Queen's Blood (Final Fantasy Thread)

[stokeriño]

Been a while since I've looked in this topic so the FFIX on PS4 thing is news to me. Might well be a temptation I'm unlikely to resist over Christmas...

[Skummy]

52 minutes ago, Santa with Benjles said:

Know what I think goes under-appreciated in FFIX? The pacing? Story, journey, boss fight. It's a simple formula but it works every damned time.

I also think more games need to get rid of "open world" and go back to individual screens. It gives you a sense of progress.

I've said it plenty of times, but I think FFIX was consciously a love letter to what Final Fantasy was, in the knowledge that it would never be that again. I see it as the end point of "traditional" Final Fantasy and, after that fact, you start losing all the gameplay elements that defined the series to me. I'd love to see the series go back to individual screens, a separate world map, and so on, but it never will, and I know the series really isn't for me any more - with the exceptions of spin-offs like World of Final Fantasy, which seem almost explicitly aimed at the likes of me.

FFIX's story and pacing I found really interesting. It was so refreshing after VII and VIII to have a central character that wasn't grim and brooding, but also who - for the most part - never felt like he was actually the crux of the narrative, or on some great quest to avenge anything, he was just carried along by the events happening around him just as you were.

[Benji]

1 minute ago, Little Skummer Boy said:

he was just carried along by the events happening around him just as you were.

Yeah, totally. I haven't replayed it much in recent years, but I totally forgot how pretty much every time you reach a location you are too late. You're just desperately scrambling to save what you can each time, it's a great way to show the stakes.

[Benji]

I just realised in this playthrough - Kuja is looking for an Eidolon better than Alexander, and if he hadn't sent the party to Oeilvert for the Gulug Stone instead of going himself then he would have encountered Ark, which is the best Eidolon in the game. His own fear of death (which is the key to his arc) ironically cost him the very thing that could have saved it.

[Avenged Probably]

2 hours ago, Santa with Benjles said:

I just realised in this playthrough - Kuja is looking for an Eidolon better than Alexander, and if he hadn't sent the party to Oeilvert for the Gulug Stone instead of going himself then he would have encountered Ark, which is the best Eidolon in the game. His own fear of death (which is the key to his arc) ironically cost him the very thing that could have saved it.

I'm loving your comments as you play. I got it right away when it came out on PS4 as its always been my favourite, but only got so far before I got super busy. Can't wait to get stuck back in over the next couple of weeks.

[Benji]

Yeah ditto. I've been holding off replaying it for a couple of years because I just can't play it on PC, so I've been waiting for the PS4 port, but had other stuff to finish before I could play it. Honestly there's a reason this game is my favourite. Hot 'N' Cold is also totally my favourite side game, made all the better by the ability to go into super speed

[Ruki]

Super speed was the best for grinding and Hot and Cold.

[Benji]

So pissed off with myself. At some point I have missed at least one ATE despite listing them as I go. My guess is it happened in Treno cause I had to reset for some reason, and I must have lost track. I was going to have to do a separate game anyway for the speedrun trophy, but now having to combine that and ATEs is going to be a total ballache.

[Ruki]

4x speed!

[Benji]

Yeah, I know, but it's still a total ballache since some ATE's are insanely specific about how they happen (like one which needs you to have less than 100 gil at a time in the game where you should have no reason not to have loads, or the ones in Treno and Black Mage Village where you have to enter a bunch of otherwise totally unnecessary to a speed run screens in specific orders).

If they were just "watch them", then it'd be fine, but it's having to go through the processes required to activate them all that's the ballache.

[Katsuya]

Started playing New Threat FF7. Immediately regret decision.

[Ruki]

What's that?

[Katsuya]

An overhaul of the entire game, making it more difficult but giving a lot of the characters certain roles to make up for it; so Barrett is a tank, Cloud is mixed, Aeris a healer etc.

All the enemies have different things going for them too, Materia's in new locations, Potions work differently in battle vs. the field. It's also set up to avoid you grinding, so there's always a solution to each new battle.

For example, first boss spoilers:

The 10 minute countdown starts before you fight Guard Scorpion now. His physical attack also now poisons you, and Tail Laser is reworked to eject the character from the battle.

You then face it again when you're escaping, but it's much more damaged and easier to beat. Especially because you end up with Jessie in the battle, although you can't control her actions, but she does fight.

Its definitely a challenge but as something to make FF7 different it's really quite fun. Probably gonna play it a fair bit.

[Ruki]

That's pretty cool actually. Go fight Ruby Weapon!

 

(I was never able to beat Ruby or Emerald...but then again, I on;y played 7 once. Omega and Ultima in 8 though I kicked the shit out of...with cheese

[Katsuya]

I mean in like 6 months when I've powered my way through everything else, sure!

There's also a ton of extra boss battles, which you use to get either the character's Ultimate Weapon or Lv 4 Limit, can't remember. All I know is that one of them is:

You fight Zack as Cloud

[Benji]

17 hours ago, Katsuya said:

An overhaul of the entire game, making it more difficult but giving a lot of the characters certain roles to make up for it; so Barrett is a tank, Cloud is mixed, Aeris a healer etc.

All the enemies have different things going for them too, Materia's in new locations, Potions work differently in battle vs. the field. It's also set up to avoid you grinding, so there's always a solution to each new battle.

For example, first boss spoilers:

 

  Hide contents

The 10 minute countdown starts before you fight Guard Scorpion now. His physical attack also now poisons you, and Tail Laser is reworked to eject the character from the battle.

You then face it again when you're escaping, but it's much more damaged and easier to beat. Especially because you end up with Jessie in the battle, although you can't control her actions, but she does fight.

Its definitely a challenge but as something to make FF7 different it's really quite fun. Probably gonna play it a fair bit.

 

Where do I get this from? Sounds ace.

[Benji]

Finished FFIX for like the twentieth time and I still shed a tear at the ending even now.

Spoiler

 

The bit where Garnet hits Zidane on the chest because she's so upset she thought he was gone and happy that he's back always makes me smile. Love this game so much.

"How did you survive?"

"I didn't have a choice... I wanted to come home to you... So I sang your song... Our song..."

 

 

[Benji]

Update: Jump rope can still suck a dick though. Cannot do it for the life of me, input lag is a killer on new tellies.

[Benji]

Further update: Jump rope can suck my dick, not just any old dick. I win

[probablyoliver]

On 26/12/2017 at 19:00, Santa with Benjles said:

Further update: Jump rope can suck my dick, not just any old dick. I win

So which script did you use?