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Reception : Overall, the Final Fantasy series has been critically acclaimed and commercially successful, though each installment has seen different levels of success. The series has seen a steady increase in total sales; it sold over 10 million software units worldwide by early 1996,[140] more than 25 million units by 1999,[141] more than 33 million units and nearly $1 billion revenue (between $1.5–2.3 billion adjusted for inflation) by 2001,[142] 45 million units by August 2003, 63 million by December 2005, and 85 million by July 2008.[143] [144] [145] In June 2011, Square Enix announced that the series had sold over 100 million units,[146] and by March 2014, it had sold over 110 million units.[147] Its high sales numbers have ranked it as one of the best-selling video game franchises in the industry; in January 2007, the series was listed as number three, and later in July as number four.[50] [148] As of 2019, the series had sold over 149 million units worldwide.[149] As of October 2021, the series has sold over 164 million units worldwide.[150]
Several games within the series have become best-selling games. At the end of 2007, the seventh, eighth, and ninth best-selling RPGs were Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, and Final Fantasy X respectively.[151] The original Final Fantasy VII has sold over 13.3 million copies worldwide,[152] earning it the position of the best-selling Final Fantasy game.[153] Within two days of Final Fantasy VIII's North American release on September 9, 1999, it became the top-selling video game in the United States, a position it held for more than three weeks.[154] Final Fantasy X sold over 1.4 million Japanese units in pre-orders alone, which set a record for the fastest-selling console RPG.[151] [155] The MMORPG, Final Fantasy XI, reached over 200,000 active daily players in March 2006[156] and had reached over half a million subscribers by July 2007.[50] Final Fantasy XII sold more than 1.7 million copies in its first week in Japan.[157] By November 6, 2006—one week after its release—Final Fantasy XII had shipped approximately 1.5 million copies in North America.[158] Final Fantasy XIII became the fastest-selling game in the franchise,[159] and sold one million units on its first day of sale in Japan.[160] Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, in comparison to its predecessor, was a runaway success, originally suffering from servers being overcrowded,[161] and eventually gaining over one million unique subscribers within two months of its launch.[162]
The series has received critical acclaim for the quality of its visuals and soundtracks.[50] In 1996, Next Generation ranked the series collectively as the 17th best game of all time, speaking very highly of its graphics, music and stories.[163] In 1999, Next Generation listed the Final Fantasy series as number 16 on their "Top 50 Games of All Time", commenting that, "By pairing state-of-the-art technology with memorable, sometimes shamelessly melodramatic storylines, the series has successfully outlasted its competitors [...] and improved with each new installation."[164] It was awarded a star on the Walk of Game in 2006, making it the first franchise to win a star on the event (other winners were individual games, not franchises). WalkOfGame.com commented that the series has sought perfection as well as having been a risk taker in innovation.[165] In 2006, GameFAQs held a contest for the best video game series ever, with Final Fantasy finishing as the runner-up to The Legend of Zelda .[166] In a 2008 public poll held by The Game Group plc , Final Fantasy was voted the best game series, with five games appearing in their "Greatest Games of All Time" list.[167]
Many Final Fantasy games have been included in various lists of top games. Several games have been listed on multiple IGN "Top Games" lists.[168] [169] [170] [171] [172] [173] Twelve games were listed on Famitsu 's 2006 "Top 100 Favorite Games of All Time", four of which were in the top ten, with Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy VII coming first and second, respectively.[174] The series holds seven Guinness World Records in the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008, which include the "Most Games in an RPG Series" (13 main games, seven enhanced games, and 32 spin-off games), the "Longest Development Period" (the production of Final Fantasy XII took five years), and the "Fastest-Selling Console RPG in a Single Day" (Final Fantasy X).[151] [175] The 2009 edition listed two games from the series among the top 50 consoles games: Final Fantasy XII at number 8 and Final Fantasy VII at number 20.[176] In 2018, Final Fantasy VII was inducted as a member of the World Video Game Hall of Fame .[177]
However, the series has garnered some criticism. IGN has commented that the menu system used by the games is a major detractor for many and is a "significant reason why they haven't touched the series."[23] The site has also heavily criticized the use of random encounters in the series' battle systems.[178] [179] IGN further stated the various attempts to bring the series into film and animation have either been unsuccessful, unremarkable, or did not live up to the standards of the games.[11] In 2007, Edge criticized the series for a number of related games that include the phrase "Final Fantasy" in their titles, which are considered inferior to previous games. It also commented that with the departure of Hironobu Sakaguchi , the series might be in danger of growing stale.[50]
Several individual Final Fantasy games have garnered extra attention; some for their positive reception and others for their negative reception. Final Fantasy VII topped GamePro 's "26 Best RPGs of All Time" list,[180] as well as GameFAQs "Best Game Ever" audience polls in 2004 and 2005.[181] [182] Despite the success of Final Fantasy VII, it is sometimes criticized as being overrated. In 2003, GameSpy listed it as the seventh most overrated game of all time, while IGN presented views from both sides.[183] [184] Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII shipped 392,000 units in its first week of release, but received review scores that were much lower than that of other Final Fantasy games.[185] [186] [187] A delayed, negative review after the Japanese release of Dirge of Cerberus from Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu hinted at a controversy between the magazine and Square Enix.[188] Though Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was praised for its visuals, the plot was criticized and the film was considered a box office bomb.[49] [50] [51] [189] Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles for the GameCube received overall positive review scores, but reviews stated that the use of Game Boy Advances as controllers was a big detractor.[122] [190] The predominantly negative reception of the original version of Final Fantasy XIV caused then-president Yoichi Wada to issue an official apology during a Tokyo press conference, stating that the brand had been "greatly damaged" by the game's reception.[191]
Rankings and aggregators : Various video game publications have created rankings of the mainline Final Fantasy games. In the table below, the lower the number given, the better the game is in the view of the respective publication. By way of comparison, the rating provided by the review aggregator Metacritic is also given; in this row, higher numbers indicate better reviews.
Legacy : Final Fantasy has been very influential in the history of video games and game mechanics. Final Fantasy IV is considered a milestone for the genre, introducing a dramatic storyline with a strong emphasis on character development and personal relationships.[213] In 1992, Nintendo 's Shigeru Miyamoto noted the impact of Final Fantasy on Japanese role-playing games , stating Final Fantasy's "interactive cinematic approach" with an emphasis on "presentation and graphics" was gradually becoming "the most common style" of Japanese RPG at the time.[214] Final Fantasy VII is credited as having the largest industry impact of the series,[123] and with allowing console role-playing games to gain global mass-market appeal.[215] Final Fantasy VII is considered to be one of the most important and influential video games of all time.[216] [217] [218] [219]
The series affected Square's business on several levels. The commercial failure of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within resulted in hesitation and delays from Enix during merger discussions with Square.[51] [100] Square's decision to produce games exclusively for the Sony PlayStation—a move followed by Enix's decision with the Dragon Quest series—severed their relationship with Nintendo.[3] [122] Final Fantasy games were absent from Nintendo consoles, specifically the Nintendo 64, for seven years.[106] [123] Critics attribute the switch of strong third-party games like the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games to Sony's PlayStation, and away from the Nintendo 64, as one of the reasons behind PlayStation being the more successful of the two consoles.[3] [122] [126] The release of the Nintendo GameCube, which used optical disc media, in 2001 caught the attention of Square. To produce games for the system, Square created the shell company The Game Designers Studio and released Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles , which spawned its own metaseries within the main franchise.[39] Final Fantasy XI's lack of an online method of subscription cancellation prompted the creation of legislation in Illinois that requires internet gaming services to provide such a method to the state's residents.[220]
The series' popularity has resulted in its appearance and reference in numerous facets of popular culture like anime, TV series, and webcomics .[221] [222] [223] Music from the series has permeated into different areas of culture. Final Fantasy IV's "Theme of Love" was integrated into the curriculum of Japanese school children and has been performed live by orchestras and metal bands.[224] In 2003, Uematsu co-founded The Black Mages , an instrumental rock group independent of Square that has released albums of arranged Final Fantasy tunes.[225] [226] Bronze medalists Alison Bartosik and Anna Kozlova performed their synchronized swimming routine at the 2004 Summer Olympics to music from Final Fantasy VIII.[151] Many of the soundtracks have also been released for sale. Numerous companion books, which normally provide in-depth game information, have been published. In Japan, they are published by Square and are called Ultimania books.[227] [228]
The series has inspired numerous game developers. Fable creator Peter Molyneux considers Final Fantasy VII to be the RPG that "defined the genre" for him.[229] BioWare founder Greg Zeschuk cited Final Fantasy VII as "the first really emotionally engaging game" he played and said it had "a big impact" on BioWare's work.[230] The Witcher 3 senior environmental artist Jonas Mattsson cited Final Fantasy as "a huge influence" and said it was "the first RPG" he played through.[231] Mass Effect art director Derek Watts cited Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within as a major influence on the visual design and art direction of the series.[232] BioWare senior product manager David Silverman cited Final Fantasy XII's gambit system as an influence on the gameplay of Dragon Age: Origins .[233] Ubisoft Toronto creative director Maxime Beland cited the original Final Fantasy as a major influence on him.[234] Media Molecule 's Constantin Jupp credited Final Fantasy VII with getting him into game design.[235] Tim Schafer also cited Final Fantasy VII as one of his favourite games of all time.[236]

Description
Reception : Overall, the Final Fantasy series has been critically acclaimed and commercially successful, though each installment has seen different levels of success. The series has seen a steady increase in total sales; it sold over 10 million software units worldwide by early 1996,[140] more than 25 million units by 1999,[141] more than 33 million units and nearly $1 billion revenue (between $1.5–2.3 billion adjusted for inflation) by 2001,[142] 45 million units by August 2003, 63 million by December 2005, and 85 million by July 2008.[143] [144] [145] In June 2011, Square Enix announced that the series had sold over 100 million units,[146] and by March 2014, it had sold over 110 million units.[147] Its high sales numbers have ranked it as one of the best-selling video game franchises in the industry; in January 2007, the series was listed as number three, and later in July as number four.[50] [148] As of 2019, the series had sold over 149 million units worldwide.[149] As of October 2021, the series has sold over 164 million units worldwide.[150]
Several games within the series have become best-selling games. At the end of 2007, the seventh, eighth, and ninth best-selling RPGs were Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, and Final Fantasy X respectively.[151] The original Final Fantasy VII has sold over 13.3 million copies worldwide,[152] earning it the position of the best-selling Final Fantasy game.[153] Within two days of Final Fantasy VIII's North American release on September 9, 1999, it became the top-selling video game in the United States, a position it held for more than three weeks.[154] Final Fantasy X sold over 1.4 million Japanese units in pre-orders alone, which set a record for the fastest-selling console RPG.[151] [155] The MMORPG, Final Fantasy XI, reached over 200,000 active daily players in March 2006[156] and had reached over half a million subscribers by July 2007.[50] Final Fantasy XII sold more than 1.7 million copies in its first week in Japan.[157] By November 6, 2006—one week after its release—Final Fantasy XII had shipped approximately 1.5 million copies in North America.[158] Final Fantasy XIII became the fastest-selling game in the franchise,[159] and sold one million units on its first day of sale in Japan.[160] Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, in comparison to its predecessor, was a runaway success, originally suffering from servers being overcrowded,[161] and eventually gaining over one million unique subscribers within two months of its launch.[162]
The series has received critical acclaim for the quality of its visuals and soundtracks.[50] In 1996, Next Generation ranked the series collectively as the 17th best game of all time, speaking very highly of its graphics, music and stories.[163] In 1999, Next Generation listed the Final Fantasy series as number 16 on their "Top 50 Games of All Time", commenting that, "By pairing state-of-the-art technology with memorable, sometimes shamelessly melodramatic storylines, the series has successfully outlasted its competitors [...] and improved with each new installation."[164] It was awarded a star on the Walk of Game in 2006, making it the first franchise to win a star on the event (other winners were individual games, not franchises). WalkOfGame.com commented that the series has sought perfection as well as having been a risk taker in innovation.[165] In 2006, GameFAQs held a contest for the best video game series ever, with Final Fantasy finishing as the runner-up to The Legend of Zelda .[166] In a 2008 public poll held by The Game Group plc , Final Fantasy was voted the best game series, with five games appearing in their "Greatest Games of All Time" list.[167]
Many Final Fantasy games have been included in various lists of top games. Several games have been listed on multiple IGN "Top Games" lists.[168] [169] [170] [171] [172] [173] Twelve games were listed on Famitsu 's 2006 "Top 100 Favorite Games of All Time", four of which were in the top ten, with Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy VII coming first and second, respectively.[174] The series holds seven Guinness World Records in the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008, which include the "Most Games in an RPG Series" (13 main games, seven enhanced games, and 32 spin-off games), the "Longest Development Period" (the production of Final Fantasy XII took five years), and the "Fastest-Selling Console RPG in a Single Day" (Final Fantasy X).[151] [175] The 2009 edition listed two games from the series among the top 50 consoles games: Final Fantasy XII at number 8 and Final Fantasy VII at number 20.[176] In 2018, Final Fantasy VII was inducted as a member of the World Video Game Hall of Fame .[177]
However, the series has garnered some criticism. IGN has commented that the menu system used by the games is a major detractor for many and is a "significant reason why they haven't touched the series."[23] The site has also heavily criticized the use of random encounters in the series' battle systems.[178] [179] IGN further stated the various attempts to bring the series into film and animation have either been unsuccessful, unremarkable, or did not live up to the standards of the games.[11] In 2007, Edge criticized the series for a number of related games that include the phrase "Final Fantasy" in their titles, which are considered inferior to previous games. It also commented that with the departure of Hironobu Sakaguchi , the series might be in danger of growing stale.[50]
Several individual Final Fantasy games have garnered extra attention; some for their positive reception and others for their negative reception. Final Fantasy VII topped GamePro 's "26 Best RPGs of All Time" list,[180] as well as GameFAQs "Best Game Ever" audience polls in 2004 and 2005.[181] [182] Despite the success of Final Fantasy VII, it is sometimes criticized as being overrated. In 2003, GameSpy listed it as the seventh most overrated game of all time, while IGN presented views from both sides.[183] [184] Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII shipped 392,000 units in its first week of release, but received review scores that were much lower than that of other Final Fantasy games.[185] [186] [187] A delayed, negative review after the Japanese release of Dirge of Cerberus from Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu hinted at a controversy between the magazine and Square Enix.[188] Though Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was praised for its visuals, the plot was criticized and the film was considered a box office bomb.[49] [50] [51] [189] Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles for the GameCube received overall positive review scores, but reviews stated that the use of Game Boy Advances as controllers was a big detractor.[122] [190] The predominantly negative reception of the original version of Final Fantasy XIV caused then-president Yoichi Wada to issue an official apology during a Tokyo press conference, stating that the brand had been "greatly damaged" by the game's reception.[191]
Rankings and aggregators : Various video game publications have created rankings of the mainline Final Fantasy games. In the table below, the lower the number given, the better the game is in the view of the respective publication. By way of comparison, the rating provided by the review aggregator Metacritic is also given; in this row, higher numbers indicate better reviews.
Legacy : Final Fantasy has been very influential in the history of video games and game mechanics. Final Fantasy IV is considered a milestone for the genre, introducing a dramatic storyline with a strong emphasis on character development and personal relationships.[213] In 1992, Nintendo 's Shigeru Miyamoto noted the impact of Final Fantasy on Japanese role-playing games , stating Final Fantasy's "interactive cinematic approach" with an emphasis on "presentation and graphics" was gradually becoming "the most common style" of Japanese RPG at the time.[214] Final Fantasy VII is credited as having the largest industry impact of the series,[123] and with allowing console role-playing games to gain global mass-market appeal.[215] Final Fantasy VII is considered to be one of the most important and influential video games of all time.[216] [217] [218] [219]
The series affected Square's business on several levels. The commercial failure of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within resulted in hesitation and delays from Enix during merger discussions with Square.[51] [100] Square's decision to produce games exclusively for the Sony PlayStation—a move followed by Enix's decision with the Dragon Quest series—severed their relationship with Nintendo.[3] [122] Final Fantasy games were absent from Nintendo consoles, specifically the Nintendo 64, for seven years.[106] [123] Critics attribute the switch of strong third-party games like the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games to Sony's PlayStation, and away from the Nintendo 64, as one of the reasons behind PlayStation being the more successful of the two consoles.[3] [122] [126] The release of the Nintendo GameCube, which used optical disc media, in 2001 caught the attention of Square. To produce games for the system, Square created the shell company The Game Designers Studio and released Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles , which spawned its own metaseries within the main franchise.[39] Final Fantasy XI's lack of an online method of subscription cancellation prompted the creation of legislation in Illinois that requires internet gaming services to provide such a method to the state's residents.[220]
The series' popularity has resulted in its appearance and reference in numerous facets of popular culture like anime, TV series, and webcomics .[221] [222] [223] Music from the series has permeated into different areas of culture. Final Fantasy IV's "Theme of Love" was integrated into the curriculum of Japanese school children and has been performed live by orchestras and metal bands.[224] In 2003, Uematsu co-founded The Black Mages , an instrumental rock group independent of Square that has released albums of arranged Final Fantasy tunes.[225] [226] Bronze medalists Alison Bartosik and Anna Kozlova performed their synchronized swimming routine at the 2004 Summer Olympics to music from Final Fantasy VIII.[151] Many of the soundtracks have also been released for sale. Numerous companion books, which normally provide in-depth game information, have been published. In Japan, they are published by Square and are called Ultimania books.[227] [228]
The series has inspired numerous game developers. Fable creator Peter Molyneux considers Final Fantasy VII to be the RPG that "defined the genre" for him.[229] BioWare founder Greg Zeschuk cited Final Fantasy VII as "the first really emotionally engaging game" he played and said it had "a big impact" on BioWare's work.[230] The Witcher 3 senior environmental artist Jonas Mattsson cited Final Fantasy as "a huge influence" and said it was "the first RPG" he played through.[231] Mass Effect art director Derek Watts cited Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within as a major influence on the visual design and art direction of the series.[232] BioWare senior product manager David Silverman cited Final Fantasy XII's gambit system as an influence on the gameplay of Dragon Age: Origins .[233] Ubisoft Toronto creative director Maxime Beland cited the original Final Fantasy as a major influence on him.[234] Media Molecule 's Constantin Jupp credited Final Fantasy VII with getting him into game design.[235] Tim Schafer also cited Final Fantasy VII as one of his favourite games of all time.[236]