"FF Original Games"

[Meier Link]

Ok I have noticed this as of late and to me it is very frustrating and I am trying to figure out why there are so many people doing this.

I have started to see a trend as of late where people are referring to the PSX Final Fantasy games as the “original games”. Direct references to FFVII and FFVIII have been included into this. Since when is VII and VIII considered one of the original games???

In another thread I noticed some one make mention of “original games” and then make mention of R2 and L2, also referencing the PSX. I can somewhat understand this reference due to the fact there where some re-releases ported to the PSX and that not all of our members are old enough to have had a copy of the games on their original platform. I still think this scenario is unlikely though and the above mentioned titles where intended.

So the reason I am brining this up is because I am curious to see the responses I will get.

I want to know what you (not wiki, or SE or Squaresoft) consider to be some of the “original games” and why.

I will respond further down the line on this one.

[Gilgamesh2000]

I believe FF1 for the NES was the original FF game. Now maybe they think FF7 & 8 are the originals of the 3-d age and they are, but how are they the originals of the series? They couldn't be or else they would be in lesser resolution and not on the PSX.

[Rocky]

Well, to me, any game that gets released for the very first time on a console, I would consider that being the "Original Game" so to speak. So FFs 1-3 on the NES, FFs 4-6 for the SNES, FFs 7-9 on the PSX, FFs 10-12 on the PS2 = all originals.

In the sense of how the series developed however, I would have to go with the "core three" games, being Final Fantasies I (NES), II (SNES) and III (SNES) as the "originals". The series became a lot more popular due to the release of FF7 on the PSX, but I see those three games I mentioned being the "roots" of the series, what many people look back to when reflecting on the start of the series, at least for us non-Japanese people.

EDIT: I meant Final Fantasy II (IV now) and Final Fantasy III (VI) as the originals, just to clarify.

[Dodie16]

Well, I never considered FFVII or FFVIII as one of the "original games" in the franchise, but I do consider them my first. I got into these games because of VII, and a lot of people are the same way. I suppose in that respect some people could say that it's the original game because it's thier first. Yeah, sounds silly, but that's what I think.

As for what I consider to be the original games? I would say:

FFI was the first in the series so it's the one true original.

There have been vast innovations to the series since this game, but when you get down to what started it all, then you have to say FFI.

[Treize]

I know that FF I, II and III are the originals, but I usually consider FF IV, V and VI to be the originals. The games for the SNES seemed to be the first "good" Final Fantasy games in my opinion. These later games had a more developed storyline and characters. The real originals had very little character developement, and many times the plot seemed pretty random. I don't think the original three serve the series as a whole justice.

I don't see how people could consider the games for the PS1 as originals since they were made about ten years after the first Final Fantasy game. The games for the PS1 were some of the best in the series, but certainly not the originals. The PS1 games really got many people, especially in the US, into the series and playing RPGs in general, so I could see how they would be elevated in the eyes of many people, but there were many RPGs that came out before the PlayStation was even created.

[loaf]

Original would be I II II. Since they originally were NES only. Although I would honestly say up to VI would be original, it was before the huge change in graphics.

[Freya]

Well, I never considered FFVII or FFVIII as one of the "original games" in the franchise, but I do consider them my first. I got into these games because of VII, and a lot of people are the same way. I suppose in that respect some people could say that it's the original game because it's thier first. Yeah, sounds silly, but that's what I think.

/sign
I also thought that many people say the original game is the one they played first. At least, that may be the answer to your problem, Meier. ^^

As for me... I don't categorize the games like "original game" and "non-original game". They're somehow ALL original games, as every one of them has its own world. They just share the same name, but are different game. So every one of them is original for me.

[Aerif]

I'd say that the perception of 'the original games' is a very different depending on what region you're from.

The Japanese had every main Final Fantasy game released in order, therefore I'd say that the original games for any person living in Japan would be FFI, FFII(jp) and FFIII(jp).

In the Western world it's a little different. The US never saw the original releases of FFIII(jp) and FFV, however they did see the release of FFI, FFIV, and FFVI. Therefore the 'originals' in the US would be considered to be FFI, FFII(US) and FFIII(US).

In Europe and all countries considered the 'European region for games', the original six Final Fantasy games were never released on their original console. This was mainly due to the NES and SNES not being very popular in Europe. Because of that the first final fantasy game released in Europe was FFVII. Now because everybody realised that a franchise couldn't start at 7, a lot of people who played FFVII and had access to the Internet also managed to 'gain access' to the original six. Therefore in Europe I'd say the original games would be considered FFI - FFVII.

So my opinion:

Original 'JP': FFI, FFII, FFIII
Original 'US': FFI, FFIV, FFVI
Original 'EU': FFI, FFII, FFIII, FFIV, FFV, FFVI, FFVII