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Omigosh I know what your talking about (the Falco Velocycle). I remenber thinking, okay this is easy just one of those enemies you've got to grind down to a stagger and what not. Then I got hit by the gatling gun. I went down so fast my jaw dropped. Then I tried about three more times with the same result. I finally ended up using Shiva to beat it down and when that didn't kill it, I managed to get a good timed sentinal change in. After I beat it, I thought that it was just one of those evil things that pops up only once but then another one came with a guard and I immediatly died again. I just ended up using a deceptisol and running so far away.

I actually really like this battle system since I'm such a strategy person. The grinding battles don't bother me so much cause then I can lean back and watch the pretty colors and animations. I do kinda miss the job classes that define different characters (like everybody thought Fang was the first female dragoon, but none of the characteristic attacks are there and besides everybody can do the same things, to an extent).

Oh and the chopper thing, was that the boss battle outside of Hope's home, cause if it was than I know what your talking about. I seriously thought it was one of those battles where you just have to die because it seemed so impossible (I mean really, 999 chain break?). Then I checked online, found a strategy, and replayed it and it turned into one of those easy grind battles. It was cool though. I remenber actually watching the battle and thinking to myself, can three people really bring down a big a** flying thing like that? It was just one of those pithy reality checks that us fantasy people abhor, lol.

Truhfully, I don't have the game yet, but my friend does. I can't remember the name of it, but the one boss that he just barely won against afetr about 10 times was that one that looked like a Bulbasaur, ya'know, with the bulb on its back? I just call it after one of it's moves though, the Effloresense.

He's also barely beat a Falco Velocyle by using Shiva. He got sooo p***ed off because when he used the Sentinel with Snow, the Gattling Gun STILL killed because Hope couldn't heal fast enough. That thing's bloody INSANE!

We both cracked up when we found the other strategy to beating the chopper. We thought it has the funniest thing that the whole thing could just lose it after those parts got destroyed. First thing I thought of was, 'Holy craps, it's Chrono Trigger all over again.'

Ye gads! I can't believe I forgot about Freya, she was one of my favorite characters. I guess I just remenbered reading that Fang was the first female dragoon and didn't actually go through that in my head. Maybe they were talking about the first human (or human-like if you're going with the whole l'Cie aren't humans edge) female dragoon....I failed dramatically there sweatdrop

Oh and I hated that battle. It was the first time I really got stuck and had to do a battle over and over again. Then I got to Barthandalus and all hell broke loose...took me forever to figure that one out! I know what your saying though about the whole Spherimorph thing though (that was both one of the funnest and one of the most frustrating battles of X). Lightning was a commando though (with Hope as a ravenger) so I didn't really worry that much about it. Thank goodness the computer-controlled characters are fairly intellegent, although I was going to kill Vanille though for insisting on curing the almost incurable Snow (because of his high HP that makes it appear that he's about to die when really he has the same amount as everybody else) instead of reviving my ravenger character. I had to choose between a potentially long battle or using up one of my few phoenix downs (which are as exepensive as all get out). Not one of my most outstanding moments, lol.

That makes sense. I actually just use Lightning all the time since she has the raise ability. Then I make Hope my primary healers since his magic is way high and well he doesn't really help much by attacking. Then I use Fang as my main Commando since she has, I think, the most strength points. I make Lightning a ravenger then, but keep a specific paradigm so that if one of my characters dies then I can just switch her to a medic and raise them. Works pretty well actually since Lightning, Fang, and Hope also work out paradigm well with all the bases covered (including sentinel, synegist, and saboutour...so spelled that wrong).

I tried working out different battle formations, but that seemed to be the best for me in how I've developed my characters.

Oh and is it just me or did the fiends get like majorly hard once you got to Gran Pulse. I've run into so many things that I haven't been able to beat and I trying to figure out if I'm behind crystaltarium wise (that's the only thing I don't like about not having specific levels). The only thing I could think of justifyng that is that the map doesn't change so that once you emerge out of a dungeon stronger, there are still fiends out there that are a challange (yeah I actually attacked one of those big oliphant looking things out of curiousity, lets just say it wasn't pretty, sweatdrop )

Ah so their Adamantoises (I love the recurring names of fiends and what not, makes them feel more familier). I didn't have time to figure out the names since I was screaming my head off at the damage.

Wow really though about the battle team? (doesn't have a guide...yet) That makes me feel smart too. I actually just kept on using them after the whole Palomporom incident (in a difference tangent, but is Palomporom a reference to Palom and Porom from IV?) and now I'm used to them. I swear that each character is different to control because even just switching to Fang in the same battle team threw me off (I just wanted to try summoning Bahamut for once). By the way I did anybody else notice the similarities in the summon animations from older summons?

I know what you mean about having only six slots. It also starts getting really confusing when characters start doubling up on classes. I always sit there when for about ten minutes trying to figure out what will benefit me the most, and I always figure out halfway through a hard battle, what paradigm I should be using (it happens without fail). I usually use Relentless Assault and Diversity since I'm more a smash and obliterate type of person, although I do end up using Diversity a lot more since I'm defensively paranoid. I also keep Bully open just because, and Combat Clinic for when things start going bad. I'm also pretty sure I've got Solidarity in there.

Omigosh I have Evened Odds too....weird, guess we think a lot strategy wise.

Oh and I spelled Palumpolum wrong didn't I (too much wishful thinking there). I don't know about the u's replacing the o's, but I do know that in Japan l's and r's are sometimes interchangable (I don't know the exact conditions, but I've heard it happen).

Yeah I noticed the Alexander attack similarity too too, and I believe it's from VIII (since I don't have VII). Then of course there's Diamond Dust which was in VIII and X. Bahamut's final attack though is also called Mega Flare (I think) which is the same in X.

Well anyways, that went really off topic (maybe a thread should be made on the references and similarities between games...). Still it's nice to have someone to talk strategy with (specially since I don't have a guide). I just got to the Mah'Habara and I'm having a lot of trouble with the fiends there. Is it supposed to be this hard? Or do I need to go back out to the Archylte Steppe and just start collecting CP? I guess what I'm asking is was Mah'Habara hard to you?

Oh yeah, I did end up going down that path at first since I tend to explore areas looking for chests and what not, but since it ended as a mini-boss and I remenbered seeing a yellow continue mark going the other direction, I freaked out thinking that I missed a scene. I trudged back only to find out that the other direction only went on, and I came to the conclusion that the mini-boss was optional. Thanks for clarifying that for me though as I probably would have gone back to have at it (and fail once again dramatically). The one thing I do have trouble with are the Phoenix Boxes (I believe that's what their called) that pop up with the Helitropes (and once again I'm going from memory on fiend names). They just end up wiping out my characters just from sheer numbers and the fact that they develope overwhelming defenses which I don't have enough time to break down.

So I'll probably go back to the Steppe and do some more marks. I just got to one though that wanted you to go the Yaschas Massif (which I knew was in Pulse only because I've got the music and its around the same area track wise) and I wasn't quite sure if you were supposed to go there story-wise first or anything.