Final Fantasy 7....by a non gamer

snausages · 23-08-2012 10:43am

I've always assumed with these games that there are meant to be thousands of other smaller cities and settlements that you don't really see. Like, there's no way that there are only 3 or 4 major cities in FFVIII, that's ridiculous. And there's no way that Spira is that tiny. So the way I see it, the hugely divergent art-styles are perfectly fine.

The only thing that kind of throws me though is how Cloud and the lads trek through an entire continent just to get their materia back.

JohnMarston · 23-08-2012 10:45am

snausages wrote: »

The only thing that kind of throws me though is how Cloud and the lads trek through an entire continent just to get their materia back.

I always liked that sidequest

snausages · 23-08-2012 10:47am

JohnMarston wrote: »

I always liked that sidequest

Yeah, but I mean in the sense that Yuffie steals their materia and they run after her on foot through an entire continent.

noodler · 23-08-2012 10:48am

JohnMarston wrote: »

I always liked that sidequest

Ditto.

Although, I guess the fact you can complete the game without ever going near Wutai or Yuffie kind of at last shows Wutai was not integral to the story.

JohnMarston · 23-08-2012 10:49am

snausages wrote: »

Yeah, but I mean in the sense that Yuffie steals their materia and they run after her on foot through an entire continent.

Yeah i suppose so. At least you can walk across it in about 5 or 10 minutes depending on random encounters

Retr0gamer · 23-08-2012 10:57am

I think there's a balance between being realistic and making concessions for being fun and enjoyable. Having a bazillion useless towns and making you trek in real time across a continent wouldn't really be stepping over that fine but more like firing yourself in a cannon over it.

noodler · 23-08-2012 11:07am

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I think there's a balance between being realistic and making concessions for being fun and enjoyable. Having a bazillion useless towns and making you trek in real time across a continent wouldn't really be stepping over that fine but more like firing yourself in a cannon over it.

As opposed to FF6,FF8,FF9?

I don't see how FF7 is unique in that regard.

The only town in FF7 I can call useless is Wutai and thats only on a strict main story basis.

Maybe Gonzaga? But there is more added to the main story if you are willing to go there.

You had to walk to Kalm => Ranch => Junon (or you could get another Chocobo) but you get the buggy soon after Costa Del Sol.

JohnMarston · 23-08-2012 11:07am

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I think there's a balance between being realistic and making concessions for being fun and enjoyable. Having a bazillion useless towns and making you trek in real time across a continent wouldn't really be stepping over that fine but more like firing yourself in a cannon over it.

At the same time you dont want want to feel like the world you're exploring is sparse and underpopulated.

keane2097 · 23-08-2012 11:08am

noodler wrote: »

As opposed to FF6,FF8,FF9?

I don't see how FF7 is unique in that regard.

The only town in FF7 I can call useless is Wutai and thats only on a strict main story basis.

Maybe Gonzaga? But there is more added to the main story if you are willing to go there.

You had to walk to Kalm => Ranch => Junon (or you could get another Chocobo) but you get the buggy soon after Costa Del Sol.

Don't fall over yourself in your rush to disagree there old boy, fairly sure he's saying FF7 is totally standard in that regard.

noodler · 23-08-2012 11:10am

keane2097 wrote: »

Don't fall over yourself in your rush to disagree there old boy, fairly sure he's saying FF7 is totally standard in that regard.

Indeed.

My apologies Retr0.

I misread your post.

snausages · 23-08-2012 11:12am

JohnMarston wrote: »

At the same time you dont want want to feel like the world you're exploring is sparse and underpopulated.

Well your mind fills in the blanks. XII was kind of different in that regard. It was huge but took place in a tiny province.

Retr0gamer · 23-08-2012 11:21am

I think letting your mind fill in the blanks is the best way. Much better than a load of codex like Mass Effect of FFXIII. Half-Life 2 was probably the perfect example of this. There's nothing wrong with having a bit of mystery about a setting or place.

snausages · 23-08-2012 11:26am

Yeah, I can't help but feel when people say that HL2 has a crap story and no real arc that they're missing the point of that game. It's sort of like an iceberg, there's a lot underneath that you don't see but you work it out from the surface details. The little greeting from Dr. Breen at the start tells you all you need to know. Whereas Mass Effect is heavy-going with the exposition. FFXIII basically just came with a big cliff-notes guide that no-one bothered to read.

albel nox · 23-08-2012 10:43pm

I don't know how possible it is. But i would recommend Star Ocean 2: The Second Story.
The Story is quite good and there are loads of different characters.
But now that i type this the battle system is much different and there is some voice acting which is quite good in fairness but it may be a bit off putting.

Retr0gamer · 23-08-2012 10:52pm

albel nox wrote: »

voice acting which is quite good in fairness but it may be a bit off putting.

I have to stop you there but the voice acting is an atrocity.

albel nox · 23-08-2012 10:57pm

It really isn't that bad and i generally hate voice acting. If i could play the game and still listen to the voice acting, its at least mediocre.

boarder294 · 24-08-2012 4:11am

Voice acting is hard, you have use different voice for so many character and remember what tone of voice you used in making it. it is not just one character your acting, a whole lot.

TO_ARTHUR! · 10-03-2013 2:17pm

Great thread to everyone involved, especially Red XIV and LadyE! It has brought back loads of memories (as I'm sure you're tired of hearing). I had been replaying FFVII over the summer a year or two back but I kept on getting stuck on Ruby Weapon. I haven't even gone near Emerald Weapon or the Northern Crater and I was looking to beat them before the final battle. The past while I've been reading this thread have been a great inspiration for me to have a another crack it, when I get home and can get near my PS2, during the summer:pac:

Thanks very much guys!:) Fantastic reading!

Arawn · 10-03-2013 2:40pm

TO_ARTHUR! wrote: »

Great thread to everyone involved, especially Red XIV and LadyE! It has brought back loads of memories (as I'm sure you're tired of hearing). I had been replaying FFVII over the summer a year or two back but I kept on getting stuck on Ruby Weapon. I haven't even gone near Emerald Weapon or the Northern Crater and I was looking to beat them before the final battle. The past while I've been reading this thread have been a great inspiration for me to have a another crack it, when I get home and can get near my PS2, during the summer:pac:

Thanks very much guys!:) Fantastic reading!

w/summon and mime. Haedes and an attack summon. Ruby is simples

TO_ARTHUR! · 10-03-2013 2:49pm

Thanks, If I remember correctly, I have my characters on around level 70 -75 or so. Should I bring their levels up? And did you start the battle with two characters dead and revive them after Ruby sticks his hands into the ground?

Retr0gamer · 10-03-2013 8:13pm

Taking those bosses on isn't so much about high levels as it is using broken battle system tactics to win. You should read up on strategies, some of them are quite inventive.

SickBoy · 10-03-2013 9:35pm

This thread led me to locate this walkthrough by Caponetone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUJ9xC5Brjk
He shows some sweet ways to defeat the weapons there.
Made me load it up on the PC and play through again, great fun. There are some great mods available also to make the graphics look much better.

Darkstrike · 08-06-2013 9:23pm

This thread was absolutely immense, well done.

le sigh · 22-06-2013 3:43am

I forget, did she ever read this?

RedXIV · 22-06-2013 11:59am

le sigh wrote: »

I forget, did she ever read this?

Yep

had a good read through it and even posted a bit on it (LadyE)

Thinking I might push her towards the FFX remaster when it comes out, could be another epic thread in the making!

MitchKoobski · 22-06-2013 12:03pm

I'd love to see/read someone play Final Fantasy IX for the first time.

Guyanachronism · 08-07-2013 5:05pm

It's funny coming across this thread because I have always told my boyfriend (now fiance) that I won't formalise anything until he plays FFVII. I gave him a PS1 emulator and the FFVII files but he never used it, now it has come up on steam he has agreed to play it at some point. He's a serious gamer, loves RPG but he never got into FF, he calls them fantasy adventures.

I am just a bit worried that the Steam version, supposedly the music isn't as good. I also think that he might not enjoy it as I played it as one of my first really immersive video games. That and I will have to come up with more things to delay getting married. Perhaps the whole back catalogue, which in truth I haven't done either.

keane2097 · 08-07-2013 5:20pm

Link to steam version plz

Vojera · 08-07-2013 5:24pm

keane2097 wrote: »

Link to steam version plz

Link

Or, you know, typing it into the search box works too.

Retr0gamer · 08-07-2013 8:18pm

Guyanachronism wrote: »

It's funny coming across this thread because I have always told my boyfriend (now fiance) that I won't formalise anything until he plays FFVII. I gave him a PS1 emulator and the FFVII files but he never used it, now it has come up on steam he has agreed to play it at some point. He's a serious gamer, loves RPG but he never got into FF, he calls them fantasy adventures.

I am just a bit worried that the Steam version, supposedly the music isn't as good. I also think that he might not enjoy it as I played it as one of my first really immersive video games. That and I will have to come up with more things to delay getting married. Perhaps the whole back catalogue, which in truth I haven't done either.

If he likes his RPGs western or complex don't be surprised if he hates it. It's very basic in comparison and hasn't aged well. It might seem quite quaint. I know a few PC RPG players that just couldn't get into it since it was so simplistic.

Final Fantasy 7....by a non gamer

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