after final fantasy 8 every game in the series has been complete and utter garbage ive played and beaten them all and i would some feedback on what you all think because i would be shocked if anyone likes games like 10-2

10-2 was nothing more then final fantasy dress up

there is a trend of dumbing down rpg's for the masses and as a hardcore gamer i want to be challenged and there hasnt been a game in a longwhile where i had to level up to beat anything

ff-10 for example...a game where my mage can do 100,000 damage with a physical attack... i feel like the genre is holding my hand as i play the game

Curious: what made 8 so good, then?

Also:

Then you are part of your own problem.
Don't buy, don't play, and don't waste your time completing something you feel is, in your own words, "complete and utter garbage."

This is not a difficult problem to solve.

Play other games.

Epic solution.

From all the hype surrounding FFXIII even though we have seen nothing of the game yet gives a pretty good indication that fans still love the series.

I personally think Square-Enix iss still what it use to be before the Enix merger. SE have created franchises outside of Final Fantasy like Kingdom Hearts and are willing to move the genre forward with FFXII.

10-2 was fun. Stupid story and bad voice acting. But fun in fighting monsters and #####.

Your reasoning makes no sense. The downfall of final fantasy is that you think after 8 all the games were garbage? I beg to differ and say that 9 was pretty much the best on around.

Your opinion doesn't matter unless you try to make it make sense, and even then it's iffy anyway.

8 was nonsense and so was 9. Haven't played X or X-2 ( They look nice collecting dust on my shelf though ), but 12 is my favorite since 6.

So, can't say there's really a downfall myself.

What's utter garbage is this topic and the fact that you really haven't backed up your argument in the least. Meaning I don't have to either.

I believe the popularity and sales figures disagree with your opinion that the Final Fantasy series on a downfall. To you? Sure, the series might no longer match your interest, but you should get the message the series isn't for you quite a long time ago. The problem is you and you alone, like Bomb said. Don't like the series? Don't play it.

Final Fantasy is not at all a downfall. 9 was excellent (not my fav tho), and XII was awesome as well. What I love about FF games is that htey alwasy raise the bar, whether it be graphics, or gameplay, or music, SOMETHING is always leading threst. In FF& i was graphics, in 9 was graphics/gameplay, in 11 i was the online gameplay, in 12 it was the freestyle battle, nad in 13 it will be the BEST in-game graphics ever seen as well as a 10 year planned mini series.

Althoguh the games may not be as "nostalgic' as the others, its tough to judge the FF 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 collectino because they're all the SAME. It's 2D, got a group of characters, trying to save somethig involve with the crystals, and there's some random bad guy trying to destroy the world. Yeah those gmaes were great, but I appreciatate the newer games more than the older

Prepare to be shocked: I liked FFX-2. =P I put 200+ hours of gaming into that game.

However, personally I think the series has become just a collection of average games. It isn't what it used to be (only speaking for myself here). I'm not sure why, but I have discovered other and better RPG series. I definitely don't consider Final Fantasy a great series anymore.

Closing comment: FFXII severely disappointed me (the story was crap, imo). I hope FFXIII will make up for that.

I have to agree and say that the seres are becoming nothing more then the usual RPG games. Nothing to be excited about and feeling that I would miss some spectacular story and characters if I don't pick it up is gone too. I played almost all of them, with FFXII being worst for me, and they kinda lost their touch mostly because there are other good games out there now thus making it hard for them to make something new and revolutionary.

It's wrong for me to actually judge it only by their last game which I didn't like and I'm quite aware of that, but maybe they will get back on track in a near future.

Anyone who thinks Final fantasy is on a downward spiral is on crack. Outside of the original FF Crystal Chronicles and the story direction they took with X-2, SE without fail ave consistantly put out good to superb games over and over and over, on several different platforms. If you were never into FF, ok, but I can't quite see why you'd argue they've been downhill since 8.

I think Final Fantasy Peaked with FFIV...

But seriously, a lot of people argue that it it all went downhill after FFVI so really there is no telling. Out of the whole of the FF series, there are only a few that I rate very highly (FFVII, FFVI, FFIV) and find amazing games. The others I either find bad (FFV, FFX-2), Average (FFI, FFII, FFIII, FFVIII, FFIX) and the best is really just above average (FFX... maybe FFXII which is surely a good RPG, but just one that I can't get into).

Everyone calls it the downfall of Final Fantasy, but were all the game really that great beforehand anyway?

Well FF7 sold more copies than ALL THE REST COMBINED so.. And everybody speaks highly of FF12, so I doubt there is any "downfall" happening. And I continue to be the only person in the universe who likes FF8 and FF9 lol.

I think the only "downfall" is that there are other rpg titles or franchises that are able to measure up to the FF series, or even be concidered as better games than some of the FF games.
Because when it comes to the FF series it seems that everyone has different tastes about which titles are good and which are not so good.
I really enoyed FFX in Japanese, but for some reason the English version of the game felt like a completely different game. So you could say that I very much enjoyed FFX, because I liked the original. I also liked FFX-2.
FF XII was a great game, but it falls very short on the story front. So much that the game didn't feel like an epic adventure with a story to remember. It was a bit dry on a lot of details. But other than that the game impressed me a lot.

FF XIII reminds me a lot of FF8 though, and if there is a good story present this time, then I hope this will be the first FF game to really blow me away in a long time.

I think all this downfall talk is the result of the changes in the Final Fantasy formula Square-Enix has done to the franchise since FF7.

If you look back at all Final Fantasy games before FF7 you can see a lot of similarities in these games. Where as after FF7 we have 8 that had the Junction system that many hated as well as the romance focused story, IX returned to its roots and X also returned to its roots, but with some changes like the Sphere Grid and story. FFXII got the latest lashing from fans for being too different from previous games.

I think most people just don't like change. I welcome it because it means Square-Enix is at least trying to separate themselves from the rest of the pack even if it fails and that is what I call progress or moving the genre forward.

Final Fantasy X-2 is a great game. Name another Final Fantasy game where you can change jobs during battle. It might not be much, but it still is rather innovative for the series. Also, besides Terra in VI, X-2 is the only game to star as a female and play as one throughout the entire game. I know that doesn't sound like much, but it is a huge step in equality of women in video games. I put over 200 hours in that game and I still want to get 100% completion.

And by the way, I enjoyed IX over VIII & VII. For me, VII is over-rated and IX was that much better than VIII. IX is a beautiful farewell look at all the previous games. And X is my favorite, so I say the series is still doing great.

Everybody says that the series is declining. You have people who hated it after I, IV, VI, VII, X & now XII. Play your favorites. I have no idea why people continue playing games that they hate. What is the point?

Been thinking about this today while I was out and about. I think it really boils down to the fact that FFVII was SO big, that people who were into it actively went out looknig for other rpgs and found others that are are as good or in some cases. And the fact is, alot of people forget just because something else is better, it doesn't make the other thing any less. ITs still a great game, if there's another thats amazing.

Secondly, I think its because alot of people play FFVII-VIII as their first rpg. So naturally they're younger. And the other fact is, people ge tolder and more critical of things. ON the net sometimes to a point of retardedly critical. Alot of people won't le tthemselves enjoy a certain product because they convince themselve sit sucks etc and adapt to a mindset where everything except the extremely specific thing they like, sucks.

These things? Fact.

XD

Are you drunk mush? If not, then you should be...

I agree with 'Shroom though. When It comes down to it, I think what makes people like the FFs is that they are so accessible for new gamers. FFVII is the RPG I have enjoyed, and still enjoy, playing the most and it's also my first RPG. Of course, it's hard for any company to emulate the experience of playing your first RPG and so when you don't have the same wonderful experience with the next numbered RPG I imagine one could assume that it's just a bad game.

Final Fantasy has set themselves the hard target of making each Final Fantasy entierly unique which is something that not many other RPG franchises do. Many franchises use the same battle systems (slightly upgraded, but still the same) and even often the same setting while instead, each final fantasy that comes out is a bigger jump away from it's predecessor.

I wonder how much it is the name that spoils the experience...

XD I'm not drunk....but I should be! Re-reading what I said, my grammar sucked a bit due to typos, but gladyou got what I was trying to say XD You worded it how I meant it though. Its jsut unfortunately a rule that generally applys to each FF; its usually someones first rpg. And its hard to play another game and be as utterly engaged in it as your first FF. ^^ and you're last setence speaks volume. Change the name of the game and the company on the tin, and i'd be willing to bet the comments would be totally flipped in reverse from everyone.

i agree that i hold ff games to a higher standard then most games... but thats because i could and wouldnt be dissapointed but ive dissapointed for awhile now because final fantasy stands for more than a ok game that was mildly amusing it stands for greatness for the pinnacle of the rpg market but now its just another franchise thats all i ment by downfall even though my language was a bit more forceful...... it brings in the crowd lol

Final Fantasy was ALWAYS just another franchise.
Dragon Quest sold much better =).

I still find it hard to look at a franchise with rave reviews almost all over the board on a multitude of platform and is known worldwide, as just another rpg franchise. I just can't.

And frankly, i think you know this, because you've clearly played and completed them all, to the point to maxing out levels etc. No-one does that in an "ok" game/s.

I beat Indigo Prophecy fifteen times and saw every single cutscene caused by every scene!
Oh, wait. No I didn't, because the game wasn't that awesome.

Indeed. And this is why I wrote as the opening of my Crisis Core review:
"Selling a Final Fantasy game is easy: just stick the name on there. Pleasing the Final Fantasy fanbase, however, tends to be tricky. Grand innovation runs risk of being called "too different;" use of old tricks will surely be called overuse by some, to whom Square Enix in turn will be eloquently labeled "a bunch of whores." Indeed, it's impossible to please everyone with practically any endeavor, but with Final Fantasy games, it seems that any new release will be a godsend to some, pure blasphemy others. This issue is especially sensitive with Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII because it tangles with one of the most widely cherished console RPGs of all time, and one that played a major part in breaking the genre into America's mainstream. Too much new stuff? 'This isn't (Final Fantasy) VII at all!' Not enough new stuff? 'Why the hell isn't there a remake already!? This is the same thing I did 10 years ago!'

"The brave souls at Squre Enix, even staring down the urethras of millions of fans ready to piss on any product that emerges, still forged on and made this prequel."

Things with the love and hate invoked by every title usually balance out, at least. Here's some stuff I checked out from Gamrankings and GameStats.com:
Final Fantasy VII GameRankings press score: 92% GR User score: 9.0 GameStats press score: 9.2 GS user score: 9.4

Final Fantasy VIII GR press score: 90% GR User score: 8.5 GS press score: 8.3 GS user score: 8.8


Final Fantasy IX GR press score: 93% GR User score: 8.7 GS press score: 9.3 GS user score: 9.0


Final Fantasy X GR press score: 91% GR User score: 8.8 GS press score: 9.4 GS user score: 9.2


Final Fantasy X-2 GR press score: 86% GR User score: 8.0 GS press score: 8.2 GS user score: 8.6



Final Fantasy XII GR press score: 91% GR User score: 8.8 GS press score: 9.3 GS user score: 8.9
****
So by the numbers, there's not all that much of a differece. Not that numbers tell the whole story, I'm just tossing those out there as a way of demonstrating that overall, the majority seems to generally take to most or all of the FF main-series games.


Aaaaaand not to put up an argument, just to make sure everyone's on the same page...

Technically no, *Square soft* made a lot of those changes, not Square Enix. Squaresoft produced the FF series under its original moniker up through X. I'm just pointing this out to clear up any ties with the merger to those specific innovations/changes. For example, VIII's junction system was designed Hiroyuki Itou, who is the same dude that made the series' ATB system, designed IV's battle system, drafted V's job class system, directed IX, designed and oversaw Tactics, co-drected XII/worked as a programmer for XII, and co-directed Final Fantasy VI.


And again, just a note, Squaresoft created Kingdom Hearts. Square Enix has kept its sequels flowing.

Again: just making sure certain things aren't tied to the merger that shouldn't be, for the kids reading (and perhaps not posting) at home.

======*
~The more your know~


Edit:

In Japan, sure, but on the worldwide scale, Final Fantasy consistently hammers DQ. I am not speaking of quality, I am only letting you know that the above quotation is not correct.

I guess I should have clarified that when I say Square-Enix I meant the company as a whole, past and present.

If you consider that along with a new game (be it FF or any other franchise) a few people will drop out as dissapointed and another few will probably add on to the fanbase for that perticular game.
so the people that like one game may differ but may still be the same amound.

so even if they have different opinion, as long as the amound of people at both sides is more or less the same, or the quality don't differ all to much, we'll almost always get about the same amound of score for the games.

I belive the reson FF7 sold so much is becouse it was so inovative and easy to get (compared to before playstation era) for americans and europans back then.

personaly: the only game that fails for me is FFXII, before that, not one FF game was to my dissapointment!

I detest Final Fantasy X-2, as it ruined a perfect ending in Final Fantasy X.
Yes, Tidus should've died, as this would've made so much more sense, storywise and would've made a very good ending on a game with decent story. X-2 did had a good battlesystem though, just the story... or lack of and the fact that it raped the ending of X threw me off.

However, Final Fantasy IX and VIII remain my favourite, together with Final Fantasy VI.
I'm not a fan of Final Fantasy XII though, I found the storyline to be so weak that I didn't had the motivation to continue.
The battlesystem was good, but sometimes too slow.

I don't think FF games are getting worse, at least not much, but other games are becoming better competitors to Final Fantasy and even better games.
A few franchises that many people hold in high regard are: Xenogears/saga, Shadow Hearts, Star Ocean, Suikoden etc etc.



Didn't Square and Enix merged in 2000?
Also, Enix > Square.

It doesn't really matter when they merged because they are one in the same now.

New Age Technology+Great Graphics = 75% of games w/ crappy Storylines.
You agree? Its a theory, mind you.
We've all seen and beat many of the FF games. Though, in recent years, we've come to see FF games that look stunning, but dont have that "awwww" we use to feel when we played the older ones. Dont get me wrong, FFXII was fun to play, but like a few others have said the story was just 'blad' in comparison to other titles within the FF series. Hopefuly, the titles to come will change the direction of peoples thoughts on how this series will turn out.

Midway through 2003.
But either way, they're the same now, like Paul said.

I personally like the newer FF games moreso than the old ones. Not saying that they're the BEST RPGs ever, because they're DEFINITELY not, but never have I played an FF and say this game sucks... and just stop playing (Even with X-2, it was a lot of fun to play).


What just bugs me about the old FF is that they were all way too similar:

-The graphics were all the same (2D style)
- The worlds were pretty simple (Due to the 2D nature details weren't there, cities/towns were ALL the same),
-The music was in a MIDI format so none of the music was very memorable or noticable
-The plotlines all included some imbalance or something in the crystals that would destroy the Earth because an archvillain from somewhere was trying to destroy them
-The battle system was very similar (Turn based, 2D, and although FF4 had classes which was something new wth customization, the actual jobs were very similar to past games)

So i mean, yeah they're great games and the characters were fun and it was a great way to pass time, I don't think of any of the FF1-5 games as like, an EPIC. FF6 I've played a little of and I know it's considered the greatest FF.

BUT, if ur gonna consider the WHOLE series after that on it's DOWNFALL, I have to disagree immensely because I love the FF7 Compilation, FF8 is my 2nd fav FF, Final Fantasy Tactics is my favorite Final Fantasy, I liked XII for its battle system and extras and indepth graphics/details, FFX was a great romance, and the newest FF13 series looks like something incredible and monumental, so i highly disagree that after FF6 the series has just gone down, becuase before FF6 the games weren't anything special IMO anyways.

I liked X-2 for a while...I wish SE spent more time on it's development.

Thanks for clearing that up. I know X was released somewhere in 2000 and that was still labeled as Square and X-2 was labeled as SquarEnix I thought, which I thought was released in 2002. Not that I actually looked it up or anything =P



See, sometimes you make good points and then you make comments like this. Do not talk about 8 bit not being noticable/memorable.
I can guarantee that almost every member will recognise 8/16bit tracks from various games, but will not know songs form the more recent games, simply because they aren't very noticable.

No you're right that doesn't prove what I was trying to say. I didn't mean to say that people won't recognize MIDI tracks, I wanted to really say that it hinders the game because of it. Here's why:

-We don't listen to 8/16bit tracks for pleasure/enjoyment. We listen to instrumental pieces because it's more pleasing to the ear.
-MIDI music doesn't have as big of an effect on gameplay as instrumental, complex, or harmonized music because of that same reason, it's not as appealing to the ear.
-We don't buy Soundtracks with MIDI style music the same way we buy the newer soundtracks.

And overall MIDI style music is much more plain, simple, and not "boring" because thats not the word, but less attractive. It's just like the idea of 2D graphics. There's nothing WRONG with the graphics, they dont HINDER anything in anyway, it just limits the game to certain things. That's merely what I wanted to say about the music.

I pray for your soul...


You mean scrap the whole thing and start from scratch???

Well, Time for me to weigh in on this one.
Aside from FFX-2 being the bane of my existence, I would say that FFVIII was the second bane of my existence. They went way-to-far in the friggin future for this one. I will leave it at that.
Final Fantasys 9, 10 and 12 were awesome in my book. I spent well over 100 hours on each and thought they were all top-notch games with regards to story and such. (ok, 12 was a TAD lacking on story, but it wasn't crap.)

I'm excited to see what comes out from Square. I always buy games used, so I am not disappointed in laying down 15 bucks for a so-so game if I enjoyed playing it remotely.

Actually, I know quite a few people that actually do buy those OSTs and listen to those songs.
It actually has a kind of charm, the old classic tunes, gives me and many other players a feel of nostalgia.

As a matter of fact, I have yet to come at a remake of an 8bit song into a 32/64/128/upupup song that I prefer.
So far, I have disliked all remakes of personal favourite midi songs. Why? Simply because they lost their charm.

So yeah, I think you're wrong on this, but that is my personal opinion. I believe many people enjoy those old classy tunes, well... I am quite positive.

While I admittedly haven't played and completed every game in the series yet (though I've completed about half of them, and at least played some of most of them), my current view of the FF series is this: VI, VII, and VIII were the peak for me. The others, I label as "decent," "above average," and even "pretty good," but they still don't quite live up to 6-8, in my opinion.

I'm not a big fan of most of the older games, but IV was definitely good stuff, and was probably the game that got me into the series (as well as one of a few that got me into RPG's). IX wasn't quite my cup of tea, but it's a decent game in my eyes, if not above average. X was fun, but again: not quite up to 6-8 for me. I only briefly played X-2, which was fun, but just never grabbed my attention. XII, while weak in several plot-related areas, has been great for me, even if just in gameplay alone.

That all said, the way I see it, The FF series as a whole is just "above average"/"pretty good" to me. Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VII, and Final Fantasy VIII are my favorite games in the series so far. The rest aren't quite up to the level of those for me, but they're far from "garbage." (I used to bash FF IX, but I've come to terms with it.) I wouldn't really say the series is on a downward spiral, especially with the potential that FF XII introduced for me (again: mainly just gameplay value). XIII hasn't quite grabbed my attention (yet), though it certainly looks like it could turn out nicely. Versus XIII, on the other hand, has me very interested so far, especially since it's being made by the Kingdom Hearts team.

Besides, as others have more or less pointed out, just because it's Final Fantasy, you can't really expect so much from it. True, the series has kind of set the bar up for the genre in some ways, but nonetheless, they're games just like any other, and making that "perfect game" is a difficult thing to do. Can't expect every game to be one of those rare gems. While games like X-2 and all of this work with the VII project have shown how Square-Enix is kind of milking the series, they've all brought some quality material with them, even if the games on the whole perhaps weren't that great. (Some brought creative quirks in their storylines, some brought fun gameplay, and others perhaps brought interesting characters.)

At this point, I can just say the gameplay of FF XII has instilled a sort of new hope in me for the series. XIII and Versus XIII definitely seem pretty promising so far, in some way(s) or other. I'd say just be patient and wait for some of these newer games. If those still fail to impress you, then perhaps the series really has just stopped impressing you, and you should turn toward another series to keep you entertained.

I'll take your word for it because I'm sure there are many who do, I just haven't met any, but that doesn't mean I'm right. But I'm just wondering then, what do you listen to more often, newer game songs? Or the old game songs?

If you listen to those 8MB tracks predominantly because you like them better, then I can't argue much, but I guess what I was just trying to say is that from what I've seen most people prefer more realistic sounding music. Not that the songs themselves or better or worse, but that the newer are just preferred. I guess that narrows down my original point even more.

Well, lately I don't listen to a lot of music from games, but usually I listened to music from various games, such as the Final Fantasy franchise, Suikoden and Star Ocean.
I am not excluding anything.

I just know, say I am watching some random stuff on the internet and one of those programs uses Matoya's Cave from Final Fantasy I, I'll like it and get a nostalgia feeling.
Sure, the song, originally, is of low quality. It is, however, not the quality that matters, it is simply the feeling and the classyness the song has.

Same case, my alarm clock is 'Vampire Killer' from the Castlevania franchise. A song that is quite famous as well, especially in its 8 bit form.
The same goes for various other songs. Lol, the first stage of Contra, who doesn't know it =P.

Anyway, as I said, I can listen to both and have no set preference. I usually don't like remakes of songs, as it takes away the nostalgic feel I have with them.

My wife does, quite a bit.
Just throwing that out there.

I paticulary enjoy the Piano compilations from FF 7,8,9,10 that have come out. I also have the OST's from every Final fantasy too (thanks Bit-torrent )

Kind of rewinding a bit here from the current discussion on this page, but I don’t think FF is at a downfall. I agree with Flame (wherever he said it, maybe it was this thread), “when was it every really that great?” (or some such.). I also agree with Mushroom on FFVII just being so big, and everything just being hyped.

I admit I’m not someone who’s ever been on the hype train (was only really introduced to FF maybe two or three years ago, and even then I just thought of it as another series), and few of the games have impressed even myself. I just view that series as one of the mediocre ones out there. Even the worst FF’s have fans, so this is always a fall-back series that should please, but I’ve never really gotten into them (though I do love XII).

Anyway, I’m not really saying anything...highly constructive or interesting, so I’ll just leave it at that. I don’t think FF is at a downfall at all. Maybe to an individual they just don’t like what is coming out now, but it’s not really accurate to say it is at a downfall when so many others would disagree. *shrugs*.

On the note of "when was it ever?", merging it with what I said before: As a series overall, is it really so great to begin with? Only a couple of the titles really caught so many people's attention. So not every game after those ones turned out to be as good. So what? As I, and others, have said: It's just another series, so it's got its ups and downs. The series pulled off a few really great games. Just because of that, one shouldn't expect them to keep coming out with ones as good or better. Not to say it'll never happen, of course, which leads me back to my previous point: Just be patient. Those great games only come once in a while.

Play XII, some of it may be easy but the highest tier hunts can be absolute murder.

ok just going to post a brief summary of what i believe

FFVII - WONDERFUL! made Square Enix reconaziable and people continued to buy (Cloud & Sephiroth, who wouldn't buy the game)

FFVIII - still wonderful, gunblades were a bit ridiculous and there was a lot of strategy based into it (my first FF game i played and fell in love with the series)

FFIX - ok didn't like it, don't know why, but i think i just hated the story line and it seemed FFIX fell behind FFVIII (loved Vivi though)

FFX - ok i thought it was really good and never seemed to bore me, but it took forever to level at times

FFX2 - hated it, thats all i have to say (mostly because it was nothing like the others and didn't like how they made a sequel)

FFXI Online - sorry never played

FFXII - OMG AMAZING!!!! wonderful battle system, gambits were amazing i couldn't figure out one thing that I didn't like about it (really had to do 100% for this game)

FFXII Revelant Wings - again very good and thought for DS the cut scenes were amazing

FFXIII - i know some of the background and i keep hearing rumours, but basically its supposed to be Square Enix's main prize in the FF genre. Supposedly the actual fighting and graphics for gameplay are almost as good, or maybe the same as the cut scenes. Don't know if the story line will be good though (The sword/gun thing is amazing, kind of like a gunblade but about 500X more amazing very excited for it to come, but unfortunatelly i only have a 360 , oh well)

Thats all I have to say, and well i guess it wasn't that brief...

one more bit of information, the downfall of FF will be when the series ends. So basically...there will be no down fall, Square Enix is high and mighty right now

In my opinion, you are completely wrong. I do not see a downfall in ANY of the games after Final Fantasy VIII. Final Fantasy IX was brilliant, the storyline was interesting and I enjoyed the ways in which you attained abilities. Final Fantasy X was my favorite Final Fantasy of all. The Sphere Grid was very unique and was a simple way to figure out after a while, I got sick of the constant leveling in the others. The storyline was beautiful. For Final Fantasy X-2 I would say that was a downfall but then when I think about it differently it was not. I loved the fast pace fighting a ton and actually thought the dress spheres were cool. I am not saying anything about XI being I have never played it. Final Fantasy XII was ok, the storyline was definitely not my favorite but I really liked the massive amount of weapons you could attain. Without a shadow of a doubt I would say many of these games after VIII demolish I-VI.

Pray away. =p

On the subject of MIDI format music, I don't know what format SNES music is in, but there is tons of SNES music that I still like. Can't say the same for NES music, though (at least nothing comes to mind right now).

But yah, "old" music can be good. Aah, nostalgia. <3

my friend has and beat the game, has everything in the game but he just hasn't beaten Yazmat. He said that thats the only thing thats hard in the game.

EDIT: I have borrowed it from him, I think it's damn difficult, and he just sits there and laughs at me.

It's not too hard. Though to get good at it, you need to sacrifice:
1. A life
2. Sex (No you're hand doesn't count)

Basically what you would sacrifice for an MMORPG.

I've only put in about 80 hours and I've been killing almost everything. The hardest part is figuring out how to create good gambits and after that, it's not difficult at all... Sure, there's a lot of running around to do, but the gameplay is where XII shines.
And I haven't finished Yiazamat and I don't plan to any time soon. I was able to take down the Behemoth king and after that, I decided I need to get Hastega before I do any more high tier hunts.

you fought Yaizamat before you got hastega? How far did you get on him?