**SPOILERS** Why leveling up in RPGs isn't fun...

[Skummy]

Vivi's fucking awesome. And he's a black mage, they're adorable.

[Momo]

Vivi's fucking awesome. And he's a black mage, they're adorable.

[Riceman 4K]

I don't want to drag this into a "which Final Fantasy game is better", but I've always failed to see how anyone could prefer 8 to 7 or 9. It's one of the weakest of the whole franchise, in my opinion. Nine I do absolutely adore, though, I'm playing it now and I'd forgotten just how good it was...the storyline is a little weaker than Seven, but it's much more fun to play, and it's a fantastic send-off to the Final Fantasies of old.

[Benji]

Vivi's fucking awesome. And he's a black mage, they're adorable.

Add to that that he had the best Character of any of the 9 playable characters.

Bullshit, both Dagger and Zidane were way better playables in terms of character, though we all know Kuja was supreme badass and > Sephiroth in every sense of the bad guy with silver hair way.

[Momo]

Vivi's fucking awesome. And he's a black mage, they're adorable.

Add to that that he had the best Character of any of the 9 playable characters.

[Benji]

Massive spoilers for anyone who hasn't played FF9 ahead...

Well, yeah, he develops from child to adult, which really isn't a hard achievement to put across, whereas Dagger has the struggle between her duties as a daughter, her position and her people, as well as being a part of the group. Zidane discovers that he's basically an alien vessel designed to destroy the world he loves so much, he goes from happy go lucky to a very responsible and mature person who still manages to keep a smile on his and everyone elses face.

[Hajjhowe]

Mario RPG is the best RPG ever. I can't think fo any other game I completly played through, bar Marvel Ultimate Alliance, if you even count that.

[Guest Grapehead]

Legend of the Dragoon came to mind during this topic... I just walked through the game, fighting no additional enemies than the randoms that appeared while going from here to there. I leveled up through boss fights, and that was about it, and I breezed through the game, it was ridiculous. I enjoy grinding out levels sometimes, just to see how much pwnage I can dish out, but I like the option not to have to grind for 2 hours to beat one boss.

[MalaCloudy Black]

Massive spoilers for anyone who hasn't played FF9 ahead...

Well, yeah, he develops from child to adult, which really isn't a hard achievement to put across, whereas Dagger has the struggle between her duties as a daughter, her position and her people, as well as being a part of the group. Zidane discovers that he's basically an alien vessel designed to destroy the world he loves so much, he goes from happy go lucky to a very responsible and mature person who still manages to keep a smile on his and everyone elses face.

I never culled that from the game, the bit about Zidane.. but then again I don't pay attention.

[Guest digrind]

Okay, so you can add Ark in FF9 to the list of bosses I should have been at a much higher level before fighting >_<

That said, I think it had more to do with the fact that I paid no attention to what Kuja said.

"Magic block you say? Vivi, Quina, Dagger, come with me!"

[Guest clintcasey]

You mean I shouldn't be level 50 in FF12 before getting to Nalbina?

Edited February 5, 2007 by clintcasey

[darkrayne]

Legend of the Dragoon came to mind during this topic... I just walked through the game, fighting no additional enemies than the randoms that appeared while going from here to there. I leveled up through boss fights, and that was about it, and I breezed through the game, it was ridiculous. I enjoy grinding out levels sometimes, just to see how much pwnage I can dish out, but I like the option not to have to grind for 2 hours to beat one boss.

[Guest clintcasey]

When it comes to final Fantasy games there is realy one simple trick that works most of the time considering leveling. All you really have to do is never run away from any battle that you ever get in and theoreticly you should be at the level you need to be at to easily beat the bosses on the first try. Typically the only battles I have problems with in most RPGs in general are the final boss battles. If you run from battles a lot, well then expect to have a little bit harder time.

I think the last time we had this discussion we had someone complain that they had a hard as Hell time getting threw the Temple of the Ancients on Final Fantasy VII. What his problem realy was though was he was getting up to the final boss battle there with his party being around Level 15 so he was really about 20 levels lower than he should have been at that point of the game. Even if he'd just fought battles on the world map he'd have been better off.

By the way, this is how you know you've played too many Final Fantasy games. My first time playing Final Fantasy X I going towards the temple where you pick up Ifrit. My stepbrother was sitting beside me while I was playing at the time. As I was going down the pathway I sudden started running off the right path when the temple was directly in front of me.

So he asked me, "Why are you going that way, the temple is right over there."

My responce was, "I know how these guys think, chances are there's a chest over here." Sure enough there was a chest right over there.

[Mick]

When it comes to final Fantasy games there is realy one simple trick that works most of the time considering leveling. All you really have to do is never run away from any battle that you ever get in and theoreticly you should be at the level you need to be at to easily beat the bosses on the first try. Typically the only battles I have problems with in most RPGs in general are the final boss battles. If you run from battles a lot, well then expect to have a little bit harder time.

In Dragon Warrior II, it was the last boss battle that I leveled up for

At least in Dragon Warrior I, you could reach the maximum level and still have problems with the final boss, but that was mainly because the whole game was based around having only one character.

[apsham]

Wanna talk about leveling up in RPGs that is annoying? I started playing MapleStory again.

[Mick]

Then again, you have some games that are tough when no matter how much you level up.

I'm not sure if any of you guys have heard of it, but back in the day there was a series of AD&D computer games known as the "Gold Box" series. There were about 9 in all, and all shared the same basic storyline. Broken down, they are as follows:

FORGOTTEN REALMS:

Pool of Radience

Curse of the Azure Bonds

Secret of the Silver Blades

Pools of Darkness

DRAGONLANCE:

Champions of Krynn

Death Knights of Krynn

The Dark Queen of Krynn

SAVAGE FRONTIER:

Gateway to the Savage Frontier

Treasures of the Savage Frontier

They way the games worked, you were limited, depending on which game in the series you were playing, by how far you could level up. In Pool of Radience, for example, you could only reach, at the maximum, Level 6, whereas in it's sequel, Curse of the Azure Bonds, you could get up to 10 (However, created characters started at Level 5)

Because of it, the games were very difficult no matter what level you were at. They even let you modify your stats so you could have characters start out maxed out ability scores, and it was still a challenge and a half.

Good times....*sigh*

[ZJ Penn]

I didn't think Demon Gate was as bad some people make out. Although I sometimes tend to put the hours in when doing levels up. Part of the experience to me is levelling up. You're not enjoying an RPG unless you're sat wrapped in a quilt at four in the morning just killing Behemoths over and over again...and you don't see what the problem is.

Oh, and to toss my vote in there, I didn't mind FFVIII. Although I considered tossing FFX into the mix, so take my opinion for what you will.