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I'm sure this won't go over well, but I enjoyed VIII a lot more when I just threw away all my preconceptions of Squall's personality and just assumed that he was a chronically depressed teenager with various social disorders and the whole thing just sort of came together. I mean, he just wanted a military career and to be left alone and he ends up commanding a child army against an entire country led by an actual myth. I'd probably be pissy too.
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May 14, 2012 17:57
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I'm actually fairly sure Mystic Quest was my first, but while I have a bit of nostalgia for it my favorites are a toss-up between IV and VI. I put in about 30 hours into Tactics and enjoyed it well enough, but never finished it for whatever reason. I don't particularly care for the rest 
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May 14, 2012 17:59
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The very first Square game I played was Secret of Mana, and then I was like "drat that game was awesome what else did they make?" and found FF2 in the bargain bin. Just a lucky point in my early formative years where you start to recognize brands and genres instead of just "well it's a Nintendo game." And now I'm codgerly and hateful and my general outlook is, "drat you know the series is Fur20 fucked around with this message at 18:20 on May 14, 2012 |
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May 14, 2012 18:18
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VIII has always been one of my favorites. It's just so easy to break into a million pieces in all the best ways. I also like X, don't care for IX, and have all kinds of other bad opinions.
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May 14, 2012 18:38
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Technically my first was *probably* one of the NES or SNES games, but I was too young to make head or tail out of them. So the first I actually played and remember was (surprise) VII, I never owned it though and played it over with a buddy. Good times were had, even if we never finished it (mostly dicked around with minigames). Good experience all in all, oblivious as I was of the shitstorm brewing on the internet, dependent for a long time as I was on 56k modem. I had a pretty positive outlook on Final Fantasy after that, ranking it up there with Vandal Hearts. Then my buddy bought the next game in the series and things got... weird. Now to explain, he started it and played up to some train section with the president I think so from the start I got a rather skewed perspective on things. The opening section with the beach assault, the military school setting. Alright, it's different from VII but I can dig it. Now, I only participated in parts, as he played through it when I wasn't around so my exposure to the plot got... jumpy. A Witch walking in from a Disney set as the main baddy? Oookay? Cool, I guess. Then; Hot dog speech  And things kinda went downhill from there, the Orphanage (  ) and Lunar sections ( ) coming out of nowhere (even more so than for someone actually playing the game!) was something straight out of a David Lynch movie from my limited perspective. Understandably I had... mixed feelings about VIII. Having watched/read a few LPs of it since then things have kinda come together but for a long time I was rather put off by Final Fantasy in general, well until I started playing the older pre-3D games. IV, V and VI were all pretty awesome (especially VI). The "punkish" settings of VII and VI are some of my favourites. I've never actually finished any final fantasy game, despite repeated attempts, either from technical problems or more often, the plot taking a turn for the deep end as it is wont to do in FF games. Luckily for me there's no end of Let's Plays of the series (gotta be a record of ongoing FF LPs right now). All in all a rather love-hate relationship with the series.
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May 14, 2012 18:40
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Huge fan of IX and XIII-2, hate VIII and XII the most. With XIII-2 I'm a bit excited for where they're taking the series next.
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May 14, 2012 18:40
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First one I played through was VIII, but I had watched my friend play through a good chunk of VII before that and VII is still my favorite of the series. That PS3 tech demo is still the biggest cockblock a game company has ever done in my opinion. Is it true they're doing an HD remake of X? I mean, I liked that game a lot, but I can't imagine there's a huge demand for a remake.
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May 14, 2012 18:51
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The FF10 remake is just upscaling it to HD, not any new models or renders and probably with the same voice tracks. I was kind of meh about it when it might have been an actual effort, but now that I know it's just extra pixels I'm definitely uninterested.
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May 14, 2012 18:55
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Epi Lepi posted:Is it true they're doing an HD remake of X? I mean, I liked that game a lot, but I can't imagine there's a huge demand for a remake. It's the third best selling game Square-Enix ever made. That's probably a bit of an incentive for a HD cash-in...
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May 14, 2012 19:05
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I fondly remember that day when my mom brought home a copy of Mystic Quest. Soon after I discovered 6 and was completely in love.
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May 14, 2012 19:24
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I'm excited for the FFX HD remake just because I no longer have a PS2
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May 14, 2012 19:24
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I - Good classic fun. Never actually got to play it until the FF Origins release of it though. Red Mages are and forever will be the poo poo. II - Still have yet to beat it. Every time I take a break from playing, I forget where the hell I left off or what I was doing. III - See II IV - When I was little, I rented this from the local video store almost every weekend. Could never find my own copy, since ebay and convenient online shopping didn't exist yet. I love this game, but it definitely takes a certain level of masochism to play. I didn't much care for the DS remake though. V - I spend way too much time grinding Ap and not enough time actually playing through the plot. VI - This game is just loving perfect. Locke + Genji Glove/Master Scroll + Ultima Weapon/HeroKnife =  VII - This is actually the first game that really sucked me in and got me truly obsessed with Final Fantasy. I'll admit it, I cried a little the first time Aeris died, especially because I went through the trouble of grinding out her Level 4 Limit Break. VIII - Ragnarok, easily the most badass airship ever. I liked this game, and I'm still hooked on Triple Triad. gently caress Random and all those other crazy rules though. IX - I loved this game. It was pretty much a farewell love letter to the PS1. I would buy an HD remake if they ever made one. X - At first, I hated this game and I hated Tidus with a fiery passion. Then I grew the gently caress up and learned to enjoy the game because it was fun. I was a loving beast at Blitzball. X2 - I tried to enjoy this game for what it was. Got pissed off and quit when I realized I missed 1% from a previous level somewhere I couldn't get back to and wouldn't be able to get 100% XI - Never played. Would sorta like to, if only because of Red Mages. XII - Never got very far in with this one. Just didn't like the combat system. XIII - I hate the paradigm system, hate it. That and the Game Over if the team leader dies. I lent this to a friend of mine, her house got robbed and this game was one of the items stolen. I have yet to replace it. I do like Snow though.
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May 14, 2012 20:55
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the_steve posted:X2 - I tried to enjoy this game for what it was. Got pissed off and quit when I realized I missed 1% from a previous level somewhere I couldn't get back to and wouldn't be able to get 100% Frankly the default ending is far better then the 100% one so I'd say the game saved you some trouble.
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May 14, 2012 21:02
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OatmealRaisin posted:VIII has always been one of my favorites. It's just so easy to break into a million pieces in all the best ways. I too have similarly bad opinions about Final Fantasy games! VIII was also one of my favorites, and most of the complaints seemed to revolve around the grind to game the systems which was 1.) completely unecessary and 2.) could also be gamed. I really liked the setting, the characters, and just the general story - even though nearly all of it was relentlessly silly and made basically no sense at all. Squall, although cliche in every single way, was just a hilarious anti-hero and a change of pace from previous FF titles. You saw some of this with Cloud, although later in the story be becomes extremely emotional and invested in the events that surround him. Squall just couldn't care less throughout the whole thing, he just wanted to get his dick wet and get this stupid poo poo over with. The ending was legitimately funny. I never made it through IX. It was just...boring. The characters were dull, I hated the art style, and I think something was missing in the English translation. I really hated the item-skill system. I spent waaay too much time grinding poo poo out in VII. I still have a PS1 memory card kicking around with something like 160 hours on 1 save.
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May 14, 2012 21:21
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Nostrum posted:I too have similarly bad opinions about Final Fantasy games! VIII was also one of my favorites, and most of the complaints seemed to revolve around the grind to game the systems which was 1.) completely unecessary and 2.) could also be gamed. I really liked the setting, the characters, and just the general story - even though nearly all of it was relentlessly silly and made basically no sense at all. Squall, although cliche in every single way, was just a hilarious anti-hero and a change of pace from previous FF titles. You saw some of this with Cloud, although later in the story be becomes extremely emotional and invested in the events that surround him. Squall just couldn't care less throughout the whole thing, he just wanted to get his dick wet and get this stupid poo poo over with. The ending was legitimately funny. I'm also not a big fan of IX, I couldn't get through that one and I just don't care to. Didn't really like any of the characters. I remember getting a little irritated with my VII save when I realized the game clock just stopped at 99:59. On one hand, no one will ever truly know just how many hours I sunk into that game, on the other, I want to know!
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May 14, 2012 21:27
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I really like VI, but XIII-2 is currently my favorite FF game. I was willing to forgive a lot of problems with XIII because I love the paradigm system. XIII-2 fixed most of my problems with XIII, so it wins almost by default. Oh, except for those darn number clock puzzles. They were kind of cool and fun when they were something like 8 numbers around the clock, but once they got to 11-13 numbers, they were just too obnoxious. Happy Blue Cow : The OP is amazing. Great job.
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May 14, 2012 21:56
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I was replaying FFV the other day and thought to myself, "Gee, I wish there were other games with this amount of (statistical) character customization that I don't already know everything about." So, what are some other games that allow for that kind of customization besides FFV and the Tactics series? All I could think of were Tactics Ogre - which I have already played to death - and FFX-2, which is a bit too wacky/light-hearted for me.
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May 14, 2012 22:16
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DoubleDonut posted:I was replaying FFV the other day and thought to myself, "Gee, I wish there were other games with this amount of (statistical) character customization that I don't already know everything about." So, what are some other games that allow for that kind of customization besides FFV and the Tactics series? All I could think of were Tactics Ogre - which I have already played to death - and FFX-2, which is a bit too wacky/light-hearted for me.
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May 14, 2012 22:18
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homeless snail posted:You should look into Disgaea. Right, I knew I was forgetting something. I also enjoy games that don't require me to constantly grind, which describes probably every NIS game I've played.
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May 14, 2012 22:22
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I really don't think Disgaea's that good in terms of customization. It's really just a game for people who like anime and really big numbers.
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May 14, 2012 22:39
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Disgaea's transmigration is a fairly direct descendant of FFT's job system, but its true you don't get there without a fuckload of grinding.
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May 14, 2012 22:46
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DoubleDonut posted:I was replaying FFV the other day and thought to myself, "Gee, I wish there were other games with this amount of (statistical) character customization that I don't already know everything about." So, what are some other games that allow for that kind of customization besides FFV and the Tactics series? All I could think of were Tactics Ogre - which I have already played to death - and FFX-2, which is a bit too wacky/light-hearted for me. Maybe look into Dragon Quest IX?
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May 14, 2012 23:11
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DoubleDonut posted:I was replaying FFV the other day and thought to myself, "Gee, I wish there were other games with this amount of (statistical) character customization that I don't already know everything about." So, what are some other games that allow for that kind of customization besides FFV and the Tactics series? All I could think of were Tactics Ogre - which I have already played to death - and FFX-2, which is a bit too wacky/light-hearted for me. Dragon Quests VI and IX have fairly customizable job systems, and are excellent in their own right. The Golden Sun series has elements of this, but those games can be hard to enjoy for their long-windedness and low difficulty level. Star Control 2 is hardly a typical RPG, but customizing the weapons on your flagship and its squadron of escorts might scratch that itch. Management simulators like Monster Rancher tend to be entirely about that sort of customization. I've heard that Inazuma Eleven has that sort of customization. The buzz about Diablo 3 is making much ado about the fact that you have much more flexibility than its predecessors in customizing your character's build.
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May 15, 2012 02:02
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"Which version should I play" info that I would like to submit into consideration for the OP: FFV: If you want to play this game, be warned: the release available on the PSN is typically considered to be something of a subpar product. It suffers from significant load times that don't exist in other versions and a script that wasn't localized all that well. It's worth your while to seek out the GBA version, which works off of a much better-written translation. FFVI: Similarly, the PSN version of 6 also has load time problems. Go for the original SNES version (also on the Wii Virtual Console) if you don't mind a few bugs or the GBA version if you don't mind decreased sound quality. Dissidia: If you're going to play Dissidia, don't bother with the first Dissidia game unless you really really want to. 012 includes effectively everything from the first game, including the storyline content. In keeping with the whole fighting game thing, 012 is a Super Ultimate Dissidia Turbo Edition and not really a new game in its own right. e: addendums: FFIV: There is absolutely no consensus at all among FF nerds which of the many rereleases of this game is the best. Go hog wild. FFXII: The people who have played it seem to think that the International Zodiac Job System is a significant improvement over the original. It hasn't been released outside of Japan, but a translation patch for that version exists. Play that one if you can. Soylent Heliotrope fucked around with this message at 03:08 on May 15, 2012 |
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May 15, 2012 02:53
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Soylent Heliotrope posted:"Which version should I play" info that I would like to submit into consideration for the OP: Yea great idea, I'll add little addendums on each Also thanks to everyone for submitting any mistakes I've made
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May 15, 2012 03:21
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Final Fantasy 1 was the first (and one of the only) games I ever bought completely blind. Everything other NES game I owned I had either rented or borrowed from someone beforehand. Basically I saw the name and it caught my eye, possibly because it made me think of Phantasy Star. My brother and I were completely blown away by the fact that you could make up the party any way you wanted and really liked when the starting classes "grew up" into the advanced ones. Since then I've enjoyed all the ones that I've played, to varying degrees. Haven't touched XIV (and probably won't), or XIII-2 yet although I might eventually pick it up. Number VI is my favorite, and the only one that I've actually beaten more than once, all the other games' re-plays always fizzle out after a while. It's also the one that I've bought the most times: the original on SNES, then on PS1 and GBA too.
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May 15, 2012 03:40
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Soylent Heliotrope posted:e: addendums: While it's true there isn't really a concensus about which rerelease is best, we could include a little information about the pros/cons of each: US SNES version ("FFII"): The original US release, lots of cut content (items, character skills). The script is pretty censored and weird, but was the birthplace of the "you spoony bard!" line. Also very easy: an example of this is that all individual-status-healing items were replaced by Remedies. PlayStation: A better translated version, which is mostly the same as the Japanese SNES release with some very small differences and FMV cutscenes. Game Boy Advance: Better graphics, slightly different script from the PS1 version (i think it has some goony references?). Towards the end of the game you can switch your party members around instead of being stuck with the same 5. To compensate for the other characters not normally getting equipment, there is a bonus dungeon for them. There's also a bonus dungeon after you clear the game. This version is pretty glitchy in battles though. Nintendo DS: This one is all in 3D with voice acting in certain scenes. Unlike the GBA version you can't change your party at the end, but there's a new Augment system that allows you to keep abilities from party members who have left. This version is also hard as poo poo, much harder than any other version of the game. There's also a bunch more sidequests with Namingway that are pretty neat. The extra dungeons from the GBA version don't exist in this version, but there are two extra bonus bosses and a limited New Game+ system. PSP: Contains everything from the GBA version with graphics that are even better than before. They are similar to the graphics from the PSP versions of FF1 and 2. The script is a bit different, and there are new cutscenes for certain parts of the story. It's also on the same UMD as FF4: The After Years, which is the sequel. There was also a Wonderswan Color and mobile phone version but I only covered the english releases here. My personal favorite is the PSP version, but for people that have played the game before and want a little more challenge I'd recommend the DS version. Stay away from the GBA one if you can help it!
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May 15, 2012 04:43
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glod posted:Game Boy Advance: Better graphics, slightly different script from the PS1 version (i think it has some goony references?). Towards the end of the game you can switch your party members around instead of being stuck with the same 5. To compensate for the other characters not normally getting equipment, there is a bonus dungeon for them. There's also a bonus dungeon after you clear the game. This version is pretty glitchy in battles though. The EU release, as well as some later printings of the NA release, have fixed the ATB glitches, which were at any rate mostly in the player's favor.
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May 15, 2012 04:51
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My advice to anyone who is going to play final fantasy game that they haven't played yet is don't judge a game just because of what others say about it. Because for a long time I didn't play VII because I heard so many people say it was overrated and that it "ruined" final fantasy and because of that I stupidly didn't play it. But even with the expectation that it was overrated and that it "ruined" the series, I managed to get a old copy and when I played it and I wish I had got it sooner because I loved VII and it's my favorite in the series next to VI and IX. So play them first and judge for your self or else you might miss out on one you might acutely like.
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May 15, 2012 14:12
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Soylent Heliotrope posted:"Which version should I play" info that I would like to submit into consideration for the OP: FFX: The International version is the way to go. There's all kinds of neat (impossible) optional fights and a second Sphere Grid to make multiple playthroughs interesting. It wasn't released outside of Japan, but they used the English voice acting (may or may not be a good thing) and the first option you get upon starting a new game lets you switch all the text to English. Is the HD remake going to be based on the International version? If so I guess it'd be worth it to wait and get that when it comes out.
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May 15, 2012 14:48
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OatmealRaisin posted:FFX: The International version (...) wasn't released outside of Japan Well, excuse me! Europe exists, you know. Our version of FFX had black borders and ran at 50hz but it had everything the International version had. OatmealRaisin posted:Is the HD remake going to be based on the International version? It's not a HD remake, but a "remaster", which means they just upscale the graphics and call it a day. It will most likely use the International version as a basis.
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May 15, 2012 14:50
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Saoshyant posted:It will most likely use the International version as a basis. Is this actually based on any hard evidence, or just the collective finger-crossing of the fan community? I'd like to believe if they ever release a XII HD that they release the international version, but that sounds like exactly the sort of way SE would just love to crush people's hopes.
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May 15, 2012 17:50
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It's not like it would really take any extra effort to use the International version of FFX since it had the English voices and you could choose to make all the text English as well.
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May 15, 2012 17:52
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Honestly I hope it's just the vanilla version because I do not want to play blitzball or grind the monster arena for like 40 hours.
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May 15, 2012 17:54
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Schwartzcough posted:Is this actually based on any hard evidence, or just the collective finger-crossing of the fan community? I'd like to believe if they ever release a XII HD that they release the international version, but that sounds like exactly the sort of way SE would just love to crush people's hopes. Putting aside your theories on how SE has nothing better to do but "crush people's hopes", did you read the rest of my post? Europe got the International version. There's no reason for them not to use the International version as the basis for their HD edition. The same isn't as obvious when it comes to FFXII, but for FFX? They would have to avoid doing it on purpose.
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May 15, 2012 17:58
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glod posted:PSP: Contains everything from the GBA version with graphics that are even better than before. They are similar to the graphics from the PSP versions of FF1 and 2. The script is a bit different, and there are new cutscenes for certain parts of the story. It's also on the same UMD as FF4: The After Years, which is the sequel.
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May 15, 2012 18:03
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Square-Enix pretty clearly considers the "International" or Final Mix versions of their games to be the 'offical' ones. Kingdom Hearts, FFVII, and FFX all have spinoffs or sequels which directly reference content only available in the International/Final Mix/whatever versions. It makes no sense for them not to redo that version. Like, the only reason not to is if you assume S-E is actively malicious and looking to make fans sad, and that seems a bit much to assume even from S-E.
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May 15, 2012 18:18
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ImpAtom posted:Square-Enix pretty clearly considers the "International" or Final Mix versions of their games to be the 'offical' ones. Kingdom Hearts, FFVII, and FFX all have spinoffs or sequels which directly reference content only available in the International/Final Mix/whatever versions. It makes no sense for them not to redo that version. Like, the only reason not to is if you assume S-E is actively malicious and looking to make fans sad, and that seems a bit much to assume even from S-E. What was different in the international version of VII? Possibly related, I remember reading ages ago that there was a book or something about the final fantasy series that talked about how the world of VII and the world of X are related somehow, like one is the past of the other. Anyone know anything about that, or am I making poo poo up?
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May 15, 2012 18:29
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Epi Lepi posted:What was different in the international version of VII?
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May 15, 2012 18:39
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ImpAtom posted:Square-Enix pretty clearly considers the "International" or Final Mix versions of their games to be the 'offical' ones. Kingdom Hearts, FFVII, and FFX all have spinoffs or sequels which directly reference content only available in the International/Final Mix/whatever versions. It makes no sense for them not to redo that version. Like, the only reason not to is if you assume S-E is actively malicious and looking to make fans sad, and that seems a bit much to assume even from S-E. Assume incompetence. xyzzyx fucked around with this message at 18:42 on May 15, 2012 |
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May 15, 2012 18:40
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