Page 10 The Lion’s Eye April 2008 Kickin’ It Old School: Find Fors By Joey DiCamillo Lion's Eye Staff Writer jld457@psu.edu It is a very interesting to see how far videogame franchises have come today considering where they started many years ago. Franchises come and go, some become forgotten, and some evolve into massive super giants of the videog- ame industry. One such franchise, Final Fantasy, has grown into something larger than even the makers ever thought it would have. With the thirteenth numerical game (which is being made into a three part saga) being worked on, very numerous spin-offs, two computer animated feature films and animated works, Final Fantasy is, bluntly speaking, just a huge franchise, but it was most definitely not planned this way. We take a step back now to revisit the game that created a fantasy fortunately never final. The company vesponsitic for making Final Fantasy, SquareEnix, in the 1980s (then called Square) faced the fear of bankruptcy. As part of a final game for creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, planning to retire, the game was named “Final Fan- tasy.” Released on December 18, 1987 in Japan for the Famicon (1990 in the US for the Nintendo), Final Fantasy was very well received. The game was so well received] that the game solved all financial problems for Square. For Square, Final Fantasy ironically became a series most definitely not final. : : The first Final Fantasy presented a role playing experience in which you assumed the control of four “light” warriors who each have in their possession orbs/ crystals. The orbs carry no light, though, for four fiends of different elements dark- ened the orbs. It is up to the light warriors to restore light to the orbs and fight back the fiends and the evil lord Garland in order to save the world. The player had the choice of choosing the classes of the light warriors at the beginning of the game. The classes were Warrior, White Mage, Black Mage, Red Mage, Monk, and Thief and all were upgradeable later in the game. Also, the player was given a larger over-world to explore and many towns and dungeons to visit. Monster ‘battling was triggered randomly though out the world map and the dungeons. In addition, the battle system featured turn-based-combat in which the player and the opponent had to wait for their turns to attack. When the player had their turn, they were given a list of actions to choose from to initiate an attack, a magic spell, use an item, and others. Revolutionary for the time, players were able to actually see the use of different weapons in the animation, which was a graphical achievement. Final Fantasy is a series always trying to push the graphical standards in gaming. Musical- ly, many songs of the series have become Final Fantasy staples, such as the theme of] Final Fantasy, and the song “Prelude” which debuted in the first game and had been in almost every single Final Fantasy game to date. * Final Fantasy is a major franchise of today, setting many standards and trying so hard to hold up to every one’s expectations. The first in the series began a series that just might never be final, but who’s complaining? Registered on the web as currently the fourth largest selling franchise of all time, it looks that Final Fantasy may just as well be sticking around for a while longer. With Final Fantasy XIII for the PS3 on the horizon and the recent release of the prequel, Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core for the PSP, SquareEnix supplies generously for the Final Fantasy fan. Just do not forget the game that started it all and if you have the urge to im- merse yourself in old school RPG madness, Final Fantasy I will not be hard to find. Released on the Nintendo and re-released/remade on the MSX2, Wonderswan Color, PlayStation, Gameboy Advance, mobile phones, and the PSP, Final Fantasy I is ev- erywhere. Considering that Final Fantasy I could have been final, the franchise has come a long way and hopefully Final Fantasy will continue to go on. Like an airship taking to the skies, Final Fantasy will continue to soar. RLDUN MCV IEW HINENCHIAILY, GHOMIELY By Paul DiPietro Contributing Writer pad5026@psu.edu When Trent Reznor from NIN didn’t announce any live performance dates in North America last fall in support of Nine Inch Nails’ sixth album, Year Zero, I felt as if something was amiss. Europe was able to rock out to “Survivalism.” Why wasn’t I? It was some time in late September or mid- October when I gave up on the idea of a tour, and sure enough, the live band NIN (Reznor is the only constant member of the group and does the gut of the work) was broken by the end of the year and no one knew what was going to happen. At the same time, Reznor was finally out of his prison of a contract with Interscope Records and was free to do as he pleased. Surely enough, March begins, and on the second of that month, a surprise announcement came out to the celebration of all: a new album composed of thirty-six purely instrumental tracks, built in a form similar to four nine-track EPs, entitled Ghosts I-IV. Reznor one-upped the concept Radiohead had previously taken on with In Rainbows last year. Instead the album was up for release as an immediate-download in high-quality formats for a mere $5, as well as in several other formats to be released on April 10th. It includes an “ultra- Patrol official said. Pamela Anderson, the former ELATED. DISHING DIG: Bhe laBest in celebriby gossip Stephen Colbert’s ma not be the number on candidate for President, but he’s still determined to be part of the race. “The Colbert Report” will be coming LIVE from Philadelphia, where the Democratic Pennsylvania primary is looming. Rumor has it that Colbert hopes the relocation will return him to center stage in the election. Britney Spears triggered a | minor accident while applying her makeup on a freeway in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley on April 12, but no one was injured and no tickets issued, a California Btighway Playboy model and “Baywatch” star, will be featured in a new documentary-style show on E! television, the network said recently. The Peabody Award-winning *“Proj- ect Runway” is now going to using Life- time’s runway and NBC Universal Co. responded to the departure by suing to keep the series on its Bravo network. And be happy all you teeny boppers who are secretly Wildcats! Even before “High School Musical 3” hits movie theaters in the fall, Disney Channel is starting work on “High School Musical 4.” We know our own Brittany Niemeth is sold out its 2,500 sets) which includes all of the above and extra prints -- all signed by Trent himself -- for $300. The moment one begins to listen to what Reznor and a few other musicians (such as Adrian Belew of King Crimson; Brian Viglione of The Dresden Dolls) spent a mere ten weeks completing is simply a dream world of twists and turns in the genres of ambient and industrial music. Reznor will breathe into one’s ears as piano keys are struck with the softest touch, only to blast into a grind of ten instruments at once a mere few seconds later with no indication. The album at its core, near two hours in length, is an outstanding example of how modern music can be enjoyable without the need for lyrical content. Take everything that is musically good from NIN’s past albums, put them together, and take away the unnecessary, often angst-ridden lyrics; the result is bliss. Oh yeah, and the best news? A United States tour has been announced — check NIN.com for details. Special to The Lion's Eye (image courtesy of google.com) Stay tuned for more Dishing Dirt in the next issue.....
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