Final Fantasy is a very popular series of role-playing video games produced by Square (aka Squaresoft), now Square Enix. The Final Fantasy video game franchise originated in Japan in 1987 and was brought over to North America in 1990 and to Europe in 1998. It is also very popular in Australia and New Zealand. Games in the Final Fantasy series have been featured on the NES, MSX, SNES, Playstation, Wonderswan Color, Playstation 2, PC, Game Boy Advance, Gamecube, and cellular phone. It is the best-selling Square Enix game series. According to Square Enix's press release, it sold over 40 million units worldwide before the Square Enix merger, which went into effect on April 1, 2003.
Most Final Fantasy games have a considerable level of detail given to the plot and character development. All the games in the series occur in different universes and were traditionally unrelated, except for the occasional cameo (such as Cloud's apperance in Final Fantasy Tactics, and Ehrgeiz). Since the Square-Enix merger of April 1, 2003, this policy of noncontinuous games has been set aside, as evidenced by the direct sequel Final Fantasy X-2, and the reappearance of the world from Final Fantasy Advance in Final Fantasy XII. There is a tradition where many of the games have characters named Biggs, Wedge, and Cid, as well as recurring creatures, such as Moogles and Chocobos.
The battles in these games are usually semi-turn based, using a system known as the Active Time Battle - introduced in Final Fantasy 4.
The battle system differs somewhat among all the games, particularly in the use of weapons, magic (such as Black, White, and Summon), and limit breaks (a.k.a. overdrives).
The Final Fantasy series is known for its many references to history, literature, and mythologies from around the world, particularly in the later games. The earlier games also contain references to religion.
The series' name comes from Square's brush with bankruptcy. Head designer Hironobu Sakaguchi decided to make the company's last project a fantasy role-playing game. The game's success brought the company to profitability, and since then the Final Fantasy franchise has been considered Square Enix's most important asset.
Yasumi Matsuno assumed the role of chief producer and designer. The character designers are Yoshitaka Amano, Tetsuya Nomura, and Akihiko Yoshida. Yoshinori Kitase is an integral part in the production of the Final Fantasy series. In October 2003, Kazushige Nojima, once an integral part in the Final Fantasy production, resigned from Square Enix in November of 2003. He worked on Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX, X, and X-2.
Final Fantasy has been well recognized in the United States and Europe for its soundtracks. Nobuo Uematsu is the chief music composer of the Final Fantasy series. Other music composers include Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano. Final Fantasy soundtracks and sheet music are getting more popular among non-Japanese Final Fantasy fans and have even been performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. On November 17, 2003, Square Enix U.S.A. launched an America Online radio station dedicated to the Final Fantasy series. It initially carried complete tracks from Final Fantasy XI and samplings from Final Fantasy VII thru X.
Although the franchise is extremely popular, it is not without critics. Some cite a lack of interactivity (overuse of Full Motion Video), rigid and often linear story structure and unoriginality. The games that appeared in CD form on the Sony Playstation and Playstation 2 platforms (FF7,FF8, FF9, FF10), that are scenario-written by Kazushige Nojima, are especially attacked by critics within the video game community.
External Link: Final Fantasy Classic
Overview
Game screens
The games usually have several types of screens, or modes of interaction, broadly categorized as:
The games often feature various mini-games with their own graphical engines.Release History
Final Fantasy I
See separate article for more information.Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy IV
External Link: Dawezy's Final Fantasy IV NetworkFinal Fantasy V
Final Fantasy VI
See separate article for more information.Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X-2
Final Fantasy XI
Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Compilations
Final Fantasy Anthology
Final Fantasy Chronicles
Final Fantasy Origins
Spinoffs
Notable People
See also
External links