Forum | Dystopia Productions

dystopia on Thoughts of RPGs This Gen?

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 22:52:13 +0000

Re-Adding Posts

dystopia on Thoughts of RPGs This Gen?

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 23:32:38 +0000

The battle system and sphere grid of FFX are the parts I really enjoyed, it's the story and characters I find to be average. I've come around on FFX some, it took a recent playthrough last year (the international release, with the expert sphere grid) to bring it out of the bottom half of FFs for me, and I guess having played FFXIII and experience an even more linear quest put FFX in a new better light for me.

Finitiae on Thoughts of RPGs This Gen?

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 18:03:03 +0000

FFX's batte system felt incredibly stale to me due in part to its lack of urgency and dynamism. It doesn't help that I'm not much of a fan of the turn-based system. It's strange because I don't mind going back to play FF1-FF3 despite those games being turn-based.

Edit: Even though I didn't find X's battle system enjoyable, its execution was on point.

Still, there's a good reason why I like PE1, VG, and FFXII's systems.

dystopia on Thoughts of RPGs This Gen?

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 15:58:24 +0000

I actually think FFXIII struck a ok balance there between automation and player control. The XIII battle system moves quick and it is definitely not a chore to play through, shifting is quick and easy and while there is some menu naviation it's not really DEEP menu navigation like it could be in FFXII where I would find myself going into 2-3+ sub-menues to get to what I was looking for. Honestly I just wish we could go back to a more traditional ATB system. I think FFX did it really well, while allowing you to swap out characters (basically the same as a paradigm shift) and limited menu navigation.

Finitiae on Thoughts of RPGs This Gen?

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 15:43:47 +0000

That's been on my mind for some time now. As developers continue to experimennt with different battle mechanics and controls, exactly when does it become a chore to cycle through menus for in-battle customization? I'm not sure why they never offered the option to save whole Paradigm setups in XIII or Gambits in XII.

As I said before too, the battle interfaces need to be more accessible or constructed to work with the battle mechanics suitably rather than following tradition. In XIII, auto-battle was added as a way to sort of balance that equation but was still met with complaints about making the game too easy. It's hard to tell if that rounded blue box will always be functional with what they have planned.

dystopia on Thoughts of RPGs This Gen?

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 14:09:19 +0000

The real problem with FFXII for me, was the gambit system, and while yes you could choose to not use it but by doing so you were pretty much making the game a pain in the ass to play. Navigating the menues to input manual controls was so clunky and awful. Also yes, the developmental systems were pretty bad. Visually it was really beautiful, I mean both Vagrant Story and FF Tactics have an amazing design style and FFXII only took that to the next level. The plot wasn't bad either, but in the end it just falls middle of the FF pack for me.

Finitiae on Thoughts of RPGs This Gen?

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 12:37:21 +0000

FF12 was awesome in almost every way for me. I loved how it offered players the option to setup Gambits or even eschew them in favor of inputting commands manually. Its License Board system was a disappointment for me considering how you still had to purchase abilities in order to use them. Character growth is most important to me and it suffered quite a bit on that end. It's still up there though...

lydeck on Thoughts of RPGs This Gen?

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 00:12:40 +0000

Strangely enough, when I played FF12 I always got the feeling that it's music and the setting of the game was a throwback to the older games. At least I got that feeling while playing them.

Finitiae on Thoughts of RPGs This Gen?

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 23:34:24 +0000

Kind of sucks because the worlds are often unimaginative. Same old design, lore, and vapid aesthetics.

dystopia on Thoughts of RPGs This Gen?

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 22:53:21 +0000

I really would like a return to the steampunk stylings of FF6 & FF9. Atmospherically those two really nailed it. I don't expect to see them return to a true fantasy of the earlier games, even with the light steampunk aspects they had. The WRPG really has fantasy locked up, so I think that's why the focus this gen has been on the sci-fi/cyberpunk areas.

Finitiae on Thoughts of RPGs This Gen?

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 16:27:02 +0000

Didn't give a care for its high tech world, but the other half below was all right. The director was feeling himself a bit too much when he tried to blame James Cameron's Avatar for ripping off the setting. Joke or no, a little suspicious to even mention that.

I was a bit reluctant to get that point across above, but there isn't a rote formula FF follows. I'd like something that's a cross between the Industrial Revolution and our Interwar years, but I don't want to see them "return" to anything specifically. And if anything, something more like FF5 is what I'm clamoring for where gravitas is exchanged for something carefree.

XIII basically inverted the role of the light warriors from previous FFs in an attempt to usher them into a grey area. It's also irritating how they have ridiculous terms for gods, deities, and "light warriors", as to suggest by using these terms that they're somehow nuanced from past FFs. No matter how it's spun, their concepts and ideas will always be transparent to me.

dystopia on Thoughts of RPGs This Gen?

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 15:33:22 +0000

I can't say that FFXIII didn't 'feel' like FF, that's hard to put into context because the series has been known to have vastly different settings. From the pure fantasy/steampunk settings of 1-6 & 9 (and to an extent 12) to the more modern feel of 7, 8, 10, and 13. If you mean 'feel' in terms of how it played, yes I agree there, since it was so damn linear, although I thought it did play fairly close to 10 outside of combat.

The sound is a nobrainer, FF12 didn't sound like FF either. And while I'm on that, FF12 is pretty much just Vagrant Story 2. Is it a bad game? Not at all, and it did include some of the FF themes, but to me that will always be Vagrant Story 2.

As for the future of FF. I'd like them to return to the fantasy/steampunk roots again as they did after 7 & 8.

Finitiae on Thoughts of RPGs This Gen?

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 12:56:47 +0000

It's amazing (not really) how they've gone from XII to XIII, which was a direct response to the philosophy of XII. I say "not really" because the series is known to try out different things despite 1-3, 4-6, and 7-9 being similar when taken from a cursory point of view. For me, its XII gameplay that trumps XIII in every manner (and I liked XII at its release too so I'm not one of those guys who needs to play the most recent to appreciate its predecessor(s).)

As for FFXIV, I wish it were an offline FF.

What would you guys like to see from FFXV?

lydeck on Thoughts of RPGs This Gen?

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 11:48:52 +0000

Also, FF13 doesn't "feel" or "sound" like Final Fantasy at all.

dystopia on Thoughts of RPGs This Gen?

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 19:11:46 +0000

It really is a shame, sadly it seems all western gamers want to do is...
a) shoot stuff
b) play sports sims
c) hack n' slash

If only story mattered more.