In 2000, the original Final Fantasy received it’s first remake. The Wonderswan Color gave the game all new graphics and programmers went so far as to add in lots of new functionality and cutscenes that the original lacked.
After examining high technology and futuristic settings for the three previous titles, Final Fantasy 9 reverts back to the fantasy roots of the series. Developed alongside Final Fantasy 8, this title uses many of the same graphics and pre-rendered backgrounds but tells a completely different story in a completely different setting. FF9 was released in Japan on July 7th, 2000, and on November 14th of the same year in North America. It would be the last in the series to be developed for the Sony Playstation console.
Final Fantasy 2 was the next old title to be given the Wonderswan treatment and Japanese gamers were treated to a recreation of one of the early innovative titles in the series. The WSC remake was released in Japan in 2001.
Bring on the Playstation 2! Final Fantasy 10 had many surprises in store for fans of the series as it made the switch to the next-generation hardware available at the time. With graphical details never before seen in a video game, FFX offers an engrossing storyline along with several very unique installments, most notably the game of Blitzball. FF10 was released on July 19th, 2001 in Japan and on December 20th of the same year in North America.
2002 was a very busy year as far as remakes are concerned. Final Fantasy 4 saw it’s very own upgraded release on the Wonderswan Color, and Final Fantasy 1 & 2 were packaged together on a fantastic remake for the Playstation entitled Final Fantasy Origins.
With MMORPGs being all the rage, Square decided to develop and launch Final Fantasy 11 as an online title. Released on May 16th, 2002 in Japan and October 28th, 2003 in North America, FF11 is the only title in the series so far to be playable online. With huge worlds to explore, expansions packs released several times a year, and endless play-ability, the game was a hit from the start. As of 2007, expansions are still being released on a regular basis and the world of Vana’diel continues to grow.
Steve