The Final Fantasy Uber-Mega-Challenge of Doom (Series Playthrough) *Spoilers*

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irishdude199210

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#351 irishdude199210
Member since 2010 • 2517 Posts
You should send an e-mail to Square-Enix and post a link to this thread, your commitment to FF is quite incredible. They could ask you about future design goals of their games and to play test them :P
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Xx_Kares_xX

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#352 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts
Psh... I wouldn't want to play test for them anymore, most of their new games suck x.x lol. If hironobu was still there than maybe they'd take outside criticism... but the very fact that they've made three 'XIII' games and never brought over Type-0 shows that they are not all that intelligent <<...>> Luckily there are rumors of Bravely Default finally getting released over seas though.
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lordmew

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#353 lordmew
Member since 2009 • 1315 Posts
Then you could have stopped their shi*ty line of fail. That is the only way, we need an inside rat:lol:
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Xx_Kares_xX

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#354 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts
Psh I wish lol. Hopefully they will step up this next generation.. if they don't then they are going to go completely bankrupt (again). There are a lot of other companies in the same boat though x.x
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irishdude199210

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#355 irishdude199210
Member since 2010 • 2517 Posts
Square-Enix recently blamed the console market for their financial losses in the last 6 months of last year. They have some balls. :evil:
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Xx_Kares_xX

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#356 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts
No company is ever willing to say, "oh we screwed up..." it's always someone elses fault.
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irishdude199210

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#357 irishdude199210
Member since 2010 • 2517 Posts
Most people blame other people for things anyway, its human nature :P Not many people hold their hands up and say 'Ok, I fuked up"
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Xx_Kares_xX

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#358 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts
It's really irritating.. I try to take reponsibility for my own actions x.x. But I will shut up, I'm just whining again x.x
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Balmane

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#359 Balmane
Member since 2008 • 13255 Posts
Every topic seems to lead to Square-Enix is pissing me off and should start making good games :P
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Xx_Kares_xX

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#360 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts
I can't help it, it's the truth. Not just square though, most of the industry is in the crapper right now. on the other hand, this year has a LOT of awesome releases coming out... you know.. games with creative ideas and such... but of course all of that is going out the window as soon as the new generation of consoles come out x.x
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lordmew

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#361 lordmew
Member since 2009 • 1315 Posts
Square just released a game that looks like it might be really good, I havent tried it yet but I have hopes up for the Tomb Raider game
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Xx_Kares_xX

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#362 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts
It's not an RPG by square so I don't care. All Square is doing is publishing the game, Eidos is the one making it if I recall correctly (as they were the creators behind all of the original tomb raiders).
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Xx_Kares_xX

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#363 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts

Hey guys, got another update for you, I just completed Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales... and I've gotta say... it was really entertaining. I basically still feel the same way about the game as I did a few posts back when I put my first impressions. The only other thing I'd like to point out is that this game has some really difficult moments considering it was designed and marketed for kids @.@. Seriously there were times when I got seriously frustrated with some of the mini-games and I had to put the game down for a while. Anyway, if you find it cheap, it's a really entertaining spin off that will last you about 10 to 15 hours (I clocked in at about 12, but there were a lot of little hidden things I could still go back and do)

 

Aside from that... I didn't think I was going to get through the game this quickly @.@. I also can't progress any further in the solo campaign of Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates because My girlfriend and I are plaing multiplayer together and I want to leave the levels a surprise (I'm at the exact same point in both the solo and multiplayer campaign, at about the half way mark). Honestly, I'm still not ready for FFX... and this leaves me at kind of a loss as far as the challenge goes. I'm thinking I may just continue playing other spin-off games for now to get them off my list (like the single player Crystal Chronicles games, Probably starting with 'My Life as a King')  or maybe even playing through the NES versions of FFI - III or the snes versions of IV - VI (or maybe even the DS version of IV)

 

Anyway, that's it for now, Chocobo tales was not only way better than I thought the cheap cash-in spinoff would be (like chocobo racing which was pretty bad) but it is actually a prett strong game in general, in fact I almost wish it had been a little longer (or that there had been a few more card battles)

 

Edit: I decided on Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My life as a King.. I've been playing for about 4 hours now and haven't been able to put it down.. I'm not really sure WHY I find it so appealing.. everything about it feels like it should bore me but it isn't. I'm not particularly ... excited about it either. It's kind of.. just relaxing and addicting in a sense. The closest thing I can compare it too is The world building aspect of the PS2 game Dark Cloud... and the second best comparison I can think of would be Theme Park which was on multiple platforms. It's the first time I've kind of understood how people can enjoy games like this, minecraft and harvest moon.. they are just kind of relaxing and addicting. Anyway, that's it for now.

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irishdude199210

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#364 irishdude199210
Member since 2010 • 2517 Posts
It's not an RPG by square so I don't care. All Square is doing is publishing the game, Eidos is the one making it if I recall correctly (as they were the creators behind all of the original tomb raiders).Xx_Kares_xX
Crystal Dynamics developed it actually, though I think Eidos had something to do with the multiplayer (which apparently sucks :P).
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Xx_Kares_xX

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#365 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts

[QUOTE="Xx_Kares_xX"]It's not an RPG by square so I don't care. All Square is doing is publishing the game, Eidos is the one making it if I recall correctly (as they were the creators behind all of the original tomb raiders).irishdude199210
Crystal Dynamics developed it actually, though I think Eidos had something to do with the multiplayer (which apparently sucks :P).

 

Okay x.x well point was it has nothing to do with Square besides the publishing.

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irishdude199210

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#366 irishdude199210
Member since 2010 • 2517 Posts

[QUOTE="irishdude199210"][QUOTE="Xx_Kares_xX"]It's not an RPG by square so I don't care. All Square is doing is publishing the game, Eidos is the one making it if I recall correctly (as they were the creators behind all of the original tomb raiders).Xx_Kares_xX

Crystal Dynamics developed it actually, though I think Eidos had something to do with the multiplayer (which apparently sucks :P).

 

Okay x.x well point was it has nothing to do with Square besides the publishing.

Ok, I waz jus saiyan! lulz :P Right, enough of that nonsense slang (youtube is convoluted with idiotic slang). Yeah, Square-Enix have their finger in many developers pies these days....... holy crap that sounds mega dirty :P
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Xx_Kares_xX

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#367 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts
pssssh pervert
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angelbless

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#368 angelbless
Member since 2003 • 8475 Posts

Square just released a game that looks like it might be really good, I havent tried it yet but I have hopes up for the Tomb Raider gamelordmew

Its a really good game, Im enjoying it very very much :) Im surprised with CDs work... I recommend you play it ASAP :P

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Xx_Kares_xX

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#369 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts
That's cool, at least it's a cool game, not really something I'm looking to get though.. I have far too mamy other games coming out this year that I want.
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Xx_Kares_xX

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#370 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts

Hey guys, got a challenge update. I just completed Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, a game that I really should have hated from beginning to end but for some reason didn't. Seriously I'm not sure what's going on. It is tedious and repetitive, all you do is command OTHER people to go on dangerous and interesting quests while you sit in town, investing in stores and building houses. I hate monotonous repetitive games, (that's the main reason I don't like MMO's) And I'm not really a big fan of RTS games either... yet somehow, this game kept me entertained. Honestly the closest comparable example I can think of too describe this game is the town building segement of the PS2 underrated gem Dark Cloud... but only that segment as you never dungeon crawl or fight any battles. There also isn't much of a story so it wasn't THAT part that kept me interested either. I put about 25 hours into the game and am glad I played it, at the very least it was something different.

 

All of that being said, I can NOT reccomend this game too anyone (weird right?) and there is one huge reason for that; the price point. I got this game essentially for free thanks to wiishop gift cards, and the game itself is only $15... fair enough for this sort of experience right? Sadly, to get the full gaming experience you have to buy all of the DLC, which brings the total closer to $50... so yeah.... I can't justify that cost for this game when you can essentially get the same experience for free with Farmville... or even just find yourself a copy of Dark Cloud and get a decent dungeon crawler as well as a town building game.

 

Anyway, I'm done with that game which means I'm moving on tooo Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord! The Sequel which plays far more like a 'fancy' tower defense game (While I am also still working on FFCC: Ring of Fates, which I'm almost done with). I've decided to just play through all of the Crystal Chronicles games now to get through them, at least the singleplayer ones... I still need to play through the rest of Ring of Fates, the original Crystal Chronicles, and Echoes of Time with  a second player, so those will happen when they happen. The crystal chronicles games TECHNICALLY have a related timeline... buuuut it's not really important to play one to enjoy the others, Story isn't really their strong point. 

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Xx_Kares_xX

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#371 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts

Hey Guys, just finished with yet another Crystal Chronicles Game: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring Of Fates. I actually have quite a bit to say about this one so bear with me (Though not as much as one of my retrospectives so don't worry too much).

 

Ring of Fates is an action rpg/dungeon crawler that does a great job of keeping things fresh and interesting with it's level design, which keeps it from falling into the pithole that so many other dungeon crawlers do of being monotonous.. and essentially just downright boring. This game's gameplay is a huge improvement on the original. All of the playable characters in the game have very distinct feels and specialties, making them all useful for different fighting styles and puzzle elements (unlike the first game where all the characters had minor stat changes but essentially played Identically) It's obvious from the moment you start the game that it was built to be played with friends and not alone, and the game really shines when you are playing with a friend (that is, if you are willing to put up with some slowdown that occurs when you are using the wireless... it did happen fairly frequently, but It never really soured the experience for me and I never remember it being the source of my or my girlfriend's deaths), The dungeons are perfectly designed in ways that REQUIRE team work, often making some areas only accessible if you or your partner is playing as a certain race, and the game even adapts by removing obstacles if no one is a member of the race required to get through a puzzle. It truly was brilliantly constructed.

 

The single player is also extremely enjoyable, you go through all the same levels in each mode, and there is no real difference between them besides a couple of boss placements and the story only being told in the single player mode. What really made the single player experience fun is that you are eventually given a party that consists of a party of all four races, meaning that you get to try out all four of the gameplay styles with a simple touch of the touchscreen. The control scheme felt perfect and I never had trouble accessing any part of the game or performing any action that I wanted too. The Fixed  isometric camera also does a great job of letting you view your surroundings but VERY occasionally it will make you miss a platform while jumping or obscure an enemy from view. The only other problem is that the AI of your teamates is.. REALLY bad... honestly 95% of the time your characters will just stand completely still if you aren't controlling them directly, but honestly I think this was intentional. The way the levels are designed, the basic coding for a game like this would usually make them rush after the nearest enemy too attack, but in this game, that would often lead to their death. so keeping them still may have been the best decision.

 Another fun aspect of the game is that it allows you to customize and upgrade your character's equipment (or in the singleplayer mode, your whole partys equipment) It's a small touch, but the fact that your appearance changes with different armors and weapons makes it really fun to look at all the equipment available to you, in fact there were times where my girlfriend and I were willing to take a couple points off of our stats to make our characters more 'presentable'

 Chronologically, the story of Ring of Fates makes it a prelude to the rest of the series, and there are connecting themes and an over-arching story that connects to the world directly but not really too the characters. Honestly you can pick up any of these games without playing the previous ones, but I'm kind of OCD like that... Anyway The story starts off VERY cheesy... and almost down right annoying, but at about the 4th dungeon (out of 12) The game becomes surprisingly dark and rather deep, especially for a spin-off game. The game ends up exploring themes as complicated as the Multiverse theory and it was surprisingly in depth and interesting.

 

On The other hand, despite the PREMISE of the storytelling being interesting, the actual execution is... pretty bad, most notably the characters are just god awful, and the voice acting is just grating (And for being as critical as I am, voice acting is something I'm generally pretty forgiving of). For those that complained about Vanille... you haven't seen ANYTHING yet. Okay, not ALL of the characters are that badly voiced, in fact, many of the voice actors do a decent to pretty good job, even the main two characters who have annoying high pitched voices when there character are children get slightly less grating once they 'grow up', but the other three main party members are just awful. The voices are annoying enough as they are, but the dialogue makes it even worse, with one character having to Rhyme all of his sentences and the other ending every sentence with the 'E' sound, often altering words just to stick with the formula. For Example: 'Oh finally! I was getting boredie!' x.x... yeah... it got old REAL quick. The pacing of the story was also rather erratic, there were long moments where the game sticks to what it's good at, the amazing dungeon crawls, but there are times when you spend the same amount of time sitting down and watching long winded cutscenes (about half of which are voices... and because of the voice acting I was constantly left wondering if I prefered the non-voiced or voiced cutscenes in general) that could have used a couple more rewrites, to make them sound better and cut out a lot of the filler. Honestly, I wouldn't blame you if you played through the whole game skipping every cutscene, and you wouldn't be missing much, in fact the multiplayer mode is already this way by design, and this game was clearly built to be played as a coop experience and not alone.

All in all, from my experience with the rest of the games in the series so far, I can honestly say this one will probably remain my favorite. It is a HUGE improvement on the gameplay of the first Crystal Chronicles in every way imaginable (except for graphics, but that's a given when moving from a Home Console to a handheld) and I found it fun enough to play twice in a row without a break if that means anything to you guys. If you have about $5 to $8 bucks and are looking for a fun DS Dungeon Crawl I HIGHLY reccomend this game, even if it means playing alone and skipping all of the cutscenes it's still a very enjoyable experience.

 

1) FFCC: Ring of Fates (DS): Completed, and will probably remain my favorite of the Crystal Chronicles Games.

2) FFCC (GCN): Completed/In Progress again, but working on my second playthrough which was supposed to be solo but is once again Coop

3) FFCC: My Life as a King (Wii) Completed. An interesting town building sim game that I found entertaining but can NOT reccomend

4) FFCC: My Life as a Darklord (Wii): In Progress: An interesting Tower Defense game that seems pretty good for the genre, but admittedly I'm not a fan of the genre to begin with.

5) FFCC: The Crystal Bearers (Wii): Coming Soon

6) FFCC: Echoes of Time (DS/Wii)* Coming Soon

*Note: This game is arguablly not connected to the others chronologically as it takes place '2000' years after thecrystals disapear... and it has inconsistincies withthe other titles... I guess, I don't know I haven't played it Yet.

 

In case you couldn't tell by the above list... I will be playing the original Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles coop with my girlfriend when we get the chance, and when I can't I will be working on My Life as a Darklord and then The Crystal Bearers. It shouldn't be too long before I'm done with the Crystal Chronicles segment of the challenge, but after that I will be moving on to FFX (In fact it may technically be BEFORE I finish the crystal chronicles because Echoes of Time is once again, a game that is meant to be played coop, so I won't be playing it without my girlfriend being here.) That's where things are for now! thanks for the continues support and for having patience as I work through all of these games x.x (can you guys believe I'm more than halfway done with the 50 game challenge?)

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Xx_Kares_xX

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#372 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts
Well I have yet another update for you guys, I started and completed Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers Yesterday... and really I don't know if I liked it or not. I had a lot to say to try and explain this.. but I'm rather tired at the moment... if you guys are actually curious I can write one up later this week (like the one above, not a full fledged one like I did with the main FF series games) Anyway, once I finish up My Life as a Darklord (which I'm halfway through) I will finally be moving onto Final Fantasy X, while playing Crystal Chronicles Coop on the side.
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Xx_Kares_xX

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#373 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts
Strange... this thread has -1 posts... and my latest post was randomly deleted... that mixed with everyone being absent the last few days, Im wondering if the unions are all screwed up again.
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Xx_Kares_xX

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#374 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts
Welllll I'm just here to tell you that the time has finally come... I am now starting up my playthrough of Final Fantasy X, which means you guys can expect a review sometime in the future
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irishdude199210

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#375 irishdude199210
Member since 2010 • 2517 Posts
Welllll I'm just here to tell you that the time has finally come... I am now starting up my playthrough of Final Fantasy X, which means you guys can expect a review sometime in the futureXx_Kares_xX
Yay :P It will be fun to read after I play FFXHD, I might play it from too much of an analytical perspective otherwise.
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#376 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts
Haven't you already played the first FFX? There is absolutely no difference besides a few extra bosses x.x Even the graphics aren't that much better. I'm playing FFX on an HDTV/Progressive Scan right now, and I compared it directly to the screenshots of FFXHD... and guess what? They look EXACTLY THE SAME (except for the edges being slightly more smoothed) I'm telling you guys you are wasting your money and encouraging these lazy production models from these companies x.x
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angelbless

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#377 angelbless
Member since 2003 • 8475 Posts
I always wanted to play Ring of Fates.. might as well try it someday :)
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irishdude199210

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#378 irishdude199210
Member since 2010 • 2517 Posts
Haven't you already played the first FFX? There is absolutely no difference besides a few extra bosses x.x Even the graphics aren't that much better. I'm playing FFX on an HDTV/Progressive Scan right now, and I compared it directly to the screenshots of FFXHD... and guess what? They look EXACTLY THE SAME (except for the edges being slightly more smoothed) I'm telling you guys you are wasting your money and encouraging these lazy production models from these companies x.xXx_Kares_xX
Yeah, I've played it 3 times but it's not like I remember every single detail about the game. I don't want to sit and analyse everything about it. Extra bosses you say? I already have the European version which has penance etc. if that's what you're talking about.
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Xx_Kares_xX

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#379 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts
Oh yeah, I so often forget most of you guys are from another country. Yeah it's just those bosses, so really you guys are getting NOTHING extra whatsoever (except FFX-2 international maybe?)
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irishdude199210

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#380 irishdude199210
Member since 2010 • 2517 Posts
Yeah, I guess we're not. It'd be prety cool to get that international version of FFX-2. I liked the game despite the overwhelming 'girl power' theme. Some things in that game would really embarrass me if I were playing it in front of someone :P I was the muthafuking sphere break master, beat literaly everybody.
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Xx_Kares_xX

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#381 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts

Yeah, I guess we're not. It'd be prety cool to get that international version of FFX-2. I liked the game despite the overwhelming 'girl power' theme. Some things in that game would really embarrass me if I were playing it in front of someone :P I was the muthafuking sphere break master, beat literaly everybody.irishdude199210

 

What you just said is pretty much a perfect summary of my opinion on the game. The battle system is actually REALLY good (in fact, I think it would have been the best possible battle system style to use in FFXIII) but the dialogue is downright embaressing. I have to say though, when the game first came out and I was a young teenager the erm... 'fanservice' was rather entertaining...

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Xx_Kares_xX

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#382 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts

Well guys, time for some updates for the challenge. I completed the main 'story' of My Life as a Darklord today, which means I'm not completely done with the game but I have more than enough insight to give you guys a short review of the game, but before that I'd like to say I've given up on my second playthrough of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles for the gamecube, because quite frankly it isn't holding my or my girlfriend's interest any longer. for a very VERY short review of the game, I'm just going to say there's not much story (and what little there is isn't interesting) the gameplay is decent and can be entertaining but ONLY if you have a friend along with you, otherwise it's jsut completely repetitive and monotonous. The 'level up' system is highly flawed and makes for not only a lot of grinding but a lot of randomness TO that grinding, making it unfun to play, and because of the cost of getting multiple GBAs, gamecube to gba cables, and the game itself, it's really not worth the price point. When I first played this game I thought it was pretty good, but now that I've played Ring of Fates on the DS, I have to put my foot down and say it is a FAR better investment. $8 will get you a far better constructed game with more puzzles, better action, an... arguably better story, and a better multiplayer component. If you want to try a crystal chronicles game, get that one.

 

Now back to My Life as a Darklord. Unlike 'My Life as a King' I can easily say that if this game looks interesting to you it is well worth your money. The base game itself is $15 dollars, and is a good stand alone strategy/tower defense game with an adorable and fun sort of background story and characters. On the other hand, when I bought the game I had all the DLC as well, which gives a SUBSTANTIAL amount of bonus content if you liked the main game. The games difficulty is good as well.. for the first couple of chapters I felt like the game was really easy and I was disapointed, but after that the difficulty ramped up and became slightly challenging, before becoming down right hard in some places. Honestly it kept me entertained from beginning to end, but also frustrated me a few times. This was not a game I could sit down and play for hours at a time like some of the others, but when I was in the mood for it, it really was a blast. So there you go!

 

Well, that leaves me with only one Crystal Chronicles game left to play: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of time on the NDS (it's also on the wii, but it was built for DS, so that's the version I will be playing). It's a lot like ring of fates so I am very hopeful that I will find it entertaining, and after that I really will be putting my focus into FFX ^^ (that and whatever other portable game I plan on playing.. I'm thinking Code of Princess... I've spent a lot of time out of the house lately) Well that's all for now, thanks for your continued support.

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Xx_Kares_xX

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#383 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts
Hey Everyone, I have what I consider to be a HUGE update but most of you guys probably won't care that much about. By some miracle of miracles, I talked a friend into lending me their android device long enough to play through Final Fantasy Dimensions, the only game in the entire series to be released in english that I was previously not going to be able to play, and now it is available to me. Since I am borrowing my friend's phone however, and I need to get through this game as quickly as possible, this means that FFX is going to have to be put on hold for a while until I can complete Final Fantasy Dimensions (So everyone knows in one day of FFX I got from the beginning to the end of the Miihen Highroad... and not to brag but I felt pretty awesome when I beat the Luca goers in the initial blitzball game with a score of 3 to 1 WITHOUT using the  jechtshot or net stalling trick. ) So anyway, there it is everyone, this truly will be the most complete challenge I can possibly make it, and that maked me feel kind of awesome, now it's time to start up Final Fantasy Dimensions!
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irishdude199210

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#384 irishdude199210
Member since 2010 • 2517 Posts
I saw that game too (Final Fantasy Dimensions), never played it though. Does your friend have multiple phones or something? :P
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#385 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts
Noooope, he just believes in the challenge!! lol. I was wrong about it being his phone though, he lent me his Ipod Touch which in retrospect makes quite a bit more sense. I played the game for about 4 hours so far and it's actually pretty good. It has the feel of Final Fantasy IV and V together, and though it's not as good as either game it's still one of the best rpgs square has put out in years (though, this is coming from me and everyone knows how much of a cynic I am... so take that as you will). For a better comparison, let's just say it's a far better Old style feel game than Final Fantasy the 4 Heroes of Light was on the DS.
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#386 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts

Hey guys, sorry, I know it's been... actually only a little over a week since I last posted an update... huh.. it felt like a lot longer than that... I don't feel so bad anymore. Well I'm still making good progress on the challenge, mostly playing Final Fantasy Dimensions which is a surprisingly long game. i've clocked in 35 hours so far and after skimming a walkthrough it appears that I'm still only about 2/3s of the way through the game.. meaning I've got about 15 or 20 hours to go still.

Life has kept me pretty busy lately with my starting up a new job and getting into what has quickly become a new great hobby of mine, table-top Roleplaying! I tried Dungeons and Dragons for the first time and we now have a very dedicated group and it's EXTREMELY fun (even if I have already gotten the reputation for being a 'Spoony Bard' ... yeah.. I picked a bard and even with my group of friend's somehow that we could avoid that joke.. obviously I was wrong. On top of that I'm now part of a revording project for a friend who is getting his sound board license or something where I am the lead male vocalist for his band (and afterwards a few of us are apparently forming a semi-permanent band of which I will still be the lead vocalist) sooo things are kind of falling into place for me and keeping me busy.

 

Even with all of this I don't see my challenge slowing down much more than it already has, and I plan to be done with FFDimensions by  Next weekend, as well as being very far if not completed with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of time. Well that's my schedule, and after that I will of course be returning to Final Fantasy X!

The real question now however, lies in what I'm going to do with my gaming time when I'm not at home. Because of work I spend a lot of my downtime just kind of.. waiting around away from home.. and after I complete dimensions and Echoes of Time.. I will be through with all of the handheld final fantasy games that aren't directly connected to other's in the series (and thus their placements can not change). Because of this I am debating whether or not I want to play Final Fantasy IV DS to kill some time and give a sort of compare/contrast review of the DS version and the PSP version... it's one of my favorites in the series and I think it would be an interesting comparison, what do you guys think? If I don't do that then I will probably just catch up on some random DS games... I still want to play Code of Princess... and I'm sure I could squeeze some more time out of Theatrythm and Dissidia... what do you guys think?

 

And on a side note, does anybody have any suggestions for games on PSP or DS to play? don't have to be related to the challenge or even be RPGs, I'm just looking for some interesting suggestions to flesh out my collection ^^

 

Anyway, thank you everyone for your continued support, don't expect a FULL review of FF dimensions, but I am gonna do a short one, and after that, the repeatedly pushed back FFX will FINALLY get played through (the hilarious thing is I'm not even putting it off on purpose, I LIKE FFX... just other things just keep getting in the way).

 

Edit: I completely forgot about Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light on the DS... I guess that could be what I play next so I do make more progress on the challenge. Damn, and I was thinking I might actually get a break from the RPGs for a little bit. Oh Well... I may do the FFIV playthrough first anyway as I DO want to make that an official part of the challenge because it's different enough from the other FFIV games to warrant it's own playthrough (that and FFIV DS is a well put together game...f ar more so than what I remember of 4 Heroes of light x.x) so yeah! Sorry for rambling guys!

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irishdude199210

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#387 irishdude199210
Member since 2010 • 2517 Posts
I played D&D when I was 10, but I played it by myself, I had to take out traps etc. because I knew were they all were :P There's a club here at college that plays it, but honestly, with all the 'campaigns' and rulesets and just general real-life role-playing -- it's not for me. I couldn't devote myself to it like alot of people who play it do. I have a good imagination, but I don't like acting silly -- so I'd be crap at role-playing.
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#388 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts
Lol fair enough, lately life has taken me down a lot of strange roads I'd never imagined... the biggest part being that I'm not the lead in a 'rock band' of sorts @.@.... anyway, Challenge update, I've been REALLY busy lately, but I plan on playing a lot of FF Dimensions tomorrow.. whether that will be enough time to finish the game or not I don't know, but I will be damn close by the end of it.
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maniamsmart

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#389 maniamsmart
Member since 2006 • 12069 Posts
Wow, props to you, you are one heck of a Final Fantasy gamer. I could not do this.
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#390 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts
Thanks ^^' it's been quite an ordeal.. things have REALLY slowed down the last couple of weeks... but my recording studio date is monday, and after that I should get a lot more gaming done (well.. okay there might be ONE more week where I'm busy, my 21st birthday is next saturday, April 20th, so that weekend I'm probably going to be busy as well... and I'm pretty sure I'm getting a new guitar for my birthday, so that will keep me distracted <<...>> but the challenge IS still going... FF Dimesions is just kind of stalled.
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maniamsmart

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#391 maniamsmart
Member since 2006 • 12069 Posts
Thanks ^^' it's been quite an ordeal.. things have REALLY slowed down the last couple of weeks... but my recording studio date is monday, and after that I should get a lot more gaming done (well.. okay there might be ONE more week where I'm busy, my 21st birthday is next saturday, April 20th, so that weekend I'm probably going to be busy as well... and I'm pretty sure I'm getting a new guitar for my birthday, so that will keep me distracted <<...>> but the challenge IS still going... FF Dimesions is just kind of stalled.Xx_Kares_xX
Recording studio? You use that for making music, or recording gameplay or what?
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#392 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts
Music, I'm in s band of sorts. Basically my friend is getting his certificate to be a professional sound engineer, so he's recording me and other members of a band for his 'final'.
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#393 maniamsmart
Member since 2006 • 12069 Posts
Music, I'm in s band of sorts. Basically my friend is getting his certificate to be a professional sound engineer, so he's recording me and other members of a band for his 'final'.Xx_Kares_xX
Ah I see, sounds interesting. I do some music myself too :D
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#394 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts
I'm sure you are quite a bit more talented than I am. I have been singing for years but only picked up guitar about a year ago.
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#395 maniamsmart
Member since 2006 • 12069 Posts
I'm sure you are quite a bit more talented than I am. I have been singing for years but only picked up guitar about a year ago.Xx_Kares_xX
I do mostly rap, some singing here and there, and been doing piano for about 2 years now.
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#396 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts

Well everyone.. I know I'm almost a week late... but I've finally completed Final Fantasy Dimensions! What is my final verdict you ask? (or at the least I will pretend you did) It's pretty good. At the very least it's the closest thing to a real Final Fantasy we have had for about 7 years.  The game is most comparable to the SNES titles (so FFIV - VI) which makes sense, since it was built to be a throwback to the older games. Of course it didn't hold a candle to any of those three titles, but it is probably the closest we are ever going to get to an old school Final Fantasy game again, so if you are interested at all, I suggest you pick it up It cost $20 bucks on android and considering the game took me 60 hours to compelte, I'd say it's more than worth the price. The gameplay is most like a combination of Final Fantasy IV and V... with the five member party established in the former and the job system from the latter. The one unique thing this game does bring is that throughout the story you are constantly switching between two parties, both the Warriors of light and the warriors of Darkness. The thing I applaud this game most on is actually keeping the job system remotely balanced, which is something I hadn't thought possible. The combat is well made, staying strategic, and keeping a great difficulty curve. The dungeons are fairly well designed as well, they have a few secrets, but none of them are at all hard to discover if you are paying attention. The game is rather linear as far as map design goes, but it also contains the biggest Final Fantasy world with the most locations to explore in the entire series excluding Final Fantasy XII... and that's saying a lot. The presentation is actually kind of a let down, which seems funny considering it was meant to be a throwback to older titles. The sprites look like they were ripped directly from RPG maker, and there was no real effort put into them, and the dungeons and towns look rather boring as well... but looks aren't all that important when the gameplay is wo well balanced. The story is rather cliche and uninteresting.. you should NOT play this game for it's story. It tries really hard to make you feel for the characters, but none of them are interesting enough to warrant that kind of attention. And of course, this game has the classic annoying as hell character you'll love to hate, something that is now a series staple, only in this game it takes the form of Alba, a girl who constantly breaks the fourth wall with terrible puns, aside from her the characters are passable I guess. The last thing to talk about is the music. Overall I thought the soundtrack was pretty good... of course it doesn't hold a candle to Uematsu, but then again I never expected it too. There aren't many songs in the game which is sad, but the REALLY bothersome thing is that during story seems, they would inexplicably cut off the music, really stunting the emotional impact the scenes could have had.

 

Anyway, I've already gone on long enough.. with all the problems I stated, I would still reccomend it to anyone who's curious about it, it's a full fledged RPG and though it doesn't QUITE live up to the Final Fantasy Games of the past it is probably the closest they will ever come again to capturing even a fraction of the magic the series used to have. Look at it in the same light we did when Capcom released Megaman 10.. yeah it's not as good as the older games, but its a send off and a tribute that they built the best they can, and we should at least applaude their effort.. especially when a small groupd of developers given close to no funds built a far more compelling product than the main developing groups working on the main series.

 

 

With all that said, it's not time to finish up Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (which I only have about 4 dungeons left on) before I move on completely to Final Fantasy X! I'm really sorry for the wait, but I could very well have bever gotten the chance to play FF Dimensions again.

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#397 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts

Hey guys, I am quickly making up time on this challenge! I just completed FFCC: Echoes of Time on the DS! Really it's pretty much the same as Ring of Fates, so everything I said about that applys here except for a couple things I will address directly, but short version is, I think it's a pretty good game and worth your time if you are curious.

 

The main things I wanted to poing out about this game compared to Ring of fates is that both the Voice Acting and Storyline have been GREATLY improved, in fact they both hold up very well in this title and the story interestingly kept me interested all the way through.  There was also some cahracter balancing done that made the game even more fun to play. On the other hand, this game is longer than the last, and makes you go through a lot of dungeons 2 or at some points even 3 times... causing a lot of uneeded repetition. With these differences outlined, I still feel like I liked Ring of Fates just a LITTLE bit more than Echoes of Time... mostly because I felt the level design was slightly better in the first game. Both games require a lot of platforming (which in itself is handled about as well as it normally is in games with an isometric view.. that is to say not all that great... but done about as well as it probably could have been) but the platforming in Echoes of Time had a lot more moments where I was frustrated just because I couldn't make a difficult jump or complete a puzzle despite knowing the fairly obvious solution. Either way, for the cheap price both of these games go for (Ring of Fates being $5 from most retailers and Echoes of Time being $8) They are both worth your time if you are looking for a entertaining though not amazing action/rpgs for the DS that you could potentially play with a friend.

 

Now that I'm done with that it's time to move into Final Fantasy X! This time with no distractions unless of course I feel like playing some Indigo Prophecy.. but that is a VERY short game... and I did just get a new guitar as an early birthday present...... well I may be distracted after all! But even so I'm looking forward to FFX! I may also start up Final Fantasy the 4 Heroes of Light on My DS as I need a handheld game to play as well for when I'm waiting around at work... that or FFIV DS.. or perhaps just some other random DS game to keep me entertained. I don't know I will figure it out eventually. Thanks again for your continued support.

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#398 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts

Hey Guys, small update for you, I just reached the Sanubia Dessert in FFX, which means I'm almost 2/3s of the way through the game. As I've said many times already, as I've played through this challenge my opinion on the series has changed quite a bit and I've really looked at it in a different light. I've got to say, playing through FFX this time, my opinion of it has lessened a bit. don't get me wrong I still like the game, but some of it's issues are becoming far more apparent to me. More importantly, I am realizing how similar it is to Final Fantasy XIII. I want to point something out to all the fans here for a moment, because FFX sold so well, I can see why they THOUGHT FFXIII was a good idea. It's a mix of the VERY Linear gameplay of FFX with the graphical style of FFVII (except of course updated to match the times) So all FFX fans who hated FFXIII have no one but themselves to blame for the series taking the direction it did.. all the people who said they loved X and VII but hated XII (a game that despite not being as popular among fans is a far better game in every aspect than either FFVII or FFX were... and I know that might piss some of you guys off but it's the truth. I didn't like FFXII at first either, but it's impossible to deny it IS the more well made game with the ONLY exception being the soundtrack.. but we will get to that once I get to FFXII now won't we?)

 

Anyway, sorry for the small rant, just making sure everyone knows I'm picking up speed on the challenge again since I've gotten a lot of business in my life out of the way.

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#399 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts

Well Everyone, I just completed Final Fantasy X, so that's one more game off my list! You can expect a review of that one soon! On a side not, I've yet to decide what game I'm going to be playing next. The obvious choice would be Final Fantasy X-2... but I'm reluctant to play that one at the moment x.x. For one I just got a bunch of new games for my birthday that I want to get into, but more importantly.. FFX-2 just doesn't sound appealing to me. Who knows, in the morning I may start it up and find myself wanting to get through it anyway, but if not, I may get through Chocobo Dungeon on the Wii as it's one of the last spin off games in the challenge (not including all of the games in the Ivalice Alliance).

 

Sorry guys, I'm by no means giving up the challenge, but it's hard to press forward when all the games I have left are either really long or just plain boring, and it's made especially difficult when I've just picked up several rpgs I've wanted to get my hands on for a very long time; Pandora's Tower, Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor: Overclocked, and Steambot chronicles 1 and 2. My dedication to the challenge hasn't waivered so far, and I'll be damned if I stop now, but there may be a small break, at the very least I could finish up Indigo Prophecy, that's not a long game at all, I could probably beat it in a single sitting. Anyway, thanks for your continued support.

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#400 Xx_Kares_xX
Member since 2009 • 1479 Posts
Hey guys, it seems my busy schedule decided the next game in the challenge for me. I spent the last week or so staying at a friend's place between work and hitting the recording studio again, meaning that I wasn't around my PS2, and what little game time I had to play was spent on Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light. What I didn't realize though is that in one sitting I'd gotten essentially 1/4 of the way through the game, so I'm making good progress ^^. I decided I'm going to finish up this game before I get back to FFX-2.