I ask myself that question a lot, why do I LLLOVVVE FF? It’s not really deep or challenging, it’s nothing compared to AD&D and yet I keep coming back to it! Why?
Maybe it’s because it’s Japanese, so it’s different, it has an anime touch that is just charming to nerds like us. Or maybe it’s because it’s usually graphically more advanced than other deeper RPG’s, to tell the truth I don’t know why I like FF but I do!
That’s way too vague a question! But, I guess I know the things I love about FF that are absent from many other games and RPGs, so I’ll start with those.
Storywise, the Final Fantasies, and in particular the latest ones from 6 upwards, are incredibly deep, innovative and involving. In a similar way, the characters are believable; loveable and hateable in their own special ways; well designed and well-rounded. My first FF was VII, and I had never been so immersed in a game before that one. Even if the graphics and the battles had been utter trash, I would have loved that game for its story and characters 
Which leads me onto the next part: battles! Random encounters usually annoy the hell out of me. But the battles in FF are actually FUN! Obviously, more so in some FFs than others, but I just love the feel and the smoothness of the ATB and, more recently, the CTB system.
Next? The most obvious - not just graphics, but presentation. Final Fantasy has STYLE. The series’ graphics are quite possibly the best ever seen in an RPG, the interface is intuitive, and the sound effects are just right - not too annoying or unsatisfactory.
Music? Two words: Nobuo Uematsu.
I’ve plugged more hours than I can count into Final Fantasy, and I could still play them all again with most of the enthusiasm I had when I first played them. I guess the series just has that certain something that no other RPG has, a quality to it that makes it stand out from the rest. When you play them, you get the feeling that they have been crafted with love and care by people who love RPGs as much as you do. And that, in a broad sense, is why I adore Final Fantasy
I just do. Plain and simple.
Hey, beats doing nothing.
It keeps me occupied from dreaded homework, it allows me to vent my fantasy/adventure addiction, it includes fighting (yay!), and it has some really kickass characters! (Examples: Cloud, Vincent, Sephiroth, Seifer, Auron…etc. lol)
I dunno. Escapism. Tradition. Continuity through games while giving rather different characters/worlds to us each time.
Something like that.
Cloud, Vincent, Sephiroth, Seifer, Auron…etc. lol)
More like, you think they’re hot!
I like FF for yes, the music is one of my main reasons.Without kickass, haunting music that serenades our gameplay, I absolutely cannot escape and feel the game’s atmosphere…I know it sounds weird, but I cant get into something with dinky, non instrumental music…the music helps place the setting, and can often warn you and act fore shadowing as to what is going to happen next.
The time period also interests me…and the intensity or the darkness of the gameplay.FF7 comes to mind when I say dark because I feel that was the most clouded game out of the whole series…not in a confusing way, but because of its time period and mood.
There are more reasons but I dont want to bore people, but those things mentioned really affect my gameplay
I like the music, plots, characters, and pretty much everything. Most of all, I just like the atmosphere of them, as Evangalion put it.
It’s the perfect mix- great stories with great characters, a great gameplay system (compare the battle system to some other RPG’s (i.e. Skies of Aracadia) and you see just how playable the ATB/CTB is), and the fact that Square are never afraid to tinker with what they have. This is one time that messing with a winning formula pays off, you can’t just jump from one game to the next and expect to own it, you have to start from the bottom and work your way up every time, and that’s what makes it great
I actually started playing the series on a recommadation of a friend, and boy did I thank that friend afterwards. For the FF7 was so cool, it literally got me hooked on the series.
I am not even sure why it did, it just one of things that happens and you don’t really think about until some one asks you a question like this. I guess I just like it, play them, and don’t really think about why.
I dont think I can agree on the greatness of the characters for FF…they keep getting worse and totally one sided with each game…FF9 gets my Worst Character Developement Award, and that’s what lowered my opinion on it.Even FF8 beat it out (and that’s saying a lot)
Originally posted by Evangelion
I dont think I can agree on the greatness of the characters for FF…they keep getting worse and totally one sided with each game…FF9 gets my Worst Character Developement Award, and that’s what lowered my opinion on it.Even FF8 beat it out (and that’s saying a lot)
FFVIII was perfection ^___^ for me at least, but at least I’m over the ‘violent response to criticism of her beloved’ stage :o I actually quite liked IX. It was nice, optimistic change from the dark and depressing worlds VII and VIII had to offer. Personally, I think IX had some awesome characters: Kuja; Freya; Vivi; Amarant; and Zidane himself was pretty fun ^^ He made me smile a fair few times.
Before people start flaming my post, please consider the fact that this was my opinion 
I don’t expect everyone to share it on pain of death ^^’ and nor does this need to turn into a ‘Which FF is best’ thread. We’ve had enough of those already >_<
I’m not saying I dislike any of them no no no.I enjoyed FF8 a lot, and FF 9 was okay.Could have been better but kept me busy nonetheless.The characters in these two games however(and maybe in a few other games) were just the same.They didnt grow as characters, rather they flowed naturally into “heros” as general RPG characters do.Something triggers the event, sends so and so on a mystic quest where they realize their world is in danger and they are the only ones who can stop it.FF9 was like this, mostly, though there were exceptions to every game, like in FF8, Squall.Well who couldnt love his ending, his personality got pulled completely around and it only took 4 discs to do so:o
Rinoa…blah.Some bouncy, hyperactive do you think I’m cute chick.Quistis, same thing.Teacher turned follower who is there for no purpose whatsoever but to instruct (even when it’s not her job) and to whirl a huge whip around like a wannabe dominatrix.Zell, loud mouthed, exuberant in love with life pretty boy.Selphie, preppie short skirted tee hee girly girl who randomly pauses to check her boots now and then.Actually Irvine could also be an exception to this game.Wasn’t he the one that spawned the big conversation about the orphanage at that Garden?And didnt he cop out shooting Edea?At least he was well written also.
For FF9…I think one of their biggest mistakes was putting Quina as a main character.He/she adds nothing to the plot whatsoever, and to waste this on a random creature who likes eating things is not so appealing to me.Not that I’m disrespecting Quina, I used he/she a lot, but as for plot development-no no.Same with Eiko (PLAIN ANNOYING) and Steiner (how obvious he’d follow Garnet).Freya and Amarant saved me from hating the character system totally.And I could go on and on, but I wont
Hmmm . . . I think each character adds their own thing to the game in each of the instances you mentioned. In FFVIII:
Squall: Like you said, he really develops as a character, so I won’t cover him.
Zell: He also grows up, particularly during the Galbadia Prison part when he gets his share of responsibility. His hyperactivity is, imo, endearing, and counterbalances Squall’s stoic nature.
Selphie: A point of optimism in the game. She’s not the airhead everyone thinks she is - her confidence suffers a tragic blow when Trabia gets hit, and particularly when she visits it later on. I think it’s easy to tell from her dialogue there that her loss has shaken her up. After that, however, she continues to keep everyones spirits up.
Rinoa: Her character fills out nicely as the game progresses. I can barely stand her at the start of the game, but the more I think about it, the more I like her later on. Rinoa enjoys a challenge, and she finds that challenge in Squall, which is why I think they’re so compatible.
Quistis: I think her character is almost a protest against growning up too soon. Think about it: she’s an Instructor at 18 years of age, barely an adult herself, and she tries so hard to maintain order. She acts a lot more maturely than the other characters most of the time - I think she was forced to mature quickly. Her solemnity and loneliness are the opposite of Squall’s - he prefers to be that way, whilst she would love the complete opposite: someone to see her as a peer rather than an Instructor.
But those are just my interpretations of the characters. As for IX:
Quina’s function is simple - humour! Every game, film and book needs a source of comic relief, and Quina is it. If you follow all of the subquests, he/she also teaches Zidane an important lesson about taking things too seriously, and to Vivi, enjoying life for its own sake.
Eiko represents loneliness in the game. She strives to prove her independence, because that’s all she’s ever known, and yet all she really wants is companionship.
As for Steiner, I think he’s symbolic of the conflict between duty or what’s expected of you and following your instincts. He follows Garnet with the intention of bringing her back at the start, but after what he discovers about Brahne’s side of things, he realises that chivalry isn’t always about following the rules.
Meh, I like to look at the FFs with more depth than most
Because most Final Fantasy games are ultimatly more interesting than most things going on.
The games are interesting, because Square is excellent at developing characters and storylines through visual series of events.
What drew me into Final Fantasy was the sheer beauty that Square imbued in every character, every song, and every scene. The lack of complexity and originality doesn’t bother me. Square took what had become common and made it as it should be made, in a way that no one has ever duplicated. Cecil may be a typical paladin, but he’s still the best paladin I’ve ever seen. He doesn’t need to be fiendishly complicated. His character is deep, and reflects the meaning of heroism. Things like heroism, and feeling, and beauty don’t require in-depth analysis. They’re simple, but deep; and self-apparent in games like Final Fantasy IV.
Xwing1056
Quina’s function is simple - humour! Every game, film and book needs a source of comic relief, and Quina is it. If you follow all of the subquests, he/she also teaches Zidane an important lesson about taking things too seriously, and to Vivi, enjoying life for its own sake.
Ahh!Maybe FF9 just grated on my nerves because of the various cast.I mean, you have a woman rat, a hero with a tail, a big…jolly looking thing, a mage with no face…I guess I’m all up for the more humanoid looking characters, because this game’s characters really annoyed me, it seemed so…kiddy-ish if you get what I mean.And the only remotely human character there was, hardly said anything:fungah: Not that I hated both game’s and their characters, just I get nitpicky about characters, because I believe characters are one of the most important aspects in defining a game.
ETA:Dammit I’ve just become a manly fish
I like FF because of the stories. Like LC said, they are deep and involving and I think they capture emotions very well. The battles are also great. It gives you a sense of “fantasy” without going too much backward or forward to the past. The scenery is nice…like the grasslands in FFX. Sure they were expansive but it was a beautiful scene. Yet any scene wouldn’t be complete without the gorgeous music from FF. The music is one of the best things about FF aside from some other things. The music fits the emotion of the scene at the time and it gets the mood flowing well.
All in all FF is a complete package of goodies but the story, battles, scenery, and music (especially this) are my reasons why I like FF.
Yeah. I have a strong pro-human bigotry in my rpg hero preferences. I tend to banish the animalistic ones to the back burner. ('Cept for Mog. Mog was cool).
I think I find it easier to identify with human characters (what? You’re kidding! No, really, I do. Shocking, eh? 
)
And ideally the characters one identifies most with are in the main hero party. If they’re not, there can be trouble…
Example: FF9 was a cool game, but it just didn’t hook me. I think the problem is Beatrix is just way too f’n cool. You get to use Beatrix for a little while, but she never joins your party. And the problem with this is she’s like 23 times cooler than the PCs and after you’ve used her in a fight, having to go back to the others is pretty demoralizing. Going from the penthouse to the outhouse, so to speak. If I could trade in Quina, Amarant, and Eiko as PCs for Beatrix I would. (3 for 1, and I still think I’d be coming out way ahead).
FF9 just didnt present anything new, basically.I mean it had its little twists and surprises but nothing that wouldnt stay with you for a long time