What is a Final Fantasy game to you?

[ARoy]

Storyline to be certain, and in the case of Tactics, gameplay was extremely good as well. I only wish more games could be made like tactics... without involving the Ivalice team, they can't seem to do it right. An HD remake or direct sequel would be really nice. But if you can't come up with more for Ivalice, then don't, just make up a new world with new problems.

I would ask "Is that so hard" but the entire entertainment industry has been telling me "Yes" for the past ten years... despite the fact that a group of teens I used to hang out with could routinely come up with good stuff. I think the issue, though, as I learned from that group, is even when you come up with a good idea, you need lots of motivation to keep it going or you just lose interest before it's done. Writing a story is similar, yet extremely different from reading one. Generally, by the time it's halfway written, you've already read it a few dozen (or hundred, depending on the length) times and made edits here and there... you get bored of it really fast.

Having a team of writers helps tremendously though.

[Keith_Dragoon]

Storyline to be certain, and in the case of Tactics, gameplay was extremely good as well. I only wish more games could be made like tactics... without involving the Ivalice team, they can't seem to do it right. An HD remake or direct sequel would be really nice. But if you can't come up with more for Ivalice, then don't, just make up a new world with new problems.

I would ask "Is that so hard" but the entire entertainment industry has been telling me "Yes" for the past ten years... despite the fact that a group of teens I used to hang out with could routinely come up with good stuff. I think the issue, though, as I learned from that group, is even when you come up with a good idea, you need lots of motivation to keep it going or you just lose interest before it's done. Writing a story is similar, yet extremely different from reading one. Generally, by the time it's halfway written, you've already read it a few dozen (or hundred, depending on the length) times and made edits here and there... you get bored of it really fast.

Having a team of writers helps tremendously though.

off topic but how do you get a cool sig like that?

[Enrei]

1. Fantastic exploration - FF has the unique attribute of using a new world every game, meaning every game is a journey into the unknown, something all games should strive for. Even the simplistic story of the original Final Fantasy is full of unique fantasy elements.

2. Recurring themes - Cid, Chocobos, airships, Black Mages, Moogles, Crystals, the big bad evil guys, and so on, had been in my head since before I even played a Final Fantasy. It's great to see some familiar things appear, and it's great to see them evolve over time.

3. Difficult, strategic battles - Sure, this can be avoided with grinding, but without maniac grinding, the old classic boss battles would rely on tactics and preparation. You weren't coming out on top if you had no idea what you were doing.

4. Music - The FF series has some of my favorite video game music.

5. Nostalgia - This ties in with #2, and speaks for itself. Chocobos conjure up memories of playing Chocobo's Dungeon as a kid(my first "FF" game), the pointy BLM hat reminds me of the hours spent in FFXI, and so on and so on...

[Dreamer]

4. Music - The FF series has some of my favorite video game music.

I can't believe I forgot to put music in my list. I used to have entire collections of FF remixes. The music in FFXIV is really hit and miss, though I still think it's better than most MMOs (with the exception of maybe LotRO and WoW).

[Rob_Anybody]

I'm going to assume that by 'great/engaging/immersive story' the lot of you were lumping in the amazing scores and soundtracks that accompany these games... otherwise you all fail :P

1. Story/Characters - Music - Honestly I'm not sure which is better or if they'd be as good if you could manage to separate your exposure to them. A lot of the scenes and characters in these games are great because they're accompanied by incredible and memorable songs.

2. Square. A company so cool they got their own button on the controller. Enix has yet to win my love. I rarely step outside the square universe when shopping for non-western rpgs but... square-enix is pushing it! :P

Anyway, those are a few things I look forward to when ever I pick up a Final Fantasy game. Anything else I end up liking is just a bonus

EDIT: 'course two people end up listing music right before my post! hah