A Final Fantasy (et al) post to welcome you to the glory of Friday (if you don’t have weekends off then may this hopefully brighten the midst of your work week) with more located here!
Today is a dreary day in the states, and even though Final Fantasy Tarot is over, I’m going to try to keep up the FF Friday posts until my next serial project.
Bad puns are all I have…
I present to you a simple poll.
Feel free to comment your love, and keep it nice. No bashing other Final Fantasies. My regulars are always nice, so this is more for any newbies who happen to show up and welcome if you do 😉
The Shameful Narcissist Speaks 
If I were rating my favourite FF game by how much I cried during/at the end, it would go FFIX, FFX, and then FFIV. Though FFX was the first of the series I ever played, when I played FFIX, it truly captured my heart. Between the awesome graphics, the character development and the tremendously moving plot, I was sold. The game just felt so big with so much to do that I wanted to keep playing it forever. It also has Vivi, one of my favourite characters of all time in it! Don’t get me started on the music, or the comprehensive battle/abilities system, or the striking mood and atmosphere of each location or…..
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If I were going to live in any Final Fantasy world, it would be the world of IX. There’s just this eclectic, engrossing mien to it. I like stories that imply there’s so much more to the story than what the narrative presents, and IX did an excellent job of showing that especially with the little side things you could see in each town. IX has my favorite version of the “Final Fantasy” theme. It plays right after Melodies of Life.
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Oh I agree with you entirely about the Final Fantasy theme in this game. It’s by far the best version! Music that really stood out to me in this game was the music of Treno and Terra, Freya’s Theme, the Flamenco song… I could go on all day. The OST is phenomenal!
In a game, I have never felt so moved as I did by FFIX’s ending. I honestly wept reading the text at the end once I pieced together who was speaking. And that ending cinematic? Ugh. I went through half a box of Kleenex fighting the fluid wars of my face. When the trailer for the HD remake of the game came out, I cried watching it too haha… I’m just a big wiener I suppose. I’ve just got a soft spot for all the characters in that game. Some of their struggles are so relatable.
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The ragtime songs in FFIX were so well done and well placed. It’s odd because you wouldn’t generally equate that kind of music with fantasy, but it works perfectly. It gives Treno a sort of sleepy town kind of mien, which works perfectly for a city steeped in night. Freya’s Theme is so forlorn and fitting for the knight searching for her lost love who’s forgotten her. That whole thing was heartbreaking then heartwarming in the end since they fell in love again. It was like if 50 First Dates only happened once and was more realistic lol.
The end of every Final Fantasy gives me chills, but there’s something about those two moons coming together. I love when symbolism is used well and I adore double entendres. I also realized something kind of awesome and interesting. No clue if this is on purpose, but you know how Zidane is searching for the blue light? Blue is the color of Gaia’s moon. And then there’s Garnet. Her name is the same as a blood red gem, and red is the color of Terra’s moon! They’re both looking for the others moon in a way, and they two moons come together. FFIX takes the cliched trope of the poor thief and the princess and does something entirely different with it. One, they utterly subvert the kidnapped princess trope in having Garnet plan her own escape/kidnapping, and it’s brilliant.
Psh, I cried watching reaction videos to the FFVII Remake. Nothing wrong with such emotion for yor passion. All the characters in IX are so well developed and complex. They’re all not only trying to help save their world, but they’re also looking for some purpose outside of what fate or circumstance has destined them to be. I could go on and on about IX, but I think I should save it for when I review it :p
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You are like the supreme Goddess of Symbolism! I hadn’t considered the colours and the significance of that! It does make it layers more meaningful when you put it that way. Wow. Time to go sit down for the afternoon and ponder haha.
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I actually forgot about that! I think it was one of my random “morning relations” where I’ll think of something right when I wake up, because I’m still not quite coherent. I took a note on it then remembered when we were talking about IX. No clue if Squeenix did it on purpose, but they have so many things in their games that are like that it’s hard to imagine they don’t know what they’re doing or they just keep having a ton of happy, accidental coincidences.
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FFIX is currently winning! 🙂
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FFIX is a phenomenal game, and it deserves all the love. I’m happy the crowd loves it so much. Some of my IRL friends bash on it for God only knows reasons that are soooooo shallow. I’m like “Did you play the same game?” Like really? VII and VI usually get all of the love (sometimes to the eruptions of flame wars, nooooo) so I’m happy that this bunch loves IX like you do. I’m used to defending both that AND VII, and a lot of my love for IX is due to my love for VII since they have similar themes and are both really dark once you get below the surface. I think with IX it’s more surprising because the game deceives you into thinking it’s this light, happy adventure, but then…
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Although Final Fantasy Tactics is my favorite, it wasn’t on the list and I totally spaced at the option to do a write-in lol. So that honor goes to VIII. I know it’s one of the most divisive, but it was the first Final Fantasy I played as an adult when things like love, friendship, revenge, jealous, and other emotions actually made some sort of sense. Whereas before it was just an expected story aspect that I couldn’t grasp as a child.
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I forgot all about Tactics and MQ!! I knew I’d leave something out.
I think VIII is probably the one that teenagers/young adults could relate to the best. The characters are that age group and they act like it. Squall is moody-broody (with good reason), and Seifer is the bullying jerk who does it to hide emptiness/pain. I think it gets more flak than it deserves. I’ve argued with my one friend about Squall ad nauseum, because he doesn’t get the psych behind why his character being the way he is makes sense *shrug* I also liked the junction system, though I’ve heard complaints that it made the game “too easy.” Since we share the idea that a game that’s too hard is no fun, figuring out ways to be powered up and using that never bothered me. Also Triple Triad is the best card game around. There. I said it.
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I liked the junction system and had a lot of fun figuring out ways to break the game by making an overpowered party. That was just part of the game for me. I won’t argue that it’s the most coherent, or even technically sound FF game, but it’s the first I related to on a deeper emotional level than just reading words.
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It was so easy once you had enough GF and abilities opened for them.
I fight with people on a fairly regular basis about how psychologically sound FFVIII was. All Final Fantasies are, but with VIII I think I can say Squall was the first main character I could totally relate to (I can relate to a character in VII, but that’s a whole other story). His behavior/attitude completely makes sense. If you’re constantly getting abandoned, shutting people out keeps you from feeling that pain. I also think it did a great job having teenagers who acted like teenagers. Except for Quistis. Seriously, I could not believe that she was 18 lol.
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VII is my favorite, but IX is a very close second!
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That’s my order, too! VII, IX then I’m not sure if I like IV or VI best. I played VI first, and by all rights I should probably like it better since without it, I wouldn’t be in the Final Fantasy world (or wouldn’t have entered it when I did), but it’s a bit of a toss up since I also can’t decide which MC I like better, Celes or Cecil.
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Don’t hate me, but it’s FFX for me! 7 was the first I played but I think the world design in 10 is what does it for me. Whilst the previous entries have great environments, Spira was utterly gorgeous wherever I went. Plus Blitzball is the best addition in any game ever 😉
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I really loved FFX as well, particularly its combat. I liked how everyone had their own purpose, swapping in and out to exploit weaknesses. It felt like a band of heroes that required each other to succeed. The world design, as you said, was fucking excellent. Ok, maybe that’s not HOW you said it, but you know what I mean.
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I will admit the ultimate weapons were kind of bullshit to get though…
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Dodging lightning sucked so bad until you learned the trick.
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I was terrible at that! I never got that ultimate weapon or Wakka’s because I was also terrible at Blitzball. FFX was the first Final Fantasy were I wasn’t nearly as good at some of the side quest things.
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I sucked at Blitzball so bad. Even with Jecht Shot, I just couldn’t win often enough for Wakka’s ultimate.
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Team high five to those who sucked at Blitzball!
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You had to be good at things I just was not good at.
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That’s what makes FFX have one of my favorite (if not favorite) combat systems. I LOVED that aspect. You could swap in the perfect character to deal with the enemy at hand, and yeah…I never even thought how that tied to the story aspect. It was a game function, but it makes sense story wise, too that certain people were better with certain enemies, because they all needed each other to survive; none of them could make it alone. And eventually, they were all literally led by a dream. I also can’t talk about X without talking about how they brilliantly made a statement about the dangers of just going along with something because it’s always been done that way. If video games were (still) considered a bastard medium (grrr) I think there would’ve been a major backlash against X.
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I think that’s why I’m digging Tokyo Mirage Sessions so much–the combat reminds me a lot of FFX. Each character has their own attack types, like axes and fire, or swords and lightning, and all of the enemies have a specific weakness. So it’s crucial to weigh your options and swap characters in and out during their turns to take advantage of it.
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Turn based JRPG?
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Yep! Check out the two trailers I embeded in my Freakin’ Weekend post yesterday. Shows some of the more elaborate abilities and a (painfully narrated) trailer that goes over some of the combat intricacies. It’s fantastic.
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Why would I hate you! No hate only discussion. X has a wonderful world design. They had the technology to do it, and they did it perfectly in addition to having a game worthy of the beautiful environment.
I am terrible at Blitzball, and I know it’s a favorite of X fans. My husband loves it. I could just never get the hang of it.
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X was less than popular amongst gamers at the time I recall, but I never quite understood why. I suppose the plot is a bit silly, even by FF standards.
Blitzball was an odd one, but it worked pretty well. There was a lot of RNG to get past before you could grow your players to a decent level though. If I’m honest, some developers could have happily released Blitzball as a full game rather than an addition to another, so good on Square for putting the effort in.
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I actually liked the plot! It was a bit different from the Final Fantasies before it, and I was totally taken aback by the three major reveals: Tidus being a dream, Auron being an Unsent, and Yuna being on a suicide quest. Like holy shit. Final Fantasy had done shocking things before, but those were, wow. Let’s also not forget the whole Sin cycle. It could’ve been that they did something different, and people get weird about different.
I feel the same way about Triple Triad, VIII’s card game. A lot of people would agree with you about Blitzball though. Squeenix could make a ton of money if they did that. Have some kind of online play set up where you could challenge other players? They’d have another cash cow to milk. They should be paying me for these ideas *grumble*
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Online Triple Triad (on mobile devices?) could do really well!
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There appears to be a site for it online (internet), but it appears dead. I looked it up in the app store, and it does exist with 4 out of 5 stars hm. I don’t have enough room on my phone though. Gives me an excuse to replay FFVIII though. I agree that Squeenix could probably release a legitimate version and make a killing. I think you and I were discussing them doing the same with X’s Blitzball!
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Had to drop in with my vote for VII. A brilliant story that enraptured my childhood.
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Over the years I fell in to that whole “FF7 is kind of overrated” camp, but as I replayed the PS4 port I remembered how damn good it was. The world, the characters, the music… it works together so well.
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If I had to choose a second place then I would go for XI which was also a standout for me. You’re right though, it was damn near perfect.
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I really loved what I played of XIV, which was pre-Heavensward ARR. Never got around to XI since my PC at the time wouldn’t run it. I wish it’d go free-to-play so I can check it out.
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Whoops, I meant IX not XI. Bloody Romans and their various numerals.
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Don’t even sweat it! I mix up IV and VI, VII and VIII (I have bad eyesight so I don’t always see the extra I), XI and IX, too.
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I don’t play well with others so XI and XIV unfortunately not within my ability to play hehe. I’ve heard the music from XI and it was quite phenomenal. I can’t believe XI isn’t free to play yet! We’re IV Final Fantasies past i at this point!
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Thankfully XIV has a ton to do by yourself, with lots of great characters and story moments… but unfortunately there are a handful of story quests that do require you to run dungeons and kill raid bosses to progress.
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That’s what I heard about it. You just can’t get through certain parts without *shudder* dealing with other people D:
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Yep! I mostly played with my GF and we had 2 or 3 other friends who played off and on, so rarely did I have to group up with a complete party of randoms. The worst part is if you want to level up as a damage dealing class, there are SO many other people doing the same thing (since it’s easiest). With tons of other damage classes waiting for groups, it sometimes took over an hour to find people just to complete a story dungeon.
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I would be the grumpiest narcissist in the land hehe. I may see if I can find an LP of it at some point. I’ve watched collaboration LPs before with Zelda Four Swords Adventure. It was akin to that chat conversation we had on HG’s Twitch stream the other night lol.
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So lots of random nonsense and vulgar jokes? Yassss!
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I thrive on that!
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I am so happy so many people love IX, because a lot of my IRL friends don’t, and I do not understand that in the least. Everyone is entitled to their informed opinion, but their reasoning seems so shallow. We’re talking “The main character has a tail for no reason!” Um, really? That’s what you took from this game about the meaning and sanctity of life. Get out of my house. The number 9 IS the number of perfection. If the peasants can’t see that, well, I can do what I can to enlighten :p
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You wandered back to the light and that’s what’s important lol! You know, I think that came about for a number of reasons now that I can think about it clearly (it used to make me red rage because FFVII is like my life’s meaning). One, there was this war between people who love VI and people who love VII, because each side declared that only one could be the ultimate Final Fantasy, but people love things for different reasons. I love darker, deeper, more intricate/twisty stories so VII was my favorite (with some personal reasons in there, too), but VI was the game I played and beat first that got me into Final Fantasy, and I can see why it’s best beloved for many. I also thing VII suffered from hype overload. It’s the cash cow Squeenix milks ad nauseum AND it’s also hugely loved by its fans. That combination is hard to live up to, and I’ve talked to some of the younger crowd who just don’t get it, mostly due to the dated graphics (so they also didn’t even give it a chance). While I’ve got mixed feelings and trepidation about the Remake, I’m glad they’re doing it for at least that reason: so younger gamers can experience it without the old polygon graphics standing in the way (though I also can’t deny the nostalgia is a factor, too). It’s very rare to come across something that’s so popular and that deserves its popularity due to its quality. Things tends to either be popular with significant issues or fantastic, but obscure. VII is both popular and fantastic where its foibles are buried under the avalanche of its awesomeness (I know…I’m not sorry for it lol). This doesn’t mean I’m not going to bitch about things that deserve to be bitched about. I think that’s a mark of true fandom: when you’re willing to call out your favorite things on their bullshit just like you’d do with your best friend. Loving something means you don’t let it get away with being subpar without saying something.
Oh lord, let me stop now. You know I can talk about FFVII forever. I’m terrified how many words my review of THAT will be in FFIV’s was 14k o.O
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I think a lot of my personal feelings against it stemmed from having not played it for so long. Thinking back after such an extended absence, the story felt jumbled together (so much so that it needed two spin-off games and a movie to patch holes). I always respected what it did for RPGs, bringing them to the mainstream, but I forgot just how wonderful the characters, music, and world building played together in tandem. It really is a special game.
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I always saw it as they were trying to make it vague on purpose in order to force the players to wonder what was really going on (a sort of pre-Matrix type of thing), but I’ve heard the same “excuse” for FFVIII’s weirdness. Either they purposely made two FFs back to back that were vague and Matrixy or they were jumbled. I like to give them the benefit of the doubt…sometimes.
To be honest I was absolutely okay with there just being FFVII, no sequels or prequels. Without them you don’t know if humanity survives Holy’s cleansing and I was okay with that. It made you ponder whether or not our species deserved another chance…which is something really relevant today. While I obviously fangirled over Advent and Advent Complete is quite a bit better, it was mostly just fanservice so that everyone could see how pretty characters could look in an extended AMV lol. Crisis Core has its up sides in fleshing out the story, but by that time I think a lot of fans just saw it as them milking the cash cow. I’m going to say some blasphemy and admit that Zack and Aeris are REALLY boring as a couple lol. I mean they’re both SO goody-two shoes. Granted this is coming from someone who pairs her with Sephiroth, which is whacked (and I know it), but there were some pre-game shenanigans before they changed it that actually went that way.
It definitely did. People bought the PlayStation for the express purpose of playing FFVII.
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Yasss a man after my own heart ♥ I was around 17 or 18 when I first played, and oddly enough I had no interest initially. It looked to “sci-fi” for me, but then my brother bought me the Eidos PC version and down the rabbit hole I went. That game is the single piece of media that changed my life.
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It is THAT damn good!
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I almost messed up your pole by randomly picking a number, but I refrained! I just wanted to say that I like your cereal pun…
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Yes! Liking bad puns only encourages me to make more bad puns :p
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I voted for nine. Not only are the characters great, but it is also the game that got me into RPGs.
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IX is getting a ton of love and I love it! It seems to be a “gateway drug” hehe. My first was VI and my favorite is VII. IX encompasses all of the greatness of the Final Fantasies before it, yet it transcends just that to have an awesomeness of its own.
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Glad to hear that Nine is doing well. I always thought it was underappreciated, as it came out so late in the PSX’s life cycle. Your poll has motivated me to post my top three FF games on my blog. Time permitting, I’ll upload it tomorrow.
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I saw it! Thanks for the tag. I seem to be perpetually behind in my blog subs. I may need to switch around the days when I check them, but I def appreciate the shout out 🙂
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Horrible puns make life worth living! 🙂
I’ll just let you guess which one I chose…
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Hm, this is difficult. I really have no idea lol. I need to check the poll actually. It’s definitely drummed up some great conversation. I think IX was the one with the most votes!
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My choice shall remain a mystery then, lol. Whatever one wins your poll, I’ll play it after I’m done IV and XV. This will help me choose the order for my Year of Final Fantasy. 🙂
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Oh goodness I know your choice hehe :p
That’s such a good idea! I think right now FFVII and FFIX are tied :O
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I’m glad to see 9 in the lead, because it’s my favorite, but it’s a shame nobody’s voting for my second favorite, 12. It wasn’t a perfect game, but I really enjoyed it for what it was and what it offered.
9 still had the best characters, the most interesting mechanics, and the most engaging card game.
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IX is an amazing game; it’s currently tied with VII, which is my favorite, for the lead. I’m actually shocked there weren’t more votes for VI, which in my experience was almost always the favorite!
I enjoyed XII quite a bit, and the gambit system didn’t bother me at all!
I have to admit I preferred VIII’s Triple Triad to IX’s card game, but I still thought Tetra Master was fun.
Also another Narcissist! Yasss 😀
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IX was my favorite before it became the internet’s favorite.
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Is it the internet’s favorite?? I’m so out of the loop lol. I know some of my IRL friends detest it for reasons I can’t fathom. I often wonder if people play the same game. IX is my second favorite Final Fantasy and video game. I’m pretty picky so that says a lot.
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It more or less went the same way Wind Waker did where no one liked it when it first came out because appearances weren’t in line with the previous games that were successful. Then after time people came to appreciate the quality of the games and the entire internet seemingly seemed to universally love them. Trends lol :).
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Oh I can definitely see that parallel. People thought that FFIX should have more advanced sprites than FFVIII, but it was more cartoony. I was one of those Wind Waker skeptics, but I realize now that you shouldn’t judge on appearances.
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Only one vote for FF VI?! Nuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! ;P
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It’s a travesty!
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You better whip these followers into shape, madam! If you need me, I’ll be off huffing in the corners of dark YouTube.
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I truly assumed it was going to be a duel between VI and VII, not VII and IX. Kids these days I swear…
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