They call me... completionist.

Okay so this is it... this is what I have to work with.

I know that I'm probably not the first to do this... and doubt I'll be the last.
But this is my story.

-1987-(FF**)-The one that started it all.
-1988-(FFII)-More involved/deeper story, even romance! Oh my!
-1990-(FFIII)-Introducing summons... and moogles! \o/
-1991-(FFIV)-Hello ATB, nice to meet you.
-1992-(FFV)-Expanded job system, more character control.
-1994-(FFVI)-Popular favorite in the series. Yay cactuars!
-1997-(FFVII**)-First FF with 3D graphics. Best selling. Most popular.
-1999-(FFVIII*)-What's your function junction? I named my cat Quistis.
-2000-(FFIX**)-Active Time Events. The kid characters turned me away.
-2001-(FFX*)-Voice acting and great story. Blitzball sucks.
-2003-(FFX-2*)-Charlie's Angels meets Final Fantasy.
-2006-(FFXII**)-Gambit system, too easy. MMO style encounters.

* - Played and finished before this blog
** - Tried but never completed before this blog

Song Playing: 4 Strings - Let It Rain

(FFIII) Get a job!

So far the game has been entertaining. Characters aren't as customizable as FFII but in a way that's a relief. Your job level increases the more you use it, so there are two sets of EXP to earn.
There are many jobs available, 23 total. A new set unlocked with each crystal that you find.
But which one to choose? Hrm... so many choices. I'm a fan of not depending on MP for offensive attacks but sometimes having a mage type class is needed for some fights. I've decided to go with a Knight, Dragoon, Geomancer and White Mage group for now... I haven't unlocked the last crystal yet so this will probably change afterwards.
As for the graphics... I know I keep mentioning the kid like characters... and it's sooooo hard to take them seriously. Yes it's just a game but when a "rawr big bad boss" looks like a kid in a halloween costume, I have to kinda lol. One boss was an undead, I swear it looked like: Rawr I am scary, mkay?

But I'll stick it out until the end! Shouldn't be too long from now...

Song Playing: Alien Ant Farm - Smooth Criminal

(FFIII) Mognet... schmognet... *sigh*

Hello again...
Okay so I've been playing FFIII for a bit. Say around 5 hrs of played time.
It's a good game but I do have some things I want to say about it.
The aspect of RPGs for me is time invested = reward. And my ultimate goal is... well of course getting the best gear and jobs. So of course I look up to achieve this goal for FFIII. I almost spit out my drink when I read... *drum roll*... in order to activate the best things in the game I need... friends. Friends with WiFi, DS and FFIII to be precise.
So I'll be sad not being able to access the Onion Knight job and armor.
Last thing I want to do is beg people for friend codes when I'd much rather invest the time and actually earn what I'm after.
Seven people who I can send messages to so I can activate the ultimate quests.
Okay enough about that...
When I tried FFIX, the kid style characters turned me away. And let me say, this game is worse! Cid looks like a toddler with a beard! It's hard for me to take the characters seriously when they look like weeble wobbles with legs. :( But I will do my best and continue!
The story is good but feels generic. The quests are alright but I find myself bored often. "Okay you need to find A dude to get B item. But B item is hidden in C cave and C cave is blocked by a locked door. The key for C cave is held by D guy who is in F town. Travel to F town and D guy wants E item in trade for C cave key. Finding E item is blocked by F boss deep in the forest. To get to the forest where F boss is you need a canoe. The canoe is located..." *facepalm*
Don't worry, that's not how the story goes so that's not a spoiler, lol.
Okay... back to the grind!

Song Playing: Soho - Hippy Chick

(FFIII) Oh dear more crystals...

Finding crystals to save the world in the original Final Fantasy as cute and simple... so here we go again! Seems like a recycled idea but hopefully the game will be fun and have a good story.
I've started playing the Nintendo DS version of FFIII. It's nice to play a 3D game again even though it's a bit choppy due to DS graphics. I like that the characters have bios when introduced.
The game looks cute, my character so far looks a bit kid-like and the DS controls take me a bit to get used to. I am disappointed that I am unable to configure the buttons.
Yay EXP again! That makes me happy! Haven't reached the job system yet so we'll see how that goes.
Sorry if this post seems all over the place... just throwing out my first impressions.
Stay tuned!

Song Playing: Adele - Miracle

(FFII) The Emperor has fallen!

Okay this isn't Star Wars... but I was a part of the rebels against The Emperor!
So yeah...
Today I finished Final Fantasy II. The story was more entertaining than the first (what story in the original you ask?) and I enjoyed the character customization.
Leveling spells is smart and a grind all at the same time. The more you use one, the powerful it becomes and the more it costs. That even applies to defensive magic such as Protect and Wall. When going against some bosses, if your defensive spells aren't above a certain #, they're pretty much worthless. Even leveling Esuna is important.
I like the fact that all your spells can be an AoE just weaker than single target.
The only spell that isn't worth leveling is Life. Costs more but does the same thing so use up those Phoenix Downs!
Overall it's a great game, especially if you're feeling retro and want to enjoy a good RPG. The story is good and your characters have personalities. Guy doesn't speak much but he's just a muscle brute. :)
Dungeons aren't as maze-like as the first so I enjoyed them much more. Bosses weren't too tough as long as you knew what spells to cast.
The final boss was a breeze because I took the easy way out and used the Blood Sword. Pretty much worthless but seriously OP fighting The Emperor.
Next stop will be FFIII! Stay tuned!

Song Playing: Lily Allen - Smile

(FFII) Ambushed!

I appreciate a healthy challenge in a game... a surprise to catch me off guard.
But wow, pretty much every other fight, sometimes up to five in a row random battles I am getting ambushed. It's to the point that it's so frustrating and just set the controller down and wait until it's over. I'm having to constantly restock my recovery item inventory. Good thing making Gil in this game isn't an issue, I've never run low. This is the first time I've really disliked grinding to build up my characters.
I really hope that this doesn't continue for the rest of the game. I'm about to enter the Coliseum to rescue the Princess and want to keep playing!
Okay rant over... time to get back to the grind. *shudder*

Song Playing: Paul Van Dyk - That's Life

(FFII) Guy speak beaver!

Okay... when I saw those words being said by one of my characters... I had to laugh out loud.
I can honestly say that I won't ever forget reading "Guy speak beaver".
And yes there are beaver NPCs in this game that are super cute and friendly... so far.

So I've been adventuring in this game for about 6 hours of played time. When I first started I really loved the idea of the character customization. But as I am leveling up... some of the stat building seems more RNG than influenced. My three main characters get HP increases at the same time, whether they get hit or not.
Many of the dungeons have empty "monster rooms" and several treasure chests come with "monster-in-a-box". And for whatever reason the SNL Christmas episode with Justin Timberlake comes to mind. You know the one I'm talking about. ;) And if you don't, come out from under that rock and look it up!

Song Playing: Sia - Day Too Soon

(FFII) Now loading.... chocobo!

Today I began my quest to start playing Final Fantasy II.
First impressions are good ones. The leveling up system looks interesting and has piqued my curiosity. The more you attack, the more strength you gain. The more you are physically hit, the more HP you acquire. Use magic more in combat? Yep, magic points increase with casting. So how you play is how your characters develop and "level up". I like it so far because I like a strong sense of character customization, especially when it's non-linear.
Chocobos are introduced in FFII and I can't wait until I see one!
The story has more depth than the first in the series. Your party has a story and just isn't a white mage, etc that you named yourself. I like to keep the default names for characters whenever available.
So I'm looking forward to playing more and see how the story progresses. So far, thumbs up!

For anyone wondering what a chocobo is:
Chocobos are a staple of the Final Fantasy series. A chocobo is a fictional, large, and normally flightless bird capable of being ridden. See above picture.

Song Playing: Crystal Method - Born Too Slow

Are you a packrat?

Hello my name is (insert heroine name here) and I'm an item hoarder.
With every game I play... where I collect consumables... I never end up using the rare ones. I can play the entire game and still have the 3 elixirs that I found over the coarse of 30 hours, defeat the final boss and never touch 'em.
Open a chest, see a Megalixir, woohoo I'll never use it to save my rear!
So they just sit in the inventory screen.
For whatever reason I just never bother using 'em in desperation.
They're no good to me after the game is complete. So why?
Is it the challenge of going without?
Or is it forgetting I even have them?
For me I think it's a little of both... and I know that I'm not the only one who does this!

Song Playing: Poe - Bird of Prey

(FF) We Are The Champions... Of Light!

I just finished up the first Final Fantasy.
I decided to look into the 4 sidequest dungeons to level up a bit in preparation for my return visit to Chaos. And I'm very glad that I did!
The four sidequest dungeons are quite fun and totally worth completing.
They are called:
Earthsgift Shrine (10 floors)
Hellfire Chasm (20 floors)
Lifespring Grotto (30 floors)
Whisperwind Cove (40 floors)
The weapons and items found in these dungeons are uber cool. These aren't part of the original release but it sure made grinding a heck of a lot more interesting. The maze layout floors were fun to explore hunting for treasure.
So after all that... I face Chaos once again. And let me say, at level 62, much better weapons and RNG on my side, I gave light to a world of darkness... or something like that. No special cut scene at the end, just a long schpeel of scrolling text about how the world was saved. After Chaos fell I decided to play this:

Song Playing: Queen - We Are The Champions

(FF) Chaos has not left the building

I'm a confident gamer.
And playing the original Final Fantasy is no exception.
Minimal walkthrough usage, I didn't do much in the way of side quests.
Beating bosses was a challenge but not near impossible.
Everything was going so well... until I met Chaos. The final boss.
Chaos (pictured above) decided to show me a thing or two. After running out of mana keeping my head afloat my crew ran out of steam. So now it's time to grind! This guy is so going down... tomorrow. Heh.

Song Playing: Unwritten Law - Evolution

(FF) I'm not lost... I'm grinding!

When I start a new game, especially an RPG, I keep my walkthrough usage to a minimum. So what if it takes you a bit longer to figure something out... it's no fun with a back seat driver. But sometimes you just *have* to ask directions or look at a map.
So I'll admit... I needed a bit more help with this game than I had hoped. I did grind some nice EXP trying to figure out the mazes inside most of the dungeons. Once I got the airship, exploring was fun.
My take on the original... I'm surprised how not boring it is! It's simple but all of the vital elements are there.
Not much to the story but somehow kept my interest... wanting to get the next crystal, the next town, to the next boss fight, etc. Some bosses were challenging, keeping me on my toes until I heard that beloved FF victory music.
I am looking forward to seeing how series evolve into recent Final Fantasy titles.

Song Playing: 311 - Uncalm

(FF) When darkness veils the world...

... four warriors of light shall come.

Today I start my adventure with the original Final Fantasy. And by start I mean restart. I bought this game for my PSP last June so I would have something to do on the plane for 5 hours. No experience playing any Final Fantasy titles before VIII and no walkthrough. Boy I'll tell you, that was frustrating. About 3 hours into the game I shut it off, never wanting to touch it again.
But now that I am home, over a year later in a relaxed environment and knowing what's ahead of me... I pick it up again and choose "New Game".
Let me tell you, it's not so bad! I'm about 5 hours in and working my way through the bottom floors of the Earth Cave. Yes there's lots of running back and forth but I don't mind. Not much of a story but it's the foundation of the best selling RPG series... I am appreciating retro games more and more everyday.
I'm enjoying the music so far... not sure what is original and what's not, but still has that old school video game sound that I love.
I have chosen to create a party consisting of:
Warrior
Thief
Red Mage
White Mage

So we shall see how it goes! Stay tuned, kupo!

Song playing: The Offspring - (Can't Get My) Head Around You

So, uh, why?

Why am I doing this?
I'll go into a bit more detail.
FFVIII started it all. I spent hours every night after work playing that game.
Every possible summon and all the items/weapons I could get my virtual hands on. Yeah I had a blast watching my characters and story develop.
Then it was over... The End.
After that I got into other games, Grand Theft Auto and good First Person Shooters too.
I looked at FFIX but the "kiddie" style deformed characters turned me off so I avoided it.
I remember when FFX was released... that was an exciting day! After that Shadow Hearts and Dark Cloud became an instant favorites.
Then... I discovered Everquest while staring at a wall of PC games for sale. During that year and a half, the only console game I really played was the occasional Halo Party at a coworker's house. Ah those were the days. Good times.
Anywho... Everquest was great, met some cool people and had fun doing LDoNs. When WoW was released I didn't give it much thought... until my class (Enchanter) got nerfed to the point of being useless solo.
I knew from the start that I'd enjoy WoW. More days of played time than I'd like to admit went into that game. But this year I decided to give it up.
A couple of weeks ago I picked up FFX again and had a blast. Also completed FFX-2 soon after (my least favorite so far but that's to be continued).
RPGs are what I enjoy the most... what better way to experience my favorite series than to start from the beginning.
So there you have it!

Song Playing: U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday

I'm here... to save the world!

Before I begin... I'd like to introduce myself.
I was the daughter of strict parents growing up. No video games allowed in the house... not even a tv in my bedroom. Curfew and lights out at 9pm including weekends. Every visit to a friend's house where video games were being played, I was fascinated as my eyes became glued to the screen.

So when I finally moved on my own in 1999 at the age of 19 I rebelled.
Drugs? Nope!
Parties and alcohol? No way!
TV and Playstation? YAH!

I just knew I was a gamer deep down inside and this was my release. But what would I play? I had no idea what types of games I would like. But then... I saw it... A new RPG for Playstation had just been released and it was called... Final Fantasy VIII. From that moment on I was hooked.

So now at the age of 29, 10 years later, I would like to "catch up" by playing all of the previous FF games (< VIII) in order and the rest following. Some will be repeats and attempted finishes.

Join in my adventures looking back at those epic tales of good vs evil.

Song Playing: Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet With Butterfly Wings

The Beginnings of Final Fantasy

This blog will mark my adventure through every Final Fantasy game made so far. Minus any mmo's (XI and XIV) that are Final Fantasy themed.
Here's a bit of history before I begin:

In the mid 1980s, Square entered the Japanese video game industry with simple RPGs, racing games, and platformers for Nintendo's Famicom Disk System. Though a couple games were successful in North America, most were not popular and the company faced bankruptcy. In 1987, Square designer Hironobu Sakaguchi headed development of a game to prevent the company's financial ruin. Sakaguchi chose to create a new fantasy role-playing game for the cartridge-based Famicom, and drew inspiration from popular fantasy games. As Sakaguchi planned to retire after completing the project, he named it "Final Fantasy".

The game indeed reversed Square's financial direction and it became the company's flagship franchise. Following the success, Square immediately developed a second installment. Because Sakaguchi assumed Final Fantasy would be a stand-alone title, its story was not designed to be expanded by a sequel. The developers instead chose to carrying over only thematic similarities to its predecessor, and some of the gameplay elements, such as the character advancement system, were overhauled. This approach has continued throughout the series; each major Final Fantasy game features a new setting, a new cast of characters, and an upgraded battle system.

Final Fantasy VII is the best selling in the series with 9.8 million copies sold.
Kupo!

Song Playing: David Bowie - Young Americans