Final Fantasy

[Ruki]

Oh wow, I feel like I am just getting into the main section of the game now. I just unlocked hunts last night!

 

But man, the side quests are dull.

[jrhodes]

4 minutes ago, Ruki said:

Oh wow, I feel like I am just getting into the main section of the game now. I just unlocked hunts last night!

 

But man, the side quests are dull.

Yeah, they're not the best.

You do get some decent rewards for some of them though like increasing the potency of potions and how many items you can hold.

[stokeriño]

I appreciate the side quests mainly for avoiding the common pitfalls, e.g. being unnecessarily long-winded or having no purpose besides EXP/money grinding. In this game they seem to mainly be vehicles for fleshing out lore or characters and that's perfectly fine. The fact that they usually require you to go somewhere that you can reach really quickly (or even is on the path you were already walking down) cuts out a lot of pointless walking too.

Some of the side quests hit hard too, story-wise. The couple near Moore when you first travel there are dark as fuck.

[Ruki]

 

 

[Forky]

Why they gotta be mean to Kimahri?  

[Ruki]

1 hour ago, Draevyn said:

Why they gotta be mean to Kimahri?  

He's kinda shit, tbh. Great character story-wise, in battle though...

[Forky]

1 hour ago, Ruki said:

He's kinda shit, tbh. Great character story-wise, in battle though...

You cut me deep Ruki. Real Real deep 

[Benji]

Even though he has a lance, he's more of a red mage than a dragoon in terms of skill progression, and his overdrive is blue magic based. He's one of the absolute coolest and most nuanced secondary characters in the game, but the gameplay does him dirty.

[Ruki]

21 minutes ago, Benji said:

Even though he has a lance, he's more of a red mage than a dragoon in terms of skill progression, and his overdrive is blue magic based. He's one of the absolute coolest and most nuanced secondary characters in the game, but the gameplay does him dirty.

Was it only has overdrive that was Blue Magic? I thought that was his whole thing. But it's been a few years since I've played it last. He would have been a much better character in battle as a beefy frontliner (who could jump). Switch Wakka to being a backliner red mage (infuse his balls with elements, like Vivi/Steiner in IX?).

[Benji]

I got bored so I decided to make my list. I'm limiting it to controllable (so no "guest" characters, though temps are okay) characters of mainline games only, and not including MMOs because I've never given them enough time to gauge. Characters must be distinctly dragoon (IE: Wield a spear or lance of some discernable variety), so no "class" dragoons from game (because if I did that, FF3 dragoon would toast everything anyway for what an MVP it is against Garuda).

7. Ward Zabac (FFVIII)
Yeah, I know, I'm cheating a little putting a temporary character in as my bottom choice, but he does follow the criteria. Unfortunately as a temporary (and worse still, a secondary party member of a secondary party) Ward doesn't get much to do. When he's in your party, he does pack a whallop, but it gets you through no tough battles, and his lack of any real personality puts him distinctly at the bottom of the pile.

6. Ricard Highwind (FFII)
The original dragoon of the FF series, and another temporary party member. Ricard could actually be any class per FF2 characters, but given the game clearly sets him out to be a dragoon and calls him it (plus he's in dragon knight armour), I'm letting this one slide. He isn't really that interesting of a character, but has clear values and strengths, and is a good hand in battle, making a decent though not outstanding start to the dragoons of the series.

5. Oerba Yun Fang (FFXIII)
Fang, my lovely Fang. Voiced by Claudia Black, she would absolutely be higher in my rankings if she was more distinctly a dragoon. Though she is clearly modelled in that ilk, she strays too far from what makes a true dragoon in battle, having no true jump ability, and looking nothing like a dragon Knight should look. She does bang like a motherfucker though and is by far the placement I most feel bad about their position for as she is a complex character and I have a deep love for her.

4. Kimahri Ronso (FFX)
Now we get down to "true" dragoons, cause this guy has a jumping ability... though it is just limited to his overdrive. Along with a cool character design, Kimahri also has a very interesting character that creates a complex web amongst the party, and at no point can you ever be sure you "know" all about him. Even the sequels continue this struggle for the character. Kimahri's fall down is that unfortunately he isn't great in combat, falling into X's "jack of all trades" role. Still, a memorable character who deserved better than his gameplay offered.

3. Cid Highwind (FFVII)
We're down to real ones now. Again, Cid has the jump ability, though like Kimahri it only comes as a special attack. What makes Cid better? Well sit down and drink your motherf@&#ing tea and I'll tell you. Cid is a miserly old fuck who speaks the absolute truth but has a heart of gold (along with having the mouth of a sailor). Cid gets the distinct compliment of also being the only dragoon to ever lead the party (albeit temporarily). His prowess in battle is great, and the only thing stopping him from number two is that he's outside the traditional dragon knight design (though in all the best ways) and his Jump ability only being a limit break (which he loses if his limits improve). Cid would call me a lot of names for putting him number three, and I'm not sure he'd be wrong.

2. Kain Highwind (FFIV)
This is a tough second place, but as much as I love Kain and his journey, I am replaying FFIV now and he's not quite as interesting as I remember. He's very much the co-secondary protagonist, but unlike those around him never really develops as a character. However, he has the distinct honour of being Final Fantasy's first named jumping dragoon, and he looks the part more than anyone else in the series, and at the end of the day if I'm discussing specifically the best dragoon? I have to go with the guy who wore the outfit and delivered the skills we all most associate with dragoons/dragon knights.

1. Freya Crescent (FFIX)
That's right! I agree with number one pick. Freya is best girl and not just because of my soft spot for FFIX. A lovelorn dragoon whose beloved lost their memory and who lost their homeland, but still fights for the side of good, has clearly had dalliances outside of her lost love, has a killer design, has the jump ability and who is inarguably one of the best party members in a game filled with great party members? Yeah, Freya earns the number one, she fills all the criteria and her only negative is that compared to the big four of FFIX (Zidane, Steiner, Vivi and Garnet) she doesn't get enough focus through the end game.

Let me know what you think and like and subscribe or whatever it is the kids say.

[Ruki]

Freya is just the best. 

 

Edit: Continuing with the FF9 love-fest.

 

[Forky]

4 hours ago, Ruki said:

Freya is just the best. 

I have to agree because my niece is named Freya. Nothing to do with the game at all but every time she visits, I think of FFIX

[Skummy]

13 hours ago, Benji said:

Cid is a miserly old fuck

Cid Highwind is canonically 32 years old.

[Benji]

13 minutes ago, Skummy said:

Cid Highwind is canonically 32 years old.

As someone who is 36 and considers themself a miserly old fuck, I 100% stand by my statement.

[Skummy]

I think it's changed since they did a bunch of retcon-y prequels and so on, but I remember at the time of my deep FF7 obsession trying to work out how old Cid was supposed to have been when the rocket launch failed, given that he had apparently been a pilot for years before that, and none of it adds up at all. 

 

Speaking of FFIX love-ins, though, I just started a playthrough last night. Only got as far as crashing the theatre ship, but I am charmed by it all over again. I remember just enough of it to know what I'm doing, and have forgotten enough that I'm still pleasantly surprised and pleased by it all. My girlfriend has never played it, and I can already tell she's going to be absolutely heartbroken by the Black Mage Village just as I was. 

[probablyoliver]

Yeah, I did a replay of IX last year, and it holds up as my favourite Final Fantasy. The story gets a bit wobbly towards the end, but fuck it, that's the charm of all Final Fantasies, right? Two acts of incredible socio-political drama with deep lore and heart-wrenching details and a final act which throws caution to the wind, forgets everything that came before it and forces you to fight God for some reason.

[jrhodes]

I've been tempted to do a replay of IX myself. I still need to go back and finish off my Persona 3 playthrough before that remake drops though.

With all the rumblings of a FFIX remake, I certainly want to replay it before that gets released.

It feels like a great time to be a fan of those PS1/PS2 era RPGs.

 

Edited July 7, 2023 by jrhodes

[Schlitzbrille]

6 hours ago, Skummy said:

Cid Highwind is canonically 32 years old.

tbf 32 JRPG years adds up to like 70 IRL years

[Ruki]

Just had another Eikon fight against

Spoiler

Titan.

I know it's crazy inflated, but my brain still gets the happy chemicals when I do like 2mil damage in one hit. I think I'm about halfway through the game at this point? It feels like there are still space for 3 more abilities on the board it looks like. My guesses are...

Spoiler

Odin, Bahamut, and then.... probably Shiva.

 

[gunnar hendershow]

On 07/07/2023 at 04:35, Skummy said:

Cid Highwind is canonically 32 years old.

This is nothing. In anime & manga you apparently die the day after you graduate high school.