Tendo City

Some of you may have heard already, but here goes anyway.

http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/new...86,00.html

This new game coming out, Final Fantasy Origins, is something I'm really looking forward to. I only recently played Final Fantasy 1, which I really enjoyed actually. After that, waiting for FF2 and FF3 was something I was just going to do. Well, now finally I know that FF2 is certainly US bound, at long last. I've heard many things about the lovely experience system in this game, which I think I'll enjoy playing with. It'll also be nice to play an updated version of FF1. I'm not sure if I made my complaints known at this board yet, but I have stated a few times before somewhere that I'm somewhat annoyed at the number of gameplay changes they made to FF1. While 5 of them ARE things you can choose to revert to "classic" style, there are still a lot that are permenantly in place, such as the inventory no longer being limited, and divided across party members. I found that a nice challenge to think through, as I had to think what equipment I wanted to keep, and who to keep it with. Hopefully, among the changes this game gets when it goes stateside, they'll add in a classic mode. If they don't though, at least it justifies me getting FF1 NES several months back.

FF2 also had some changes, but fortunatly you can choose straight from the start to play "classic" mode, where all the stats for everything is just as hard as in the original. That's good to hear, since we never got to play the original in the first place.

One thing about this collection is that unlike in Japan, both games will be on one disk. This means that a game selection menu shall appear. Now, with games like Sonic or Mario, any old game selection menu will do, but with a game like Final Fantasy or Zelda, it has to be totally grand and epic looking and sounding a selection. In LTTP/Four Swords, they managed a grand sweeping camera across Hyrule Field, complete with two massive metal engravings to switch through and an epic remix of the Zelda 1 title screen music. That's the kind of thing I expect from this selection menu :D. Hey, something like that fits this, as opposed to a Black Mage in a tuxedo with a laser pointer, or some gears and a computer system selecting everything. Sorry, I know it doesn't matter, but I likes me a good selection menu sometimes :D.

Now then, all we need to wait for is the GBA release of FF3, and at long last all the FF games will have had been being in the US.

I'll add this to my list of games to get when my PS2 works again

All I can say is WHAT ABOUT FF3?!? Huh, Square you cheap bastards!

That's still being remade on GBA. I'm sure they will bring that game stateside what with it being on a portable the US actually has.

What? I don't recall Square announcing any regular FF ports for the GBA. They've announced Tactics, FF Adventure, and a Chocobo game.

You don't? Let me find the link then. I've actually been talking about it for some time, and I think at least some of it was here...

http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q3-2002/081902a.html

They list their source as http://www.the-magicbox.com/game081602.htm which lists their source as Japan's V-Jump magazine, who also reported the PS1 versions of FF1 and FF2 being made. This is actually an old bit of news. You see, some time ago Square had been announcing many delays of FF3 for WonderSwan Color. Later, they announced this, explaining the reasons behind the delays. This was after Square announced Crystal Chronicles and their makeup with Nintendo.

Hmm, Maybe I'll get the GBA ones too

Actually, so far only FF3 is certainly going to GBA, unless you were also talking about Tactics 2. They might end up porting FF1 and FF2 from wonderswan to GBA though. I think they'll end up porting the GBA FF3 to PS1 before that though.

Picture time!

Turns out I'm currently playing a full 3D remake of FF3 on my DS. That was unexpected...

But, it leaves a question that the ENTIRE INTERNETS have failed to explain to me.

WHY ONION?

Allow me to explain. There's a class in FF3 called "Onion Knight". I've learned this is the "starter class" (the original "freelancer class") in the original Famicom version. What I have yet to find out is what onions have to do with it, at all. Is it some weird Japanese slang? Is it some vague reference to cooking or an inside-joke at Square? Do they make you cry, or have many layers? WHY ONION?! This question won't die in me. It is consuming me....

...If it weren't for the horse, I wouldn't have gone to college...

I'm not sure where they got the name Onion, what I do know is that it stuck. Lulu's ultimate weapon in FFX is an Onion Knight doll, and the starting ammo for any projectile weapon in XII (arrows, bolts, shot, or bombs) begin with Onion.

Apparently, the Japanese word for "onion" is a slang term for "poor". So, starter class [freelancer] = poor class. I suppose.

And also the starting equipment in FFXI (the online one, the one with mindless grinding that kills the experience, but it makes the company money) is also called "onion equipment".

GR, where did you find out onion is slang for "poor"? If I could get confirmation on that, it would make sense and answer my nagging question.

Don't waste any sleep on it.

Too late!