Topic: Final fantasy discussion thread

So I added all of the pixel remasters to my wishlist separately but I can’t find a bundle of all 6 on the store. Apparently there is one and it’s cheaper than buying each separately but it isn’t coming up when I search? Am I missing something?

@colonelkilgore https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/product/EP0082-CUSA33838_...

does that work?

@AgentCooper cheers bud… yeah quite strange that it wouldn’t show up when searching the store directly on ps5 but will when searching the internet using iPad/phone etc. oh well, it’s added now anyway 👊

@colonelkilgore Nice one! I was looking at the collection this morning incidentally, never played a FF game so I've got plenty to get stuck into.

@AgentCooper If you haven't played FF before, I'd recommend steering clear from FF2 and possibly even FF3. FF2 is the black sheep of the series as it's completely different from the other games. You don't level up in the traditional sense, you increase your stats by performing actions. For example, in order to increase your attack, you need to attack enemies. In order to increase defence, you need to get attacked by enemies. There's no EXP system.

FF3 is regarded as one of the hardest FF games in the series and I can attest to that. I had to grind for hours upon hours before I could beat it.

FF1 and FF4-6 are great though.

@LtSarge Final Fantasy 3 is a bit easier with the XP Boosts options they added to Pixel Remaster. But II Yeah the leveling up system is just odd. I can see where they were going with it but it just slowed the game down for me.

@Tasuki That's a good point, I forgot that they made these games more accessible with the added features in the Pixel remasters. FF3 might then be more doable, perhaps even FF2.

@LtSarge Yeah the options they added to take out the grind is great. My friend is currently play VI Pixal Remaster and he is loving the boosted points he's getting for the Espers. That was one thing that always made me stop playing that game again but with Pixal Remaster I am looking forward to it again.

@LtSarge Thanks so much for the advice. It could be a little while yet before I start the series but I’m sure I’ll be reaching out again for help. It’s going to be hard to skip entries if I’m honest, it’ll really bother me haha

@AgentCooper The nice thing with Final Fantasy games are you can play them in any order as they aren't connected to each other story wise. I believe some of the later games are but the ones on Pixal Remaster dont.

@Tasuki Ah that does calm the mind somewhat thank you, I could play the recommended ones to find my feet and dive into the lesser regarded ones after 👍

@AgentCooper Yes, to follow up the points by Tasuki and Sarge, there’s no real common narrative thread between the mainline FF installments. So FF8 has nothing to do with FF7, etc. A few of the games have story-related sequels within the numbered entry — notably FFX has a sequel FFX-2, and FFXIII has two sequels FFXIII-2 and FFXIII-3: Lightning Returns, and Crisis Core is a spin-off/prequel to FF7, to name a few. There’s many other random spin-offs, mobile games, etc. but almost all can be ignored, otherwise it can get pretty confusing for a newcomer. If you are just going to randomly try one of the mainline entries then you’re fine to jump anywhere into the main numbered games.

There’s some common DNA between the entries, mostly in terminology, aesthetics, and a little bit of inessential lore. For example, games have a random character named Cid (at least all the games I’ve played) who’s usually a side NPC. There’s probably some crazy theory out there as to how all Cid’s are related but I think it’s more of an inside joke. (Kind of like the recurrent phrase “I’ve got a bad feeling about this…” which repeatedly pops up in Star Wars shows and movies, it’s a tongue-in-cheek nod to fans who follow the series). I think all the games also have chocobos and moogles, which are a couple different species of cute beings that just pop up in the lore. Most of the summons and magic are repeated with similar names, so you get to know if you run into Ifrit he’s fire based, for example. Terms for the elemental attacks mostly make sense like Fire or Blizzard but some take getting used to like Bio is poison… stuff like that.

Depending on your tolerance for old-skool retro JRPGs, FF7 is a common entry point, and was my first FF. The FF7 Remake is a better place to jump in if you dislike retro gaming. FFX is another good entry point, imo. But that’s highly debated. My favorite might be FFXII, but it’s not really a good starting point because the combat system and “gambit” system is really a different and weird thing probably for a newcomer.

Incidental disclaimer: I haven’t played FF1-6 or 15, so take all this with a grain of salt. 😄

@AgentCooper Yes you could, however after 7 the series just took a turn for the worst. Alot of the soul and creativity that made Final Fantasy was just lost. Characters had no personalities, the stories were flat and dull and you can tell just became let's push out another game just because we can.

Now Final Fantasy 1-6 are solid entries I have heard that 3 can be a bit slow due to the grind but you can boost the XP you get in the Remasters and 2 is a bit odd with that you don't gain levels more it's about Stat points. And 5 is a solid entry just not as good as 4 or 6. But yeah whichever you choose from that bunch will be a good place to start.

@Tasuki you reckon FF1 has better characters and story than 7, then?

@kyleforrester87 @Tasuki Is this turning into a Charlie and Stella from League of Gentlemen kind of thing?

@AgentCooper it’s more like that bar fight scene in Kickboxer, and I’m Van Damme -powpowpow!!!

@kyleforrester87 Without giving away any spoilers, yes. It was more thought out, 7 was just your typical villain of the week plot which has been done to death so many times.

@Tasuki I’m okay with spoilers tbf, go for it!