Final Fantasy Series Overview Part 3

I'll admit I'd wanted to give readers a slight break from this franchise overview, but guess what, this is the only article I have anywhere close to being finished so we're just gonna call it a theme month should I fail to incorporate food or superheroes sometime before May. Speaking of our last couple of looks at Final Fantasy, I have let a couple of small projects slip past. Some of these are simply very small, I forgot On the Way to a Smile in the midst of all the FF VII stuff for example. Others may not technically count such as the Legend of the Crystals anime. The first film will likewise be skipped over due to it having no direct ties to any of the games. I wanted to note these items however as some may be returned to in their own posts later on but aren't essential to our current discussion.

When we last left off the Playstation era had brought the series to new heights and brought in a whole slew of new fans. That being said number IX wrapped up the era with a reletivly safe return to classic FF atmosphere and features after VII and VIII had been quite different from earlier entries. The next wave of consoles were about to hit and with that enhaced hardware came the opportunity to make the franchise even more eperimental.

Final Fantasy X (2001) Dir. Yoshinori Kitase

Never one to shy away from change the series saw yet another opportunity to majorly shake things up for the first title on the PS2. First off the active-time battles that had been a staple for years were replaced by a new take on turn-based systems where the next few moves were visible and alterable. Character upgrades where now handled via the interconnected sphere grid witch each one having their own branch alongside critical junctures with the others allowing for unique customization. The biggest change of all was the big shift away from limited battle parties. For the first time ever each character could be swapped with another mid-fight as many times as needed meaning the entire cast could, and often did, participate in the same conflict. Add in some totally new uses for old concepts such as how stealing effects mechanical enemies and facing off against enemies was always interesting.

On the storytelling and presentation front we have another winner with music and graphics that still hold up nicely with one of the finest cast of characters to ever grace the series. The tale concerns a young athlete from a futuristic city being transported to an unknown land ravaged by a giant being known as Sin where he must help a crew of fellow travelers in guarding the pilgrimage of a summoner. Beyond that there is some of the expected insanity of a Final Fantasy plot warped up with a somewhat abrupt, yet emotionally satisfying, conclusion.

Issues are fairly minimal with a couple characters not having the best voice actors, not bad, simply inferior to everyone else. The final boss is a total pushover. Then there's upgrading Kimahri on the sphere grid which is tricky as he's something of a blank slate. Still; when everything is taken into account on a purely objective level this might, I say might be, the best entry in the series. It's that good. Though on a personal level it isn't quite my favorite. Still the ps2 era was off to an amazing start and the game itself would be treated to a fine HD upgrade that is availible on damn near every consoles, making it essential playing.

Final fantasy X-2 (2003) Dir. Motomu Toriyama

We've already discussed a few equals and spin-offs so far but in terms of chronological release this is the first ever direct sequel in franchise history. Who could blame em really? X was such a success on all fronts, especially when it came to total sales, that making more of it was the only sensible thing to do. Stepping into the directors position was Motomu Toriyama who had already worked on a few installments doing tasks like event scripting, but you'll be seeing his name a lot more as we move on.

Of course we are talking about Square which means this next entry wasn't a simple cash-in, no sir. An entirely different set of gameplays systems were crafted for this outing along with a very different kind of story. This was much more of an open, fun, and carefree adventure focused on three lovely ladies, two returning one new, who hunt for treasure and solve problems along the way. To make up for the loss of a huge party that could swap places in battle, these girls were given a new take on the job system with costumes applied to different card grids so they could change functions within a fight. Believe me this makes for some of the most deep and flexible combat to ever grace the RPG genre. It's pure heaven for those who love to take deep dives into gaming systems.

To this day X-2 remains somewhat controversial for it's silly girl-power attitude. Truth is this is one you play more for the gaming aspects than the story itself, though that shouldn't deteouryou when the gameplay is so damn close to perfection. About the only issue I take with it is the return to active-time battles though that may have been needed given the complexities of the dress spheres. Along with X this installment is also available across countless systems in an upgraded HD port.

Final Fantasy XI (2002) Dir. Koichi Ishii and many others

Part XI is a game that makes me a little sad. I have nothing against it really, only that once I finally got my hands on a copy there was no time in my life for an MMORPG. As you might guess that means this is nearly the least amount of time I've ever spent playing a Final Fantasy. Honestly I can't tell you much about the gameplay, music, or anything for that matter. Honestly I always felt like the MMO entries should have just been their own side-series like Tactics or Crystal Chronicles. I don't hold anything against them however as they have brought in more fans to the series and provided them with excellent gaming memories. Plus each title before one of these MMOs has received at least one direct sequel for us anti-social types to use in its place. Don't misread my apathy for disdain, lack of time with the title has simply left it as something of a blind spot in my FF experience.

Final Fantasy XII (2006) Dir. Hiroyuki Ito and Hiroshi Minagawa

Even for a series that is known for massive shifts in tone and play styles, part XII is still a weird one to wrap your head around. Returning to a more traditional fantasy setting, albeit one with flying cars, the game saw elements of MMO title being integrated into a new form of single-player battle system with the option of crafting AI commands for your fellow party members. Something similar to the sphere grid was brought about via the license board where you had to unlock a characters ability to do things like equip a bow. For the first time ever it really pays to understand the math behind how each weapon type calculates damage, a lesson I wasn't ready for at the time of release that made for some poorly though-out upgrades.

Even the story and presentation are vastly different from the previous ps2 titles with a more mature and regal look to things. Characters speak in a more refined manner with heavy accents. Stranger still is how little the main character even matters to the overall story being told. The tale itself is more concerned with the likes of political intrigue and power struggles than the usual magical fluff. It's much closer in tone to Final Fantasy Tactics than the core series which makes sense given a number of shared development staff.

Despite all these initially baffling cgameplay elements and a vastly different tone of storytelling the game manages to totally work. Final Fantasy is often at its most memorable when it's bold, and boy is XII ever bold. Much like Parasite Eve I can't really say I've encountered anything that feels quite like it in all the years since its release. It's a massive, unique, and very different kind of RPG.

In recent years the enhanced and rebalanced Zodiac Age version has come to be regarded as likely the best iteration of this entry. Outside of obvious perks like enhanced graphics and music, the game majorly alters the license board so as to keep character development a bit more focused. I've been waiting until life blesses me with a switch before entertaining a run-through of this version but it sounds like the way to go for new players.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (2007) Dir. Motomu Toriyama

I won't blame you for not knowing FFXII had it's own continuation as many people seem to have forgotten Revenant Wings in the years since its release. On the one hand that may have something to due with the lukewarm reception it received from the media while players may be doing their best to shake memories of the flip of a coin level of difficulty. Sure enough this handhold title is a messy little experiment but not one lacking in merit.

Instead of attempting to replicate the experience of its bigger brother on the go, RW is actually a real-time strategy game. Players bring in their crew of heroes, the returning cast of the previous game along with some new friends, and have them guide units of summoned monsters around the battlefield. Obviously there's more to it than that and the game can be fun to play so long as the two big issues don't rear their ugly heads too much. One is an issue of A.I. With characters sometimes struggling with even basic pathfinding. The other big issue is the difficulty spikes with a couple of missions coming down to sheer luck.

The story is honestly my favorite part here with it giving Vaan the hero spotlight he was largely denied in XII. The kids is in charge this time around in a more fable like offering featuring a lost race of winged people and slumbering dark beings who threaten all of existence. A few of the unfinished sub-plots from the main game are touched on again so there is a lot of closure for those willing to see it through. Oddly enough I actually beat this one before XII itself which made a few of those callbacks a bit confusing.

Defiantly a weaker entry within the franchise due to the A.I. And sometimes ridiculous difficulty but the adventure was still very memorable. I would love to see this one get a small remake down the line that addresses some of the issues and makes it more readily available for people to experience. The story is a wonderful complement to its predecessor and that core gameplay is really fun, when it works. However it is not something I would recommend to everyone.

Ivalice Alliance

Seeing as the next game in the series is a rather massive topic we'll save it for the next post and take a tiny detour to look at a sub-branch of the series. In a strange twist part XII takes place within a world we'd already visited a few times before, though not in the same time frame. The world of Ivalice was originally invented for Final Fantasy Tactics, itself being not only a wonderful spin-off of the franchise but possibly one of the greatest games ever. It's also notorious for kicking players in the balls which is why I'm proud to have beaten it several times over. Ivalice would pop-up just a couple years later in Vagrant Story, an action RPG that I wanted to love but simply sucked at back in the day. It's very much a cult-classic with some very loving followers as totally makes sense given that it was one of the most unique gaming experiences on the first playstation. Ivalice would continue to appear in Tactics Advance and Tactics A2 though those are more of a storybook variation. All in all the full history of Ivalice isn't the easiest thing to patch together but the games within it range from outstanding to just very good meaning there;s plenty of entertainment to be found in this one setting.

Let's call it at that for today. My allergies are kicking up something fierce making it very challenging to stay awake. Hell, there might be droll on the keyboard by this point. I'll try and give you guys something different on our next post but rest assured there's still a lot of Final Fantasy to talk about.

Final Fantasy Series Overview Part 2

When we ended our previous entry in the Final Fantasy series part VI waved goodbye to the 16-bit era with the most spectacular presentation to date one that was partly due to the first ever change in directors. Many of the same crew from part VI would redouble their efforts to make the series better than ever on a new generation of consoles without the involvement of Nintendo. From here one out the franchise grows in all manner of different directions and unique concepts. Perhaps that's why so many still hold to their feverish devotion to VI as it was the last traditional title before newfound success launched the JRPG genre into the spotlight forever changing the gaming landscape with one massive game.

Final Fantasy VII (1997) Dir. Yoshinori Kitase

Whereas the past few installments tended to focus on expanding either storytelling or gameplay VII took the riskier route of II, only this time it actually worked. The new materia system was unlike anything the series had done before, allowing for all manner of methods to customize character abilities via interconnected equipment slots. Presentation reached a whole new level with 3-D characters roaming per-rendered backgrounds along with the most gorgeous cut-scenes available at the time. Even the story and setting took the sci-fi leanings of the previous game and went full-on with technology and magic co-existing. The story of a mentally-ill soldier battling alongside the rejects of an unjust society to save the world from an egomaniacal science experiment was a massive influence over a generation of gamers.

Many aspects of the game can seem quaint compared to what we have now but it still holds up very well save for blemishes like a sloppy translation. One aspect that stood out to me as I experience more of the series was how easy this one was overall. An occasional boss might offer some trouble but it was fairly breezy adventure which likely helped more people experience the full adventure. VII marked the beginning of a long line of more cinematic gaming. It isn’t the absolute best in the franchise, not anymore at least, but it’s up there in terms of quality and a historic title in its own right.

So successful was this game that it encouraged Sony to bring more Sqaure titles stateside like the amazing Final Fantasy Tactics and Einhander which then lead to Sqaure teaming with Electronic Arts and unleashing their growing catalog of awesome titles on eager newly converted RPG nuts. Years later this cast and world would be revisited by a bevy of spin-offs which may or not get wrapped into the remake in some form (I'm only a few hours in). Let’s take a look at those spin-offs before returning to the psx era.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005) Dir. Tetsuya Nomura

By the time Advent Children arrived audiences had already witnessed both a direct sequel to one of these games, and a film based on the series but now we’d get both at once. I should note there's both an original and expanded cut (the complete version) with the latter being more readily available, and a better experience. When it originally released I wasn’t sure what was coming my way, especially since spoilers were mercifully less common at the time. Color me surprised when the end-product turned out to be one of the craziest action flicks ever put on screen.

The story is set a few years after the game when a contamination within the lifestream has created a virus known as geostigma. Dealing with this illness is the primary concern of our heroes though leading man Cloud still hasn’t gained full emotional stability after the events of the game. Throw in a trio of new villains with more than a passing resemblance to Cloud’s advisory and shit’s about to get wild. I know there’s a portion of the fandom that hates this movie but I found it finalized the emotional arcs from the game, mainly the relationship between Cloud and Tifa, quite nicely. Beyond that the influence this has had on the presentation can be seen today with Remake which takes a similar style to battle and character interactions. Should you dive down the rabbit hole of VII content don't even think of skipping this film.

Last Order: Final Fantasy VII (2005) Dir. Morio Asaka

There isn’t much to be said about Last Order as it is primarily an anime retelling of the Nibelheim flashback from the game. A decent watch, and worth noting for contortionists, but nothing essential.

Dirge of Cerberus: Final fantasy VII (2006) Dir. Takayoshi Nakazato

Essentially the black sheep of the compilation, Dirge of Cerberus was a victim of timing, expectation, and the companies general inexperience with action titles. The game wasn’t making any attempt to be like the fast and complex character action games like Devil May Cry, and it arrived mere months before Gears of War completely changed the fundamentals of shooters. What we have is a slower paced shooter that can still provide lots of entertainment if you’re willing to slow down and play the way it wants.

As for what is here the biggest perk of all is finally getting some real meaty development from what amounted in the original game as the b squad. Characters like Vincent, Yuffie, or Reeve didn’t receive a lot of story focus in the original game due to some of them being optional or others being purposefully kept in the shadows. Players primarily control Vincent as he faces off with a group called Deepground which is headed by fellow victims of Professor Hojo’s experiments. Despite some sleepy voice-acting and pacing issues the story has a lot of cool moments and introduces new characters while exposing additional depth to the vague points of the original adventure. Unfortunately there was some unfinished plot-points and a lingering threat that has yet to be dealt with, leaving that urge for one more outing with this crew.

Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII (2007) Dir. Hajime Tabata

Sadly this prequel was exclusive to Japanese cellphones and never saw a proper release or alternate version in the west. Story details can be found on Wikis and I believe there are retooled emulated versions out there. Personally I’ve held out hope to see this content remade or integrated into a different project.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (2007) Dir. Hajime Tabata

The better known of the two prequels, Crisis Core give players the opportunity to discover the full bredth of Zack’s contributions to the greater mythology. That on its own would likely have made for an interesting game yet there was a whole slew of new information and characters like Angeal and Genesis, who’d previously been a mystery, to sort through.

The game took an action RPG approach to combat and exploration resulting in a much faster, and fairly easy game to breeze through. The most controversial aspect of gameplay was a constantly running slot game that essentially acted as a visible version of the randomizes common to all RPGs. Having had only one brisk playthrough via a friends borrowed PSP I recall it being a great deal of fun and how it accomplished that perfect prequel requirement of making me want to jump right back into the original game. It’s sad that the title has remained isolated to the PSP for all these years as it was a great deal of fun and, much like Advent Children, influenced the battle system to come in Remake.

Final Fantasy VIII (1999) Die. Yoshinor Kitase

Moving on from the massive amount of content baring the number VII we return to the psx for an entry that is an absolute favorite for some and a bit of a head-scratcher for others. That confusion largely stems from the development team once again pushing new concepts on both the storytelling and gameplay fronts though not to the same level of overall success.

Beginning with the good stuff, the presentation is still unbelievable for this console with crazy graphics and one of the absolute best soundtracks in the series long history. Character models were bigger and more expressive with their body language. A better translation meant the emotional overtones of the story flowed more naturally even when the story itself neglected a few characters or threw in a few sloppy plot twists. At the time of release it helped to sooth the nerves of playstation owners who lacked the funds to pick up one of those spankin' new Dreamcast consoles.

Gameplay sadly wasn’t quite as good with the total removal of traditional MP, turning spells into collected material your drew from enemies or certain points on the map. These spells where then junctioned via a being like Ifrit or Sheva to you states and abilities depending on which functions you’d unlocked up to that point. After the smooth functionality of the materia system the whole junction thing was a bit baffling. Once you figure it out and get over the urge to horde magic the experience becomes much more fun. I can see why a subset of fans hold this one so close, it's still unique decades after release and contains a memorable adventure. In essence VIII is still an outstanding game, just one that for many of us wasn’t quite up to snuff with the previous title and took a lot of risks that didn’t all pay off.

Final Fantasy XI (2000) Dir. Hiroyuki Ito

Much like our last article I’m gonna have to make an unpopular claim. While I can’t deny this is still a good game I kinda hate Final Fantasy IX just a little. Like VI before it, IX has a wide span of folks eager to push it as the best in the franchise despite all evidence to the contrary. Where VIII swung wildly to expand the series IX settled back in with old fantasy tropes and simplified gameplay with a couple of poor choices thrown in.

The presentation was still largely outstanding but came with a few setbacks. The return of four-person parties meant in-battle graphics had to be trimmed down from what they were In part VIII. Likewise music was still really good but the old fashioned fantasy setting offered a more predictable and corny soundtrack. The new gameplay system based on learning abilities from equipment lacked the fun customization of the previous two games and encouraged messy item hoarding alongside forcing the player to use equipment they didn’t want to bother with. Refinements to this system have come about in later entries to make it feel like less of a chore and more of an opportunity for customization.

With each of these games the story can only be so good as the cast of characters within it, and that is both the biggest strength and weakness of IX. On one hand there are incredible characters like Steiner and Vivi who are all time greats. That being said, Vivi suffers from a horrible writing choice in the end when two massive events regarding his fate happen totally off-screen, without explanation, and with seemingly none of his friends giving much of a shit. And then there’s Zidane, ohh how I loath him. It’d one thing to be an uncomplaining hero, that's bad enough, but its his role in battle that sinks everything. Each party member has their own specialty, and damn near everyone is useful in every situation except Zidane. His special attacks are often lame and his thieving abilities can't hold a candle to what everyone else is capable of. Then there’s Quina, a profoundly pointless individual who, depending on the work you put into them, is either dead weight or game-breakingly powerful yet still contributes nothing of value to the story.

I know this all sounds like a lot of vitriol but the fact remains that even a weak Final Fantasy is still a damn good game. As someone who loves this franchise so much I can’t help but call out this last psx outing as a lesser entry. Even with their flaws both VII and VIII were bold titles. That same creative energy is sadly missing here.

That's where we're going to leave it for tonight. Don't worry if you're not keeping a mental tally of my overall quality assessment as I might brave the tough task of a series ranking when all is said and done. Now I need to get back to the daily lockdown grind of schoolwork and housework broken up by the comforting joys of the VII Remake. Rest assured I'll be covering that one in due time as well. On the blog front I have conquered another college course meaning I might finally catch up on some of the posts I've been meaning to get out to you all. We've got snacks, sentai, and some seriously weird VHS tapes to gab about. Just hold in there and I'll see about lifting your 2020 spirits.