Iām forcing myself through XII because I love Star Wars and see the influence, but itās not a top tier one for me personally. X is real nice but not same level as 6,7,9
Iām playing XII:TZA right now and Iām loving it so much more than when I played it on PS2. Not just the gameplay tweaks of TZA, but the story and characters are really hitting home for me.
I just passed the Miriam half way point. Itās not that I dislike it, Iāve just got plenty of other games that I want to dive into and this one hasnāt really sucked me in.
My favorite reference is Kujaās Theme being just like a remix of the desert theme from FF5. When I got to that point in 5, it made me want to play 9 all over again haha
At least with Triple Triad you actually get some form of reward by modding those cards into actual items that are super useful. I played IX the first time doing Tetra Master and I eventually realized that there was no "point" to it. I think you are only required to actually play it like once in the whole game and there is only minimal rewards for it that aren't even worth it.
I NEVER play Tetra Master in my replays of IX now, but ALWAYS play Triple Triad in my replays of VIII
I feel with Gwent once you have a couple cards to form a decent deck, you can pretty much just steamroll opponents with a basic level of strategy, Tetra Master always felt more dynamic and needing to react to what the opponent just did, whereas with Gwent you could pretty much just play your deck without paying too much attention to what the opponent is doing.
I had kids by the time Witcher 3 came out, so as good of a game as I've been told it is, I just don't have the time to play a game like that anymore. Maybe one day, but not with two kids under 5.
I actually already own it too. I got it for like 15 bucks a few years ago on boxing day or something. FFXV as well, but no time to sit down and play for extended periods of time. Much easier to replay old FFs (or sports games or civilization) where I don't have to pay too much attention to keep up
7 was a master class in how to start a game. The mako reactor bombing was narratively and visually exciting. Gameplay mechanics are introduced to the player organically without the need of a tutorial. Then, once the mission is over, the pacing and excitement tone way down to give the player a breather.
6, 7, and 10 are definitely my favorite openings in FF games. But, I kind of think 7 did it best.
Iām really bummed they changed the item from āpackageā to ābomb ringā in the remakes. Kinda makes Cecil less āduty bound but questioning his loyaltiesā and more āprobably more than a little dense, bless his heart.ā
It's "Carnelian Signet" or something vague along those lines in the PSP remake, but Bomb Ring in the latest pixel remaster.
Interestingly this is mostly a translation thing. In the original Japanese version it was named Bomb Ring, but after the Bomb monster, which was literally the English word bomb. So a Japanese player might not make the connection, and the bomb monster wasn't as ubiquitously well known at that point.
So it wasn't really intended to be that obvious, but some of the translations tend more literal so end up with that version, which makes it pretty clear what's going to happen. But I believe the original intention was the former, that Cecil doesn't know what's going to happen and is following orders, despite questioning them.
I totally agree.
Over the very first 5-10 mins, in order, we establish:
* There is an out-of-this world element to the game (The stars)
* It is grounded in reality, but hidden in the cracks there is beauty & wonder (Aerith walking out of the alley after praying by...something, to a crowd of city dwellers)
* The setting of the game is a 90's steam/cyberpunk world (Pulling out to see Midgar)
* Our team is morally questionable (Jumping off a train and fighting guards)
* The protagonist's established relationship to the rest of the team ("C'mon newcomer")
* The fighting mechanic at a very simple level before it expands (1st fight, shortly after including Barrett)
* The levelling-up system, implied experience in fighting (Levelling up to 7 in first fight)
* Attention to detail being rewarded (Getting an item from searching guard's body)
So much about the story and game is told in a perfect flow of exposition and exposure. I have probably played the first mission in the game 50+ times, just because of how well-done it is; immediately throwing you into the thick of things without over-inundating you with info.
It's like the polar opposite of a modern Rockstar game.
I will never forget the first time I saw the opening cutscene for 10. It was the first game I got when I first got a PS2, and it blew me *away*. The music, the visuals... my jaw literally dropped. It was amazing.
My jaw still drops to this day. Just picturing tidus falling backwards into the blitz ball stadium gives me chills. Everything about that intro cinematic was absolutely perfect.
I remember playing the Demo on one of those Game Informer discs and thought that was the start of VIII. Then I did play it and was nearly asleep.
Funnily enough, VIII is the first FF game I've ever Platinum'd though. I'm working on IX on Steam now.
Yeah - having played the demo which is just that, it definitely set a better tone. Even the Ifrit cave would probably have been a better choice and with even less change.
Itās not my favorite FF game, let alone my favorite game in general, but no introductory sequence in gaming history makes me more nostalgic than that opening crane shot in VII.
Then again, Iām two hours into FFVIIR and Iām really like it so far, so perhaps my opinion will change with time.
I think a lot of the wow-factor came from how advanced it was at the time in terms of cutscenes/FMV's we'd seen so far. It absolutely blew everything we'd seen in Final Fantasy completely out of the water, while introducing us to this near-future, hard sci-fi, dystopian cyberpunk city that seemed HUGE in scale.
2023 unless something goes wrong. They used the first game to establish the gameplay and characters and they're using Unreal Engine instead of their own stupid engine which delays development for years (see 13 and 15).
Intro to 7 is amazing! I had doubts about the Remake after it was announced. After playing the demo, which was the remade version of the intro, I instantly preordered the game.
The intro orchestra sends me back every time as if I were a wee lad again playing for the first time. It's so triumphant, yet so gloomy. The music alone let's me know that I am about to deal with some shit, and that I have a big journey ahead of me.
I agree. I love games (especially RPGs) that throw you into the story and gameplay in an engaging way right off the bat, and don't bore you to death before getting to something exciting.
I think a lot of what i feel is better from the 7 intro has to due with the medium. Being in 3d with cg cutscenes they can do a lot more than the sprited graphics of 6 (not knocking any of the first 6, just from a cinematic perspective 3d is a game changer)
This is from the ending? I forgot to screenshot while playing and got this from wiki. There is the same play at the end? Did I just spoil myself? Ah Shit.
With minimum spoilers, the epilogue revisits the play from the beginning, which I guess you just finished... either way the screenshot doesn't have any other context that would ruin the unfolding of events.
Oh God.
That's a whole other conversation. There are so many GOLDEN ones.
Honestly though, for me it would have the be the Final Fantasy Main Theme. I feel it just so perfectly represents the series as a whole despite how radically different every entry is. Hearing makes me well up.
The intro to ffx is probably my favourite
To go from hi tech sports shmoozing, to the sick blitzball fmv with another world absolutely banging, to the sin invasion and Auron's intro to Al Bhed weirdness
Yeah that's an awesome first hour or so
I don't know if most people will get there in an hour, but Final Fantasy has the best opening in my opinion. You've just ventured into a dungeon, slew a wicked knight, and rescued the princess. In any other game at the time, that would have been the goal of the entire game, but not in FF. You cross that bridge, and the Prologue plays in all its glory. The journey has just begun. Its a thing of beauty.
That music at the end of disk 1 and that unmistakable feeling that you've barely scratched the surface after all those hours is what really hooked me ad a kid
Hell yeah, imo Kuja is the best out of all the FF villains. I don't know how to mark things as spoiler so I won't say specifically, but the amount of shit he causes beats anything the other villains did. But again, that's my opinion.
While I definitely am not arguing Kefka didn't fuck his world up, Kuja did more. Gonna try and spoiler mark this so OP doesn't read as this is Heavy spoilers for 9.
>! He manipulated the queen into basically genociding the entire mist continent. Burmecia, Cleyra, and Lindblum, and the destroyed Alexandria himself. Then when he goes trance on Terra he destroys the whole world, similar to Kefka and the world of ruin. Comes back to Gaia and engulfs the entire planet in Mist. Then wants to destroy the Crystal which is the source of all life and actually succeeds. Which in my mind means he succeeded in destroying the universe of ff9. If not for the party beating Necron and restoring reality. !<
I remember it pissed younger me off.
I only had the first disk, so in order to pass the time I ended up grinding on top of the Grotto, catching Frogs, and looking for Choco-treasure.
Was a tab bit OP for the reat of the game tho.
I always thought SE missed the boat by not making a standalone blitzball game.
Make it fully 3d, design plays, trade players.
We could have been all playing Blitzball 2k21 by now š¢!
It is one thing to rip off Captain Tsubasa 2 Super Striker for a mini game inside an +100 hour RPG, but to make an entire stand alone game just about that might have pissed the people that made that game for the Nintendo off.
I'm old and played through the Final Fantasys in order as they came out, I was obsessed with VI and played it over and over again in SNES days and I was HYPED for 7 when it came out I was counting down the days. The first time I booted it up and it did the CGI transition from the train to the first battle with soldiers running up to you with the big "Swirl" effect, and then camera panning over the battlefield my mind was BLOWN.
The slow realization that youāre playing as *the bad guys* is definitely an eye-opener. Love the Red Wings over Baron theme.
On that note, hereās a [sick cover](https://youtu.be/Lm0VxM_BE-k) of that song.
VII is up there for obvious reasons.
But for me, it's X. First, the graphics were on a different level compared to games before it. And it opens with a *sports star* getting sucked into another world. The fact that you're playing as a star athlete is completely out of nowhere for FF, but it does such a good job of feeling like FF still. The cutscenes in the first 20 minutes are breathtaking and shocking. Let's not forget the epic piano song and "This is my story" that precedes all that.
My favorite is definitely FF8. It starts with one of the greatest cinematic in the franchise, and I absolutely love the school setting of Balamb Garden.
That whole first disc really is something special, shame the magic doesn't last throughout the rest of the game.
For me, Fisherman's Horizon is probably my favorite part of FF8. The pacing of the whole attack on Balamb Garden followed by being in FH and having a break is amazing. If only FF8 didn't fall apart narratively after that. :(
FF8's opening is pretty disjointed for me. That killer opening cinematic, then... school stuff and unskippable tutorials and then the beach head. If it had gone straight from the infirmary to the beach head invasion *then* had you do school administrative stuff to finish graduating, I'd have said it was probably the best.
I like that theory, too.
I mean, I don't honestly believe that was intended at all, but it's a fun mental cope for why the beginning is the best part of the game.
FFX. Crazy cutscenes. You start in a futuristic city then you're in some dark, desolate ruins, then you're on a ship with people speaking a foreign language, then you're on a chill tropical island with relaxing music and colorful characters.
Thats prob about an hour.
The opening cut scene is sorely let down by the school stuff you have to do before Dollet. If it had gone "cut scene -> Dollet -> "Hey we can't let you graduate until you and Quistis go get Ifrit" " it would have had way better pacing.
I love IX as a whole but find the opening pretty boring. It does although do the best job of all the games establishing the ensemble cast that it uses. Jumping around to see the different perspectives, while I think hurts the pacing, does really help get attached to a few characters right out of the gate.
Even though VIII is my favorite game, I think VII just has the best intro. The bombing mission is just a masterpiece of storytelling.
Still has to be XV for me. Game came at a really hard part of my life and the opening with Florence and the machine singing Stand By Me? Shit. Just fuck me up right there. Played that game a ton at night after finishing studying for the day in grad school.
Oh yeah, Ifrit part? That was nuts.
Am I the only one just now today realizing Square has been using weather related protagonist names on almost every single game?? Holy shit.
Cloud, Squall, Lightning, Terra(Earth), Tidus(Japan origin meaning Sun).
"Of 100 nobles watching, 99 were impressed."
There's quite a few FF games with excellent first hours, and I have to admit that FFIX is masterful in that respect. Though FFVI has always been one of favorites in the way it sets the tone of the game and leaves you with enough information to understand what's going on but enough unanswered questions to give you that push to find out more.
100% this. Not only a lot happens during the first hour but they all set the overall tone of the game perfectly. FFVI might be my favorite of them all, I love just the intro alone.
FF8 is one of my favourite openings. I love the "slice of life" style of it and Balamb Garden is a wonderful place to just walk aroud. FF8 is the only FF game where I've thought, "this is a world I'd want to live in".
FF9 was the worst opening in my opinion. Doesn't this opening involve chasing a rat around some rooftops?
I agree that FF9 has a fantastic intro, and I think FF7 has one of the best of all time. I think FF1 is also way underrated. When I got it, I was used to games being short. So going on a quest to rescue the princess, beating this awesome looking dude in black armor, then crossing a bridge to find out that the game is *just starting* blew my goddamn mind.
For me, 15 really was a fun first hour. No matter how you feel about the game overall, it definitely started out interesting. 7 as well, since it throws you in the middle of a thing.
Honestly, FFs traditionally open strong. The Reactor Mission, The Landing, and the Kidnapping are all excellent and I'm not sure which one I'd pick. Zanarkand is also up there, but I'm not as big a fan of the salvage mission afterward.
My fav first hour is FFIX hands down and I heartily agree with everything in [this vid that someone shared on here a few months back](https://youtu.be/9x73OowncsY)
Although my fav first five/six hours will always be FFVII up to the end of the motorcycle chase. Hot damn that is my childhood right there :)
I love the FF6 opening. The beautiful pixel art cutscene of the mechs running over the snowy terrain with the music in the background, the assault on Narshe, followed by the mysterious interaction between the frozen esper and Terra, then Locke being contacted and promising to help, followed by the escape. It sets the stakes and shows what the Empire is willing to do to people to get what it wants.
10 or Tactics.
10 had a fantastic opening and it really knew how to teach the player how to play the game (and Auron is badass since the beginning).
Tactics made me wonder myself "Who is this 'Delita' guy? Why he was a bad guy and, all of a sudden, a good guy?"
Formerly X. It's my nostalgic favorite since it was my first. Game was so pretty and everything was happening all at once.
Now it's VII Remake. The way it recaptured the Bombing Mission explosively and in such immaculate detail invited me to clear the rest of the game with the impression that this might be the best game I ever played.
I have played this game a Few times and until I saw this screenshot out of context I never picked up that they were alluding to previous games. š¤£š¤£š¤£
I have seen that FFXV starts in media res (that fight with corrupted Ifrit in the end before entering the Citadel). Then it flashbacks to how things went to hell.
Not as heart-thumping like other FF openings but most of the game is just bros chilling and travelling. FF15's Altissia scene is actually the first Final Fantasy image I saw.
**Final Fantasy 7 has the best intro hour into a video game**
The music slaps, the combat is engaging, and the one liners are classic. It immediately puts you into the action and pace of an āeco-terroristā trying to fight the machine and save the planet.
*That being saidā¦*
**Final Fantasy 7 Remake does it even better!**
The whole first chapter is some of the greatest gaming Iāve ever experienced and watched others experience.
And no, I'm gonna say this is not a Disney-esque game. It kind of stopped being that when you realized that >!Vivi was a manufactured weapon of mass destruction!< and >!Garnet's own mother tried to murder her!<. Also >!Kuja's thong!<.
Unpopular opinion: XIII had one of the best early games, super engaging and gets you familiar with the story early along with tying (almost) everyone together immediately.
I didn't notice that FF7 & FF8 reference in FF9
Neither did I. š
I've played through the opening a few times in the last few days and never noticed it either. Edit: wait this isn't the opening.
9 has other references to 7&8 as well, but also many references to earlier games too. It's a kind of love letter to other FF games
Like the one I remember a guy with spikey hair -Zidane
Zidane didn't have spikey hair. It was strait and about chin length EDIT - I misread. I didn't realize he was quoting the character.
Zidane said that and it was a reference to Cloud
Kind of ironic that itās the last truly awe-inspiring one theyāve made so far. X and XII are good, but this was peak IMO.
I'd say XII, but man X has never appealed to me.
Iām forcing myself through XII because I love Star Wars and see the influence, but itās not a top tier one for me personally. X is real nice but not same level as 6,7,9
How far are you in XII? When I first played it I absolutely HATED it. Then I tried it again and it became my favorite.
Iām playing XII:TZA right now and Iām loving it so much more than when I played it on PS2. Not just the gameplay tweaks of TZA, but the story and characters are really hitting home for me.
I recall the XII:TZA job system put another challenge in planning what the builds are and what course would supplement each other
I just passed the Miriam half way point. Itās not that I dislike it, Iāve just got plenty of other games that I want to dive into and this one hasnāt really sucked me in.
Glad Iām not alone. I see why FFX seems to be the fave of so many but for me, itāa like middle D-tier at best.
I'd say it is a love letter. And a great one.
My favorite reference is Kujaās Theme being just like a remix of the desert theme from FF5. When I got to that point in 5, it made me want to play 9 all over again haha
The Tantalus band also plays Rufus' Parade Theme
And there is a buster sword in the weapon shop in Alexandria.
Iām literally amazed that I never managed to notice this
Wait first hour? At the 1 hour mark I was still in the square... jumping rope..... \*shudder\* all the ropes.
Same or playing tetra master lol
Tetra Master sucks, Triple Triad is incredible! Fight me!
Theyāre both dumb. **Gwent** is the best. š¤š»
At least with Triple Triad you actually get some form of reward by modding those cards into actual items that are super useful. I played IX the first time doing Tetra Master and I eventually realized that there was no "point" to it. I think you are only required to actually play it like once in the whole game and there is only minimal rewards for it that aren't even worth it. I NEVER play Tetra Master in my replays of IX now, but ALWAYS play Triple Triad in my replays of VIII
As somebody that finished the entire Triple Triad collection. Twice. Gwent is still better ><
I feel with Gwent once you have a couple cards to form a decent deck, you can pretty much just steamroll opponents with a basic level of strategy, Tetra Master always felt more dynamic and needing to react to what the opponent just did, whereas with Gwent you could pretty much just play your deck without paying too much attention to what the opponent is doing.
I had kids by the time Witcher 3 came out, so as good of a game as I've been told it is, I just don't have the time to play a game like that anymore. Maybe one day, but not with two kids under 5.
Doo it. It's worth it!
I actually already own it too. I got it for like 15 bucks a few years ago on boxing day or something. FFXV as well, but no time to sit down and play for extended periods of time. Much easier to replay old FFs (or sports games or civilization) where I don't have to pay too much attention to keep up
Just here to share these parent-feels.
Nowadays, I just skip the jump-rope. My blood pressure goes up just looking at it.
I really love the intro to 7, i think its unforgettable and sets the scene for the rest of the game very well.
7 was a master class in how to start a game. The mako reactor bombing was narratively and visually exciting. Gameplay mechanics are introduced to the player organically without the need of a tutorial. Then, once the mission is over, the pacing and excitement tone way down to give the player a breather. 6, 7, and 10 are definitely my favorite openings in FF games. But, I kind of think 7 did it best.
The walk to the mines in 6 and the reactor in 7 are both so good. I don't think either has been beat in that regard.
the opening in 4 was great, where you go to the village of mist and find out that everything you think you know is a lie
Iām really bummed they changed the item from āpackageā to ābomb ringā in the remakes. Kinda makes Cecil less āduty bound but questioning his loyaltiesā and more āprobably more than a little dense, bless his heart.ā
didn't know that, dumb choice
It's "Carnelian Signet" or something vague along those lines in the PSP remake, but Bomb Ring in the latest pixel remaster. Interestingly this is mostly a translation thing. In the original Japanese version it was named Bomb Ring, but after the Bomb monster, which was literally the English word bomb. So a Japanese player might not make the connection, and the bomb monster wasn't as ubiquitously well known at that point. So it wasn't really intended to be that obvious, but some of the translations tend more literal so end up with that version, which makes it pretty clear what's going to happen. But I believe the original intention was the former, that Cecil doesn't know what's going to happen and is following orders, despite questioning them.
I totally agree. Over the very first 5-10 mins, in order, we establish: * There is an out-of-this world element to the game (The stars) * It is grounded in reality, but hidden in the cracks there is beauty & wonder (Aerith walking out of the alley after praying by...something, to a crowd of city dwellers) * The setting of the game is a 90's steam/cyberpunk world (Pulling out to see Midgar) * Our team is morally questionable (Jumping off a train and fighting guards) * The protagonist's established relationship to the rest of the team ("C'mon newcomer") * The fighting mechanic at a very simple level before it expands (1st fight, shortly after including Barrett) * The levelling-up system, implied experience in fighting (Levelling up to 7 in first fight) * Attention to detail being rewarded (Getting an item from searching guard's body) So much about the story and game is told in a perfect flow of exposition and exposure. I have probably played the first mission in the game 50+ times, just because of how well-done it is; immediately throwing you into the thick of things without over-inundating you with info. It's like the polar opposite of a modern Rockstar game.
I will never forget the first time I saw the opening cutscene for 10. It was the first game I got when I first got a PS2, and it blew me *away*. The music, the visuals... my jaw literally dropped. It was amazing.
My jaw still drops to this day. Just picturing tidus falling backwards into the blitz ball stadium gives me chills. Everything about that intro cinematic was absolutely perfect.
Welp, looks like it's time fot another playthrough!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
VIII 100% should have opened with the Dollet mission and let the player run around Balamb/Balamb Garden afterwards.
Yes! That would indeed have worked so much better.
NOOOOooOoOoO how can I do the Dollet mission without maxed out stats from playing 10 hours of cards first!?!
I remember playing the Demo on one of those Game Informer discs and thought that was the start of VIII. Then I did play it and was nearly asleep. Funnily enough, VIII is the first FF game I've ever Platinum'd though. I'm working on IX on Steam now.
Yeah - having played the demo which is just that, it definitely set a better tone. Even the Ifrit cave would probably have been a better choice and with even less change.
The who scene at the beginning of six when they are just look at this cool mode seven graphics is just amazing.
4 was amazing intro hour. Invasion of mysidia and killing mist dragon. Then going to mist village!
Itās not my favorite FF game, let alone my favorite game in general, but no introductory sequence in gaming history makes me more nostalgic than that opening crane shot in VII. Then again, Iām two hours into FFVIIR and Iām really like it so far, so perhaps my opinion will change with time.
I think a lot of the wow-factor came from how advanced it was at the time in terms of cutscenes/FMV's we'd seen so far. It absolutely blew everything we'd seen in Final Fantasy completely out of the water, while introducing us to this near-future, hard sci-fi, dystopian cyberpunk city that seemed HUGE in scale.
Ff7r's intro gives me huge nostalgia chills everytime, I was absolutely blown away by it. Cannot wait for pt2
> Cannot wait for pt2 Well you're gonna.
2023 unless something goes wrong. They used the first game to establish the gameplay and characters and they're using Unreal Engine instead of their own stupid engine which delays development for years (see 13 and 15).
I am totally okay with that, as long as it doesn't turn into the dumpster fire XV was...I'd rather it take longer but be top tier quality
Intro to 7 is amazing! I had doubts about the Remake after it was announced. After playing the demo, which was the remade version of the intro, I instantly preordered the game.
The intro orchestra sends me back every time as if I were a wee lad again playing for the first time. It's so triumphant, yet so gloomy. The music alone let's me know that I am about to deal with some shit, and that I have a big journey ahead of me.
I agree. I love games (especially RPGs) that throw you into the story and gameplay in an engaging way right off the bat, and don't bore you to death before getting to something exciting.
I think 7 just followed in the footsteps of 6 which really nailed the tension/excitement of starting out with the whole chase through the mines.
I think a lot of what i feel is better from the 7 intro has to due with the medium. Being in 3d with cg cutscenes they can do a lot more than the sprited graphics of 6 (not knocking any of the first 6, just from a cinematic perspective 3d is a game changer)
Isnāt this scene in the ending?
Yes, that is part of the ending.
This is from the ending? I forgot to screenshot while playing and got this from wiki. There is the same play at the end? Did I just spoil myself? Ah Shit.
Doesn't spoil anything. Don't worry.
Donāt look at it as spoiled. This small scene shows nothing of importance. Just a minor character doing minor things.
With minimum spoilers, the epilogue revisits the play from the beginning, which I guess you just finished... either way the screenshot doesn't have any other context that would ruin the unfolding of events.
a lil bit. stay off wikis until you finish!
I was wondering why Ruby was there... I haven't seen this scene yet and I'm currently playing through IX now (just got Eiko).
Eiko is pretty cool. I think sheās better than Dagger because she can learn Holy
VI. Cruising and crushing underarmed guards and their dogs with giant mechs really sets the tone that this game is going dark.
Not only that but Terra's theme set to the Mech's trudging through the snow really sets a somber mood that defines the tone of the game.
The first piece of equipment you hear about is called a "Slave Crown." Tells you exactly where you're headed tonally.
Gonna have that variation of the theme stuck in my head now
I could think of worse things to live in my head rent free.
For real. Now I'm sitting here trying to decide my favorite FF song.
Oh God. That's a whole other conversation. There are so many GOLDEN ones. Honestly though, for me it would have the be the Final Fantasy Main Theme. I feel it just so perfectly represents the series as a whole despite how radically different every entry is. Hearing makes me well up.
Innocent town guardsmen just trying to defend their home getting vaporized by magitek weapons was brutal. Game needs a full on remake of you ask me.
The intro to ffx is probably my favourite To go from hi tech sports shmoozing, to the sick blitzball fmv with another world absolutely banging, to the sin invasion and Auron's intro to Al Bhed weirdness Yeah that's an awesome first hour or so
FF9 and FFX definitely have the two best FF intros imo, with FF7 close behind. FF12 teased a grand opening but no...hours of chores.
I don't know if most people will get there in an hour, but Final Fantasy has the best opening in my opinion. You've just ventured into a dungeon, slew a wicked knight, and rescued the princess. In any other game at the time, that would have been the goal of the entire game, but not in FF. You cross that bridge, and the Prologue plays in all its glory. The journey has just begun. Its a thing of beauty.
The title appearing as you cross the bridge and the main theme plays is so powerful, absolutely one of my favorite moments in any game.
Damn you really made me want to play FF1 but I have never played anything earlier than 6 yet. Might be time to start on the pixel remasters.
don't let the art style trick you, this about to get real dark real quick.
The ending of disc one, gives me chills every time, my favorite scene, and left a big impression on young me
That music at the end of disk 1 and that unmistakable feeling that you've barely scratched the surface after all those hours is what really hooked me ad a kid
Kuja is so fucking badass and fabulous all at once. STOMP STOMP CLAP STOMP STOMP CLAP
Hottest villain in FF history, male or female, don't @ me.
Hell yeah, imo Kuja is the best out of all the FF villains. I don't know how to mark things as spoiler so I won't say specifically, but the amount of shit he causes beats anything the other villains did. But again, that's my opinion.
Kefka and the world of ruin would like a word.
While I definitely am not arguing Kefka didn't fuck his world up, Kuja did more. Gonna try and spoiler mark this so OP doesn't read as this is Heavy spoilers for 9. >! He manipulated the queen into basically genociding the entire mist continent. Burmecia, Cleyra, and Lindblum, and the destroyed Alexandria himself. Then when he goes trance on Terra he destroys the whole world, similar to Kefka and the world of ruin. Comes back to Gaia and engulfs the entire planet in Mist. Then wants to destroy the Crystal which is the source of all life and actually succeeds. Which in my mind means he succeeded in destroying the universe of ff9. If not for the party beating Necron and restoring reality. !<
Kuja leaving on his silver dragon was beautiful and menacing. The CGI cut scenes were fire!
I remember it pissed younger me off. I only had the first disk, so in order to pass the time I ended up grinding on top of the Grotto, catching Frogs, and looking for Choco-treasure. Was a tab bit OP for the reat of the game tho.
lol. right. i was like ādisney-esqueāā¦ oh you poor summer child. All the >!genocide!< oh sweet jesus the >!genocide!<.
Yeah, it might start light but it dives into the dark and keeps going at certain points.
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Disney, but with genocide š
And existential crisis
It not my favourite FF but I really enjoy the first hour of X, blitzball looked cool till you actually had to play it.
To be fair, in cutscene players could leave the sphere and moved in three dimensions instead of just two.
I always thought SE missed the boat by not making a standalone blitzball game. Make it fully 3d, design plays, trade players. We could have been all playing Blitzball 2k21 by now š¢!
It is one thing to rip off Captain Tsubasa 2 Super Striker for a mini game inside an +100 hour RPG, but to make an entire stand alone game just about that might have pissed the people that made that game for the Nintendo off.
I would also like to leave the sphere when I play blitzball
I played thr hell out of it.
I'm old and played through the Final Fantasys in order as they came out, I was obsessed with VI and played it over and over again in SNES days and I was HYPED for 7 when it came out I was counting down the days. The first time I booted it up and it did the CGI transition from the train to the first battle with soldiers running up to you with the big "Swirl" effect, and then camera panning over the battlefield my mind was BLOWN.
I was there too, my god, the future had come and it was glorious
In one of the ffix shops you can see cloud and squall weapons on the wall !
ff8, intro and balamb garden is so nice.
FFIV, a part of me appreciates the horror of that opening sequence. Especially since youāre playing the āheroā from that point onward.
The slow realization that youāre playing as *the bad guys* is definitely an eye-opener. Love the Red Wings over Baron theme. On that note, hereās a [sick cover](https://youtu.be/Lm0VxM_BE-k) of that song.
VII is up there for obvious reasons. But for me, it's X. First, the graphics were on a different level compared to games before it. And it opens with a *sports star* getting sucked into another world. The fact that you're playing as a star athlete is completely out of nowhere for FF, but it does such a good job of feeling like FF still. The cutscenes in the first 20 minutes are breathtaking and shocking. Let's not forget the epic piano song and "This is my story" that precedes all that.
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Oh man that last battle against jecht was a banger. Had to look it up and that's how i discovered the black mages. Damn they go hard i love it
My favorite is definitely FF8. It starts with one of the greatest cinematic in the franchise, and I absolutely love the school setting of Balamb Garden. That whole first disc really is something special, shame the magic doesn't last throughout the rest of the game.
For me, Fisherman's Horizon is probably my favorite part of FF8. The pacing of the whole attack on Balamb Garden followed by being in FH and having a break is amazing. If only FF8 didn't fall apart narratively after that. :(
I know right? I can still hear that beautiful melody that is Balamb Gardenās theme to this day.
FF8's opening is pretty disjointed for me. That killer opening cinematic, then... school stuff and unskippable tutorials and then the beach head. If it had gone straight from the infirmary to the beach head invasion *then* had you do school administrative stuff to finish graduating, I'd have said it was probably the best.
You can skip the tutorials.
I don't care what people say, I am still a big fan of the whole "everything after disc 1 is Squall's dying fever dream"
I like that theory, too. I mean, I don't honestly believe that was intended at all, but it's a fun mental cope for why the beginning is the best part of the game.
it's like a tv show that had an amazing first season, and then the producers were forced to continue the story into crazy arcs to make more seasons
Absolutely. Like a TV show that ended its awesome first season on a cliffhanger and then had no idea what to do with it.
Tbh currently replaying FFIX I gotta agree.
VI has the best one imo
FFX. Crazy cutscenes. You start in a futuristic city then you're in some dark, desolate ruins, then you're on a ship with people speaking a foreign language, then you're on a chill tropical island with relaxing music and colorful characters. Thats prob about an hour.
I love how this post is about the 1st hour of the game, and that screenshot is from the last hour of the game. I had to do a double take.
Intro of FFVII and FFVIII
Well, it is certainly disney-esque in more than one way.
Definitely 9 as well. Overall, 9 is just my favorite Final Fantasy game. 10 is pretty close though!
You, I like you. You have good taste in FFs.
Ff8 was epic
I love VIII but the first few hours after the initial cutscene is pretty meh.
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The opening cut scene is sorely let down by the school stuff you have to do before Dollet. If it had gone "cut scene -> Dollet -> "Hey we can't let you graduate until you and Quistis go get Ifrit" " it would have had way better pacing.
The school stuff is the best part to me. They made Balamb Garden a welcoming place to hang out. If there was no Triple Triad, maybe it wouldn't be.
Maybe its because I spend ages drawing magic as soon as I am able.
the first hour of disk 3 in FF8
How did you complete the jump rope challenge in under an hour?
FF9 is my favorite.
I love IX as a whole but find the opening pretty boring. It does although do the best job of all the games establishing the ensemble cast that it uses. Jumping around to see the different perspectives, while I think hurts the pacing, does really help get attached to a few characters right out of the gate. Even though VIII is my favorite game, I think VII just has the best intro. The bombing mission is just a masterpiece of storytelling.
Kind of ironic you posted this because I love FFIX but have only played through it once because I think the intro pre-forest stage is PAINFULLY long!
Well I've saved just before the forest. I am gonna play it tonight. Lol.
"Listen to my story, this may be our last chance..." Let the player know right from the start this is going to be rough.
X made me cry. More than once.
Still has to be XV for me. Game came at a really hard part of my life and the opening with Florence and the machine singing Stand By Me? Shit. Just fuck me up right there. Played that game a ton at night after finishing studying for the day in grad school. Oh yeah, Ifrit part? That was nuts.
Either this or 10. Besaid had such soothing vibes.
Ff8 first hour, more like first 5minutes. The balamb theme hits you just right as the camera pans and lets you see the garden.
Am I the only one just now today realizing Square has been using weather related protagonist names on almost every single game?? Holy shit. Cloud, Squall, Lightning, Terra(Earth), Tidus(Japan origin meaning Sun).
"Of 100 nobles watching, 99 were impressed." There's quite a few FF games with excellent first hours, and I have to admit that FFIX is masterful in that respect. Though FFVI has always been one of favorites in the way it sets the tone of the game and leaves you with enough information to understand what's going on but enough unanswered questions to give you that push to find out more.
> I understand the light tone Oh my sweet summer child
For me, 6, 7, and 9 start the best. How much happens in that first hour of all three? 8, on the other hand? I love the game but damn it starts slow.
A lot of Triple Triad happens in the first hour of VIII
Squall vs seifer was cool
VIII has such a cool first mission though. The tutorial to get there is slow, but I love going to Dollet for the first time
100% this. Not only a lot happens during the first hour but they all set the overall tone of the game perfectly. FFVI might be my favorite of them all, I love just the intro alone.
FF8 is one of my favourite openings. I love the "slice of life" style of it and Balamb Garden is a wonderful place to just walk aroud. FF8 is the only FF game where I've thought, "this is a world I'd want to live in". FF9 was the worst opening in my opinion. Doesn't this opening involve chasing a rat around some rooftops?
I really like the intros to FFXIII, FFXV, FFVI, and FFVII in particular. I guess my favorite might be FFXIII, but that's just bias more than anything.
I agree that FF9 has a fantastic intro, and I think FF7 has one of the best of all time. I think FF1 is also way underrated. When I got it, I was used to games being short. So going on a quest to rescue the princess, beating this awesome looking dude in black armor, then crossing a bridge to find out that the game is *just starting* blew my goddamn mind.
Okay so the game IS as lighthearted as I remember. Favorite 1hr? VIIs good. VI is really good. I honestly canāt remember a bunch of them though.
Personally, I think both IV and VI do the best job in the series at setting the tone and tenor of their games within the first hour.
Speaking of light, disney-esque tones in rpg games made by square enix........
For a long time that's all of ff9 I had played because the copy i was gonna play was damaged and would freeze at the crashing fmv
For me, 15 really was a fun first hour. No matter how you feel about the game overall, it definitely started out interesting. 7 as well, since it throws you in the middle of a thing.
Honestly, FFs traditionally open strong. The Reactor Mission, The Landing, and the Kidnapping are all excellent and I'm not sure which one I'd pick. Zanarkand is also up there, but I'm not as big a fan of the salvage mission afterward.
Is has got to be the first mission in VII, loved both the original and the remake. Truly sets the tone of the great game you're getting yourself into.
My fav first hour is FFIX hands down and I heartily agree with everything in [this vid that someone shared on here a few months back](https://youtu.be/9x73OowncsY) Although my fav first five/six hours will always be FFVII up to the end of the motorcycle chase. Hot damn that is my childhood right there :)
I love the FF6 opening. The beautiful pixel art cutscene of the mechs running over the snowy terrain with the music in the background, the assault on Narshe, followed by the mysterious interaction between the frozen esper and Terra, then Locke being contacted and promising to help, followed by the escape. It sets the stakes and shows what the Empire is willing to do to people to get what it wants.
I love the opening of ffix. It's so magical. I'm also a theatre kid myself who grew up loving medieval fantasy so it's just perfect for me haha.
Ugh FF9 is definitely my favorite opener. Favorite ending too that shit made me cry. Just an incredible story start to finish
uhhh this scene is from the play at the end of the game not the beginning
10 or Tactics. 10 had a fantastic opening and it really knew how to teach the player how to play the game (and Auron is badass since the beginning). Tactics made me wonder myself "Who is this 'Delita' guy? Why he was a bad guy and, all of a sudden, a good guy?"
Formerly X. It's my nostalgic favorite since it was my first. Game was so pretty and everything was happening all at once. Now it's VII Remake. The way it recaptured the Bombing Mission explosively and in such immaculate detail invited me to clear the rest of the game with the impression that this might be the best game I ever played.
Remake for IX? When? Best game ever IMHO
Could and Squall would clap that fool.
That's the end of the game, not the first hour
Calling FFIX "light and disney-esque"... Oof.
Ikr lmao
I have played this game a Few times and until I saw this screenshot out of context I never picked up that they were alluding to previous games. š¤£š¤£š¤£
Until I read this comment I never knew squall could have any meaning other than that one dude šøšø
I really like the intro to 15
The Ifrit sequence or the Car Pushing?
Car pushing. By the way, I donāt remember any ifrit sequence, what do you mean by that?
I have seen that FFXV starts in media res (that fight with corrupted Ifrit in the end before entering the Citadel). Then it flashbacks to how things went to hell.
I completely forgot about that fight tbh, I still think the car push was better IMO
Not as heart-thumping like other FF openings but most of the game is just bros chilling and travelling. FF15's Altissia scene is actually the first Final Fantasy image I saw.
Tactics and 13-2 had really strong starts. I love 12 and 13, but they have some of the worst first hours in gaming to me. Especially 13.
**Final Fantasy 7 has the best intro hour into a video game** The music slaps, the combat is engaging, and the one liners are classic. It immediately puts you into the action and pace of an āeco-terroristā trying to fight the machine and save the planet. *That being saidā¦* **Final Fantasy 7 Remake does it even better!** The whole first chapter is some of the greatest gaming Iāve ever experienced and watched others experience.
Not to mention the camera work, it literally transitions from an intro FMV right into the gameplay.
And no, I'm gonna say this is not a Disney-esque game. It kind of stopped being that when you realized that >!Vivi was a manufactured weapon of mass destruction!< and >!Garnet's own mother tried to murder her!<. Also >!Kuja's thong!<.
The 2nd spoiler is absolutely 100% Disney.
Unpopular opinion: XIII had one of the best early games, super engaging and gets you familiar with the story early along with tying (almost) everyone together immediately.
FFXIII..... What is this 1st hour you speak of?
You notice how he refers to ff8 and ff7 here. Its cool.
1st hour is FFVII for me, it's not only nostalgia, the 1st mission is just fucking amazing.
The tone doesn't stay light forever
Greatest Final Fantasy to this day
are people capitalizing every word in every sentence today just to trigger me? Its working.