Coolsetzer
Formerly Furysetzer
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To show my appreciation for my favorite game series, I am reposting here my blog post from 1up.com. I just wanted to share. I hope you enjoy reading it.
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December 18th of this year marks the 25th anniversary of the Japanese release of the original Final Fantasy game for the Famicom. It is important because this is the game that saved a small video game company in the 1980s. Since then, it has spawned a franchise that became huge during the Playstation days. I have had more memories with this series than any other video game, and even today I try to play each new game with the brand because more than likely, I'll have fun. To celebrate, I'm going to do a Top 5 list. Everybody likes those, right?!
My first experience with it came during the SNES. When I was a teenager, my cousin let me borrow his Final Fantasy II cartridge. This was shortly after Final Fantasy III came out in the U.S. After I played that game I became hooked. I bought FF III immediately after from Target and had the time of my life. I bought a Playstation console in 1997 just so I could play FF VII, and have continued with the main games to this day. The only ones I have not played are the MMO's because I really have no interest in them. As far as the spinoffs and sequels and projects go, I have tried to keep up with those as well. For me, they have been generally good. Even though people are probably tired of the multitude of them now, I have chosen a few of them to get into, which suits me just fine.
So without further delay, here are my Top 5 Best Games in the Final Fantasy Franchise.
5) Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection (Playstation Portable): This game is great because it is the culmination of two things - the FFIV remakes and The After Years. It has most of the gameplay of the original and Game Boy Advance games. Plus it has the sequel project The After Years that first came to cell phone games in Japan and the Nintendo Wii Shop Channel. Even if you're burnt out on FFIV, I urge everybody to give this a try.
4) Final Fantasy VII (Playstation): This is the game that turned the series into a franchise, and still holds up well today. (I recently played this again on the PsP.) Even though it is flawed, you can't deny that this one little game sold us on Sony's new machine and sparked an RPG revolution. A lot of fans have been wanting a remake, but Square Enix hasn't done so yet. Even so, there was recently a PC re-release this past year. If you buy it, just be aware that it is only the bare bones game with no extras.
3) Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy (PsP): This is actually an upgraded version from Final Fantasy Dissidia on PsP. Don't worry, because it's great. The original was created for Square's 20th anniversary of the franchise. I was immediately sold on the concept of this game before the first Dissidia came out, and they did not disappoint. This took everything from the original and made it better. Yes, it's a fighting game, and yes, I rated it higher than FFVII (calm down fan-boys). That's because this is the Square version of Super Smash Bros. The fan service is very high, gameplay is fun, and it's one of the best action games for any handheld or mobile game, period. I really hope they make a console sequel/ prequel/ spinoff.
2) Final Fantasy Tactics (PS/ PsP/ iOS): This has a special place in my heart because it is just so much fun. If this tells you anything, I have replayed this game multiple times and have spent literally hundreds of hours on it. That is because at the time this was released, it was very innovative and just as in depth as FFVII. I would say that it popularized the whole tactical role playing game genre because it was so good. I'm not even a fan of tactical RPG's, but I love this game. The War of the Lions remake for PsP added two new characters, inserted anime cut scenes and retranslated the entire game. They even made a version for the Apple App Store. One day I hope for a true sequel and not spinoffs like the Advance games or Ivalice Alliance project.
1) Final Fantasy III/ VI/ VI Advance (SNES/ PS/ Game Boy Advance): This is the best game for me, and not just my favorite. I have tried to play every version that has been released in the U.S. When it came out, it was the best looking 2D game ever seen. The gameplay, the story, the characters, the soundtrack, everything that came together ended up just clicking together and made it an unforgettable experience. This game is why I stuck with RPG's because it was like an interactive fantasy novel. This game is why I started writing. Even though the series has changed a lot, I will always have this and my memories with it. I'm not even going to convince you to play it, because everyone has their own favorite FF game, and to talk bad about one of the other games that someone liked serves no purpose other than to be a fanboy. Opinion is all subjective, anyway. Just know that this game is awesome, and deserves all the attention it can get. It may not be the most popular, but the whole thing stands the test of time because it was so good. Square Enix hasn't released a substantial version since 2007, which is too bad. I hope that one day they come back to it like they did with FFIV. It's my favorite video game of all time.
Honorable Mention! Final Fantasy XIII-2 (Playstation 3): I didn't have room to include this game, but I think it's very well done. I was one of those who didn't like FFXIII, but overall I would rate this #6 on my list. So why is a sequel to a disappointing game one of the best? That's because it's quirky and cool and fun. I played through it twice. This is what the original XIII should have been like. It's what got me interested in Final Fantasy again. In my opinion, the positive reception from this game is what is paving the way for FFXIII: Lightning Returns. All I can say is just try it out and judge for yourself.
So what's next for Final Fantasy? I don't know. You can hope for this or that game, but at the end of the day, what they choose to do with it is up to them. All I know is that I will keep checking out Square Enix games to see if there's anything I like. Right now it seems like the company has moved most of their smaller game production onto the iOS. Final Fantasy Dimensions and Theatrythm were released this past year, and they have quite a number of original games on the platform. Altogether, Square Enix has 87 apps for the iphone and ipad. I'm not kidding on that number.
Happy Anniversary, Final Fantasy! Maybe one day I'll see you around for the semicentennial.
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