FFVII Finally Done - What Next?

[Falcon_73]

I finally finished my 1st PS game, FFVII. I must say that I was amazed by how this game made me feel and how attached I became to the characters, ...especially to a certain character, who, like my avatar, had her time cut short.

I ignored consoles for many years and am suddenly wondering why. Perhaps I just needed a break from 8 years of mostly MMO's, but this game felt very special from start to finish. Even with all the praise I had heard from it, I was still surprised by how good it was. The story, the characters & the music. I haven't played a PC game in years (ever?) that made me feel quite this way.

Now that it's done and the tears have been cried, it's time to move on. I don't expect to ever get back to the top again, but was wondering where I could go from here/what I could play next.

I already have FFVIII, which I bought around the same time as VII and FFX, which I bought used with the slimline PS2.

Some people have told me to skip VIII as they said it is a let-down from VII and is very complicated. Others have said the Sphere Grid in X makes it potentially unplayable/unwinnable. Maybe I should try something outside FF.

Any suggestions would be welcomed to ease my pain transitioning into the post FFVII world.

Thank you,

[Chacranajxy]

I recommend the fuck out of FFVIII. And I personally think Xenogears is one of the best games of all time... definitely get that. ADC will tell you otherwise, but don't listen to him because he doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.

Also: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is the best game ever.

[HitokiriShadow]

Well, its hard to pick what to recommend you since FF7 was your first and its hard to say what else, exactly, you will like. Go ahead and give the other PS1 FF games a try. They all play differently, but its impossible to say whether or not you will like it.

If you already have 8 and X, go with one of those. You won't know if you like it until you play it.

Some people have told me to skip VIII as they said it is a let-down from VII and is very complicated. Others have said the Sphere Grid in X makes it potentially unplayable/unwinnable.

VIII's system is... unique. But its not terribly complicated or difficult to understand. X's Sphere Grid only makes it unplayable/unwinniable if you are an utter moron. If you just keep on moving through the sphere grid without actually acttivating the spheres, then it will be a challenge to go back and reactivate everything you skipped and you'll be pretty weak. Really, the biggest problem, in my opinion, is that you can't really power up much at all early in the game. For the first 3-5 hours, your options are severely limited and you won't be able to get far on the grid without skipping spheres because the early enemies only drop two or three types of spheres meaning you'll quickly encounter something you can't activate. But if you aren't skipping spheres, it's not like you'll accidentally do something that will make your characters useless.

[prismic]

Get Final Fantasy VI, which just recently had a re-release on GBA. If you don't have a GBA/DS, you can also try to pick up a copy of Final Fantasy Anthology for the PS used, which contains Final Fantasy VI in it.

Best Final Fantasy IMHO, but it could just be the rose-colored glasses I am wearing.

[CrazyAsano]

I recommend the fuck out of FFVIII. And I personally think Xenogears is one of the best games of all time... definitely get that. ADC will tell you otherwise, but don't listen to him because he doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.

Also: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is the best game ever.
8 had some good moments but the story didn't make any sense. I recommend Suikoden I and II. They're way better than most Final Fantasies.

[ADC]

I recommend the fuck out of FFVIII. And I personally think Xenogears is one of the best games of all time... definitely get that. ADC will tell you otherwise, but don't listen to him because he doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.

Also: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is the best game ever.
Cha's right, I'll tell you otherwise. Don't even bother with Xenogears, unless it's a choice between that and beating yourself over the head with a frying pan. Even then, think the frying pan option over. On the other hand, if you can find a copy of Symphony, it is one of the best games ever made.

I would say skip FF8 and go straight to FF9. Or, if sticking with the PS2 is the requirement, just go on to Dragon Quest VIII or FFX-2.

[HitokiriShadow]

I would say skip FF8 and go straight to FF9. Or, if sticking with the PS2 is the requirement, just go on to Dragon Quest VIII or FFX-2.

I think Xenogears was an awesome game, though the second disc certainly had some flaws in the story department. Overall a good game other than that and the ugly sprites.

However, I would strongly advise playing FFX before playing FFX-2.

[ADC]

However, I would strongly advise playing FFX before playing FFX-2.
I can accept that, but let me say two things on this front:

1. FFX-2 is far enough apart from FF10 that you don't really need to play FF10, and the handful of ties the games have are explained during FFX-2's story sequences.

2. I've never finished FF10 and have no current plan to ever go back to it. This is largely because Tidus is the worst 'hero' character in a Final Fantasy since whomever you chose as your first Light Warrior in FF1. Even such lamers as Bartz and Squall aren't half as annoying as this jackass.

In other words, sure, play a little FF10 first, but don't feel bad if you want to kick it to the curb.

[Leon_Belmont]

VIII is very hit or miss, and expect to wind up on either side of that fance. IX is like a PSX throwback to earlier FF's, so it you're into the SNES gen FF's, give it a shot. And Suikoden 1 and 2 are great, solid RPG experiences.

But like Chacranajxy, I recommend the living hell out of Xenogears above all else. It has a level of depth to it you didn't see in RPGs that came out before. Basically, they had this incredibly, incredibly large history of events mapped out, and put you in one of the more integral pieces of it near the end. So it really gave you that feeling that you're playing a piece of some massive and epic experience.

[Leon_Belmont]

However, I would strongly advise playing FFX and never playing FFX-2.

Fixed.

The game wasn't made with a sequel in mind. A number of FF's have an ambiguous but hopeful ending that isn't completely logical. FFX's ending wasn't fucked up. Go play Final Fantasy Tactics (also one of THE top recommended if you're hardcore) if you want to see a fucked up ending. X-2 wasn't meant to exist, though those who love the FFX universe may want to give it a try. Just think of it as FFX fanfiction and not to heart, because a lot of people seem to feel it shit all over the original.

[CrazyAsano]

However, I would strongly advise playing FFX and never playing FFX-2.

Fixed.

The game wasn't made with a sequel in mind. A number of FF's have an ambiguous but hopeful ending that isn't completely logical. FFX's ending wasn't fucked up. Go play Final Fantasy Tactics (also one of THE top recommended if you're hardcore) if you want to see a fucked up ending. X-2 wasn't meant to exist, though those who love the FFX universe may want to give it a try. Just think of it as FFX fanfiction and not to heart, because a lot of people seem to feel it shit all over the original.
But how can any game that features Rikku in a tiny bikini shit on anything, I ask you? Yeah, that's what I thought.

[EmperorBrandon]

My recommendation out of the numbered FF games is Final Fantasy VI, so I would recommend trying it out whatever system you find it on (the GBA version was just out). It's in the 16-bit era, so the graphics are not as great as with PS RPG's, but it's an awesome game and thought it also had an excellent cast of characters.

The funnest FF game in my opinion is Final Fantasy Tactics. It's a whole different kind of thing from the rest of FF's in that it's a tactical RPG. Once you get it, it's very addicting and I rather enjoyed the story.

Other pertinent non-FF recommendations from we would be both Chrono games (Chrono Trigger for SNES and Chrono Cross for PS) which are very engaging games that I've played countless times. Valkyrie Profile is also quite a unique and fun game that you should try out (and Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria after that).

[Nosredna]

This is largely because Tidus is the worst 'hero' character in a Final Fantasy since whomever you chose as your first Light Warrior in FF1. Even such lamers as Bartz and Squall aren't half as annoying as this jackass.

I'll disagree there and say Vaan was. At least Tidus had a personality.

[Noodle]

Some people have told me to skip VIII as they said it is a let-down from VII and is very complicated. Others have said the Sphere Grid in X makes it potentially unplayable/unwinnable. Maybe I should try something outside FF.

Any suggestions would be welcomed to ease my pain transitioning into the post FFVII world.

Sticking with final fantasy games.... Skip 8 and play 9! :D I like 9 most after 7, at least in terms of those from the post-7 era.

There are certainly loads of other RPGs worth playing though...*goes off to think of which ones while everyone else chimes in with lists...*

[Dagger]

I don't think FFVIII's plot necessarily stands up to FFVII's, but it's still a very solid entry in the series with great characters and a constantly engaging storyline. I actually think that the junction system is the best part of the game, and it's IMO the best "unique" addition to the battle system in any FF game so far. There's a small learning curve, but once you get it, it's quite intuitive.

The game also makes far better use of summons than most other FFs. I wish you had the option to skip the summoning sequences, but they're awesome-looking anyway, so it's not such a huge deal.

I also love FFIX (hence the username), but I'd suggest that you might as well just play them in order. Not such a big fan of FFX (I didn't even feel the motivation to finish it), but I seem to be in the minority there.

[Dagger]

This is largely because Tidus is the worst 'hero' character in a Final Fantasy since whomever you chose as your first Light Warrior in FF1. Even such lamers as Bartz and Squall aren't half as annoying as this jackass.

I'll disagree there and say Vaan was. At least Tidus had a personality.
Vaan isn't really the hero though. FFXII relies much more on its ensemble cast than most of its recent predecessors... if I had to finger anyone as the protagonist, per se, I'd point toward Ashe rather than Vaan.

[Ty]

Sticking with final fantasy games.... Skip 8 and play 9!

For the longest time I used to think of VIII as the black sheep of the PS FF games, but then I sat down and thought about it a second. I played VIII two times to completion and the second time throughly finished everything (level 100 all secrets obtained). In comparison I played IX once and was too bored to finish finding all of it's secrets. Going back and looking at both now I think VIII actually has the more interesting story and stands up as a worthy addition to the series. IX in comparison feels like an empty experience despite how fun an nostalgia laced it was at the time.

[ADC]

I'll disagree there and say Vaan was. At least Tidus had a personality.
I'll disagree there and say Vaan wasn't a true 'hero' character, owing to the ensemble nature of the FF12 cast. And if personality is all Tidus has going for him, then I'd rather have Umaro as my #1 character.

[Johnny]

Forget Final Fantasy (especially number 12) and go out and buy the greatest RPG since FFVII, Dragon Quest VIII.
It's nice and traditional like FFVII although even more bare bones (none of that limit break stuff). But while it may not have the memorable characters or story, the gameplay is flawless.

You can thank me later.

[ADC]

Forget Final Fantasy (especially number 12) and go out and buy the greatest RPG since FFVII, Dragon Quest VIII.
It's nice and traditional like FFVII although even more bare bones (none of that limit break stuff). But while it may not have the memorable characters or story, the gameplay is flawless.
I remember Jessica for two reasons in particular.

[Leon_Belmont]

Forget Final Fantasy (especially number 12) and go out and buy the greatest RPG since FFVII, Dragon Quest VIII.
It's nice and traditional like FFVII although even more bare bones (none of that limit break stuff). But while it may not have the memorable characters or story, the gameplay is flawless.
I remember Jessica for two reasons in particular.

It's more akin to FFIX than anything. But yeah, good game. Nice production values. Very streamlined. Minimal load times. Feels quality.

Very old school gameplay though. I LIKE not having to choose characters for my party, and instead focusing on how I'm going to grow them. Turn based is slowly on the way out, but if you're going to do it, this is probably how it should be done.

[Falcon_73]

Thank you for all the suggestions.

I'm not sure I've heard of Xeno*gears* (I thought of Xenosaga - any relation?), but it looks interesting to me.

I have listened to the soundtrack for FFIX, so I know it's good music-wise, but I had heard it was a throw back game to honor the old days. As I have not played 1-6, I'm not sure how that would work out.

As for Dragon Quest VIII, I'm not sure when to make of it, looking at the reviews. It looks a lot older than the 2005 release date indicates?

As for Castlevania: Symphony, it looks like it would be too much of an adjustment to play a side scroller type of game again. I can't remember how long it has been...

A couple games I was looking at include Xenosaga and Phantasy Star Universe. Anyone have comments on these two?

I will keep FFVI in mind, but I would prefer to avoid new hardware purchases for now. I have an XBOX that I got a couple years ago, but that got so little use it wasn't even funny. I bought it to play DOA: Ulitmate which my cousin had. It didn't even keep my interest for more than a few hours. That and I forgot how much I really didn't care for fight type games.

Before I got the XBOX, my last console was an Atari. I guess I missed a "few" generations... and have just dated myself. :sweatdrop:

[CrazyAsano]

Thank you for all the suggestions.

I'm not sure I've heard of Xeno*gears* (I thought of Xenosaga - any relation?), but it looks interesting to me.

I have listened to the soundtrack for FFIX, so I know it's good music-wise, but I had heard it was a throw back game to honor the old days. As I have not played 1-6, I'm not sure how that would work out.

As for Dragon Quest VIII, I'm not sure when to make of it, looking at the reviews. It looks a lot older than the 2005 release date indicates?

As for Castlevania: Symphony, it looks like it would be too much of an adjustment to play a side scroller type of game again. I can't remember how long it has been...

A couple games I was looking at include Xenosaga and Phantasy Star Universe. Anyone have comments on these two?

I will keep FFVI in mind, but I would prefer to avoid new hardware purchases for now. I have an XBOX that I got a couple years ago, but that got so little use it wasn't even funny. I bought it to play DOA: Ulitmate which my cousin had. It didn't even keep my interest for more than a few hours. That and I forgot how much I really didn't care for fight type games.

Before I got the XBOX, my last console was an Atari. I guess I missed a "few" generations... and have just dated myself. :sweatdrop:
Xenosaga is great! That is, if you don't mind missing out on powerful items because you didn't run around to every area accessible after every conversation you have to nonsensically trigger the arrival of e-mails as if they had anything to do with you stepping into a certain room.

I'm not bitter.

[rainking187]

Thank you for all the suggestions.

I'm not sure I've heard of Xeno*gears* (I thought of Xenosaga - any relation?), but it looks interesting to me.

I have listened to the soundtrack for FFIX, so I know it's good music-wise, but I had heard it was a throw back game to honor the old days. As I have not played 1-6, I'm not sure how that would work out.

As for Dragon Quest VIII, I'm not sure when to make of it, looking at the reviews. It looks a lot older than the 2005 release date indicates?

As for Castlevania: Symphony, it looks like it would be too much of an adjustment to play a side scroller type of game again. I can't remember how long it has been...

A couple games I was looking at include Xenosaga and Phantasy Star Universe. Anyone have comments on these two?

I will keep FFVI in mind, but I would prefer to avoid new hardware purchases for now. I have an XBOX that I got a couple years ago, but that got so little use it wasn't even funny. I bought it to play DOA: Ulitmate which my cousin had. It didn't even keep my interest for more than a few hours. That and I forgot how much I really didn't care for fight type games.

Before I got the XBOX, my last console was an Atari. I guess I missed a "few" generations... and have just dated myself. :sweatdrop:

You didn't recently come out of a coma by any chance, did you?

EDIT: And for Final Fantasy VI there's a game called "Final Fantasy Anthology" for Playstation that has both Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI. You can get it here: eStarland (http://www.estarland.com/index.asp?page=Playstation&cat=RPG&product=6465&q=) for less then the price of one of the GBA games. It'll probably be the greatest hits version though. You might also want to look into "Final Fantasy Chronicles" on the same site for the same price which includes Final Fantasy IV and the awesome Chrono Trigger.

[Leon_Belmont]

I "would" recommend Xenosaga. Technically, Xenosaga III IS my overall favorite RPG of this generation (with ToA,DQVIII,FFXII, and the KHs trailing ever so slightly behind). Only problem is you got to play two shit games to get to part III. And trust me, I wanted to like them damn it. I tried my hardest too. But even watching Xenosaga 1 as a stripped down movie on that bonus disc I got with II, the pace FUCKING CRAWLS. Horrible.

You know what sold big and made a splash in all the cos play this generation? The FFVII of RPGs this generation? Kingdom Hearts. That series has the fastest rising fanbase for a console RPG this gen. From "Zero" to "WTF?!? there's 50 Riku's at this damn convention" in like 2 to 3 years. So it's the easiest RPG I think anyone could possibly get into out of this gen's choices. I stress console though, because these people have nothing on the WoW fans, who live and breathe their game so much you'd probably never see them at any sort of convention.

[Jaynin]

I'm not sure I've heard of Xeno*gears* (I thought of Xenosaga - any relation?), but it looks interesting to me.

I have listened to the soundtrack for FFIX, so I know it's good music-wise, but I had heard it was a throw back game to honor the old days. As I have not played 1-6, I'm not sure how that would work out.

As for Dragon Quest VIII, I'm not sure when to make of it, looking at the reviews. It looks a lot older than the 2005 release date indicates?
...

A couple games I was looking at include Xenosaga and Phantasy Star Universe. Anyone have comments on these two?

Xenogears and Xenosaga are made by essentially the same people. Many of the key people behind Xenogears left Square to form Monolith Soft and they created Xenosaga. Xenosaga is sort of like an alternate universe prequel of Xenogears; the two games are not officially connected, but there's plenty of wink wink references and similarities that can fuel debate on the subject. I highly recommend them both. Though the Xenosaga trilogy is infamous for its long and frequent cutscenes, so it's more watching than playing, and the battle system for episodes 1 and 2 can be difficult. But if you want deeply complex and epic stories you must get Xenosaga(s) and Xenogears. I'm personally more of a fan of saga, but gears is phenomenal too. Xenogears definitely has the best story in a single game ever. You might want to jump into Xenogears first.

You really can't go wrong with any of the Final Fantasies. I actually love VIII, it's my favorite behind VI.

Dragon Quest VIII is very good. The Dragon Quest games tend to be quite long endeavours, and they are very adept at making you feel like you are part of the story. The graphics for VIII are superb. Character and monster designs are done by Akira Toriyama.

If you don't mind strategy rpgs, Final Fantasy Tactics is great, and has a superb story. Disgaea and Phantom Brave have nice stories that are very character driven with characters you can simply fall in love with.

I'd also recommend checking out Kingdom Hearts. The mix of Disney and Square is impressive.

[ADC]

As for Dragon Quest VIII, I'm not sure when to make of it, looking at the reviews. It looks a lot older than the 2005 release date indicates?
That was more of a style choice than a technological limitation, I think. The character models look 2D when you just look at stills, but that's artifact of the hand-drawn, cel-shaded graphics laid on 3D models. That's one of the things I really like about the recent hardware, that it's powerful enough that the creators could do different styles of presentation. Looking back at Generation 6, I think DQ8 and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door are the best-looking games.

[Suwako Moriya]

There are a lot of games after Final Fantasy VII, but they also cater to different styles. Hence you may want to try different styles to test the waters. Ie see what you like. The trick is finding RPGs that don't require you to be an expert in that sub-genre.

In the case of action-battle RPGs I'd recommend something like Tales of Symphonia if you had a Gamecube. However if it must be PS/PS2 then I'd say Tales of Eternia would be a nice choice. Heck it was ultimately Tales of Eternia that got me into the Tales series. Note in the U.S. Tales of Eternia was released here under the name Tales of Destiny II.

In the case of strategy RPGs Final Fantasy Tactics could work. It's not the most challenging strategy RPG. In fact many consider it rather easy. However regardless it does allow you to practice with the idea of planning. Simply because you have things like deciding how to set up your character and what to do during battle.

In terms of Final Fantasy VIII I found it to be a pretty decent Final Fantasy and it has one of my favorite final battles in an FF. However one thing that annoys me about the junction system comes from a story aspect. I think the best way to put is I'm surprised they can breathe with out GFs...

Final Fantasy X's Sphere Grid I found to be pretty nice and it's one of the best parts about Final Fantasy X. The main thing that bothered me about Final Fantasy X is the whole "GO NORTH YOUNG TIDUS" feel of it. It's also the source of one of my most hated lines ever. Which is it's "My story" As if the center of the universe crap wasn't bad enough.

Honestly through the opinions of Final Fantasy games are so across the board that you may was tell just try each one for yourself and see what clicks for you. I mean it's like each time a new Final Fantasy is created one person is prepared to write a speech about how it's the last good FF in existence and another is prepared to write about speech about how it ruined the series.

A lot of it will come down to your tastes in varying issues. For example Final Fantasy VIII has a more modern feel to it while Final Fantasy IX has a more fantasy feel. FF8 is heavier in customization while FF9 is light in it. Heck just the graphical style may effects things for you.

[Suwako Moriya]

I think Xenogears was an awesome game, though the second disc certainly had some flaws in the story department. Overall a good game other than that and the ugly sprites.

I found Xenogears to be one of those games that starts off bleh at first, remains meh for a good while and then after along time finally starts to become good. It's something I'm glad to have played it, but I can't consider it great or anything.

[Suwako Moriya]

I "would" recommend Xenosaga. Technically, Xenosaga III IS my overall favorite RPG of this generation (with ToA,DQVIII,FFXII, and the KHs trailing ever so slightly behind). Only problem is you got to play two shit games to get to part III.

I'll say this much as I continue to try to motivate myself to watch err I mean play Xenosaga 2. Xenosaga 3 better be beyond worth it. I mean the first game wasn rather err average and the second game has been meh so far.

[HitokiriShadow]

I have listened to the soundtrack for FFIX, so I know it's good music-wise, but I had heard it was a throw back game to honor the old days. As I have not played 1-6, I'm not sure how that would work out.


That shouldn't be a problem. The 'throwback' was mainly because it was more classical fantasy than the tecno-fantasy that the games had been becoming. Also, there is the job classes (rather than the blank slates/carbon copies in 7& 8 that were all practically identical other than the limit breaks and skins) that fans of the earlier games would recognize which were MIA in 7 & 8 (and somewhat subdued in 6, but still there). It's perfectly enjoyable without having played any of the earlier games.

[HitokiriShadow]

I "would" recommend Xenosaga. Technically, Xenosaga III IS my overall favorite RPG of this generation (with ToA,DQVIII,FFXII, and the KHs trailing ever so slightly behind). Only problem is you got to play two shit games to get to part III.

I'll say this much as I continue to try to motivate myself to watch err I mean play Xenosaga 2. Xenosaga 3 better be beyond worth it. I mean the first game wasn rather err average and the second game has been meh so far.

It is. Or at least I thought it was. I felt much the same way you did on the first two games (though I felt the first was at least a little above average). If nothing else, I promise you it is much better than the first two. Exactly how much you'll like it, I can't say.

[Suwako Moriya]

If nothing else, I promise you it is much better than the first two. Exactly how much you'll like it, I can't say.

Sooner or later I hope to find out eventually. Although my current plan is this. Which is to say I'm not likely to play Xenosaga 3 directly after Xenosaga 2. Instead I'll probably take a break from the series after Xenosaga 2. Granted I'm not sure what I'll play in between two and three, but I'm sure I can find something. Even if it's just killing random final bosses.

[Kikaroo]

I stress console though, because these people have nothing on the WoW fans, who live and breathe their game so much you'd probably never see them at any sort of convention.

Well, there were a lot of WoW fans at BlizzCon. :D

[Leon_Belmont]

I stress console though, because these people have nothing on the WoW fans, who live and breathe their game so much you'd probably never see them at any sort of convention.

Well, there were a lot of WoW fans at BlizzCon. :D

Must not have been a raid night :D

[Leon_Belmont]

If nothing else, I promise you it is much better than the first two. Exactly how much you'll like it, I can't say.

Sooner or later I hope to find out eventually. Although my current plan is this. Which is to say I'm not likely to play Xenosaga 3 directly after Xenosaga 2. Instead I'll probably take a break from the series after Xenosaga 2. Granted I'm not sure what I'll play in between two and three, but I'm sure I can find something. Even if it's just killing random final bosses.

I don't know. III felt different enough to get right on.

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Did you change your damn name again?!? :horse:

[CrazyAsano]

Sooner or later I hope to find out eventually. Although my current plan is this. Which is to say I'm not likely to play Xenosaga 3 directly after Xenosaga 2. Instead I'll probably take a break from the series after Xenosaga 2. Granted I'm not sure what I'll play in between two and three, but I'm sure I can find something. Even if it's just killing random final bosses.

I don't know. III felt different enough to get right on.

...

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Did you change your damn name again?!? :horse:

You really need to read the help requested thread in Forum Feedback.

[Suwako Moriya]

I don't know. III felt different enough to get right on.

Ah okay, but even so I'm still leaning towards the current plan. Partially because I do have other games in the backlog to work on. I also have the urge to replay certain games, but that's another story. Either way I won't know for certain until I'm done with Xenosaga 2. As for your question about the name change. Well Mufflepuff Skittlepants has given a good enough answer. So I'll leave it at that.

[Falcon_73]

I ended up re-watching the FFVII:AC movie last night. It looks like I forgot to mention that I saw this first, before playing the game. The movie intrigued me enough to want to know more about the world the game was set in. It certainly helps to know who the characters are, but I think the emotional impact of the game was far greater for me.

At this point, I'm thinking of replaying FFVII. However, perhaps it's best to try something else first, so that I can have some point of comparison and to give nostalgia time to take hold.

I missed quite a bit the first time around in VII, despite maxing out the time clock. Although, 24 hours of that was because I was waiting for a PS1 game card to save my game on! Imagine my surprise when I found out that PS2 cards didn't work for PS1 games. This being my first, I had no idea about many things... Things, such as how to change limit breaks, the fact that materia itself levels and that materia could be exhanged on the fly didn't even click until I was well into my 50's and 60's.

Yuffie was my highest character at the end, hitting 90 during the last battles. She was my go-to character, especially after Tifa's ultimate weapon broke (perhaps there is a reason for it I never figured out).

Maybe I was in a coma and I don't even know it? I think the coma was called MMORPG's. :sweatdrop:

[Suwako Moriya]

Yuffie was my highest character at the end, hitting 90 during the last battles. She was my go-to character, especially after Tifa's ultimate weapon broke (perhaps there is a reason for it I never figured out).

Yuffie is my favorite character in Final Fantasy 7. She's awesome. As for Tifa's ultimate weapon. The thing is each ultimate weapon has a different criteria that determines it's damage. In the case of Tifa her weapon becomes stronger as her limit bar fills up. Thus when her bar is low she won't do much damage. Obviously using her limit is a quick way to empty the bar.

Yuffie's ultimate weapon's power is based on the enemy she's fighting. Thus if you're facing a stronger enemy her weapon will be stronger. This is highly effective in the long run since really it's the stronger enemies you want to be doing the most damage to.

As for the other ultimate weapons and possibly double checking on what I said there are FAQs to check at Gamefaqs I believe that explain the weapons. Double checking would be good since my memory may be a bit off. Okay my memory of Yuffie being awesome and my favorite in the game is totally clear.

Finally in terms of replaying Final Fantasy VII, I'd suggest waiting off. Say at least a few months if not more. Work on some other games instead for awhile. By allowing yourself a decent time of separation from the game when/if you do replay FFVII your replay will be a fresher experience.

[ADC]

Though I have plenty of other games to play right now, I'm thinking of dusting off the PS2 (if I can find it under all the dust) and getting my FF7 on. It is still my favorite in the series, after all, and who knows when Square Enix will get the Generation 7 console release done? Maybe it'll end up getting me motivated to go back and finish FF8 once I'm done, too. (Probability: 8 percent.)

[Ender]

Maybe it'll end up getting me motivated to go back and finish FF8 once I'm done, too. (Probability: 8 percent.)

I'm still slugging through IX, as bad as it is, so you should have a much easier time motivating yourself to play one of the good ones like VIII. :P

[Suwako Moriya]

I'm still slugging through IX, as bad as it is, so you should have a much easier time motivating yourself to play one of the good ones like VIII. :P

Where as I'm already done with 1 to 10. :D Okay granted I still haven't gained the motivation to play 10-2. I'm not likely to play 11 in part because I'm not repeatedly paying for a single game. I also have yet to start on 12 in part due to the other games in my backlog. So I guess this means it won't be long before someone replies with a victory post. :sd:

[Chacranajxy]

I'm still slugging through IX, as bad as it is, so you should have a much easier time motivating yourself to play one of the good ones like VIII. :P

Where as I'm already done with 1 to 10. :D Okay granted I still haven't gained the motivation to play 10-2. I'm not likely to play 11 in part because I'm not repeatedly paying for a single game. I also have yet to start on 12 in part due to the other games in my backlog. So I guess this means it won't be long before someone replies with a victory post. :sd:

That's dedication. I haven't opened 3 yet and 1 and 2 I'm holding off on because of the PSP remakes... I've finished IV-X-2 though

[ADC]

I'm still slugging through IX, as bad as it is, so you should have a much easier time motivating yourself to play one of the good ones like VIII. :P
Um, I was motivated to play FF9 because it is one of the good ones. FF8, not so much. :P

Where as I'm already done with 1 to 10.
That's dedication. I haven't opened 3 yet and 1 and 2 I'm holding off on because of the PSP remakes... I've finished IV-X-2 though
It is instructive to note that I've still not finished 2, 3, 8, 10, and CC, all of which are comparatively lame entries in the series. I very much enjoyed 4–T, 9, X-2, and 12; and The First is so easy on the GBA that you practically have to try not to finish it. (I still pretend that Mystic Quest was a bad dream.)

[Suwako Moriya]

That's dedication. I haven't opened 3 yet and 1 and 2 I'm holding off on because of the PSP remakes... I've finished IV-X-2 though

Yeah my dedication is strong, but sadly not as strong as some. Then again I will always lose out to those willing to repeatedly pay for the same game. :sd:

[Falcon_73]

I don't think FFVIII's plot necessarily stands up to FFVII's, but it's still a very solid entry in the series with great characters and a constantly engaging storyline. I actually think that the junction system is the best part of the game, and it's IMO the best "unique" addition to the battle system in any FF game so far. There's a small learning curve, but once you get it, it's quite intuitive.

The game also makes far better use of summons than most other FFs. I wish you had the option to skip the summoning sequences, but they're awesome-looking anyway, so it's not such a huge deal.


I ended up going with what I had and the next in the series (FFVIII). It may be next, but it's different in many ways. I played it for 5 hours yesterday and the Junction System still has me baffled to this point.

However, my biggest concern at this point are the summons/GF. It seems to be more of a game about them than the characters themselves, at least in combat. The characters do ~50 and the summons do 400-1,000. I mean what's the use of regular attacks? The summon animations were pretty awesome at first, but they are getting old fast. I've had fights by level 13 where I've had to use 15 summons or so... Am I doing something wrong or is melee combat utterly useless?

Limit Breaks: Since they are only available at very low health, I've used what, 2 so far? It seems silly to let ones characters get to within 1 shot range to use these now.

I have other points I'd like to discuss, but perhaps it's better if I continue this on the other thread.

[EmperorBrandon]

Still haven't finished 3, 7, 8, 10 and anything afterwards. I'm not going to be getting 3 at the moment as I have no desire to get a DS (and probably less since the Tactics remake is going to the PSP). I don't have a working copy of 7 (I actually have the PC version but it never played on my computer...). 3 and 7 are gaps I'd most want to close, though not too concerned about it right now. I've bought FFIV and FFVI both three times and probably played through them many more times than the rest of the series combined. :sd:

[Suwako Moriya]

Once you get the hang of the junction system the need for GFs will greatly lessens. Actually in my case I mostly relied on the spells that I had stocked by drawing, refining items, refining other spells. Plus having access to encounter none is awesome for keeping low level which is actually good for FF8. Since enemies level up with you. :sd:

[jecca-neko]

I recommend the fuck out of FFVIII. And I personally think Xenogears is one of the best games of all time... definitely get that. ADC will tell you otherwise, but don't listen to him because he doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.

Also: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is the best game ever.
Cha's right, I'll tell you otherwise. Don't even bother with Xenogears, unless it's a choice between that and beating yourself over the head with a frying pan. Even then, think the frying pan option over.

You make me sad sometimes ADC. :P

Xenogears is probably number one on my recommended RPG list. Granted, I will admit it's not an RPG for everyone. You can't have a religious stick up your ass, have to like a bit of sci-fi mixed with your fantasy, and like reading novels (for the infamous disc 2 "chair" sessions). If you fit all of those, you're in for a treat.

I also highly recommend Final Fantasy X-2 but ONLY after you have played Final Fantasy X. I don't see it being as enjoyable without the character history. This game has caveats too in that you can't expect it to be a serious, hardcore RPG. Because it isn't. Unlike most RPGs, it isn't so much about saving the world. It's the whole light-hearted adventure that's the real kicker.

If you like tactical RPGs, I'd recommend La Pucelle. It feels like the redheaded stepchild of the Nippon Ichi games, almost undeservedly. The story and gameplay really rock.


It is instructive to note that I've still not finished 2, 3, 8, 10, and CC, all of which are comparatively lame entries in the series.

My list of unfinished FF games are FFII (over halfway through, I think - I'll go back to it soon), FFIII (still haven't bought for DS - I will), and FFTA (I need to start playing that AGAIN at some point). I guess you can add FFXII to that since I still haven't bought it. I'm waiting for it to go cheap because my backlog's too huge right now.

Anyway, by far the lamest of your unfinished list ADC is FFCC. I don't see how anyone could stand to play through that ridiculously repetitive, hardly any story game single player. It works multiplayer but only because you can goof off with the person/people you're playing with. That's the ONLY reason that the whenever-to-be-released DS and Wii Crystal Chronicles games will be worthwhile to me; I have someone to play them with (except that DS game is sure to piss me off as I know I'll need to buy 2 copies to play it multiplayer).

The lamest after that to me is FFVIII, for so many reasons. It's the only game I ever got so annoyed by that I actually used a Gameshark from about halfway through on just so I could get through the game faster just to say I'd beaten it. I don't cheat in video games but that was my exception.

I still have the game. I tell myself if I'm really bored one day I'll beat it properly. But I've still got years old backlog so... I don't know if and when this will happen.

[Chacranajxy]

Jecca, where you been? I feel like I'm all alone in Xenogears rave parties sometimes... I know there's a few people here who like the game, but so many seem to hate it. Tis' a sad world.

[ADC]

You make me sad sometimes ADC. :P

Xenogears is probably number one on my recommended RPG list. Granted, I will admit it's not an RPG for everyone. You can't have a religious stick up your ass, have to like a bit of sci-fi mixed with your fantasy, and like reading novels (for the infamous disc 2 "chair" sessions). If you fit all of those, you're in for a treat.
See, I liked the first disc of Xenogears. That's the problem! Disc 2 is an absolute chore, which kills it to death and beyond. I liked the religious discussion, I liked the battle systems, but there's a lot about that game that really really sucks. For me, there's a lot more bad than good, and disc 2 has almost no good of any kind.

On the other hand, there is the shower scene. (shrug)

[AbeChinchilla]

You won't truly have lived until you play Final Fantasy X and X-2, and then skip the newer FF titles and go find some better RPGs.

Shadow Hearts
Shadow Hearts II: Covenant
Shadow Hearts: From the New World
.hack//G.U.

Baten Kaitos (GameCube)
Baten Kaitos Origins (GameCube)

[Merr]

Once you get the hang of the junction system the need for GFs will greatly lessens.
That's really true. Just make sure you set your GFs to learn abilities like Str-J and magic refine instead of the useless SumMag+XX% stuff they learn on their own.

[Chacranajxy]

You won't truly have lived until you play Final Fantasy X and X-2, and then skip the newer FF titles and go find some better RPGs.

Shadow Hearts
Shadow Hearts II: Covenant
Shadow Hearts: From the New World
.hack//G.U.

Baten Kaitos (GameCube)
Baten Kaitos Origins (GameCube)

It's funny that your statement contradicts itself. :P

[Falcon_73]

Once you get the hang of the junction system the need for GFs will greatly lessens.
That's really true. Just make sure you set your GFs to learn abilities like Str-J and magic refine instead of the useless SumMag+XX% stuff they learn on their own.

The junction system is starting to make sense now. I have also learned that there are penalties for using GF's too much, which probably explains my SeeD rank of "2" at level 17.

I did not know about drawing magic from mobs for quite a while and made the mistake of not drawing Siren from a boss mob early on. Recently, I have been stocking up on magic as much as possible, as I have noticed it further helps junctioned stats.

I have also just learned about boost as well as refining magic from items, which does not seem that useful. There must be another refine skill to refine better magic from existing magic.

Unlike VII, it seems my early mistakes have put me in a deep hole with VIII. Perhaps it is better if I start over, now that I have a basic knowledge of how the game works. If Siren is important, it may be the only thing to do now...

Then there's the card game system that I have yet to try.

I don't like do-overs and reloading from saves unless my party gets wiped out, but I may not have a choice this time?

[indigo0086]

FFVII Finally Done - What Next?

another 10 final fantasies.

[Merr]

which probably explains my SeeD rank of "2" at level 17.

Just go into the help menu and take the exams if you want to raise your SeeD level. It's pretty hard to get up just by battling.

[CrazyAsano]

which probably explains my SeeD rank of "2" at level 17.

Just go into the help menu and take the exams if you want to raise your SeeD level. It's pretty hard to get up just by battling.
Yeah, but before you do that or anything else you might want to RTFM. Gosh. I don't understand the revulsion to reading that causes people to skip over ten minutes of reading and not know what the hell's going on in the game.

[jecca-neko]

Jecca, where you been? I feel like I'm all alone in Xenogears rave parties sometimes... I know there's a few people here who like the game, but so many seem to hate it. Tis' a sad world.

My power supply in my desktop died. I had to wait about a month for Antec to send me another one. I do have a laptop but I don't like using it as much. The screen isn't as nice, the keyboard isn't as nice, I hate laptop touchpads, etc. So I haven't been online much.

For me, there's a lot more bad than good, and disc 2 has almost no good of any kind.

It had adult Emeralda. That and some interesting crucifixion/other religious scenes.


On the other hand, there is the shower scene. (shrug)

But the shower scene has Fei in it. Naked male sprites in Xenogears look almost anorexic and it weirds me out. The only thing worse than naked Fei is naked Krelian. He looks like he's missing breasts.

[ADC]

But the shower scene has Fei in it. Naked male sprites in Xenogears look almost anorexic and it weirds me out. The only thing worse than naked Fei is naked Krelian. He looks like he's missing breasts.
Y'know, I wasn't really paying attention to naked Fei, and I must have blocked naked Krelian from my memory. Of course, with that Mode 7 reject graphics engine, even naked Elly wasn't :bignosebleed:, and she should have been.

[AbeChinchilla]

You won't truly have lived until you play Final Fantasy X and X-2, and then skip the newer FF titles and go find some better RPGs.

Shadow Hearts
Shadow Hearts II: Covenant
Shadow Hearts: From the New World
.hack//G.U.

Baten Kaitos (GameCube)
Baten Kaitos Origins (GameCube)

It's funny that your statement contradicts itself. :P

Looks like you've allowed yourself to be warped by Square-Enix. :P Cliche's ahoy!

[Chacranajxy]

You won't truly have lived until you play Final Fantasy X and X-2, and then skip the newer FF titles and go find some better RPGs.

Shadow Hearts
Shadow Hearts II: Covenant
Shadow Hearts: From the New World
.hack//G.U.

Baten Kaitos (GameCube)
Baten Kaitos Origins (GameCube)

It's funny that your statement contradicts itself. :P

Looks like you've allowed yourself to be warped by Square-Enix. :P Cliche's ahoy!

But then why did you list Baten Kaitos and .Hack. Baten Kaitos in particular is an example of how to rip some decent ideas and make them terrible.

[AbeChinchilla]

You won't truly have lived until you play Final Fantasy X and X-2, and then skip the newer FF titles and go find some better RPGs.

Shadow Hearts
Shadow Hearts II: Covenant
Shadow Hearts: From the New World
.hack//G.U.

Baten Kaitos (GameCube)
Baten Kaitos Origins (GameCube)

It's funny that your statement contradicts itself. :P

Looks like you've allowed yourself to be warped by Square-Enix. :P Cliche's ahoy!

But then why did you list Baten Kaitos and .Hack. Baten Kaitos in particular is an example of how to rip some decent ideas and make them terrible.


Have you played .hack//G.U.? Vast improvement on what was wrong with the previous series of games. Both series have top-notch stories.

As for Baten Kaitos, that's more of a recommendation due to the battle system, although I'm enjoying the story quite a bit (the only thing I could really complain about BK is the voice acting in the first game).

[Suwako Moriya]

It had adult Emeralda.

Hmm good point there. Actually Emeralda's presence in general helped improve the quality of the game. Same thing for Maria. Obviously this has "nothing" to do with the fact I like them better than the rest of the party. *Realizes no one is buying it*

[jecca-neko]

Hmm good point there. Actually Emeralda's presence in general helped improve the quality of the game. Same thing for Maria. Obviously this has "nothing" to do with the fact I like them better than the rest of the party. *Realizes no one is buying it*

What I want to know about Maria is how come she doesn't fall off of Seibzehn when it got hit and it stumbled. I mean, she doesn't have a pilot's seat. She stands on top of it.

[Suwako Moriya]

What I want to know about Maria is how come she doesn't fall off of Seibzehn when it got hit and it stumbled. I mean, she doesn't have a pilot's seat. She stands on top of it.

See Maria is no ordinary human girl. She is an all powerful being. Thus you must not question how or why. You must instead be astonished and be faithful. In other words I have no idea at all.

[CrazyAsano]

What I want to know about Maria is how come she doesn't fall off of Seibzehn when it got hit and it stumbled. I mean, she doesn't have a pilot's seat. She stands on top of it.

See Maria is no ordinary human girl. She is an all powerful being. Thus you must not question how or why. You must instead be astonished and be faithful. In other words I have no idea at all.
It's quite simple. Krazy Glue.

[Suwako Moriya]

It's quite simple. Krazy Glue.

Too bad it's costs like 17 Billion G a bottle in the world of Xenogears. No wonder the game lasted me so long. :P

[HitokiriShadow]

Maybe she was wearing magnetic boots?