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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by ADC

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]

Originally Posted by HitokiriShadow

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]

Originally Posted by HitokiriShadow

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.