Final Fantasy Megathread

[magus113]

Random sidenote, but when we do get to FF4, are we also doing The After Years?

[Ginkasa]

Originally Posted by magus113

Random sidenote, but when we do get to FF4, are we also doing The After Years?

No, I personally want to stick with just the core titles (so no After Years, X-2, Revenant Wings, or VII Compilation).

I'll probably tackle After Years at the end, though, and if this thread is still active I may throw it in. I was going through it, but then my Wii got stolen and I haven't re-bought it yet, so...

Anyway, I just completed FFI a few minutes ago, I'll post my "overall" impressions and thoughts on that here in a bit, and then update with FFII.

Also, if Magus or anyone who is secretly playing along hasn't completed I don't worry about it. Go at your own pace. If you didn't want to play through I, but feel like jumping in with II feel free. And if you don't want to play at all, but want to post your thoughts on the current or prior games feel free as well.

[Ginkasa]

As I stated above I have just beaten FFI. I've beaten the game once before; it was the same version (Origins) right after it came out, so about 7 years ago or so. I have played the original on the NES, but I never got very far in it.

I beat it this time with a class of Warrior/Knight, Monk/Master, Black Mage/Wizard, and a White Mage/Wizard. Not very exciting, but I like balance. I kind of got frustrated with my Monk, though. I probably would go for another Warrior next time. The Monk gets strong later, sure, but not that much stronger than the Warrior and he takes a lot more damage. The only real benefit is not having to buy equipment, but I never had any issues with gil and could have easily afforded a second Warrior's equipment.

One thing in FFI that seems odd to me is the balance between normal enemies and bosses. In most of the games the enemies in the dungeons are usually just speed bumps on the way to boss. Sure, it ramps up in difficulty for the final dungeon and special dungeons, but for the most part they're there for farming exp and gil, not much else. In FFI, however, I actually had more difficulty with the normal enemies.

I guess it has more to do with a lack of resources and save points than the enemies themselves. Potions restore a set amount of health, no percentage, so their usefulness ends pretty quick and there aren't any "Hi-Potions" or anything later on. Magic does better, but you have a maximum of 9 casts per healing spell and that's only if you don't plan on using any of the other spells on the same level. They get used up quit, too. So I ended up running from battles just trying to save my resources to fight the boss at the end and be able to heal only to find that the bosses are pretty easy. They only have slightly more health than normal enemies and can usually be defeated in one or two rounds. Even the final boss only lasted me about 5 rounds. They don't hit hard either; some enemies hit almost as hard, except that you have to fight up to 9 of them all spamming the same friggin' attack.

Its an interesting dynamic. Instead of very difficult boss fights where you need all of your resources, FFI has relatively easy boss fights, but you're usually pretty spent by the time you get there.

Ultimately, my view on FFI is the same as most 8-bit titles of long running series (of course, my version was closer to 16-bit): its interesting to see where the series evolved from, but the older version just can't compare to the later games.

[Ginkasa]

Final Fantasy II wiki page


Originally released in Japan in 1988 for the Nintendo Famicom. It was initially going to be localized for NA as Final Fantasy: Shadow Over Palakia. By this point, however, FFIV had already been released in Japan. It was decided to skip over the newly outdated NES titles and jump straight to the new SNES. Final Fantasy II was not released in American until 2003 as part of the Final Fantasy Origins collection along with Final Fantasy I.

Final Fantasy II follows the characters Firion, Gus, and Maria as they oppose the mighty Empire. The three main characters are often joined by different characters who fill the fourth slot in the battle menu. The most important of these is Leon, Maria's brother. Leon starts as an ally to Firion and the crew, but later can be found fighting against them only to switch back to side of good near the end of the game.

FFII followed the apparent 8-bit sequel trend by more or less ignoring the first game in the series. While the changes weren't as drastic as, say, The Legend of Zelda to Zelda II: Adventure of Link, it still had very little in common with the original Final Fantasy. Rather than using the same "level" system used in FFI (and every other FF until FFX), FFII takes a more "realistic" approach. Your character's stats increased only as you used the ability that goes with it (strength rises when you attack; defense rises when you're attacked; etc.). There are no experiences points or anything similar. Generally, this system has been disliked and has caused FFII to be considered by many the "black sheep" of the series.

Other changes from FFI and introductions that proved more popular and were carried on:

- The playable characters now had preset names and personalities. Also, the fourth party member frequently changed and was oftentimes completely absent. This feature is abandoned in the third game but resurrected and remains for all other core FF releases.
- A more dynamic plot with a larger cast of characters and a more visible enemies (also ignored for FFIII, but is found in all subsequent releases).
- Chocobos
- The recurring character of Cid.

In North American FFII has seen a couple of different releases, usually alongside FFI:

- As part of the Final Fantasy Origins collection for the PSX in 2003. The game was updated from the Famicom original with better graphics and slight interface tweaks to modernize gameplay.
- As part of Final Fantasy I&II Dawn of Souls for the GBA. This version has a few more graphical tweaks. Also removed the "cancel" glitch that allowed players to quickly and easily "level-up" their characters. Also added bonus dungeon.
- For the PSP with further updated graphics and another bonus dungeon.
- Also for the iPhone with added touch screen capability.

Also, one last thing. With the introduction of Cid comes a new feature for these posts: Cid Watch! A spotlight on the various characters named Cid that appear in every Final Fantasy game following FFII.



The first Cid has no last name. He can initially be found in the town of Poft and offers rides on his airship for a fee. He later helps the party and even sacrifices his life for the good of the rebellion. Cid's association with airships is often continued in the later games of the series.


*****


I plan on playing the Origins version of FFII. I plan on highly exploiting the "cancel" glitch which later releases remove. This will be the first time I have beaten the game (well, hopefully), but not the first time I've played it. I played the Origins before after beating FFI for the first time. I quit a ways into the game due to the levelling system. Maria was never attacked in the early parts of the game which meant her HP stayed really low which meant when she was attacked in the later bits she was usually killed in one hit. I wasn't aware I could have her attack herself and didn't have the patience to try to get enemies to attack her. We'll see how it goes this time.