All-Purpose Final Fantasy Thread

[LokiDog]

FFXIV is honestly grade A storytelling once you've reached Heavensward. The end of ARR isn't bad at all, but the pace is uneven so it lags at times. Heavensward and beyond is just incredible. I'm about half way through Shadowbringers right now. I'm 35 years old and had been a pretty big gamer my entire life. Played FFXI for about 8 years as well (on and off), but at this point life is too busy for much gaming. It takes a really special game for me to make a purchase, let alone finish it, but FFXIV is the one modern game that keeps me coming back and I can't wait for Endwalkers this fall. It really is that good.

I'm also a cautiously optimistic about XVI. The more traditional fantasy setting piques my interest, but honestly the last game I finished aside from continuously playing XIV was probably God of War.

 

[Ryuji Yamazaki]

How is FFXIV on PS4? Is it playable with a controller or is it a must to have a keyboard?

 

[LokiDog]

How is FFXIV on PS4? Is it playable with a controller or is it a must to have a keyboard?

I bought a Bluetooth keyboard so I could chat but ultimately don’t even use it very often. When I want to chat during cutscenes in a dungeon, I just type with the controller. Have had some pretty funny praetorium convos. The only time it’s ever been an inconvenience was if I needed to explain a mechanic mid fight. You can play the entire game virtually solo if you want. The duty finder will group you and aside from saying “hey guys first time” for new content or “tyfp” at the end of a run, you could never type. It is fun to make friends though, but I’ve never had too much trouble doing it with just a controller.

 

[Ryuji Yamazaki]

I bought a Bluetooth keyboard so I could chat but ultimately don’t even use it very often. When I want to chat during cutscenes in a dungeon, I just type with the controller. Have had some pretty funny praetorium convos. The only time it’s ever been an inconvenience was if I needed to explain a mechanic mid fight. You can play the entire game virtually solo if you want. The duty finder will group you and aside from saying “hey guys first time” for new content or “tyfp” at the end of a run, you could never type. It is fun to make friends though, but I’ve never had too much trouble doing it with just a controller.

Thanks.

I may give it shot. It would be my first MMO so I’m being cautious lol.

 

[LokiDog]

Thanks.

I may give it shot. It would be my first MMO so I’m being cautious lol.

The core game, and maybe the first expansion, are free so there’s no harm in trying it out.

It starts a bit slow but it gains momentum quickly. I’m on Diabolos if you want an ear to bend for occasional questions.

 

[samabam]

how accomodating is XIV for users that prefer single player games? I dont like having to depend on other people while playing at all, so if the game is not doable solo it holds no attraction to me

 

[LokiDog]

how accomodating is XIV for users that prefer single player games? I dont like having to depend on other people while playing at all, so if the game is not doable solo it holds no attraction to me

I’m at max level on two jobs, almost 3, and about 60% through the latest expansion (so ~92% through all of the main content) and I’m essentially a solo player. So far the main story quest line alone is about 800 quests. Each job you level has about 20 additional quests and there’s thousands of solo quests that grant gear, experience, or unlock other things (like flying mounts). Of that content, there’s probably 75 total dungeons that aren’t optional. These require you to play in a party but the Duty Finder automatically groups you and you don’t technically have to say anything, ever. You may come off as unfriendly, but if you want to play solo, it shouldn’t matter. The only exception to this would be if an encounter has a complex mechanic and someone needs to explain it or you want to pop a quick “hey, new to this” into the party chat.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

how accomodating is XIV for users that prefer single player games? I dont like having to depend on other people while playing at all, so if the game is not doable solo it holds no attraction to me

The entire main storyline (100+ hours) is playable solo. Keep in mind, though, that there are required dungeons and trials that require other players. The game provides automatic matchmaking for those types of encounters. You just queue for encounter, and the game will automatically find other players. It's incredibly easy. You don't need to join a guild or talk to people in voice chat if you don't want to. You can experience the entire story as a solo player queuing for the required story dungeons/boss fights.

I went into XIV as a "solo player" with the intention of only experiencing the main storyline. Two years later, and I'm an officer in one of the biggest FCs in Adamantoise. So...your mileage may vary, lol. I've met an entire group of friends through XIV and love playing with them. I've even met some of them IRL and consider them some of my closest friends today. I'm old and grumpy and never, ever thought I'd be the type to do something like that.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

The thing is, even if I assume that the story and writing is consistently great (which I'm skeptical of, but if you say so), I'm not sure even that would justify the commitment to everything else for me. I despise fetch quests, the fundamental way that MMOs are played/designed, and to some extent open-ish worlds and leveling systems altogether (unpopular opinion-- if it were up to me, Final Fantasy would have zero leveling/grindy encounters, period), and it feels like this is not a small enough element of the game that it can just be tolerated begrudgingly. Also, aesthetic is arguably more important than story to me, and it seems very bland in that regard.

I expect that the best case scenario is that it would be a constant tug-of-war between things that I love and things that I hate.

Do you think just watching movie-edits on Youtube would do the story justice?

No, it would not do it justice. The game is written in a way that makes your own silent protagonist a significant part of the plot. Your attachment to your own character, and the supporting cast around your character, forms the emotional core of the story.

Look, you don't need to play it if you don't think you'll like it. You're just going to waste your time. I've never enjoyed MMOs myself for a lot of the same reasons. But there's a certain magic to XIV that's quite hard to put into words. It's the most "Final Fantasy" FF I've played since IX. The story absolutely deserves the praise it gets. Ishikawa really knows what she is doing.

 

[samabam]

I'm old and grumpy and never, ever thought I'd be the type to do something like that.

I am middle adged and grumpy even by german standards, so this probably is not for me

thanks for the input @SettlementRichie10 and @Loki Dog 74 !

 

[Shareefruck]

No, it would not do it justice. The game is written in a way that makes your own silent protagonist a significant part of the plot. Your attachment to your own character, and the supporting cast around your character, forms the emotional core of the story.

Hmm, that's too bad.

Look, you don't need to play it if you don't think you'll like it. You're just going to waste your time. I've never enjoyed MMOs myself for a lot of the same reasons. But there's a certain magic to XIV that's quite hard to put into words. It's the most "Final Fantasy" FF I've played since IX. The story absolutely deserves the praise it gets. Ishikawa really knows what she is doing.

Yeah, don't get me wrong, I appreciate the input and respect your opinion and everything, my skepticism is just overwhelmingly high, and while I'm sure we have some overlap in certain leanings, I doubt the specifics are totally identical, you know? Just to give an idea of where I'm coming from, I don't even think IX is all that great, personally, and a hypothetical 100 hour version of that game does not sound worthwhile to me either.

Who knows, though, these discussions might linger in the back of my head and get me to jump in at one point or another, or at least watch a playthrough.

 

[RandV]

Of that content, there’s probably 75 total dungeons that aren’t optional. These require you to play in a party but the Duty Finder automatically groups you and you don’t technically have to say anything, ever. You may come off as unfriendly, but if you want to play solo, it shouldn’t matter. The only exception to this would be if an encounter has a complex mechanic and someone needs to explain it or you want to pop a quick “hey, new to this” into the party chat.

It's never been a game breaker but I've always disliked these parts in MMO's, for me going all the way back to Guild Wars. Playing RPG's I like going at a steady but thorough pace, figuring my way through things, and can do that in solo parts of an MMO. When you get to one of these points though and have to join a group, chances are most of them have already done the mission and know exactly what to do and from the moment your feet hits the ground it just ends up being a sprint straight through each objective.

Thinking back for all the times I've done these things (a decent amount but probably not that much compared to regular MMO players) I think I've only ever found two groups I enjoyed playing with.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Damn, give us some new FF16 news already!

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Damn, give us some new FF16 news already!

We’re likely going to get a huge dump of XVI related stuff after Endwalker drops in November.

Yoshida and his team will be freed up. For anyone wondering, since we’re discussing both XIV and XVI, Yoshida is the executive producer of XIV and now XVI. Also, the same guy who wrote Heavensward is writing XVI’s story.

So happy Square handed the keys to Yoshida and his team. Let Nomura make VII Remakes in a corner until the end of time.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Just finished my replay of FF7 Remake (this time Intergrade I suppose) and it still really holds up for me. I am not one to immediately go back and replay, so I found it very fun to already have the combat learning curve established (though rusty) and as a result was able to have a pretty seamless playthrough, only skipping some of the truly boring sidequest stuff.

I did still think some of the small criticisms I had of the first time were also true in this one, namely that the pacing at the very end of the game leaves a lot to be desired. I think we're far enough out that these kinds of general spoilers don't need to be in tags, but in particular I don't really like the Aerith and Barret tag team fight at the end of the penultimate chapter, especially since the Rufus fight is so frustrating, and I also don't really enjoy the mini-boss on the highway in the final chapter.

I fired up the Yuffie DLC today and am at least intrigued to see if I can get her play style down. I spent a little bit of time doing combat and then some sidequests. The Fort Condor mini-game is surprisingly addictive. Haven't gotten into the story basically at all, but I'm not expecting all that much and am sort of thinking that I could have kept dragging my feet for a sale on the DLC, though I wanted to jump right in since my skills from Remake are their sharpest right now.

I think Rufus is the most challenging fight in the main game -- I wiped the floor with Sephiroth in this playthrough. Have not done all the optional VR fights though I did get crushed by Leviathan a bunch before finally getting him. Might go back and see with chapter select since I appreciate the challenge and think I've finally gotten a solid approach with Aerith.

 

[The Head Crusher]

Started playing FFXII Zodiac Age. I remember playing 12 on the PS2, but only ever made it about half way before the grind got to me and my attention went to another game. Now I am going to try and complete the game. Just made it to Nabina Prison.

 

[Gardner McKay]

Started playing FFXII Zodiac Age. I remember playing 12 on the PS2, but only ever made it about half way before the grind got to me and my attention went to another game. Now I am going to try and complete the game. Just made it to Nabina Prison.

Spectacular game. Absolutely spectacular.

I could not get into the original, but I found this one to be highly addicting and loads of fun.

 

[The Head Crusher]

Spectacular game. Absolutely spectacular.

I could not get into the original, but I found this one to be highly addicting and loads of fun.

I always loved what it when I played it, but could never bring myself to finish it. Now I am aiming for its Platinum trophy. Rescued Basch now off to save Penelo.

 

[Jovavic]

One of those last dungeons, I think it was a clock tower, was a doozy

 

[Nizdizzle]

I started FFXIV for the first time about two weeks ago. Really enjoying it, but find I'm jumping around classes a lot trying to find my niche. Finished ARR last night, and I guess I have to start working on the lengthy post-ARR MSQ line before I can reach the 1st expansion. I'm trying my best to enjoy it as I go through, but having some classes locked behind the expansions is really tempting me to rush/skip through the quests to unlock them ASAP.

 

[The Head Crusher]

One of those last dungeons, I think it was a clock tower, was a doozy

In 12? The 100 floor thing?

 

[Raging Bull]

In 12? The 100 floor thing?

Probably the Ridorana Cataract. XII has some of the best gameplay in the series IMO.

 

[The Head Crusher]

Probably the Ridorana Cataract. XII has some of the best gameplay in the series IMO.

Right now I am doing a little bit of LP grinding/farming in trial mode and picking up those diamond armlets for some quick cash for the Forgotten Grimoire. Just got all the characters and need to talk to Ondore before going to Raithwall's tomb iirc.

 

[Nickmo82]

Probably the Ridorana Cataract. XII has some of the best gameplay in the series IMO.

Agreed.

I feel like it was the last quality single player FF game. The 13's were pretty poor (way too linear for me) and I didn't enjoy 15 all that much. 12 had an interesting bunch of characters, a better story and fun combat mechanics. I liked the levelling system too and the fact you could effectively mold your characters any way you wanted.

 

[JaegerDice]

Agreed.

I feel like it was the last quality single player FF game. The 13's were pretty poor (way too linear for me) and I didn't enjoy 15 all that much. 12 had an interesting bunch of characters, a better story and fun combat mechanics. I liked the levelling system too and the fact you could effectively mold your characters any way you wanted.

The infuriating thing about XIII is that it has one of the best battle systems in the series IMO, along with some of the best character design.... but some of the worst environment design, plotting, pacing, character building.... ugh.

I never played the sequels to XIII. I got all I could take of that universe out of the one game. But I have very fond memories of the paradigm system. One of a few FF games I really enjoyed getting into battles in high-level content, just for the satisfying challenge.

I agree that FFXII was the last great single-player FF. And IMO, one of the 3 best in the series (along with 6 and 9).