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Final Fantasy 7....by a non gamer
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09-04-2012 8:46am#1Exciting day in the RedXIV household today. After a mate from college came to visit and we sat around chatting about old games, herself has finally decided to give Final Fantasy 7 a shot. Presumably to understand why I'm content to collect all kinds of Final Fantasy related crap
Just to give a brief synopsis of her gaming history; she played a lot of Alex the Kidd, was her favourite game for years. She did take a brief shine to the 16 bit platformers of Sonic and Mario and after that, it was only the random debauchery of GTA in very small doses that was required to satisfy her gaming needs. She then met me, a proper gaming nut and, while clearly bewildered by my need to get at least a few hours a week in, she's taken it in good spirit. For example, I picked up GTA IV for her and she enjoyed that (for a few hours) and when she discovered the trophies in Sonic the hedgehog 2, she spent the guts of an hour trying to get a few of them. She's not against gaming in general but the idea of a 60 hour game I'm pretty sure seemed like overkill.
So when this was agreed upon, she'd set up the constraits around this challenge.- She'd play 10 hours minimum - after that she can give up if she wants
- She didn't want anyone/anything helping her
- She wanted to do it in 1 hour slots
- I'm to shut up about it after this
So the first hour is tonight, have to admit, am looking forward to this. Been a while since I played the game and looking forward to watching a person play through it for the first time.
Have a feeling the mistranslation on the first boss instructions will drive her batshit insane though
Will update the thread tonight with a review of her first hour.23
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Just make sure you don't stand behind her commenting on things...will probably drive her insane.MitchKoobski wrote: »Leave her on her own to play the game. Having someone over your shoulder for an RPG is infuriating!
Ah yeah, after all, whats the point in playing a game like that with all the answers given to you, she'll have to suffer through it blind like we all did all those years ago 0 -
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So we just finished night 1 after a few delays.
Going better than expected to be honest. Thanks to a glitch in the PS3 version, the start is slightly worse, you can't see the weaving points of light at the start, just hear the music until you see Aeris's face. So the first comment was "It's kinda slow isn't it?" which is fair after 20 seconds of blank screen.
She was impressed with the graphics, having the belief that this ancient game was going to look like the first legend of zelda. The controls on the other hand are not going well. She's too used to using X as a confirm button and the X/O thing is causing her a lot of hassle. She has the door and ladder pointers on to help but doesn't seem to make much use of them so far.
Combat wise she's picked it up quite fast. She had a few hiccups, attacking herself, not realising magic eats up MP and learning to run but she's gotten quite comfortable with it now. She's aware of the concept of magic but has yet to learn about how different elements affect enemies. Oh and Cloud is a cocky git with his victory pose also
All was going quite well until Scorpion Boss. While I have been giving her a brief overview of everything (she doesn't play these games at all so I had to point her in the right direction) I deliberately let her deal with the boss in her own way. Unfortunately her own way was full on aggression. When the boss lifts his tail, and Cloud says "Barret, Watch out!", she started to panic and as soon as the attack menu would come up, she'd press attack as fast as possible. Didn't take long for the Tail laser to wipe her out and face her first game over. She took it well though and quickly went back to it. However the same thing happened again, she read the crappy translation and attacked constantly as the tail was up. Boom, gone again.
The third time she went in, she healed both party members before entering the fray and continued with her strategy plan. Through the luck of the ATB gauge and limit breaks, She managed to break the boss while his tail was in the air. Unfortunately Barret was dead at this stage and she wasn't far from it either. With the timer ticking she ran back to the save point, promptly saved the game and slowly walked (still not 100% on the running) towards the exit. And she missed Jessie. After getting to the door you need Jessie to unlock, she spoke to Biggs and screamed "WHERE THE HELL IS JESSIE?!". Timer reading 4 mins at this stage. She walks back again, barely limping on from each fight and the timer eventually reaches 0 before she gets to see her again.
Random fact I didn't know, if the timer runs out the reactor explosion FMV plays. Then its game over. She restarted (for the second time with the uttering "last time, I swear") and climbed the ladder and spotted Jessie "the idiot". After telling Jessie to come on she exits the reactor and enjoys the end sequence of the mission! Hurrah!
After a giggle at Wedge's butt on fire, she fights each squad of soldiers before jumping on the train. While in the train carriage, we get into a discussion about the why behind the bomb attacks. I reveal almost nothing, instead reciting the back of the PSone CD case about Avalanche being a terrorist group. She's liking the world although definitely confusing with Zelda as she attempts to break a crate on the train.
At the station she heads right towards the graveyard and i intervene as she is tired. I tell her to go back and turn left to find the save point at the pillar where we have stopped tonight.
Total Play time 1hr 20 mins.
Overall: She's far more enthusiastic than I expected and while showing annoyance at the random battles already she does enjoy the victory dance. She has asked that I push her to complete this challenge as she "likes the game but I'm not into it yet".
Next hour will be next week! Looking forward to how she see's the Tifa love plot unfold, shes a sucker for a romantic story 0 -
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She was impressed with the graphics, having the belief that this ancient game was going to look like the first legend of zelda. The controls on the other hand are not going well. She's too used to using X as a confirm button and the X/O thing is causing her a lot of hassle. She has the door and ladder pointers on to help but doesn't seem to make much use of them so far.
It's the way it bloody well should be. Only Nintendo and Kojima do it right now. I blame Sony making a balls of it in the West when they kept changing it for the US releases.
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She should be fine with FFVII. There's so little depth to the game really that it's a good place to start. Also now that she has beaten the first boss she's pretty much finished the hardest part of the game other than the final boss.
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Not really, I had no trouble at all with anything the game threw at me after the initial boss encounter. The game is a walk in the park. As for the depth the materia system is hardly deep and one of the more basic JRPG systems around. Not that any of that is a bad thing but you know the fanboys will jump on anything they deem negative and make it seem like an exaggeration without actually thinking about it.
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Retr0gamer wrote: »Not really, I had no trouble at all with anything the game threw at me after the initial boss encounter. The game is a walk in the park. As for the depth the materia system is hardly deep and one of the more basic JRPG systems around. Not that any of that is a bad thing but you know the fanboys will jump on anything they deem negative and make it seem like an exaggeration without actually thinking about it.
As you say, its not ridiculously complex, but to a non gamer, its more than a challenge She still hasn't learned the importance of talking to NPCs, taking in what the dialog is saying, learning to customise the characters via weapons, armor and materia.
To be honest, I was considering starting her on the more friendly FFIX but she was adamant she wanted to try VII. I think it will be an interesting experience, I don't know if she has the patience to spend the time tweaking the characters before battles etc. I'm waiting for the elevator boss fight to see how well she takes to the materia system. I will also stress the importance of the training hall, but will explain nothing to her.0 -
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Honestly FFVII is nothing more complex than buying the latest weapons in the next town you visit and slapping as much materia on to a character as possible. With fire, ice, lighning and cure materia slapped on a character you are pretty much set to take on the world, everything else is a nice bonus. It will get her introduced to RPGs though and you can play around with the crazier materia which is basically just the job skills from past FF games.
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Just got an email in work"RedXIV
I just killed techno-soldier (first time may I add) and cloud fell down the break in platforms and the whole thing has gone black its been like this for ages, thought it might be the same as the start up where we can't see the sparkles but nothing is happening :(
Wtf had it just crashed??"
followed by
2 mins later."Its ok, its working"
Literally swelling with pride that she's playing it while at home with the kids 0 -
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Although bear in mind the some charcters handle materia better than others (Aeris the best mage etc) and that the more materia you load on the more HP falls.
It makes such little difference that it's not really noticable. Most people that only played FFVII as their first RPG kept Aeris in the back line, if you put her up front she kicks as much ass with physical attacks as anyone else. Also the drop in stats and HP from materia really makes no difference. Basically you either don't equip magic and become a melee god or equip materia and become a master of all trades. It's not even worth worrying about.
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Eh I wasn't even being that mean? All I can see is a fanboy getting riled up tbh. I was just commenting on how it's a good gateway game to get into RPGs and then suddenly that means I absolutely hate a game that I actually think is great. As for FFIX's flaws, there's plenty and I will gladly admit to them. So I suggest you get your knickers untwisted and chill out.
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Ok guys, so as ye all heard, she was playing away yesterday while in work, and I had a work drinks do on yesterday evening so I didn't get home till 10 but sure enough, as I opened the door, I could hear the music from Aeris's house in Sector 5 slums.
So we've closed off yesterday with trying to get toward Tifa before hitting Sector 6 Wall Market. That little construction site maze has left her stumped after about 20 mins trying to navigate it. So she ran back and saved her game there. I always found the maze quite easy but another friend of mine said he had trouble with it too so I guess its reasonable for her to have trouble with it.
She has started to play around with the menu a bit and picking up some things quite well but some basics have left her stumped. For example, she assumed that only Cloud could use magic even though she actually equipped him with materia. She also missed the beginners hall which would have explained loads to her which is unfortunate but I'm hardly going to tell her how to complete the game. I have given her direction, at her request, in parts. I showed her how the materia worked in very basic terms, and explained about equipping weapons and armor. She was somewhat confused about why she couldn't equip cloud with the assault gun but she understands that now, I think.
She also got the Cross-Slash limit break, quite early, for me anyway. But she understands it fairly well. Also with the Airbuster boss in Sector 5, she managed to knock about 600HP with a back attack of a limit so she's learned about that too which is great.
She's been talking to everyone now as well. Understands very little so far, which is to be expected, and the example she mentioned to me was the guy with the number 2 tattooed on his hand who was sick. She believes that at a later stage she will have to find all the people with tattoos on their hands which in a roundabout way is kinda right
The most interesting part though so far is her opinions on the love story that has started. She's adamantly on Tifa's side and has referred to Aeris as the slut. Has really made me sit back and reflect on how this game is presented primarily for male audiences. Her logic is that Aeris has been extremely forward, and is not endearing as a character trait. While Tifa remains the rock that Cloud has spent his childhood with. Perhaps this is more a reflection on her own personality. She wouldn't be as forward as Aeris, and the more I think about it, the more her personality lines up with Tifa.
What may throw this out the window is her fondness of Aeris's theme music. She's not commented much on the music but she's attended a video game concert before with me and there she confessed to enjoyed the final fantasy sound track. She's even had me play the Aeris theme as she drives.
What most excites me about all this is that even through her bluster of only needing to play 10 hours, she's quite content to turn the game on by herself
and play away. Am hoping she will actually finish it now 0 -
Ok guys, so as ye all heard, she was playing away yesterday while in work, and I had a work drinks do on yesterday evening so I didn't get home till 10 but sure enough, as I opened the door, I could hear the music from Aeris's house in Sector 5 slums.
So we've closed off yesterday with trying to get toward Tifa before hitting Sector 6 Wall Market. That little construction site maze has left her stumped after about 20 mins trying to navigate it. So she ran back and saved her game there. I always found the maze quite easy but another friend of mine said he had trouble with it too so I guess its reasonable for her to have trouble with it.
She has started to play around with the menu a bit and picking up some things quite well but some basics have left her stumped. For example, she assumed that only Cloud could use magic even though she actually equipped him with materia. She also missed the beginners hall which would have explained loads to her which is unfortunate but I'm hardly going to tell her how to complete the game. I have given her direction, at her request, in parts. I showed her how the materia worked in very basic terms, and explained about equipping weapons and armor. She was somewhat confused about why she couldn't equip cloud with the assault gun but she understands that now, I think.
She also got the Cross-Slash limit break, quite early, for me anyway. But she understands it fairly well. Also with the Airbuster boss in Sector 5, she managed to knock about 600HP with a back attack of a limit so she's learned about that too which is great.
She's been talking to everyone now as well. Understands very little so far, which is to be expected, and the example she mentioned to me was the guy with the number 2 tattooed on his hand who was sick. She believes that at a later stage she will have to find all the people with tattoos on their hands which in a roundabout way is kinda right
The most interesting part though so far is her opinions on the love story that has started. She's adamantly on Tifa's side and has referred to Aeris as the slut. Has really made me sit back and reflect on how this game is presented primarily for male audiences. Her logic is that Aeris has been extremely forward, and is not endearing as a character trait. While Tifa remains the rock that Cloud has spent his childhood with. Perhaps this is more a reflection on her own personality. She wouldn't be as forward as Aeris, and the more I think about it, the more her personality lines up with Tifa.
What may throw this out the window is her fondness of Aeris's theme music. She's not commented much on the music but she's attended a video game concert before with me and there she confessed to enjoyed the final fantasy sound track. She's even had me play the Aeris theme as she drives.
What most excites me about all this is that even through her bluster of only needing to play 10 hours, she's quite content to turn the game on by herself
and play away. Am hoping she will actually finish it now
I'd love to hear a female perspective on the events in the Kalm flashback - I hope she makes it that far!0 -
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this making me all nostalgic and making me want to play it again. Once I finish college in May, I think I will try do something I have been meaning to do for years and finish every FF from 1-13 (except XI and X-2) in order. Be a long haul but would be a good bit of fun 0
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PffffffHAHAHA oh Retr0... your posts sure do make me laugh. Trollin' all the way!
It's the truth though. Other than getting thrown by the awful translation on the first boss I absolutely breezed through the game, the only other RPG I had played was Shining Force 2 before it. It's not challenging at all, but then most FF games are a breeze as well unless you go for the optional bosses
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Catching your first chocobo is a pain in the arse. By the time you are doing the end game breeding you are used to it but just wait and see how RedXIV's missus gets in with it. I know who will be right.
As for the lack of depth, I'm talking about the materia system. It's just very basic compared to other FF systems. Look at what came directly before FFVII, FFVI which had the magicite system. It might have been simple as well but each character at least had a job ability and the magicite offered much great character customisation. I preferred it to the blank slate approach of FFVII. Also FFV had the glorious job system. FFVII was a step back in complexity. Anyway what complexity that was afforded by the materia system was kind of negated by the ease of the game and how materia set ups really weren't important.
It's a bit of a double edged sword, it's great for beginners since there's no really difficulty spikes at all other than if you ran away from too many battles. However going back to it the battle system is lacking although the easiness does help speed up the battles, especially in a PS1 RPG and keeps the pace relatively high.
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Ohh tell her how to get by that maze, I died their twice, twice
So we've closed off yesterday with trying to get toward Tifa before hitting Sector 6 Wall Market. That little construction site maze has left her stumped after about 20 mins trying to navigate it. So she ran back and saved her game there. I always found the maze quite easy but another friend of mine said he had trouble with it too so I guess its reasonable for her to have trouble with it.
, must have fought the house....100 times, both times before he finally killed me. Stumbled up the ramp by accident then, jaysus the relief.:D
The first cure materia is in there aswell, isin't it?She also missed the beginners hall which would have explained loads to her which is unfortunate but I'm hardly going to tell her how to complete the game.0 -
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ghostchant wrote: »I'm inclined to agree with you, as much as I love FF7 I can recognise its faults. Not sure its relative ease is a fault though, in my opinion Chrino Trigger is every bit as easy, as is Persona 3, and I love them every bit as much. Playing through Devil Survivor at the moment and find it ridiculously difficult in comparison to any of those...also amazing though!
I found Persona 3 very difficult! You sure you weren't playing on easy?
Also the ease of the game isn't a problem as you say, it really helps keep the pace of the game flowing but my problem was you were never really forced to experiment with strategies like other games like Grandia or Chrono Trigger would force you to do while still being easy. That's the lack of depth I'm on about and it's what holds it back from being better than many other RPGs, the two mentioned included. It's just nitpicking though but people still jump down my throat when I'm pointing out small flaws of what I still think is a great game.
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Retr0gamer wrote: »
I found Persona 3 very difficult! You sure you weren't playing on easy?
Was definitely playing on normal, but I should've clarified: I played Persona 3 Portable. Being able to directly control your teammates makes things easier I'd imagine at least when it comes to exploiting enemy weaknesses, which as you know is what you have to do to stand any chance on the upper levels. A 4-element Lilim destroys most things in the first half of the game and fusing a 4-dyne Loki does the same thing to most of the second half. 0 -
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this thread so far. 
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