[FF Meme] Day 02 - least favorite game

[seventhe]

If it isn't obvious yet, I'm not doing these 30 days at one-a-day. I'm just going to go through all 30 at whatever pace I can. Ha.

Least favorite FF game, says the meme. Well, gosh.

I'm not going to include I, II, or III in this because I have never finished them; I played III-DS for a while and really tried to get hooked but the characters didn't do much (even though they were adorable) and the gameplay system just didn't do anything for me, really, like at all. I, II, and III are just such different classes of FF that in my head they're not really entirely part of the family.

So looking at the other FFs, the ones I've invested more time in, I am leaning towards saying FFIX, because I have mixed memories about it. None of the main characters reached out and grabbed me, which is significant because that's a big part of what I play for; the gameplay system was a little "meh" in my head (you already have classed characters who can only learn certain skills; why do I need this bizarre weapon-equipping-learning-count-your-gems-whatever kind of thing? Also, no really good way to meta about it unlike other games); the story was confusing, but somehow not in the same sort of endearing way that FFVIII (Sorceresses! time travel! all your Cs are Ks! suuuuure) or even FFIV was (yup, let's go to the moon in a big whale) - I'm not sure I got the Summoner/Eidolon/Extracting eidolons thing, let ALONE the Gaia/Terra/Kuja/Zidane/Genome/Tail thing, and I think part of it was that I just wasn't interested enough in it to get it.

And, more telling, it's one I don't often feel driven to write for. I'm not really sure why. I think part of it is... it does the same thing FFVIII does with its side characters, develop interesting side bits and fragments of backstories, and then discards most of it for the Zidane/Garnet weddingness. Except unlike FFVIII, where I was invested in Quistis and Irvine and wanted more enough to create it myself, instead I sort of went, meh. What does Amarant do after the game? Whatever. Not my chair, not my problem. (What does Eiko do after the game? Read Go Not Gently.)

The game did have some awesome highlights in it that I love - namely Freya - and some great music, and I'm not saying it was a bad game or one that I didn't like. But out of the rest it is probably my least favorite.

I do mean to replay it sometime in the next year or two. I think it may have suffered from me just expecting more out of it, and I'm interested to go back and give it a replay and see whether or not my opinion of it changes.


Day 01 - Your favorite Final Fantasy game.
Day 02 – Your least favourite Final Fantasy game.
Day 03 – Your favourite Final Fantasy theme/song.
Day 04 – Your favourite Final Fantasy party from your favourite game.
Day 05 – Your favourite Final Fantasy City/Town.
Day 06 – Favourite part of your favourite Final Fantasy game.
Day 07 – Least favourite part of your favourite Final Fantasy game.
Day 08 – Favourite Chocobo Version.
Day 09 – Favourite Moogle Version.
Day 10 – Best Final Fantasy scene ever.
Day 11 – Final Fantasy game that disappointed you.
Day 12 – Final Fantasy game you’ve played more than 5 times.
Day 13 – Your favourite version of Cid.
Day 14 – Favourite Final Fantasy male character.
Day 15 – Favourite Final Fantasy female character.
Day 16 – Your favourite Final Fantasy limit break.
Day 17 – Favourite Final Fantasy mini game.
Day 18 – Favourite Final Fantasy opening sequence.
Day 19 – Best Final Fantasy outfit.
Day 20 – Best Final Fantasy hair.
Day 21 – Favourite Final Fantasy pairing/ship.
Day 22 – Favourite Final Fantasy summon.
Day 23 – Least Favourite Final Fantasy mini game.
Day 24 – Best Final Fantasy quote.
Day 25 – Final Fantasy game you plan on playing (old or new).
Day 26 – OMG WTF? Final Fantasy moment.
Day 27 – Best Final Fantasy storyline.
Day 28 – First Final Fantasy game obsession.
Day 29 – Current Final Fantasy game obsession.
Day 30 – Saddest Final Fantasy character death.

Comments

[novel_machinist]

I think that 9 is one of those games that sort of never made me die for it either. 9 is SO different that you feel sort of like you're thrown through a loop. It didn't have wonderful new game mechanics and the characters looked SO different than the ones that we are used to. The music was possibly my favorite part of the game "You are Not Alone" is just a wonderful song. I don't know what my favorite/least favorite game would be maybe from Favorite to Least out of the ones I played.

7, Tactics, 4, 2, 6, 13, 10, 8, 9, 12, 5, 3, 1

I will probably do this meme later. :)

[zen_monk]

I feel that 9 was the best out of the playstation Final Fantasies mostly because it was technically much more polished and that it was able to make the most of the machine before the transition to PS2. What I liked a lot about the game as a whole was that because the characters are cartoonish and exaggerated, it made the motions and acting in the game much more fluid and believable. So even though it's just a bunch of text-reading to know the main story, there were some great body language to keep you engaged.

I think that FF9 was a bit jarring for some players because for a lot of people, their gateway-Final Fantasy would be either 7 or 8, which are both sci-fi heavy games. Or some sort of real world dealio that made things easier to chew on for the uninitiated. Since 9 was a throwback to Pre-FFVII, and as such it's puts the "Fantasy" in the "Final Fantasy," it's hard to shift to something that's really niche. Kind of like "The Chronicles of Riddick" when it was released after "Pitch Black."

[safety-caesars.livejournal.com]

WHO PAID FOR THIS FLOOR

LIGHTHOUSES RULE

[first-seventhe.livejournal.com]

I LOVE SEAHORSES

[safety-caesars.livejournal.com]

THEY'RE SO BEAUTIFUL AND CUTE

[drakonlily.livejournal.com]

IF YOU DON'T LIKE SEAHORSES FUCK YOU

[rosencrantz.livejournal.com]

IF I SAY I DON'T LIKE SEAHORSES CAN I HOLD YOU TO THAT PROMISE?

[salarta.livejournal.com]

Pretty much, Garnet actually came from a race of summoners, at least some of which are born containing eidolons (or I think, maybe since she was being whisked away to safety they imbued eidolons into her at a young age). These eidolons can be contained in gems, or come from them, both ways work really. I don't quite know exactly where they come from, but then same goes for most cases of FF summons. FF7's summons come from materia for example, which you have to take a logic leap of faith to assume they're a life force within the planet taking residence in materia.

I do strongly suggest replaying it. If for absolutely no other reason than the chocobo minigames. I have a feeling you didn't get to fully experience them. :P There's nothing quite like riding a giant horsebird out into the ocean and pecking at water until a treasure chest comes out of the bubbles and shoots rape gas in your face that sends your horsebird to the gay bar of its dreams. Seriously though, the hot and cold digging game is tons of fun and addicting, followed by exploring areas to get treasure from the chocobo pieces you find.

I'm sure you'll find things to write about it once you play it again, too. I myself had some fun with Garnet and her delightful "I know, I'll stow away in a bag of pickles to get past this gate!" event.

[rosencrantz.livejournal.com]

Just replay it for a full CG of Kuja's thong. It's the butt shot that made CG history.

[salarta.livejournal.com]

These are supposed to be reasons to play FF9, not reasons to break the discs. :P

Well unless we're talking the version of Kuja that has huge boobs and a penis that keeps getting drawn by one Japanese artist on pixiv.

[rosencrantz.livejournal.com]

Hmm... I tend to not care to write fanfiction about stories that I think were told well enough for me to leave alone, hence why I never dabble in 9. I do love the story of Freya, Vivi, and even Eiko to some extent to death. I agree, though, it was the start of the "batshit insane final disc" trends in the FF series, which is generally a bad thing. If only they could have stuck with Kuja alone as the bad guy, or maybe just animated his thong instead of bringing up that old fart and the crystal and all that other shit I can't remember.

I will say, I have read some pretty good FF9 fiction involving Freya and Amarant getting together after the story, with Fratley getting in the way, or not, as it may be. Also some really interesting pieces with Eiko / Vivi-sorta, as in, after the game Vivi becomes a Black Waltz and then terrorizes Eiko, who beats him down. So there is cannon fodder there. I think the non-humanity of the characters kills a lot of the fanfiction, though. It's stepping too close to writing "furry" fiction, which is just... SQUICK SQUICK SQUICK.