More Final Fantasy then we knew it

When I first played FFXIV I saw that a lot of people claimed it wasn't a true FF game..
Though i'm sure most will be with me and say now 2 years later it can be truely called one
True there was and is littlie story in the game but what story there is can be placed up
there with some older FF titles in its movement of plot. While having no real threat to
start with the team added a threat that in the end set forth the change to the new era..

And like a true FF title we got a twist boss that some may have seen coming others where like "what the hell?! O.o?" which was my favorite part of the games series.

If you agree leave a post lol

VXI is not a valid roman numeral!

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Originally Posted by Cedri

VXI is not a valid roman numeral!

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Fixed sorry about that >.> lol

... Yeah, Bahamut's a twist. The same way Necron was a twist in IX.
No, wait. Necron had a purpose. Kinda. ...Does a figurative purpose count?

Well, I guess you could call it a Final Fantasy game, but it's going to take some time to see if it really lives up to the name. Story wise, only the 7th Umbral Era was starting to live up to FF standards. The main scenario was garbage. I can't wait personally to see what they do with ARR, but everything i'm seeing is impressing me.

There's a hell of a lot of story in the game; it's just wasn't up front in the missions.
But things made a lot more sense to me than FF1...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc32Znoj8dk

Video synopsis.

If I didn't play FFXI I would agree it was a twist, however going through FFXI's Chains of Promathia/Abyssea/Apocalypse Nigh story, I wasn't surprised in the least..it's the best scenario to really show an end of an era, since in XI, Bahamut's original reign was during and at the end of the Zilartian/Kuluu era. XIV has a long way to go before it can live up to 'Final Fantasy', if it becomes a lot more connected like how XI was connected with it's story and lore, it'll have the coherency that most FF games are known for with it's story telling, even XIII had a good storyline, you just had to read it.

P.S, No one else really found it odd Darnus uses Megaflare out of the blue, despite it never being a Dragoon ability or even anything but Bahamut using it (99% of the time)? A real twist would have been was the Immortal Flames, due to Raubahn, had a part in it secretly but everything went awry and Cid knew this and did everything to try to distract from it.

Final Fantasy XIV has a few elements that Final Fantasy(and most things with good narrative) is known for: Conspiracies on top of more conspiracies, important players, and an overarching conflict, but 1.0 lacked coherency for the most part, and it certainly lacked several key "Final Fantasy" elements like a unique aesthetic mix of high fantasy, steampunk, and/or modern/futuristic tech clashing with each other, up until awhile ago the archetype Cid, jobs, chocobos, airships, and all sorts of things Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy XI had(and maybe still has) the same problem in my opinion. I do think that 2.0 is taking some real strides in remedying that problem though.

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Originally Posted by Elexia

If I didn't play FFXI I would agree it was a twist, however going through FFXI's Chains of Promathia/Abyssea/Apocalypse Nigh story, I wasn't surprised in the least..it's the best scenario to really show an end of an era, since in XI, Bahamut's original reign was during and at the end of the Zilartian/Kuluu era. XIV has a long way to go before it can live up to 'Final Fantasy', if it becomes a lot more connected like how XI was connected with it's story and lore, it'll have the coherency that most FF games are known for with it's story telling, even XIII had a good storyline, you just had to read it.

P.S, No one else really found it odd Darnus uses Megaflare out of the blue, despite it never being a Dragoon ability or even anything but Bahamut using it (99% of the time)? A real twist would have been was the Immortal Flames, due to Raubahn, had a part in it secretly but everything went awry and Cid knew this and did everything to try to distract from it.

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It really didn't click with me, I just though Megaflare was something to make it seem more FF. But it is a twist because there is no mention of Bahamut in the game, similar to in X how you end up fighting Yunalesca, when she is supposed to be a heroine of Spria, the first vanquisher of Sin, but in reality she is a reaper of souls (as the help text says), or in the same game how the last boss is not Sin, it's Yu'Yevon who is actually summoning Sin. (hope I didn't spoil it for anyone)

Or FFVIII for about half the game you think Sorceress Edea is the main antagonist, when it turns out to be Ultamicia (yes my spelling sucks)

A lot of the twists in FF have small hints as to what is going to happen, then there's the twist and you think you are stupid not picking up on it. Let's take Yunalesca for a second, she was the first high summoner, who vanquished Sin, there was no one around to send her, so according to FFX lore she must have become a fiend, after her killing Sin though other high summoners were sent somehow (braska on the farplane) If Yunalesca was not sent, and became a fiend why shouldn't we fight her?

Also FFIV and V both have other enemies with no connection to Bahamut that use Megaflare, therefore it's entirely possible for Van Darnus to use it if Bahamut was not inside Dalamud, and still stick with FF lore. Let's say Odin was in there, would you want Van Darnus to use Zantesuken, (classic style, not FFXI style) for an instant wipe?

Final Fantasy never really had a end boss you would expect from Final Fantasy 1 on the end boss was random minus a few like well you know like sephteroth (i messed it up i know) but for the most part you never knew who you where fighting til the end.

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Originally Posted by Forgo

Final Fantasy never really had a end boss you would expect from Final Fantasy 1 on the end boss was random minus a few like well you know like sephteroth (i messed it up i know) but for the most part you never knew who you where fighting til the end.

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Final Fantasy I - Garland
Final Fantasy II - Emperor
Final Fantasy V - Ex-Death
Final Fantasy VI - Kefka
Final Fantasy VII - Sephiroth
Final Fantasy VIII - Ultimecia
Final Fantasy XII - Vayne

All of those were completely guessable bosses that happened.

I'm not sure how I would define a Final Fantasy game. There are common tropes throughout the franchise: Crystals, chocobos, Cid, moogles, heavy attention to stylized aesthetics, a pantheon of jobs...

Starting in Gridania, I know I saw crystals and moogles at launch, and the stylized aesthetics were clearly at the fore of character and level design. Sure, there weren't chocobos at launch, but the chocobo stall was there, so I assumed they would eventually be patched in (admittedly, I had hoped it would have been sooner than it proved to be). The Armoury System as it was originally implemented roughly equated to several classic jobs, and I thought the mix-and-match options with powers was interesting. I guess I would say that I felt FFXIV had its place in the pantheon.

I did feel that the main storyline was well below the high expectation I'd had for a Final Fantasy game, but fortunately that's since been addressed by the Grand Company and Seventh Umbral Era questlines, which felt much more epic, empowering, and ultimately feels like the first act of a truly grand tale, an act that closed with To Kill A Raven. Watching Dalamud fall was not the close of 1.0, it was the introduction of 2.0., the second act of the story.

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Originally Posted by Zezlar

Final Fantasy I - Garland

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I would argue that FF1 was a surprise - I mean, did you really, really expect the very first boss to be the final boss, until the twist with the time warp?

There hasn't been a real final fantasy game since square got that enix tattoo, don't know what you people are talking about.

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Originally Posted by Hanemakikaze

There hasn't been a real final fantasy game since square got that enix tattoo, don't know what you people are talking about.

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People who keep running their mouths with this nonsense, suck.

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Originally Posted by A_Hortensia

People who keep running their mouths with this nonsense, suck.

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By your logic, you also suck. Know why? Because they are both opinions. Not everyone enjoys mediocre games, get over it. :)

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Originally Posted by Hanemakikaze

There hasn't been a real final fantasy game since square got that enix tattoo, don't know what you people are talking about.

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It's difficult to say that something is an isn't a "Final Fantasy," because you aren't creating it. Now, if you're to argue that FF hasn't had a compelling story since VI, then I will have to agree with you with the exception of XI. XI gave that old school FF feel with both story, and the need for party.

I agree, by the end It was a real FF game. ARR will be an even better true FF title. I think you could argue FF XIII was less of a FF game than XIV.

The thread is full of opinions. In any case, I don't see how you guys can come to conclusions with the story when we've only been through probably less than half of the actual storyline. It's like judging 7 as mediocre because the story up until the Gold Saucer was all fighting soldiers in a city and homoerotic hot tubs.

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Originally Posted by IndigoDarkwolf

I would argue that FF1 was a surprise - I mean, did you really, really expect the very first boss to be the final boss, until the twist with the time warp?

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It was a surprise to me and I thought it fit soooo well XD

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Originally Posted by Hanemakikaze

By your logic, you also suck. Know why? Because they are both opinions. Not everyone enjoys mediocre games, get over it. :)

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Final Fantasy XII is mediocre?

LOL, you're hilarious~!

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Originally Posted by KiriA500

Final Fantasy XII is mediocre?

LOL, you're hilarious~!

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Final Fantasy XII was a great game it put some old with new and made you earn everything lol

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Originally Posted by KiriA500

Final Fantasy XII is mediocre?

LOL, you're hilarious~!

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Yep, it was. Felt like an offline version of XI with a far more boring story. Couldn't even stomach playing through the other half of the game. Same with XIII, I felt like I was in a freakn episode of scooby-doo, mixed with some kinda cheesy ass teen flick. They are like, hey gang lets split up and search for clues! Throughout 90% of the game I had almost no party members since they were always separated and forced to play with who they threw at me, despite another huge disappointment of a Final Fantasy I was determined to get my 60 bucks out of that turd, sucked it up listened to snows teeth grindingly bad lines, quit at last chapter. Not to mention there was little to no character development outside a few of the main cast and they were all so bland, but Sazh, that dude was the best. :)

Whoa whoa whoa whoa. Whoa.

Did someone say Final Fantasy XII was less of a Final Fantasy game?

Say what you will about Final Fantasy XIII(which while I loved, am fully aware of its flaws not only as a Final Fantasy game, but as an RPG in general), but talkin' shit about FFXII?

Them's fightin' words.

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Originally Posted by Malakhim

Whoa whoa whoa whoa. Whoa.
Them's fightin' words.

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Fistycuffs, outside, let's go!

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Originally Posted by Hanemakikaze

Yep, it was. Felt like an offline version of XI with a far more boring story. Couldn't even stomach playing through the other half of the game. Same with XIII, I felt like I was in a freakn episode of scooby-doo, mixed with some kinda cheesy ass teen flick. They are like, hey gang lets split up and search for clues! Throughout 90% of the game I had almost no party members since they were always separated and forced to play with who they threw at me, despite another huge disappointment of a Final Fantasy I was determined to get my 60 bucks out of that turd, sucked it up listened to snows teeth grindingly bad lines, quit at last chapter. Not to mention there was little to no character development outside a few of the main cast and they were all so bland, but Sazh, that dude was the best. :)

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100% agreement with everything concerning XIII. There's a good reason XIII-2 sales fell compared to it's predecessor. As for XIV I think since Yoshi-P has taken over he's diffidently committed to making this feel like a "true" Final Fantasy game. Even commenting on why the recent FF games have lost their magic compared to the older titles.

Ever since I heard of an "Online FF" game back while I was still experiencing the PS1 era titles I had dreamed it would be like playing the single player games but experiencing it along side other players. Like a Final Fantasy world with a MMO play style. Or like the .Hack series but with real online play and players. Instead I got XI and found myself with an something entirely different with a FF skin. Not saying I didn't enjoy it, for years longer than any other MMO I've ever touched in fact. It just wasn't what I was hoping for.

To this day I'm still waiting for that Final Fantasy game in an MMO world. If the Grand Company storyline is any indication, Yoshi-P is on track to making it happen. Still get tingly when I watch that last cutscene after the White Raven final boss fight. I had completed various other story lines in XI but that Grand Company storyline was the first time in an MMO I felt the same way when finishing it as I had after finishing FF VII, VIII, IX, X and various other SE RPG's.

And THAT was only with a skeleton crew working with a broken mess of an engine. Can't wait to see what they'll pull off in 2.0!

I'm in agreement with Hanemakikaze. i actually did a detailed writeup of how i felt the final fantasy franchise was falling away from the mark but my post was deleted and i received a 3hour ban basically for disparaging SE. I guess i can understand why. That was back within the first few months of the game's initial release. Now reading interviews with yoshi almost all of the things i mentioned that were good about earlier games and what i didnt like about later games, he has agreed with and is putting into practice. i would love to post it again for comparason but i dont want to risk being banned again.

i will say kudos to the new team for taking the good parts form the Pre-FFX era and putting them into FFXIV. Smart move SE!