Final Fantasy Chat

[Null]

VI is really impressive to be honest, I can see why people consider it the GOAT.

I’m very close to the end, I’m currently experiencing that Final Fantasy 80% complete malaise where I’m stuck between finishing the story and just grinding/doing other stuff/sourcing weapons etc

[NateDog]

VI is really impressive to be honest, I can see why people consider it the GOAT.

I’m very close to the end, I’m currently experiencing that Final Fantasy 80% complete malaise where I’m stuck between finishing the story and just grinding/doing other stuff/sourcing weapons etc

It's my favourite and I do think it is the best personally but there are good arguments for all of VI to X to say they're the "best" to be fair and I'd never really argue with anyone on those.

Went to Distant Worlds in London last night. Been listening to the CDs since forever ago, Leelee started buying them for me not long after we met but it's my first time at this show. Unreal. Not in my wildest dreams did I think I'd get to hear all of Liberi Fatali, Aerith's Theme, Battle On The Big Bridge, Vamo' Alla Flamenco, Blinded By Light, Zanarkand and One-Winged Angel live in my life even if I went to the next 4 or 5 shows they may do, but to hear them all in ONE night? My heart man. Honestly thought I was dreaming.

Only downside was I met Amanda Achen and Soken but their signatures smudged on my steelbook. Wonder if I can retrace them with a better marker. Feel like I have to try.

[Null]

Nice man, whereabouts was that?

[NateDog]

Nice man, whereabouts was that?

The Apollo, I've only been there once before but that was for a Kingdom Hearts show. Nice venue.

[tr0nic]

Which version should I try, SNES or GBA?

Unfortunately it’s a matter of preference:

SNES:
-Better soundboard means the OST sounds better than the GBA
-Ted Woolsey’s original translation-it’s less “accurate” to the original Japanese but many say it gives the game a lot of personality and memorable lines. It makes liberal changes, some out of necessity, and has a lot of quirks.

GBA:
-Additional content. A harder postgame dungeon.
-Retranslated to be more accurate. It’s much more dry and straightforward but features everything the original Japanese had in its text.
-Colour palette is changed to accommodate hardware.

Now if you’re playing on an emulation machine you actually have the option to pick and choose elements of these. There are mods that add the SNES OST to the GBA, and there are mods that add the GBA translation to the SNES.
There is also the Ted Woolsey Uncensored Edition: a fan-made, best-of-both-worlds translation that used Woolsey’s script as a base but retranslates anything lacking from the SNES translation and makes it more accurate.

Wow shit I did not expect this many options. I want the additional content of the GBA, but the original color palette, OST, and bad translation of the SNES. Thanks for all the input though, seriously. Gonna see which runs better on my handheld emulator, but I'm leaning towards that OG SNES version.

there are good arguments for all of VI to X to say they're the "best" to be fair and I'd never really argue with anyone on those.

It really is one of the most impressive runs for a flagship series in video game history. I gotta say though, in those four games, VIII is a total black sheep. I'll argue with anyone any day that it is easily not the best one. On the one hand, it has some of the coolest min maxing you can do in an FF game, on the other the capacity to softlock your save is kind of insane. And then there's a good chance the player gets totally addicted to just playing Triple Triad and forgets the story altogether, which happened to me during my first playthrough and then I ended up softlocking my damn save.

Went to Distant Worlds in London last night.

Very jealous, that sounds like a very good time.

[NateDog]

It really is one of the most impressive runs for a flagship series in video game history. I gotta say though, in those four games, VIII is a total black sheep. I'll argue with anyone any day that it is easily not the best one. On the one hand, it has some of the coolest min maxing you can do in an FF game, on the other the capacity to softlock your save is kind of insane. And then there's a good chance the player gets totally addicted to just playing Triple Triad and forgets the story altogether, which happened to me during my first playthrough and then I ended up softlocking my damn save.

I probably should have prefaced that by saying very few people would actually say VIII was the best! It is a bit sloppy in places but I still think it's really good and has some great qualities. Reminds me a bit of MGS2 in that when I went to play it I had either read a lot of people saying they didn't like it or had friends that said it. Has a very ethereal feeling to it that I haven't gotten from many (maybe any) other FF game so far, maybe excepting FFIV but it still feels quite different.

The thing that always amazes me in particular is the quality of soundtracks. Uematsu was beyond ridiculous for the quality of his output but since IX there have been so many different composers yet the quality is still incredible. I mean I could make an easy argument for almost every FF title that I've played to have the best OST or that it's one of the best in any game in general. Even with the ones I probably wouldn't say are the very best like V, they still have some stunning tracks that are up there with the best in the franchise.

[Bread]

VIII is fucking class, and I will defend it to the hilt every single day.

[NateDog]

Just found out Ben Starr was at last night's show. I missed him at the Rebirth show last year when he was just there watching with everyone else but apparently mixed in with others before the show and I've missed him again. :'(

[Null]

Sigh, I guess I’ll have to try VIII next.

[tr0nic]

It really is one of the most impressive runs for a flagship series in video game history. I gotta say though, in those four games, VIII is a total black sheep. I'll argue with anyone any day that it is easily not the best one. On the one hand, it has some of the coolest min maxing you can do in an FF game, on the other the capacity to softlock your save is kind of insane. And then there's a good chance the player gets totally addicted to just playing Triple Triad and forgets the story altogether, which happened to me during my first playthrough and then I ended up softlocking my damn save.

I probably should have prefaced that by saying very few people would actually say VIII was the best! It is a bit sloppy in places but I still think it's really good and has some great qualities. Reminds me a bit of MGS2 in that when I went to play it I had either read a lot of people saying they didn't like it or had friends that said it. Has a very ethereal feeling to it that I haven't gotten from many (maybe any) other FF game so far, maybe excepting FFIV but it still feels quite different.

The world of VIII is really unlike any other FF game, for sure. Both very grounded, yet totally out there and fantastical. IX is partially my personal favorite because it feels like a peak for the old school NES/SNES Final Fantasy aesthetics; VII and VIII really stand on their own in terms of unique visual design. And I harp on it because I bricked my own save KNOWING FULL WELL what I was supposed to do to prevent this before going into the endgame stages. And even though I did not junction my shit correctly, I still gotta say that the junctioning system is addicting in its own right, it's like VII's materia system on crack. A Japanese video game being utterly unforgiving for minor mistakes though? Unheard of.

VIII is fucking class, and I will defend it to the hilt every single day.

Despite all my frustrations w VIII (self-inflicted, not paying enough attention to the GameFAQ), it's actually the game that made FF click for me. I realized VII is kind of on a weird pedestal for FF fans when I think of how much more compelling so much of VIII is in comparison. Squall Leonhart has the cool factor that Cloud was trying to have; hot take, I know.

Sigh, I guess I’ll have to try VIII next.

DO IT.