The Final Fantasy Series

[Haws Bah Gawd]

I've been replaying FFX for the past couple days. For a 2001 PS2 game, the graphics still hold up shockingly well and the CGI doesn't look dated. The music is still great-sounding, though Uematsu almost always delivers, too.

Still though, FUCK Blitzball!

 

[Jingus]

Still though, FUCK Blitzball!

Why? Compared to the card games and chocobo racing and other crap which made up the former primary minigames in the series, Blitzball is a huge step forward.

 

[Black Lushus]

Yeah I liked Blitzball well enough...had no idea what the fuck I was doing, but it was alright.

 

[Smues]

Just like I don't get the hate for Triple Triad I don't understand the Blitzball hate. It's almost entirely optional, you just have to play one game, and it doesn't matter if you lose so you can just let the clock run if you don't give a shit. And I think the only items that you can't get without playing Blitzball are for Wakka's ultimate weapon.

Me? I've wasted way too many hours playing Blitzball.

 

[vivisectvi]

What was the first instance of these types of mini games in Square's offerings? The earliest I can remember off-hand that really stands out is the race in Chrono Trigger.. though optional every time after, you do HAVE to win it at least once to progress.

 

[Black Lushus]

You can probably call that ridiculous Opera scene in FF6 as a minigame of sorts.

 

[Haws Bah Gawd]

The thing I don't like about Blitzball is how you aren't really given a chance the one time you're actually forced to play. The Aurochs suck ass compared to the Goers, and it's a wonder to me how anyone can actually win the game. For Tidus to be this legendary Blitzer from the Zanarkand Abes, he isn't really that impressive, and he's easily tackled by just about anyone from the Goers. I don't really feel obligated to get Wakka's ultimate weapon, so I'm just thankful you're only forced to play once.

 

[Black Lushus]

I don't think I hardly even used Wakka, really.

 

[Smues]

The difficulty of bliztball really depends on if you get that Jehct shot for Tidus or not. Sucker makes the games SO much easier, as it adds a decent score to your shot, but more importantly eliminates two defenders instantly. I was only ever able to win the forced game against the Aurochs when I had that shot, and at that point he's only got the stamina to use it like once a half.

 

[Conspiracy_Victim]

I actually managed to beat the Goers by hitting a goal with Tidus early in the game and basically playing keep away the rest of the game. Keepa made a couple of huge saves and I ended up winning 1-0. Not a whole lot different after the game really, just a quick shot of the team with the trophy before the invasion scene.

Blitzball is probably one of my favorite minigames. I played it a ton so I actually put together an All-Star squad for the Aurochs. Although really once you get Jecht shot 2 and 3 for Tidus and add Brother to the front line you pretty much can outscore anyone.

 

[Edwin]

I had no idea how to play Blitzball, somehow won the first time, and then never played it again. Godspeed, minigames.

 

[KOAB]

I'm sure I've had an hour or two where I just played Blitzball.

 

[Sabre]

I went though the blitzball fad. I loved how it was possible to rehire wakka after his retirement.

 

[Mik]

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/01/21/final-fantasy-i-and-ii-coming-to-iphone-and-ipod-touch/

Might have to pick one or both of these up for my iPhone.

 

[Damaramu]

So what was the whole Cloud/Sephiroth/Jenova story again? I remember it just being really confusing when I was a kid.

 

[Smues]

tl;dr version
Jenova falls from the sky, Sephiroth is a product of Jenova cells injected into a fetus or some such, Cloud is injected with Jenova cells at some point which allow Sephiroth to control him. A trip through the life stream cleanses him of those apparently.

Aeris dies.

 

[Jingus]

What was the first instance of these types of mini games in Square's offerings? The earliest I can remember off-hand that really stands out is the race in Chrono Trigger.. though optional every time after, you do HAVE to win it at least once to progress.

You didn't have to win the bike race even the first time, you could hike across the ruins instead. But it was a long walk with a bunch of tough battles, so winning the race was easier.

FF6 had the Coliseum, which was probably the first FF minigame you could keep going back to play over and over again. Chrono Trigger of course had all the stuff at the carnival.

The difficulty of bliztball really depends on if you get that Jehct shot for Tidus or not. Sucker makes the games SO much easier, as it adds a decent score to your shot, but more importantly eliminates two defenders instantly. I was only ever able to win the forced game against the Aurochs when I had that shot, and at that point he's only got the stamina to use it like once a half.

Yeah. Typically the Goers will score at least one goal on you, and Tidus only has enough stamina to use the Jecht Shot once per half. So you gotta use it to score two goals, one in each half, and in the second half you gotta do it before Wakka comes back. Even then, it's a matter of luck as to playing defense against your massively more powerful opponent.

 

[Damaramu]

Oh and on the subject of FFX.
What the heck was Sin exactly again? A shell created by Yu Yevon to protect him?
If he created Dream Zanarkand and Sin was his product then why the heck did it attack Dream Zanarkand?

 

[vivisectvi]

What was the first instance of these types of mini games in Square's offerings? The earliest I can remember off-hand that really stands out is the race in Chrono Trigger.. though optional every time after, you do HAVE to win it at least once to progress.

You didn't have to win the bike race even the first time, you could hike across the ruins instead. But it was a long walk with a bunch of tough battles, so winning the race was easier.

FF6 had the Coliseum, which was probably the first FF minigame you could keep going back to play over and over again. Chrono Trigger of course had all the stuff at the carnival.

Oh shit, that's right. How could I forget about the carnival and the game where you could win a second kitten for your home! ;D

 

[Obi Chris Kenobi]

Closed Beta for FFIV starts soon.

 

[Youth N Asia]

I loved Sin as a bad guy he was so massive in the cut scenes and just looked unkillable.

 

[Youth N Asia]

And put me down as a Blitzball hater.

 

[Obi Chris Kenobi]

Hmm, Sin reminded me of the Bad Guys from Sonic Adventures.

 

[Damaramu]

I should go pick myself up a PS2 to just play these games again. But then again, they do take forever. And it's hard to do everything without a strategy guide.

 

[Black Lushus]

gamefaqs.com, dama old buddy, gamefaqs.com

 

[Damaramu]

gamefaqs.com, dama old buddy, gamefaqs.com

Yeah but my computer is in a different room. So I can't really transport Game FAQs with me. That's a lot of printer ink. I remember the old school days before I had the internet where I would put the strategy guide beside me as I played.

 

[Jingus]

What the heck was Sin exactly again? A shell created by Yu Yevon to protect him?
If he created Dream Zanarkand and Sin was his product then why the heck did it attack Dream Zanarkand?

That's one of those "it seemed to make sense when the cutscene explained it, but in retrospect I have NO idea what the fuck was going on" patented FF plot moments right there. I do agree with YNA though that Sin was a badass villain, fighting something that was basically Godzilla was a welcome change from the long-haired prettyboys that had become the standard villains by that point. (Even though FFX did indeed have a long-haired prettyboy as its secondary heel Seymour, I loved the fact that you basically curbstomped his stupid ass every time you fought him.)

 

[Haws Bah Gawd]

Sin is my favorite FF villain, mainly due to the sizw of him (it). Like others said, it was a welcome change from a human-esque bad guy, to this gigantic reptillian ..... thing. The first time I played through FFX, I would create a new save file after everytime Sin showed up, just to go back and watch the destruction again. The destruction of Kilika, and the "Heaven's Fall" scenes are pretty great. I'll always have a soft spot for Sephiroth though just for being the main bad guy of the first FF I ever played.

 

[Sabre]

This made me lol.

The reason Next Gen FF seems linear... well read away.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3177829

 

[AndrewTS]

tl;dr version
Jenova falls from the sky, Sephiroth is a product of Jenova cells injected into a fetus or some such, Cloud is injected with Jenova cells at some point which allow Sephiroth to control him. A trip through the life stream cleanses him of those apparently.

Aeris dies.

That's pretty much it. Except that the real Sephiroth is pretty much "dead", but his body is sitting in a load of mako in the Northern Crater, and he's able to draw power from it. He's powerful enough, likely due to the Jenova cells, to control and manipulate Jenova cells all over the world, and wishes to call them all back to the Northern Crater (the "Reunion"). The "Sephiroth" you chase the whole game is pretty much just a mass of Jenova cells that has assumed the shape of Sephiroth and uses him as an instrument of his and Jenova's will. Throughout the game, hunks of Jenova will be tossed at the party as bosses.

The objective of Sephiroth and Jenova is to basically use the lifestream essence that would gather to repair the fall of Meteor to essentially become a god.