Deserts

[Bambi]

I have just realised how much I hate deserts in every FF game I have played, and also the one in BoF3 - which is quite possibly one of the worst ever, following that STUPID star to keep on the right track really pecked my head - I came so close to giving up then finally - 5 years later I arrive at my destination

Even if they aren't that challenging they get on my nerves, that dumbarse that follows you around in the Desert Prison in FFVII was enough to get the blood boiling

Galbadia Prison - not technically a desert, but it was there so that is reason enough. I despise that place

FFXII deserts just went on and on and on....same with X there isn't even any nice scenery too look at

And now, FFV. Im stuck in yet another desert with moving bloody sand and I'm going round in circles all the while getting harrassed by monsters while I am lost GAH

I think there is one in Dragon Quest as well with some skeleton efforts you have to go inside.....although I could be confusing that with somethingelse, but I know that desert exists somewhere and there are some butt hole hard monsters in it


I guess I should be grateful you can't overheat and be slapped back at the start again like a certain great Glacier, only with the heat rather than freezing your nipples off

Anyway, rant over. I just really REALLY hate deserts

 

[der Astronom]

There's a desert in FF6 as well. I can't remember what it's like though. However, there is one quite early in the game, and there's a castle right in the middle of it.

And then in FF4, there's a desert too. It's not as bad though. It's also at the beginning of the game.

The Desert Colossus at the end of Zelda 64 is a bit of a maze getting there, and the Spirit Temple level isn't easy either. In fact, it's pretty long if you don't know what you're doing.

 

[Darkstar]

Ohhh, I remember the FF5 desert, that right pissed me off too

Another desert that comes to mind is the 1st desert in Golden Sun. Bloody hell, if you walked on the sand for too long, you'd lose health, and only every so often, you'd come come across a water hole (thank God), but those were few. Then, at the end, there was this boss, which just appears. About half of the party is dead, and you're totally unprepared

 

[der Astronom]

That also reminds me--the desert in Earthbound sometimes gives your characters the sunburn condition, and some of the enemies aren't fun to fight. It's also enormous and there are lots of stuff there.

 

[Mitsuki]

I hate deserts too. >.> They're so bland and boring, yet it seems like the monsters they put in there always seem to be quite challenging, hence, more exp. So I find myself training in deserts anyway even if the environment does not appeal to me at all.

In FFXII, I believe I spent 2 hours each day for a week training in that area. It was so boooring, but I'm stubborn and wouldn't move on to the next area. >.<

 

[Bambi]

I think I just spent most of my time wandering around lost and dying, I'm also rather annoyed that I thought Id arrived at where I was meant to be in my current desert and it just dumped me back on the map at the bottom end If I don't get out of it soon Im tempted to throw the stupid game out of the window, I don't see why my chocobo couldn't have hovered over the pyramid thingy in the middle and let me jump off

Im pretty sure I hated a desert in IX aswel, wasn't there a castle underground or something, Im sure it was a ball ache getting in there - or perhaps out of it....ugh, I can't really remember much but Im sure there was a desert castle I hated .....

 

[der Astronom]

There was also a desert in SaGa Frontier II--some of the enemies there were really hard. It was also a confusing place if you haven't played the game before--some paths are difficult to find.

 

[Mitsuki]

There was also a desert in SaGa Frontier II--some of the enemies there were really hard. It was also a confusing place if you haven't played the game before--some paths are difficult to find.

Oh I remember that! I think the problem was the coloration of the desert (too much bright yellow) and that made it difficult to navigate the area (unless it was my TV screen that was the problem). But I remember I was so sure that I was stuck and had to restart the game because I thought my character was too weak as the enemies there pwned me really bad. Saga Frontier II wasn't really my type of game (although it was surely interesting enough), but I do love their character artwork.

 

[der Astronom]

The watercolor backgrounds and soundtrack were my favorite parts of that game. But otherwise, that game isn't easy to beat. It's worth it though, only for the artwork. I didn't find all the enemies in the desert hard; it's just a particular enemy called bullhorn or something; it's this green thing with a big horn, and you can choose to fight it in duel battle if you want; nasty sucker it is.

 

[Dean Winchester]

The only thing I hate about deserts in FF games is fighting Cactuars, specially the HUGE Cactuars. They can easily kill you if you underestimate their 1000 needle attack, or how about the 10000 needle attack which means an actual one hit KO for any of your party members. What is worst is when you spend time fighting one to get something and then they just run away. I bet they flee saying "SO LONG SUCKERS!!!"

 

[Moogles]

Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of deserts either. Boring setting. I really hated the desert on Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire. Without repels or some sort of item that reduces the number of pokemon encounters, you'll run into a fight every half dozen steps. It's not even a good training spot. The pokemon are weak.

Good place to get a Trapinch, at least.

 

[Warbsywoo]

The Dune 2000 desert is easily the best desert in gaming. The 'worms' pop up every now and then and eat up all your mechanoids which I guess is annoying but then I realized it works for me too when it eats up some enemy tank.

Don't really recall any other evil desert apart from the FF series though.
Unless you count rally cross games and racing games.

 

[V_Translanka]

Yes, I remember the Desert of Death (aren't they all called that? lol) from BoF3...I kind of liked it though. The ginormity & grueling pace really made it feel like a desert really would feel. It made me kind of feel what the characters must've been going through, especially when you started to see them all tuckered out in camp...but when you finally started to maybe see some crap on the horizon it was like YES! THAT'S SOMETHING!!! RIGHT!?! I never went back into that desert to find that special armor or w/e though...

I can't think of any other really outstanding deserts though...

 

[Claudia]

I hate deserts with all my heart. <.<

In most cases, there's nothing but sand and monsters there. No spiffy treasure chests, no towns (in most cases), and it's usually incredibly hard to get through it.


The desert in FFIX was a pain. First of all, WTF would Kuja have a palace under quicksand? And why were all those antlions everywhere? Going into that anti magic field thingmajig was a pain as well.

The one is X wasn't as bad. It just had machina everywhere, and Rikku was able to take them apart anyway. And when you finally reach a town, it's in flames! So you can't buy anything there.

Oh, and there was another desert in IX that had the rally ho dwarves. I was okay with that place, except for the cactuars that would damage your party for over one thousand damage. I'd usually just run away like a sissy.

 

[Kandy-Sugar]

I hated FFXII's desert the most.

I think that's actually where I stopped playing...

I really didn't like it and it put me off from playing the game any further. =/

 

[Linnaete]

I never liked FFXII's deserts either. I was fine with the Dalmasca Estersand - it was the Westersand that I did not like. It is horrible to navigate when a sandstorm blows and it did go on and on.

What was worse was the Ogir-Yensa Sandsea. That isn't just a desert - it's an ocean of sand with oil platforms going through. The platforms were seemingly endless - winding round and round, up here, down here, behind there etc. I received a punishing attempt at fleeing when this Elemental tried to blast my party every 3 seconds.

 

[Abstract Debauchery]

Deserts... I love them. I don't know what it is. I'm sure in real life, exploring a desert would be hot and make me miserable because I hate hot weather. However, when it comes to vidya games, I rather enjoy exploring them. My sense of exploration really comes out when in a desert in a video game.

Also, the sewers in Rogue Galaxy. Ever since them, if there are sewers in the video game I'm playing, I'm all over it like white on rice.

 

[Dionysos]

If deserts are irritating then they are usually doing their job correctly in a game.

They're environments you would not want to cross without massive preparation and purpose in real life, and it is really easy to get disorientated, and so games tend to replicate this. Often games will implement something that disorientates the player in a desert... Perhaps a sandstorm would turn your character to face a different direction (or maybe move your character in a different direction and force you to try and figure out where you are now), or the scenery is huge and many parts look the same.

I can't say I enjoy deserts in games, but I always have a great feeling of relief and achievement when I get out of a desert and therefore I kind of like them for that.

It depends on the game really though. Some games just have a desert in them in order to tick one off on the list of environments to include, and might not do anything to disorientate the player or make them feel lost. Some levels or sections of games can be set in a desert, but not be so annoying. I think it is RPG games that tend to make deserts more annoying and harder to pass through, but it can happen in some platformers and other genres as well.

 

[SapphireStar]

Lolz, I agree that deserts are a pain in the arse in an RPG. The worst, apart from VIII, was in Tales of Vespira! OH MY GOD, KILL ME NOW!!! I lost patience in there and was ready to throw my controller at the TV. Pointless, time wasting and annoying as hell!!

 

[Ilyena]

I'm going to agree with most here and say deserts are one of the most irritating environments in RPGs.

The Westersand and the Ogir-Yensa/Nam-Yensa Sandseas were quite annoying to navigate. The Ogir-Yensa Sandsea did seem like it went on for ages. And I was one of those that wanted 100% completion on every map so I had to explore every nook and cranny.

Breath of Fire 3 had possibly the worst desert ever. I seriously spent nearly ten hours wandering around before finally giving up and going to buy a guide. Turned out the guy that gives you directions gives you the wrong ones. I never would have gotten through it listening to him.