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The ancient War of the Magi....
- Because playing them is not enough, we have to bitch about them daily, too. We had a Gameplay forum, but it got replaced by GameFAQs.
I am going through the game slowly. I play it like every day (usually multiple times), but I am about 15 hours in, and just got into the World of Ruin. Funny thing is that this is already longer than it usually takes me to finish the game (at about 14-15 hours) =P
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Haha, they kept "The World is Square" thing in the game. I figured they would change is since the translation in the Japanese game is supposed to be something completely different (forget what).
Edit: FUCK! I hit the mater rise switch too soon! =P
Forget what I am missing, but I remember it was something important.
Edit: FUCK! I hit the mater rise switch too soon! =P
Forget what I am missing, but I remember it was something important.
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First thing I did after I got the auirship was went to learn the "Bum Rush" skill which is now called Phantom Rush. Looks like Master Duncan didn't learn any ghetto kung-fu this time around. I am a bit conflicted on this move, it seems I fail it about 30% of the time, I don't remember ever failing it before (though I did all the time with the original first party SNES controllers); if the game came out for VC, the move would be really easy to do with the analog stick (See 3D fighting games). On that note, Edgar and Sabin in my party single handedly kicked everyones ass on the way to Cyan who decided to live alone up in a mountain to write love poetry and make handmade silk flowers to send to a lonely girl in Maranda, and all under the name of some soldier who died months to a year prior; it's ok though, as soon as we showed up, he decided to join us in our quest in taking down the demonic and psychotic master of the world, who sits at the top of a very large tower and destroys cities with divine destructive energy.
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Yeah, I have been missing the Phantom Rush a lot. It only takes a small slip of the thumb and it fucks up. The thing is that it is the most powerful attack I have, so I make an attempt for it every time his turn comes up.... At least until I find a third Gengi glove. On the SNES you could get certain third party controllers that made Sabin's Blitz Commands no problem; the standard SNES pad made his complex ones far too difficult to be used effectively (I think I remember almost never being able to get anything with a rotation higher than aurablast working).Eric wrote:I'm having a hard fucking time getting Sabin's blitz attacks off, and it's pissing me off.
Other then that I've enjoyed playing through this game again
Just fought the king of the ocean, boy did he beat the ever living crap outta me. >_>
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OK, this translation is MUCH better, it becomes quite apparent when you get to the world of ruin. I don't want to give away any spoilers for the people who might not have gone through most of this section yet. So far I have collected most of the party back, I made one major mistake so far. I just don't remember yet where I can get a fourth Gengi glove, there must be an enemy I can steal or morph it into (with Ragnarok). Either way, this time around, I do think it will actually be worth the time and effort to convert the Cursed Shield into the Paladin Shield =)
I am having a lot of fun with the game so far, and for those who have played through it: Is the new dungeon as good as the additional one for Final Fantasy 4 Advance?
I am having a lot of fun with the game so far, and for those who have played through it: Is the new dungeon as good as the additional one for Final Fantasy 4 Advance?
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Damn right! By the time I am finished the main story, I do think I will have most of those battles solved, and then when I am onto the new dungeons I will have the best shield in the game to finish it off.Eric wrote:255 battles >_<
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Good plan, though that is only if the final dungeon does something similar to FF4A, because otherwise I am probably not going to bother with Gau.Don Wang wrote:I find it's easier to do the paladin shield while you're getting all of the rages for Gau in the Veldt.
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Stray Cat + Gau in the wrld of Balance = UBER TANKThe Seeker wrote:Good plan, though that is only if the final dungeon does something similar to FF4A, because otherwise I am probably not going to bother with Gau.Don Wang wrote:I find it's easier to do the paladin shield while you're getting all of the rages for Gau in the Veldt.
kills pretty much everything in one hit....and no I havn't really powerleveled.
I never had much of a problem with Blitzes on the SNES controller, but I constantly mess up on the DS pad. There's a way around it though. For Blitzes that require diagonals, instead of rolling your thumb around the D-pad, just press the previous cardinal direction before moving on to the next one. For instance:The Seeker wrote:Yeah, I have been missing the Phantom Rush a lot. It only takes a small slip of the thumb and it fucks up. The thing is that it is the most powerful attack I have, so I make an attempt for it every time his turn comes up.... At least until I find a third Gengi glove. On the SNES you could get certain third party controllers that made Sabin's Blitz Commands no problem; the standard SNES pad made his complex ones far too difficult to be used effectively (I think I remember almost never being able to get anything with a rotation higher than aurablast working).Eric wrote:I'm having a hard fucking time getting Sabin's blitz attacks off, and it's pissing me off.
Other then that I've enjoyed playing through this game again
Just fought the king of the ocean, boy did he beat the ever living crap outta me. >_>
Aura Bolt
D,DL,L --> D,D,L
Rising Phoenix
L,LD,D,DR,R --> L,L,D,D,R
...and so on.
It takes the challenge out of them, really, but screw it. I couldn't reliably pull off a Blitz on the DS if my life depended on it.
Now Playing:
Call of Duty: World at War
Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations
Call of Duty: World at War
Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations
Holy crap! It works! Thanks Torgo! =)
By the way, using Ragnarok on Samurai in Doma or the Ancient Castle will give you Genji Gloves some of the time.
By the way, using Ragnarok on Samurai in Doma or the Ancient Castle will give you Genji Gloves some of the time.
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I just got Raiden and am now invading Kefka's Tower for the first time to kill the remaining two dragons. I do think I have completed everything else in the original game except Gau's story (I still haven't got him yet, though him and Relm are not characters I am using in Kefka's tower, so it is not urgent).
This game is probably the furthest step forward of its contemporaries and everything before it than any other RPG in history, as a total package. The earlier Final Fantasy Advance games saw massive upgrades, though this one remains largely unchanged, why? Because this game is still the established standard on many levels whereas the older FF games were still using the standard set by the early Dragon Quest games. There were many advances before FF6 in RPGs (mostly all on MSM, Genesis, NES, and SNES) but none really put the full package together until this game. I guess what I am saying is that this game was the first of the contemporary species of RPG. Perhaps Final Fantasy 12 was the birth of the next, but only time will answer that question (I feel FF12 owes a lot to Skies of Arcadia, Vagrant Story, and FF10 though, but again, it took the elements from those games and turned into one package, and took it a step further on top of that). Graphics? They're not really a factor most of the time, graphics are always upgrading; this is a change in all games, not just RPGs.
This game is probably the furthest step forward of its contemporaries and everything before it than any other RPG in history, as a total package. The earlier Final Fantasy Advance games saw massive upgrades, though this one remains largely unchanged, why? Because this game is still the established standard on many levels whereas the older FF games were still using the standard set by the early Dragon Quest games. There were many advances before FF6 in RPGs (mostly all on MSM, Genesis, NES, and SNES) but none really put the full package together until this game. I guess what I am saying is that this game was the first of the contemporary species of RPG. Perhaps Final Fantasy 12 was the birth of the next, but only time will answer that question (I feel FF12 owes a lot to Skies of Arcadia, Vagrant Story, and FF10 though, but again, it took the elements from those games and turned into one package, and took it a step further on top of that). Graphics? They're not really a factor most of the time, graphics are always upgrading; this is a change in all games, not just RPGs.
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The characters I am at odds over in this version of the game are Gogo, Relm, Gau, and Umaro. While Gogo was awesome in the original version, they severely weakened him in this one (you can't access his abilities to select what you want anymore). Relm I will take out of the 4, but I am undecided at this point on the remaining three, I have to pick one of them. I am about to start fighting for an economizer in the Dinosaur wood (to go with my Soul of Thamasa), that is why I want to make this decision soon as it is a great place to level up the weaker characters =)
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It matters on their supporting party.
I used to use Gau in my 'all out whoopass' group of Sabin, Celes (gengi glove), Locke or Edgar (gengi glove). Of course i had my Mog group who didnt fight all that much thanks to his bangle and i used to use Gogo with the spellcasters. Mimicing a double flare, ultima or pearl is great.
In the woods while leveling, it was fun to have a controller group with Relm's ability while spellcasters rained down the terror... there are so many combinations of characters that work, its tons of fun.
I used to use Gau in my 'all out whoopass' group of Sabin, Celes (gengi glove), Locke or Edgar (gengi glove). Of course i had my Mog group who didnt fight all that much thanks to his bangle and i used to use Gogo with the spellcasters. Mimicing a double flare, ultima or pearl is great.
In the woods while leveling, it was fun to have a controller group with Relm's ability while spellcasters rained down the terror... there are so many combinations of characters that work, its tons of fun.
I will probably go with Gogo in the end. I managed to get an Economizer on my second Brachiosaur battle, usually I have to go through like 15. I am considering picking up a second, though I will probably only need the one. I still don't have a Paladin's Shield yet.
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I find the economizer to really be a waste of time (unless you are leveling your characters there and get one in the process). I just use osmose when I have any type of MP need.
Gogo blows, hate him. Gau is a much better character by far. Relm is an outstanding magic user. Ironically, in my game, Shadow is my best magic user (guess I kept that one esper that boosts magic on level equipped on him for too many levels).
Gogo blows, hate him. Gau is a much better character by far. Relm is an outstanding magic user. Ironically, in my game, Shadow is my best magic user (guess I kept that one esper that boosts magic on level equipped on him for too many levels).
Heheh, Shadow is also my best magic user as well, he is such an awesome character. I haven't got down to using Gogo, Umaro, or Gau yet. I wish they just had one other normal character in there, I would prefer not to use any of those three. Gogo in the original version kicked ass, but they took away his godlike ability of selecting whichever abilities the player wants.Oracle wrote:I find the economizer to really be a waste of time (unless you are leveling your characters there and get one in the process). I just use osmose when I have any type of MP need.
Gogo blows, hate him. Gau is a much better character by far. Relm is an outstanding magic user. Ironically, in my game, Shadow is my best magic user (guess I kept that one esper that boosts magic on level equipped on him for too many levels).
My best characters are Sabin, Locke, and Shadow; they're the three I have over level 50 and they're all around level 55 with all spells in the game so far (I am missing two out of the four new Espers, so there are some spells I don't have access to yet), Setzer is #4 at level 49, and everyone else is level 40-44. Shadow and Sabin are always the characters I spend the most time on because of their special abilities, Blitz and throw; having both of them use the quick spell, you can destroy Branchiosaurs very easily.
Celestriad can be helpful if you want to be lazy about osmose, but yeah, osmose is usually very good on its own =)
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Dragon's Den has nothing on FF4 Advance's new final dungeon. Though it REALLY does make you use your characters to their maximum ability. When I fought the first dragon, I figured I had my characters armed up to the teeth with equipment, yet I still got my ass kicked =P
My second attempt had me put all my characters in the back row and loading up on magic power, essentially everyone was using Quick followed by Arise and Curaga as needed, and otherwise Ultima (Quick + Soul of Thamasa + Ultima = Ultima X5 in one turn).
I'm going to say right now that FF4A's dungeon is perhaps the best dungeon in any RPG currently available; at least by Square, I haven't played Lufia 2 in about 10 years, I remember that game had some of my favourite dungeons at the time.
My second attempt had me put all my characters in the back row and loading up on magic power, essentially everyone was using Quick followed by Arise and Curaga as needed, and otherwise Ultima (Quick + Soul of Thamasa + Ultima = Ultima X5 in one turn).
I'm going to say right now that FF4A's dungeon is perhaps the best dungeon in any RPG currently available; at least by Square, I haven't played Lufia 2 in about 10 years, I remember that game had some of my favourite dungeons at the time.
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OK, I have everyone up to level 55 now except Umaro (who I don't plan to use, Gogo I just leveled up for the colleseum, but due to his lack of magic ability, I won't be using him after this).
Some things to do at the Colleseum to get everyone loaded up with Experience Eggs and Celestriads to make the rest of the game a breeze (assuming everyone has Ultima and Quick by this point, there are two ways to get each of them, Paladin Shield and Ragnarok for Ultima, Raiden and Gilgamesh for Quick). So what I am doing at the Colleseum:
-All of Relms Suits (except the Behemoth ones) will be upgraded to Genji Armour
-The Celestriad run (used to be the Economizer run), I haven't decided how to do this yet, either mug commands or two thief knives with Genji Glove + Master Scroll for 8 attacks. Essentially just wager. Murikomo which yields a Holy Lance, and betting Holy Lance gets Murikomo back. When fighting the monster you bet Murikomo for, you can steal a Celestriad, so going back and forth like this for a while will yield as many as you need in a very short period of time.
-From killing T-Rex's you get the Imp Spears, lots of them, so bet like this:
Impartisan > Cat-Ear Hood > Merit Award > Rename Card > Miracle Shoes > Tintinabar > Experience Egg
And Regal Gown for Minerva Armour works too.
In the end, for offense, Ultima is all you need except for the one character that can do more damage, and that is whoever has Ultima Weapon + Master Scroll (Combo easily does over 10,000 damages by level 55-60). Other Spells: Esuna, Imp, Osmose, Curaga, Re-reaise, Arise, and Curaga are all that are necessary. If a character gets to 9999 HP and has the magic power you want them to, give them Soul of Thamasa, Soul of Thama + Celestriad = Quick + Ultima X5 for the small cost of 6 MP; you're essentially God now (except if someone with Blaster fights you).
I got my ass kicked in Dragon's Den again, so this time I am coming back Panzer style =P
Some things to do at the Colleseum to get everyone loaded up with Experience Eggs and Celestriads to make the rest of the game a breeze (assuming everyone has Ultima and Quick by this point, there are two ways to get each of them, Paladin Shield and Ragnarok for Ultima, Raiden and Gilgamesh for Quick). So what I am doing at the Colleseum:
-All of Relms Suits (except the Behemoth ones) will be upgraded to Genji Armour
-The Celestriad run (used to be the Economizer run), I haven't decided how to do this yet, either mug commands or two thief knives with Genji Glove + Master Scroll for 8 attacks. Essentially just wager. Murikomo which yields a Holy Lance, and betting Holy Lance gets Murikomo back. When fighting the monster you bet Murikomo for, you can steal a Celestriad, so going back and forth like this for a while will yield as many as you need in a very short period of time.
-From killing T-Rex's you get the Imp Spears, lots of them, so bet like this:
Impartisan > Cat-Ear Hood > Merit Award > Rename Card > Miracle Shoes > Tintinabar > Experience Egg
And Regal Gown for Minerva Armour works too.
In the end, for offense, Ultima is all you need except for the one character that can do more damage, and that is whoever has Ultima Weapon + Master Scroll (Combo easily does over 10,000 damages by level 55-60). Other Spells: Esuna, Imp, Osmose, Curaga, Re-reaise, Arise, and Curaga are all that are necessary. If a character gets to 9999 HP and has the magic power you want them to, give them Soul of Thamasa, Soul of Thama + Celestriad = Quick + Ultima X5 for the small cost of 6 MP; you're essentially God now (except if someone with Blaster fights you).
I got my ass kicked in Dragon's Den again, so this time I am coming back Panzer style =P
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Heh, Nev, sorry, but people like you don't have the right to call anyone a dork =PNev wrote:DORKS!!!!!!!!
This game came out ten years ago! You shouldn't all be spurting semen all over it at this date.
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Think about the very big glass house you live in before you throw a stone.Nev wrote:I have the right to call anyone a dork I want to.
And you guys are being teh super dorky. I love Square games too, but not like this!
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Final Impressions:
Well I finished the Dragon's Den and finished the game. It feels really good to be able to steal an Ultima Weapon and a Ragnarok Sword during the last battle, and be able to hold onto them for later. For those unsure, the Ultima Weapon (sword) is an awesome weapon for the later game when characters have higher levels as there is nothing which is strong against it. Ragnarok can be exchanged for Illumina at the Colleseum, an even better sword; so, in this game, don't take the Ragnarok sword over the magicite when given the opportunity. I forgot how excellent the ending of this game was, it was probably the best or second best (Earthbound allows you to go throughout the world to see everything that occurs after the defeat of the final boss; and that is just too unique and too cool =P) ending of any SNES game.
The Dragon's Den is an excellently crafted dungeon which utilizes elements from throughout the game to create something quite challenging (well, if you didn't do like I did and arm characters up with the best armour available, and everyone with Ultima, Quick, and high level heal spells, Celestriads, miracle shoes, genji gloves, soul of thamasa, master scroll, and experience eggs). Essentially you have three teams working together to get through the dungeon, there is experimentation and puzzle solving involved here. The dungeon took me a very long time, several hours to complete. It is shorter than Final Fantasy 4 Advance's final dungeon, and also lacks story elements (save for a short bit surrounding the final dungeon boss) and human settlement and towns within. It is a mix of caves and underground temples and castles, similar in idea to the Ancient Castle area you can reach with Figaro Castle. I felt that it would have been a nice addition if they would have tacked on some story to the dungeon as they did with Final Fantasy 4 Advance, but otherwise it is quite a good play. Though I certainly rank Final Fantasy 4 Advance's above due to the greater variety, the final dungeon of Final Fantasy 4 is probably the best dungeon ever created in an RPG.
As for the game overall, most of us already know the game well. It begins as a struggle between a variety of different characters who come from various portions of an extremely well crafted world to fight against the growing strength of the Gestahlian Empire (as it is titled in the game). The Empire represents technological progress and domination over the traditional ways; at its core, it is an empire which represents exploitation. So a psychopathic character such as Kefka would easily find his place in this Empire. The Empire is in pursuit of an ancient and near forgotten power called the Espers, each one source which in turn has a source with three stone Godesses sealed away from the world. The Empire is using Espers, which it has captured, to drain their life and energy away to infuse into their own technology: Magitech. So not only do they exploit the people of the world, but they exploit the forces of the Holy figures of the game, the Goddesses, as well. Similar to a previous game, Final Fantasy Legend 2, it is conceivable that one could become a God using these powers; which was the goal of Emperor Gestahl, to become a God ruling over the world. Well most of us know how that turned out =P
The game incorporates many of the elements of classic fantasy tales such as Lord of the Rings. There is a struggle between those who wish to exploit and destroy the natural world and the beautiful life in it, and those who oppose that. There are themes of loss, of death, of sacrifice, and of struggle against forces larger and more powerful. The end of the game really drives that point home. This really is a very beautifully crafted fantasy game, and to this day represents a pinacle in the genre.
For me, it was a very nice re-visit to the land and story I loved so much as a kid. I had played a lot of RPGs before, and some of them I quite loved (such as Phatnasy Star, Final Fantasy, and Final Fantasy Legend 1-2) though this one just completely stole me. Playing it today hasn't lessened my enjoyment of it much from when it was first launched, the game holds up great by todays standards; which this game set 13 years ago.
I have yet to see what this "Soul Shrine" is all about. Also, I do know that going back through Dragon's Den will lead to the fight with the Omega Weapon.
Well I finished the Dragon's Den and finished the game. It feels really good to be able to steal an Ultima Weapon and a Ragnarok Sword during the last battle, and be able to hold onto them for later. For those unsure, the Ultima Weapon (sword) is an awesome weapon for the later game when characters have higher levels as there is nothing which is strong against it. Ragnarok can be exchanged for Illumina at the Colleseum, an even better sword; so, in this game, don't take the Ragnarok sword over the magicite when given the opportunity. I forgot how excellent the ending of this game was, it was probably the best or second best (Earthbound allows you to go throughout the world to see everything that occurs after the defeat of the final boss; and that is just too unique and too cool =P) ending of any SNES game.
The Dragon's Den is an excellently crafted dungeon which utilizes elements from throughout the game to create something quite challenging (well, if you didn't do like I did and arm characters up with the best armour available, and everyone with Ultima, Quick, and high level heal spells, Celestriads, miracle shoes, genji gloves, soul of thamasa, master scroll, and experience eggs). Essentially you have three teams working together to get through the dungeon, there is experimentation and puzzle solving involved here. The dungeon took me a very long time, several hours to complete. It is shorter than Final Fantasy 4 Advance's final dungeon, and also lacks story elements (save for a short bit surrounding the final dungeon boss) and human settlement and towns within. It is a mix of caves and underground temples and castles, similar in idea to the Ancient Castle area you can reach with Figaro Castle. I felt that it would have been a nice addition if they would have tacked on some story to the dungeon as they did with Final Fantasy 4 Advance, but otherwise it is quite a good play. Though I certainly rank Final Fantasy 4 Advance's above due to the greater variety, the final dungeon of Final Fantasy 4 is probably the best dungeon ever created in an RPG.
As for the game overall, most of us already know the game well. It begins as a struggle between a variety of different characters who come from various portions of an extremely well crafted world to fight against the growing strength of the Gestahlian Empire (as it is titled in the game). The Empire represents technological progress and domination over the traditional ways; at its core, it is an empire which represents exploitation. So a psychopathic character such as Kefka would easily find his place in this Empire. The Empire is in pursuit of an ancient and near forgotten power called the Espers, each one source which in turn has a source with three stone Godesses sealed away from the world. The Empire is using Espers, which it has captured, to drain their life and energy away to infuse into their own technology: Magitech. So not only do they exploit the people of the world, but they exploit the forces of the Holy figures of the game, the Goddesses, as well. Similar to a previous game, Final Fantasy Legend 2, it is conceivable that one could become a God using these powers; which was the goal of Emperor Gestahl, to become a God ruling over the world. Well most of us know how that turned out =P
The game incorporates many of the elements of classic fantasy tales such as Lord of the Rings. There is a struggle between those who wish to exploit and destroy the natural world and the beautiful life in it, and those who oppose that. There are themes of loss, of death, of sacrifice, and of struggle against forces larger and more powerful. The end of the game really drives that point home. This really is a very beautifully crafted fantasy game, and to this day represents a pinacle in the genre.
For me, it was a very nice re-visit to the land and story I loved so much as a kid. I had played a lot of RPGs before, and some of them I quite loved (such as Phatnasy Star, Final Fantasy, and Final Fantasy Legend 1-2) though this one just completely stole me. Playing it today hasn't lessened my enjoyment of it much from when it was first launched, the game holds up great by todays standards; which this game set 13 years ago.
I have yet to see what this "Soul Shrine" is all about. Also, I do know that going back through Dragon's Den will lead to the fight with the Omega Weapon.
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Fine, fine...I'll stop giving you shit...The Seeker wrote:Think about the very big glass house you live in before you throw a stone.Nev wrote:I have the right to call anyone a dork I want to.
And you guys are being teh super dorky. I love Square games too, but not like this!
*sigh*...