Final Fantasy Thread

[starseeker300]

ff4 for the ds is very good. it adds enough to be a different experience from the other versions. full voice acting for a bunch of moments in the story, a new ability system which let characters gain new abilities, including a few from bosses, a new summon was added in the ds version only, you can set up a rudimentary autobattle system to help with grinding a bit, there's 2 hidden super bosses stronger than the final one, namingway has his on sidequest that spans the entire game, and you can replay the same files 3 times to set up 2 characters with the break damage limit ability to help with the super bosses.

I am aware. I also am aware that the difficulty balancing kind of sucks and the game is overall much slower and more tedious to play because of changes to the enemies, and you also do not get the option to use yang, edward, palom, porom, and cid once the moon opens up unlike in the gba/psp port of the original. I might still give it a shot on an emulator with speedup though

 

[MasterEn]

I am aware. I also am aware that the difficulty balancing kind of sucks and the game is overall much slower and more tedious to play because of changes to the enemies, and you also do not get the option to use yang, edward, palom, porom, and cid once the moon opens up unlike in the gba/psp port of the original. I might still give it a shot on an emulator with speedup though

yeah, they cut that out for some reason. there is a bit more story added after the cpu boss fight, but tis also in the psp version. it's worth at least one play though if nothing else.

 

[AxeHammer]

Like it is right there in the title "Fantasy", why are we eating cup of noodles and going to gas stations, lol.

Because Final Fantasy has been a "Science-Fantasy" franchise since Final Fantasy VI...

 

[Tonberry]

Because Final Fantasy has been a "Science-Fantasy" franchise since Final Fantasy VI...

I’d argue since the very first game. Floating Fortress looks like a spaceship and has robot enemies.

 

[AxeHammer]

I’d argue since the very first game. Floating Fortress looks like a spaceship and has robot enemies.

Huh, i thought the trend started with VI. But i guess that's on me for not playing the older titles ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[starseeker300]

2.) rank the ff games you've played go

oh btw

here's the link the the tiermaker i used, its missing some more recent ones (stranger of paradise, 16, 7 rebirth, final bar line) as well as the bravely default games but you can add those in thru the choose images feature at the bottom if you all want to make your own lists

https://tiermaker.com/create/every-single-final-fantasy-game-ever-333996

 

[Tonberry]

Huh, i thought the trend started with VI. But i guess that's on me for not playing the older titles ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

They’ve always been big fans of the ”enemy has an inexplicably hitech cannon” and ”sci-fi-esque old civilization” tropes.

But some games focus on it more than others for sure!

 

[AxeHammer]

They’ve always been big fans of the ”enemy has an inexplicably hitech cannon” and ”sci-fi-esque old civilization” tropes.

But some games focus on it more than others for sure!

I love the variety they have going on, all of the settings have felt fresh and interesting to me. They always nail the atmosphere of the different worlds too.

 

[Tonberry]

I love the variety they have going on, all of the settings have felt fresh and interesting to me. They always nail the atmosphere of the different worlds too.

Oh yeah absolutely.
One of my favorite things about FF is how the settings are so varied. My personal favorite of the settings is Spira, the world from FF10. It feels so fleshed out and realized.

 

[Strategist's icon Strategist Strategist]

Because Final Fantasy has been a "Science-Fantasy" franchise since Final Fantasy VI...

I fail to see what Cup of Noodles has to do with Fantasy.

To be more precise and less snarky, if they really cared about immersion and preserving the Fantasy, they would've invented a brand of noodles specific to Final Fantasy XV's world and left it at that. Instead they took the money from Nissin. It is sad that young people today are ok with such blatant acts of selling out in media.

 

[ZEGA ZONIC]

I fail to see what Cup of Noodles has to do with Fantasy.

 

[AxeHammer]

Oh yeah absolutely.
One of my favorite things about FF is how the settings are so varied. My personal favorite of the settings is Spira, the world from FF10. It feels so fleshed out and realized.

My favorite is Final Fantasy VII's Gaia, whenever i play the original i just get this weirdly cozy vibe from it. I guess you could describe it as a certain nostalgia? (doesn't really make sense to call it that because it's only like 1.5yrs since i first played it through). I don't know i just loved the game so much and the game is really comforting to me.

 

[Strategist's icon Strategist Strategist]

Yeah... no. Ewww.... as if Square Enix hasn't done enough already to desecrate the legacy of FF7.

 

[AxeHammer]

I fail to see what Cup of Noodles has to do with Fantasy.

To be more precise and less snarky, if they really cared about immersion and preserving the Fantasy, they would've invented a brand of noodles specific to Final Fantasy XV's world and left it at that. Instead they took the money from Nissin. It is sad that young people today are ok with such blatant acts of selling out in media.

imo there's certain entertainment value that comes from having product placement in media. Of course it'd be more immersive if they made up an in-universe brand for it and i like that sort of worldbuilding i do the same thing for my dungeons and dragons campaign's setting but it's also really funny to me that you can come across a whole nissin cup noodles truck in that game.

 

[Strategist's icon Strategist Strategist]

imo there's certain entertainment value that comes from having product placement in media. Of course it'd be more immersive if they made up an in-universe brand for it and i like that sort of worldbuilding i do the same thing for my dungeons and dragons campaign's setting but it's also really funny to me that you can come across a whole nissin cup noodles truck in that game.

Its dumb that a fantasy magical land has the same brands as the planet earth. It is painfully obvious that the only reason that the product placement is there is because Square Enix is a greedy, money hungry corporation. Its ok if you disagree, but that is how I feel about it. I feel like us fans are doing each other a disservice by tolerating attempts to degrade the artistic quality of our hobby.

There's a reason why FFXV is the only fantasy game I've ever played with product placement.

 

[Sir Auriel of Lionel]

I fail to see what Cup of Noodles has to do with Fantasy.

To be more precise and less snarky, if they really cared about immersion and preserving the Fantasy, they would've invented a brand of noodles specific to Final Fantasy XV's world and left it at that. Instead they took the money from Nissin. It is sad that young people today are ok with such blatant acts of selling out in media.

I have to admit I liked the Cup Noddle commercial being as camp as it was but in game it felt like an inside joke the actors were not allowed to make in the final recording and disappointed they couldn't add them like Ghost Stories's english dub.

The Coleman I'm more natural I guess because I did camp growing up so it's almost blind to me but would have preferred a more spoof version of the brand than blatant product placement in a fantasy not modern fantasy world I'm used to. The real life fashion line up of the outfits absolutely got an eyeroll though.

 

[SolemnlyDoc]

The only experience I have with Final Fantasy is playing FFXV, which I've never beaten or even left the second area, yet put over 100 hours into. Just cruising around in the world, fighting, cooking and camping while listening to the interactions of the characters is enough for me. I love the atmosphere and visuals, and the gameplay is fun as well.

Being new to emulation means I've not encountered other games in the series before. As someone who enjoys the laid-back nature of FFXV, I hesitate to try the originals since they seem to be built on entirely different principles.

What other FF titles have great atmosphere and visuals like XV? Is the lack of those elements made up for in the older games by having more substance?

 

[Sir Auriel of Lionel]

The only experience I have with Final Fantasy is playing FFXV, which I've never beaten or even left the second area, yet put over 100 hours into. Just cruising around in the world, fighting, cooking and camping while listening to the interactions of the characters is enough for me. I love the atmosphere and visuals, and the gameplay is fun as well.

Being new to emulation means I've not encountered other games in the series before. As someone who enjoys the laid-back nature of FFXV, I hesitate to try the originals since they seem to be built on entirely different principles.

What other FF titles have great atmosphere and visuals like XV? Is the lack of those elements made up for in the older games by having more substance?

For visuals nothing comes close right now except for the latest title FFXVI. I can't comment on the game as I passed up on it this last sale but it doesn't look to have much of a laid back world and looks to be a story with little levity. If you want another title like FFXV's open world and can go anywhere then closest would be FFXII. No surprise encounters, you encounter the enemy right on the field, it's turn based but not slow and you can nearly auto battle the entire game midway if you grind early on and just enjoy the visuals that the PS2 was capable of in it's last years. Light in tone and can pretty much be a Star Wars clone but fantasy with bits of sci-fi not a space opera. You'll be lacking in mini games (fishing isn't as great) but it makes up in an addictive combat if you don't auto battle set up and experiment, hunts and talking to npcs that showcase mini dramas in the world that makes it alive.

I don't think it's a lack of visuals but it was more of a march of technology that moved on while they sat cooking FFXV. That was originally a sequel spin off of FFXIII which was the last visual push before FFXV but time and feedback from the series had the project in work then restarted and silent then waiting to see how the PS4 would come out and reworking based on those specs and story reworking to avoid a fallout in the west that FFXIII Lighting Returns had. I can't speak on FFXII-2 or Lightning Returns because I was part of that fallout of not liking FFXIII and refusing to buy further until I got a new title. But now I might be willing to give FFXII-2 a try, maybe it'll be like FFX-2 where the combat was very addicting to but doesn't live up to the height of the first title's story.

 

[Tonberry]

The only experience I have with Final Fantasy is playing FFXV, which I've never beaten or even left the second area, yet put over 100 hours into. Just cruising around in the world, fighting, cooking and camping while listening to the interactions of the characters is enough for me. I love the atmosphere and visuals, and the gameplay is fun as well.

Being new to emulation means I've not encountered other games in the series before. As someone who enjoys the laid-back nature of FFXV, I hesitate to try the originals since they seem to be built on entirely different principles.

What other FF titles have great atmosphere and visuals like XV? Is the lack of those elements made up for in the older games by having more substance?

As far as atmosphere goes, FF8 also has that ”fantasy in a modern world” vibe going for it.

 

[Pandaprewmaster325]

Even ff7 had guns mixed with swords and the Phoenix bird at first it turned me off the setting being just to clunky for me but when I tried It , I ended up loving every bit of it what I thought was a tedious and quite frankly shitty game turned out to be one of the greatest experiences I ever had in a game that is ff7.

 

[Strategist's icon Strategist Strategist]

I have to admit I liked the Cup Noddle commercial being as camp as it was but in game it felt like an inside joke the actors were not allowed to make in the final recording and disappointed they couldn't add them like Ghost Stories's english dub.

The Coleman I'm more natural I guess because I did camp growing up so it's almost blind to me but would have preferred a more spoof version of the brand than blatant product placement in a fantasy not modern fantasy world I'm used to. The real life fashion line up of the outfits absolutely got an eyeroll though.

It is true when the doomers say that immersion is dead. The current audience celebrates the cringe and asks for seconds.

 

[Sir Auriel of Lionel]

It is true when the doomers say that immersion is dead. The current audience celebrates the cringe and asks for seconds.

I mildly resent that statement since I did post a thread on here on what was the first game that immersed you into believing the game have a living world beyond your character and the start button. I don't hate immersion nor wish it to be gone but if a game is going to go all in with advertising me it better be a parody because I will not take it seriously and just check off on that cynical check list of games losing more creative licenses and art status to the mighty dollar of adverts.

When I saw FFXVI was going back to medieval I cheered for joy but my joy was shattered if there's no towns to explore with NPCs to follow up with mellow drama or check back in with for updates or a item for my troubles then that game can continue to wait on my wishlist for another sale.

 

[Pandaprewmaster325]

Nothing beats rockstar parodies of Kentucky and burger king and other brands with clucken bell and their commercials , its really believable ad in the game world.

 

[Strategist's icon Strategist Strategist]

I mildly resent that statement since I did post a thread on here on what was the first game that immersed you into believing the game have a living world beyond your character and the start button. I don't hate immersion nor wish it to be gone but if a game is going to go all in with advertising me it better be a parody because I will not take it seriously and just check off on that cynical check list of games losing more creative licenses and art status to the mighty dollar of adverts.

When I saw FFXVI was going back to medieval I cheered for joy but my joy was shattered if there's no towns to explore with NPCs to follow up with mellow drama or check back in with for updates or a item for my troubles then that game can continue to wait on my wishlist for another sale.

I apologize. I didn't mean to point the finger at anyone specifically on this board. Just a general statement at what I perceive to be the state of the Final Fantasy fandom in 2025. Final Fantasy used to be a series that wasn't only entertainment, it used to discuss serious societal topics and it touched the hearts of the players with emotional story beats. When I see those values being eroded by crass comercialization and banal fanservice/nostalgia bait, I cannot stay silent. It seems nowadays that people are more loyal to brands than what those brands represent. I call it the Fortnight effect. That is just playing into corporate hand, celebrating whatever slop they drop on us. If the brands stop representing what caused us to fall in love with them, critical consumers should call them out for what they are doing. We see this happening with Star Wars as well, it is not something exclusive to Final Fantasy. The problem is that the niche that Squaresoft served is particularly unique. I don't see another company with the resources to fill the niche that they served. Until then, all I can do is be uber critical of Square Enix's choices in the vain hope that they change their ways.

 

[Tonberry]

I apologize. I didn't mean to point the finger at anyone specifically on this board. Just a general statement at what I perceive to be the state of the Final Fantasy fandom in 2025. Final Fantasy used to be a series that wasn't only entertainment, it used to discuss serious societal topics and it touched the hearts of the players with emotional story beats. When I see those values being eroded by crass comercialization and banal fanservice/nostalgia bait, I cannot stay silent. It seems nowadays that people are more loyal to brands than what those brands represent. I call it the Fortnight effect. That is just playing into corporate hand, celebrating whatever slop they drop on us. If the brands stop representing what caused us to fall in love with them, critical consumers should call them out for what they are doing. We see this happening with Star Wars as well, it is not something exclusive to Final Fantasy. The problem is that the niche that Squaresoft served is particularly unique. I don't see another company with the resources to fill the niche that they served. Until then, all I can do is be uber critical of Square Enix's choices in the vain hope that they change their ways.

While I agree with you in the general sense, I don’t think FF is a particularly egregious example. It’s always had tie-in’s and merch and cute mascots and the like.

Besides, it’s not like it’s a new thing for them to do: