Hey everyone. I was just wondering what do you think accounts for the popularity of the FF series?

Wheter it be the big breasted woman or the amazing gameplay. Just tell me your oppinion.

Moving this to Gen FF.

Probably the fact that square spends millions of dollars on advertising. The games aren't half bad either.

FF7 was probably many peoples reason for going into FF because it came out on the ps1 with amazing graphics (for 1997) and had a great story/ gameplay.
Plus it looked cool...

I got into ff because my freind was a hardcore fan.

Advertising can't be it - I've seen one Final Fantasy ad my entire life, and it was for FF8.

And by the time i'd seen it, I already had the game. Go figure.

That said, what drew me into the series was Final Fantasy VII - i'm not sure if I would have been as hooked if I started with any other (except perhaps FF10.) The thing about FF7 and 10 is they mix believable characters in a fantasy world, and make you care about them - playing a Final Fantasy game is like watching an epic movie, that lasts forever. You know those movies you watch that seem to rush through, and are all over too quickly (*cough*Lord of the Rings*cough)? Final Fantasy gives people an epic story that is completed in its entirety.

I'm sure that some people play for the Role-playing element, but to be brutally honest, the RP system compared to other games (such as BioWare's NeverWinter Nights or Knights of the Old Republic) is weak when it comes to character customization. The real appeal of the Final Fantasy series lies in its characters and its story.

I haven't included graphics here (even though FF games are widely recognised as graphic pioneers on all platforms they came across - whether it be the GBA or the PS2), because although graphics may draw people in, it's the story that makes them stay.

I've got to agree. It's definitely the storyline and the characters. Other factors like graphics or gmaeplay may draw you in, but once you've played one of the better games in the series, your an ff fan for life.

Characters and storyline are important, sure. But the musical scores are definitely a big factor as well.

I mean, there are other RPG's out there with great stories and characters, but the horrendous music makes it difficult to enjoy them. I'm sure everyone that's played that many could name a few. Legend of Legaia and Star Ocean 2, for example. Awesome stories, but hideous music in some critical spots of the games. Making otherwise stellar games painful to play in places.

Storyline and the awesome music. May FF continue its legacy..

yeah ur all right.. except im nt 2 sure on the advertising bit

That's because you're in New Zealand - if you're going to do an unbiased report, instead of just one based on PAL FF popularity, you need to take into account world factors.

In the US and Japan, Square-Enix apparently has a huge advertising campaign, not to mention merchandising, which we only get the tip of here - so whlie it may not account for the popularity in Australia and New Zealand, it certainly may contribute a factor in the United States.

I like the love factor in the games, mainly FF7. Also the characters and how they made them relate and act like real people is amasing. The love factor between Cloud, Tifa and Aeris was probly the greatest love factor in all FF's mainly bcos it was the first ff i played.

The fact that Final Fantasy accomodates for a large group of people, those who perfer an interlectual stand in games rather than focusing on difficulty or complicated gameplay. While various things in FF are complex, they are easy to pick up and to understand.

What I feel makes FF great is what I think makes FF weak: The fact that it accomodates for various people and just "branches" out to many things. While Final Fantasy gets new fans, old fans will be upset as new games are completely different. This shows true for FF7 fans and pre FF7 fans. Likewise, When Final Fantasy gets new fans, they dispise old games, holds true for FFX fans and FF7 fans.

While making it "weak" isn't a bad thing, it shows that each Final Fantasy game is varied and was meant to be a different adventure every time. Of course there are those who just doesn't care.... Square makes games, you buy em, you play em, you like em.

But all this is from a guy who can't hate a game until he played it for hours upon hours.... then again, I can't say I REALLY hate a game.