I just recently started it for the first time and can't stop playing it ahhhhhhhhhhhh

You'll have to keep us updated regarding if that addiction continues =)

I have to admit that I enjoyed the gameplay in that game immensely, but just couldn't really get into the characters. Thus, once I hit the World of Ruin, I dropped the game. I'll be curious to see how it plays out on your end.

The World of Ruin is the best part.

Haha! Well I guess I chose the wrong time to quit the game, lol.

To elaborate on my earlier statement, this is what my assessment of the characters were at that point in the game (from memory, so I may miss one or two or potentially even murder what is actually truth).

Locke - Stereotypical Robin Hood/thief character. Bad past. Predictably goes for damsels in distress.

Terra - Vulnerable girl. Secret power. Once we figure out that secret power (Esper), she is completely irrelevant to the plot.

Celes - She used to work for the bad guys, but now doesn't want to. Feminine side is mostly hidden, but is revealed later.

Edgar - Rules a kingdom, but doesn't want to rule a kingdom. Sort of a bland good guy.

Sabin - The muscle. I actually don't remember any characterization for this fella after the fight with Vargas (which is like, what... the third boss battle or something like that?).

Gau - An unintelligible Tarzan with next to no background story that I can think of.

Shadow - Mysterious ninja figure who I can only hope has some background story once you get to World of Ruin.

Setzer - Mischievous old man stereotype (even if he isn't old). And every FF game needs someone to have/fly an airship.

Cyan - I don't remember much about him but he seemed to have the strongest background of 'em. A disgraced knight or something.

Kefka - The Joker, but much, much more annoying.

Sorry if it seems like a flame or something, but that is what I managed to derive from the characters and, as a consequence, I didn't stick with the game after halfway through. My assessments probably aren't too accurate, but I was just unimpressed with how the characters were presented, and they all seemed two dimensional to me.

By contrast, the earlier game of FFIV had characters that I really got into. Just a few examples:

Cecil - Dark knight that is delegated to a throw-away job after questioning the kingdom's authority. Is confronted with the kingdom's corruption shortly thereafter, and tries to oppose it, but is blocked by his need to atone for his past sins as a dark knight. Leads to a very interesting path to him becoming a paladin, and facing his dark self.

Kain - A complicated figure who seems unsure how to get what he wants (Rosa). His morality becomes flexible in order to achieve this, and seems to switch sides fairly often as a result. A consummate loner, one definitely gets the sense that he has seen and done things that have forced him to adopt such a persona. He is one of the trickier characters to sense what he is thinking and his motives at any given instant.

Again, sorry if this seems like a rant. I'm just hoping that, as you play the game, you might explain what makes it so compelling beyond slightly enhanced default final fantasy-style gameplay. Or perhaps the gameplay is the only reason to play it... Because I'm unconvinced of its merits on a story and character standpoint.

It's a very addictive game, and I just kept leveling up my characters for the fun of it all. Mog is level 93, Umaro is level 92, Terra is level 92 and Sabin is level 93. x)

You need to replay the whole game, pud. Those are pretty glib summations.

doomjockey: I will try... But I expect that this game does not click for me just like Icewind Dale did not (what we were talking about in the other thread). The characters just aren't developed enough, and as a consequence, the game is a massive sequence of events that have little bearing given my lack of caring for the characters. The gameplay is fine but, as I mention in the other thread, I tend to really go for games that have a compelling story... even above gameplay. That is why I liked Jade Empire, for example. The gameplay was very simple and got annoying after a while, but the story more than made up for it in my book.

In short, I'll give it a try again when I get the chance, but I'm unconvinced that the characters have near enough depth for me to get into the game for very long.

Would you want me to spoil the game and connect the dots for you? I'd rather not, but I'm telling you have a very incomplete picture of the game and it shows quite obviously in your character appraisals.

No, feel free. I already know how it ends from watching a friend finish it, and from looking up the plot on wikipedia after I stopped playing. If you want to, feel free to connect the dots for me and tell me why you like it ;)

FF6 plays remarkably well on the wii with snes9x and it feels really good with the classic controller.

"WAIT!" -Sabin to Kefka
"what do I look like, a waiter?!" --kefka, fleeing

**note that kefka uses a morning star in the ensuing battles**

It's okay, I already beat it a few days ago.

lol @ Zak

And did you like it, in the end?

Alright, well. It'll probably take me a bit to gather all that into something coherent.

Alright, well. It'll probably take me a bit to gather all that into something coherent.

Yeah...that's not gonna happen. I don't think I have the time to get back into it right now :/

VII's characters were just as bland as VI's. I can't believe that puddles flames VI for bland characters but doesn't mention them for VII. v.v

@Sherlock:

Characters in FFVII:

Cloud - Ambiguous ex-SOLDIER who we later find is as mind-fucked a character can be while still remaining badass/overwhelmingly powerful. Has Zack's memories and is essentially trying to figure out who he is for the entire game, to both catastrophic and intriguing result.

Tifa - Karate/kickboxing woman who follows Cloud despite the fact that Cloud never seems to express as much affection for her as she does for him. Unclear whether they end up together or not in the end. Combines sexy with physically powerful, a rather rare combination in RPGs of those days.

Aeris - The last descendant of an Ancient race whose personality is interesting because she still manages to retain a distinct streak of innocence despite the amount of shit she goes through. At one point, a mind controlled (by Sephiroth) Cloud actually beats the crap out of her. And yet she still manages to remain sassy, innocent, and knowing more than she lets on.

Barret - Probably the weakest link of the bunch in terms of characterization, but still having a lot to him. He is essentially Mister T with a gun arm. However, that completely ignores his past with the Mining Town and Dyne (and Marlene), which I thought to be very interesting and a shade of Barret that helps make him a more defined character outside of large loud black man

Red XIII - One of the last of his race, Nanaki descends from a tribal people and town that stresses honor and intelligence before other human concerns. This is crystallized well through his mentor/father figure, Bugenhagen. He is also interesting for his loathing of his real father, Seto, whom he learns later is actually a genuine hero for his people who died fighting. It is one of the more tearjerking scenes of the game when he discovers this.

Cid - A gruff sonuvabitch who wants to see space and the moon, but it later becomes clear that there is more to him than that. Despite those goals, he is willing to oppose Shinra (his only real possible source of funding) and join the good guys. Also, there is that complicated side of him revealed with his relationship with Shera, which is as caustic as it is affectionate.

Cait Sith - On the surface, Cait Sith is an extremely annoying Mog/whatever doll, but secretly he is a Shinra spy in the form of Reeve. But we later discover that Reeve has doubts about Shinra, and, if I'm not mistaken, gives up on spying on the team and gives his life for their cause. I always liked Reeve =)

Then there is Yuffie and Vincent, but I'm not going to get into them because they are extra characters.

All in all, I personally think that FFVI tries to make up for their lack of characterization by having a wider cast of colorful characters. However, if you play games for strong characters and plot, this doesn't work for you. Like it didn't for me. FFVII's cast of characters all seem to be more multifaceted as well as go through shades of gray throughout the game. Cloud himself is a mass of psychological complexes and inner turmoil. Thus, I think FFVII is superior.

If you disagree, I would be interested to hear why. My judgment may be slightly flawed as I haven't played FFVI in a while, but I'm replaying it very soon, so I'll be able to add more after I do.

Yea, of course. If you get into the details, you'll get bigger paragraphs. Here's how I see it:

Cloud - Dude with fucked up past who wants to save his girl.
Sephiroth - Sissy dude with fucked up past who wants to destroy the world.
Tifa - Kickass girl who likes the main character but doesn't get the affection returned (and no, that stereotype is not rare, you have that in quite a lot of JRPGs, I can name you at least 5 off the top of my head that were released around that time or prior to VII).
Aeris - Innocent soft-hearted type of girl who appeals much more to the main character because he actually can save her.
Barret - The muscle.
Cid - A mercenary-kinda guy who has an airship.
Red XIII - The native American who talks about honor and protecting nature.
Cait Sith - Doll controlled by a Shinra to spy out the good guys.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying VI's characters are more deep, cause they aren't, but VII's are just as bland.
Also, nothing beats IV in terms of character depth. At least in the FF series. :V

Well, I wasn't actively trying to get bigger paragraphs out of the descriptions. I was just writing what came to mind.

If nothing else, I would argue that FFVII's emphasis on a twisted and complicated past for many of the characters makes it a far more enthralling and deeper story. The scenes in Nibelhiem are always some of the most interesting for me to go through, as well as sifting through the turmoil in Cloud's mind within the lifestream. I just think that FFVII investigates the characters more personally than FFVI, which makes it more appealing to me.

And, I actually do like the characters in FFIV better, so we can at least agree on that ;)

You can boil any character down to their basic elements whether it's a well-written or poorly written work.

FFVI had a lot of those familiar archtypes, but it's in the details that the characters stand out. The game definitely has it's share of the dashing rogue/ladies man in Locke, Setzer, and Edgar.

But while you could write off for example Edgar as a bland characterization (and a bad king), it ignores what makes him a strong character.

The seemingly devil may care king of Figaro has secretly sworn to oppose the Empire while safeguarding the needs of his kingdom. Despite all outward appearances, Edgar proves to be a very dedicated monarch. With every reason to run away alongside his brother after the murder of their father, he instead bites the bullet and gives his brother that freedom, fixing the "choice" with the flip of a two-headed coin. His brother goes free to seek his fortune while Edgar dutifully stays behind to assume the burden of rule.

I agree though, FFVII is not at all free from those clich�s, but imo it did a decent job of avoiding the most prevalent at the time. Of course now those character types are infamous clich�s these days in pretty much anything Nomura touches (KH, Dirge, FFVIII, TWEWY).

As for really breaking the mould, call me when a main FF doesn't have you railing against an evil empire or a handsome, long-haired antagonist.

VI rules, end of story.

VI rules, end of story.

We'll see... It is next on my list of games to play after I finish beating Chrono Trigger.

ahaha... that's weird.
I used to have that very same addiction...until the game BROKE DOWN. gaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh...............
Now I totalyy frigginly miss it. MISS IT!!!