The Final Fantasy Thread

[Baguette Child]

I've seen a fair amount of Cecil/Rydia shipping, and I think it's cause some of how Rydia acts can come off like she has a puppy crush for Cecil from when she was a kid that's still leftover after she comes back as an adult, but she doesn't act on it because Rosa exists.

It's bullshit that Edge got nothing in After Years and is still pining over her 15 years later. A bunch of old characters can screwed over in that game's plot, like Cecil spends 95% of story brainwashed or a vegetable, Rosa and Porom don't really do anything notable, Rydia spends half the game crying over the Eidolons. But Edge was the fucking MVP of that game since he was quick to act, first to really start to figure out what was going on, escaped the villain and got an airship while everyone else was getting trapped, and then ran around the world and saved literally everyone. And he even gets a special 1v1 duel with Rubicante later for an exclusive armor piece. But after all that, and writers still don't even let him attempt to confess to Rydia.

I have a strong love-hate relationship with After Years.

I greatly enjoyed getting more storytime with the cast of FF4. It's one of my absolute favorite main casts in Final Fantasy! But the writing just felt mediocre, like fan fiction level. Some of it was still fun but it could have been so much more! And that's ultimately what I can't forgive.

 

[Retarded Weeb]

I have a strong love-hate relationship with After Years.

I greatly enjoyed getting more storytime with the cast of FF4. It's one of my absolute favorite main casts in Final Fantasy! But the writing just felt mediocre, like fan fiction level. Some of it was still fun but it could have been so much more! And that's ultimately what I can't forgive.

I 100% completed After Year twice, via the PSP and PC versions, and I would still give it like a 4/10. Most of the stuff I liked with Ceodore, Ursula, and Leonora came from Opera Omnia rather than their own game they're from.

 

[Junk Dog]

FF6 through 10 including Tactics was the golden age for this series and no one will convince me otherwise.

 

[Berrakh]

In hindsight, and accounting for things like After Years, X-2 was actually a surprisingly good sequel with a satisfying resolution for core characters.

 

[Retarded Weeb]

FF6 through 10 including Tactics was the golden age for this series and no one will convince me otherwise.

I mostly agree except it's 5 through 10.
I to IV (1987~1991) was their early years when they were slowly figuring things out and improving.
V to X (1992~2002) was Square's golden age.
The rest of the PS2 days (2003~2009) was like their silver age. Not as great, more hit-or-miss with the spin-offs, but still good overall.
And then starting with XIII (late 2009/early 2010) they just went downhill until about 2019 or so, were they've somewhat improved and got their development pipelines working better in the 2020s but are still very hit-or-miss.

 

[Honka Honka Burning Love]

Half the story would be over by Kalm if Tifa had an ounce of spine and simply said "that shit did not happen" in regards to the flashback.

I think the problem she had was that Cloud knew way to much about how it all happened and did't know he was the fodder number 2 man.

 

[Berrakh]

I think the problem she had was that Cloud knew way to much about how it all happened and did't know he was the fodder number 2 man.

Checking back she apparently had doubts as soon as she ran across him at the train station and used Avalanche to keep him around while she “found out”. But she never did.

And he actually brings up an inconsistency with her at Junon (the first major stop after Kalm).

It doesn’t ruin the game (or her character) but it does correspond to a characteristic shortcoming. And people should be real about that.

I think the meanest thing I would say is it clinches the main heroine role for Aerith even if she is only around for ‘half’ the game (because Tifa only steps up for the second ‘half’… which is technically shorter).

 

[Megaton Punch]

Cecil is a fucking CHAD

I like how you took time out of your busy schedule of actively trying to get banned to post this.



Anyway, while we're on the topic of FF7, I can't be the only one who saw the 1/35 Soldier and thought it was like a thirty fifth of a soldier and I had to collect all the pieces to get a full one, right?

 

[Retarded Weeb]

Anyway, while we're on the topic of FF7, I can't be the only one who saw the 1/35 Soldier and thought it was like a thirty fifth of a soldier and I had to collect all the pieces to get a full one, right?

I thought at first it was like, 1 out of 35, and there was 34 other figures laying around somewhere. It wasn't too long before I learned that wasn't the case, but I don't think I quite got 1/35 meant the scale of the figure until I played around with that bonus disc with the Japanese rerelease in an emulator which has images and description of all the items.

Side note, it was kind of a quirky thing with the PS1 games having tons of random key items you could collect that don't actually do anything.

 

[PlugsPugs]

Probably already mentioned here, but there is a ips patch out there for ff6 that smooths over the rough edges and bugs of the SNES release while keeping the charming woolsy-isms that made it memorable.
I'm nagging the girlfriend to play it currently because she's never experienced it.
And now I'm nagging you - if you've never played 6, go do it. Preferably with an emulator, because the pixel remaster is ass.

 

[Captain Syrup]

Anyway, while we're on the topic of FF7, I can't be the only one who saw the 1/35 Soldier and thought it was like a thirty fifth of a soldier and I had to collect all the pieces to get a full one, right?

1/1200 of an airship.

It was kind of a quirky thing with the PS1 games having tons of random key items you could collect that don't actually do anything.

I killed myself winning the Masamune, and it turned out it’s just a novelty item you can’t even equip? I want to see Cloud swing a sword the size of a Hyundai.

In hindsight, and accounting for things like After Years, X-2 was actually a surprisingly good sequel with a satisfying resolution for core characters.

If your first game’s just a straight line from Point A to Point B with like two side quests that are “kill some flans,” you’d better make sure the weirdos along the way are fun to talk to. Luckily SE coughed up enough money that the townspeople have personalities beyond “NPC." Without those side characters giving it some flavor, there’s no way there would be enough there to justify a sequel.

 

[LoverofPi]

The plot, as in what propels these events. of Dirge and Before Crisis is Shinra shenanigans. A last minute monster is not the plot.

If Deepground was fought in some Ancient-y places because they’re learning about Omega Weapon I’d agree with you

So if Deepground was built on top of a Cetra stronghold of some sort you'd have no problem with Dirge then?

I’m skeptical of “in the original German” arguments (Japanese in this case) because people really do just lie or repeat from secondhand, but Tifa says enough of this in English for me to accept it.

But again, Cloud drifting away is more of a reason to do something. Not less. In a cut scene she confides in Aerith about this so it’s not necessarily about confronting Cloud but even so her unwillingness to rock the boat is kind of the entire point @X Prime was making— that she does what he wants but not what he needs.

The amount of time in between Cloud showing up and the plot kicking off is a matter of days, and she takes steps to keep him around and under observation, and then keeps pressing him for details without directly contradicting his story, which is probably one of the safest ways to have dealt with the issue given the limits of her resource and the events going on.

Honestly, and your later response -

I think the meanest thing I would say is it clinches the main heroine role for Aerith even if she is only around for ‘half’ the game (because Tifa only steps up for the second ‘half’… which is technically shorter).

-does back this up, this comes across as a weird beef to try and prop Aerith up as the 'main' heroine when the game has dual heroines, one who catches your attention and then exits the plot dramatically, and the other one to be by the hero's side the entire time.

Also, really man, EC is not the OG. They also expand on Cloud’s issues in Rebirth but we’re not talking about Rebirth either. The OG more or less worked on a logic of “nothing serious happened until the Temple and by then it was too late, things were moving too fast” so it was easy to ignore. This is why I say they never had a good explanation for it because they keep overcorrecting.

I brought up EC because it's showing with more clarity what the OG already brought up, to point out the writing has been consistent this entire time.

I've seen a fair amount of Cecil/Rydia shipping, and I think it's cause some of how Rydia acts can come off like she has a puppy crush for Cecil from when she was a kid that's still leftover after she comes back as an adult, but she doesn't act on it because Rosa exists.

That's a fair interpretation.

Cause he sucks.

Also fair, though I meant more "why the married man and not the eligible bachelor or three she also knows from the adventures.

 

[Berrakh]

So if Deepground was built on top of a Cetra stronghold of some sort you'd have no problem with Dirge then?

Not no problem but it’d have to influence the plot more than just at the last moment for me to say “the plot is driven by the Cetra here.”

I brought up EC because it's showing with more clarity what the OG already brought up, to point out the writing has been consistent this entire time.

No. We’re not playing this fanboy game of pretending Square hasn’t drastically altered the tone and details of this story over and over.

does back this up, this comes across as a weird beef to try and prop Aerith up as the 'main' heroine when the game has dual heroines, one who catches your attention and then exits the plot dramatically, and the other one to be by the hero's side the entire time.

Cringe. If this were true and not just marketing speak you wouldn’t be pretending she did a lot.
Actually, this stood out to me and I didn’t catch why: Aerith does not “exit the plot dramatically” just because she dies. This isn’t really some official marketing line but probably some fandumb thing trying to mimic some of SE’s language. It doesn’t sound like a natural expression of your own opinion tbh. It sounds canned. And also it’s just wrong and trying to push a contrived point of view.

The amount of time in between Cloud showing up and the plot kicking off is a matter of days, and she takes steps to keep him around and under observation, and then keeps pressing him for details without directly contradicting his story, which is probably one of the safest ways to have dealt with the issue given the limits of her resource and the events going on.

No lol. She never presses. He presses her in Junon and she demurs. She herself says she failed to press him. Again, it’s not hard to understand her mistake but using verbiage to make her seem active when she isn’t is just too far.

 

[One Winged Pear Farmer]

Tifa does ask cloud about where he was for five years a few times and he always spaces out and deflects. I think it’s partly because Asian cultures have a higher focus on harmony and not rocking the boat, but also because when people completely shut down it’s hard to press them. Can’t explain it if you’ve never dealt with a close family member who is that way but the best you are getting in those interactions is them getting a headache and telling you to fuck off.

 

[Berrakh]

Tifa does ask cloud about where he was for five years a few times and he always spaces out and deflects. I think it’s partly because Asian cultures have a higher focus on harmony and not rocking the boat, but also because when people completely shut down it’s hard to press them. Can’t explain it if you’ve never dealt with a close family member who is that way but the best you are getting in those interactions is them getting a headache and telling you to fuck off.

When in the OG?

 

[One Winged Pear Farmer]

When in the OG?

After digging through the script I was mistaken and thought she did after the first reactor. Although there are several ellipses interjected during clouds story so it is at least hinted heavily that she is all but openly questioning him. It does show him having like three seizures when she asks at the train station flashback

 

[Berrakh]

After digging through the script I was mistaken and thought she did after the first reactor. Although there are several ellipses interjected during clouds story so it is at least hinted heavily that she is all but openly questioning him. It does show him having like three seizures when she asks at the train station flashback

Let the record show this mirrors my own account!

The issue with how Square has fixed this is it only needed a small fix but they’ve changed too much so now it almost looks sillier. That’s all.

 

[One Winged Pear Farmer]

Matter of perspective, I’m pretty happy with the changes and think a lot of the discussion with the original boils down to technical limitations and dialogue likely being more limited to save some memory space

 

[Captain Syrup]

The issue with how Square has fixed this is it only needed a small fix but they’ve changed too much so now it almost looks sillier. That’s all.

It’s called irony and it was fine, it was a good plot. Before the fans decided they needed more useless lore.



If Cloud hadn’t been running his mouth about how he was gonna join SOLDIER, and if he’d just been open about washing out and taken his helmet off back in Nibelheim, she never would’ve thought he was hot-shit enough to run with AVALANCHE.

Yeah, it’s opportunistic that she connived him into it, but victory’s not always about “doing the right thing,” and I like that there’s a moral grey in these characters. See also: Braska out here convincing some drunk to turn into a kaiju.

 

[IrishGuy088]

And yeah, just like Seifer, his big flex is that he can make your summons disappear.

Seifer is such a fuckboy that he can't even kill your summons. He just makes them stronger.

Seifer is a complete failure.

Oh, so with Final Fantasy VII. I'm replaying the PC version with a "improved" translation. I think I got it at Qhimm. So far it is really good and adds a lot more to the game than the original English translation. Usually I'm skeptical of these, but I've played the original so many times that I can see the differences and know they're legit.