Are Video Games Addictive?

[Jason Tandro]

A word of suggestion: Forget VII. You haven't experienced Final Fantasy until you've played VIII. It's my personal favorite and probably the best example of story-telling in the series short of VI.

[tay120n64]

VIII scares me. I've had people show me that game countless times, and every time it doesn't look fun. Stocking magic? GF assignment system? No thank you.

However, the story as well as Triple Triad are awesome. But not awesome enough to make we want to play it.

[inferiare]

tay120n64 wrote:

VIII scares me. I've had people show me that game countless times, and every time it doesn't look fun. Stocking magic? GF assignment system? No thank you. However, the story as well as Triple Triad are awesome. But not awesome enough to make we want to play it.

It's not so bad, actually. It makes for more strategy, and the assignment thing was also present in FF6: you had to have the Esper's magicite equipped on a character for it to be accessible. Of course, you just don't cast Ultima EVER once you have it junctioned to a character. I never do. Just attacks with uber weapons.

[EverPhoenix]

tay120n64 wrote:

VIII scares me. I've had people show me that game countless times, and every time it doesn't look fun. Stocking magic? GF assignment system? No thank you. However, the story as well as Triple Triad are awesome. But not awesome enough to make we want to play it.

stocking magic? just refine it from items ^^

and the GF junction system is AWESOME!! best ff system ive ever seen. and ive seen just over half, and am aware of most.

[tay120n64]

rainichan wrote:

It's not so bad, actually. It makes for more strategy, and the assignment thing was also present in FF6: you had to have the Esper's magicite equipped on a character for it to be accessible.

I know, but they way the FFVIII version was explained to me made it seem overly complicated. Then again, I've never been much for RPGs. Always preferred Platformers and Adventure games.

It's funny. I don't have the patience to level-grind in an RPG, but I can wander around aimlessly with no goal in mind in a text-based or point-and-click Adventure game for hours on end...

[Jason Tandro]

As RPGs go, FF8 is actually one of the most simplistic I've seen. Sure drawing magic from enemies is grind-tastic, but as EP pointed out there are many ways to bypass it, such as refining it from items. There is no armor system, since the Junction System boosts your stats, and instead of equipping new weapons you just upgrade the one you have. It's actually the most user friendly Final Fantasy aside from X (Sphere Grid falderal notwithstanding).

If you don't want to play it, then at least read a game script to get the story. It's damned good.

[inferiare]

tay120n64 wrote:

rainichan wrote: It's not so bad, actually. It makes for more strategy, and the assignment thing was also present in FF6: you had to have the Esper's magicite equipped on a character for it to be accessible. I know, but they way the FFVIII version was explained to me made it seem overly complicated. Then again, I've never been much for RPGs. Always preferred Platformers and Adventure games. It's funny. I don't have the patience to level-grind in an RPG, but I can wander around aimlessly with no goal in mind in a text-based or point-and-click Adventure game for hours on end...

Not complicated at all. It works pretty much the same way FF6 does: you get your GF, assign it to someone, and you learn skills with AP from the GFs. Stat-altering stuff, no encounters, Card (to get Triple Triad cards from enemies), and so on and so forth.

For the record, I hate level grinding too. I hate going back and grinding 10 levels to fight something three levels higher than me.

[SoulBlazerFan]

Actually, the magic junctioning system is really a choice; you can take your time and find the draw points over and over to make the game easier, or you simply draw when you can and let it play harder. Personally, I once spent 7 hours drawing magic from the two draw islands- raini and Jason will prolly know what I'm talking about- and got 100 Ultima's for all the characters in my party, just to make the game easier. But like I said, it's all about choice- and you can Auto-Assign everything as well, so you don't even need to tinker with the Magic/GF Junction system.

Triple Triad was one thing on every play through (17? 18? Can't remember- too many though!) of the game I did. I unfortunately had to sacrifice a one-time card (Laguna) to get the 100 Heroes items to beat the Ultimate Weapon, and it ended up it wasn't even worth it. But I'll give everything a shot once. I even tried to get the supposed "Alternate ending" by getting Odin on disc four, (SPOILER AHEAD) to bypass his death,(SPOILER END) but to no avail.

And I've tried to play VII... but I personally couldn't do it. Maybe because I played VIII first VII left something to be desired? I dunno, the graphics (Even before the advent of Xbox and PS2) were jarring compared to VIII, which at the time was a really beautiful looking game (The CGI is still breath-taking even today), and not to mention the soundtrack was awesome-o.

[tay120n64]

SoulBlazerFan wrote:

And I've tried to play VII... but I personally couldn't do it. Maybe because I played VIII first VII left something to be desired? I dunno, the graphics (Even before the advent of Xbox and PS2) were jarring compared to VIII, which at the time was a really beautiful looking game (The CGI is still breath-taking even today), and not to mention the soundtrack was awesome-o.

Well you have to understand that VII was built as an N64 game before it was ported to the PS.

[Manibrandr System]

I wouldn't call FF8 the best. In fact, I absolutely hated the game. The title of best FF game ever would go to either FF4 or FF6 with FF5 and FF9 trailing close behind.

[Jason Tandro]

@SBF: That's the exact reason why I can't play Elder Scrolls III:Morrowind. I played Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion first and I tried, but then I was like ".. I could be playing Oblivion right now..."


@Val: 6 is clearly the best of the 2D games and probably is the best overall. 8 is simply a personal favorite.

[tay120n64]

Valerie Valens wrote:

I wouldn't call FF8 the best. In fact, I absolutely hated the game. The title of best FF game ever would go to either FF4 or FF6 with FF5 and FF9 trailing close behind.

You are the first person I've ever known that admitted to liking FFV.

Thus far it's been the only FF I've never heard anything good about.

[inferiare]

I like FF5 too. It might not have been the first for multiple job classes (hello, FF3!) but the story was good AND it got a hilarious spin off anime to it (LINALI WHY IS YOUR BUTT GLOWING?!). I'm REALLY bad at FF5, but from what I've played of it, it's fun and has a good story to it. It's that black sheep of the franchise, I think. Every franchise has one (Phantasy Star 3, anyone?) and it's too bad. :/

[EverPhoenix]

i havent played 5 yet. i might do that next, either that or ill go ahead and start Chrono Trigger.

SoulBlazerFan wrote:

Actually, the magic junctioning system is really a choice; you can take your time and find the draw points over and over to make the game easier, or you simply draw when you can and let it play harder. Personally, I once spent 7 hours drawing magic from the two draw islands- raini and Jason will prolly know what I'm talking about- and got 100 Ultima's for all the characters in my party, just to make the game easier. But like I said, it's all about choice- and you can Auto-Assign everything as well, so you don't even need to tinker with the Magic/GF Junction system.

island closest to heaven/hell i never got more than about 5 of each thing from that. i got away with just getting lots of mediocre magic, and the aura spell. lionheart FTW.

also, another point. people have finished the game without leveling or junctioning, because the level of the monsters depends on the average level of your party. im pretty sure it wouldnt be a challenge to get through the game with only the non-sidequest GFs and the magic you refine using those GFs.

SoulBlazerFan wrote:

Triple Triad was one thing on every play through (17? 18? Can't remember- too many though!) of the game I did. I unfortunately had to sacrifice a one-time card (Laguna) to get the 100 Heroes items to beat the Ultimate Weapon, and it ended up it wasn't even worth it.

hah, thats exactly how i beat him. although i think it can be done without, i suspect Terra Break can be bypassed with Float, and the rest arent that horrible - KO one member at best, if memory serves.

SoulBlazerFan wrote:

But I'll give everything a shot once. I even tried to get the supposed "Alternate ending" by getting Odin on disc four, (SPOILER AHEAD) to bypass his death,(SPOILER END) but to no avail.

theres an alternate ending? DAMN, i need to play the game again now!
so you need to have odin at the end? and not gilgamesh?

and i can get lionheart on disc 1 this time.

[Blade]

This thread makes no sense to someone who hasn't played (or finished) any FF so far ^^