A few months ago, I did a special on the first half of the Final Fantasy series, where I briefly touched upon this iteration of the series. With Final Fantasy IV hitting the Nintendo DS shortly (as evidenced by aDam’s video review of it below), hardcore FF fans will want to check out its predecessor as soon as possible. This remake is the first and only international release of Final Fantasy 3. It blends together what made the original version of the game unique with some new innovations that help keep it fresh for today’s gaming audience.
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Final Fantasy IV for the Nintendo DS comes out on July 22nd. I’ve gotten my hands on the Japanese version of the game and put together this review of all the new features of the latest incarnation of my all time favourite game.

Read on for contest details.
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Every hardcore Final Fantasy fan (including me) goes on about the first six games in the series and how cool they were. However, there is a lot to be said about the later half of the series, even though there are many who didn’t take to them as well. Regardless of however some people may feel about them, few can deny thier impact on the RPG genre, and perhaps gaming itself. FFVII was a turning point for the series in terms of graphics and presentation. It’s story was so epic that it spawned several sequels and prequels. FFVIII not only managed to reach the bar set by VII, but it managed to exceed it tenfold, even outselling even several Dreamcast games when it was released. FFIX, while it contained the same graphical quality as VII and VIII, it’s story, characters, and simplistic battle system served as a clever throwback to the 8 and 16-bit Final Fantasy games. X, the first Final Fantasy game to receive a sequel, bought the series into the next generation with an emotionally gripping plotline and voice acting. FF XI took the series online for the first time. While it was a bit problematic, it retains a following that is exceeded only by World of Warcraft. FF XII is once again an offline single player experience, and it introduces several huge changes to the gameplay, but it’s an epic game all on its own, and it upholds the high standards that the Final Fantasy series is known for.
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This is pretty much a companion piece to my Final Fantasy I – VI special from two weeks ago. What makes this funny is that the Final Fantasy Legend series is actually the English translation of what is known in Japan as the Saga series. When Square released it over here, it changed the name to Final Fantasy Legend to capitalize off the growing popularity of the series. It has nothing to do with Final Fantasy, but then again it’s just as well, as none of the Final Fantasy games have anything to do with each other. Besides, these three games have managed to become excellent role-playing games in their own right.

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My birthday was this past week, so in lieu of my usual $20 Game of the week and Lost Classics segments this week, I decided to give you a look at the the first half of one of the greatest console role playing game franchise of all time. That’s right, it’s my birthday, but I’m giving you the gift. See how cool I am? Well, onto our special feature.

After Dragon Quest (or Dragon Warrior as we knew it over here at the time), Final Fantasy was and still remains one of RPG gaming’s most prolific franchises. It introduced and refined several conventions that are seen in RPGs such as the turn-based battle system, character customization, ability progression, and story writing. Even so, it wasn’t until FFVII bought the series into 3-d that the series gained mainstream popularity. However, the first six games of the series still hold a special place in the hearts of many longtime FF fans.

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Weather you wish to admit it or not, the Playstation installments of the Final Fantasy series, particularly VII and VIII, marked a major turning point in console role playing games. Up until then, role playing games were only enjoyed by a niche but dedicated audience. What they lacked in graphics, their epic stories made up for a thousandfold. Final Fantasy VII introduced 3-d polygon models, fully rendered cinematics, and graphics that were as epic in scale as the game’s storyline itself. Squaresoft had clearly outdone itself, and in 1999, it was tasked with having to following it up. Released in America on the same day as the Sega Dreamcast, Final Fantasy VIII managed to not only surpass the scale of FFVII, but it managed to set a new standard for role playing games. Despite its critical acclaim amongst gaming media outlets and fans alike, many purists don’t think too highly of this entry in the series. For the life of me I don’t see why, because next to Final Fantasy Tactics, this is arguably the best PS1 Final Fantasy game. In fact, it stands alongside Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil 2 as one of the greatest PS1 games of all time, and it’s also one of the finest console role playing games ever.

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About 6 months ago, I posted a video here called Haloid, which features a unique fight between two very well known video game characters. The creator, Monty Oum, has posted a follow up, this time mashing together the ladies of Dead Or Alive and Final Fantasy. Pure fan service, but the CG work and fight choreography is as good if not better than last time. Best of all, he plans on doing more chapters. Amazing its all done by one man. As I said before: Someone needs to give this guy a job now.