Fantasies Which Are...Not Really Final

Nerves spread.

Anticipation grows.

And, worries never stop.

Not to mention the frequent annoying questions from those who never take it.

Duh, one day feels like a life time!

So, to get over this growing "phenomenon", I've started to play old PStwo games again like

Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X - 2 and Final Fantasy XII.

These games take at least 40 hours to finish but when you know all the routes, the strategies, much shorter is taken. I'm done with X - 2, although it's a continuation of X.

So. I'll try introducing these games in simple manner.

1. Final Fantasy XII

Final Fantasy XII is set within the land of Ivalice during an age when "magic was commonplace" and "airships plied the skies, crowding out the heavens". At this time, magicite, a magic-rich mineral, is commonly used in magic spells^[20] and in powering airships—a popular form of transportation in Ivalice.^[21] Ivalice is divided into three continents:^[22] Ordalia, Valendia, and Kerwon.^[2] Ordalia is located in the western part of Ivalice. The Rozarrian Empire makes its home in the vast inland plains of this continent as the eastern portion of it is largely desert or "jagd"—lawless lands so rich in Mist (the ethereal manifestation of magicite) that airships cannot fly over them.^[23] Valendia is the home of Imperial Archadia, where vast and lush plains dot the landscape.^[24] Central to the story is Dalmasca, a small kingdom between the two continents and Empires. Located in the middle of the Galtean Peninsula of Ordalia, Dalmasca is surrounded by an expanse of desert. The temperate climate of Dalmasca differs from the cold environs of Kerwon and the lush plains of Valendia and Ordalia.^[25] During this time, Ivalice is beset by the pending war between the forces of Rozarria and Archadia. Caught between the two powerful Empires, Dalmasca and a number of smaller nations have already been subjugated by Archadia two years before the game begins.

2. Final Fantasy X - 2

This is actually a continuation to Final Fantasy X, being the only sequel to any Final Fantasy series to date. This game follows the "Charlie's Angel" idea where players control only three, all female characters, namely Yuna, Rikku and Paine.

The story resolves around these three people starting out as sphere hunters, soon to discover that a world threat is slowly coming to surface. Spheres, by the way, are tools in which events are recorded into like DVDs.

3. Final Fantasy X

Aha! This one's my favorite! Final Fantasy X revolves around a star blitzball player Tidus as he is transported to a world one thousand years in the future. There he discovers that the world is facing a deadly threat by the monstrous, never-dying entity called Sin. He also meets up with Yuna, who soon he falls in love with. And his love is truly tested when he struggles to find a way not to sacrifice Yuna's life in order to defeat Sin.

Despite the wonderful plot, the graphics are really good too. The environment is all 3D-rendered and most of the conversations between important characters are actually voiced.

The battle system and character customization are excellent as well. During battles, players can actually switch party members to fight off monsters which cannot be defeated by the current party. The customization follows the Sphere Grid System, in which the characters have no levels, but gain Skill Levels from battles to improve their status points.

Despite that, the music is melodious. Try "To Zanarkand". You'll discover that many TV shows nowadays, especially those from Malaysia are actually using this beautiful piece.

p/s : just now, while walking at mall, I saw the special limited edition Final Fantasy XIII PS3 with the sweet copy of the game itself. LOL! I want it! I WANT IT! Then again, I wont have time anymore......

Final Fantasy XIII

Well, above is the cover art for the upcoming installation to the famous Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy XIII(13).

It is already launched in Japan, while its English version is due this early March.

I must say I'm pretty much anticipating this very game, but it's for PlayStation 3 AND Xbox 360, which are very costly if I am to buy any of them.

So, let's start off with the whole plot of this game.

~PLOT~

The plot of Final Fantasy XIII, takes place in a world known as Pulse, revolves around the fal'Cie (ファルシ farushi^?) (pronounced /ˈfælsiː "fal see"/), mechanical beings with godlike power created from crystals residing inside them.^[10] People who are marked by the fal'Cie for greater purposes are called l'Cie (ルシ rushi^?).^[21] Each l'Cie has a Focus, a goal the fal'Cie wants him or her to fulfill within a certain amount of time; however, the fal'Cie do not explicitly say what the goal is: l'Cie learn what their Focus is by interpreting visions that are given to them. L'Cie gain the ability to summon Eidolons (monsters who fight with the l'Cie), but this ability comes with a price: if a l'Cie dies before completing his or her Focus, fails to tame his or her Eidolon, or fails to complete his or her Focus within a set period of time, he or she becomes a monster known as a Cie'th (シ骸 shigai^?, Cie Corpse in the japanese version).^[22] If a l'Cie does complete his or her Focus, the reward is not much better: permanent transformation into a crystal. For this reason, being chosen as a l'Cie is seen as a curse.

Some 1,300 years ago, a fal'Cie named Orphan constructed a paradise for humanity: the shell-like city of Cocoon, which floats high above the surface of Pulse. Then Orphan created life forms and machines for Cocoon's inhabitants to use, and humanity flourished. A war was fought between the Pulse and Cocoon, and Cocoon prevailed. However, fear lingered in the hearts of the people of Cocoon, for the day another invasion might come from the world beneath again.

Although most Cocoon citizens have never seen Pulse with their own eyes, they have been told that it is a dangerous place that has strange effects on those who venture down to its surface. Consequently, anyone who is discovered to have visited Pulse is immediately subjected to quarantine and exile by the theocratic government of Cocoon, known as the Sanctum.^[23] The Sanctum enforces this policy with its strongest military branch, PSICOM.

As Snow leads the resistance group, Team Nora, in an attempt to stop the purging of civilians, the mysterious Lightning fights her way past PSICOM soldiers with the aid of Sazh to find a Pulse fal'Cie, Anima, who turned her sister, Serah (who is also Snow's fiancée), into a l'Cie. Through a chain of events, these three, along with two exiles, Vanille and Hope, are forced by the fal'Cie of Pulse to become l'Cie, and with that became enemies of humanity with the Focus of bringing about the downfall of Orphan and Cocoon.

~CHARACTERS~