Final Fantasy?

[ShAiOnEi]

Originally Posted by MrRubix

Well, I've played the FF series up until FFX (I haven't touched anything after that). I admit I have very little exposure to RPG's, and FF comprises most of my "RPG experience." My favorite out of the series was FF7, and for these reasons:

1. I thought the story was interesting. I didn't find it "deep," but I love the idea of starting the game immediately jumping into action, and then having events roll out in front of you. Throughout the game you experience flashbacks and piece together Cloud's backstory, and along the way you get a few rather cool plot twists (even though a few might be seen as predictable). The fact that Cloud essentially had a warped form of amnesia made the game interesting, since it meant we could never really trust his explanation when it came to his past.

2. The battle system was simple, yet fun. No complex controls/menus to worry about or anything -- the Limit Break system was fun and intuitive. My only complaint would be that usually the strategies involved leveling up and then spamming the enemy with your most powerful summons. I kinda wished strategy played a larger role.

3. Side quests were generally pretty fun, whether it was racing Chocobos or fighting in the Battle Square, or taking time out to search for a more powerful piece of armor or equipment, or battling a mega-villain like Emerald or Ruby Weapon.

4. The music I think speaks for itself. The soundtrack was very catchy and memorable.

Needless to say, I don't think FF7 is a perfect game by any means. It's just been the most fun RPG I've played to date, but I'm open to suggestions.




Basically, I want an RPG where:

1. Brains and strategy are favored more than mindless leveling-up. I always hated the idea of wasting hours just battling easy enemies so that my strongest attack was strong enough to do considerable damage. And yet, I want the battling to be reasonably fast-paced such that it doesn't feel like a slow, agonizing game of chess or something.

2. I want a storyline that isn't overly cliche (not all cliches are bad ones, but in general, cliches require moderation to be effective), and has characters I actually care about who have distinct personalities and show some form of progression/development as the game unfolds. I like having a story that keeps me on my toes, always guessing/thinking of what may happen next.

3. I'd like for there to be many sidequests to ensure the game isn't merely a linear experience.

4. A great soundtrack -- memorable themes add so much value to a game.

5. Graphics aren't a high priority for me if everything else is amazing.

Star Ocean Till the end of time.