RPG Classics Mailbag

Nice controversial topic here, I thought. We get to see who loved FF7/8 and who hated it, and who wants to kill the guy who thinks the opposite, and who's got whose knife at whose throat at the moment. But I digress. Basically, the overall consensus was that the perfect FF has either a) Job System, b) awesome story, or c) Kefka. Let's get to the dissenters, though. We shall start with a fairly incoherent reply from Acerlyte.

Heya again Cidolfas, on this weeks topic I must say that FF9's skill learning system is the best I've come across, since you have to equip weapons and armour (armor) anyway. Also the Trance system was the most well thought out 'limit system' I've come across, since its effective but can't be used cheaply like in FF8 (I'd imagine you and most of the mail bag readers left Squall on the ground half dead for most of the game like I did yes?), but it wasn't completely without flaws, I would have made it so you kept your left over trance energy after battle, other than that its fine though. It's story could have been tweaked a bit but I personally feel its the best so far (quite a few of my friends agree with me too...) and probably won't be beaten for quite some time (depending on how good FF12 is I mean, from the producers they have lined up for that it could very well beat the snot out of 9). Also, I feel that a Final Fantasy game is a personal experience, and that an Online only Final Fantasy shouldn't be part of the series (ie. a numbered game) but rather an off shoot like Tactics. Anyway, I'm not sure if that fits under the topic of this week but... oh well.

Yeah, I kept getting annoyed when one character got hit and Tranced, the next character was already attacking the last enemy, and the battle ended without the Tranced character being able to do anything. It took me 10 hours before finding out what Amarant's Trance command actually was. And I also agree with that last sentiment. They should do more offshoots like FF Tactics; I think they'd gather probably more love than the actual series, since expectations will be lower and experimentation higher. Next we turn to PsiDreamerOmega, who has the same initials as Phantasy Star Online or PlayStation One except for one letter.

You do realize you've just asked a very volatile question. Oh well, it's opinion anyway, so here goes. Parentheses abound. I've played all of em (not to completion, but seen what they can do at least) starting with 1 (which I disliked so much I was hesitant to try 4 and 6) first, so I (hopefully) know what I'm talking about. First off, the only way to make a perfect FF (or any game for that matter) is just to please yourself, cos not everyone will enjoy it. You can't release a game and expect everyone to buy it, cos it won't appeal to all the consumers. Some people like 4 and 6 and hate the rest, some like 7 and 8, and most like a mishmash of all of them. Some people love to stare at pretty graphics, others couldn't care less. Some people like SD sprites, others like the realism in FF8. Some won't play without a good soundtrack, others realize they have a mute button. Perfection is impossible. I've talked to someone who thought 4 is perfection, one that thought 6 was, another about 7, 8, 9, and so on. That just leads me back to the point that to make a perfect game you have to make it for yourself. Personally, I'd like a game (cos face it, callin it FF only raises the expectations of the fans) where the towns are a bit more realistic, like Earthbound, as opposed to DW where apparently everyone sleeps in the back of their shops. I'd like some irony/failure in the story, like Star Ocean 2, not some romp through The Forest of Unhappiness. Good characters are a must; I know some argue that you shouldn't play an RPG just for the characters, but I personally can't stand an RPG if the characters are uninteresting. An original plot would be nice, but retelling an old story in an interesting way can also be good. References to mythology are interesting, but they get tiring when they're painfully blatant (We're going from the town of Midgard to the forest of Ymir). I'd like more interaction with the environment, and more freedom of actions. Why is it that Goemon and Kain are the only games (that I've played) that let you hit/kill/rob townspeople? I wanna do that more often! Anyway, to make a long story short (too late), the perfect FF is impossible to make, and therefore hasn't been and won't ever be made. Although 4 and 6 are dang close and 7 and 1 are about as far away as you can get. Excuse me, I think I'm going to have to run away now.

Oh, I dunno. I think most people never knew what Midgard or Fenrir was, let alone Heimdall and Ymir (Norse mythology isn't very widely known about). And said Star Ocean 2 also lets you rob townspeople (sometimes with hilarious results), albeit only once per person. And please, FF7 fans, I don't want anyone thinking about burning down PDO's house with flame throwers and avoiding the legal aspect by claiming it was a fire hazard to have his PlayStation plugged in 24 hours a day. I'm saying you should NOT do this, right? Good, then we understand each other. Now we go to a first-time mailbag replier (I love these people! I shall feed him and pet him and call him George! Or something like that! And anyone who hasn't played Discworld II thinks I'm clinically insane so I shall stop right here.)

Hi! This is my first time to the mailbag! First, gotta say that I love your site... definately one of the most comprehensive RPG sites on the web! Its so great that-

Ah, I think thats enough buttering up for now. Ozzie, you should try it out one time! Ever think of getting on Cidolfas' good side?

Thought of it. Then I tried finding his good side and gave up.

Anyways, the ideal RPG. First of all, I'm not very "RPG cultured", so I'll be using FF games for examples. First aspect. I know this will sound like a odd criterion, but the first aspect of an ideal RPG I would consider is the music. Yeah, its hokey, but think back to FF6 and FF7, which had spectacular music, and compare them to FF8. Now, I know FF8 was inferior on many other levels, but just THINK how the emotions poured in during FF6, when Locke was remembering Rachel's death, and that gorgeous song was playing! Or how about in FF7 right after Aeris bit the dust? Music will either make an important moment more or less memorable, and I think music is one of the reasons that most people consider FF6 far and away the best Final Fantasy.

Next come... story? No, I don't actually think the core story is that important. The most interesting aspect of a story is the characters, and the best stories are character-driven. I mean, FF4 had a very simple story, but the whole Cecil-Golbez rivalry made it a classic! Anyways, I think characters should have complex back stories, and most important, NOT be stereotypical. This was my complaint in FF7. We have a big black man whoi curses all the time, a Lara Croft look alike, a sullen blond guy... they were all so one dimensional. What makes RPG's memorable is how the characters interact, and how they react to they conflict in it. I think that superbly done characters can make a mundane story great, but not vice versa.

Finally... we need a equipment/magic system that is both easy to use and complex enough for all those tinkerers out there. FF7 and FF8 failed at this because their systems were unneccesarily bulky and complex, whereas FF9 had a perfectly balanced one, cause anyone could get the hang of it pretty quickly, and it had lots of tinkering potential in the abilities system. The equipment system should feel natural, and not get in your way. The frustration caused by the materia and junction systems was just unforgivable!

Anyways, hope you liked my not-so-short introduction letter to your mailbag!

-Brian A. (I know, I gotta think of some flashy RPG-ish name like Moon Shadow or Sky Dancer or something... I'm working on it).

Don't worry about it. I was "Dan Orner" for a few weeks and then I realized no one remembered me, so I had to choose a flashy RPG-ish name and I ended up with this one. Fate works in mysterious ways. But if you end up calling yourself Cidolfas 2 I'm gonna sue.

Right. What he said.

Moving right along, we come to I Abibde's interesting anime-typer super-kawaii response!

Before I put forth the idea of the Final Fantasy Chronicles, I would to take a moment to explain the spelling of my posting name, which has suffered somewhat in the past few Mailbags. It is I Abibde. I A-B-I-B-D-E. Please do not feel that this is an admonishment, since very few people can spell that name correctly. Just think "ee uh-beeb-day" and you will do well enough.

...*sweatdrop*

HAH! HAH! He got you!

Hehe..Good move I Abibde !(Even I type it correctly !)

Er... heh heh...

Can I? Can I? I been working on it for ages!

Oh, I'm sure you have. All right, all right, go ahead... sigh...

Okay, it's over, it's over, come on...

And thanks Spoonybard for the Sign!(What? You though that was CID who made that?! Get REAL!)

And thanks to Quina for eating the sign!

Uh? No one's eaten the sign.

The night is still young... Anyway, let's see what Ee Uh Beeb Day has to say, yes?

Now, I say "Final Fantasy Chronicles" because I feel that the one thing that would make the series all that it could and should be is one thing that helps make just about every other video role-playing game series good, and that is continuity of story from one game to the next. To provide this missing element in a single game would entail piecing together an ensemble cast that features characters from all of the existing Final Fantasy games, perhaps brought together by way of Time Compression (Final Fantasy VIII) at the key point in world history where the Time Loop (Final Fantasy I) finally begins again, and where Garland (Final Fantasy I / IX) is about to essentially "reset" reality. The Time Compression would, of course, come about because Garland and Ultimecia (Final Fantasy VIII) want to achieve the same end. The two supervillains could even be husband and wife, or some other development that one ordinarily only sees in fanfics. The possibilities for a unified story and practically endless, but the fact that such a story would encompass the entire series would automatically fix up one of its more serious flaws.

As for game play, why not incorporate all of the previous systems into a single, unified system, which would vary depending on which characters are in your party? Cecil (Final Fantasy IV) would have to learn his white magic by gaining levels, Butetsu (Final Fantasy V) would have to rely on the Job System, and Terra (Final Fantasy VI) would have to find Magicite, to use a few small examples. A compensatory system would also be included to ensure that all of the characters remain on a fairly even footing. Cecil would, perhaps, gain his levels much more quickly than Butetsu would, but his abilities would be fixed, while Butetsu's and Terra's would be changeable, though they would still have to find the items necessary to equipping them. If the cast of characters is both large and variable, with the story changing to match the characters chosen or found by the player, it would allow for plenty of customization, as well as excellent replay value, such as one might see in Star Ocean: The Second Story, particularly if the characters can develop different relationships based on the actions of the player. Variability is key.

The combat system would be a little tricky, since it would have to be a hybrid to handle all of the characters. A traveling party would have to handle four or five characters, rather than a measly three. Combination abilities, such as one might see in Chrono Trigger, would add a great deal of variety to the fighting. Having Rosa (Final Fantasy IV), Renna (Final Fantasy V), Celes (Final Fantasy VI), and Aerith (Final Fantasy VII) in the same party would allow for a Supercure spell, for example. It would make sense for all characters to have Limit Breaks, though how they would work would be something the player could decide for herself / himself at the beginning of the game: a meter, as per Final Fantasy VII, a low hit point value, as per Final Fantasy VIII, or something new made exclusively for the new game, would be among the possible choices. The summoned monsters would, of course, vary for each character, as would the customizability of given weapons. The possibilities for a workable combat system are almost as endless as the possibilities for a unified story, but the ability of the player to tinker is very important.

Unfortunately, the possibility of a game such as this one emerging are not likely. A wise friend of mine, posting name of Kobra, once said, "It's never the Final Fantasy." The odds are good that we will continue to see new games with completely worlds, stories, and characters, rather than a revisitation of old material, but one can never deprive gamers of the ability to dream.

Oh, don't worry. Give it a few years and they'll figure that one out too. Frankly, there have always been people saying "Oh, wouldn't it be awesome if character A could be in game B?" and RPG companies just don't want that kind of thing. Mainly because they want to cater to new audiences. The FF series has come so far that Square can afford (idealistically if not financially) a sort of FF Chronicles, and the end result was FF9. That game was originally a "Final Fantasy Gaiden" or side story, and was never meant to be part of the actual series. It's FULL of references from the other games, from small to large. The kind of thing you talk about has never been done (other than, perhaps, Super Smash Brothers) in any context, certainly not at that kind of scale. Intriguing but ultimately doomed, methinks. Ah well... Megaman984 will grace us with his presence at the moment.

My idea for a perfect Final Fantasy? I'm surpirsed this one wasn't asked earlier. The Job System should remain but should be executed differently. I want there to be characters that are distinct and have their own skills, but each character can choose from a few jobs to master. Take the main character for example. He'll weild swords, of course, but he can choose from a few jobs like Knight, Dark Knight, etc. The main female could choose from classes like White Wizard, Black Wizard, etc. There will be some classes that can be used by a few characters, but each character would have his own distinct starting class that has its own skills. There could also be a Gogo-esque character that can be any class.

Limits should stay, but occur randomly when your low on life like FF6. Sprites wouldn't work now that 2-D is supposedly "dead," but SD characters could work in 3-D. The hero should have his own lines and be compelling, but there should be no loner-type heroes. The setting should be back in the middle ages; the only sort of technology that should stay would stuff made by an "ancient and advanced culture" (sounds cliched, doesn't it?).

Your next topic should be "Who can come up with the best song parody dealing with RPGs?" I know Lunaris would love that.

If he ever accept that...trust me....this place gonna be turned in a totaly destroyed place ! Pepsi DOES explode well !

This is actually a pretty interesting bit. A lot of people who wrote in claimed the Job System was the best aspect of the Final Fantasies, but it's true that it ends up with people who are statistically no different from each other; in that way, FF5 is no better than FF7/8. Having a hybrid of that and the "fixed-class" system would make a great and flexible system while still forcing a certain amount of strategy going into battle. Nice. Next we have Arcanus Dominius, who thought up this topic (in case you can't figure it out from his reply).

Greetings, Cidolfas.

First thing is first: Thank you for using my suggestion. Also, I would like to preemptively apologize for the length of this response. Now on to my answer:

First of all, I intend to examine my criteria for a perfect Final Fantasy, and then I will see how the best of the Final Fantasy series measure up.

System: Even games with good plots and characters can be tripped up by a poor game-play aspect. Out of all the systems used in the FF series (Class, Skill-Use, Job, Esper, Materia, and Junction), the Job System in its best form allows for the most customization of character attributes and forces players to make strategic decisions when designing their parties, and therefore may be the best overall system. Having said this, I favor the Class System (Characters have fixed classes), because it also has a strong strategic element - provided players can choose which characters they can have in their party (FF6 or FF9), and has the advantage of having making each character unique - a plus for the story-telling aspect of the game. FF9's version of the Class System is, to me, the best because it adds limited customizability (via equippable abilities) but doesn't detract from the uniqueness of the characters.

Characters: Once upon a time, RPG characters were tabula rasas, blank slates upon which the player was to impose his own personalities (or else the programmers where just lazy). However, with some notable partial exceptions (Crono, Serge) the days of the mute, nameless characters are behind us. FFcharacters therefore should be compelling and realistic. Cecil, Terra, Squall and others all have spiritual crises of their own which they face in their own unique ways, adding levels of depth of people such as Cecil who would otherwise be generic heroes. Characters should also have detailed history. The past of characters like Cloud, Locke, Shadow, and Kain are rich and detailed, providing a better understanding of their motivations and personalities.

Villains: Villains require characterization, the same as heroes, and the same rules should apply. Even monolithic evil forces can be given personalities and/or motivations (Exdeath was a decent attempt to do so). "Human" villains (such as Kefka or Sephiroth - the best of the human villains) should be treated as people with personalities and pasts, and not as cardboard cutouts existing only as plot devices (admittedly Kefka was a bit one-sided, but he pulled it off well). Under no circumstances should the final boss just jump out of nowhere at the last second (See Zemus, Ultimecia, Necron); as dangerous as they may be, its difficult to care about/respect/whatever such eleventh-hour villains as characters.

Storyline: Character-driven plots develop characters better than most quest-driven plots (compare FF5 to FF8) but tend to fall flat in the attempt to tell a coherent story (Now compare FF5 to FF8 again). My ideal would be a story that develops the characters fully without detracting from the larger "quest," whatever that may be. FF4 and FF6 probably do the best job of this, by making the struggles of the various characters a significant part of the storyline AND being completely relevant to the overall plot (e.g. Terra's trying to find herself fits well with the overall plot of the Empire trying to exploit the Espers)

So ends my (incoherent) criteria regarding the "perfect" Final Fantasy. Here's my take on the best Final Fantasys :(Cidolfas, feel free to eliminate this part to save space)

Okay. *snip* *five pages later...*

In conclusion, my ideal FF doesn't exist as of yet (although FF4, 6, and 9 come close on many points), but would combine the strong story and characters of FF4 or FF6 with a strong system like that of FF9 and villain like Sephiroth (or at least Golbez or Kefka). Why didn't I just say this to begin with? Uh, excellent question. Once again, I'm sorry for the length of this response. Thank you for your time, Cidolfas.

No problem! I live to serve the little people. Or blow their brains out, when that gets too annoying. And LiteYear (who sent a brilliantly colored and therefore hard-to-read email which I am not re-displaying for fear of *completely* losing my sanity) has something to say. Quite a lot, actually, not all of which seems to come from the same planet.

Hi Cid, it's me, LiteYear again, the self-proclaimed ultimate evil.

Before I answer the topic, I have to report that I finished my list of top ten evils, and they are:

10) Kefka
9) The save-the-children's-tender-souls policy
8) YTV
7) George W. Bush
6) Blizzard Entertainment
5) Pepsi
4) Pikachu
3) Playstation
2) Microsoft
1) Me, of course

Riiight....

I also ranked you guys on a global list of evil, taking into acount cruelness, no mercy policies, among others, and these are the results I recieved.

I'm eager to see that...

Cidolfas	Rank: 408
Lunaris	Rank: 739
Ultros	Rank: 205.294
Gilgamesh	Rank: 162,205
Evil Cidolfas	Rank: 92,549
Ozzie	Rank: 21,495,934
Ex-Death	Rank: 5,013
Macc	Rank: 9,201
Dark Macc	Rank: 203

So let's see... Evil Cidolfas is about 230 times more evil than me, Ultros is about 514 times more evil than me, and Ozzie is about 54,000 times more evil than me. And all this time I thought they were just incompetent. Silly me, they were evil. Should have known.

Mwahahah! I rule!

Yeah, you rule the plot hole. Yay.

Naw, I wouldn't say that. I give other people turns, too. Wheee! *presses a red button, which falls off*

I'm evil, I am! Waaaaahhh! *falls DOWN*

And I know I'm more evil than that !...Oh well, that still fine with me !...You guys dint saw Sira anyway.

Damn, now I overused the button too much and I have to get it fixed! What to do, what to do... well, let's start by listening to this wacko some more.

Hmm...this is a pretty hard topic for me because I've only played 2 FF's, FF4 and FF6. So, I'm going to bend your topic a little, and mabye add aspects from a few other RPG's. First of all, from the FF's I played, they both had great villians. Golbez and Kefka were both absoule SOB's that you wanted to kill very badly, and they always seem one step ahead of you. That is my definition of a good villian.

Second, both FF's had a pretty good balance of magic and weapons. I believe magic should be more powerful than weapons, but should not 1-hit KO an enemy. Also, magic should also have a tendency to miss, but not as much as hand-to-hand weapons. Enemies were pretty well balanced in FF6 (though they were too vunerable to X-Zone), but in FF4, they were too strong, and pretty cheap. (Mass-charm spell by those Mind enemies) Also, minor magic should be gained though level, and the most powerful magic should have to be hidden well.

Bosses were pretty easy in both those games (though that may be linked to my level). To put in perspective my levels, first take the levels to put up a good fight. Then up that to a higher level, say being able to squash the boss without taking to much damage. Taking that higher still, take the level that you could have the boss begging for mercy. Then, take the level that you could waste the next 5 bosses in a row without taking a break. One level higher than that would be the amount of levels I level up. Anyway, bosses should be more challenging and not have a glaring weakness.

I have king of a mixed opinion of music from both games. The boss music from FF4 is definitely the best boss music I have ever heard. Both regular battle musics were basically the same, with slight differences. The mood music was slightly better in FF6.

Now for things that I would change from the FF games completely. First, real-time battles. Second, multiplayer capabilites (Both from Secret of Mana). Third, FF needs more interesting heroes. Both Cecil and Terra were pretty bland. Locke and Kain would have made better heroes.

So, in conclusion, the ultimate FF game should have these qualities: Bastard villians, balanced damage system, better and harder bosses, great battle and mood music, and heroes with more of a personality.

Before I sign off, a couple more points.

First, how is you coat, Lunaris?

It great ! All yellow and stuffs ! Yellow my favorite color ya know ? ! It also have this convienly usfull Bottomless Pocket ! That how I hold all thoses nifty weapons around !

Second, thanks for always putting up the mailbag on time, and hopefully contine to do so. (Unlike a predecessor who shall remain nameless)

Well, most people seem to think he did a far better job than me, and quality takes time. Besides, he just couldn't do it as often, which is why I took over in the first place. And I don't think he should remain nameless, do you? That's not nice. His name is MACC MAVERICK (dum da da dum!). There.

Third, why do you have all these links through out the mailbag? (Totally ruins the all white background text.)

I only did that in the wardrobe mailbag, 'cause I wanted people to be able to see what wardrobes we're talking about. And it took a long time to do, so shut yer pie hole.

Fourth, why'd you make me shoot Edward in the back? I mean, I don't have a problem with it, but I like to see the fear in their eyes, knowing that their life has come to and end right there. Oh yeah, and how did Edwark get out of the insane ayslam? (See Macc's last mailbag)

Sigh... I keep telling you, this is an independent publication! Things that happen in Macc's mailbag don't necessarily happen here! For example, I could bring back Mario and shoot him all over again if I wanted to! Hah!

Fifth, and finally, isn't a plot hole supposed to remove the character from the current mailbag?

No, I explained that. I just float back up. Can't keep a good Mystic down.

Wich remains to find is how that Fat Lizard-Pig float....

Goodbye all. *2 wall-shaped gates converge around me, forming into one, then that wall contracts vertically on itself and when the two ends meet, a brillant flash of light occurs.* (I've got to animate that sometime).

Oh. *Drama.* Well, that was entertaining. We continue with Donald Marco, who sent me an annoying WAV "You Messed Up" file (kind of a cross between a letter bomb and the Shriekers from Harry Potter, no?).

What DOES make a perfect FF game? Well, in the past, FF meant crystals of elements. That is, in FFs 1-5, only FF2(j) did not have orbs or crystals as its main focus, and even then, the orbs were there. But in 6-8, as it became more "modern", the crystals of elements disappeared. I haven't played 9 yet, so I don't know about that one...

Also, in FFs, there's a magic system based on elements. Sure, that's basically true for most RPGS, but it's worth noting.

I disagree. I have a whole website mostly based on the similarities between the FFs. There's far more than Crystals and Elements.

Perfection, though... hm... Well, one thing that makes a perfect FF is a good storyline. This applies to all console RPGs (at least in my opinion). If you don't have a good story, then why should the player continue on? By the same aspect, RPGs which require you to spend hours on end gaining levels just so you can advance such story lose whatever story points they've earned by such dull and repitive periods. (Fortunately, they don't do that nowadays). Also, with good story, come good characters. I mean, sure, it's great to come up with characters based on templates, but for me, watching pre-created characters flesh out, whether by design of computer or choice of player, makes the character that much more (insert adjetive here. Ususally positive ones, but sometimes can include negatives...) . A good musical score is also nice, and the composer of FF music rarely fails here. Graphics are good too, as long as they don't get in the way of Play Control. Though in a game with menu-based systems, there isn't much play control to be had. (Except while traveling. And we ALL have a story about not being able to proceed because the exit wasn't well marked.)

As for job systems, etc. I'd say that while a character should start out with some basic skills, (s)he should be able to learn others over time. But these skills need to be kept within the CHARACTER. NOT within GFs or mini-orbs. (Though it IS a good strategic challenge to custom make my forces as they head into battle. That appeals to the strategist in me, even as it annoys the realist in me.) While FF6 has been the best example of this thus far, it only did it with magic, and I don't think that's enough. FF5 DOES have that sort of system, except that the players start with nothing.

Gold/Gil Earning? FF8 made a pretty good innovation on that point. I think that should be combined with a FEW foes having cash (i.e. enemy soliders) and some others having rare hides (etc.) that can be traded in for cash.

You mean like Xenogears. I've always loved this exact system you suggest and think it makes tons of sense.

And battle systems? Well, for optimum pleasure on ALL RPGs, I'd say make the SYSTEM as realistic as possible, even though the graphics can be toned down for younger audiences. However, I'd tend to think that FF7 had the best positioning system. That is: both Back-Row AND Distance vs Melee. Though, I'd rather have 4 people in my party. That's a good number to have. 3 people means that the others don't see that much action. and only ONE RPG that I've seen had 5 people in a party, and you couldn't change the party yourself. (I'll stop here before I ramble on too much.) Active Time Battles beats Turn-Based anyday, though.

In closing: Story is KEY in FF. Make sure your graphics don't conceal exits and that enemies don't hinder storyline (through batle), and allow characters to gain skills themselves and keep them.

Some nice ideas there. We're running out of space and I still have two more people I want to post, so I'll keep my comments to a minimum. We have the Vault Dweller!

Greetings once there again! The Vault Dweller is back!

First of all, for thoses who are all worried about me, I got over my Mentats addiction!

*wait that the applaudes are finished*

I didn't applaud. Did you applaud?

Nope, wasn't me.

Mentats yummy-yummies! Yay!!

Problem solved.

But! There a big but!

I'm Nuka Cola addicted! I cant stop drinking that good, sugary and full of bubbles drink! Nuka Cola: The best choise in a radioactive world!

Anyway, time for the topic...Best FF system eh?

Personaly, while I found the Junction System anoying...it was rather original....With a few modifications, it could be great. DONT ask me what they could be, but I'm just saying that.

Jobs? What you mean by "Jobs"? Jobs that you chosse at the start of the game and it get upgraded or that like FF5, you get a general classe at start, and you can change classes anytime to learn new abilites? While I find that...terribly...fishy, it good for power chars.

No no, the best is when you can customise your char completly, not only the Black/White/Red Mages/Fighter/Thief/Whateva buisness. Like the SaGas. But that besides the point, eh?

The Esper System cannot be really called a system...it only made you learn magic, summon and upgrade some stats. The rest? Based on chars. Nothing more, nothing else. No, I think that to have a good system, you need to mixt up.

You have a char(Let name it Bob for now). You have Bob, some guy that is "specialised" in a field that you decided at the start of the game. Letsay that you chosed Magic, you could chosse your damned spell types in a extend.(It looking like materia, just that you dont need somes fickin' stones on) You could gains limits by combining Magics and special techniques...Or you could learn them from semone. Espers could be bosster to Magics attacks, and the Junction system could be a special class that have nothing in first, except thiere Draw option, and gradualy becomes stronger by draining. Bob could chosse his path, while limited(Like you COULD have Psi/Magic/fighter abilities, but you wouldent be much strong)

Well...That about what I was talking about...I guess anyway. Now excuse me...I gotta ask Cassidy for a few more Nuka Colas...seeya!

The Holy Vault Dweller says "Nuka Cola is good! It make you glow in the dark!" while siging off.

I think those colas are worse than Mentats... basically you're saying to combine every single type of combat system you ever saw. Frankly, I don't think it'd work very well, and I don't really see the point in it either.

Well, when you looks at it, it could work in somes way...with a few modifications....

*Lots* of modifications, maybe. Finally we have Sorcerer, who wasted 10 WHOLE MINUTES of his precious time to write in, and threatened me with Grievous Bodily Harm if I didn't post it. So here. Hope you're happy.

Wassup Cid?? Nice topic this time, I feel like givin ya my two cents * pretends to give Cid his 2 cents, then snatches the pennies back at the last second :P *

Humph. Indian giver! See if I'll ever lend YOU money again!

Anywho, the topic being, What makes the best Final Fantasy? Well, it would definatly have to be a combination of a lot of things. Of course, there could be no "Perfect" Final Fantasy - everybody likes different things. There will always be that group that hates something for whatever reason. However, a few things that I think could be added together to make a good game (not neccesarily FF) :

Job System: I liked it, it kicks ass. Its one of the few stand out quirks of FF5 that worked really well. Each person can be a different class, each class has different skills, and the charachter will learn skills as the job level goes.

Junction System: One of the better things about FF8. Making your charachter a tad bit stronger than its supposed to be is always a good thing in RPGs, however, the downside to it in FF8 is that I had an insanely powerful Squall by the end of Disk 2, so some sort of a limit would be needed, and learned magic, not drawn, would be used.

Good Plot: Duh? Self Explanatory.

Length: The "duhs" keep on rolling. Should be reasonable in length, though not super long. Not too many animations and CG sequences because it takes up valuble plot space :P .

Difficulty: Should be fairly difficult, though not mind bogiling. Puzzles should be not-so-obvious but should be easy. For instance - the tile and switch puzzle in Anima relic dungeon 2 on Xenogears was inasne (in case you dont know what im talking about, its the one with the pit and the water in the pit, and you gotta get the water to the right level so you can get to a door thats emmersed in water when the pit is full) You had to walk on the tiles and hit the switches in an insanely unobvious manner - I never figured it out, and after 3 hours of button mashing, I hit a walkthrough. Nothing should be that hard.

I actually figured that one out pretty fast, but maybe that was because my grandmother used to ask a similar quandary when we were kids and we'd spend days trying to figure it out. 8-) The one game I really hated due to its obscure puzzles was Alundra. I spent the entire game running back and forth from the TV to my computer because I didn't want to print out 50 pages of an FAQ.

Text Speed Alteration - One of the only things I hated about CT and Xenogears is the fact that I couldnt alter the speed of the text. I read faster than that damnit!

Couldn't agree more. Although CT wasn't so bad because it was fast-paced, but XG was slow as molasses as it was. After two hours of it I was ready to shoot something. But every FF since 5 has had that option.

Likeable Charachters - I hated Squall. He was an asshole, and didnt care about shit unless it invlolved Rinoa. Zidane was ok, I thought he was a little too...whats the word im looking for... trusting I guess. The charachter should be cool, not overly, but cool. And definatly not the strongest charachter in the game, thats a bitch, espicially in Squalls case.

Good plot: Said it already, but in Squares recent output of games, It needs to be mentiond twice.

Sidequests: One thing I hate is there being 20 side quests and there not being a mention of half of them in the actual game. Make some of the sidequests interlocking and a lot more obvious please.

Battle System: 4 people rule. No less than 3 though. There should be some sort of limit breaks, but more like Limit Breaks from FF7, not Trances from FF9, and the Near-Death-quick-opportunity-crap-ass limits from FF8. And the BIGGEST thing I hated about FF9 was the fact that it took forever for my charachters to execute a command. I timed it once, and it took one of my charachters 7 minutes to execute a command I put in, thats insane, not to mention incredibly (sp?) frustrating.

These are just mostly what I could come up with off the top of my head, but this is about all I can think of that would make a good game. And ya welcome.

YOU BETTER PRINT THIS! IT TOOK A WHOLE 10 MINUTES TO TYPE!!!

Know what I think is funny? He misspelled about a quarter of the entire e-mail, and the one word he spelled correctly (incredibly) he thought he misspelled. Laugh and a half, that. Well, that about wraps it up. Topic for next week: Music themes. What's the best theme you ever heard in a game and why did it stick with you? What's the worst theme, the one you thought should shut up or you'd bash your console with a sharp stick? (To be fair, Feathy sent this topic in, but I'd already thought of it by the time I got it. So we get dual credit.) The address is: 43rd and Rainbow Street, Berkshire, UK. If that doesn't work (it shouldn't; I don't think there is a 43rd Street in Berkshire or if there's even a place called Berkshire) send it in to cidolfas@rpgclassics.com. And remember, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Or at least claim it was broke and then charge triple to fix it.

Seeya!

ONLY RANK 739 ! ? At least..no one ended with a corny parodic song ...Again.....DAMNIT !*sigh, shotgun in hands*