Final Fantasy has always been about the Graphics

[Phosphoric Ooze]

What first attracted me to Final Fantasy and made me like it was the Graphics. Any true Final Fantasy fan would say the same because that's what made the game in the first place stand out compared to all the other games.

I don't understand why so many fans disliked XIII when by far it had the best graphics than any previous Final Fantasy title. It's also similar to another Final Fantasy game that revolutionised gaming (FFVII). When Final Fantasy XIII was first made it surpassed Final Fantasy VII because of far superior graphics. I'll admit that even Final Fantasy XIII's beautiful music can't top Final Fantasy VII's music, however Final Fantasy has never been about the music because other games also have really good music.

Final Fantasy XIII and XV are the two best Final Fantasy games ever made and that's a FACT!
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[greenyxi]

Honestly, it's been all about the characters and story for me. It's why I still find FF6 to be one of the better games in the series and why FF9 is by far the best even to this day.

Graphics are nice, but there needs to be so much more. A good battle system is what makes RPGs playable too.

 

[AuronX]

You know, it's funny, I think I held the impression that Final Fantasy was all about the graphics before I got into the series for myself, and then very quickly they became a distant second to the stories and characters. You could say Final Fantasy has always been about atmosphere, and graphics certainly play a large role in that, but when you really get into one of the games it's much more about the other things that truly make the experience, IMO.

EDIT: You might want to add that as an option in your poll, come to think of it. Something like "Graphics are nice, but Final Fantasy has always been about characters/story."

EDIT 2: To be fair though, Final Fantasy has always tended to push the standard for graphics in games. The SNES titles really pushed that system for all it was worth, the PS1 titles made heavy use of prerendered backgrounds to generate visuals beyond the hardware's real-time capabilities, Final Fantasy X employed detailed animation and special effects that were way ahead for the time, and Final Fantasy XIII is still one of the best-looking games on the PS3/360. Square Enix dropped the ball a little bit in the other two XIII games, but they are the exception rather than the rule.

So I don't discount graphics entirely--it is impressive how Squaresoft in particular pushed the game industry forward. I just think at this point that element of the series is kind of gone, since there are plenty of developers out there now who can use console hardware just as well if not better.

 

[Dionysos]

FFXIII was pretty to look at, and it was enjoyable playing through it because of how pretty it looked. FFXIII-2 was the same in that way as well. I'd say it was like taking a drug and hallucinating about pretty things, but since I have never done drugs I do not really know what that's like. I'm sure it's not all sugar and rainbows!

But the graphics are only something that are enjoyable while you play. They ease the gaming process. Perhaps you might take fond memories of the graphics from them too, but the type of memories that you have might be very different. It's like eating chocolate and remembering the taste.

But story, characters, music, gameplay, etc? Those things are what really drive the series for me. These things do leave a lasting impression on me. When I think about these games I think about the characters, the emotions I felt while I was playing their stories, the music which accompanied key scenes so perfectly... Final Fantasy is about that for me.

This is why I don't care much for remakes. They aren't necessary for me. Unless all of the discs of previous FF games in circulation suddenly crumble into dust there is no need for a remake, other than to update the game for a new generation. Since myself and many other members the 'old generation' of fans sad2 already love the games, then the improvement of graphics and hip-hopstering of the games for a modern new-youth is not always desired.

 

[Ethics]

FF has always pushed the boundaries for graphics, but it has never been about them. Similar to Metal Gear and many other series.

 

[Razberry Knight]

someone is clearly trolling.

 

[Sheechiibii]

Yeah I'm suspecting a troll as well. Final Fantasy has always tried to have very good graphics for the time, but the games are not 'about the graphics' the games primarily are about the story and characters and world.

 

[Big Casino]

Honestly, it's been all about the characters and story for me. .

Amen brudda

 

[L]

What first attracted me to Final Fantasy and made me like it was the Graphics. Any true Final Fantasy fan would say the same because that's what made the game in the first place stand out compared to all the other games.

back in my day ff was sprites, lego people, super pixely people, and midgets. FF really picked up it's cinematic delivery with FFVII and got really solid with FFVIII. We didn't really have great graphics until Final Fantasy X - it was really the turning point of development in the franchise and has set a pretty high benchmark as far as expectations go as it was a pretty great game all around in the RPG genre.

I really don't expect any game to have graphics that are much better than that because I just don't feel like it is necessary, but it is nice to see.

As far as FFXIII being the best game ever made, I'd agree that it is the best. Best worst Final Fantasy title. I never even finished it! both of it's awful sequels were superior in every aspect, as corny and awful or pointless as rapunzel with fucking cornrows the storytelling was

I enjoyed FFVI and FFI a lot more. Shit, I liked Dragon Warrior III more than I liked FFXIII. Old school

 

[AuronX]

One thing I will say is that graphics are sort of the delivery medium for a game's emotion. The better the graphics are, the more hooked into the game you can be, and the more the emotion of the story can come across. The thing is, a story can exist without graphics and still have an impact. Music can exist without graphics and still have an impact. But graphics alone are...just graphics. They can impress, but without something to back them up they won't leave a lasting impact. By nature, graphics are representative. They don't have substance of their own, they portray substantial things and thereby give them more substance. But that task of giving more substance is a pretty huge role when done right. And when done wrong, poor graphics can leave the player thinking about how poor the graphics are and missing the substance of what they aim to represent. So it all goes hand-in-hand.

 

[LinnyCockle]

I think Squenix sadly think it's about graphics. Based on their focus, that's what they seem to care about most. I think most of their longterm fans cared most about the story and characters though.