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Discussion Final Fantasy Mega Thread (Discover Final Fantasy!)

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Possibly being the only Final Fantasy fanatic on this entire site, I have decided to express some of my fandom and hopefully convert some of you unfortunate people that have yet to experience the unparalleled amazingness of Final Fantasy. If you are unable to bear the fandom or the simple fact that Final Fantasy is undoubtedly the best JRPG game available on the market then I kindly request you leave or convert.
This thread relates only to console Final Fantasy titles. This means no handheld, phone, or PC titles. Ask me anything if you would like. This thread will contain a lot of information concerning the console Final Fantasy titles.
If you would like to help signify that you are a Final Fantasy fan of any kind, insert
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into your avatar to let others know! Be proud of your fandom!
Check out the Final Fantasy music thread at http://www.se7ensins.com/forums/threads/final-fantasy-music.1026395/
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FAQ
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What is Final Fantasy?
Simply put, Final Fantasy is the RPG/JRPG genre. Established on December 18th, 1987 with the debut of Final Fantasy I as a last ditch effort to save Square from bankruptcy, Final Fantasy has grown to become the leader in the RPG genre and effectively Square Enix's best selling franchise in the gaming industry. By continuously refreshing and innovating itself, the Final Fantasy franchise has grown from simplistic, turn by turn gameplay to something never seen before in the RPG genre. If you've never been introduced to the RPG genre, Final Fantasy would be the best choice in the genre for you to introduce yourself to.
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Are all Final Fantasy games the same? Are they sequels of one another?
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Each Final Fantasy game, unless otherwise noted, is not a direct sequel from the previous installment. For example the events that occur in Final Fantasy 6 are in no way relevant to Final Fantasy 7. The entire world, character cast, enemies, and the like change barring certain iconic Final Fantasy elements such as Gil, Chocobos, certain enemies and bosses, and varied weapons.
Each entry in the series has innovated the RPG genre by introducing new mechanics such as the ATB system, Conditional Turn Based System, and the Paradigm system along with complex and driving storylines. Each Final Fantasy packs a different package which is why some may like certain Final Fantasy installments and may dislike others.
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Final Fantasy, also referred to as Final Fantasy I or "The Original Final Fantasy," is a role playing game developed and published by then Squaresoft for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Being released in 1987, it was the first title of what was to become the flagship Final Fantasy series.
Final Fantasy I is the franchise's most ported title. Having seen countless ports onto PC, mobile devices, handhelds, and consoles, Final Fantasy I has also seen development over the years.
Gameplay:
Final Fantasy begins by asking the player to select the character classes and names of each "Warrior of Light" (The player characters). Just like most computer role-playing games of that era, the player characters are passive participants in the story. Because of this, the player's choice of character class will only affect the Warrior of Light's abilities in battle.​
Gameplay is similar to that of many other console role-playing games. The player wanders around a World map, randomly encountering enemies which must be either dispatched in battle or fled from. Emerging victorious in battle earns the player Gil (currency), which can be used to buy weapons, armor, items, and magic spells.
Victory also grants Experience, which accumulate until players achieve certain milestones ("experience levels") at which characters gain greater capacity for strength, damage resistance (known as Hit Points, or HP), and spell casting. The player can enter towns on the world map to be safe from random attacks, restore HP and spell charges, acquire information by talking to villagers, and shop. Battle is turn-based, i.e. players select the desired actions for their PCs (Fight, Cast Spell, Run, etc.), and when finished the PCs execute their actions while monsters retaliate depending on their Agility.
Every version of Final Fantasy also has a secret minigame, 15 puzzle, that can be played out on the sea for various rewards.​
Warrior (Fighter) — A specialist in heavy weapons and armor who can withstand tremendous amounts of punishment. Can be promoted to the Knight later in the game. The Knight is able to use the most powerful weapons and some White Magic.
Monk (Black Belt) — A martial arts expert who is best left fighting empty-handed, but may also wield nunchaku, and the most basic of staves. Does tremendous amounts of damage in combat, but cannot wear heavy armor. Can be promoted to the Master later in the game. In the original Famicom/NES version a high level, barehanded Master who is unencumbered by armor, can do more damage in a single attack than any other character type; a team of four Masters can defeat the final boss monster in less than two full rounds. A rather weak class in the beginning, but you never have to buy much weapons/armor for him boosting his usability late game.
Thief — A high evasion/accuracy finesse fighter with very limited weapon and armor selection, but greater agility and luck (ability to escape from combat). However, the ability to flee is bugged in versions before the Origins release. Later in the game, the Thief can be upgraded to the Ninja class. Ninja can use almost every weapon and most armor, and can use many Black Magic spells.
White Mage — A mage specializing in White Magic. Not a terrific fighter, but can use hammers for physical attacks. Can be upgraded into a White Wizard, which allows the character to use the most powerful White Magic spells in the game.
Black Mage — A specialist in Black Magic and a very weak fighter. Becomes the Black Wizard later on. Black Wizard is the only character who can cast the extremely destructive Flare (NUKE in the original North American localization), one of the two damaging spells that retain full effectiveness against the final boss.
Red Mage — A jack-of-all-trades character, able to use most but not all of both White and Black Magic, and possessing fighting abilities similar to but not quite as good as the Fighter. Becomes the Red Wizard later in the game.
Story (spoiler free):​
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And so their journey began. The four Warriors of Light felt overwhelmed by the great task destiny had placed upon them. They did not know the true significance of the four crystals they held in their hands... The crystal that once, long ago, shone with a light so brilliant. The time for their journey had come. The time to cast off the veil of darkness and bring the world once more into the light...
—Final Fantasy opening scene
Final Fantasy takes place in an unnamed fantasy world with three large continents. The world's elemental powers are determined by the state of four glowing crystals, each governing one of the four classical elements: earth, fire, water, and wind.
About four centuries before the game starts, a group of people known as the Lufenian used the wind crystal's power to craft a giant aerial station and airships and watched their country decline as the wind crystal went dark. Tiamat the arch-fiend of wind, waged a battle against them, taking over their flying fortress and the Mirage Tower. A Lufenian called Cid hid an airship on the south continent.
About two centuries before the start of the game, Kraken the arch-fiend of water, used violent storms to sink the water shrine that served as the center of an ocean-based civilization to use it as his personal hideout and to darken the water crystal.
Shortly before the start of the game, Lich, the arch-fiend of earth, darkens the earth crystal and plagues Melmond as the plains and vegetation decay. At an unspecified point, a sage called Lukahn tells of a prophecy that four Warriors of Light will save the world in a time of darkness.
Marilith, the arch-fiend of fire, awakens two centuries early as a response to the Warriors of Light's appearance and darkens the crystal of fire.
The four Warriors of Light appear, each carrying a darkened crystal, one of each element. They arrive at Cornelia, a powerful kingdom that has witnessed the kidnapping of its princess, Sarah, by a rogue knight named Garland who wants to conquer the kingdom. And so does their story begin...
Music:
For more, check the Final Fantasy Music thread.




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Final Fantasy II is the second installment in the Final Fantasy series. It is notable for being one of the first story-intensive RPGs released for a console system, and for being the first game in the series to feature many elements that would later become staples of the Final Fantasy franchise, including chocobos and a character by the name of Cid. Final Fantasy II is also unique for eliminating the traditional experience-based advancement system, instead favoring a system wherein the playable characters' statistics increase according either to how much they are required, or how much they are used. In other words, a character who frequently casts magic spells would have their proficiency at casting increase faster than a character who specializes in physical attacks. This is called the skill-based advancement system, which would later return in Final Fantasy XI.
Although abandoned by subsequent installments in the series, a similar system was adopted by the SaGa series, also produced by Square. As a side-note, Final Fantasy II was actually designed by Akitoshi Kawazu, who later designed the SaGa series, rather than Hironobu Sakaguchi, the series' creator. Because of the series' popularity in America during the '90s, Final Fantasy II was one of the first games to undergo fan translation, in this case by NeoDemiforce. Final Fantasy II was originally scored by Nobuo Uematsu, and it was Uematsu's seventeenth work of video game music. The game's music was arranged by Tsuyoshi Sekito for the WonderSwan Color, PlayStation, Game Boy Advance and PlayStation Portable remakes.
Gameplay:
Final Fantasy II is unique in the Final Fantasy series for not utilizing experience-based levels. Instead of earning experience points at the end of every battle, each character participating in battle develops depending on what actions the character takes during the battle. For example, characters who frequently use a particular type of weapon (sword, Bow, axe, etc.) will become more adept at wielding a weapon of that type, as well as increasing their physical strength. Similarly, characters who frequently cast a particular magic spell will learn to cast more powerful versions of that spell, as well as increasing their magical power. HP and MP, will similarly increase depending on need: a character who ends a battle with only a small amount of health remaining may earn an increase in their maximum amount of hit points, and a character who expends the majority of their magic points during a single battle may increase their maximum amount of magic points.
Battle parties can consist of up to four characters at a time. Three of these characters are present throughout the entire game, but the fourth position rotates amongst a variety of characters. Final Fantasy II was the first game in the series to allow a friendly character to be placed in the "back row" during battles. Characters placed in the back row are immune to most physical attacks, but can be harmed with bows and magical attacks. In a similar way, enemies can be arranged in up to four rows of two creatures each (for a maximum of eight hostile opponents on screen at any one time). Only the two rows closest to the player's party could be damaged with physical attacks. By eliminating the two closest rows the player can then physically damage the other rows of enemies.
Throughout the course of the game, when in conversation with Non-Player Characters (NPCs), the player has the ability to "learn" special words or phrases, which can later be repeated to other NPCs to gain more information or unlock new actions. Similarly, there exist a handful of special items that can be shown to NPCs during conversation, which have the same effect.
Storyline (spoiler free):
The story begins when Emperor Mateus of Palamecia summons forth monsters from Hell in his quest to dominate the world. Firion, Maria, Guy, and Leon are orphaned when the Empire attacks Fynn and they are cut down by imperial soldiers as they flee. Firion, Maria, and Guy are rescued by forces belonging to the Wild Rose Rebellion led by Princess Hilda and taken to Altair to be revived, but Leon has gone missing. Though they ask to join the rebellion, Hilda refuses due to their youth and inexperience.
Despite this, Firion, Guy, and Maria return to Fynn and find Prince Scott on his deathbed. He tells the party of Count Borghen's betrayal and asks them to encourage his brother Gordon, who is afraid to join the rebels. Scott asks them not to tell Hilda his feelings for her and gives them a ring to take back just before he dies. Returning Scott's ring convinces Hilda that Firion's group is strong enough to join the fight...
Character Cast -
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Final Fantasy II was the first game in the series to have an actual main cast of characters with names and histories. The first three characters can never be changed, whilst the fourth character is always changing.​
  • Firion is the main character. The adopted friend of Maria and Leon, and childhood friend of Guy, he seeks to destroy the empire in hopes of avenging his fallen family.
  • Maria is Firion and Guy's childhood friend, and the female lead. She quests in the hopes of finding her brother Leon, who disappeared after being attacked by the Empire.
  • Guy is a friend of Firion and Maria. He speaks in a stunted manner, and has the ability to speak to animals. However, this is a unique ability and it is only used once in the entire game.
  • Leon is Maria's older brother, and the new Dark Knight of Palamecia. He went missing during the attack on Fynn, and has since grown to be the emperor's most faithful follower. Late in the game, he joins the trio and helps them defeat the final boss.
  • Minwu is a White Mage and Hilda's personal adviser. He joins the party during their first adventures, and is learned in the arts of magic.
  • Josef is a miner, and helps the resistance gain mythril. He joins the party for only a short time, but his small contribution matters greatly in the end.
  • Gordon is the prince of Kashuan, and fled from battle after his brother, Scott, died in the battle for Fynn. He believes himself to be a coward, and to prove himself fit for the throne, he journeys with Firion and his allies to aid in the defeat of the empire.
  • Leila is a pirate who attempts to rob the party, but her crew is weak and Firion, Maria, and Guy easily defeat them. She repents, and decides only to attack the Empire instead.
  • Ricard Highwind is the last Dragoon of Deist. Having been stuck in Leviathan for some time, he is quite eager to return to action and stop the Empire in order to avenge his fallen allies.
  • Scott is a prince of Kashuan and the older brother of Gordon.
Information concerning title confusion outside of Japan:
Following the successful release of the original Final Fantasy by Nintendo in 1990, Square Soft, Square's North American subsidiary, began work on an English language localization of Final Fantasy II. Assigned to the project was Kaoru Moriyama, whose later work included script translations for Final Fantasy IV and Secret of Mana. Although a beta version was produced, and the game was advertised in several Square Soft trade publications, the age of the original Japanese game and the arrival of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the NES's successor console, led Square Soft to cancel work on the Final Fantasy II localization in favor of the recently released Final Fantasy IV (which, to avoid confusing North American gamers, was retitled Final Fantasy II to reflect the jump in releases).
Music:
For more, check the Final Fantasy music thread.

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Final Fantasy III is the third installment in the Final Fantasy series, developed by Square Co., Ltd., and released on the Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom). It was officially released outside of Japan for the first time when it was remade for the Nintendo DS.
Up until 2006, Final Fantasy III was the only installment in the series to have never seen official English localization, and the only one of the early numbered Final Fantasy games to not see a port or remake. There had been an earlier plan to remake the game for Bandai's WonderSwan Color handheld, but the developers faced difficulties converting the original Famicom Version's cartridge size to the WonderSwan Color, leading to several delays and eventually cancellation after the platform's premature death. An enhanced remake for the Nintendo DS handheld system was released in 2006 in Japan and the U.S., and subsequently released in other parts of the world in 2007. In 2011, the DS Version was ported on iOS with improved graphics. In 2012, the DS Version was ported to the PSP with several new features. Also in 2012, the iOS Version was ported to Android and a version was a launch title for the Ouya console.
Gameplay:
The gameplay contains elements of the first two Final Fantasy games, along with some new features. The Experience point system featured in the original Final Fantasy makes a return following its absence from Final Fantasy II. Final Fantasy III has a new class system; unlike the original Final Fantasy, where the player chooses each character's class at the start of the game, and Final Fantasy II, that has no specific classes, Final Fantasy III introduces the Job System the series would later become famous for.
Out of all four party members and all 23 Jobs in the game, there are 8,855 different party configurations. The Jobs are interchangeable classes: all four characters, the Light Warriors, start out as either "Onion Knights" (in the Famicom Version) or "Freelancers" (in the DS/PSP/iOS/Android remake), and are given the option to switch to a variety of other classes as more crystals are found and sidequests are completed. The classes featured in Final Fantasy III are:
Onion Knight
Freelancer
Warrior
Monk
Ranger
Knight
Thief
Dragoon
Viking
Dark Knight
Black Belt
Ninja
White Mage
Black Mage
Red Mage
Scholar
Geomancer
Evoker
Bard
Devout
Magus
Summoner
Sage
Characters:
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In the game's original Famicom Version the player controls four generic Light Warriors, four children without distinct identities, who, upon finding the Wind Crystal, are granted its power to save the world. Though their genders are never made note of, it is assumed all the children are male. Over the course of their journey, the Light Warriors are joined by several support characters who join the party, but do not actually fight; instead, they offer help on the World Map.
The remake gives the four protagonists different personalities and names than the ones featured in the official manga. They are given different back-stories, which are used in several places to accelerate the plot. The main character is Luneth, who, after being tasked with saving the world's crystals, heads forth with his best friend Arc in pursuit of his quest. Shortly after setting out, they meet a blacksmith's daughter, Refia, and a Knight of Sasune, Ingus. Supporting characters, such as Cid and Sara, still join the party, but now randomly help the party in battle, either by attacking monsters according to their specialization, or by healing the party.
Story:
The Gulgan thus prophesied: "The earthquake was only the beginning. The great tremors that swallowed the crystals, the light of our world, only to spawn monsters from the depths of the scarred land, are nothing but harbingers of what has yet to come. Something is coming...fathomless, ominous, and full of sorrow... But hope is not yet lost. Four souls will be blessed with light, and so it shall begin..."
Centuries before the game, the Ancients used the Crystals of light to build an advanced civilization, accidentally causing a catastrophic flood of light across the world. Four Warriors of Darkness were selected to restore the balance, but the Ancients' civilization fell into ruins. The Gulgans predicted that history would repeat itself from the other direction, and that four Warriors of the Light would be appointed to stop a flood of darkness.
One day, an earthquake opens up an entrance to Altar Cave near the village of Ur. Four orphaned youths under the care of Topapa, the village elder, go exploring and find the Crystal of Wind. The crystal grants them a portion of its power and their first set of Jobs, instructing them to go forth and restore balance to the world...
Music:​

For more, check the Final Fantasy Music thread.

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Final Fantasy IV is the fourth game in the Final Fantasy series. Originally released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the game has been subsequently re-released for the PlayStation, the WonderSwan Color, the Game Boy Advance, the Nintendo DS, the PlayStation Portable, iOS and Android.
It was originally released in North America as Final Fantasy II. This altered numbering system caused the game Final Fantasy VI to be numbered Final Fantasy III, leading to quite a bit of confusion when the PlayStation game Final Fantasy VII (which retained the number VII outside Japan) came out. A sequel, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, was released for Japanese mobile phones in February 2008. The sequel was released via WiiWare in the US on June 1, 2009, and is included in Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection for the PlayStation Portable.
Gameplay:
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Characters traverse an overworld to fulfill requirements of various quests, using towns to replenish strength, buy new equipment, and discover clues, all the while fighting monsters at random intervals. The game introduces the Active Time Battle (ATB) system to the series, which differs from previous Final Fantasy games in that players must give orders to their characters in real-time. The ATB system would reappear in the next five games in the series, as well as making appearances in other games produced by Square Co., Ltd., including Chrono Trigger.
In battle, the player controls a party with up to five characters, making Final Fantasy IV the first and the only Final Fantasy in the main series where four party members is not the maximum capacity. Each character has certain strengths and weaknesses, including either spellcasting powers or other special abilities, based on their job. Like other Final Fantasy games, characters gain in abilities as they gain experience from battles. Magic is divided into four categories, which include White Magic, Black Magic, Rydia's Summon Magic ("Call" in the SNES version), and a special type of offensive and support magic used exclusively by Edge known as Ninjutsu.
Of note is the extensive use of "retort" attacks the enemies use; many enemies will immediately counterattack when attacked under certain conditions. Examples include the Behemoth, the Antlion, and the final boss. Dealing with these enemies requires a variety of strategies, including avoiding using attacks that trigger a counter, using disabling status effects to prevent counters, or using attacks that can kill the enemy in a single hit. This feature was not used as extensively in later Final Fantasy games.
Spell casters, which account for eight of the twelve playable characters (Kain, Edward, Yang and Cid cannot use magic), gain magic spells at pre-programmed experience levels or fixed events in the story; for this reason Final Fantasy IV's ability development system is considered the simplest in the series. This makes it similar to the way spell casters gain spells in Dungeons & Dragons, as opposed to the purchasing of spells in the original Final Fantasy.
Unlike the original Final Fantasy, almost no time is needed to gain enough levels or experience to advance to the game's next area; the game is more evenly paced out so that the player can simply go to the next area as long as the party does not escape from the majority of random encounters. Another new addition to the series is save points, which has become a staple feature since.
Characters:
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Final Fantasy IV features twelve playable characters, with Cecil as the main protagonist and the only permanent party member. The characters join and leave the party as dictated by the story.

  • Cecil Harvey - The story's main protagonist. Initially a Dark Knight and captain of the Red Wings of Baron, Cecil begins to question his King's motives, which gradually sets off a chain of events that leads him on the path to righteousness.
  • Kain Highwind - The commander of the Baron Dragoons, and Cecil and Rosa's childhood friend. With a rivalry with Cecil and unrequited feelings for Rosa, Kain succumbs to the forces of Golbez's side, making his comrades' trust in him waver.
  • Rydia - A young Summoner whose village, Mist, is unintentionally destroyed by Cecil and Kain under their King's orders. Cecil's need to protect her and gain her forgiveness earns him a formidable ally on his quest.
  • Tellah - An elderly Sage driven to exact revenge against Golbez following the death of his daughter, Anna.
  • Edward Chris von Muir - The Prince of Damcyan, who lost his family and his beloved Anna to Golbez's attack on his kingdom. A cowardly Bard, he wants to help Cecil in whatever ways he can and is gradually inspired to become more courageous.
  • Rosa Joanna Farrell - A White Mage and Archer from Baron, her feelings towards Cecil have grown beyond friendship.
  • Yang Fang Leiden - The Grandmaster of the Monks of Fabul. He aids Cecil on behalf of his kingdom.
  • Palom - A young Black Mage in training from Mysidia. He and his twin sister Porom join Cecil on his journey after being sent to accompany him up Mount Ordeals.
  • Porom - A young White Mage in training from Mysidia. She and her twin brother Palom join Cecil on his journey after being sent to accompany him up Mount Ordeals.
  • Cid Pollendina - A master engineer who designed various airships for the Red Wings, and is a father figure to Cecil, Kain and Rosa. His airship, the Enterprise, is one airship used by the party to travel around the world.
  • Edge Geraldine - The Prince of Eblan and a skilled Ninja. He is quick to act on his emotions, but his strong sense of justice still prevails.
  • Fusoya - A Lunarian from the Red Moon, he sheds some light on Cecil and Golbez's true origins and the conflict that has threatened the Blue Planet's peace.
Storyline:
And so, the dark knight Cecil was stripped of his command as the captain of the Red Wings. He and the master dragoon Kain head toward the dark valley for the village of Mist. The advent of the airship marked the realization of Baron's dreams, but also the birth of its militarism. With its Royal Air Force Rod Wings, Baron soon reigned supreme. Now, as monsters multiply and stir unrest, Baron only exploits its power to collect the world's Crystals. Why? The Crystals silently shed their light...
The Kingdom of Baron has begun an unprovoked military campaign against other countries. Lord Captain Cecil Harvey and the Red Wings air force attacks the wizards' town, Mysidia, and seize the Water Crystal. Deeply disturbed by his actions, Cecil asks the King why he is being given such orders. The king strips Cecil of his rank immediately; when Cecil's friend Kain Highwind speaks up for him, the king orders them both to Mist to kill its Eidolon and deliver a Carnelian Signet. Cecil's love Rosa Joanna Farrell and old friend Cid Pollendina try to assuage his self-loathing before he departs, although they too are disturbed by Baron's actions.
Cecil and Kain fight their way through the Mist Cave and defeat the dragon eidolon that guards the exit. When they arrive in the village, the Carnelian Signet releases Bombs which raze the buildings and kill most of the inhabitants. They find a young girl named Rydia mourning her mother, the dragon's summoner, who was killed by the death of the Eidolon. The two men are horrified that they were sent to slaughter a town and resolve to oppose Baron. When Cecil apologizes to the girl and tries to take her to safety, Rydia is enraged and summons Titan. When the earthquake stops, Kain is gone and Rydia is unconscious...
Music:
For more, check the Final Fantasy Music Thread.



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Final Fantasy V is the fifth installment in the Final Fantasy series by Square Co., Ltd., originally released for the Super Family Computer (Super Famicom). The game was ported to the Sony PlayStation, and this version was translated and marketed in North America and Europe as part of the Final Fantasy Anthology collection. The game's SFC version is notable for being one of the earliest fan translations to reach completion, by RPGe in 1997. Final Fantasy V was later released for the Game Boy Advance, as part of the Finest Fantasy for Advance compilation.
The game centers around a group of four strangers brought together by circumstance to save the Crystals that have mysteriously begun shattering one by one. The one behind the phenomenon is the villain Exdeath, as part of a plan to release himself from imprisonment and to gain the power of the Void, a realm of nothingness, which could bestow absolute power on one able to resist being absorbed by it. The four Warriors of Light turn their attentions to defeating Exdeath and stopping the Void's energies from consuming their world.
Final Fantasy V was the first Super Famicom Final Fantasy to incorporate the use of kanji in the Japanese text; previous Final Fantasy titles had originally only used hiragana and katakana script due to character-space limitations. Final Fantasy IV was the last to do this (despite kanji script having been possible at the time), and is the most visibly connected to its predecessors in style.
In 2013 Final Fantasy V was released for mobile platforms. This version was developed by Matrix Software, and has new graphical style but otherwise remains the same as previous versions.
Gameplay:
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The main gameplay feature is the revamped job system allowing all characters to potentially master up to twenty-two jobs. The player starts out as "Freelancer", and as they travel to new Crystal locations, the party acquire new jobs.
A separate form of Experience, ABP, is introduced for the advancement of the characters' job levels, while they continue to earn regular Experience Points. The system introduces a streamlined method of "multi-classing", allowing each character to learn job-specific abilities and carry one or two over when they change their class. After Final Fantasy V the job system was absent in the series until the Final Fantasy Tactics series, Final Fantasy XI, Final Fantasy X-2, and Final Fantasy 12: International Zodiac Job System.
Battle innovations include reworking the Active Time Battle system, so that the player could, for the first time in the Final Fantasy series, see whose turn would come next. Other Final Fantasy conventions, such as the Blue Mage, are introduced, adding new elements to battle.
Final Fantasy V features the series' first recurring mini-boss, Gilgamesh. Bartz and his friends fight him several times during the game, a concept the series continues to use.
Characters:
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The game stars a crew of five unique characters. The initial four remain together for much of the game, until one is permanently replaced by the fifth character.
  • Bartz Klauser is an adventurer and the "main character" (he is the first person the player controls, and is often representative of the party). He becomes embroiled in the adventure at the very beginning, when he comes upon the crash site of a meteor with Boko, his chocobo, and meets Lenna. Bartz's name is Butz in both the original Japanese and the fan-translated versions.
  • Lenna Charlotte Tycoon meets Bartz at the meteor. She is the daughter of King Tycoon. Her name was transliterated as Reina in the Western PlayStation versions.
  • Galuf Halm Baldesion is a mysterious old man with amnesia discovered unconscious at the meteorite. His past is initially unknown, but is revealed as the story progresses.
  • Faris Scherwiz is a pirate whom the party meets when they try to sneak aboard her ship. During the game's first portion Faris disguises herself as a man. She has a connection with Lenna that is later revealed.
  • Krile Mayer Baldesion is Galuf's granddaughter and aids the party several times. Later in the game, she takes Galuf's place in the party. Her name is Cara in the fan-translated version.
Storyline:
The story opens in Tycoon Castle, where King Tycoon prepares to depart for the Wind Shrine. The wind is behaving strangely, and he orders his daughter, Lenna, to watch over the kingdom while he investigates. As soon as he arrives, the Wind Crystal shatters, halting the wind across the world. Lenna rushes off to search for her father, while a pirate at sea notices the change, and an old man in a meteor hurries to the scene.
The meteor crashes near Tycoon Castle, where it is seen by Bartz Klauser, a lone wanderer who travels the world with his chocobo Boko. He finds Lenna under attack by goblins and rescues her. They search the Tycoon Meteor crash site and find the old man, who gives his name as Galuf but has no other memory. When Lenna mentions the Wind Shrine he says he has to go with her, though he has no idea why the Wind Shrine seems important. Bartz declines to travel with them, but Boko changes his mind and they return in time to rescue the pair from more goblins. Feeling that "the wind is calling," Bartz decides to join them on their quest.
In need of a way to sail without wind, they watch a pirate ship enter a secluded harbor seemingly on its own power. Although Lenna suggests asking the pirates for a ride, Galuf and Bartz rationalize that since these are pirates, simply stealing the ship is the safer option. The pirates and their captain, Faris, catch them in the act and briefly imprison them, but Faris decides to join them to find out why he and Lenna share a pendant. He reveals the ship moves thanks to a tame sea dragon named Syldra and they sail on to the Wind Shrine...
Music:
For more, visit the Final Fantasy Music Thread

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Final Fantasy VI is the sixth installment in the Final Fantasy series, first released in 1994 on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was directed by Yoshinori Kitase and Hiroyuki Itou, who took over from the series creator and producer Hironobu Sakaguchi, director of the five previous installments of the franchise. Long-time series contributor Nobuo Uematsu composed the musical score, while Yoshitaka Amano contributed to the image design.
Final Fantasy VI was the third installment in the Final Fantasy series to be released in North America (after the original Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy IV) and was first released in North America as Final Fantasy III to maintain the naming continuity. Due to various content guidelines imposed by Nintendo of America at the time, several other changes were made to the original North American version, including restrictions against nudity and profanity.
The game's story focuses on a conflict between the Empire, a dictatorship conquering the world, and the Returners, a rebel faction opposed to them. The Empire has acquired a great army through experiments with espers, magical demi-gods thought to be only myths. The Returners seek magical power to fight the Empire on equal terms, and an amnesiac former imperial soldier, Terra Branford, proves key to both sides for understanding magic and espers.
Final Fantasy VI features fourteen playable characters, the largest cast of any main series game in the Final Fantasy series. The game is set in a fantasy steampunk-style world, at a technological level roughly corresponding to Earth during the Second Industrial Revolution. It is the last title in the series to be released for the Super Nintendo console and the last title to be renamed; the next installment was called Final Fantasy VII on all regions.
Final Fantasy VI was ported to the PlayStation and released in Japan in 1999, both individually and as part of the Final Fantasy Collection. In North America, this port is available as part of the Final Fantasy Anthology. In 2002, the PlayStation port was released individually in Europe and Australia. A new port of the game was released with additional content on the Game Boy Advance as Final Fantasy VI Advance on November 30th, 2006, in Japan, and February 5th, 2007, in North America.
In October 2013 it was revealed Final Fantasy VI will be ported to smartphones with updated graphics and adjustments to the battle system so that less grinding is required than before.
Gameplay:
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The gameplay of Final Fantasy VI is similar to that of Final Fantasy V. Players can equip espers that teach spells and give stat boosts, similar to the jobs from Final Fantasy V. What abilities cannot be taught by espers can usually be learned by equipping relics, which give abilities like Jump and Two Hands. The characters can also each equip a weapon, a shield, a helmet and a piece of clothing, each equipment piece often with its unique properties, such as stat boosts or elemental immunities.
Unlike previous entries, such as Final Fantasy II and Final Fantasy IV, (though later made possible on the remakes), where party members come and go as the story dictates, Final Fantasy VI introduces the ability to change the party at almost any given time. Fairly early into the game - in a feature that would be repeated in later installments - players are allowed to form their own party from whatever allies the resistance has gathered. Each of these allies has a specific talent; for example, Locke is a Thief, Cyan is a Samurai, and so on.
At times, such as the infiltration of the Southern Continent, the storyline demands that specific party members be taken along, but for the most part, the player can use whichever party they like. A total of fourteen playable characters were created for the game, each representing a different aspect of the Job System and possessing their own fighting style. Because of the vast number of characters, several dungeons in the game require the player to form multiple parties, using two or three groups to open paths for each other and work together to progress.
Though some characters have special abilities similar to magic, the only characters to learn regular spells naturally are Celes and Terra, although they have a limited spell pool. Most characters can learn magic by equipping magicite, or a few select pieces of equipment. Magicite is the crystallized remains of an esper, mystical creatures with intense magical power. Each character can equip a single piece of magicite at a time, and each magicite shard can be used only by a single character at any given time. Once equipped, magicite teaches magic by way of Ability Points.
Each esper teaches a spell according to a certain percentage rate, and winning Ability Points increases the equipped character's aptitude with that spell by the specified amount - once enough Ability Points have been won to put the percentage rate at 100%, the spell is learned and can be cast. Some espers, such as Lakshmi, teach several basic spells quickly, while others, like Valigarmanda, teach a small handful of powerful spells slowly. This system means that with patience, any character, bar Umaro and Gogo, can learn any spell.
In addition to teaching normal magic, the espers give access to Summon Magic. A character can summon their equipped esper once per battle, even if they know no magic themselves. At times, these summons are merely more powerful versions of the spells they teach, like Ramuh; at other times they are entirely different, such as Quetzalli. Some espers give permanent stat boosts when the equipped character levels up with the magicite equipped. For example, Gilgamesh gives +2 Strength, Fenrir gives an additional 30% boost to maximum MP, and so forth.
This means characters can modify their stats to suit whatever task the player wishes them to fulfill - even physical fighters like Edgar can be powerful mages with enough leveling to increase their Magic Power. This system gives Summoned Monsters a larger role in the party's strength than previous installments, something on which later installments, like Final Fantasy VIII, would expand.
Characters:
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  • Terra Branford, a half-human, half-esper girl who spent most of her young life being bred as a weapon for the Empire.
  • Locke Cole, a treasure hunter (at various points of the game, he demands people refer to him as treasure hunter instead of "thief") and rebel sympathizer.
  • Edgar Roni Figaro is the king of Figaro and Locke's friend. He claims allegiance to the Empire while secretly supplying aid to the Returners.
  • Sabin Rene Figaro, Edgar's brother. He fled the royal court to hone his martial arts skills.
  • Cyan Garamonde, a loyal knight of the kingdom of Doma whose family and friends die in the Siege of Doma.
  • Gau, a feral child surviving since infancy in the harsh wilderness known as the Veldt, coaxed into the party with offerings of food.
  • Celes Chere, a former general of the Empire and a Magitek Knight, she joins the Returners following her imprisonment for questioning imperial policies.
  • Setzer Gabbiani, the inveterate gambler and womanizer who joins forces with the Returners after being tricked by Celes, offering the use of his airship to transport the heroes around the world.
  • Shadow, a high-priced ninja mercenary, he offers his services to both Empire and Returners at various stages throughout the game.
  • Relm Arrowny, a young girl living in the town of Thamasa with a passion for painting and a mysterious connection to Shadow.
  • Strago Magus, an elderly Blue Mage, Relm's adoptive grandfather and one of the few remaining Magi.
  • Mog, a talking moogle from the mines of Narshe.
  • Umaro, a savage but loyal yeti living in Narshe, who answers only to Mog.
  • Gogo, a mysterious, fully shrouded master of the art of mimicry who agrees to lend support only when the party finds their way to the lair in the stomach of a giant monster.
Story:
A thousand years ago, three gods known as the Warring Triad descended to the world, and warred for dominance. The conflict became known as the War of the Magi, during which the gods transformed humans and animals into creatures called espers, giving them immense magical power. Eventually the gods realized the war was destroying the world and turned themselves to stone, their final wish being that the espers prevent their power from being abused. The espers took the gods' petrified remains and fashioned a new dimension where they could live peacefully, away from humans, and to hide away the gods.
In the present, the world has experienced a technological revolution, while magic has faded into legend. To the south, the Gestahlian Empire led by Emperor Gestahl discovered the entrance to the Land of Espers and kidnapped several of the creatures. The Empire found a way to drain the espers of their magical energy and imbue humans and machines with this power. This technology is known as Magitek. Using Magitek to overpower the armies of other nations, the Gestahlian Empire conquered the southern continent and began to push into the north with the ultimate aim of world conquest...
Music:
For more, visit the Final Fantasy Music thread.


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Final Fantasy VII is the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series, released in 1997 by Square Co., Ltd., and continues to be one of the most popular games in the series. It was directed by Yoshinori Kitase, written by Kitase and Kazushige Nojima, and produced by Hironobu Sakaguchi. It was the first game of the Final Fantasy series to be developed for the PlayStation rather than a Nintendo system, and the first game in the series to be ported to Windows. Final Fantasy VII was the first Final Fantasy title with entirely 3D (polygonal) character models, although the majority of environments were two-dimensional pre-rendered maps (except the world map and battle screens, which were rendered in full 3D).
Moving more towards a cyber-punk setting as opposed to the steam-punk setting its predecessor had (as well as slightly more away from high-fantasy elements that were present in previous installments), Final Fantasy VII is the first incarnation of the series to have a modern/futuristic setting, although other games in the series prior to it made sparse uses of advanced technology here and there, such as traveling underground and to the moon in Final Fantasy IV, traveling underwater in Final Fantasy V, or utilizing steampower, coal, gunpowder, and Magitek in Final Fantasy VI.
Final Fantasy VII is one of the best-selling games of all time, with the highest sales (10.5 million copies) of any game in the Final Fantasy series, and the second highest sales for a game on the PlayStation platform. It received GameSpot's Editor's Choice, scoring a 9.5/10 and a 9.6/10 user score. Since its debut on the Sony PlayStation, Final Fantasy VII has been released on the PC and later the PlayStation Network. It is widely considered one of the most influential RPGs to-date.
Unlike Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy VI, which in North America were renamed II and III (II, III, and V were not yet released internationally at that time), Final Fantasy VII retained the number seven for its westernized release. The game has spawned an entire sub-series of sequels, prequels, and even "midquels" called the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII.
Gameplay:
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Final Fantasy VII is a largely menu-driven role-playing game. Initially, the player is restricted to the city of Midgar, but as the game progresses, more and more of the world becomes accessible and the scripted adventure sequences gradually give way to greater freedom and opportunities to explore. At several points in the story, the game is interrupted by scripted dramatic sequences, some of which are lengthy.
During its turn-based battle sequences, the game uses the same Active Time Battle (ATB) system utilized in the three Final Fantasy games preceding it. Unlike previous games in the series, which traditionally allowed for a maximum of four to five party members to participate in battle, Final Fantasy VII allows for only three characters at any one time.
Final Fantasy VII's skill system utilizes Materia, magic orbs which can be placed in special slots on weapons and armor. Materia allows characters to access magic spells, special commands, and a variety of other abilities. Materia can be combined in a fixed number of ways, and strategic use of the Materia combinations allow the player to use various tactics suiting their personal style of play.
A feature introduced in Final Fantasy VI, the "desperation attack" reappears in Final Fantasy VII in a new, modified form now known as the Limit Break. Every playable character has a special "limit bar" which fills up proportionally to the damage received by the character in battle. When the limit bar is completely filled, the character has access to his or her Limit Break, a special ability which generally inflicts much more damage on an enemy than normal physical attacks; also, some Limit Breaks target all the enemies instead of just one and other Limit Breaks support the party such as healing HP or providing status buffs.
Final Fantasy VII popularized the inclusion of very difficult optional bosses not required to complete the game, but to offer reward and challenge the player. Later in the game, a series of strong monsters called Weapons appear; the player must confront several of them through the plot, but two of them - Ruby Weapon and Emerald Weapon - can only be encountered if the player goes out of their way. These two bosses were not included in the game's original Japanese version, but were later added to the European and American ports.
Characters:
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  • Cloud Strife is the main protagonist who poses as a former member of SOLDIER now operating as a mercenary caught up in the actions of eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE. Uncaring and cold at first, he begins to change, eventually caring about his friends and the fate of the Planet.
  • Barret Wallace, the leader of AVALANCHE, wields a gun on his right arm in place of his injured hand. Despite his brash and loud-mouthed personality he is a caring person and loves his daughter Marlene.
  • Tifa Lockhart, Cloud's childhood friend and member of AVALANCHE, runs the bar 7th Heaven in the Sector 7 slums, which serves as the group's hideout. Her sympathetic exterior hides fearsome fighting skills.
  • Aeris Gainsborough, a flower girl from Sector 5 and the last of the Cetra, was captured by Shinra at a young age but escaped with her mother Ifalna, who died, leaving Aeris orphaned. Aeris was found and raised by Elmyra Gainsborough.
  • Red XIII is a quadrupedal, flame red beast capable of speech. The party rescues him from capture and attempted breeding at Shinra Headquarters. He speaks little, but when he does, his words are often important.
  • Cait Sith, a robotic cat atop a stuffed Mog, operates as a fortune teller when the party meets him at the Gold Saucer. He shouts commands to his Mog in battle using a big megaphone. His friendly attitude belies a deceitful side; but he is eventually used for good.
  • Cid Highwind, the foul-mouthed, chain-smoking pilot of Rocket Town dreams to be the first man in space. He was forced to abort the mission after his assistant, Shera, was running a safety check on the rocket and would have burned to death had it taken off. Despite his bitter attitude, Cid has a good heart and cares about his friends.
  • Yuffie Kisaragi, known first as the Mystery Ninja, can be encountered in any forest after the events at the Mythril Mine. A self-professed Materia hunter, she is sneaky and playful, but later it is revealed she only 'hunts' Materia to restore her home of Wutai to its former glory.
  • Vincent Valentine, discovered sleeping in a coffin by the party at Shinra Mansion in Nibelheim, is a former Turk with a traumatic past. After being subject to numerous experiments, Vincent became able to change into monstrous forms, but sealed himself in the coffin out of shame. Like Red XIII, he speaks little but offers helpful advice when he does.
  • Sephiroth, is an un-controllable temporary party member during a single sequence. After resurfacing years after being deemed dead, pursuing Sephiroth becomes the party's main motivation.
Storyline:
An energy manufacturing mega-company known as Shinra, Inc. is harvesting the sheer life energy of the Planet (known as the Lifestream) as a simple fossil fuel. The Lifestream is processed and made into products ranging from electricity and heat to Mako and Materia. The latter two materials can work miracles, granting the wisdom of the Ancients to the user. However, the Lifestream, like most other fuels, is finite in supply, and the Planet's lifeforce is being malevolently drained by the constant exploitation of Mako by Shinra. Though aware of the harmful effects, they function without remorse.
However, the real battle lies not with a corporation, but a force much more competent from the distant past. A long-thought dead warrior bent on becoming a god by draining all of the Lifestream from the Planet has risen again and will stop at nothing to achieve his goal.
Now a small rebel group emanating from the slums must quell the various dangers toward the innocent, and one mercenary for hire must look amidst the lies and deception and find the man he is within.

Gaia, referred to as the Planet in the game, is the world of Final Fantasy VII. It is technologically advanced, with many of real-world modern inventions, such as cars, television, firearms, and cellphones. Their world is dominated by humans, who are the only major race other than a few nearly extinct species. The world is economically, militarily, and politically dominated by a powerful conglomerate called the Shinra Electric Power Company, which profits from the use of machines known as Mako Reactors.
The reactors siphon a special type of energy - called "Mako" - out of the Planet and convert it into electricity. One of the byproducts of the extraction and refinement of Mako energy is Materia, a concentrated form of Mako which allows the wielder to use its magical properties. President Shinra leads his eponymous organization, and is the world's de facto ruler. Shinra is involved with many horrible genetic experiments, which have created many of the monsters that roam the Planet.
Mako energy is drawn from the Lifestream, a flow of life-force beneath the Planet's surface. All life originates from the Lifestream, and returns to it upon death and the Lifestream is the sum of all the life that has ever and will ever walk upon the Planet. The process of extracting Mako energy drains the life of the Planet to generate electricity. This can be seen in the Shinra's capital city of Midgar, where the eight Mako Reactors have sucked out so much of the Planet's life-force the area is covered in perpetual darkness and no plants can grow.
Shinra's management is concerned with the limited repositories of Mako energy available for harvesting, and fascinated with the legend of the Promised Land; a place where the land is fertile and where Mako flows abundantly. Only a race called the Cetra, or the Ancients, are, according to legend, able to find it. The Cetra were all but driven to extinction by the "Calamity From the Skies", the alien creature Jenova. All are lost except for one, Aeris Gainsborough, whom Shinra has been trying to capture for years...
Music:
For more, visit the Final Fantasy Music thread.


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Final Fantasy VIII is the eighth installment in the Final Fantasy series. The game is the second Final Fantasy developed for both PlayStation and PC. It was made available as a PSOne Classic over the PlayStation Network in Japan on September 24, 2009, in North America on December 18, 2009 and in Europe on February 4, 2010.
Thirteen weeks after its release, Final Fantasy VIII earned more than $50 million from sales in the United States, making it the fastest selling Final Fantasy title at the time. Additionally, Final Fantasy VIII was voted the 22nd-best game of all time by readers of the Japanese magazine Famitsu. Final Fantasy VIII went on to become one of the best-selling games in the series; the game had shipped 8.15 million copies worldwide as of March 31, 2003.
Final Fantasy VIII is a departure from many traditional series standards. It is the first Final Fantasy game to consistently use realistically proportioned characters, the first to feature a vocal piece as its theme music, and one of the only titles to deviate from the series' traditional means of increasing a character's power via leveling (although levels are not completely abandoned as they were in Final Fantasy II). In addition, it does not have a Magic Point-based system for spell-casting. Instead, magic is collected, drawn, and created from monsters and objects encountered throughout the game, and is used to power up the characters via the Junction System.
Gameplay:
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The gameplay in Final Fantasy VIII is vastly different from previous titles. The Draw and Junction Systems are the most notable changes. Instead of leveling up in order to learn new spells and abilities via weapons or a job class, the player must Draw the spells from enemies and Draw Points, hotspots scattered throughout the game containing random numbers of a specific spell.
This eliminates the convention of magic/mana points, but encourages players to hoard and conserve spells both for direct use and for junctioning them to different stats associated with Guardian Forces, who also hold the learning of new abilities.
Summoned monsters in Final Fantasy VIII are known as Guardian Forces, often abbreviated to GFs. They require junctioning to characters in order to be used, as well as to utilize their inherent abilities. Unlike previous games, GFs take time to be summoned, and the time taken depends on the character/GF combination. When selected, the ATB gauge begins to run backwards and the character's name and HP are replaced by the GF's name and HP.
Similar to the Aeons used later in Final Fantasy X, the GF have HP and can take damage, shielding party members while being summoned. During the summon charge time, if the GF's HP reaches 0, they get KOed and the summon is canceled. They also can't be summoned until revived. When the GF's ATB gauge reaches zero, the GF is summoned and attacks in a similar fashion to Final Fantasy VII. If the summoned GF has learned the Boost ability, the player can attempt to boost the GF's attack power by up to 250%, but if the player fails to adequately boost the GF its attack power may actually be reduced rather than enhanced.
Guardian Forces gain Ability Points from battles to learn abilities. Each GF has unique abilities, though rare items allow the player to customize each GF's skillsets. Most abilities at least require junctioning the GF to a character, but some abilities also require junctioning to the character to take effect. Each GF has an ability that, once learned, can be junctioned as a battle command. The first two Guardian Forces are acquired at the beginning of the game. Other Guardian Forces can be acquired through sidequests, or by drawing them from a boss. Only three Guardian Forces are given automatically, the others are optional.
The Junction System is the system used for boosting character stats and to give elemental/Status Effect effects to weapons and armor. The player must junction a Guardian Force to enable the use of battle commands other than Attack. Boosting stats requires characters to obtain magic, by drawing spells from enemies and draw points and by refining from items with GF abilities.
The player can junction the spells to stats such as Strength, Vitality, Evasion and Hit-Rate. Which attributes can be customized depends on the junctioned Guardian Force(s). The Guardian Force can learn to unlock more statistics to junction magic to by earning AP in battle, and by the use of GF items.
As with most games of the RPG genre, Experience Points are awarded following defeat of randomly encountered enemies. The system of leveling in Final Fantasy VIII is unique for two reasons: each playable character only requires 1,000 Experience Points to advance to the next level, whereas other games require progressively more points as levels are gained. The statistic increases granted by a level-up are minuscule, as major stat growth is relegated to the Junction System.
The other feature is that enemies and bosses have no set level (although bosses have level caps); they increase in hit points, statistics, and abilities alongside the player party. Higher-level enemies are capable of inflicting and withstanding significantly more damage, and may have additional special attacks. They also possess better magic to draw and items to steal as their level rises. The benefit of this system is no matter where the player is in the storyline, there is a level of difficulty.
Furthermore, due to most locations being visited several times during the storyline and for sidequests, enemies encountered early will grow with the party and can still pose a threat later in the game. There are certain locations that are the exempt to this style of creature leveling, notably the Island Closest to Heaven and the Island Closest to Hell, where all creatures are at level 100 regardless of character level, and the Lunatic Pandora, where all creatures are at level 1 regardless of character level with Squall as party leader (more info here).
The Limit Break system in Final Fantasy VIII is a more advanced version of the Desperation Attack system from Final Fantasy VI. Each character has a unique Limit Break based on their preferred fighting style. As a rule of thumb, while a character's HP remains below a certain point, Limit Breaks will become available.
One notable difference between this system and the Desperation Attack feature in Final Fantasy VI is that the player can opt to Attack normally even if a Limit Break is currently available. Another is that the chance of a Limit Break becoming available will increase the lower his/her HP becomes, among other factors. Also, while Desperation Attacks could only be used once per battle, there are no limits to how often Limit Breaks can be performed, so long as the character remains in critical condition.
Several characters' Limit Break sequences are also interactive, requiring the player's skill to reach its full damage potential; if performed correctly, these interactive Limit Breaks can be far more powerful than the non-interactive ones.
Final Fantasy VIII introduced a minigame that can be played whenever there are NPCs around; a trading card game, known as Triple Triad. Triple Triad varies from a simple easy-to-play game to a complicated one. More rules and variations of other rules come into play depending on what area the player is playing in. And to complicate things further, rules played with in one area are carried to other areas, so the player will want to be careful what rules to pick up while playing.
Cards won from monsters or by playing NPCs can be turned into various items using Quezacotl's Card Mod ability, ranging from screws to items capable of being refined into the most powerful magics in the game. Cards can also be obtained by using Quezacotl's Card command to turn targeted monsters into cards.
Characters:
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Overall, Final Fantasy VIII has eleven playable characters, six of them used for the majority of the game, three used at certain interludes, and two temporary characters.
Main characters:​

  • Squall Leonhart - The taciturn and reluctant hero. A lone wolf, he is known as a fearsome warrior in training, specializing in the rare gunblade. Though aloof and seemingly detached, he grows to appreciate his friends and love Rinoa, evolving into a model leader for his peers. His tagline is "...Whatever".
  • Rinoa Heartilly - A beautiful and spirited young woman who abandoned a privileged lifestyle to join a resistance movement. Owns a faithful pet dog, Angelo.
  • Quistis Trepe - A top-notch member of SeeD who serves as Squall's instructor. Though beautiful and popular, she is insecure about herself and her capabilities. She overcomes this through her deep caring for Squall and her friends.
  • Zell Dincht - A Garden student with unsurpassed martial arts skill who has a passion for hot dogs. In spite of his loud-mouthed attitude, Zell strives to be a model cadet.
  • Selphie Tilmitt - A spunky young woman with a carefree spirit. Transferred from Trabia Garden. She tends to overcompensate her sad past with a happy disposition.
  • Irvine Kinneas - An expert gunman and consummate ladies' man. Despite his shallow façade, Irvine is determined, caring and sensitive man, and is the only one who knows the hidden connection between all the members of the group.
  • Ultimecia - A powerful sorceress from the future who desires to become omnipotent. A manipulative woman filled with hatred and resentment, her past is shrouded in mystery.
Other major characters:​

  • Seifer Almasy - Squall's rival who wreaks havoc within Balamb Garden. An accomplished warrior and gunblade specialist, he considers Squall his equal and dreams of becoming an hero, but his mind becomes warped by the sorceress's influence.​
  • Laguna Loire - A passionate man whose "pen is truly mightier than the sword". Despite disliking violence, he bravely takes up arms in the face of injustice or when his loved ones are in peril.​
  • Kiros Seagill - A Galbadian soldier who wields katals in battle. An intellectual and cool person, he is Laguna's best friend and the voice of reason within the group of friends.​
  • Ward Zabac - A Galbadian soldier who wields a harpoon. Though intimidating at first glance, he is a caring individual and a most loyal friend to Laguna.​
  • Edea Kramer - A mysterious sorceress and estranged wife of Cid Kramer, whose connection to the main cast is more than just antagonism.​
  • Cid Kramer - Headmaster of Balamb Garden. A nurturing man and a true dreamer, he guides the main cast through several points in the game.​
  • Ellone - A mysterious young woman with the ability to send people's consciousness back in time.​
  • Adel - Sorceress and (former) ruler of Esthar. Brutal and cruel, she is said to be pure evil.​
Storyline:
At the forefront of a rising tide of violence brought on by Galbadia's war declaration is a SeeD cadet named Squall Leonhart. Serious to a fault, Squall has earned himself the reputation of being a lone wolf.
A chance encounter with the free-spirited Rinoa Heartilly, however, turns his universe upside down. Having thrived on discipline, Squall finds Rinoa's carefree attitude fascinating. Yet there is no time to ponder these thoughts, for the job of dealing with the sorceress behind Galbadia's irrational hostility has fallen to SeeD and Squall.

The game opens with a duel between the two arch-rivals Squall Leonhart and Seifer Almasy. Squall and Seifer are both students at Balamb Garden, a military academy training SeeDs. SeeDs are an elite mercenary force contracted to help people all around the world. The duel ends in a tie, when both men end up with scars across their faces. Squall wakes up a few hours later, on the day of his SeeD field exam. He goes with his instructor Quistis Trepe to retrieve a Guardian Force (GF), a creature that enables people to use magic to enhance one's physical capabilities.
The final test Squall must pass to become a SeeD is to go the the occupied city of Dollet, together with his squad members Zell Dincht and Seifer. They quickly uncover the reason for the Galbadian Army's occupation; to reactivate an old radio tower. Seifer leaves his teammates behind, and disobeys Garden's orders. A spunky young girl, Selphie Tilmitt, joins the party at this time, and after defeating a monster at the top of the tower, the tower is reactivated, and they are chased back to the beach by a spider-like war machine...
Music:
For more, visit the Final Fantasy Music Thread
 
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Final Fantasy IX is the ninth installment in the Final Fantasy series, released by Square in 2000. It was directed by Hiroyuki Ito and co-produced by Hironobu Sakaguchi and Shinji Hashimoto. It is the third and last Final Fantasy in the main series to be produced for the PlayStation. Unlike Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy IX was not ported to the PC. It was originally going to be a spin-off game, but was eventually made into a main game. On April 2nd, 2010, it was announced on Twitter that Final Fantasy IX would be added to the PlayStation Network, and was released for PSN on May 20th, 2010 for Japanese players, May 26th, 2010 for European and Australian players, and on June 15, 2010 for North American players.
After two Final Fantasy installments that featured an increasing sci-fi slant, Final Fantasy IX was intended to return the series, at least temporarily, to its more fantasy-oriented roots. The characters, who had been depicted in an increasingly realistic fashion in previous Final Fantasy games, were deliberately rendered in a more cartoonish fashion to reflect this return to tradition. Among the most notable Final Fantasy traditions is the presence of black mages, represented foremost by the playable party member Vivi; other black mages appear as a crucial element of the storyline.
Final Fantasy IX was announced and developed in tandem with Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XI. This three-pronged marketing effort was intended to provide gamers with the promise of three upcoming games of varied style and gameplay: an intentionally retro RPG in Final Fantasy IX, a smoother evolution in style and design in Final Fantasy X, and an online experience in Final Fantasy XI.
Gameplay:
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Final Fantasy IX retains experience points and levels, but new abilities are learned by equipping an item that can teach an ability and gaining enough ability points to learn it permanently, reminiscent of the Esper system in Final Fantasy VI. However, in Final Fantasy IX abilities can still be used even when they have not been learned permanently.
A little known feature is that abilities can be learned faster by equipping multiple pieces of equipment that teach the same ability; e.g. Zidane will learn Long Reach twice as fast if he equips both Thief Hat and Protect Ring simultaneously. The effect is boosted further by using the Ability Up ability.
There are two types of abilities in Final Fantasy IX: "Action" and "Support". Action abilities include techniques like Magic, weapon skills and calling eidolons. Support abilities have beneficial passive effects such as resistance against status effects and increased damage to certain enemy types.
A limited amount of support abilities can be equipped at one time, governed by Magic Stones. Each support ability requires a certain number of Magic Stones, and more stones can be gained by leveling up. Many abilities can be learned by most of the cast, but some are exclusive to certain characters.
In the field, the player typically controls the main character, Zidane. However, unlike the previous 3D games, the environment is more interactive. When Zidane passes a point of interest, a ! or ? bubble appears above his head, and the player can press X to interact with the object. As the game progresses, different methods of traveling across the world become available. As with previous incarnations, characters can travel by chocobo, boat and airship.
Following the tradition started by Final Fantasy IV, the game utilizes the Active Time Battle system in battle. When a character's ATB gauge is filled up, that character can choose a command to execute. Normally, enemies attack whenever their turn is up, but the battle can be set to "Wait" mode, making the enemy unable to attack a character while they are choosing a spell or an item from the menu.
In Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII, the player was restricted to three-person parties. In Final Fantasy IX, this is changed to the classic four-person party. Also, the game allows for two players to control members chosen by the player in the battle.
Final Fantasy IX has character classes, something absent from the last few preceding games in the series. While not explicitly stated, each character in the game has an obvious job based on previous Final Fantasy games and an overview of their abilities in battle. For example, Zidane is a Thief, Amarant is a cross between a Ninja and a Monk, Quina is a Blue Mage, and so on.
This is yet another return to tradition from the recent predecessors of Final Fantasy IX, in which characters were largely blank slates to be heavily customized by the player. In Final Fantasy IX the emphasis is on building an effective team of characters whose strengths and weaknesses balance one another to form an effective fighting force.
Another new aspect of Final Fantasy IX are Active Time Events (ATE). When an ATE window appears the player can press Select to see what the other characters are doing, allowing for more character development. Although watching an ATE might not always affect the main storyline, sometimes the player will have to watch an ATE automatically. The player might, however, gain items or gil by watching the ATEs. Sometimes, multiple choices for ATEs to watch are given, and if one is picked, the other might not be able to be activated, meaning the player has to wait for a second playthrough to see it.
Within the game, Mognet is a postal system used by Moogles. As the player progresses through the game, they will find Moogles inhabiting most of the known world. When the player talks to a moogle, they allow the player to save their game, restore life energy via Tents, or purchase items with Mogshop.
The moogle may also request that the player character act as a courier by delivering a letter to another moogle via Mognet. It is also possible (albeit less frequently) that the player may receive a letter from another character in the game.
Later on in the game, it is revealed the moogles are only requesting that the player deliver letters because Mognet Central, where the letters are usually sorted, is having mechanical problems, and as a result, deliveries have become sporadic. It is later revealed the malfunctions are caused by the letter carrier Artemicion, who decorated his coat with the oil used to lubricate Mognet's machines, causing them to break down. There are several letters about Artemicion being sent between moogles worrying about his constant use of the item, called Super Slick. Nevertheless, many do admire Artemicion's shiny coat. The player may optionally help the moogles restore Mognet Central's functionality in a sidequest.
The world of Final Fantasy IX, named Gaia, is divided into four continents:​

  • Mist Continent, the first playable area and the most heavily settled.
  • Forgotten Continent, a large land in the west where the sun sets.
  • Lost Continent, to the northwest, almost entirely covered in ice.
  • Outer Continent, an arid desert wasteland to the north.
Characters:
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  • Zidane Tribal: The main protagonist. A Thief, member of the Tantalus group, and an inveterate womanizer.
  • Vivi Ornitier: A young black mage, but is pure of heart.
  • Garnet Til Alexandros XVII: The female protagonist, and princess of Alexandria. A Summoner with more emphasis on summons than White Magic.
  • Adelbert Steiner: A noble Knight of Alexandria, and the Captain of the Knights of Pluto.
  • Freya Crescent: A Burmecian Dragon Knight who searches for her lost love, Sir Fratley.
  • Quina Quen: A Qu Blue Mage who joins the adventure to experience cuisine from around the world.
  • Eiko Carol: A young Summoner with more proficiency in White Magic than summoning, one of the last of her tribe.
  • Amarant Coral: A Monk and wanted bandit, accompanying Zidane to discover what makes him powerful.
Storyline:
In the world of Gaia, Queen Brahne Raza Alexandros XVI of the kingdom of Alexandria lusts for power, and is trying to increase her domain by conquering the surrounding lands. War is brewing among the neighboring kingdoms on the Mist Continent. Regent Cid of Lindblum is worried about how these troubling events will impact Princess Garnet, so he dispatches the Tantalus Theater Troupe to Alexandria to kidnap her. A prominent character in Tantalus is the game's main protagonist, Zidane Tribal.
However, the Princess herself yearns to escape from her wicked mother, and is willingly kidnapped. During the operation, Vivi and Adelbert Steiner, Captain of the Royal Knights of Pluto and Garnet's guardian, become involved, much to Steiner's disdain. Things go wrong, and Zidane is left in charge of the kidnapping. During their escape, the theater ship, the Prima Vista, is shot down from the sky and lands in the Evil Forest.
Zidane decides to assist the princess to Lindblum on foot, but Baku, the leader of Tantalus, dissents with his opinion and dismisses Zidane. Vivi and Steiner join Zidane in rescuing Garnet from the Forest's carnivorous flora and eventually escape the woods, leaving Tantalus behind. The foursome venture through the Ice Cavern, where Zidane defeats Black Waltz 1, Brahne's lackey. Arriving in the village of Dali, Garnet adopts the alias of "Dagger" to blend in with the peasantry. The villagers kidnap Vivi and the rest of the party is soon shocked when they rescue him and find out the villagers are manufacturing black mages from the Mist, for export to Alexandria...
Music:
For more, visit the Final Fantasy Music thread



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Final Fantasy X is the tenth installment in the Final Fantasy series. It follows the story of Tidus and Yuna; and was the first Final Fantasy to appear on a sixth-generation console, namely the PlayStation 2.
Due to Final Fantasy X's success and popularity, it spawned the first-ever direct game sequel to a Final Fantasy game: Final Fantasy X-2, released in 2003-04, which continued the events of Spira two years later through the eyes of Yuna. This came about as the result of an initial concept of spinning off Yuna and Rikku into individual titles of their own, which was later combined into one game.
Final Fantasy X is the first in the series to use full voice acting instead of the previous method of scrolling subtitles. The implementation of voice acting limits the player's ability to change the characters' names and Tidus is the only playable character, apart from aeons, whose name can be changed, and therefore never appears in the scripted dialogue.
A remastered HD version of Final Fantasy X was announced at the Sony Press Conference in Japan on September 14, 2011 as part of a 10th anniversary special, and is set to be released on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.
Gameplay:
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Character growth is undertaken by use of the Sphere Grid. By gaining AP from battles and collecting different types of spheres, characters move through the grid, raising stats and learning abilities.
The sphere grid allows the player to evolve and take on "mixed" abilities, meaning they can learn a wide array of Black Magic, White Magic, Defense and Attack skills. An extra grid was included with the International Version (see below), which has 45 fewer nodes, and undefined paths for each character, meaning they can take any role they choose.
Unlike the past few games where the battle system used ATB, Final Fantasy X uses the Conditional Turn-Based Battle (CTB) system, or the Count Time Battle system in Japan.
Basically, CTB is a turn-based system, which does not operate in rounds; the order of the turns does not guarantee each participant in a battle will have an equal number of turns. Characters with higher speed will be able to take more turns than slower characters, thus making speed more important than in other turn-based battle systems. Furthermore, spells and abilities (such as Haste) can modify the turn order (called the Act List), as some abilities require a longer cooldown time. In general, weaker abilities tend to require less cooldown time, thus introducing a trade-off between speed and power.
The system is distinguished from Active Time Battle system by the fact that when a character's turn begins, all action stops while the player decides upon an action. This shifts the focus from reflexes and quick decision-making to strategy and careful planning. Unlike in previous games in the series, the player is able to change characters on the go during battle.
Featured Minigames:​
  • Blitzball - The feature minigame of Final Fantasy X is blitzball, a cross between football (soccer), and water polo, played entirely underwater in a giant sphere pool at Luca. Recruiting players is another big part of blitzball; getting new and better players, and knowing who to cut and when, can be the thing that makes or breaks the team. Blitzball is known throughout the races of Spira as a distraction from the death and destruction that Sin brings.
  • Chocobo Racing - Featured less predominantly than in previous games, chocobo training and racing game can be played in the Calm Lands. The player participates in several challenges to train a chocobo and then uses those skills to race another chocobo at Remiem Temple.
  • Monster Arena - When fiends from all over Spira are captured using special weapons, they appear in the Monster Arena, also located at the Calm Lands. These fiends can be fought at any time (for a fee), and certain combinations can be bred into tougher enemies.
  • Celestial Weapons - Each playable character in the game has their distinctive ultimate weapon, which require some hard work and traveling to acquire.
  • Most locations also have smaller minigames, such as the Butterfly Hunt in Macalania, lightning dodging in Thunder Plains and the Valley of the Cactuars in the Bikanel Desert.
Setting:
Spira is a continent resembling a large island. In terms of climate, Spira ranges from tropical islands (Besaid and Kilika) and a scorching desert (Bikanel Island) to temperate towns (Luca) and the icy Mt. Gagazet. Spira's population is made up of a variety of six races: humans divided into Spirians and the outcast Al Bhed faction, Hypello, Cactuars, Ronso, and Guado.
Characters:
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Final Fantasy X features seven main playable characters and one temporary guest character.​
  • Tidus - The main protagonist, a rising blitzball player who is sent to Spira following the destruction of his hometown: Zanarkand. With seemingly no way of knowing what has happened to him, he becomes guardian to Yuna on her pilgrimage in order to learn about the conflict he has been dragged into. At the start of the game Tidus can be renamed; as no character refers to him by name.
  • Yuna - The main female protagonist, a summoner who is on a pilgrimage to defeat Sin, accompanied by her guardians. She is armed with great power and determination as she learns how she can save the tortured world.
  • Auron - A mysterious man who watches out for Tidus and Yuna. He has been hailed as a legendary guardian, due to accompanying Braska on his pilgrimage ten years ago. However, his seemingly cynical nature might just hide the truth he witnessed then.
  • Kimahri - A Ronso, the only non-human member of the party, who befriended and guarded Yuna when she was a child. Though disgraced by his tribe, Kimahri wishes for nothing more than to keep Yuna safe.
  • Wakka - One of Yuna's childhood friends from Besaid. As captain of the infamously-pathetic Besaid Aurochs, he has resolved to retire from blitzball and join Yuna on her pilgrimage, bringing along his good-willed cheer.
  • Lulu - One of Yuna's childhood friends from Besaid. A black mage who had accompanied summoners on their failed pilgrimages, she is knowledgeable of the world of Spira, and her frequency to scold others only shows how much she is concerned for her companions' safety.
  • Rikku - A spunky Al Bhed girl, and the first person Tidus encounters upon arriving in Spira. Though considered a heathen amongst the majority of Spira's population, she only desires to protect Yuna, although her means of doing so sometimes conflict with the goals of the rest of the party.
Storyline:
The party sits around a campfire in silence. Just beyond the horizon is a ruined city, covered in pyreflies. Tidus begins to retell his story of how he reached this place.
Tidus's story begins in Zanarkand, a metropolis with futuristic technology. He is signing autographs for fans, thinking it is a normal day as the star player for his blitzball team, the Zanarkand Abes. In the middle of the opening match of the Jecht Memorial Cup (organized to honor Tidus's father, Jecht, who vanished ten years ago), a gigantic wave enters the city, destroying everything in its path. The only person undisturbed by this is Auron, a man who has acted as Tidus's mentor since Jecht's disappearance. Tidus meets up with Auron outside the blitzball stadium, but when he follows Auron, time stops and a boy in purple robes appears before him, and says: "It begins. Don't cry."
After the boy vanishes, Tidus continues after Auron. Auron reveals the force destroying the city is called "Sin" and gives Tidus "a gift from Jecht", a longsword. The two fight their way through the invading monsters and when they reach Sin, Auron allows both himself and Tidus to be sucked up into its "maw". Tidus loses consciousness — but not before seeing a brief vision of his father...
Music:
For more, visit the Final Fantasy Music thread!



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Final Fantasy X-2 is the first true playable sequel in the Final Fantasy series by release date, released in Japan and North America in 2003, and a year later in Europe. It is a story told by former summoner Yuna, taking place in Spira two years after the events of Final Fantasy X, where she and the rest of the world are attempting to come to terms with living in a world without Sin, when political conflicts and a force from the ancient past rise and threaten to destroy the newfound peace.
A remastered HD version of the game for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita was announced at the Sony Press Conference in Japan on September 14, 2011 as part of a 10th anniversary special. The game will be bundled with the original Final Fantasy X, which is also remastered.
Gameplay:
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Final Fantasy X-2 utilizes the interchangeable job system featured in Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy V, and the Tactics series. Final Fantasy X-2's unique style is achieved via the dress system, whereby the character's abilities vary depending on which dressphere the character is wearing. Garment Grids allocate dresspheres to each character for use in battles. The grids have inherent powers, which are activated when equipped, or as the player changes spheres by passing through gates. Garment Grids are acquired as the game progresses, or as the player completes sidequests.
The dressphere system allows the player to customize the battle style for each character, assigning them jobs and outfits. The unique aspect of the dressphere system is that it allows the characters to change their job mid-battle, allowing them to adjust their strengths to best suit the opponent's weaknesses. By changing through all the dresspheres on a character's Garment Grid, the character may change into a special dressphere unique to them.
The battle system is the classic Active Time Battle, rather than the turn-based system of Final Fantasy X, but is faster and characters can take actions simultaneously, as opposed to the one-at-a-time system used in previous Active Time Battle systems. When a character takes actions and kills enemies in battle they gain Ability Points that allow them to learn new abilities on their dressphere. When a character chooses a command there may be Charge Time in place before the command can be executed. New to the Final Fantasy series, the players can also chain their attacks to stun enemies and deal more damage.
Final Fantasy X-2 diverges from its predecessor in many ways, including a fluid mission-based storyline, allowing the player to participate in many different sidequests and minigames. The main storyline comprises less than half of the total possible gameplay.
The game has a new mission-based system that allows the player to create their own journey, making the story somewhat non-linear. It is up to the player to determine which and how many sidequests to attempt and complete. The game is divided up into five chapters, and most locations in Spira have a new sidequest to undertake during each chapter. For the first time, the player has access to most locations early in the game. Several quests encompass the entire game, while others can only be started during a specific chapter. For those that complete the game with 100%, there is a special cutscene.
Minigames such as blitzball, chocobo raising, excavating for machina in the Bikanel Desert, and the new coin game, Sphere Break, make for diversions to the game's main plot.
Characters:
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Unlike other Final Fantasy games, the playable cast of Final Fantasy X-2 is set early in the game, and for the first time in the series, only three characters are playable and the playable cast is all female. The player controls Yuna, Rikku, and Paine, leaving the jobs for each character as the angle for variation. Many characters from Final Fantasy X returns as non-playable characters.

  • Yuna: The High Summoner who defeated Sin and brought Spira the Eternal Calm two years ago, now a sphere hunter and member of the Gullwings. After Rikku shows her a sphere of a man resembling her lost love, Tidus, Yuna left her uneventful life in Besaid for the chance to reunite with him.
  • Rikku: An upbeat Al Bhed girl who's Cid's daughter, Brother's younger sister, and Yuna's cousin. Rikku served as one of Yuna's guardians during her pilgrimage two years ago. During one of her visits to Yuna on Besaid, Rikku shows her a sphere of a man who looks like Tidus. Believing Yuna should have some fun in her life and do something for herself, Rikku convinces her to join the Gullwings and embark on a personal journey.
  • Paine: A mysterious young warrior woman who joined the Gullwings shortly before Yuna. Paine has a cynical nature, mostly keeps to herself, and only reveals important information when she needs to. She doesn't like to talk about her past, but has ties to Nooj, Baralai, and Gippal.
Major Non-Playable Characters

  • Baralai: The current Praetor of New Yevon, respected by the citizens of Spira.
  • Nooj: Currently Meyvn (leader) of the Youth League. Known as the "Deathseeker", he previously joined the Crimson Squad to find death in battle.
  • Gippal: An Al Bhed and current leader of the Machine Faction. A ladies' man and Rikku's old friend, Gippal is a former Crimson Squad member in the same team as Nooj, Baralai and at first unnamed Movie Sphere recorder.
  • Leblanc: A sphere hunter driven by whims and her infatuation with Nooj. She is also the leader of the Leblanc Syndicate, the sphere hunting group that acts as the Gullwings' rival.
  • Kimahri Ronso: One of Yuna's former guardians, now Elder of the Ronso tribe, he is tasked with preserving its order and prosperity.
  • Brother: Founding member and ostensible leader of the Gullwings, owner and pilot of the airship the Celsius. An Al Bhed, Cid's son, Rikku's older brother, and Yuna's cousin. A blitzball player who could be recruited for the Besaid Aurochs in Final Fantasy X, he is a starting player for the Gullwings in Final Fantasy X-2.
  • Buddy: An Al Bhed, founding member of the Gullwings with Brother and co-pilot of the Celsius.
  • Cid: Former leader of the Al Bhed, Brother and Rikku's father, and Yuna's uncle. Cid is at loose ends in Final Fantasy X-2, with Home in ruins and estranged from his children.
  • Shinra: An Al Bhed technical prodigy aboard the Celsius, designer of the Garment Grid system and the CommSphere communicators; his database helps decode the various spheres the Gullwings locate throughout the course of the game and tracks the enemies the Gullwings encounter.
  • Lenne: A popular songstress and summoner from the original Zanarkand and Shuyin's lover; instigator of events with ramifications that extend throughout the story. Died 1000 ago in the Machina War.
  • Shuyin: Lenne's lover from the times of ancient Zanarkand; his refusal to die and failure to save her makes him the primary antagonist of Final Fantasy X-2.
  • Lulu: One of Yuna's former guardians, now settled in Besaid with Wakka and is pregnant with his child. Lulu is the inspirational force behind his leadership.
  • Wakka: One of Yuna's former guardians, now Lulu's husband and Besaid's leader, both of which responsibilities keep him busy.
  • Tidus: The protagonist of Final Fantasy X; his disappearance at the end of Final Fantasy X prompts a search that is the initial impetus for Yuna joining the Gullwings. Tidus is never named in dialogue as he can be renamed by the player in Final Fantasy X; he is referred to as "him" or "you know who".
Story:
Two years after defeating Sin, Yuna has led a quiet life in Besaid when Rikku arrives and presents a sphere discovered by Kimahri. The footage shows a man resembling Tidus caged in prison and demanding to see the summoner, and motivates Yuna to believe Tidus might still be alive. She joins Rikku as a sphere hunter to learn more about the mysterious sphere.
Yuna, Rikku, and Paine are members of a sphere hunting group called the Gullwings. The game is punctuated by a narration of Yuna addressing Tidus, as though she is recounting the game's events to him as they occur in a style reminiscent of Tidus's narration in Final Fantasy X.
Although Yuna's goal is to find clues that may lead her to Tidus, much of the story is concerned with the clash of factions that have established themselves in the time since Yu Yevon's fall and the coming of the Eternal Calm, as well as with the uncovering of hidden legacies from Spira's ancient history.
A significant portion of the game's events are unnecessary for the completion of the main storyline, but much of the depth of the story – including characterization and background details – are featured in the optional content, which generally follows how each part of Spira is healing in the time since the passing of Sin.
Music:
Check out the Final Fantasy Music thread for more!



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Final Fantasy XII is the twelfth installment in the main Final Fantasy series and is part of the Ivalice Alliance. The game was released on March 16, 2006 in Japan, October 31, 2006 in North America, and February 23, 2007 in Europe and Australia. Final Fantasy XII is a single-player RPG.
Final Fantasy XII was re-released in Japan as an International Version with the subtitle Zodiac Job System, which modifies the game's character development system by introducing jobs. Zodiac Job System version hasn't been released outside of Asia.
Final Fantasy XII spawned a direct sequel, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, for the Nintendo DS.
Gameplay:
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As with each title in the Final Fantasy series, the specifics of each aspect of gameplay are different. Like most of the other games in the series, the player characters will level, gain skills, cast magick, use summons, Limit Breaks, and fight monsters. There are some great differences in the gameplay of Final Fantasy XII from the previous games in the series.
Character Development:
To gain levels, the player must defeat enemies in the field to earn Experience Points (EXP). Only alive and active party members receive EXP from felled opponents. If there are multiple active characters in the party, the amount of experience points will be divided evenly. Boss battles give no EXP, but they do give Licence Points (LP). Defeating enemies also yields LP, which can be used to purchase licenses on the License Board to learn new abilities and become able to equip new types of equipment.
Unlike with EXP, even reserve party members receive LP from battles. An individual character's ability to use Technicks, Magicks, accessories, Augments, weapons and armor are governed by obtaining licenses. Like the Sphere Grid in Final Fantasy X, but less linear, the player has control over each character's individual development.
In the Zodiac Job System version what abilities a character can learn and what equipment they can use is dictated by their job. Once the player chooses a job for a character, it cannot be changed.
Magick:
Magic is referred to as "magick". To use magick, the player must buy the individual spells from a Magick Shop or a merchant (or find them from treasures in the Zodiac Job System version), and once enough License Points are attained, they must purchase the corresponding skill on the License Board. The use of magick requires MP (Mist Points), which can be restored through movement, the use of an item such as an Ether, or by activating a Save Crystal.
Effect Capacity dictates how many magick spells and other special abilities can be executed simultaneously; all of the most powerful magicks use all of the effect capacity meaning when the player casts the game's most powerful magicks other actions are queued until the spell animation
has finished.
Summons/Espers:
Summons, called Espers, are obtained through battling and defeating them throughout gameplay. There are thirteen Espers; five are found through the storyline, and the other eight can be found in hidden areas after completing specific actions.
Each Esper can be purchased on the License Board after the player has defeated them during gameplay. Only one character can purchase any specific Esper, and that Esper is linked to that character, removing its license from the other characters' License Boards. When the character summons the Esper, it takes the place of the other two members of the party. The Esper will remain and fight independent of the character for a short amount of time, as long as the summoner is still conscious.
Once the time is up, the Esper will unleash a special attack, given that the requirements for the attack are met, and disappear. The summon uses up a full segment of the MP bar for each rank the Esper has. For example the Esper Belias is a Rank I Summon and will use up one segment of the MP bar, while Zodiark, a Rank III Esper, will use up all three segments.
In the Zodiac Job System version Espers have a small role in further governing what skills characters can learn by opening new paths in the License Board. The MP bar system has been dropped and using Quickenings and summoning Espers uses a different gauge. The Espers are controllable in the Zodiac Job System version, and the player can unleash their special attack at will.
Quickenings:
The Limit Breaks in Final Fantasy XII are known as Mist Quickenings in the English version, and Mist Knacks in the Japanese version. Each Quickening is available on the License Board for purchase by any character. Once a character has purchased a Quickening, that space is removed from all other characters' boards. Each character can purchase up to three Quickenings.
There are eighteen Quickenings on the board. When a character uses a Quickening, one segment of their MP is used up. Upon purchasing the second Quickening the character's MP bar doubles and is segmented in two, and after a third segment is added it triples the available base MP. Each Quickening takes 50 LP to learn regardless of its rank.
Quickenings can be used during battle as long as the character has enough MP. Quickenings can be chained: when used, all other conscious party members who have learned Quickenings of their own, join in on the chain. During the chain the player can randomly get the Mist Charge command which restores the party member's MP. The chain-building is restricted by the time limit and luck, as the available Quickenings are drawn up by random. Normal Quickening attacks only damage the target enemy, but the player can create a specific combination of Quickenings to open a Concurrence, which deals heavy damage to the target and all targets nearby.
In the Zodiac Job System version Quickenings no longer use MP, but have a "Limit Break meter" closer to how Limit Breaks work in other games in the series.
Battles:
Final Fantasy XII uses a battle system called Active Dimension Battle (ADB). The way the battle system operates is similar to the one in Final Fantasy XI as there are no random encounters. Monsters move freely across the landscape and battles are conducted on the field map without transition. Enemies rarely surprise the party, although flying creatures attack from a higher elevation, and other creatures will spring out of the water or ground to attack. Docile monsters can become aggressive if the party casts magick in their vicinity, or if the player attacks other creatures of the same genus.
Combat can be controlled manually or programmed via the use of gambits. The gambit system is slightly similar to the Macro system in Final Fantasy XI; the player can create a list of commands and dependencies to be carried out automatically by the characters to simplify the combat system. All commands relate to the character itself, the character's allies, or the enemies on screen.
Player can choose between Wait mode (default) and Active. In the Wait mode time freezes when the player is choosing the commands, but only one action can be executed at a time. If the game config is set on Active, multiple actions can be executed simultaneously, as long as the Effect Capacity is not saturated. The player controls one character at the time, called the party leader, but the player can change party leader at any time. If the party leader is Knocked Out the game prompts the player to choose another leader. The player can have up to three party members at any one time, and the rest are kept in the reserve party.
Similar to Final Fantasy X, reserve members can be swapped in any time, unless the character is currently being targeted by an attack or spell or if the character is performing an action. Final Fantasy XII allows the player to swap even fallen allies, meaning the player will only get a Game Over once all party members in both active and reserve parties are dead.
Because battles take place on the fields, the Escape command works differently than in most other games in the series; to escape from enemies the player must run away, which can be aided by holding the R2 stop all character actions (although using this feature makes the characters unable to evade enemy attacks). Some enemies stop pursuing the player characters once they have moved far enough away, but some are more persistent and can only be thrown off by zoning out. Boss battles take place in closed arenas and cannot be escaped from.
Battle Chaining:
A Battle Chain is initiated when a party defeats two or more of the same type of enemy in a row. The Battle Chain Level will increase as a party continues to consecutively defeat enemies of the same type.
As the Chain Level increases with each battle, enemies will begin to drop rarer and multiples of items, and with higher levels, activate healing and buffs on the player's party. If the player kills an enemy of a different type, enters a settlement (any area where only Vaan is controllable) or touches a Save Crystal, the chain will break and the Chain Level reset to 0.
Traps:
Traps are littered across the landscape and when stepped on deal damage and/or inflict the party with status ailments. Traps are normally invisible, but appear as glowing red circles if a party member is under Libra. Traps can be avoided by using Float or the Steel Poleyns accessory that makes the party invulnerable against traps. Some traps benefit the party by granting positive status effects and/or healing the party's HP.
Treasures:
Unlike in other single-player games in the series, the treasures in Final Fantasy XII are most often randomly spawning containing random treasures. The treasures can be re-spawned by zoning two zones out. Treasures can contain gil, gambits, equipment or items, and there is a small chance of receiving rare treasure with the Diamond Armlet equipped.
The game's regular version also has so called "forbidden chests" that, when claimed, prevent the player from obtaining the game's ultimate spear, the Zodiac Spear, in Necrohol of Nabudis. This feature was removed in the International version.
Weather and Terrain:
The area's weather and terrain affect the accuracy of ranged weapons and the damage dealt by elemental attacks. In stormy weather crossbows' and bows' accuracy is reduced, and, for example, in rainy weather Lightning damage is boosted while Fire damage is reduced. While terrain is mostly fixed, apart from the Giza Plains that shifts between dry and wet season, weather is often random, depending on what possible weather effects are available for the area.
Setting:
The world map of Ivalice does not cover the entire world. It shows the area once under the control of the Dynast King Raithwall, but now mostly under the control of the Archadian and Rozarrian Empires.
On the map are the kingdoms of Dalmasca, Archadia, Bhujerba and the area once controlled by the Kingdom of Nabradia including Nalbina Fortress. The player can visit ancient temples like the Stilshrine of Miriam, Mt. Bur-Omisace and the Tomb of Raithwall, as well as the village of indigenous people like the garif and the viera. Between all of these civilized locations are the zones patrolled and populated by various monsters. Each location is separated into zones, to allow players to elude monsters, and to allow for variations in terrain even in the same area.
The Archadian and Rozarrian Empires compete in terms of military and political influence. The Archadian Empire is governed by the ruling family House Solidor, with an Imperial Senate, but during the time of Final Fantasy XII the Senate has little power. This has caused the Archadian Judges to serve the Emperor directly. The Judges command the Archadian Army, Archadian Imperial Fleets, Archadian Security and Police as well as the Archadian Intelligence. The Archadian Judges are feared and respected for their passion for the Empire and the defense of House Solidor from the corrupt political scene.
Characters:
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Final Fantasy XII has a cast of six main characters. Unlike other Final Fantasy games, this team, once formed, never changes. Three guest characters (not including Hunt-allies) join the party during the story, and the player plays a different character during the prologue. According to the developers, there is no main character, as the game is "about numerous people, not just one person".[1]


Main Playable Characters:
  • Vaan is a street urchin and an orphan who lives on the streets of Rabanastre with his friend Penelo. He dreams of becoming a sky pirate in command of an airship and to travel the world.
  • Penelo is Vaan's closest friend, an orphan who lost her family during a war between Dalmasca and Archadia. She dreams of being a dancer, and learned martial arts from her older brothers who were soldiers who served during the war. She joins the party along with Vaan to help prevent another war.
  • Balthier, real name Ffamran mied Bunansa, is a sky pirate on the run from his past. He refers to himself as the "leading man".
  • Fran is Balthier's friend and partner, and as a viera, the only non-hume main character. Like Balthier, she is trying to shake off the past. She rarely speaks, but she usually has words of wisdom to offer.
  • Basch fon Ronsenburg is a disgraced knight, who wants to protect his surrogate homeland of Dalmasca. He was branded a traitor when he was framed for a murder.
  • Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca is the princess of Dalmasca who does everything in her power to rebuild her fallen kingdom. She was married to Lord Rasler, Prince of Nabradia, and although their marriage was politically motivated, they nevertheless were in love. Rasler commanded the Dalmascan army to battle with Archadia but was killed by an archer. Ashe faked suicide to sow seeds of rebellion against Archadia.
Temporary Playable Character

  • Reks is Vaan's older brother, who fought in the Dalmascan Army.
Guests:

  • Larsa Ferrinas Solidor/Lamont the youngest member of House Solidor, the ruling family of Archadian Empire. He seeks to bring peace to the world.
  • Vossler York Azelas used to fight alongside Basch in the Dalmascan army, but after the war's end joined the rebellion. He's been looking after Ashe ever since she faked her suicide.
  • Reddas is a sky pirate from the Port at Balfonheim. He seeks to stop the Empire from using nethicite to prevent the events of Battle of Nabudis from ever happening again.
Story:
The Kingdom of Dalmasca is a small city-state in the world of Ivalice, a neutral party in the past wars between the neighboring Empires of Archadia and Rozarria. Dalmasca was conquered by Archadia and reduced to the status of an occupied state when its King Raminas signed the city into Imperial rule.
Formerly-loyal knight Basch fon Ronsenburg murders the king for his betrayal. Witnessing the betrayal is the young knight Reks, who reveals Basch's betrayal in his last breaths. Marquis Ondore, head of the sky city Bhujerba, announces the King's daughter, Ashe, has committed suicide after her newly-wed husband, Lord Rasler, was killed during the Battle of Nalbina Fortress. He announces Basch has been executed for high treason...
Music:
For more, check out the Final Fantasy Music thread!



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Final Fantasy XIII is the thirteenth installment in the Final Fantasy main series, and is the first of the series to be released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Unveiled at E3 2006, the game is the flagship of Square Enix's Fabula Nova Crystallis project. The game runs on Crystal Tools (formerly known as White Engine), a proprietary engine built for Square Enix's seventh generation games.
The game was released in Japan on December 17, 2009, and March 9, 2010 for North America and Europe. A traditional Chinese version for PlayStation 3 was released in May 2010. Final Fantasy XIII is the first Final Fantasy game translated into traditional Chinese. A sequel titled Final Fantasy XIII-2 was released on December 15th, 2011, and a second sequel, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, was announced on September 1st, 2012, and is scheduled to be released in 2014 outside of Japan.

Gameplay:

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The battle system, called Command Synergy Battle in-game, has been described as "more tactical than Final Fantasy X, faster than Final Fantasy X-2, and almost as seamless as Final Fantasy XII". The enemies are visible in the field. When the player runs into them, the screen lights up and the scene switches to a vast, blank battlefield, marking the start of a battle where the player can control one character out of a party of up to three. After a certain point in the game the lead character can be switched. The game's progression is chapter-based and in most chapters, the player will see the story through different characters' view.

Characters grow in power in a system similar to the Sphere Grid from Final Fantasy X called the Crystarium System. Characters win "Crystogen Points" (CP) in battle, and can use them to purchase stat boosts, spells and other abilities on a circular chart. The skills a character learns affects their ability to learn other skills and opens new paths on the chart — learning Fire, for example, opens a skill path that leads to Fira and other spells.

The Active Time Battle bar returns, but this time it is divided into sections. Each command has a numeric value referred to as "ATB Cost" next to the name indicating how many of these sections it will take up. This allows the player to input several commands per turn. The next turn comes up sooner if the ATB bar is only partially used.

The available commands vary from character to character, but series staples such as Attack, Summon, Fire, Blizzard, and Cure make a return, along with new commands such as Blitz, which causes area-of-effect damage, and Ruin, a new non-elemental spell. Magic and summoning are only available to characters who are l'Cie.

Because of the ATB cost determining the moves a player can use, there is no MP in the game. Since magic cannot be used outside of battle, the party's HP is restored after every battle. Full ATB Skills work similar to Limit Breaks from previous games as being character-specific special moves and even if there is no Escape command, the player can leave battle with the Retry option.

Shrouds can be used to move about the field without triggering enemy encounters, and to bestow the party with buffs prior to the battle's start. If the party leader is incapacitated in battle, it will result in a Game Over, but if a battle ends in defeat, the player will simply appear in the point on the field right before the fight was initiated, and they may either re-attempt the battle or leave it.

A new element called the Chain Gauge is specific to each enemy, and fills as the player performs attack combos marked by a percentage. Upon filling the gauge the enemy enters "Stagger Mode", where even more damage can be done. Staggered enemies can be launched in the air and juggled with attacks. Staggering is almost essential to winning many battles.

When a battle is won, a Battle Results screen pops up, giving the player a zero-to-five stars ranking on how they did, as well as showing how long the battle took. This information is linked to the Trophy and Achievement systems of PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, respectively.

Final Fantasy XIII is the third main series Final Fantasy game in which the player does not routinely win gil from battles; rather the player obtains the currency from treasure spheres, or from selling items. The first such game was Final Fantasy VIII, where gil was received as SeeD salary, and the second was Final Fantasy XII, where although it is possible for some defeated enemies to drop gil, it is not a universal reward for victory.

Save Stations allow the player not only to save, but access the shops in Retail Network where items can be bought or sold.

Equipment:

Each character has eight unique base weapons, most of which can be found during the course of the game, and all of which can be purchased at Retail Network stores. The base weapons can be upgraded to a unique second stage, and eventually to its third and ultimate stage. The third stage of all the weapons of a particular character share a common name, but have differing stats and abilities depending upon which weapon it was upgraded from.

All characters can equip all accessories. Each character can initially equip one accessory at a time, but this capacity can be increased to up to four through upgrades obtained in the characters' Crystaria.

In addition to the basic enhancements provided by weapons and accessories, when a character equips weapons and accessories that belong to the same "synthesis" group (a hidden property), the character can gain additional passive enhancements (such as increased ATB gauge recharge rate).
The basic enhancements weapons and accessories grant to characters can also increase as the items are leveled up through the application of organic and synthetic components. When a weapon or accessory has reached its maximum level (★), it can be transformed with a stone ore catalyst into a higher stage of the same class of equipment that can then continue to be leveled up for higher bonuses, although there are some accessories that transform into an item of a completely different synthesis group.

Paradigm Shifts:

The player can only control one character at a time in battle. The other party members' actions can be affected by a system called the "Paradigm Shift".

Paradigms are described as "stances" or "classes" that the characters temporarily take during battle to define the abilities they use. They are more strict than job classes; for example, the character with a Medic's role can do nothing but heal, while the Commando's role forces the character to only attack with non-elemental attacks.

The paradigms can be changed at any time to suit the situation at hand, but they cannot be changed individually to each character, only for the whole party at a time. Thus, a paradigm is a combination of three roles. There are a total of 83 possible paradigm combinations (6 single, 21 double, and 56 triple member combinations). The roles used are shown as colored abbreviations next to the characters' names in the battle screen.

Summons:
Summons return as Eidolons, linked with the powers of the l'Cie. Playable Eidolons include the Shiva Sisters, Odin, Bahamut, Alexander, and two new summons, Brynhildr and Hecatoncheir. While Ifrit, Carbuncle, Valefor, Ramuh, and Siren make an appearance, they are not playable.

The playable Eidolons have been given mechanical designs and the power to change their shape. The Eidolons are used both as a gameplay feature and as plot devices in cutscenes. Each character has one Eidolon, and Eidolons replace the other party members besides the summoner when called.
Eidolons are summoned by the use of Technical Points (TP), which are won after battles. Instead of HP, Eidolons use "Summon Points" (SP) to indicate their health, but SP also decreases over time. Once SP is depleted, the Eidolon will disappear, and the other party members will return. Each l'Cie must win the "approval" of their respective Eidolon by defeating them in combat.

In addition to summoning Eidolons to fight alongside them, each Eidolon can transform into another form that the summoner can ride. This takes place in a mode called "Gestalt Mode" ("Driving Mode" in the Japanese version), where combat becomes more action-oriented, with the summon being able to perform various special attacks with certain button combinations.

Each Eidolon's Gestalt Mode includes a powerful finisher move that will end the summoning. The duration of Gestalt Mode is determined by the Gestalt Gauge that appears once an Eidolon is summoned; the gauge will fill as the summoner builds attack chains with their Eidolon.

Missions:​

Gran Pulse has several points marked Cie'th Stones, where the party may acquire missions. These are similar in function to the Hunts in Final Fantasy XII, and involve battling one of the many monsters around Pulse. They are not part of the main story, but players can experience Foci of past l'Cie who failed to complete their assignments, and thus their targets are still alive. It is up to the player whether to defeat the specified enemy, some of which have been compared by the staff to mountains towering above the party e.g.: Adamantoises.


By completing these tasks, the party can gain materials and items to improve their equipment. The main difference between the hunts of Final Fantasy XII and the missions of Final Fantasy XIII is while every hunt can only be completed once, the player may take up each mission multiple times, although the mission reward can be obtained only once; subsequent missions will earn the player a different type of reward, usually of lesser quality (e.g.: Bomb Ashes and Bomb Shells). Replaying these missions is essentially a requirement for those seeking to attain all Achievements or Trophies for the game, as one of these requires a 5-Star battle rating earned for all missions.

Setting:

Cocoon is a hollow floating world created thirteen centuries ago by the deity Lindzei, and is ruled by fal'Cie; godlike beings of immense power and authority. Located in Gran Pulse's atmosphere, Cocoon was made to act as a futuristic utopian world isolated from the wilderness of the lowerworld below. Cities were built on the inside of Cocoon's shell, barriers were built all around, and the people were forbidden to leave Cocoon. Machines were commissioned as the guardians of the citizens while the resident fal'Cie provide them with whatever they need, ranging from food and water to protection and guidance. The people of Cocoon were raised under the common belief that Pulsians were savages out to destroy them and their paradise, and that Pulse was a world full of unknown terrors, a hell for humans.

Gran Pulse, known to the people of Cocoon simply as Pulse, is the expansive lowerworld beneath Cocoon, created by its namesake deity Pulse. As opposed to the Cocoon fal'Cie, Pulse fal'Cie only serve to cultivate the land, having little to do with human affairs. On Gran Pulse, the plants and wildlife can evolve and grow to immense sizes, and the world is ruled by natural selection, where only the strongest survive. Compared to Cocoon, Gran Pulse is primitive and savage, with ancient technology and monsters roaming everywhere. Like those in Cocoon, the people of Pulse were raised to believe that Cocoon was an overall source of evil, a 'floating nest of vipers' posed to attack at any time.
Six centuries ago, tensions between Cocoon and Gran Pulse rose to the point where a war known as the War of Transgression broke out. Two Pulsian girls were made l'Cie and bestowed with the power to transform into the legendary beast called Ragnarok, and the Focus to become Ragnarok and destroy Cocoon. In the war's climax, Ragnarok cracked Cocoon’s shell but failed to destroy the floating world. In the aftermath, Cocoon was victorious and most of Pulse's population had been wiped out. Cocoon's fal'Cie raided Pulse for raw materials to repair the damage sustained, and the war served to strengthen the people's paranoia towards Pulse.

Characters:

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There are six playable characters in Final Fantasy XIII, and two guest characters. Although the game focuses on each of the playable characters equally, the majority of the story is told through the perspective of Lightning. The main playable characters are all l'Cie.



Playable Characters:
  • Lightning — The main protagonist. Lightning was a member of the Guardian Corps in Bodhum before her life came crashing down when her sister Serah became a Pulse l'Cie. Regretting her refusal to believe Serah, Lightning volunteers to be Purged with the intention of saving her, only to be made a l'Cie like her. She is an agile fighter who makes use of a variety of gunblades, the Blazefire Saber among them.
  • Snow Villiers — Leader of NORA, Snow Villiers is a sturdy man whose mannerisms are said to resemble that of a cowboy. He travels to the Hanging Edge to fight PSICOM and the Purge in the hopes of saving his fiancée, Serah, who was imprisoned by the Pulse fal'Cie. Although Snow uses his fists to fight, his equipped 'weapon' is a runed coat, designed to enhance the wearer's strength.
  • Oerba Dia Vanille — A young and spirited girl with a mysterious past who carries a heavy burden the others are not initially aware of. Getting through the events of the Purge, she tags along with Hope and finds herself wrapped up in the events leading to her join the others. She acts as the narrator of the story and can be considered a deuteragonist. Her weapon of choice is called the Binding Rod.
  • Sazh Katzroy — A middle-aged man with dark skin and an afro. He was formerly in the military, but now works as a civilian airship pilot. In the hopes of saving his son, Dajh, he boards the Purge train to the Hanging Edge, only to become a l'Cie himself. He owns a baby chocobo that lives in his hair. He fights with two pistols that can be combined into a rifle.
  • Hope Estheim — A young boy who, along with his mother, is part of the group of exiles onboard the Purge train. During an unsuccessful attempt by NORA to drive the PSICOM soldiers back, his mother dies in the conflict. Blaming Snow for his mother's death, Hope follows him but ends up becoming a l'Cie and being forced to work with him and the others. Hope joins Lightning on her journey to become stronger so he could avenge his mother's death. He wields boomerangs in battle.
  • Oerba Yun Fang — A wild-looking dark-haired woman with a large tattoo on one arm and a scorched mark of the l'Cie on the other. She first appears with Cid Raines and the Cavalry with the intention of capturing Snow in Lake Bresha. However, she has a more complicated agenda, as she searches for a long-lost friend and aims to complete her Focus. Spears are her weapon of choice.
Guest Characters:

  • Gadot — A member of NORA and Snow's childhood friend. He is a dark-skinned man with orange hair and teal clothes. His design is based on NBA and hip hop fashion. He uses a machine gun in battle.
  • Lebreau — A woman with black hair and a butterfly tattoo on her shoulder. She is the only female member of NORA. Her outfit is based on volleyball players, wearing short shorts and a tank top-like shirt with puffy sleeves. She uses a rifle in battle.

Non-playable Characters:

  • Serah Farron - Lightning's younger sister and Snow's fiancée. She is turned into a l'Cie before the events of the game and is crystallized in the Pulse Vestige. Her fate is one of the main motives in the game.
  • Dajh Katzroy - Sazh's six-year-old son, who was branded a Sanctum l'Cie with the power to sense Pulse entities under mysterious circumstances and is now in the custody of PSICOM. Sazh journeys to reunite with him.
Story:

Having been secluded from the outside world for so long, the citizens of Cocoon have become paranoid of Gran Pulse. The Sanctum, Cocoon's government, led by the fal'Cie Eden and Primarch Galenth Dysley, issues an edict whereupon any individuals suspected to have been in contact with anyone or anything from the world of Pulse are to be banished from Cocoon.
One day, there is an incident at the Euride Gorge Energy Plant believed to have been caused by Pulse l'Cie. Six days later, a Pulse fal'Cie is discovered in the seaside town of Bodhum. Mass panic breaks out and soon Cocoon's citizens are crying out for the expulsion of the entire town to Pulse, prompting the Sanctum to initiate the Purge. Within the next two days, the Sanctum's personal army, PSICOM, quarantines Bodhum, seizes the town's inhabitants regardless of whether they are citizens or tourists, and forces them onto 'Purge' trains. The people are taken to the restricted Hanging Edge zone, along with the Pulse fal'Cie, Anima, contained within the Pulse Vestige...


Music:
For more, check out the Final Fantasy Music thread!







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Gameplay:

Final Fantasy XIII-2 retains the Command Synergy Battle and Paradigm Shift systems from its predecessor and the Battle System is simply a more evolved form of Final Fantasy XIII's battle system. One new gameplay element, called the Mog Clock, has been added, where the player must attack monsters on the field before the time is up to get the upper hand in the ensuing battle. When the player attacks a monster, the screen lights up and the scene switches to a battlefield, marking the start of a battle.

Non-player characters (such as the remnant military operatives) react to the monsters that appear in the field but don't affect any battles that may ensue. Another new feature is the Paradigm Tune, which enables the player to customize how the AI-controlled party members use their abilities in battle. Though the player still controls one out of a three-member party, they are able to initiate the Change Leader option to switch the party member they control during battle. If the current party leader is KO'd, the party leader is automatically switched to the other human character. The defeat of the human characters in the party results in a game over.

Characters grow via a revamped Crystarium System, and they have levels unlike the previous game, gained by moving through the Crystarium. Each character's Crystarium is no longer in the form of tiers, but now takes the shape of their respective weapon, and includes all possible paradigm roles on a singular Crystarium, similar to the Sphere Grid from Final Fantasy X.

As a player advances through the Crystarium, they may choose which paradigm role to level up and gain bonus stat increases alongside level increases. Characters learn different abilities at certain levels throughout their paradigm role growth. Unlike Final Fantasy XIII, there is no cap on how much a character may grow in the Crystarium at any given time. The weather or Climate Type in an area affects battles, and at one time an uncontrollable guest joins. Summoned Monsters return, but not be in the same form as those in the original game.

Monsters can be caught, trained, and used as party members through the Paradigm Pack component. Three monsters can be held at a time, and automatically switch to the role a player shifts to in the paradigm. Players can customize a monster's stats via leveling up through items, and adornments can be given to monsters to change their appearance. Via the Feral Link system players can use special abilities from the monsters in the party by pressing a combination of buttons once a synchronization gauge has filled. A new form of damage, called Wound Damage, lowers a target's member's max HP during battle and can only be healed by items, giving further incentive to defeat enemies as quickly as possible.

Players are given timed button presses similar to the the Reaction Commands of Kingdom Hearts during Cinematic Action sequences to gain the upper hand in battle and event scenes. There are also "Live" sequences, or real time cutscenes that occur to progress the story, meaning the player maintains control of their character although the camera is focused elsewhere. Another new element, called the Live Trigger, allows the player to choose their response in a conversation. The player character can engage in conversations with NPCs with speech bubbles and the other characters in the party wander the area getting into conversations on their own. A new dungeon minigame system has been added, called Temporal Rifts, where the player must guide the character through various puzzles.

Another new gameplay element is the Historia Crux feature, the time travel system in the game that can be accessed through the use of Time Gates throughout areas on the field. The gates are activated by finding artefacts in various ways, such as in hidden treasure chests using Mog. By resetting the gates Noel and Serah can redo their adventures. Using Historia Crux, the player can choose the location or era to travel to. There is a "gate matrix" where players select their next location based on the game's AF (After the Fall of Cocoon) timeline. Players can access the save and main menus through gates.

Each character has four slots for equipment and a maximum load they can carry. The players can use these points up any way they like to, using them for defensive gear or stat boosting accessories, but cannot exceed the limit. Monsters in the party can be renamed and equip decorative items that change their appearance in battle. Monsters grow by using items, unlike the human characters who use Crystogen Points. Players can buy some of these weapons, armor, items, and monster training goods from the merchant, Chocolina.

Serendipity is an amusement park complete with a casino and minigames such as Chocobo Racing and Slots, which has been compared to the Gold Saucer in Final Fantasy VII. The game retains the missions from Final Fantasy XIII as well as alternate sidequests from various NPCs in which the player must find and retrieve specific items. Unlike those in Final Fantasy XIII, these are available from an early point in the game.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 features difficulty modes of gameplay: Normal and Easy mode, which can be changed at any time. There is the option to save the game at any point throughout the story from the main menu, and the game automatically saves the game periodically with the Auto-save function. Director Motomu Toriyama created an alternate means of playing through the game's multiple endings; players are allowed to reset the Historia Crux gates, returning them to the beginning of the current time period. The "New Game+" feature is retained as well; although players can reset the gates at any time, new content and endings become available once the main quest has been completed.


Setting:
As a result of Cocoon's fall at the end of Final Fantasy XIII, some of its surviving citizens now reside on Gran Pulse, and the world has adopted a new dating system ("AF" or "After Fall"). In the three years since, new towns and cities have been established. While searching for Lightning, Serah and Noel travel to old and new places on Pulse and in Cocoon.

As they travel through time, some locations from Final Fantasy XIII change in appearance. Eden is no longer the capital and the Sanctum is no more. The city of Academia is the new capital, and the new provisional government is run by the Academy, a scientific expedition group wishing to use human technology to build a world that doesn't rely on the fal'Cie.

Playing as Lightning, there is a mysterious new world called Valhalla, the realm of death and chaos at the edge of time in the distant future, ruled by the goddess Etro.

Characters:

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  • Serah Farron - The main protagonist of the game. She is Lightning's younger sister, Snow's fiancée, and the only one out of her friends to know Lightning is still alive. Gaining the ability to have visions of the future, Serah journeys with Noel to find and save her sister. Her weapon is a bow that can transform into a sword, though its true form is that of her moogle companion Mog.

  • Noel Kreiss - The deuteragonist of the game. Noel comes from the Dying World at 700 AF, where he is the last surviving human in a world that faced destruction 200 years after Cocoon's fall. After a chance encounter with Lightning, he travels into the past to find her sister, Serah. He sets off with her to save Lightning in the hopes of changing the future. He uses two swords that are able to combine to form a spear in battle.
Temporary Playable Characters
  • Lightning - The main narrator of the game. Having been attacked by the emerging chaos and subsequently taken to Valhalla, Lightning is no longer believed to be alive by anyone except Serah. In reality, she has become a knight, protecting the goddess Etro in Valhalla while warring with Caius. She wields a new gunblade resembling a combination of her Blazefire Saber and a traditional sword.
  • Sazh Katzroy - Sazh is playable after purchasing his DLC scenario, "Heads or Tails". Hope reveals Sazh has mysteriously gone missing, and it turns out he ended up in Serendipity, where he had to save his son by winning in the casino games. After his time in Serendipity, Sazh resurfaces in Academia 500 AF along with Dajh. Once there, he helps Noel and Serah pursue Caius in the skies. Sazh is present at the end of the game along with Noel and Hope. He retains his afro and dual-wield pistols.
Guest CharactersEdit
  • Snow Villiers - Snow left to search for Lightning two years after her disappearance, but is nowhere to be found at the time Serah sets out on her own search. He appears as an uncontrollable guest character in the Sunleth Waterscape at 300 AF. In the DLC episode "Perpetual Battlefield", Snow is faced as a boss in the Coliseum.
AntagonistEdit
  • Caius Ballad - The immortal guardian of the seeress Yeul, and an ominous figure who follows Noel and Serah on their journey through time. He seeks to save Yeul from her cursed fate by killing Etro and destroying all of time itself. Caius is of equal strength to Lightning, and fights against her as she tries to protect the dying goddess, as well as Serah and Noel. Caius has the ability to harness his inner chaos to transform into the entity Chaos Bahamut.
Other CharactersEdit
  • Mog - Serah's new moogle companion and a gift from Lightning. Instead of a traditional moogle's pom-pom, Mog's pom-pom is a glowing crystal. He carries a rod adorned with a clock, and can transform into Serah's weapon. He is a treasure hunter and will reveal invisible treasure chests on the field. He can access treasure in out-of-reach places by being thrown by the player. He also uses his magic to execute the Mog Clock pre-battle system.
  • Hope Estheim - Hope is a 24-year-old young man, and the leader of the Academy, researching the world's history and looking for a new energy source for Cocoon in the absence of the fal'Cie. He is aware of Noel and Serah's travels through time because of his research, and helps them in their search for Lightning. He wants to change history in order to improve the world and bring back the people dear to him.
  • Paddra Nsu-Yeul - A young Pulsian seeress who is blessed with the ability to see the future. However, the gift comes with the price that she would die and be reborn in the next generation. She was previously mentioned in Final Fantasy XIII, as the author of the fourth and ninth Analects.
  • Alyssa Zaidelle - A young woman who is part of the Academy and Hope's trusted assistant. They work together to understand the nature of paradoxes and help Noel and Serah in their journey to change the future. The story hints that Alyssa has something to hide about her past.
  • NORA - Snow's friends: Gadot, Lebreau, Maqui and Yuj have stayed with Serah during their years on Pulse while resuming their occupation as New Bodhum's neighborhood watch group.
  • Dajh Katzroy - Dajh, along with his father, are engaged in operations to improve life on Gran Pulse.
  • Oerba Dia Vanille and Oerba Yun Fang - A pair of l'Cie from Pulse who aided Lightning and the others in saving Cocoon by sacrificing themselves to create the crystal pillar to hold Cocoon up.
Story:

At the end of Final Fantasy XIII -Episode i-, Lightning, who felt there was still something threatening the newly acquired peace, finds herself captured and dragged into the Historia Crux by chaos due to the effects of Etro releasing her, Snow, Sazh, Hope, Serah, and Dajh from crystal stasis.

As a result of Lightning being written out of history, many believe her to be either dead or crystallized with Vanille and Fang in the crystal pillar. Only her sister, Serah, remembers reuniting with her after Cocoon fell and knows she is still alive. Lightning awakens in Valhalla and enters Etro's temple. Seeing all of time from Valhalla, she looks into the future and receives a suit of armor, becoming the protector of the dying goddess. From that point on, Lightning engages many battles against a man who seeks to destroy Etro, named Caius Ballad.

Within Etro's temple in Valhalla, Lightning looks out from the balcony and has a vision of a boy in the Historia Crux. Meanwhile, Caius lays the lifeless body of a girl named Yeul to rest in the ocean of chaos. He summons an army of Rift Beasts and challenges Lightning to battle and she confronts Caius with her own army of summoned monsters and Eidolons. During her and Caius's battle spanning across Valhalla, Lightning notices Etro's Gate open over the temple and sees a familiar figure fall from the sky. She recognizes it as the young man she had previously seen in a vision, Noel Kreiss.


 
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Gameplay:

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Players take control of Final Fantasy XIII's main character, Lightning, as the sole playable character. She traverses freely over the game's variety of terrain and can jump on obstacles, such as telephone poles, and use elements of stealth. Her abilities differ based on her elevated height. The developers have aimed for a world where the players would be able to reach almost everything visible on the screen, and there are no load times between areas unless the player either teleports, uses a vehicle, or there is a storyline event that transports the player somewhere new.

The game has an open-world structure and the open world area is bigger than what has been seen in previous Final Fantasy titles, and the player may not have time to visit everywhere on their first play-through. The player can either walk between destinations or use the monorail for faster travel. Chocobos are available to use as well.

Monsters range in size and can be enormous. Not only appearing in the sprawling wilderness, they terrorize the cities as well, increasing in number at night. Although many enemies return from previous titles, about half of the monsters in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII are new. Because of time's ever-flowing nature, the non-player characters' locations keep changing.

The Crystarium System does not appear in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII; instead, Lightning's stats are increased by completing story events and side quests. The player can buy equipment and items, and visit restaurants to buy food items that restore HP or status effects, and stay at inns to restore health in exchange for spending time. The more souls the player rescues the more powerful Lightning becomes. Anything that requires depletion of EP will be learned by Lightning herself. General abilities are associated with whatever garb is equipped, or obtained through item drops from enemies. By visiting sorcery shops, the player can synthesize the abilities to boost their strength. Enemies are more likely to drop abilities if they are staggered.
Enemies are found on the field and Lightning can sneak up on them to perform preemptive strikes, and if Lightning can strike first, the enemy will lose 10% of their starting HP. If Lightning strikes an enemy before they notice her, they'll lose 25%. If an enemy comes in contact with Lightning, the battle will start with her losing 5% of her HP (in the normal version of the game only).

The battle system is a heavily modified version of the Command Synergy Battle system the two previous games used, and features real time features, such as freely taking control of Lightning's movements and attacks, and a real time block, dodge and counter system. The new combat system is named Style-Change Active Time Battle (SATB).

Players can assign four commands to the controller's face buttons and instead of selecting commands, players will press buttons that correspond to the individual abilities. There are also timing-based mechanics. Though the battle system is of an action-RPG, it features an ATB gauge and every action depletes this bar. By tilting the left analog stick, the player can move Lightning on the battlefield.

Lightning will have a variety of different weapons, but they will all be close-range ones; magic is reserved for ranged combat. For most abilities, Lightning will move automatically to the correct range to execute the desired

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII features boss battles with the key being destroying various body parts on the monsters. The stagger system returns from Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2, now being depicted as a wave around the enemy's HP bar. Enemies have multiple weaknesses so the player can knock them down in multiple ways making for less repetitive gameplay. Lightning can assemble a schema that exploits the enemy's weak points, and via the stagger system Lightning can juggle some of the enemies in the air with her attacks.

Lightning has a variety of movements and can climb, jump, crouch, take cover behind walls and objects, climb over and hang off ledges, and a variety of other moves both in and out of battle.

Via the EP Abilities the player can teleport to specific areas or even momentarily stop time. The Energy Points gauge is on the lower-left part of the screen and Energy Points are acquired upon clearing battles. Lightning will always start with full Enemy Points at the start of each day. Originally this system was part of Eradia (points given to the Tree of Life, Yggdrasil, to extend the world's lifespan), but the developers decided to separate them and now players can use the points without having to worry about the world's lifespan.

If the player loses a battle, they don't get a Game Over, but must use the Escape command to return to the field, but this penalizes the player by taking an hour of the world's time (in the normal version of the game only).

Players have access to several custom-made paradigm-like schemata that change Lightning's assigned skills on-the-fly. Each schema has its own ATB gauge, meaning the player can swap between schemata and maintain constant action while allowing the other schemata to recharge. If the player runs out of ATB and cannot perform any actions, the gauges will gradually refill as Lightning idles.

Lightning is customizable with wide array of garbs, weapons, shields, accessories, adornments and abilities. Schemata allow players to put these together to create different skills and attributes. Lightning can collect and customize her equipment through completing quests and synthesizing them from components found in the world, shops, or battle. Players can preset different schemata and change between them, similar to how Paradigm Shift worked in earlier games.

Garbs change Lightning's look on the field, and their color can be customized. The default schema's garb is the one Lightning wears on the field. Civilians react with different comments depending on which costume Lightning is wearing.

The game plays on the world-driven concept with a "doomsday clock" element that determines how much time is left before the Apocalypse. The player is initially given seven days to explore the world, but this can be extended to thirteen days by completing sidequests. Chronostasis stops the flow of time momentarily to give the player a chance to explore, and playing in the Easy Mode has no time-punishment for fleeing battles. A countdown timer indicating the time left until the end of the world is displayed in the upper-right of the screen.

A day in the world of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII lasts twenty-four hours, like in the real world, as after the Day of Ragnarok in Final Fantasy XIII, two hours were lost. This is to make up for the clocks in Nautilus and Oerba's schoolhouse in Final Fantasy XIII that were 13-hour clocks, and for Mog in Final Fantasy XIII-2 having a 12-hour clock to show the change in a day's length. Time stands still when talking to people, during cutscenes and battles, in menus, and within the Ark.

The player may want to be in specific locations in specific times where black haze called Chaos infusions will appear, indicating the area has become monster territory, where the player will find the toughest opponents. Lightning will only be able to hold six battle items at the start of the game, but this will increase when the player progresses. Depending on which day the player battles certain storyline bosses, their stats and/or appearance can change. The world faces constant changes by the hand of a weather system and day/night cycles, with monsters becoming more vicious at night time.

Because the play time can be extended, it allows for a player-specific game experience, and different choices yield different events. It will not be possible to see every cutscene in one playthrough and the time management structure means players can have different experiences each time they play the game.

Instead of being divided into chapters, like the previous two games, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII's story is told in the form of five main quests. Side quests are available to increase Lightning's stats and Eradia for Yggdrasil to prolong the Apocalypse. Both main quests and side quests are rewarded with stat increases, Eradia and gil and item rewards.

A new function is incorporated in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII so players can post screenshots or messages on a community board via social networks. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII lets players share game updates onto Twitter and Facebook, such as upon defeating in-game bosses; the updates would include the player's overall score for defeating said boss. The outerworld services allow the player to make snapshots with the possibility of excluding Lightning from them.

Setting:

The game is set in a world called Nova Chrysalia, known in the Japanese version as Novus Partus (Latin for "New Offspring", "New Births", "New Cocoon", or "Rebirth"), a world created when Gran Pulse and Valhalla came together. It is composed of four continents (two natural and two cityscape) surrounded by a Sea of Chaos and connected by a monorail system.

The game contains traditional RPG elements, such as dungeons, towns, and shops. Nova Chrysalia is an active open-world with some platforming elements. Players have a high degree of freedom and will see new roads and cities from tall landmarks and can easily get lost.

Nova Chrysalia has been designed similar to a "tourist guide style" seen in MMORPGs, and each team presented the continents in this style. Yuji Abe has stated that in Final Fantasy XIII many areas were places the player could only pass through, but in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, there are many places to explore.[3] Keywords for the world's design are "gothic, mechanical, and fantasy".

Nova Chrysalia contains a mix of architecture ranging from medieval-style to modern. The cities have many clocks to display the progression of time. The pleasure city of Yusnaan is designed as a place of entertainment, while Luxerion is ruled by religious cults. The new Cocoon, Bhunivelze, floats in the sky over Nova Chrysalia, and inside it lies the Ark.

The remains of Academia and Valhalla are now a part of the Wildlands, a continent comprising vast and open forests, plains, and mountains, including small villages to explore. The Dead Dunes feature dungeons and ruins containing relics from ancient times, alongside a vast desert.

The realms' merge affected the Chaos dwelling within human hearts as per the Fabula Nova Crystallis lore, stopping humans from aging and reproducing, though they can still die due to violence or disease.

NPCs dress up in a variety of ways: some wear long robe-like black and white garbs with golden masks and mechanical backpacks, while others, such as the citizens of Yusnaan, dress in extravagant colors and outlandish accessories. The citizens of the world are aware of its impending doom, but only few know how much time there is left. Depending on the continent, people react to the impending apocalypse differently: the people in Luxerion wait for the god Bhunivelze to create a new world, while those in Yusnaan celebrate it with lavish festivities.

Characters:

Playable Character
  • Lightning (ライトニング, Raitoningu) - The main protagonist. After sleeping in crystal stasis for five centuries, Lightning awakes in Nova Chrysalia and is chosen by Bhunivelze to be a savior of souls. She learns the world and its inhabitants face oblivion in thirteen days and fights to save them and reunite with her late sister Serah.
Major CharactersEdit
  • Hope Estheim (ホープ・エストハイム, Hōpu Esutohaimu) - Reverted to his 14-year-old self from Final Fantasy XIII by Bhunivelze , Hope helps Lightning in her mission to save the world by providing her with intel on a wireless communicator from his base in the Ark which he had no recollection of how he got there or disappeared.
  • Lumina (ルミナ, Rumina) - A mysterious girl with unknown motives who resembles Serah in appearance and can harness Chaos. She views Lightning and the world's inhabitants as playthings, and will sometimes help Lightning, but at other times get in her way.
  • Snow Villiers (スノウ・ヴィリアース, Sunou Viriāsu) - Snow has become the Patron of the city of Yusnaan, and is the world's last remaining l'Cie, charged with protecting the fal'Cie that sustains Yusnaan. He harbors regret at his failure to save his fiancée Serah and is dangerously close to becoming a Cie'th.
  • Noel Kreiss (ノエル・クライス, Noeru Kuraisu) - Noel suffers from a heavy burden in his heart, racked with guilt for his role in Serah's death and the world's destruction. Based in Luxerion and now calling himself the "Shadow Hunter", Noel sets out to right the wrongs that have been done to the world. He is in conflict with Lightning because of a prophecy that says she will destroy the world, believing himself to be the hero destined to stop her.
  • Oerba Dia Vanille (ヲルバ=ダイア・ヴァニラ, Woruba-Daia Vanira) - Freed from crystal stasis, Vanille has been gifted with the power to hear the voices of the dead. Now called "the saint", Vanille is being sheltered in the Luxerion cathedral by the Order of Salvation, a religious group devout to Bhunivelze and has a strong hold across Nova Chrysalia.
  • Oerba Yun Fang (ヲルバ=ユン・ファング, Woruba-Yun Fangu) - Freed from her crystal stasis alongside Vanille, Fang leads a gang of bandits based in the Dead Dunes called Monoculus, in search of a long-lost relic the Order seeks called the holy clavis to free Vanille from the Order's control.
  • Serah Farron (セラ・ファロン, Sera Faron) - Lightning's younger sister and Snow's fiancée. In Final Fantasy XIII-2, Serah embarked on a journey with Noel and Mog, which claimed her life. Lightning is on a quest to save Serah's soul and ensure her rebirth in the new world.
  • Mog (モーグリ, Mōguri, lit. "Moogle") - A former companion of Noel and Serah. Mog wandered the Void Beyond until he was reunited with his fellow moogles. They built the Moogle Village in the Wildlands, and Mog, who runs the village, is plagued by guilt for his failure to protect Serah.
  • Sazh Katzroy (サッズ・カッツロイ, Sazzu Kattsuroi) - Sazh lives with his son Dajh in the Wildlands in a house converted from the remains of a crashed airship. While he was once cheerful and easy-going, a shadow has fallen over Sazh's heart, for his beloved son remains trapped in a state of sleep, his soul in another place.
  • Bhunivelze (ブニベルゼイ, Buniberuzei) - The main deity of the Final Fantasy XIII universe who wishes to create a new world and tasks Lightning with saving the souls of the dying world.
  • Caius Ballad (カイアス・バラッド, Kaiasu Baraddo) - In Final Fantasy XIII-2, Caius sought to kill the goddess Etro to free Yeul from her curse of death and rebirth. Though he was defeated, he succeeded in his goal and was resurrected by Chaos after Etro's death. Caius is linked to the dark energy now destroying Nova Chrysalia, and prepares to fight his old adversary Lightning once again.
  • Paddra Nsu-Yeul (パドラ=ヌス・ユール, Padora Nusu-Yūru) - A young seeress once "gifted" with the Eyes of Etro, now free from her curse due to the end of time and Etro's death due to the Heart of Chaos in Caius stopping. She resides with Caius in the remains of Etro's temple in the Wildlands and approaches Lightning with the request to save Caius from his suffering.
Other Characters
  • Cid Raines (シド・レインズ准将, Shido Reinzu Junshō) - The dead have chosen Cid Raines as their representative, and he appears before Lightning with a request.
  • Chocolina (チョコリーナ, Chokorīna) - The human form of the Chocobo Chick belonging to Sazh Katzroy's son Dajh now maintains the Canvas of Prayers.
  • Dajh Katzroy (ドッジ・カッツロイ, Dojji Kattsuroi) - The son of Sazh Katzroy. When Chaos infected the world 500 years ago, Dajh lost his soul and remains trapped in a state of sleep. Sazh watches over Dajh in the Wildlands, where he has built a house out of the remains of a crashed airship.
  • Adonis (アドニス, Adonisu) - A member of Monoculus who first contacts Lightning and gives her the task of dispelling God's Wrath.
Story:

In the year 1000 AF, five hundred years after the ending of Final Fantasy XIII-2, Lightning awoke from her crystal sleep in the world of Nova Chrysalia, which is doomed to be destroyed in thirteen days. Bhunivelze — the god who created the fal'Cie deities: Pulse, Lindzei, and Etro — chose Lightning to be the savior tasked to free mankind's burdened souls and lead them into a new world. In return, Bhunivelze assures Lightning he will resurrect Serah.

 
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jack

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This thread is missing the best installment: FFX. You better write a damn good summary on Auron and tag me in there somewhere.
 
SharpGhost

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This thread is missing the best installment: FFX. You better write a damn good summary on Auron and tag me in there somewhere.

Added FFX :smile:. Will be adding FFX-2, FFXII, FFXIII, and FFXIII-2 soon.
 
Knowledge

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Fantastic Thread Sharp
Don't Worry You're not alone in loving FF
 
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Brilliant thread! I need a new addiction, and I have never played Final Fantasy. :eek: So, Mr Final Fantasy Fanatic, if I were to try it, where to start? I'm on the 360, as you know, so it would have to be available for that.
 
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Brilliant thread! I need a new addiction, and I have never played Final Fantasy. :eek: So, Mr Final Fantasy Fanatic, if I were to try it, where to start? I'm on the 360, as you know, so it would have to be available for that.
if you have a PC that can run emulators you could play the Classics on the NES & SNES
 
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ive played most of the FF's but im not a fan of the combat system, but the cut scenes are what get me hooked and Sephiroth is my favorite villian in any game so even if they didnt have any other thing expect him id still enjoy it. Squarenix should just make ff movies and kingdom hearts movies and my life would be complete.
 
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Brilliant thread! I need a new addiction, and I have never played Final Fantasy. :eek: So, Mr Final Fantasy Fanatic, if I were to try it, where to start? I'm on the 360, as you know, so it would have to be available for that.

Every Final Fantasy is different from one another. It'd be very difficult for me to recommend one for you. You'll have to pick one that looks appealing and play it :tongue:

There's currently only two Final Fantasy's on the 360 with a third being released outside of Japan in Feburary.

Final Fantasy 13 and Final Fantasy 13-2. I haven't added the information for them yet, but those are your two options at the moment. If you have access to a PS2, I highly recommend Final Fantasy 10 and Final Fantasy 12.

PS1 title, go for Final Fantasy 7.

SNES emulator, go for Final Fantasy 6.

NES emulator, go for Final Fantasy 3.
 
0its0just0micheal0

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Brilliant thread! I need a new addiction, and I have never played Final Fantasy. :eek: So, Mr Final Fantasy Fanatic, if I were to try it, where to start? I'm on the 360, as you know, so it would have to be available for that.


With all due respect to SharpGhost SharpGhost , I would suggest playing them in the order of their release just so you can really feel the evolution of the series as a whole. Though the games are not tied together unless otherwise stated ( FFX and FFX-2 or FFXIII and FFXIII-2), a lot of Newfans don't play the original classics because they can't stand the "feel" of the game compared to the newer releases.

So that is my two cents as far as that is concerned, and SharpGhost, you are doing an amazing job here on this thread. Keep it up. :tongue:
 
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Was reading your thread and got to the end and was like "WHERE'S FFX!?" Then saw your edit and became happy. Final Fantasy X is personally my favorite. Just everything about it is awesome. Waiting for the HD Remix. The only thing bad is that they made FFX-2. Biggest let down of my life.
 
Garrus Vakarian

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so want a new rpg to play witch one should i start out on on the 360
side note never even seen gameplay just thought id try them out
 
SharpGhost

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so want a new rpg to play witch one should i start out on on the 360
side note never even seen gameplay just thought id try them out

Well since you're asking that in a Final Fantasy thread, you should be able to guess the answer :tongue:.

Final Fantasy 13 and 13-2 are available. Lightning Returns comes out in less than a month now, so that will finish the FF13 trilogy.

Here's some gameplay footage from 13-2. The battle systems are nearly identical in 13-2 and 13. The gameplay can get really intense and very fast paced depending on who you are fighting.

 
Garrus Vakarian

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Well since you're asking that in a Final Fantasy thread, you should be able to guess the answer :tongue:.

Final Fantasy 13 and 13-2 are available. Lightning Returns comes out in less than a month now, so that will finish the FF13 trilogy.

Here's some gameplay footage from 13-2. The battle systems are nearly identical in 13-2 and 13. The gameplay can get really intense and very fast paced depending on who you are fighting.



ok thanks sharp
 
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