I think the earlier assessment is probably correct - it was just to show off how good their graphics technology was. Call it a multi-million-dollar marketing campaign. That just happened to pay for itself anyway.
As for the game, it's actually not just one. There were three for the Nintendo Entertainment System: Final Fantasy I, Final Fantasy II, and Final Fantasy III. However, Final Fantasy II and Final Fantasy III were only released in Japan. Final Fantasy IV through Final Fantasy VI were released in Japan for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, but internationally Final Fantasy IV was released under the title Final Fantasy II and Final Fantasy VI was released under the title Final Fantasy III. Final Fantasy V was not originally released internationally.
At this point the controversy starts - Chrono Trigger. The style of this game was very similar to the Final Fantasy games, so many people, including myself, count it as part of the series under a different name. Until two years ago, none of the games had directly continuing storylines anyway - although many character names did reappear. Cid, for example, always has something to do with the airship. Usually he's the one who builds it. Biggs and Wedge have played almost non-existant rolls nearly every game released under the Final Fantasy title since Final Fantasy IV. It should be noted that Chrono Trigger did have a direct sequel - Chrono Cross. Relative to Chrono Trigger and the other Final Fantasy games, Chrono Cross sucked. It's style is also completely different, so I don't count it as a Final Fantasy.
Final Fantasy IV - the original, harder version - was rerealeased for the Sony PlayStation along with a remaking of Chrono Trigger as a set called Final Fantasy Chronicles. Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI were released for PlayStation as a set called the Final Fantasy Anthology. All of the rereleases have CGI cutscenes that were not available for the Super Nintendo games - the graphics technology and console hardware weren't good enough at the time.
The next three new Final Fantasy games were for PlayStation as well. Final Fantasy VII is generally considered the pinnacle of the series due to its spectacular storyline and then-stellar graphics. Final Fantasy VIII had very good graphics, but was a bit lacking in the plot department. Final Fantasy IX had similar graphics to Final Fantasy VIII - slightly inferior, actually - and I didn't think the plot was as good as Final Fantasy VII or even Final Fantasy VIII.
Next the series made the jump to the PlayStation2. This was when the graphics quality of the series skyrocketed. The movie was released before this in an attempt to show off the graphics technology, as I said earlier. Final Fantasy X, in my opinion, another of the best Final Fantasy games. However, it's also the first one I ever played.
It should be noted that Final Fantasy X also was the first game in the series to introduce a minigame that really could have been sold by itself as an independent game - blitzball. Blitzball is an integral part of the storyline, and you are required to play one match fairly early on in the game. The result of that one match doesn't really matter. Winning gets you a really useful item to improve one of your characters as well as a fancy trophy which stays in the locker room. Losing gets your face rubbed into the dirt by the Luca Goers. It's extremely hard to win that first game, and a lot of people don't even bother trying.
Next came another controversial title: Kingdom Hearts. This was a joint effort between Disney and SquareSoft - the result was a Final Fantasy style game with mostly Disney characters, lots of cameo appearances by Final Fantasy characters (including Cid, who teaches you how to build the Gummi Ship), and a set of original main characters. Again, because of the style I consider it to be part of the Final Fantasy series.
Then SquareSoft did something that made Final Fantasy fans everywhere want to vomit - they merged with Enix. Square-Enix did something never done to a Final Fantasy game since Chrono Trigger - and then only if you consider that to be Final Fantasy. They released a direct sequel to Final Fantasy X. Final Fantasy X-2 is the chick flick of all RPGs. The costumes were very nice, and the graphics were great, but other than that it was pretty lousy. I have yet to try the blitzball, which made a reappearance in Final Fantasy X-2, but the game itself irked me to the point that it became the first Final Fantasy game I never finished.
It was after that colossal flop that Square-Enix (forgive me for shuddering every time I type that name) sold part of the rights for the Final Fantasy series back to Nintendo. They then created the truly unique Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. The game is alright in single player mode, but to get the most out of it you need four friends, four GameBoy Advances, and four GBA-to-GCN link cables. The four-way multiplayer experience is staggering. The style was very different from the other Final Fantasy games, but it was still good enough that it wasn't an insult to the series.
Most recently, Square-Enix (*shudder*) released Final Fantasy XI - another drastic change. Final Fantasy XI is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG). That means exactly what it sounds like. You also have to pay a monthly fee to play it online, and there is single player mode that you can play offline. I've never played Final Fantasy XI because I can't really afford the monthly fee, but I've heard good things about it. Even so, I don't think that Final Fantasy games really belong online as MMORPGs. I've played some online games before - such as Diablo II - and some of the people who play online are jerks. That can really detract from the game experience.
There were also a few other releases that I haven't played, such as Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy Adventure, Final Fantasy Tactice Advanced, and Final Fantasy Advanced. Maybe if I have the spare cash and the spare time I'll try them someday.
That's pretty much it - and you'll have to forgive me if I don't go back and check for spelling because my wrist is already acting up as it is (I have carpal tunnel syndrome). |
