Final Fantasy 10 Released in Japan

tenchiken writes "Following up on the release of the Final Fantasy movie (which will at least break even for square), Final Fantasy, the first installment of the game for the PS2 has been released. There are reviews at gamespot,IGN,the gia, etc. All of them seem to agree... Final Fantasy raises the bar on storytelling and graphics for RPGs again, ho-hum. Square also released some details (a movie to wit) for FF11, the long antcipated online game. Square has said that they want to be cross platform, but so far only PS2 and PC platforms have been announced. Korean Site Ruliweb which broke most of these videos is already slashdoted (and the story has not been posted on /. yet ;-) but copies are Here. FFXPosed also has details. Go Square..."

Comments

Re:Naming convention

[jandrese]

Nope it's just you. The original Final Fantasy was made when Square was a failing company (look at their pre-FF stuff) and it was the last game they were going to release before going under. After that, the branding of FF was too strong to ignore, so they kept the name. Besides, each FF is in a different world, so you can consider each FF to be the Final Fantasy for that world (especially since many of them deal with the depletion of magic or destruction of the world).

Plus most people don't get hung up on game names, especially since a lot of them are really stupid. The name doesn't really affect gameplay anyway.

I suppose you won't buy any book with a crappy looking cover either.

Down that path lies madness. On the other hand, the road to hell is paved with melting snowballs.

GameCube practically confirmed

[edwdig]

While they don't confirm GameCube development, Square says they really want to - or rather have to - develop FFXI for it. http://cube.ign.com/news/36560.html

It's an Internet MYTH, mod it back DOWN (read)

[__aatnwq2381]

Square was actually pretty successful early on with their Rad Racer games, and King's Knight, though people make fun of it, did pretty well in Japan also.

The "Final" in Final Fantasy does not refer to it being Square's last game. It was chosen because the alliteration sounded cool, plain and simple. Rad Racer, double 'r's; King's Knight, double 'k's (yeah, I know, kn != k, shut up); Final Fantasy, double 'f's.

Japan has never been known for making the most sensical of video game names. This is just more Engrish.

Re:It's an Internet MYTH, mod it back DOWN (read)

[SuiteSisterMary]

Donkey Kong is so named because Myamoto-san's Japanese-English dictionary had 'donkey' listed as a good translation for 'stubborn.' And I believe they thought that 'kong' was a standard term for 'big ape' as opposed to a proper name. Hence, "Stubborn Large Ape" is translated as "Donkey Kong."

Re:Beyond Final Fantasy

[SuiteSisterMary]

I just couldn't get into vagrant story. But Xenogears... now there be a classic Square game. Look for the soundtrack, then look for the Creid album.

I Miss The Old-School Final Fantasy Games

[John_Booty]

I don't know, but I sort of miss the SNES roleplaying games of yesteryear. As cheesy as it sounds there was something I really loved about those low-tech graphics. I don't know, maybe it's similar to the nostalgia people feel for the text-adventure games.

I remember one scene in Final Fantasy 3 (6 in Japan). It's been many years, so I may have a detail or two wrong but the gist remains. Anyway, war is sweeping the land. At one point your adventurers come upon a young woman and her daughter. The woman is bedridden, gravely ill. She asks you to take a message to her husband, who's off fighting the war. By the time you can return with her husband, though, she's dead... killed as the fighting swept through her village.

The husband is very stoic. He said something to the effect that since he was a soldier (and therefore part of the war) too, he had no right to be upset or angry. And he walked away.

Later in the adventure, you're traveling through an enchanted forest when you meet up with the soldier again. It turns out there's a train traveling through the forest... a supernatural train that takes departed souls to the afterlife. As the train pulls away, your party and the soldier stand there watching it. And then you see the ghostly image of the soldier's wife and child standing at the back of the train, silently waving goodbye to him. The soldier takes a few fitful steps after the train and then just quiently falls to his knees, sobbing.

I swear that was the most heartwrenching thing I've ever seen in a videogame. Hell, 99% of movies don't have anything that powerful emotionally IMHO. What was my point? Oh yeah, that I miss those "old-skool" RPG's, and that they had some awesome stories too that didn't rely on graphics. Having said that though, FFX does look awesome so if they can combine the wonderful storytelling and drool-worthy graphics I guess it will be cool. I'm just a little skeptical that's all.... yeah yeah I know... memories are often rose-colored... maybe FF3 would seem retarded if I played it today... I'm probably being a cranky 25 year-old bastard.... :)

Re:I Miss The Old-School Final Fantasy Games

[cavemanf16]

I think the reason the old-skool graphics and text-based adventure games appeal to us so much is because they're the MOST like an interactive story. Your imagination kicks in and you involve yourself more than if you were just watching a movie. Ever notice how the book is ALWAYS better than the movie? Same thing applies in video games I think. That's why SquareSoft does have to be given credit for pulling off quality games that are graphically intensive. It gets exponentially harder to really involve the player the better the graphics and 'eye-candy' get.

I remember the part you're talking about, as that was my first FF game I ever played! I spent probably a hundred hours playing that game with friends. Not because we couldn't figure it out, but just because it was fun.

I have 'rediscovered' Civ2 recently and have enjoyed playing it even more than some of the more advanced games like Alpha Centauri. KISS definitely applies to epic games like FF and Civ. The stories are just told better without the graphical fluff to get in the way. Needless to say, I'm in awe of how well SquareSoft manages to tell an involving story, while supplying outstanding graphics. That, is not easy to do.

Re:Import/Export, anyone!

[jeko]

Sorry. I live in Japan. I can personally assure you from bitter experience that Mr. Custom Guy's ENTIRE job is to ensure that the price of melons stays at least at 4000 yen.

Re:Naming convention

[The Abominous Salad]

I answer this question at least once a month, it seems.

Every Final Fantasy title is just that; it is the ultimate event in one planet's history. Every FF title takes place on a different planet, and they are not really sequels of each other. The only exception to this is a little cross-villaination between FF1 and FF9, and the occasional joke (such as the ending of FF9, where it is claimed in a theatre performance that the hero will be with his lover, and "no cloud, no squall shall deter me." -- Cloud being the hero of FF7, Squall the hero of FF8.) This, and certain common themes aside (celestial beings, background creatures, and the trademark struggle between citizenry vs. ultimately powerful corruption) are all that link the stories together. So, each of them is a Final Fantasy.

Re:I've made my decision...

[Erasmus Darwin]

Both for it's DVD features, and for it's quality games being produced for it.

One thing to keep in mind is that the DVD player on the PS2 could use some work. I haven't run into compatibility problems, but the user interface is painful. You either need one of the add-on DVD remotes or lots of patience. So I'd be tempted to consider the DVD-playing capabilites a bonus, rather than a selling point. If a significant part of your buying decision revolves around the DVD playback, I'd recommend at least trying it at a friend's house or in the store, first.

That being said, I do use my PS2 as my only DVD player, and it does fulfill my needs. But it's quirky enough that I strongly suggest that you check out what you're getting first. (Which may not be an issue in your case, as you also mentioned the games as a reason you're buying it.)

Import/Export, anyone!

[imadork]

After a recent trip to Japan, I've concluded the way to Make Money Fast is to bring a suitcase full of Melons over there and sell them, and bring a suitcase full of Japanese PS2 games back and sell them here. I'd probably make more money on the Melons, I saw some selling for 4000 Yen!

I wonder what Mr. Customs Guy has to say about my scheme...

FF3/6 and the future of FF

[Zoisite]

I beat FF3/6 for the nth time last week...

Graphics may get old, but a beautiful, epic story never loses its appeal. And FF3/6 has the most haunting story I have ever lived. I remember crying when the music started and the curtain rose on the Opera scene...

I wish Square would revisit the past and give us something better than the mass-market drivel that were FF8-9.

I wish Square would once more give us strong, capable female characters which are not emotional wrecks.

But more than that...

I wish Square will make enough money with the FF movie to hire a character designer. I mean, Rinoa, Garnet, Yuna and Aki LOOK THE SAME! Tidus is Squall with bleached hair! Come on Square, you can do better than that!

Zoi (who'll be playing FF3/6 again when everyone else will be in front of FF10)

Voiceovers add to, or detract from experience?

[pgpckt]

You'll also notice the use of voice in the game. While Square first began dabbling in voice work with The Bouncer, FFX is the first FF game to use voice acting.

This strikes me as something I would both like and dislike. First, the dislike. As someone else pointed out, those early final fantasy games had something in them that made them truly fantastic. I personally like FFII the best, but the stories were great, and I remember caring about the character and what happened to them. I remember in FFVII when the woman got killed by the Antagonist: I was pissed. The early games had this same quality.

Having voices attached to the characters may remove some of this appeal. It's sort of like reading a book. You have to imagine the characters' voices in your head. It's sort of like when you are chatting online with someone for a while and then get sent a picture of him or her. Somehow, I never imagined them looking that way. I want to be able to imagine what characters sound like and what the tone is like. Somehow being given that information seems like it could ruin that aspect of the game.

As for the good, well, it is obvious. This game continues the proud tradition of high quality story lines that are non-linear. Side games, and being able to do things out of a strict sequence appeal to me. The graphics look fantastic, and voice-overs are just an extension of the technology, just like high graphics were. In the end, I think this development will add to the overall story line. I guess I am buying a PSII so I can check this out!

Final Fantasy is great - FMV however is not...

[PeteSlater]

The Final Fantasy games have always been wonderful.

They remind me of why I play games in the first place - to escape reality, a fact lost of many games designers today who try their best to emulate the real world... Shenmue anybody?

But one thing has always bothered me since the days of FFVII and that is that FMV in games is a bad thing.

Granted Square have always made the BEST use of FMV in their games but after playing Skies of Arcadia on Dreamcast and seeing just how good cut scenes using the in game engine could look, I can only view the use of FMV as a sloppy, time wasting excercise.

What do you think?

Pete

Re:Somehow....

[Johnny5000]

Since you asked...

The reason why it's called "Final" Fantasy is that back in the day, Square was going broke.
So broke that they were about to go out of business. But, they were working on this great new game. Since it was the last game that Square was ever going to release, it was Final Fantasy.

But, since the game was a big hit and made Square truckloads of money, they didnt have to go out of business afterwards. And the only thing that made sense after that was to crank out endless sequels, a movie, etc.

If it hadn't caught on, it would have been final (for Square, at least.)

-J5K

Hope its as good as the hype

[Arcturax]

About every FF since 7 has have about as much full motion video scenes as game play. Some even more than that. I get annoyed with games that make me sit through 5 minute scenes. Well ok, maybe once if it adds to the story but some are just eye candy that I'd rather skip, at least after I've seen it once already. I'm much more interested in actually playing the damn game. Hell I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually release a version of FF where you hit the start button and then sit back and watch one big scene. Oh wait they already have, its just not out of the theater yet ;)