CHV Lives On

Personally, I think it's the stories and characters. They are so well written, and have such a feel of closeness to them. I think that that is what has kept this series going for so long.
What are your thoughts?

The impresivly great storylines they almost always have. Great characters and some ppl can even relate them to some of them. Example I can relate to Squall and a person I know with Siefer. We are always fighting, he is my arch-enemy, but I always turn out winning! ^_^. And of course the awesome grafics they have! I feel like I'm being watched...

its the story that impressed me...
magical, fantasy... blah blah blah
they way the ppl expressed their feelings...how we get to "be" the character
blah blah blah....dunno how to say it
i like the way how the game is made... music and all...bakamatai
~ doraemi

Music, Story, and Charecters can only take you so far.
How about gameplay? What is it about the gameplay that stands out so much?
Everybody mentions the stories, the charecters, and the music, but what about the gameplay itself. It's pretty obvious that most of the FF games (1-6)left impressions because of the story and gameplay, but the latest(7-9) was because of graphics and the theatrical presentation of the game. Many may argue, but thats the plain truth. Everyone is always talking about the graphics, and how cool everything looks. That may not be a fact among hardcore, fans, but thats what I here all the time.
I personally like 6 because of the deep charecter development and the intrigeing story, but I like 5 because of the depth in actual gameplay.
So far i'm liking FFX, because of the Asian influence and battle system.

It was probably the first "good" RPG that I had ever played (liked it more than any of the Ultima's to that point), although I do admit that I liked Dragon Warrior more than I did Final Fantasy.
But, I've stuck with the series, and enjoyed it, and that's enough for me.

doesn't. i like it just like any other game... well maybe a bit more. but i love ff8.
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Sure, graphics might have been a huge factor in the past 3 games, but the thing that kept fans like me coming back were the stories. I use myself as an example: I began playing about a year after FF7 came out. Why did I start playing? Simply put, THE GRAPHICS. I thought that the FMVs were the greatest things that were ever in a Video Game. What kept me coming back? THE STORY. Let me put it this way if graphics are all that matter, then what keeps newer players like me coming back for the sequels AND THE OLDER ONES? As for Gameplay, true it is a factor in certain genres, i.e. fighting games, but it isn't really necesarry, in all of them. The FF series is an RPG-a "role-playing game" You literally take on the role of a certain character occasionally guiding them through a sophisticated plot, with mininmal interaction, but maximum character customization. Gameplay isn't so much an integral part of the game as it is a compliment to the storyline.
Chopmaster, you seem to be stuck in a mentality that says gameplay over feeling. In Fighting games, there are many gameplay factors to be kept in mind. These include strategy, timing, intuition, etc. While there are elements of these factors in RPGs, they are not the primary focus. In RPGs the primary focus is story, as mentioned above.
Of course, occasionally, these factors are more predominant as in FF Tactics and FF 5 (because of the Job system), but that didn't keep fans of the newer "graphically driven" games away.
What I'm trying to say is, that FF is more than a game, true gameplay is an important factor, but it is the great storylines, music, and characters that keep fans in stitches when ever a new product (be it FF, Square , or simply any story driven games in general) is on the verge of being released.
That said, I wish to make one last point, while i said many times in this post, that gameplay was not a primary factor in RPGs, I don't want it to be misconstrued as me saying that gameplay isn't an essential, it's just that it would take me too long to explain it because of the depth of gameplay that exists in most all FF games...except FF Mystic Quest and FF 9...those games sucked ass...

Well, I don't know were fighting games come into play, I never mentioned them.
The question was why FF has left an impression on so many, not the hardcore fans. I was thinking about everyone who had played FF and why they played it.
Yes, hardcore fans keep coming back because of the story and charecters, but you can't deny that the graphics and theatrical presentation is what attracted so many new players. Even players that didn't like the game always liked the graphics. I have never heard anyone say that FF graphics suck.
Your responding to me as if the question were "What keeps hardcore FF players coming back for more?"
Well, you said i'm stuck in the mentality of gameplay over feeling. My response "You couldn't of said it any better"
Games for gameplay, and anime DVD's for feeling.
I don't remember the stories from FF too well, but I do remember tough battles, solveing puzzles, and using items.
But thats just me. When I think of FFX, I think of the way you can change your charecters in between the battle,the game design, and the graphics, but I have hardly read anything about the story. I can appreciate gameplay more because I have experience writing stories, and as of right now I cannot create a good gameplay system. Don't get me wrong either, I think FF has great stories(FF6)and great charecters(FF6, FF7)
FF isn't really a game, it's more like an experience. It's not more than a game either.

"Well, I don't know were fighting games come into play, I never mentioned them."
I was simply using them as an example of a certain genre that relied heavily on more gameplay aspects than story aspects
"The question was why FF has left an impression on so many, not the hardcore fans. "
Clearly, this statement is simply a nitpick on your part. This is CHV, pretty much all the people that would reply are hardcore fans.
"Yes, hardcore fans keep coming back because of the story and charecters, but you can't deny that the graphics and theatrical presentation is what attracted so many new players. "
I never denied that. As a matter of fact I said pretty much the same thing if you had clearly read the post.
"Your responding to me as if the question were "What keeps hardcore FF players coming back for more?"
No, I'm simply posing a rebuttal to the statements in your first post, which pretty much seemed like it was trying to change the focus of the thread.
"Games for gameplay, and anime DVD's for feeling."
Man if that's how you really feel, then I'm sorry that your missing out on such an awesome way to experience stories. But, hey, I suppose some people are just closed-minded when it comes to certain things.
"I can appreciate gameplay more because I have experience writing stories"
I don't think the fact that you have experience writing stories really factors into this discusion at all. I'm pretty sure nearly everyone here has had some experience with that, yet that didn't detract anything at all from their experience when playing these games.
"FF isn't really a game, it's more like an experience. It's not more than a game either."
???...it's not a game, but it is? SO, what is it an experience or what...could you clarify this statement?

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This is CHV, pretty much all the people that would reply are hardcore fans.

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That's pretty much a slogan, zellboy!

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But, hey, I suppose some people are just closed-minded when it comes to certain things.

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Very hostile there, zellboy...maybe you've been having too many hotdogs again?