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Message: <blockquote data-quote="LightPhoenix" data-source="post: 1262638" data-attributes="member: 115">I would have liked FF9 more (and did) until spoiler Disc 3, with all the Garland/clone/world-merging crap that just came out of nowhere. FF5 did multiple worlds and world-merging too, and did it much better. There's a formula to the SNES RPGs that Square (and others) made that I think appeals to a lot of people and reaches a happy medium. The first half or so of the game is fairly linear, but then about halfway through it becomes fairly open-ended. You see this with other Square RPGs too - Chrono Trigger especially. FF5 is really the notable exception - though it had the best storyline of that era, IMO.  I mean, who hasn't wanted to beat FF6 with just Celes, Edgar, and Setzer? <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> FF10 especially just really railroads you down the plot. And it goes by really quick - I was at the end of the game after fifteen to twenty hours (not sure the exact time, been a while). True, I didn't do any of the annoying "side quests" which are just dumb and frustrating, and do nothing to further the story. But that's because they're dumb, and frustrating, and pointless. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />   Yeah, memorable like Rikku or Yuna, or Rinoa, or Squall, all of whom I wanted to die. Not to mention the goofy guys like Quina, and Amarant, the blackhole of 2D character development, let alone 3D.  But there have been a few memorable ones. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> I too have played FF since the beginning, and have even played fan-translations of FF2 and FF3. By the way, FF2 blew, FF3 wasn't too bad though. My problem is that after 13 or so years of FF, there just isn't anything innovative about the game any more. Battles remain the giant click-fests they were 13 years ago with very minor permutations (ATB being the most significant). Strategy in the game is almost non-existant. Random battles are nothing but a frustrating hold-over from the NES days when there wasn't enough memory to have enemies you see (a la Chrono Trigger, for example). I've seen all the permutations of levelling systems (and FF5's remains my favorite, though I don't think any have gotten it perfect yet). Chocobos and Moogles are nothing new. Bishonen bad guys are nothing new. Self-sacrificng female leads are nothing new. Hell, they didn't even bother changing the general appearance of the main female lead from FF8 on. The storylines have all been relatively the same, and relatively simplistic. And I'm really sick of bad guys who aren't bad. Kefka kicked major butt because he was evil and sadistic, and you got to take him down. Everyone else is a pale imitation. For all that Square claims to be trying new things with the FF series, they're really not innovating at all. The sense of wonder and excitement I had playing FF1 is gone. It's because I look at the main ten games, and I realize I'm playing the same game I was playing when I was ten years old. Now, I have some hopes for FF12, because the lady (I think it's a lady) from Vagrant Story, FFT and FFTA is now in charge of development. If nothing else that promises to be at least a more involving story. I'm hoping they finally do away with random battles (though I doubt it) and I'm hoping they finally make battles challenging by requiring strategy, and not just uber-stats.</blockquote>

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