The Legend That Was Ended

Legend of Dragoon  PS/PSP
That feels amazing to say that.

I have finally completed Legend of Dragoon!!!  YAY!!!

12 years and ~70 hours later I am done.

I don't know why but it feels as if a huge weight is lifted off my shoulders.  A giant sigh of relief that I have checked off a game that has almost been a cornerstone to this blog and my backlog.

Legend of Dragoon.

Wow.

Ok.  I am done now just blabbering about how wicked cool it is that I have completed it.  I will do a celebratory dance later.  On to business.

Some time has passed since I completed LoD (Legend of Dragoon).  This was in my master plan.  I wanted to make sure that I had time to breathe, process all that had happened properly, and then compare my memories from years ago to now.  I wanted to make sure that my thoughts are properly projected onto this medium.

I loved LoD when I was young.  Around the age of 15 I was into FF games and anything Square made.  Besides Nintendo (which at that time was my first big developer that I liked) I had learned that Square games were things that I would always go out and directly buy.  No questions asked.  I would be at the store no release day and be buying the game.  Or I would have a preorder in so that I would get the games on release day when I was in college.  I would get upset when I wouldn't receive the game on release day.  I have luckily grown since then, and I have learned how to relax and wait for a good deal.  Yet I still find myself buying main FF games sometimes at midnight release.

So I was young and so attached to this company that made games that enlightened my mind and led me on journeys across far off realms, allowing me to escape my own tortures.  So I see this game, LoD, and I figure that it has to be good.  So I buy it (or I got one of my parents too.  I can't remember).  I buy it and take it home.  4 discs.  "Man", I thought, "if it has 4 discs then it has to be amazing.  Cause FFVII was 3 discs, FFVIII was 4, so the more discs the better". 

I popped the game into my Playstation and started to play the game.  And I loved it.

I can't remember exactly all my thoughts and emotions from then, but I do know that I greatly enjoyed LoD.  I thought the graphics were great.  OH LORD there was voice acting in it (something new to me in console games), you could transform into a Dragoon and summon a Dragon and cast magic.  I can see myself now sitting on the carpetted floor of my father's bedroom playing this game with wide eyes trying to absorb everything that flowed out from the TV.

I do remember things that I didn't understand or care for at the time.  I didn't like how you were limited to 32 items in your inventory, that you had to use the addition system.  I didn't have enough hand-eye coordination to master that.  I didn't like how you had to plan things.  I love RPG's, but as a kid I wasn't that good at thinking ahead and planning that well.  I sometimes found myself just charging forward into battle and trying to make it work.  Thats how I ended up stuck at the final boss and not able to defeat him cause I was unable to plan ahead and overlevel, and have enough healing items to keep me alive.

Stuck.  For almost 12 years.  Now we come to today.  We come to a time in which I am older and am able to plan and strategize better.  I know not to always rush into battles without thinking of the setup.

I respect the limitation of 32 items.  It makes me plan and think.  I like it.
I like the addition system.  In fact, its one of my favorite parts of the game with regards to fighting.   I have written about it in the past and I still respect those views.  It beats a lot of the bad things.

Bad things you say???
Yes.  There are some things that I have issues with.

First, translation.  Maybe things have just improved over the last decade, but the wording for things on LoD is horrible.  Sometimes it is hard to make connections with things since the dialog makes you want to rip your eyes out and boil them.  It made the story hurt me sometimes because I couldn't keep up with things.

The bad translation also lead to problems with story flow.  I talked about this earlier some, so I won't expand too much on things.  I think though that translation issues partially led to sudden, random points to the plot that were added with no back story to them.  I understand sidequests and small diversions to the main story, but that didn't happen here.  You had to suddenly do these things that took you way off from the main flow of the plot.  Along with this was the fact that certain elements to the game were not explained or brought to light, however they served a purpose.  The Sacred Sisters of Mille Seseau should have been explained more.  Tell me what their importance is to the story.  Make me care more about them.  Damnit, that is all I want.

Well, that and more.


In the end I feel like the love of this game that I had built up when I was young was partially burst.  I am glad I replayed it and completed it.  Its a small personal goal that I was able to check off.  Would I play through LoD again?  I think probably not since I gained all I needed from the game.  I do think that it needs a sequel since it would be another revenue stream that SE could use, and many fans would cheer it on.  You could almost do anything you wanted with a sequel since so much time has passed since LoD came out.  I would definitely play that for sure.  For those who haven't played it yet, if you like classic games from the PS era then you should give it a shot.  On the PSP its a good play.  However, I think thought for now my time with Legend of Dragoon is done.  Good game Square, good game.

Time travelling with FFXIII-2

So I think that during my hiatus from writing one of my biggest accomplishments gaming wise has been working on FFXIII-2.

Before I went away for a long time I was having some issues getting into the game.  I felt the story was a little too campy and the leveling system was quite complicated.  I was very overwhelmed with just the enormity of things that one could do.  At least that is how it felt at first.

After almost 40 hours into the game and coming up to the end of the normal playthrough I have really started to like this game.

The graphics are great (which is a normal for SE).  The worlds pull me into them and make me feel as if I am there.  The colors are bright and crisp and how they style the future is amazing.  I do think they could have added some off the beaten path locations in each timeline and not just in one zone, but I am ok with things.

The battle system I think is much better than in FFXIII.  In FFXIII (which is really the only FF game this can be fairly compared to) you had multiple characters, but you could go through the whole game with just the same 3.  The stats were predetermined and there was not the much individuality offered to the characters.  I like what SE did with FFXIII-2 though in terms of having 2 characters and then a slew of monsters that you can place in the party with you to fight.  Noel and Serah can develop jobs however you want, and their is even more customization with the benefits that come with selecting which jobs get large nodes and which get small nodes.  To further elaborate on this (cause I needed to do lots of research) if you have Ravager select a small node, then you just get a STR and MAG increase.  If you have Ravager select a large node then you get those basic increases plus a bonus for magic.  Commando does STR bonus.  Some of the jobs allow for one type of bonus if you select a large node on an even level, while another bonus for an odd level.  This makes you have to plan things out more and for a RPG that is an element that I like to see.
The monsters have only one job depending on what they are.  They will only be COM, RAV, SAB, etc.  You can't have them change.  They have a leveling system as well that is similar to that of the one for Noel and Serah.  The biggest customization benefit they have is in their abilities.  Each monster can only have 10 abilities at one time.  They all have 1 ability that is locked.  This is important because you can have monsters level up and then infuse their abilities into another one, thus getting rid of the first monster, to make the second more powerful and to benefit the party more.  I haven't explored that much into this, yet it will probably become more of an impact when I get into post-game play.

The story.  The big thing with FF's game is the fact that the story has many twists and turns, comes out of nowhere and smacks you in the mouth, all while taking you on an amazing journey.  It needs to draw you in and not notice that you are escaping from reality for awhile.  The question then is as follows:
"Does Final Fantasy XIII-2 do this"??

Its a hard question to directly answer.  The story does have some twists, but not as many as I am used to in a FF game.  Maybe its cause I am watching Battlestar Galactica and have played waayy to many RPG's, but I am able to figure out what is going to happen.  I am not a surprised at things that I normally would be.  That is not to say the story is good.  To refrain from spoilers the way that SE has taken on the idea of time changing and paradoxes is interesting since it is different than what we normally think of when we talk about paradoxes.  I like the idea of time travel and different universes and all of that.  Its crazy the creativity that people can come up with.  Its because of this element that they are able to add the slight bit of openness to the game with the ability to go to different areas and get sidetracked with completing quests and getting fragments.  FFXIII had you just go along a line without being able to deter.  FFXIII-2 allows you to run around and do different things without having to stay on the same line.  Its nice to have this as I am someone who really does miss running around world map and spending tens of hours doing non main story stuff.

I am now in the middle of Episode 5 and I am really starting to figure out why what has happened has happened.  I like it.  My goal is to have the main storyline done by the end of this week, and then start to work on the postgame play next week.  There is a lot of things to do and I am excited.

Knight on!!

Things have been a little slow lately.  I blame it on the fact that I have been pretty stuck on my comp as of late just making sure that the final adjustments are made and everything is running properly (i.e. testing its processor power in many ways, including FFXI and Half-Life at the same time).

Because of this I have been having issues committing to playing FFXIII-2.  That and the fact that I have been working every night since last Thursday and that will continue until Tuesday.  I haven't had the drive to really sit down and get working on FFXIII-2.  Since I am in the beginning stages of the game it does require a lot of effort to go through all the tutorials and get the basics of the story down.  My hope is to do that next week, however I have been contemplating switching it out for Assassin's Creed (AC) so I can not be completely over FFed.  I still have sometime however to make that decision.

Instead lets focus on FFIV.  I had made a lot of progress with FFIV awhile ago, but then as always I stopped playing it for awhile.  I tried my best to figure out what was happening in the game but I could not for the life of me figure out things.  Thus I decided to delete a 30 hour saved game so I could start from scratch.

I like the story of Cecil and his journey of being a Dark Knight and finding the "Light Side".  I love the Dark Knight job and its mystery that surrounds it.  Also the armor for it is pretty damn sweet.  Its my second favorite job in FFXI as well.


Its pretty late now and I think that I am going to call it a night.  However I will have more to talk about as I play further along.  I got a 2 hour one way bus ride tomorrow, so I will have enough time to play on.

There is an update. Would you like to continue?

July 11th, 2011.

Its free Slurpee day at your local 7-11, so hop on that NOW.  Wish I could partake however it seems that in Savannah we don't have a "real" 7-11.  We just have a 7-11 minit shop, and a 8-11 (which is really sketchy if you want my opinion).

This day is about something else though.  I mean come on, this is not a blog about 7-11 nor Slurpees (however if you would like to look at a Slurpee blog, check this one out: http://slurpeesurprise.blogspot.com/.  It seems to be dead, however it was the best I could do finding a Slurpee blog).

No, today is update day for Final Fantasy XI.  They try to do an update once a month, and then about once every quarter one BIG update.

I hate updates.  I love the new features and things they bring.  I despise the time it takes to get online and start the update; the time it takes to check files, download files, and install them; how many error messages you get because you pay for your own internet and can only afford the 6mbps package and the damn 13 year old whose parents can afford the 50 mbps package keeps getting in front of you in line and dropping you off the server.    DAMN THEM

I have had updates that take upwards 2 hours to get everything downloaded and installed (this does not include when I fresh install the game or get back on after awhile and it is an overnighter.)  These 2 hour updates however take forever however cause you keep getting booted from the server and have to restart, and then restart, and then restart, and then restart...BAM

Today though was not that long.  Got home after work, some shopping, helping the family in time for the update to just have finished.  Its barely 5pm, so I get on and get the update done in about 45 minutes (I switched to another input to watch some TV so I wouldn't pass out from the docile music being played).  Get on, put some things on the auction house to make some cold hard gil and then log off.

So where am I going with this??  I decide to maybe get back on later tonight cause a lot of my pals on the game will probably be busy going to the premieres of Harry Potter on Thursday (tixs confirmed for Friday night HELL YEAH) and when I check the website I see this.



It is emergency maintenance.  Well break out the champagne and celebrate defeat.  What does this mean?  Well, some dweebs over at SE screwed up and something was crashing.

I hope this means I won't have to completely delete and install FFXI all over again on my PS3.  It takes about a day.

I guess I will turn to Final Fantasy V and try to work on that.

MMOOOOOORPG!!!

So for the faithful people (friends and family) who read this, it is time to cover the big ticket item on the list.  The elephant in the room.  Final Fantasy XI (FFXI).  An epic MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) created by Square Enix (SE) that was released for the PC, PS2, and XBOX360.  I first started playing FFXI in March of 2004, and I have been playing on and off since.  I consider FFXI one of the greatest FF games created by SE in a long time because of the complexity that it offers (it is on the same level in my opinion as some of the great single player FF games).  The story just draws you in and battling in the game does take you off your schedule easily.

I have eerily been sucked into the game and when I have to go to the restroom or get food I realize it is 3am and I have been playing since 10pm.  It just has this ability to distort time and space without you knowing.  My belief on why it is able to do this is 1 game day is 1 real life hour give or take.  Days in the game seem to progress real quick so it is easy to lose track of time.

I have been in the past pushed away from the game because of the need to have a party of people to get some of the more exciting things accomplished and no one wants to help you out.  It can be very disheartening to have that happen day after day and it took a toll.  With so many expansions and updates the list kept growing of what you could do, but I always felt jilted with no help after hours of trying to get it.  Tie this in with the fact that I kept going to periods of time with no real internet connection I ended up getting a little behind on things.

After getting back into the game I have seen that there has been changes to the system and game that make the game easier for solo play and leveling.  It also is easier to do missions and quests with the level cap at 90 and soon to be raised to 99 (like all true FF games should be).  Yet still there are certain missions I need help with.  This could be partially due to the fact that I am a Warrior and that makes me the job of a frontline melee.  Because of this I usually find myself in need of a hearty backup to keep me alive.  I am trying to raise my level on other jobs to maybe get a particular Wings of the Goddess expansion quest done.  I should go and probably call for help for it, but then I run into the problem of trying to form a party to do it and finding the time for it.  It is truly time consuming and my own life has a tendency to interfere, or is it the other way around.

Its crazy to me that I have spent so much time on one game and have not accomplished that much.  So many end game things to do and Bosses to fight that I have not even started and it makes me feel that I may never get much done.  There is so much information that has been added and it seems so crazy for one person to comprehend everything there is for this one game to offer.  Before all this new information I used to be quite knowledgeable about what was occurring, yet now I have problems with basic stat information that I should know.  FFXI is the game of INSANITY it seems.    But I will keep working on it and maybe over the summer I can get a lot of progress done on things.

Well, here is hoping.

Bring on the 16-bit madness!!

So, I have finally decided to delve past the time of the Playstation. Before the the DS.

It is time to go to the era of 16-bit, and the first Final Fantasy game that I will talk about on here (I have completed many other ff games, however this is the first one blogged about for me).

Let me get this off my chest. Plain and simple, I am a fan of Final Fantasy games.  Maybe I should rephrase that.  I love Final Fantasy games.  The first one I can remember playing was Final Fantasy III on SNES, which was actually FFVI.  If you want to know more about that weird change up then look it up.

I remember renting FFIII on SNES as a lad.  I remembered Terra and Lock and so on.  Squaresoft/SquareEnix has always done well with a story, especially in the beginning of the series when they were still trying to prove things.  The graphics and gameplay have always pushed the envelope as well, and this is what sucks the player into the coding of the game.

This entry is not about the Final Fantasy series though.  I could write about it, however that may come on a down day.  The center stage belongs to Final Fantasy V, or in this case Final Fantasy V Advance for the Gameboy Advance.  The background for this FF game as with the previous games is the crystals.  The foundation of the world (cause it is not Earth is the game) is maintained and balanced by these crystals.  Usually 4 crystals, earth, wind, water, and fire, but I do believe that sometimes changes.

I think the enjoyment of this classic game comes because it was original and during a time when the series was still working on its rise to fame.  The class system in FFV is so enthralling because of the combinations available, but as well the customization and strategy available to play the game.  It's this to me that makes a good RPG.

Now I know I said that I would be restarting each game I play, but this is one that since I did remember the story, I decided to continue off where I was.  Plus, I am pretty far in the story now and I really really did not want to restart after hours of grinding to get up in level.

SPOILER!!!


I am at the point in the story where I have just gotten the power of the meteorites to send me to the other world, and Exdeath almost got me.  But being the total badass that Bartz and company are they escaped.  I found this idea of going to other worlds kind of repeating in some of the FF games, however it is entertaining cause there is a purpose behind it and not just some excuse to go to some other planet.

It is exciting to me to be playing these classic games again.  It just seems to be very refreshing and exciting to have these games, even though they are soo different from the modern batch of stuff coming out today.