/vr/ - Retro Games

FF6 is overrated.

You've made it two hours so you're obviously enjoying yourself. You may as well keep going.

4 is better. Fate has dealt you a kind hand.

>>2131843
Play V instead. It's more unique, elaborate and open ended.

>>2131843
Keep playing IV, it's a great starting point and is an amazing game on its own. Then I recommend just going in order and playing V and VI, and playing the original two after that(FFII is a slog though, but it'll make you appreciate the others). Then play the other games at your own pace, every one of them are phenomenal in their own way and all totally worth it.

Besides, playing the best FF first would ruin the other ones

Just play 4 5 then 6 then you can spend hours and hours on /vr/ discussing which is the best of a generally mediocre series

4 is one of the weakest titles in the series but if you're enjoying it then you have no reason to stop.

>>2131843

they're all the same shit from gameplay perspective, you might as well watch a lets play and not miss out on much

4 is usually loved as much as 6 if not moreso

6 is much easier than 4 though

>>2132148
Does 4 become hard? I just got Edward and thus far it's pretty much mash A to defeat the enemy.

>>2131843
>GBA
Is it the euro ROM with the bugfixes at least? If not, move over to PSP for that.

Also, vrshares has the best VI version for Advance.

>>2132861
>Also, vrshares has the best VI version for Advance.
Was about to say this: http://vrshares.net78.net/

IV is by far the worst game in the series but if you got so far, I guess there's not much use turning back, so you could just go in order from there on. VI is much, much better though, and V blows both out of the water.

>>2132858
It will never change. FFIV is the epitome of "mash Attack to win" gameplay. It's pretty much little more than a visual novel.

So from what I'm gathering, if you play JRPGs for the story/characters/adventuran, FF4 and FF6 are great. If you play them for strategy/fightan, FF5 is best, while 6 is alright and 4 is boring.

>>2132883
Somewhat. 4 has it's moments, but they're very few compared to the two later ones.

4 is mostly around it's story, and the fact that there's a collection full of this+after years+interlude kind of helps that fact. The story isn't really great either IMHO, but hey at the time it was bananas.Still worth playing though.

just keep playing it, its a great game. follow it up with 6 and decide for yourself which one you like better.

>>2132868
Do not listen to this utter faggot.

Right about now is exactly when the game shifts away from attacking - clever use of status effects and magic start coming into play.

And as for you, dear faggot, go play the DS version if FF4 isn't hard enough for you.

>>2131843
DO YOU ENJOY THE GAME SO FAR

YES => KEEP PLAYING
NO => PLAY FFV (not FFVI) INSTEAD

I stopped playing this game after the main character went from being a dark knight to a paladin.

play both finish 4 then play 6 problem solved

>>2131856
>>2131852
You guys are moronic
I can understand preferring 5, but 4 has little "gameplay" to its name. It's super linear, with zero customization in terms of abilities. How is it worse than 6?

>>2132940
What you're describing is the vast majority of JRPGs in the 16-bit era.

>>2132901
Even the DS version is pretty easy. You're just a gigantic turd. They even dumbed it down for the american release, that's how easy it is. You don't need super advanced strategies.

>>2132947
Well, no! At least FF6 had the magicite system, and FF5 had a super flexible job system. Maybe a lot of competing RPG series, but the other two 16-bit FF games at least had more customization.

Like, if you play JRPGs for the stories and stuff, 4 is okay, but 6 is a better story. If you play for the gameplay, 5 is king.

>>2132034
Is FFII a better experience over FFI? I just finished I (gba remake with extra bosses n shit) and I'm wondering if I should play II since it is right there on the cartridge. I've heard from some friends that they somehow screwed up in II

>>2132858
I've played the GBA ports of I, II and IV, so they were easier. But if you want, you can make the ones where you pick classes hard as balls. Or you can go BALS TO THE WALL on them.

>>2133245
The NES version of II is pretty bad. It's buggy and really unintuitive, and really you'd have more fun having your teeth drilled jumping into it unprepared. Aside from the bugs, it has absolutely monstrous design choices like empty rooms with 100% encounter rates in every dungeon.

The GBA version is generally much smoother to play and get into. If you can get into the leveling system, you can have some fun with the game and see that it isn't really as bad as the rap it gets.

It's just plain not as good and fun as I, though, unless you really like breaking the game in hilarious ways.

>>2133245
You might want to try the PS1 version of 1 later. GBA miffed a lot of people because of the MP system.

2 is best played with the latest release due to bigfixes. If you like it, consider Romancing SaGa 3 or SaGa Frontier.

ff4 is a bad game by any measure

There's zero customization or micro-managment. Your party set is always decided for you, you always have enough money to buy the newest equipment when you get to town, no choices at all.

Combat is limited even by jrpg standards. It really is just heal and attack. You don't even get a mage character for 50% of the game.

The exploring is strictly linear, every other ff at least has some optional dungeons. The dungeons might as well be straight lines, theres occasionally treasure chests on the side containing potions (when you already have 99) or money (which you never run out of). There's no keys, puzzles, minigames, maze-elements or anything to give variety to the dungeons.

What's pathetic is that FF mystic quest, which was designed specifically for people who have never played rpgs before, is actually a deeper game.

Even the music isn't a good reason to play the game because the same songs are in other ff games.

Even the story isn't very good, there's some generic evil bad guy with some evil generals. The only outstanding bits in the story are a few character deaths, (which is made pointless when everyone gets revived) and a good guy who is mind controlled and you need to break the spell on him (only for him to get mind-controlled again and again).

The only thing about the game that isn't completely terrible is the UI

It's easily the worst rpg I've ever played.

>>2134027
Id say a game can be technically bad but still enjoyable, eh? I mean, people probably enjoy FFIV for reasons other than complex combat. Pointing out what the game lacks doesn't do much for people who actually like the game, because they clearly don't care.

>>2134032
Literally anything can be 'enjoyable' to the right person. Eating feces is enjoying to some people.
You can enjoy something and it will still be shit. This is true for the majority of the jrpg and mmo crowd. Taste is different from quality. Its the same reason why bad pop music is going to have many fans.

>>2134027
Play IVDS if you want micromanagement.

>>2132940
>It's super linear, with zero customization in terms of abilities.
This does not imply a lack of gameplay. If anything, FFIV has better gameplay than FFVI because the difficulty is significantly higher and because it can't be trivialized by any of the thousand broken things that FFVI pushes into your hands.

>>2134027
>Even the music isn't a good reason to play the game because the same songs are in other ff games.
Like?

>>2134027
A thousand times this. I wouldn't go as far as to say that it's the worst RPG ever made, but IV is as mediocre as it gets, in all possible regards. It's absurdly overrated.

IV's deluded fanbase just can't let go of their nostalgia glasses and admit they just couldn't have known better as kids.

>>2134027
This. The only remotely off beat things in this game are edge, largely because of the possibility of throwing weird things. and "the spoony bard", and that's simply because of how dramatically he sucks. It would have been better if they had translated FF3 for the NES instead, or waited until FF5.

>>2132868
The whole series is basically "Mash this attack to win" aside the actual MMO's and 2.

and 2 is the worst, that isnt really an argued point.

>>2134027
>What's pathetic is that FF mystic quest, which was designed specifically for people who have never played rpgs before, is actually a deeper game.

Now you're just trying to be contentious for the sake of it

>>2135543
Mystic Quest isn't deeper combat-wise, but a lot of the cool shit you can do while traversing the dungeons like climbing, using the dragon claw, hitting switches with swords, chopping down shit with your axe, and shit like being able to avoid enemies makes it more engaging to play while not in combat then a lot of other final fantasies.

Its light, its short, it doens't take itself seriously and its easily digestible which can be just what the doctor ordered sometimes.. Its hard to take a game like FF4 which takes itself so seriously with its melodrama and actually ridiculous plot twists and turns.

Well you obviously pick the best game to start the franchise

Surely you wouldn't pick VI as first because everything about it is just superior to the other title aside from FFV's gameplay

You're fine

guys,

so i finished ff 6 , 7 , 8, 9 , 10 , 13 (i-iii crap), chrono trigger, xenogears, ecetera...

which one of the older final fantasys is the best?
III, IV, V ? Wanna play around christmas

>>2135726
You probably want to start with V. It's pretty much III improved.

Game mechanics aren't that important for me.
A solid story is cool..

My favorite rpgs are like Terranigma, Chrono Trigger, FF 7 , Star Ocean ...

maybe 4 is the choice then?

>>2135746

The best thing about IV's story is how ridiculously over the top it is. Any moments of subtlety are few and far between.

I personally thought 2 had a good story(especially for its time), but the only fun to be had is from breaking the combat.

So does Rosa ever become useful? And why is her character portrait so incredibly hideous? I can't understand how Cecil came to love that face.

>>2136020
-no
-the original wasn't ugly
-there is no explanation as to why they are together anyway

>a game from 1991 has a silly melodramatic story
Water is also wet

>>2136020
Basics:
Is she in the back row to save her HP? I usually had her with a +magic rod or a usable rod than a bow. If you're using a bow, keep a variety of arrows and use arrows that hit the enemy's weakness.

I think she gets debuffs as well as buffs? Having her haste everyone then weaken the enemy ends a lot of boss fights damn quick.

Rosa was top tier for me. MP bucket. Heal machine.

rydia thread?

>>2136036
Because cutesy girls like dark knights.

>>2136097
Young Rydia a fucking shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!!!

>>2131843
Keep playing 4 since you started.
Play 5 and 6 later.
Also, for the next games, it's probably better to play the SNES versions and not the GBA remakes, mainly for better resolution. And if you play the GBA versions don't run.

>>2133245
The biggest flaw of the GBA version is that if you don't grind up meteor or whatever you can't defeat the final boss.

>>2136020
Childhood friend

>>2136116
Young Rydia is pretty cool. She whines sometimes, but she gets over that shit fast when it's time to take care of business, and she's stupid powerful.

>>2136116

>>2135726

imo you've played all the really good final fantasies already. IV is worth a shot if you really want to play more of the series, but really, isn't there another retro RPG you could be playing instead that's really good?

>>2136139
>you can't defeat the final boss
Yes you can. I used normal attacks to kill him.
Though...it took FOREVER. Good thing the final battle song is awesome because holy shit, never spent that much time in a final battle before. I was doing about 200 to 300 damage per hit.

>>2136712
>You've played all the really good final fantasies already
>Listed only one of the really good FF titles (VI)
Dude you have shit taste in games if you think the "really good" Final Fantasy titles are all the shitty ones

>>2136768
Are you saying IX isn't the best Final Fantasy?

I'm curious as to what you think the really good FFs are.

>>2135726
FF V has the most fun gameplay with the job system IMO. Have fun making your characters multi-class to use this one pretty strong sword at the time you find it but that normally almost never hits, for instance.

>>2136771
He's a troll or a turbonerd that thinks that FFV is an obscure game that filthy gaijin have never heard of. Ignore him.

>>2135726
go left field and play Phantasy Star IV

>>2132868
>That one part where your party is composed of 4 squishy wizards and only one guy that can take a hit

yeah, mashing attack will really get you far
VI is an attack masher though

>>2136771
Not that guy, but IX is definitely NOT the best FF by any stretch. The battle system, design/graphics and music were all amazing, but everything else is pretty mediocre.

The characters start out really good, but most of them just become irrelevant later on(Freya having no moments after the second disc) or have their development wrapped up in a really shitty way(Zidane and Kuja at the Iifa tree). The story is also really bland, having the same plot as several other FFs in the series, however they also put way too much energy into making allusions to other entries in the series, which was endearing at first, but ultimately began to feel like they were putting the references over other elements. The world, despite being very interesting, was also woefully under-utilized, the game was extremely linear until the last disk and once you get out of the main continent everything was an empty desert.

FFIX was great, definitely better than VIII or X, but it was still pretty lackluster and definitely doesn't live up to the hype. It felt more like they wanted to make a game that was an amalgamation of everything Final Fantasy, which is a cool idea, but they ended up focusing too much on that instead of putting energy into making FF as good as V, VI or VII by making it feel like it's own thing and not a game you have to play every other FF to enjoy.

>>2136771
IX is basically just a rehash of IV really

>>2136845
If you start the PS series, can you start with IV, or is it better to play the others first?

>>2136768
>VII
>IX
>Crap
Must feel bad being actually retarded.

>>2136885
No.

>>2136889
pretty much

IX was made so the people who whine about the series not returning to IV can finally shut up about it. A good series but nostalgiabait nonetheless.

So what's the best version of IV anyways?

Both the PSP and DS remakes look appealing. Although I think like the higher quality sprites on the PSP version a bit more.

>>2136895
It isn't anything like IV, though. The simple, easy to identify aesthetic is replaced with a busy mess. Everything in 9 looks fucking weird and nothing is memorable because all the zones are a mess of unnecessary over-design.. The fast paced gameplay is replaced by the most sluggish in the series. The fast moving story is likewise replaced with an incredibly slow moving one.

>>2136887
You can start with IV it is awesome and easiest to jump into in my opinion. I, II, and IV make up the Phantasy Star Trilogy with PS III being the black sheep of the bunch. If you like IV, give I and II a try after that.

>>2136907
such is the case

>>2136929
Seems accurate. I actually got into the FF series when 9 was new, though. So I played 4 and 9 for the first time within a year of each other. I never got a "classic FF vibe" from 9, because I played all the "classics" without nostalgia shortly before playing it. When looked at objectively, 7 is way more like 6, which is considered "classic", then 9 is.

>>2136887
Start with IV unless you are a masochist.

>>2136907
I disagree with pretty much everything you said.

Every location in IX was memorable to me. Damn near every character too.

I can agree with IX being a bit slower, but I at least like that it gave you a four person party again.

All the PS1 FFs were shit

there I said it

>>2136945
I think 2/3 were good

SNES FFs were god-tier though

PS2 FFs were shit

>>2136887
You can get away with playing 4 right away. You'd miss some continuity nods and refrences but there's no "what's going on" moments.

>>2136935
Yeah, to be honest IX didn't have much going for it. It was still great, but the game making so many allusions and references to other games in the series was lost on anyone who hadn't played the other games.

>>2136968
I've only played VI, VII, and IX. I thought IX stood well enough on it's own. I enjoyed it the most out of them.

What references and allusions are there?

>>2136945
>FFT
>Shit

>>2136972
Too many to count, the biggest problem with IX was the fact that instead of trying to make IX something totally new(a philosophy carried over with each new installment of FF up to that point), they instead packed the game with references and allusions to other games in the series as a tickle for fans.

It was endearing and fun at first, but late into the game it felt like the developers began giving more attention to packing in as many of those as they could instead of fine-tuning and polishing things like plot, characters or world.

http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_IX/Allusions

>>2137016
I dunno, most of that seems pretty superficial and just a little nod to the games that came before it.

Like that battle music having similar music to the classics. It's not like it isn't good battle music in it's own right.

I kinda doubt that took up all their development time. The world in general is no more underdeveloped than any other FF world.

most of the 'allusions' are trivial stuff like location and equipment names, really

>>2136139

>tfw blood sword

>>2136116
As far as token loli's go, Rydia is pretty much up there as one of the best. Most Loli's just do nothing but hold the group back and be stupid. Rydia is literally boss talking grown ass men to do common sense shit. She can be a bitch at times (namely with Edward), but she's gotta do the job(and was right about it).

Then time shenanigans and she becomes a Young Lady who continues to boss talk people, namely a Ninja Prince/King. Its great.

>>2137108
>>2137119
It starts out like that, you see a character named Locke, or a ship named after another ship, but by the last disc the allusions really begin to affect the plot, to the point where it is hard to say whether it is just coincidence or not.

Battling the classic 4 fiends at the end of the game, the two worlds idea, the crystals, Kuja overtaking what we believe to be the main villain, the crystals, Kuja and Zidane being brothers[/spoilers], Necron, all of those were very blatant references to older games that worked in their games because their games were built around those ideas from the start except for the Necron/Zeromus thing, however IX just throws them in at the end and they barely make sense. It feels like they are in there just to be in there, and not because the developers genuinely put them in the game because it was a good idea. The fact that FF X was such a radical departure from the series, arguably even more than VII or VIII were, reinforces this fact. This was, in Square's eyes, the last traditional FF before they moved on to completely change the series. IX is still pretty good, but it completely falls apart narrative wise on the 4th disc.

>>2137174
Yeah, alright.

To be fair though, I've always thought most Final Fantasy games have endings that just kinda fall apart and generally feel rushed. It's a real weak point for the series, I think.

Personally, I always felt the world of ruin in FFVI was awful and has one of the worst end games in FF. The story completely disappears. You get some little tidbits for the characters and that's it.

The only FFs I've played that have managed to stay strong through the to the end are V and VII.

But I still feel the other games make up for it in various ways.

>>2137181
The problem with WoR was it had no direction, the game from that point was a giant Sidequest with the only real goal being Kefka himself, which you could do anytime you wanted.

You can beat the game with Celes/Edgar/Setzer and not anyone else because there was no real necessity to do so.

>>2137181
Eh, some of them have that problem, namely IV, VI(I'd argue that it gives a reason for the story to be so non-existent due to the circumstances of the WoR, but yes, the plot does disappear) and VIII.

But each FF has it's strong points and weak points, Square was great at re-inventing play-styles for each game, or refining older formulas but their one horrible weakness was plot. VI has an amazing cast, IV triggered the golden age of FF, VIII had one of the coolest MCs, IX was a heartfelt lover-letter to the series, II ushered in plot, VII brought the franchise mainstream attention, each one is a great game.

>>2136903
I like the PSP and PC versions the best. Though the PSP version is really really easy. The PC version has a nice challenge to it.