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And right on the heels of FF9 comes the other big game hunting for the PSX Final Fantasys! I like this game. Despite the damage doned by the fans and spinoffs, I still believe it is a good game. It tried to do something new and different with the fantastic setting (a sort of steampunk and magical setting- fantasy-punk, if you will), had some fairly good characterizations, and in 1997, the CGI looked quite cool. Yes the translation was a bit... off, and Japanese stereotypes are RAMPANT, but drat it, it was a fun experience which opened to me the wonders of Playstation graphics and gaming! ...You can stop laughing now, you jaded fucks.
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May 29, 2011 17:33
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I just can't help but like Cloud. Sure, he's mostly an rear end in a top hat, but like Elentor, I thought it was cool that he was the one giving the tutorial instead of recieving it. It mixed up the common trope of "clueless protagonist" in RPGs quite nicely. Besides, you got to love a guy that tries to stare down a bigger man by standing on tippy-toes. 
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May 30, 2011 18:51
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I don't hate FFXII...  Yes, I too am an FXII lover, and never really... well, no, that's a lie, I DO understand the hate for it. Vaan is an insufferable twat of a child who had absolurely no bearing on the story (I won't say he has no purpose at all, but he was a late addition to the game and it shows); the story was a bit slow and involved and was essentially Star Wars by a slightly more competent writer but without the lightsabers, Force powers, or Wookies; and the script went a bit crazy with the faux Middle English style. But it's in my top Final Fantasies because it just blended together well for me. The combat system grew on me, I LOVED the hunting minigame, there was no drat love interest shoehorned in with the main character, everyone ignored Vaan just as much as I, and at least they tried to differentiate the world by adding accents, which is something I think should be played with more. Come on, these are huge worlds in RPGs here; you expect me to believe they all speak the same language in the same way? Come on. Also, it had Balthier. That alone would have redeemed it for me. And what the hell, as long as I'm digging a hole for myself, I liked Xenogears too. The script was clunky as heck, it was obvious we were only getting a part of some huge epic story, and the second disc was unfinished because everyone at Square decided Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was going to make them all rich, but drat it, it had charm! And it had a GREAT soundtrack, it was obvious someone put in a lot of thought into the symbolism, and the battle system was interesting at least.
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Jun 2, 2011 06:17
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Dauntasa posted:You can go and listen to it, to, if you didn't know. It's basically "AVALANCHE ARE JERKS AND JUST KILLED MORE INNOCENT PEOPLE". Well they are jerks and they just did kill more innocent people. Not only that, but because of rampant bungling by all parties, they alerted enemy forces to their position, and got one of their allies dropped into oblivion. This is why I like cloud at the beginning: he might be a dick in telling Barret and team off, but he's also absolutely right. 
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Jun 2, 2011 15:51
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Okay, I enjoyed the "Aeris' name' thing far, far more than I should have, probably because I've met people who are exactly as you describe with her name. And they are JUST as crazy as you indicate. Yeah, I said Aeris. That's what I first knew her as, so that's who she is in my mind. Also, hey, a map of Rio! It looks much bigger than I imagined, but then, the only things I've seen of this area is a map of South America and the Christ the Redeemer statue. Never been to South America, sadly.
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Jun 3, 2011 14:10
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Dauntasa posted:Yes, you are. He was only saying that he was good stat-wise, which he may very well be(never cared to check). Plot-wise, he's a complete waste of space. Well, I wouldn't say he's completely useless to the plot, but that conversation is better had when everyone knows who he is. And with that in mind, maybe we ought to stop talking about people we haven't met yet. That said, I too liked the dynamic that was between Cloud and Aeris when they were first introduced to each other. You could tell that they weren't strangers to relationships with the oppoisite sex from the beginning, something that needs to happen more in this genre. I can only take so much of awkward fumbling and soppy gazes because OMG GURL at one time.
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Jun 6, 2011 01:21
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This was a great part. I miss when Square had a wacky sense of humor like this. And didn't take all its games, characters and themes so seriously.
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Jun 8, 2011 20:13
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Oh my. Watching this scene is SO much more different than it was when I was 13... Thanks for showing what happens in all the rooms; if I ever saw everything, I don't remember it. I always went with the #$%@ Room because that's the only place where the psychotic break happens, and I thought that was necessary at the time. Didn't know quite when I was missing out on.
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Jun 9, 2011 21:37
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Dr. Dos posted:I found myself scrolling past Barret's yelling just to read the drug war story Me too. I have seen City of God, but it's one thing to see a movie and quite another to hear someones personal experiences. I'm glad everything turned out well for you... Lord, living in rural Maine, I can't even imagine something like that. Yeesh, with that story, the collapsing pillar, and Elmyra's flashback, this update was just full of  . Hopefrully, things look up soon.
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Jun 22, 2011 00:27
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Wow. Would you believe I've never seen the stairs? I never went that way because I had heard of the fights in the end and the lack of Items. More fool me, I guess. Thanks for showing that off. And you have to love how cartoonishly evil everyone on the Board seems to be. Also, loving that remix, HenryEx! Very nicely done.
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Jun 22, 2011 15:05
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Out of the city, and into the rest of the world! This was always the end of the prologue for me because, well, getting out of the home village is the first hurdle, but also, as you said, that chase music was boss. A really good opening, all in all.
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Jun 25, 2011 14:30
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Renoistic posted:This part really pulled me in when I first played it. It's creepy, mysterious and full of unanswered questions. Not to mention playable, which is a major plus in my book. This LP keeps reminding me why I consider FF7 to be the best FF (OK, in the top three, at least). Fourthing this opinion. Midgar was great, but this is great for an entirely different reason...and becomes even greater later. Besides, I play games mostly for story, and this is the first real exposition of the story as a whole that we've gotten so far, and I was engrossed. Another thing that really impressed me at the time was that it was Cloud giving it, the main character explaining the story. Before this game, I had only played games with the sort of silent protagonist this genre is famous for; in all of the games I previously played, I was lucky if the main character got a line. They were pretty much ciphers dragged along for the story just like me, but here, Cloud is directing the story. I loved that.
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Jul 1, 2011 22:16
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There it is, folks-one of, if not the, most famous and defining moments of Playstation history. The music and visuals are extremely well done in this scene, and create a grand atmosphere of fearm, madness, and death. This is the defining moment for Sephiroth, the one thing that makes people forget that he's pretty much a cipher, someone for the audience to play "Insert Favorite Badass Here." Which is kind of sad, really, because I'm really interested in moments like this, where a character learns the Awful Truth, snaps, and begins destroying anything he sees. For these moments to work, however, we need to be invested in the character, and that's the reason why it doesn't quite work in hindsight here: lack of time getting to know Sephiroth's character, or faliure to utilize the time we have. Don't get me wrong, it's still pretty effective, and was, I'm sure, the fuel for many a child's nightmares.
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Jul 5, 2011 15:05
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Elentor posted:That's right, lady. No, no you are not. (You forgot Zombies, by the way.) Imagination should be vast and infinite, but some people (read: Nerds) just keep coming back to the same tired power fantasies. I think it has to do with society's treatment of them, myself; sure, the world might be a lawless violent place where people are constantly dying and/or being eaten eaten, but at least you have cool poo poo and can do FANTASTIC THINGS and the big boys won't shove you in you locker or give you swirlies anymore. Anyhow, Yuffie. I have... mixed feelings about her, but I'm afraid they might be colored by the EU stuff, so maybe I'd better wait and remind myself of what actually happens in this game before I resolve my feelings about her.
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Aug 3, 2011 15:18
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Elentor posted:Here's my recommendation: Don't ever, ever touch World of Warcraft. That, sir, is exactly why I don't play WOW or indeed any other MMORPG. I kmnw that the minute I do so, I'm going to get involved in seeing everything and trying to do every quest and get every piece of shiny equipment and then come out of my house for a break to find that the authorities have declared me legally dead. Besides, I play RPGs mostly for the story and characterization, and MMOs are notorious for having a distinct lack of either. Oh, everyone claims that they continue the story of the world and take us all one step closer to closure, but I don't see that. Call me old fashioned, but I don't really count "And then they faffed around collecting bear asses and insulting each other forever" as a viable step to any story, first or final. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, "Where the gently caress is KOTOR 3, Bioware!?" 
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Aug 4, 2011 12:45
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Fedule posted:No mention of the dialogue when you mess up the parade? It's brilliant. Always loved that dialogue. Good thing, too, cause I saw it a lot! ...Yeah, I mostly fail at this section too. Catchy music though.
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Aug 10, 2011 13:41
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Schwartzcough posted:That bird nest scene has a lot of funny dialogue. Barret acts like a total doofus over the cute birds, and Red XIII is audibly choking on his drool, he's so excited. Yeah, that scene is adorable no matter who you bring along. I never took the treasure there, not even in my 14-year-old megadick phase, and am even less likely to do so now. Anyhow, famous area (and famous character) coming up.
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Aug 23, 2011 23:03
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zenguitarman posted:I love how the protagonists are in no real hurry to catch Sephiroth though. First Tifa wants to get her tan on at the beach, then Aeris is all "I wanna play games!" Well, come on, now... they've just heard the story from Cloud, and have no real reason to want to catch Sephiroth. And I always liked to imagine Sephiroth going to these nice places just so he can partake in the too, i.e. going sunnin' and enjoying the games! As for Cait Sith... hm. I remember not liking him much in my youth, but now that I see the purpose he plays in the story... I dunno, I'll have to see.
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Aug 28, 2011 11:15
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It's like how many characters with ADHD does it take to catch a Sephiroth.
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Adus posted:None of this makes any sense. Are we supposed to think Dyne went up to the Gold Saucer and shot a bunch of people for no reason? Why's he so pissed at Barrett when Barrett was right there with him when everything went bad? Why would he rather die than see his daughter again? Why does he look like Bruce Campbell? Well, he is supposed to be crazy. In all likelihood, the games writers want to portray him with a death urge- that is, he does horrible things because he wants someone to kill him. But I do agree it doesn't make a ton of sense. A lot of writers (especially in videogames) use insanity as a reason, but don't put a lot of thought into the mind or actual thought process of the supposed disturbed except "Bitch be crazy, yo."
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Sep 10, 2011 11:04
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TKMobile posted:Based on the time I took Japanese and all the Anime I watched, what I inferred about the word in its use is that, like with the Japanese language in general, the angrier you say kuso, the more coarser the equivalent swearword is in English. It's still impolite, but using the word flippantly or not sounding very upset is sort of "oh, darn" in equivalency whereas an angry yell of the same phrase can be like "loving poo poo!" or so in English standards. Pretty much. Like most eastern languages, it's all about context, more about how the word is used and at what time than the specific type of word. And while they have very few words that could be classified as "swear words" in the way that English has, there are certain words used at the right times that carry the same weight as a well placed curse. Heck, saying "No!" really loudly carries the same weight as a swear sometimes.
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Sep 13, 2011 23:28
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Manic_Misanthrope posted:Disciplinary committees, huh? From what games have taught me it's like this weird hybrid of a grass and a bully. Able to beat you up and get you in trouble for it while your nose is hanging somewhere around your chin. They're, uh, not exactly self elected... they are given partial authority by the school. They usually can't put someone in detention or anything but they are given freedom to move about and report anyone who breaks rules to teachers, and they are mostly taken at their word. They're prefects, essentially, if you've been to that sort of school* or have read Harry Potter. Ideally they're supposed to be chosen from the best and brightest students, who have exemplary records and grades, although you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise from how they're typically played in media, which are as pompous, overbearing asses at best and pretty much Neo-Nazis at worst. *I haven't and thank god. Kids should not be given authority over kids.
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Sep 25, 2011 17:57
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Elentor posted:If FF7 was released in 2011, let me tell you how this scene would develop: Quoted because the truth of this is loving blinding. I'm not gonna ask what happened to relationships in games because relationships in games have always been kind of poo poo, but as here, they used to have a modicum of subtlety about them if they weren't obviously played for laughs. And the reason they had this, I'll bet, is because they didn't have the ability to show it as they do now. Anyhow, do tell at this extra dialogue! I've never heard of this before, but it stands to reason with all the stuff that's apparently optional, like Gongaga village. I didnt even know that was optional until I was in college.
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Oct 12, 2011 03:11
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ZevGun posted:without getting too spoilery, I'd say Kalm is one of the more interesting parts to replay Yes, it is. Everyone should replay it again once they complete the game just to see how their opinion of what happens there changes. But that's a conversation more easily had when we get there.
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Oct 15, 2011 13:25
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Brainamp posted:Also 12's villain wasn't all that bad considering he had a rogue spirit on him that wanted to actually save humanity and was using the villain to do it. Meanwhile the "good guys" had been contracted or something by the other spirits to kill the rogue spirit. Actually, the other spirits tried to contract the player party to kill the rogue spirit, but they told them to gently caress off because their plan would have killed more people. They still went after the villain, though, but mostly because he was being a dick. Agreed that 12 could have used some more editing. Also, more story and less politics. And no Vaan.
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Oct 29, 2011 04:31
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West, say I. Might as well get You-Know-What over with.
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Nov 11, 2011 00:27
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I... honestly can't remember if I've had my wisdom teeth removed or not. How should I feel about this? 
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Nov 25, 2011 01:43
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Doc Uzuki posted:But I've played this game. Don't tell me this is some DOC poo poo. No, not quite. You'll see what I mean later. Anyhow, Vincent. I got him to be a completionist, even though I never quite knew what to do with him party wise. His limit breaks are pretty cool, but there isn't really anything he does that someone else can't do better. Except whine, I guess.
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Dec 10, 2011 04:20
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Landwhale posted:Also holy poo poo Tifa. This, this, and this again. I would have had a lot less trouble in lots of places my first time if I had any inkling of what an absolute game-breaker Tifa is when prepared right. What is that you kept pumping into her? Hero Drinks? Love your showing of Vincent's Limit too. Oh, Vincent, how you fail.  Did you leave his status on Sadness for comedy, or was that happenstance?
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Dec 15, 2011 18:22
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Anyone can wear a ribbon, dude. And why not? Blocks every status effect, it does.
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Jan 14, 2012 19:26
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Elentor posted:
I think so too. A lot of people don't like that the Turks are never really punished for their actions in the first disc, i.e. dropping the plate crust and murdering a poo poo-ton of people. While this is certainly a valid complaint, I have to remember that AVALANCHE, by their actions of blowing up the Mako reactors, probably causing far more damage and devastation that the game indicated. What about all the hospitals and orphanages powered by Mako, and all the people on life support therein and around the crust? What about the loss of power to elevators, trains, and other doors powered by the same, trapping people inside? Mass outages of electricity may be an annoyance to some, but it's serious business for other people. And Barrett and the party never recieved comeuppance for causing that either, and sorry, I don't consider "being forced to leave the city they hate anyway" much of a punisment. And then there's this other fact: being a Turk is a salaried position within Shinra, presumably with benefits, whereas Barrett participates in AVALANCE ideologically and although money changed hands between Cloud and him, there was no indication that the other members recieved any payment at all besides stayiong at Tifa's bar. So I guess the important question here is, who is more evil: the man who causes destruction for a salary, paid vacation, a dental plan and a 401K, or the man who does the same for free?
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Feb 7, 2012 16:07
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Mindblast posted:If you're asking here what can be changed/improved, I'd suggest to just keep rolling with what you're doing now. This. I don't have any complaints with your style, and I couldn't point to something I preferred over the other. I know that isn't really what you want to hear, but a good LP is a good LP, you know? 
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Feb 8, 2012 14:54
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Eh, me, I go with whatever accent seems appropriate for the character. I'm american, so I guess I favor that kind of accent since I'm most familiar with it, but some people just feel right with a British/German/what have you accent. Great to see you back, Elentor!
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May 22, 2012 04:42
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Stabbey_the_Clown posted:"I'm a spy and handed over the important thing we need. Can't I keep traveling with you?" He's not, I'm afraid. He never left; he simply hangs the threat of violence on Marlene and blackmails himself into staying. I don't really mind it so much now (I was livid as a teenager, though) because this was another thing I had never seen before, and it's an interesting idea that there is someone in your party who is not on your side and there's nothing you can do abourt it. Still, it would have been at least more palatable if there had been another reason Cait Sith had to stay. Such as, for example: when Cloud brings up the "We can't trust you any more" thing, Cait Sith says, "Well, right back at you!" and lists the party's numerous acts of terrorism, murder, and other illegal activities already discussed in the thread, and makes the point that the only real difference between the Turks and the main characters is that the party isn't paid as well. That would have at least been an explanation of why he did this. But anyway, it's years ago today. And that was great stuff, Elentor! I swear, I thought that was an old strategy magazine until I read it. Top notch work!
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Jun 1, 2012 17:32
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Ohh, yes. This is a part I remember clear as anything. The screenshots do it pretty good justice, but you get inside this Temple, and Sephiroth is flashing around the screen, all while THAT MUSIC plays... it's really creepy. Great atmosphere in the Temple of the Ancients, and it's not even done yet! 
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Jun 12, 2012 13:27
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Macaluso posted:Barret is the best. He really is, isn't he? Here we have a plot that's exploded way beyond his comprehension, he's halfway around the world, and one of his companions may be homicidally insane, but does he let that get him down? He does not! He tells his homicidal buddy to get his poo poo together because we are on a train, and this train is bound for GLORY!! (Or destruction, but the point is, it does not stop even for insanity.)
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Jun 25, 2012 01:31
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I used literary figures for some of my playthroughs, or just characters in books I'd read that I thought suited the character. ...On other playthroughs, I just named everyone Ah Say, and pretended the game was narrarated by Foghorn Leghorn.
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Jun 28, 2012 18:50
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Are you quite certain that the kid you get the snowboard from is a boy? Looked like a girl to me, but it isn't as if this game isn't above mistakes. And I think Elena, and JUST Elena, was always supposed to be a comic-relief character, and the EU eventually stretched that over the rest of the Turks. But yeah, I've always liked Icicle Inn for all of the reasons you describe. It's an area of cold calm after all the excitement of the next area, and a good place to recuperate. And do you know, I never even knew it was possible to miss the videos until I talked to other people about it.
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Jul 31, 2012 02:36
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Happy B-Day, Elentor! And thank you for a wonderful update! This right here? Is a fantastic scene. This is part if the reason that Sephiroth/Jenova/Whoever is a great goddamn villain.
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Sep 26, 2012 03:38
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So. The world is now officially about to end, in large part because of the hero of the story. I haven't talked a lot of late, for two reasons: A) as a veteran, I too wanted to see how the newbies to this game react (who doesn't?); and B) I really had nothing to contibute to the dialogue that wasn't already being contributed. However, now that the pooch seems to be well and truly screwed, I'd like to share some of the things rattling in my brainbox about this game of late. We've all talked about how the EU franchise that grew out of this game like some malevolent cancer has colored and tainted the original game in our minds, i.e. Aeris and Tifa, the role of Sephiroith, how the Turks are portrayed, etc. And I'm no different in that regard. One of the things I thought before this LP started is how little the characters are punished for being, well, terrible. Cloud is a dick who experiences a huge psychotic breakdown, Barrett is a terrorist who shouldn't be allowed near a pair of scissors, let alone a bomb (or the Black Materia!), Tifa is a clingy selfish creeper, Red XII is dangerously immature, Yuffie is a whiney backstabber, Cait Sith is a self confessed spy for the enemy,, Cid is... Cid, and Vincent is a Goth Vampire Wannabe. Only Aeris, of all of them, seemed completely together and mature, and she is no saint either. But what drove me crazy the most was that they're all so... apathetic. When someone reveals themselves to be a spy for the Shinra, the proper response is not to just shrug your shoulders. When someone steals all your materia, you do not simply let her back into the fold. From Midgar onwards, they haven't acted, they've RE-acted, bouncing from one catastrophe to another, and making poo poo worse for the most part. For some reason, I thought the entire game had been like that, and that Cloud and co. had been rewarded for this attitude, or at least not punished for it. But, reading this LP, I came to realize: they ARE punished for it. Viciously. I mean, a protagonist should seek to affect the world, but, very deliberately, the only one trying to affect the world is Cloud, in his quest to find Sephiroth, a quest just revealed by this update to be a lie, a manipulation by Sephiroth, or Jenova, or whatever the gently caress it is now. The other characters just follow him around for their own reasons, and remain passive even as he obviously cannot be trusted anymore... and that's the point. Tifa knows that something is obviously up with thing, but keeps mum because this allows him to stay closer to her darling. Barrett is still supposed to be the leader of Avalanche, but hasn't tooted that horn for ages because that would mean admitting he got his team mostly killed through his incompetence. Cid is following because it distracts him from his broken dreams, and Red is following to avoid going home and growing up. Cait Sith is reporting on them, but what is he even saying after the Black Materia debacle? Yuffie just wants materia and could give a poo poo about anything else, and why the gently caress is Vincent even here? Has he ever said? Does he know? Only Aeris seemed to be following along for the same reason as Cloud, and, predictably enough, she's the first to realize how broken he is as a human being (and how useless everyone else is). Would you trust any of these guys to wash your car, let alone kill a guy? And so here we are, at the logical conclusion of having such a party as the stars of a videogame. We've been exiled from the first city, we've been harrased by the corporate entity we were supposed to be fighting (whatever happened to that subplot anyway?), we've been to jail, been kicked out of most towns we've been to due to bad guys chasing us or us sucking, we've murdered countless monsters and people for no reason, Aeris left us and was loving MURDERED, and now the Black Materia is lost, big-rear end monsters have been unleahed, Meteor is coming to kill the world, and the leader of the party has lost his mind and is now probably dead. Go team.
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Oct 6, 2012 16:13
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DeathChicken posted:Everyone except Barret and Red will tell you some variation of "Nuh uh, not touching that thing" if you try to give it to them. Yes. It's kind of annoying that the only characters you can give it to are Mr. Stupid and Mr. Neurotically Immature- I prefer plots that don't require such railroading or open manipulation- but since it fits so well with the overall theme of the game, I can forgive it. I'm mostly with Rooreelooo, though.
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Oct 6, 2012 23:00
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