The original Final Fantasy debuted 22 years ago. The long-running RPG is one of the very few videogame series to have been made for more than two decades. Looking at it's history, It's shocking to think that Final Fantasy debuted as a last ditch effort by developer Square, which was going bankrupt at that time, and considered that this would be their last game, hence why it's called “final fantasy.” Thankfully, it struck gold and it's been here ever since.
What I've always loved about the series' is that it keeps changing. No two chapters are exactly the same (minus the spin-offs of course). One's theme is a post-apocalyptic future wherein the heroes do their best to make ends meet while one's theme revovles around an ongoing war and it's true purpose. Each one has a unique and enjoyable experience.
Another thing I love about the FF series is that even though each game presents different timelines, characters and storylines, it's core fundamentals is intact and very consistent. No matter which world it may be, you'll still find the usual Potion, Hi-Potion, Fire, Ice, Ifrit, Bahamut in that world. No matter which character you'll be controlling, you'll always be reminded that you are in the FF universe( or multiverse). Speaking of characters, the characters themselves are what make FF special. From Luneth to Lightning, everyone always has a backstory that may (or may not) push you to play more to find out who's who and what they are after. What also makes FF so lovable is that you know you're gonna go spend a lot of man hours trying to get that ultimate weapon or obtain that powerful spell, and when you do achieve that, it gives you a certain amount of satisfaction that just makes you say yeah, I have Ultima now!
I am a huge fan of the series for those reasons I've given, though I'm much less so now. I think it's decreasing because the games have gotten bad (but not awful) in terms of gameplay mechanics and the script for the games which was once so engrossing, now just feels sort of arbitrary; the combat seems more repetitive than strategic; cut scenes are all 'too' much of everything now (too long, too flashy, etc.) and the epic scope of the games now just feels long and dragging.
I have a lot of fond memories of the series particularly of VII and XI and I still love the Final Fantasies I've played in the past couple of years but I only have a handful of free time these days and if I'm going to play a game for gazillions of hours, it had better be the best game for my time and money. And right now at it's current state (XIII), Final Fantasy doesn't make that list anymore but I've not lost hope with the series, XIV is just around the corner...and I'm hoping for the best, with trusted sword in hand.
Peace Out.
-Chady
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