Val gots sum Final Fantasy

[Zaden]

Okay, this thread made me want to play some Final Fantasy, but since my PS and XBox games are still AWOL, my choices were limited to I and II.



When gained a level, I swear to several deities it said, "HP Up, Intelligence Down".

Double-U Tee Heck? How can intelligence go down? What's that supposed to mean, he's getting dumber?


Val, your [R2-D2 playing guitar] avatar is totally win.

[Valigarmander]

^ I change my avatar about twice every month. There's bound to be a few win ones every now and then.

[Valigarmander]

For some reason Balthier and Fran remind me of Han Solo and Chewbacca.

[ZeldaGirl]

^That's because they are supposed to - FFXII is probably the most obvious homage to Star Wars in the series. You have Han and Chewie (Balthier and Fran), Leia (Ashe), Luke (Vaan) Spoiler Below

though, you could also start throwing Basch into the mix with Gabranth as a Vader parallel, and it also extends to Larsa and Vayne, too

. The only person who doesn't really fit is Penelo, but I guess you could say she's like R2 in that she comes through on the most random of occasions in unexpected ways. Also, Balthier and Fran are totally like Mal and Zoey from "Firefly." Which is AWESOME.

[Valigarmander]

Yeah, at one point I realized that aside from Balthier and Fran I was playing a game with a blonde-haired orphan boy from the desert and a spunky princess who was the leader of a rebellion fighting an empire featuring legions of armored troops led by a villain with a five-letter name beginning with "Va". I think it was around the time I was getting attacked by the bastard offspring of Jawas and Tusken Raiders.

[Sim Kid]

Originally Posted by Zaidon

Okay, this thread made me want to play some Final Fantasy, but since my PS and XBox games are still AWOL, my choices were limited to I and II.



When gained a level, I swear to several deities it said, "HP Up, Intelligence Down".

Double-U Tee Heck? How can intelligence go down? What's that supposed to mean, he's getting dumber?


Val, your [R2-D2 playing guitar] avatar is totally win.

It's sort of an in-game balancing method so that you don't level all your stats one-by-one to the max and wind up with incredibly overpowered-as-**** characters who can curb-stomp the final boss by merely headbutting them.

You can already exploit it anyways by just using a glitch on the NES version or clubbing yourself over the head. Unintuitive, but it turns out to be more beneficial. :/ Hey, it was one of the first games to use that kind of system to level your characters up, so it's not going to be perfect. It was later improved on by other games that used a system, even though there are still some flaws that need to be ironed out so you don't wind up having characters defend so your weak character can actually get an attack in, like in Final Fantasy Legend 2, or are able to level up a stat you neglected for most of the game without spending enough money to pay off the national debt, like in Morrowind. (I am aware you can exploit alchemy too, but that's because Alchemy is broken)

[Zaden]

Thanks for someone answering. I was about to say the question was NOT rhetorical.

Originally Posted by Sim Kid

...clubbing yourself over the head. Unintuitive, but it turns out to be more beneficial. :/

Is this a figurative expression of futility, or are you referring to making my character attack himself?

(I am aware you can exploit alchemy too, but that's because Alchemy is broken)

Are you talking about Star Ocean or a different game with Alchemy?

[ZeldaGirl]

Bit of a bump, but I've been replaying FFIX. Just beat Hades...I don't remember it being that easy...

[Valigarmander]

Huh, I just remembered I took a break from playing FFXII over half a year ago and never finished it.

I need to get to that. Next week is spring break, so I should have time to get back into it.

[ZeldaGirl]

^Where did you stop? I recall doing the same thing, but once I returned to the game, I realized "damn, I really loved this."

It's my spring break, too, and that's pretty much the only reason I'm even playing games. I have to go back to thesis work... :-/

[Valigarmander]

^ The five mandragoras, on the way to Archades. I think I ragequit after my fourth time dying while fighting them.

[ZeldaGirl]

Ah, Sochen Cave. You can try waiting until they are all grouped together and getting them with a quickening. Otherwise, my best advice is to target them one by one, starting with the pumpkin (he's the bastard who casts confusion). Gambits set to Remedies really help this battle. Having someone automatically casting dispel on them also helps remove haste and any other buffs they have.

[Crazyswordsman]

The Mandragoras are tougher when you face them later in the game. -CSM

[Sim Kid]

Originally Posted by ZeldaGirl

Bit of a bump, but I've been replaying FFIX. Just beat Hades...I don't remember it being that easy...

Final Fantasy IX is a bit easier than the other games.

With the exception of a couple optional bosses, only a handful of parts gave me any difficulty in Final Fantasy IX. Most notably Gizmaluke and Antlion, even with Quina.

Beatrix wasn't that hard as I've heard people claim.

Originally Posted by ZeldaGirl

Bit of a bump, but I've been replaying FFIX. Just beat Hades...I don't remember it being that easy...

Final Fantasy IX is a bit easier than the other games.

With the exception of a couple optional bosses, only a handful of parts gave me any difficulty in Final Fantasy IX. Most notably Gizmaluke and Antlion, even with Quina.

Beatrix wasn't that hard as I've heard people claim.


However one thing I noticed was that when Dagger goes into trance you get to see the full animation for some summons play...and if you have regen'd the party then it actually makes her trance QUITE useful. :O of course I still like Eiko and Vivi's better.



Fun instances of naming because I'm an immature little bastard sometime:

"Hey, who's there?"
"It's me, stupid."

Oelivert:

"I'm stupid!"
"I am an idiot!"
"I am a moron!"
Quina: "I Robot"

Puck: "Whoa! Look at all the idiots!"

[ZeldaGirl]

With the exception of a couple optional bosses, only a handful of parts gave me any difficulty in Final Fantasy IX. Most notably Gizmaluke and Antlion, even with Quina.

I think, as with any FF game, it depends on your level. If you fight minimal battles in the Ice Cavern and Zidane remains at a pretty low level, the first Black Waltz + Sealion can be a real bitch. But, like I said, I think that goes for most FF games. Gizamaluke and Antlion were VERY difficult my first playthrough, but now, I know how to prepare so that it's truly NOT difficult at all.

I will say, though, I always found the last bosses (Kuja and Necron) much more difficult than the other FF games.

However one thing I noticed was that when Dagger goes into trance you get to see the full animation for some summons play...and if you have regen'd the party then it actually makes her trance QUITE useful. :O of course I still like Eiko and Vivi's better.

If you equip "Boost" to Dagger and Eiko, the summon will appear every time. That + auto-regen is awesome.

And Dagger is actually what I would consider my strongest character, this play through. She was my first character to consistently hit maximum (9999) damage, using her Atomos summon, and when she has Boost and Concentrate equipped, all of her summons and white magic have more power. That + Reflect Null allows me to heal anyone in my party, which is particularly useful when Vivi as auto-reflect and Reflectx2.

I think what I really like about FFIX is that, if you level evenly, EVERY character has the potential to be totally kick ass, despite their different skill sets. I know I can go into any battle with any party, because if you equip them correctly, they all are really effective. It's a bit different from, say, FFVII or FFXII, where players are essentially customizable (though they have stats that lend them to a certain job over others). FFIX clearly establishes job classes, but each class has merits of it's own and there is no real 'bad' or 'weak' character if you use them properly.

[Sim Kid]

Yeah, every character can be really kick ass. However some require more patience to level than other. Freya and Steiner wind up out of the party for awhile so they can get behind in level, and the game doesn't have a leaked experience like Final Fantasy XII and XIII do. (It's damn merciful in XIII.)

I also usually used Dagger for offense. Vivi has the offense, but lacks flexibility - I wanted flexibility because on my first playthrough I wasn't aware of what I was going to run into so I wanted to have Dagger on standby for heals. The other times I went through the game I had a more offensive party setup.

Also anyone else notice that Necron is going to show up in Final Fantasy Versus XIII? and if the Amano art is any indication...s/he'll look a little more Gigeresque?




Maybe we'll get some buildup. I mean Necron seemed ot just be there because TranceKuja was a pathetically easy boss with only Flare star to look out for.

(YeahyeahIknow. :P It's Eitro or whatever)

[ZeldaGirl]

Wait, you thought Trance Kuja was easy? Maybe if you over-level, but first play through, no way.

The more I play FFIX, the more I understand Necron's role in the story. But I do like some of the theories that are bounced around about him as well.

[Sim Kid]

But I thought TranceKuja was easy. :/ maybe it was because I got lucky the first time? He still hurt with Flare Star.

[Valigarmander]

I don't remember having much trouble with Trance Kuja.

Necron caught me unprepared the first time with Grand Cross, though.

[ZeldaGirl]

Grand Cross...is a double-edged sword. With auto-regen, the party actually can heal fully, and if you also have protection against most of the really bad effects, it's not too bad. But, in that battle, I always have to have one of my white mages or Quina to be ready to cure those status ailments.

I mostly hate that attack for the sheer length of it, every single time. Too long after the first time.