Final Fantasy VII is a console role-playing game developed by Square (now Square Enix) and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation. The game is the first in the series to use 3D computer graphics, featuring fully rendered characters on pre-rendered backgrounds.
Development of Final Fantasy VII began in 1994 and the game was originally intended for release on the SNES, but it was later moved to the Nintendo 64. As the system's cartridges lacked the required storage capacity, Square decided to release the game for the PlayStation instead.
Noted for its graphics, gameplay, music and story, Final Fantasy VII is acknowledged as one of the greatest and most influential games of all time. As of October 2009, the game has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide (including 100,000 downloads on PlayStation Network), making it the best-selling Final Fantasy title.
MUSIC
The music for Final Fantasy VII was composed by Nobuo Uematsu. Instead of recorded music and sound effects for the game, Uematsu opted for MIDIs, using the PlayStation's internal sound chip. Final Fantasy VII was the first game in the series to include a track with digitized vocals, "One-Winged Angel", which has been described as Uematsu's "most recognizable contribution" to the music of the Final Fantasy series. Uematsu has said that the soundtrack has a feel of "realism", which prevented him from using "exorbitant, crazy music"
LEGACY
Final Fantasy VII is credited as "the game that sold the PlayStation", as well as allowing console role-playing games to find a place in markets outside Japan, and (as measured in copies sold) remains the most popular title in the series.
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Cyber Troopers Virtual-On is a series of video games created by Sega-AM3 (Amusement Research and Development Department 3, later renamed Hitmaker). The original series was first published for arcades in February 1995. The game features fast, action-oriented gameplay requiring quick reflexes. It has seen four iterations to date and has been ported to several video game consoles.
OVERVIEW
Virtual-On features mechs called Virtuaroids, or VRs, that are large robots the player controls in battles against enemy VRs, and its twin-stick control, in which two joysticks, complemented by an array of controls, are used by players. Additionally, in the plot of the first game, Cyber Troopers Virtual-On (Virtual-On: Operation Moongate), the Virtual-On's arcade machine is actually a remote operation device sent from the future in search of "Virtual-On Positive" (VO+) pilots.
Street Fighter Alpha 3, known as Street Fighter Zero 3 in Japan and Asia, is a 1998 fighting game by Capcom originally released for the CPS II arcade hardware. It is the third game in the Street Fighter Alpha series
GAMEPLAY
Street Fighter Alpha 3 discards the "Manual" and "Auto" modes from the previous Alpha games by offering the player three different playing styles known as "isms". The standard playing style, A-ism (or Z-ism in Japan), is based on the previous Alpha games, in which the player has a three-level Super Combo gauge with access to several Super Combo moves. X-ism is a simple style based on Super Street Fighter II Turbo, in which the player has a single-level Super Combo gauge and access to a single (but powerful) Super Combo move. The third style, V-ism (or "variable" style), a unique style that allows the player to perform custom combos similar to the ones in Street Fighter Alpha 2. In X-ism, players cannot air-block nor use Alpha Counters. Alpha 3 also introduces a "Guard Power Gauge" which depletes each time the player blocks - if the gauge is completely depleted, then the player will remain vulnerable for an attack.
VERSIONS
Street Fighter Alpha 3 was initially ported in 1998 for the PlayStation. This version replaced "hit" sprites with "hit" polygons in order to focus more memory on character animations. T. Hawk, Fei Long, and Dee Jay (the remaining "New Challengers" from Super Street Fighter II, who were not in the original arcade version) were added to the roster. Balrog, Juni and Juli were also added to the immediate regular roster, and they were given new character portraits and their own storylines. Evil Ryu, Shin Akuma, and Guile were also added as secret characters in the World Tour mode, a mode that allows players to strengthen and customize their chosen character's fighting style while traveling around the world.
Mortal Kombat Trilogy is a fighting game developed and published by Midway. It is a compilation of content from the previous titles based primarily upon the gameplay mechanics of Mortal Kombat 3 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. It follows the same story of Mortal Kombat 3 but contains all characters and most of the stages from Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, Mortal Kombat 3, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.
Mortal Kombat Trilogy introduces the Aggressor bar, which fills as the combatants fight. When the bar fills, the character becomes much faster and stronger for a short period of time.
A finishing move known as a Brutality is featured in this game. This finishing move requires the player to perform an 11 button combo which causes their opponent to explode.
Many of Mortal Kombat Trilogy characters have brand new special moves and finishing moves. Several have unused special moves never implemented in previous games.
The spelling mistake in Jade's ending ("Komabt", seen in the arcade version) is corrected.
In the PlayStation version, there's an option that lets the system load two additional characters into memory when playing as Shang Tsung, eliminating the long loading delays of MK3 and UMK3 when morphing.
Shang Tsung never appears anywhere within the "Choose Your Destiny" towers, probably because of the loading delays when morphing in the PlayStation version. The only time the CPU ever controls Tsung is during the attract mode.
The MKII fatality music is played instead of the MK3 ones.
[ *Note* The images used in this game below were used from the websites listed in our links page. Gon pic by http://www.giantbomb.com/ & Dr. Bosconovitch pic by http://tekkenzone.tripod.com/ ..used without permission. ]
Tekken 3 is the third installment in the Tekken fighting game series. It was the first game released on Namco's System 12 hardware (an improvement to the original two Tekken games, which used System 11). It was the last installment of Tekken for the PlayStation. It was released for the PlayStation in 1998
GAMEPLAY
Tekken 3 maintains the same core fighting system and concept as its predecessors, but brings many improvements, such as significantly more detailed graphics and animations, 15 new characters added to the game's roster, more modern music and faster and more fluid gameplay.
Tekken 3 was the first Tekken to feature a beat 'em up Streets of Rage style minigame called Tekken Force, which pitted the player in various stages against enemies in a side-scrolling fashion. If the player succeeds in beating the minigame four times, Dr. Bosconovitch would be a playable character (granted that you defeat him first).
PLAYSTATION
Tekken 3 was originally ported to the PlayStation with two new characters - Gon and Dr. Boskonovich. Anna was also updated and given her own character select spot complete with a unique portrait, voice, stance, a few of her own unique moves (as well as her moves from Tekken 1 and 2, some of which were given to Ogre) and her own ending, as opposed to in previous Tekkens, where she was basically a model-swap of Nina. Still, she reused a lot of Nina's strikes and throws.
[ *Note* The images used in this game below were used from the website listed in our links page. Front Cover pic by http://www.vgmuseum.com ..used without permission. ]
Virtua Fighter is a series of 3D fighting games created by Sega studio AM2 and designer Yu Suzuki.
The basic gameplay involves two combatants needing to win two of three rounds, with each round being 30 seconds long or more. If a character is knocked out (or falls out) of the ring, the opponent wins the round. A fourth round is necessary if a double knockout (both players knocking each other out at the same time) occurred in a previous round and the match is tied one round each. In this fourth round, players fight on a small stage wherein one hit equals victory.
In 1998, the series was recognized by the Smithsonian Institution for contributions in the field of Art and Entertainment, and became a part of the Smithsonian Institution's Permanent Research Collection on Information Technology Innovation. The arcade cabinets are currently kept at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
The Sega Saturn's Titan architecture was essentially the same as the Model 1 arcade board, the port of VF1 to the Saturn in 1995 suffered due to flickering polygons and floaty control. The game was unfortunately rushed onto the Saturn to make the early launch date of said system, and little time was given to optimize the game. VF1 also appeared on the 32X system and while considered the weaker of the two systems, the 32X port was considered the superior. An update of Virtua Fighter, called Virtua Fighter Remix, was made for the Saturn in order to deal with the problems and mailed to registered owners of the system.
LEGACY
Virtua Fighter is often considered to be the godfather of 3D fighting games, with each iteration being noted for advancing the graphical and technical aspects of games in the genre. Even to this day, many 3D fighting game series such as Tekken and Dead or Alive were influenced by Virtua Fighter . And while, sales-wise, the series has often fallen behind the other titles (partly due to being released on underperforming consoles Sega Saturn and Dreamcast), the main games have always remained critically-acclaimed titles.
*Note* The images used in this game below were used from the websites listed in our links page. Guile pic by www.creativeuncut.com ..used without permission.
Chrono Cross is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the Sony PlayStation video game console. It is the sequel to Chrono Trigger, which was released in 1995 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Chrono Cross was developed primarily by scenarist and director Masato Kato and other programmers from Chrono Trigger, including art director Yasuyuki Honne and sound planner Minoru Akao. Composer Yasunori Mitsuda scored Chrono Cross and Nobuteru Yoki designed its characters.
The story of Chrono Cross focuses on a teenage boy named Serge and a theme of parallel worlds. Faced with an alternate reality in which he died as a child, Serge endeavors to discover the truth of the two worlds' divergence. The flashy thief Kid and many other characters assist him in his travels around the tropical archipelago El Nido. Struggling to uncover his past and find the mysterious Frozen Flame, Serge is chiefly challenged by Lynx, a shadowy antagonist working to apprehend him.
Upon its release in Japan in 1999 and in the United States in 2000, Chrono Cross received high ratings and critical acclaim, earning a rare perfect 10.0 score from GameSpot. The game shipped 1.5 illion copies worldwide, leading to a Greatest Hits re-release and continued life in Japan as part of the Ultimate Hits series. Square also released a "Millennium Edition" featuring a calendar, clock, and music sampler disc.
DEVELOPMENT
Square began planning Chrono Cross immediately after the release of Xenogears in 1998. Chrono Trigger's scenario director Masato Kato had brainstormed ideas for a sequel as early as 1996, following the release of Radical Dreamers. They acknowledged that Square would soon re-release Chrono Trigger as part of Final Fantasy Chronicles, which would give players a chance to catch up on the story of Trigger before playing Cross. Kato felt that using a different setting and cast for Chrono Cross would allow players unfamiliar with Chrono Trigger to play Cross without becoming confused.
MUSIC
Chrono Cross was scored by freelance video game music composer Yasunori Mitsuda, who previously worked on Chrono Trigger. Director Masato Kato personally commissioned Mitsuda's involvement, citing a need for the "Chrono sound". Xenogears contributor Tomohiko Kira played guitar on the beginning and ending themes. Production required six months of work. After wrapping, Mitsuda and Kato played Chrono Cross to record their impressions and observe how the tracks intermingled with scenes; the ending theme brought Kato to tears.
*Note* The images used in this game below were used from the websites listed in our links page. Ashley Riot pic by www.animepaper.net ..used without permission.
Vagrant Story is a Japanese-developed console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the PlayStation video game console. Vagrant Story is unique as a console action/adventure role-playing game because it features no shops and no player interaction with other characters; instead, the game focuses on weapon creation and modification, as well as elements of puzzle-solving and strategy.
Connections to Final Fantasy XII
The 2006 console role-playing game Final Fantasy XII contains several references to Vagrant Story. Terms such as Riskbreaker, Leámonde and Kildea (albeit with different spellings in the localizations), are commonly used in both games.
DEVELOPMENT
During the design phase, Matsuno was shown photographs from France, particularly Saint-Émilion in the region of Bordeaux. This region was visited by one of Matsuno's colleagues, who was a wine enthusiast and favored Saint-Émilion, one of the largest vineyards of Bordeaux. Captivated by this small town's architecture, the design team went on a trip to France to adopt these styles into the game. A team of five people was formed on September 1998, including Matsuno and the principal persons in charge of graphics and decorations, to realize the game's setting.
MUSIC
Vagrant Story Original Soundtrack is the video game music soundtrack from Vagrant Story. All the tracks of the soundtrack are composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto, whose video game work included the soundtracks to the games Radiant Silvergun, Final Fantasy XII, Odin Sphere and GrimGrimoire.
Sakimoto noted that during the initial phase, he composed "bright and cheerful" tunes similar to Final Fantasy Tactics, but Matsuno emphasized music that is "more deep and heavy". Matsuno also advised him to listen to music from The X-Files for ideas on ambient scores, and Sakimoto pointed out influences of James Horner and Hans Zimmer in his compositions.
