Started the next iPod touch Final Fantasy, which was released the same time as the first one, as part of Square's anniversary celebration.
It's a beautiful port of the game. I've never played the original, though I've seen screenshots. It has a lot of depth for something that's decades old. The themes of empire and war are something that are still being explored in the more modern games.
The skill system is taking a little getting used to. I have to remember to cast magic spells or my magic users will be crap. In FFI I tended to conserve magic until I really needed it. If I do that here, my magic users will be unskilled and kind of worthless.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Final Fantasy - Complete!
Well, I've finished it. The difficulty ramps up significantly for the final boss "Chaos". Every fight before that point was at most three or four rounds. This one took about 10 or maybe twelve. I'm not sure. I lost count.
It's happy to have finally finished this landmark game.
Problem is, I don't really feel a sense of accomplishment. I wonder why I'm doing this. Is there something wrong with me?
It's happy to have finally finished this landmark game.
Problem is, I don't really feel a sense of accomplishment. I wonder why I'm doing this. Is there something wrong with me?
Friday, April 9, 2010
Final Fantasy
I'm seriously over-leveled. And out-geared. And over-magicked.
Mount Gulug was a piece of cake, as was Mirage Tower and the Flying Fortress. That means I've defeated Marilith and Tiamat, and lit up the fire and wind crystals. I've retrieved the Adamant ore and gotten the dwarves to forge Excalibur for my knight.
Now naught but Chaos and Oblivion awaits me.
It's really strange seeing how Final Fantasy has evolved over the years. Playing this one, I'm noticing a lot of resonance with Dungeons & Dragons. A lot of the monsters are the same, even some of the items. And they layout of how you learn things. A circle of sages in the woods tells you of the fiend of fire residing in the volcano. The brother of a man in Melmond is an expert in the Lufenian language. A fairy gives you a bottle of fluid that lets you breath under water. It has a very D&D feel to it, and I love it.
And yet, Square still put their own stamp onto it. Clerics weren't armored warriors, they were white wizards. Typical D&D wizards were Final Fantasy black wizards. Warriors become Paladins, and magic progresses evenly from Fire 1 to Fire 3.
Looking back at this game, it's becoming clearer that Square achieved something unique. And I think that they've lost their way since. The games they create now... I'm not certain how to put it. They lack wizards. They've replaced heroism with bad-assery. They've replaced "wandering around trying to talk to the random person who drops a hint about what I should do next" with "this is what you do next".
Let me be more clear on the "they lack wizards" point, because it really does matter to me. Part of my ability to identify with a character is not just the character's personality, but their capabilities too. Vivi (FFIX) was a black mage. That's what he did. It's who he was, and it defined his actions both in and out of combat. Of course, FFIX black mages had a bit more depth than FFI black mages, but it still made the character meaningful.
The other Final Fantasies? Well, the job system games meant that any character could take any job. Same with paragons, or materia, or sphere grids. Admittedly some were better at them than others, but it still felt like that important bit of evidence about a character's past, a hint about who they are and why they do what they do, was lost.
I'm not going to suggest the games are worse for it, but it simply doesn't pluck the same strings in my heart.
Mount Gulug was a piece of cake, as was Mirage Tower and the Flying Fortress. That means I've defeated Marilith and Tiamat, and lit up the fire and wind crystals. I've retrieved the Adamant ore and gotten the dwarves to forge Excalibur for my knight.
Now naught but Chaos and Oblivion awaits me.
It's really strange seeing how Final Fantasy has evolved over the years. Playing this one, I'm noticing a lot of resonance with Dungeons & Dragons. A lot of the monsters are the same, even some of the items. And they layout of how you learn things. A circle of sages in the woods tells you of the fiend of fire residing in the volcano. The brother of a man in Melmond is an expert in the Lufenian language. A fairy gives you a bottle of fluid that lets you breath under water. It has a very D&D feel to it, and I love it.
And yet, Square still put their own stamp onto it. Clerics weren't armored warriors, they were white wizards. Typical D&D wizards were Final Fantasy black wizards. Warriors become Paladins, and magic progresses evenly from Fire 1 to Fire 3.
Looking back at this game, it's becoming clearer that Square achieved something unique. And I think that they've lost their way since. The games they create now... I'm not certain how to put it. They lack wizards. They've replaced heroism with bad-assery. They've replaced "wandering around trying to talk to the random person who drops a hint about what I should do next" with "this is what you do next".
Let me be more clear on the "they lack wizards" point, because it really does matter to me. Part of my ability to identify with a character is not just the character's personality, but their capabilities too. Vivi (FFIX) was a black mage. That's what he did. It's who he was, and it defined his actions both in and out of combat. Of course, FFIX black mages had a bit more depth than FFI black mages, but it still made the character meaningful.
The other Final Fantasies? Well, the job system games meant that any character could take any job. Same with paragons, or materia, or sphere grids. Admittedly some were better at them than others, but it still felt like that important bit of evidence about a character's past, a hint about who they are and why they do what they do, was lost.
I'm not going to suggest the games are worse for it, but it simply doesn't pluck the same strings in my heart.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Final Fantasy
Finished the Ice Cave, and got my airship!
This is the defining moment for any Final Fantasy game.
This is the defining moment for any Final Fantasy game.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Final Fantasy
I've cleaned out the Earth Cave, and killed the lich. Y'know, for an undead of nearly unlimited magical power, he spent an awful lot of time attempting to beat my fighter to death with his fists. I was prepared for a lot of things, but shit tactics wasn't one of them.
I beat him like a rented mule, of course.
Reading the faq on the game (from gamefaqs.com), it's pretty clear to me that I'm higher level than they recommend, so the games quite a bit easier than I reme mber it. Of course, there's things like "being able to save anywhere" and "being able to buy more than one potion at a time" that have improved the experience, but I'm wondering if they just made the game easier, at some basic statistical level.
Haven't had a lot of time to play NWN2 lately. When I'm not being a father, I'm playing World of Warcraft. I've only been playing Final Fantasy because it's on my iPod, and I can play it during the two hours of commuting I have to and from work.
It's strange... I have something that I love (gaming), but my life essentially has to be empty in order for me to pursue it. It's either living or gaming it seems. I mean, the choice is obviously living, but it's pretty telling about a) the size of the void in one's life that exists in order to be 'hardcore', and b) that gaming does a pretty good job at filling it.
I don't know if this is some sort of truth or not.
I beat him like a rented mule, of course.
Reading the faq on the game (from gamefaqs.com), it's pretty clear to me that I'm higher level than they recommend, so the games quite a bit easier than I reme mber it. Of course, there's things like "being able to save anywhere" and "being able to buy more than one potion at a time" that have improved the experience, but I'm wondering if they just made the game easier, at some basic statistical level.
Haven't had a lot of time to play NWN2 lately. When I'm not being a father, I'm playing World of Warcraft. I've only been playing Final Fantasy because it's on my iPod, and I can play it during the two hours of commuting I have to and from work.
It's strange... I have something that I love (gaming), but my life essentially has to be empty in order for me to pursue it. It's either living or gaming it seems. I mean, the choice is obviously living, but it's pretty telling about a) the size of the void in one's life that exists in order to be 'hardcore', and b) that gaming does a pretty good job at filling it.
I don't know if this is some sort of truth or not.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Final Fantasy
Canal opened, on to Melmond and the Earth cave.
Found an excellent place to level up. There's three chests in the castle to the Northwest of Elfheim. In front of each chest is a guaranteed battle that nets around 200 - 300xp and 900 - 1500 gil. As a result of this, I'm level 20 (nearly 21) before heading into the Earth Cave.
I had 50,000 gil when I got to Melmond. I felt badass. Then I saw that the Knight's Armor was 36,000 gil. And the mage spells are 4,000 each.
I'm broke again.
Oh well, 'tis the destiny of adventurers to be poor. Otherwise they'd have less incentive to adventure. I remember reading the Conan D20 sourcebooks. They actually say that most barbarians spend a good portion (or all) their money whoring and boozing in between adventures. That suits me just fine.
Part of me cringes, though... shouldn't they be putting it into an retirement savings plan of some description? But then agian, y'know, whores.
Found an excellent place to level up. There's three chests in the castle to the Northwest of Elfheim. In front of each chest is a guaranteed battle that nets around 200 - 300xp and 900 - 1500 gil. As a result of this, I'm level 20 (nearly 21) before heading into the Earth Cave.
I had 50,000 gil when I got to Melmond. I felt badass. Then I saw that the Knight's Armor was 36,000 gil. And the mage spells are 4,000 each.
I'm broke again.
Oh well, 'tis the destiny of adventurers to be poor. Otherwise they'd have less incentive to adventure. I remember reading the Conan D20 sourcebooks. They actually say that most barbarians spend a good portion (or all) their money whoring and boozing in between adventures. That suits me just fine.
Part of me cringes, though... shouldn't they be putting it into an retirement savings plan of some description? But then agian, y'know, whores.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Final Fantasy
I beat Astos the Dark Elf, gave the Crystal Orb he dropped to Matoya the witch in exchange for the pep tonic to wake the prince, and now I've got the Mystic Key!
And, as usual in a Final Fantasy game, I'm about four levels ahead of where I need to be, so the game's a smidge easier than if I'd tried to blast through as fast as possible.
My job now is to go visit all the old castles and dungeons I had visited and get all the treasure that was locked up by the mystic key.
Read through a walk-through today... it sounds like the game gets pretty arbitrary and hard. The enemies start using insta-kill spells like Rub and XXXX. I'm not really looking forward to that.
And, as usual in a Final Fantasy game, I'm about four levels ahead of where I need to be, so the game's a smidge easier than if I'd tried to blast through as fast as possible.
My job now is to go visit all the old castles and dungeons I had visited and get all the treasure that was locked up by the mystic key.
Read through a walk-through today... it sounds like the game gets pretty arbitrary and hard. The enemies start using insta-kill spells like Rub and XXXX. I'm not really looking forward to that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
