The Final Fantasy Thread

[Jaimas]

Recently, I've been playing the FFVII remake. As I am someone who actually played through a lot of the FFVII EU content, it's kind of a head trip seeing it in action. There's a few great things I can say about it even at this early juncture of me being a few hours in: Ignoring production-level crap (the graphics are gorgeous, the music is phenomenal, etc), there's a lot I actually find really cool. The expanded worldbuilding and the work done to flesh out both Midgar and the ongoing conflict with Avalanche is particularly well-done, it gets across just how fucked-up Cloud is mentally very early on, and makes very clear that the game is going to go for a darker tone - which makes sense, the original was already plenty dark. I'm digging the subtle nods towards the likes of Crisis Core and Before Crisis. I also like that the game is shameless in its difficulty and won't hesitate to break you over its knee if you take it lightly.

Some of it I can take or leave. There is no ambiguity about Shinra intentionally blowing the reactor to make Avalanche look bad in the remake, which is something you didn't learn until much later in the original. I like this as a concept but I also feel it's going to piss off some of the players who wanted to learn that shit the way they did in the original.

Holy shit, though, is this game not for purists. I have no idea where parts of this story are going, and part of me sort of digs that.

 

[Poop A Loop]

Now if they'd only finish the story considering it's been a year and a half. You'd think they hired Telltale given how long it's taking to release chapters in a format thats supposed to speed up development.

 

[Marissa Moira]

Now if they'd only finish the story considering it's been a year and a half. You'd think they hired Telltale given how long it's taking to release chapters in a format thats supposed to speed up development.

"finish the story"

Why? They're strapping guns to Behemoths now, you can't rush quality like that.

 

[Muttnik]

I didn't get into FF7 until this year so seeing that the Remake is a sequel honestly really excites me as a newcomer. After developing a love for the original, knowing there's new potential content on where the story could go hypes me just a little. But note that I say this as someone who hasn't stewed in the fandom for decades.
I dig the Remake 100% but this is coming from a complete newbie perspective.

 

[The Fair Lady]

I didn't get into FF7 until this year so seeing that the Remake is a sequel honestly really excites me as a newcomer. After developing a love for the original, knowing there's new potential content on where the story could go hypes me just a little. But note that I say this as someone who hasn't stewed in the fandom for decades.
I dig the Remake 100% but this is coming from a complete newbie perspective.

Pretty much the same here. I only just played the original last year before moving on to the remake and I thoroughly enjoyed them both. I was honestly a little disappointed by the time paradox ghosts changing things up but I'm also curious to see where the story goes from here. It's interesting how not even FF7 veterans can say for certain what's going to come next. That said, I definitely understand why some are upset that it's not a straight-up remake and more of a "what if" scenario.

 

[Freya]

The pixel remasters are for people that wanted something that looked closer to the originals. I remember being a big fan of the FF1 remake back in the day, but the PSP games just look like generic RPG Maker stuff to me now. The pixel remasters aren't an exact 1 to 1 conversion but I think they do a great job at getting the look and feel right, especially with FF1 and FF3 which look exactly like I imagine they would if they were SNES games. Plus the soundtracks are infinitely better than any other time they've remade them. The music in the 3D version of FF4 was dogshit.

It's what the old school fans have been asking for for decades. I feel vindicated.

 

[Freya]

The pixel remasters are for people that wanted something that looked closer to the originals. I remember being a big fan of the FF1 remake back in the day, but the PSP games just look like generic RPG Maker stuff to me now. The pixel remasters aren't an exact 1 to 1 conversion but I think they do a great job at getting the look and feel right, especially with FF1 and FF3 which look exactly like I imagine they would if they were SNES games. Plus the soundtracks are infinitely better than any other time they've remade them. The music in the 3D version of FF4 was dogshit.

Its nice seeing the old school fans finally get what they'd been asking for. I will say i miss the 8 bit music but oh well
Can't wait for vi to be released

 

[Mike Stoklasa]

Recently, I've been playing the FFVII remake. As I am someone who actually played through a lot of the FFVII EU content, it's kind of a head trip seeing it in action. There's a few great things I can say about it even at this early juncture of me being a few hours in: Ignoring production-level crap (the graphics are gorgeous, the music is phenomenal, etc), there's a lot I actually find really cool. The expanded worldbuilding and the work done to flesh out both Midgar and the ongoing conflict with Avalanche is particularly well-done, it gets across just how fucked-up Cloud is mentally very early on, and makes very clear that the game is going to go for a darker tone - which makes sense, the original was already plenty dark. I'm digging the subtle nods towards the likes of Crisis Core and Before Crisis. I also like that the game is shameless in its difficulty and won't hesitate to break you over its knee if you take it lightly.

Some of it I can take or leave. There is no ambiguity about Shinra intentionally blowing the reactor to make Avalanche look bad in the remake, which is something you didn't learn until much later in the original. I like this as a concept but I also feel it's going to piss off some of the players who wanted to learn that shit the way they did in the original.

Holy shit, though, is this game not for purists. I have no idea where parts of this story are going, and part of me sort of digs that.

Wait until Sephiroth throws the Shinra building at you.

Also the pixel remasters are a shitload of fuck.

 

[The Littlest Shitlord]

Pretty much the same here. I only just played the original last year before moving on to the remake and I thoroughly enjoyed them both. I was honestly a little disappointed by the time paradox ghosts changing things up but I'm also curious to see where the story goes from here. It's interesting how not even FF7 veterans can say for certain what's going to come next. That said, I definitely understand why some are upset that it's not a straight-up remake and more of a "what if" scenario.

Between the genre change (to action RPG), and the new story, it really is a brand new game that just draws heavily from the story of a previous Final Fantasy, much like how we have multiple games that draw heavily from FF1 without being actual remakes (Mobius Final Fantasy and Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin). It's only being called a "remake" for marketing purposes because people have asked for a "FF7 remake" for over a decade now. It was a bait and switch.

Personally, if I could choose any Final Fantasy to have a true remake where the game system was overhauled (without being changed to an action RPG, I'm too old and slow and clumsy-fingered for those now) but the story left alone, it would be Final Fantasy Tactics. Give it 3D graphics so you can move the camera freely (the ultra-limited camera angles of the original always annoyed me), and fix the massive physical vs. magical imbalance and add a few new jobs and I'd be happy to buy it again. Actually, if they could bring back some of the story stuff that was originally planned but cut (like the young Simon sequence, presumably the incident alluded to in his bio that made him give up being an inquisitor), that would be awesome. But they don't even remember it anymore; they showed one of those guys some sprite that was found in the game's data and he's like, "we called that character Elegant Flyer, that's all I can remember".

 

[Grand Wizard Wakka]

I have some stuff for FFX

I recommend the al bhed fix mod, Final Fantasy Solution, that removes all al bhed and any reference to them.

 

[Jinmen]

I recommend the al bhed fix mod, Final Fantasy Solution, that removes all al bhed and any reference to them.

"LIKE HAPPY FESTIVAL FIREWORKS, YA?"

 

[Jaimas]

Wait until Sephiroth throws the Shinra building at you.

Also the pixel remasters are a shitload of fuck.

They could be the shitloadest of fucks (they aren't) and they'd still be tacitly superior to the earlier mobile ports with the shitty redrawn sprites.

 

[Marissa Moira]

Wait until Sephiroth throws the Shinra building at you.

Also the pixel remasters are a shitload of fuck.

That's literally some weird phantom dimension bullshit because both the ending and the DLC true ending, show that the Shinra building is fine.

It's like yeah he throws a building at you, and once you kill him everything goes back to normal.

 

[Mike Stoklasa]

They could be the shitloadest of fucks (they aren't) and they'd still be tacitly superior to the earlier mobile ports with the shitty redrawn sprites.

They are. And as for the other games you mentioned, I never even think about those. Except the Chrono Trigger one because introducing new bugs into a port of a 30 year old game is the perfect representation of the modern video game industry.

"Plays best on the SNES!"

 

[Marissa Moira]

They are. And as for the other games you mentioned, I never even think about those. Except the Chrono Trigger one because introducing new bugs into a port of a 30 year old game is the perfect representation of the modern video game industry.

"Plays best on the SNES!"

Both the Chrono Trigger SNES version and the DS version are ungodly expensive now.

The Playstation port is still real cheap though.

 

[Honka Honka Burning Love]

They are. And as for the other games you mentioned, I never even think about those. Except the Chrono Trigger one because introducing new bugs into a port of a 30 year old game is the perfect representation of the modern video game industry.

"Plays best on the SNES!"

GBA ports are best, at least...the port of 6 is best because you don't risk the Sketch bug.

 

[Mike Stoklasa]

Both the Chrono Trigger SNES version and the DS version are ungodly expensive now.

The Playstation port is still real cheap though.

Glad I bought them when they came out.

GBA ports are best, at least...the port of 6 is best because you don't risk the Sketch bug.

Also long as I can Vanish-Doom, I'm happy.

I liked the DS remakes for the most part. Wish they did all the old games. Of course they stopped before doing VI.

 

[Honka Honka Burning Love]

Also long as I can Vanish-Doom, I'm happy.

Bugs are for pussies.

 

[Pissmaster]

So here's something I've wondered, yet never found an explanation for:

Is there any reason behind why spell tiers are named the way they are? Like, Cure/Cura/Curaga/Curaja as opposed to Cure/Cure 2/Cure 3/Cure 4. Do those suffixes mean something in Jappo or is it just random bullshit

 

[The Littlest Shitlord]

So here's something I've wondered, yet never found an explanation for:

Is there any reason behind why spell tiers are named the way they are? Like, Cure/Cura/Curaga/Curaja as opposed to Cure/Cure 2/Cure 3/Cure 4. Do those suffixes mean something in Jappo or is it just random bullshit

I think it's a Wizardry-influenced thing. The Wizardry series of computer games came out early and were very popular and influential in Japan. They even were part of the inspiration of the original Dragon Quest. The FF1 Dia spell (deals damage to undead) is actually an abbreviation for the Japanese version of Dispel Undead, a special ability of Wizardry's Priest class to instakill weak undead (basically, the D&D cleric class ability Turn Undead).

Anyway, stronger versions of Wizardry spells tend to named for the weaker version but with some nonsense syllable added before or after, or sometimes substituting for the last syllable in the original name (which is how the early FF games, with their short spell name limits, usually did things). Example: the Wizardry healing spells from weakest to strongest are Dios, Dial, and Madi. The Ma- prefix in general indicates a stronger version of another spell, like Mabariko (damage spell) is the stronger form of Bariko, and Maporfic (improves party's defense) is the stronger version of Porfic (improves caster's defense).

The Japanese version of FF1 had somewhat more variation in terms of these nonsense syllables and their placement, but things evolved to become more standardized as the series went on. For example, the silence removing spell in FF1 was called Vocal (from the AD&D spell Vocalize, in Unearthed Arcana) while other status removal spells had the now-familiar -na ending, but later on when FF11 did a bunch of individual-status-removing spells instead of the general-purpose Esuna (Every Status -na) they called it Silena instead. The fourth level attacking -ja spells first appeared in Final Fantasy Tactics, but then appeared in FF11 and FF12, and then Cure spells going forward were retranslated to fit into the ra/ga/ja paradigm (when they actually use ra/da/ga in Japanese).