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Tag: Final Fantasy (Series)

Genre: Japanese Role-Playing Game

Creator: Hironobu Sakaguchi

Developer: Square, Square Enix

Publisher: Square, Square Enix

Sales: 159 million units *As of 2020

 

Final Fantasy is a long running Japanese Role-Playing Game (JRPG) series for video game consoles. It has received both commercial and critical success over decades. Because of its success, it is often the first thing that comes to mind when someone says JRPG or even RPG.

 

Series’ Origins

 

Final Fantasy’s first installment was released in 1987 in the form of Final Fantasy for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, Final Fantasy was almost called “Fighting Fantasy” before the company settled on “Final Fantasy” in order to avoid trademark issues.

Prior to making Final Fantasy, Sakaguchi was not a well-liked figure within the company. Only a few employees volunteered to help him on his Final Fantasy project, and only after years of unsuccessfully trying to pitch the game’s idea to Squaresoft’s executives, at the time. Squaresoft would greenlight Final Fantasy, only after Dragon Quest showed that Role-Playing Games could be hugely successful in Japan.

 

Dragon Quest remained the king of Japanese RPG sales in Japan, but Final Fantasy was successful enough to save Squaresoft from the brink of extinction in the late 80s, and unlike Dragon Quest, Sakaguchi’s creation went onto become a global success.

 

Top Selling Title: Final Fantasy VII (13,258,000)

 

Released in 1997 on the original PlayStation, Final Fantasy VII was an influential title. The 7th installment in the Final Fantasy franchise brought J-RPGs into the mainstream and helped Sony’s debut console outsell the Nintendo 64 in the mid 1990s.

 

Final Fantasy VII is credited with igniting the golden era of Japanese Role-Playing Games as it drove the genre to previously unseen levels of commercial success during the late 90s and early 2000s. Final Fantasy VI did not sell well on the US, leaving many wondering whether Final Fantasy VII would be the one JRPG to finally break through western audiences.

 

Sony, who at the time faced fierce competition from Nintendo, and Sega, gave Square Enix (Squaresoft at the time) an unprecedented deal with major royalties for Squaresoft. This, even though Sony itself would publish the game outside of Japan. Sony, alongside Squaresoft, spent millions of dollars in a huge marketing campaign that went from TV spots, to major Magazine Advertisements and press coverage.

 

Sony’s gamble paid off as Final Fantasy VII arrived on US shores to universal critical acclaim, and chart-topping sales on September 7, 1997. Even today, Final Fantasy VII frequently ranks in the top three spots of “Greatest Final Fantasy Games Ever” lists. With more than 13 million copies sold across different platforms, and various re-releases, Final Fantasy VII remains the series’ most iconic, and commercially important entry.

 

Highest Rated Title: Final Fantasy IX (Metacritic: 94)

 

Hironobu Sakaguchi’s final ‘Final Fantasy’ entry on the PlayStation, is also the series’ finest chapter. As far as critical scores go, no Final Fantasy entry has ever received higher critic scores than Final Fantasy IX.

 

Final Fantasy IX ditched the futuristic, and steam punk scenarios of the series’ previous three entries in favor to a return to the Sword and Sorcery themes of the first five entries in the franchise.

 

Lowest Rated Title: Final Fantasy XIV Online (2010)

 

Final Fantasy XIV was so bad (49 Metacritic) that it was canned before it ever made it to consoles and had to be rebuilt by Square Enix in order to salvage it a few years later. Naoki Yoshida (Director) and his team built a new engine, and completely overhauled the game into Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn which because a big commercial, and critical success in place of the FFXIV’s catastrophic failure.

 

Latest Title: Final Fantasy VII Remake

 

First teased as a PlayStation 3 technological demo in 2006, the long-awaited Final Fantasy VII Remake finally arrived after 14 years on the PlayStation 4 home console. Powered by the Unreal 4 engine, the game updated the iconic cast of heroes, and villains with modern visuals. Remake in name, but a sequel set in an alternate reality, Final Fantasy VII Remake launched to positive reviews, but without the fanfare, or critical acclaim to match the original 1997 classic.

As part 1 of a planned multi-episode series, Final Fantasy VII Remake covers only an alternate reality of the Midgar section of the original game. While a sequel has been announced, there is no time frame or date announced for its release.

 

Titles (Main):

 

1987: Final Fantasy (NES)

1988: Final Fantasy II (NES)

1990: Final Fantasy III (SNES)

1991: Final Fantasy IV (SNES)

1992: Final Fantasy V (SNES)

1994: Final Fantasy VI (SNES)

1997: Final Fantasy VII (PS1)

1999: Final Fantasy VIII (PS1)

2000: Final Fantasy IX (PS1)

2001: Final Fantasy X (PS2)

2002: Final Fantasy XI *MMORPG (PS2)

2006: Final Fantasy XII (PS2)

2009: Final Fantasy XIII (X360, PS3)

2010: Final Fantasy XIV *MMORPG (Windows PC)

2013: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn *MMORPG (Windows PC, OS X, PS4, PS3)

2016: Final Fantasy XV (Xbox One, PS4, Windows PC)

 

Spin offs and Sequels:

 

1990: Final Fantasy Legend (GameBoy)

1991: Final Fantasy Legend II (GameBoy)

1992: Final Fantasy Mystic Quest (SNES)

1993: Final Fantasy Legend III (GameBoy)

1998: Final Fantasy Tactics (PlayStation)

2003: Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (GBA)

2003: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (GameCube)

2003: Final Fantasy X-2 (PS2)

2008: Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift (DS)

2008: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates (DS)

2008: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King (Wii)

2009: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (DS, Wii)

2009: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Dark Lord (Wii)

2009: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (Wii)

2020: Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)

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Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth Further Embraces its Sequel Role in New Trailer

Posted on June 13, 2023 by Samuel Rivera

I had to two main gripes with Final Fantasy VII: Remake. The first one was the it wasn’t a remake of the original, but a sequel, marketed as a ‘remake’ of the legendary title. The second, that Nomura’s nonsensical approach to story telling had turned Final Fantasy VII’s original Sci-Fi/Fantasy tour de force into a…

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Posted on May 12, 2023 by Samuel Rivera

Main (Nintendo EAD developed) Zelda games are never just good, they are either very good, or great, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (so far) has proven to be the rule, rather than the exception. The game holds a 96% Metacritic rating as its average score from 87 reviews. That makes it…

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Yoshida: Final Fantasy is NOT a JRPG! Think Witcher 3 But With Faster Combat

Posted on April 1, 2023April 1, 2023 by Samuel Rivera

Final Fantasy XVI Producer, Maoki Yoshida, has been vocal over the last few months about his upcoming game, and what he thinks Japanese Role-Playing Games should be in the context surrounding his decision making on Final Fantasy XVI’s development.  In an interview with the Japanese podcast, Hentai No Hikaru, Yoshida went in depth about his…

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Final Fantasy XVI Producer: Calling Japanese Made RPGs ‘JRPGs’ Was Discriminatory

Posted on March 1, 2023March 1, 2023 by Samuel Rivera

And so, the eternal “is it a JRPG or just an RPG” discussion might be coming to a sudden end, as Final Fantasy XVI Producer,  Naoki Yoshida, doesn’t want to box its upcoming game in the popular JRPG (there I said it!) franchise within the “JRPG” stereotypes. Yoshida, in a recent interview with Skill-Up, as…

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TBT: Final Fantasy VII: That Time a Popular Game Killed its Princess

Posted on January 19, 2023January 20, 2023 by Samuel Rivera

So, at this point, it is well known in the gaming world (it has been nearly 26 years), that Aeris (now known as Aerith) died (was murdered really) in Final Fantasy VII. Gamers born after the fact, or near it, will not quite appreciate the shock and awe factor, of watching a heroine, or better…

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2023 is Here and The Never Ending Realm Turns 20 Years Old

Posted on January 1, 2023February 11, 2023 by Samuel Rivera

Twenty years ago, I was 17 years old, and had an extreme passion with playing JRPGs and reviewing them in written form. In reality, some of my oldest reviews were written way before 2003, and on an actual ‘word processor’ typewriter. Reviews for games like Suikoden, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Final…

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Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters Coming to Switch and PlayStation 4 in 2023

Posted on December 19, 2022December 19, 2022 by Samuel Rivera

Are you disappointed at the newer Final Fantasy entries? Want the golden days of the series to return? Well, Hironobu Sakaguchi is not returning to series, however, his first six classic games will arrive to a console or handheld system near you next year in the spring.  These classics will arrive in remastered pixel art…

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Final Fantasy XVI Comes Under Fire for its Lack of Diversity

Posted on November 14, 2022November 18, 2022 by Samuel Rivera

Final Fantasy XVI, despite a somewhat impressive story trailer reveal a few weeks ago, has come under scrutiny, and criticism, from a group of fans wanting a more ‘diverse’ cast, within the confines of the game’s storyline, than the one shown in trailers. In an era, were US media in particular, seems to be striving…

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Final Fantasy XVI New Story Trailer: Is This the Game Longtime Fans Wanted?

Posted on October 26, 2022October 26, 2022 by Samuel Rivera

Final Fantasy XVI’s new trailer, aptly titled, “ambition”, is out. I had to watch it a few times to digest certain aspects of the much awaited entry; an entry which further distances itself from the older traditional style of turn-based party combat. The new entry, helmed by Naoki Yoshida, seems, at least in my view,…

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Final Fantasy VIII: The Most Underrated Final Fantasy?

Posted on October 21, 2022 by Samuel Rivera

Now, the heading above, will sound hypocritical to some who have read our reviews over the past 20 years (the site turns 20 in 2023). Until very recently, I did not like Final Fantasy VIII; at least, not nearly as much as I did its legendary predecessor. Final Fantasy VIII was the first video game…

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