Topic: Final fantasy discussion thread

@GirlVersusGame Yes, FF7 Rebirth is an open world Final Fantasy game, but it is one of the few exceptions to what I said earlier — as it’s a sequel to FF7 Remake, so it’s best to do that first.

So the original FF7 is a solitary standalone game, but the remake if it has turned it into a trilogy. Part 1 is called FF7 Remake. Part 2 is called FF7 Rebirth. Part 3 has yet to be released and we don’t know the title yet. Probably a “Re-“ something. Maybe “Resurrection” or “Retcon” 😂 since they have changed the original story quite a bit.

@Th3solution Thanks, RavixAI to the rescue. I'll definitely try it out. It felt like the one I did play was supposed to be more open-world, but then wasn't. It could have been the car, I stopped every now and then and saw hints of something but that something didn't feel as fleshed out as it could have been. I'll never keep up with the rest of what you just said, I'll let you know what I thought about the game when I eventually get around to playing it. I've heard of the remake FF7, I think I own it but now it sounds like I'd have to play three of them to make it all fit. I'm skimming through Amazon to see what lore books and introductions are available (books)

I'm going to give this one a shot, it sounds informative. I left the sidebar there in-case you are curious about it yourself.

@Th3solution Yeah, I think there's definitely a difference between grinding and playing a demo losing progress/dying and being put back to an old save. I'm not overly fond of the former either, but I totally get why you have fun with that and not with the latter. My friend is currently playing a game called Fear & Hunger 2: Termina. It's this f---ed up horror RPG, and while it looks interesting in terms of its art style and lore, it has that feature where saving is an essential part of the gameplay loop in that there's very limited opportunities to rather than a mindless, quick thing. The amount of times he's come to me talking about how he's played for 30-60 minutes and died only to be reverted back to an old save... that's the real horror in a game for me!

Oh yeah, I already didn't know that the demo included the prologue too. It's good that it wasn't just that big boss battle as a vertical slice at least, but I can see why people may have gotten the wrong expectations with a carved up demo like that. If ever I do get to 16, I'd probably just jump in cold turkey since I'm certain enough that I'd play more than a small opening even if I'd eventually quit.

It's funny to hear you speaking about your opinions about DLC, because I always feel the opposite way. I'm totally fine with pre-planned roadmap DLC (that's not obviously cut ouf the game like Mass Effect's From Ashes), but I hate when DLC suddenly first gets announced a long time after release. I like to know that there's DLC coming so I can hold out on my purchase and wait for the full experience. That's why I still haven't touched Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, because I know there's still a second wave of DLC releasing this year thanks to their roadmaps. I would say there is a difference between stuff that's actively integrated into the main game like that vs. a separate campaign like RE4's Separate Ways. I don't mind re-downloading to get back into a separate journey, but yeah, I hate when I finished a game only to be told months later: ''If you replay now, there's a lot added during the main campaign with this brand-new DLC!'' Only then I feel like I've missed out, because I know I am never going to replay a game.

Yeah, I saw you tag me in the comment section of that article! I had a good read through it at the time, so thanks. To be honest, I use PushSquare exclusively for the forum. I've bookmarked the ''All Topics'' page of the forum, so I'm never even on the homepage and barely see what articles are coming out. Sometimes I even forget this is a news site first instead of just a forum with a nice, intimate community, haha. Seems like we largely agree on these side games in open worlds. I do wonder how I'll react to Gwent when it becomes the main mode of gameplay in Thronebreaker after not engaging with it in The Witcher 3. You'll have to let me know how you get on with it the second time around! It sounds like the Star Wars games have side games is a bit of a prerequisite too. I played Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for about 10 hours last year, and they also had a card game that essentially just amounted to being space blackjack. Nothing special, but it was a nice, predictable source of income for when I'd want to spend some money at a shop! I totally forgot about the Yakuza series. I've never played one (and probably never will with how extensive that series is). I do have Judgment in my backlog since it's a more isolated stand-alone thing, so I wonder if it likewise has a lot of minigames.

Haha, I appreciated the (unintended) tailor-made pun. My hat off to you, sir. It is my first playthrough of The Last of Us: Part II! I have, as always, (overly) extensive thoughts, so I'll be sure to post them in the appropriate thread unlike my usual shtick of derailing every possible thread on the forum. I see you trying to stop me in my ways... How dare you?!

@Th3solution So I just wanted to drop in here and talk quickly about the madness I've uncovered about some of the Final Fantasy spin-offs... I don't know if you've ever been a Nintendo person or owned any of the modern Nintendo consoles, but what the hell is going on with Crystal Chronicles?! I gifted my roommate a used 3DS for his birthday, after which he pulled out a cartridge of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Ring of Fates. How many different sub-titles can a game have? That led me down the rabbit hole of what this particular sub-series even is. A one-off GameCube title focused on co-op, followed by two seemingly low-budget DS sequels where co-op was barely in the equation. This series is really just doing anything at all times. Who asked for this? Why have I never heard about this sub-series before? What do you mean it actually got great reviews at the time and why has it then not stuck in memory with fans of the franchise?

And if that wasn't random enough, I then found out about two games developed within the Crystal Chronicles sub-series that were spin-offs off of it in and of themselves called My Life as a King and My Life as a Darklord. The first of which was a launch title for.... WiiWare... what... what is a WiiWare?! An online service for the Wii where you could get digital games by redeeming... Nintendo points? How did I never hear of this before either? And what do you mean that both of these WiiWare games are total genre shifts? Not even just one genre, both are entirely different genres! One is a town-building simulator and the other a tower defense strategy. Where did that come from?! And they're now completely unavailable with the shutdown of the Wii's online services? And EQUALLY WELL RECEIVED?

There comes a point where the lore is just getting ridiculously deep and obscure. What the hell was in the water there? Not to mention that the main Crystal Chronicles series had another game exclusive to the Wii regular as well. This sub-series had a grand total of six games to its name... and now is just nowhere to be found or heard from again. It's crazy to me. How many other random Final Fantasy games could I be obliviously unaware of? Did you play any of these? I know you've said you're not well-versed on the spin-offs, so I'm assuming you haven't. Just a rabbit hole of the obscure I was not expecting to fall down!

@Tjuz You’re correct in assuming that I have no experience with these many spinoffs. And I have never really engaged with the Nintendo ecosystem. I had some casual exposure to a couple of the consoles, but have never been a Nintendo player. So all those sub-series and side games are complete unknowns to me. I’m not really sure why they are so obscure and not talked about, but perhaps we just aren’t in the right circles. Probably the actual legitimate Final Fantasy fans are fully into them. Or maybe they were more popular in Japan and not the West. You may have just become our local expert on the Crystal Chronicles spinoffs! And I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s still more from the series hidden in the catacombs of retro gaming. 😅

@Th3solution There's no doubt someone out there whose entire personality revolves around being a major fan of the Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - My Life as a King. I've almost debated figuring out a Wii emulator to play this as my first Final Fantasy. Not because I am genuinely excited to play it (though I am somewhat curious), but because of how hilarious it would be for me to knowingly choose this as my first exposure to the IP. After all the talking about many a different game in the franchise, and that to be my first... it almost feels like too good of an opportunity to pass up. But at the same time, how much am I willing to commit to a bit? Hahaha.

My friends finally convinced me to try out Final Fantasy 14, loving it alot so far. My character is a Level 25 Lalafell Arcanist, about to finally get airship access.

(screenshot below was taken 1 day earlier)

In a timespan of 7 years all three of the FFVII remake games will have released. What a time to be alive.

I can't wait for next year to come. The game looks really good.

@Herculean Not sure how I feel about the "jobs" system in the game. I guess the Remakes but more of a focus on certain skills and that the majority of the cast rely on physical attacks now but it feels a little out of place to me and as though they just felt the need the shoehorn newer mechanics in.

@Thrillho They definitely were like: this is the last one, let's just dump everything into it we can. I assume Revelation might be just as controversial as Rebirth was. Where half of the fans call it "bloated" and others sing praises to Square Enix for giving it all they got.

Anyway, Rebirth is one of my favorite games of all time. So I'm just as hyped for Revelation. But I can understand the criticism you have too.

@Herculean I'm sure I've said it on here before but I loved Remake and HATED Rebirth.

I have the platinum for Remake and have played through it three times (twice and a bit for the platinum and once again on PS5 for the graphics and to play the DLC), and thought hard mode was excellent as combat became so much more tactical.. although the grind to level up all my materia before starting it wasn't much fun.

I despised all the bloat you mention in Rebirth, particularly with character progression and the platinum locked behind it. I'm a completionist when it comes to games normally but this was just silly and the phrase I've used before is that the game had no respect for your time at all. I'd just given up on the story and couldn't wait for it to end by the time I finished.

Maybe I'll have another streamlined run through the game, especially with the new cheats, at some point though.

@Thrillho Different folks, different strokes!

I'm trying, for the third time, to finish Remake. I got pretty far the first time.

This time, I have put the difficulty down to easy, and I have just beat the scorpion boss. It took less than half as long as usual and I didn't need to heal up at all. Tbh, it is a lot more fun already mashing through the combat Diablo style, so maybe this will get me to the end credits.

@Th3solution Gotta ask, as my personal go-to person for all things Final Fantasy, did you manage to check out the reveal trailer for Resonance yet from the Nintendo Direct? What are your thoughts?

@Tjuz I did see that announcement and watched the trailer. I wasn’t blown away by it, but it looks pretty good for what it is. If I can ever convince myself to get back into 2D retro JRPGs then it would be one to keep in mind.

Do you think this may be your gateway into the series?

Or is the plan still the FF7 Remake route, especially now that Revelation is announced and coming soon and you’ll be able to go straight through the whole trilogy?

@Th3solution Frankly, I'd say all bets are off in regards to what my entry will be into the series! It's really just going to be whatever hits for me at the exact right time. I will say that, yes, the Revelations reveal has given me some spring in my step to start with the remake trilogy sooner rather than later. Most likely, that'll still be the one I'll experience first... and probably soon! That said, I pride myself on never knowing my next step either. Maybe it will be Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord after all. Maybe it'll be just another random spin-off I just learned about this week; Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon EVERY BUDDY! My roommate has told me time and time again to play a mystery dungeon game, which I have yet to do. Doing it by playing a FF spin-off version of it would be some incredible malicious compliance with his request. There is nothing more entertaining to me than finding out about more and more random spin-offs as time goes by and my interest in trying the franchise out deepens. I find it fascinating.

I picked up a copy of Final Fantasy XIII for a dollar at the opshop. Disc is in perfect condition, so I fired up my PS3 for the first time in quite a while...

The game is still GORGEOUS for a title that's two console generations ago. They really used the hell out of the capabilities of the console.

I don't like how small Lightning's legs are for someone so athletic, but that's just something that bugs me and not really a useful criticism lol.

The menu design/animations/Crystarium UI are also breathtaking and very nicely done. So satisfying and they've done a great job to fit so much into a menu structure without it being overwhelming or cluttered.

But MY GOD the dialogue. I don't understand why any of these people have any reason to care about each other or continue to hang around together or continue to argue the way they do. It's like aliens had a vague idea about human communication and did their best to make a simulacrum of conversation because it seemed fun at the time.

I'm not that far into it, and I was prepared for the not turn-based battle system, which is something that to be honest I am struggling with. The only two FF games I've actually played previously are VIII and X so I'm very much used to being able to take my time in the fights/walk away to make a coffee etc.

I'm up to the bit where you have to fight the Shiva Sisters and I can't get past it. I just don't understand what it wants me to do. I'm sure I'll get there eventually and I want to give it a good hard try based solely on the information that the game and manual have provided me with.

I am enjoying the different combat system otherwise; the big thing that stands out for me is that battles are self-contained, you don't need to worry about damage carrying over to the next one for example, so I'm anticipating some other ways the game might ramp up the difficulty later on.

I tend not to enjoy using online guides and user tips to get through games. Personally I enjoy the process of wrapping my head around what it's trying to get me to do.

^ Nice that you are rediscovering this title. Yeah, it looks spectacular and the art direction is so good.
I think the battle system is one of the best if not THE best in the series but it takes a while to get adjusted to it. The dialogue is painful and the overall story is alright but needlessly convoluted, so strap yourself in.

One of the things I love about the Final Fantasy series is how many Easter eggs and callbacks can go unnoticed for years. You can finish a game multiple times and still discover a reference to an older title, a hidden dialogue line, or a subtle visual nod that suddenly makes you smile. FFIX was especially packed with those kinds of details. Threads like this always remind me how much content players collectively uncover over time. I occasionally browse https://ufc-fighters.com/ for a similar reason—lots of stats and hidden details gathered by fans who pay attention to the small things.