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"Ask yourself, if you will; what is a game?
I suppose you could see the question from any number of angles, any number of interpretations. You could view it mechanically – a typical game involves an actor, maybe several, multiple mechanics, parameters. You could take each individual aspect of a game and put a magnifying glass to it. Or you could take it at its most literal definition; something to be played."
Video games feature many characters and beast. "Dog" characters is a common theme among some video games. In the link there's the top ten best video game dogs of all time. Check them out.
"The time is nigh to celebrate the return of the Playstation Store as Final Fantasy VI, widely beheld as one of the best titles in the series, has just hit the Playstation Store. Whether you've played it before or never even seen a screen, this is a title that should be on everyone's must-have list."
"As a fan of post-apocalyptic themes, I am of course drawn to games take place after catastrophic events. Though this list is not exhaustive, it’s revealing that much of is so top-heavy. With the theme becoming increasingly popular, I don’t seem to be alone in my enjoyment of post-apocalyptic games. Here’s hoping for more to come."
History has proven this trend time and time again with many of Square Enix's "PlayStation Originals" releases - first comes the ESRB rating, then the release date, then the actual game on PSN.
Virtually every Final Fantasy game has a full piano score released in a book to go with it. In this piece, Digitally Downloaded looks at a "best of" collection.
Surprisingly, given the quality of these pieces, most of them are not that hard to play for music students.
When video games are designed to look a specific way, the visual style can often last well past the viability of a console. This article examines how developers create visually "timeless" graphics, as well as collects several of the most prominent examples.
David Stewart of Spawn Kill shares his vision for what a remake of venerable classic Final Fantasy VI could look like. His ideas are far-fetched, but a loving tribue to one of the best games to ever grace a console.
"Gamers have seen few franchises with histories as impressively deep and memorable as the Final Fantasy series. Besides being known for great story lines lovable heroes, Square/Enix's uber-popular franchise is also known for having some of the meanest and most evil baddies in the history of video games."
"Final Fantasy is one of the most famous franchises in gaming history and for good reason. The gameplay has evolved over the years and pleased gamers on everything from the original NES to the WonderSwan and still entrances gamers on the PS3 and 360. But there's another appeal factor about this series."
Square has developed a reputation over the years for dramatically changing how the battle mechanic works with each new iteration of the Final Fantasy series. The Kartel highlights how battling has evolved over the years, and pick out the ones that worked best.
"In order for an ending to reign superior over the others in this list, it must contain high production value within its context (i.e. FFVIII's ending can't be better than FFIV's ending on grounds of graphics), a satisfying conclusion to the story, and a strong musical score (Uematsu vs Uematsu vs Uematsu, etc.!)"
I had the pleasure of recording a podcast with three Final Fantasy enthusiasts. I did not talk and they spoke on everything within the series. See the description. download through iTunes, though Zune, or download the mp3 directly
"A brief look at the villains from your favourite books and films will reveal some common personality traits; they're all a few sandwiches short of a picnic. This is of course true of video games too, with many antagonists - who are more often than not found in the form of boss battles incidentally - displaying qualities that would suggest they're not quite with it upstairs.
Here then, are the ten most psychotic characters that have appeared in video games."
Game Podunk's next issue of its hit series, "25 Things About Me" is Kefka the main antagonist from Final Fantasy VI. Read to find out what this character is all about! Although much of the information included in these lists will come from facts about the character from their games, we've also used our imagination to fill in some of the blanks! So enjoy! We hope you'll have as much fun reading these as we've had writing them.
"One Winged Angel" is arguably the most popular Final Fantasy final boss theme because it represents the series' most popular villain: Sephiroth.
But Destructoid's SWE3tMadness believes that Final Fantasy VI's 'Dancing Mad' can give "One Winged Angel" a run for it's money.
In a very interesting and well-written article, SWE3tMadness explains why he believes "Dacing Mad" is the 'most well-constructed, complex, and thought-provoking boss theme in videogame history.'
Go to the source for...
Akitoshi Kawazu, Square Enix developer, has said that he wants the Final Fantasy franchise to last forever.
In a recent interview, Kawazu was asked if gamers will ever see a final Final Fantasy. He said:
"The spookiest holiday of all is upon us, so today I would like to talk about the scariest, the most vile monster in all horrordom.
We’re not talking Freddy, Jason, Leatherface or any other demi-human serial killer. We’re talking about clowns a.k.a harbingers of small cars, seltzer water, custard pies, and unwanted hijinx. While I do not suffer from coulrophobia (fear of clowns) I do have a general distrust for them for some reason. I think it all stems from my early self watching the made f..."
"8. Garland (FF9)
Garland is directly responsible for the events in the game. He was created by the Terrans and given the task to find a new planet for them to live on. When he couldn’t conquer Gaia, he created Kuja to be his Angel of Death, killing Gaians to make room for the Terrans’ souls."
"13. Eternal Sonata
Kicking off our list is Eternal Sonata, a game in which you assume the role of Frederic Chopin. As you might imagine, a game based on such a prolific pianist features a stunning soundtrack. The soundtrack even incorporates some of Chopin’s classic works, such as Polonaise, Op. 53, Étude Op. 10, No. 12, and Étude Op. 10, No. 3. The theme featured is the battle music, which clearly demonstrates the theme of the game."
It is very difficult to just pick 10 and everyone has their own tastes and may not agree with the list, but openly debate the top 10 console RPG's of all time! What games were missed?
"Throughout gaming history, and your own personal gaming experiences, I’m sure there are moments that you will never forget. The death of your favorite character, a sudden plot twist, a beautiful romance reaching fruition, or whatever else suits your fancy, there are certain moments that are etched indelibly into your memory.
This list explores 10 of my most favorite scenes/moments from video games. I make no effort to claim that these are THE top 10 EVER. They are simply 10 moments that I ..."
"Cecil is the main character of Final Fantasy 4, originally released in the US as Final Fantasy 2 for the Super Nintendo. Cecil starts out the game as a bad ass dark knight, but has to undergo a transformation to a paladin to fight the true enemy. It’s too bad, really, because his first form is much cooler."
"Final Fantasy VI is my favorite game in the series. Even after all these years, none of the others can compare on a mechanical or narrative level with Final Fantasy VI. The narrative is especially impactful and well-written, even when compared to many games out today. There are a lot of issues that games just don’t touch, either out of fear of possible backlash or fear of failure. But on the rare occasion one of these issues is handled well in a mature way, you take notice. Unfortunately, we ..."
When asked which Final Fantasy game should be remade, most fans will say Final Fantasy VII. Psxextreme.com has held many polls on the topic and always end up with the same result. But with so many great games in the series, FFVII isn't the only one that deserves to be beautified for next-gen consoles.
So psxextreme.com asks the question: Besides FFVII, which FF game would you like to see remade?
Snarkasaur of Spawn Kill editorializes about just what makes many game worlds better than the reality. This week focuses on beloved franchise favorite, Final Fantasy 6.
"Since the company was founded in 1983, Squaresoft has had a reputation of making good-quality video games. Since its first title to hit the North American market (Rad Racer back in 1987 for the NES) and through today the ratio of high-quality to low-quality games has greatly skewed toward the former. The company is now known as Square-Enix thanks to a merger with animé, manga, and video game company Enix."
"You know, the problem with top ten lists is that you only have a selection of ten to choose from. Sure, I could make my lists into top 20 lists, but it's just not as cool as ten. Its either go top ten, or go top 100, and I just dont think I can name that many games on my own to make a list of that stature. So here are my top ten favorite video game villains of all time. Some of them may seem like cheeky afterthoughts to you, but hear them out. I think youll agree that I have a valid point ..."
The top ten video game baddies, marvel in their wickedness! See classics such as Dr. Eggman and Bowser, stare at Wario the overweight evil brother.
Though it's a real nice find to see Gruntilda Winkybunion from our beloved Banjo-Kazooie series get in at first! Followed by Final Fantasy VI character Kefka Palazzo and Ganondorf in third from the Legend of Zelda series.
"There's nothing like a steamingly camp villain to really set off a game plot with a bang (and a mince and a girly titter). There's just something about a preening effeminate bad guy that instantly undermines a hero, no matter what abilities and attributes said doer of good might have. He's threatening to destroy the world? Pah. He's threatening to destroy the world in lip liner!? Christ, he must be confident.
And that's to say nothing of the countless enemies who are hilariously camp purel..."
Within the past several years, Square Enix has been on the ball with remakes of their classic Final Fantasy games. And rumors of a remake for the huge and popular Final Fantasy 7 have been been buzzing around the net.
Square Enix president Yoichi Wada explains how there has been a remake boom lately, "The price of games is high, and consumers tend to be wary of buying games they are unfamiliar with".
That's an interesting reason for the increase of remake talk, but SE fans hope they do...
What's the most epic top list for video games you could think of? The top 5 apocalypse video games of all time of course!
Scott Sharkey from 1UP has made such a list. Inspiration comes from the all the big events currently gripping the world, a darker place than it's ever been before. What happens when people get extremely frustrated? Eventually all that bottled up energy gets thrust out in one big explosion, apocalypse! We gamers take it out through a simulation on the console, at least w...
Have you ever gotten so swept up in a game's storyline that you never want it to end? Have you ever played a game and thought, "wow, if only all game plots were this amazing"? GamesRadar has. Here are their top 15 list of best video game storylines ever. One of my personal favorites is in the quote.
Naturally, this list will have major spoilers.
Go to the source for the full list.
Brought to you by Square Enix Music comes a brand new soundtrack directed and composed by the legendary Nobuo Uematsu and remixed and produced by Ante / Ian Hartley & mattb: FINAL FANTASY REMIX, featuring 12 classic Final Fantasy tunes remixed.
Catch the track list in the quote. You can check out the official site for FINAL FANTASY REMIX here where you can listen to short samples for all the tracks. The soundtrack retails in Japan for 2500 Yen, and is also available on the iTunes Store.
"The allure just isn't there anymore for the Final Fantasy titles and we have to ask why. Loyal fans try to create hype, but the games are just not combining new and old expectations. Maybe it's because every game, we have to warm up to new characters and worlds. Square sets itself up for hit and miss titles with no character regularity. The only motif running through the series I can identify is a blond guy and clueless protagonists. Most of the recent Final Fantasy games (dare I say Square ..."
"The Japanese role-playing game is a surprisingly important genre for developers to study - both in terms of gameplay and storytelling, and Gamasutra presents an 'Essential 20' explaining and chronicling the top JRPGs of all-time.
Valkyrie Profile: In most RPGs, it's your job to stop the end of the world. In Valkyrie Profile, it's your job to start it.
The battle system is a strange beast, with actions for each of the four party members assigned to a face button. Each character has a numbe..."
"Every game has a different storyline and different factors driving that storyline, but all games have one factor in common. That one factor is the bad-ass whose music or voice sends chills up your spine when you hear it and you know what's about to happen. Each villain is different and each has it's own way of doing things. To make this list they have to have done something either extremely evil, have a truly dark and deprived past, or simply make the player soil themselves when they make the..."
![Box shot of Final Fantasy III [North America]](http://i.neoseeker.com/boxshots/R2FtZXMvU3VwZXJfTmludGVuZG8vUm9sZS1QbGF5aW5nL0ZhbnRhc3k=/final_fantasy_iii_frontcover_small_t8le8WxjgWrd7et.jpg)