Wrapping Up
Posted by Mike Blitz on June 2nd, 2008
At this point, I think I’m ready to move on to Final Fantasy V. I’ve been playing this game for so long that I’m itching to get on to something new. It’s actually embarrassing how long it took me to finish this game. I started—get this—on July 14 last year. That’s about ten and half months to finish one game. At this rate, I’m losing ground. They’re making games faster than I can play ‘em.
The good thing, however, is that this last year was exceptionally busy, and this upcoming year looks much more normal. I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to make much better time through Final Fantasy V.
I am a bit curious to see what the end game content is like in Final Fantasy IV, but not curious enough to play it now. Over the next few days, I’ll wrap up this game’s results and write a final review. Then it’s off to Final Fantasy V! Finally!
June 3rd, 2008 at 5:01 am
Well, I wish you all the best with FF5!
June 4th, 2008 at 3:57 am
Nitpick: if you still want to play MQ, it fits right now. The Japanese release date is misleading as FFMQ was originally developed for the American market, and so the American release of MQ is earlier than the Japanese release of V.
Just mentioning it because if the loss in quality and gameplay after IV is tremendous, if experienced after V could be totally devastating.
June 4th, 2008 at 11:02 am
I say don’t play MQ at all. Its not really a proper FF. Its not that good, and its not a main one. So I’d just give it a miss if I were Mike
June 4th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
But if you want to experience the series from start to finish Mystic Quest is for you. Though if you want to play the games in their “original Japanese,” then Mike, my man, you’re fresh out of luck, because MQ was made to be an English game the entire time.
June 5th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Ah, so I guess there wouldn’t be much point in him doing MQ. This blog is called FF: Lost in Japanese after all
June 5th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Actually I’d avoid it too, unlike Tactics and Tactics Advance which are must-haves.
Good thing that Mike is just interested in getting to the end of the games for this project; just imagine if he tried to get all 300 missions of Tactics Advance. He could spend over two years on that game alone.
June 5th, 2008 at 10:23 am
Well, I guess two years is about the time he will pass on FF XII, so he will take much less time in the end…:P
June 5th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
BEWARE! THIS COMMENT CONTAINS EXCESSIVE USE OF…COMMAS!
I’m playing XII in English, and I’ve been playing for two years already! Tactics is awesome, and a MUST PLAY for ANY RPG FAN! But if you play it before Tactics Advance you’ll hate the later. I did. To this day I have yet to complete Advance. A crappy story, plus crappy gameplay equals, why, you guessed it, a crappy game! Tactics has a great storyline, plus great gameplay, equals, can you go two for two? That’s right, a great game! Mystic Quest is at least enjoyable, if you can get pass the fact that it has Final Fantasy in the title. Treat it like Legend, a spin-off that deserves a small amount of respect, and that small amount it REALLY deserves. It’s innovative and quite fun at times. Also, I recall Mike saying at one point that he had already purchased a Japanese version of Mystic Quest and that he had a Super Nintendo.
Mike, do you have a Playstation from Japan or the States, because Japanese games won’t play on an American Playstation. Yup, turns out that videogames can be racist too. They’ll only work on Japanese Playstations.
June 5th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
I disagree totally with Drake about Tactics Advance. Taking it for what it is, i.e. not a portable version of the original Tactics, it’s loads of fun. I’m on my second playthrough (the first one was last year) and I’m loving every minute of it. It’s a GREAT “pick up game” that makes my train commutes much more interesting. I like also that there are losts of sidequest fighting missions, unlike Tactics that apart from the storyline battles only had the Deep Dungeon. And I liked the clever references to the main series, [SPOILER] There’s a mission about battling the leader of the Redwings band, which is described in the mission briefing as a Dark Knight, but when you battle him he has the sprite and moves of a Paladin. Now who does that remind me of?
June 6th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Umm… Cecil? Sure, Tactics Advance is an okay pick-me-up, but if you want a deep game with an intriguing story, it’s not for you.
June 6th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I think if Mike wants to do as many FF games as possible, Tactics and Tactics Advance are definites! I personally loved them both, but if you don’t like TA, Drake, then that’s fine, because its your opinion
But I have to agree…Tactics does have a much deeper story than TA. Still, as I said, I would recommend them both, for the sheer fun-factor.
And the PS1 thing shouldn’t be a problem. If Mike has a PSP that is, because he can just get the War of the Lions versions, after all, he has been playing the remake versions of all the early FFs so far
June 6th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Well, he also bought Japanese versions of FFVII, FFVIII and FFIX, so I suppose he’ll have a Japanese console handy.
June 6th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
He has the PS1 Version of Tactics, I recall. In Japanese it doesn’t have some of the worst problems of the original, but it also doesn’t have the connections that were made to the other Ivalice Alliance games like the PSP version, which is why I suggest the PS version. It has the original storyline and characters.
June 6th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
He should skip Tactics. It’s not as great as everyone says and it takes FOREVER to get through. I had a lot more fun with Tactics Advanced and Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance.
June 6th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Sorry, work got carried away for a few days. Back now. Some interesting thoughts in this thread…
Off hand…
I have a Japanese PS2 so Japanese PS1/PS2 games: no problems.
I would like to play Final Fantasy Tactics, and do have the Japanese version. I’m probably going to get a PSP this month, so I’m thinking that I might get War of the Lions in Japanese instead. Not sure which way I’ll go with this yet. Got some time before I make a decision.
I realize it’s generally considered a crappy game, but at the moment I’m thinking of playing Mystic Quest. I got a Japanese version of the game, and have an SNES with an adapter to play Japanese games. I’ve heard it only takes a few hours to play, so I think I’ll be able to make quick time through it. I’ll follow the Japanese release order, so Mystic Quest will follow Final Fantasy V.
I might come back to some of these games (FF3 and FF4) that I haven’t played the extra content on, but FF3’s didn’t seem that compelling (grind for a few hours to get a shot at the Iron Giant). FF4’s extra content seems more interesting, but I’ve been on that game for so long that I want to move on.
June 7th, 2008 at 4:19 am
Okay, that all sounds fair enough Mike, because, in the end, obviously its up to you
June 7th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
If you’re playing through Mystic Quest, it should only take a week to get through.
June 8th, 2008 at 5:40 am
I’m glad its that short because otherwise it would waste time before Mike got to FF6!
June 8th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Take your time getting to Final Fantasy VI, Mike, because if you thought Final Fantasy IV was long and frustrating at times, you’ll HATE Final Fantasy VI.
June 8th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Drake,
I think my frustration with FF4 isn’t really the game’s fault, so much as the choppy way I played it. I lose momentum with the game so many times it wasn’t funny.