A Final Fantasy Retrospective: The PS1 Era - The Peak of Final Fantasy

Welcome to the third part of the Final Fantasy Main Series Analysis, this time covering the PlayStation Era: Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX.
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[@ProfessorBopper]

Final Fantasy VII: 0:00 Final Fantasy VIII: 21:57 Final Fantasy IX: 42:13

[@KT-rq9id]

*Crucial Fact* all the great FF games were under Square *soft* , NOT Square-ENIX. Modern gamers think Square-ENIX has been around since the beginning. NOPE. Imo, once Squaresoft unfortunately merged with Square-ENIX, things were NEVER the same. Games got worse, and I'd dare say that's why Final Fantasy is in the atrocious state that it's in today. Love live, Square*soft* ... you changed our lives and touched our hearts... we'll never forget you.

[@Lowkey-NoPressure]

You forgot the best one, Tactics.

[@medalkingslime4844]

“I like stories about broken characters suffering in the past and present” Hell yeah brother!

[@elius1548]

It’s crazy how much the graphics improved throughout these 3 games

[@rdrrr]

Same thing happened with the SNES games. You can see Square achieve greater mastery of the console with each game. FF4 looks like a NES game with a fresh coat of paint. FF6 and Chrono Trigger push the SNES as far as it can go.

[@Facemelter4000]

Love when 8 gets the love it deserves. I feel like the general sentiment, understandably, either dislikes it or forgets it because it came between fan favorites VII and IX.

[@rdrrr]

FF8 is _weird_ both narratively and in gameplay terms. Square were never going to outdo FF7 so they experimented. I don't love the result but I respect Square for trying something different.

[@slowandsafegaming4126]

"Baku is probably going to jail." Whenever anyone mentions FFIX this will now be the first thing that pops into my head.

[@vishuprathikanti9352]

Bopper the type of guy to assign his students an essay on The Sound and the Fury and write his own just for fun

[@ProfessorBopper]

I’ve done that, yeah

[@Prohxyy]

I ain't see tactics on here, where's the peak?

[@ProfessorBopper]

That’s so peak that it gets its own video

[@Prohxyy]

@@ProfessorBopper understandable, have a nice day

[@blueberriesinmycoffee1234]

38:49 Here for the Shakespeare deep cuts. I am now mentally attempting to match Timon of Athens with the appropriate final fantasy character, against my will.

[@GamingManual]

Dude, when you were talking about FFVII making you remember an unrelated retail memory; Majora's Mask always reminds me of working the salad wall at the grocery store I was employed at through high school, lmao. Great videos!

[@AlterAce]

FF8 getting the praise it deserves you truly love to see it 🫡🫡

[@madwaltz9812]

The reason for the whole "Aeris" vs "Aerith" thing is the exact same reason why Marth was originally localized as "Mars." It's not really a mistranslation, it's that japanese doesn't have a "th" sound at all but uses an "s" sound to replace it in foreign words. So when there is an "s" sound in a non-japanese word, it's up to the translator's discretion whether a "th" or "s" fits better. Sometimes there's a clear right answer: if Aerith's name were instead "タビサ" ("ta-bi-sa"), then you'd want to translate it as "Tabitha," because it's pretty clearly supposed to be the common, western women's name. Aerith's japanese name is "エアリス" (E-a-ri-su), which as far as I know isn't referencing anything in particular, so both "Aeris" and "Aerith" are correct translations. It just comes down to whatever the translator thought sounded better.

[@Someguyonline7732]

No its Aerith and I refuse to treat anyone who says otherwise as a human

[@padraicburns9278]

Aerith is based on Earth

[@madwaltz9812]

@@padraicburns9278 Out of curiosity, what makes you say that? Because I thought of that, but discarded the possibility because the normal way you would write the english word "Earth" in japanese is " アース " (the "r" is dropped in favor of a long "ah" sound similar to what you'd expect from a stereotypical British accent). " アース " and "エアリス" would sound way different to a japanese speaker (and to a non-japanese speaker, for that matter). You might also argue that it would make sense for Aerith's name to be an Earth reference because Terra is similarly named in FF6. But it's worth pointing out that Terra is named Tina in the japanese version -- they presumably renamed her in the english version because "Tina" sounded too ordinary. It's still possible you're right, but if so, it's less "Aerith is named after Earth" and more "the writer for FF7 looked at the english word Earth and it inspired them to make up an original name."

[@padraicburns9278]

@@madwaltz9812 It’s something I heard somewhere, so I’m not certain of it, but I seem to recall the person mentioning it might have cited the Ultimania. It reinforces FF7’s environmentalist theme with Aerith being the character closest to the planet/lifestream. I’m aware that English has a “cool factor” in Japan (like how Japanese culture is considered cool in western countries) with a lot of Japanese songs including bits of English in the lyrics, so perhaps that played a role in it.

[@LakrimaProject]

Aeris in OG and Aerith in Compilation. Simple.

[@VampireA1056]

Final Fantasy's 7, 8 and 9 are the Ocarina Of Time, Majora's Mask and Wind Waker of the Final Fantasy series.

[@Spongycentrefox]

And 10 is Twilight Princess then.

[@VampireA1056]

@@Spongycentrefox Exactly

[@monsieurpanda4451]

Little annecdot on translation, french translation. In ff8 french translation, Rinoa is called "Linoa", this means "Light of the earth" in Haitian, i think it was a perfect fit for Rinoa in regard of Squall in this game.

[@crystalelemental6440]

I watched this video immediately when it came out, only to realize...it had been so long, I no longer remembered these games well. I was taken by the analysis, but couldn't really connect with it at the time. So, I went and picked up these three games on my Switch to replay, for the first time in...at least 15 years. Through this analysis, I was able to engage with these games in a way that brought me to really connect with FF7 and 8, games I was a lot more lukewarm on in my teen years (I had always liked 9). All that to say, these videos have been excellent, and I've really enjoyed getting to re-experience the series alongside them.

[@diegoarmando5489]

"9 takes these ideas to their zenith." Xenogears, you mean?

[@ProfessorBopper]

Still working on Xenogears. I can’t wait to make a video about it and Philip K Dick’s Vallis Trilogy

[@JazzyWaffles]

Looking forward to the PS2 video, these essays are incredible

[@Profecy02]

Recently rewatched the SNES FF video and finally swallowed my 'by the time I play FF8 and 9, I'll forget about this right?' insecurities to fully watch this one. Been really anticipating the FF vids even though I've only played 6/16ths of them. Thanks for making!

[@starryslight7095]

"The difference between heroes and villains is a willingness to die." DUDE that is a RAW line you just dropped there... wow I'm gonna be thinking about that now. Random fun fact about FF9, the white and black mages are in Mario Sports Mix. I don't know why, but I recognized them here from there lol. A great continuation of your series, I have no thoughtful ideas to share but this was as funny as it was fascinating 🙏

[@frankeljoseph5182]

that point about red xiii is so true! in ffv7 rebirth they made right on that misstep. hearing the group call him by nanaki after cosmo canyon had me geeking out

[@thakatspajamaz]

holy based, Batman. I stumbled on your video randomly and am BLOWN AWAY by the breadth of your media criticism, especially from a materialist analysis as well as a dialectical one. Subbed

[@loganharvey8086]

I always go back to 6,7, and 9. They are my all time top FF

[@CaptainAstronaut]

See I thought you were referring to her as "Aeris" because Original PS1's "Aeris" and FF7 Remake's "Aerith" are 2 completely different characters

[@ProfessorBopper]

Had I played Rebirth before writing this, I would’ve said this (and it’s why the Cait Sith pronunciation fumble was actually convenient)

[@Sleth0theoriginal0]

When you were talking about how Barret's struggles are about how we contend with good and justice necessitating violence, it became clear to me for the first time that Barret being a black man is definitely an artistic choice rather than random or aesthetic, and I never put that together before. After all, what were the black panthers besides those fighting for justice in the only way our nation would pay them attention? FF7 revealing more depth all the time

[@shine111]

At multiple points in this video game I haven't played video felt the need to start taking notes. professor/10 points

[@BLa-lq2bs]

Love how petty you were towards Seifer🤣🥴. He’s a great character, but EFF Seifer!😂

[@jierdareisa4313]

I love ALL Professor Bopper videos!!!! ❤

[@Luna-pk7gz]

FF IX is the peak of the series

[@lmello009]

it was the sole ps1-era FF I was able to get into

[@iamthehobo]

I mean, you're not wrong

[@Someguyonline7732]

No

[@wmen48]

Yes it is.

[@zZiL341yRj736]

I used to like 8 alot but, man the beginning is just an emo bitch touring his dorm room. How did you go from a cool bombing mission in 7 to this crap?

[@contextsensitive8484]

What do you mean when you say that Julius Caesar haunts the rest of Shakespeare's work? I know it was his first successful tragedy.

[@ProfessorBopper]

Oh, it’s not that Julius Caesar the play haunts Shakespeare, it’s Julius Caesar the character haunting Brutus in the second half of the play

[@projectmessiah]

Smh the Snes era is by far the peak of Final Fantasy

[@easy_nin]

4:29

[@projectmessiah]

​@@easy_ninI'm not sure exactly what this implies but if it means anything I was born a while after both the Snes and PSX era

[@easy_nin]

@@projectmessiah That spell animation makes it peak

[@projectmessiah]

@@easy_nin I thought you were accusing me off being an old man with Alzheimer's tbh

[@JRPG_Master]

Huge cap. FF 6 is overrated and FFv is juat mediocre. FF IV is the only saving grace during that era.

[@murarmight]

VIII is still my favourite to this day. Just listening you talking about it with the OST in the background made me so emotional ❤

[@SirVyre]

High praise of FFVIII and a hate boner for Seifer: Thumbs up! Your pronunciation of Vivi: Thumbs down. :( I appreciate your passion. Keep up the good work!

[@Laezar1]

What I like about seifer is that he thinks he's the main character, he thinks he's a hero and important, and because of that he ends up as nothing more than a side antagonist doing nothing meaningful and following a tyrant blindly. And his developpement ends up in letting go of his foolish aspiration and living a simpler more grounded life. Squall on the other hand is *forced* to be the protagonist, he doesn't want to and *because* he doesn't want to he's great at it, because he's not trying to maintain his appearance, his power, his status, he's just doing what he thinks is right at a given moment. Because he doesn't care about being a leader he ends up being a great leader. And his developpement forms through building up attachement and higher aspirations than simply being a mindless soldier content to question nothing, he gains joy through love which is much less grounded and more romantic.

[@wizardsweetflips59]

Gonna have to watch this one later, after I beat 8 and 9

[@ryxan6968]

Why didn't KZbin told me this video exist 🤬

[@riqua27]

This might sounds weird but FFVIII might actually be my video game version of Starship Troopers. As a Kid i always like Squall because he look cool and have a Sword that's also a Gun. Him being cold and a loner also give him more cool vibe. Though now I'm older I can actually appreciate Squall in a different light. While also appreciate the fact that he fought his opponent with a sword that is also a gun!!! Probably still my favorite Final Fantasy main Protagonist!!!

[@clogmonkey]

For when/if you combine the series into one video, there's a typo at 52:31 :)

[@ProfessorBopper]

Thanks for the catch! I will, uhhh, blur out the extra "e" in the compilation (I don't have the editing timeline anymore)

[@toniconge7003]

damn makin me emotional on all these games. Beautiful!

[@murarmight]

That Laguna scene in the ending with Raine… I cry every single time

[@Ingisen]

Hm... I'd agree more if PS2's FFX was on the list. But hey, people have different opinions

[@MadderCommotion]

It's definitely most similar to the FF6-9 era. Turn based, nobuo uematsu and sakaguchi still working on FF, big budget with a relatively quick turn around, world trotting adventure with a blond twink protagonist.

[@funkrobot9762]

The video is about the ps1 era.

[@nicktoons125]

Great video mate! Earned a new sub!

[@aroccoification]

Though I'd agree psx is the consistently best FFX is one of the best games as a whole

[@ShadesOfMisery]

You gotta make a video talkin' about FF Tactics.

[@GoodGarret777]

Steiner is indeed the undisputed rizz lord of final fantasy. He is *him*.

[@KinDGrove]

Another Bopper from ProfessorBopper

[@HobGungan]

VII is still the only Classic FF (1-9) that I HAVEN'T played. That will be corrected soon, but until then I shall skip that part of the video, even though I already know most of the major spoilers. VIII was my first Final Fantasy, and it will always hold a special place in my heart because of it even though there are several I like more. Ironically, watching Spoony's shallow takedown accidentally taught me how to actually play the game and enjoy it properly, so a bit of poetic justice for VIII there. IX is my favorite of the series bar none. It is (mostly) perfect for me. My only real issue is that some of the story beats around Disc 3 feel kind of rushed and unfinished compared to the fantastic buildup previous and decent finale afterwards.

[@Nigel222]

I liked 7 and 8 but couldn't get into 9 at all. I actually remember returning it to the shop as I found it so boring compared to 7 and 8.

[@StopHim]

incredible video, great job

[@SpaceCat1111]

While FF8 is my least favorite of the series, I still think that overall it is a good game. Outside of the typical gripes with the game mechanics and systems themselves, my biggest problem comes from my inability to connect with Squall as a protagonist. I'll admit that this difficulty arises because I could not then, and to a certain extent now, empathize with his struggles. As a weird and nerdy kid who grew up in a very small town, I was an outcast for most of my time in school. I played video games to feel like a hero and escape my problems. Bullies, divorced parents, etc. When I first played FF8, I was a freshman in highschool. As I got to know Squall, I began to dislike him more and more due to my jealousy of his popularity and success. Here was a character, athletic, talented, handsome, and actively pursued by female characters, living in a world full of magic, advanced technology, and gunblades; and yet all he could seem to do was whine and mope and push everyone away. This guy had everything I wanted then and more, and had the audacity to complain and take everyone and everything around him for granted. I recognize now that was immature of me then, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't still find him insufferable at times, even as a more reasonable and slightly more compassionate adult. Thank you for your perspective on Squall, as it helped me to scrutinize and understand my own biases towards the character. While he's certainly still my least favorite FF protag, at least I can appreciate him a little bit more. A little.

[@barnacle-v2e]

My mother is a cetra

[@Tuffkid42]

I would rate this video Professor/Bopper

[@jimmeyotoole]

Great series of videos!

[@jollyjiggs]

Another bopper bop. Oddly enough these are the games I've played the least of, maybe because PS1 graphics haven't aged super well. IX still looks pretty good though. I'm excited to hear you talk about X!

[@MerkhVision]

I personally love the graphics but that’s cuz I grew up with them. If they bother you, there’s the official remasters as well as mods on Steam that upgrade the graphics. Maybe look into that if you’re interested in trying the games but are put off by the graphics! It doesn’t have to hold u back anymore if u wanna give these great games a try :)

[@TheRealSephiroth]

8 to this day is still my all time favorite but it may be dethroned one day once i finish 3 5 6 and 12 My order of played IX X VIII VII XII I IV III (Incomplete) II V (Incomeplete) VI (havent started) My faves in order (So far) VIII X VII IV I II XII V (need to finish) III (need to finish) VI (need to play) IX

[@joeyjose727]

I’ve never heard anything about the plot of 8 until this video 😭 I actually bought it years ago with 10 and 10-2, I just couldn’t really get into 8. And I dropped 10 but that’s just my taste lol

[@salmark9080]

is that 8 and 9 with mods? looks really good

[@WaruiDeshou]

Freya Respecter Squad, represent!

[@averypaledog]

Love your videos. Really, really hate to be this guy, but you're saying hegemony wrong. It's "he GEM ony". Hope this was your secret trick to get guys like me to engage.

[@LakrimaProject]

I played them all. Fom 1 to Rebirth. Most od them twice or even more. Yes, even FF2 which I like a lot. Also it was fun to compare different releases. From great FF6 on PSX with that awesome intro, pixel remasters, DS ones. Some are bad like FF5 on PSX but some were amazing like FF1&2 also on PSX, that version make me like FF2 a lot. Some say people favorite is their first or FF7 because they havent played any other. Well my 1st was FF9, then FF4 as I bought it for Chrono Trigger as I was huge fan of Chrono Cross. Yet, without shadow of doubt my favorite is FF7, not even close. But I love them all (except FF13 maybe).

[@zenone9698]

You should analyze Xenoblade series.

[@mattkramer8426]

FFVII IS THE PEAK BRUH

[@keymo9480]

Very good points!!!

[@hahayessir400]

Idc ffX is still the best tragic lovestory 😢. But i do love ff1 warrior of light in duodecim. But ff7 is my fav currently. But duodecim is the best

[@flyinhigh7681]

Yeah it checks out that you'd be a Camus guy

[@just-mees]

Final fantasy 7 is a great game but all of the hype surrounding it on gaming forums made me unable to enjoy it on it's own terms. every big plot detail had already been spoiled to me, I knew what sepiroth looked like, I knew who zack was and knew that aerith would get stabbed from behind by sepiroth jumping down on her near the middle of the game. I know it's good, but I couldn't enjoy it. because of this I'll skip your thoughts on 9 because I skipped that game ;3

[@ProfessorBopper]

Out of curiosity, how long ago was it when you tried 7? I had a similar experience, although not as thorough (I knew most of the major stuff, but not Zack specifically), so only got really into the game last year when I finally gave it another go for this video

[@just-mees]

@@ProfessorBopper I think I was 17, so 3 years ago.. I played it at my dad's house pretty thoroughly. There were some parts that did surprise me, but I was mainly just going through the motions to have beaten it. Ironically I knew who zack was from playing kingdom hearts birth by sleep. I didn't really know the twist, but because I was waiting for him to show up eventually I saw it coming just before it happened.

[@MultiLalo12]

@34:00 We not going to talk about how immediately following such a poignant scene, our now actualized hero, Squall, then gives up Rinoa and needs a pep talk to remember that he loves her? Man, I hate FF8 for taking $20 from me in my youth.

[@maxyaju4293]

Banger video and all but you forgot to talk about the funny cat in FFVII so it actually kinda blows.

[@Y2wray]

Loved this video! Easily the peak of FF as a series, and arguably still hasn't been matched by any RPG since (Except maybe the Remake trilogy) Agreed on your analysis of FF8. Never understood why people have such an issue with the orphanage plot twist and GF amnesia lore in FF8. It's meant to explore character dynamics and backstory in the same way Cloud and Tifa falling into the Lifestream in Mideel was for FF7. Do either make a ton of worldbuilding sense? Kinda, but ultimately it's not supposed to matter as much as what it means for the characters at large.

[@kellevichy]

The remake trilogy can't compare.

[@coreydechane8606]

Tactics is peak

[@tehparol]

hearing u breathing audible is a little monka

[@tehparol]

keep it up tho 👍

[@Enharmony1625]

Hate to break it to you, but the series peaked with VI on the SNES! :) But the PS1 era was fantastic as well.

[@FelixS.]

I am really in the mood to replay FFVIII but i HATE what they did with the character design in the remaster it is unplayable for me this way. Like wtf the game looks atrocious. And don’t let me start with the high res low detail character models in front of 144p backgrounds. The status of this game should be considered a crime.

[@Profecy02]

20:42 good joke

[@FreeFlow__]

Something just is missing in modern ff's. I could play og ff7 infinite number of times, not rebirth.

[@JasonP-d4i]

Yes sir. I was blessed to be growing up in this time. Maybe 9 when ff7 came out so I got to play all 7,8,9, and I’ma include 10. During my formative years. - I have a theory that the final Fantasy series really ended after 10. Because what came after, were mostly bad games. You don’t know what battle system you’re going to get. Stories were mediocre. - this is also the time sackaguchi, the founder of FF, left. FF lost its identity after this. They released an MMO. Started making sequels, and overall bad games. Sackaguchi quit because of the failure of FF: the spirits within movie. This movie was the end of Final Fantasy

[@katherinemerkel3505]

No

[@Acesinz]

Square Enix are failing because they cant make games like Final Fantasy 1 till 10. The golden age of Final Fantasy is no more and i am so sad that they had all this time and across ps3, Ps4 & Ps5 and they cant make a good Final Fantasy. Please go back to Old school Final Fantasies.

[@katherinemerkel3505]

FF 14 says high in all its glory

[@katherinemerkel3505]

Ps it being a MMO doesn’t matter. The story has always been at the forefront of the game.

[@Acesinz]

Im excluding FF14 as its a MMORPG don’t want to touch upon this. Just the single player story titles.

[@katherinemerkel3505]

@@Acesinz And that's a wrong thing to do. Because the story of 14 is better than all the PlayStation 1 titles combined. And 95 percent of the game can be played solo with npc story party members. So, at this point the noooo mmo other player excuse doesn't fly.

[@Acesinz]

@@katherinemerkel3505 Thats totally fine, i’ll try give 14 a go. However, im missing the old school turn based Final Fantasies 9 & 10 were my fav titles! Im sure 14 is amazing no denying this.

[@alpsi285]

Absolute BS SNES era is the peak. 4,5,6 are goated and maintain high quality throguhout the entire saga whereas 7 is good, 8 is extremely polarizing and 9 is a masterpiece

[@JagGentlemann]

The peak of lesser gameplay.

[@salsathemonkey22]

10 exists and 8 is bad

[@kellevichy]

If you look at the title, which is right there in big bold, it says PlayStation ONE era. X came out on the Playstation 2 my dude. It's not relevant to this discussion. VIII is because.. you guessed it, it came out on the Playstation one.

[@tomdarbyshire1703]

Here for actual decent FF8 content top work Professor! 🤌