Games Beaten 2016

[Exhuminator]

Is Seven the same style as Oath?

Sort of, it's still overhead action, running around slashing up monsters. But Ys Seven is a bit more JRPG-ish, in that you have a lot more conversations with NPCs, and you have extra party members, and the pacing isn't as breakneck as Napishtim/Oath/Origin. Don't get me wrong though, Ys Seven is awesome. I enjoyed it even more than The Oath in Felghana overall.

[Sarge]

Yeah, Ys Seven is my favorite of the series. It's a little different, in that there's no platforming (and thusly, no jumping). That's been replace with a super-fast dodge roll move. It makes for some really frantic combat. If you like Felghana or Origin, you should still like Seven.

[Blu]

1. Xenoblade Chronicles X - Nintendo Wii U - January 3
2. Fallout 4 - Xbox One - January 20
3. Yakuza 4 - PlayStation 3 - January 29
4. Yakuza: Dead Souls - PlayStation 3 - February 5
5. Yakuza 5 - PlayStation 3 - February 27
6. The Last of Us - PlayStation 3 - February 29
7. Yoshi's Wooly World - Nintendo Wii U - March 2
8. Bayonetta - Nintendo Wii U - March 6
9. Pikmin 3 - Nintendo Wii U - March 20
10. Pokémon Yellow - Nintendo 3DS VC - April 2
11. Wolf Among Us - Xbox One - April 11
12. Chrono Trigger - Nintendo Wii Virtual Console - October 18
13. Doom (4) - Xbox One - November 19
14. Torchlight 2 - PC - December 1
15. Final Fantasy IX - PS1 - December 7

I really enjoyed Final Fantasy IX. Overall it was a pretty solid RPG. I like the function of the crystal system and ability points. Feels like a more polished Materia system. The art direction is good, though I don't necessarily like the character models for Zidane or Garnet. The soundtrack is memorable, distinct, and fits the mood most of the time. There's a few tracks that are great, the rest are good. It's not the best soundtrack of the PlayStation titles, I think FF8 and FF7 are by far better than 9's soundtrack. I liked some of the twists and turns of the story, it kept me going.

My gripes (in spoiler tags for obvious reasons):

What on earth was that boss at the end? Necron? Who? Thematically, I get that most, if not all of the characters in the game are having existential crises. I think that's a motif that's pretty prevalent through, from Zidane, to Garnet, to Vivi (quite poignantly I think out of all), maybe even Steiner to a lesser extent. However, Necron comes out of no where without any inkling of an explanation. He just explains I'm here to end all life and reduce it to nothingness. We go from Trance Kuja, who is a pretty misunderstood antagonist, to Death Incarnate. For me that killed off the narrative in some ways and felt really disjointed. In contrast to final fights with Sephiroth or Ultimecia, this felt off.

Oh well, regardless, it was compelling and for the most part pretty solid. I'd go with a 8/10 on this tale of the Final Fantasy.

[prfsnl_gmr]

UNPOPULAR OPINION: Ultimecia is the best final boss in any Final Fantasy game (but there are a lot of close seconds).

I agree with Blu that the fight against Necron really drags down FFIX, which is actually my least favorite PS1 Final Fantasy game.

[Blu]

UNPOPULAR OPINION: Ultimecia is the best final boss in any Final Fantasy game (but there are a lot of close seconds).

I agree with Blu that the fight against Necron really drags down FFIX, which is actually my least favorite PS1 Final Fantasy game.

Not that unpopular at all. FFVIII is my favorite of the series. It gets a bad rap for the magic junction system, and Squall is a cliché grim dark protagonist at times, but Ultimecia's tenure as the protagonist is really quite awesome.

Possession across periods of time through Sorceress' as vessels is a neat concept.

Also Laguna, Kiros, and Ward are a great supporting cast. It has a lot going for it as far as plot and twists. The soundtrack has some of the best scores in the series.

[Sarge]

Add me to the "FFVIII is the best PSX-era Final Fantasy game" list.

[ElkinFencer10]

Add me to the "FFVIII is the best PSX-era Final Fantasy game" list.

I'm in the Final Fantasy VII camp for that title, I'm afraid, but if I weren't going to name that one, I'd go with Panzer Dragoon Saga. Admittedly I haven't played FF8 or FF9, but they're on my list.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Awesome, thanks man. How does the SMS version compare to the TGCD version aside from the obvious audio inferiority? Also, do you know if it supports FM sound?

I'm not an audiophile and no nothing about SMS FM sound. I will say that the OST sounds pretty solid on the SMS.

Two things that jump out at me about SMS Ys... First, expect to spend a substantial amount of time grinding. This has nothing to do with the amount of XP required to gain a level but more to do with that fact that Adol moves slower and only a small number of enemy sprites can inhabit the screen at one time. Second, some of the dungeon maps in the SMS game are flipped "mirror images" when compared to other versions. No idea why. Some programmer was drunk or decided to troll us. So if you seek maps out on the internet make sure they're unique to the SMS game.

Overall, there are three "types" of Ys Book I & II variants.

First, the old computer and 8-bit console releases. Ys and Ys II were first initially released on the PC-88 and then soon ported to the PC-98, FM-7, X1, X68000 (Ys I only), MSX2, Apple IIGS (Ys I only), DOS (DOS Ys II is heavy reworked... and Korean), SMS (Ys I only), and Famicom. I highly recommend going the console route - controls are improved and the computer versions are impossible to find these days anyway, save the MSX2 games which require really expensive hardware.
Recommendation: Ys I on SMS, Ys II on Famicom

Next, the CD-ROM era. Ys Book I & II on TurboGrafx CD contains the most "definitive" versions of these games. They're combined into one long experience (no other version does this, other compilations separate the games), and showcase the best graphics and artwork by a longshot. The games later appeared on the Saturn via Falcom compilations featuring redone graphics and sound that are both substantially inferior.
Recommendation: TurboDuo

Finally, the Eternal games and all subsequent ports. Ys Eternal and Ys II Eternal are Windows 95/98 games with redone graphics and sound design. They're quite exquisite, and every subsequent version of Ys and Ys II (whether standalone or compiled) is based on these releases. This includes Ys I & II Complete (PC), Ys I & II Eternal Story (PS2), Legacy of Ys: Books I & II (DS - in Japan these were released as standalone games and as a compilation), Ys I & II Chronicles (PSP, PC), and all the various cell phone / tablet versions. Of the bunch Chronicles is your best bet. The art style is great, there's an option to listen to retro variants of the soundtrack, and the controls are smooth and fast as lightning.
Recommendation: The GOG.com and/or PSP variant of Chronicles

[Blu]

Add me to the "FFVIII is the best PSX-era Final Fantasy game" list.

I'm in the Final Fantasy VII camp for that title, I'm afraid, but if I weren't going to name that one, I'd go with Panzer Dragoon Saga. Admittedly I haven't played FF8 or FF9, but they're on my list.

lolwhut. Were you going with a different series? I'm confused!

[Sarge]

I'm a bit confused, too, but he might be going off the premise that it's enough like Final Fantasy to "count". Kinda like I think Legend of Dragoon is the best "Final Fantasy" not named Final Fantasy for that generation.

Or maybe he meant to type Legend of Dragoon! Kain would be proud, either way.