I just finished the "worst RPG ever" [Archive]

Jorpho

11-07-2006, 10:34 AM

I speak of the much-maligned Final Fantasy 8. I can see why a lot of people really weren't very pleased with this one, but after 120+ hours, I have to say that it's really not all that bad, and it's still very much a Final Fantasy game.

The battle system is indeed fairly easy to exploit, though not much more so than the Materia system. Before long I had managed to completely munchkin eveyone's stats (I think that's the verb I'm looking for) to the point where sitting through an overly-long summoning animation was unnecessary. For a game that relies so heavily on item refinement, the interface probably could have been cleaned up a little, though. I might add that once you can defeat the Omega Weapon, the final boss is a real pushover.

But I do have to admit that the plot is rather lacking. I am left with the impression that the game designers intended to finish laying out a skeletal plot and then go back later and flesh it out a little more. It seems like there are all kinds of little tantalizing hints scattered everywhere (like, what's the deal with Hyne?) that are never fully developed. And that leaves the characters to carry the story from one generic location to the next, except all of them seem to have come from nowhere and will probably go back to nowhere afterwards. No fancy CG-movie sequel coming here, no sir.

I did have to consult a FAQ for a few obscure things. How on Earth you'd ever manage to finish collecting all the cards before Disc 4 and get all the ultimate weapons without a FAQ is rather baffling indeed.

FantasiaWHT

11-07-2006, 11:24 AM

I enjoyed it quite a bit. I like it better than 7, actually. I never beat 8 tho, and i just finished 7 about a month ago for the first time... forced myself to slog through that piece of crap.

Not even close to worst RPG ever. I might go with Aidyn's Chronicles on N64 for that title.

6502

11-07-2006, 05:31 PM

I liked VIII as well. Probably my favorite of the PSX RPGs, although I liked them all. Actually, I've enjoyed all of the numbered FFs, including the much maligned X-2 and XI.

I think the story was intentionally left vague in several areas. Not much fun (for me anyway) if everything is spelled out.

Also, when you say item refinement, are you talking about turning the cards into items? Sorry, I haven't played the game since it was released, memory is a bit fuzzy. I don't think I ever really used that ability much, but I also didn't bother with the card game or capturing monsters as cards so I didn't have many cards to play with.

I don't think any of the FFs since the PSX era can really be completed "100%" by any normal gamer without a faq or guide of some kind. A lot of the stuff they put in more recent games is just way too obscure for most people to find on their own.

kentuckyfried

11-07-2006, 05:33 PM

That's funny some call it the worst RPG........

It's my Favourite Final Fantasy to date, (though I haven't played the japanese 3 and haven't played 12 yet admittedly)

Triple Triad alone is worth the price of admission, the rest is beautiful gravy :)

Soviet Conscript

11-07-2006, 05:46 PM

well....i still can't figure out why this is anyones favorite.

is it the worst rgp ever. not even close. after getting into it a few hours i did enjoy ff8 but i just didn't like it as much as others in the series.

theshizzle3000

11-07-2006, 06:17 PM

I would have to say that I am one of the advocates for final fantasy 7 over final fantasy 8, but I do not by any means think that ff8 is the worst RPG ever. That crown without a doubt goes to Orphan for the PS2 it makes me cringe every single time I think of those cheesy cutscenes and that near non-existent battle system. Why on gods green earth would anyone have the nerve to make something without even trying.

calthaer

11-07-2006, 06:53 PM

If you play it on PC, you get a Chocobo desktop program that picks up items for you.

This is its one redeeming quality.

rbudrick

11-07-2006, 06:54 PM

Worst RPG ever? No, not quite. Try Ultima 1 for the NES. That thing's a piece of shit.

-Rob

Jorpho

11-07-2006, 07:18 PM

While I do not find the game to be awful, I certainly wouldn't go so far as to say it is the greatest of the PSX RPGs. Final Fantasy 7 was just so much more earnest in the telling of its outlandish plot, while 9 had awesome style.

And I might add that I do agree with the semtiment that while swords can be cool, and guns can be cool, sword-guns don't quite cut it.

Also, when you say item refinement, are you talking about turning the cards into items? Sorry, I haven't played the game since it was released, memory is a bit fuzzy. I don't think I ever really used that ability much, but I also didn't bother with the card game or capturing monsters as cards so I didn't have many cards to play with.

It's not just the cards. By the end you just have a whole slew of GF abilities that you can use to change items into other items or into magic, and while it might be amusing to check out all the combinations, the interface just doesn't make it very easy to do.

I also played the heck out of the card game. It is fairly annoying that spreading or abolishing rules is done randomly. If you're determined to change the rules in a particular way, why should you be forced to reset over and over again until they turn out the right way?

If you play it on PC, you get a Chocobo desktop program that picks up items for you.

It's not really that great. It probably made more sense on the Pocketstation and you could just pull it out every now and then throughout your day. As a time-killer on the PC, the likes of Solitaire or Minesweeper would be vastly preferable.

goemon

11-07-2006, 10:42 PM

I like FFVIII - it's one of the more daring Final Fantasy games in that it does a lot of new things. Modifying your own weapons instead of buying them, using Draw Points for magic, and the Card Game, to name what I could think of at the moment. I don't think it's quite as good as Final Fantasy II or VI, but it's worlds better than the "save the crystals" games of III, IV and V.

7th lutz

11-07-2006, 10:42 PM

The gamers that called Final Fantasy 8 the worst rpg ever haven't really played rpgs. I heard a super Famicom game is called Maka Maka is the worst rpg ever. Tp my understanding Maka Maka makes other bad rpgs look good including ff8.

heybtbm

11-07-2006, 11:28 PM

No one has called FF8 the "worst rpg ever". Give me a break. Maybe a few pissy teenagers did back in '99, but overall most sensible people (who've actually played the game) rate it as one of the best rpg's on the PS1.

You have to understand the hype surrounding " the next Final Fantasy" following the FF7 juggernaut doomed FF8 before it was even released. This game has been unfairly maligned ever since.

FF8 is by no means a perfect game. There are a few things even I would like changed. Skipping the Guardian Force animations would be top of the list...how many times does a person have to watch Diablo ooze out of a ball of energy and slam it down on the enemy...ugh.

MegaDrive20XX

11-07-2006, 11:33 PM

Worst RPG imho, would have to be "Beyond the Beyond" on PS1....

heybtbm

11-07-2006, 11:35 PM

Worst RPG imho, would have to be "Beyond the Beyond" on PS1....

Exactly what I was thinking when I clicked on this thread.

MrRoboto19XX

11-07-2006, 11:38 PM

I have to chime in and call Kartia: World of Fate for the PS1 the worst RPG Ive played.

VIII was decent, but is overshadowed by the beauty that was IV-VII.

PentiumMMX

11-07-2006, 11:56 PM

If you want to see the Worst RPG Ever, Quest 64 (N64, obviosly) takes the cake.

PentiumMMX

11-07-2006, 11:57 PM

If you want to see the Worst RPG Ever, Quest 64 (N64, obviosly) takes the cake. (I hated all RPGs because of it, but Paper Mario changed that)

exit

11-08-2006, 03:24 AM

I wouldn't say it's the worst RPG ever, not by a long shot. The game was the follow up to FF7, so it really didn't stand a chance. I was expecting a rant about Beyond the Beyond, or some obscure SNES RPG.

sirhansirhan

11-08-2006, 03:33 AM

I have to chime in and call Kartia: World of Fate for the PS1 the worst RPG Ive played.

VIII was decent, but is overshadowed by the beauty that was IV-VII.

I really, really hate FF8, but agree that it is foolish to call it the worst RPG of all time. Most hated you might be able to make a case for, but worst, that's absurd.

Incidentally, I like Kartia quite a bit. For games on the PS1 and later systems I greatly prefer SRPGs to regular RPGs, whereas pre-PS1 it is the opposite.

Sammelhammel

11-08-2006, 05:59 AM

I'm also not a fan of FF VIII....it's probably the worst one of the FF-series, bu still much better than a lot other RPGs.

Worst RPG?? Please play Inindo (SNES) and Super Hydlide (Genesis) and then compare it to FF VIII :D

Chainsaw_Charlie

11-08-2006, 09:06 AM

Worst rpg?

Shining tears

cyberfluxor

11-08-2006, 09:49 AM

I didn't get a full chance to play Quest64 but everyone I own that owned the game and played through it hated the whole thing. Even to this day when some of my friends see it for $1 they are like: "Dude, fuck that. It's not worth it. Give it to me free and I'll go out back of my house and shoot it." Yeah, that bad I guess.

The FF8 deal, my ex use to play it and loved it do death, same with a bunch of my friends and there wasn't much of a complaint from them. They loved the little loop-holes that made their combinations nearly unbeatable, but since I never played the game I don't recall what they were but I believe all was already talked about. I wouldn't mind picking it up sometime but most everywhere I find it stores like to price it above $20 because it says "Final Fantasy".

Now the FF7 deal, yes there are a few people I know that played through the new one that follows Vincent within a few days and found it very short and not up to par with the "greatness" of the original. My bud Mike claimed he didn't use a walkthrough and beat it first time around in under 15hrs. I'd say that is short considering most other FF games are on the long side with lots of leveling and side games with replayability. All the negative feedback lots of gamers give about the original though is sad. I feel they are just upset FF7 sold more and have a bigger following than other RPGs they enjoyed more and wish it'd go away.

Synergy

11-08-2006, 10:17 AM

I pre-ordered Final Fantasy VIII back then and loved it. I never really understood why people bash it. Granted, I only got to the end of Disc 1, but that has more to do with my short attention span. I hope to play through it all someday soon.

The "worst RPG ever"? Hardly. When I try to think of the worst RPG ever, the words Final Fantasy don't even cross my mind. :D

Battymo

11-08-2006, 10:36 AM

My only problem with FF8 was the draw system... Everything else was fine.

s1lence

11-08-2006, 11:02 AM

I'm about 35 hours into the game and I will say that the level system/draw system suck. Its not a bad RPG at all, I think it just got "bad" press since it was so different then VII.

Jorpho

11-08-2006, 11:02 AM

Gee, I thought 8-bashing was an activity enjoyed by a large segment of the gaming populace.

slip81

11-08-2006, 11:46 AM

Yeah definately not the worst RPG ever. I pro-ordered, bought and played through the game when it first cam out and was a little dissapointed, but that was mainly because VII was so great.

To me VIII is an OK game that gets a lot of crap because the other games in the series are so good.

Guru of Time and Space

11-08-2006, 01:09 PM

Worst RPG ever? No, not quite. Try Ultima 1 for the NES. That thing's a piece of shit.

-Rob

If by Ultima 1 you mean Ultima 3... then, no, Ultima 5 was worse. That is, Warriors of Destiny was worse than Exodus.

And Final Fantasy 8 is pretty good. As said numerous times, it's not the worst RPG ever. I've never heard it called the "worst RPG ever" outside of this thread, however.

-GoTaS

rbudrick

11-08-2006, 03:59 PM

If by Ultima 1 you mean Ultima 3... then, no, Ultima 5 was worse. That is, Warriors of Destiny was worse than Exodus.

Well, yeah, the first one for the NES. Might even be worst game for the system, lol.

-Rob

Daria

11-08-2006, 09:11 PM

Worst rpg?

Shining tears

Shining Tears is a lot better then say... Shining Soul or even Shining Force NEO. Tears ia actually one of the better "new age" Shining games.

As for my vote towards "worst RPG ever". I'd nominate something truly horrid. Such as Lagoon, Hydlide, or Faery Tale Adventure.

Mark III

11-08-2006, 09:19 PM

Unless the game has "Hydlide" somewhere in the title you are not playing the worst RPG ever. But yeah VIII is definately the weakest Final Fantasy game with the exception of Mystic Quest.

InsaneDavid

11-08-2006, 09:21 PM

As for my vote towards "worst RPG ever". I'd nominate something truly horrid. Such as Lagoon, Hydlide, or Faery Tale Adventure.

*sigh* Everyone hates Lagoon.

Daria

11-08-2006, 09:55 PM

Chrome

11-09-2006, 07:44 AM

WanganRunner

11-09-2006, 08:34 AM

I have no idea how FFVIII got the title of "worst RPG ever", lol.

I thought that was Eternal Eyes....or Unlimited SaGa.

FF8 was a good game, although I liked both VII and IX better because I thought they had better storylines.

cyberfluxor

11-09-2006, 09:57 AM

As for my vote towards "worst RPG ever". I'd nominate something truly horrid. Such as Lagoon, Hydlide, or Faery Tale Adventure.

*sigh* Everyone hates Lagoon.

Well that's probably because it wasn't very good.
I liked Lagoon. It wasn't new when I got it and was pretty cheap but was fun for several hours, then I was just lost and didn't know what the hell.

FantasiaWHT

11-09-2006, 11:44 AM

All of you guys are rambling about the worst rpgs, and I'm wondering how many of you have played Lunar:Dragon Song on the DS. That game has some serious flaws. For one, you can't even pick which enemy you are attacking!

DAMN YOU!

I've been trying to get that horrid piece of garbage out of my mind for months, and now you made me remember it.

CURSE YOU!

Let's not forget that running in that game actually makes your health decrease...

Chainsaw_Charlie

11-09-2006, 11:52 AM

backguard

11-09-2006, 12:21 PM

definitely my favorite final fantasy thus far.

although some might question yours (and thus my) taste...due to the fact that you have a picture of daikatana in your sig. :-P

Daria

11-09-2006, 08:18 PM

All of you guys are rambling about the worst rpgs, and I'm wondering how many of you have played Lunar:Dragon Song on the DS. That game has some serious flaws. For one, you can't even pick which enemy you are attacking!

Later,
Chrome...

That's not that weird. The hitting a random enemy thing. I mean it's not a good game mechanic by any strentch of the imagination, but I've played plenty of older RPGs that did it as well. Only it wasn't so odd on an 8bit game. I know Lunar DS wasn't very good, but it wasn't exactly unplayable.

FantasiaWHT

11-09-2006, 09:24 PM

I always get NEO and Tears confused...

I played them both, briefly... which was the Record of Lodoss War (DC) clone?

sabre2922

11-10-2006, 05:38 AM

I didnt care much for FF8 but its not a BAD RPG by a long shot. Final Fantasy 8 is one of the few FF games that I just didnt enjoy is all.

I agree with some of the other posters on here that mentioned the N64 RPGs.

The Nintendo 64 hosted some of the absolute WORST RPG GAMES in recent memory. thank god for the two Zelda games on that RPG challenged system or it would have turned out to be both a 2-D gamers nightmare AND a RPG gamers bad dream combo system ;)

ReaXan

11-10-2006, 06:41 AM

Yeah Final Fantasy 8 wasnt really a bad game,The graphic were much improved and it was special in its own way,I liked it better than Final Fantasy 9

Daria

11-10-2006, 10:51 AM

I always get NEO and Tears confused...

I played them both, briefly... which was the Record of Lodoss War (DC) clone?

Neo. It also the atrocious voice acting and the hero wearing a midriff.

Jorpho

11-10-2006, 12:55 PM

FF8 was a good game, although I liked both VII and IX better because I thought they had better storylines.

I thought there would surely be consensus on that point, at least. By what standard could that storyline be regarded as good?

rbudrick

11-10-2006, 02:55 PM

FantasiaWHT

11-10-2006, 03:08 PM

*sigh* Everyone hates Lagoon.

I don't hate it. I thought it was pretty good, just very short. I beat it in one sitting when it came out. I think it only took me 4-6 hours or something. And I got stuck at one part for like 1-2 hours!

-Rob

Sounds like Arc the Lad #1... beat it in 10 hours, and that included spending 6 hours in a really long side-dungeon.

Daria, does that make Tears the one with those rings? Where you could control them with both analog sticks? That was kind of entertaining but the amount of time I spent in between each fight was ridiculous.

Necrosaro420

11-10-2006, 07:50 PM

I guess I am one of the few that liked VIII =( lol

kainemaxwell

11-10-2006, 11:42 PM

I neve rliked the magic Draw system in 8 myself. Last time I played I didn't get a hold of a strat guide until near the ned of the 1st disc, and by then I learned I had missed on chances to upgrade my weapons and armor- leaving me at that point where my weapons were weak and had to do most my damage with GFs.

Wavelflack

11-10-2006, 11:48 PM

And I thought someone finally dedicated a thread to Super Hydlide.

Doom Gaze

11-11-2006, 01:09 AM

Not the worst RPG by any stretch, (FFX-2? Aidyn Chronicals? Tecmo Star Saga?) or even a particularly bad game, but certainly not a game I like. It just didn't click. The characters, setting story, none of it. That's what I don't like about it. That and the "junction" malarchy. It's not really fundamentally flawed like many of the newer Final Fantasies are but it's not a favorite of mine from a thematic standpoint.

Daria

11-11-2006, 10:09 AM

Daria, does that make Tears the one with those rings? Where you could control them with both analog sticks? That was kind of entertaining but the amount of time I spent in between each fight was ridiculous.

Yeah it was. Whole game sort of looked like a Falcom PC title too. Which was kinda cool.