Final Fantasy Series

Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy (ファイナルファンタジーFainaru Fantajī? ) is a fantasy role-playing video game created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, developed and first published in Japan by Square (now Square Enix) in 1987. It is the first game in Square's Final Fantasy series. Originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Final Fantasy was remade for several video game consoles and is frequently packaged with Final Fantasy II in video game collections. The story follows 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 their world.

The game received generally positive reviews, and it is regarded as one of the most influential and successful role-playing games on the Nintendo Entertainment System, playing a major role in popularizing the genre. Praise focused on the game's graphics, while criticism targeted the time spent wandering in search of random battle encounters to raise the player's experience level. By March 2003, all versions of Final Fantasy have sold a combined total of two million copies worldwide. This game has also spawned two direct cross-over prequels: Dissidia Final Fantasy andDissidia 012 Final Fantasy, both released on the PlayStation Portable.

[edit] Setting
Final Fantasy takes place in a fantasy world with three large continents. The elemental powers on this world are determined by the state of four orbs, each governing one of the four classical elements: earth, fire, water, and wind. The world of Final Fantasy is inhabited by numerous races, including Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Mermaids, Dragons, and Robots. Most non-Human races have only one "town" in the game, although individuals are sometimes found in Human towns or other areas as well. Four hundred years prior to the start of the game, the Lefeinish people, who used the Power of Wind to craft airships and a giant space station (called the Floating Castle in the game), watched their country decline as the Wind Orb went dark. Two hundred years later, violent storms sank a massive shrine that served as the center of an ocean-based civilization, and the Water Orb went dark. The Earth Orb and the Fire Orb followed, plaguing the earth with raging wildfires, and devastating the agricultural town of Melmond as the plains and vegetation decayed. Some time later, the sage Lukahn tells of a prophecy that four Light Warriors will come to save the world in a time of darkness.

[edit] Story
The game begins with the appearance of the four youthful Light Warriors, the heroes of the story, who each carry one of the darkened Orbs. Initially, the Light Warriors have access to the Kingdom of Coneria and the ruined Temple of Fiends. After the Warriors rescue Princess Sara from the evil knight Garland, the King of Coneria builds a bridge that enables the Light Warriors' passage east to the town of Pravoka. There the Light Warriors liberate the town from Bikke and his band of pirates, and acquire the pirates' ship for their own use. The Warriors now embark on a chain of delivery quests on the shores of the Aldi Sea. First they retrieve a stolen crown from the Marsh Cave for a king in a ruined castle, who turns out to be the dark elf Astos. Defeating him gains them the Crystal, which they return to the blind witch Matoya in exchange for a herb needed to awaken the Elf Prince cursed by Astos. The Elf Prince gives the Light Warriors the Mystic Key, which is capable of unlocking any door. The key unlocks a storage room in Coneria Castle which holds TNT. Nerrick, one of the Dwarves of the Cave of Dwarf/Dwarf Village, destroys a small isthmus using the TNT, connecting the Aldi Sea to the outside world.[4]

After visiting the near-ruined town of Melmond, the Light Warriors go to the Earth Cave to defeat a vampire and retrieve the Star Ruby, which gains passage to Sage Sarda's cave. With Sarda's Rod, the Warriors venture deeper into the Earth Cave and destroy the Earth Fiend, Lich. The Light Warriors then obtain a canoe and enter Gurgu Volcano and defeat the Fire Fiend, Kary. The Floater from the nearby Ice Cave allows them to raise an airship to reach the northern continents. After they prove their courage by retrieving the Rat's Tail from the Castle of Ordeal, the King of the Dragons, Bahamut, promotes each Light Warrior. A kind gesture is repaid by a fairy, receiving special liquid that produces oxygen, and the Warriors use it to help defeat the Water Fiend, Kraken, in the Sunken Shrine. They also recover a Slab, which allows a linguist named Dr. Unne to teach them the Lefeinish language. The Lefeinish give the Light Warriors access to the Floating Castle that Tiamat, the Wind Fiend, has taken over.[4] With the Four Fiends defeated and the Orbs restored, a portal opens in the Temple of Fiends which takes them 2000 years into the past. There the Warriors discover that the Four Fiends sent Garland (now the archdemon Chaos) back in time and he sent the Fiends to the future to do so, creating a time loop by which he could live forever.[6] The Light Warriors defeat Chaos, thus ending the paradox, and return home. By ending the paradox, however, the Light Warriors have changed the future to one where their heroic deeds remain unknown outside of legend.[4]

Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy II (ファイナルファンタジーII Fainaru Fantajī Tsū? ) is a fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) in 1988 for the Nintendo Entertainment System as the second installment of the Final Fantasy series. The game has received numerous enhanced remakes for the WonderSwan Color, Sony PlayStation, Japanese mobile phones, Game Boy Advance, and PlayStation Portable. Only the PlayStation, Game Boy, and PlayStation Portable versions have been released outside of Japan. As neither this game nor Final Fantasy III had been released outside of Japan, Final Fantasy IV was originally released in North America as Final Fantasy II, so as not to confuse players. The most recent release of the game is a release of the enhanced version of the game for the iOS worldwide on February 25, 2010.

The game's story centers on 4 youths whose parents were killed during an army invasion by the empire of Palamecia. Three of the four main characters join a rebellion against the empire, embarking on missions to gain new magic and weapons, destroy enemy superweapons, and rescue leading members of the resistance. After defeating the empire and the Emperor, the trio discovers that the fourth youth, now a dark knight, has taken the place of the previous emperor and is preparing to attack the rebellion. Upon confronting him, the Emperor reappears as a demon and prepares to attempt to destroy the world; the four characters agree to join forces to defeat him. They proceed to do so in his demonic castle. The Game Boy Advance remake adds a bonus story after the game is completed, following several side characters who died during the game as they attempt to defeat an alternate version of the Emperor.

Final Fantasy II introduced many elements that would later become staples of the Final Fantasy franchise, including chocobos and the recurring character Cid. It also eliminated the traditionalexperience point leveling system of the prior and later games in the series, instead introducing an activity-based progression system where the characters' statistics increase according to how they are used or acquired. Despite being a sequel to Final Fantasy, the game includes no characters or locations from the first game. Final Fantasy II received little attention at the time from non-Japanese reviewers, though its remakes have garnered favorable reviews.

[edit] Characters
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy II features four playable characters as well as several secondary characters who are only briefly controlled by the player. Primary characters include Firion (フリオニールFurionīru<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">?, "Frioniel" in the Japanese release), a resident of the country of Fynn; Maria (マリア<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ), a soft-spoken archer and dedicated enemy of the Empire; Guy (ガイGai<sup style="line-height:1em;">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Installing_Japanese_character_sets <span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ], "Gus" in the remake for the PlayStation), a simple monk who communicates with animals; and Leon (レオンハルトReonharuto<sup style="line-height:1em;">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Installing_Japanese_character_sets <span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ], "Leonhart" in the Japanese release), a conflicted dark knight who is missing for most of the game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FFII_4-3" style="line-height:1em;">[5] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-OriginsCharacters_6-0" style="line-height:1em;">[7] Five playable characters temporarily join the party to assist Firion, Maria, and Guy in their missions for the rebellion. These are Gordon (ゴードンGōdon<sup style="line-height:1em;">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Installing_Japanese_character_sets <span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ] ), the prince of Kas'ion and a member of the rebellion; Josef (ヨーゼフYōzefu<sup style="line-height:1em;">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Installing_Japanese_character_sets <span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ] ), a villager in the town of Salamand; Leila (レイラReira<sup style="line-height:1em;">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Installing_Japanese_character_sets <span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ], "Reila" in the Japanese release), a pirate; Minwu (ミンウMin'u<sup style="line-height:1em;">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Installing_Japanese_character_sets <span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ], "Mindu" in the PlayStation remake　and "Ming-Wu" in the Japanese release), who is a white mage with the rebellion, and Ricard Highwind (リチャード・ハイウインドRichādo Haiwindo<sup style="line-height:1em;">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Installing_Japanese_character_sets <span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ], "Gareth" in the PlayStation remake and "Richard" in the Japanese release), who is the first dragoon to appear in the series.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FFII_4-4" style="line-height:1em;">[5]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">While Final Fantasy was mostly focused on gameplay, Hironobu Sakaguchi decided for the second installment to put more emphasis on character development. Care was taken to make the characters feel like real human beings, able to experience various emotions that the player could similarly feel, such as sadness or happiness.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-AMN_7-0" style="line-height:1em;">[8] Final Fantasy II also had playable characters die as part of the normal storyline. Music composer Nobuo Uematsu was initially opposed to the creation of these death scenes, but eventually agreed with Sakaguchi's ideas. In terms of gameplay, once a guest character would die in a scripted event, the player would have no means to revive them or recover their equipment and weapons.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-AMN_7-1" style="line-height:1em;">[8]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Firion and the Emperor of Palamecia (パラメキア皇帝Paramekia Kōtei<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ) (named Mateus (マティウスMatiusu<sup style="line-height:1em;">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Installing_Japanese_character_sets <span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ] ) in Kenji Terada's novelization of the game) in are the respective hero and villain representing Final Fantasy II in Dissidia Final Fantasy, a fighting game featuring characters from across the series. Firion is voiced by Hikaru Midorikawa in the Japanese version and by Johnny Yong Bosch in the English version; Mateus is voiced by Kenyuu Horiuchi in the Japanese version and Christopher Corey Smith in the English version. In the PlayStation's opening FMV of Final Fantasy II, Firion is also voiced by Yukimasa Obi, while Maria is played by Noriko Shitaya, Guy by Kenta Miyake, and Leon by Takayuki Yamaguchi. Final Fantasy IIfeatures an airship pilot named Cid; each Final Fantasy game in the series after II features a character named Cid as well.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FFII_4-5" style="line-height:1em;">[5]

[edit] Story
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy II begins as Firion, Maria, Guy and Leon are attacked by Palamecian soldiers and left for dead. Firion, Maria, and Guy are rescued by Princess Hilda, who has established a rebel base in the town of Altair after her kingdom of Fynn was invaded by the Emperor. Hilda denies their request to join the rebel army because they are too young and inexperienced. The three set off for Fynn in search of Leon; there they find a dying Prince Scott of Kashuan, Hilda's fiancé, who informs them that a former knight of Fynn, Borghen, betrayed the rebellion and became a General in the Imperial army. The party returns to Altair to inform Hilda. She allows the group to join the rebellion and asks them to journey north to find mythril, a metal which could be used to create powerful weapons. The party makes its way north to the occupied village of Salamand, saves the villagers forced to work in the nearby mines, and retrieves the mythril.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">For their next mission, The party is sent to the city of Bafsk to prevent the construction of a large airship known as the Dreadnought; however, it takes off just as they arrive. After retrieving the Sunfire, a weapon which can blow up the Dreadnought, they watch helplessly as an airship with Hilda on board is captured by the Dreadnought. When the Dreadnought is put down to stock up on supplies, the party rescues Hilda and throws the Sunfire into the airship's engine. Before escaping from the explosion, the party encounters a dark knight whom Maria recognizes as Leon.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">On his deathbed, the King of Fynn tasks the party to seek the help of the seemingly extinct dragoons of Deist. In Deist, the party finds only a mother with her son, learning that all but one of the Dragoons are dead, partly as a result of Imperial poison. After placing an egg of the last wyvern in a cavern, the party returns to Altair and rescues Hilda from the Empire a second time, before successfully reclaiming Fynn from the Imperial forces. They then travel west in search of a powerful magic item, joining forces with the last surviving dragoon on the way. The party returns to Fynn and sees that many towns have been destroyed by a cyclone summoned by the Emperor. The party calls upon the newly born last wyvern to take them to a castle inside the cyclone, where they confront and kill the Emperor. Back at Fynn, everyone celebrates the Empire's defeat, but a mortally wounded Fynn soldier arrives and reveals that Leon has taken the throne and plans to destroy the Rebels with the Imperial army.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The party enters the castle of Palamecia and confronts Leon. However, the Emperor reappears in the throne room in a new demonic form, revealing he returned from Hell with the intention of destroying the entire world and its inhabitants. The party and Leon escape Palamecia Castle with the wyvern, while the place crumbles and is replaced with the palace of Hell, Pandaemonium. Leon agrees to help the group seal the Emperor away. The party travels to the Jade Passage, an underground passage to the underworld, and finds the portal to Pandaemonium, where they finally defeat the Emperor.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The Dawn of Souls remake of the game for the Game Boy Advance includes an additional mission that takes place after the game, called "Soul of Rebirth". The story of the bonus mission follows several characters who died during the story of the game as they travel through alternate versions of several locations in the game and defeat another version of the Emperor.

Final Fantasy III
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy III (ファイナルファンタジーIII Fainaru Fantajī Surī<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ) is a role-playing video game developed and published by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_Co. Square] in 1990 for the Family Computer as the third installment in the Final Fantasy series. It is the first numbered Final Fantasy game to feature the job-change system.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The story revolves around 4 orphaned youths drawn to a crystal of light. The crystal grants them some of its power, and instructs them to go forth and restore balance to the world. Not knowing what to make of the crystal's pronouncements, but nonetheless recognizing the importance of its words, the four inform their adoptive families of their mission and set out to explore and bring back balance to the world.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The game was released in Japan on April 27, 1990. It had never been released outside of Japan until a remake was released on the Nintendo DS on August 24, 2006. At that time, it was the only Final Fantasy game not previously released in North America or Europe.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4" style="line-height:1em;">[5] There had been earlier plans to remake the game for Bandai's WonderSwan Color handheld, as had been done with the first, second, and fourth installments of the series, but the game faced several delays and was eventually canceled after the premature cancellation of the platform. The Nintendo DS version of the game was positively received internationally, selling over 1 million copies in Japan. The Famicom version of the game was released on the Virtual Console service in Japan on July 21, 2009. An iOS port of the Nintendo DS remake was released on March 24, 2011.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-famitsuios_5-0" style="line-height:1em;">[6] An Android version was released on March 12, 2012. The game was also announced to be ported to the new android based OUYA console.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6" style="line-height:1em;">[7]

[edit] Setting
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">One thousand years before the events in the game, on a floating continent hovering high above the surface of an unnamed planet, a technologically advanced civilization sought to harness the power of the four elemental crystals of light. They did not realize that they could not control such fundamental forces of nature. This power of light would have consumed the world itself had the light crystals not had their natural counterparts: the four dark elemental crystals. Disturbed by the sudden interruption of the careful balance of light and dark, four warriors were granted the power of the dark crystals to recapture the power of the light crystals. These so-called Dark Warriors succeeded in their quest, and restored harmony to the world. But their victory came too late to save the doomed civilization. Their culture was reduced to ruin, though their floating continent remained. On that continent, the circle of Gulgans, a race of blind soothsayers and fortune-tellers, predicted that these events will ultimately repeat.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-game_10-0" style="line-height:1em;">[11]

[edit] Characters
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy III focuses around four orphans from the remote village of Ur, each of them starting off as Onion Knights in the original game, but Freelancers in the Nintendo DS remake of the game. The Nintendo DS version of the game individualized the party members, giving them unique appearances (designed by Akihiko Yoshida), backstories, personalities and names:

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Luneth (ルーネスRūnesu<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ) who symbolizes courage, an adventurous orphan boy raised in the village of Ur; Arc (アルクゥArukū<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ) who symbolizes kindness, Luneth's childhood best friend and a timid yet intelligent young man; Refia (レフィア<sup style="line-height:1em;">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Installing_Japanese_character_sets <span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ] ) who symbolizes affection, a girl raised in the village of Kazus who tires of her father's blacksmith training and often runs away from home; and Ingus (イングスIngusu<sup style="line-height:1em;">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Installing_Japanese_character_sets <span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ] ) who symbolizes determination, a loyal soldier serving the King of Sasune, with a (mutual) soft spot for the princess Sara.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;"><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-iiinstructions_11-0" style="line-height:1em;">[12]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Though Xande (ザンデZande<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ) is the one they have to stop for the most of the game, he is eventually revealed to be merely a pawn of the Cloud of Darkness (暗闇の雲Kurayami no Kumo<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ), a malevolent and vicious deity who wishes to push the world into a state of chaos and destruction by upsetting the balance between light and darkness, allowing the Void to consume the world. Appearing in a female-like form, she refers to herself in first-person plurals because her two tentacles have minds of their own. Although she initially defeats the Warriors of the Light, they are resurrected with Unei and Doga's help, and, with help from the Dark Warriors, they defeat the Cloud of Darkness.

[edit] Story
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">An earthquake opens up a previously hidden cavern in Altar Cave near the village of Ur on the floating continent. Four young orphans under the care of Topapa, the village elder, explore the earthquake's impact and come across a crystal of light. The crystal grants them a portion of its power, and instructs them to go forth and restore balance to the world. Not knowing what to make of the crystal's pronouncements, but nonetheless recognizing the importance of its words, the four inform their adoptive family of their mission and set out to explore an overworld outside the area in which they were brought up to bring back balance to the world.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-game_10-1" style="line-height:1em;">[11]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Their adventures bring them to discover that there lies a whole world beyond the boundaries of the floating continent upon which they were living. In the world below, they discover that a warlock named Xande, one of three apprentices to the legendary Archmage Noah, is trying to possess the crystals of light to bring forth chaos and disorder. The four warriors eventually arrive at the Crystal Tower where they discover that the Cloud of Darkness is the source of the recent events. The Cloud attempts to bring back a similar situation as the Flood of Light a millennia earlier so that the world is pulled into the void. The warriors from the light traverse into the domain of the dark crystals to free the imprisoned dark warriors and defeat the Cloud of Darkness, thereby restoring the crystals and balance to the world. In the DS remake, there are also several "side quests" that can be completed.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-game_10-2" style="line-height:1em;">[11]

Final Fantasy IV
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy IV (ファイナルファンタジーIV Fainaru Fantajī Fō<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ) is a role-playing video game developed and published by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_Co. Square] (now Square Enix) in 1991 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game was originally released for the Super Famicom in Japan and has since then been rereleased for many other platforms with varying modifications. An enhanced remake with 3D graphics was released for the Nintendo DS in 2007 and 2008. The game was re-titled Final Fantasy II during its initial release outside of Japan as the original Final Fantasy II and III had not been released outside of Japan at the time. However, later localizations used the original title.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The game's story follows Cecil, a dark knight, as he tries to prevent the sorcerer Golbez from seizing powerful crystals and destroying the world. He is joined on this quest by a frequently changing group of allies, several of whom die, become injured, or become affected by an unfortunate occurrence. Final Fantasy IV introduced innovations that became staples of the Final Fantasy series and role-playing games in general. Its "Active Time Battle" system was used in five subsequent Final Fantasy games, and unlike prior games in the series gave each character their own unchangeable character class.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">With its character-driven plot, use of new technologies and critically acclaimed score by Nobuo Uematsu, Final Fantasy IV is regarded as a landmark of the series and role-playing genre. It is considered to be one of the first role-playing games to feature a complex, involving plot, and is thought to have pioneered the idea of dramatic storytelling in an RPG. The various incarnations of the game have sold more than four million copies worldwide. A sequel to the game, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, was released for Japanese mobile phones in 2008, and worldwide via theWii Shop Channel on June 1, 2009. In 2011, the game was released for the PlayStation Portable as part of the compilation Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection.

[edit] Setting
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Most of Final Fantasy IV takes place on Earth, also known as the Blue Planet,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8" style="line-height:1em;">[9] which consists of a surface world (or Overworld), inhabited by humans, and an underground world (or Underworld), inhabited by the Dwarves. An artificial moon orbits the planet, upon which the Lunarians live. The Lunarians are a race of beings from a world destroyed which became the asteroid belt, and are identified by a moon-shape crest on their foreheads. They created this artificial moon, resting until a time they believe their kind can co-exist with humans.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FFIVGametrailers_3-2" style="line-height:1em;">[4] A second, natural moon orbits as well, though it is never visited in the game.

[edit] Characters
Main article: Characters of Final Fantasy IV<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy IV offers twelve playable characters, each with a unique, unchangeable character class. During the game, the player can have a total of five, or fewer, characters in the party at the same time. The main character, Cecil Harvey, is a dark knight and the captain of the Red Wings, an elite air force unit of the kingdom of Baron. He serves the king alongside his childhood friend |Kain Highwind, the commander of the Dragoons. Rosa Farrell is a white mage/archer and Cecil's love interest. The Red Wings' airships were constructed by Cecil's friend, the engineer Cid Pollendina.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FFIVGametrailers_3-3" style="line-height:1em;">[4]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">During his quest, Cecil is joined by others, including Rydia, a young summoner from the village of Mist, Tellah, a legendary sage of Mysidia,Edward Chris von Muir, the prince of Damcyan and a bard, and Yang Fang Leiden, the head of the monks of Fabul. The other characters are the black mage Palom and white mage Porom, twin apprentices from the magical village of Mysidia, Edward "Edge" Geraldine, the ninja prince of Eblan, and lastly Fusoya, the guardian of the Lunarians during their long sleep.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">One Lunarian (its race being Hummingway), named Namingway, is seen throughout the game and allows players to change the characters' names to something unique. Later it is discovered that there are many Hummingways (who appear nearly identical) at the Moon location (Red Moon).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FFIVGametrailers_3-4" style="line-height:1em;">[4]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Zemus is the main antagonist of the game. He wishes to destroy the human race so that his people can populate the earth. He uses Golbez, Cecil's older brother, to do this by controlling him and Kain with his psychic powers to activate the Giant of Babil, a huge machine created to complete the genocide.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Cecil and Golbez are the respective hero and villain representing Final Fantasy IV in Dissidia Final Fantasy. Cecil is voiced by Shizuma Hodoshima in the Japanese version and by Yuri Lowenthal in the English version; Golbez is voiced by Takeshi Kaga in the Japanese version and by Peter Beckman in the English version. Kain joins the cast of Dissidia's sequel, Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, and is voiced by Kōichi Yamadera in the Japanese version and Liam O'Brien in the English version.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-pspgames_9-0" style="line-height:1em;">[10]

[edit] Story
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy IV begins as the Red Wings are attacking the city of Mysidia to steal the Water Crystal there. When Cecil, Captain of the Red Wings, afterwards questions the king's motives, he is stripped of his rank and sent with Kain to deliver a package to the Village of Mist.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10" style="line-height:1em;">[11] There, Kain and Cecil watch in horror as monsters from inside the package destroy the village. A young girl, Rydia, is the only survivor and summons an earthquake in anger, separating Cecil and Kain.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11" style="line-height:1em;">[12] Cecil awakens afterward and takes the wounded Rydia to a nearby pub. Baron soldiers come for Rydia; Cecil defends her,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="line-height:1em;">[13] and she joins him on his journey.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">It is learned that Rosa, Cecil's love interest, followed him and is extremely ill with a fever in the town. Soon after this, they meet Tellah, who is going to Damcyan Castle to retrieve his eloping daughter, Anna.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13" style="line-height:1em;">[14] Anna is killed when the Red Wings bomb the castle. Edward, Anna's lover and the prince of Damcyan, explains that the Red Wings' new commander, Golbez, did this to steal the Fire Crystal for Baron as they had stolen the Water Crystal from Mysidia.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14" style="line-height:1em;">[15] Tellah leaves the party to seek vengeance on Golbez for Anna's death.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15" style="line-height:1em;">[16] After finding a cure for Rosa, the party decides to go to Fabul to protect the Wind Crystal. Here they meet Master Yang, a warrior monk serviced to the kingdom and the protection of the water crystal. The Red Wings attack, and Kain reappears as one of Golbez's servants. He attacks and defeats Cecil; when Rosa intervenes, Golbez kidnaps her as Kain takes the crystal.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16" style="line-height:1em;">[17] On the way back to Baron, the party is attacked by Leviathan and thus separated.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Cecil awakes near Mysidia. When he enters the town, he finds that its residents hold him in utter contempt for the prior attack on their town. Through the Village Elder, he learns that to defeat Golbez, he must climb Mt. Ordeals and become a Paladin.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17" style="line-height:1em;">[18] Before embarking on his journey, he is joined by the twin mages, Palom and Porom. On the mountain he encounters Tellah, who is searching for the forbidden spell Meteor to defeat Golbez.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18" style="line-height:1em;">[19] Casting aside the darkness in him, Cecil becomes a Paladin, while Tellah learns the secret of Meteor. Upon reaching Baron the party confronts the King of Baron, only to discover that he had been replaced by one of Golbez's minions.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19" style="line-height:1em;">[20] After defeating him, Cid arrives and takes them to one of his airships. On the way to the Airship, the party enters a trapped room, where Palom and Porom sacrifice themselves to save Cecil, Tellah, Cid, and Yang.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">On the airship, Kain appears and demands Cecil retrieve the final crystal in exchange for Rosa's life.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20" style="line-height:1em;">[21] After the crystal is retrieved, Kain leads the party to the Tower of Zot, where Rosa is imprisoned. At the tower's summit, Golbez takes the crystal and attempts to flee. Tellah sacrifices himself to stop Golbez with Meteor, but only weakens him, although it does end Golbez's mind control of Kain.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21" style="line-height:1em;">[22] Kain helps Cecil rescue Rosa and Rosa teleports the party out of the collapsing tower to Baron.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">In Baron, Kain reveals that Golbez must also obtain four subterranean "Dark Crystals" to achieve his goal of reaching the moon. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22" style="line-height:1em;">[23] The party travels to the underworld and encounter the Dwarves who are currently fighting the Red Wings. They defeat Golbez in a battle, and are saved at the last minute by Rydia, now a young woman, rejoining the party during the fight, though they fail to stop him from stealing the Dwarves' crystal. They flee the underworld in the airship, and Cid sacrifices himself to reseal the passage to underworld.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23" style="line-height:1em;">[24] The party travels to the Tower of Babil where the crystals are being kept. When they reach the crystal room, the party falls through a trap door to the underworld. The heroes go to retrieve the eighth crystal before Golbez. Upon retrieving it, Golbez reveals he still has control over Kain, and takes the crystal.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24" style="line-height:1em;">[25] After learning of the Lunar Whale, a ship designed to take travelers to and from the moon, the party is rejoined by Cid, and travels to the surface and boards the ship.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25" style="line-height:1em;">[26]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">On the moon, the party meets the sage Fusoya, who explains that Cecil's father was a Lunarian.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26" style="line-height:1em;">[27] Fusoya also explains that a Lunarian named Zemus plans to destroy life on the Blue Planet so that the Lunarians can take it over, using Golbez to summon the Giant of Babil, a colossal robot.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27" style="line-height:1em;">[28] They return to Earth and the forces of the two worlds attack the Giant, including Palom and Porom, who have been revived. After the party breaks the robot, Golbez and Kain confront them, only to have Fusoya break Zemus' control over Golbez, in turn releasing Kain. Cecil learns that Golbez is his older brother.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28" style="line-height:1em;">[29] Golbez and Fusoya head to the core of the moon to defeat Zemus, and Cecil's party follows. In the moon's core, the party witnesses Golbez and Fusoya kill Zemus, but then quickly fall to his resurrected form, the spirit Zeromus.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29" style="line-height:1em;">[30] Cecil and his allies defeat Zeromus. Following the battle, Fusoya and Golbez opt to leave Earth with the moon.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30" style="line-height:1em;">[31] During the epilogue, Kain is atop Mt. Ordeals, promising to atone for his sins. The rest of the cast reunite to celebrate Cecil and Rosa's wedding and their coronation as Baron's new king and queen.

Final Fantasy V
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy V (ファイナルファンタジーV Fainaru Fantajī Faibu<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ) is a medieval-fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_Co. Square] (now Square Enix) in 1992 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game first appeared only in Japan on Nintendo's Super Famicom (known internationally as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System). It has been ported with minor differences toSony's PlayStation and Nintendo's Game Boy Advance. An original video animation produced in 1994 called Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals serves as a sequel to the events depicted in the game. It was released for the PlayStation Network on April 6, 2011 in Japan.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The game begins as a wanderer named Bartz investigates a fallen meteor. There, he encounters several characters, one of whom reveals the danger facing the four Crystals that control the world's elements. These Crystals act as a seal on Exdeath, an evil sorcerer. Bartz and his party must keep the Crystals from being exploited by Exdeath's influence and prevent his resurgence.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy V has been praised for the freedom of customization that the player has over the characters, achieved through the greatly expanded Job System. Despite the lack of an early release in territories other than Japan, the Super Famicom version sold more than two million copies. The PlayStation version has earned "Greatest Hits" status, selling more than 350,000 copies.

[edit] Setting
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The backstory of Final Fantasy V is revealed in phases through cutscenes and interactions with non-playable characters. One millennium before the events of the main story, a powerful mage named Enuo imperiled the world using the power of an evil entity called the "Void". The people retaliated by using twelve legendary weapons to vanquish Enuo; however, the Void itself could not be destroyed. Consequently, the people split the world's four elemental Crystals into two sets, effectively creating two worlds. The Void then became sealed in a dimensional cleft between the two worlds.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Worlds_11-0" style="line-height:1em;">[12]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Nearly a thousand years passed without incident, and both worlds prospered due to the powers of their Crystals of Wind, Water, Fire, and Earth. New kingdoms and towns flourished, and travel by ship acted as a critical means of commerce and communication. However, a sinister force was stirring in the second world—ever since the Void incident, malicious demons had been sealed inside a tree in the Great Forest of Moore. The corrupted amalgamation of spirits emerged as Exdeath, the game's primary antagonist. When Exdeath attempted to claim the world for himself, a group of heroes called the "Four Warriors of Dawn" (Galuf, Xezat, Dorgann, and Kelger) sealed him within the first world using its Crystals, and peace returned for another thirty years.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Memory_12-0" style="line-height:1em;">[13]

[edit] Characters
Main article: Characters of Final Fantasy V<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy V features five player characters, though only four of which are playable at a given time. Bartz Klauser is a traveling adventurer who becomes involved in the story when he investigates the site of a meteorite strike. Lenna Charlotte Tycoon is a princess of Tycoon who follows her father to investigate the Wind Shrine's Crystal. Early on, Bartz finds her unconscious and saves her from goblins. Galuf Doe is a mysterious old man who was discovered unconscious near the meteorite with a case of amnesia. Faris Scherwiz is a pirate captain who captures Bartz, Lenna, and Galuf when they try to steal her ship; she is revealed to be Sarisa Scherwill Tycoon in disguise. Krile Mayer Baldesion is the granddaughter of Galuf who journeys with him to the planet and receives his abilities.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13" style="line-height:1em;">[14]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Most of the main characters were involved with or related to the original Four Warriors of Dawn, such as Dorgann Klauser (Bartz's father), Kelger Vlondett, and Xezat Matias Surgate; Galuf was the fourth warrior. The game also contains several supporting characters, including engineer Cid Previa, his grandson Mid Previa, and turtle sage Ghido. One of Exdeath's henchmen, Gilgamesh, is a recurring mini-boss in the second half of the game. Gilgamesh has also appeared in newer Final Fantasy titles, such as Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy XII,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FFVIII_14-0" style="line-height:1em;">[15] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15" style="line-height:1em;">[16] and Final Fantasy XIII-2 as downloadable content. Concept art for the characters was designed by Yoshitaka Amano; he has offered such artwork for every main Final Fantasyinstallment since the original.

[edit] Story
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy V begins on a day when the world's wind currents begin to slow and stale. Deeply troubled by this occurrence, the king of Tycoon makes ready to travel to the Wind Shrine on the back of his drake, quelling the worries of his daughter, Princess Lenna. Upon arriving at the Shrine, the king bears witness to the Wind Crystal shattering before his eyes.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Meanwhile, a young traveller named Bartz, resting in the woods near Tycoon, witnesses a meteorite plunge to the planet's surface just outside the castle. Bartz promptly investigates, discovering Lenna lying unconscious from attack. After rescuing her, they discover an old man in the debris with partial amnesia named Galuf. Lenna explains that she had been on her way to the Wind Shrine after her father. Galuf suddenly recalls that it was his original destination as well, opting to accompany her. Though the trio part ways, Bartz soon encounters Lenna and Galuf again assaulted by monsters in a quaking valley. The three travel together, finding all land routes blockaded by the upheavals caused by the meteorite's fall. Exploring an underground cavern, they encounter a den of pirates and their leader, Faris.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="line-height:1em;white-space:nowrap;">[citation needed] With the help of the pirate captain, the group makes its way to the Wind Shrine to discover the shattered Crystal, but no sign of the missing king. The shards react to their presence, however, and an image of Tycoon appears, explaining to them that they must protect those Crystals that yet remain.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Tycoon_16-0" style="line-height:1em;">[17]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Eventually, the party comes to discover that the Crystals formed a seal upon Exdeath; with them destroyed, not only would the dark essence be released, but over time the planet itself would become uninhabitable.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Crystals_17-0" style="line-height:1em;">[18] The party attempts to save the crystals of Water, Fire, and Earth; but by the machinations of human folly or the influence of the sealed Exdeath, they fail. Having been freed, Exdeath defeats the party and returns to his homeworld. Galuf's granddaughter Krile arrives by meteorite, restoring Galuf's memory completely; he recalls he originated from the same world as Exdeath, pursuing him back home with Krile. Bartz and the others resolve that the fight is not Galuf's alone, together traveling to the distant planet world, where Exdeath is already wreaking havoc in pursuit of that world's Crystals. The trio is captured, but Galuf rescues them and defeats Exdeath's lieutenant, Gilgamesh, in the process. They are blown to a distant continent when a magical barrier is activated during their escape, but make their way to Val Castle, Galuf's kingdom.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-King_18-0" style="line-height:1em;">[19]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The party meets Xezat, one of Galuf's companions and a former Warrior of Dawn, and learn that Bartz's father was part of their group. Joining forces, they deactivate the barrier around Exdeath's castle, but at the cost of Xezat's life. They then learn of Exdeath's origins, traveling to the Guardian Tree to dispel the seals. Exdeath anticipates the party's actions and torches Moore Forest, ensnaring the group. Krile arrives to help, but is herself trapped by the warlock's powers. At the sight of his granddaughter's capture, Galuf frees himself and battles Exdeath to the point of death, refusing to fall until the creature flees. Collapsing from his wounds, Galuf dies despite the party's efforts to save him, imparting his abilities to Krile.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Death_19-0" style="line-height:1em;">[20] The party pursues Exdeath to his tower and defeats him, but the remaining Crystals shatter and the worlds are reunited.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">For a time, it seems Exdeath has been truly destroyed, and the party celebrates in Tycoon. Bartz, however, is contacted by the sage Ghido. Meeting with him, a thorn suddenly leaps from Faris' palm, manifesting as Exdeath, now resurrected and fully in command of the Void. With it, he removes entire towns and kingdoms from existence, tossing them into a tear in reality.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Fortunately for the party, the reunification of worlds has opened the pathways to ancient sites where weapons and powers used to quell Enuo's rise a thousand years past lay in wait. So armed, the party enters the Rift, seeking out Exdeath at the center of the inter-dimensional nexus where they, too, fall prey to the Void. With help from their fallen allies, the party survives and is returned before Exdeath, now manifested as a demonic sylvan, battling him until he weakens and is swallowed by his own power. He then transforms into Neo Exdeath, intent on destroying the very essence of reality, himself with it.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Final_20-0" style="line-height:1em;">[21] Exdeath is ultimately defeated, and, using the power of the Crystal shards, the heroes seal the Void once more and restore the reunified world and its Crystals. The game's ending varies based on how many party members are still alive at Neo Exdeath's defeat, detailing the events after the world's resurrection. At the end, the remaining group visits the Guardian Tree, and find that the fallen party members have returned to life.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21" style="line-height:1em;">[22]

Final Fantasy VI
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy VI (ファイナルファンタジーVI Fainaru Fantajī Shikkusu<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ) is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix), released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as a part of the Final Fantasy series. Set in a fantasy world with a technology level equivalent to that of the Second Industrial Revolution, the game's story focuses on a group of rebels as they seek to overthrow an imperial dictatorship. The game features fourteen permanent playable characters, the most of any game in the main series.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">It was ported by Tose with minor differences to Sony's PlayStation in 1999 and Nintendo's Game Boy Advance in 2006, and it was released for the Wii's Virtual Console in Japan in March 15, 2011, followed by the PAL region on March 18, 2011 and North America on June 30, 2011. The game was known as Final Fantasy III when it was first released in North America, as the originalFinal Fantasy III had not been released outside of Japan at the time. However, later localizations used the original title. Final Fantasy VI was originally directed by series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, but he eventually stepped down as director due to becoming too busy with other commitments at the time. The director role was passed on to Yoshinori Kitase and Hiroyuki Ito.Yoshitaka Amano, a long-time contributor to the Final Fantasy series, returned as the image and character designer, while regular composer Nobuo Uematsu wrote the game's score, which has been released on several soundtrack albums.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Released to critical acclaim, Final Fantasy VI was a landmark title for the role-playing genre and is now considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time. Its Super Nintendo and PlayStation versions have sold over 3.48 million copies worldwide to date as a stand-alone game, as well as over 750,000 copies as part of the Japanese Final Fantasy Collection and the North American Final Fantasy Anthology. Final Fantasy VI has won numerous awards since its release.

[edit] Setting
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy VI takes place on a large, unnamed world. During the course of the game, its geography and landscape change due to various developments in the game's plot. During the first half of the game, the world is divided into three major continents and referred to as the World of Balance. The northern continent is punctuated by a series of mountain ranges and contains many of the locations accessible to the player. Most of the southern continent has been taken over by the Empire, while the eastern continent is home to a large patch of land called the Veldt where monsters from all over the world can be found. Halfway through the game, the world's geographical layout is altered, resulting in its three large continents splitting into several islands of various size situated around a larger continent at their center. This altered layout of the game's locations is referred to as the World of Ruin.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">In contrast to the medieval settings featured in previous Final Fantasy titles, Final Fantasy VI is set in a steampunk environment. The structure of society parallels that of the latter half of the 19th century, with opera and the fine arts serving as recurring motifs throughout the game,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-NPC_in_Jidor_9-0" style="line-height:1em;">[10] and a level of technology comparable to that of the Second Industrial Revolution. Railroads are in place and a coal mining operation is run in the northern town of Narshe.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Game_opening_10-0" style="line-height:1em;">[11] Additionally, several examples of modern engineering and weaponry (such as a chainsaw, drill, and automatic crossbow) have been developed in the Kingdom of Figaro. However, communication systems have not reached significant levels of development, with letters sent by way ofcarrier pigeon serving as the most common means of long-distance communication.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">A thousand years before the events of the game, three entities known as the Warring Triad initiated a conflict that would come to be called the War of the Magi. This quarrel grew to catastrophic proportions, unleashing magical energy into the world which transformed afflicted humans into espers—magical beings who themselves were used as soldiers in the war. Eventually realizing the horrific calamity wrought by their hands, the Triad returned free will to the espers and sealed their own powers, becoming stone statues. Their only request was that the espers ensure their power remain locked away so it might never be used again.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Statues_11-0" style="line-height:1em;">[12] The espers carried their stone gods to a hidden land, sealing both they and themselves off from the realm of humans. The concept of magic gradually faded to legend and myth as mankind built a society extolling science and technology.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Game_opening_10-1" style="line-height:1em;">[11] At the game's opening, the most advanced nation is the Empire, a cruel and expanding dictatorship led by Emperor Gestahl and his clownish general Kefka. Approximately eighteen years before the events of the game begin, the barrier between the espers' land and the rest of the world weakened. Soon after, Gestahl takes advantage of this and attacks the espers' land, capturing several of them.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Using the espers as a power source, Gestahl initiated a research program to combine magic with machinery and infuse humans with magical powers, the result being a craft known as Magitek. Kefka became the first experimental prototype of a line of magically empowered soldiers called Magitek Knights, drastically impairing his sanity.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-NPC_in_Vector_12-0" style="line-height:1em;">[13] At the opening of the game, the Empire is on the verge of rediscovering the full potential of magic by reopening the gateway to the world of the espers. However, Gestahl's military dominion is opposed by the Returners, a rebel organization seeking to overthrow the Empire and free its territories.

[edit] Characters
Main article: Characters of Final Fantasy VI<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy VI features fourteen permanent playable characters, the most of any game in the main series, as well as several secondary characters who are only briefly controlled by the player. The starting character, Terra Branford, is a reserved half-human, half-esper girl who spent most of her life as a slave to the Empire, thanks to a mind-controlling device, and is unfamiliar with love.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Slave_Crown_13-0" style="line-height:1em;">[14] Other primary characters include Locke Cole, a treasure hunter and rebel sympathizer with a powerful impulse to protect women; Celes Chere, a former general of the Empire, who joined the Returners after being jailed for questioning imperial practices; Edgar Figaro, a consummate womanizer and the king of Figaro, who claims allegiance to the Empire while secretly supplying aid to the Returners;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Edgar_14-0" style="line-height:1em;">[15] Sabin Rene Figaro, Edgar's brother, who fled the royal court in order to pursue his own path and hone his martial arts skills; Cyan Garamonde, a loyal knight to the kingdom of Doma who lost his family and friends as a result of Kefka poisoning the kingdom's water supply; Setzer Gabbiani, a habitual gambler and thrill seeker; Shadow, a ninja mercenary, who offers his services to both the Empire and the Returners at various stages throughout the game; Relm Arrowny, a young but tough artistic girl with magical powers; Strago Magus, Relm's elderly grandfather and a Blue Mage; Gau, a feral child surviving since infancy in the harsh wilderness known as the Veldt; Mog, a Mooglefrom the mines of Narshe; Umaro, a savage but loyal sasquatch also from Narshe, talked into joining the Returners through Mog's persuasion; and Gogo, a mysterious, fully shrouded master of the art of mimicry.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Most of the main characters in the game hold a significant grudge against the Empire and, in particular, Kefka, who serves as one of the game's main antagonists along with Emperor Gestahl. The supporting character Ultros serves as a recurring villain and comic relief throughout the game. A handful of Final Fantasy VI characters have reappeared in later games, such as Secret of Evermore. Additionally, Final Fantasy SGI, a short tech demo produced for the Silicon Graphics Onyxworkstation, featured polygon-based 3D renderings of Locke, Terra, and Shadow.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-development7_15-0" style="line-height:1em;">[16]

[edit] Story
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy VI begins with Terra Branford participating in an Imperial raid on Narshe in search of a recently unearthed frozen esper (later identified as Tritoch; Valigarmanda in the GBA retranslation) found in the city's mines. The esper kills her controllers and the Imperial control over her is broken, but she is unable to remember anything about her past.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16" style="line-height:1em;">[17] Locke Cole, a treasure hunter, promises to protect her until she can regain her memories and helps her escape to the hideout of the Returners, a group of militants opposing the Empire. Along the way, they pass through the Kingdom of Figaro and meet Edgar Roni Figaro, the king, and his estranged brother, Sabin Rene Figaro, who join them. Banon, the leader of the Returners, asks for Terra's help in their struggle against the Empire, and she agrees.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17" style="line-height:1em;">[18] Just as the resistance is preparing to return to Narshe to investigate the frozen esper, the Empire attacks South Figaro. Locke heads to the besieged town to slow the Empire's advance, while the rest of the group makes their way via rafting down the nearby Lethe River. However, Sabin is separated from the group after a battle with Ultros, self-proclaimed "octopus royalty" and a recurring antagonist, forcing the various members of the Returners to find their own ways to Narshe in three different scenarios controlled by the player. In Locke's scenario, he must escape the imperial occupied town of South Figaro without detection. Sabin has been swept to a distant continent and must find a way back while Terra, Edgar, and Banon will continue to float down the Lethe River back to Narshe.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Eventually, the original party reunites in Narshe. Locke brings with him Celes Chere, one of the Empire's own generals, whom he saved from execution for defying the Empire's ruthless practices. Sabin brings with him Cyan Garamonde, whose family was killed during the Empire's siege of Doma Castle when Kefka ordered the water supply poisoned, and Gau, a feral child he befriended on the Veldt. In Narshe, the Returners prepare to defend the frozen esper from the Empire. After the player successfully thwarts the Imperial invasion, Terra approaches the frozen esper, prompting her to transform into an esper-like form herself. She flies away, confused and horrified by her own transformation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18" style="line-height:1em;">[19]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The Returners set out to search for Terra and eventually trace her to the city of Zozo, though they are still shocked by her apparent existence as an esper. There, they also meet the esper Ramuh, who tells them that if they free various other espers from the Magitek Research Facility in the Empire's capital, Vector, they may find one who can help Terra.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19" style="line-height:1em;">[20] Vector is on the southern continent, to which the Empire does not allow maritime access, so the Returners go to the Opera House and recruit Setzer Gabbiani, who is believed to be the owner of the Blackjack, the only airship in the world. They then travel to Vector and attempt to rescue several espers, including Maduin, who is revealed to be Terra's father. However, the espers choose instead to give their lives to transform into magicite—the crystallized remains of their essences that form when they die and allow others to use their powers<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20" style="line-height:1em;">[21] —which they bestow upon the Returners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21" style="line-height:1em;">[22] Before the group can then escape, Kefka arrives and causes the Returners, including Locke, to momentarily doubt Celes' loyalty, much to her anguish. However, she provides proof to them of her support by covering for the group while the rest escape.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22" style="line-height:1em;">[23] The rest of the group then returns to Zozo, where Terra reacts to the magicite of her father, prompting her to gain knowledge of her past and accept herself as the half-human, half-esper child of Maduin and a human woman.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23" style="line-height:1em;">[24]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">After reuniting with Terra, the Returners decide that it is time to launch an all-out attack on the Empire, and Banon asks Terra to attempt contacting the espers' land in order to gain their support.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24" style="line-height:1em;">[25] Terra succeeds in making contact, and when the espers learn that the others captured by the Empire previously have now perished, they become infuriated and enter the human world, where they destroy much of Vector. When the Returners arrive in the capital, they find Emperor Gestahl claiming to no longer have the will to fight, inviting the Returners to a banquet to negotiate peace. Gestahl asks Terra to deliver a truce to the espers on his behalf, to which she agrees.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25" style="line-height:1em;">[26] Accompanied by Locke, Shadow (a ninja mercenary hired by the Empire for the mission), Generals Celes and Leo, the player must then guide Terra to the remote village Thamasa in search of the espers, where they meet Strago Magus and his granddaughter, Relm Arrowny, who also accompany them.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Soon, they find the espers and Terra convinces them to accept a truce with Gestahl. However, during the negotiations, Kefka attacks the espers, killing each of those still alive and capturing the magicite that remains from their essence. Additionally, he kills General Leo, who is appalled by Kefka's dishonorable tactics and attempts to defend the espers. The Returners reunite, now aware that the peace was a ploy for Gestahl to obtain magicite and the stone statue remains of the Warring Triad within the espers' now-unsealed land.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26" style="line-height:1em;">[27] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27" style="line-height:1em;">[28] Kefka and Gestahl travel through the open gate to the esper world, find the Warring Triad, and prompt the island on which the esper world is located to detach and fly in the sky as an ominous Floating Continent. The Returners attempt to stop them from causing further damage, but despite their efforts, they are unable to prevent Kefka and Gestahl from gaining the power of the statues. Now empowered, Kefka promptly kills Gestahl and moves the statues out of their proper alignment, upsetting the balance of magical power and causing the destruction of most of the surface world. In the disaster, the Returners are separated from one another as Setzer's airship is torn apart.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">One year later, Celes awakens from a coma on a deserted island and learns that the world has been devastated by Kefka. Much of its human population has died and its plant and animal life are slowly being killed by sickness to punctuate humanity's despair.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28" style="line-height:1em;">[29] Celes sets out from the Solitary Island to try to reunite with as many of her friends as she can find. One by one, in a series of mostly optional side-quests, the gamer has the opportunity to reunite the group, all still alive, as well as new allies Umaro and Gogo. Together, the reunited Returners launch a new offensive against Kefka, using the Falcon—an airship that belonged to a deceased friend of Setzer's—to reach Kefka's Tower and infiltrate it. Inside, the Returners battle their way through Kefka's defenses and destroy the three statues, the source of Kefka's newfound power. When destroying the statues, once the source of all magic, does not cause any noticeable reaction, the party realizes that Kefka has successfully drained the Warring Triad of power and has become the source of all magical power.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Making a final stand against Kefka, the characters destroy him, but since the gods' power had come to reside in him all magicite begins to shatter and Kefka's magically-maintained tower begins to crumble. Terra leads the characters out as she begins to weaken due to her half-esper heritage.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29" style="line-height:1em;">[30] However, before her father's magicite shatters, his spirit informs her that by holding to the human side of herself, she may survive the passing of magic. In the end, the party escapes Kefka's Tower aboard the Falcon. Terra survives, and the group observes the world's communities rejuvenating themselves.

Final Fantasy VII
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy VII (ファイナルファンタジーVII Fainaru Fantajī Sebun<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ) is a role-playing video game developed by Square (now Square Enix) and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation, and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009 on thePlayStation Network. The game is the first in the series to use 3D computer graphics, featuring fully rendered characters on pre-rendered backgrounds, and was the first game in the main series to be released in Europe.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy VII follows protagonist Cloud Strife, who, at the beginning of the game, joins the eco-terrorist rebel organization AVALANCHE in their quest to stop the world-controlling megacorporationShinra, who are draining the life of the planet for use as an energy source. As the story progresses, Cloud and his allies become involved in a larger world-threatening conflict, facing off against Sephiroth, the game's main antagonist.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Development of Final Fantasy VII began in 1994. The game was originally intended for release on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, but was later moved to the Nintendo 64. However, since the Nintendo 64's cartridges lacked the required storage capacity, Square decided to release the game for the PlayStation instead. The game was designed and produced by Hironobu Sakaguchi, while the actual direction was done by Yoshinori Kitase. The music was composed by Final Fantasy veteran Nobuo Uematsu, while the series' long-time character designer, Yoshitaka Amano, was replaced byTetsuya Nomura.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Helped by a large promotional campaign in the months prior to its release, Final Fantasy VII became an immediate critical and commercial success. In the years following, it has continued to sell solidly—10 million copies worldwide as of May 2010, making it the best-selling title in the series. Final Fantasy VII received significant praise upon its release for its graphics, gameplay, music and story. There was also criticism pertaining to its English localization. It has retrospectively been acknowledged as the game that popularized the role-playing genre outside of the Japanese market, and has frequently ranked highly on numerous professional and fan-made "greatest games of all time" lists. The popularity of the title led Square Enix to produce a series of prequels and sequels for differentplatforms under the collective title Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. An enhanced remake for the PlayStation 3 has been rumored since 2005, though Square Enix has formally stated no such product is in development.

[edit] Setting
Main article: Gaia (Final Fantasy VII)<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The game's setting is similar to that of Final Fantasy VI insofar as it is a world with considerably more advanced technology than the first five games in the series. Overall, the game's technology and society approximates that of an industrial or post-industrial science fiction milieu.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10" style="line-height:1em;">[11] The world of Final Fantasy VII, referred to in the game as "The Planet", but retroactively named "Gaia", is composed of three main land masses. The eastern continent is home to the city of Midgar, an industrialmetropolis that serves as the capital city and hosts the headquarters of the Shinra Electric Power Company, which operates as the planet's de facto world government. Other locations on the eastern continent are Junon (Shinra's major military base), Fort Condor (a fort with a huge condor covering up a Mako reactor on top of it), a chocobo ranch, and Kalm (a small town inspired by medieval Europe).

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The western continent features the Gold Saucer (an amusement park with Corel Prison below), Costa Del Sol (a seaside resort), Gongaga (a small town containing the remains of a destroyed Mako reactor), Nibelheim (a town residing at the base of Mt. Nibel), Rocket Town (the location of Shinra's failed space rocket launch), and Cosmo Canyon. Wutai, a village inspired by pre-modern Japan and China, is located on a large island off the western continent. The tribe inhabiting Cosmo Canyon emphasize living in harmony with nature and dedicating themselves to the planet's well-being.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cosmo_11-0" style="line-height:1em;">[12] Their settlement features an observatory and serves as a research facility for those who wish to participate in a philosophy known as the "Study of Planet Life", a lifestyle that encourages deference for nature and teaches that the planet has a life and energy of its own.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cosmo_11-1" style="line-height:1em;">[12]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The northernmost continent is a heavily glaciated landmass, and its few settlements include Bone Village (an excavation site), Icicle Inn (a ski resort town), the mythical "City of the Ancients", and the Northern Crater, where the game's climax takes place. There are also underwater locations accessible only by submarine; for example, a sunken Shinra plane transporter.

[edit] Characters
Main article: Characters of the Final Fantasy VII series<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The nine main playable characters in Final Fantasy VII are Cloud Strife, an unsociable mercenary who claims to be a former 1st Class member of Shinra's SOLDIER unit;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="line-height:1em;">[13] Barret Wallace, the leader of the anti-Shinra rebel group AVALANCHE; Tifa Lockhart, a martial artist and a member of AVALANCHE, also a childhood friend of Cloud's; Aerith Gainsborough,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13" style="line-height:1em;">[14] a flower merchant who has been pursued by Shinra's special operations unit, the Turks, since childhood;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14" style="line-height:1em;">[15] Red XIII, a wise lion-like creature who was experimented on by Shinra scientists; Cait Sith, a fortune-telling robotic cat who rides an animated moogle doll;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15" style="line-height:1em;">[16] Cid Highwind, a pilot whose dreams of being the first man in outer space were not realized;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16" style="line-height:1em;">[17] Yuffie Kisaragi, a young ninja and a skillful thief; and Vincent Valentine, a former member of Shinra's Turks unit, who was experimented on 30 years prior to the start of the game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17" style="line-height:1em;">[18] The game's main antagonist is Sephiroth, a former member of SOLDIER who reappears several years after he was thought dead.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18" style="line-height:1em;">[19]

[edit] Story
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy VII begins with Cloud, working as a mercenary for hire, joining AVALANCHE in a series of raids against the Mako reactors surrounding the city of Midgar. Although the first mission is successful, AVALANCHE is trapped at another reactor during a subsequent raid. The reactor explodes, launching Cloud from the upper levels of Midgar into the slums below. He lands on a flower bed, where he is formally introduced to Aerith, a girl he briefly met after his first mission with AVALANCHE.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19" style="line-height:1em;">[20] Prompted by the arrival of the Turks, who have been sent to capture Aerith, Cloud agrees to act as her bodyguard and defends her from their assault.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20" style="line-height:1em;">[21] Meanwhile, Shinra discovers the location of AVALANCHE's hideout,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21" style="line-height:1em;">[22] and subsequently destroys it by demolishing the entirety of Sector 7, killing its population and three members of AVALANCHE in the process. The Turks also successfully capture Aerith, who is revealed to be the last surviving "Cetra",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22" style="line-height:1em;">[23] an ancient race closely attuned with the planet and previously thought to be extinct. President Shinra believes Aerith can lead him to the "Promised Land", a mythical land of fertility, where he expects to find an abundant source of Mako energy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23" style="line-height:1em;">[24]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Cloud, along with the remaining members of AVALANCHE infiltrate Shinra corporate headquarters to rescue Aerith, but are captured and placed in prison within the building, where they are joined by Red XIII. However, during the night, they discover their cells have been mysteriously opened and upon further inspection, they find that most of the personnel in the building, including the president, have been killed by Sephiroth, a legendary SOLDIER who was presumed dead. The party encountersHeidegger, who tells them that Sephiroth stated he would never allow Shinra to claim the Promised Land.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24" style="line-height:1em;">[25] They also learn that during Sephiroth's attack on Shinra, the headless body of a creature named "Jenova" disappeared from the building's research facility.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25" style="line-height:1em;">[26] While the president's son, Rufus Shinra, assumes control of the company, the party pursues Sephiroth across the planet, fearing his intentions for the Promised Land may be more destructive than Shinra's. They are joined on their travels by Cait Sith and Cid, and (optionally) by Vincent and Yuffie. The full scope of Sephiroth's plan is eventually revealed: if the world is significantly damaged, the Lifestream will gather in an attempt to heal the wound. Sephiroth intends to use a powerful spell called "Meteor" to cause this injury, and then merge with the planet's energy, allowing him to be reborn as a god and rule over the planet.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26" style="line-height:1em;">[27] Whilst the party rests overnight, Aerith sets off to stop Sephiroth on her own, following him to the northern continent and an ancient Cetra city. However, after finding Aerith praying to the planet for aid, Sephiroth fatally impales her with his sword.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-development3_27-0" style="line-height:1em;">[28]

<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Taunted by Sephiroth, Cloud soon becomes suspicious of his memories and comes to believe that he is not a real human, but is instead a specimen created from Jenova's genetic material by Professor Hojo. It is revealed that Jenova was an interstellar creature who crash-landed on the planet roughly 2,000 years prior to the game's events. Jenova had intended to infect all living organisms with a virus, causing insanity and monstrous transformations,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-jenova_29-0" style="line-height:1em;">[30] and among its initial victims were most of the Cetra. Attempting to defend itself from Jenova's plague, the planet created giant monsters called "WEAPON"s. The majority of humans fled rather than fight Jenova; however, a small group of Cetra survivors managed to defeat Jenova without the need for the WEAPONs, and bury its remains.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30" style="line-height:1em;">[31] Eventually, the remains of Jenova were unearthed by Professor Gast, a researcher for Shinra. Mistaking the creature for an actual Cetra, Gast was given authorization to conduct an experiment to artificially produce a living Cetra by combining cells from Jenova with the fetus of an unborn child.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-jenova_29-1" style="line-height:1em;">[30]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Then it is revealed that while on a Shinra mission with Cloud, in Cloud and Tifa's hometown of Nibelheim, Sephiroth learns that he was the product of this experiment. Concluding that he was a Cetra who had been produced solely from Jenova's genetic material, he burned down Nibelheim, intending to kill all descendants of those he believed had abandoned his ancestors in the defense of the planet. Cloud confronted Sephiroth during the massacre, after which Sephiroth vanished and was presumed dead until his reappearance in the Shinra building. When the party travels to the Northern Crater to confront Sephiroth after the death of Aerith, Sephiroth tells Cloud that Cloud was not in Nibelheim during the mission, showing him images of a SOLDIER with dark hair who occupies Cloud's place in his memories.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31" style="line-height:1em;">[32] Tifa is unable to refute Sephiroth's claims about Cloud's absence during the mission, and Sephiroth casts the Meteor spell, causing the planet to awaken the WEAPONs in response. During the earthquake that follows, Cloud is separated from his companions and falls into the Lifestream.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">As the Meteor summoned by Sephiroth slowly approaches the planet, Shinra focuses its efforts on protecting humanity from the WEAPONs, as well as attempting to defeat Sephiroth, in the hopes that this will dismiss Meteor itself.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32" style="line-height:1em;">[33] Meanwhile, Cloud is found in a catatonic state in a hospital in a tropical resort, where he washed up following the casting of Meteor. However, shortly after the party arrive, WEAPON's destructive activity causes the island to split open, and Cloud and Tifa fall into the Lifestream, where she reconstructs his memories and learns the truth about his past. It is revealed that Cloud never succeeded in joining SOLDIER, and that the dark-haired SOLDIER in Sephiroth's pictures was actually Aerith's first love and Cloud's best friend, Zack Fair. Cloud had been present during the incident in Nibelheim, but he had been only a uniformed guard. After Sephiroth had set fire to the town, Zack, Tifa, and Cloud had confronted him, and although Tifa and Zack were defeated, Cloud was able to throw Sephiroth into the Lifestream, carrying with him Jenova's head. Rather than dying, however, Sephiroth's body and consciousness were crystallized in Mako inside the Northern Crater. Cloud and Zack were then apprehended by Shinra as part of a cover-up of Sephiroth's massacre. Professor Hojo subjected the survivors to an experiment, performing the same enhancements given to SOLDIER members—a procedure which included Mako showers and the injection of Jenova cells. All but Zack entered a comatose state, and nearly three years later, Zack broke free from his confinement, escaping the lab and taking Cloud with him. With Cloud still in a confused semi-conscious state, Zack was killed outside Midgar by Shinra soldiers during the escape. Afterward, Tifa found Cloud in a nearby train station, and offered him a job with AVALANCHE. Shortly thereafter, the mission with which the game opens took place. However, the alien Jenova cells in Cloud's body allowed Sephiroth to modulate his behavior, and the cells' ability to duplicate information allowed Cloud's mind to construct a false persona built around Zack's behavior.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-jenova_29-2" style="line-height:1em;">[30]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">After Cloud and Tifa emerge from the Lifestream, it is revealed that Aerith, in her final moments, was attempting to cast the spell "Holy", the only means of opposing Meteor. Although she succeeded, Sephiroth had since prevented the spell from taking effect. Deciding to protect humanity from the WEAPONs before approaching Sephiroth, Shinra and the party destroy the WEAPONs, although nearly all of Shinra's executives are killed in the process. Among the few survivors are Reeve Tuesti, who is revealed to be the repentant controller of Cait Sith,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33" style="line-height:1em;">[34] and Professor Hojo, who is revealed to be Sephiroth's biological father. He explains that he and his wife were assistants to Professor Gast, and offered up their unborn child as a test subject to the research involving Jenova.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34" style="line-height:1em;">[35] After finding out that Hojo is trying to help Sephiroth gain mastery over the Lifestream, the party kills him. In their final assault against Sephiroth, the group travels through the Northern Crater to the planet's core. They defeat Sephiroth, allowing Holy to be released, but the spell is unable to destroy Meteor alone. Selected as Meteor's initial target, Midgar is almost completely destroyed. However, the Lifestream itself rises from the planet to aid Holy in destroying Meteor.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35" style="line-height:1em;">[36]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">During the epilogue, taking place 500 years after the game's events, Red XIII runs through a canyon with two cubs at his side. He proceeds up a cliff-face, which reveals a lush land of greenery in which stand the ruins of Midgar.

Final Fantasy VIII
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy VIII (ファイナルファンタジーVIII Fainaru Fantajī Eito<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ) is a role-playing video game released for the PlayStation in 1999 and Windows-based personal computers in 2000. It was developed and published by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_Co. Square] (now Square Enix) as the Final Fantasy series' eighth title, removing magic point-based spell-casting and the first title to consistently use realistically proportioned characters. The game became available on PlayStation Network as a PSone Classics title in 2009.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The game's story focuses on a group of young mercenaries who are drawn into an international conflict, and seek to protect the world from a sorceress manipulating the war for her own purposes. The primary protagonist is Squall Leonhart, a 17-year-old reclusive loner and student at the military academy Balamb Garden, who is training to become a "SeeD", a mercenary paid by the academy.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The development of Final Fantasy VIII began in 1997, during the English localization process of Final Fantasy VII. The music was scored by Nobuo Uematsu, series regular, and in a series first, the theme music is a vocal piece, "Eyes on Me", performed by Faye Wong. The game was positively received by critics and was a commercial success. It was voted the 22nd-best game of all time by readers of the Japanese magazine Famitsu. 13 weeks after its release, Final Fantasy VIII had earned more than US$50 million in sales, making it the fastest-selling Final Fantasy title of all time untilFinal Fantasy XIII, a multi-platform release. The game has shipped 8.15 million copies worldwide as of March 31, 2003.

[edit] Setting and characters
Main article: Characters of Final Fantasy VIII<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Most of Final Fantasy VIII is set on an unnamed fantasy world with one moon. The planet comprises five major landmasses, with Esthar, the largest, covering most of the eastern portion of the map.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FF8World_6-0" style="line-height:1em;">[7] Galbadia, the second-largest continent, lies to the west,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FF8World_6-1" style="line-height:1em;">[7] and contains many of the game's locations. The northernmost landmass is Trabia, an Arctic region. Positioned roughly in the middle of the world map lies Balamb, the smallest continent,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FF8World_6-2" style="line-height:1em;">[7] the island on which the game begins. The remaining landmass is small and mostly desolate, riddled with rough, rocky terrain caused by the impact of a "Lunar Cry", an event where monsters from the moon fall to the planet.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="line-height:1em;">[8] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8" style="line-height:1em;">[9] The southernmost landmass includes an archipelago of broken sections of land that have drifted apart. Islands and marine structures flesh out the rest of the game world, and a handful of off-world locations round out the game's playable areas.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The six primary protagonists of Final Fantasy VIII are: Squall Leonhart, a loner who keeps his focus on his duty to avoid vulnerability; Rinoa Heartilly, an outspoken and passionate young woman who follows her heart in all situations; Quistis Trepe, an instructor with a serious, patient attitude; Zell Dincht, a martial artist with a passion for hot dogs;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9" style="line-height:1em;">[10] Selphie Tilmitt, a cheerful girl who loves trains and pilots the airship Ragnarok; and Irvine Kinneas, a marksman and consummate ladies' man.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10" style="line-height:1em;">[11] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-guidecite_2-3" style="line-height:1em;">[3] Temporarily playable characters include Laguna Loire, Kiros Seagill, and Ward Zabac, who appear in "flashback" sequences, and antagonists Seifer Almasy and Edea Kramer.

[edit] Story
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy VIII begins as Squall duels with Seifer in a training session outside the Balamb Garden military academy, scarring each other in the process. Meanwhile, Galbadia invades the Dollet Dukedom, forcing Dollet to hire assistance from the Balamb Garden branch of "SeeD", Garden's elite mercenary force. SeeD uses the mission as a final exam for its cadets;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11" style="line-height:1em;">[12] with the help of his instructor, Quistis, Squall passes the mission's prerequisite and is grouped with Seifer and Zell. Seifer disobeys orders and abandons his team, forcing Selphie to accompany Squall and Zell for the duration of the mission. After the mission, SeeD halts the Galbadian advance; Squall, Zell, and Selphie graduate to SeeD status, while Seifer is disciplined for his disobedience.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="line-height:1em;">[13] During the graduation party, Squall meets Rinoa, whose personality is apparently the opposite of his.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Manual6_13-0" style="line-height:1em;">[14] When assigned with Zell and Selphie to help Rinoa's resistance faction in Galbadian-occupied Timber, Squall learns that a sorceress named Edea is behind Galbadia's recent hostilities.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14" style="line-height:1em;">[15] Under orders from Balamb and Galbadia Gardens, Squall and his comrades—joined by Rinoa, Quistis, and Irvine—attempt to assassinate Edea.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15" style="line-height:1em;">[16] However, the sorceress thwarts the attempt, and the party is detained.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16" style="line-height:1em;">[17] During the attempt, Squall's party also learns that Seifer has left Garden to become Edea's second-in-command.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17" style="line-height:1em;">[18]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">After the team escapes, Edea launches a missile attack on Trabia Garden.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18" style="line-height:1em;">[19] Fearing that Balamb Garden is the next target of Edea's plan, the team splits into two units. Squall's group returns to Balamb to warn of the attack, but must first stop an internal Garden conflict incited by NORG, SeeD's financier.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19" style="line-height:1em;">[20] Selphie's team travels to the Missile Base to stop the launch, but fails.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20" style="line-height:1em;">[21] Squall inadvertently activates Balamb Garden's "mobile fortress" form, allowing the facility to evade the missiles; however, unable to control the Garden, it collides with the docks at Fishermans' Horizon.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21" style="line-height:1em;">[22] While local technicians repair the Garden, the Galbadian Army invade in search of a girl named Ellone,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22" style="line-height:1em;">[23] who had been staying at Balamb Garden until recently. Ellone eventually escapes to Esthar, the world's technological superpower. During Squall's meeting with Ellone, he learns that she had been "sending" him and his allies into flashbacks set 17 years in the past in a vain effort to alter the present.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23" style="line-height:1em;">[24] The scenes center on Laguna and his two friends, Kiros and Ward. During the flashbacks, Laguna changes from a Galbadian soldier to the defender of a country village,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24" style="line-height:1em;">[25] then moves from being the leader of a resistance movement against Sorceress Adel to the President of Esthar.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25" style="line-height:1em;">[26]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Meanwhile, Squall confronts his personal anxieties fueled by ongoing developments,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26" style="line-height:1em;">[27] such as Headmaster Cid appointing him as SeeD's new leader,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27" style="line-height:1em;">[28] and his increasing attraction to Rinoa. While investigating Trabia Garden's wreckage, Squall and his comrades learn that they, along with Seifer and Ellone, were all raised (except for Rinoa) in an orphanage run by Edea;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28" style="line-height:1em;">[29] after eventual separation, they later developed amnesia due to their use of Guardian Forces.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29" style="line-height:1em;">[30] It is also revealed that Cid and Edea had established Garden and SeeD primarily to defeat corrupt sorceresses.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30" style="line-height:1em;">[31] After these revelations, the forces of Balamb Garden and the Galbadian Army, led by Squall and Seifer respectively, engage in battle above the orphanage. After Balamb defeats Galbadia, the player learns that Edea is merely an unwilling tool for "Ultimecia",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31" style="line-height:1em;">[32] a powerful sorceress from the future who wishes to compress time into a single moment; it is for this reason she has sought Ellone.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32" style="line-height:1em;">[33] Edea loses a decisive battle against the SeeD, forcing Ultimecia to transfer her powers to Rinoa; Edea survives, but Rinoa enters a coma. Squall becomes obsessed with waking her and goes to Esthar to find Ellone, as he believes that she can help save Rinoa.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33" style="line-height:1em;">[34]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">While Rinoa is being treated on Esthar's space station, Ultimecia uses her to free Sorceress Adel from her orbital prison. Ultimecia then orders Seifer to activate the Lunatic Pandora facility, inciting a rain of creatures from the moon that sends Adel's containment device to the planet.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34" style="line-height:1em;">[35] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35" style="line-height:1em;">[36] Having selected Adel as her next host, Ultimecia abandons Rinoa in outer space. Squall rescues her, and they return to the planet on a derelict starship. Upon their landing, delegates from Esthar isolate Rinoa for fear of her sorceress abilities,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-36" style="line-height:1em;">[37] forcing Squall to rescue her. President Laguna apologizes for the incident and announces Dr. Odine's plan to let Ultimecia possess Rinoa, have Ellone send Rinoa (and thus Ultimecia as well) to the past and then retrieve only Rinoa back to the present, enabling Ultimecia to achieve Time Compression, as it would allow Squall's group to confront Ultimecia in her time.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37" style="line-height:1em;">[38] To do this, Squall's team infiltrates Lunatic Pandora, defeats Seifer and Adel, and has Rinoa inherit Adel's sorceress powers.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38" style="line-height:1em;">[39] Time Compression is thus initiated; Squall and his allies travel to Ultimecia's era and defeat her.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">With Ultimecia defeated, the universe begins returning to normal; however, Squall is nearly lost in the flow of time as he witnesses the origins of the game's story. When a dying Ultimecia travels back in time to pass her powers to Edea, Squall informs Edea of the concepts of Garden and SeeD that she will create.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39" style="line-height:1em;">[40] Afterward, he is able to properly recollect his memories and thus return to the present with Rinoa's help. The end cinematic depicts the events after Squall's return to the present. Seifer, no longer a Garden member, is once again reunited with Raijin and Fujin; Laguna visits Raine's grave (and remembers his proposal to her) along with Ellone, Ward, and Kiros; and a celebration takes place in the Garden, with Squall and Rinoa sharing a kiss under the moonlight.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-40" style="line-height:1em;">[41]

Final Fantasy IX
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy IX (ファイナルファンタジーIX Fainaru Fantajī Nain<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ) is a role-playing video game developed and published by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_Co. Square] (now Square Enix) for the Sony PlayStation video game console. Originally released in 2000, it is the ninth title in the Final Fantasy series and last to debut on the PlayStation. In 2010 it was re-released as a PSOne Classics title on the PlayStation Network. The game introduced new features to the series like the 'Active Time Event', 'Mognet', and a unique equipment and skill system.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy IX ' s plot centers on a war between nations. Players follow a young thief named Zidane Tribal, who joins with others to defeat Queen Brahne of Alexandria, the one responsible for starting the war. The plot shifts, however, when the characters realize that Brahne is working with an even more threatening person called Kuja.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy IX was developed alongside Final Fantasy VIII, but took a different approach by returning to the more traditional style of the early Final Fantasy games. Consequently, Final Fantasy IXwas influenced significantly by the original Final Fantasy game, and features allusions to other titles in the series. The game has been subject to extremely positive reviews, receiving 94% on Metacritic, making it the most critically acclaimed Final Fantasy game on the website.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-metacritic_2-0" style="line-height:1em;">[3] Final Fantasy IX was commercially successful, selling 5.30 million units worldwide as of March 31, 2003.

[edit] Setting
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy IX takes place primarily on the four continents of a world named Gaia (homonymous with Final Fantasy VII ' s Gaia, but not the same world). Most of Gaia's population reside on the Mist Continent, named so because the entire continent is blanketed in thick Mist. Lands outside the Mist Continent—the Outer, Lost and Forgotten continents—are uncharted territories not explored until midway through the game. Several locations on the parallel world of Terra and the dream land of Memoria round out the game's areas. The Mist Continent features four nations: Alexandria, Lindblum, Burmecia, and Cleyra. Alexandria is a kingdom to the northeast of the Mist Continent ruled by a monarchy located in Alexandria Castle. The technologically advanced Lindblum, ruled by a regent, is nestled on a plateau to the southwest where airships regularly fly by. The Kingdom of Burmecia, whose capital is showered by eternal rain is to the northwest and nearby to the isolated Cleyran civilization, which is nestled in a giant tree in the desert, protected by a powerful sandstorm. Treno, a large city heavily populated by both nobles and paupers, is on the southeast of the continent. The Mist Continent is extremely mountainous resulting in a natural barrier between many of the ruling nations.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Gaia is inhabited by humans and various non-human races. Alexandria and Lindblum are both populated by a mix of humans and anthropomorphic animals. The Burmecians are anthropomorphic rats who value dance, thus accounting for their general aversion to footwear, and live in both Burmecia and Cleyra. The Cleyrans split from the Burmecians when the latter started to appreciate "the art of war". The dwarves are short humanoid creatures who appear as inhabitants of the village of Conde Petie on the Outer Continent. There is also a village of black mages that have gained sentient thought, who reside in the Outer Continent, as well. The Genomes, an artificial race of soulless vessels, inhabit Terra; they will house the once-dormant Terran souls when Terra assimilates Gaia. Summoners are similar to other humans, but with a horn on their forehead. In the story, only two summoners remain (Garnet and Eiko); the others were exterminated when the Terran warship Invincible destroyed their homeland of Madain Sari. Lastly, the Qu are large, seemingly androgynous humanoids,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mainsite_11-0" style="line-height:1em;">[12] who are recognized as fine gourmands. They inhabit marshlands throughout the world where they catch their main source of nutrition: frogs.

[edit] Characters
Main article: List of Final Fantasy IX characters<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The eight main playable characters in Final Fantasy IX are Zidane Tribal, a member of a group of bandits called Tantalus masquerading as a theater troupe; Garnet Til Alexandros XVII (alias Dagger), the Princess of Alexandria who has a strange connection to "Eidolons", Vivi Orunitia, a young, timid, and kind black mage trying to find the meaning of his existence; Adelbert Steiner, the Captain of the Knights of Pluto and loyal servant of Alexandria and Princess Garnet; Freya Crescent, a dragon knight from the city of Burmecia looking for her lost love; Quina Quen, a Qu whose master wants him/her to travel the world so that s/he will learn about cuisine; Eiko Carol, a six-year-old girl living in Madain Sari, the lost village of the eidolon summoners, and along with Garnet, one of the last two remaining summoners; and Amarant Coral, a bounty hunter hired to return Garnet to Alexandria.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mainsite_11-1" style="line-height:1em;">[12] Other main characters include Regent Cid Fabool, the charismatic leader of Lindblum; Queen Brahne, Garnet's mother and the power-hungry Queen of Alexandria; General Beatrix, the powerful leader of the female knights of Alexandria; and antagonist Kuja, an arms dealer and enemy of Gaia. Other minor characters and groups also appear, such as Blank, Zidane's good friend and band partner, but their significance and back-stories are revealed as the game progresses.

[edit] Story
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy IX begins with Zidane and the Tantalus Theater Troupe kidnapping Princess Garnet during her sixteenth birthday celebration. The group learns that Garnet, who is concerned about Queen Brahne's increasingly erratic behavior, actuallywanted to escape to Lindblum to meet with Regent Cid,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="line-height:1em;">[q 1] and had planned to stow away on the theater ship. The Troupe's airship, Prima Vista, is damaged during the escape; it crashes in the Evil Forest, prompting Zidane to continue the trek to Lindblum without the rest of Tantalus.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13" style="line-height:1em;">[q 2] Zidane and Garnet are accompanied by Vivi and Steiner, who became entangled with Tantalus during their escape from Alexandria. During their journey, Garnet adopts the alias "Dagger" and struggles to mingle with the locals.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14" style="line-height:1em;">[q 3] The group learns of a factory inside the village of Dali that manufactures soulless black mage warriors for Alexandria's use. Brahne dispatches three powerful ones called "Black Waltzes" to retrieve Garnet by force, but their mission ends in failure.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15" style="line-height:1em;">[q 4]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">In Lindblum, Zidane meets Freya and joins in Lindblum's Festival of the Hunt. Regent Cid has been turned into a bug-like oglop by his wife Hilda for his womanizing behavior.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16" style="line-height:1em;">[q 5] Wishing to protect Garnet from Brahne's newfound aggression, he had ordered Tantalus to kidnap her.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17" style="line-height:1em;">[q 6] When the group learns that Alexandria has invaded Burmecia, Freya investigates the situation with Zidane and Vivi, while Garnet and Steiner head to Alexandria to ask Brahne to stop the war.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18" style="line-height:1em;">[q 7] Both parties are powerless to stop her, and Garnet has her eidolons forcibly extracted from her body.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19" style="line-height:1em;">[q 8] Brahne uses one of Garnet's eidolons, Odin, to destroy Cleyra. Escaping on Brahne's ship, they head to Alexandria to save Garnet, only for Brahne to attack Lindblum, destroying the Industrial district and heavily damaging the Business and Theatre districts with another of Garnet's stolen eidolons, Atomos.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20" style="line-height:1em;">[q 9]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Afterward, Cid tells the party about Brahne's arms dealer, Kuja.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21" style="line-height:1em;">[q 10] The party travels to the Outer Continent, the location of Kuja's headquarters, through an underground tunnel with the help of Quina.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22" style="line-height:1em;">[q 11] There, the party meets a young summoner named Eiko, who assumes herself to be the last survivor of Madain Sari. They also discover a village inhabited by self-aware Black Mages. Their pursuit of Kuja leads them to the nearby Iifa Tree, an entity that dissipates a fighting-stimulant called Mist.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23" style="line-height:1em;">[q 12] They also learn that Kuja uses Mist to create the Black Mages.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24" style="line-height:1em;">[q 13] The party defeats the Iifa Tree's core and stops the Mist from flowing. When the party returns to Madain Sari, they confront Amarant, who was hired by Brahne to apprehend Garnet. Garnet slowly realizes that she is also a summoner from Madain Sari. Amarant joins the party for his own reasons.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="line-height:1em;white-space:nowrap;">[citation needed] At the Iifa Tree, Brahne turns against Kuja and attempts to kill him with the eidolon Bahamut.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25" style="line-height:1em;">[q 14] However, Kuja uses the airship Invincible to gain control of Bahamut, killing Brahne and defeating her army.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26" style="line-height:1em;">[q 15] Before she dies, Brahne and Garnet have a brief reconciliation.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="line-height:1em;white-space:nowrap;">[citation needed]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The party returns to Alexandria, and Garnet is crowned Queen. Afterward, Kuja assaults Alexandria with Bahamut.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27" style="line-height:1em;">[q 16] Eiko and Garnet summon the legendary eidolon Alexander, who overpowers Bahamut. Kuja attempts to control Alexander using the Invincible, but is foiled by a mysterious old man named Garland, who destroys Alexander and parts of Alexandria.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28" style="line-height:1em;">[q 17] Kuja, still intent on mastering a powerful eidolon to defeat Garland, shifts his attention to Eiko.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29" style="line-height:1em;">[q 18] The party learns of Kuja's Desert Palace and attempts an assault. However, Kuja imprisons the party and escapes with Eiko to extract her eidolons. During the extraction attempt, Eiko's guardian moogle Mog uses Trance to transform into her true form, the eidolon Madeen, disrupting the process.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30" style="line-height:1em;">[q 19] Learning of the powers of Trance,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31" style="line-height:1em;">[q 20] Kuja escapes to further his aim of defeating Garland.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32" style="line-height:1em;">[q 21] The party rescues Eiko and also finds Hilda, who turns Cid back into a human.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33" style="line-height:1em;">[q 22] He is now able to design an airship for the party that does not need Mist for power.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">With Hilda's aid,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34" style="line-height:1em;">[q 23] the party pursues Kuja to Terra by opening a portal. In the Terran town of Bran Bal, it is revealed that Garland was created by the people of Terra to orchestrate the process of assimilating Terra into Gaia, as Terra was a dying world. Garland created Genomes—intelligent, sentient beings who lack souls—to become future vessels for the souls of the Terrans.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35" style="line-height:1em;">[q 24] The Iifa Tree's existence,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-36" style="line-height:1em;">[q 25] the phenomenon of Mist,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37" style="line-height:1em;">[q 26] the eidolon's destruction,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38" style="line-height:1em;">[q 27] and even Kuja and Zidane's true purpose of existence,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39" style="line-height:1em;">[q 28] were part of the process. Angered by Garland's motives, the party confronts him. However, Kuja has now obtained enough souls to achieve Trance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-40" style="line-height:1em;">[q 29] Trance Kuja ends Garland's life, but not before Garland warns him of his limited lifespan, and that Zidane was created to replace him.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41" style="line-height:1em;">[q 30] Enraged by this revelation, Kuja destroys Terra while the party rescues the Genomes and returns to Gaia on the Invincible.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The party discovers that Mist has returned and now envelops all of Gaia. Assisted by the combined forces of Lindblum and Alexandria, they travel to the Iifa Tree, where they are teleported to a mysterious location called Memoria. The spirit of Garland guides the party to Kuja. When Kuja is defeated, he uses his Trance abilities to destroy the Crystal, the source of life,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42" style="line-height:1em;">[q 31] prompting the appearance of Necron, the "Eternal Darkness" bent on destroying life.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-43" style="line-height:1em;">[q 32] After Necron is defeated, Memoria and the Iifa Tree collapse. Although Kuja teleports the party to safety, Zidane returns to save him, and is later assumed to have died with Kuja in the collapse.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-44" style="line-height:1em;">[q 33]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Some time later, Alexandria has been rebuilt, and Tantalus arrives in Alexandria to perform "I Want To Be Your Canary" for Queen Garnet. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-45" style="line-height:1em;">[q 34] Early scenes reveal what has happened to many of the main characters. Steiner and Beatrix have returned to their old posts as royal bodyguards and have also become romantically involved; <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-46" style="line-height:1em;">[q 35] Eiko has been adopted by Regent Cid and Lady Hilda; <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-47" style="line-height:1em;">[q 36] Freya is attempting to start over with her former love, Sir Fratley; <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-48" style="line-height:1em;">[q 37] Amarant is reunited with Lani while on his way to Alexandria; <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-49" style="line-height:1em;">[q 38] Quina has now become the head chef of the Alexandria Castle kitchen; <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-50" style="line-height:1em;">[q 39] and black mages looking identical to Vivi are identified as Vivi's sons. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-51" style="line-height:1em;">[q 40] In between these scenes a monologue is given by Vivi where he reminisces about the adventures they had together and bids farewell to everyone, implying his death due to his limited lifespan. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-52" style="line-height:1em;">[q 41] The game reaches its final moments with the play being performed. During the performance, one of the performers removes his robe and reveals himself to be Zidane, saved by Kuja's barrier from the collapsing Iifa Tree.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-53" style="line-height:1em;">[q 42] Garnet rushes onto the stage, abandoning her dropped Summoner pendant, and embraces Zidane.

Final Fantasy X
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy X (ファイナルファンタジーX Fainaru Fantajī Ten<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ) is a role-playing video game developed and published by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_Co. Square] (now Square Enix) as the tenth entry in the Final Fantasy series. Originally released in 2001 for Sony's PlayStation 2, the game is currently scheduled for a high-definition re-release for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FFX_HD_1_1-0" style="line-height:1em;">[2] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FFX_HD_2_2-0" style="line-height:1em;">[3] The game marks the Final Fantasy series' transition from entirely pre-rendered backdrops to fully three-dimensional areas, and is also the first in the series to feature voice acting. Final Fantasy X replaces the Active Time Battle (ATB) system with the "Conditional Turn-Based Battle" (CTB) system, and uses a new leveling system called the "Sphere Grid".

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Set in the fantasy world of Spira, the game's story revolves around a group of adventurers and their quest to defeat a rampaging monster known as Sin. The player character is Tidus, a blitzball star who finds himself in Spira after his home city of Zanarkand is destroyed by Sin. During the game, Tidus, along with several others, aids the summoner Yuna on her pilgrimage to destroy Sin.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Development of Final Fantasy X began in 1999, with a budget of more than US$32.3 million and a team of more than 100 people. The game was the first in the main series not entirely scored by Nobuo Uematsu; Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano were signed as Uematsu's fellow composers. Final Fantasy X was both a critical and commercial success, selling over 6.6 million units worldwide. In 2003, it was followed by Final Fantasy X-2, making it the first Final Fantasy game to have a direct game sequel.

[edit] Setting and characters
Main articles: Spira (Final Fantasy) and Characters of Final Fantasy X and X-2<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy X is set in the fictional world of Spira, consisting of one large landmass divided into three subcontinents, surrounded by small tropical islands. It features diverse climates, ranging from the tropical Besaid and Kilika islands, to the temperate Mi'ihen region, to the frigid Macalania and Mt. Gagazet areas. Although predominantly populated by humans, Spira features a variety of races. Among them are the Al Bhed, a technologically-advanced but disenfranchised sub-group of humans with distinctive green eyes and unique language.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-aftersalvage_9-0" style="line-height:1em;">[10] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-blame_10-0" style="line-height:1em;">[11] The Guado are less human in appearance, with elongated fingers and other arboreal features. Still less human are the lion-like Ronso and the frog-like Hypello. A subset of Spira's sentient races are the "unsent", the strong-willed spirits of the dead that remain in corporeal form. In Spira, the dead who are not sent to the Farplane by a summoner come to envy the living and transform into "fiends", the monsters that are encountered throughout the game;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sending_11-0" style="line-height:1em;">[12] however, unsent with strong attachments to the world of the living may retain their human form. Other fauna in Spira, aside from those drawn from real animals, such as cats, dogs, birds, and butterflies, include the gigantic, amphibious shoopufs (which are similar to elephants); and the emu-like chocobo, which appears in most Final Fantasy games. Spira is very different from the mainly European-style worlds found in previous Final Fantasy games, being much more closely modeled on Southeast Asia, most notably with respect to vegetation, topography, architecture, and names.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-producer_12-0" style="line-height:1em;">[13]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">There are seven main characters in Final Fantasy X, starting with Tidus, a cheerful young teenager and a star blitzball player from Zanarkand, who seeks a way home after an encounter with Sin transported him to Spira.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-aftersalvage_9-1" style="line-height:1em;">[10] To do so, he joins Yuna, a summoner on a journey to obtain the Final Aeon and defeat the enormous whale-like "Sin".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-day_of_departure_13-0" style="line-height:1em;">[14] Journeying with them are: Kimahri Ronso, a young warrior of the Ronso tribe who watched over Yuna during her childhood;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-kimarhi_ronso_14-0" style="line-height:1em;">[15] Wakka, a blitzball player whose younger brother was killed by Sin;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wakka_15-0" style="line-height:1em;">[16] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chappu_16-0" style="line-height:1em;">[17] and Lulu, a stoic black mage close to Yuna and Wakka.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-day_of_departure_13-1" style="line-height:1em;">[14] During the journey, they are joined by Auron, a former warrior monk, who worked with both Tidus and Yuna's fathers to defeat Sin 10 years prior;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-auron_at_luca_17-0" style="line-height:1em;">[18] and Rikku, a perky Al Bhed girl and the first friendly person Tidus meets upon arriving in Spira.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-aftersalvage_9-2" style="line-height:1em;">[10]

[edit] Story
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy X begins late in the story, with the main protagonist, Tidus, waiting with his allies outside the ruins of an ancient city. Tidus narrates the events that led to his current situation, spanning most of the game's storyline.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-introduction_18-0" style="line-height:1em;">[19] It begins in Tidus' home city, the high-tech metropolis of Zanarkand, where he is a renowned star of the underwater sport blitzball.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-commentary_19-0" style="line-height:1em;">[20] During a blitzball tournament, the city is attacked by an immense creature which Auron, a man not originally from Zanarkand, calls "Sin".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sin_20-0" style="line-height:1em;">[21] Sin destroys Zanarkand, taking Tidus and Auron to the world of Spira.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-aftersalvage_9-3" style="line-height:1em;">[10]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Upon arriving in Spira, Tidus is rescued by Al Bhed salvagers in the area. Upon asking him where he is from, one of them, Rikku, tells him that Sin destroyed Zanarkand 1000 years ago.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1000years_21-0" style="line-height:1em;">[22] After Sin attacks again, Tidus is separated from the divers and drifts to the tropical island of Besaid, where he meets Wakka, captain of the local blitzball team.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wakka_15-1" style="line-height:1em;">[16] Wakka introduces Tidus to Yuna, a young summoner about to go on a pilgrimage to obtain the Final Aeon and defeat Sin;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-day_of_departure_13-2" style="line-height:1em;">[14] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-final_aeon_22-0" style="line-height:1em;">[23] and her guardians, Lulu and Kimahri. Meanwhile, Tidus joins to help Wakka in the upcoming blitzball tournament to find a way back home.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-day_of_departure_13-3" style="line-height:1em;">[14] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-the_favor_23-0" style="line-height:1em;">[24] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-arrival_at_kilika_24-0" style="line-height:1em;">[25] The party travels across Spira to gather aeons, defending against attacks by Sin and its "offspring"—fiends called Sinspawn.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sinspawn_25-0" style="line-height:1em;">[26] After the tournament, they are joined by Auron, who convinces Tidus to become Yuna's guardian.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-I_promised_26-0" style="line-height:1em;">[27] He reveals to Tidus that Yuna's father, Lord Braska; Tidus's father, Jecht; and himself made the same pilgrimage to defeat Sin ten years ago.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-auron_at_luca_17-1" style="line-height:1em;">[18] Tidus thought his father had died at sea ten years earlier.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s.s.liki_27-0" style="line-height:1em;">[28] Following another attack from Sin, they are joined by Rikku, later revealed to be Yuna's cousin.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cousins_28-0" style="line-height:1em;">[29]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">When the party arrives in the city of Guadosalam, the leader of the Guado, Seymour Guado, proposes to Yuna, claiming that it will ease Spira's sorrow.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-proposal_29-0" style="line-height:1em;">[30] At Macalania Temple, the group sees a message from Seymour's late father Jyscal, who declares he was killed by his son, who now aims to destroy Spira.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-truth_about_seymour_30-0" style="line-height:1em;">[31] The group reunites with Yuna to engage Seymour in battle, killing him;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-traitors_31-0" style="line-height:1em;">[32] soon afterward, Sin attacks, separating Yuna from the others.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bikanel_island_32-0" style="line-height:1em;">[33] While searching for her on Bikanel Island, the homeland of the Al Bhed where they had surfaced at,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bikanel_island_32-1" style="line-height:1em;">[33] Tidus learns that summoners die after summoning the Final Aeon, leading to his desire to find a way to defeat Sin while keeping Yuna alive.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-death_by_aeon_33-0" style="line-height:1em;">[34] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-airship_34-0" style="line-height:1em;">[35] The group finds Yuna in Bevelle, where she is being forced to marry the unsent Seymour.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-seymour.3F_35-0" style="line-height:1em;">[36] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-caught_36-0" style="line-height:1em;">[37] They crash the wedding and escape with Yuna.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-leaving_37-0" style="line-height:1em;">[38] The group is captured at the Bevelle temple, and are ordered to stand trial.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-busted_38-0" style="line-height:1em;">[39] After escaping from their sentence, the group heads towards the ruins of Zanarkand, seen in the introduction of the game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-introduction_18-1" style="line-height:1em;">[19] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-final_aeon_22-1" style="line-height:1em;">[23] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-broken_faith_39-0" style="line-height:1em;">[40]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">On the way there, Tidus learns that he, Jecht, and the Zanarkand they hail from are summoned entities akin to aeons based on the original Zanarkand and its people.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-rest_40-0" style="line-height:1em;">[41] Long ago, the original Zanarkand battled Bevelle in a machina war, in which the former was defeated.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-machina_war_41-0" style="line-height:1em;">[42] Zanarkand's survivors became "fayth" so that they could use their memories of Zanarkand to create a new city in their image, removed from the reality of Spira.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-machina_war_41-1" style="line-height:1em;">[42] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42" style="line-height:1em;">[43] One thousand years after its creation, the fayth have become exhausted from "dreaming" their Zanarkand, but are unable to stop due to Sin's influence.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-rest_40-1" style="line-height:1em;">[41] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-knowledge_43-0" style="line-height:1em;">[44]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Once they reach Zanarkand, Yunalesca—the first summoner to defeat Sin and has been unsent ever since then<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ultimania_44-0" style="line-height:1em;">[45] —tells the group that the Final Aeon is created from the fayth of one close to the summoner. After defeating Sin, the Final Aeon kills the summoner and transforms into a new Sin, which has caused its cycle of rebirth to continue.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-futility_45-0" style="line-height:1em;">[46] Yuna decides against using the Final Aeon, due to the futile sacrifices it carries and the fact that Sin would still be reborn.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-resolution_46-0" style="line-height:1em;">[47] Disappointed by their resolution, Yunalesca tries to kill Tidus' group, but she is defeated and vanishes, ending hope of ever attaining the Final Aeon.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-death_of_first_47-0" style="line-height:1em;">[48] After the fight, the group learns that Yu Yevon, a summoner who lost his humanity and mind, is behind Sin's cycle of rebirth.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-knowledge_43-1" style="line-height:1em;">[44] This leads the group to infiltrate Sin's body to battle Seymour and Jecht's imprisoned spirits.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-before_omnis_48-0" style="line-height:1em;">[49] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-jecht_49-0" style="line-height:1em;">[50] With Sin's hosts defeated, Tidus' group battles and defeats Yu Yevon.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-fate_50-0" style="line-height:1em;">[51] Sin's cycle of rebirth ends, and the spirits of Spira's fayth are freed from their imprisonment. Auron, revealed to be unsent, goes to the Farplane, having died years ago after confronting Yunalesca.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-dead_for_ten_years_51-0" style="line-height:1em;">[52] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-auron_sent_52-0" style="line-height:1em;">[53] Just then, Dream Zanarkand and Tidus disappear, now that the freed fayth stopped the summoning.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-tidus_vanishes_53-0" style="line-height:1em;">[54] Afterward, in a speech to the citizens of Spira, Yuna resolves to help rebuild their world now that it is free of Sin.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-eternal_calm_54-0" style="line-height:1em;">[55]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">In a post-credits scene, Tidus is seen swimming towards the ocean surface, and the screen fades to white. This scene segues into the sequel, Final Fantasy X-2, in which Yuna investigates Tidus' possible survival in order to find him.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-X-2_55-0" style="line-height:1em;">[56]

Final Fantasy XI
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy XI (ファイナルファンタジーXI Fainaru Fantajī Irebun<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ), also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is a MMORPG developed and published by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_Co. Square] (later Square Enix) as part of the Final Fantasy series. It was released in Japan on Sony's PlayStation 2 on May 16, 2002, and was released for Microsoft's Windows-based personal computers in November 2002. The PC version was released in North America on October 28, 2003, and the PlayStation 2 version on March 23, 2004. In Europe, only the Windows version was released, on September 17, 2004. An Xbox 360 version was released worldwide in April 2006 for all regions, as the system's first MMORPG and the first cross-platform MMORPG.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1" style="line-height:1em;">[2] All versions require a monthly subscription to the game and the Xbox 360 version does not require an Xbox Live Gold account to play.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2" style="line-height:1em;">[3]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The story is set in the fantasy world of Vana'diel, where player-created avatars can both compete and cooperate in a variety of objectives to develop an assortment of jobs, skills, and earn in-game item rewards. Players can also undertake an array of quests and progress through the in-game hierarchy and thus through the major plot of the game. Since its debut in 2002, four expansion packs have also been released, adding numerous areas, quests, and item rewards to the Final Fantasy XI world.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">As of 2006, between 200,000 and 300,000 active players logged in per day, and the game was the dominant MMORPG in Japan.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-edge_3-0" style="line-height:1em;">[4] As of 2008, in an announcement for three additional expansions in development, SE noted Final Fantasy XI still has a strong user base of around 500,000 subscribers.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4" style="line-height:1em;">[5] In April 2009, Square Enix announced that the total number of active characters exceeded 2 million for the first time.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5" style="line-height:1em;">[6] On April 8, 2011, a 12-month roadmap for future development was announced.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6" style="line-height:1em;">[7] Contained within this roadmap was an announcement of plans to create a "Test server," which will coincide with a new development cycle. The new development cycle will incorporate feedback and testing from players. A PlayStation Vita port is being considered.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-andriasang_7-0" style="line-height:1em;">[8]

[edit] Setting
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The world of Final Fantasy XI is known as Vana'diel. It consists of two main landmasses with two smaller islands flanking them, which in turn are surrounded by small islands. It features diverse climates, ranging from the northern glaciers to the southern deserts.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32" style="line-height:1em;">[33] The four main cities in Vana'diel are Bastok, San d'Oria, Windurst, and Jeuno. The expansion Treasures of Aht Urhgan added the large Aht Urhgan Whitegate/Al Zahbi city area. The rest of Vana'diel is made up of a number of outdoor, dungeon, and minor town areas split into various regions. While most areas are accessible by walking, various modes of transportation, ranging from the classic Final Fantasy Chocobo and airships to special spells, facilitate movement across the game world.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The events of the game are set 20 years after the Crystal War, when the nations of San d'Oria, Bastok, and Windurst on the main continent of Vana'diel fought and defeated the Shadow Lord and his army of beastmen. Aparallel world named Dynamis, in which the beastmen succeeded in conquering Vana'diel, can also be explored. It is described as a dream world created by the Avatar of Dreams, Diabolos.

[edit] Characters
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The five playable races in Final Fantasy XI are


 * Elvaan – Strong melee fighters, reasonable healers but weak in black magic.
 * Hume – A race resembling humans, with no notable strengths or weaknesses.
 * Galka – An all male race, masculine in appearance, they resemble large pale lizards; their face, however, is slightly ursine. Strong and tough, but weak with magic; they reproduce through reincarnation.
 * Mithra – Cat-like humanoids, of which only the females are playable characters, agile and dexterous, but slightly lacking in charisma and strength.
 * Tarutaru – Tiny humanoids with incredible power over magic, but physically weak.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-official_8-2" style="line-height:1em;">[9]

<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">In addition to the player races, there are two primary non-playable races known as the Zilart, an ancient race which is the focus of the first two game expansions, and the Kuluu, a race of beings similar to the Zilart and thought to be inferior to it. There is also a huge supporting cast of NPCs who give quests and missions and appear in the game's storylines. The game features several typical Final Fantasy monsters, including races such as Goblins, Sahagins and Tonberries. Some of these creatures follow the Shadow Lord, a source of the game's conflict.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33" style="line-height:1em;">[34]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Shantotto, a Tarutaru non-player character, is the heroine and sole character representing Final Fantasy XI in Dissidia Final Fantasy, where she is voiced by famed voice actress Megumi Hayashibara in the Japanese version and Candi Milo in English.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34" style="line-height:1em;">[35] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35" style="line-height:1em;">[36] In the game's prequel Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, another non-player character, Prishe, is added as the game series's second Final Fantasy XI representative.

[edit] Story
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The storyline is primarily followed with missions through the governing nations that exist in the base game as well as each expansion that the player is affiliated with. Nation or governing body affiliation is relatively simple, sometimes requiring prerequisite quests being completed and have several stages of progression to achieve higher recognition and reward throughout each story. Some missions are even required to be completed to further progress into the start of the additional storylines of each expansion or specific areas.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Players begin the game as residents of one of the three main countries: San d'Oria, Bastok, and Windurst, and must help band the nations together against the resurrected Shadow Lord.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The expansion Rise of the Zilart reveals that the Crystal War and the resurrection of the Shadow Lord had been masterminded by the Zilart princes Eald'Narche and Kam'lanaut, who survived the extinction of their race. The two Zilarts plan to become Gods by opening the path to paradise, and the player is charged with thwarting their plans.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Chains of Promathia revolves around an Elvaan girl named Prishe and the dead Twilight God Promathia, who had originally cursed the Zilart race, and the attempts of various factions to either complete or stop his resurrection. The wyrmking Bahamutis involved in these events, and intends to destroy Vana'diel to prevent Promathia from absorbing the life of the world.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Treasures of Aht Urhgan concerns the Empire of Aht Urhgan which opens up to the nations of midlands after years of self-imposed isolation. As a new and powerful nation, it is of concern to the nation of the player, who is sent as a representative. The player then becomes embroiled in the intrigues of the Empress's court and the growing fears of war and darkness coming to Aht Urhgan.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Wings of the Goddess primarily occurs in the era of the Crystal War, 20 years in the past from the main Final Fantasy XI setting. The player discovers and crosses mysterious time portals alongside the Hume/Elvaan mix Lilisette, and are led to help the Regal Feline Cait Sith reduce the suffering of the era. However, Lilisette and her partner encounter Lilith, an alternate timeline version of herself who wishes to keep the war going to maintain her time while negating Lilisette's.

Final Fantasy XII
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy XII (ファイナルファンタジーXII Fainaru Fantajī Tuerubu<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ) is a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2 platform. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation 2. The game introduced several innovations to the series: a customizable "gambit" system automatically controls the actions of characters; and a "license" system determines which abilities and equipment are used by characters. Final Fantasy XII also includes elements from previous games in the series such as summoned monsters, Chocobos, and Moogles.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The game takes place in the fictional land of Ivalice, where the empires of Archadia and Rozarria are waging an endless war. Dalmasca, a small kingdom, is caught between the warring nations. When Dalmasca is annexed by Archadia, its princess, Ashe, creates a resistance movement. During the struggle, she meets Vaan, a young adventurer who dreams of commanding an airship. They are quickly joined by a band of allies; together, they rally against the tyranny of the Archadian Empire.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy XII received universally high review scores, and earned numerous "Game of the Year" awards in various categories from noted video game publications. Selling more than two million copies in Japan, it became the fourth best-selling PlayStation 2 game of 2006 worldwide. As of March 2007, over 5.2 million copies of the game have been shipped worldwide. A sequel, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, was released for the Nintendo DS in 2007.

[edit] Setting
Main article: Ivalice<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy XII is set within the land of Ivalice during an age when "magic was commonplace" and "airships plied the skies, crowding out the heavens". At this time, magicite, a magic-rich mineral, is commonly used in magic spells<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18" style="line-height:1em;">[19] and in powering airships—a popular form of transportation in Ivalice.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19" style="line-height:1em;">[20] Ivalice is divided into three continents:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sleipnir_20-0" style="line-height:1em;">[21] Ordalia, Valendia, and Kerwon.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-GUIDE12_1-1" style="line-height:1em;">[2] Ordalia is located in the western part of Ivalice. The Rozarrian Empire makes its home in the vast inland plains of this continent as the eastern portion of it is largely desert or "jagd"—lawless regions so rich in Mist (the ethereal manifestation of magicite) that airships cannot function.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21" style="line-height:1em;">[22] Valendia is the home of Imperial Archadia, where vast and lush plains dot the landscape.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22" style="line-height:1em;">[23] Central to the story is Dalmasca, a small kingdom between the two continents and empires. Located in the middle of the Galtean Peninsula of Ordalia, Dalmasca is surrounded by an expanse of desert. The temperate climate of Dalmasca differs from the cold environs of Kerwon and the lush plains of Valendia and Ordalia.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23" style="line-height:1em;">[24] During this time, Ivalice is beset by the pending war between the forces of Rozarria and Archadia. Caught between the two powerful Empires, Dalmasca and a number of smaller nations have already been subjugated by Archadia two years before the game begins.

[edit] Characters
Main article: Characters of Final Fantasy XII<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The six main playable characters in Final Fantasy XII are Vaan, an energetic orphan of Rabanastre who dreams of becoming a sky pirate; Ashe, a determined princess of Dalmasca who lost her father and husband in the Archadian invasion; Basch, a disgraced knight of Dalmasca charged with treason for slaying the king; Balthier, a gentlemanly sky pirate who pilots his airship, the Strahl; Fran, Balthier's partner and a Viera exile whose knowledge extends to legends and myths; and Penelo, Vaan's childhood friend who accompanies him on journeys to "keep an eye on him".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-BRADY6_24-0" style="line-height:1em;">[25]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The Archadian Empire is ruled by House Solidor, headed by Emperor Gramis.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-BRADY10_25-0" style="line-height:1em;">[26] The family also consists of two siblings, Vayne and Larsa, the former a military genius and the latter a charismatic seeker of peace. Judge Magisters, upholders of Archadian law,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-BRADY10_25-1" style="line-height:1em;">[26] protect House Solidor and execute every command issued by the ruling family. The technological marvels of airships and synthetic nethicite—a form of magicite that absorbs Mist—are thanks to Doctor Cid, a prominent researcher from Archadia.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-BRADY10_25-2" style="line-height:1em;">[26] The Resistance against Archadia includes Dalmascan knight Vossler, an ally of Basch; Marquis Halim Ondore IV, the game's narrator and ruler of the skycity Bhujerba; Reddas, a sky pirate based in the port at Balfonheim; and the Rozarrian Empire, of which Al-Cid Margrace is a prince of the ruling family.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-BRADY10_25-3" style="line-height:1em;">[26] The mythos of Final Fantasy XII revolves around a character known as Dynast-King Raithwall, a man who once united Ivalice to create the Galtean Alliance in ages past.

[edit] Story
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy XII begins in Dalmasca's capital city of Rabanastre, where the happiness from the union of Princess Ashe of Dalmasca and Prince Rasler of Nabradia is interrupted by the Archadian Empire's invasion of Nabradia. In the subsequent war, Nabradia and Dalmasca are subjugated by Archadia; Prince Rasler is killed, and the Dalmascan king Raminas, after signing a treaty of surrender, is apparently assassinated by the Dalmascan captain Basch. Reks, a young knight under Basch's command, bears witness to the assassination, but later dies of his injuries. Marquis Ondore announces that Basch has been executed and Princess Ashe has committed suicide.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26" style="line-height:1em;">[27]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Two years later, Vaan, the younger brother of Reks, is living as a street urchin in Rabanastre. Despite his friend Penelo's objections, he infiltrates the Rabanastre palace during a dinner celebrating the appointment of Vayne Solidor as consul. During the infiltration, Vaan encounters Balthier and Fran, a pair of sky pirates who are after the magicite that Vaan took from the royal treasury. Their escape attempt fails when a battle breaks out between Imperial troops and Dalmascan Resistance forces, and they end up in the sewers where they stumble upon the Resistance leader, Amalia. Vaan, Balthier, and Fran are captured by the Archadians and detained at the Nalbina Dungeons. In Nalbina, the three encounter Basch, imprisoned but alive, and they escape with him; Basch pleads that his twin brother, Gabranth, had posed as him on the night of the treaty and was the true assassin. While skeptical at first, Vaan eventually believes him.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27" style="line-height:1em;">[28] With the help of Balthier and Fran, the party then travels to Bhujerba, where Penelo is kidnapped by Ba'Gamnan, a bounty hunter trying to catch Balthier. While rescuing Penelo, the party meets Lamont, a curious boy who is Vayne's younger brother, Larsa, in disguise.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28" style="line-height:1em;">[29] Basch is also able to confront the Marquis, who captures the party and detains them on board the Archadian airship Leviathan, headed by Judge Ghis.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">On the Leviathan, the party is reunited with Amalia, who is revealed to be Princess Ashe.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29" style="line-height:1em;">[30] Ghis takes Vaan's magicite, a royal Dalmascan artifact, and sends it to Archadia. The company escapes from the airship after defeating Ghis and returns to Bhujerba; however, lacking the magicite, Ashe has no proof of her identity and Ondore suggests that Ashe remain hidden in Bhujerba.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30" style="line-height:1em;">[31] Instead, Ashe escapes and attempts to collect the treasures of Dynast-King Raithwall, which would prove her royal blood.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31" style="line-height:1em;">[32] The party acquires the Dawn Shard, a piece of "deifacted Nethicite", from Raithwall's Tomb, but Ghis seizes it. The small piece of magicite destroys the Leviathan, Ghis, and his fleet, while Ashe and her party barely escape alive. The company later encounters Larsa, who seeks a peace treaty between Dalmasca and the empire; Ashe initially objects, but Larsa convinces her to pursue a treaty in order to protect Dalmasca. She goes to Mt. Bur-Omisace to seek Gran Kiltias Anastasis' approval of her as queen of Dalmasca.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32" style="line-height:1em;">[33]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The party learns in Mt. Bur-Omisace that many other influential people also hope to avert war.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33" style="line-height:1em;">[34] Larsa, who had been investigating Vayne's connection to the manufacted Nethicite,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34" style="line-height:1em;">[35] had made contact with Al-Cid Margrace, a member of the Rozarrian Empire ruling family, to convince the two Empires to cease their war. They plan to announce Ashe's status as Dalmascan Queen and to persuade the Archadian emperor Gramis not to go to war, but the plan is thwarted when the Emperor is killed, supposedly by Archadian Senate Chairman Gregoroth, and Vayne assumes the throne of Arcadia.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35" style="line-height:1em;">[36] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-36" style="line-height:1em;">[37] With Anastasis' aid, Ashe retrieves the Sword of Kings, which can destroy Nethicite. While she obtains the sword, Anastasis is killed by Judge Bergan and Larsa is brought back to Archadia. After defeating Bergan, Ashe's party travels to Archades and the Draklor Laboratory, Doctor Cid's base of operations. Cid escapes and leaves clues that lead them to Giruvegan,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37" style="line-height:1em;">[38] the supposed location of the Sun-cryst, the source of all deifacted Nethicite.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38" style="line-height:1em;">[39] While the whole party is able to enter Giruvegan, only Ashe encounters the makers of the Sun-cryst, the immortal Occuria, who "pull the strings of history"; they give her the Treaty Blade to cut pieces of her own.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-occuria1_39-0" style="line-height:1em;">[40]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">In a cutscene, it is revealed that Doctor Cid's Nethicite research was augmented by knowledge from the Occurian heretic, Venat, who had allied with Cid and Vayne in order to put the "reins of History back in the hands of Man".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-judge1_40-0" style="line-height:1em;">[41] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-occuria2_41-0" style="line-height:1em;">[42] Vayne aims to become the new Dynast-King by using manufacted Nethicite to conquer all of Ivalice.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-judge1_40-1" style="line-height:1em;">[41] Cid, revealed to be Balthier's father, was obsessed with researching the Nethicite's power after his own visit to Giruvegan and initial encounter with Venat.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42" style="line-height:1em;">[43] Their expansion campaign—which led to the Dalmasca's occupation and the destruction of the city of Nabudis—was made to obtain and study deifacted Nethicite.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-43" style="line-height:1em;">[44]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Ashe is faced with the choice to heed the Occuria and take pieces of the Sun-cryst for her revenge or to destroy it and end the Occurian control over history. Still undecided, Ashe and the party travel to the Pharos at Ridorana Cataract, where the Sun-cryst is located, accompanied by the pirate Reddas. At the top of the tower they face Gabranth,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-44" style="line-height:1em;">[45] who admits to killing King Raminas in an attempt to force Ashe to give in to her hate.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-45" style="line-height:1em;">[46] After they overpower him, Cid arrives and fights the party; they defeat him, but before he dies he uses Nethicite shards to harness the full power of the Sun-cryst. Reddas sacrifices himself to destroy it.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-46" style="line-height:1em;">[47]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Ashe learns from Al-Cid that a war between Archadia and the Resistance group led by Marquis Ondore is about to take place in Rabanastre. The Sky Fortress Bahamut, an enormous, Nethicite-fueled airship armed with incredibly powerful weapons, had absorbed the incredible amount of Mist released by the destruction of the Sun-cryst and now hovers above Rabanastre. Infiltrating the Bahamut with the aid of the Resistance, Basch confronts Gabranth, who is impressed by Basch's loyalty.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-47" style="line-height:1em;">[48] The party encounters Vayne and Larsa in the midst of an argument over Vayne's plot for power, to which Larsa objects strongly;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-48" style="line-height:1em;">[49] Larsa and Gabranth ally with the party to destroy Vayne and Venat. After Vayne's defeat, Ashe announces the end of the war,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-49" style="line-height:1em;">[50] and Larsa takes over the Imperial Army.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-50" style="line-height:1em;">[51] The party escapes the Bahamut, now out of fuel after the final battle, with Gabranth's body and Larsa. Balthier and Fran remain on board the Bahamut, steering it away from Rabanastre to prevent a collision, though contact with them is lost.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">In the following year, Ashe becomes Queen of Dalmasca, and Basch replaces Gabranth as Judge Magister, serving as guardian to Larsa, now Emperor of Archadia. Vaan acquires his own airship, which he operates with Penelo. Balthier and Fran escape from Bahamut and survive to recover the Strahl and go to Bervenia. The game ends with Vaan and Penelo setting out to visit them, embarking on another adventure.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-51" style="line-height:1em;">[52]

Final Fantasy XIII
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy XIII (ファイナルファンタジーXIII Fainaru Fantajī Sātīn<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ) is a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Released in 2009 in Japan and 2010 in North America and PAL regions, it is the thirteenth major installment in the Final Fantasy series. The game includes fast-paced combat, a new system for the series for determining which abilities are developed for the characters called "Crystarium", and a customizable "Paradigm" system to control which abilities are used by the characters. Final Fantasy XIII includes elements from the previous games in the series, such as summoned monsters, chocobos, and airships.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The game takes place in the fictional floating world of Cocoon, whose government, the Sanctum, is ordering a purge of civilians who have supposedly come into contact with Pulse, the much-feared world below. The former soldier Lightning begins her fight against the government in order to save her sister who has been branded as an unwilling servant to a god-like being from Pulse, making her an enemy of Cocoon. Lightning is soon joined by a band of allies, and together the group also become marked by the same Pulse creature. They rally against the Sanctum while trying to discover their assigned task and whether they can avoid being turned into monsters or crystals at the completion.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Development began in 2004 and the game was first announced at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2006. Final Fantasy XIII is the flagship title of the Fabula Nova Crystallis collection of Final Fantasygames and is the first game to use Square Enix's Crystal Tools engine. Final Fantasy XIII received mostly positive reviews from video game publications, which praised the game's graphics, presentation, and battle system. Reviewers were more mixed in their opinion about the game's story and linearity compared to previous games in the series. Selling 1.7 million copies in Japan in 2009,Final Fantasy XIII became the fastest-selling title in the history of the series. As of July 2012, the game had sold 6.7 million copies worldwide. A sequel titled Final Fantasy XIII-2 was released in December 2011 in Japan and in 2012 in North America and PAL regions. A second sequel, titled Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, which concludes Lightning's story, is currently in development and is set for a release in 2013.

[edit] Setting
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy XIII is set within the world of Gran Pulse. Central to the story is Cocoon, a massive artificial sphere that floats above Pulse's surface and is ruled by the Sanctum, a theocratic government. The two worlds are controlled by fal'Cie ( /f<span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/æ/ short 'a' in 'bad'">æl<span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/ˈ/ primary stress follows">ˈs<span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/iː/ long 'e' in 'bead'">iː/ ), beings with godlike power. The Cocoon fal'Cie are responsible for keeping Cocoon floating, as well as providing light and water to the people that live inside. Each fal'Cie handles a specific task.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DATALOGfalcie_17-0" style="line-height:1em;">[18] The fal'Cie have the capability of marking the humans that live in Pulse and Cocoon as their servants. These servants, called l'Cie, are branded with a symbol representing either Pulse or Cocoon and are given a "Focus"—a task to complete.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-xbox_trailer_18-0" style="line-height:1em;">[19] If the l'Cie complete their task in time, they are transformed to crystal and according to legend gain eternal life; otherwise they become mindless monsters called Cie'th.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-HopeScan_19-0" style="line-height:1em;">[20] The l'Cie are not explicitly told their Focus, but are instead given visions that they must interpret.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DATALOGlcie_20-0" style="line-height:1em;">[21]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Several hundred years before the events of the game, a battle known as the War of Transgression took place between Pulse and Cocoon. During the battle, l'Cie from Pulse attacked and ripped a large hole in Cocoon.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DATALOGwar_21-0" style="line-height:1em;">[22] Eventually, the l'Cie completed their focus and were turned to crystal. The hole was patched with material lifted from Pulse, and Cocoon's citizens have since lived in fear of another invasion; this fear is used by the Sanctum to remain in power.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DATALOGartifacts_22-0" style="line-height:1em;">[23] The Sanctum oversees two military branches: the Guardian Corps, responsible for keeping order on Cocoon, and PSICOM, the special forces in charge of dealing with any threat related to Pulse.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DATALOGpsicom_23-0" style="line-height:1em;">[24] The fal'Cie have given the humans advanced technology, including flying airships and mechanical creatures, and a form of magic also exists. This magic is normally only accessible to l'Cie, fal'Cie, and various monsters in Cocoon and Pulse, though distilled chemical forms can be used by normal humans.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DATALOGamp_24-0" style="line-height:1em;">[25]

[edit] Characters
Main article: Characters of Final Fantasy XIII<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The six main playable characters of Final Fantasy XIII are Lightning, the main protagonist of the game, a former soldier and older sister to Serah;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DATALOGlightning_25-0" style="line-height:1em;">[26] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DATALOGserah_26-0" style="line-height:1em;">[27] Snow Villiers, Serah's fiancee and leader of NORA, a paramilitary group;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DATALOGsnow_27-0" style="line-height:1em;">[28] Oerba Dia Vanille, the game's narrator and an exile who is later revealed to be a l'Cie from Pulse;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-QUOTEvanille_28-0" style="line-height:1em;">[29] Sazh Katzroy, a civilian pilot and father to a young boy, Dajh;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-QUOTEdajh_29-0" style="line-height:1em;">[30] Hope Estheim, a young boy who is struggling within the relationships he shares with his parents;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DATALOGnora_30-0" style="line-height:1em;">[31] and Oerba Yun Fang, a l'Cie from Pulse who is working with the Sanctum's Cavalry branch.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DATALOGfang_31-0" style="line-height:1em;">[32] Other characters include Galenth Dysley, the ruler of the Sanctum and main antagonist;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DATALOGdysley_32-0" style="line-height:1em;">[33] Cid Raines, a Sanctum Brigadier General in the Cavalry who does not trust the government;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-SEofficial_10-1" style="line-height:1em;">[11] and Serah Farron, Lightning's younger sister and Snow's fiancee.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DATALOGserah_26-1" style="line-height:1em;">[27]

[edit] Story
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy XIII begins in Cocoon as the citizens of the town of Bodhum are being evicted, or Purged, from Cocoon after coming in contact with something from Pulse.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DATALOGpurge_33-0" style="line-height:1em;">[34] Over the course of the game, the player is shown flashbacks of the events of the previous 13 days, which began when a fal'Cie from Pulse was discovered near Bodhum. Lightning's sister Serah had found the fal'Cie from Pulse and been changed into a l'Cie by it. Lightning and Sazh derail a Purge train bound for Pulse in an attempt to save Serah. In the subsequent battle, Snow leads his resistance group, NORA, to rescue the Purge exiles. Several of them, including Hope's mother, are killed. As Snow heads to the fal'Cie Anima to save Serah, he is joined by two of the exiles: Hope and Vanille. The two groups meet at the fal'Cie, and find Serah just as she turns to crystal. Anima then brands them all as l'Cie and they are cast out into a different part of Cocoon. During this transformation, the newly crested l'Cie all have the same vision: a monster called Ragnarok.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DATALOGragnarok_34-0" style="line-height:1em;">[35] The group, arguing over the ambiguous nature of the dreamed Focus, find Serah in her crystallized form; Snow remains with her as the others leave.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Snow meets Cid and Fang after being captured and detained aboard the airship Lindblum. Meanwhile, the others escape from PSICOM, but are separated during an air strike; Hope and Lightning travel to Palumpolum, while Sazh and Vanille travel to Nautilus. In Lightning's scenario, she unintentionally supports Hope's goal of killing Snow as revenge for his mother's death.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DATALOGassassinate_35-0" style="line-height:1em;">[36] In Vanille's scenario, Sazh discusses how his son Dajh was turned into a l'Cie by a Cocoon fal'Cie and was taken by PSICOM to discover his Focus.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-QUOTEdajh_29-1" style="line-height:1em;">[30] At Palumpolum, Lightning tries to persuade Hope not to go through with his revenge and meets Snow and Fang. Fang reveals that she and Vanille were l'Cie from Pulse who were turned into crystals; they were turned back into humans 13 days prior to the start of the game, sparking the Purge.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-QUOTEfang_36-0" style="line-height:1em;">[37] Hope attempts to murder Snow, but after Snow saves him from an airstrike, he decides not to go through with it.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DATALOGnoraover_37-0" style="line-height:1em;">[38] The party then escapes the city with Cid's aid. At Nautilus, Vanille reveals herself to Sazh as a l'Cie from Pulse, and indirectly the reason that Dajh was turned into a l'Cie.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-QUOTEvanille_28-1" style="line-height:1em;">[29] PSICOM then captures Sazh and Vanille and detains them on board the airship Palamecia.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The other members of the party stage a rescue mission and reunite with Vanille and Sazh before they confront Galenth Dysley, the Sanctum's Primarch. Dysley reveals himself as the Cocoon fal'Cie ruler Barthandelus.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-QUOTEdysley_38-0" style="line-height:1em;">[39] He tells them that their Focus is to transform into the beast Ragnarok and slay the sleeping fal'Cie Orphan, who keeps Cocoon afloat above Pulse. Slaying the fal'Cie Orphan will result in the destruction of Cocoon. The party escapes and learns from Cid that the fal'Cie believe that Cocoon's destruction will summon the Maker, the creator of the worlds. The fal'Cie cannot harm Orphan themselves.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DATALOGorphan_39-0" style="line-height:1em;">[40] Vanille and Fang reveal to the party that they were involved in the War of Transgression centuries prior, and that their Focus then had been the same: to transform into Ragnarok and attempt to destroy Orphan.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DATALOGfangragna_40-0" style="line-height:1em;">[41] The party flies away to Pulse and travels to Oerba, Vanille and Fang's hometown, where they hope to learn how to remove their l'Cie marks. The town is deserted, and they find no living people on the surface. The group is unsuccessful in removing their marks, and Dysley confronts them again. He tells them that he is forcing Cid, now the head of the Sanctum, to create chaos in Cocoon to force the Cavalry to attack Cid and Orphan in a coup d'état.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DATALOGcoup_41-0" style="line-height:1em;">[42]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The party infiltrates Cocoon with the goal of preventing its destruction. They head towards Orphan only to find that the Cavalry have been turned into Cie'th. The party encounters Dysley and overpowers him, but Orphan awakens and merges with Dysley, then compels Fang to finish her Focus as Ragnarok while the others are seemingly transformed into Cie'th. The group reappears in human form, preventing Fang from transforming. The party engage and defeat Orphan<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-QUOTEfinalbattle_42-0" style="line-height:1em;">[43] and escape Cocoon, which is now falling towards Pulse. As the rest of the party turns to crystal for completing their Focus, Vanille and Fang remain on Cocoon and transform into Ragnarok together. They prevent a collision between Cocoon and Pulse by turning themselves into a crystal pillar between the two worlds. The rest of the party awaken from their crystallization on Pulse and find their l'Cie brands gone. The game ends with Lightning, Hope, Snow and Sazh reuniting with Serah and Dajh.

Final Fantasy XIV
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Final Fantasy XIV (ファイナルファンタジーXIV Fainaru Fantajī Fōtīn<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ), also known as Final Fantasy XIV Online, is the fourteenth installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was released in September 2010<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-MCV_5-0" style="line-height:1em;">[6] for Microsoft Windows, with a PlayStation 3 port in development.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FFXIVBase_Article_6-0" style="line-height:1em;">[7] The game is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game and is developed and published by Square Enix. The game takes place in a land called Hydaelyn, mainly in a region named Eorzea, which has a contemporaneously aesthetic blend of science fiction and classic fantasy elements.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mother_0-1" style="line-height:1em;">[1] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="line-height:1em;">[8] The game was released in Japanese, English, French, and German.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8" style="line-height:1em;">[9]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The cheaper "Standard Edition" Windows version of the game was released on September 30, 2010, while the "Collector's Edition" was released about one week earlier, and servers officially launched at 18:00 PDT on September 22, 2010. The PlayStation 3 version was originally planned to be released in March 2011,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-MCV_5-1" style="line-height:1em;">[6] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FFXIVBase_9-0" style="line-height:1em;">[10] but owing to the game's initial reception, subsequent staff changes, and a desire not to "release a simple conversion of the Windows version in its current state, but rather an update that includes all the improvements", the release has been delayed.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-teamchange_1-7" style="line-height:1em;">[2] The game has shipped 630,000 copies worldwide as of November 4, 2010. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Gamasutra_10-0" style="line-height:1em;">[11]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The game was released to generally negative reception. Due to criticisms of the game's quality, Square Enix has reshuffled the development team and completely overhauled the gameplay since launch.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-teamchange_1-8" style="line-height:1em;">[2] On October 14, 2011, Square Enix announced their intention to relaunch the game as Final Fantasy XIV 2.0, which was later renamed Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (ファイナルファンタジーXIV: 新生エオルゼアFainaru Fantajī Fōtīn: Shinsei Eoruzea<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">?, lit. "Final Fantasy Fourteen: Eorzea Reborn").<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-realmreborn_11-0" style="line-height:1em;">[12] The relaunch, currently slated for between late 2012 and early 2013, will incorporate a new graphics engine, new server and data structures, revamped interface, redesigned maps, more gameplay variations and content, and new playable sexes of certain races (male Miqo'te, and female Highlanders and Roegadyn). Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn will coincide with the PlayStation 3 release of the game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2.0_2-2" style="line-height:1em;">[3]

Plot
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Eorzea's nations used to be constantly at war with each other until 15 years ago when the Garlean Empire, a mysterious nation from the east, razed the mightiest of the city-states, Ala Mhigo. The nations decided to band together if they were to repel the invaders, but the Empire never came, leaving a state of détente throughout the land. The resulting peace has led to a wide swath of soldiers and mercenaries suddenly without a job, and so they are now forming guilds and going by a new name: adventurers.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17" style="line-height:1em;">[18] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18" style="line-height:1em;">[19]

[edit] City States

 * Ul'dah
 * Limsa Lominsa
 * Gridania

[edit] Races
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">So far there are five playable races in Final Fantasy XIV, all similar to the races from Final Fantasy XI. The goal of the developers was to create an atmosphere of aesthetic familiarity to players of FFXI. On April 13, 2011 Naoki Yoshida, through a Community Representative on the Final Fantasy XIV Official Forums, announced that Miqo'te and Roegadyn would no longer be genderlocked. Male Miqo'te and female Roegadyn will become available around the same time as the PS3 client release.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Final_Fantasy_XIV_Official_Forums_19-0" style="line-height:1em;">[20] They have since clarified that they will be released along with the 2.0 Version Reboot.
 * Hyur (ヒューランHyūran<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? )
 * A race that is more or less human. They are divided into the Midlanders and the Highlanders. The Midlanders place a heavy emphasis on education, and are generally considered to be the most cultured people of the world. Physically larger and bulkier than their Midlander cousins, the Highlanders once governed the grand city-state of Ala Mhigo, which was invaded and razed by the Garlean Empire. With their homeland destroyed and their numbers decimated, the Highlanders now eke out their existence as mercenaries. While the Midlander clan offers both sexes as playable characters, only males of the Highlander clan are playable, but females are planned to be released along side the 2.0 version of the game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Final_Fantasy_XIV_Official_Forums_19-1" style="line-height:1em;">[20] Hyur are similar to the Humes from XI.


 * Elezen (エレゼンErezen<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? )
 * An elf-like race and the original inhabitants of Eorzea. They are divided into the Wildwood and the Duskwight Elezen. The Wildwood live in the forests and possess a keen sense of sight – a contributing factor in their unparalleled expertise as archers. The Duskwight are a reclusive clan who dwell in caves and caverns, which has given them a heightened sense of hearing. The two clans seem to dislike each other immensely. Elezen are similar to the Elvaan from XI.


 * Lalafell (ララフェルRaraferu<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? )
 * Physically diminutive humanoids of high agility and intelligence from the southern regions. They are divided into the Plainsfolk and the Dunesfolk. The Plainsfolk are a very earthy clan who thrive on the prairies. The Dunesfolk literally live on the backs of enormous beasts of burden and are known for wearing gemstones in their foreheads that signify their zodiacal signs. Lalafell are similar to the Tarutaru from XI.


 * Roegadyn (ルガディンRugadin<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? )
 * A physically large and muscular race who hail from the northern regions. They are divided into the Sea Wolves and the Hellsguard. The Sea Wolves were once a band of fearsome pirates, but have since largely abandoned that lifestyle; presently they are normally employed as sailors or naval mercenaries. The Hellsguard dwell in a volcanic region and are said to be masters of the magical arts, guarding the gateway to Hell itself. Currently, only male Roegadyn are playable, but females are planned to be released along side the 2.0 version of the game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Final_Fantasy_XIV_Official_Forums_19-2" style="line-height:1em;">[20] Roegadyn are similar to the Galka from XI.


 * Miqo'te (ミコッテMikotte<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? )
 * Cat-like humanoids who are divided into two religious sects: the Seekers of the Sun, who are dedicated to the sun goddess Azeyma the Warden, and the nocturnal Keepers of the Moon, who are dedicated to the moon goddess Menphina the Lover. Player character Miqo'te are not limited to the two aforementioned goddesses, however; they may follow any deity of their choosing. Currently, only female Miqo'te are playable, but males are planned to be released alongside the 2.0 version of the game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Final_Fantasy_XIV_Official_Forums_19-3" style="line-height:1em;">[20] Miqo'te are similar to the Mithra from XI.

[edit] Classes
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Classes in the game are divided between Disciples of War, Disciples of Magic, Disciples of the Land, and Disciples of the Hand. Disciples of War focus on physical combat, with specific specializations. Gladiator is Final Fantasy XIV's Tank role. The other Disciples of War professions focus on a DD role, these professions are Lancer, Pugilist, Archer, and lastly Marauder. Disciples of Magic focus on magical combat and healing, both Thaumaturge, and Conjurer have dual roles in the game of magical DD, and Healing. Disciples of the Hand focus on the creation of materials, armor, and weapons. Often taking resources obtained by the Disciples of the Land class. Disciples of the Land focus on gathering resources usually to sell, or turn into items with their Disciples of the Hand class. The player will be able to change into that class if the specific required items are equipped; for instance, if the character equips a saw, he or she will become a carpenter.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20" style="line-height:1em;">[21]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">In a recent patch, the Job System was introduced. This system added classic Final Fantasy jobs such as Paladin and Black Mage, which branch off of their respective classes by equipping items known as Soul Gems while on said class. Jobs gain additional exclusive actions over Classes, and are said to be tailored more to party play and teamwork rather than solo play. This system applies only to Disciples of War and Disciples of Magic.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21" style="line-height:1em;">[22]

Credits
Final Fantasy Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_(video_game)

Final Fantasy II Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_II

Final Fantasy III Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_III

Final Fantasy IV Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_IV

Final Fantasy V Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_V

Final Fantasy VI Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_VI

Final Fantasy VII Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_VII

Final Fantasy VIII Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_VIII

Final Fantasy IX Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_IX

Final Fantasy X Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_X

Final Fantasy XI Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_XI

Final Fantasy XII Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_XII

Final Fantasy XIII Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_XIII

Final Fantasy XIV Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_XIV

Final Fantasy (series) Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy

Final Fantasy Wikia: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_Wiki

FFXIClopedia: http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

All information, citation, and reference can be found on these Wiki's.