A Green Mushroom

I'm already done with FFIV.  I didn't do any mid-way posts because the game held my attention so well.  It only took me a couple weeks of lunch breaks and commuting time to finish.  Let me tell you, Final Fantasy IV is a fantastic entry in the series!  More than anything else, the story made all the difference. There was so much character development and interaction, especially compared to the first three entries.  Now that I've finished this game I've come to realize how much I was missing a solid story in the older games.  A memorable story with interesting characters has become a hallmark of a Final Fantasy game and this is the first place that it's evident. This game actually has a bunch of firsts for Final Fantasy.  First use of the Active Time Battle system.  First time class is tied to characters and their personality.  First decent story.  First time having lots of temporary characters to fill out the roster.  Fi...

Kain is here to ease my suffering from FFIII.  Thanks Kain. I was planning on writing my initial impressions sooner, but FFIV pulled me in right away and hasn't let go.  I'm already about 8 hours into the game so I figure it's about time to put some thoughts down. When I put on my headphones and first launched FFIV the music overwhelmed me.  It was so much better than the last three games I played.  I literally just sat there and listened to the title music for at least 5 minutes.  I don't know if the music has been remastered or if Square just hit their stride with this one, but the music is top notch.  This is where the work of Nobuo Uematsu truly starts to shine.  So many of his compositions and arrangements are in my mind forever and I know FFIV will add a few tracks of it's own. It's also immediately obvious that the story in FFIV is meant to drive the game.  I'm invested in the saga of Cecil and his companions in a way that I...