More training. I feel like I should get Selphie and Zell to level 10 before taking on Elvoret. Ideally, I would train higher. We’ll see how that goes. Oh, plus I need to get the compatibility for Ifrit and Quezacoatl higher, since they haven’t been junctioned with Zell and Selphie for long.
Blargh. Now that I am not drawing magic, training is a little boring. Summon a GF, kill, find a new enemy, summon the other GF, kill, find a new enemy, repeat ad nauseum. Ew. Level 10 can’t come fast enough.
I think this might be the lamest, easiest way of levelling. I am pretty much just going into a battle, choosing a GF, and then letting things die while I talk to peole on AIM. I gave up on Boosting when I realized that I could kill things without it in this area. Lordy. I will probably level everyone to 15 just because I can while talking. Is this lazy? I think it might be. Furthermore, I can’t imagine any reason that I would NEED to be level 15. Can you? I am pretty sure I could destroy Elvoret at level 10. I feel both ridiculous…and strangely pleased. I think making this game too easy is some kind of guilty pleasure for me. That is a little disturbing.
Blargh. Squall is level 15 and I am tired of training. I’m going up the tower. LET’S DO THIS. LEEEROYYYYY JENKINNNNNNNNNS
Oh right. Biggs and Wedge first. YEAH. It’s so nice that they include them in every game. Nice throwback to Star Wars, guys.
Okay. There is something inherently wonderful about taking damage from a boss then turning around, drawing Cure from it, and casting on yourself. It’s like giving the boss the finger. I enjoy it greatly. Elvoret is nice about that–he attacks infrequently then throws an all-party attack at you–the you take the next turn for everyone to draw and cast Cure. SUCK IT, Elvoret.
Also, HOT DAMN, Elvoret has Double (along with Siren–FUNNY STORY, if you forget to draw any GFs from bosses, you can get them from the endgame set of bosses–but they will still be at level 1…AUGH). Stock stock stock that Double, that is one very nice spell. I had forgotten it shows up so early in the game. EXCELLENCE.
Mmm. Death on Wheels. My party is it. Seriously, that battle was really, really easy. I think the T-Rexaur was harder. Disgusting. Then again, I think it punishes you by giving you no EXP. UNFAIR, GUYS, REALLY UNFAIR. I mean, it wasn’t hard, but it took some effort. I didn’t just stand there. …I summoned GFs. HEY, THEY ALL ATTACKED ONCE. THIS IS CLEARLY HARASSMENT.
Oh right. And then it gives you 30 minutes to get to the shore. Plus, as I recall, a gigantic mechanical spider that looks like it wandered out of Wild Wild West comes and decides to pick on you. I think the game makes up for being super easy by reaming you with time limits and multiple boss fights back to back. Tricky. Very tricky.
I do find it odd, though, that they don’t use some kind of different music for minibosses–I mean, even BIG minibosses (there are some crappy ones like the Anacondaur on the road to the communications tower). This messed up spider-y thing is pretty dang boss-ish. I mean, it is summoned when you are leaving the tower and it JUMPS ON TO YOU from the top of the tower as you are exiting. But no. The normal battle music starts in. Honestly, I would have gone with the boss music proper. The fight is pretty important, it is semi-difficult (or would be, providing you aren’t as needlessly overlevelled as I am), and it is unusual in terms of mechanics. The thing runs after you. I mean, granted, the music changes as it is following you (one of those songs that is the same when you fight it as when you are running), but the first encounter, I believe, merits special music.
Right. What. Okay, when you are running from the big spider thing, right before it cuts to full FMV, you see your characters running down this street and the spider busts through a wall to the right of the screen and starts chasing you. Alright, cool. Except that in the last screen you came from, it was just following you normally. And according to the layout of the city, it just blasted through a BUILDING. As if it were inside the building. Correct me if I am wrong, but…doesn’t it seem odd that it when from following right behind you to being INSIDE a building…and there was no evidence of it jumping or moving or MAKING NOISE AND RUBBLE FROM BEING A GIGANTIC SPIDER?
Also, woo Quisis for riddling it with bullets once everyone gets to the beach. Nothing like a blonde, glasses-wearing babe with a machine gun, am I right? Of course I am right. It is only too bad I will never wield a machine gun, in all likelyhood, or else I, too, could pull off that look.
The music in Balamb is so relaxing and nice. It fits the town very well. And as far as the graphics go in the town, I truly appreciate the fact that the main street is somewhat blurry until your characters move into that area, which is farther away from the main “camera”. That’s a nice detail that adds to the atmosphere. It’s the little things, I find, that really make Final Fantasy games stand out.
…Unfortunately, there isn’t much else to be seen in Balamb. The Thunder draw point is useless to me, since everyone has 100 Thunder spells. Whoops. Back to the Garden I go. I’ll stick to the roads on the way back–I can train more later, when I have more time.
Well, I am officially a SeeD. Not much commentary tonight, I must say. Ah well. More tomorrow, likely. Onward to the dance scene and…Rinoa.
