Poll: Final Fantasy: Fantasy or Sci Fi?

[FrozenLaughs]

Well, which do you guys prefer? Why? Seems like a good discussion topic.

And yes I left a few out. 11 and 14 are both Fantasy, but they are MMO's, so they follow a similarly mmo format. I also excluded the strategy titles of the Tactics series. (my personal faves)

 

[Mr Fixit]

Fantasy or Sci-fi, I've loved them all except for 13. Honestly a lot of them could even be classed as both genres.

 

[Roxas1359]

I think both can work if they manage to balance it just right. I mean hell, I loved 12 and that balanced it right I believe.
Really out of all Final Fantasy games the only one I didn't like at all was 13, and that was because of how linear it was.

 

[-Seraph-]

I honestly don't mind either/ the mix of the two as long as there is some cohesion to it all. I wouldn't mind them going to back to a more high fantasy setting for a little, but sci-fi or modern doesn't bother me either. Theme is irrelevant to me as long as the world is well built and story well written.

Though really, I'd like to see more FF6 style steam punk. A real steam steam punk style FF is long overdue at this point.

 

[Altorin]

I started a response to this thread but it turned into a pedantic mess.

in short, final fantasy is less sci-fi then Star Wars and Star Wars is woeful in terms of being Sci-Fi, so I'm going to say no, Fantasy.

if it IS sci-fi, it's probably the worst sci-fi ever.


However, if you just consider sci-fi "The one with the sleek metal designs and laser beams" then yeah, it's sci-fi to you. Not to me though.

 

[nohorsetown]

Final Fantasy has never been sci-fi. Pseudo- modern/future settings don't make something sci-fi. Science does.

Anyway, I prefer the ones that you labelled "fantasy". I liked 7 and 8 well enough, but my favorites (6 and 12) fall in your first category.

 

[Comocat]

I don't like the sci-fi angle. I can see dudes taking turns whacking each other with swords. But I remember one of the opening battles I was battling NPCs with what looked like Uzis with my bare fists, and I was like "naaaah" and turned the game off.

 

[loa]

It never really explores the scifi bits which just act as a superficial paintjob to look "cool".
If you got your dudes fighting a warmech with swords and fists with no explanation as to why and how they can even do that, you might as well replace it with a dragon without losing anything because jetpack sniper soldiers and robots with rocket launchers and deathrays are just a substitute for bandits and dragons at this point.

13 could have played in a medieval setting with 0 problems because it doesn't explain jack shit anyway.

 

[FrozenLaughs]

Final Fantasy has never been sci-fi. Pseudo- modern/future settings don't make something sci-fi. Science does.

Anyway, I prefer the ones that you labelled "fantasy". I liked 7 and 8 well enough, but my favorites (6 and 12) fall in your first category.

So, a vastly more complex technology system in the background doesn't make it Science Fiction? The Mako reactors harvesting the planets energy in 7, The giant flying military schools, space ships and time travel of 8, or the Airships, Al Behd technology and Blitzball arena of 10?

How about the... Well pretty much everything of 13? I'm seriously interested, I've never heard anyone consider those Titles *not* sci fi.

 

[Diddy_Mao]

I would argue that almost every Final Fantasy game has been a "Science Fantasy" setting to some extent. Some more than others obviously.

The Technology and Science elements tend to lean more towards "Princess of Mars" than "Neuromancer" to be sure but then we start to open up en entirely different can of worms regarding Fantasy, Science Fiction, Science Fantasy and Future Fantasy and all the niggling little pedantic details that do into their respective definitions.

For me I'll say that I've always had a soft sport for settings that mix technology and magic. When done well and thought through properly you can create a great story and setting.

As much as I think the story for Final Fantasy VII is drek, I love the setting. The other FF games that take place in a more post industrial setting all bank on accepting that the world just kinda developed this way. With FF VII I like how the world really feels like it's going through a rapid industrial revolution. All of the technology is big and bulky like it's all a first or second draft, the machines look ramshackle and thrown together, there's nixie tubes and exposed wires on even the most advanced technology.

I'm getting off track I think.

My point is that I prefer the post industrial settings for the Final Fantasy games a bit more. I like Fantasy settings just fine but there's only so many times I can see a human and an elf and a dwarf take up arms against an evil sorcerer who wants to rule world because...reasons. The change in setting at least gives the creator an interesting framework to play with.

 

[Arqus_Zed]

I started a response to this thread but it turned into a pedantic mess.

in short, final fantasy is less sci-fi then Star Wars and Star Wars is woeful in terms of being Sci-Fi, so I'm going to say no, Fantasy.

if it IS sci-fi, it's probably the worst sci-fi ever.


However, if you just consider sci-fi "The one with the sleek metal designs and laser beams" then yeah, it's sci-fi to you. Not to me though.

I don't know...

I'd say FF VII and VIII can be pretty darn sci-fi at times. Better sc-fi than Star Wars at least (which is actually a space opera, blah blah, semantics). Sure, the storyline and characters of those two are a complete mess if you actually stop and think about it. And there's always gonna be a "fantasy" element because every Final Fantasy game has "magic". And the little detail that technically none of the Final Fantasy games take place on earth.

However, it still has some nice sci-fi ideas. The giant revolver in FF VIII that shoots people into space and then retrieves them with a series of impact-reducing nets. All the gene-therapy going on in FF VII. The entire city of Midgar with its dystopian cyberpunk atmosphere, controlled by a company who drains the resources of the planet for personal gain. The futuristic city of Esthar. The military city of Junon. Pretty much every vehicle in FF VIII.

That said, I personally like my Final Fantasy games on the "fantasy" side of things, with just a hint of sci-fi. Why? Because Final Fantasy IX is my favorite FF-game and I loved the setting to bits.

 

[lord.jeff]

Final Fantasy has never been sci-fi. Pseudo- modern/future settings don't make something sci-fi. Science does.

Anyway, I prefer the ones that you labelled "fantasy". I liked 7 and 8 well enough, but my favorites (6 and 12) fall in your first category.

So, a vastly more complex technology system in the background doesn't make it Science Fiction? The Mako reactors harvesting the planets energy in 7, The giant flying military schools, space ships and time travel of 8, or the Airships, Al Behd technology and Blitzball arena of 10?

How about the... Well pretty much everything of 13? I'm seriously interested, I've never heard anyone consider those Titles *not* sci fi.

What real world technology is the airships or Blitzball stadium an advancement of? Most Sci fi explores the possibilities of existing technology which any Final Fantasy game has little of.

 

[Rariow]

It's weird: I like the medieval setting more, but my favorites (VIII and X) were set in sci-fi worlds. I think that as the series progressed it became both more character-oriented (Not to say earlier games weren't character oriented, but it didn't really hit that stride until VI, which happens to be my 3rd favorite in the series) and started producing more sci-fi stuff. I like the character oriented bit, but the particular style of sci-fi Final Fantasy goes for is rather meh to me. I loved Spira from X, but that wasn't nearly as sci-fi-ish as the others.

 

[MammothBlade]

Time to invoke Clarke's third law:

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

That, and technology based on magic. Mako, nethicite, espers; that's where a lot of Final Fantasy games stand. Any sci-fi elements are based on the exploitation of magic. It's pretty clever, actually. They get to use all sorts of fantastical technology without considering plausibility. Because it's all magic!

 

[Realitycrash]

Steampunk as seen in Final Fantasy VI, that's what I prefer. Gimme more of that and I might play again.

 

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

Either can be used well.

 

[Keiichi Morisato]

i have always loved a mix of both, as it allows for more interesting possibilities and artistic vision.

 

[vIRL Nightmare]

Well, SciFi is Fantasy. I feel they do best in the mix of magic and technology.

 

[BrotherRool]

The Final Fantasy universe always stretches the definitions of both words to it's absolute limits. Almost all of the games are set in the future but on a completely different world (so what does the future even mean?) but also with a lot of outdated tech and monsters thrown in. (12 for example had some pretty sci-fi tech)


Saying that I always feel like the fantasy elements tend to be stronger (FFVII excluded). Even in 10, it was the beautiful torn worlds and natural monster-filled landscapes that really sold it. The Al-Bed weren't so much sci-fi as representing a different path.


I think they often fail to create worlds that feel cohesive by sci-fi standards. Technology rarely underpins everything and the spaceships shooting things feel gratuitous in a world where giant flightless birds are the most efficient means of travel. They're best in creating atmosphere and setting, which the fantasy elements more dictate.

But the tech is important there too. Straight medieval fantasy is boring and the technology helps their worlds still feel unique

 

[babinro]

Fantasy.

I frequently dislike sci-fi. There's just so much to learn about the world. Any typical rules that work in our world get thrown out the window. Fantasy comes across as far more grounded even with the existence of magic.

If you've seen The Spooney One's review on FF13 you'll see exactly what I mean.
He just rants constantly on the subject.