Final Fantasy

[Myzou]

Before you start reading this, know there are spoilers from multiple final fantasy games in it =P

Anyone like playing these games? I've played all of them except the PSP/Gamecube ones, and still love them lol. FF12 is a bit annoying to the point I refuse to try to beat it :S The battle system sucks. =P

Got reminded of how good FF7 was when I stumbled across the saddest scene from any FF on youtube...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=aB-HIYCR4dk

For those who don't know, Aeris was the one of the last surviving members (or was she the last? I always forget :o) of a race called the "Ancients". She was trying to save the world from a meteor by invoking the powers of the holy materia (the orb that falls), but as she almost succeeds, the enemy of the game comes down and stabs her... killing her. I cried when I first played the game and it happened.

There are a few other sad scenes in other Final Fantasy's, like Aria in Final Fantasy III, when Luneth is about to be killed, she pushes him out of the way, sacrificing herself in the process, throwing the entire party into a rage, then galuf sacrificing (yes, there are a lot of sacrifices in Final Fantasy games :o) himself to save his granddaughter and friends.

Most of Final Fantasy 10 is full of sadness :( Don't even have to get into that, you kill your father, your fathers guardian who was guarding you isn't even alive, you turn out to be a dream, and yuna loses most the people she cares for in one swift blow :S, Including the aeons <.<

I miss playing most of the playstation ones, my sister pawned all of them except 7, but I lent it to a friend and he scratched the final disc so it doesn't play -.- All I have is Final Fantasy 10, 12, Tactics, and 3 lol >_< So yea, my little rant about one of my favorite game series =P

[seanathon]

I've only played VII (haven't beaten it), X (hate. it), X-2 (hate it more) and XII (love it).

I love the games, but I really disliked X and X-2. I didn't like the characters or the world. X-2 was too cutesy... The whole design of X was too colorful and awkward. Which I kinda understand. The music of X and X-2 was REALLY ANNOYING. And Seymour started to get impossible to beat. And I want to hurt Yuna. And Rikku turned into a blondie-bimbo by the second, which I didn't like. And Lulu really needs to put THEM away.

XII's battle system is amazing and fun. It's extremely easy compared to X, which was near impossible for me. I like the characters in XII but they're still a bit flat. The world does a good job of keeping a solid genre (like, it's not some ancient amazon race in a technologic world). Although the gameplay was great and new, the storyline was hazy and boring... The characters weren't that dynamic (nice looking and sometimes fun to listen to, but still not that interesting.) The storyline was weak mainly because I didn't care about the characters. It's hard to play a game when you as a player don't have a reason to. Vaan was too stereotypical. I liked Penelo, but her part wasn't drawn out enough.

Balthier... mmmbaby.

SORRY. I like Final Fantasy games, but they can get old after awhile. I'm very critical and hardly pleased (I like to be blunt). I guess I like the storyline/plot aspects of video games. As far as plot goes, VII was the best. X had an okay plot... But XII is the most fun to actually play.

[Myzou]

I just don't like XII's battle system, and the storyline is a bit lacking... lol. Penelo is a running joke among the Final Fantasy community, she rarely said something other then HELP! or what do we do now? or something like that. -.- But yes, Balthier is freakin hot, same with vaan, in the cutscenes =P

X-2 was fun with the sphere changes, I loved the mascot class XD. I HATED the fact that summons were dead in the final fantasy universe though. I LOVED FFX though, dunno why you hate it. Bosses are SUPPOSED to get harder. Most bosses you're supposed to use yuna to wear them down then unleash your hard hitters... And all the characters had a unique story to them.

[seanathon]

I guess I just didn't like it as a whole - it didn't click with me. (Probably the same way XII didn't click with you?)

I loved Rikku's Berserker dressphere because she ginga'd! "Ginga" is like, the fighting stance of Capoeira (which I love). And Rikku did Ginga as a Berserker. I thought Machina Maw was really cool, but Floral Fallal and whatever-Paine-had was lame.

And I didn't like the beginning scene of X-2, with Yuna singing. It was one of those I'm-embarrassed-to-be-playing-this-video-game-in-front-of-people moments. At least for me.

I like FFXII battle system because I have my gambits set up perfectly. I just berserk+haste+lure Basch and let Penelo and Balthier prance around and use Protect, Haste, and Curaga when needed. And Balthier has "Foe HP = 100% - Steal" so he automatically steals various items. : D

Oh, but if you wanna know my favorite game period, it's called Psychonauts. It's for the PS2 - I've played it 3 times though... Which is rare, because I usually get bored with games pretty easily. : D

Favorite FF character? I think mine is Red XIII. I keep in my par-tay as much as possible.

[Myzou]

For favorite FF character... I think Rydia wins that for me, she stayed loyal to her friends, even knowing that they slaughtered her entire village (even if on accident), and even after being swallowed by a giant serpent, she returned to save her friends when they were on the brink of death.

[seanathon]

Yeah, but you see....

Red XIII is like... a dogwolf.

A talking dogwolf.

: D

Haha. I don't know anything about Rydia. Which game is she from?

I think Cuchúlainn (the summon) from FFXIII is a FOX.

[Peridot]

I played FFX and X-2. That's really it.

I liked FF7, though, even if I still can't beat it. -_-;;;

[Myzou]

Rydia is from Final Fantasy 4, which comes out as a remake on the DS in july with voice actors. It starts with Cecil, a dark knight, and his dragoon friend going to the village of the summoners delivering a ring from the king. The ring destroys the village, without them knowing what it would do, and they find Rydia to be the last surviving member of the village, her mom was the dragon (first boss of game), she's like 9 years old... Cecil takes her in, but she doesn't trust them, until the kings soldiers try to kill her, when cecil becomes a traitor by killing the soldiers. Then later on, she gets swallowed by leviathan, and isn't seen for a long time... Then when the party dies from an attack in battle, Rydia appears as a full grown woman with new summons, and can kill the boss with her summon spells =P She explains that leviathan brought her to the world of the summons, where time flows differently (which is why she's a woman), and she was training how to become a stronger summoner (she's the last one in the world now...) She lost her ability to use white magic, but she gained massive power.

So yea, she became my fav. character. =P

I'm gonna save money from my first paycheck to buy it if I get this job I'm interviewing for today =P Final Fantasy Tactics A2 comes out next month, I wanna play it, but not worth $30. XD

EDIT: Here's a video from the japanese version of the remake which came out a while ago, which shows Rydia's return ;)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=u0Qt3aCXnm4

[Adrian]

Haven't finished FFXII yet, although I'm near the end. The battle system is a nice change but the plot is the worst one since the NES era. They changed the primary character to Vaan part way through development, I thought that was a bit of a mistake really, since there are other characters more central to the plot.

I'm looking forward to the remake of FFIV coming out for the DS.

Might be worth limiting the spoilerage, I can't imagine there are that many people on here who have completed all the games...

[Steam Giant]

I loved the Final Fantasy series until FF7. FF7, 8, 9 (to a lesser extent) 10 and 10-2, I severely disliked. FFXI (11) was an MMORPG and, really, not much of a FF game, which is why I absolutely fell in love with it and very quickly became addicted, hehe! FFXII (12) was good too, and I loved how they borrowed from FFXI for their battle system.

And, of course, the Tactics games are the win!

Oh, favorite character? Kain. No doubt.

[Wander]

Let's see....I've played...

1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 12. I still enjoy the series, but the Hollywoodification of it is starting to bug me. Ever since Nomura was popped into the character design chair, everything has gone downhill. Flashy lights, explosions, and wild hair have replaced epic storylines and memorable characters. I'm really not excited about FF13 at all.

[EthanS]

i played sum but like a bit of it , and one i played through it all was ff tactics, my fav charaters are vincent and shadow :P , for some reason I like mysterious characters never the main guy or girl

[Myzou]

I loved the Final Fantasy series until FF7. FF7, 8, 9 (to a lesser extent) 10 and 10-2, I severely disliked. FFXI (11) was an MMORPG and, really, not much of a FF game, which is why I absolutely fell in love with it and very quickly became addicted, hehe! FFXII (12) was good too, and I loved how they borrowed from FFXI for their battle system.

And, of course, the Tactics games are the win!

Oh, favorite character? Kain. No doubt.

That was his name! Kain!

You excited the remake of FF4 is coming out next month like me? =P

[Nicvcer]

May as well do some ranking
6
7
10
4
FFT
9
8
11
12
5

Chrono Trigger demolishes the rest. It is at the top of the list!
I wish squareenix would have let chrono trigger ressurection finish their remake...

Secret of Mana falls after FF7 imo, just because of gameplay and the awesome multiplayer system.

I keep my FF tribute up always, myspace.com/danr
I need to add tactics and SOM in there, but all in good time.

Fav Character? Its close between Edgar, Magus, Sabin, and Cecil.

[Steam Giant]

I loved the Final Fantasy series until FF7. FF7, 8, 9 (to a lesser extent) 10 and 10-2, I severely disliked. FFXI (11) was an MMORPG and, really, not much of a FF game, which is why I absolutely fell in love with it and very quickly became addicted, hehe! FFXII (12) was good too, and I loved how they borrowed from FFXI for their battle system.

And, of course, the Tactics games are the win!

Oh, favorite character? Kain. No doubt.

That was his name! Kain!

You excited the remake of FF4 is coming out next month like me? =P

Of course! My DS is currently busted, so I'd have to borrow one to play it, but geez, I wouldn't miss this for the world! FF4 was WAY ahead of its time...not only was the dialog/storyline censored when it was released in America, but the original story that was submitted for the original release was also censored! Not to mention that the battle system stayed in use for what, 5 games after this one?

Oh, and if anyone's curious or bored enough, my FFXI playdiary is still up, though it's currently dead. http://treahffxi.blogspot.com

[Adrian]

My Life As A King is the new crack.

[Defraction]

My Life As A King is the new crack.

I was gonna get that, but I'm not so sure... loads of reviews say it's lacking and it's up to the player to make the most of it.

[Nicvcer]

Ahhhh memories of the crawlie nest and glitching the airship. Walking in water at windurst was fun too. I miss FF11 so much ><

[Ryguy]

well i played 12 3 6 7 10 10-2 tactics advance and PSP and am eagerly waiting for 13 and i love Rikku from 10-2

[skyoverland]

Ahhhh memories of the crawlie nest and glitching the airship. Walking in water at windurst was fun too. I miss FF11 so much ><

lol I remember that, I miss it sorta it took over my life but I made great friends on XI :)

[Myzou]

Ahhhh memories of the crawlie nest and glitching the airship. Walking in water at windurst was fun too. I miss FF11 so much ><

It's funner now ;) They added a way for people to solo after level 50 =P And the nest is still there, same with airship <.< On the upside, no more crabs for like 12 levels XD, we fight flamingos now in one of the new areas :3 I'm addicted to the dancer job <.<

[skyoverland]

I soloed a bit for BLM on Gob Pets it was ok slow but whatever. I miss that game :( what server are you on?

[Steam Giant]

I was on Shiva, though my character data is almost certainly gone at this point, and likely so is everyone I knew. The primary reason why I stopped playing was because I had nobody to play with. If I had people to play with on a regular basis (like a guaranteed static party) I'd return in a heartbeat. Presently, that's what I have with World of Warcraft, but I've been jumping from MMO to MMO for a long while now. Eventually a friend of mine will be playing something else, and I'll join them.

[Myzou]

Well, Steam Giant, There's a Return to Vana'Diel program that runs every year, and when it does, it allows people to get their deleted characters back if they were deleted by a certain time, unfortunately, it just ended, so no idea when the next one is :(

I actually hated static parties, I'd always get invites I couldn't accept -.-

[Nicvcer]

My characters for FFXI

http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/profile.xml?41994
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/profile.xml?41995

And an elemental chart that I made!!!! Use it if you like it :D

http://www.meepls.com/pics/echart/FFXIElementChart.jpg

All this was from like 4 years ago... it doesn't seem like its been that long, wow! How's the economy doing? I know when I sold my characters it was declining horribly.

A neat thing I did on the last day I had my account is I bet all my money, double or nothing, on random rolls. I had 1.5mil before I bet, went for 2 runs and when I quit that day I had a cool 6mil, which was a lot 4 years ago, don't know how much that would be now.

[Astaroth]

Hehe. I'm a FF addict. I've played all of the canon games (1-10, 12) but not Tactics (I died every time I tried to do the first few battles, which pissed me off enough not to try again. I hear its a great game... but I just don't want to touch it now). Each one has its pros and cons. Currently, I'm working my way through Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. It's a fun game so far. I'm also part of an online MUD (Multi-User Dungeon - old text-based game before MMORPGs) called Ivalice based off of Final Fantasy. So yeah... I like my FF.

[Myzou]

My characters for FFXI

http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/profile.xml?41994
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/profile.xml?41995

And an elemental chart that I made!!!! Use it if you like it :D

http://www.meepls.com/pics/echart/FFXIElementChart.jpg

All this was from like 4 years ago... it doesn't seem like its been that long, wow! How's the economy doing? I know when I sold my characters it was declining horribly.

A neat thing I did on the last day I had my account is I bet all my money, double or nothing, on random rolls. I had 1.5mil before I bet, went for 2 runs and when I quit that day I had a cool 6mil, which was a lot 4 years ago, don't know how much that would be now.

Uh... 6 million gil is like 50-60 mil gil now o.o Remember scorpion harnesses? They're 400k now. (at least on my server) Square Enix bans a LOT of accounts every other month, all of which are goldsellers, so the economy has taken a very good turn, unlike WoW, where prices just rise over and over =P

Here is my character: (I HATE the name Digidude now, but alas, I can't change it :( I made this when I was like 14)

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c191/Myzou/clp41.png

Did I mention I LOVE dancer artifact armor? =P The wings are from a firework btw lol

And here's the new male mithra NPC: (Yes, he is actually a male mithra o.o)

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c191/Myzou/clp55.png

I'm in my summoner artifact 2 if you can't tell by that pic =P Still trying to get the awesome summoner robe, but no luck yet :(

EDIT: Btw, that's an awesome elemental chart =P One thing Inever understood: Bombs in FFXI are WEAK to fire, not absorbing like in other Final Fantasies... lol

[BadAndy]

I really like Final Fantasy VII and VIII. I like X okay but not as much as the other two. I also own IX, X-2, and XII but I just can't get started playing them.

I really like the storyline for VIII and the song Eyes on Me is awesome. Junctioning makes the game easy so you can just roll through it and see the story :lol:

I shed no tear for Aeris when she died! I was relieved because I didn't have to put her in my party anymore. I got to make room for Tifa, Yuffie, or Cid :icon_bigg

[skyoverland]

I went to and from WOW and XI and just never found anyone to play with either. I would play again if I did but eh There is no one now looking for that :(

[Rahata]

Did someone mention final fantasy? LOL
I love the series. I first started playing FF7. Which is my all time favorite. I beat it about 8 times or more lol. I've only beaten FF8 twice(didn't really like the card game in that one it was fun but trying to get the whole collection sucked. Did anyone get the alien card?) FF9 a bit childish but I loved the story line behind it. Tactics i didn't touch much i played about an hour then gave up.

Now I see alot of dislike on FFX(this was my favortie besides FF7) why? It had a pretty good story and Auron was pretty good looking lol. I loved the summoning sequences although I wish they had more then one summoner. I didn't like the fact Yuna was the only one able to summon.

FFXI I never played much (about 2 hours) and gave up. I liked the whole single player RPG style. Having to go out and find your members of the team and being able to control each one.

FFXII - the story line was alright but omg the battle system SUCKED. Why the hell put an MMO battle style into a single player RPG. Especially when FF is all about battle scenes. I still haven't beaten it, just can't get past the battle system lol.

[Rahata]

Oh and I play wow as well lol... now that game i could go on for hours about they did a pretty good job on that one... imo.

[skyoverland]

I like all of them, really I just play for the story and the music :D WOW is good! I would go back but I don't remember all my information plus no one is really social on it :(

[Wander]

I'm a little disappointed in the number of people who started with 7 and never went back to try 1-6. 1, 4, and 6 are probably my favorites in the whole series, but there are thousands who miss out on them because EWWW 2D.

[Astaroth]

My favorite is probably actually FFI. I just love the old school stuff. The PSP remake for it with all the bonus dungeons rocks. Next up would be FFVI. I even wrote an entire walkthrough for it and posted it online I liked it so much. Least favorite would probably be FFII (Japanese II, not American IV). That leveling system was terrible. The fact that you could level up simply by nearly killing yourself over and over was just ludicrous. If you had the patience, you could get amazing stats at the very beginning of the game, lol.

Yes, I got the Pupu Card in FFVIII. It's not that bad, actually. The Squall (or was it Laguna?) Card that you have to get from Ellone up on the space station is -much- harder! All of the rules are in effect up there... including Random. I had a much harder time getting all of the cards in FFIX. In fact, I never did.

[crimsonarcher]

Jon was actually the one to introduce Final Fantasy to me; the first Final Fantasy thing I EVER saw was the opening to Final Fantasy VIII.

FFI and II- freaking fun to play!
FF VII- memorable game of all time!
FF VIII- interestingly awesome- one of the FF games that I haven't beat!
FF IX- so oldy, but rich! Thank Jon!
FF X- Long and tedious but FUn!
FFXII- kinda boring. in a way. Still fun to an extent.

[seanathon]

Haha. As much as I'd love to start playing FFXI, I don't have the funds. And my real life friends wouldn't be there.

I feel sorry for my friend, her brother and dad sit on the computer ALL DAY playing that game. ;_;

Okay - so funny thing. The song "One More Time" started playing in ma earfones right as I read "Final Fantasy" and I imagined Vaan in a gay club singing to it. XD

It was priceless.

Whenever I play FFXII, I just make Penelo and Balthier sit around and cast Haste/Protect/Berserk/Cure at Vaan. It's funneh. But it takes forever to get enough money to by stuff!

QUESTION:

Gil - my friend says it's pronounced "gill," and I'm sure it is, but I pronounce it 'jill.' Is that Final Fantasy blasphemy or something, because I was playing with a group of friends, and I said 'jill' and they all exploded at me. ;_;

[Myzou]

Haha. As much as I'd love to start playing FFXI, I don't have the funds. And my real life friends wouldn't be there.

I feel sorry for my friend, her brother and dad sit on the computer ALL DAY playing that game. ;_;

Okay - so funny thing. The song "One More Time" started playing in ma earfones right as I read "Final Fantasy" and I imagined Vaan in a gay club singing to it. XD

It was priceless.

Whenever I play FFXII, I just make Penelo and Balthier sit around and cast Haste/Protect/Berserk/Cure at Vaan. It's funneh. But it takes forever to get enough money to by stuff!

QUESTION:

Gil - my friend says it's pronounced "gill," and I'm sure it is, but I pronounce it 'jill.' Is that Final Fantasy blasphemy or something, because I was playing with a group of friends, and I said 'jill' and they all exploded at me. ;_;

Gil is pronounced like a fish has Gills. =P At least that's how square enix pronounced it at the FFXI Fan festival my friend went to lol

[seanathon]

Gil is pronounced like a fish has Gills. =P At least that's how square enix pronounced it at the FFXI Fan festival my friend went to lol

Haha, thanks.

But I think I'm gonna stick with jill.

Because I'm so in love with the English language that I'm pretty sure the g would resemble a j sound. Even though it's supposed to be the other way. :P

And I think saying gill would bother me too much. Haha!

And saying jill annoys my FF friends.

[Myzou]

Gil is pronounced like a fish has Gills. =P At least that's how square enix pronounced it at the FFXI Fan festival my friend went to lol

Haha, thanks.

But I think I'm gonna stick with jill.

Because I'm so in love with the English language that I'm pretty sure the g would resemble a j sound. Even though it's supposed to be the other way. :P

And I think saying gill would bother me too much. Haha!

And saying jill annoys my FF friends.

Yea, I call regen weird, instead of saying it like Regeneration without the eration, I say it Re-Gen (with pronouncing the G as like gay =P)

I pronounce things how I first pronounced them, even if I find out the "correct" way is another way. =P

[seanathon]

I always pronounced Fire and Fira as (fai-er)/(fai-ra), but I pronounced Firaga as (feer-ah-ga).

Haha.

FEAR-ah-ga. Because you don't recover from that. :P

And Balthier's name annoys me because it's pronounced as "Bal-theeer" but I prefer "Bal-thee-air," like it was French. And I use the French 'u' for Yuna's name, so instead of YOOOO-na, it's just Yew-na. It's hard to explain in English because the French 'u' isn't used in English. :P

(I love that I talk more about the language aspects than the actual game itself. Haha. I think it's because I'm not FF oriented at all. I kinda suck.)

[Myzou]

Eh, language aspects work just as fine =P

Like Shiva and Ifrit. It's supposed to be If-writ. I pronounce it Ee-Freet. Shiva is Shiv-a. I pronounce it Shee-va.

[seanathon]

Well, I guess Shiva's might be a play on words. But I pronounce them If-rit and Shee-va too.

(Okay, somewhat off-topic, but the same goes with Pokémon names, they break all the phonetic rules of English and it annoys me! Although I know that English is naturally very unpredictable, but I can't stand some of the pronounciations!)

I think Rikku would be pronounced 'Rih-koo' because of the double consonant, but I think that sounds absurd and Ree-koo looks acceptable.

That reminds me!

Is 'Tidus' pronounced TEE-dus or TAI-dus? Because my friend and I got in another bitter argument.

She thinks it's TEE-dus, but I think it's TAI-dus because the 's' is followed by a vowel AND it would be a play on words of 'tide,' which makes sense!)

And TEE-dus is definately not a sexy name. :P

[Myzou]

Well, I guess Shiva's might be a play on words. But I pronounce them If-rit and Shee-va too.

(Okay, somewhat off-topic, but the same goes with Pokémon names, they break all the phonetic rules of English and it annoys me! Although I know that English is naturally very unpredictable, but I can't stand some of the pronounciations!)

I think Rikku would be pronounced 'Rih-koo' because of the double consonant, but I think that sounds absurd and Ree-koo looks acceptable.

That reminds me!

Is 'Tidus' pronounced TEE-dus or TAI-dus? Because my friend and I got in another bitter argument.

She thinks it's TEE-dus, but I think it's TAI-dus because the 's' is followed by a vowel AND it would be a play on words of 'tide,' which makes sense!)

And TEE-dus is definately not a sexy name. :P

It's Tai-dus, They said his name In X-2 unless I'm mistaken... lol

[Defraction]

They never say his name in X-2 because you could rename him in X... :D

I always called him TEE-Dus 'cuz that's what the Eng voice actor said on the bonus disk. Plus I found it nicer to say.

[Myzou]

People are guessing he's a new summon, in the way he was shown. However, this has made me officially love FFXI Again: (Although we can't use Bahamut, Phoenix, Alexander, Odin, Cait Sith, or Atomos yet, this one is perfectly fine for summoners =p)

The raging flame, whose lapping tongues but a moment ago had threatened to scorch the underbelly of the sky, had regressed to wisps of smoke unfurling hypnotically in the cool breeze. An elderly knight, a veteran of countless campaigns, lies half buried in smoldering debris with limbs entangled with those of fallen friends and foes, his pallid complexion masked in the grey and crimson of ash and caking blood. He stares with glazed eyes at clouds drifting lazily across the dusk sky, his head swimming in the mingled smell of rusted metal, burnt foliage, and death. The faint whistling of the wind is a soothing song compared to the horror-filled shrieks that accompanied the sickening sound of flesh and bone giving way to tempered steel.

The knight knows that his time is near, and with his departure, death can finally rule supreme over this ravaged battlefield. Most would consider it a blessing for a soldier to have lived this long, but not he. Living has meant enduring the torment of blood-smeared memories of comrades—friends—falling one after the other. Let it end, he prays, his consciousness fading slowly but surely with the setting sun.

The sharp, distinct snap of a twig breaking underfoot ends the hours-long silence, jerking the knight back to reality. Opportunistic Goblins, here to scavenge the battlefield, he thinks with renewed alertness. If they were to find him in this defenseless state, there would be no reprieve. His loathing towards the vile creatures reignites his will to survive. With clenched teeth, he musters all remaining strength in an attempt to move his legs, but they fail to heed the call. Defeated, he allows his helmed head to fall back to the ground with a soft clunk, his breathing now more labored than ever.

The footsteps draw nearer, thudding out a slow but elaborate rhythm on the charred plain. His experience tells him they are that of a four-footed creature—perhaps a hell hound here to feed on flesh. Despite knowing very well his dwindling life force could no longer sustain the desire for self-preservation, with the same battle-honed instinct that has allowed him to survive till this day, the knight fumbles for the hilt of his weapon with a leaden hand. The footsteps draw nearer still, and with a final, decisive thud, the creature comes to a standstill, drawing breath deeply as if perceiving the aftermath by smell rather than sight. From the slit of his visor battered by a vicious blow, the knight spies four towering black limbs hosting a network of veins each as thick as a grown man's finger, pulsating with life blood. A gasp escapes his lips.

Careful to avoid detection, he shifts his head slightly to more fully behold this unannounced visitor. He finds himself locked in a gaze with large, fiery eyes burning with intelligence, glaring back at him with crystalline pupils that probe into his soul, sensing his confused emotional state. Its long, mauvish mane flows pliably in the wind, striking a contrast with its hulking frame that looked like it would bend not even to the fiercest storms. But the most startling of its features, is a single protrusion—a horn of fearsome design, spiraling thick and long from its forehead in cruel twists, like a lance bracing to puncture the very fabric of reality itself.

Fear gives in to marvel as memories of evenings spent by the fireplace as a child mesmerized by his grandfather's fantastic fables of the unicorn, the mythical horned horse, resurface. Could this truly be the legendary creature, sent by the Goddess to guide him on his journey to the afterlife? Touched by what he interprets as a final gesture of grace from his revered Divinity, tears well up in his tired, deep-set eyes. He begins reciting a verse of prayer from the faith of his ancestors, but a few breathy words are all he can manage before the sound of scuffling footsteps and chinking armor in the distance disrupts what he had hoped would become his final moment of peace.
"Look, there's Ixion! Over there!" an excited voice echoes across the plain.

With an agitated neigh, the creature identified as Ixion hoists its sizeable head aloft, eyes dilated in anticipation of the interlopers. There is a brief moment of stillness—serenity, even—in the air. Then the beast's dormant horn awakens with an intensifying crackling sound as a static charge builds up, sending lashing tendrils of electricity dancing furiously up and down along its shaft.

"Stay on your guard!" an authoritative voice yells out mere seconds before Ixion rears up and unleashes a barrage of lightning bolts with a deafening thunderclap. Although the discharge is but a warning, the approaching figures frantically raise their shield arms in defense. The flickering brightness from the lingering charge reveals them to be a small contingent of young mercenaries. No older than when he first enlisted into the army and most likely no wiser, observes the knight, their reckless overconfidence striking a nostalgic chord within him.

Sensing no merit in a confrontation, the mighty stallion pivots, turning its substantial mass around in one fluid motion, then kicks into a thunderous gallop, leaving the stunned aggressors behind in a wake of spark and dust.
"Damn! It's making a run for it!"
"Don't let it escape! After it!"

The young mercenaries commence what seems a futile chase, when one among them—a girl robed head to toe in white—sensing something amiss, stops mid stride and turns towards the ailing knight. She crouches beside him, reaching out with gentle hands to check his vital signs.
"Wait! This man is still alive!"

"I-Ixi...on..."
As though no longer sure of the reality in what he has just witnessed, the knight weakly mouths the name of the horned beast. And finally succumbs to the darkness.

http://www.playonline.com/pcd/topics/ff11us/detail/3353/3353_1.jpg

Yes, that's quoted from latest news for FFXI. People are 99% sure that Ixion is being introduced as a new avatar for summoners, one of the two we were promised with this expansion, as we were promised Odin/Alexander last expansion, but were never given them. =P

[Wander]

I'm fairly sure they pronounce Shiva at some point in FF12, and it's NOT a play on the word Shiver. It's a reference to the Hindu god Shiva, which uses the "eee" sound.

EDIT:

http://www.ffcompendium.com/art/6-kefka-a.jpg

Thread needs more Kefka.

[Adrian]

I finished Final Fantasy III for the DS the other day. So that's I up to X sorted. Just need to finish XII now...

[Myzou]

I finished Final Fantasy III for the DS the other day. So that's I up to X sorted. Just need to finish XII now...

Hehe, I'll never finish XII, it bores me to death >< The battle system sucks for an RPG. It works for an MMO, but not a RPG. (The battle system was taken from FFXI pretty much).

I haven't finished FFIII yet, just got the last jobs and delaying leveling the new job levels...

Ninja (Arc looks interesting as a ninja =P)
Black Belt (Luneth is eh, as a black belt)
Summoner (I like refia in a dress...)
Devout (Ingus is so cute as a devout)

[Steam Giant]

...as we were promised Odin/Alexander last expansion, but were never given them. =P

I've actually seen leaked footage of Odin's character model. They had him standing in Ronfaire, if I recall correctly. He was quite big ^^

Have there been any other new avatars since Diablos then?

[Adrian]

I finished Final Fantasy III for the DS the other day. So that's I up to X sorted. Just need to finish XII now...

Hehe, I'll never finish XII, it bores me to death >< The battle system sucks for an RPG. It works for an MMO, but not a RPG. (The battle system was taken from FFXI pretty much).

The main reason I've not finished it is that I think it has the weakest plot of any FF since the NES era, so I just don't feel any incentive to play on and see what happens in the story. I can see why you don't like the battle system, but I like it myself, I find it quite relaxing to sit there while the guys do their stuff.

I haven't finished FFIII yet, just got the last jobs and delaying leveling the new job levels...

Ninja (Arc looks interesting as a ninja =P)
Black Belt (Luneth is eh, as a black belt)
Summoner (I like refia in a dress...)
Devout (Ingus is so cute as a devout)

I never tried Ingus as a Devout, I might have a look at that now...

[crimsonarcher]

Ohh, FF XII was kinda painful to play. some parts did raise my eyebrow and actaully entertained me as a game should do, but the rest was mindless walking, towards nowhere really. So i gave up shortly after getting the fire esper in raithwall's tomb.
sorrry about that.
:)

[Wander]

The quality of the series has been dripping ever since the move to 3D. 1-3 were decent, 4 was great, 5 was alright, 6 was incredible, 7 was incredibly overhyped, 8 and 9 were good, 10 was iffy, and then everything plummeted with 12. Hollywoodification at its finest. Flashy lights and explosions everywhere, beautiful scenery but dull and slow gameplay, sacrificing fun for looks. 13 looks to be going in the same direction, ditching the classic and epic storytelling of the old games in favor of acrobatic flips and hi-tech environments. Even Square's other projects, most notably the Kingdom Hearts series, seem to be steering in the direction of crazy flipping and spinning and flashy explosions and whatnot.

[Myzou]

...as we were promised Odin/Alexander last expansion, but were never given them. =P

I've actually seen leaked footage of Odin's character model. They had him standing in Ronfaire, if I recall correctly. He was quite big ^^

Have there been any other new avatars since Diablos then?

No there hasn't, hence why summoners have been quitting left and right -.- Not to mention our best robe is on a 21 hour spawn monster that doesn't always drop it >_< I STILL don't have it after 2 years after it came out.

Odin is in the game, he is the final boss of one of the new endgame events, and only 1 Linkshell to my knowledge has beat him, as it involves everyone probably typing /kneel to avoid his astral flow (which is of course zantetsuken, 1hko aoe) And Alexander is the final boss of the aht urhgan expansion, you kill him, :( Was so sad, killed summoners hopes lol

[SRSLYMARK]

Unfortunately, I have only played X, X-2, XII, and the remake of III for DS. Since X was the first one I played, it will always be my favorite (I'm doing a Lulu-only game now, cause I've beaten it about eight times and have ~150 hours on one file). I absolutely LOVE XII's battle system, although the story's pretty lacking. X-2 is really fun to play, but the storyline is...painful, to say the least. And the remake of III was fun until I lost my DS. :(

Ha ha, I love these games. I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes them. :D

[KatzInHatz]

Let's see I've played X, X-2, III, and I think that's all:icon_bigg I'm planning to get Final Fantasy 1 for the psp, but first I need to find it:dry:

[Myzou]

Ok, so Ixion is just another notorious monster and not an avatar. On top of that, Scholar and Dancer weren't given their merits. So, that's another 3 months we have to wait for merits, and possibly another avatar. I'm cancelling my account, screw Square Enix, rofl. You don't make jobs wait 7-8 months after their release for merits -.-

[sparkyboyM]

okay, kinda embarrassing that i'm joining this thread after playing only FFXII
but oh well, i know enough of the FF universe :)

oh and btw, if for some reason you're ever looking for final fantasy vids, go to DanialHuxter's channel on youtube. i know the guy IRL, and i swear he's obsessed with FF

[Tom]

AHHH! I LOVE FINAL FANTASY AND CAN TALK ABOUT IT FOR HOURS BUT INSTEAD I SHALL KEEP THIS SHORT-ISH.

ive played on every single ff game after 7,not inc 11, and completed each one (apart from 8 cus i got bored of it) 100% as in got every item, killed every boss and done each little side quest. and in the case of ffx i maxed out the sphere grid by customising it fully.

(my avatar shud help you to figure out my favourite character)

FF7 is by far the best! closely followed by 9, 10, 12, 10-2 and thn 8. best summon ever was Anima from ff10, best playable character was definetly Cloud and best ever villan had to be Sephiroth as he is just the coolest person ever, but he did kill Aris, the b*****d.

i did ff7 using the aeris only challenge (only used aeris until she left ur party, never to return =[ ) at which point you switch to using Cid. i also did initial weapons/armour/materia on ff7 aswell and killed sephiroth at lvl 94 (clouds lvl)

hmm i siad i wud keep this short so ill stop there, i cud go on for hours tho and in previous threads about the final fantasy series i have done, anyone tht actually reads them all the ay through deserves a medal lol.

and shiva was pronounced during ff12, ice queen (of destruction) as i call her, she was a ship in ff12 tho, so was ifrit and various other summons/eidolons. last time i checkedi think i found almost every summon in ff12, either as a summon, ship or enemy.

o i didnt get excalibur II in ff8.

[Nicvcer]

Tom, you should check out 6. They have it for anthologies on ps1 and they released it for the Gameboy Advance. The storyline and the characters are the best I've seen from final fantasy. Graphics are sub-par to the norm (2d) but the artwork and detail on them is amazing.

And you're right Wander, this thread needs more Kefka (ftw)

http://www.videogamesprites.net/FinalFantasy6/Bosses/40%20-%20Kefka.gif

[Adrian]

they released it for the Gameboy Advance.

That version's quite difficult to get hold of in the UK.

Graphics are sub-par to the norm (2d)

???

[Nicvcer]

they released it for the Gameboy Advance.

That version's quite difficult to get hold of in the UK.

Graphics are sub-par to the norm (2d)

???

Really? I thought they released it the same for everyone. Its quite common to get a hold of over here. I could mail out some if people need it.

I say the graphics are sub-par to the norm because FF6 was released in the US on the Super Nintendo, and uses 2D sprites. The artwork is amazing but it may be hard for someone who has only played games in 3D to adjust to it. Even I had some problems going back to it after playing FFX (I played FF6 initially when it was first released on SNES), but the storyline and characters are definitely worth it.

Personally I don't like how they changed a few things in the Gameboy Advance release, such as renaming Cyan's attacks "Bushido" instead of "SwdTech". I think they should have left it the way it was -_-

[Adrian]

Really? I thought they released it the same for everyone. Its quite common to get a hold of over here. I could mail out some if people need it.

It's hard to get hold of a proper European copy, the US version's pretty easy to get hold of on eBay. I get the Euro versions of games in case they contain translation or bug fixes, most people aren't that bothered.

I say the graphics are sub-par to the norm because FF6 was released in the US on the Super Nintendo, and uses 2D sprites. The artwork is amazing but it may be hard for someone who has only played games in 3D to adjust to it. Even I had some problems going back to it after playing FFX (I played FF6 initially when it was first released on SNES), but the storyline and characters are definitely worth it.

I guess it's down to personal opinion but I'm not keen on the whole 3D>2D thing. To some extent its like comparing chalk and cheese - it's not just a graphics thing, whether a game's 2D or 3D effects the whole thing.

Good 2D graphics are timeless. FFVI still looks great when compared to modern 2D games, the graphics are clear and detailed. The PS1 era FF games have aged, they lack detail, etc. FFVII desperately needs a graphical update in a way that none of the SNES games ever have.

Personally I don't like how they changed a few things in the Gameboy Advance release, such as renaming Cyan's attacks "Bushido" instead of "SwdTech". I think they should have left it the way it was -_-

Yeah, I have sympathy for people who prefer original translations and stuff, nostalgia and all that. I personally like that the translation is revised with each version as obviously it's closer to what the creator intended and ultimately it means I'm not paying money to essentially play a complete carbon copy of a game I already own. At the end of the day, no-one's taking the original version away.

[Chaos]

I love Final Fantasy. I'm a fan of IV, V and VI so the old school ones. I played IV and VI as II and III on SNES when I was 11. I've even had the chance to play the first Final Fantasy on NES when I was about 10.

Not a big fan of XII or any of the spin-off games (X-2 and Dirge).

VII is good, but a tad overrated. VIII is probably the most underrated for me. IX is pretty cool.

All of the games are awesome though. I could replay any of them over and over again and not get bored of them. So far I've only beaten the first, IV, VI, VII, VIII and IX.

[Tom]

Tom, you should check out 6. They have it for anthologies on ps1 and they released it for the Gameboy Advance. The storyline and the characters are the best I've seen from final fantasy. Graphics are sub-par to the norm (2d) but the artwork and detail on them is amazing.

And you're right Wander, this thread needs more Kefka (ftw)

http://www.videogamesprites.net/FinalFantasy6/Bosses/40%20-%20Kefka.gif

wow i totally forgot i even had FFVI, its sitting in my PS1 as i type, i havent played on it tho and havent really got very far, ive basically just escaped from the army type guys when they chase u thru the mine really early on in the game, then i decided to get a drink and havent played on it agen since then. this musta happened a few months ago now, it just didnt have a certain quality about it tht made me wana play, eventho it was not as bad as ff8. i dunno why, i just dnt really like the game =[

[Adrian]

Final Fantasy XIII's also going to be on the Xbox 360 and released at the same time!

This is something of a surprise.

[Wander]

FF6's graphics are just fine for me. Considering the game came out in the middle of the SNES's lifespan, it has incredibly sharp detail and artistic style. The sprites are all fluid, nothing is blurry or busy or clunky, the special effects are great for a 2D game, and the backgrounds really help it all. Thanks to FF6, every time I look at the clouds I imagine them yellow and with a giant purple angel.

To Tom, I really suggest you go and play 1-6. At the very least, 4 and 6. 7-12 are okay, but it really helps to know where the series trademarks come from. For example, Aeris' theme sounds very similar to a song used in FF6, which was made four years prior. FF6 also had an angelic monster with choral music as the final boss long before 7 did. Give it a try, at least, if you do indeed have a copy.

Also, Kefka:

http://www.planetemu.net/php/articles/files/Image/Tixu/Final%20Fantasy%20VI/kefka.PNG

http://fi.somethingawful.com/customtitles/title-l33t_kefka.gif

[Myzou]

Final Fantasy XIII's also going to be on the Xbox 360 and released at the same time!

This is something of a surprise.

Oh god, it's all over the FFXI forums, everyone is overreacting, and we're all laughing. Fanboys/girls said FF would NEVER Hit Xbox. They completely forget or don't know FFXI has been on the 360 for a while now, almost since it was released. XD

Few more days til FFIV for DS! Yay!

Playing Final Fantasy Tactics A2, pretty fun, but gets frustrating at times :S

[Wander]

The news wasn't really that big of a deal for me. I'm still not interested in the vast majority of the 360 library - one multiplatform game isn't going to make me buy one, and I'm not all that excited for FF13 anyway. Flashy jumps and explosions do not make a Final Fantasy game. I would never have known that it was part of the series if they hadn't put a title on it.

Lettuce Kefka:

http://www.geocities.com/lettucekefka/LK.jpg

[crystaltriforce]

i was crying when arith was killed, and i can't wait for 13 and dissidia to come out in the U.S.

[Wander]

You...kinda have a habit of bumping dead topics, don't you?

Anyway, one week to Dissidia! My sig will stay the way it is until then, at which point I'll change it out for something else.

But Kefka will be in my avatar for a long time.

[crystaltriforce]

You...kinda have a habit of bumping dead topics, don't you?



who me?

[George]

[sigh] The years wasted away playing those games...

...All worth it though. :D