I moved to PC gaming/Steam as my primary gaming platform a few years ago. For a time Final Fantasy was consigned mostly to the PlayStation consoles, but within the last year we got a crop of titles showing up on Steam. Several were ports with little effort put into them, but a few were serviceable, great even! After buying a few of the better ones, my interest in the series came back like a Phoenix Down with a vengeance. And it looks like there's no stopping the hype train: Final Fantasy X/X-2's Remastered Version came out a week ago, and as of this posting every title save for 1, 2, and 12 are available for PC gaming. 15 doesn't count as it hasn't been released yet.
I decided to put this as a general thread for discussion of the various games. I may expand the OP into a general resource thread over time if there's demand for it. This is geared towards both fans of games, and newcomers to certain ones yet to be played.
For thread etiquette, one should use spoiler tags to avoid spoiling one's fun in case anybody plans on picking up a copy to experience themselves.Iconic Elements
Dungeons & Dragons has alignment. Mass Effect has Wrex. Every popular game series has a set of unique traits, characters, and world elements to set it apart from countless others. What does Final Fantasy have that the series is known for as a whole? Well, here's a handy-dandy list for the newcomers here showing the most popular tropes in one of the most popular RPGs!
Airships!Sometimes they're a common mode of travel on a continent whose lowlands are full of dangerous monster-spawning mists. Sometimes they're a relic of a more advanced era. Regardless, you can bet your ass that at some point your party's going to get one of their very own in virtually every game in the series! Often used as a plot element, the acquisition of an airship opens up the game world to previously unheard-of exploration.
Chocobos & Moogles!Artwork by lizspit of deviantart. Even the grittier games in the series like to show off their cute side with these adorable mascot characters! Chocobos are birds which serve the role of horses, and it's possible for the player to acquire rarer breeds in some games such as the black chocobo which is capable of flight. Moogles, the white furry creatures with red antenna-bobs, are usually a benign race of short folk who often serve an assistance role in the series. In IX, they serve as recordkeepers to save your game and deliver mail; in VI they help the party fight off a horde of Imperial forces.
Crystals!A central element in the first five games, magical crystals are often attuned to one of the four elements (Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind). In some games they're responsible for natural phenomena relating to their element, and contain great power which the bad guys often seek to use for their own nefarious ends. Their role changes in the later games, such as magicite in VI which can teach characters magic, and in VII materia is crystallized mako which can be equipped to learn magic and special moves.
New Worlds!Unlike many other RPGs, the series is known for having almost every game start over with a new story in a new world.
This is mostly an aesthetic choice by the creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, who prefers to bring definite closure to the plot of each game. Still, like how D&D campaigns often contain the same classes and monsters, certain elements show up from time to time with slight twists.
Star Wars Cameos!There's a recurring joke in Final Fantasy of how two NPCs named Biggs and Wedge show up as partners, usually as comic relief. For example, in VI they were soldiers of the Empire of Gestahl; in VII they were members of AVALANCHE.
Beautiful Men!From Sephiroth to Kuja, from Cloud to Noctis, it's a guarantee that every major male protagonist and antagonist post-VII will be as fashionably eye-catching as the ladies.
On the protagonist side of things, common traits include: uses a sword as a primary weapon, has an existential crisis of self, stylish hair.
On the antagonist side of things, common traits include: extreme arrogance and nihilism, has some personal connection to the protagonist, has a super-powered form.
Both protagonists and antagonists have a propensity for pulling yaoi fangirls from the four corners of earth.
The Rundown of Games
I'm going only by personal experience, so not all titles are listed. I generally spotted playing around 10, meaning that the post-Sakaguchi era of Square-Enix is pretty much unknown to me as a player.
Final Fantasy I: The first game, the one that started it all. Like many 80s era RPGs it has a straightforward plot with plenty of fantasy cliches. Four Warriors of Light go around the world in search of magic crystal shrines to stop the power of Chaos from destroying the world.
Pros: Simple game which still holds up as a fun little romp if you like classic RPGs. The ability to choose the classes for your party makes for some fun self-imposed challenges and playstyles.
Cons: Lacks many of the features from later games which made Final Fantasy unique. The game mechanics and plot are very simple, and there's not a lot of deep innovation or involved customization.
Final Fantasy IV: This is the era where the story elements of the series came to the forefront. The dark knight Cecil has doubts about his service to the Kingdom of Baron, whose leader seems increasingly merciless about the expansion of his power. The final straw comes when the king turns Cecil into the unwitting accessory of the destruction of the summoner's village, and so goes across the land to stir up resistance against Baron's crimes.
Pros: Strong story, basic system yet can provide challenging and involved in some battles.
Probably one of the best depictions of the paladin class in fantasy gaming. One of the better PC ports.
Cons: You recruit many party members, but they come and go with the plot without forewarning, so you may be stranded without some good equipment.
Final Fantasy V: The last "medieval fantasy" game in the series for a long while, Final Fantasy V revolves around four travelers seeking to prevent the destruction of the elemental crystals responsible for holding the world together. Most well-known for its job system, allowing for extensive customization of any and all party members; a Black Mage who can pack a wallop with his fists, or a Thief who can mix items to create alchemical effects in combat are but a few possibilities.
Pros: Job system is fun and involved, introduction of Gilgamesh, good soundtrack including
Battle on the Big Bridge.Cons: Plot isn't as memorable as IV and VI, very cliche, some classes are underpowered and useless in most situations.
Final Fantasy VI: Were it not for VII this would be the most beloved Final Fantasy. Taking a massive departure from earlier games, it's set in a world with a steampunk aesthetic where the power of magic has just recently been awakened. The game centers around a resistance group fighting against the Empire of Gestahl and its court mage Kefka, who has an agenda of his own beyond the Emperor's...
Pros: Kefka's a fun villain and there are few like him in RPGs both old and new. Aesthetically pleasing with nice music and stunning graphics throughout. Game aged well for players of newer generations, and the second half of the game is non-linear allowing for a degree of freedom in things to do.
Celes' opera scene (spoiler link).Cons: The cast of party members is one of the largest (14), and some are just plain better than others.
Final Fantasy VII: This is the one the general public's most familiar with, and helped mainstream the video game RPG subgenre by bringing in millions of new fans around the world. Set in a modern-day world where the Shinra megacorporation is the pre-eminent power, giant power plants draw an energy known as mako for the benefit of modern technology and magical breakthroughs at the expense of literally killing the planet. The hero Cloud joins an ecoterrorist group known as AVALANCHE who seek the downfall of Shinra. And then there's the mysterious Sephiroth, whose history with the protagonist is checkered to say the least.
Pros: Holds up well even for its time, the introduction of the famed Limit Break as a major game mechanic, the materia system is cool in that you literally "equip" magic and special abilities. Has a huge fanbase, so you'll find many like-minded fans. Has many funny moments. Plenty of mini-games and sidequests.
Cons: Spawned countless crappy usernames such as "GothSephiroth14." Later media such as Advent Children butchered Cloud's character development.
Final Fantasy IX: This is by far my favorite, so I'm gonna be more biased than usual. Among the last of the PS1 era games, FFIX was intended as a return to the "classic" elements of the series. Going back from the near-future vibe of VII and VIII to a medieval setting with steampunk elements, this game revolves around the adventures of Zidane in a world where a malevolent, monster-spawning energy source known as Mist is also the major means of airship travel. When the thieves guild Zidane is part of attempts to kidnap Princess Garnet of Alexandria, the party finds themselves in a wider plot as Queen Brahne seeks the power of Eidolons to rule the world.
Pros: Has a plot which will tug on your heartstrings, where even the side characters have their own interesting stories which weave together into the greater whole. The game rarely comes to a lull in pacing in that nearly every part has a new and interesting place to explore. Has a nice love story. The PC version is not a port but an adaption optimized for PC use. The use of the AP system is a nice compromise between the extensive character customization of V/VII/VIII and the "class is everything" of the older games.
Cons: Far too many mini-games and sidequests, a lot of which can be lost forever if you go too far in the main plotline. The character models and graphics are a turn-off for some. Party member Amarent feels one-note in comparison to the rest of the line-up.
So, which PC ports are good?This is going by reviews and personal experience.
I heard good things about X. IX is pretty much optimized for PCs, including a mouse-based control schematic option. V is functional, but the F12 screenshot option doesn't work. IV is one of the few examples of a good iPhone game port. VII plays well from my several hours on it.
I heard bad things about III, including constant glitches which can render the game unbeatable. Constant complaints about VIII's audio quality. Can't speak to VI's playability, but it uses the worst graphics (the iPhone version).
Resource LinksTBD
