AN ODE TO FINAL FANTASY

While I partly feel this may fit better into the Creative Corner, everything else thinks this is great. I shall provide a better reply when I have time to do more than skim but for discussion, here's a first impression.

Personally, the games I want to make and the art I do are living tributes to everything I think is cool. It's often not just a specific franchise, but that's also not to say that Dragon Quest doesn't inspire me like Final Fantasy does for you. But like my main man Mark Twain once said, all new ideas are existing ones that get jumbled up into something new in creators' brains. So I am happy that classic FF is something that's inspired you, wanting to create something with personal meaning and ambition for a loved one.

I'm also the sort of person who can see games as art, especially indies making their own games. From a skim, I can agree with you that the series hasn't quite been the same since FF9. Much as I feel FF10 has its worldbuilding merits and FF14 feels like an MMO celebration of the series, I think FF9 was the last triumphant hurrah of what it means to be a Final Fantasy game.

Also damn, you've got a phoenix tattoo? I've wanted one for years, and I'm to the point where I feel I've earned it. Just need to save up. :p

author=AtiyaTheSeeker
While I partly feel this may fit better into the Creative Corner, everything else thinks this is great. I shall provide a better reply when I have time to do more than skim but for discussion, here's a first impression.

Personally, the games I want to make and the art I do are living tributes to everything I think is cool. It's often not just a specific franchise, but that's also not to say that Dragon Quest doesn't inspire me like Final Fantasy does for you. But like my main man Mark Twain once said, all new ideas are existing ones that get jumbled up into something new in creators' brains. So I am happy that classic FF is something that's inspired you, wanting to create something with personal meaning and ambition for a loved one.

I'm also the sort of person who can see games as art, especially indies making their own games. From a skim, I can agree with you that the series hasn't quite been the same since FF9. Much as I feel FF10 has its worldbuilding merits and FF14 feels like an MMO celebration of the series, I think FF9 was the last triumphant hurrah of what it means to be a Final Fantasy game.

Also damn, you've got a phoenix tattoo? I've wanted one for years, and I'm to the point where I feel I've earned it. Just need to save up. :p

Don't diss my man FFXII like that. While not exactly "feeling like final fantasy," FFXII is an amazing game with incredible gameplay, intricate strategy, great mechanics, and an interesting if heavily undeveloped story. The amount of freedom of exploration you have in that game is unparalleled, especially to all the other post-PS1 FF titles. The license board system is miles better than the sphere grid of FFX and some of the secrets and hidden quests in FFXII are insane.

Though I don't recommend the PS2 version, x2 speed in the HD versions alone turn the game from a 6/10 to a 10/10 easily. The game was always meant to be played at a higher speed IMO, ideally 1.7x speed since the base 1.0x speed is far too slow while x2 is a bit too fast. But 2.0x speed works fine and makes the game a million more times enjoyable with no longer having to deal with the mollases pace of the PS2 release.

In my mind, Final Fantasy only really fell off with the switch to HD with FFXIII. Before that Final Fantasy was focused on classic turn based gameplay and wide open worlds, minus some deviations like FFXII's real time strategic combat and custom AI/gambit systems. Then FXIII came and the focus went from the series roots to flashy action and good graphics rather than making fun, engaging RPGs. Now Final Fantasy has completely lost it's identity, and has been in a massive rut since Spirits Within bombed and killed the franchise. That was over 20 years ago, and Square still hasn't recovered.