Chronicles first years ago. I wouldn't say it was super hard or anything, but definitely a lot tougher than this and what I've played of the SNES/GBA versions.

o.pwuaioc and brunoafh might beat me with a stick for this, though I think FFVI still might be my favorite. Even though I would easily say later FFIV > WoR FFVI. I guess I just wish FFIV was a little longer and it is pretty simplistic, but still set the bar pretty high and it beats out a great deal of other FF's for me no question.

FFVIII, I said it recently in another thread but I played it once like over 10 years ago and I really enjoyed it, thought it was worth the playthrough, but I tried replaying it again last year and only got to the second disc before I got bored. It's pretty experimental, too much for its own good perhaps. Though I still think it's worth checking out for yourself. I can't argue for or against it that much though, just one of those games... hit or miss.

[noiseredux]

the PSP version of FFIV is so totally the definitive version. The inclusion of the After Years is so great. Sometimes it makes me wonder why they didn't release the set on PS3 as well. I mean, it could have easily retailed at a budget line of $20-$30 and sold plenty. It looks beautiful and has all that bonus content. Though I feel like DSH mentioned that Sony won't give physical PS3 releases to strictly 2D games. Too bad. I feel like FFIVComplete has done very well critically, and I'd guess it's done at least pretty good commercially seeing as how it seems to be one of the few recent PSP games that I hear a lot of people talking about buying. I'd guess tha had it been released on PS3 it would have shifted a lot more units.

[o.pwuaioc]

o.pwuaioc and brunoafh might beat me with a stick for this, though I think FFVI still might be my favorite. Even though I would easily say later FFIV > WoR FFVI. I guess I just wish FFIV was a little longer and it is pretty simplistic, but still set the bar pretty high and it beats out a great deal of other FF's for me no question.

I do enjoy the complexities of FFV and VI, but I can appreciate the simplicity of IV as well. It is, in my opinion, the perfect introduction to turn-based RPGs, and nary but a few can come close to it in music, epic storytelling, compelling storytelling, dramatization, characterization, and did I mention music? No matter what, but every time I listen to the soundtrack (and that's very, very often), I'm instantly transported back to the game. The main theme plays and I see Cecil wandering; the Song of Love plays and I think of Rosa; oh that poor girl, the town, the castles. I couldn't buy into the the storyline of V or VI nearly as much as I could into IV. With 4, you're introduced not with an epic quest to save the world a la FFI style, nor with the cliche amnesiac chosen one, but rather a dark knight with a conscious who makes tough choices. It's powerful, and although there are a good number of other RPGs I like, I think FFIV is the only one that really grasped me. It's more than just turn-based mechanics and sprites: it's an awesome story with great depth. That's why I like it more than VI.

[Ack]

o.pwuaioc and brunoafh might beat me with a stick for this, though I think FFVI still might be my favorite. Even though I would easily say later FFIV > WoR FFVI. I guess I just wish FFIV was a little longer and it is pretty simplistic, but still set the bar pretty high and it beats out a great deal of other FF's for me no question.

I do enjoy the complexities of FFV and VI, but I can appreciate the simplicity of IV as well. It is, in my opinion, the perfect introduction to turn-based RPGs, and nary but a few can come close to it in music, epic storytelling, compelling storytelling, dramatization, characterization, and did I mention music? No matter what, but every time I listen to the soundtrack (and that's very, very often), I'm instantly transported back to the game. The main theme plays and I see Cecil wandering; the Song of Love plays and I think of Rosa; oh that poor girl, the town, the castles. I couldn't buy into the the storyline of V or VI nearly as much as I could into IV. With 4, you're introduced not with an epic quest to save the world a la FFI style, nor with the cliche amnesiac chosen one, but rather a dark knight with a conscious who makes tough choices. It's powerful, and although there are a good number of other RPGs I like, I think FFIV is the only one that really grasped me. It's more than just turn-based mechanics and sprites: it's an awesome story with great depth. That's why I like it more than VI.

I can understand that. FFVI is my favorite entry in the series, and before this my current playthrough I hadn't given FFIV nearly as much time as I should have. From a historical perspective there are a lot of ideas I see in FFVI which went on to influence their later games. There are things about it that I feel were better refined later in the series, but the game features an excellent plot, great mechanics, and isn't overly long. So yeah, I'd say I'd agree with the assessment that it's a perfect introductory game to the genre. The biggest issue I have with that statement though is that fans of this one may feel later JRPGs are a let down, Hahaha!

Oh, another thing to FFIV's credit, it came before so much of what appears in JRPGs became cliche. Sure, there are moments and fights that now come across that way, but there is a lot that's different and that just isn't seen in JRPGs anymore. Tellah's death holds a bigger sway with me than FFVII's Aeris, and plenty of what happens to everyone else is just plain nasty. Multiple characters suffer terrible injury and are believed to die. Cities are abandoned or destroyed. The plot punches the player at times with its impact. And many of the boss battles that made for epic fights in later games got their start here(or even earlier in the series, though the West didn't get to experience them until FFIV). All around, this is one solid game, and while it still doesn't beat my love of FFVI, I'd say it's jumped quite high in my list of best RPGs.

[sevin0seven]

I intend to. I'm interested in the new psp version, so I'll get to it soon, I promise!

You know what's almost worse? I've never even played FF6.

I never played FF8 for more than a few minutes either, but reading Crabmaster's account of his playthrough on that has made me feel that was the right choice.

out of curiosity, have you played Ranma 1/2: Treasure of the Red Cat Gang (RPG) for the SFC or the translated Rom?

[Xeogred]

I guess with all that said, perhaps my biggest complaint is that FF4 just feels very short and I wish it were a little longer and bigger. Maybe there could have been more to do on the *final place* (you guys probably know what I'm suggesting), since it was just mainly the final dungeon and getting Bahamut.

I have to totally agree with Ack about the weight of the characters growth, development, and the shocking loss of some of them. Personally, I might put them in this order... FF6, FF7, and then FF4 as my third favorite. That said I think I could honestly say FF4 probably has the best characterization (both good and bad, and I say Zeromus is one of the better "random final bosses" that actually makes sense, unlike Necron or whatever), but in the end I just wish it was a little longer and there was more, even if it does feel very complete and practically flawless, unlike FF6 where in the 5+ replays I've done, everytime I get to the WoR... it just feels off, the narrative kind of fades away, and the vibe I get is just weird. It feels a little incomplete or something, and I can't say the ending is all that satisfying, compared to FF4's which I'd say is perhaps the best FF ending out there (as flawed as the game is, I'd say FF8 had a pretty good one as well actually). And FF7, well it's a love hate relationship. I have a LOT of issues with the characters/story in this one (perhaps it's the translation at times making it more convoluted than it really is), but the game is massive and just really fun gameplay wise with some great atmosphere.

But character consistency wise, FF4 might be my favorite in that regard. The revelations with Cecil are really awesome and he's probably the best lead. FF6 kind of has that problem where it has great introductions to characters, but then you get overloaded with so many and they don't get a lot of development later on except for a few like Terra, etc. This never exactly happened in FF4. Rydia might be my second favorite as well, she grows and changes so much it's just awesome, and of course Kain is amazing.

@noiseredux: If it were on the PS3 that would have been amazing, or someday I'll need to get something to play PSP games on my PS3 or something. I think I kind of realized since this was kind of a longer game for a PSP title, it really gave me some bad headaches those days after awhile, probably because my neck has been kind of funked up ever since a car wreck several years ago (bad whiplash). So it really does kind of hinder my enjoyment and interest in handheld gaming. I should force myself to take my breaks, but yeah... FF4 was very addicting again and I'd just play it for hours several days there.

This is why I think I've decided, even if I own FF5 on the GBA and am a few hours into it, I think whenever I start over on it I'll just emulate it for better comfort and playing it on a bigger screen.

[alienjesus]

Another day, another bit of progress through FFIX. I'm about to go to Terra after the baddie. I'm still on disc 3, so imagine this isnt going to be the actual final battle like it seems to be hinting it is. Still using the same team as before.


Before I progress, is it important to have all the party levelled up? My main team ranges from 48 to 41, and Vivi is 40, but the others are quite a bit lower, around level 30.

[noiseredux]

ahhhhh! MMX4 is pissing me off. What makes me so mad is that every time I restart I have to fill up the E-Tanks over again, then play through all the Robo's again to face Sigma. Now if I use my E-Tanks in that battle and die, then I just quit for the night. Because I have no chance without the E-Tanks. Sigh.

Makes me mad, because I really love the game itself. But being at the very end and not beating it is frustrating.

[lisalover1]

Well, I am up to Cosmo Canyon in FFVII. I can't believe that I am not even off the first disc yet!

[alienjesus]

Well, I am up to Cosmo Canyon in FFVII. I can't believe that I am not even off the first disc yet!

Tell me about it. I feel like I should be closing in on the end of FFIX, but I still have another disc to go after this one