Kalmia
King Koopa
Happy to be here
Posts: 11,707 
Member is Online
|
Post by Kalmia on Aug 4, 2023 18:04:56 GMT -5
After finishing FFXVI I replayed FFVII Remake and now I'm back onto FFVIII and I cannot look at the summons/GFs the same way. Every Ifrit is Clive now and always will be.
|
|
|
|
Post by Cyno on Aug 4, 2023 20:56:36 GMT -5
It is interesting to see how each FF game has its own interpretations of the summons. Like Bahamut has a ton going back to the original game where he wasn't even a summon (summons didn't exist). Just a friendly dragon that helped you unlock your characters' promoted jobs.
|
|
J is Justice
Wade Wilson
Will now be grateful.
Hi.
Posts: 28,565 
|
Post by J is Justice on Aug 4, 2023 21:52:59 GMT -5
After finishing FFXVI I replayed FFVII Remake and now I'm back onto FFVIII and I cannot look at the summons/GFs the same way. Every Ifrit is Clive now and always will be. I just played through XII again and there's no Ifrit in that one so I was fine, lol. |
|
Johnny B. Decent
Patti Mayonnaise
Had one once
Everybody's Favorite Arizonian.
Posts: 31,075
|
Post by Johnny B. Decent on Aug 4, 2023 21:55:05 GMT -5
It is interesting to see how each FF game has its own interpretations of the summons. Like Bahamut has a ton going back to the original game where he wasn't even a summon (summons didn't exist). Just a friendly dragon that helped you unlock your characters' promoted jobs. Odin is another good one for that. Like he's a villain here, Lightning' ally and a rather aloof figure elsewhere. |
|
J is Justice
Wade Wilson
Will now be grateful.
Hi.
Posts: 28,565
|
Post by J is Justice on Aug 4, 2023 21:58:07 GMT -5
It is interesting to see how each FF game has its own interpretations of the summons. Like Bahamut has a ton going back to the original game where he wasn't even a summon (summons didn't exist). Just a friendly dragon that helped you unlock your characters' promoted jobs. I like how XII had completely original summons not seen in the other games. |
|
|
|
Post by Cyno on Aug 4, 2023 22:48:52 GMT -5
It is interesting to see how each FF game has its own interpretations of the summons. Like Bahamut has a ton going back to the original game where he wasn't even a summon (summons didn't exist). Just a friendly dragon that helped you unlock your characters' promoted jobs. I like how XII had completely original summons not seen in the other games. Yeah they were based on either previous FF big bads in Chaos, Mateus (aka FF2's Emperor), Famfrit (FF3's Cloud of Darkness), Zeromus, and Exodus (FF5's Exdeath) or FF Tactics' Lucavi in Belias, Hashmal, Adrammelech, Zalera, Cuchulainn, and Ultima. And while Shemhazai wasn't an FFT Lucavi herself, there was no Sagittarius Lucavi in FFT so the slot was open.
As for Zodiark, he was a summon in FFT originally used by Elidibus, which was the name of both the human sorcerer and the Lucavi demon he became. It's an interesting tie-in with FF14 with the Ascian Elidibus acting as the Emissary of Zodiark, the dark god that's the rival of the benevolent Hydaelyn. In fact, all the major Ascian names are taken from FF12's "Scions of Light," the counterparts to the "Scions of Darkness" that make up the summonable espers. Except Zodiark and Ultima, who don't belong to either (and FF14's Ascian take on Ultima is named "Altima" to avoid confusion with the Ultima spell, Ultima Weapon, and Ultima, the High Seraph from FFT/12).
|
|
|
|
Post by Ryback on a Pole! on Aug 21, 2023 10:49:23 GMT -5
I am considering getting this, but before I drop 70 quid on it, a few questions.
1 - is it true there's no party as such, and you basically play on your own? That sounds like a bad design choice. Part of what I liked about FF games was fighting alongside others
2 - is the combat repetitive? I am not a big fan of mindless hack and slash combat, and this sounds very much like mindless hack and slash combat with no real strategy. I read one review saying they'd got rid of elemantal damage and status effects--which just seems like it has dumbed it down to me. If the combat sucks, I tend to get bored of the game.
3 - How much grinding is there? Because honestly, I can't be arsed with grinding like in the old Final Fantasy games. I have other stuff to do than spend a couple of hours killing monsters to get my character to level 30.
Now, I have heard the story, the world and the characters are GREAT. And as I get older, story, dialogue and characters are what keep me interested in games.
|
|
|
|
Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Aug 21, 2023 12:01:45 GMT -5
I am considering getting this, but before I drop 70 quid on it, a few questions. 1 - is it true there's no party as such, and you basically play on your own? That sounds like a bad design choice. Part of what I liked about FF games was fighting alongside others 2 - is the combat repetitive? I am not a big fan of mindless hack and slash combat, and this sounds very much like mindless hack and slash combat with no real strategy. I read one review saying they'd got rid of elemantal damage and status effects--which just seems like it has dumbed it down to me. If the combat sucks, I tend to get bored of the game. 3 - How much grinding is there? Because honestly, I can't be arsed with grinding like in the old Final Fantasy games. I have other stuff to do than spend a couple of hours killing monsters to get my character to level 30. Now, I have heard the story, the world and the characters are GREAT. And as I get older, story, dialogue and characters are what keep me interested in games. You do fight with a party for the most part you’re just not always dictating their actions. Wouldn’t say the combat is repetitive. You can’t just button mash your way to a win. This isn’t the old school Grindy FF. You’re not spending an hour in Besaid like in FFX trying to grind up 10 levels. You play the game naturally and won’t worry about grinding |
|
Fundertaker
El Dandy
Hideo Kojima should direct every ending ever!
Posts: 8,933
Member is Online
|
Post by Fundertaker on Aug 21, 2023 12:06:29 GMT -5
I am considering getting this, but before I drop 70 quid on it, a few questions. 1 - is it true there's no party as such, and you basically play on your own? That sounds like a bad design choice. Part of what I liked about FF games was fighting alongside others 2 - is the combat repetitive? I am not a big fan of mindless hack and slash combat, and this sounds very much like mindless hack and slash combat with no real strategy. I read one review saying they'd got rid of elemantal damage and status effects--which just seems like it has dumbed it down to me. If the combat sucks, I tend to get bored of the game. 3 - How much grinding is there? Because honestly, I can't be arsed with grinding like in the old Final Fantasy games. I have other stuff to do than spend a couple of hours killing monsters to get my character to level 30. Now, I have heard the story, the world and the characters are GREAT. And as I get older, story, dialogue and characters are what keep me interested in games. You do fight with a party for the most part you’re just not always dictating their actions. Wouldn’t say the combat is repetitive. You can’t just button mash your way to a win. This isn’t the old school Grindy FF. You’re not spending an hour in Besaid like in FFX trying to grind up 10 levels. You play the game naturally and won’t worry about grinding Of all FFs... 10 as grindy? I could understand some of the old ones, but 10? Until endgame there's like 1 challenging fight if you don't go out of your way. |
|
|
|
Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Aug 21, 2023 12:21:53 GMT -5
You do fight with a party for the most part you’re just not always dictating their actions. Wouldn’t say the combat is repetitive. You can’t just button mash your way to a win. This isn’t the old school Grindy FF. You’re not spending an hour in Besaid like in FFX trying to grind up 10 levels. You play the game naturally and won’t worry about grinding Of all FFs... 10 as grindy? I could understand some of the old ones, but 10? Until endgame there's like 1 challenging fight if you don't go out of your way. Well im using 10 as the last example of a FF you had put in extra time but it had its moments if you weren’t prepared especially if you didn’t know the tips and tricks like poison on Seymour in Mt Gagazet. Evrae could be a bitch if you weren’t up to level |
|
Kalmia
King Koopa
Happy to be here
Posts: 11,707
Member is Online
|
Post by Kalmia on Aug 21, 2023 12:33:50 GMT -5
I am considering getting this, but before I drop 70 quid on it, a few questions. 1 - is it true there's no party as such, and you basically play on your own? That sounds like a bad design choice. Part of what I liked about FF games was fighting alongside others 2 - is the combat repetitive? I am not a big fan of mindless hack and slash combat, and this sounds very much like mindless hack and slash combat with no real strategy. I read one review saying they'd got rid of elemantal damage and status effects--which just seems like it has dumbed it down to me. If the combat sucks, I tend to get bored of the game. 3 - How much grinding is there? Because honestly, I can't be arsed with grinding like in the old Final Fantasy games. I have other stuff to do than spend a couple of hours killing monsters to get my character to level 30. Now, I have heard the story, the world and the characters are GREAT. And as I get older, story, dialogue and characters are what keep me interested in games. Play the demo. The main demo is the start of the game and carries over if you buy the full game. The second part of the demo (only unlocks after completing the first) gives you a better idea of the fighting style. As the game progresses you get access to more magic (that's not the right word for it but I'll stick with it) and that stops the game from just being a hack and slash, IMO. You can chose the magic to equip and some of it is really fun. I'm very much a turn based RPG fan but I enjoyed the combat in this way more than FFVIIR or FFXV. And there's absolutely zero grinding necessary. The boss battles are insane but well judged so you can beat them just by playing the game through. I only did the main quests and side quests, no grinding, and didn't die once. |
|
|
|
Post by Cyno on Aug 21, 2023 12:41:05 GMT -5
Status effects in Final Fantasy are pretty much just window dressing besides a few outliers. At most they're a headache to Esuna or Remedy away. Not like the series is MegaTen where status effects are a core part of the battle system's strategy to not only defend against, but use to your advantage including boss fights.
|
|
Chiral
Salacious Crumb
Posts: 73,747
|
Post by Chiral on Aug 21, 2023 21:16:51 GMT -5
Just beat it last night, I'm still processing things but wowza. My rambling thoughts (Ending spoilers): {Spoiler}{Spoiler}{Spoiler}{SPOILER: CLICK TO SHOW}That was such a f***ing gut punch. But also was kinda weirdly Mass Effect 3-y and I was confused at how I felt as the credits rolled and the because of that. That starlight song HUUURRRTSSS OH MY GOD. I can't remember the last anything that like churned me inside like this with its ending. Then I was reading interpretations and like I do with a lot of ambiguous endings I tend to lean to the happier interpretations. There are too many clues for me pointing to Clive's survival, and with him casting Raise on Joshua I'm ready to headcanon the full sappy "they all made it" ending including Dion cuz if we didn't see a body fully turn to stone or get super murderized, something they had no issue showing prior, then they can all make it (copium yes I know but it's a headcanon!). But at the very least I think Clive made it. The side quest with Harpocrates hopes Clive write the story of this one day, Clive narrating the intro and outro (the intro narration makes little sense otherwise to me), the book in the epilogue point to him having written the thing. Though Joshua as the author throws a wrench into things, maybe Clive dictated it to him so Joshua could lend his brother a hand eh? Also everything with Jill's last quest and the symbolism of the ending. "Before we broke camp, the morning after the storm, do you know what I did? I slipped away from my governess to climb the tor. And from there I saw a sea of petals, all reaching for the sun. And I realized that no matter how terrible the night…dawn would always come. That you…that you would always come for me. And you have. Again and again."
Dawn comes at the end of the game after a terrible night, symbolic of Clive coming home and fulfilling his promise. Jill praying to Metia the whole game and her prayer is finally answered at the end is a lot more beautiful to me than just. "The star Jill was praying to the whole game was really pointless oops." Her relief feels less like "The big struggles are over and the sky is clear again" but tying back to the side quest from an hour or so earlier. ALSO IT'D BE DUMB AS F*** FOR EVERYONE TO TELL CLIVE HE HAS TO LIVE AND SAVE HIMSELF AND STOP SELF SACRIFICING ONLY TO IMMEDIATELY DIE. The Clive dies interpretations feel just dull to me, not just from me favoring happy and/or bittersweet endings, it just feels at odds with everything if it's all just "and then they die." I know there's more to it than that but that's the vibe I get thinking about the ending that way. I really like this interpretation of the ending: filmcolossus.com/final-fantasy-16-clive-aliveThe idea that not engaging with the side quests prevents you from building the community as well is really interesting, almost doing two endings that way, a bitter one and a bittersweet but maybe hopeful one. I can't imagine how beat down I'd feel if I skipped all the big side quests before getting to that ending. All in all its up there with my favorite FF's, with the highlights being the huge battles like Titan and Bahamut, along with the smaller character moments like Clive and Uncle Byron's reunion. Also oh my god Ben Starr was amazing, one of my favorite performances in a game ever. My big downsides were I really would've been fine with a simpler happy ending after how much everyone suffered in this game, and that the women really got shafted in this one, it felt like a Shonen Jump manga in that regard lol. Jill getting benched to wife waiting for husband to come home as one of the big offenders. She didn't get shafted as bad as Luna did in FFXV at least, yeesh. I hope the next FF has lots more ladies! |
|
|
|
Post by Ryback on a Pole! on Aug 23, 2023 20:56:16 GMT -5
I bought the game, I am partwya through the first Cid's mission. So very early stages.
A few thoughts
1 - it looks amazing, that early scene with the Titan and Shiva fight was great
2 - The boss and major fights are good
3 - So far, the characters are interesting--Cid is great.
4 - So far, no pointless waste of time existing solely to pad the length of the game out---as was the case with FFVII Remake throwing things in to make it longer.
On the downside ...
1 - No indication yet of any side games, which I always enjoy. They're a nice way to take a break from the quest.
2 - Combat against normal enemies is boring. Just tap square until dead. Too many of the dull, boring enemies too.
3 - Very linear and stripped down RPG elements.
|
|
