Final Fantasy 3/6 and some comparisons to today's games

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It's been a good 6 or 7 years since I played FF3/6. So I loaded up Final Fantasy Anthology on the PS3 and started playing FF6. I just got through the opera sequence last night and have really been enjoying the game. Considering the game is now 15 years old, it's actually aged pretty well in my opinion. Even though the graphics pale in comparison to what's out there now, the excellent music, character development, and story really make the game compelling. I wish modern games had more of these elements.

Other than the Halo series, I can't think of a modern game where music/soundtrack really contributed to the quality of the game's experience. Maybe GTA Vice City and Little Big Planet, but not to the extent that FF6 did. Unique theme music for each character, grandiose scores, etc.

I also wish games had more character development for all the characters. In FF6, every playable character (with the exception of GoGo and Umaro) has a full and engaging background and storyline progression. Even most of the NPCs like General Leo have backgrounds and character development. Batman: AA had a little bit of this with the unlockable character bios and interview tapes, but I wish more games took the time to flesh out the characters' development, not just the main character.

Lastly, I wish games would commit to their storylines. In FF6, there is a definite beginning, middle, and end to the story. I grow weary of games where they deliberately don't end the story so that they can make a sequel where you do more of the same old, same old. Give the game an ending, even if it is just a "chapter ending". Don't end the game without ending it, if you know what I mean.
 
One thing I really enjoyed about 16 bits RPGs like FF6, is that they didn't have that anime look we have today. Maybe it was because I was just a kid the first time I played FF6, but it never stroke me as as a J-RPG. I find some of the Japanese culture elements in RPG to be sort of a turn off in most games. Not that Japanese culture is a bad thing, I do enjoy it, but it has become extremely generic in J-RPG.
 
I thought this said Final Fantasy 36.

Which at the rate their going will be in a couple years it seems. This series needs to die off.

One thing I really enjoyed about 16 bits RPGs like FF6, is that they didn't have that anime look we have today. Maybe it was because I was just a kid the first time I played FF6, but it never stroke me as as a J-RPG. I find some of the Japanese culture elements in RPG to be sort of a turn off in most games. Not that Japanese culture is a bad thing, I do enjoy it, but it has become extremely generic in J-RPG.

I think they can come up with some interesting stories, but how effeminate their male characters are and how whiny everyone is generally kills them for me.
 
FF6 is easily the best FF ever made. I remember playing this really young and at the thought of the 27 espers(summons) you could get, I was jizzin in ma pants. I redownloaded this game and currently playing it, shits timeless.
 
+1 on it being the best FF.... for me anyways. I also thought 8 and 10 were their worst though, so it's a personal thing
 
Best Final Fantasy ever, without question. Cannot for the life of me figure out why they won't remake it like they did the Japanese FF3 and FF4. Of course, it'd have to be on a platform other than the DS for me to get it. :p
 
It's my favorite FF as well.

I generally loathe JRPGs nowadays though. They failed to evolve with the game industry and are puttering along on poor game design foundations and stereotypes.
 
I loved FF3 (American Counting) and FF2 as well. Both, IMO, were incredible games. Your right about there being an epic feel to FF3, in many parts of the game.
 
Did you actually read any of the dialogue? I remember loving this game as a kid but when I replayed it a year or two ago I was dumbstruck by how horrible all the conversation was. I still played it all the way through, but it is a total nostalgic gaming experience. If I had never played the game as a kid and picked it up today I would dismiss it as a pile of shit.

I would also say there really is no character development, I mean there are a couple 30 second snippets here and there about something in the characters past, but overall all the characters are really hallow. If you have ever read Joseph Campbell, FF6 does have a lot of the hero myth elements present which makes the characters seem more real but only because your mind is filling in a lot of gaps.

If you seriously thought this story was amazing you really owe it to yourself to read more books.
 
Did you actually read any of the dialogue? I remember loving this game as a kid but when I replayed it a year or two ago I was dumbstruck by how horrible all the conversation was. I still played it all the way through, but it is a total nostalgic gaming experience. If I had never played the game as a kid and picked it up today I would dismiss it as a pile of shit.

I would also say there really is no character development, I mean there are a couple 30 second snippets here and there about something in the characters past, but overall all the characters are really hallow. If you have ever read Joseph Campbell, FF6 does have a lot of the hero myth elements present which makes the characters seem more real but only because your mind is filling in a lot of gaps.

If you seriously thought this story was amazing you really owe it to yourself to read more books.


Snob? I think so. While true, they aren't going to put paragraphs of dialogue into game, a lot is left to your imagination which is part of the fun. I do sense just enough for character development. Combined with the simple visuals, it was enough to really get a sense of these tiny sprites. I don't see why that was a bad thing. I've played plenty of older games that I didn't play as a kid and can look past flaws and understand what they are trying to say and do.

Beowolf is poorly written/rewritten/pass along story, does that make it any less epic or fun?
 
I always thought Shadow of the Colossus integrated the music with the gameplay to great effect. I can't think of a more moving soundtrack in recent gaming.
 
personaly i feel that (US)ff2/ff3 have the best story lines of the entire series with ff7 coming in 3rd.

very long and well thought out games, now i do agree there isnt much in the form of character developement but in reality with a game that you have 12+ characters(ff3) that you can rotate out was great. you couldnt do that with ff2 but i think the storyline is better in ff2 IMHO, thats just me.

but for 16bit games it really set the pace for all the games we have today. and to be honest nothing really compares as well most games look amazing but feel very short. they lack the depth that ff2 had, i mean ff2 i had an airship a hovercraft and a fucking spaceship moon whale.
 
FF2 was an epic game for me - very memorable. FF3 is my fave- I don't think i've ever hated a villain as much as I disliked Kefka.
 
It has to be said.... Final Fantasy 7 is the best of the FF series.

and then it has to be quoted.


Good sound tracks are around I mean FF7-8-9-10 all have outstanding soundtracks. and FFXIII should follow that trend. The good soundtracks are there......but putting them up against a monster sound track like FF6 is going to make most games look sub par.

FF6 also has another advantage going for it and that is nostalgia, and it take time to create that so it doesn't come packaged with new games.
 
FF2, FF3/6, and CT were some of the best well design RPG game I ever play
 
It has to be said.... Final Fantasy 7 is the best of the FF series.

It's the second worst, right behind 8 and tied with X. The main character sucked, the story was all over the place, it had summon animations that lasted longer than a MGS4 cut-scene, and you fought houses with tails in alleys. The graphics/cut-scenes were good for their time but that's about it.

There has not been a really good FF since 3. 9 was pretty good and the last one (13? There's so many that it's getting hard to keep the numbers straight) was an interesting departure from the norm.
 
FF3/6 is imo the best game I have played. The game was epic in length and the characters were very well developed. There are so many memorable characters, from Ultross to Umaro. I remember the mode 7 graphics at the beginning, when terra and the two soldiers head toward Narsh, were groundbreaking. It was very open ended for its time, and there were numerous side quests and hidden characters to find. Personally I don't think FF7 came anywhere close to FF3/6.
 
FF6 is better than 7 assuming you played 6 before 7. If you didn't then I can see how you wouldn't like 6 as much. I bought an SNES just to play FF6. When they announced 7 I bought a PS1 just to play FF7 lol.
 
I grew up on FF2/FF3 (favorite RPG's ever) and yes I believe that those of us that grew up on those RPG's respect them the most. The great thing about both of those titles are the characters, stories, and replay value. The reason I believe these games are of epic stature is that because the graphics are dated, and the conversations short, you have to fill in the content with your mind, it isn't laid on a silver platter for you like the newer titles. You have to imagine what the character's would really look like, and what their personalities would really contain. It probably would be hard for a teenager now to try and appreciate these titles since the only thing they have seen is 3d masterpieces, with complete renderings, and conservations that don't leave room for imagination.
 
7 was alright, but not as good as 2 and 3. 8 I really didn't like too much.

9 I remember enjoying quite a bit, and feeling like it was a lot like 2, with the more traditional classes (White mage, black mage, etc).

10 I did enjoy, though I know its one of the 'Love it Hate it' ones. I liked it a lot. Hated the ending though.

12 I picked up, and kept TRYING to enjoy it, but the combat system was just awful imo. The active combat with the computer controlled buddies, ugh. Maybe I just didn't 'Get it' but I really really hated it. I hope they go back to the traditional combat system with 13. From the screenshots I've seen, they are.
 
FF6 had a LOT going on. That's part of why I loved it so much. Lots of little subplots (Gao and his father, Locke and Celes, Locke and his old girlfriend, Terra and Leo, Shadow/Relm/Strago, etc.) and lots of little secrets (chainsaw, Phoenix materia. etc.). The plot line that just never stopped being awesome. And the music... incredible, and always appropriate.

But, really, it was the character development. FF7 and FF8 just never seemed to do all that much with most of the characters in comparison (didn't play FF9). FFX and FFXII _tried_ to get back to doing that, but just didn't seem to succeed.
 
I don't know why, but in 12 I had some trouble following what was going on a lot. Its rare that something like that happens, but for whatever reason I just couldn't keep track of the different characters and figure out what the heck was happening.

I guess the plot just didn't suck me in
 
I grew up on FF2/FF3 (favorite RPG's ever) and yes I believe that those of us that grew up on those RPG's respect them the most. The great thing about both of those titles are the characters, stories, and replay value. The reason I believe these games are of epic stature is that because the graphics are dated, and the conversations short, you have to fill in the content with your mind, it isn't laid on a silver platter for you like the newer titles. You have to imagine what the character's would really look like, and what their personalities would really contain. It probably would be hard for a teenager now to try and appreciate these titles since the only thing they have seen is 3d masterpieces, with complete renderings, and conservations that don't leave room for imagination.

I grew up on FF1 and still think that FF7 is the best. It captured emotion which FF6 did not do as well, and the physiological twist in clouds head was far beyond anything I was used to in an RPG. It all really comes to personal preference because both games have many good and bad qualities that it can be argued for years with no true outcome.

and as for outdated graphics I think that FF7 is harder to play today then FF6 is. the 2/3d graphic of FF6 aged far better than the blocky attempt at 3d in FF7.
 
It's the second worst, right behind 8 and tied with X. The main character sucked, the story was all over the place, it had summon animations that lasted longer than a MGS4 cut-scene, and you fought houses with tails in alleys. The graphics/cut-scenes were good for their time but that's about it.

There has not been a really good FF since 3. 9 was pretty good and the last one (13? There's so many that it's getting hard to keep the numbers straight) was an interesting departure from the norm.

9 was a joke and a disaster. I hated that game.
 
Final Fantasy VI is often cited as one of the greatest games of all time, along side Chrono Trigger and Xenogears. Some might say they are as close to "Perfect" as an RPG can be, and we've seen a lot of their legacy in more recent titles (Like Lost Odyssey), but never with that special...something.

Since those days I've not gotten the "feeling" I did playing those games. Trying to hold anything up to those three is a little like asking why another "Gone With The Wind" or "Citizen Kane" -level film isn't being made today.

and just for the record, I loved FF VIII. That's right. It was a traditional Japanese lovestory told through a new medium. I know this didn't resonate well with most of the West, but I found it wonderful.
 
Final Fantasy VI is often cited as one of the greatest games of all time, along side Chrono Trigger and Xenogears. Some might say they are as close to "Perfect" as an RPG can be, and we've seen a lot of their legacy in more recent titles (Like Lost Odyssey), but never with that special...something.

Since those days I've not gotten the "feeling" I did playing those games. Trying to hold anything up to those three is a little like asking why another "Gone With The Wind" or "Citizen Kane" -level film isn't being made today.

and just for the record, I loved FF VIII. That's right. It was a traditional Japanese lovestory told through a new medium. I know this didn't resonate well with most of the West, but I found it wonderful.

FFVII is also often referenced as the greatest game of all time more so than all your listed games (Source

There was nothing wrong with FF8's story....it was everything else than ruined the game for me. FF9 was very little kidish and riped off a lot of the plot from Dragon ball Z but had some good elements like the chocobo treasure hunt which was classic.

But again all comes to taste; I personally thought that Xenogears was too slow to get a top spot and suikoden 2 would be far in front of the game,
 
Final Fantasy VI is often cited as one of the greatest games of all time, along side Chrono Trigger and Xenogears. Some might say they are as close to "Perfect" as an RPG can be, and we've seen a lot of their legacy in more recent titles (Like Lost Odyssey), but never with that special...something.

Since those days I've not gotten the "feeling" I did playing those games. Trying to hold anything up to those three is a little like asking why another "Gone With The Wind" or "Citizen Kane" -level film isn't being made today.

and just for the record, I loved FF VIII. That's right. It was a traditional Japanese lovestory told through a new medium. I know this didn't resonate well with most of the West, but I found it wonderful.

I agree with you on FF8. It took a LOT to get into, but once I did, I couldn't put it down.
 
6 was the best, hands down. After that it all went downhill. VII is mostly loved because it was the first 3d one and the first one for a lot of current generation gamers.

16 bit still rules for RPGs. Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, FF VI.
 
Somebody mentioned ealier I believe that they have a hard time finding titles that suck them in the way the classic RPG's FF2, FF3, Cronotrigger, did etc. It might be that because those RPG's were the first we played that were "great" that is what we compare the newer titles too. I get lost in the CGI, and way to complex battle methods of some of the newer games.
 
I enjoyed 6 and 7 for all the reasons mentioned and would have a hard time trying to "choose" between the two as a "best" game. I'm just happy I got to play them.

That being said, one of my favorite things about 6 was the two-player mode. A friend of mine and I could sit and watch the story unfold and both being playing the game. If it weren't for this mechanic (and, I'll admit, us doing the voices for all the characters - it was fun) I don't know if I would have enjoyed the game as much.

It was a little known feature (I don't think that the GT anthology even mentioned it) that wasn't carried through in the other FF games that I've played - 7 and 8. I've not heard of it in any of the other games either. It was much appreciated and changed the experience of the game.
 
I think a lot of what kills current gen games is the voiceovers. Half the time they are phoned in crapfests. It really breaks the immersion.
 
It's hard for me to choose between 6 and 7... Comes down to Cloud vs. Edger (Bioblaster FTW).

But Music in games not meaning much now a days? Have you played a metroid game? Also worth mentioning and checking out is Shin megami Tensei Nocturne. that game has some fantastic music which build upon the premise of the plot nicely. But for the most part it does seem like a lot of new games just overlook music and plot and just turn out better graphics which is sad.
 
I'm playing FF VII right now and I'm having some trouble getting into it. It's honestly difficult for me to feel for the trials and tribulations of a bunch of lego people (one of whom is an offensive black stereotype). The combat is fun and I'm not very far in, so maybe things will take a turn and get a lot more interesting. I hope so.
 
I'm flabbergasted by people who didn't think that FF VI had any emotion or development.

The first time you play through FF VI it's easy to miss alot of the development because alot of the development of characters is hidden; you have to have X person and Y person in your party so they can interact.

I got goosebumps on my second playthrough when I realized that Celes was trying to kill herself, completely alone in the world. Finding Gau's father and discovering just how unwanted he was by his own family connected me with a character that up until that point I didn't really use in my party or care for. Locke's self-torture, believing he could save Rachel, and then substituting everyone - Celes and Terra, at least - as a way to try and make up for it...Sabin's and Edgar's different reactions to their father's death...it's all over the place.

Also, in terms of soundtrack, nothing beats FF VI. The whole operahaus sequence is oustanding. The orchestral feel just could not be beat, even by Chrono Trigger.

I felt emotional attachment in two points in all of FF VII - when Aeris died (shocker, I know, and I didn't get to play the game until it came out for PC, yet somehow I didn't know about it) and that creepy time Cloud spent in the wheelchair after he fell into the lifestream. He writhed around and creeked, so I was a bit concerned that I was going to have to deal with this guy stuck in a permanent state of epileptic seizure. But other than that, I didn't feel nearly the connection that I did in Final Fantasy VI.

VII is still a good game. And I have to admit I didn't complete it; I got to Sephiroth's crater and was level 60-something. I was going to go grind out some levels to 99 but lost interest, and when I wanted to go back to it my save game had somehow corrupted. I bought it on PSN and started it up, but my heart's just not in it. But I can play FF VI over and over and over.
 
I'm flabbergasted by people who didn't think that FF VI had any emotion or development.

The first time you play through FF VI it's easy to miss alot of the development because alot of the development of characters is hidden; you have to have X person and Y person in your party so they can interact.

I got goosebumps on my second playthrough when I realized that Celes was trying to kill herself, completely alone in the world. Finding Gau's father and discovering just how unwanted he was by his own family connected me with a character that up until that point I didn't really use in my party or care for. Locke's self-torture, believing he could save Rachel, and then substituting everyone - Celes and Terra, at least - as a way to try and make up for it...Sabin's and Edgar's different reactions to their father's death...it's all over the place.

Also, in terms of soundtrack, nothing beats FF VI. The whole operahaus sequence is oustanding. The orchestral feel just could not be beat, even by Chrono Trigger.

I felt emotional attachment in two points in all of FF VII - when Aeris died (shocker, I know, and I didn't get to play the game until it came out for PC, yet somehow I didn't know about it) and that creepy time Cloud spent in the wheelchair after he fell into the lifestream. He writhed around and creeked, so I was a bit concerned that I was going to have to deal with this guy stuck in a permanent state of epileptic seizure. But other than that, I didn't feel nearly the connection that I did in Final Fantasy VI.

VII is still a good game. And I have to admit I didn't complete it; I got to Sephiroth's crater and was level 60-something. I was going to go grind out some levels to 99 but lost interest, and when I wanted to go back to it my save game had somehow corrupted. I bought it on PSN and started it up, but my heart's just not in it. But I can play FF VI over and over and over.

Played it on pc strike 1
Played it out of its time frame strike 2
Didn't pass it as well as possible didn't understand it strike 3.

Emotion is a tricky thing what brings one to tears may do nothing for another. Such as bad English voice overs complete kills any attempt at displaying emotion for me others it doesn't. FF6 didn't have the same emotional impact as ff7 though it did have emotion in the game.

Crisis core does a great job of capturing emotion the ending of that game is the best ending I have ever seen......also happen to have a pretty good sound track......but didn't like the game that much.

I'm playing FF VII right now and I'm having some trouble getting into it. It's honestly difficult for me to feel for the trials and tribulations of a bunch of lego people (one of whom is an offensive black stereotype). The combat is fun and I'm not very far in, so maybe things will take a turn and get a lot more interesting. I hope so.

Its hard to play a game out of it's time frame.....it's very hard to play a game out of its time frame when it is an early adopter of 3D, tried to play resident evil again and it hurt....................also nothing wrong with using stereotypes as they are usually based of the majority and are quite frequently accurate.
 
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Played it on pc strike 1
Played it out of its time frame strike 2
Didn't pass it as well as possible didn't understand it strike 3.
That's lame, you didn't even read what I wrote. I bought the PC version when it was new (summer 1998). I didn't play it "out of its time frame". The fact I played through 3 discs only to lose interest tells me I wasn't connected. I didn't say your favorite game ever was terrible as if I had kicked your puppy; I just lost interest in it.

A true classic is not hard to "play out of its time frame" wtf ever that means - I assume you mean that it's old. I didn't play Shining Force 3 until about 4 years after it released and I didn't play Panzer Dragoon Saga until last year, and neither of them felt "out of place" despite being Saturn games. You're projecting your beliefs onto others without actually reading what they said.
 
I agree that VI was the best of the numbered FF series. VII is a close second, though, and I'm currently enjoying XII quite a bit.

The best Final Fantasy ever, though, has to be Final Fantasy Tactics. I wish they would, but I don't know if they could ever make another game in the original Ivalice setting (without the furries). There are a lot of religious overtones, and a reference to a girl being molested by her stepfather. I think the setting is just too "serious" for most gamers. People today salivate over crap like MGS4, which has one of its main characters introduced while crapping his pants, and then expects us to respect and take the guy seriously later in the "game" (really more of a long, bad movie).
 
9 was a joke and a disaster. I hated that game.

I disagree 9 was my favorite personally just loved the story and characters. If only I still had it QQ. I could go through 9 and 7 again. 8 not so much that magic extraction pissed me off.
 
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