Me and my final fantasy

This post is not about some wild manic fantasy I have with some chio babe, rather its about my fascination with Squaresoft's (now Square Enix) masterpiece. It all started when I was in university around 6-7 years ago, my friend told me he was no longer playing his PS and gave it to me. Have been hearing some of my friends talk about Final Fantasy VII for sometime so I decided to try that for starters. I was not disappointed, from the moment Cloud Strife jumped off the train, it sucked me in. I was totally floored by the gripping story line, characterization and enchanting music.
The game was really fascinating and I felt as though I was another character in it. Role-playing games finally became my thing. All throughout, the thrill of getting raw materias, the wonderment of new characters, the pain of losing Aerith and the sheer joy of defeating Sephiroth. Thus began my love affair with Final Fantasy, which incidentally lasted longer than any of my other love affairs.


When I finished FFVII, I was begging for more. And I replayed it after my friend pointed out that I did not get the Knights of the Round Table materia (sacriledge I know!). Still with an average of 20 hours per day, even a more meticulous second round did not last me for that long. Thank goodness FFVIII came out. Lots of my friends hated FFVIII because the characterization was somewhat lacking. It didn't help that Squall came across as a complete jerk. Personally, I enjoyed it although the battle system was kind of skewed. Because you wanted to conserve your spells that you had junctioned, you wound up not using much magic.


I longed for the good old days of RPG when magic users were smart wimps and fighters were dumb musclemen. The world soon got it in Final Fantasy's swansong for the PS- FFIX. I may be an oddity but this was my favourite Final Fantasy, the mood is generally more light-hearted and the character development was better. Also, characters are also like a page out of Final Fantasy Tactic's job system. Vivi is the typical black mage who is useless in close combat, Steiner is your tank who can't cast a spell to save his life, Garnet is your white mage who keeps you healthy on so on.
So battle strategy was more important than previous FFs where Squall could kill anyone with his limit break and the other two guys are basically there to revive him.

FFX was also a real joy to behold, being the first FF on the PS2, it showcased breathtaking graphics and the interesting battle grid system. Also, it introduced the world to Rikku, arguably the cutest FF or any videogame character ever. A close second would be Yuffie from FFVII.
FFX also had the laundry list of FF's strengths and fans and critics alike were delighted.

FFXI was Square Enix's first foray into the MMORPG world and was a huge success particularly in Japan.

Square Enix introduced another first, the first direct sequel in the series, FFX-2. Check out the difference between the two Rikkus, a sassier, sexier version I think.

Now I am holding my breath for FFXII, due to be out this year. Hope no further delays!! *Fingers crossed*

Slacker