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Post by Sarge on Jan 19, 2024 16:48:54 GMT -5
I am curious as to why you found the exploration rewarding. For the most part, it seems like any item pickups were mostly random trash, you don't get any sort of EXP boost like Xenoblade. I'm sure I missed some cool stuff, I'd guess, but other than the environments themselves being fine, it didn't feel like I was incentivized to really poke around the maps a ton. If I remember right, I gave it a 7.5/10. It's a very good game, but clearly not a game made for me, haha. I don't know how I'd feel about FFX at this point - it has been over 20 years since I beat that one. Sometimes memories are better left in the past. (That being said, Chrono Trigger and FFVI are still incredible games.) I've only beaten FFXII, FFXIII, and FFXV since FFX, owing to two being MMORPGs and getting distracted with FFXII-2 (too many games!) and feeling I need to finish that before I go for FFXIII-3. And I don't have a PS5 for XVI, which I'm sure I will play eventually.
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Post by toei on Jan 19, 2024 16:52:34 GMT -5
I like the Okinawa beaches - inspired setting in FFX, but the characters and story look so cringe from a distance. I'm sure XII doesn't have that problem, and I like Matsuno. With infinite time I would try each and every one of those games.
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Post by Sarge on Jan 19, 2024 17:01:20 GMT -5
Yeah, I feel story (when it's actually front and center) is better in FFXII. The game has much more of Matsuno's serious vibe to it.
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Post by Ex on Jan 19, 2024 17:17:29 GMT -5
I am curious as to why you found the exploration rewarding. beautiful world to explore in general loved filling in my maps (cartography) lots of hidden treasure chests to find if you want to take out all the Marked monsters, gotta explore unique NPCs to find out in boonies (some offer side-quests) optional mini-dungeons to find and loot random events to trigger >It's a very good game, but clearly not a game made for me FFXII is the polar opposite of FFX in almost every way, so that makes sense. >it has been over 20 years since I beat FFX In your early '20s, playing FFX when it first released, I could see how you enjoyed it more. I think you'd find now FFX hasn't aged all that well, though. I like the Okinawa beaches - inspired setting in FFX Literally THE reason I keep trying to get back into FFX. I actually love its (mostly) tropical world design. But its terrible plot, most of its characters are super annoying, lame scenario designs, overly linear pacing, screwed up difficulty balancing... a laundry list of reasons FFX fails for me. The game did have very nice graphics for its day, and the tropical environs are nice, that's all the good stuff I have to say really. >I'm sure XII doesn't have that problem, and I like Matsuno I bet you would enjoy FFXII more than FFX. But this is the #1 JRPG I'd like to see you play and offer your informed opinions of:
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Post by Xeogred on Jan 19, 2024 17:22:46 GMT -5
FFX - I think I've told this tale to you guys over the years now, I was such a hardcore SNES/PSX JRPG guy that I actually didn't like a lot about the PS2 era's RPG's for awhile, the generally bad voice acting, gone were pre-rendered backdrops that I ordered or just a weird preference for how zoomed out older RPG's would be from a perspective, shiny new graphics where everything was more zoomed in and realistic. But that fidelity would sacrifice gameplay on the side and stuff for a more streamlined experience in cases like FFX. But yeah, I begrudgingly got to the end of FFX on the PS2, then watched a friend of mine beat the last dungeon and final boss. I considered it beaten then for me too. For years, this seemed like the entry RPG for many and I think that boiled some silly resentment in me. Had tons of friends in person that worshiped FFX and I kind of joked with them about it (still to this day). All that said, the music was incredible, the setting was cool to me, and the battle system was/IS turn based JRPG perfection. So years later when the HD versions dropped, I was open minded on giving it a replay. All I can say is that I somehow did a 180 and genuinely enjoyed myself a lot that second time through FFX, now I look forward to another replay down the road.
FF12 - One of the last games I recall standing in line for a midnight release. The prestige of a thick steelcase PS2 game, hah. I liked it, but I fell off eventually because you would go hours upon hours in between any story/character development. I'm always a gameplay guy first but sometimes do need need a cool story or something else to string me along. Now more recently in HRG's lifespawn, I hit up the PS4 HD version of FF12 and really enjoyed it. That said, it still has major plot faults to me and I absolutely employed the 2x-4x speed up feature through most of this replay, making it way more fun. The world building is great, it still looks incredible for a PS2 game underneath, and the Gambit system is really cool. Love how customizeable it is. FF12's strength is in its "vibes" to me, especially after beating Vagrant Story... it kind of feels like more of a spinoff to that series than anything else. I can see how FF12 is hit or miss though.
FF13 - Among one group of friends, I was the most skeptical about it going in and then I beat it of all people almost out of spite. But again, kind of like FFX and FF12, the gameplay/combat system is just so damn good, I wanted more so I pushed through. I also think this game still looks more expensive than FF15 and other modern games, it's crazy how hard they went on the graphics and spectacle side. The whole trilogy is some of the coolest music ever to me as well that I love going back to. But everything chema said is true, you have to play 20-30 hours worth of a linear tutorial before the game doesn't just simply open up some, but even lets you start customizing the characters a bit. It's insane. So I always hesitate big time on replaying this one. I did like Gran Pulse (open area near the end) and sunk like 50 hours into this game overall. I think I like did 99% of what was possible. So it was rewarding to push through to the point of where the game opens up and let me play how I wanted, then I got the most out of it.
So that game was a punching bag between my friends and I. FF13-2 came and went, but during the PS3 days I kind of hit a resurgence on single player gaming (my 360 days were a bit more of a bro/multiplayer era lol), and I also just had the mindset that I needed to really play games for myself to judge. Thankfully it worked out with FF13-2 and that game is a serious 9/10 for me. It fixed everything the first game did wrong and then some. This is also the era when I played Resident Evil 6 for myself... eeesh. I've played worse, but I'm never touching that game again. Or DMC2... etc.
Now FF16 is basically a Devil May Cry adventure game. I adore FF and always will say overall it's one of my favorite series out there. But yeah I can absolutely see how from like FFX and on it's thrown some people off. Even before that, some older gamers probably in their 40's now that I've heard on podcasts, weren't too big on the PSX games. I don't want to be the get off my lawn grandpa gamer but yeah haha, FF should maybe consider reeling it back some next time. But I think they've seriously probably gone too far off the rails by now, you can't really go back. I hope it at least reverts back to a party based game. For my tastes, FF7 Remake is amazing and what I'd want out of future FF. But I would seriously be shocked if we ever see a normal mainline turn based/ATB FF ever again.
In ways it's just a shame when something like FF13's battle system arrives and you only get like 1.5 games worth out of it. On one hand it makes the crazy variety of such games stand out in unique ways, but yeah.
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Post by Chema on Jan 20, 2024 14:27:44 GMT -5
Xeogred I'm interested in trying FF XIII-2, but it's not compatible with the Steam Deck. I could play it on the Series X, but I have little patience for RGPs on home systems. Despite its character designs, I had a lot of fun playing FF X. I loved the environments and the combat system is perfection. The level design is what I wished FF XIII's were: for most of the game, you're just going forward through the only path available, but the pacing is so good that you never realize it. The world feels alive thanks to all the little towns and settlements you find. Every new location is the right length and he story also makes it feel like you're actually doing different things in each location. Having said that, f*ck Yunalesca. That unskippable cutscene before her battle grated on my nerves so much.
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Post by Xeogred on Jan 20, 2024 15:03:21 GMT -5
Yeah, I think because FFX has more actual "towns" in between the linear journey, it doesn't feel nearly as monotone as FF13's pathing.
Hopefully you can check out FF13-2 sometime on some platform that works. I'd love to replay it someday myself and Steam/PC would be ideal, but those ports don't sound very good...
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