Underrated

1. The Laughing Scene in Final Fantasy X – Much ado is made about the awkwardness/lameness of this jocular exchange between the two main characters of Final Fantasy X. However it is quite a telling scene that reveals interesting elements of their characters that further scenes in the game expand on later on. Bad voice acting/dubbing shouldn’t even enter into it.

Shortly before this scene, Tidus finds some devastating information that truly impacted his carefree attitude permanently. Rather than break down, [quick pause] much, he recognizes his duties and perseveres. This scene is about the unfortunate destiny that Yuna and Tidus are now a part of: Spira’s Spiral of Death. It is a touching moment that both characters even seem to be aware of as they engage in this very forced but meaningful exchange.

2. Galuf’s End in Final Fantasy V – When it come to sad/moving moments in Final Fantasy, everyone mentions Aerith Gainsborough all the time and Leo Christophe to a lesser extent. But no one ever talks about Galuf Halm Baldesion. Whereas General Leo was never a party member for more than ten seconds. I feel Galuf's incredible resistance to ExDeath's attacks and him single handedly freeing his friends was nothing short of stellar. Powered by a desire to protect the Crystals and the force of love for his granddaughter and the party, this is the first time we see a main character go to zero HP and continue to fight, powered only by his will. Galuf never earned much rumors and hoaxes about a possible way to revive him in the game after his death. It is generally agreed that it is due to a relative lack of popularity compared to Leo and Aerith, although it is more likely because he has someone to take his spot in the party, complete with all their earned experience.

3. Beatrix and Steiner kick some ass in Disc 3 in FFIX – By the time Disc 3 starts, a lot has happened, almost making the return to the beginning city of Alexandria feel like the start of a different game. Everything starts out well, with the Zidane and the others going to visit Garnet, who has just become Queen. Then Kuja walks out from behind the statue at the entrance, as if to remind us of the threat he very much still poses. Then to drive the point home, he summons Bahamut and tons of mist monsters. The havoc they wreak is all a means to an end, but that doesn’t stop General Beatrix and Captain Steiner from kicking some ass.

We haven’t seen them in a while, and Steiner is quite weak, so time for some power-leveling! All of Beatrix’s powerful abilities and Save the Queen don’t just make for a great time with her as a playable character, their camaraderie shines through and the music “Protecting My Devotion” helps make the whole scene even better, and that’s only the beginning!

4. Blitzball in Final Fantasy X and X-2 - Seriously, it wasn’t that bad. You recruit players, win sweet prizes, and frankly, it’s not as much of an annoying piece of shit that Triple Triad was. What’s so great about it is that the game is based around this pastime, with the manual speaking of how Blitzball is the national sport of Spira and one of the few things that lets them forget about Sin, if only for a moment. This is not some bullshit mini-game of inexplicable popularity *cough* Triple Triad*cough*. Instead, Blitzball is central to the story and characters. Of course it has its issues but still far more enjoyable than other time consuming crap Square has subjected us to. I wish that the league mode wasn’t quite so long though; at least there is a trick to make games go by faster once you are ahead on points… And don’t forget that FFX-2 fixed those problems anyway with a new type of Blitzball.

5. The Whole game of Final Fantasy IX – Despite Sakaguchi and Nojima stating that IX was intended as a tribute to the series, some fans were rather harsh to the medieval environment and simplified gameplay of the 9th entry. This was due to Final Fantasy VII and VIII’s famous creation of the “new Final Fantasy” fan. The ones who refused to play the earlier games in the series due to their “bad graphics” and actually thought that VIII was a sequel to VII, and YES, there are people that stupid. So you think FF9 is the worse on the PS1? Did you actually play it or saw that it had no Squall or Cloud thus giving it a profound "fuck that" comment when it came out? Well you probably did because most people did and sadly, they missed out on an incredible experience. A revamped battle system, great chraracters without the emo, and let’s not forget all the references to the entire FF series throughout. Check this game out, don’t judge this game unfairly, and may no “cloud or squall hinder you” on your journey of fun! This game was for fans of the whole FF series, not just the posers that showed up with FF7 and 8.

Overrated

1. Aerith’s Death/Whole Game FFVII – Initially we were just going to put the least moving scene in the game for anyone who has played another FF game, but we decided it had to be the whole damn game. Suck on it, fanboys! Aerith’s death was totally foreshadowed and her character development sucked! Cloud is not deep, neither is Vincent, Barrett is badass but is quickly shoved to the background after Midgar! When it comes to Tifa: "Man, IF only we had some T and A…" is what the devs were thinking with her. Hey at least I’m “skirting” around the issue of length!

2. Eyes on Me on the Ragnarok from FFVIII - My god, what can you say about this entry. One song that made gamers all across the world a little more faggy. Did you cry when this song played? Did your friends cry when this song played? The song sucked and you suck for not turning up some AC/DC to drown out this song. Talk about the pussification of an entire generation of gamers with just one homo song. This colorful language aside, the song isn’t even appropriate to the scene, listen to the lyrics and you’ll realize it is actually more about Julia and Laguna! Bottom line, Squall and Rinoa are lucky enough to be alive, and don’t need a very average pop song to follow along an awkward conversation about hugs and their parents.

3. The Date at the Gold Saucer from FFVII - There’s no doubt that Final Fantasy introduced new aspects of gaming to its audience. The U.S. audience was especially in for something new: THE DATING SIM! Yup, why try and save the world when you can take a date around the Gold Saucer. And it doesn’t have to be a chick! Oh no, the dudes are available for dating as well. Nothing makes for a dating sim gayer than the ability to date a guy. It’s hard to argue with those that say Cloud isn’t a homo when it seems like he had a memorable time with Barret.

This hilarious reality aside, the Date is pretty generic regardless of your choice. People would like to believe that character development is the result, but none of the characters make any reference to this event for the rest of the game. It was probably meant to be just with Aerith initially, but even her conversations are limp and contribute little to her character…

4. The Macalania Lake Scene from FFX – People seem to remember this scene for two possible reasons: Number One, it is a very beautiful cutscene. Number Two, Tidus and Yuna supposedly have sex underwater…nice[emphasize the “niceeeeee”]. [regain composure] Alright then, didn’t Yuna only start practicing holding her breath during the Eternal Calm? It is funny how Suteki Na De doesn’t really fit given how events unfold leading up to this scene: There is a reason Yuna is crying! This is a pretty cutscene sure, but I think FFX fans overstate its importance a little bit!

5. The Opera Scene from FFVI – Probably the most crammed in, forced dramatic moment in any FF game. Here you are, trying to get an airship and what’s the clever ruse? Switch out an opera singer and put Celes in her place to have her kidnapped by Setzer so you can get that fucker’s airship. But oh no, we cant just let you do the switch so easily. You have to sit and listen to this goddamn pseudo music that still makes my ears bleed and you have to remember to not fuck up when making your choice of what lines to say. Cause if you do, you have to start at the beginning and listen to the damn song again and again. I literally felt my balls creeping their way into my body as my DNA was rewriting itself to make me a woman as I watched this crapfest take place.

www.original-gamer.com