[TheGrandMom]

I played and beat the card portion of the game though I do agree that at times it was silly. But what really got me into it was collecting the real cards and playing games with my friends and family.

[Malacite]

Am I the only one who was disappointed when they discovered Tetra Master was a separate game from FFXI and not something you could play with friends in-game?

[TheGrandMom]

It would have been cool to play in game but they make more money if its not. What they should have done is have a teaser of TM in FFXI to get you to like it and then if you want the full experience you'll have to pony up that extra buck.

[Vyuru]

I liked both, although initially I liked FF8 much more than FF9 due to the fact that I couldn't stand Zidane. However when I replayed FF9 at later dates I got to liking it a bit more and I was able to get over my distaste for Zidane's womanizing ways and just how he acts in general and appreciate the game, it's story, humor, and other characters.

Vivi is needless to say, teh awesome. Although Laguna was pretty damn great too...

I like FF8 a bit more than FF9, the world, story, battle system, and characters appeal to me more, but it's a fairly close call. Both games have their upsides and downsides for me.

Also Zidane is NOT just some Locke wannabe clone, different personality, different reactions, different everything. Just 'cause they're both thieves and happen to save a girl doesn't make them the same.

[Malacite]

He unmistakably has elements of Locke in him, but he portrays himself as a hybrid of Cloud and Cecil.

Cloud: Total show off, ridiculously over-powered

Cecil: While not quite as chivalrous as Cecil, deep down Zidane's a goodie-goodie (though less of a stickler for the rules, which is where the Locke elements come in) and this quote: "You don't need a reason to help people"

[Armando]

though less of a stickler for the rules, which is where the Locke elements come in

That's just what thieves do. That doesn't mean he's like Locke *specifically*. You could easily argue that he's similar to any other chaotic good thief archetype.

[Malacite]

Nah, I think it goes a little beyond that. I can't quite describe it but there's just something about his personality that screams Locke to me (I'd say Edgar but the only thing they have in common is the womanizing...)

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Originally Posted by Feba

I didn't care for Triple Triad, but I think a lot of that is because of how annoying games-within-a-game tend to be. Especially when you gamble your cards, have to travel around to fight people, there's no structure (for example, going to local card shops to find people/tournaments), etc. And the entire "OH MY GOD THE WORLD IS ENDING AROUND US I'M ABOUT TO BE CRUSHED WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE A HORRIBLE DE-- oh, you wanna play cards? Sure!" bit really, really bugs me.

I'd have to reevalute it outside of FF8 to give it a fair shot.

All you did was have to push Square in front of half the NPCs in the game to initiate a game. I actually liked that they had different rule sets from town-to-town as well. You never really bet your good cards unless you built a really good deck. Keep in mind you'd want to synth away half the good cards out for spells and upgrade items anyway (Quetzecotl's junction ability).

What really irks me about Tetra Master (either version) is the concept of cards levelling up and gaining stats. It makes a game like Tetra Master Online really hard to get into. As much as I might wish to rant against Sega for PSO, Episode III was a really brilliant and underappreciated game. I actually liked dealing with the dupers and hackers in that game because for all the elite decks they could throw together, I could still beat them with the starter decks with ease. It was a beautifully balanced card game.

So is Triple Triad. One player can't grind away and level their cards so they can sweep everyone they meet, the oppenent has an even chance as the player.

[Ketski]

Originally Posted by Balfree

Vivi is still one of my favorite characters to date too.

Same here. Vivi has been my favorite character throughout the whole final fantasy series so far. I really liked his personality, and his quest of trying to find out who or what he really was. I think one of the main reasons I loved tarutarus at first glance was because their height matched that of Vivi's and they're a magic-based race.

I had some issues with some of the FF8's gameplay... The magic system? Extremely HORRID. I could not stand the magic system, and I love magic in RPGs, so that was a big big letdown for me. Some of the characters they had were really interesting though. I especially liked Selphie, Quistis, and Rinoa. Their weapons were unique.

FF9 had classic characters and it was appealing to the general audience so that was a big plus. I actually didn't like Zidane, bleh. Oh, and I always thought Quina was genderless, lol.

Queen Brahne is teh lols.

[odjnlinus]

Originally Posted by Ketski

I had some issues with some of the FF8's gameplay... The magic system? Extremely HORRID. I could not stand the magic system, and I love magic in RPGs, so that was a big big letdown for me. Some of the characters they had were really interesting though. I especially liked Selphie, Quistis, and Rinoa. Their weapons were unique.

I thought the Junction System was pretty cool and somewhat easy to understand, although if your referring to *DRAW* system, yeah that can get a bit old *especially if your trying to gain 100 Ultima's from the 6 mobs in the game that has it .

Not to mention I actually used a lot of physical skills in the game and the use of GFs to speed up their casting times, which is why I normally didn't bother with magic unless it was against a physical resistance mob.

I do feel your pain though.

[Ketski]

Originally Posted by odjnlinus

I thought the Junction System was pretty cool and somewhat easy to understand, although if your referring to *DRAW* system, yeah that can get a bit old

Yes, that's what I was referring to. It didn't feel like "magic" at all. I remember I would spent a good few hours trying to draw out a bunch of spells for every one of my characters. Bleh.

Was there a way to shorten the GF animations? I found them to be quite lengthy and in some cases annoying.

[odjnlinus]

Not the animation per say just how fast the GF can be summon (that litle gauge that went down). The more you use that GF on one character and not constantly switching it to another character, the gauge will go down faster.

I guess you can call it a Friendly meter between GF and it's master.

The more you use it on one character, he more they get use to each other which in turns summons the GF faster.

[Grizzlebeard]

Loved the storyline and the cutscenes in FFVIII, especially the battle in the garden when everyone is fighting in the background. End cutscene and song will always stick in my head as well, including the scene where Laguna places the flowers on his wife's grave and the little handcam closing credits which I was really impressed with. The game itself I really enjoyed as well, especially the way you obtained summons, and their variety (Doomtrain, Cactuar, Gilgamesh/Odin) coupled with the world-spanning missions left you feeling the game was massive.

FFIX on the other hand just seemed too cutesy and I really disliked being forced to use certain characters at points in the game after you'd loaded items and improvements on to other characters. I seem to remember in FFIX you also had to choose between obtaining the Ark eidolon with your pumices or using the two items to gain the best weapon. Finally, I hate fights you go into knowing you're going to lose, FFIX was full of those, no matter how well you did you were scripted to get beaten.

[Tickmeoff]

Originally Posted by Ketski

Yes, that's what I was referring to. It didn't feel like "magic" at all. I remember I would spent a good few hours trying to draw out a bunch of spells for every one of my characters. Bleh.

You did it wrong. Once you get the ability to refine items into magic you shouldn't bother drawing anything that isn't particularly rare.

[Etra]

I wasn't a big fan of FFIX... I never really completed it. :/

FFVIII on the other hand is my favorite out of the numbered series. I feel like going back and playing Triple Triad now...