My Top 50 Final Fantasy Locations: #10 to #1

Here we are then. The Top 10 Final Fantasy Locations, at least in my eyes anyway. There's been a huge variety of areas we've covered so far already, across all the games. It's been fun. If you've missed them click here for #20 to #11, here for #30 to #21, here for #40 to #31 and here for #50 to #41.

So what are my favourite 10 locations of my favourite video game series ever? Let's count them down.

Please note: This list will talk about spoilers. If you have not played the game that each location represents I'd avoid that entry.

#10: Deling City
Game? Final Fantasy VIII
When do you go? Not far into the game as Laguna in a flashback, and a bit later on in modern time
Revisitable? Yes, until time compression occurs
Description: A very cool cosmopolitan city, the capital of Galbadia, it's dark for most of the year due to the climate and has a Presidential Residence, a grand hotel and many luxurious streets.

Ah, Deling City. What a place. Apparently this place was inspired by Paris in France in its design and it's hard not to see why. It just looks so cool. So cool. And of course, this is another choice that's definitely inspired by its amazing music. That's the icing on the cake of cool. I'd love to come to Deling City if it existed in real life. I suppose I better go to Paris then, it's the best I'm going to get really. The story that happens here is naturally important, and it's a big swerve in the events as well, as it serves as the place where Ultimecia, in Edea's form, starts to try and take over the world. Of course when you're here you don't know that and think Edea is the main antagonist. Either way Deling City is amazing.

#9: Wall Market
Game? Final Fantasy VII
When do you go? Very early on
Revisitable? Yes, but only much later in the game onwards
Description: A shopping centre of sorts, it's one of the most bustling places in Midgar. As well as having its own clothes shop and gym, it also has its own adult club. It's called Wall Market as there's a huge wall here that is actually used to climb above the Midgar plate and straight to Shinra Headquarters.

I've often said during the course of this listing that some places are chosen because of its sheer beautify and not because of storyline events. But this place, Wall Market, is chosen for exactly that reason. What happens in Wall Market... stays in Wall Market. Poor Cloud, poor poor Cloud! The dressing up as a woman scene is one of the funniest moments in the entire series of Final Fantasy. Especially if Don Corneo actually chooses him as his 'bride', then it gets even more funny! And of course, the Honey Bee Inn is classic. It's times like the Honey Bee Inn when Squaresoft completely justifies its 15+ rating on the game. It's just so wrong, some of the things that can happen there. Wall Market is an awesome time in the game, it stays long in the memory, what happens here.

#8: Lindblum
Game? Final Fantasy IX
When do you go? Quite early on, and a little later after that
Revisitable? Yes
Description: Actually the biggest city in Final Fantasy IX, although it's nothing on other places in other games. A decent sized city with the bet technology in the game, the city is seperated into different Districts. It has its own Regent and force, a force that's considered the strongest in the game until Queen Brahne starts producing Black Mages which shakes the forces of the world of Gaia during the course of the game.

Another cool city in Final Fantasy is Lindblum. It's a different cool to Deling City though, it's just such a nice place. It has a good castle, and the streets have lots of markets and the people just seem really happy for the most part. Tantalus, the crew that Zidane is from, reside here, as does the amazing Regent Cid, one of my favourite Cid's in the Final Fantasy series. A lot of story progression occurs here, and it's a base in parts for your party for some spells of the game. Lindblum is just such a lovely, welcoming city, one that I absolutely adore.

#7: Figaro Castle
Game? Final Fantasy VI
When do you go? Very early on, a little later, and towards the end of the game
Revisitable? Yes
Description: On the surface, Edgar's castle is just that, a castle. But Edgar being the huge technological wizard that he is, has given his castle a few perks, the main one being able to travel underground to another continent.

There is one main reason why I love Figaro Castle, and that's because the man, the legend himself, Edgar resides here. The man is a legendary Final Fantasy character, by far the best womaniser in the series. And some of the best moments in the story of Final Fantasy VI are in this castle; when he flirts with Terra and even better, when you come here following a suspicious man who calls himself Gerad (Edgar in bad disguise). The castle itself and its awesome theme are cool of course; the castle being able to move underground is pretty funky and a bit of a surprise when you see it happen for the first time. Figaro Castle is just one of the best places in Final Fantasy history in my eyes.

Figaro Castle is the fifth and last entry from Final Fantasy VI in this list.

#6: Black Mage Village
Game? Final Fantasy IX
When do you go? Half way through the game, a little later, and towards the end of the game
Revisitable? Yes
Description: A magically hidden village where the Black Mages who were once puppets of war, have retreated to live the rest of their short lives in peace. Later on the Genomes, who have had a similar experience in terms of being used by a master of sorts, also take home here.

The Black Mage Village gets this high on my list because as a place it's cool and also the storyline progression here is amazing. You learn so much here, about the Black Mages, about Vivi and the Genomes come here later on. It's just a true place of Gaia that you feel is completely safe that has a calm atmosphere, and the music helps to that again of course. The Black Mages are terribly scared that Zidane and company have found their secret hideout but soon learn their motives. Mr 288 (all the Black Mages are numbered) is a leader of sorts in the village, and he discusses life philosophy heavily in this village. His words and views on life are really cool if not sad, and really make you think about real life. Things like that make this place so memorable. And of course, the birth of Bobby Corwen is awesome too! Best chocobo name ever!

#5: Balamb Garden
Game? Final Fantasy VIII
When do you go? Right at the beginning and many times throughout the game
Revisitable? Yes, until time compression occurs
Description: A large school of sorts, students learn and train how to fight here with the hope of once becoming SeeD, mercenaries who help settle global unrest. Later on it's discovered that it's also a mobile ship and is used as one.

There is absolutely no dispute about Balamb Garden being one of the Final Fantasy series most recognisable landmarks. Probably no place in Final Fantasy VIII is as easily memorable as this place. You start the game here, you come back here many times throughout the game and it's your base for pretty much the whole game. A lot of storyline progression naturally occurs here, and it's just a really cool place. I wish I went to school here. The music is so peaceful as well of course. Man I love Balamb Garden.

#4: Alexandria
Game? Final Fantasy IX
When do you go? Right in the beginning of the game, towards the middle of the game and later again
Revisitable? Yes
Description: A city and nation ruled by a monarchy; Queen Brahne on the throne until Princess Garnet, or Dagger, claims it. The story starts here. A bustling city with a large castle, Alexandria is one of the main places in the game.

I love Alexandria. It's another one of those places that I'd love to live in. Everything is cute or gorgeous, depending on where you go. I love the castle, it's absolutely stunning, and the town centre itself is pretty damn cool too. Vivi's little journey here early on is just great, you can't help but love him there and then right from the off. Of course the scenes with Zidane and Steiner also make it brilliant. And of course, who can forget Beatrix, she can serve me any day... Alexandria, another staple landmark of the Final Fantasy series is also one of my favourite places, and I place it at number four.

#3: Nibelheim
Game? Final Fantasy VII
When do you go? In flashbacks quite early on, in modern time towards the middle of the game
Revisitable? Yes
Description: A small village next to a mountain, some of the most important events in the history of the game happen here. Cloud and Tifa's hometime, it's burnt down by Sephiroth when he goes crazy on a murderous rampage. The Shinra Manor, one of the creepiest looking places in the Final Fantasy series, also resides here.

I don't know how naive any of you were on your first visit to Nibelheim, but remember I was very young when I played this game. After hearing Cloud's amazing story, I totally expected this place to be a big pile of burnt ashes. When you stumble across Nibelheim in game, and you see everything completely put back together, like nothing ever happened, I was just so shocked. And confused. Squaresoft really pulled a fantastic plot twist here when they made it seem like nothing had ever changed, but of course, it was Shinra, trying to hide their flaws and failures, who rebuilt the village back to the way it was, and got decent actors to make people believe that no fire ever occured there.

And then you have the Shinra Manor. Man that place is just so creepy, the music, the things that happen there, the experiments, everything. It's an amazing yet horrible place, haunted by the past. I love it. Nibelheim is a truly mindblowing little place, its history and distinct appearance will forever be engraved in my head.

Nibelheim is the seventh and last entry from Final Fantasy VII in this list.

#2: Treno
Game? Final Fantasy IX
When do you go? Towards the middle of the game and a little later on
Revisitable? Yes
Description: A  town in permanent night time, separated by excessively rich nobles and bones dry poor peasants. It hosts its own auction, card tournament amongst other things. Doctor Tot resides here.

Now if I were to try and narrow down one place I'd love to live in a Final Fantasy game, it probably would be Treno. As a noble obviously. You've got the gorgeous night light, an awesome auction and card tournament, Doctor Tot to rely upon if you need help with something, if you were feeling adventurous you could take on the master's pet and you could kick peasants for entertainment. Okay I'm exaggerating a little here but Treno is just such a cool place. Sure the contrast of the economy isn't nice, but that aside it's a brilliant place. One of my favourite moments in the entire game happen here, when Baku keeps on getting Doctor Tot's name wrong. Such a funny moment in the game. I just can't help but love Treno, I love coming here it's just brilliant.

Treno is the tenth and last entry from Final Fantasy IX in this list.

Okay, we're at the end now. Let's just recap from #50 to #2:

• #50 - Pandaemonium (II)
• #49 - Faultwarrens (XIII)
• #48 - World of Darkness (III)
• #47 - Giza Plains (XII)
• #46 - Chaos Shrine (I)
• #45 - Macalania Forest (X)
• #44 - Lunar Subterrane (IV)
• #43 - Orphan's Cradle (XIII)
• #42 - Edea's Orphanage (VIII)
• #41 - Archylte Steppe (XIII)
• #40 - Northern Cave (VII)
• #39 - South Figaro (VI)
• #38 - Rabanastre (XII)
• #37 - Forgotten Capital (VII)
• #36 - Magitek Research Facility (VI)
• #35 - Moonflow (X)
• #34 - Lake Bresha (XIII)
• #33 - Iifa Tree (IX)
• #32 - Shumi Village (VIII)
• #31 - Gold Saucer (VII)
• #30 - Nautilus (XIII)
• #29 - Besaid (X)
• #28 - Daguerreo (IX)
• #27 - Shinra Headquarters (VII)
• #26 - Ship Graveyard (V)
• #25 - Zanarkand (X)
• #24 - Sulyya Springs (XIII)
• #23 - Bhujerba (XII)
• #22 - Bran Bal (IX)
• #21 - Bodhum (XIII)
• #20 - Giruvegan (XII)
• #19 - Dali (IX)
• #18 - Esthar (VIII)
• #17 - Calm Lands (X)
• #16 - Memoria (IX)
• #15 - Narshe (VI)
• #14 - Cosmo Canyon (VII)
• #13 - Oerba (XIII)
• #12 - Zozo (VI)
• #11 - Conde Petie (IX)
• #10 - Deling City (VIII)
• #9 - Wall Market (VII)
• #8 - Lindblum (IX)
• #7 - Figaro Castle (VI)
• #6 - Black Mage Village (IX)
• #5 - Balamb Garden (VIII)
• #4 - Alexandria (IX)
• #3 - Nibelheim (VII)
• #2 - Treno (IX)

Here we are then. My favourite Final Fantasy location of all time is...

#1: Ultimecia's Castle
Game? Final Fantasy VIII
When do you go? The final dungeon in the game
Revisitable? No
Description: An exceedingly grand, chilling, maze-like castle. Ultimecia lives here, as do all of her minions, who have your powers. Some of the locations in this castle are the grand hall with a huge chandelier, a wine cellar, a courtyard, a treasure room, an art gallery, a prison, an armoury, a chapel, a waterway, and a clock tower. Ultimecia, lurks deep in the final area, the master room.

What a place Ultimecia's Castle is. Ultimecia as a villain doesn't deserve such an amazing place to hide in. This is more suited to say, Kefka, or Sephiroth. Regardless of my feelings for Ultimecia this castle is my favourite place in the series. Everything about it is perfect. I love the grand staircase when you arrive, the cobwebs dripping from the banisters and ornaments. The art gallery is creepy and the pictures are cool. Getting trapped in the prison gives you an 'oh crap' moment. The clock tower is excellent. I just love this castle. I wish it was mine. It's just feels like Squaresoft pulled all the stops to make it the biggest, grandest castle ever imagined when they came up with it. Everything about it reeks of class and terror. You can't help but wonder how many people or things Ultimecia and her minions may have murdered in cold blood in this place, and in different parts of the castle. It's terrifying. But I love it and it's my favourite place in the Final Fantasy series.

Ultimecia's Castle is the sixth and last entry from Final Fantasy VIII in this list.

And that's the end. Thanks for joining me count down my favourite 50 Final Fantasy Locations. It's been a blast. I love this series so much, I'm sure you noticed. While it's highly debated that the Final Fantasy series is not getting any better, one thing for me that keeps the series together are its amazing locations. Proof of that is the splendid places made in Final Fantasy XII and XIII. Some have critised one or both games, I'm one of those people. But regardless of the game and its flaws, the locations, man, they're just beautiful. You can't deny that. Thanks once again for joining me. There's one more thing I want to do, and that's to point you to My Top 50 Final Fantasy Characters listing that I did nearly two years ago, if you haven't seen it. Have a good night.

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Mixtape: Best of Final Fantasy

Hi there and welcome to my newest Mixtape. Today I'm paying homage to my favourite video game series and also my favourite game series in terms of original soundtracks, Final Fantasy. Music naturally is very important to a video game; it creates atmosphere and sucks you even further into the game's world. Final Fantasy music does more than that though.

Now before I get into this Mixtape, I just want to talk about the work I've done on Final Fantasy in the past. I have twice before already paid homage to my favourite video game series before. I first did an article called "Why I Want a Final Fantasy VI Remake", which you can read here. I wrote that just over a year ago and it was quite well received, even if people didn't agree with me. My second piece of work was my personal "Top 50 Final Fantasy Characters" listing, which was around two months solid of paying homage to what I think are the best characters in the series. I've also reviewed in the past some of the games, some of these reviews are very old and my writing style wasn't as good back in those days, but you can still read them if you wish. From earliest written review to most recent, I've reviewed Final Fantasy IX six years ago, VI, VIII and X five years ago, and XII three years ago. In the future I will review XIII and XIII-2 when it comes out, but it's not something I want to do at the moment.

Back onto the Mixtape. The best thing about the Final Fantasy series, which is now 24 years old, is the fact that they have certain continuous themes that have been used in nearly every game. There are two themes that are usually used either as the beginning or end of the game. The first is called "Final Fantasy", and this song is considered the official theme of the game series. It's in every single main title in the series, apart from II, X and XIII. The other is called "The Prelude", and is used in some context in all fourteen main titles. There are other themes that are used often in the series too, like the "Fanfare", which is usually played after the victory of a battle, and the "Chocobo" theme, usually played when catching a chocobo, riding a chocobo or just doing anything chocobo related.

If you're not familiar with my Mixtapes, here's what a Mixtape is...

A Mixtape is a playlist of a certain genre, band or era. The list is generally 80 minutes long, the same length of a blank CD, with further recommendations if some of the songs aren't to your taste. Remember kids, downloading is wrong!

So, below is my favourite songs in the Final Fantasy series. Yes I'm biased to my favourite games, VI, VII and IX, but there's a decent variety here. I've included my favourite "Prelude", favourite "Final Fantasy" theme, favourite random battle theme, favourite "Fanfare" and my favourite boss battle theme. The other songs are either my favourite "big boss" battle themes, or just my favourite songs from particular games. It's a good list, it has a good variety. One last thing, some titles have many variances in terms of what the track is actually called, so I've tried to use the official title, and then list other titles too. 

So the format is, the song title, then in brackets what game the song is from, and then bracketed in italics is the other known titles if appropriate. Enjoy the list!

Also, this Mixtape is now available to listen to fully on YouTube so subscribe to me if you want to listen to it properly. 

1. Final Fantasy - (XII)
2. Liberi Fatali - (VIII)
3. Battle - (VI) (Battle Theme)
4. Victory Fanfare - (VI) (Fanfare)
5. Vamo' Alla Flamenco - (IX)
6. Cait Sith's Theme - (VII)
7. Red Wings - (IV) (The Red Wings)
8. Turks' Theme - (VII) (The Turks)
9. Mystery Sword - (IX)
10. Those Who Fight Further - (VII) (Still More Fighting, or Fight On!)
11. Terra's Theme - (VI) (Terra)
12. Electric De Chocobo - (VII)
13. Quina's Theme - (IX)
14. Slam Shuffle - (VI)
15. Snow's Theme - (XIII) 
16. Shadow's Theme - (VI) (Shadow)
17. Heart of Anxiety - (VII) (Anxious Heart)
18. Sulyya Springs - (XIII)
19. You're Not Alone! - (IX)
20. Otherworld - (X)
21. The Darkness of Eternity - (IX) (Dark Messenger)
22. Maybe I'm a Lion - (VIII)
23. One-Winged Angel - (VII)
24. The Prelude - (VII) (Prelude)

Don't like some of these songs? Here are five alternatives:

1. Black Mage Village - (IX)
2. Aerith's Theme - (VII) (Aeris' Theme)
3. Vivi's Theme - (IX)
4. Magitek Research Facility - (VI) (Devil's Lab)
5. Steiner's Theme - (IX)

Well, that's my Mixtape! I hope you like it. These Mixtapes are a lot of fun for me as I create my own personal custom playlists and it gives yourselves an opportunity to play them too. That's it from me today, my next video game related piece of work is most likely going to be my review on Resident Evil 4 HD, but that'll probably be next week sometime. I'll be back in the next few days with football live thoughts more than likely. Until next time, take care.

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My Top 50 Final Fantasy Characters (Parts 9)

Please note: This list will talk about spoilers. If you have not played the game that each character represents I'd avoid that entry.

#10: Edgar

Full Name (to knowledge): Edgar Roni Figaro
Game: Final Fantasy VI
Role in Game: Major Protagonist
Best Quote: “If something were to happen to me, all the world's women would grieve!”
Edgar just slips into the Top 10 of my favourite characters list, representing FF6. Edgar is the ultimate flirt of Final Fantasy, and he’s so funny when doing it. He flirts with all the women, to a better effect and charm than Irvine from FF8, he doesn’t care that he’s a king. That being said, he is a good king, and a respected one at that. He is also one of the better characters to use in battle with all his invented tools at his disposal. What I love about Edgar is that he is so humble; he’s so cool and funny. The scene when he’s pretending to be Gerad as well is fantastic. He’s just one of the best characters in Final Fantasy.


#9: Beatrix

Full Name (to knowledge): Beatrix
Game: Final Fantasy IX
Role in Game: Antihero
Best Quote: “Allow me to shatter your delusions of grandeur.”
Beatrix is the highest ranked female in this list, primarily because there are more men than women in the series, and my personal opinion is that Squaresoft/Square-Enix don’t develop their women as well as their men. But Beatrix is against this rule, she is absolutely brilliant. Man, I’d do anything for a Beatrix themed Final Fantasy IX prequel or sequel. Beatrix kicks your ass over and over again before realising she was fighting on the wrong side of the battle field. Just in case you didn’t know, yes, I do have a crush on Beatrix, she’s so strong and gorgeous (unless she has one eye…) and why the hell did she choose Steiner over me? WHY?! Not happy. I wish there were more characters like her in the FF series, she’s one of a kind, at least I think so.


#8: Auron

Full Name (to knowledge): Auron
Game: Final Fantasy X
Role in Game: Major Protagonist
Best Quote: “Now! This is it! Now is the time to choose! Die and be free of pain, or live and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands!”
Auron is The Godfather of Final Fantasy, I don’t think anyone dislikes this man. It’s truly a sad scene when he gets sent, Spira lost a great man. So why do I like him? Well, he looks the shit, talks the shit; he is the strongest character (in the start) and has a dark secret. What more do I need to say? How about the fact that he rips into Tidus quite a lot? Surely that trumps everything?!

Note: Auron is the seventh and final character from Final Fantasy X in this list.


#7: Kuja

Full Name (to knowledge): Kuja
Game: Final Fantasy IX
Role in Game: Major Antagonist
Best Quote: "The Canary I have been after, she flew into my cage of her own free will." (Referring to Dagger coming home)

Kuja is an underrated villain in an underrated entry into the Final Fantasy series. Kuja is a brilliant bad guy, he manipulates an entire continental war, causing many lives to end and many cities to be rebuilt, one even completely destroyed permanently. He also destroys his own world. But what makes him so special is how he does it - with his poetic lines and his Shakesperean drama, he wants to end life like a play. And he almost does so, everything goes swimmingly until he reaches his Trance. Kuja is one of my favourite villains, and my seventh favourite Final Fantasy character.


#6: Cid

Full Name (to knowledge): Cid Highwind
Game: Final Fantasy VII
Role in Game: Major Protagonist
Best Quote: “Shut up! Sit your ass down in that chair and drink your goddamn TEA! Arggggggh! DAMN, I'm pissed!"

The above quote is one of the best quotes in FF history. FF7’s Cid is the highest up Cid, and rightfully so, he is just brilliant. He’s on a permanent period, lashing at people all the time, but it’s just because he’s so damn passionate about what he does. And he looks badass too, with that cigarette that only falls out once in the entire game. There hasn’t been a Cid before or after like this guy, I wish they would make a playable Cid again, because I really think he’s a recurring character name that everyone associates with Final Fantasy, and it would be great homage to a great series. Cid Highwind is just full of vinegar, full of fire, full of entertainment and that’s why he is this high in my list.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know your thoughts in the comments box below.

See other parts in the listing!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | The Winner (+ more)

My Top 50 Final Fantasy Characters (Part 8)

Please note: This list will talk about spoilers. If you have not played the game that each character represents I'd avoid that entry.

#15: Steiner

Full Name (to knowledge): Adelbert Steiner
Game: Final Fantasy IX
Role in Game: Major Protagonist
Best Quote: “Bah! Only a flesh wound!”

Things are really heating up now that we’ve hit the Top 15. Steiner is the first of 15 characters that I absolutely adore. Steiner’s a troubled character. All he wants to do is protect the princess, and keep her safe in the castle. That’s all he wants to do and because of Zidane, because of Queen Brahne, because of Kuja, because of Garnet herself, he can’t do it. He is as loyal a knight can be, following Dagger everywhere she goes. In the meantime, he provides some fantastic comedy relief, most particularly in Disc 1. As the game goes on, he goes from absolutely hating Zidane because of his thief status, to considering him a true hero and fit to have romance with Dagger. Steiner is a humble and strong knight, and gets himself in too much trouble for our entertainment. He is truly a magnificent character, one that I hold a lot of love for.


#14: Ultros

Full Name (to knowledge): Ultros
Game: Final Fantasy VI
Role in Game: Major Antagonist
Best Quote: “I have more lives than I do arms!”

If I were to make a list of underused FF characters Ultros would probably near the top of it. Ultros has very little impact on the main storyline, but man, he’s so funny. He says some fantastic quotes when you battle him multiple times, and he just provides such awesome comic relief, which is unusual with villains. I’ve said in my “FF6 remake” article, but he really should be in the game more. I want more Ultros! He’s brilliant, so funny, and deserves much more time and effort into his character, he deserves to be remade or ported into a new FF game with more impact. I love Ultros.


#13: Laguna

Full Name (to knowledge): Laguna Loire
Game: Final Fantasy VIII
Role in Game: Major Protagonist
Best Quote: “Uh-oh... My leg's cramping up...! ...Argh...” (Laguna limping around Julia playing the piano)

Laguna’s leg cramping scene is possibly the funniest moment ever, it’s so ridiculously funny I’m almost laughing about it just thinking about it. Laguna is so entertaining as a character, whenever he is on screen you’re bound to have something silly or funny happen. But, as he says himself, he has a big heart, he’s full of love, he’s possibly the nicest guy in FF history as well. He really shouldn’t be fighting! Even when he does, his “Desperado” attack is pretty funny as well, just hanging in the air, unloading his machine gun over a period of time. Great stuff. I love Laguna to bits, he’s by far the best FF8 character, and is in at #13 in this list.

Note: Laguna is the fourth and final character from Final Fantasy VIII in this list.


#12: Seymour

Full Name (to knowledge): Seymour Guado
Game: Final Fantasy X
Role in Game: Major Antagonist
Best Quote: “Life is but a passing dream, but the death that follows is eternal.”
Seymour is a great villain, possibly underrated to an extent. Give him his due, to a certain extent; his warped philosophy on life actually makes sense. I consider him to be the true villain in FF10, even though there’s dispute that Jecht is. He does some pretty horrible things though to really emphasise his case as a great villain, he kills his own father and a more strongly, he causes a huge massacre in the Ronso tribe, leaving their species at potential extinction. Not only that, but he has the most badass Aeon in the game in Anima, and looks pretty cool as well. Seymour is underrated and a very good villain, one of the best.


#11: Hojo

Full Name (to knowledge): Hojo
Game: Final Fantasy VII
Role in Game: Major Antagonist
Best Quote: “I offered the woman with my child to Professor Gast's Jenova project. When Sephiroth was still in her womb, we infused him with Jenova's cells...”

Following Seymour , if there’s one villain that is better, it’s Hojo. The best way to describe Hojo is by using two words – fucked up. Hojo isn’t a genius scientist. The main difference between Hojo and Gast is that Gast was a technical scientific genius, where as Hojo just wanted to mix life with life and screw around with science in the hope he would make a groundbreaking event. Well that he did. He is responsible for Sephiroth’s birth, Hojo and Jenova combined made all the crap that infested the world of FF7, Jenova had the ammo, Hojo had the gun. Hojo is a wonderful villain, he plays the twisted doctor so well, and it’s a brilliant character in FF7, he just misses the Top 10.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know your thoughts in the comments box below.

See other parts in the listing!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | The Winner (+ more)

My Top 50 Final Fantasy Characters (Part 5)

Please note: This list will talk about spoilers. If you have not played the game that each character represents I'd avoid that entry.

#30: Lulu

Full Name (to knowledge): Lulu
Game: Final Fantasy X
Role in Game: Major Protagonist
Best Quote: “You always said I looked grumpy, but those were the happiest days of my life.” (to Chappu, in the Farplane)

Lulu is a very cool character from FF10, she appears as a very cold hearted person but it doesn’t take long to realise she really cares about the people around her. She just doesn’t express herself easily, but her very “matter of fact” attitude really makes her “own” Tidus many a time in the game, which provides great entertainment. There’s also enough sex appeal in there as well, I’d hate to think what she’d want to do with those belts though! Lulu is a good character, one of the better from FF10, and my number #30 in this list.


#29: Jenova

Full Name (to knowledge): Jenova (otherwise J-E-N-O-V-A)
Game: Final Fantasy VII
Role in Game: Major Antagonist
Best Quote: “Because Cloud...You are a puppet.” (the only line credited to Jenova)
Jenova is one fucked up character. Jenova is responsible for the majority of the crap in FF7 and has infected the planet to its in world state. Jenova is an alien and I’ve got to admit, I’d rather meet an alien in “Alien” than her, she’s that horrible. Her cells have created multiple monsters in the game, none more powerful and important as Sephiroth. It can be debated that she shouldn’t be in this list, I mean after all, she only has one line to her name. But her influence, her vile infected influence in FF7 can’t be avoided. Jenova deserves a place in this list, and #29 is where you will find her.


#28: Rikku

Full Name (to knowledge): Rikku
Game: Final Fantasy X
Role in Game: Major Protagonist
Best Quote: “Memories are nice, but that's all they are...”
Let’s get one thing straight. Characters like Rikku, Vanille and Selphie, are characters that people either love or hate when it comes to FF games. I actually quite like them, I love the energetic, happy happy, young female characters. They’re usually portrayed as being quite hot too, at least I think. But Rikku is the best, she really is cute, and you can’t help but feel sorry for her when her Home gets destroyed. Also, her intentions are right when she is trying to stop Yuna from completing her pilgrimage. I love Rikku, and I don’t care what you think!


#27: Sabin

Full Name (to knowledge): Sabin René Figaro
Game: Final Fantasy VI
Role in Game: Major Protagonist
Best Quote: “You think a minor thing like the end of the world was gonna do me in?"
Quite simply, Sabin and Edgar are the best twins in FF history. Yes, I shall confirm now, that Edgar is my favourite of the two but how high in the list is he? I’m not telling. Anyway, Sabin is fricking cool; he has a very quick wit for a man of his size, stereotypically speaking. He provides some of the best comedy in the game with Cyan and Gao, and he is at the centre of it. He also has full respect to Edgar and will serve him to the end. That is why Sabin is so high on this list, what a character.


#26: Cid

Full Name (to knowledge): Cid Fabool IX
Game: Final Fantasy IX
Role in Game: Minor Protagonist
Best Quote: Garnet: "The man who attacked you...was he the one who ran off with it?" Cid: "Good guess, but no... Actually... I met a lovely lady at the pub..." (referring to his affair)
Cid has appeared in every single Final Fantasy to date, but only two make the list (I hope you know who the other Cid is, if not, then wait!), the first being from FF9. Regent Cid is the leader of Lindblum, and a great leader at that, however he mainly provides the player with comic relief, as he is in the game in three forms, first as an oglop, then as a frog, and finally as a human again. There are loads of moments that I love with Cid, the Hedgehog Pie, Steiner shouting “OGLOP!” and smashing him into his throne, turning into a frog, creating a barricade in the trams underground when Alexandria take over Lindblum. He’s such a funny character, and for a man with such authority he’s really really funny.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know your thoughts in the comments box below.

See other parts in the listing!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | The Winner (+ more)

Retro Review: Final Fantasy IX

Hallo everyone, these posts will probably continue to be late for a while, but hopefully all will be well soon. Here's a review I did in 2005, it's a decent one I think. Just in case you didn't know, my daughter, Vivi, was named after a character in this game. Enjoy.

"If you love the others, more than likely you will love this."

 

Introduction

Final Fantasy IX was the last Final Fantasy to be released on the Playstation, after switching from the Super Nintendo in 1997. After great success from Final Fantasy VII and VIII, Final Fantasy IX had very high expectations. Many believe IX to be disappointing, where as others believe it to be better than both its successors. Here is what I think.

Gameplay

Comparing IX to the previous Playstation releases, IX is a very moody game. The gameplay feels very negative, as there is a great structure around the gameplay. This may sound good; however, if you bring it to a duel between you and the computer, the advantages are greatly on the computer. In both previous Final Fantasies, there were many high chances of exceeding a 9999HP damage limit. Considering in the entire summons (bar the final summon in VIII) the maximum damage you can give or take is 9999, you could exceed this amount by combo attacking (specifically in limit breaks by both main characters). This is completely taken away in Final Fantasy IX. The odds are against you, because not only is it hard to actually gain maximum damage, you cannot create ways to exceed it. In the final stages of the game, many of the bosses will damage you multiply with almost maximum damage. This factor means there is a far higher difficulty level involved, which puts some of the lighter players right off, as this structure cannot be broken.

In VIII, there were six main characters. This has been increased to eight, and as always, these are eight strongly created characters, with their own personalities and opinions. As in most FF games, this game has some of the greatest characters from gaming history, from the lady-loving Zidane, to the all-so cute Vivi, to the stupidly dopey Steiner.

A new addition to IX is the approach of having four members fighting at the same time, a feature that has not been used in a Final Fantasy game since 1994's Final Fantasy VI. The fact that four members fighting instead of three makes fighting a lot more complex, giving you many strategies to create and many techniques to experiment.

Like most FF games, you build your characters by level, and learning abilities. In Final Fantasy VII materia was used to learn magic spells and abilities, where as Guardian Forces were used to learn abilities in VIII. In IX, your abilities are learned by your equipment. By equipping a weapon, shield, etc, some characters can use certain abilities with that item. If your character equips items with that certain ability for a certain period of time, the character can use the ability without equipping that item. Each item has different abilities that can learn one character an ability, where as if you equip that item to someone else, they may not be able to learn it at all. So it is basically mixing equipment around to make all your characters learn their abilities. That is not all though. Each character has each own set of “Magic Stones”, which a certain amount is needed to actually use that ability during battle. This means that it does not matter if your character has learnt every ability for him/her to learn, he can only equip few into battle, depending on how many magic stones are needed for it to be used. So a lot is going on in the preparing side of IX.

Mentioning limit breaks above, this has been cancelled from IX, and replaced with a “Trance”. Like Final Fantasy VII's Limit Break, you have Trance gauge that will build up as you get attacked. Trance powers up your character, many in different ways, for example your mages can use double the magic in one go. One character can deliver two to three times more damage than usual. Each character has their own unique skills and trance develops these skills into better ones. However, a huge downfall on this side is the fact that if you do not use your Trance before the end of the battle, it cancels and will make the whole process a complete waste of time, which frustrate us FF fans off big time, trust me.

As mentioned, each character has each own unique skills. Some are mages, others can throw special weapons at their enemies, and others can perform dragoon skills. Another big downfall to IX is the main character; Zidane has a very small unique skill. Zidane is a thief, and like Final Fantasy VI before it, “stealing” items off enemies is not as great as magic usage, summoning, and knight skills. Zidane's stealing ability becomes essential in some boss battles, as the majority of bosses in the game possess great items, which are very helpful to steal. And because these items are good, stealing can become a pain, as the harder to steal items can become VERY hard to steal. You can be there for an hour, literally, trying to steal just one item off a boss, before killing him by mistake. Once again, this does frustrate a lot of people off, and puts them off the game completely.

On the whole, the gameplay is great. The use of four characters over three was a great hype, and it delivered very well. Two big downfalls as mentioned bring the game down, however on the whole, the gameplay is magnificent, and battles can be fun. At most times…

Gameplay: 9/10

 

Story

There is no doubt that Final Fantasy IX's story is far from amazing. From six main characters in Final Fantasy VIII, it has been increased to eight. This to some people might mean that there is less concentration on the characters; however it does blend in with the gameplay very well. There at least two main scenes concentrated at one character throughout the game.

The main character is Zidane, who is a thief with his fellow “brothers” of Tantalus. Tantalus has been set a job to do, and that job is to kidnap the princess of the big city of Alexandria. However, the story is a lot more complex than that, because for some reason, the princess Garnet actually wants to be kidnapped. The meeting of Zidane and Garnet will change the world of Gaia forever. Want to know more? Play the game. In my opinion FF8 the characters stories build up slowly, and are actually rather stale in the first disk. This is not the case in IX, as the first four characters you get are concentrated on right from the beginning. The four characters you get further on in the game are not as concentrated as deep as the first four, but every characters feelings and emotions are expressed realistically throughout the game.

Story: 10/10

 

Graphics

Generally, the graphics on FFIX are not as impressive as in Final Fantasy VIII. The FMV's featured are just as mind blowing however. I believe that FF8 contains the best graphics on the Playstation console, and to come from FF8 with high hopes for FF9, there is a little disappointment with the graphics Final Fantasy IX's FMV's are just as good as in FF8's, however, smooth graphics of Final Fantasy 8's gameplay possibly feels decreased in IX. The character models do not look completely human anymore, they look like midget people (not that I have a problem against midgets…). As Final Fantasy VIII had very tall figures, IX's modelling system has made the characters a lot smaller, and sometimes these smaller figures are not as much as a standout in the game as IX. Nevertheless the graphics are really good, but not an improvement from its predecessor.

Graphics: 9/10

 

Sound

I am sure a lot of people will disagree with me, but I think that Final Fantasy IX's sound is possibly the best in the whole series. It is at least par with Final Fantasy VII, which in many ways considered the best title in the series. Some of the music is simply amazing, and I think a lot of the sound and game music cannot be improved in any way whatsoever. Final Fantasy IX contains a complete perfect score in my eyes.

Sound: 10/10

 

Controls

The controls in this game have improved from Final Fantasy VIII. The main controls are blended with the gameplay perfectly, and sometimes there are certain mini games that require great use of the control pad. If there is any dislike with the controls, they can be adjusted in the “Config” menu anyway. The controls in my opinion cannot be improved, and there is a nice use of the buttons throughout the whole game.

Controls: 10/10

 

Extras

The side quests are once again brilliant in Final Fantasy IX. There is possibly less side quests than that there was in VIII, however each one is enjoyable… almost. There are some huge side quests featured in the game that are rather pathetic. One example of this is a side quest that requires you to get to the end of the game within a time limit. This side quest is EXTREMELY difficult to accomplish, and it can be very frustrating to do, as the further you get in the game, your characters have very low levels, and bosses can do damage that can cleanly sweep your whole party in one move. However the majority of the side quests are great, time worthy and enjoyable, it is just that one or two are pathetically difficult or just plain boring and possibly pointless.

Extras: 9/10

 

Challenge

Final Fantasy IX is a very difficult game. It is a lot more difficult than Final Fantasy VIII, and this is actually a good thing. As I said in the Gameplay section, there is not much chance of exceeding 9999HP damage, which in FF7 and FF8 was possible. This makes the game a whole lot more difficult, and more of a challenge for the player.

Challenge 10/10

 

Replay

Replay value??? It is amazing. Like every other, you would probably want to play this game again. Complete it, then give it a year or two, and the rush to play the game again will be back. I think I have said enough.

Replay: 10/10

 

Overall

Overall, this is a brilliant game. There is a lot of amazing things in Final Fantasy IX; however there are few flaws too. The flaws can annoy you and make you want to punch the wall, however in the end you can forgive Square and tell them thank you for making once again a classic piece of gameness. Hey, it is Final Fantasy. If you love the others, more than likely you will love this. For people who have never played a Final Fantasy, this is a decent game to get started with. However possibly the best to properly begin your collection with would be VII, and if you enjoy that, get this. It is well worth the money and will be a game you will play and keep for years. Rent or buy? If you have played another FF title in the series, I would say buy. If you have never played a FF game before, then I would rent to be on the safe side. Final Fantasy is not for everyone, but it is highly respected.

Overall: 77/80 = 96% = 10/10

 

 

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