Final Fantasy VII

I began playing Final Fantasy VII a few weeks ago. Though I had been hesitant to play this game because of the lack of flashy graphics, it was a foolish decision that I now regret. This game has great character interaction with the interaction of their personalities at times making you burst out in laughter, and other times clearly broadcasting to the player (audience), very convincing, and moving emotional scenes.

The characters' looks are less realistic than in the later FFVIII, as they have exaggerated character design, e.g. (spiky-haired Cloud, and muscular Barret), a design style which was returned to in FFIX. I think this is desirable however, as it makes the characters much more likeable, and gives them a certain charm.

The game contains a wonderful soundtrack. The music is great; from the enchanting FFVII Theme, to the festive Golden Saucer. Playing Final Fantasy VII has also allowed me to further appreciate the music from the game that I was already familiar with. I now know the origins and context of many memorable tunes like Rufus's Welcoming Ceremony, and Aeris's Theme.

I also now realize the awesome precedent this game set for later Final Fantasy titles. It surely must have pushed later Final Fantasy contributors to strive for the excellence achieved in this title. Though I can see the greatness of this game from such an early point in my playthrough, I still have a long journey ahead of me. I know, however, that playing through the rest of the game will be a great experience.

Final Fantasy Overview and FF VIII

The Final Fantasy series is comprised of, at present, 12 main titles with numerous sequels and spinoffs which can be seen here. The first Final Fantasy game I played was probably different from many people's first. I began with Final Fantasy VIII. This game opened my eyes to a new universe. The characters were interesting, yet peculiar, and projected great depth. This really allowed me to connect with them, and to want them to succeed in their journey, which is always a good aspiration for a novel, movie, play or game. The storyline was awesome, and truly swept me into the strange and surreal world that the game was based in.
The battle system of this game was interesting as you chose your attacks, used potions etc, and summoned monsters called "guardian forces" in this game. When you walked about the landscape while outside cities, battles would occur randomly, and if you defeated the creature, person, or whatever attacked you, you would gain experience, and sometimes collect gil or items that they dropped.

Though I really loved the gameplay, and storyline of this game, the music is what kept me playing in all Final Fantasy titles. My favorite pieces from this game are "Fisherman's Horizon", and "Eyes On Me". These two pieces, though great in helping to advance the story, stand on there own as great works. Nobuo Uematsu, the composer of the music for this game, and most of the music for the other Final Fantasy titles, is able to project the emotions of the characters, and help the player to experience the journey that the characters endure. When the characters feel joy, the players feel it, and when there is great loss the player also understands. This kind of empathy would not be possible without Nobuo Uematsu's compositions.

Unlike most people who have played Final Fantasy, I have never actually completed the games. I get to the final bosses, and I am unable to beat them, or I am too lazy, and want to play the newest version when it is released. So I have begun: Final Fantasy: VIII, IX, X, XII in the main series, and Final Fantasy: Tactics, and Tactics Advanced, spinoffs.

One day I hope to go back and complete all of these games, as this "partial completion" of the games has always hovered over me, beckoning me to finish, and absorb the entire experience of these games.

The Final Fantasy series is one of the greatest series of stories I have ever experienced. From characters such as the loner, Squall of Final Fantasy VIII to the child-like,black mage, Vivi in FF IX, to the passionate Yuna of FF X, to the exile Fran of XII the characters are varied and very easy to connect with.

The locations in Final Fantasy usually have a touch of the exotic, yet most have a slight base in reality. Some of my favorite locations are: Balamb Garden in FF VIII, the city of Treno in FF IX, the blitzball court in FF X, and the Leviathan in FF XII (I have not gotten as far in this game as the others so this favorite location could easily change if I played the game more.)

Final Fantasy is a great series, and I am happy that Final Fantasy XIII is coming to Xbox 360, so that I do not have to purchase a PS3, as this is one series, that could actually warrant a system purchase, almost.

A large chunk of my game playing history is comprised of Final Fantasy games. The series has been one of the most memorable of my gaming experience, and each game has always lived up to my expectations. The series is a great one, that will never cease to amaze me with its excellence.