Worst RPGS

[Aeolus]

The problem lies in the fact that magic in FFVIII is pulling a triple duty as a) a consumable item b) an equipable like your standard weapons, armors, shields, & accessories and c) the usual alternative to attacking (not in the sense of what it was used for in FFVIII but in RPGs in general). Given the way things were balanced nobody ever used the first and third options unless they absolutely had to as there were plenty of other consumable items (besides who ever uses a consumable item in an FF game?), and GFs at the start then Limit Breaks became your usual go to in terms of alternatives to attack. And since GFs became more and more obsolete people started ignoring their Int stats which is what determines how successful a person is at drawing spells among other spell related activities. In a normal JRPG growth is spread out across the board (stats go up with levels and are the basis for everything, equipment gets better as you go along supplementing your stats in direct then indirect ways, skills, spells, and abilities open up new options allowing different characters to assume different roles, and jobs or classes allow characters to develop further specialty in their given roles. FFVIII does a lot of renaming and repurposing to achieve the same results. Jobs, alternative actions, skills, and abilities are now tied to GFs. Magic becomes the new equipment which GFs dictate where you get to wear. And Limit Breaks assume control over the alternative actions once you have enough descent magic to equip and the higher level Limit Breaks. Characters, their levels and stats, and what they're armed with (save for Squall's Lionheart) don't factor in for squat. Its all in which GFs are equipped, what they learned, and what magic you have stocked up.

[MeshGearFox]

The problem with drawing in FFVIII is that it was completely useless except for getting a few GFs. Early in the game, you get one of your GFs the refine magic ability. Shortly thereafter, you grind against fish for on the beach outside of balamb for Fins. Convert these to a few hundred waters. Junction water to strength. The entire process shouldn't take you more than a couple minutes.

You've essentially won the game at this point and you're pretty much just past the invasion bit with the spider tank.

This is how broken FFVIII is.

Losing your spells to cast them in FVIII is not the problem. The problem is that you never have any good motivation for doing so.

[OkamiGeisha]

Hope's Mom are on while Snow and mates are in a firefight, both in the attempt of rescuing resident loli-pop Serah-chan. Lightning and Sazh fight a giant flying robotic scorpion with sawblades and a giant fuckoff lazor while Hope's Mom is tough but Snow is a ManBearPig and both fall off a walkway to their doom where Snow shrugs it off and Hope's Mom is a tough stain to remove thus now Hope wants to write his name into Snow and Vannile is still there. Then they all meander to the Fal-cie and Serah-chan's side where she crystallizes tragically and everyone is now in the wrong place at the wrong time and become Hi-C. Then a lake froze over.

I like the game but LMAO over this!!  I worked at a zoo for a little while and one of the parrots would say "HiC" until you were blue in the face.  His name was Cecil, but he couldn't say Cecil.  His former owner just called him "C", so he repeated that over and over.  Anyway, I thought it was funny.  

Seriously, if they just put more traditional town exploration in FF13, I wouldn't think it flawed at all.  A big deal is made of Palumpaulum or whatever Hope's hometown was called, and then you there and don't get to explore.  But I didn't mind the linearity of it and actually liked that it was stream-lined (ie, no grinding in the beginning or middle if you don't want to) with pretty easy boss battles.  And I love that you don't need to heal in between battles.  

[Hidoshi]

http://bit.ly/ficBCV In which I question RPGs, their makeup, and their relevance to gaming. Plugging this here since it's relevant to the conversation and includes thoughts I posted earlier on.