Why Do You Play Final Fantasy?

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is launching in Japan in about a month. Its US release will follow in late January. The fact that Final Fantasy has been topping the sales charts around the world for two decades makes it a rare and hallowed creation in the transitory medium of video gaming. But who's playing it these days? Are today's Final Fantasy fans the ones who started with the original game, or did those guys get tired of the whole thing along the way only to be replaced by youngsters who started playing more recently?

Speaking for myself, I've been with the series since Final Fantasy II on the SNES (or IV, if you prefer). I had a friend who was heavily into JRPGs back in the SNES days, and he picked up Final Fantasy II upon release, tore through it in no time at all, and lent it to me. At first, I was fairly intimidated by the game, since it was far more complex than the 16-bit platforming games that were my forte. The only RPG I'd really invested any time into before that was Dragon Warrior, which was beyond simplistic. Yet somehow I made my way through Final Fantasy II in just a couple of weeks, and despite not really getting most of the game's nuances, I wiped the floor with Golbez and the other final baddies on my first try.

Since then, I've played every major Final Fantasy title as it's been released in North America. Hopefully I'll be struggling my way through FFXIII-2's complexities soon enough, and while I have some misgivings about the game’s direction, I'm sure I'll enjoy it regardless. I always do.

I'm probably something of an atypical Final Fantasy fan, because I appreciate the series' constantly changing nature. I love the fact that one entry can be radically different from the last, and my favorite entries in the series tend to be the ones that shake up the game mechanics and try something far removed from the adventure that came before. Because no matter how far-out a Final Fantasy gets with its combat engine and character-building systems, these are always presented in familiar trappings that offer a helpful sense of context. It's weird that you have to steal magic spells from enemies in FFVIII and hook them up to your stats in order to advance, but at the same time I know exactly what that Thundara spell I'm draining from this monster does. By all appearance, there are some strange features in FFXIII-2, but I still know that riding a chocobo will allow me to traverse the landscape free from enemy encounters. Whatever its failings, the Final Fantasy series does a great job of using its history as a safety net for shaking things up.

Or at least, that's my opinion. What's yours? Have you been playing Final Fantasy long? What drew you to the series? What keeps you playing? Or, alternately, why have you given up on the franchise?

While you're thinking about your response, why not visit my blog at http://themolloyboy.blogspot.com/ to read about more Japanese stuff? Do it!

Tags: YOU still play finalFanta

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Elizabeth Henges

November 09, 2011

Hmm, interesting. When I think about it, I can't really say why I still play the FF series. I got into the series in the PS1 days, after the Dragon Warrior games introduced me to the world of RPGs. I tore through all the PS1 FFs (including the Chronicles and Anthology remakes/ports) and enjoyed them all, but once I tried the PS2 ones, I was so... disappointed. X had the Sphere Grid system that I ended up hating; X-2 had a great fast paced battle system, but the bastardization of the characters really turned me off; XI was an MMO that I couldn't give a chance if I wanted to; and XII's gambits were confusing at worst, and boring when you did them right.

I haven't given up on the series, of course. I'm one that enjoyed XIII for what its worth, and the series' extensive side games always seem to produce something good to play, even if it isn't in the main series. I guess I just play the FF series because it's there, in the end. I don't hold it in high esteem like I do the Dragon Quest series, nor do I allow it the same 'passes' that I would more niche RPG series/developers, but I guess I just... play them. I wonder if I'm the only one like that?

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Sandy Morley

November 10, 2011

FFVII was my introduction to the world of JRPGs, and it's a world I've thoroughly explored and enjoyed since getting that ol' grey box in the late 90's. I still play Final Fantasy because I still love JRPGs, simply enough.

Grayson Hamilton

Final Fantasy will always be a staple of my gaming legacy, but like all things it must change to keep pace with the world, for better or worse. While FF7 and 8 will most likely be my personal favorites of the series, there is no question that the new combat system introduces with FF13 is both fantastic and excellently adaptable. It is hard even now to go back and play standard JRPGs with a static battle system because it feels so...slow.

Unfortunately, I agree with Elizabeth that nowadays I play the Final Fantasy series for no bigger reason than "because it's there". I suppose it could be simply from old loyalties, and I feel somewhat obligated to play them because I have played all the ones before it, but even that raises questions when I just don't feel the spice of life that I once had. Perhaps my tastes have changed, or it's just that particular entry I didn't agree with, but on the whole I appreciate what the Final Fantasy legacy has done for the industry.