Girl in the Machine - This guy are sick.

Monday, June 30, 2008

How can Dissidia avoid a sausage fest?

The Final Fantasy series has always been a favorite of mine, RPG enthusiast that I am, though my love for it has been waning over its last few iterations. What with an onslaught of truly terrible fanboy-baiting sequel/prequels and what can only be called the fanfiction-iest writing, and not to mention a million trillion ports and remakes, it's difficult to pull your ahead above the water sometimes and feel excited about yet another Final Fantasy. Square-Enix is intent on ten more years of the same schtick, so the best a girl can do is the usual -- grin and bear it, and hope for the best.

To say that I'm skeptical about the PSP all-FF slugfest that is Final Fantasy: Dissidia is an understatement. From the day that the first screenshots featuring FFIX's Zidane and Kuja duking it out were released to the public, I've been rolling my eyes and expecting the worst for Square's answer to Super Smash Bros. It's no question that Dissidia is indeed another desperate squirt of the Final Fantasy cash cow, what with a cast of characters that will get all the fanatics salivating:

Sephiroth arriving in a column of fire? Garland running amok with his badass armor all a-glint? Mopey Squall ready to cut up some fools with his gunblade? I want to like it, Square, and though I'm resigned to the inevitably terrible gameplay and giggle-inducing script, I'm as much a sucker for my favorite characters as anybody, and Square, there is a way for you to make the reception of this little gem a bit easier.

Toss a few more ladies into the mix, please.

Dissidia's whole juicy premise is that the protagonists and antagonists of the FF series all get together somehow to punch each other a lot and earn some XP. So we've got Zidane paired up with Kuja, a nameless Light Warrior versus Garland, and what I assume will be an Advent Children-trussed Cloud squaring off against Sephiroth for the bajillionth time. Now, the entire cast has not been announced yet, and there's promise of hidden characters and various other unlockables, but with what we've currently got it's painfully easy to see the lack of female characters starring in this series. Thankfully FFVIII's Ultimecia is a guarantee (kan't wait to hear the krazy accent on that one), but with many of the other games' combatants still unannounced, I'm on pins and needles of expectation.

I've already professed my tender and undying love for VI's Terra, and I'm hoping against all hope that she'll show up to face who I can only imagine will be Kefka. The identity of VI's true protagonist has always been on shaky ground, what with an enormous cast of characters and a rather reticular plot. It's just as likely that we'll be seeing Edgar or Locke in her place, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the series's first female protagonist claims her rightful spot with this game.

Similarly, XII's main character is also not quite cut-and-dried. Though the completely useless street urchin Vaan is sort of the de facto protagonist tying all of the characters together, there's been much debate that sky pirate Balthier is truly in the spotlight. However, I've always felt that the revenge-seeking princess Ashe drives much of the story along. This is probably just wishful thinking, but I can see her filling a role in Dissidia without much opposition.

As for the other gaps in the main series roster, it's a surefire thing we'll see IV's Cecil and Zemus as well as V's Bartz and Exdeath. III will probably go the route of I and feature the nameless dude you start off with, along with either the demon Xande or (I amusingly hope) the Cloud of Darkness. If XI makes an appearance, I'll be pleasantly surprised to see a female member of any race (probably hume) take the stage, although I cynically believe that won't happen.

So my hopes for a more lady-friendly cast are sort of dying on the vine here. Female characters in the FF series are so often relegated to support roles or useless love interests, but there may be hope yet in the form of hidden and unlockable characters. Even Yuffie showed up in the ill-fated Ehrgeiz, so perhaps I can one day fulfill my dream of stomping some faces with Aeris or IX's Dagger. And as much as it makes me flinch, it's likely we'll see a dual pistol-wielding Yuna join the fray as well.

With the game so far from release, all I can do is speculate. We'll see what the future holds, however, and maybe, just maybe, Square will surprise me for the first time in so many years.

Readers, what characters would you most like to see in Dissidia?

Labels: BomberGirl, Fighter, Final Fantasy

Posted by BomberGirl
10:01 AM + Link to this post
9 comments

Friday, April 4, 2008

First Friday Drinking Game

Oookay, folks--April is here! The weather's finally getting warmer and the end of the school year is fast approaching for us student-types. Unfortunately, these warmer days are divided by sad bouts of anti-cavorting rain. What to do on days like these? Why, have a round of First Friday Drinking game of course!

Thanks to its ten-year anniversary, Final Fantasy VII games and movies have been popping up everywhere, including the recent release of Crisis Core for the PSP. Many longtime fans of the original FF VII have found many great things about these new additions--as well as an equal amount of things to drink to. I've compiled a list of rules you and all your friends can follow while you enjoy your favorite (or least favorite) showcase of the FF VII universe.

Fun Tip: Turn out the lights and add a green glowstick to your favorite mixed drink for that authentic Mako feel! (Note: Drinking the liquid from said glowstick will also add to that authentic Mako feel but is not recommended. Trips to the Life Stream may result.)

Anyway, onto the rules:

1 drink every time a Shinra employee does something wacky
1 drink for each time someone crashes through a church roof (stack FF VII media for ultimate effect!)
2 drinks every time Hojo speaks in his Crazy Old Man Scientist voice
3 drinks every time Zach sounds a little too much like Tidus ("I'm trying, I'm trying!")
1 drink for every censored cuss word
1 drink for every hilarious translation error
2 drinks for "This guy are sick"
2 drinks every time a friend is surprised Sephiroth isn't the main villain of FF VII
1 drink for every word you realize you've been mispronouncing all this time (no drinks if you still think you're right)
2 drinks if it's a name
1 drink for every character you encounter named "[color] the [synonym of same color]"
1 drink each time Vincent poses in a badass way in DoC
1 drink every time Lucrecia says "I'm sorry"
1 drink for each zipper found on your favorite character's outfit
1 drink for every materia that looks as big as someone's head (or bigger!)
1 drink every time post-experiment Cloud needs to be saved
2 drinks if he's in a wheelchair

And finally:

Finish your drink when Tifa, a competently skilled fighter, engages in a slap fight with Scarlett

Warning: Excessive drinking during gameplay may result in lingering doubts about your past and the realization that you're not as awesome as you thought you were. Play with caution!

Think I forgot something? Suggest a rule in the comments section!

What drinking games do YOU want to play every month? If there is any genre or specific game you want featured in FFDG, drop me a line at PlasmaRit at gmail dot com.

Labels: Final Fantasy, First Friday Drinking Game, PlasmaRit, RPG

Posted by PlasmaRit
12:39 PM + Link to this post
3 comments

Monday, March 31, 2008

The Flower Girl

Playing Crisis Core has got me all nostalgic for 1997's Final Fantasy VII (but then, any story-butchering pre/sequel tends to do that to me). It always tickles me pink to see my favorite characters in action again, and I couldn't help but pick up the old classic just to see how it's aged. I was pleasantly surprised, poor translation and all, and glad to see that one of my favorite characters, Aeris Gainsborough, is still as great as ever.

It's true that Aeris has a huge fan following. Hundreds of gamers in Japan even sent a petition to SquareSoft asking for the ability to revive her after her iconic death. There are plenty of reasons to like her, but I want to concentrate on what makes her such a strong female character. Stereotypes and stock characters run amok in role-playing games, especially of the female persuasion, and it's good to see a leading lady that passes muster.

I'll start with the basics. While FFVII doesn't have a job system per se, Aeris is clearly the party's standard white mage, complete with staff and restorative Limit Break. While the conventional female character locked into the healer role tends to annoy me, this works in context. Aeris is balanced out by not one but two other women, neither of whom are magic users (Tifa as a monk and Yuffie as a thief). This is rarely seen in other Final Fantasy games wherein white mages like Rosa, Garnet, and Yuna also have magic-using female compatriots. More importantly, her "job" as a white mage works in tune with the plot. To rescue the Planet from Meteor, she uses the White Materia to cast Holy, a well-known high level spell in white magic.

A character's appearance plays an important role, as always, and it's great to see Aeris is not afflicted by a cheesecakey design (something that's admittedly relegated to black mage women like Lulu or Fran). I've always liked her Dress And Hiking Boots combo, showing a measure of function over form. Personality-wise, she's flirty and somewhat childish, but it works because she's not limited solely to these traits. Her relationship with her adoptive mother is poignant, adding to a display of genuine maturity that runs through her character.

In much of fictive media, the death of a female character is typically used as a simple plot device. The brave protagonist falls in love with Stock Woman A, she's killed off by the merciless villain, and the brave protagonist is spurred on by his love's death to ultimately defeat the merciless villain. Aeris's death works quite differently. While she can be seen as a love interest for Cloud, her flirtations never seem serious, and her death comes so early in the game that there's little time for a romantic relationship to form. She leaves the party and goes to the Forgotten City by her own choice, even though it would have been easy for the game designers to have her kidnapped in some way. She doesn't sacrifice herself for Cloud, and her death is so sudden that it doesn't feel forced or played-out (and, thankfully, the violence done to her is not sexualized in the least). She's still vital to the plot thereafter, and saves the Planet in the end. Arguably, she can be seen as a driving force for Cloud to destroy Jenova, but her purpose extends beyond this, and Cloud himself has a lot more to fight for.

I'll always be partial to games I played when I was younger, and it pleases me to say that Final Fantasy VII is still an enjoyable game eleven years later. Aeris is a wonderful example of those rare "strong female characters" you've heard so much about. She shows that, when done right, a character can be girly and swathed in tons of pink and still be a great representative of feminism in games.

Labels: BomberGirl, Character Spotlight, Final Fantasy, Getting it Right, RPG

Posted by BomberGirl
7:57 AM + Link to this post
3 comments

Monday, December 3, 2007

The curious case of Sorceress Adel.

When I was but a bright-eyed thirteen-year-old, the eighth installment of the Final Fantasy series was released unto the masses. Still happily reeling from the convoluted yet satisfying experience that was Final Fantasy VII, I accepted VIII's bright colors, futuristic setting, and generous cast of characters with open arms.

However, there was a lot about VIII that was truly puzzling. Aside from the body-jumping antagonist, the time traveling nonsense, and the charming Every Baddie Levels Up With You So Don't Even Think About Having A Snowball's Chance Against The Omega Weapon system, there is the curious case of one Sorceress Adel. She's so minor that she only has three meager speaking lines and spends her sole boss battle as the puppet of the almighty Ultimecia (she of the "I will kast the world into khaos with katastrophic Time Kompression!"), and yet, Adel really stumped me.

You may notice from her picture that she is a man.

Well . . . she looks like a man, anyway. Or at the very least she has an extremely male physique. Or something.

The Final Fantasy series is not a stranger to gender-bending characters. VI's Kefka was certainly no Rambo, and it isn't much of an achievement to possess thirty times the raw masculinity of Squall, but Adel's appearance was so jarring to me as a budding teenager that it sticks in my mind even today. What could be the story behind this fascinating character design?

Certainly what's so neat about Adel's place in the storyline is that she's one of the baddest, most paralyzingly evil sorceresses that was ever cryogenically frozen and shot into space. Long before the plot of VIII even begins, Adel ruled Esthar as dictator, spreading enough fear and confusion to instill a deep prejudice against all sorceresses in her people (thus leading to Ultimecia's only discernible motive). In a game full of female characters that are willowy, flirty, and practically doll-like in their porcelainity, it's refreshing to see the rugged and almost ugly likes of Adel.

It makes me wonder if it's her beefy constitution that drives away the feminine stereotypes. Adel is ruthless and power-hungry just like any badass supervillain, and while Ultimecia is just as bloodthirsty and awesome, she . . . loves to play dress-up. Which isn't necessarily bad on its own -- I mean, who doesn't love the snazzy parade scene or Ulty's copious face paint? -- but, well, see for yourself. Her backwards hospital gown getup doesn't really strike new ground as far as objectified female villains go, and it's nice to see a woman of villainous ilk feared for her abilities rather than ogled for her goods.

Which is why Adel's stumpability is important. In a genre with a deathgrip on its cookie-cutter female characters, the ability to make players question what they know about the binary sex and gender system is a huge plus. Pretty, feminine men are basically the norm in the Final Fantasy universe, but tough, masculine women still have little exposure. Perhaps Adel was meant to be a man, and something got lost in translation; perhaps this was an intentional choice on the part of developers. Considering her broad shoulders and complete lack of breast development, it isn't a stretch to perhaps call her the first male sorceress. She could be referred to in the feminine form because sorceresses had always been female, just as female pharaohs often wore beards and were called "he." Who knows?

Either way, it's something different, and different is certainly good in my book.

Labels: BomberGirl, Character Spotlight, Final Fantasy, Getting it Right, RPG

Posted by BomberGirl
9:00 AM + Link to this post
6 comments

Monday, September 24, 2007

Sexy Bunnygirls Want to Play With You

One of the staples in any good RPG is the element of exploration. A fantasy-world opens up to the player, along with a host of varied and exciting locales. It's not uncommon for the towns and villages of these worlds to be themed, and it's likely for the player to find herself exploring villages populated by ninjas, wizards, magical creatures -- or even entirely by women.

Final Fantasy XII picks up on this theme with the all-female Viera of Eruyt Village. The Viera -- as displayed upfront by FFXII's main black mage, Fran -- are a race of bunny people that, because they are bunny people, run around in stiletto heels, thongs, and assorted lingerie.

Okay, so maybe I'm not being fair. The Viera are a deeply spiritual people that have a close bond with nature and are particularly skilled in archery. Their bunny ears allow them to hear over great distances and listen to the voices of spirits. Because of this ability, they can summon monsters from --

I'm sorry, I just can't get past this. The only all-female society in Ivalice just happens to resemble a clutch of Playboy Playmates. This wouldn't creep me out as much if, say, Fran was the only one suffering from an awkward gait because of the leather G-string three miles up her ass. However, every single other lapine-eared lady, from leader Jute's silky teddy to the NPC extras' thigh-highs, has apparently decided that bedwear is completely fitting for patrolling their jungle home. I'm all for being able to choose whatever the hell you want to wear, but there isn't a single Viera who doesn't look like she belongs in Hugh Hefner's mansion. Add to that the consistently cookie-cutter faces and it almost makes my blood run cold.

Final Fantasy XII is a fantastic game, so it's a shame that the overall experience -- and so much potential for a group of strong female characters -- suffers because of such blatant sexism. And it isn't the Vieras' fault; they also appear in Final Fantasy Tactics: Advance, Tactics: A2, and FFXII: Revenant Wings with much more varied character designs, from the sexy to the sensible.

It's not the sexy itself that gets to me. I won't mince words: this entire society, set apart from the many others of Ivalice as being made up entirely of women, has been rendered to a collection of sex objects simply by their character design. Conversely, Final Fantasy IV's matriarchal kingdom, Toroia, avoided this beautifully. For example, while the sprites of the Toroia guards could have been replaced by the scantily-clad dancers, they're in fact decked out in armor. Because they're . . . guards, and, male or female . . . you get the idea.

Unfortunately, it's not unusual for female characters to be subjected to this kind of hypersexualization and objectification, and even less so for women in power to have their status mocked by such. The sad truth is that it's just as common an RPG staple as our aforementioned town themes. If only there were something other than the obligatory Hot Sexy Chicks Who Would Love To Sex You Up that leaves female gamers left out in the cold.

Labels: BomberGirl, Final Fantasy, RPG, Sexuality, Stereotypes

Posted by BomberGirl
12:05 AM + Link to this post
7 comments

Monday, June 25, 2007

Some Words on Terra Branford

Final Fantasy VI's Terra Branford is a pretty special gal. Introduced to American audiences in the golden year of 1994, she became -- and remains -- the only female lead in the Final Fantasy series. (I refuse to include FFX-2 for two reasons: it was a spin-off and I try to forget that atrocity ever happened in the first place. But that's a whole 'nother post.)

But that's not the only reason she's so special. She's not simply the only female protagonist of the series, she's also one of the most nuanced, deeply moving characters of all RPG-dom. Lemme tell you a little bit about her.

FFVI's story is a massive one, and, with a grand total of fourteen playable characters, it's understandably difficult for any one to truly stand out. However, Terra acts as the centerpiece of the entire plot, without which the story could never have even begun.

Half-human and half-esper, she is the sole reason that the once-extinct art of magic returns to the human dimension -- by being raised in the Empire and fueling Emperor Gestahl's Magitek Knight project. Because of the early stages of this project, Kefka's mind began to deteriorate, turning him into the mad clown antagonist that we all know and love. Terra also serves as the conduit between the esper and human dimensions, an impossible feat for any full-blooded human to achieve. And besides her pivotal impact on the plot, Terra's personality and character truly sets her apart as well. She's no princess, she doesn't have a love interest, and, best of all, she doesn't exhibit any stereotypically feminine traits.

Truly, FFVI is about Terra's struggle to cope with herself. She awakens from the control of the Empire's Slave Crown and doesn't know a thing about herself, where she came from, or even what's going on. She has to deal with being the only person in the world who can naturally utilize magic. It's this very quality that has people bombarding her left and right for aid: the Empire needs her to retrieve magicite, the Returners need her to fight the Empire, and she's also the only one who can communicate with espers. What Terra finds herself lacking is real human connection, emotions, or attachment to anyone in a genuine way.

This is what's primarily so interesting about Terra. It's not even that she isn't stereotypically over-emotional or hypersensitive like how female characters (sadly) tend to be portrayed; she's practically a stoic, with an inability to feel authentic emotion whatsoever.

What's even better is that she doesn't find emotional connection in the most obvious place, that being the love interest. After the apocalyptic cataclysm brought around by Kefka, Terra, separated from the rest of the party, wanders to Mobliz and helps a young teenage couple (Duane and Katarin) care for some orphans. In a particularly poignant scene, she convinces Duane not to abandon Katarin, who has recently become pregnant. In the year since the cataclysm, Terra has taken time off from doing what everyone else needed her for and submerged herself in self-reflection and anonymity. Once a weapon, once a tool, Terra finally establishes herself as a person at last.

I would love to see this kind of depth and personality in future Final Fantasy women, even if they continue not to occupy the "protagonist" role. FFVI distinguishes itself from the rest of the series with an insurmountable plot, unique setting, and memorable moments, all of which are due to a truly unforgettable character.

Labels: BomberGirl, Character Spotlight, Final Fantasy, Getting it Right, RPG

Posted by BomberGirl
12:00 AM + Link to this post
9 comments

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Let's Sing a Sad Song about Doggies

A Look at Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus

I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard that Vincent would be starring in his own game for the PS2. I’ve been a rabid fan since I dragged him out from the Shinra Manor basement in Niblheim. It’s all of his internalized angst that makes him so much fun!

Anyway, as you’d expect with a spin-off, we met all kinds of never-before-seen female characters in the Final Fantasy VII world: Shelke, Shalua, and Rosso. They’re a strange bunch. I feel like they should have come from different games.

Shelke is an interesting character—she begins the game as a villain, transitions into neutral, and then finally begins to directly support Vincent at the end of the game. At first, I had some problems with her—she was too shota with her “I’m nineteen in a nine-year-old’s body” thing going on, and while her outfit was nothing compared to the dangerously sexy Rosso, it was still creepy on a nine-year-old girl. Her small size can be excused by her physical age, but she practically disappears when placed next to the hypermasculine brute Azul. I worried about her potential when I saw her faint without explanation at the beginning of the game. Her invisibility magic made me worry that she couldn’t actually fight.

Shelke surprised me, though. I grew to like her; within the Tsviets, she’s a hacker who uses the worldwide network (internet?) to obtain information on her enemies. Her sabers are pretty bad-ass, and that coupled with her shield material make her a competent fighter. She manages to avoid being trapped by the sentimentality of most female supporting roles (in fact, she’s rather unfeeling). Perhaps most importantly, Shelke is not a sexual character; maybe she lacks the emotional capacity for that kind of thing, or perhaps the producers realized the horrifying repercussions of having a physically nine-year-old girl trying to sex someone up.

Shalua blows my mind. She’s definitely cool—I mean, how many women have you seen in video games that have one eye, one arm, and a body full of reconstructed organs? She’s tough, too. Even at a one-arm disadvantage, she holds her own in hand-to-hand combat and can wield a gun. That’s not all, though; she’s also caring and compassionate. She sacrifices herself to save her sister early in the game, demonstrating far more humanity that any of the other females. She operates based on her own objectives and is a successful scientist for the World Regenensis Organization.

So then why does her miniskirt have a crotch window? Combined with the sky blue high heels and long white lab coat… I mean, a professional would never wear such a boobtastic top. It’s just such a confusing visual! She’s basically a scientist in stripper’s clothing; it’s a shame that her awesome character concept conflicts with her ridiculous getup. Thinking of her as a real scientist is like trying to have a serious conversation with someone who has a pigeon on her head.

And then there’s Rosso. Where Shelke and Shalua demonstrate areas in which the game succeeds, Rosso represents a nearly complete failure. Besides her appalling outfit (What is that hideous Lion Brand Yarns “Fun Fur” train!?), Rosso has fallen victim to the Oversexed Female Villain complex. In one of her first cutscenes, she looks longingly into the sky and says, “This is the first time I’ve felt the rain on my skin.” What should have been a touching moment that generated sympathy for Rosso becomes warped by her “come hither” voice. I’m also bothered by the way she always calls Vincent by pets names like “love” and “darling.” In your final battle with her, Rosso actually says, "Pain is a pleasure.”

I would argue that we should overlook Rosso’s sexy speech patterns and dismiss them as errors on the part of the producers and the voice actor. It seems to me that her voice actor tries to turn everything sexy when the script doesn't call for it; in some scenes, Rosso appears to be turned on by violence, but that impression comes from the way her lines are read. This does not excuse the fact that she was written and directed this way—the voice directors should have been open to voice options besides “sexy.”

So what did they do right? Well, I admire the fact that although she acts according to the will of Tsviet leader Weiss, she does not do so for his affection. Her determination to serve him comes from a recognition of his strength (a reasonable response from someone so strong and violent herself), not blind lovey-dovey devotion. Also, while her voice actor and costume make her sexual, the majority of her words and actions are aggressive; midway through the game, she rips a hole through Vincent’s chest and wrecks tremendous havoc at all other times. Of all the Tsviets, she plays the most active role in hunting for Vincent. In fact, when other Tsviets encounter Vincent, it is usually through coincidence rather than a deliberate attempt to kill him.

So then, what are we left with at the end of the day? In a way, Square Enix was on the right track with its character development. Sure, Shelke is as cold as ice, Rosso has a serious dominatrix edge to her, and Shalua is a martyr, but I’d argue that for the most part their characters depart from the stereotypical women for their roles. I mean, as a supporting character, Shelke didn’t merely fawn over Vincent and act cute. Shalua is far from helpless despite her disadvantages. Rosso plays a strangely active role for a female villain in a game with so many male antagonists. Square Enix deserves some credit for diversifying the pool of female characters... but damn. I don’t want to worry about seeing any parts hangin’ out.

Labels: Calabar, Final Fantasy, RPG, Stereotypes