Aside from the music, because Nobuo is amazing, I hate everything about FFVIII. It can die.

Ever since learning that XIII's head writer is the guy responsible for X-2 and Revenant Wings, I haven't been able to work up any excitement for this game. TGS trailer pretty much confirms it's gonna be an emo-fest. Plus how old is Serah supposed to be!? Her and Seifer Snow look like a case of statutory rape in the making!

Can't say I like the summon designs, either. The fact that Shiva is a motorcycle which Snow straddles to ride really bugs me, especially since she's face up! It's like Paizuri Bike or something. Not the best thing for an engaged dude (or maybe THE best thing?). In fact none of the characters are all that appealing to me right now.

I guess the only thing I've seen so far that I like is the bad guy's little pony tail!

Didn't you like Afro Chicobo?
Kinda cute.

But Paizuri bike? I don't catch your drift

It sounds pretty inappropiate...but I've not seen that scene.

And I think the Chicobo lives in Szazh's hair (god knows thats messy).

But Shiva is kinda a bike so it's not like the fact he rides her is sexual ya?

Oh sure, it looks different and it differs in the fine detailing and the character names are all changed...

Thats such an impressive repertoire I'm kinda shocked you've not finished one of those games

I've only got two FF games. FFTA/2.

Warning: incoming rant!



I like both games, really, but FFTA2 comes off as a half-baked idea. Sure they've "improved" on the law system (though now it seems more broken than ever in my eye), but the plot is pretty much the same thing. To quote Yahtzee:



But strip all that away and you realize that it's the exact same thing as the previous game, only with a more frustrating law system (basically, you can't manipulate the law system to your advantage and you AND ONLY YOU get in trouble for breaking the law)

As far as the law system goes, while it can't hurt the enemy it is still better than the first game. It give you a bonus (such as giving your party regen, or increasing the power of attacks), which stay in effect as long as you obey the law. You can't have your units sent to prison, so forgetting what laws are in effect has lesser consequences than in the first game.

As far as the additions to the game, the new races and jobs (I suppose I'm one of the few who actually like the job systems) add more depth to an already deep game. I'm not going to try to defend the caracters or story, but the gameplay is still pretty solid and has a ton of replay value.

I'll defend the characters, I liked them and they ARE different from the first game.

Marche from the first was a confused and concerned child wanting to return to his own world.

Luso is a character who is outgoing and fun and wants to live his life in a new world to the fullest while he still can. I'd say they are two sides of a realistic coin, one introverted shy boy who just wants thing to return to normal and the fun outgoing boy who treats it as a vacation. So the characters are different.

The law system had definately improved, no longer would I accidentally break the law that should earn me a yellow card with Marche only to find that I'd been given a red (I swear the judges treated Marche with such cruelty) and a game over. I'd say the job system works brilliantly too, one of the best in FF's series in my opinion. The law system is DEFINATELY better. No bailing people out or waiting for prison terms.

And I wouldn't put any faith in anything Yahtzee says on games, he's mentioned several times that he generally slates games and that you can go elsewhere for reviews praising games good points I don't count on good things from him I count on entertainment and nitpicking from him.

I like the game, and the law system is good

I hate the new law system

I'd say the job system works brilliantly too, one of the best in FF's series in my opinion.

General Tommy, do yourself a favor and play FFT! It blows both Advance games out of the water.



Honestly I thought FFTA2 made a mess of the job system. They threw in the Gria and Seeq but their extra job classes were mostly hodge-podged from other job classes. I couldn't stand that you couldn't even unlock certain classes until doing certain missions, and even if you did you couldn't teach them anything until you found the right items. Once I got past the halfway point I spent the rest of the game just changing everyone from one class to the next just for the sake of teaching them something while waiting to find the really good abilities.

Also something I'd like to point out to General Tommy if you plan to get the original Tactics (or the remake on PSP), the game is very hard compared to FFTA and FFTA2 (which were fairly easy for strategy RPGs). A great story means nothing if you can't progress.

Anyway, I agree with Pierre on the job system. As well as the Gria and Seeq classes. While the lack of numerous jobs for them bugged me, I still had a lot of fun with the Gria class (although the Geomancer class was pretty useless). I never truly found a use for the Seeq class though, they don't specialize in anything too useful that I couldn't do just as well or better with another class.

The teaching people things with items is not unheard of, they did the same in FF9 remember? I don't like it there but it works better in FFTA2 because while with FF9 you may gain one or 2 AP a fight, you can gain like 30 AP per match in FFTA2 so I found the process worked better.

The difference is battles in IX are much shorter than in the Tactics series.

neo, Tactics is very easy if you abuse Accumulate/Focus.

Final Fantasy? I've only got VII myself, but I've played VIII, X and X-2 too :3

-SS

Pardon?

Plot was completely different too hell in the first one theres the idea that you have to destroy a world to return to your world and everyone in that world tries to stop you.

Second one you are living freely until it's discovered you contain the power to unleash incredible destruction upon the world and you must fight to keep the evil organisation seeking to control that power at bay.

Not any real similarities in my eyes.

You complain how they are the same game when you strip away the fine detailing well....it IS a sequel after all it's only naturally its similar hell you don't need to change the gameplay at all for sequels. Most of the Final Fantasies go with the Turn based system with only minor changes to the development and abilities. I don't see why it's a big deal that FFTA2 gameplay wise is just an amped up version of FFTA.

Oh yes, and I barely made it into the game. Thanks for the spoiler mate.

but it feels like they just made a more lenient law system and changed the plot just enough so that they won't get yelled at for a controversial plot.

One last thing. By "Similar" I mean that the plot at its core is the same. Both of the main characters wind up on a different world via a magical MacGuffin and both wish to return home. The WAY they return home is different, yes, that much I am sure of, but the core of the plot is the same. THAT was what I was getting at.

And when I see a sequel, I do expect it to play similarly to the previous game, of that I had not doubts when I bought the game. What I didn't like was how over-easy they made the law system. See, there was a legitimate reason not to break the law in FFTA: the fact that units can get jailed (game over if the main character gets jailed) and you WILL lose something, not some random items. In FFTA2, I've never actually lost something when I broke the law by accident. EVAR. Though the revival part is useless to me because as soon as I revive a unit they get KO'd again due to the fact that they start at critical, not 50%.

Your welcome, in my defence you said implying that you had half an idea of what the plot was.



It was the same universe....not many FF's do the same universe it changes from FF1 to FF2 etc and etc.
But for sequels FFX-2, Crisis Core, DOC etc the universe remains the same, why is that a problem with this? And Luso was in no way wishing to go home, he wanted adventure, going home was simply a byproduct of it, something guaranteed to happen when the grimoire was filled.


I never relied on the law system working against my foes in FFTA most often the only dangerous ones had the ribbons that meant they were unaffected. It's also not uncommon for Phoenix downs and similar revival techniques to restore very little health in FF to complain about it in FFTA2 is to complain about something thats general to FF. DEAL WITH IT!

And experiment a bit, so the job system requires you to learn a few extra abilities for some classes, get your ass in gear and train! Just pick the easiest to learn skills I found I unlocked simple classes like those naturally in my playthrough without trying.

And are you saying they should boot a Damage/accuracy system in favour of just letting all attacks hit?
By comparison accuracy is significantly worse compared to FFTA (Assassin with Concentrate = LOVE)

i would like to say EPIC WIN

No news about a Final Fantasy V DS remake? :-(