/vr/ - Retro Games

>>5123402
>my favourite is VIII
>after having played XII
Do I even need to say it?

>>5123407
>Do I even need to say it?
Actually yes.

XII was my first because I was born a poorfag. I was 8 years old when I got a N64 (used) and I was lucky to get a Ps3 as a christmas present in 2006 when someone we knew bought a Ps3.

A sly FFVIII topic from the usual autist.

>>5123420
I think we're on two different wavelengths of understanding here Anon.

We should've forced out FF8-kun instead of /shmupg/

>>5123425
No I'm not him. And this isn't about FF VIII.

>>5123427
>It was my first
>Therefore it is my favourite and the best

When will this stupid meme end?

This is the topic.

>>5123427
We should put them to fight and take bets on the victor.

My first was FFVI and I will always love it, but not as much as FFT. Saying FFT is the best FF game is kind of cheating, because it's obviously the best but it's also not part of the main series. I guess if I had to pick one retro FF from the main series I'd pick FF1 for its replayability and party variety.

>>5123402
My first was FFVI and I still love it and consider it my favorite even though I've started seeing its fault as I played more JRPGs through the years.

I think it's expected, it's not a stupid meme unless it's actual, obvious blind worship and you didn't even bother trying out any other games in the series but call them shit anyway. But the only games that seem to get that treatment are FF2, FF8 and the ones past X which I consider to be fair.

It's the same with any long-running franchise with multiple entries. You try one game, you like it, and then from there the other games may very much be a different thing from the first game that resonated with you. They might not be bad, but the first game was just right up your alley.

>>5123428
Suuuuuure you're not buddy.

>>5123402
What the more intelligent /vr/os are trying to say here. If XII was your "first", no wonder you liked VIII. Because VIII was your first. XII isn't a tradition FF game just like XIII and XV aren't.

>>5123457
What the fuck is a "tradiotional FF", every one of them plays differently.

>>5123402
My first was the iOS port of 1 back in like 2009. Went to VII on PS3 followed by XIII. I think X was next on PS2 and from there it was III+IV on DS. From there I cannot remember fuck all about the order.

Absolute favourite is FFT:WotL and after that some combination of V, XII: TZA, and XIII-2.

>>5123461
Not him but a majority of the /vr/ relevant chunk of thw series runs on some variant of the Active Time Battle combat system. That combat system is the traditional one, and some form of Western influenced fantasy world with crystals/chocobos/magic-tech/etc. is the traditional setting.

XII is unironically the closest mainline has been to the traditional FF this millennium though so I've no idea why they're making out like it's so radically different though.

>>5123475
>FFT, XII, V
Patrician taste my friend
>XIII-2
Nobody's perfect I gusss

>>5123457
Ah okay. Well that isn't true either. I played FF XIII after XII and after that VII. Then I to VI and then I played VIII lol so I was already deep into the series at that point.

FFVII was my first final fantasy but I was 8 when I played it and it was easily the most unbelievably epic piece of media entertainment I had experienced up to that point. It left a pretty heavy impression on me and the music alone is enough to launch me into a state of nostalgic intoxication.

I’ve played IV, VII, VIII, IX, X, and XII and they’re all great games, but none of them have left the same impressive affect as FFVII.

Squallfags belong in the trash

FFX is my first, I got into RPGs once my english was good enough to truly appreciate them. VI is the best.

IX was my first and coincidentally happens to be the best

>>5123420
He's trying to imply that XII is a great game, while VIII is trash, which is a brainlet meme.

Look at the facts: XII literally plays itself for you, and VIII actually requires you to think, try shit out and reserch to get good at it. And yes, VIII can be victim to strategies and builds that trivialize all challenge, but you at least have to know how to do those things, and you still have to do more than watch your guys fight stuff. Not only that, but VIII has gameplay other than combat, combat and more combat. Which is another point; why make the part of your game that plays itself the main focus? Very puzzling.
And the only alternitive is a balancing act that feels like a pain in the ass to micro manage (AKA, trying to manually control combat in XII)

Anyway, my first FF was VII, and my favorite is VIII.

To me, VII is a great game, but very entry level. I still enjoy the shit out of it, but it's not all that interesting to me on a gameplay level. It's just kind of middle the road.

VIII, on the other hand remains entertaining to me to this day, because of all the optional shit in it, the fact that you can make the game as hard or easy as you want based on how you play, and call me a fag, but I really enjoyed the characters, world, plot and music as well.

Another controvercial opinion I have is that XIII is a great game too. Not as an RPG, but as an action game. I think of it as an ATB semi turn based DMC clone, and it's pretty fun. Mindless, sure, but still fun in the same ways a brainless hack n slash can be fun.

I also like XV, lol. (Guess I just have shit taste...)

XII, is a failed stab at being a dungeon crawler IMO. It's too casual for it's sub genre, and too mediocre in general. No likeable characters who aren't literal fap bait, and the only unique thing about the gameplay literally temoves the "play" portion of the equation.
Maybe I'm too critical of XII, but it just sucks ass IMO.

The rest of the series, I'm rather nuetral towards.

First was III DS, and it sure is not my favorite. I friggin' hate this game.

Fav is tie between VI for classic, or tactics advance for strategy

>>5123447
This.

To be honest though, lots of FFVI fans really are a blind cult of sorts. (Not to start shit or anything)

Like, I enjoy the game just fine, myself, but I can see faults in it. OK, fine, right? Nope, totally wrong. How dare I have such an opinion!? Like I impregnated their little sister, ran over their dog and shit in their cornflakes (or some combination there of) all at the same time.

It's a cool game thiugh. I feel like I don't get to really talk about that, because half my opinions get attacked, so I spend every conversation arguing, or leave out all the parts of my opinion that triggers the defense force. No fun.

>>5123402

>>5123461
>first 10 games and first direct sequel all have virtually the same gameplay and turn based combat of some variety
>the last 5 and subsequent direct sequels are a snowflake fest
>that said, many side games and remakes also have turn based combat and similar gameplay to the first 10
>so out of 25 some odd games, less than 10 have drastically dissimilar gameplay.
>t-they all p-p-play totally differently!

>>5123561
>XII literally plays itself for you
I kind of disagree. There can be real satisfaction in the Gambit system and seeing your programming play out.

>Another controvercial opinion I have is that XIII is a great game too.
I agree. I don't think any of the FF games are bad games at all. Anyone who says otherwise is being contrarian for the sake of it.

>>5123574
When last have you been in a non-bait FFVI thread though? The discussion is usually very open. I always feel like I'm bashing the game when I post my thoughts, but I never get shit on for it.

My first was 1, but my favorites are 2 and 8.

>>5123561
I'm gonna have to disagree with you on XII having bad combat or playing itself.

For me, the root of all satisfaction i combat for turn based party RPGs is optimising my team's loadout and builds to fulfill specific roles and then deploying them against a challenge strategically to overcome it. Figuring out an enemy's strengths and weaknesses, selecting the correct moves, and adjusting as their patterns evolve over the course of the fight is engaging and feels rewarding when I win because ya know you've outwitted the challenge.

FFXII takes this standard and makes it predictive. You figure out what strats to usw pre-emptively with a limited amount of direct control in the battle itself, making the challenge more cerebral as you have to account for a greater number of variables and lay out contingency plans further in advance.

Programming a healer to pop a spell at specific times is no different to directly commanding them to in terms of effect but the challenge it poses to you as the player is very different. It's a really unique combat system and I really love XII in large part because of how refreshing and interesting it is.

I'm talking about the re-releases though. Vanilla XII degrades into every party member being a blob of samey stats and gear by mid-lategame due to how unrestrictive the license board is: job boards make each member specialised and firce greater strategy out of you, even if the possibility to build a sub optimal team comp permanently is an annoyance (though it's hard as shit to do in TZA)

And playing it through direct control isn't really all that different to the ATB games outside the added emphasis on positioning and having to swap manually. The game is actually remarkably flexible for it if you look at the settings.

>>5123495
I'll be the first to admit XIII is flawed on many levels but it hits a lot of notes I really love (absurd time-travel drama, monster raising/customisation, queued turns, etc.) and mixes them with a great OST, lots of replayability, and consistently great visuals. It could be way better than it is but it's an extremely enjoyable mess to me all the same.

>>5123650
>It could be way better than it is but it's an extremely enjoyable mess to me all the same.
That pretty much sums up how I feel about VIII's plot.

>>5123645
This, XII is a masterpiece for tacticsfags

>>5123562
I love me some classic FF but FFIII DS is very near the bottom of my favorites list. The PSP version is marginally better but very difficult to get a hold of nowadays. I will say this though, the story and characters are hella cute and the map/dungeon layout is superb but I just cant understand peoples attachment to the damn job system.
>you mean I get to individually level up a characters job that become useless several times in a game? I LOVE WASTING MY TIME.
Not to mention figuring out which job is the right job for any given part of the game. Why give you the choice if most of them are worthless? The basic warrior was my most powerful character because I never switched jobs and he could just use "advance" and one hit almost every enemy by the end of the game.

Anyway, if you love that game I still respect you but its my third least favorite FF.

>>5123650
>extremely enjoyable mess!
That should be a sticker on the box

I dunno OP, myself I played them in this order (original versions only): 6, 10, 12, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9

and the order from most to least favorite for me is: 1, 3, 10, 6, 4, 7, 2, 8, 5, 9, 12

I don't slag no one, I don't even judge, don't give a shit cause I'm not gonna budge

>>5123402

my 1st was 1. but my favorite is 6 (my third). 8 is my second favorite. I don't think it's as good as 5, but i like the characters and story of 8 (Except for the WE KNEW EACH OTHER ALL ALONG! and the time compression fuckery.)

>>5123402
My first was VII and I honestly don't rank it that high. My favorites are XII or VI. Tactics if we're counting spin offs as well.

>>5123402
First was 7 and favorite is 7. I have huge, huge respect for 8 though, it's my second favorite.

Nine is fucking shit though. I prefer six, five and four over it. Anything after 9 I don't consider to be Final Fantasy at all.

i'm replaying through Mystic Quest right now... it was my first and for some reason i still like it

>>5124067
>Anything after 9

But X was fantastic. Way better than IX.

>>5124058
>VI XII T
All this good taste in the thread today!

>>5124075
That doesn't relate to his point.

Also no it isn't.

I want to fill Terra with my seed so bad

Does FF1 count as my first if my older brother didn't allow me to play it (only one save file) and thus I only watched him?
If not, then yeah IV was the first one, but it's not my favorite. I place it among the middle rankings of the franchise, really.

>>5124146
Not him but I just replayed FFX after over 10 years since I first played it and it's lot better than I remebered. The turnbased combat that allowed you to see turn order, sphere grid allowing you to customize your stats and abilities and equipment customization are great adds. The battles are fluid and fun compared to IX's slow and sloggish pace. I can also find great nuances in the story that I missed when I was younger. FFX's story is very bitter sweet and melancholic and Tidus' growing throughout the game is well presented.

I only finished X of the main series and liked it
which one should I play now?

>>5124158

>I'm in my Esper form, RIGHT. NOW.

>>5124203
9. Go backwards in time!

>>5124203
It's a bit hard to say really. X was the first truly turn based game they'd done in a long while and pretty much the last besides its own sequel, and is also the least Western in setting, themes, and influences. X-2 is also a hard to recommend one because it (deliberately) underwent a massive (story) genre shift that made it end up somewhere between FFX, Charlie's Angels, and an idol anime.

Personally my two friends that are massive X fans both enjoyed VI and VII the most after it, so I guess go with those.

>>5124179
The combat is fantastic but I feel it's almost wasted on the game. The regular random encounters have an extremely limited enemy pool that demands very little strategizing once you know what to do after the first two areas (e.g. nail fliers with waka, flans with lulu, etc.) and most story bosses are a bore (though there's some damn fine ones). The post-game and side-content is much better with the dark aeons and such but often requires way too fucking much grinding to fill empty/replace subpar stat slots on the grid in order to get through them which is a buzzkill and a half.

The Cloisters are a slog due to the clunky mechanics and slow menus even having run through them before, the side-missions to get the celestial gear are often annoying (the fucking lightning still haunts me), and while I know some really love it I always hated Blitzball. The colliseum was about the only optional content i really enjoyed but was still a bit of a grind for many monsters to get them.

Also the dub is really badly directed and edited. There's a ton of awkward pauses or weirdly paced parts to fit scenes/lipsync and some characters have trash performances. I just used an undub patch for my last replay a few years ago but it's worth mentioning anyway I think.

I do generally like the story though. There's some rough parts and it could be improved a lot, but still. Also the OST is fucking great and it did summons better than any other FF game.

>>5124075
Bullshit corridor simulator even when you're outdoors and the sphere system was even worse than 9's level system. And like that other guy said, no it wasn't.

>>5124237
X has the best battle system in the entire franchise. That alone makes it worth playing despite any other shortcomings.

>>5124243
To bad most of the combat boils down to simon says.

>>5123402
But the first Final Fantasy I played was X and I fucking hated it.
Neck yourself, OP.

I'm pretty sure it's just a meme that jealous VI fans made up to try to invalidate the love for VII which is ironic because VI was the first FF for a lot of the people who call it the best in the series. I personally played IV and VI before VII yet VII is easily the best in the series to me.

>>5123402
I remember when FFVII and all the hype for it. I didn't have a playstation, but I had friends that did. They would show me the game manual at school and I got to watch them play some. It wouldn't be until years later when I got a PS2 that I played the game myself. My first FF game was X and while I loved the game at the time I find it really mediocre now. My favorite FF game now would be either VI > IX > VII > XII in that order.

The first game in the series I played is FF1. My favorite is 6, and I think 10 is the best entry overall.

>>5124203
Probably FF7. FFX-2 isn't a bad game, but it's a poor sequel to FFX and generally inferior to its predecessor.

>>5124571
Did you fail third grade level reading?

>>5123809
My play order is pretty typical: 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 2, 4, 5, 3.
Least to best: 8, 4, 3, 6, 5, 2, 1, 9, 7.

>>5123602
You know people can have different tastes right? I hate XIII, I hated the story, characters, combat system, leveling system, the only thing good about it was the presentation. Any game can disliked for any reason saying someone is being contrarian for not agreeing with you is immature. That fact the we disagree is enough to show that not all games are good to everyone.

>>5123402
Okay.

>>5125858
You might hate all those things, but that doesn't mean you're right in hating them.

>>5123402
I played IX -> VII -> XII -> X -> VI -> IV.

I'd say it's between IX and XII for me.

>>5123402
I played VII - X2 before I ever played 1. 1 is actually tied with 3 (both nes) for my favorite. I've always attributed that to sprites just fitting better for turn based combat.

>>5123402
FF1 - the original, came out when I was around 8 or 9. Gets props for being the granddaddy of all Final Fantasies, but that doesn't make it the best imo
FF2 - fucking Nintendo-hard bullshit. Hardcore fans only
FF3 - fucking Nintendo-hard bullshit. Hardcore fans only

FF4 - the one which I personally have the most nostalgia attached too. The first one that felt like it was telling a story with actual character development
FF5 - True fan-tier
FF6 - I honestly don't get why people rate this as the greatest of all time. Started off fucking strong as hell but the World of Ruin was a mess of sidequests with no real overarching narrative

FF7 - IMO the greatest. There's a reason it inspired such strong feelings of. Anyone who remembers 1997 remembers that the video gaming world had never seen anything like it. And I fully admit that it inspired one of the worst fandumbs in the history of video games.
FF8 - FF7's autistic younger brother. Took everything about FF7 that was bullshit and cranked the emo edginess up to 11. Only people in a very specific age bracket have any kind of nostalgia attached to this game
FF9 - True fan-tier

FF10 - the sleeper hit. Parts of it are REALLY fucking annoying but on a whole, I have always considered it one of the stronger FFs
FF10-2 - Part of me hates that there's a direct sequel to any FF and part of me hates that this is basically a fruity Super Princess Dress Up game. But part of me secretly fucking loves it with a raging, guilty passion

every FF after sucks

>>5123402
Only Final Fantasy worth playing is Tactics
Prove me wrong

>>5126605
PlayStation games with Super Nintendo tier graphics are my absolute fetish

>>5126602
>FF8... Only people in a very specific age bracket have any kind of nostalgia attached to this game

That's how you know the average FF8 fan have an objective opinion not clouded by nostalgia

>>5126617
What? Suikoden 2 was the shit. No need to chill.

>>5126605
Tactical RPGs suck, the only good one was Ogre Battle, and even that starts to get tedious after a while.

Traditional Final Fantasy games have always raked in the big bucks compared to shitty tactical games that only autistic micromanagers like to play

>>5126696
>autistic micromanagers
Better than literally homosexual storyfaggots

>>5126696
All I'm hearing is "I'm too brainlet for SRPGs"

>>5126643
>tfw a young johnny rzeznik will never cosplay as squall and defile you to the theme of edea's parade

>>5126721
FFT fans are some of the biggest storyfags who think the game political drama is any good.

>>5126696
This, and tacticsfags are some of the most aggressive, pushy weirdos you can find. The worst part is how you can practically guarantee they'll try to horn in on real FF games threads peddling their tier two shit like anybody gives a fuck. Even Crisis Core fags don't behave that way.

>>5126795
It's the best FF story though by a longshot
>>5126862
It's hard not to be passionate about a single masterpiece amidst a sea of mediocrity

>>5126889
No not really its becomes pretty standard FF tier plot by chapter 2.It has some good characters though.

>>5126894
Ramza is objectively the best FF lead

>>5126761
okay, autist. Have fun stacking shit in ascending order while the rest of us play something that's a little more cerebral

>>5126889
It's shit and you're a faggot, and the very fact that you hype up such an overblown second tier piece of shit over the real games should exclude you from Final Fantasy threads. Imagine if every single pokemon thread there was that one ardent autismo screeching to the heavens about how all pokemon sucks except....Pokken or mystery dungeon or some bullshit. That's you.

>>5126902
But Mystery Dungeon games are actually the best Pokemon games.

>>5126907
kek. Called it.

>>5126901
>a little more cerebral
>ff is cerebral
The absolute state of this board

first final fantasy was mystic quest. The only one I ever finished was IV. The story was pretty good so it's my fave based on the fact it kept my attention.

>>5123402
FF1 is my favorite and I've played them all and it's not nostalgia goggles cause I played it recently but it's literally the only one that's fun to replay. Constant adventure.
I played the GBA port, I plan to play the original soon to see which is better.

>>5124243
There is nothing special about X's combat, it's as much of "spam attack to win" as the rest of the series. The, earlier games, however, actually have content and a world to explore, resource management, and stuff to find that actually makes up the bulk of the gameplay experience, which is a far superior gameplay experience to walking down a 40 hour hallway with shitty dialogue and press attack to win battles along the way.

>>5129407
Based

>>5129407
>There is nothing special about X's combat
it's the only barely enjoyable one, that's why multiple people in this thread are saying it's their favourite implementation
I'd say combat is trash in every single final fantasy except tactics
atb a shit

>>5127301
>mystic quest

>>5123402
1 was the first FF I played but now I rank it as one of the worst. 9 was the last I played and it's solidly in my top 3. Meh.

>>5129695
FFT's system is good but anyone saying "ATB is shit" is more likely just a shitter themselves.

Try FF4 Free Enterprise.

>>5123475
Best taste in this thread

>>5123562
Honestly FF3 for me is the worse game in the series. Poorly thought out job system and a story that has a interesting idea but never goes anywhere with it. FF3DS could have easily fixed it with some good tweeks to the job system and a bit more back story. But instead just did "magic nerf" and gave characters names and nothing really else.

Anyways First played FF4. Favorite FF5.
>>5129826
Which version of FF1? Because FF1 is honestly in my top 3 but only the PSX version.

6 > 5 > 4 > 7 > 9 > 3 > 1 >2 > 8

>>5123402
First was Mystic Quest or IV, but favorite is easily VI. Nothing past X exists to me and I refuse to play them.

>>5133813
Your loss.

>>5134321
If he plays them he might have to forego his hipster connoisseur status and he can't have that!

>>5134321
>>5134650
>actually trying to bait someone into playing X-2, XII and the XIII trilogy
you guys are evil

>>5134321
It's not like I didn't look into them before I decided not to play them, dumbass. I suspected that the death of Squaresoft was the death of Final Fantasy, and waited for reviews to confirm it.

Plenty of great games to play instead - I have lost nothing. Rather, I've saved time and money.

>>5134669

X-2 hurt the most, considering how much I loved X.

>>5134650
It's more like all of them have massive red flags.

>FFXI
mmo. either you are interested in a life-consuming grind or not.
>FFXII
absolute mess of an introduction
protagonist designed by committee
mmo-style gameplay
>FFXIII
"Female Cloud" protagonist. (read: the well is dry)
Over-the-top elaborate lore and setting.
But actual game world is one long corridor.
Over-the-top elaborate and complex combat system
But actual gameplay looks pretty simplistic.
>FFIV
mmo, see above.
>FFXV
history of its production is an unbelievably gigantic mess.
boy band protagonists.
mundane 'open world' quest activities.
combat looks suspiciously shallow.
very mixed reviews about story.

Of course, all those things could be misleading and the games are in fact good. But I don't blame anyone for not wanting to take the chance.

>>5135062
>mmo. either you are interested in a life-consuming grind or not.
Not really the case anymore. Buy a three month sub and you can clear nearly all story content solo, thanks to rebalancing they've done over the years. It's worth it too imo since it has some of the best writing in any mmo because they let the team have free reign on it without needing to try steal the WoW audience.

XII's protag issues and mmo combat are wrong as well. I'll give you the rest.

>>5123402
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbiujmQ-yU4

Funfact, this song was done by Joe Redifer of Gamesack

>>5135135
>XII's protag issues
Really? Vaan REALLY does not look like a good protagonist to me. The game fails to introduce him for 15 minutes (seriously, try to find another game that does that. I couldn't). And word on the street is that he's mostly along for the ride and doesn't do anything in the story. Plus he looks like a faggot which I guess weebs like.
>mmo combat
It's not just the combat, but the whole wandering around a flat overworld killing mobs to drop quest items dynamic.

>>5135672
>killing mobs to drop quest items dynamic.
XII is not xenoblade chronicles anon, you might be thinking of hunts, but those would be like raids, in truth they are just optional bosses like all FF games have.
Actually play it before giving opinions, the must be a pair of fetch quest in the game, but they are hardly common place.

>>5123561
I completely agree with you. I beat the ultimate boss by putting down my controller for several hours. I only had to pick it up if I was prompted to change out a dead party member.

>>5137479
I just remember watching the very first quest a player did involved talking to some dude in the city, and then running out into the desert to find the quest mob just like an mmo.

>>5134669
>XIII trilogy
It isn't that bad.
Just incredibly stupid but that's more XIII-2 and LR.
XIII is a perfectly fine game

>>5139393
That was a tutorial mission to teach you how the map and mob systems worked. It was less "go fetch me ten bear asses" and more "go explore the regional map and see how AI monsters work on it"

There's never a main story mission like that again where you're doing a basic fetch/mob kill quest. The missi9ns like that are all optional hunts for unique monsters or unusual enemy combos.

>>5139436

I 100%'d the trilogy because I was an achievement whore, and it baffles me that someone would actually defend those games.

>>5126795

>FFT
>About political drama

It's not though. It's about character drama. Every chapter has one or several character arcs. People don't like it because of the political drama, they like it because its rich on character.

Personally my favorite line from the original translation was always
>You know what he did. You KNOW WHAT HE DID
Straight kino

>>5123402
>my favourite is VIII
based and objectively right

>>5141901
ah, silly me for thinking the tutorials would be done after the first hour of the game...

>>5142163
>People don't like it because of the political drama, they like it because its rich on character.
exactly. the political drama sets the tone and provides a rich context for the character development.

>>5135672
>Vaan REALLY does not look like a good protagonist to me
That would be a an honest complain if Vaan ever was protagonist. He's just a support character and foil for the other actually characters that are involved in the real story and world (read: Ashe (princess of Dalmasca and descendant of the Dynast-King), Balthier (ex-judge and son of Dr. Cid) and Basch (brother to Noah/Gabranth and catalyst of the party getting together). Also, pic related.

>>5142407
I mean it's a JRPG mate, that shit is fucking standard and has been for decades. They spread out introducing the systems over the first few hours rather than dump them all on you at once with very few exceptions.

>>5142728
well the other anon is right and that I shouldn't be shit talking too much about a game I have not played. But, it's undeniable fact that Vaan is the initial protagonist, even if the focus shifts later in the story.

And either way, as an outsider looking at the story, this argument does not make me particularly more interested in the game or its story. It just looks convoluted, either because it's badly aping the style of Final Fantasy Tactics or because it's just an incompetent mess.

What people don't seem to understand is that Final Fantasy Tactics has a very clear high concept: "The real story behind The Legend of Delita Hyral." It's not convoluted at all in fact it is a very direct and compelling idea. You don't need a massive pasta to explain it. The legend is simple, told to the player by Alazlam in the introduction, using very strong storytelling techniques to immediately pull the player into the story and introduce the main protagonist.

>Have you heard of "The Lion War?"
>It was a bitter war of succession.
>The war ended when a young hero named Delita appeared
>Everyone knows this hero's tale, but is it true?
>This is Ramza, he's a young son of a noble knight.
>According to a new account, he is the true hero of The Lion War.
>The church claimed he was an anarchist and blasphemer.
>But what was the truth?
>Join me and find out.

Boom. Fucking simple as that. Sure, the story itself has lots of twists and turns and backstabbing and betrayal, with poignant individual storylines involving tragedy and heroism. You travel the land and learn about various cities and districts and see the war unfold. There's the Nanten and the Hokuten and their leaders-- all details in the story. But the plot itself never strays far from that core thesis. The gory details of political intrigue are all subordinate to that main theme: Ramza was a virtuous hero maligned by and Delita was at best Machiavellian opportunist.

>>5143321
have you noticed the board you are on, and that this chain of posts was started by an anon stating he hasn't bothered to play any Final Fantasy games past FFX (personally I can't even get into FFX). Simply asserting that this tutorial bullshit is standard fare isn't exactly helping the case.

>>5143363
>>5143321
specifically, there is no retro JRPG I know of that takes an hour to introduce most of its systems and let the player start playing. Even fucking FFIX doesn't take that long, and that game starts with that elaborate, time-consuming theater event.

Final Fantasy VII dumps you into gameplay immediately. Then after 30-40 minutes of gameplay which is mostly combat and a few cutscenes, you get access to a "tutorial room" that explains the game systems if you haven't figured them out yet. (though in that game it's framed as Cloud explaining the game systems to members of Avalanche).

>>5143360
I really need to play this again - you've got a gift for recalling its appeal.

>>5143360
Man I love when stories start like that. Like in Romancing SaGa 2 when the bard sits in a bard and starts telling the tale of the first emperor...

So comfy

>>5143360
Man I love when stories start like that. Like in Romancing SaGa 2 when the bard sits in a crowded a bar next to a kid and starts telling the tale of the first emperor...

So comfy. Man I need to play FFT again

>>5123523
this

>>5123574
Always funny how FF6 fanboys make fun of FF7 fanboys for being mindless zealots yet the former are just as bad if not worse.

For a lot of Europes
THIS was there first FF game.
Is this the best?

>>5143926
Gameplay is about as braindead and storyless as original Final Fantasy so I don't see why it wouldn't be.

>>5143363
>Simply asserting that this tutorial bullshit is standard fare isn't exactly helping the case
Yes it is, because it's common knowledge JRPGs have had lengthy tutorials since the mid-late 90s and his sarcasm was thus unwarranted. He was, in fact, silly for not being able to discern a blatant tutorial.

I wasn't defending the practice, I was pointing out he should have the sense to know what it was.

>>5123402
the first one was my first, and I played them all though 11.
Flawed as it is, VII is the best.

My first was VII but V is my favorite.

People who played 7 first have no respect for the six games that came before it and how genre defining most of them were. By the time 7 was released most ff fans were used to the formula already so it didn't stand out much in comparison. I've played every ff except the online ones and the 8 bit and 16 bit ones did the most to impress. I like 10, 12 and even parts of 13. All the games are pretty much decent at least

>>5123645
I always felt XII played out more like a Crpg. I think the game's problem is that it throws enemies at the player every few feet, which gives that immediate rush of adrenaline, but so many get tricked into grinding that you become overleveled quickly, turning most regular battles into single-hit encounters. Granted FF has never really been overly difficult.

>My first FF was XII
im sorry to hear that. my first ff technically was 1. but the first one i really played was vii. not bad. if i ever had the chance id play iv since the last one i played was v and i really enjoyed that.

>>5145239
>Granted FF has never really been overly difficult.

Final Fantasy II and III are difficult.

>>5144898
>it's common knowledge JRPGs have had lengthy tutorials since the mid-late 90s
Name 3.

>>5145834
III yes, II can be ridiculously easy if you know what you're doing
FFIV DS is also tough

>>5145834
FF3 difficulty is more that they hand you all those classes and not understanding most of them are worthless or only worth using it for one boss fight. Once you understand that it's pretty damn easy.

FF2 issue is if you try playing it the way the game wants to be played you are completely fucked. Not making a sole Fighter, Black Mage, and White Mage and just have your mages cast and nothing else makes it pretty much impossible to beat the last part of the game.

>>5145839
Persona 3, 4, and 5 :^)

>>5123561
This guy's right, the combat in XII is fucking garbage, it feels like it came straight out of corporate board meeting in a desperate attempt to move away from turn based and differentiate the game they created an over thought out slog of a system. Also I just hate the movement away from world maps and towards becoming a corridor simulator, they doubled down on everything that made X shit and left out all the things that made previous entries in the series good.

>>5145902
>mid 90's
>Persona 3, 4 and 5
And even so, Persona 1 and 2 IS/EP had very little tutorial stuff in it, at least "forced".

>>5146070
You didn't specify, baka

>>5123561
>XII literally plays itself for you
You didn't play FFXII right then. One of the most satisfying things to do in XII is to figure out to do self-sufficient and "smart" AI through Gambits. The game can play by itself, but how good the "auto-play" really is, it's part of the fun and a mark of a true RPGfag.

>>5123561
>VIII has gameplay other than combat, combat and more combat. Which is another point; why make the part of your game that plays itself the main focus? Very puzzling.

this, XII was the one FF that desperately needed extra content that's not combat oriented

>>5146073
Not him but he specifically quoted
>JRPGs have had lengthy tutorials since the mid-late 90s
And proceeded to ask for 3 names.

>>5134669
X-2 has unironically the best version of a turn based ATB system in the whole series.
XII is great in many aspects but it's not for everyone.
XII trilogy is a mixed bag, but as long as you can enjoy the positives the games have (which exist, contrary to popular brainlet theories) you can have a really fun time with those. XIII has some really great lore and atmosphere; XIII-2 has fun exploration and tons of collecting; LR has probably the best ARPG system Square made.

>>5132403
You don't play FFI-III for the story.

>>5146162
I has some interesting plot twists, albeit the overall story is rather simplistic. I personally rank it pretty high in terms of story.

>>5123402
Nostalgia will almost always beat out quality. You could take a critically and generally acclaimed modern title, and someone who grew up playing text-adventures in the 80s wouldn't appreciate it as much simply because his favourite titles have nostalgia bonus.

Same goes for FF. If you were 12 and this was your first FF, it was probably a magical journey that FFVII or any other FF couldn't exactly reproduce.

>>5146162
I mean my issues is also the only thing of note the class system was poorly done. Felt more like they were trying to outdo Dragon Quest 3 by just having a ton of classes but either they were completely useless/only good for one fight or just updates to existing classes.

As for story. They talk about how World of Light and World of Darkness move back and forth in bringing destruction to each other but at no point do they go into it outside of just saying it once or twice. And I feel going even slightly into that would have been great.

>>5123402
FFV was must second most recent and it is my favourite by a long shot. (FFX is most recent and it suchs worse than VIII, although actual combat isn't bad and there even is a bit of a challenge; but horrid writing just ruins it anyway. Shit's irrepairable. I wish I could experience it as a 12 year old and appreciate it more, like I did with VII and VIII.)

>>5146269
>I wish I could be retarded again.

>>5145902
>>5144898
>I wasn't defending the practice, I was pointing out he should have the sense to know what it was.
That's why you made that asinine post? The only point was to criticize the practice. Affecting surprise is a fucking rhetorical device, and appropriate since the actual comparison was between FFXII and actual JRPGs from the 80s and 90s. Jesus. I sometimes forget how fucking autistic posters here can be.

The fact is that late 90s games did not typically have substantial tutorial missions over an hour into the game. If you did have a tutorial, it was for some kind of minor bullshit like the frog-catching game in FFIX (and FFIX is 2000 so not even technically late 90s).

>>5146281
Not really, but there's some good stuff hidden under the surface of these PS1-era-and-on Final Fantasy games. The premise is almost always great (even FFXIII's premise is actually very cool). Main characters are rarely any good, but secondary characters sometimes have very interesting stories. For example, Seifer's story in FF8 is pretty damn good stuff--his quest to be his mommy Edea the Sorceress's knight even though she's turned into a magical despot, his arguments with the insufferable dipshit that is Squall and same dipshit's later assault on Edea--it's actually great. But it's fucking buried under terrible, insufferable writing that's not just bad on the technical level, but also keeps focusing on the wrong things, following the wrong people and pushing for pathetically childish themes that barely even follow from the events and need to be stapled onto the story.

BUT. When you're young it's alright: you can see the good things through the bad because you don't know better. Take Xenogears. Man, I'd quit laughing my ass off after a couple of hours. But as a teenager I though that shit was PROFOUND and could get to the good parts (namely, Elli's butt, but also quite a bit of adventure, nice robots and a great soundtrack).

>>5146305
You know what's even more amazing? He did it because he saw that movie Laguna acted in fighting that dragon. Even copying the way Laguna holds the sword when doing the movie part.

Played them starting from 1 chronologically and VII is easily my favorite.

>>5123402
people actually think this?

sure fallout 3 was my first & favorite fallout but that's only because it was the only 3D fallout game that didn't break on me & wasn't brotherhood of steel.

first was VII, favorite is FFTA

>>5149516
Gotta hand it to FFTA though. Whenever it gets mentioned it stirs tons of discussion on Marche's actions. It may not had the political and character scope that FFT had but sure as hell left a lasting impression on whoever played it.

>>5124571
seconded. I started on 10 and couldn't get through the first few hours because of the awful story and setting. Proceeded to play and greatly enjoy VI then VII.

>>5149542
Marche was right.

I’m unfortunately one of those many people who were young and had VII as their first FF game, and nothing beats that game for me, but there’s still other FF games I really enjoy.
Of the ones I’ve played:
VII>V>VI>I>IV>IX>III>XV>VIII>II
I’d like to rate IX higher, because I enjoy the ability system but the rest of the game just really doesn’t do it for me.