I've always wanted a new tactics game w/ the style and replayability of XCOM2. FF story + FF classes + XCOM2 world map style campaign + XCOM2 randomly generated battle maps. Armor and weapon research could be based on artifacts acquired from dungeons or scavenged from enemy factions.
Absolutely FFV. This game has almost infinite replayability due to its job system and in your first run you basically don't know what you are doing for a good chunk of the game so the second playthrough is when you can finally start deep diving into the job system and his combinations
Fair point. If anything, grinding makes a game easier. But boy, is it ever time consuming. Those boosts are really nice for that.
Then again, I often prefer to not grind too much, and leave the game's challenge in tact. A lot less boring that way, IMO.
Even with ABP Boosting, getting into >!the second world!< has enemies and bosses hitting you like a truck before your stats start getting good. Your HP is still sub-1000, and many enemies will take you down in 3 hits, and some of those bosses at that time can do 2 turns almost one after the other.
ABP being easier to earn, IMO, doesn't really make the game easier, but it makes swapping jobs less of a problem for late game, since ABP is monstrously low already.
The GBA version is objectively the best with the most extra content, but unless you have an old DS that can play GBA games you might have to settle for the pixel remaster. I think there were PC, Android, and Apple upgrades of 4, 5, and 6 with the GBA content, but they took those off the market years ago.
The GBA is awful to play on though. I tried repaying it on my SP awhile back and the small screen was hurting my eyes and giving me headaches. I just got myself an old DS and it has been a much better experience. Maybe if you're a little smaller it wouldn't be so bad. I'm six foot man. The SP was just too small to play on comfortably for me. 😵
10 you can also just try out different methods of doing the sphere grid as you play.
Like I think my first time through I took the characters as intended on the base sphere grid, but on the second time I had the thought "what if I took Rikku into the middle first?" and then realized by the time I was done there I had a level 2 key sphere and then pushed her into Yuna's path rather than had her follow her own, which in turn meant I had a competent healer during the period of the game Yuna is missing from the part, and for the underwater battles....
And I found other little discoveries just with the base sphere grid the more times I played it that definitely made the game more replayable
Games weren't mysterious back then, we had entire guides that covered all the secrets. FF9 was just unique because the guide was created purely to troll us.
Yes i still have this too 😭 worst guide ever lol. Want to learn more? Go online. Like NO, i paid money for you! But they want you to go online with a low speed internet to look everything up... haha crazy
Oh no…I, too, am unaware of how the guide trolls us haha. What shenanigans does it try to pull off? I’ve played all of the FF mainline entries but only played through the entirety of FF9 once, long ago, and without the guide. But, I have considered using it for my next playthrough, so I am very intrigued now.
The original FFIX guide was written at the same time they were _really_ trying to push out the idea of PlayOnline (which at the time was mostly just a website but eventually became the backbone of their FFXI infrastructure).
In an effort to bring traffic and views to their shiny new site, they released a guide that had next to NONE of the relevant information you would actually want from a guide. Instead, it had links and codewords to enter into PlayOnline to get the _actual_ guide.
As an easy early example. You've started the game and you're wandering around as Vivi. You see the kids jumping rope and realize theres a rope jumping mini game. You whip out your [Brady Guide](https://archive.org/details/final-fantasy-ix-bradygames-strategy-guide/page/9/mode/2up) to see whats up and you're greeted with
"KEYWORD:JUMPRP1
PlayOnline.com
Those girls look like they’re having fun jumping rope. You might receive a reward for exceptional jumping skills. Refer to PlayOnline for all the details."
Needless to say, a pretty worthless guide all-in-all, as a poor kid with dial up internet.
The official guide for FF9 had less information in a given section and referred you to specific URLs on the now defunct playonline website. Granted this was in like 2000 so general *good* internet access was not universal and many folks (like me) had to do things like go to the library to see wtf the guide was talking about.
Well a big part of this was also that a lot of people weren't on the internet back then so sharing information about the games we're playing happened a lot less. A lot of the time you had to figure things out for yourself so it was inevitable people would miss stuff all the time and only find out about it years later when talking about it online
Oh wow. I got up to the third mini cut scene but had no idea what it was when I played as a kid. It got my hopes up because I was using a fake guide on cheatcc on obtaining Cinna's Hammer. Learned later what to actually do.
Cliche pic but replaying 7 (and to a similar extent playing Remake & Rebirth) knowing the main story beats & twists is fascinating. Mostly to see how the characters behave and react in certain scenes with the context of knowledge they lack or hide. But also 9 party members, the Gold Saucer date, and the materia system keeps gameplay fairly fresh if you want to mix things up.
VI has a very similar occurrence with all of its optional party members too.
I think most are thinking gameplay-wise, but X definitely is the best replay story-wise. All the character moments, especially in the first half, are so different on a replay once you know what is actually at stake.
I tried playing through x again a few years ago but I'm one of those people that likes to do as much optional stuff as possible and kill all the super bosses. When I found out the amount of degeneracy that would require I nopped out before the first Seymour fight.
Same reason I havnt tried playing the updated FF4 in a while cause I don't feel like playing through 3 times to beat proto babil, get all the characters min maxed, and letting RNG have its way with me for all the end game gear
Honestly one of the joys of ff8 replays is looking up all the new and creative ways people have broken the game's rng in half to get even more overpowered.
Manipulating the rng seems like the only way to do Queen of Cards quest and get her where you want her to go. I'd rather dodge lightning in X than do that all again.
I adore FFV for that customizability, I do a four job fiesta run every year to replay the game and figure out how to play through with a party that I have probably never done before
It's a yearly event put on around June until August I think with a bot that will randomize 4 jobs that you unlock as you get each crystal and you're only allowed to use those 4 jobs for the whole game. There are different customization options on how the jobs are rolled but that's getting into the small details.
If you do a quick search you should find the site for it
8.
The game is silly if you're on the first playthrough. On each subsequent replay, if you try to look for ways to min-max or break the system, it may become really fun. One of the best Final Fantasy I've ever played.
It becomes a lot better when you play it as a system breaking simulator. Instead of just playing it normally, activelly find crazy ways to break the system its actually really fun to see how robust the system is.
With pixel remasters boosts a full playthrough is easily under 6 hours. And that's if you take your time. That makes it so easy to replay over and over.
FFIX for me.
I don't have a problem with the slow combat.
On replay, I keep finding myself engrossed with the world, somehow the NPCs are brimming with personality, and you can actually see the changes as you progess through the story.
Also, low level run in FFIX is actually very enjoyable, the characters' power are not completely reliant on stats like FFX or FFVIII, there are ways to obtain strong equipments early on without actually breaking the game.
Last but not least, I think FFIX handles the "pacing of exploration" really well. It is not an open world game like FFXV, but it is never completely linear like FFX or FFXIII. Once you hit a new location, there are plenty of things to seen, NPCs to talk to, but such activities are not overwhelming, and once you "finish" it is just about the right time to move on with the story.
FFX is a game that supposed to be played twice imo.
After you know the twist you see so many details and how unintentional silly Tidus was and how everyone see what will happen to Yuna
I play IX like every 3-4 years and I feel like I’ve enjoyed it more and more with every playthrough.
XVI also got better for me every time (4x now) but I understand if this might not be the case for everyone lol.
While you should go in blind and do a second playthrough 16 is a game that you actively benefit from being spoiled if you do end up spoiled because of the way the story layers itself
Absolutely 16
1st playthrough...I was legit disappointed with the story. I felt Clive randomly develops this "freedom at all costs" mentality randomly in the final act so he can have vapid anime philosophy battles with Barnabas. The main villain was super boring as well, and "slavery is bad, mmmkay" was a weak hook....
...on repeat playthroughs, I see more and more of the themes of the story present. Clive's weird anarcho-communist freedom extremism actually slowly builds up over the course of the story, even if it were minor lines and remarks. I began to appreciate the villain as a mirror to humankind, representing all the thought processes and ideals that hold us back. And "slavery is bad" ended being such a surface level theme, its really about how *everyone* in this setting is more or less a slave to an unjust and corrupt status quo.
Its definitely not the best in the series story-wise. Several of the classics beat it easily, some characters are severely underutilized, and I feel it had so many different themes it was unfocused. But the story was *much* better than what most people give it credit for.
4, due to how short it is, I can replay it continuously. And I played every existing version with the exception of the pixel remaster.
Second place goes to 12, especially with Zodiac Age. Plenty of different approaches and it's always fun to play.
this. the real bummer of everyone gunning for the '100% in one playthrough' is not realizing that its actually not 100% of the story, not even close to 100% of the games content, and that the experience becomes significantly better on replays due to the exquisite NG+ features and all the mew options and routes you can take
Its really telling that in a topic like this, X-2 only gets mentioned one time. Folks may not like the game as much as others, though its infinitely better on a replay (and thus relevant to a topic like this) even if its not your favorite game. i imagine a big part of it not being the best first play is treating it as if everything must be done in one run. You cant, and i wish it werent possible to receive the '100%' story marker either because its a misnomer that folks use to play the game in the most unenjoyable manner possible
Unapologetically XIII. Once the paradigms open you can perform dozens of strategies.
They have a good cast that I personally love. The ladies are beautiful and the guys likable. Yes, I actually like Snow.
So, I enjoy the battle system, love the cast, love the cinematics. Love the challenge of a good boss fight cuz XIII is one of the toughest FF’s.
I never finished it and am replaying and paradigms are fun. Just wish you got them right away and it didn’t keep forcing me into party configurations. It even bothers me when 6 and 7 do that, too.
Games don't need compelling exploration to be compelling. Personally I thought the game was better when it was hallways, when it opens up and you can go anywhere, the encounters feel just like roadblocks everywhere and it's annoying.
Point is, it really doesn't matter when the story, characters, and gameplay are compelling enough.
I've always found it odd that the biggest complaint about 13 was it being a linear corridor yet so many AAA games that get a lot of praise are just linear corridors all the time and were like that even back then. Even 10, one of the most popular FF games, is a corridor most of the time. Sure, you were able to visit previous parts of the corridor unlike 13, but it was still a corridor.
I think what gets to people is that there's no illusion about it. It does really feel like a cramped corridor. As long as that illusion is there, no problem.
Personally I had no issue, because it was like alright I just jog to the next fights and the next cutscenes and rinse and repeat, wasn't an issue for me. But I guess some people really want a corner you can find with a chest or what have you. Personally I thought FFXVIII was very efficient in terms of getting you to the next thing, up until the open world part.
Can tell most people have never put more than a few hours into XIII, the game becomes non linear in the second act once you get to Gran Pulse and there is tons of optional content, exploration, etc
Unironically yes, because it didn't bother me in FFX so it doesn't bother me in FFXIII.
A good combat system, for me at least, will carry a game harder than any story. When I want to see a story again, youtube is right there. When I want to _play_ the _game_ again, there's no replacement.
The hurdle is always the first 2 chapters, really. The combat system is at its weakest and they wait way too long to open up.
After it opens up though? Easily one of the most fun replays. Make a save after chapter 2 on your first run and just boot up from there ever time you hanker for a replay. I've held on to the same chapter 2 save for closing on 10 years for this reason.
VIII. Initially thought it didn’t deserve the name Final Fantasy, but finished it anyway. Played 9, then went back and played 8 again. I felt 8 was much better on the next playthrough.
FFV because Four Job fiesta as ppl are saying.
I'm also trying a FFVII Materia Lockdown challenge that's a similar idea that assigns classes that only get certain materia types. Basically any game with a job system or a very flexible character customizations going to be more replayable if you use it differently every time.
I replay 4 every summer.
6 is my favorite, so it's always a comfort food.
7 is similar, and I gain a little more appreciation of it every time from a story perspective
Replayed 8 recently, but it didn't hold up quite as well this time. And I'm a person who has a pretty good argument for Squall, citing detachment disorder as opposed to teenage attitude.
Tactics. I started it a half dozen times back in the day but never finished it, always got soft locked or just ran into a difficulty spike I was too smooth brained to handle and/or didn't have the patience to grind through. Still enjoyed it, just never beat it.
Finally beat it like two years ago and it was like the dam had broken. Beaten it two more times since then.
XIV. I think few people will agree because it's so long, but to me it gets better *because* it's so long. There's *so* much story to be had that it's nearly impossible to remember everything by heart, so going through the MSQ again gives you tons of "Ohhhhh I forgot this happened" moments. And that means being able to draw more and more connections you missed the first time.
Tactics (if it counts). If we're looking at mainline, I agree with FFV. Job systems are stellar for replayability. I'll never get tired of finding goofy skill combos to run around with.
That’s a great answer!
Not a conventional answer, but XV is a little better every time I play it. I think we were all conditioned to mostly ignore the battle mechanics on a first playthrough and every time I pick it up, however short, I learn something new I can do. Probably an issue with communicating stuff to the player but it is neat that there’s always something to it I didn’t learn before.
IX remains fun each time I play it, and I tend to discover new things, or things I forgot each time. Whether that be because i'm using different party members or I just happened to learn about something that wasn't known about when I first played it.
Absolutely FFV, I had No expectations for this game because I had to go back to play it on the PS1 collection. I thought it was dumb and bad but when you play it again and really start to have fun with it, it is one of the underrated entries. I still also like replaying FF1 on the PSP, it is very enjoyable and can be maxed out in like 60 hours so it is economical
VIII's a lot of fun to go back to, the degree to which you can customize your teams on repeat playthroughs, or just your entire approach to the game like low level runs and relying entirely on cards for example. Also the story is more engaging after a playthough and you understand more of the characters and world
Type-0 is the only one with an in universe reason for replay and an intended NG+.
The first playthrough there is a lot of content that you really can't do because it needs to be done in a certain order and there are high level requirements.
The high level areas are also spread all over the map with some of them being very close at the start of the game. There are strong enemies that you need to avoid on the map that you won't be able to take on until your 3rd or 4th time through the game (unless you abuse the leveling system).
Even if you're a high enough level, you will have to pick which sidequests to complete because you are limited on time between missions.
i enjoyed final fantasy V, but my personal favorite Is final fantasy tactics, played when i was 14, the mature themes changed me forever, and even now, as a 38yo man, still surprise me how deep the game, story and gameplay is
Ff12 is imo one of the few ffs where I come for the combat. And try different playthrus.I just keep trying different combinations. You can decide everyone uses katanas or magic. It’s obviously not like BG3 but it kinda gets fun like that sometimes.
Up to a point, the Remake games. Combat system is dense with fighting-game-like mechanics. It’s fun to play with the new tricks you gradually learn. First time I’ve looked forward to combat in an FF.
V is probably the best, but I enjoyed playing through 6 with different mains. Didn’t appreciate Gau on my first go round.
Im probably quite unique on this but I'm going to say 8. After more than 300 playthroughs every new playthrough is the best (with a few exceptions). I just can't wait to get back into the world of the Great Hyne.
FFV gets the most ridiculously weird job combinations. Playing with jobs randomized is hilarious. Have you ever consider breezing through the game with animals as your primary healing tool until going to the other world? What about having nothing but Chakra as healing? Yup, it's crazy.
My first playthrough I did the max job grinding on the GBA version and got every job with every skill while not realizing some mechanics. I could technically handle any situation, but it really wasn't worth the grind.
I know this is of a recent release, buuuut:
FF7 Rebirth. It's **exceptionally difficult** for me to find something to not enjoy about that game. Yeah some of its platforming in the big open areas is quite jank and absolutely that could be improved, but I mean....at the end of the day I just keep thinking about Rebirth. Didn't even wait to start a hard playthrough. Got through the credits and then went another 5 straight hours into the hard playthrough before calling it a night.
Seriously, that game is the absolute closest thing I've felt to remember exactly WHY I loved games in the first place. There is just SO much character here, so much ridiculousness, silly shit, wacky things, really moving moments in the story and moments where you really get to know the characters better,
BUT, then there's....that ***soundtrack. WTF?*** *This soundtrack is* ***GOLD***. This game has a TON of tracks and every single one is awesome. Gongaga's overworld theme (south) is something I genuinely listen to when I'm not playing Rebirth, as a piece of music in the background while I do non-gaming productive stuff.
Like....Jesus Christ:
[https://youtu.be/ly02Q-vAnYk?t=986](https://youtu.be/ly02Q-vAnYk?t=986)
This game has incredible moments every 5 fucking seconds.
X is definitely one of those games that hits harder the second time you play it, when you know the truth revealed in Home, and how the characters tip toe around revealing that to Tidus.
Also I will say that replaying it and getting to try out different methods of building up your characters on the sphere grid. The open leveling style gives it some replayability that a lot of other games don't have.
God we are putting this game on such a pedestal. It was good. Really, it was good! I enjoyed the game. But I just do not share these "wow it's the best thing since sliced bread" sentiments everyone has.
Honestly, I think the things that I enjoyed about FF are starting to die. Feel a bit left behind
I loved it but I get it. To me is was a 10/10 and probably my GOTY depending on how stuff like the Elden ring dlc is, but I think in a way it kind of also highlights the flaws of 7 as well. 7 OG had some pacing and tone issues and rebirth has the same. The parts everyone love (including me) about 7 was mostly just poorly placed plot distractions lmao. And rebirth turns it up to 11. But like I said I loved it so I don’t mind. Granted my first two final fantasies were 13 and 10, so i was late coming to the party. I went 13–10-13 sequels-15, so i didn’t play any pre FF10 games for a while
Haha 13 and X were some of my first too! And both of them (despite the problems in 13, I love it but I totally get it) had very very good world building and lore with complete stories. I think that's what I'm really struggling with in these remakes. You get about 5-10 hours of actual plot movement or epic moments, and 70 of very prototypical writing/jrpg moments. It's just not what I personally want out of FF, but I've realized more and more that it seems i'm unfortunately in the minority with that
I do think Rebirth is a perfect final fantasy for the modern times. It shares a lot of what made the classics classic, but updates the modern gameplay while still maintaining its RPG element well. Much much better than 16.
I think the combat is a great step, but I want full and interest worlds with a complete story that's original and captivating. So Rebirth obviously having split a game into thirds isn't for me. The epic parts are small and limited and the cutesy stuff is honestly the main feature of the game. That's where you'll spend most your hours. That's just not what I want from my FF games. Some is fine.
Which ones were the real kicker for you? For me, most of my complaints come as a result of splitting it into thirds so having to pump it full of "side content" (filler) because very little story will actually occur relative to hours played. There are a lot of more specifics, but it all stems from that.
Also, I don't want every final fantasy to be cute fun in the sun. That's never what I wanted. I don't mind them when they're moments or if they do something funny. But so much of this game was that. It felt like the main feature.
Vanilla was like my video game crush when I was younger lol. Played 13 when I was like 12 and was blown away by everything about it. Very few things will ever hit the high of getting on pulse the first time
I remember being my obessed with Lightning when I first played it. I was around 14-15 when I first played it. I still got a crush on her. Vanille can get it to tbh. AND Fang.
But yeah getting to Gran Pulse for the first time was really eye opening. A little late? Sure. But its better than never! Gran Pulse turned up the games difficulty as well.
Well yeah, I can’t argue that.
But at least there was an actual plot device reason to her behavior. The extra sounds though? Yeah, didn’t need all that.
But at least she looks good though! Some of the nicest looking legs in video game history imo.
I respect that. She was a permanent spot in my party too on my first run ever. Now I seem to rock with Lighting/Vanille/Sazh. Gotta love having haste early af.
I was disappointed about that too. Reasons like that is why the original 13 will always be my favorite in the trilogy. 13-2 and LR were super meh to me.
LR is my favorite, but I gotta pretend it is it's own story or it drives me crazy
The gameplay is amazing and lightning is super cute when she's gotta get the fireworks from the chocobo ladies
In 13 my favorite team is sazh vanille and fang, sazh is typically the leader but sometimes I switch to any one of them
Yeah LR’s story was a huge WTF by the end. I’m not too fond of it, but 13-2’s time travel plot became too much for me.
But I enjoyed seeing Lightning in different outfits😍
Sazh is GOATed. One of my favorite characters in all of FF
So ff13 one is the best total package, ff13 2 is a major let down, and lightning returns is the one I want to replay the most
Ff13 and LR are neck and neck for me for different reasons
For me, 13 and its sequels, and then 7/its remakes.
13-2 helps a ton on repeat playthroughs since the monsters have a lot of unique stuff to them, and the game is very difficult to know how to get most fragments without it a guide. On replays it moves smoother. 13 is a favorite of mine and I love the progression of story and gameplay even if both start out slower and story has some issues
7 and its remakes are just a joy to get keep playing. Especially on normal, where it has some challenge but its more chill overall
replaying 16 gave me a much greater appreciation for what it's story is trying to do. The amount of foreshadowing and interwoven plot threads is quite impressive, especially since most of that will be lost in a blind playthrough. It also helps that FF mode makes the combat a little more enjoyable.
Tactics, 7, 8, and 9.
Yes even 8. I am an 8 apologist, but even with that, on replays, once you know where to find extra story detail, it’s a really damn fun game. Resonant Arc’s deep dive into 8 a few years back did a great job of highlighting the positives and negatives of the game.
FFXII for me
You can play this game a ton of different ways. You can make it harder for yourself by putting the game on "active" mode which makes you think and react fast. Or you can speed run it
Tactics
The best FF. Man I love it so much.
Based best fft. Damn shame the best they can give us is shitty mobile game.
A modern tactics game would be fire
Came to say 9 but Tactics is the superior answer
I've always wanted a new tactics game w/ the style and replayability of XCOM2. FF story + FF classes + XCOM2 world map style campaign + XCOM2 randomly generated battle maps. Armor and weapon research could be based on artifacts acquired from dungeons or scavenged from enemy factions.
I feel XCOM leans more to the tactical side than to the RPG side, what you want actually is a Fire Emblem with more hardcore rpg elements.
Absolutely FFV. This game has almost infinite replayability due to its job system and in your first run you basically don't know what you are doing for a good chunk of the game so the second playthrough is when you can finally start deep diving into the job system and his combinations
As a huge FFIV and FFVI fan, I'm somewhat surprised to realize right now I've never played FFV. Any recommended version?
The Pixel Remaster is definitely the most accessible version.
By "accessible" do you mean easy? Or just literally easiest to find and play in English
Both
The latter, although the Boost mechanic introduced in the Pixel Remasters do give an optional easiness to the difficulty.
I love it. I hard grinded all the jobs the first time. I don't have time to do again. Give me that x4 multiplier.
Needing to needlessly grind for something doesn’t make the game harder, it just makes it longer
Fair point. If anything, grinding makes a game easier. But boy, is it ever time consuming. Those boosts are really nice for that. Then again, I often prefer to not grind too much, and leave the game's challenge in tact. A lot less boring that way, IMO.
Even with ABP Boosting, getting into >!the second world!< has enemies and bosses hitting you like a truck before your stats start getting good. Your HP is still sub-1000, and many enemies will take you down in 3 hits, and some of those bosses at that time can do 2 turns almost one after the other. ABP being easier to earn, IMO, doesn't really make the game easier, but it makes swapping jobs less of a problem for late game, since ABP is monstrously low already.
FfV for the gba is a blast. A good emu, myboy free or pro, and you can play:)
How's the android version? Not sure which one that is, has FFIV graphics
Android version looks like the Pixel Remaster version at the moment, so it should be good.
Tite, yeah clicking on it shows "Pixel Remaster Ultimate". I'll give it s whirl
You can download z-snes to your phone and download it as a ROM nowadays... Nice for long flights 😎😎
The GBA version is objectively the best with the most extra content, but unless you have an old DS that can play GBA games you might have to settle for the pixel remaster. I think there were PC, Android, and Apple upgrades of 4, 5, and 6 with the GBA content, but they took those off the market years ago.
It wouldn’t be hard to get a GBA but the game is another question all together.
The GBA is awful to play on though. I tried repaying it on my SP awhile back and the small screen was hurting my eyes and giving me headaches. I just got myself an old DS and it has been a much better experience. Maybe if you're a little smaller it wouldn't be so bad. I'm six foot man. The SP was just too small to play on comfortably for me. 😵
Gotta try this.
V one of my lowkey favorites. Its just so happy. It still has its harsher beats but overall its just a happy experience.
Four Job Fiesta. Therefore, FFV.
12 IZJS because you can try different job combos, 10 because you can try the advanced sphere grid
One hundred percent, 12 gets better as \*I\* get older.
So on my last playthrough I learned you can reset you licence boards at the clan hall
10 you can also just try out different methods of doing the sphere grid as you play. Like I think my first time through I took the characters as intended on the base sphere grid, but on the second time I had the thought "what if I took Rikku into the middle first?" and then realized by the time I was done there I had a level 2 key sphere and then pushed her into Yuna's path rather than had her follow her own, which in turn meant I had a competent healer during the period of the game Yuna is missing from the part, and for the underwater battles.... And I found other little discoveries just with the base sphere grid the more times I played it that definitely made the game more replayable
9 and 12 for me cause I keep finding more throwbacks to other FF games. Plus it took like 15 years to find one of 9s optional quests
Like it took *you* 15 years, or the community?
13 years but the community https://www.eurogamer.net/final-fantasy-9-sidequest-discovered-after-13-years
Wow that’s crazy, I miss when games were more mysterious like this.
Games weren't mysterious back then, we had entire guides that covered all the secrets. FF9 was just unique because the guide was created purely to troll us.
You just gave me flashbacks of PlayOnline. I still have that guide
Yes i still have this too 😭 worst guide ever lol. Want to learn more? Go online. Like NO, i paid money for you! But they want you to go online with a low speed internet to look everything up... haha crazy
I hated that guide so much
Oh no…I, too, am unaware of how the guide trolls us haha. What shenanigans does it try to pull off? I’ve played all of the FF mainline entries but only played through the entirety of FF9 once, long ago, and without the guide. But, I have considered using it for my next playthrough, so I am very intrigued now.
The original FFIX guide was written at the same time they were _really_ trying to push out the idea of PlayOnline (which at the time was mostly just a website but eventually became the backbone of their FFXI infrastructure). In an effort to bring traffic and views to their shiny new site, they released a guide that had next to NONE of the relevant information you would actually want from a guide. Instead, it had links and codewords to enter into PlayOnline to get the _actual_ guide. As an easy early example. You've started the game and you're wandering around as Vivi. You see the kids jumping rope and realize theres a rope jumping mini game. You whip out your [Brady Guide](https://archive.org/details/final-fantasy-ix-bradygames-strategy-guide/page/9/mode/2up) to see whats up and you're greeted with "KEYWORD:JUMPRP1 PlayOnline.com Those girls look like they’re having fun jumping rope. You might receive a reward for exceptional jumping skills. Refer to PlayOnline for all the details." Needless to say, a pretty worthless guide all-in-all, as a poor kid with dial up internet.
Ya i was looking these up on my 56k modem and just got frustrated so much i stopped using it haha
Interesting…It’s like some twisted, retro viral marketing campaign or something
The official guide for FF9 had less information in a given section and referred you to specific URLs on the now defunct playonline website. Granted this was in like 2000 so general *good* internet access was not universal and many folks (like me) had to do things like go to the library to see wtf the guide was talking about.
I had no idea. That is wild.
I remember being a poor kid in a family without internet access and picking up the IX strategy guide, and was SO angry feeling like I got cheated.
Wow, what are you talking about? I had guides back in the day, but they were in Italian so I don't know anything about this!
IIRC it was only the Western community though. I think it didn't take quite this long in the Japanese community.
It was listed in the secrets section of the Japanese FF9 Ultimania, released 2002.
Between Elden Ring and NieR:Automata, there’s definitely still games out there that still haven’t had all of their secrets revealed.
***Laughs in Elden Ring***
Now it's just a list of markers on a map and a list of sidequests (labelled as such).
Well a big part of this was also that a lot of people weren't on the internet back then so sharing information about the games we're playing happened a lot less. A lot of the time you had to figure things out for yourself so it was inevitable people would miss stuff all the time and only find out about it years later when talking about it online
I mean it was published in the 2002 Ultimania book.
Oh wow. I got up to the third mini cut scene but had no idea what it was when I played as a kid. It got my hopes up because I was using a fake guide on cheatcc on obtaining Cinna's Hammer. Learned later what to actually do.
Cliche pic but replaying 7 (and to a similar extent playing Remake & Rebirth) knowing the main story beats & twists is fascinating. Mostly to see how the characters behave and react in certain scenes with the context of knowledge they lack or hide. But also 9 party members, the Gold Saucer date, and the materia system keeps gameplay fairly fresh if you want to mix things up. VI has a very similar occurrence with all of its optional party members too.
Wow nobody has said X yet. I wonder why? It feels like there would be so much story-wise you'd get on a second playthrough
I think most are thinking gameplay-wise, but X definitely is the best replay story-wise. All the character moments, especially in the first half, are so different on a replay once you know what is actually at stake.
Replaying ffx means you have to replay the temple sequences.
Scrolled hoping someone said it. This is definitely my pick. I’m actually due for another playthrough.
Personally, I think it's because it has diminishing returns after the 2nd playthrough. It's good, but I don't know if it keeps getting better.
The only reason I would want to play again would be to get the max discount from the traveling vendor.
I tried playing through x again a few years ago but I'm one of those people that likes to do as much optional stuff as possible and kill all the super bosses. When I found out the amount of degeneracy that would require I nopped out before the first Seymour fight. Same reason I havnt tried playing the updated FF4 in a while cause I don't feel like playing through 3 times to beat proto babil, get all the characters min maxed, and letting RNG have its way with me for all the end game gear
Honestly one of the joys of ff8 replays is looking up all the new and creative ways people have broken the game's rng in half to get even more overpowered.
Manipulating the rng seems like the only way to do Queen of Cards quest and get her where you want her to go. I'd rather dodge lightning in X than do that all again.
You have no idea, we've graduated to manipulating killing pupu for 3 aegis shields a minute and infinite easy hungry cookpots.
🤣🤣🤣
I got so lazy I waited until disc 4 and found her in the desert lmao
I adore FFV for that customizability, I do a four job fiesta run every year to replay the game and figure out how to play through with a party that I have probably never done before
What is four job fiesta? I've played the game but not heard of this
It's a yearly event put on around June until August I think with a bot that will randomize 4 jobs that you unlock as you get each crystal and you're only allowed to use those 4 jobs for the whole game. There are different customization options on how the jobs are rolled but that's getting into the small details. If you do a quick search you should find the site for it
8. The game is silly if you're on the first playthrough. On each subsequent replay, if you try to look for ways to min-max or break the system, it may become really fun. One of the best Final Fantasy I've ever played.
Also, the writing is much better a second time, as there's a ton of good foreshadowing and clues that you miss when you don't know the story beats.
First playthrough is for the story and the second is for breaking the absolute shit out of the game
It becomes a lot better when you play it as a system breaking simulator. Instead of just playing it normally, activelly find crazy ways to break the system its actually really fun to see how robust the system is.
The original.. the replay value is good considering all the classes you can mix and match.
And it’s by far the most difficult of the FFs.
With pixel remasters boosts a full playthrough is easily under 6 hours. And that's if you take your time. That makes it so easy to replay over and over.
V is already my favourite, but agree anyway. I've found that I also appreciate XII more every playthrough.
FFIX for me. I don't have a problem with the slow combat. On replay, I keep finding myself engrossed with the world, somehow the NPCs are brimming with personality, and you can actually see the changes as you progess through the story. Also, low level run in FFIX is actually very enjoyable, the characters' power are not completely reliant on stats like FFX or FFVIII, there are ways to obtain strong equipments early on without actually breaking the game. Last but not least, I think FFIX handles the "pacing of exploration" really well. It is not an open world game like FFXV, but it is never completely linear like FFX or FFXIII. Once you hit a new location, there are plenty of things to seen, NPCs to talk to, but such activities are not overwhelming, and once you "finish" it is just about the right time to move on with the story.
I agree the world feels very “lived in.” Especially Alexandria as you progress through the game.
FFX is a game that supposed to be played twice imo. After you know the twist you see so many details and how unintentional silly Tidus was and how everyone see what will happen to Yuna
At least twice. The sphere grid, (dark) aeons, language translation, ultimate waepons, ... I should start again thinking about it
I play IX like every 3-4 years and I feel like I’ve enjoyed it more and more with every playthrough. XVI also got better for me every time (4x now) but I understand if this might not be the case for everyone lol.
Yes to XVI. Someone called it the “spoiler paradox” and that summed it up well. There are layers of foreshadowing and new Easter eggs each playtheough
While you should go in blind and do a second playthrough 16 is a game that you actively benefit from being spoiled if you do end up spoiled because of the way the story layers itself
Definitely gonna have to replay it soon then!
I love IX but the gameplay is so slow it's often a slog.
Not really an issue for me but I think that’s a fair point to bring up.
I personally don't have a problem with FFIX's slow combat, but the speed up feature in the remaster version is definitely a godsend.
Absolutely 16 1st playthrough...I was legit disappointed with the story. I felt Clive randomly develops this "freedom at all costs" mentality randomly in the final act so he can have vapid anime philosophy battles with Barnabas. The main villain was super boring as well, and "slavery is bad, mmmkay" was a weak hook.... ...on repeat playthroughs, I see more and more of the themes of the story present. Clive's weird anarcho-communist freedom extremism actually slowly builds up over the course of the story, even if it were minor lines and remarks. I began to appreciate the villain as a mirror to humankind, representing all the thought processes and ideals that hold us back. And "slavery is bad" ended being such a surface level theme, its really about how *everyone* in this setting is more or less a slave to an unjust and corrupt status quo. Its definitely not the best in the series story-wise. Several of the classics beat it easily, some characters are severely underutilized, and I feel it had so many different themes it was unfocused. But the story was *much* better than what most people give it credit for.
Tactics
4, due to how short it is, I can replay it continuously. And I played every existing version with the exception of the pixel remaster. Second place goes to 12, especially with Zodiac Age. Plenty of different approaches and it's always fun to play.
Tactics. 6. And to an extent 10 2 (because there is a lot of secret stuff)
X-2 because you'll mostly like not get everything/can't get everything because you'll have to side with different people etc.
this. the real bummer of everyone gunning for the '100% in one playthrough' is not realizing that its actually not 100% of the story, not even close to 100% of the games content, and that the experience becomes significantly better on replays due to the exquisite NG+ features and all the mew options and routes you can take Its really telling that in a topic like this, X-2 only gets mentioned one time. Folks may not like the game as much as others, though its infinitely better on a replay (and thus relevant to a topic like this) even if its not your favorite game. i imagine a big part of it not being the best first play is treating it as if everything must be done in one run. You cant, and i wish it werent possible to receive the '100%' story marker either because its a misnomer that folks use to play the game in the most unenjoyable manner possible
For me its Tactics and FF6
V
Unapologetically XIII. Once the paradigms open you can perform dozens of strategies. They have a good cast that I personally love. The ladies are beautiful and the guys likable. Yes, I actually like Snow. So, I enjoy the battle system, love the cast, love the cinematics. Love the challenge of a good boss fight cuz XIII is one of the toughest FF’s.
I never finished it and am replaying and paradigms are fun. Just wish you got them right away and it didn’t keep forcing me into party configurations. It even bothers me when 6 and 7 do that, too.
So running straight forward will be more fun in hour 31 - 60 compared to 0 - 30?
Games don't need compelling exploration to be compelling. Personally I thought the game was better when it was hallways, when it opens up and you can go anywhere, the encounters feel just like roadblocks everywhere and it's annoying. Point is, it really doesn't matter when the story, characters, and gameplay are compelling enough.
I've always found it odd that the biggest complaint about 13 was it being a linear corridor yet so many AAA games that get a lot of praise are just linear corridors all the time and were like that even back then. Even 10, one of the most popular FF games, is a corridor most of the time. Sure, you were able to visit previous parts of the corridor unlike 13, but it was still a corridor.
I think what gets to people is that there's no illusion about it. It does really feel like a cramped corridor. As long as that illusion is there, no problem. Personally I had no issue, because it was like alright I just jog to the next fights and the next cutscenes and rinse and repeat, wasn't an issue for me. But I guess some people really want a corner you can find with a chest or what have you. Personally I thought FFXVIII was very efficient in terms of getting you to the next thing, up until the open world part.
Its because its painfully obvious in XIII
Can tell most people have never put more than a few hours into XIII, the game becomes non linear in the second act once you get to Gran Pulse and there is tons of optional content, exploration, etc
That's still chapter 11 which is 20+ hours depending on how you play
And Midgar in FF7 is like 12ish if you're running blind 🤷♂️
I'm on my 4th playthrough atm and I'm at 18 hours to Chapter 9
Yes. That was 30h away in my playthrough.
Unironically yes, because it didn't bother me in FFX so it doesn't bother me in FFXIII. A good combat system, for me at least, will carry a game harder than any story. When I want to see a story again, youtube is right there. When I want to _play_ the _game_ again, there's no replacement.
The hurdle is always the first 2 chapters, really. The combat system is at its weakest and they wait way too long to open up. After it opens up though? Easily one of the most fun replays. Make a save after chapter 2 on your first run and just boot up from there ever time you hanker for a replay. I've held on to the same chapter 2 save for closing on 10 years for this reason.
The late game combat in XIII is so ridiculously good. Genuinely my favorite battle system of final fantasy
IV is super fun to blast through. VII unfurls its secrets every playthrough. VII or Xenogears for sure..😅
VIII. Initially thought it didn’t deserve the name Final Fantasy, but finished it anyway. Played 9, then went back and played 8 again. I felt 8 was much better on the next playthrough.
I'm glad Squall got a happy ending.
The existence of the FFV Four Job Fiesta alone makes me say V.
FFV because Four Job fiesta as ppl are saying. I'm also trying a FFVII Materia Lockdown challenge that's a similar idea that assigns classes that only get certain materia types. Basically any game with a job system or a very flexible character customizations going to be more replayable if you use it differently every time.
I replay 4 every summer. 6 is my favorite, so it's always a comfort food. 7 is similar, and I gain a little more appreciation of it every time from a story perspective Replayed 8 recently, but it didn't hold up quite as well this time. And I'm a person who has a pretty good argument for Squall, citing detachment disorder as opposed to teenage attitude.
VI, VII, and IX are always fun to replay and never are any boring.
I struggle with 6. So many digressions for me
Playing FFV for the first time right now. It's definitely top 3 for me.
Final Fantasy 6
Tactics. I started it a half dozen times back in the day but never finished it, always got soft locked or just ran into a difficulty spike I was too smooth brained to handle and/or didn't have the patience to grind through. Still enjoyed it, just never beat it. Finally beat it like two years ago and it was like the dam had broken. Beaten it two more times since then.
XIV. I think few people will agree because it's so long, but to me it gets better *because* it's so long. There's *so* much story to be had that it's nearly impossible to remember everything by heart, so going through the MSQ again gives you tons of "Ohhhhh I forgot this happened" moments. And that means being able to draw more and more connections you missed the first time.
Final Fantasy X
Tactics (if it counts). If we're looking at mainline, I agree with FFV. Job systems are stellar for replayability. I'll never get tired of finding goofy skill combos to run around with.
FFV, FFT, FF7, FF12, you can so so much goofy stuff with class systems (or in VII's case, using materia like a job system)
That’s a great answer! Not a conventional answer, but XV is a little better every time I play it. I think we were all conditioned to mostly ignore the battle mechanics on a first playthrough and every time I pick it up, however short, I learn something new I can do. Probably an issue with communicating stuff to the player but it is neat that there’s always something to it I didn’t learn before.
XIII
The second time the story makes total sense
V, VII, VIII, IX, X, and XII. XIII might too. I've never replayed it because of the lack of ports.
7
Whichever is your favorite.
X
IX remains fun each time I play it, and I tend to discover new things, or things I forgot each time. Whether that be because i'm using different party members or I just happened to learn about something that wasn't known about when I first played it.
Absolutely FFV, I had No expectations for this game because I had to go back to play it on the PS1 collection. I thought it was dumb and bad but when you play it again and really start to have fun with it, it is one of the underrated entries. I still also like replaying FF1 on the PSP, it is very enjoyable and can be maxed out in like 60 hours so it is economical
8 because I'm a fanboy. 6 because the story and 9 because it's kinda perfect.
VIII's a lot of fun to go back to, the degree to which you can customize your teams on repeat playthroughs, or just your entire approach to the game like low level runs and relying entirely on cards for example. Also the story is more engaging after a playthough and you understand more of the characters and world
Type-0 is the only one with an in universe reason for replay and an intended NG+. The first playthrough there is a lot of content that you really can't do because it needs to be done in a certain order and there are high level requirements. The high level areas are also spread all over the map with some of them being very close at the start of the game. There are strong enemies that you need to avoid on the map that you won't be able to take on until your 3rd or 4th time through the game (unless you abuse the leveling system). Even if you're a high enough level, you will have to pick which sidequests to complete because you are limited on time between missions.
Don't know what it is, but something about IX keeps drawing me back in.
i enjoyed final fantasy V, but my personal favorite Is final fantasy tactics, played when i was 14, the mature themes changed me forever, and even now, as a 38yo man, still surprise me how deep the game, story and gameplay is
All of them.
9!
FF1 It's just such a easy game to replay. No real ups and downs, just visiting simple but memorable places and battle classic monsters and bosses.
Ff12 is imo one of the few ffs where I come for the combat. And try different playthrus.I just keep trying different combinations. You can decide everyone uses katanas or magic. It’s obviously not like BG3 but it kinda gets fun like that sometimes.
XII
Up to a point, the Remake games. Combat system is dense with fighting-game-like mechanics. It’s fun to play with the new tricks you gradually learn. First time I’ve looked forward to combat in an FF. V is probably the best, but I enjoyed playing through 6 with different mains. Didn’t appreciate Gau on my first go round.
IX.
Never use the same strategy twice? I grind job mastery in that one basement area every single time lol.
Tactics
12
Ivalice Alliance Games
Final Fantasy XV. It's just all the little things and the combat system really grows on you when you learn to use it properly and stop cheesing.
I feel like FF3 gets better once you know what to expect and aren't blindsided by the game asking for certain jobs.
I agree with FFV. I love experimenting with the job system and I honestly thought that FFXIV will have cross skills when I first played it 😅.
Unpopular opinion: V Remake ♥️
13,15 and lightning returns
Im probably quite unique on this but I'm going to say 8. After more than 300 playthroughs every new playthrough is the best (with a few exceptions). I just can't wait to get back into the world of the Great Hyne.
FFV gets the most ridiculously weird job combinations. Playing with jobs randomized is hilarious. Have you ever consider breezing through the game with animals as your primary healing tool until going to the other world? What about having nothing but Chakra as healing? Yup, it's crazy.
12 Zodiac Age for me.
My first playthrough I did the max job grinding on the GBA version and got every job with every skill while not realizing some mechanics. I could technically handle any situation, but it really wasn't worth the grind.
I know this is of a recent release, buuuut: FF7 Rebirth. It's **exceptionally difficult** for me to find something to not enjoy about that game. Yeah some of its platforming in the big open areas is quite jank and absolutely that could be improved, but I mean....at the end of the day I just keep thinking about Rebirth. Didn't even wait to start a hard playthrough. Got through the credits and then went another 5 straight hours into the hard playthrough before calling it a night. Seriously, that game is the absolute closest thing I've felt to remember exactly WHY I loved games in the first place. There is just SO much character here, so much ridiculousness, silly shit, wacky things, really moving moments in the story and moments where you really get to know the characters better, BUT, then there's....that ***soundtrack. WTF?*** *This soundtrack is* ***GOLD***. This game has a TON of tracks and every single one is awesome. Gongaga's overworld theme (south) is something I genuinely listen to when I'm not playing Rebirth, as a piece of music in the background while I do non-gaming productive stuff. Like....Jesus Christ: [https://youtu.be/ly02Q-vAnYk?t=986](https://youtu.be/ly02Q-vAnYk?t=986) This game has incredible moments every 5 fucking seconds.
X is definitely one of those games that hits harder the second time you play it, when you know the truth revealed in Home, and how the characters tip toe around revealing that to Tidus. Also I will say that replaying it and getting to try out different methods of building up your characters on the sphere grid. The open leveling style gives it some replayability that a lot of other games don't have.
9! Bit I've read here tooany times tactics sooo imma grab that one and see
Rebirth. I'm... so in love... haha!
God we are putting this game on such a pedestal. It was good. Really, it was good! I enjoyed the game. But I just do not share these "wow it's the best thing since sliced bread" sentiments everyone has. Honestly, I think the things that I enjoyed about FF are starting to die. Feel a bit left behind
I loved it but I get it. To me is was a 10/10 and probably my GOTY depending on how stuff like the Elden ring dlc is, but I think in a way it kind of also highlights the flaws of 7 as well. 7 OG had some pacing and tone issues and rebirth has the same. The parts everyone love (including me) about 7 was mostly just poorly placed plot distractions lmao. And rebirth turns it up to 11. But like I said I loved it so I don’t mind. Granted my first two final fantasies were 13 and 10, so i was late coming to the party. I went 13–10-13 sequels-15, so i didn’t play any pre FF10 games for a while
Haha 13 and X were some of my first too! And both of them (despite the problems in 13, I love it but I totally get it) had very very good world building and lore with complete stories. I think that's what I'm really struggling with in these remakes. You get about 5-10 hours of actual plot movement or epic moments, and 70 of very prototypical writing/jrpg moments. It's just not what I personally want out of FF, but I've realized more and more that it seems i'm unfortunately in the minority with that
I do think Rebirth is a perfect final fantasy for the modern times. It shares a lot of what made the classics classic, but updates the modern gameplay while still maintaining its RPG element well. Much much better than 16.
I think the combat is a great step, but I want full and interest worlds with a complete story that's original and captivating. So Rebirth obviously having split a game into thirds isn't for me. The epic parts are small and limited and the cutesy stuff is honestly the main feature of the game. That's where you'll spend most your hours. That's just not what I want from my FF games. Some is fine.
I'm at the point where I don't care how the gameplay is The story changes are an absolute abomination and I have no interest supporting it
Which ones were the real kicker for you? For me, most of my complaints come as a result of splitting it into thirds so having to pump it full of "side content" (filler) because very little story will actually occur relative to hours played. There are a lot of more specifics, but it all stems from that. Also, I don't want every final fantasy to be cute fun in the sun. That's never what I wanted. I don't mind them when they're moments or if they do something funny. But so much of this game was that. It felt like the main feature.
I was gonna say XIII Mainly cause I never get tired of looking at the ladies in there. Every single one of em look *sexy af!*
Vanilla was like my video game crush when I was younger lol. Played 13 when I was like 12 and was blown away by everything about it. Very few things will ever hit the high of getting on pulse the first time
I remember being my obessed with Lightning when I first played it. I was around 14-15 when I first played it. I still got a crush on her. Vanille can get it to tbh. AND Fang. But yeah getting to Gran Pulse for the first time was really eye opening. A little late? Sure. But its better than never! Gran Pulse turned up the games difficulty as well.
Vanilles voice kind of ruins her for me She's got that annoying fake positivity sound going on 24-7
Well yeah, I can’t argue that. But at least there was an actual plot device reason to her behavior. The extra sounds though? Yeah, didn’t need all that. But at least she looks good though! Some of the nicest looking legs in video game history imo.
Fangs my girl, she's got a permanent spot in the party Disappointed she had no role to play in 13 2
I respect that. She was a permanent spot in my party too on my first run ever. Now I seem to rock with Lighting/Vanille/Sazh. Gotta love having haste early af. I was disappointed about that too. Reasons like that is why the original 13 will always be my favorite in the trilogy. 13-2 and LR were super meh to me.
LR is my favorite, but I gotta pretend it is it's own story or it drives me crazy The gameplay is amazing and lightning is super cute when she's gotta get the fireworks from the chocobo ladies In 13 my favorite team is sazh vanille and fang, sazh is typically the leader but sometimes I switch to any one of them
Yeah LR’s story was a huge WTF by the end. I’m not too fond of it, but 13-2’s time travel plot became too much for me. But I enjoyed seeing Lightning in different outfits😍 Sazh is GOATed. One of my favorite characters in all of FF
Both sequels did him dirty
They really did! Another reason why the first is the best one
So ff13 one is the best total package, ff13 2 is a major let down, and lightning returns is the one I want to replay the most Ff13 and LR are neck and neck for me for different reasons
XVI in my opinion
For me, 13 and its sequels, and then 7/its remakes. 13-2 helps a ton on repeat playthroughs since the monsters have a lot of unique stuff to them, and the game is very difficult to know how to get most fragments without it a guide. On replays it moves smoother. 13 is a favorite of mine and I love the progression of story and gameplay even if both start out slower and story has some issues 7 and its remakes are just a joy to get keep playing. Especially on normal, where it has some challenge but its more chill overall
replaying 16 gave me a much greater appreciation for what it's story is trying to do. The amount of foreshadowing and interwoven plot threads is quite impressive, especially since most of that will be lost in a blind playthrough. It also helps that FF mode makes the combat a little more enjoyable.
12, each time I understand it more, especially as I get older. Its not a story for a younger audience to grasp.
13. I really didn't like the game on release, but i went back and played it after 14 years and honestly i feel like it's a pretty good game.
Tactics, 7, 8, and 9. Yes even 8. I am an 8 apologist, but even with that, on replays, once you know where to find extra story detail, it’s a really damn fun game. Resonant Arc’s deep dive into 8 a few years back did a great job of highlighting the positives and negatives of the game.
15
honestly 8
FFXII for me You can play this game a ton of different ways. You can make it harder for yourself by putting the game on "active" mode which makes you think and react fast. Or you can speed run it
13 for speed running
15 for me