The environment had a fixed camera, but movement appeared to happen in 3D. Shops looked real, as there was depth perception, and you could also tell when something was far away. Sadly, with all of the 3D elements and colors mashing together, it was hard to tell what exactly was what sometimes. Part of it was due to the creative architecture of buildings or layouts of areas. Exits were obscured by objects that made them look impassable, while other were simply out of view due to the fixed camera angles. This goes for nearly all of the Final Fantasy titles on the first PlayStation.
Let’s take a look at a specific example in Final Fantasy VII. In an earlier part of the game is a place called Sector 5 in the city of Midgar. The player’s journey takes the protagonist Cloud to the slums of Sector 5. The place looks old, depressing, and run down. While there aren’t many objects cluttering the area, it is difficult to see what exactly is what and where you are able to go. Doors aren’t normal doors, as it seems like they’re just curtains attached to buildings, and the exit is obscurely placed in the far right side of the area, making it difficult to know it's even an exit.
Of course, the worst part of the game is the dastardly train graveyard. Where do I go, what areas are traversable, and is that the exit? You’d find yourself asking these questions constantly. (Don't believe me? check out the image below.) While it looks perfectly fine as a picture, it’s hard to play through it. You wouldn’t be able to know that the ground isn’t accessible for Cloud to walk on, and it’s hard to see the ladders that get you off of the train compartment tops. Oh, did you know you can get on top of the train? It’s an extremely mind-boggling area at first that can test your patience.
Now let’s take a look at Final Fantasy IX. IX had the same problem as VII, with areas where it was hard to differentiate what was what. While Lindblum is a fascinatingly large town with tons of things happening, there was a little too much happening. Colors meshed so well that you couldn’t even tell where the entrances to the shops were. You were sort of flailing around hitting invisible walls until you found a place you could pass through. It was a hassle. Alexandria could be the same way, as you had to figure out what the buildings were, what route would lead you where, and if they even were routes in the first place.
Knowing where you can go and how you can get there is extremely important. After all, being lost can be incredibly frustrating. Of course, there was a button that sort of told players where the exits were, but not where exactly they could and couldn't go in a given area.
Next time I’ll delve into the 3D world of video games. Truly 3D. Or maybe gimmick 3D? Who knows
Simon Chun is GameZone’s freelance writer and RPG buff for all things new and old. Check out his twitter @kayos90.
Video games make jumps into new generations. This is an undeniable fact. However, what changes when video games move from one generation to the next? What remains the same? It’s obvious that, with new leaps, games evolve and become much more accessible. With in-game tutorials and help systems, games have never been easier to pick up and have a blast with. While the hardcore may weep about how this can ruin games, it’s undeniable that people are more willing to play than ever before. The barrier to entry is now lower, and, as we get ready to make the leap into the next generation, we have to be reminded that games will be reaching an even more widespread audience.
Before we anticipate the arrival of the next generation, we should have a fond look at the past. Specifically, we should look at the parts of games past that I find to be annoying.
Video games nowadays do a good job of guiding players where to go. Usually explicit invisible walls or a pop-up showing a player where to go helps players. For many of the games that came out in the PlayStation One era, this wasn’t the case. Part of why it was so hard to tell where you were going or where you were supposed to go was due to the low-quality graphics. While you can make out where the exits and entrances are, not all the paths clearly indicate that they're able to be tread upon. Often times, it’s hard to know where all the extra and special goodies are or where your next destination lies.
That said, let’s delve into one of the most beloved franchises of the gaming industry: Final Fantasy.
Final Fantasy had its RPG legacy made early with the first release on the NES and later on transitioned into the more vibrant SNES. The games on the NES and SNES weren’t particularly different from each other visually. It was clear where you can go and what rooms you can explore because of the top-down, bird’s-eye view. Of course, the flat, 2D visuals also helped to indicate how things looked, making it easy to notice where a door was and such.
When Final Fantasy made the jump into the polygon gen, everything became different. Areas weren’t confined to simple top-down views but rather took all sorts of angles, like from the side or from underneath the player. Not only that, but the movement of the characters changed as they were no longer bound by up and down movements but could combine the two to move diagonally. It was a brand new way of playing and seeing. However, not all was good.
