The featured articles for 2011. Things go fortnightly.
December 15th, 2011[]
Undying, we Occuria light the path for wayward sons of man. Oft did we pass judgment on them so that Ivalice might endure. Eternal, we are hist'ry's stewards, to set the course and keep it true.
Gerun, leader of the Occuria
The Occuria (オキューリア, Okyūria?) are the most powerful beings in the world of Ivalice. They are referred to, by themselves and others, as "The Undying", though their existence is unknown to Ivalice at large. The Sage Knowledge available via the bestiary suggests the Occuria used to live on Ivalice among the other races before withdrawing into their own realm. The Occuria live high above the Ancient City of Giruvegan, higher than any airship can reach. Despite the fact they are apparently responsible for much of the development of Ivalice, they only appear in Final Fantasy XII and are only briefly mentioned in Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, without so much as a mention in the rest of the Ivalice Alliance. The Occuria are apparently willing to do whatever it takes to modify the course of Ivalice to their standards, including using phantom images of loved ones to manipulate people and sealing away insubordinate races who refused to accept the Occurian weave of fate. (more...)
December 1st, 2011[]
You have braved the bowels of Hell to reach me. But the hand of man, which deals in false justice and forsaken love, can never hope to defeat the lord master of Hell!
The Emperor
The Emperor of Palamecia (パラメキア皇帝, Paramekia Kōtei?) is the primary antagonist and final boss of Final Fantasy II. He is the ruler of Palamecia who aims to conquer the world through demonic forces. Though known simply as the Emperor in Final Fantasy II, he is named Mateus (マティウス, Matiusu?) in the game's Japan-exclusive novelization: Final Fantasy II Nightmare's Labyrinth by Kenji Terada.
The plot of Final Fantasy II begins with the Emperor's campaign for world domination by using a massive army of creatures summoned from Hell. Several kingdoms like Fynn, Kashuan and Deist resist, but they are all subdued by the Emperor's actions. In the case of the militarily-powerful homeland of the Dragoons, Deist, the Emperor ordered the poisoning of their wyverns' water supplies, leaving the Dragoons powerless. (more...)
November 15th, 2011[]
The Garlean Empire is an Empire from Final Fantasy XIV, and is one of the game's main antagonist groups. Its technology is said to be far ahead of the Eorzean city-states, specializing in magitek machinery and airships. Their magitek technology is empowered by a substance called Ceruleum, a special component that can be mined from below the earth or obtained by draining elemental Crystals; it is said that the origin of Unaspected Crystals may be simply the removal of their Ceruleum
Until around fifty years ago, Garlemald was a remote and sparsely populated nation occupying little more than a fraction of the northlands. However, with the arrival of a technological golden age and the emergence of a brilliant young legatus, now Emperor, within a single generation Garlemald established itself as one of the most formidable forces of Hyedalyn, and quickly started conquering other nations with it's unmatched magitek artillery and air force.
Fifteen years prior to the game's events, in the year 1557 of the Sixth Astral Era, the Empire launched an attack on the city-states of Eorzea, using powerful machinery far more advanced than those of their enemies and massive airships to wreak havoc on the northern part of the Aldenard. Quickly, the once known as the most powerful of these states, Ala Mhigo, fell before the mighty of the Empire. (more...)
November 1st, 2011[]
Band is a gameplay term in Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. They are special combination attacks between two or more characters, activated at the cost of some MP, and can either grant beneficial effects to the party or strike enemies with a powerful attack or spell.
Some Bands are learned in accordance with a story event, while others are learned by the player manually inputting commands in battle to discover them. Within the story, Band abilities can only be performed between characters with a deep bond, such as friendship or relatives. The powers of the Bands usually reflect the characters using them and the bond that allows them to Band.
To discover a Band that does not require a story event to be accessed, the player selects the Band command, then "Search for Bands." The player then inputs the proper commands from party members to combine powers (for example, Cecil's Attack and Rosa's White Magic), and executes the Band. If the correct abilities have been combined, the appropriate Band will activate. The character whose turn it is does not need to input a command. The first time a Band has been discovered this way it costs no MP to use. After a Band has been discovered by searching for it or through a story event, it will appear in the Band menu and can be selected to execute without having to input commands. (more...)
October 2011[]
l'Cie. Those marked by the fal'Cie for a greater destiny.
Official Final Fantasy XIII game trailer
The l'Cie (ルシ, Rushi?) [ɫə'siː] (pronounced "luh-see") are chosen humans that are given a Focus to fulfill, in the Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy titles Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII-2, and Final Fantasy Type-0.
In Final Fantasy XIII, l'Cie are chosen by the fal'Cie in order to fulfill an attributed Focus by the Crystal-based deities. The fal'Cie will not explicitly tell the l'Cie what their Focus is; instead, they must figure it out for themselves with the aid of various ambiguous visions. If a l'Cie fails to complete his or her Focus, they will be transformed into a monstrous crystallized creature known as a Cie'th.
However, the "reward" for completing a Focus is not much better, for the l'Cie will be granted "eternal life" and turned into a crystal to sleep forever and later reawakened in order to complete another Focus at the will of the fal'Cie. It is for this reason that many think the fate of a l'Cie is worse than death itself. (more...)
September 2011[]
The Void is a recurring theme in the Final Fantasy series. It can be taken in reference to either the physical phenomenon or the ideal of nothingness, though both tend to go hand-in-hand.
The Void, as it is referred to as an actual, physical area in space, often takes a form chosen by its "wielder" or current denizens, though it is often seen against a backdrop of pure darkness or celestial atmosphere. The term "Void" is also used in reference to the power to distort, or remove entirely, large parts of space. This is the most present form of the Void in the series.
In most, if not all, instances in which the Void is prevalent, so is the nihilistic attitude of those seeking to make use of its power. Often times this starts out as a simple desire for incredible power, but inevitably leads to an intense desire to reduce everything to a state of non-existence. Whether this is due to the fact the Void is an intelligent or sentient being, or if it is merely the result of gaining the state of being to make use of such power, is not known. (more...)
August 2011[]
Devotion - Someday I will be Queen, but I will always be myself.
Garnet's quote
Garnet til Alexandros XVII, alias Dagger (ダガー Dagā) and real name Sarah, is the deuteragonist of Final Fantasy IX, and the heir of Alexandria. Garnet notices a change in her mother, Queen Brahne, and tries to escape Alexandria castle. Trying to hide her identity as a princess while traveling with Zidane, Garnet takes the alias Dagger, inspired by Zidane's weapon. Initially a polite and soft-spoken young woman, Garnet becomes wiser and matures as she travels with Zidane, eventually resolving to use her powers as a summoner to protect her kingdom.
Garnet has long dark hair pulled back in a low ponytail with a blue clip. After she cuts her hair, it becomes above shoulder-length. She has brown eyes and fair skin. Garnet appears for most of the game in her peasant attire, a skin-tight orange jumpsuit with large buckles on the thighs and a white bell-sleeved blouse. She wears a black choker and red gloves and boots. She wears a long pendant with a jewel set in it. When escaping from Alexandria castle, Garnet wears a white robe identical to the iconic White Mage robe, with a large hood, red triangles along the hood and waist, and red cuffs. While appearing in her more formal attire, Garnet wears a long white strapless gown decorated with green vine-like leaves from chest to waist. She also wears a gold ornament in her hair, detached sleeves, a silver crown embedded with green jewels, and a green jeweled necklace. When Garnet enters Trance, her skin turns pink with white glyph-like symbols along her legs, a white unitard with a low neckline, and light green sleeves and boots. (more...)
July 2011[]
They may be called "pyreflies" but they aren't really "flies", you see. They're those lights you see whenever a fiend dies. The little fellows are responsible for a few fantastic phenomena. Visions of the past, spheres, fiends--these are all the pyreflies' doing. In fact...pyreflies have something to do with aeons, too. The dreams of the fayth reach through the spirit of the summoner... And that which is unreal becomes real for all to see!
Pyreflies are an ambiguous, naturally occurring phenomenon that heavily influences the events of Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2.
Pyreflies are prevalent throughout the world of Spira and are closely linked with the concepts of lifeforce and spiritual energy; in fact, they are the form that disembodied spiritual energy takes.
Despite the allusion their name gives to the real-world insect, pyreflies are not depicted as living creatures. Though they have been harnessed to many uses, both good and ill, in their inert form, they appear to lack self-awareness and any identifiable agenda. As such, they are nothing more than an aspect of nature. (more...)
June 2011[]
A Battle, also known as a Fight, or an Encounter, is an event in the Final Fantasy series, and one of the key modules that make up a game. A battle can be triggered from either the Field or world map modules, most commonly through the random encounter system. In simple terms, a battle is commonly made up of a player party and an opposing party. The common objective of a battle is to defeat the opposing party by utilizing the abilities on the command menu. A unit is removed from battle when its HP stat reduces to 0, imposing the Knocked Out status.
Battles are made up of a large number of intricate systems and devices that affect the way the game is played. Each game is usually defined by its primary system, known simply as its battle system. Different battle systems vary on the time gauge, or lack thereof, and the order of attacks launched by each individual unit. All of the games have a status bar that include the player's important stats, such as HP and MP. On this bar is a command window that appears when a party unit has a chance to select a command. The commands have different effects, affecting a varying number of targets, and may make use of different elements and statuses. Outside of battle players can incorporate support abilities into the mix, where a player automatically has an in-battle effector equipped. (more...)
May 2011[]
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy*, simply known as Dissidia 012, is the prequel to The caption "duodecim" indicates the intended pronunciation of 012Dissidia Final Fantasy. It is playable on the PlayStation Portable and has been released in Japan. Most of North America, save Canada, which had been delayed due to a shipping error, received the game on March 22, 2011. Australia, Europe, and Canada received the game on March 25, 2011, and it is now available to the rest of the world.
Main Scenario 012 has nine chapters, all centered around the new characters, except Gilgamesh and Prishe, and their journey to end the conflict. The game begins with the six new characters on their way to the Sanctuary. Cosmos calls upon her warriors and imbues them with her powers in order to stop Chaos and bring an end to the conflict. The Warriors set out on their journey to find their crystals. Lightning separates from the others after Kuja and Kefka appear. On her way to the Sanctuary to catch up with the others she encounters Kain and an injured Bartz. Bartz reveals that Kain has attacked him and Kain turns his lance on Lightning. After a brief battle between the two, Garland and Exdeath appear and Kain escapes with Bartz. Exdeath pursues Kain and Garland informs Lightning of a horde of Manikins and tells her to enjoy the time she has left. (more...)
April 2011[]
Final Fantasy VIII is the eighth installment in the Final Fantasy series. The game is the second Final Fantasy developed for both PlayStation and PC. It was made available as a PSOne Classic over the PlayStation Network in Japan on September 24, 2009, in North America on December 18, 2009 and in Europe on February 4, 2010.
Thirteen weeks after its release, Final Fantasy VIII had earned more than $50 million from sales in the United States, making it the fastest selling Final Fantasy title at the time. Additionally, Final Fantasy VIII was voted the 22nd-best game of all time by readers of the Japanese magazine Famitsu. Final Fantasy VIII went on to become one of the best-selling games in the series; the game had shipped 8.15 million copies worldwide as of March 31, 2003.
Final Fantasy VIII is a departure from many traditional series standards. It is the first Final Fantasy game to consistently use realistically proportioned characters, the first to feature a vocal piece as its theme music, and one of the only titles to deviate from the series' traditional means of increasing a character's power via leveling (although levels are not completely abandoned as they were in Final Fantasy II). In addition, it does not have a Magic Point-based system for spell-casting. Instead, magic is collected, drawn, and created from monsters and objects encountered throughout the game, and is used to power up the characters via the Junction system. (more...)
March 2011[]
This solitary young woman speaks little of herself - even her true name is a mystery. She is known to others simply as 'Lightning'.
Online Description
Lightning is a playable character and the main protagonist in Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2. She is initially shown to be a cold person, who distances herself from her companions, but later shows a caring and compassionate side. She fights to survive and see her sister Serah come out of crystal stasis. Lightning has the distinction of being only the second female main protagonist of a game in the mainstream Final Fantasy series, the first being Terra Branford from Final Fantasy VI.
Lightning is a fit young woman with long, light pink hair, pale aqua-colored eyes, and a heart-shaped face. She wears a uniform for the Guardian Corps, based around a sleeveless white overcoat over a brown turtleneck-like shirt and green metallic pauldron with yellow stripes symbolizing her rank as a sergeant. Notably, she also wears a red cape attached to her back on the left side, a long black sleeve over her left arm, knee-high leather boots, and a brown mini-skirt over high-topped black shorts. Her gunblade is carried behind her in a black case which hangs off her belt, along with a red pack strapped to her left leg. In addition, she also has a necklace with a lightning bolt pendant, two black bands around her right bicep, and a silver navel piercing. Her l'Cie brand is located on her left breast. (more...)
February 2011[]
Young, beautiful, and somewhat mysterious, Aeris met Cloud while selling flowers on the streets of Midgar...
Description
Aerith Gainsborough, also known as Aeris Gainsborough, is a protagonist of Final Fantasy VII and a major character in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII; appearing in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-. She is the last of the Cetra, an ancient race with powerful magical abilities, and so the Shinra Electric Power Company hunts her throughout her life seeking to exploit her powers. Aerith is portrayed as an independent, outgoing and kind young woman who displays an intuitive understanding of others at times, and is deeply in-tune with nature. During Final Fantasy VII Aerith is killed by Sephiroth, an event that has been cited as one of the most famous and influential moments in video game history.
Aerith is upbeat and cheerful, and several times in Final Fantasy VII attempts to cheer up her fellow party members. As she was raised in the slums, Aerith maintains that she can take care of herself, and is capable of fighting off Shinra troops; going out of her way to help Cloud Strife rescue Tifa Lockhart from Don Corneo. When Aerith has made up her mind about doing something, she will not listen to anyone who tells her otherwise. Aerith and Tifa can often be found spending time together when the party splits up on occasion and are good friends. (more...)
January 2011[]
Take a good look. Isn't it beautiful? It's the original crystal... This is where it all began... The birthplace of all things...
Crystals (クリスタル, Kurisutaru) are legendary and often elemental stones and objects that have appeared in almost every game in the main Final Fantasy series. Even in games where they are not a central plot point, there has been at least some reference to them. Crystals have power over natural phenomena, and function as a powerful source of magical energy. Many antagonists focus their efforts on seizing the Crystals to gain power towards their goal.
In most games there are typically four Crystals: a Water Crystal, a Fire Crystal, a Wind Crystal, and an Earth Crystal. On occasion Crystals may be aligned with Darkness. Crystals may often be found in crystal rooms in early games. The Crystals are often treasured for their power and many myths and legends surround the true extent of their abilities. Uncovering the truth of these myths and their meaning is a typical part of any Final Fantasy game. (more...)