What is your true final fantasy?

Shaissa

Shaissa

Dark Knight
Veteran
Joined
Jan 15, 2007
Messages
2,930
Gil
1
Mog's Tent
So we all know there are fourteen mainl final fantasy's then you have spinoffs sequals prequels ext. ext. My question is what makes a final fantasy game a final fantasy game? Is it just a name? or do you go into expecting something?

Is it the characters, storyline, villains, game play, leveling up system, monsters, random battles, summons, chocobos, moogles? What is your true final fantasy feeling?

For me it is a couple things. First thing is characters, the characters have to grow from the game, i mean grow as in change in someway. Personality, thoughts, feelings, all that stuff, it just makes the characters seem more realistic in a fantasy game :D.

Second thing is storyline, there has to be something going wrong in the world (obviously) and it cant be a small thing that grows, no it has to be something that effects most of the world, whether thats crystals shattering, a company sucking up the worlds life energy, theres a war going on, people are trying to take control of the world. No matters what it is, it has to effect more than just the characters.

Next is the villains. They need to be someone I hate, and yet they need a purpose for doing everything they are doing, can't have just no feelings at all, whether thats world domination, cause they were experimented on, whatever the reason may be, they need a reason for being so evil!

Finally I say that all Final Fantasy's now need moogles, chocobos, and Summons :D I miss moogles in final fantasy games :( bring them back Square!
 
I would say there are sort of 2 different types of things that make a final fantasy, structural/conceptual parts and then minor or accent parts.

Structurally final fantasy games have: lots of game play, some side quests, innovative battle systems-typically turn based, character development (both story and attribute/skill wise), great story lines/epics, a band of heros battling villains and unique worlds. Also I think its important to have characters people can relate too, and the game allows you to immerse yourself into its world.

The minor and accent pieces- moogles, chocobos, world maps, airships, ultimate weapons, limit breaks/special skills, & summons.
 
To begin with, the gameplay would be a good place to start. A proper Final Fantasy game to me is the standard JRPG with novel forms of stats development and variation of a battle system being largely bonuses. If I look at something like Dirge of Cerberus, then that isn't what I would expect from a Final Fantasy. Nowadays, I certainly don't expect super straight-forward battle mechanics like in Dragon Quest, so I usually expect to come across new and more complex ways of levelling up or micro-managing in battles such as the FFX's sphere grid and FFXII's Gambits in flagship games. It's just too bad in my opinion that despite trying this in FFXIII they ended making the Crystarium a lot more limited and unimpressive than it could have been.

I expect some form of world where you can explore and interact with. A degree of linearity is always to be expected as to keep it real, you're not expecting a world map where you can stroll around in going wherever you want. At the same time I want some exploration or at least some essence of being able to wander around away from the main path. Once again, FFXIII went too far with the linearity and as a result the lack of towns and NPC interactions (you only eavesdrop into their discussions if I recall correctly rather than actually directly speak to them) left a rather hollow and lifeless world outside of the cutscenes. So yes, I would expect some kind of world that gives an impression that it's inhabited and not just a straight line forward.

Speaking of cutscenes, there's the visual element. You're not going to have Square Enix trot out a high-profile Final Fantasy without injecting some visual magic in them, and stunning yet frequent cutscenes will always be there, as will the increasingly complex and often melodramatic storylines. I also expect the usual character archetypes of this kind of storytelling. Guy who wants to be the hero and wants to protect everyone? He will be there. The damsel in distress? She'll be there in some form. The quiet guy who's often reserved and difficult to talk to? Oh yes, he's there too. I'm not criticising this, I'm just making an observation. They will be there, forming a party of varying personalities that may lead to some clashes.

Then you have the running motifs that keep tie the franchise together. Moogles, Cids, Chocobos, airships etc. They're not super-mandatory (come on FFX and FFXIII. you two are pathetic with your Moogle appearances!) but they're usually there for that very purpose. It's always nice to have a Cid in there just to remind you that this is a Final Fantasy, and while I have liked the change with the recent villainous/antihero Cids, I would like a return to the heroic, ass-kicking Cids.

Fiiiiinally, can we please not have the online Final Fantasy games numbered, please? What is wrong with Final Fantasy Online and Final Fantasy Online II? More confusing and not as marketable?
 
Uhhh........Well,I guess there's really nothing I can add to Fleur's post.I completely agree.But,to throw my own chip in the pot,I would go so far as to say that story is the most important element of a Final Fantasy game.After all,fans get pissed about the games they think have bad stories,and I don't think anyone would argue that the gameplay aspects of the FFs could stand on their own,free from context;Caladbolg,Longinus,etc.,would just be really powerful weapons without the context that makes them seem truly legendary;Sephiroth would be just another fight unless he seemed like an evil bastard.
 
So we all know there are fourteen mainl final fantasy's then you have spinoffs sequals prequels ext. ext. My question is what makes a final fantasy game a final fantasy game? Is it just a name? or do you go into expecting something? Is it the characters, storyline, villains, game play, leveling up system, monsters, random battles, summons, chocobos, moogles? What is your true final fantasy feeling?
Click to expand...
What makes a Final Fantasy game? The things I consider to be the backbone of any self-respecting Final Fantasy game are (in no particular order): a stirring soundtrack, like Sephiroth's one-winged angel, or 'Those Who Fight Further' in FFVII, or the mellifluous 'To Zanarkand' in FFX (the only song in a game that's moved me to tears); a compelling storyline with emotional punch and multi-dimensional characters that elicit real emotional investment from me; an alive, breathing world that you can explore for hours, jam-packed full of distractions like NPCs, towns, side-quests and mini-games; a deep and flexible customization system that allows lots of scope for experimentation so you can personalise your characters, and as-hard-as-a-thousand-nails-boss-battles. That's my idea of a 'true' Final Fantasy game, and I don't think we've had a 'true' Final Fantasy since FFX.
 
1. The characters. They need to grow and actually talk about their feelings to one another. That's what makes an actual character a person, and not just a character.

2. They need to have some classic FF things. Like Biggs and Wedge of course, the world map, CATCHING chocobos, and an airship that you will eventually acquire and control.

3. A good battle system with LEVELING UP. Not like in FF10, where you had a sphere grid. I want to power level my characters!

4. Good music. FF has a rep for its amazing music. However, FF10-2 was just terrible, and I could pass FF9. FF7,8, some 10 and some 12 had spectacular music.

5. THE STORY!! It must have depth, I like it when it has some modern things in it (take FF7 for example with tvs, cellphones), and it's gotta be long. Long long long.
 
Last edited:
marlena said:
1. The characters. They need to grow and actually talk about their feelings to one another. That's what makes an actual character a person, and not just a character.

2. They need to have some classic FF things. Like Biggs and Wedge of course, the world map, CATCHING chocobos, and an airship that you will eventually acquire and control.

3. A good battle system with LEVELING UP. Not like in FF10, where you had a sphere grid. I want to power level my characters!

4. Good music. FF has a rep for its amazing music. However, FF10-2 was just terrible, and I could pass FF8. FF7 and FF10 and some FF12 had spectacular music.

5. THE STORY!! It must have depth, I like it when it has some modern things in it (take FF7 for example with tvs, cellphones), and it's gotta be long. Long long long.
Click to expand...

I agree with all these points. Though most of this is true for any game to be good. I want to focus more Point #2. Series staples. I enjoy these in all Final Fantasy games. The chocobos, moogles, even the names used for certain things. Like in VII(and other FFs), Ragnarok is the name of a sword and in VIII it is the name of the Airship. Anything that indirectly links these games to let you know it is a Final Fantasy game humors me.

As for my own point for what makes a good Final Fantasy game(or any game for that matter), is the villain. I don't think we've seen a decent villain in an FF game since Sephiroth in VII(not saying he's the best villain ever, he's at least ok). Since then, FF games seem to focus one half or most of the game on one villain, then switch either half way through or at the very end.

Examples:

VIII led you to believe Edea was the final boss when it turns out to be another sorceress, Ultimecia(who was LAME). This turned my experience of 8 from a good game to a sub-par one.

In IX, you follow Kuja around only to learn that Garland is the villain, only to learn that you have to fight the big crystal, Necron, at the end.

Those are just two examples. The villain experience left more to be desired in many FFs(others not mentioned: IV, X, XII, XIII). I liked the games that let you know who the villain was throughout the whole game and didn't let it get dry(like in VI and VII). They help make the games memorable, to me. Your hero is only as great and epic as the villain.
 
I think most of the key points about what identifies FF are stated hear, most of which I totally agree on, particularly Nobuo Uematsu's music which adds so much to the games. There's only so much I can say without repeating what people have already said, but I feel that one thing that I always notice about FF when compared to a lot of other RPGs is the progression of the storyline. In a lot of other RPGs, you get the basic plot laid down within the first 30 minutes or so, which is usually there is some manner of evil that you must defeat by doing x amount of things and going to y amount of places. There may be twists on the way, but that's the general goal you're working towards. In FF games, I feel the storyline's tend to evolve more than in your average typical RPG. When you set out, you're usually dealing with some (comparatively) small issues, such as rescuing a princess (FF1), blowing up a reactor (FFVII), so on so forth. By the middle of the game, as you uncover more and more of the world, you subsequently involved in a plot that is important on a larger scale, such as trying to restore balance to the world, or hunting down an extremely powerful villain. By the end, the fate of the world, or sometimes even existence seems to rest in your hands, and so that during the course of the game you are able to reflect upon how much your characters have grown. Even FF1, the simplest game of them all has this, which is perhaps why it is considered to be a framework game sometimes.

Aside from that I would also associate the ATB system with FF, even though it has become less prominent recently. Also, the FF series has a strange fixation with crystals, with nearly all the games up to this point featuring them in some manner or form.
 
Well everyone else has pretty good points. I am going to give my requirment in the form of a short document entitled - "I need."

I need and adventure to where I can stray from my real life into a world of unexplored land and beauty.

I need characters that come to life in front of my eyes, Whose daring and comical features make them the perfect tools for my masterpiece adventure.

I need variety with my characters, I want the to reflect different views, opinions, and personalitys so that I may relate to them not only individually but also how they reflect upon each other.

I need to be able to play an interactive novel that touches me deeply and excites me for days and days.

I need a system, a battle system that can capture the best of my attention by being massive, creative and beautifully addictive. I want my battles to feel as though I transferred directly from the story into the battle...and afterward feel like there was no difference between the story.

I need enemy's and beasts that give me true hate and passion towards them just as the characters would hate them. I want to seek them out and get redemption just as much as my characters do. I Don't care if they are funny or just plain evil, I need them to be the Ying to my Yang. I want variety with my random encounters, I need them to be horrible, confusing and very creative looking. I want more than one enemy including a hidden protaganist.

I need a variety of weapons and armor that look fuckin badass on my characters, I want them them to wield different weapons, and I want them to have different affects upon the enemys that they strike. I want the system to be huge.

I need a world...not just any....THE world. I want it to be big and expansive, filled with oceans and forests, deserts and mountains. And I want to be able to navigate this mappiece by piece at a time. I want the start to be like climbing a wall upside down with a step by step at a time, I want the end to be me flying high over everything and seeing the beauty and history my crew has experienced.

I need abilitys, magic, jobs, ect....I want the endless pleasure of creating and tweeking my profile and settings. I want when the game finishes for it to be MY masterpiece. I dont want every other person who played the game to have the same save file, I want MY save file to be MINE.

I need a story, one that unfolds before my eyes, one that takes the perfect world and adds the perfect satire. I need my world and story to reflect the way my characters talk and act, I need the story to have huge emotional impact upon my characters and I want the story to tie everything together. I want a story that could make me laugh, tear up, suprise,and shock me. I want my story not to be predictable. I want my story to be the same to me as it is to my characters.....because I am those characters.

The playability from these games do not come from one thing, they come from everything. So far I am a fan of almost all of the games...only partially VIII. I even enjoy XIII a lot. A lot of people give hell to that game but honestly its one of the most profitable games they have introduced. The fact of the matter is asians love this game....as much as westerners do not like it. While I see that there are many difference that I both like and do not like, I also see that the japanese creators are always going to favor the asian audience because they have more gamers in general statisticly, and also population wise, also they are easier to target too.

Guys I love all the games and I am down for whatever changes SE wants to push. I am open to the idea of change and trying new things out. Believe it or not a lot of things get old after you do it a thousand times. So I am going to forever love this seris because they are enjoyable, every bad selling thing ever released in the games just help light the beacon of change.

:cactaur: HERE HERE everyone! I NEED Final Fantasy =P
 
Considerations on the Elements of a Good Final Fantasy Game

While this is something more of a general question I'm asking around about:

What makes a good Final Fantasy game? What made you fall in love with the series? What do you believe are the fundamental elements of the games?
 
To me the two most important things that make a good final fantasy are story and music. A good FF must have round and well developed characters, and an awesome soundtrack, the kind of music that become a cursor of your life, you hear its 3 first seconds and it brings back all the emotions you had playing the game ten years ago.

This is what ff7 does to me.

The gameplay is important, but not nearly as important as those two things, to me. This is why I might enjoy ff13.

(I feel foolish for giving my poorly written point of view after so many people made excellent points)
 
For me what makes a good Final Fantasy game is the soundtrack, story, characters and gameplay. All of these factors are what makes a good Final Fantasy game. I want the story to be deep, soundtrack to be memorable, characters that are fleshed-out, and an engaging gameplay.

Sure graphics are cool, like FFXIII with its CG cutscenes, but I put story, soundtrack, characters and gameplay at my first priority.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top