RPG Battle Systems: Final Fantasy vs. Earthbound
I don't know if this topic has been written about before, but I constantly have arguments with my brother on which battle system is better. Final Fantasy's real-time battle set-up or Earthbound's turn based battle set-up.
I personally enjoy Final Fantasy's set-up better because it adds more realism to the game. For instance, the plate-mail wearing, sword wielding, shield bearing warrior will not get as many turns in as the quick and dextrous thief with a dagger. Also, real battle time ensures that special abilities take longer to prepare for then wielding your weapon. On the other hand, Earthbound's battle system ensures that every character gets a turn to bash the brains out of an enemy and vice-versa. It also makes sure that the fastest character goes first (real battle time to a lesser degree).Unfortunately, both system's have their faults. Final Fantasy's real battle time makes you have to think fast and if you accidentally mess up a command you can't go back and fix it like you can in Earthbound. In Earthbound, however, healing is much harder to manage because you can't heal a character as soon as he gets damaged, you have to wait until ALL of your characters finish their turns before you can aid your fallen friend.
In conclusion, each battle system has their own strengths and weaknesses making it tough to choose which system is the one for you. Personally, I enjoy the fast-paced and realistic Final Fantasy battle system while people like my brother enjoy the turn based Earthbound system. And for the people who run this site, here's a free poll idea. Which battle system do you prefer, Final Fantasy's or Earthbound's?
I don't know if this topic has been written about before, but I constantly have arguments with my brother on which battle system is better. Final Fantasy's real-time battle set-up or Earthbound's turn based battle set-up.
I personally enjoy Final Fantasy's set-up better because it adds more realism to the game. For instance, the plate-mail wearing, sword wielding, shield bearing warrior will not get as many turns in as the quick and dextrous thief with a dagger. Also, real battle time ensures that special abilities take longer to prepare for then wielding your weapon. On the other hand, Earthbound's battle system ensures that every character gets a turn to bash the brains out of an enemy and vice-versa. It also makes sure that the fastest character goes first (real battle time to a lesser degree).Unfortunately, both system's have their faults. Final Fantasy's real battle time makes you have to think fast and if you accidentally mess up a command you can't go back and fix it like you can in Earthbound. In Earthbound, however, healing is much harder to manage because you can't heal a character as soon as he gets damaged, you have to wait until ALL of your characters finish their turns before you can aid your fallen friend.
In conclusion, each battle system has their own strengths and weaknesses making it tough to choose which system is the one for you. Personally, I enjoy the fast-paced and realistic Final Fantasy battle system while people like my brother enjoy the turn based Earthbound system. And for the people who run this site, here's a free poll idea. Which battle system do you prefer, Final Fantasy's or Earthbound's?
