Final Fantasy series

The story begins with the appearance of the four youths called the "Light Warriors", who each carry one of their world's four elemental orbs, which have been darkened by the four Elemental Fiends. Together, they quest to defeat these evil forces, restore light to the orbs, and save the world.

* Review: The Best Game Ever by Bluraven
* Featured in RPG World: NES Edition list by List-All
* Featued in Greatest Game Covers list by Prelude

Final Fantasy II for the NES was never released outside of Japan, although enhanced remakes of this title were later released on PlayStation, GBA and PSP. The story centers on four youths who join a resistance to end an evil tyrant's military campaign against the world. Enhanced remakes

Other than the name, this Game Boy title has little to do with the Final Fantasy franchise, and it was so named for marketing reasons. Called Makai Toushi SaGa in Japan, it was the first title in Square's SaGa series, which includes the rest of the FF Legend series, as well as Romancing SaGa and Frontier SaGa games.

The third installment was never released outside of Japan on the NES, but an enhanced port did follow many years later for the DS. The plot focuses on four orphaned youths who come across a crystal, which grants them power and instructs them to restore balance to the world.

Final Fantasy IV in Japan and future remakes

Cecil, a Dark Knight from the kingdom of Baron, on his journey to save the world from the evil Golbez acquiring powerful Crystals, learns of his heritage and travels through three realms to battle Golbez's minions. His lover, best friend, and other warriors join him for the adventure.

* Featured in RPG World: SNES Edition list by List-All
* Featured in Greatest 100 Video Games by List-All

Similar to FF Legend, this release was a Final Fantasy only by name and nothing else. This zelda-style game was already in development at Square back in 1987, but the project was shelved for a few years as the company bet it all on Final Fantasy. After their commercial success, this project was re-started, and FF Adventure is the first in the Secret of Mana series, games based on Mana trees, Mana beasts, and humans consuming Mana without regard for the future.

Released for the SNES in Japan only, it was later ported to the PlayStation, GBA and PSP. The story focuses on a wanderer and his allies as they prevent the resurgence of an evil being. The game begins as a wanderer named Bartz investigates a fallen meteor, and discovers the danger facing four Crystals that control the world's elements.

Released specifically for the US market, this entry was designed to appeal to entry-level RPG gamers and to try and broaden the franchise's appeal. But because many features were stripped from the gameplay, it was not a well received addition to the franchise.

* Review: Different from the RPG norm by TonyDanza

Final Fantasy VI in Japan and future remakes

The Empire had heard word of the remains of a mystical being, known as an "Esper", being found in the mining town of Narshe. Soldiers were dispatched to find this Esper, but one of them, a young girl, triggers a power in the Esper that will begin one of the most dangerous series of events ever. And the only ones who can help her are a rag-tag band of rebels and heroes.

* Featured in RPG World: SNES Edition list by List-All
* Featured in Greatest 100 Video Games by List-All

The seventh installment of Final Fantasy series takes place in a post-modern, steampunk sci-fi world where high technology reigns and where robots and bio-engineered mutants co-exist with humans and dragons. The story focuses on Shinra Inc., an evil mega-corporation responsible for all the world's high technology. Shinra supports this technology with Mako Energy, Shinra's patented source of power. Unfortunately Mako is the lifeblood of the living planet and by using it up Shinra is slowly upseting the balance of nature.

* Review: Unclouded Memories by Grand Assault
* Review: Please don't remake this by Kryptic Centurion
* Review: Perfection by RB6K
* Featured in RPG World: PlayStation Edition by Kryptic Centurion
* Featured in Greatest 100 Video Games by List-All
* Featured in Favourite Characters list by Grand Assault
* Featured in Sexiest Video Game Girls list by Prelude
* Featured in 15 Most Influential Games of All Time by Prelude

"The PC translation of Final Fantasy VII is fundamentally the same game as the PlayStation version, which makes for both its greatest strengths and its most frustrating weaknesses. There was obviously a great deal of attention spent improving the graphics, but other equally important areas - the sound, the interface - have been neglected." - Gamespot

Final Fantasy Tactics was a big move for the whole Final Fantasy franchise into different gaming markets. Tactics combines traditional elements of the Final Fantasy series with a completely different game mechanics and battle system. For more on this spin-off series, refer to the Final Fantasy Tactics series list.

* Featured in Greatest 100 Video Games by List-All

FF VIII is set in a "retro" environment reminiscent of the 1960s, with supernatural elements mixed in. The story centers on a group of young mercenaries who seek to prevent a sorceress from manipulating an international war. It was the first game in the series to consistently use realistically proportioned characters,

* Review: Chicken...wuss? by Kryptic Centurion
* Review of Final Fantasy VIII by Grand Assault
* Featured in RPG World: PlayStation Edition by Kryptic Centurion
* Featured in Favourite Characters list by Grand Assault

The PC edition of FF VIII was released a year later, and was criticized by Gamespot as being a "completely inadequate conversion". The graphics and sound were better on the original PlayStation platform, as the low resolution textures ideal for TVs were simply magnified to a higher resolution on the PC, making everything noticeably worse.

This special edition 2-disc CD consists of two SNES classics; Final Fantasy V, making its first English-language debut since the original was a Japan-only release, and Final Fantasy VI, which was released as Final Fantasy III for the SNES. The graphics are near straight port of the original games, but many new high-quality cut scenes have been added.

Final Fantasy went back to its traditional roots in IX, bringing back the medieval-era universe, as well as cartoonish characters. This installment begins with the heroes attempting to stop a war sparked by an ambitious queen.

* Review of Final Fantasy IX by William
* Review: Hold to Oglop by Kryptic Centurion
* Featured in RPG World: PlayStation Edition by Kryptic Centurion

This is another PlayStation compilation of classic SNES games. While Anthology consisted of FFV and FFVI, Chronicles has Final Fantasy IV, known as Final Fantasy II for the SNES, and Chrono Trigger, a big Square RPG hit similar to, but unrelated to the Final Fantasy universe. And just like Anthology, many new cut scenes have been added to both titles.

Set in a world that is somewhat similar to South Asia, FFX begins with Tidus, a young blitzball athlete who lives in the futuristic city of Zanarkand - the "city that never sleeps". Suddenly, a terrible disaster happens - a huge dark wave engulfs the city, and Tidus finds himself in a different world, 1000 years into the future.

Bringing the series into the PS2 era in a big way, with the introduction of three-dimensional environments and voice acting, FFX proved to be a commercial smash hit. To date, its the top-selling Final Fantasy game, with over 6.6 million copies.

* Review of Final Fantasy X by Grand Assault
* Featured in RPG World: PS2 Edition list by List-All

The European Edition [PAL] of Anthology was released a couple of years after the North American Anthology, and differed as it included Final Fantasy IV (aka Final Fantasy II for SNES) and Final Fantasy V, rather than Final Fantasy V & VI.

Since it wasn't part of the European Anthology release, the PAL region received a stand-alone remake of Final Fantasy VI, aka Final Fantasy III on the SNES.

* Review: One of the Top Final Fantasy Titles by RB6K

FF Origins brought the NES hits Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II (the real 'II', previously only available on Japanese Famicom system. Both games were given graphical make-overs, appearing more like SNES titles and not their original NES editions.

Final Fantasy's first MMORPG online universe is set in the world of Vana'diel. The events of the game are set 20 years after the Crystal War, when the nations of San d'Oria, Bastok, and Windurst defeated the Shadow Lord and his army of beastmen. An alternate parallel world named Dynamis, in which the beastmen succeeded in conquering Vana'diel, can also be explored.

Released first in Japan for the PS2, this PC version came to North America a year later, and was released with its first expansion pack. Several expansions and collection packs were released, which can all be found on this sub-series list, Final Fantasy Online series.

* Featured in RPG World: MMORPG Edition list by List-All

The events of the game take place two years after Yuna and her guardians defeated Sin in Final Fantasy X, and peace was restored in Spira. Rikku finds a strange sphere that mysteriously shows an image resembling Tidus, Yuna's love. Determined to discover the truth behind the mystery, Yuna organizes a journey of "sphere-hunting", to find more spheres scattered around the world, and perhaps to find Tidus...

Final Fantasy X-2 is the first direct sequel in the history of the series, developed in response to the huge success of Final Fantasy X and to fan reaction of 'Eternal Calm' video included on the Japanese FFX International version. It is also the first in the series to be an all-girl ensemble, and because you have an airship at the beginning, most of the world is open for exploration, giving this installment a much less linear feel that other games. But the game was criticized for its light-hearted feel compared to other Final Fantasy games, increase in silly mini-games, and re-usage of most of graphics from FFX.

* Review: A Very Underrated Game by RB6K
* Review: Severely Under-appreciated by TonyDanza
* Featured in Sexiest Video Game Girls list by Prelude
* Featured in RPG World: PS2 Edition list by List-All

Crystal Chronicles is the first Final Fantasy entry for a Nintendo system since FFIII for the SNES, but even though the plot and theme is old school Final Fantasy, the gameplay is very different, taking on more of an action RPG style similar to Zelda. For other Crystal Chronicles sub-series of games, refer to Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles series list.

* Featured in RPG World: GameCube Edition list by List-All

According to sources, Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy series, was setting up Square Pictures headquarters in Hawaii when he realized how much the MMORPG movement was growing, especially with EverQuest, which is why Square decided to go with an MMORPG style for FFXI. In North America, the PC version was launched 6 months ahead of the PS2 edition, in part because the PS2 user base required hard drive and network add-on to be used.

* Part of the Final Fantasy Online series by Prelude
* Featured in RPG World: MMORPG Edition list by List-All

The first of four remakes of the original Final Fantasy titles for the Game Boy Advance, Dawn of Souls brings us the original NES Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II into the world of handheld gaming, with better graphics.

Similar to Dawn of Souls, the next classic to get ported to the GBA handheld was Final Fantasy IV, aka Final Fantasy II as it was called on the SNES. This port featured improved graphics over the SNES version, and two new dungeons have been added.

The next in the series of GBA re-makes was Final Fantasy V, an SNES title which was only released in Japan, though a PlayStation port came out a few years back in FF Anthology. The graphics are improved over the SNES version, but just slightly, and this port includes a few extra job classes and a new dungeon to explore.

Originally planned for the Xbox, but shelved due to its small 8GB hard drive, the Xbox 360 version of FFXI Online followed almost 3 years after its PC & PS2 launch. Back in 2004, this MMORPG service had approximately 500,000 subscribers, and that number is sure to grow with the Xbox 360 addition, though this version has been criticized for dated looking graphics being sub-par of typical next-gen games.

* Part of the Final Fantasy Online series by Prelude
* Featured in RPG World: MMORPG Edition list by List-All

Set after the events of Final Fantasy VII and the Advent Children movie, Dirge of Cerberus lets players take the role of the mysterious Vincent Valentine. After a new organization arises following "Meteorfall", Vincent is called on to protect the townsfolk in Kalm, after a group of soldiers killed and captured people during recent town festivities.

While set in the world of FFVII, Dirge of Cerberus is not an RPG, but rather an action shooter with selectable first or third person perspectives. But in keeping with the RPG theme, the player can find healing units, magic and weapons as he progresses through the chapters.

* Review: Fanboys are Officially Pleasured by Kryptic Centurion
* Review: Great way to kill time by ANBU Sasaki

Final Fantasy XII is set in Ivalice, a fantasy world which was first introduced in Tactics. Two powerful empires, Archadia and Rozaria, are at war. You take control of a young thief named Vaan, who lives in Rabanastre, the capital city of Dalmasca, a small kingdom being invaded by Archadia. Through a series of events Vaan finds himself involved in the political struggle, hoping to avenge the death of his treacherously murdered brother.

In a major gameplay change for the series, battles are no longer done in a turn-based variation of the battle systems used in previous titles, but instead are done in free-flowing 3D real-time system, similar to Knights of the Old Republic or Baldur's Gate.

* Review: White Vaan Man by Grand Assault
* Review of Final Fantasy XII by ANBU Sasaki
* Review: FF in Epic Proportions by RB6K
* Featured in RPG World: PS2 Edition list by List-All
* Featured in Sexiest Video Game Girls by Prelude

Fun Trivia Fact: Holds a Guinness World Record for longest video game in active development, taking 5 years to produce.

The fourth and final GBA port was of Final Fantasy VI, aka Final Fantasy III on the original SNES release. Just like the previous GBA remake, this one improved the graphics slightly and added a couple new areas to explore.

Though originally planned as a PlayStation port, Nintendo managed to convince Square Enix to hold off this release until they launched their new handheld console, so it wasn't until 2006 that North Americans got to see this NES classic for the first time, since the original game was only sold in Japan. And it was a lot more than just a port, it was a complete re-make in 3D graphics and many changes to the gameplay.

This is a port of the Game Boy Advance remake of the original Final Fantasy for the NES. The PSP edition of this game brings improved graphics over its GBA counterpart, as well as 16:9 widescreen display and new enhanced cut scenes.

This is a port of the Game Boy Advance remake of the original Final Fantasy II for the NES. The PSP edition of this game brings improved graphics over its GBA counterpart, as well as 16:9 widescreen display and new enhanced cut scenes.

Acting as a sequel to the PS2 hit FFXII, we find Vaan, who is now 17 years old, owning his own airship. A string of events lead him and his friends to help the Aegyl race defend the floating continent Lemurés. From there the adventure continues.

Square Enix branches out once again from its typical RPG mold, as Revenant Wings is primarily a real-time strategy game with some RPG elements added. And like FFIII for the DS, the game can be played entirely using just the stylus pen.

Set six years before Final Fantasy VII, the prequel Crisis Core follows the adventures of Zack Fair as he discovers the truth of the Shin-Ra organisation. At the time, Cloud Strife is still a Shinra Guard.

This PSP exclusive release further expands the world around FFVII, and is played as an action RPG while the battles are done in a turn-based system an entirely new to the series.

* Review: Rape me please by Kryptic Centurion

Although it's the latest in the Chocobo spin-off series, the earlier PlayStation games got very little attention as many were Japanese exclusive releases, one was a racing game, and only recently did Square Enix start attaching the Final Fantasy to these games as a shameless attempt to feed off the franchise's marketable name.

* Featured in RPG World: Wii Edition list by List-All

While FFIV for the GBA was an enhanced port of the original SNES hit Final Fantasy IV (aka FFII), the DS version recently released is a full remake, programmed from scratch with 3D graphics. The gameplay has also been improved, and many additions and bonuses have been added throughout the world.

Coming Soon!: Released in Japan Dec/08, mid-2009 for North America

This PSP title will be yet another branch into a different gaming genre, this time bringing the characters and world of Final Fantasy into a 3D Action fighting game. The story centers around a great conflict between the god of discord, Chaos, and the goddess of harmony, Cosmos.

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Coming Soon: Q4 2009 in Japan
April 2010 for North America

The plot focuses on the fal'Cie, a race existing beyond humanity. The people marked by the fal'Cie for a greater purpose are named the l'Cie. Some thirteen centuries ago, a mythical Crystal told the fal'Cie to construct a paradise for humanity. The shell-like city of Cocoon was created to float high above the surface of the world now known as Pulse, and it was maintained by it's own Crystal. Cocoon's Crystal created life forms and machines for its inhabitants to use, and humanity flourished.

Over time, the people of Cocoon began to fear for the safety of their world, and were worried that it would be cast down from the sky. In present day, the wilderness of Pulse has strange effects on people, and the theocratic Holy Government of Cocoon quarantines and exiles anyone who has been influenced by Pulse from the city with the help of it's mighty army. A former soldier of that army, a woman codenamed Lightning is chosen by the fal'Cie to become a l'Cie, and with that to be an enemy of humanity and bring about the downfall of Cocoon.

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Coming Soon: Release 2009 in Japan; TBA in North America

Handheld version of Final Fantasy XIII, with gameplay similar to Crisis Core but with improved multi-character battle system.

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Coming Soon: Release TBA 2010

Though originally planned to be a PS3 exclusive release, Square Enix has since announced an Xbox 360 port will be made, but will not be sold in Japan, and work on the port will not begin until after FFXIII for PS3 is released, so North American and European gamers may have to wait til late 2010, possibly 2011 before they see this version.

Coming Soon: Release TBA

Set in the same universe as FFXIII but with completely separate storyline and characters, Versus will be a PS3 exclusive released, and is being developed at same time as FFXIII, but using the Kingdom Hearts and Advent Children design team. Unlike the epic RPG of the main release, Versus will be an Action RPG title.

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