Originally Posted by Ryan H.

I don't know anything about FF!?

I know that FFVI was GARBAGE because Square just focused on graphics instead of telling the type of brilliant stories epitomized by such franchises as Adventure and Super Mario Bros.

Now THAT is where gaming was at, ya punk bitch!

Originally Posted by Ben D.

Heh. You know what I'm sick and tired of? Old-school gamers (and they don't get any more old-school than me) looking at every new installment of old franchises as inferior because they can't take off the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia.

What exactly was so great about the old FFs? I remember them well, because I loved them all. But perhaps you should face up to reality and step off the soapbox of "all old games were just better! They focused on the gameplay and not graphics!" C'mon, give me an effing BREAK. Gee, let's see if I can accurately remember FF VI, the cornerstone of all old-school fanboy praise:

I remember a wonderful, wonderful game. I remember loving it to death. Here's what else I remember, when looking at it from an objective point of view-

I recall laughable dialogue. I know it was laughable because I just played it last year and the words on the screen were just painful to read. Why? At the time, Square simply couldn't afford real writers, so they simply had the programmers write the scripts. Gee, that kinda showed. I remember faceless and utterly pointless characters that had little to no backstory that even mattered in the overall plot. I remember a combat system a chimpanzee could master (ooooh, Espers...real tough to figure). I remember a game that wasn't difficult in the slightest; it simply adopted the trait of all those old RPGs: level up like mad to stay competitive. Something else a semi-intelligent chimp could manage.

I remember a cliched storyline. I remember a villain that was so poorly concepted and drawn, he wasn't even remotely frightening or intimidating. Kefka ran around like a mental reject laughing like a loon with the oh-so-tired (it was even tired back then) theme of "taking over the world." I remember having all of four or five options in combat. I remember the last battle feeling exactly like the first battle. I remember it all very, very well.

Do I still love it? Certainly. Does it even come close to comparing to something like FF X? Ah...no.

Whether YOU "liked" the characters is completely and totally irrelevant. That's just subjective banter. The bottom line is the set of characters in FF X each served a purpose - with the exception of one or two - and they actually played a real role in the overall plot. Go ahead and compare the dialogue in X to VI...yeah, that'll be fun. It's like comparing normal writing to something a 4th grader would turn in during English class. Let's see...obviously all Square-Enix cared about was visuals, so the gameplay must be far inferior to VI, yes?

The Sphere Grid alone destroys the crap out of the Esper system. It offers a little something called freedom. We don't even use levels like all other RPGs do; we rely on skills and strategic planning when utilizing the Sphere Grid. And because we can switch characters in and out of battle on the fly (wouldn't you call that a fairly major enhancement?), we can plan to train each character however we see fit. The Summons are no longer just big magic spells, and they even built on the skill-based Summons in VIII. This time, they're living, breathing entities that can die just like your party members. And rather than magically popping up and disappearing, they - quite logically - take the place of your team to fight.

And oh wait, is there such a thing as Limit Breaks? Kinda. FF VI certainly had no such thing, and for the first time in X in ANY FF, you actually have to use a little dexterity, reaction, and timing to pull off a truly successful special attack. Furthermore, by setting up the Grid and your abilities in a variety of ways, you can gain the edge in any countless number of ways during battle. How did you gain the edge in FF VI? Um...fight a million battles the exact same way, over and over to gain levels and stats. Then, when you fight a boss, do the same thing all over again.

In FF X, they use relatively deep concepts of philosophy and religion to convey a point. If Sin isn't symbolism, nothing is. They surprise you here and there, they have a villain who certainly has a point, they have a storyline based in the past that you can understand; you feel the gravity of the situation. It was much the same way as VII, who had the best villain ever written (IMO) for RPGs. Sephiroth was the perfect sympathetic villain, and throughout that story, you continually felt at a disadvantage, yet still understood the need for your quest. I remember experiencing a wide variety of emotions in all the FFs AFTER FF VI. Because like it or not, they were all had superior writing, and LIKE IT OR NOT, the superior graphics greatly help to get the message across. "A picture is worth a thousand words," and whether or not you recognize it as such, the FMV in FFs do a HELL of a lot more for the story than tiny pixelated sprites with a little heart in a dialogue box over their heads.

You can bash on FF X all you want with your unfounded claims. You can dislike it all you want. I don't care whether you play that or XII, I really don't. But please, please don't try to sit there and play the "all old RPGs are just better" card. Because I've been playing them even longer than you (my first was Hero's Quest on the IBM/Tandy), and I know exactly what they were: great for their time. When compared to what we have now, they pale in comparison in every...possible...category.

Originally Posted by 420 Bones

Okay, I read to about... The bottom line is the set of characters in FF X each served a purpose.

Okay, kid, the bottom line is, your a ****ing retard, & you need to shut the **** up! Weither you liked 6 or not, is irrelevant. Wheither you like 10 or not, is irrelevant. Your attacking my opinion, with 1 of your own, equally as "THIS IS HOW IT IS!!!!" as my own. Claiming I'm the "holier Then Thou" 1 here... Your brain dead child, get a ****ing life!

Edit: FFX, like it or not, sucked ****ing *******. It was stupid. Sin was "symbolism", hahahaha. He did in a small way, symbolize something relevant to our own world, & lives. Yet there was no deeper, profound meaning to be had(unless of course your so into the game you found your own, which even a monkey could do!) But COME ON!!!!! A story based on a group of faggots & annoying chicks traveling around collecting summons to fight Sin with, cause its been 1 thousand years, & hes back to punish them for their sinful ways? It just doesn't cut it for me man. The only thing I felt the gravity of playing this game, was Yuna's pause-acting. It.............................. was......................... brutal......................... enough................... watching................ Star....... Trek. As far as all the characters serving a, "purpose". They didn't, Rikku's dad gives you his ship to use.(Jesus christ, I can feel the gravity Ben... BENNY I FEEL IT! Oh wait.... thats your mom.... she must have fallen asleep on top of me again!) Wakka quits blitzball & plays the fallen hero card the whole game. Lulu has big tits & a sexy voice. Yuna has to fight Sin. Auron is the cool, mysterious old guy who guides your sexually confused main character throughout the game. & your main character just tags along, acting like a true homosexual. Causing drama, cracking cheap jokes in his high pitched voice, doing stupid things to cause trouble. & failing to make even the slightest pass at any of the 3 fine peices of ass that he travels with. My god, its a revelation, a true gaming breakthrough!!!!! Your 1 sad mother ****er Benny.



-peace-

Originally Posted by Ryan H.

Come on, Ben, let me have some more fun with this kid before you ban him.

I REALLY want to discuss the depth of character development and story in such classic tales as Breakthrough and Contra.

Originally Posted by Ben D.

Well, whatever. I don't like useless - and completely hostile - posers in the forums, but you can have your fun. Just don't be surprised if someone else bans the moron before you get any entertainment out of it.