Tag Archives: ps1

May 27, 2012 · 8:03 PM

Review: Why You Should Play Final Fantasy Tactics

Final Fantasy Tactics is a tactical RPG released on the Sony PlayStation that features an intriguing political storyline with a strategic and complex battle system.

As Yasumi Matsuno’s first project after joining SquareSoft, Final Fantasy Tactics introduced players to the war ravaged kingdom of Ivalice. Final Fantasy Tactics is deep and engrossing, featuring the greatest edition of the job system used in many Final Fantasy titles. The game is difficult and dense, but the committed player is rewarded with one of the greatest stories told in an RPG.

The story of Final Fantasy Tactics is set during the events of “The War of the Lions”, where Duke Larg and Duke Goltanna are fighting each other to claim the throne. It is on this backdrop that childhood friends, the high born Ramza Beoulve and low born Delita witness the ugly prejudice between nobles and commoners. The tragic death of Delita’s sister changes both of their lives, as Delita begins a plan to use and manipulate the nobility to rise above his rank and seek rule over Ivalice, while Ramza denounces his noble name and fights unrewarded for justice and to protect the princess who is caught up in the political mess. The mature narrative delves into the morals of both men as one becomes the corrupt hero that the public praises, while the other becomes the brave hero that the pages of history forgot.

Battles in Final Fantasy Tactics take place on a 3D isometric field. Each party member can be controlled by moving them around the field and selecting attacks, spells and items. It plays out like a game of chess as position and strategy are very important to the outcome of the battle. Characters are fully customisable, using the extensive job system. There are over 20 different classes to choose from including special versions for important characters. By equipping your army with the likes of Knights, Mages, Summoners and Ninjas, the game is endlessly re-playable and engaging.

The music of Final Fantasy Tactics is both beautiful and mysterious. The battle theme “Trisection” is stirring, but thoughtful, emulating the game-plays use of tactics, while the melodic piano piece “Hero’s Theme” captures the tragic struggle of Delita and Ramza. The soundtrack compliments the story fantastically.

Final Fantasy Tactics is an extremely deep and rewarding experience. If you wish to play an RPG that will challenge and captivate you from beginning to end you should play Final Fantasy Tactics.

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April 25, 2012 · 5:52 PM

Which Console Had The Best RPGs? (Part 3)

After the evolution from 2D sprites on the SNES to the limited 3D models on the PlayStation, RPGs on the PlayStation 2 finally featured fully 3D worlds to explore. The powerful hardware of the PS2 allowed RPGs to utilise more detailed character models and environments, exciting new battle systems and topped it all off with orchestral soundtracks and voice acting.

Sony PlayStation 2 (PS2)  

Gone were the days of pre-rendered backgrounds, games were now using fully 3D models with the ability to move the camera around and view the world anyway you wanted. RPGs such as Final Fantasy XII enabled players to roam around its massive world seamlessly, going to places ahead of the story and even finding enemies that were way above their level.

Cut scenes were made more realistic with the use of voice acting and motion capture and games like Kingdom Hearts even had Hollywood actors leading their talents to help bring characters to life. Musical scores where now orchestral and composers could add more depth and instruments to their arrangements.  Even with the advancements in other aspects of the genre, RPGs still had memorable stories to tell such as the wonderful journey through Spira in Final Fantasy X or the 3 part Sci-fi epic of Xenosaga. The improved presentation of PS2 RPGs allowed developers to fully realise their visions on screen and create immersing worlds.

With the popularity of the PS2 and the RPG genre during these years many niche games where able to receive widespread recognition such as Persona 3 and 4, that merged the modern settings of high school classrooms with turn-based dungeon crawls. Not everything became more realistic and the use of cell-shaded graphics in titles such as Rouge Galaxy presented art styles that mesmerised players. Action RPGs became more plentiful and battle systems such as the one found in Star Ocean 3 provided intense action with full control over character movement.

RPGs on the PS2 had a tremendous amount of variety enabling all players to find a game that would satisfy their tastes. The Best RPGs found on the PS2 include: Final Fantasy X and XII, Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, Xenosaga Episode 1,2 and 3, Dragon Quest VIII, Star Ocean 3, Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria, Rouge Galaxy, Dark Cloud and Dark Chronicle, Persona 3 and 4, Odin Sphere, Suikoden III, IV and V and many more.

So what is your favourite console for RPGs? The SNES, PS1, PS2 or do you think another console has a greater collection of games? Let me know what you think!

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Filed under Dragon Quest Series, Editorial, Final Fantasy Series, Kingdom Hearts Series, Persona, Rogue Galaxy, Xenosaga

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March 18, 2012 · 9:48 PM

Which Console Had The Best RPGs? (Part 2)

While the Super Nintendo is home to some of the true classics of the genre, the original PlayStation offers a huge variety of RPGs with more mature storylines, deeper mechanics and the introduction of mesmerising FMVs. The PS1 allowed developers more freedom to enhance the way they could present their stories which provided many new features to the genre.

Sony PlayStation (PS1)

With the extra power provided by the PlayStation hardware, RPGs such as the magnificent Final Fantasy VII amazed players with Full Motion Videos (FMVs) that helped depict important moments in the game in a more impressive way. Coming from 2D sprites, to seeing worlds realised in 3D was exciting for players at the time. Watching an emotional scene or intense action in more detail was something to look forward too, rather than a chore as in many modern games.

Stories became more ambitious too, involving more mature and complex plotlines, as well as adding more depth to characters. PS1 RPGs delved into themes unexplored by video games at the time and games such as Xenogears featured memorable characters, dealing with real issues that players could relate to. While Final Fantasy Tactics offered a plot filled with political intrigue, murder and heresy. More detailed character models and environments added to the sense of atmosphere and made the narratives more compelling to the player.

Art design and game mechanics were diverse, resulting in RPGs that provided unique experiences. Valkyrie Profile was willing to innovate on traditional mechanics, while Vagrant Story included a battle system and complexity unlike any other RPG before it. Worlds were bigger and more captivating and with the use of pre-rendered backgrounds they were full of detail and life. Designers explored different settings ranging from futuristic and modern, to medieval and even outer space. Experimentation was at its highest and it rewarded players with some the greatest RPGs ever made.

With the use of CD as storage media, RPG music was of higher quality and even vocal pieces were utilised. With voice acting still not common place, music was imperative to the experience and soundtracks such as Chrono Cross featured some of the best orchestral music ever to grace a video game.

RPGs on the PS1 were philosophical and ambitious, leaving players with stories they would never forget. It has a massive number of titles with the best of the best including: Final Fantasy VII, VII and IX, Chrono Cross, Xenogears, Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy Tactics, Legend of Mana, Parasite Eve, Valkyrie Profile, Grandia, Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, The Legend of Dragoon, Suikoden 1 and 2, Wild Arms, Star Ocean: The Second Story and many more.

The next article will explore the great RPGs developed on the PlayStation 2.

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Filed under Chrono Series, Editorial, Final Fantasy Series, Mana Series, Parasite Eve Series, Vagrant Story, Xenogears

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