FAMITSU SCORES FINAL FANTASY XIII

post=113115

"WE ALL GREW UP IN AN ORPHANAGE IN CENTRA THEN WE WENT TO GARDEN *VAGUE GENERALITIES* NOW WE'RE HERE". Okay, what about the other what, decade in between? Not much!

what interesting things did you get up to between being a youngster and 17+ that have shaped the way you respond to situations that wouldn't be boring as hell in a game context?

Well, I'm not a video game character. That's really not an excuse since more interesting things have happened to video game protagonists younger than FF8's.

post=113117
that's nice. why should it be any different for RPG people? considering the deliberate act of writing characters that were as 'real' as possibly instead of absurd characterisations with wild blonde hair and giant swords

lets face it, real people are 'boring' too!

Which is why people play video games. I'm not saying that 'CRAZY ASS SHIT' needs to happen to make an interesting character, but there should probably be SOME characteristic that drives me into this fantasy world and fictional character that I can't get from actual, real people and going outside. Besides, its not like the characters of FF8 had a boring setting to work with. They're all students of a military academy in a world recovering from a major world war WHERE PEOPLE SHOOT MAGIC FROM THEIR HANDS. None of them have any interesting stories to tell at all?

post=113115

"WE ALL GREW UP IN AN ORPHANAGE IN CENTRA THEN WE WENT TO GARDEN *VAGUE GENERALITIES* NOW WE'RE HERE". Okay, what about the other what, decade in between? Not much!

what interesting things did you get up to between being a youngster and 17+ that have shaped the way you respond to situations that wouldn't be boring as hell in a game context?

BUT IF YOU MUST I'll actually answer that question, but I'll use the lives of actual RPG/video game protagonists. I won't name names, though, but all of these situations DO apply to various RPG/video game characters.

-This character is a super athlete and scores mad bitches. But he has daddy issues because his daddy was way better than him.

-This character was a child soldier. He repressed it but sometimes it comes out and he wiles out on his girlfriend. This character isn't a part of an RPG, but still!

-This character had to watch his mother get beaten and raped to death, while this father ran away like a coward, by hired goons of the leader of an opposing country.

-This character had a father that once saved the world, but by the time the hero was born he just traveled around the world. As a result he's very worldly and has many tales to tell.

Not all of this stuff is ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. If nothing else, a lot of these things can have a reasonable variant in real life!

Ok, this is becoming a more interesting discussion, so I'll chime in =)

I have wavering opinions on both geodude's and Feld's arguments.

Firstly, geodude makes an observation about how the characters learning they all came from the same place is supposed to represent a theme of predestination. His comment about Seifer is probably more compelling. It's further supported by the fact that Rinoa and Squall's love for each other is almost 100% about predistination. I'm iffy as to whether or not the game's writers consciously decided that the scene where all the characters learn they actually have known each other way back furthers the "predistination" agenda, beyond anything more MEANINGFUL than, "wow, we all knew each other when we were kids and we all ended up together now. Must be fate!" Any RMtard can come up with that (no offense to anyone, myself included ;).

As far as Feld's argument goes, if you believe that the characters all act similarly, speak similarly, and for the most part ARE similar, while looking past the absurd anime stereotypes geodude mentioned that these characters do possess, is it really not gratifying to learn that hey, they actually all grew up in the same place together? That's pretty damn clever, to me, and pretty subtle, again, when viewed underneath the spikey hair, emo, over-excitable energetic dude, ridiculously bubbly little girl personas the game has.

One more thing I wanted to mention after reading more posts.

I agree with geodude's point about what's necessary to establish character. These characters (and characters in MANY many other games) are teenagers or young adults. The storytellers only need to go over what is NECESSARY to help players get an idea as to what established the personas of the characters at the start of the game. They are still very impressionable at this age, which allows the events that happen during the game to further shape and develop these characters.

I'm not saying it can't be done with older characters that are already world-wearied, but these characters require much more clever development and nuancem and a much more character-driven experience. It's so much easier to see how events that the player sees and takes part of can influence a young mind without devoting too much depth into character development when there's a story that needs to be told and a plot that needs to be kept on focus.

post=113135
One more thing I wanted to mention after reading more posts.

I agree with geodude's point about what's necessary to establish character. These characters (and characters in MANY many other games) are teenagers or young adults. The storytellers only need to go over what is NECESSARY to help players get an idea as to what established the personas of the characters at the start of the game. They are still very impressionable at this age, which allows the events that happen during the game to further shape and develop these characters.

I'm not saying it can't be done with older characters that are already world-wearied, but these characters require much more clever development and nuancem and a much more character-driven experience. It's so much easier to see how events that the player sees and takes part of can influence a young mind without devoting too much depth into character development when there's a story that needs to be told and a plot that needs to be kept on focus.

this is what i would have posted if it wasn't twenty to four in the morning

Being trained mercenary soldiers should make you a MORE interesting person, not less.

what exactly are you basing this on?

(also FFVIII: rated T for teen)

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post=113132
they're trained mercenary soldiers. their area of expertise is SOLDIERY (and hot dogs)

Also agree. They care about what all students care about. School. Social status. Rivalry. Their own dreams and aspirations.

It's been a long time, but from what I remember, they don't really discuss those things either! School? Social status? Dreams and aspirations? None of this stuff is really addressed by ANYONE throughout the game. The best I could tell you is that Sephie has a problem with being late and that Quistis made really good grades. Zell likes hotdogs.

Well it looks like you guys are in a pretty deep dicussion..
I would state my opinion but I would probably just be rambling.

This video is comedic but it points out flaws in final fantasy games in a funny way.

It will make you laugh but it has relevance...watch...

at least half of the game is spent protecting their beloved schools, until with the development that ultimecia is the great threat they realise that their school is a microcosm of the greater world at large, and this feeling of both protection and affection is applied to the world.

Fair, although I was thinking along the lines of classes and that sort of thing.

"I'm going to be a sorceress knight!" (swish swish), liberation of timber, garden festival. this can also imply the lack of such (take that squall you deadbeat), because particularly squall is single-mindedly focused on a sense of duty rather than his personal feelings for so long.

That's all well and good, but did any of them have any idea what they wanted to do when they grew up? Did they even WANT to be SeeDs? They seem pretty so so about the idea. Alright, so Zell wanted to be a famous soldier like his grandfather, fine. Squall probably doesn't give a shit what happens do him, fine. Seifer wanted to be a SK, fine. But what about Quistis? Selphie? Irvine (he's not even a fucking SeeD for chrissakes what DID he want to do with himself?)

i have found the opposite! the people without a whole lot of ambition or aspiration burn out in the military for a while. w/e

Really? In my experience people in the military are more interesting because by the time they're what, 22, they've travelled the world, experienced many different cultures, some learn a new language, learned a variety of skills that most people NEVER learn, and some have even entered active combat and even some have KILLED people. None of this is touched on by the FF8 cast. How do any of them feel being what, 17 years old and being raised to be professional soldiers?

post=113140
It's been a long time, but from what I remember, they don't really discuss those things either! School? Social status? Dreams and aspirations? None of this stuff is really addressed by ANYONE throughout the game. The best I could tell you is that Sephie has a problem with being late and that Quistis made really good grades. Zell likes hotdogs.

Perhaps not explicitly. Seifer and Squall have a rivalry, but not really explicitly (it's kind of developed throughout the game's events). Zell THINKS he has a rivalry with Seifer too. Squall doesn't really care about anything except passing his tests, becoming a SeeD, and completing missions. Selphie is all into extra-curricular activities like clubs and music concerts. I think Zell at some point also mentions his aspirations, but I can't remember specifically. As geodude mentioned above, Seifer aspires to be Edea's personal bitch.

It's all a matter of taste and personal interpretation. It's fruitless to argue that there is more or less characterization than you or I believe. We both consumed the game and digested it in our own way, and drew our own conclusions. =) Part of me wonders if geodude gives the game's writers too much credit, but I know for a fact that I too have digested stories and drew some immensely satisfying conclusions about subtle things like themes or characters, only to have everyone else say that the game reeked (I think you'll agree with me...Xeno fan, right? ;) That kinda gives you an idea how geodude feels about it, even if he makes you believe OMG IT'S THERE YOU ARE JUST BLIIIIIIIND