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[Cheesemeister]

Today, December 18th, marks the 25th Anniversary of Final Fantasy.

Links...

GAF Plays: Final Fantasy games
GameTrailers: The Final Fantasy Retrospective
Wikipedia: Final Fantasy
Square-Enix

The Original Series

[NES][PSX][WSC][GBA][PSP] Final Fantasy

JP: 12/18/1987
NA: 7/12/1990

[NES][PSX][WSC][GBA][PSP] Final Fantasy II

JP: 12/17/1988

Frioniel
Maria
Guy
Lionhart

[NES][NDS] Final Fantasy III

JP: 4/27/1990

Luneth
Refia
Arc
Ingus

DS Opening

[SNS][PSX][WSC][GBA][NDS] Final Fantasy IV

JP: 7/19/1991
NA: 11/23/1991

Cecil Harvey
Kain Highwind
Rosa Farrell
Rydia of Mist
Tellah
Edward Chris von Muir
Yang Fang Leiden
Palom and Porom
Cid Pollendina
Edward "Edge" Geraldine
FuSoYa

Tsuki no Akari - Ida Emi

[SNS][PSX][GBA] Final Fantasy V

JP: 12/6/1992

Bartz Klauser
Lenna Charlotte Tycoon
Faris Scherwiz
Galuf Halm Baldesion
Krile Mayer Baldesion

[SNS][PSX][GBA] Final Fantasy VI

JP: 4/2/1994
NA: 10/11/1994

Terra Branford
Locke Cole
Cyan Garamonde
Shadow
Edgar Roni Figaro
Sabin Rene Figaro
Celes Chere
Strago Magus
Relm Arrowny
Setzer Gabbiani
Mog
Gau
Gogo
Umaro

Aria di Mezzo Carattere

[PSX][PC] Final Fantasy VII

JP: 1/31/1997
NA: 9/7/1997
EU: 11/17/1997

Cloud Strife
Barret Wallace
Tifa Lockhart
Aerith Gainsborough
Red XIII
Cait Sith
Cid Highwind
Yuffie Kisaragi
Vincent Valentine

Massive Spoiler

[PSX][PC] Final Fantasy VIII

JP: 2/11/1999
NA: 9/7/1999
EU: 10/27/1999

Squall Leonhart
Rinoa Heartilly
Quistis Trepe
Selphie Tilmitt
Zell Dincht
Irvine Kinneas

Eyes on Me - Faye Wong

[PSX] Final Fantasy IX

JP: 7/7/2000
NA: 11/14/2000
EU: 2/16/2001

Zidane Tribal
Garnet Til Alexandros XVII
Vivi Orunitia
Adelbert Steiner
Freya Crescent
Quina Quen
Eiko Carol
Amarant Coral

Melodies of Life - Emiko Shiratori

[PS2] Final Fantasy X

JP: 7/19/2001
NA: 12/20/2001
EU: 5/29/2002

Tidus
Yuna
Auron
Wakka
Lulu
Kimahri Ronso
Rikku

Suteki da ne - Rikki

[PS2][PC][360] Final Fantasy XI

JP: 5/16/2002
NA: 5/23/2004

Fexi Opening Theme

[PS2] Final Fantasy XII

JP: 3/16/2006
NA: 10/31/2006
EU: 2/23/2007

Vaan
Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca
Basch fon Ronsenburg
Penelo
Balthier
Fran

Kiss Me Good-Bye - Angela Aki

[360][PS3] Final Fantasy XIII

JP: 12/17/2009
NA: 3/9/2010
EU: 3/9/2010

Lightning
Snow Villiers
Sazh Katzroy
Hope Estheim
Oerba Dia Vanille
Oerba Yun Fang

Kimi ga Iru Kara - Sayuri Sugawara

[PS3][PC] Final Fantasy XIV

Answers - Susan Calloway

Spin-offs...

[SNS] Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest
[PS2] Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
[PSP] Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
[PS2] Final Fantasy X-2
[NDS] Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
[NDS] Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light
[PSP] Final Fantasy Type-0
[3DS] Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy
[360][PS3] Final Fantasy XIII-2
[360][PS3] Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
[PS3] Final Fantasy Versus XIII

The Tactics Series

[PSX] Final Fantasy Tactics
[GBA] Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
[NDS] Final Fantasy Tactics A2
[PSP] Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions

The Crystal Chronicles Series

[NGC] Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
[NDS] Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates
[WII] Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Little King and the Promised Land
[WII] Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers

Dissidia

[PSP] Dissidia: Final Fantasy
[PSP] Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy

My, how you've grown up!

 

[GAMERG0D]

My favorite series of all time, happy birthday.

 

[Meccanical]

Happy birthday I guess.

 

[MagiusNecros]

FFV 3DS pls

Oh and happy birthday I suppose.

 

[Ponn]

This is why i can never stay mad at you Square baby.

 

[Tiu Neo]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Great series.

I have some good memories with the SNES and PS1 games. X and X-2 are good, too.

Not a big fan of XII's setting, story and some of it's characters, but I liked the battle system a lot. XIII and XIII-2 are fun, but not that great.

Now just release Versus already.

 

[LuuKyK]

Amazing thread for an amazing series. X-2, XIII-2 and Lightning Returns are not spin-offs though.

 

[Heropon]

Happy birthday?

Final Fantasy IV NGP!!!!

 

[RurouniZel]

So many good memories... up to X I mean. ^^;

I remember when the series had such storytelling because they didn't try too hard to impress us like today. Most FF stories today are so over-the-top because they keep trying to outdo themselves that it ends up being comical. It's the classic problem of "overthinking" the problem. Square needs to stop overthinking this and just go back to doing it. Just do it. Just make great Final Fantasies again.

Last year, I had one of the greatest honors of my life in being able to meet Nobuo Uematsu at Otakon and get his autograph. It was a special charity auction for the victims of the tsunami that hit Japan last year. The dude was a real champ.

 

[ScraftyDevil]

Give me IX on Vita and VI on 3DS.

That's all I ask, Square; for the two best FF games on handheld.

 

[BaroqueSampson]

Final Fantasy was my gateway to video games.

 

[Sigma722]

Hell yeah happy birthday.

Cool thread. I hope Square can reach their goal of producing something as good as the old games like VII, VI, and the other good ones.

I miss that feeling.

Although last story has been great, and I'm getting some similar feelings from it

 

[dc89]

Needless to say, a legendary series!

 

[HawthorneKitty]

The list reminds me that I need to beat a couple more Final Fantasy games.
I can't wait to see what the next 25 years holds for this series.

 

[Avallon]

Same day as Megaman? With all these 25th anniversaries we're having, 1987 was a great year.

 

[Cornbread78]

Final Fantasy has been with me my entire gaming life and has been the primary beacon for my gaming over the years. The reason I bought PS1, the reason I bought PS2 and the reason I bought PS3. It's grown along with me and has a deep place in my heart as well as SE, hopefully they return to form soon and give s a great experience with FFXV

 

[djplaeskool]

Yo, Birthday!

FFXI's opening theme is Memoro de la Ŝtono
Probably my favorite theme in the whole series.

Fluas nun sango senkulpa
Sur Vana’diel, vasta ter’
Tremas la tuta mond’
Pro l’ plago en desper’

 

[MagiusNecros]

OP didn't list Type 0. But still lists Versus.

Thanks.

Edit: Now I see it.

 

[hayguyz]

13 is also on the xbox

 

[Meccanical]

Yo, Birthday!

FFXI's opening theme is Memoro de la Ŝtono
Probably my favorite theme in the whole series.

Fluas nun sango senkulpa
Sur Vana’diel, vasta ter’
Tremas la tuta mond’
Pro l’ plago en desper’

Never played FFXI but this is my favorite FF anything.

 

[Alcoholikaust]

happy birthday!

FF III (6)
FF VII
FF Tactics
FF IX
FF X
FF XII

such good memories. too bad the newer games aren't as appealing to me for whatever reason.

 

[Tenki]

Same day as Megaman? With all these 25th anniversaries we're having, 1987 was a great year.

Mega Man is on the 17th, Final Fantasy on the 18th. It's already 18th in Japan.

 

[Ponn]

OP didn't list Type 0. But still lists Versus.

Thanks.

all hope is lost.

 

[Avallon]

Mega Man is on the 17th, Final Fantasy on the 18th. It's already 18th in Japan.

Damn timezones...

 

[Chairhome]

Nice OP. :-D. IV, VI and XII are my favorites.

 

[djplaeskool]

Mega Man is on the 17th, Final Fantasy on the 18th. It's already 18th in Japan.

So this year's 25ths have been: Megaman, Phantasy Star, Final Fantasy, Street Fighter, and Ys

 

[hunnies28]

Happy Birthday. I have good memories of watching my cousin playing the first 3 games way before I got interested in RPGs-

 

[The Praiseworthy]

My favorite franchise of all time <3

Can't Wait for Versus XIII and Lightning Returns and FFXIV ARR <3

Hope 2013 mark a very good year for the series

 

[Wiz]

Happy 25th! I'll never forget the countless hours I've poured into these games.

 

[Shadow780]

What a history, and the creation of countless forum battles that has the length to reach another dimension.

 

[Derrick01]

Probably my favorite series for the first half of my gaming life. Shame about the downfall of it and the company behind it but you never forget the classics.

 

[Avallon]

So this year's 25ths have been: Megaman, Phantasy Star, Final Fantasy, Street Fighter, and Ys

Metal Gear, Castlevania, Contra, and Zelda (in America)

 

["God's Beard!"]

Go away Final Fantasy, it's not your turn yet. It's still my birthday for 16 hours :-(

 

[jorgeton]

So many good memories scrolling down that list. To 25 more years. I hope to still be playing new FFs in my retirement home.

 

[Deku Tree]

FFVII HD REMAKE !!! PS4/720/Wii U !!!

 

[King of the Potato People]

They're still fun for me. I enjoyed FF XIII-2 a lot.

 

[kswiston]

Final Fantasy was my favourite game series for a long time. Not really a fan of some of S-E's recent decisions regarding the series, but we still get the occasional side game that is great and I have hopes for a return to form one day.

 

[Yottamole]

OP is missing Android and iOS as platform for the first couple FF games.

 

[Boney]

Pretty weird how bad X looks in comparison in those pics.

 

[ThanksVision]

"If it's called Final Fantasy, why are there so many games?"

- My dad for the last 10 years


I've only beaten 2, maybe 3 of these games but owned like 6. I get 20-30 hours into them and move on. Still, lots of good games here.

 

[Pejo]

Happy B-day to one of my favorite series of all time. Shame the direction it's headed, but no matter what, S-E, you can't make me stop enjoying the old ones!

 

[ULTROS!]

Happy 25th birthday Final Fantasy.

Please release FFXV soon because I've completed all the mainline FFs already and it's overdue already, thnx.

 

[Lumpy Onion]

Happy B-Day FF!. Still my favorite videogame series of em all. I am currently (re)playing through Theatrythm, FF XIII-2, and Final Fantasy VI Advance over my winter break. I actually started to tear-up while playing Theatrythm last night. Talk about nostalgia.

 

[Stumpokapow]

I remember the SNES launching and desperately wanting Final Fantasy II(IV) based on some tiny screenshots in a magazine or a book I had. Dad and I went to Consumers Distributing, which was this weird-ass Canadian chain in the 80s and 90s where you'd go to this warehouse, and you go in, and then you fill out a little slip of paper with what you want, and employees go back and get it for you. They didn't have FFII so I settled for Actraiser (which ended up being one of my favourite games of all time)...

... but I still rented FF2 like 10 times until we were able to buy it. Leviathan swallowing the ship... Cecil fighting himself... Tellah and Golbez... The Underground... Edge's parents... The Moon... the scope was so enormous and awesome. I remember one time I rented the game and there was a save on the cart in the moon. OMG walking around with badass characters OMG. Later on getting a Game Genie and using powerlevelling codes to get to level 99 just outside Baron was awesome too... if I remember correctly, Rydia still got Meteo as a child, which totally subverted the big plot point of Tellah knowing ancient and forbidden magic.

That was the beginning of a decade where every Final Fantasy release was a huge deal for me. The pipe organ synth at the beginning of FFIII(VI), the early fan translations of FFIIj and FFV... import info about FFVII... buying a PS1 with FF7 and playing for hours and not having a memory card to save on... FF8 and FF9... and very significantly FFT, which I still think resonated with me more strongly plot-wise than just about any game.

I miss being a kid.

 

[Josh7289]

I just started getting back into FFXIII over the weekend (I had previously stopped playing about 25 hours in, for reasons unrelated to the game), and I'm absolutely loving it. I really regret how long it took me to come back to it, because the battle system is so spectacular and the characters so likable. I can't wait to get to Gran Pulse and see how everyone reacts.

Great series.

 

[Pachimari]

Hmm, is it worth getting FF XIII-2 if I haven't played XIII?

 

[djplaeskool]

Hmm, is it worth getting FF XIII-2 if I haven't played XIII?

I'd say so.
There's a decent synopsis of the events of XIII built into XIII-2.

 

[Totobeni]

Final Fantasy VI

JP: 4/2/1994
NA: 10/11/1994

dat game.

why nothing from the series can match the greatness of 6 after all these years?

 

[Pachimari]

I'd say so.
There's a decent synopsis of the events of XIII built into XIII-2.

Okay thanks. They have it for $8 at the mall I'm going to in an hour.

Also, can FF VII, VIII and IX be played on PS Vita with the PSN versions?

These are the games I have played but not completed:

1. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
2. Final Fantasy X
3. Final Fantasy VIII
4. Final Fantasy XII
5. Final Fantasy Tactics: Advance

 

[RPG Wizard]

...well, this brings me back to when Squaresoft was my absolute favorite company.

*sigh* Miss those days.