How were you introduced to Final Fantasy?

[Tedius Zanarukando]

Here is the story of how I got introduced to Final Fantasy. How I got introduced to Final Fantasy is complex and rather long story. Final Fantasy is the third Square Enix video game franchise that I was introduced to; Dragon Quest is the first one I was introduced to. I used to hate Final Fantasy, but now I love it with my whole heart and soul. The story of me getting introduced into Final Fantasy is a rather long story.

Here is the story of how I got interested: I was introduced to video games three years before Final Fantasy was introduced in Japan. Super Mario was once my favorite video game franchise, and Final Fantasy did not exist when I was introduced to Super Mario. Mario has never had chance to make the cut for me. My brother borrowed Dragon Warrior I, at the time of its North American release, from a friend of his, and I was playing Dragon Warrior, but it did not make the cut for me. Nintendo of America published the first strategy guides in 1990, which are of Super Mario Bros. 3 (as NP Vol. 13), of Ninja Gaiden 2 (as NP Vol. 15), of Final Fantasy I (as NP Vol. 17), and Gauntlet 2 (as NP Vol. 19). I was reading each one of them. My brother Sidney threw FF1 strategy guide in the trash and burned it up. Then I got mad at that, and then I hated Final Fantasy so much up to the time I was introduced to it. Final Fantasy was once my least favorite video game franchise for that reason. That was a long time ago.

Three years later, I was introduced to SaGa, another video game franchise from Squaresoft. My oldest brother Ricky bought SaGa 3 (FF Legend 3) in 1993. I got interested in SaGa shortly thereafter and got hooked on it and loved the SaGa series. However, it attempted to make the cut for me, but barely failed. After two years of playing SaGa, a young man talked me into liking the Final Fantasy series telling how the great the video game franchise is. It was an extremely difficult a conversion. There was a very little chance to make me a Final Fantasy fan. I attempted to resist conversion, but I barely failed. In the long run, all of what that young man said to me made me change my mind about Final Fantasy. Then I oversaw the success of Final Fantasy VI at the time and heard about Nobuo Uematsu's musical quality. I concluded that the Final Fantasy series would be most appealing to me, and I finally started to show love for Final Fantasy.

All of that motivated me to rent Final Fantasy IV Easytype (Final Fantasy II USA) at a local Blockbuster Video rental place. I played the game for 10 hours each day, for I got hooked on the game. One year later, that same young man, a friend of my brother, handed his copy of Final Fantasy IV Easytype over to me. He is one of Jehovah's Witnesses, the religious organization that I was formerly associated with. I got hooked on Final Fantasy IV even more when I received my copy of it, and it got me hooked. I beat the game six times.

On May 20, 2000, I started visiting VGMusic.com and listened to the Final Fantasy MIDIs repeatedly for hours. On November 30, 2000, when I found out about Final Fantasy V, I began to play other old school Final Fantasy games. I just could not get enough of Final Fantasy. Then I found out about Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX. They have been waiting to be played by me. On a Sunday in July 2001, that same man who gave me Final Fantasy IV gave me the PC versions of Final Fantasy VII and VIII, and I was so excited about it, but I have not got my hands on them yet. On the following month, I discovered how great Final Fantasy X is and how appealing it is to me. I found Final Fantasy X to be the most appealing video game to me. Therefore, I declared Final Fantasy X my favorite video game. Final Fantasy VIII and X opened my eyes to Final Fantasy, and Final Fantasy overtook Super Mario as my favorite video game franchise. In August, I tried other Squaresoft video game franchises, but none of them could make the cut for me. Therefore, Final Fantasy is the only video game franchise that can make the cut for me. SaGa, Seiken Densetsu, Chrono, Front Mission, and Dragon Warrior knocked Super Mario even further down on my preference ranking. I do not like Super Mario as much as I used to. Because of all that, I have concluded, "I love Final Fantasy more than any other video game franchise." This is true today and will be true in the future. Final Fantasy has a special part of my heart, and SaGa is sitting next to it, and it will stay that way forever. My love and passion for Final Fantasy are one thousand feet deep, and I have fallen in love with it. I now love Final Fantasy very much and with my whole heart and soul. I am one of the biggest Final Fantasy fans in the world. I like to get fellow gamers to share my love for Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy VIII was my favorite game for a short time, but it was overtaken by Final Fantasy X, especially with the song Suteki Da Ne, and it recently pushed to third place by SimCity 4. Now, Final Fantasy X is my favorite game of all time.

[VITG]

I only read the last line, but from that line I can tell that I'd agree with the rest of the post whole-heartedly. That game changed my LIFE...

[Miss Lockheart]

FFX was my turning point too, it was the first one I ever played, and it got me through some hard times ^^

[Neku]

Someone told me that I was created by the makers of Final Fantasy. Of course, I didn't believe them, but it made me curious as to what Final Fantasy was.

[JET73L]

One of my mom;s friend's took care of me during the day one summer when I was... I think 10, maybe 11. Her grown-up son had a PS2, and he let me play FFX and Legend of the Dragoon. I loved both games. Got as far as the town with all the cliffs on LoD, and on FFX I made it to the fight against Seymour where you can use Shiva. FFX was the reason I got a PS2.

[Tedius Zanarukando]

Yes, playing Final Fantasy helps me get through difficult times. When I was playing a Final Fantasy game for the first time in my life, it helped me cope with a hard time I had going through my freshman year in high school.

[Firesnake]

The first game I SAW was Final Fantasy VII (the bit with the dolphin)
and I thought it looked awesome.
I wanted to buy it too and accidentally bought FF VIII
I noticed the misstake immediately but I was caught by the story immediately
I just loved it
And that's how I got addicted to Final Fantasy

[Delorean]

I got hooked on Final Fantasy in middle school when I made friends with the quiet kid everyone thinks is emo, when he really just doesn't care and wants you to die and leave him alone. =D

He'd asked me if I'd played Final Fantasy before, and I told him Final Fantasy was gay, pretty much imitating some kind of jock-gamer who didn't even know wtf Final Fantasy was, regardless of the fact the first FF related thing I ever played was the demo of Final Fantasy VIII that came with Brave Fencer Musashi.

I visited his home and played VIII, X, and X-2, but VIII won me over with it's brilliant musical score and designs.

[Terminal Est]

It was all thanks to him...



I used to play a lot of adventure and platform games such as the Mario franchise, and various TurboGrafix 16 titles, however eventually someone had lent me a copy of Secret of Mana. I was horrible at it, but tasted the atmosphere and magic of the role playing game genre, which is all but gone today...needless to say, not speaking much English then, I failed miserably.

On a faithful winter night, my father took me to a pawn shop so I could pick a video game, as a Christmas present. I found Final Fantasy II (IV.) and had heard of this serie's popularity. So I took that.

Bringing it home, I was disappointed at the turn based and command selection combat scheme, as I had thought it would be like Zelda or Secret of Mana. I got up to the Myst Dragon, perished and put the game away.

Later in the night however, I tried it again, and something clicked. Am not sure what, but I was enthralled in the game without realizing it...I was hooked ever since.

I did not understand much English though, and did not comprehend the concept of going up levels whatsoever and therefore making your characters stronger. It totally escaped me, and had such a hard time advancing in the game.

My pivotal moment was with the Great Milon ha ha, or rather, Scarmiglion. I had enough trouble GETTING to him, let alone beating him. His zombies would not stop tearing me to pieces, and I did not understand that fire or healing magic would work against them and relied merely on the odds of ''Twin'', and was much despaired when my physical attacks did 1 damage. So many tries, I died so many times...FINALLY I managed to best him, but I did not know that he would appear again at the other end of the bridge...I did not go to save, he appeared, completely destroyed my already used up party, I almost cried and tore my hair out.

But eventually I picked up on the levels, and had built them up like crazy before facing him again...I died AGAIN at Kluya, but quickly figured that one out.

Mount Ordeals truly WAS an ordeal for me, but after overcoming it, I had realized just how damn awesome this game was, and it was the best plot I had seen so far after what happens to Cecil once beating this fiend. Not to mention the further developing of the plot later within the game.

Later in the game, the Magus Sisters and Valvalis handed my ass to me so many times, but I remembered the level thing, ha ha...

So while I was introduced to this series in the hopes of playing something like SoM, Scarmiglion and his forsaken zombies persuaded me to keep with the genre.

Also, I found this picture, which strangely resembles Scarmiglion after Googling his name...Or perhaps it would be a better rendering of Cagnazo. XD



Everyone has heard my Milon story before, but it goes right along Michael Myers in the anals of my life. XD

[VITG]

Off topic, but can I just say that I find it hard to imagine you not being able to speak English o.O