Vegard Pompey
ALLY TO GOOD, NIGHTMARE TO YOU
If I remember right, you get enough GFs for three party members to have all stat junction abilities. Not right off the bat though.
Gamers Thread
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no country for old wainds
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say what thou willst about FFVIII (i don't disagree with most of it although i don't think the characterisations are any worse than basically every other RPG i've played) but the climax to disc one is absolutely freaking glorious, as is the garden battle. a lot of great moments are flooding back to me as i think about it, plus the music carries some of the otherwise weaker parts for me. that game is certainly all over the place and generally insane though.
Vegard Pompey
ALLY TO GOOD, NIGHTMARE TO YOU
Yeah, those moments are part of why I even like the game. Though you also have some real shit parts like that fucking prison at the start of disc 2 with a billion identical floors.
While we're on the topic of FF, what are you fellow FF nerds' favorite themes from the series?
Limiting myself to one pick per game;
FFV - Home Sweet Home
FFVI - Coin Song
FFVII - Anxious Heart (impossible to name any one song as the best on that OST, but I've always found this one the most representative of that game's atmosphere)
FFIX - Freya's Theme
While we're on the topic of FF, what are you fellow FF nerds' favorite themes from the series?
Limiting myself to one pick per game;
FFV - Home Sweet Home
FFVI - Coin Song
FFVII - Anxious Heart (impossible to name any one song as the best on that OST, but I've always found this one the most representative of that game's atmosphere)
FFIX - Freya's Theme
Manic Ferocity
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I definitely at least liked FFVIII but the characters are some of the worst in the entire series. Cloud is nothing compared to Squall when it comes to being angsty and Zell is an obnoxious and poor attempt at comic relief. The only character that really stuck out to me at all was Seifer and he was an NPC (or for the most part, I believe).
The story was definitely intriguing in good old convoluted JRPG fashion and I personally LOVED junction. Good game overall but easily the most flawed FF from the PS1 era.
Speaking of Final Fantasy, I bought the remaster of FFX/X-2 several months ago for PS4 and it has NOT aged well AT ALL. Square really went slap happy with voice acting which practically ruins the game for me. A real shame too since it was mind-blowing for me as a kid when it was first released.
The story was definitely intriguing in good old convoluted JRPG fashion and I personally LOVED junction. Good game overall but easily the most flawed FF from the PS1 era.
Speaking of Final Fantasy, I bought the remaster of FFX/X-2 several months ago for PS4 and it has NOT aged well AT ALL. Square really went slap happy with voice acting which practically ruins the game for me. A real shame too since it was mind-blowing for me as a kid when it was first released.
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Something in My Eye
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From FF7 I remember liking the Don's Theme:
FF8 had my favorite music, and I have to say it had the hands-down best battle theme from all the FF's I've played, even fighting a shitty lvl 8 mob felt epic with this tune blaring:
CiG
Harbinger of Metal
Dak
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no country for old wainds
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from psx-era onwards i like the music from 7 the best (that shoutout for 'anxious heart' made me very happy and i totally agree it defines the game), but some favs from FFVIII first since you guys got me thinking about it today:
an all time favourite boss theme for various reasons; the tension and discordance of the intro and initial build up, the way it so perfectly suits the person you're fighting, the fact that it's an evolution of 'the landing' which soundtracks basically every great moment in the game (i didn't list it just due to obviousness really).
that battle leads directly into this. i can't explain why i love this really, people might not get it, but it actually perfectly summarises why i don't hate the laguna parts as much as most people. i could listen to this on repeat for a while:
obvious choice maybe but the theme when you're flying ragnarok is so fun:
hard to hate the orphanage stuff with this playing in the background. this is the 'on that day five years ago' of FFVIII i think, which is a wonderful thing to be:
an all time favourite boss theme for various reasons; the tension and discordance of the intro and initial build up, the way it so perfectly suits the person you're fighting, the fact that it's an evolution of 'the landing' which soundtracks basically every great moment in the game (i didn't list it just due to obviousness really).
that battle leads directly into this. i can't explain why i love this really, people might not get it, but it actually perfectly summarises why i don't hate the laguna parts as much as most people. i could listen to this on repeat for a while:
obvious choice maybe but the theme when you're flying ragnarok is so fun:
hard to hate the orphanage stuff with this playing in the background. this is the 'on that day five years ago' of FFVIII i think, which is a wonderful thing to be:
CiG
Harbinger of Metal
This is one of my favourite themes, hence why I submitted it in the non-metal theme game.
And this one too.
I would say yes, it's quite an obsessed over franchise.
And this one too.
I would say yes, it's quite an obsessed over franchise.
Dak
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CiG
Harbinger of Metal
Only really Final Fantasy VII is a weeaboo obsession and not even for the original game itself but for the franchise extensions after the original game.
no country for old wainds
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the main appeal for me is that they're some of the most atmospheric and emotionally charged games ever. i know purists think everything should be about the gameplay, and i get why those people wouldn't rank most of the FF games as highly (though they're still generally good in those departments) but the experience of playing a good story-heavy RPG is quite different from any of the more passive mediums it's sometimes derogatively compared to (like cinema or literature) and i'm glad they exist.
Vegard Pompey
ALLY TO GOOD, NIGHTMARE TO YOU
I love the ridiculous, overreaching, existential stories that frequently delve into themes like the end of the world or even fucking deicide, I feel like they're stories that never could've come out of a country that wasn't nuked. And oddly enough I don't think they even have a close equivalent in anime or other japanese media (though there are a few other JRPGs that tread the same ground). I'd watch the shit out of an anime that combined the epic scope and sense of adventure with those weighty themes (there are plenty that do one or the other, not so many that do both, closest thing I can think of is Fullmetal Alchemist).
There's also the fact that the first ten games were all scored by Uematsu who is literally god
There's also the fact that the first ten games were all scored by Uematsu who is literally god
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Manic Ferocity
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Have you played Xenogears? It pretty much has all of that + (even more) convolution -- which I love. Great gameplay as well.
no country for old wainds
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no country for old wainds
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some FFVII nobuo favourites next. i won't bother with deservedly iconic stuff like aeris' theme (i love 'flowers blooming in the church' too), tifa's theme, sephiroth's theme, shinra's theme, the boss music, jenova music etcetc.
gotta start with the world map music, which is a fucking masterpiece:
cid's theme duh:
i mentioned i love the bit with dyne:
underappreciated as fuck:
'anxious heart' is my favourite on the game but this runs it fairly close:
gotta start with the world map music, which is a fucking masterpiece:
cid's theme duh:
i mentioned i love the bit with dyne:
underappreciated as fuck:
'anxious heart' is my favourite on the game but this runs it fairly close:
Phylactery
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I can't believe you all consider Midgar to be the best part of the game. Sure it has loads of great moments, but it also drags at points too. Whenever I start a new file, the backtracking parts in Midgar are the parts I least look forward to. As hilarious as the Wall Market is, it gets annoying on repeated playthroughs. The story starts to unfold more after you leave Midgar and see the Kalm flashback. Temple of the Ancients through the start of disc 2 is what I'd consider the highlight of the game.
I'm also with Old Wainds on really liking the visual style of VII, I think it adds tonnes of atmosphere to the game. Also, those pre-rendered backgrounds were revolutionary when it first came out! The character models could have been way better, but it was the first game they'd made for the PS1, which was a new console at the time so it can be forgiven.
What's everyone's favourite/least favourite boss?
I've personally never been big on Prod Clod when you go back to Midgar at the end of disc 2. He's just such a pushover despite looking really intimidating.
Materia Keeper, Lost Number (fighting him as early as possible) and Demon's Gate probably represent the most strategic challenges if you're seriously underlevelled and not using cheese tactics. They're all weak to the extremely overpowered Aeris, though. Her Limit Breaks are just too good. They had to kill her off because with Great Gospel she'd make everything a pushover, including Ruby Weapon.
I'm also with Old Wainds on really liking the visual style of VII, I think it adds tonnes of atmosphere to the game. Also, those pre-rendered backgrounds were revolutionary when it first came out! The character models could have been way better, but it was the first game they'd made for the PS1, which was a new console at the time so it can be forgiven.
What's everyone's favourite/least favourite boss?
I've personally never been big on Prod Clod when you go back to Midgar at the end of disc 2. He's just such a pushover despite looking really intimidating.
Materia Keeper, Lost Number (fighting him as early as possible) and Demon's Gate probably represent the most strategic challenges if you're seriously underlevelled and not using cheese tactics. They're all weak to the extremely overpowered Aeris, though. Her Limit Breaks are just too good. They had to kill her off because with Great Gospel she'd make everything a pushover, including Ruby Weapon.
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Mort Divine
Shrine Maiden of the In-Crowd
8 is the best of the series in terms of music - hands down.
Got nothing on the Chrono Cross soundtrack.
Got nothing on the Chrono Cross soundtrack.
no country for old wainds
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i think 7 clearly owns 8 as far as music goes, as much as i love 8. but then i think 7 just has a much more powerful atmosphere in general, one to which the music is integral.
@phyl: my favourite part of the game is actually probably said flashback, good god that shit is awesome. idk, midgar is definitely my favourite *location* in the game, i love just hanging around there regardless of what i'm actually doing. i love the vast majority of the first disc and plenty of the rest anyways, it's not like i think the game nosedives after midgar or something.
i agree on the bosses you mentioned. i remember being stuck on gi nattak first time around for ages 'til i learned how to kill it in one shot.
@phyl: my favourite part of the game is actually probably said flashback, good god that shit is awesome. idk, midgar is definitely my favourite *location* in the game, i love just hanging around there regardless of what i'm actually doing. i love the vast majority of the first disc and plenty of the rest anyways, it's not like i think the game nosedives after midgar or something.
i agree on the bosses you mentioned. i remember being stuck on gi nattak first time around for ages 'til i learned how to kill it in one shot.
Vegard Pompey
ALLY TO GOOD, NIGHTMARE TO YOU
Xenogears' plot was great/maybe amazing (and definitely fits my description of the FF series' plots above) but the gameplay was such a chore, I never want to play that game again :/ I was outright relieved when their budget ran out after disc one and it turned into a visual novel.
I have restartitis so I've played through the Midgar part many times more than I've actually played through the full game. And although I always look forward to the game opening up, letting me on the world map and giving me more materia to play with I never get tired of Midgar. I mean, it has the minigame where you have to push a button at the same time as Barrett and Tifa which to me is the clear highlight of the game.
I have restartitis so I've played through the Midgar part many times more than I've actually played through the full game. And although I always look forward to the game opening up, letting me on the world map and giving me more materia to play with I never get tired of Midgar. I mean, it has the minigame where you have to push a button at the same time as Barrett and Tifa which to me is the clear highlight of the game.
