<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>Well FF8 I kind of cheated on since I have actually been playing it since I started on Final Fantasy 5 for SNES earlier.
Final Fantasy 1 on NES, generally this game has no plot to it. Yet the thrill of this game comes from the adventuring. The dungeons and such are fairly well done for a game of this time period. There are a lot of very hard challenges ahead. The most annoying thing is the status effects magic. Leveling up isn't much of a problem if you know what you're doing. Final Fantasy 9 plays a nice tribute to this game by ressurecting old villains, Garland, Lich, Kary, Kraken, and Tiamat, they look the same and generally play the same part in that game (in fact there is a lot of hinting towards the plot of Final Fantasy I, following FF9's plot, the plot holes in FF1 are filled)
Final Fantasy 2j on NES, this game is absolutely horrible, the game was the first Final Fantasy to really have a story to it (since 1 didn't have much) but it was very poorly done. The battles in this game are very boring, and you generally don't feel much of a connection to your characters throughout the game. In fact the only thing about this game that can be considered good is its plot. The only reason why I consider it good is because the first one nearly lacked a plot completely. Yet this game just isn't fun. I guess I should mention that leveling up seams like it is 90% of the game (maybe it is). The system is similar to Final Fantasy Legend, only the game is not nearly as well done as Final Fantasy Legend. This game also saw very little cosmetic change from the first, all in all, unpolished and untested seam to be my final thoughts. This game is simply not at all enjoyable, possibly the worst RPG I have ever played.
Final Fantasy 3j on NES, Of all the NES Final Fantasy's I felt this one was the greatest. Again you received the ability to build your own characters, only this time a real job system is introduced. The gameplay is much more polished than the previous two Final Fantasy's (Final Fantasy 2 was a huge step down from 1), and the graphics are also improved. The one thing that I find interesting in this game is that it introduces much of what has become famous in later Final Fantasy's (the summon monsters that become the Espers in Final Fantasy III/6j on SNES for example. There are about 20 different job classes I believe, you will start out as Onion Kids and work your way up from there. I felt much more attatchment to these characters than any of the previous Final Fantasy games I played. All in all, for fans of the Final Fantasy series, it is this game where nearly all of the Final Fantasy tradition begins with, it is also a great game to play on top of that, it has a much more polished feel than the previous two games.
Final Fantasy II (4j) on SNES. This game is a bit of an improvement technologically from the NES titles, yet not a huge leap from Final Fantasy 3j. Plotwise this game is more advanced than the others. Yet the fun factor of this game is very low. There are some high points in the game, I will admit that I did enjoy a part of the game where you head underground, some of it. There just isn't really a great deal to say about this game. I didn't find it to be nearly as fun as 3j, a good part of that is the gameplay mechanics, they just didn't feel right. I also lacked any attatchment with the characters, I found them to be bland and unenjoyable. Only Yang was cool at all. Battles weren't as fun as the previous games mainly because all they seamed to do was level you up until you were powerful enough to slaughter the next boss. When Final Fantasy II was released in North America, there were already better RPG's available, that was probably the main issue I had with it when I first played it. All in all, this game seams more experimental for later installments, it holds many elements that will be used in future FF games, but is fairly bland otherwise. This game is not very fun at all to go throughl.
Final Fantasy 5j, this one was a vast improvement over the last in the gameplay field. As far as the plot goes, if they changed a few names and events around this could have easily been a direct sequel to Final Fantasy 1 on NES and a nice link between Final Fantasy 1 and 9, though it is possible that that is exactly what it is in the Japanese translation. The game takes the gameplay system used from Final Fantasy 3j and improves upon it by quite a bit, for example you can use abilities from a job class you are not currently using which makes things very customizable. The plot is also quite improved from part III and very enjoyable for fans of the classics (I enjoyed it much more than part II on SNES). The fun factor of the game is also the best to date. Graphics are only slightly improved over Final Fantasy II, so it is expected that anyone would be dissapointed. The music is my favorite of any Final Fantasy game (so far, but this game ranks in my top 3 favorites for music even now).
Final Fantasy III, this game was completed much later on than the others. I believe it had by far the longest development period to date in a Final Fantasy game, and it very much shows. The graphics and music are vastly improved over the previous games (the music remains today as my favorite in the series) and are used to paint very atmospheric scenes throughout the game. There is also a lot of light hearted moments in the game which greatly added to my enjoyment. Plotwise, this game is by far the most advanced for any RPG on the market at the time of its release (aside from perhaps the Lunar games, but I did not play the original versions). The Gameplay is similar to Final Fantasy II's, only far more customizable with the use of magic. The dunegons and cities in the game are all very atmospheric, and very well done. The characters have many interactions between one and other which make things very enjoyable. All in all, this game is even to this day in my mind the most fun of all the Final Fantasy's. It was definetly a huge pleasure to play the game once again.
Final Fantasy 7, I remember when I first popped this game in. I thought, "now here is the greatest game ever released." The beginning seamed very polished and well done, very atmospheric. Yet once out int the world, things seamed to fall apart, it just lacked the atmospheric feel that the previous Final Fantasy had. A large part of why Final Fantasy fans didn't take well to this game is because they already had a game that was far more enjoyable available to them. All in all, the music is well done, but not very memorable like 5j and 6j. The characters just weren't very enjoyable. This last time I played the game I felt about half as interested in the game as I did when I played through the first time. Though yesterday afternoon was actually the first time I had ever finished the game myself. Plotwise, there is a lot of dialogue, but 90% of it seams quite pointless. I guess the feeling I get from this game is that I was doing things which I didn't really want to be doing, or didn't care for. The fun factor was quite low for me, I just couldn't appreciate anything from this game. All in all, this game drags on a lot, and never seams to get to the point leaving the player unsatisfied.
Final Fantasy 8, Now, this is one game that the first time I played through I disliked as much as I did Final Fantasy 7. Yet it was not related to the characters or the plot, it was the gameplay. I just simply didn't understand it because I hadn't researched it. Gameplaywise, this game is by far the most complex of Final Fantasy's, there are many different ways to do things, and it will definetly take research to understand how to do them. For example, this time around I understood the gameplay mechanics completely, I did a lot of research on them first of all. The game is actually very well paced if you know what you're doing. Characterwise, this game is the best in the series, the interactions and development far surpasses anything yet seen (even today) in a game by Square. I will use as an example, Laguna and his interactions between the characters of Julia and Raine, at first glance you may see this as just touching moments; but when paying attention to the plot as whole it is seen that these are all very significant encounters and weaves very much into the development of the plot. I will admit that I didn't pay very close attention to the plot at all my first time through, I payed attention to the events rather than interactions and everything; this time I am enjoying it very much, taking in everything. The plot overall (including character's and everything in it) is vastly improved over Final Fantasy 7. Graphically, this game is quite beautiful, in quality it is slightly better than Final Fantasy 7. Music, now this is a major point in the game, "Julia's theme" is perhaps the single most moving song in any videogame ever made, it also plays an important role in the plot and has significant sentimental meaning to several of the characters; my favorite song in a videogame. The battle themes are among the greatest in any RPG, and all in all, it is masterfully done. Fun factor, this game is enourmously fun (this coming from a guy who once hated the game because he played it to get through it rather than to explore and enjoy it). I haven't finished the game yet, in fact, I have never finished it. I don't even know what the ending is about, but I can't wait to see it. This game might turn out to be my favorite in the series if the ending satisfies all that has built up (as you can tell, I am already largely satisfied with much of that which has happen).
If anyone else is interested in playing through Final Fantasy 8, there are a number of things you MUST know. I will compile a list of everything that is important. I will also note that there is a very large amount of information included in Tutorial modes and in the classroom of the Balamb Garden (where you begin the game) that will probably explain most or all of what you need to know to get through the game correctly. If you ignore advice to get through, you will likely have a lot of trouble getting through the game, and possibly even fail (as I did my first time playing, and as I know a lot of people here at the shrine did as well). I will probably write a review for this game as I expect that it will be my favorite of all the Final Fantasy games (unless 10 proves to be far better than I expect). I will also write my thoughts on 9 and 10 along with final thoughts on 8 (unless my review satisisfies those) when I have finished them all. On another subject, I'll also have a review up of Metroid Prime eventually (probably after I have the 100% ending) since I am in love with this game.</div>
Final Fantasy 1 on NES, generally this game has no plot to it. Yet the thrill of this game comes from the adventuring. The dungeons and such are fairly well done for a game of this time period. There are a lot of very hard challenges ahead. The most annoying thing is the status effects magic. Leveling up isn't much of a problem if you know what you're doing. Final Fantasy 9 plays a nice tribute to this game by ressurecting old villains, Garland, Lich, Kary, Kraken, and Tiamat, they look the same and generally play the same part in that game (in fact there is a lot of hinting towards the plot of Final Fantasy I, following FF9's plot, the plot holes in FF1 are filled)
Final Fantasy 2j on NES, this game is absolutely horrible, the game was the first Final Fantasy to really have a story to it (since 1 didn't have much) but it was very poorly done. The battles in this game are very boring, and you generally don't feel much of a connection to your characters throughout the game. In fact the only thing about this game that can be considered good is its plot. The only reason why I consider it good is because the first one nearly lacked a plot completely. Yet this game just isn't fun. I guess I should mention that leveling up seams like it is 90% of the game (maybe it is). The system is similar to Final Fantasy Legend, only the game is not nearly as well done as Final Fantasy Legend. This game also saw very little cosmetic change from the first, all in all, unpolished and untested seam to be my final thoughts. This game is simply not at all enjoyable, possibly the worst RPG I have ever played.
Final Fantasy 3j on NES, Of all the NES Final Fantasy's I felt this one was the greatest. Again you received the ability to build your own characters, only this time a real job system is introduced. The gameplay is much more polished than the previous two Final Fantasy's (Final Fantasy 2 was a huge step down from 1), and the graphics are also improved. The one thing that I find interesting in this game is that it introduces much of what has become famous in later Final Fantasy's (the summon monsters that become the Espers in Final Fantasy III/6j on SNES for example. There are about 20 different job classes I believe, you will start out as Onion Kids and work your way up from there. I felt much more attatchment to these characters than any of the previous Final Fantasy games I played. All in all, for fans of the Final Fantasy series, it is this game where nearly all of the Final Fantasy tradition begins with, it is also a great game to play on top of that, it has a much more polished feel than the previous two games.
Final Fantasy II (4j) on SNES. This game is a bit of an improvement technologically from the NES titles, yet not a huge leap from Final Fantasy 3j. Plotwise this game is more advanced than the others. Yet the fun factor of this game is very low. There are some high points in the game, I will admit that I did enjoy a part of the game where you head underground, some of it. There just isn't really a great deal to say about this game. I didn't find it to be nearly as fun as 3j, a good part of that is the gameplay mechanics, they just didn't feel right. I also lacked any attatchment with the characters, I found them to be bland and unenjoyable. Only Yang was cool at all. Battles weren't as fun as the previous games mainly because all they seamed to do was level you up until you were powerful enough to slaughter the next boss. When Final Fantasy II was released in North America, there were already better RPG's available, that was probably the main issue I had with it when I first played it. All in all, this game seams more experimental for later installments, it holds many elements that will be used in future FF games, but is fairly bland otherwise. This game is not very fun at all to go throughl.
Final Fantasy 5j, this one was a vast improvement over the last in the gameplay field. As far as the plot goes, if they changed a few names and events around this could have easily been a direct sequel to Final Fantasy 1 on NES and a nice link between Final Fantasy 1 and 9, though it is possible that that is exactly what it is in the Japanese translation. The game takes the gameplay system used from Final Fantasy 3j and improves upon it by quite a bit, for example you can use abilities from a job class you are not currently using which makes things very customizable. The plot is also quite improved from part III and very enjoyable for fans of the classics (I enjoyed it much more than part II on SNES). The fun factor of the game is also the best to date. Graphics are only slightly improved over Final Fantasy II, so it is expected that anyone would be dissapointed. The music is my favorite of any Final Fantasy game (so far, but this game ranks in my top 3 favorites for music even now).
Final Fantasy III, this game was completed much later on than the others. I believe it had by far the longest development period to date in a Final Fantasy game, and it very much shows. The graphics and music are vastly improved over the previous games (the music remains today as my favorite in the series) and are used to paint very atmospheric scenes throughout the game. There is also a lot of light hearted moments in the game which greatly added to my enjoyment. Plotwise, this game is by far the most advanced for any RPG on the market at the time of its release (aside from perhaps the Lunar games, but I did not play the original versions). The Gameplay is similar to Final Fantasy II's, only far more customizable with the use of magic. The dunegons and cities in the game are all very atmospheric, and very well done. The characters have many interactions between one and other which make things very enjoyable. All in all, this game is even to this day in my mind the most fun of all the Final Fantasy's. It was definetly a huge pleasure to play the game once again.
Final Fantasy 7, I remember when I first popped this game in. I thought, "now here is the greatest game ever released." The beginning seamed very polished and well done, very atmospheric. Yet once out int the world, things seamed to fall apart, it just lacked the atmospheric feel that the previous Final Fantasy had. A large part of why Final Fantasy fans didn't take well to this game is because they already had a game that was far more enjoyable available to them. All in all, the music is well done, but not very memorable like 5j and 6j. The characters just weren't very enjoyable. This last time I played the game I felt about half as interested in the game as I did when I played through the first time. Though yesterday afternoon was actually the first time I had ever finished the game myself. Plotwise, there is a lot of dialogue, but 90% of it seams quite pointless. I guess the feeling I get from this game is that I was doing things which I didn't really want to be doing, or didn't care for. The fun factor was quite low for me, I just couldn't appreciate anything from this game. All in all, this game drags on a lot, and never seams to get to the point leaving the player unsatisfied.
Final Fantasy 8, Now, this is one game that the first time I played through I disliked as much as I did Final Fantasy 7. Yet it was not related to the characters or the plot, it was the gameplay. I just simply didn't understand it because I hadn't researched it. Gameplaywise, this game is by far the most complex of Final Fantasy's, there are many different ways to do things, and it will definetly take research to understand how to do them. For example, this time around I understood the gameplay mechanics completely, I did a lot of research on them first of all. The game is actually very well paced if you know what you're doing. Characterwise, this game is the best in the series, the interactions and development far surpasses anything yet seen (even today) in a game by Square. I will use as an example, Laguna and his interactions between the characters of Julia and Raine, at first glance you may see this as just touching moments; but when paying attention to the plot as whole it is seen that these are all very significant encounters and weaves very much into the development of the plot. I will admit that I didn't pay very close attention to the plot at all my first time through, I payed attention to the events rather than interactions and everything; this time I am enjoying it very much, taking in everything. The plot overall (including character's and everything in it) is vastly improved over Final Fantasy 7. Graphically, this game is quite beautiful, in quality it is slightly better than Final Fantasy 7. Music, now this is a major point in the game, "Julia's theme" is perhaps the single most moving song in any videogame ever made, it also plays an important role in the plot and has significant sentimental meaning to several of the characters; my favorite song in a videogame. The battle themes are among the greatest in any RPG, and all in all, it is masterfully done. Fun factor, this game is enourmously fun (this coming from a guy who once hated the game because he played it to get through it rather than to explore and enjoy it). I haven't finished the game yet, in fact, I have never finished it. I don't even know what the ending is about, but I can't wait to see it. This game might turn out to be my favorite in the series if the ending satisfies all that has built up (as you can tell, I am already largely satisfied with much of that which has happen).
If anyone else is interested in playing through Final Fantasy 8, there are a number of things you MUST know. I will compile a list of everything that is important. I will also note that there is a very large amount of information included in Tutorial modes and in the classroom of the Balamb Garden (where you begin the game) that will probably explain most or all of what you need to know to get through the game correctly. If you ignore advice to get through, you will likely have a lot of trouble getting through the game, and possibly even fail (as I did my first time playing, and as I know a lot of people here at the shrine did as well). I will probably write a review for this game as I expect that it will be my favorite of all the Final Fantasy games (unless 10 proves to be far better than I expect). I will also write my thoughts on 9 and 10 along with final thoughts on 8 (unless my review satisisfies those) when I have finished them all. On another subject, I'll also have a review up of Metroid Prime eventually (probably after I have the 100% ending) since I am in love with this game.</div>
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