Recently I've found myself wanting to divulge my spare time on a Japanese Role Playing Game (JRPG). With my Xbox 360 in storage I was left with only my PS3 and Wii, so naturally I began my search for a JRPG on my PS3. After an extensive search and talking to an employee at my local Gamestop, I was told that a great JRPG would be Star Ocean: Last Hope( A recent game that was released originally for the Xbox 360 early in 2009 and ported to the PS3 in Febuary 2010.) and White Knight Chronicles which was also released in the same month of this year. By the description that was given to me these were supposed to be games that took this genre to a whole new level. As soon as I popped these games into my Ps3 I soon realized that I wasn't wanting a JRPG, I was craving, yearning for a Final Fantasy game.
Final Fantasy (FF) is truely a unique experience and one that is not very easy to match when it comes to story,dialog and recently in the last 11 years, voice acting. My earliest memory of this series is Final Fantasy I. I went to my uncle's parents house for a family get together. I immediately went up stairs because I could hear a video game being played. I went down the hallway to see a door slightly ajar. My curiosity had peaked and I opened the door to see my cousin's eyes being engulfed by the television. I cannot articulate how I felt about the game except I had no idea what was going on. I do however remember that I enjoyed the music and graphics and being 5 thats all that really mattered to me at the time. My next encounter with the series was Final Fantasy III or VI (In Japan). It was the first entry of the series I actually played; I was immediately hooked. The graphics were crisp, The characters were engaging, the music empowered the mood, and the story was a staple for entries to come. From that point on I played every entry of the series that had a roman numeral next to it.
Why do I love this series? What makes me keep coming back? I have a handful of answers. Time and effort, The series is know for these two things to the point where the last two entries have been years apart. XII was nearly 5 years apart from X( I wont count XI because it was online) and XIII is nearing 4 years, but they achieved what they were going for no matter how off putting it may have been for some fans. Next is evolution . Whether it be a job system, a battle system, limit breaks, or buliding weapons from parts, the series is constantly evolving. FF IV was the first in the series to bring an actually storyline. FF VI gave fans a deeper storyline while also giving their characters more depth with dialog and clearer, bigger sprite actions. FFVII introduced 3D cut sceens and 3D characters along with limit breaks. I could keep going on but I feel I have made my point. Finally, personal feelings. This is core reason of why I find myself wanting more. I never hated a villian more than Kefka (FFVI). I remember the anger I felt when he was almost succeeded in destroying the world. I remember how I was fretting on facing sephiroth (FFVII); thinking that the task of defeating him was going to be near impossible. In FFVIII I felt the sense of closure and at the same time sadness when I beat Ultimecia because I knew that my time in that world was over, I would never see these characters again, their journey had come to an end.
As I end my thoughts I find myself looking foward to see how this series will keep growing, what new paths it will take, what other emotions Final Fantay will draw out of me and how they will keep me engrossed in their characters and stories. I have hope that my love for this series will keep on growing as I watch this magical series evolve because I believe that the best is yet to come.
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