Ok, Here we go.

[Frei]

Forgot to say, sorry about your cat, Andy

[Dedrus]

My bad, I must've totally missed your post Andy
Sorry to hear about your cat - losing a pet is never easy.

[Wingly]

Originally Posted by Sioux

The Materia system is longwinded shit and the game has an emo cry baby for a bad guy.

Shush!

Originally Posted by Frei

Chickobo Emperor Rasputin's Pro Menu Navigator XIII?

There's yet another FFIX one just recently started, if you didn't notice, it's not as good as the previous ones but still fun and maybe he'll finish it!

(note: this post makes little sense if you're not following the LP where I think you're following the LP.)

That is correct. The very same place. But I haven't noticed the new IX.

[Sioux]

Originally Posted by Wingly

Shush!

Nah, I get you. I could continue my tirade against it but, other then those reasons I put above I have few real problems with VII other then a lackluster ending.

I just found Tactics, VIII, and XII far more entertaining then VII is all.

VIII has far better visuals and far more rewarding side quests plus a more conducive ability system and a tie in to summons that makes more sense then the Materia system(plus I like the character, monster, and weapon designs more then the ones in VII). Tactics and XII, for me anyways, provides a simply better story overall but, I'm a sucker for both cloak and dagger political elements and mystical demon filled magical elements in a plot(I'm also a proponent of the job system whenever available no matter how old school it is...its why I do play FFX-2 from time to time. ).

And I found tactics and XII to be far more imaginative then VII and as an artist crazy depth filled imaginative stuff is like cat nip to me especially when art within the games can be looked at with some clarity.

[Dedrus]

Originally Posted by Sioux

And I found tactics and XII to be far more imaginative then VII and as an artist crazy depth filled imaginative stuff is like cat nip to me especially when art within the games can be looked at with some clarity.

One of most interesting parts of FFXII for me was the Bestiary, the stories, analysis', fiction and art really added a whole wall of depth to the universe.

[Nurse Fin]

Our dog was put down a while back. She had cancer =(

With XII I don't really remember any strategy at all; you just set gambits to do everything you'll ever think about doing in battle before you even think about it. The only action required is moving around the analog stick. It certainly made level grinding easy though, making it to lv40-50 less than halfway through the game... which brings a nice false sense of accomplishment...

And I really liked XIII too, especially how fast-paced it was, and exploring Gran Pulse. But then I got Xenoblade and now Gran Pulse looks like peanuts in comparison.

[Sioux]

Originally Posted by Dedrus

One of most interesting parts of FFXII for me was the Bestiary, the stories, analysis', fiction and art really added a whole wall of depth to the universe.

I know. It is probably one of the only games of the series to really seem larger then what we see in standard linear FF experience. Kind of Tolkein-esque with the history of everything as well.

Originally Posted by Fin

With XII I don't really remember any strategy at all;

Yeah, with all the awesome stuff in the game going on there had to be a trade off somewhere. But, I could care less. If I get to level like a beast and enjoy a cloak and dagger filled magical plot while seeing the in depth details of the world all the better.

[Wingly]

I now wish I could manage to get into XII. You make it seem fun. D:

Edit: And I never used gambits. I did it all manually.

[Sioux]

As did I. Originally I'm sad to say because I couldn't understand the gambit system.

Kind of like Xenosaga with its bassackwards combo system or whatever the hell it was...that plus the fact the game was predominantly cutscene filled is what killed that experience for me.

XII is fun but, I can see why people fall off when they play it. The characters aren't exactly memorable and the game has a storyline that I can understand can be quite dry due to its cloak and dagger political plot line and the general serious tone to everything. Its not as light hearted as its previous FF brethren.

Not to mention the whole fighting system is devoid of a challenge with the right gambit and one easily avoids the general FF grind. This, coupled with a boring plot to some, kills the game entirely.

But, I like the plot, I like the in depth story details and the art and the amount of side crap you can do in the game(I'm still working on getting all the best stuff and the summons as we speak).

[Lord DB]

Its not the politics that killed FFXII's story for me, but rather the fact that the second half of it felt more like an extended fetch-quest. There was just little "story" after a certain point.

And FFX, horrendous? Never!

[Wingly]

Originally Posted by Lord DB

And FFX, horrendous? Never!

Oh, hey. Turns out I'm not real. Sure, I slept with that one girl (and because I'm awesome the others as well. Including Wakka). And it felt real for everyone. They touched my beeing. And Rikku even squirted from it. But I'm just a dream. Something that can have no physical beeing. I'm going to jump of this shit ship and dissapear. WHEEEEEEEEEEEE*poof*

Cid was awesome, though.

[Tallulah]

Originally Posted by Wingly

Oh, hey. Turns out I'm not real. Sure, I slept with that one girl (and because I'm awesome the others as well. Including Wakka). And it felt real for everyone. They touched my beeing. And Rikku even squirted from it. But I'm just a dream. Something that can have no physical beeing. I'm going to jump of this shit ship and dissapear. WHEEEEEEEEEEEE*poof*

I lol'd. Thanks, Wingly.

[Dr. Flux]

Originally Posted by Fin

With XII I don't really remember any strategy at all; you just set gambits to do everything you'll ever think about doing in battle before you even think about it. The only action required is moving around the analog stick. It certainly made level grinding easy though, making it to lv40-50 less than halfway through the game... which brings a nice false sense of accomplishment...

To be fair though, I found that you could just waltz around with your gambits'a'blazing without breaking a sweat UNTIL one of those crazy super monsters appeared out of no where. You know, the beasts that only appeared when the wind was blowing in a northerly direction, it was raining and your party were standing on one leg.

I thought they struck a really good balance between skipping over the tedious grinding that is involved in all FF games while still making the boss battles and certain quests challenging. For this reason I think the gambit system was the best. Plus, the special attacks, limit breaks, quickenings, they were all just fucking epic.

Of all the FF games I've played (FFIII, FFIV, FFVI, FFVII, FFVIII, FFX, FFXII, FFXIII, FF Tactics/advanced/advanced 2) I enjoyed FFXII the most. The story in particular and the world (like Sioux said) just seemed bigger than the small problems of a few post and pre-adolescent heroes. I know most FFs have an overarching storyline based around the plight against world domination or destruction but I felt as though the others just comfortably rode on the laurels of this crisis, thinking it would be enough to carry the story through to the end.

They did screw up the ending of FFXII though, but I believe if Matsuno didn't drop out due to personal problems half-way through development, the ending would have been

Spoiler: Highlight to read

less jovial and "they all lived happily ever after" and more dark

; in true Matsuno style.

The thing that compelled me most to continue playing was how interesting the side-characters were. I loved the character development of the Judges and the different allegiances they formed. I also liked the deep history that was conveyed through the bestiary and the short scenes with Vnar and the other Occurria. I wished they gave the Occuria more screen time and included them into the end game instead of tossing them aside like yesterday's news.

Spoiler: Highlight to read

I mean, they are the omnipotent beings of Ivalice for Christ's sake. You can't expect them to just sit back and not scheme of ever greater plots to cement control over the humes after Vnar and Payne are vanquished

.

FFXIII on the other hand had shit side-character and world/history development. I still enjoyed the game, but it has very low replay value in my opinion. I think Square-Enix just wanted to pump out a typical "Hollywood Blockbuster" version of Final Fantasy, with uber effects and graphics to earn a bit of dosh and keep our short attention spans occupied with fast paced, flashy gameplay and cutscenes while they laughed merrily to the bank. Where is the heart SE? Square sold their souls when they merged with Enix and a lot of their old talent has jumped ship as a result.

[Andy]

I think II was the only FF I disliked before XIV came out (Barely anyone has migrated to it). The Japanese market are convinced it was developed for the Chinese and are avoiding it. I know MMO are supposed to be a bit crap at launch but the metacritic averages and my own experience in alpha/beta have left a sour taste. Compare it with FFXI's metacritic average at PC launch and there is a vast difference.

XIII would come next because it's all style over substance.

XII is an offline easy mode mod (Not in a negative way. It just is) for XI with class customisation instead of set jobs (Discounting the zodiac edition). Same battle system, same engine (Even summons work the same). Just a different UI and simpler targeting options (and help lines) and the fact you have two AI partners instead of having to find five people. It can also afford to be a bit more flashy with the cutscenes because the characters are not customisable.

...oh and weapons don't expend ammo in XII XD

It irks me when people skip over XI when listing canon because they missed it or found it too hard to make friends to help them and then pile all the praise on XII for being "innovative" when it was largely copypasta. The story alone is enough to play XI - it has hours and hours of cutscenes - more than any of the other games in the series. Even for small characters in town that delve into the history of the world - the orders of knights, the history of the races etc.

Both have great moments though I do believe the story in XI is better than the one in XII. Balthier makes it close and it may have voice acting but taking down a God with a foul-mouthed loli while being threatened with armageddon from a rather cheesed off Bahamut in some of the hardest battles I've ever done in the whole franchise (They made it easy since though because people were crying) are some of my best gaming memories. XII had some sticking points too but it was never as batshit hard as XI's Omega/Ultima used to be (40 minute time limit for both and they hit like trucks. Then Blue Mage came out and made it a joke XD).

Oh and the characters. They're excellent in both games. Balthier steals the show in XII but for XI, Shantotto (The one people will know), Prishe or Zeid are brilliant. Zeid is the most seriously fleshed out of the three I listed and while he falls into the Dark Knight archetype, he's one hell of a bad ass with a very dark history tied into murder, revolution and borderline slavery. He also needs to be voiced by Michael Dorn XD

I would not however recommend joining XI unless you can get someone who knows their way around to play with/help you (Timezones can be a prick). While it's the best it has ever been currently, it is hard for a low level to penetrate and you really need to hit those higher levels to see the story through safely. Then again, I've been playing for six years and have nowhere near seen everything. I would not like to have to start again.

You can't even get a Chocobo til level 20. Daunting for someone just starting out.

Though level 30+ people are leeching onto abyssea experience alliances right up to 85 now in a day or so. Kind of a pisstake considering how hard it used to be but I'm not complaining if I can get all my jobs to cap in a few hours.

Oh and Square, I want to see Puppetmaster in another FF. Gadgeteer and Engineer do not compare.

[Sioux]

Hrm. So, XIV is shit. Well, there goes my plans for playing an MMO again and I don't think FF XI is going to live to see the end of 2010 if the rumor mill is correct(which I doubt but, I don't think I could handle trying to play catch up in a game that goes back to 2002 anyway...).

Though, there is always the new Star Wars MMO.