Final Fantasy 12

I have always been a big fan of the FF series. I love the art work, the cut scenes, the story line, and the somewhat complicated characters. This series has definitely evolved over time because the main character always remains the same; the tough but small blond kid with an in-your-face attitude and a heart of gold. Inspiring isn't it?

But something is nagging at me. I can't figure out what exactly, but this time around playing FF just feels a little off. ? The experience is different, not as enjoyable as it was when I first picked up FF 7 back in high school. Back then I even played the original version on my old NES, which I still have. Maybe I'm getting old, maybe I've changed...maybe we've grown apart. :(

It's not surprising though, FF hasn't really changed at all in the past ten years. Die-hard fans of the series refuse to admit that they've been playing the same game for their whole teenage life. Each new version is prettier than the last...like I said before, the characters will always remain the same. There was one unique deviation in the series and that was FF 9. It's bubbly characters put a different twist on the old game, but really nothing changed besides the art work. The same characters are still represented.

Look at the boy hero, for instance. He's tough, but short, blond, has attitude, and will end up saving the world, so he also has a heart of gold. Then look at the girl heroine, she looks almost exactly like Tifa from FF 7, only a little more fleshed out. There's the standard big guy, the wild guy (with appropriately red hair) and the reclusive sorcerer.

Hmmm. Why am I still playing these?

Well, for one thing, although it is true that each new version is essentially an improved copy of itself, FF does have some new features that are new and exciting. Like this new battle set-up, for instance. The old games would break away from the world and the battle field existed almost on a separate plane from the adventure game. It was kind of like a cut-scene in itself, but here FF 12 follows other games' style of walking and encountering monsters that you either choose to engage or run from. Magic is now shared amongst party members so that only one kind needs to be purchased instead of having to equip each character individually. But still, if this is all FF 12 has to offer...why am I still playing it?

I've been thinking about marketing and how game series like Final Fantasy come out with one game, and then never stop. However, although it is kind of dull, it still works. I bought FF 12 with no hesitation because my past experiences in playing the FF series has always been enjoyable, I never stopped to think that even though I liked all the others, I might not like them anymore. After having played Katamari Damacy and its sequel We Love Katamari, I'm finding the FF series lacking in entertainment. It's almost like a ball-and-chain with me now, I am compelled to continue on with the series because I'm afraid that if I stop playing each new game I might miss something spectacular. This addiction needs to end! And what kind of video game programmers rely on so heavily on graphics? God of War is entertaining because of its simplicity, but the FF series keeps getting more and more complicated with bigger and better graphics and more expansive, movie-like cut-scenes. When will it end?!?

It's almost unfair that games like Final Fantasy can still be so captivating, while games like Katamari Damacy are hardly known. By the way, I've been looking for Katamari in both its forms but have yet to find it on any shelf, while Final Fantasy 12 is everywhere.