FFII: Playing through a piece of history- before the days of Playstation

Hello again.

I am glad to record that I have finished yet another Final Fantasy game. This is always an awesome experience. This time, however, it is not any of the games that came after 7 (for the record I have completed 7 and Dirge of Cerberus, 8, 10, 10-2, 12 and 15), but 2.

Some of the really enthusiastic fans would know that Final Fantasy I was the last desperate kick from a doomed Squaresoft in 1987 that was on the brink of closing down due to bankruptcy. If you don't know yet who Hironobu Sakaguchi is you should really get up to date as this is the man who has not only saved a dying company with the first installment of this awesome franchise, but who has made it the greatest producer of RPG's in the world. This guy's the George Lucas of games. If you want an idea of what he is capable of take a look at what he did with Super Mario...

The game under discussion now hails from 1988. It was made for PC and the first version's graphics were really not anywhere near what we see today.

This game, however, was proof that Square was indeed saved by FFI. It also shows us in this day and age the Square had already formulated their winning recipe, long before technology would allow them to make bigger maps, get better music and get amazing cutscenes. 

I honestly wonder whether any other video game manufacturer had made as much effort back then in writing a story.

Final Fantasy II has shown me that although the producers were limited by technology, there was absolutely no limit to their imaginations.

It was also interesting to see that- besides the turn based battle system and levelling up, the makers of Final Fantasy had already come up with the following iconic features that we see in  FF games today:

1. Vehicles: Final Fantasy 2 has a world map with areas that are inaccessible at first, but as the story develops you start by getting a canoe with which to cross rivers and later on ships with which to cross the seas and last, but definitely not least- the Airship! 

2. Cid: I have mentioned the airship, right? Well- guess who the owner of that airship is...
Nowadays it is hardly surprising. It  is a nice coincidence to see that Square had introduced a Cid with the same coarse personality as the one in this game later on in Final Fantasy VII. The Cid in FFVII is playable, though, as opposed to his FFII counterpart.

3. Dungeons: No matter what Final Fantasy I play I find the dungeons therein troublesome and a nuisance that is hard to tolerate. FFII is proof that Final Fantasy's makers were every bit as sadistic back then as they are now. It may be an 8 bit game, but its dungeons are murder. Well- at least in FFII you are able to teleport out of most of them if you get tired of getting lost for hours.

4. The story: It may be the fact that Square had overcome insurmountable odds with their first game themselves that has inspired the tales we live today. Final Fantasy stories so far have always involved a small group of individuals taking on an entire army to save their kingdom or the world. This story is no different. The main characters start off being found in a forest after having been beaten senseless. Well- after recovering at the hideout of their benefactor, Princess Hilda, some levelling up and a couple of adventures later they end up defeating the Ruler of Hell himself. Amidst it all friends die, estranged siblings meet and of course- love is in the air. 

5. Those Orko-like mages: You guys know Orko from He-Man, right? Well- bear in mind that this game had come long before Final Fantasy IX and it has an entire village of sorcerers that look like Vivi! These mages look a lot like Orko, who was also at his prime back in the 80's...

6. Magic, Money, Items and Inns: Final Fantasy games are never just about moving from one plot point to another. Money is raised in battle and spent on items in each town you visit. The power of Fire, Ice and Thunder is already found in this game and yes- it has Phoenix Down and Life Magic as well...

   

7. Colourful characters: It is really a pity that Square did not have the technology to visually render their characters better. A lot of imagination went into these characters. My favourite is Leila- the sexy pirate captain. She reminds me a lot of Yuffie in FFVII. 






One sure sign that Square still had a lot to learn is the ease with which this game gets beaten if you just grind half as much as you would do in the games of today. As a proud Jenova War Veteran I made sure that I got strong enough to effortlessly defeat the enemies of every area I visit and rich enough to buy the best weapons and magic. This got me to defeat an Adamantoise in one move and I have also made short work of the final boss.






Bosses like Paragon (FFX-2) and the Weapons (FFVII) show us that Square got onto us later on and made sure that grinding did not get us everywhere in the game so easliy again.






Now... I am going to download FFVIII to relive some memories and I am waiting for the FFVII remake. Hope you get hold of it as well.

Another Epic Final Fantasy behind me. Final Fantasy XV!

I feel like I should start every post I write about a Final Fantasy game from now on with a big thank you to everyone who had a part in making this awesome game.

Even though Squaresoft got taken over by Square Enix all those years ago and Hironobu Sakaguchi does not seem to have a hand in the franchise anymore the team of Final Fantasy still does not fail to make a game that elevates the standard of RPG's world-wide.

You have not played the best that video games have to offer if you have not played a Final Fantasy game.

For first-time readers of my blog let me just tell you that I have completed Final Fantasy VII, VIII, X, X-2 (fans know why it is not called XI), XII, Dirge of Cerberus (FFVII spin-off) and then there is this game called Valkyrie Profile 2- also from Square Enix, which I have no idea why they did not just name it as part of the Final Fantasy series.

Needless to say- I am a huge sucker for leveling up, collecting weapons, working through an epic saga, exploring a vast made up world with creatures that defy belief and fighting villains of cosmic proportions. 

So- before I go on about the game I have finished last night: Thank you to everyone at Square Enix. You all deserve to become billionaires from this game. It has been the most awesome experience since Final Fantasies VII and VIII. 

Just a note- Hironobu Sakaguchi and his team have shown us from very early on that you don't need top notch graphics to create an immersive adventure for a gaming platform. A lot can be done with the right kind of imagination and the artistry with which to bring it to life. Now- that power has come to the PS4 and the time each level took loading on that I-forgot-how-many-terabytes machine of mine I realised that this time around they have pushed the platform to its very limit again. Hehe! Who else made a game for PS1 that used 4 discs? :D

Oooookay! So- Being a veteran I took the very first chance I had at exploring and battling right away and did not hurry through the story. A lesson hard learnt from FFVII. This approach rewarded me with a vast world full of treasures, side quests and rewards.

Parties in the previous Final Fantasies were mixed gender groups. When they went to inns or camped out you did not see what they got up to. This game, however, is dedicated to the bro's! Here you got to take part in not only training at camp spots, but cooking and talking bro-stuff with your friends. Noctis, Gladio, Prompto and Ignis are actually a fun group that have no squabbles at the beginning. Stick around with them long enough and you learn that Noct likes fishing, Gladio likes the outdoors and Ignis is the voice of reason who also cooks most of the time. In fact- this due is a regular foodie.

Prompto- you learn very soon on is a video game geek and judging by the tune he sometimes hums at the end of a battle and his hairstyle I suspect that he has played a certain game which we all know very well. 

Once again we find that the political unrest in their world is but a consequence of supernatural events that have to be set right. The one charged with that task is Noctis. Without spoiling too much I will say that another huge difference between this Final Fantasy and its predecessors is that this time around the Final Battle is between the main character and the Villain.

As for the villain- I won't spoil that bit either. It is part of the mystery that makes the story as riveting as it is. What I will say, however is: He's no Sephiroth. Seriously- it seems that once you have beaten Sephiroth all other Final Fantasy bosses that come after him seem pretty tame. Okay- except for Sin/ Jecht from Final Fantasy X...

Through it all Noct and his friends rode Choccobos, rescued people and choccobos in need, ran errands and had fun. Later on in the game Noctis got hit with one tragic event after the other. You know- Aeris' death in Final Fantasy VII had me in tears. Noctis had three deaths and a friend being blinded for life to work through. 

All in all, the ending and final scenes were worth all the time I have spent with my console. It was a lot of time, I will admit, but with a game of such beauty and emotion I regard it as time well spent.

The battles were really awesome and the gameplay is really something new and fun to me. No longer was the player in control of three or four members of a party, but controlled a main character who is supported by his friends. You did give some commands to your friends, but they pretty much thought for themselves as you attacked and defended as best as you can. A really skilled player can therefore find that he can defeat a level 30 beast while his character is only level 20. 

Then- although the bro feels were strong in this one. This game- as with all its predecessors had its fair share of awesome ladies. OH! And for the first time in a Final Fantasy game I found lesbian characters as well! lol.

So before closing this post I will quickly list my favourite girls as from bottom to top:

#6: Lady Lunafreya

The Oracle and Noctis' bride to be- Luna is very similar to Aerith and Yuna from the other games in the sense that she has the ability to commune with supernatural beings. In this case those beings are the Gods of their world.

She does not take part in battles, though and is not seen much in the game. 

5# Coctura

This cute and cheerful one is the chef at Galdin Quay's restaurant and bar. Although the restaurant has tables Noctis and his friends prefer to sit at the bar with her. I think I can see why.

#4 Cindy

The game had a very strong American theme. Along a road that reminds me a lot of Route 66 you'll find a garage at a place called Hammerhead. This garage has a hot blonde mechanic that gets a lot of motors running without even trying if you know what I am saying... ;)

I almost feel bad for having her here only on #4 as she is such a sweet girl. She does not battle, though and well- I don't think she is into guys, btw...

#3 Aranea

Funny enough. This game's Cid has a funny surname while the surname of Highwind went to this halberd wielding hottie. I fell in love the moment she lept at Noctis. That battle with her was awesome!!!

She does not seem to have a sweet side, though. Tifa was the tough girl in FFVII, but we saw that she was also a really sweet girl with a very soft side. Aranea is the tough warrior girl in this game and she is pure bad-ass!

Looks hot, though...

I imagine that she can keep Eos safe now that... SORRY! 

#1 Shiva

BAM! No matter in which FF game she is this ice goddess makes my temperature rise in her itsy bitsy outfits. This time around, however, she has a far more leading role to play than just being a supernatural ally to summon. Do play the game and find out her story. It is the best ever. I can also mention that she is one of my favourite 2 gods from the Final Fantasy series to appear in this game. The other one is Bahamut!!! These characters looked awesome!

Well- that is it. Once again thank you to Square Enix for the most awesome experience on my PS4. I hope to see more games in the series in future. As soon as the FFVII remake hits the shelves I'll be there to grab my copy!

Until then- it is time for me to move on in real life. :D