other than FF

[Cloud master]

does anyone know of any other square enix games that aren't Final fantasy games?????

[Markus. D]

there are plenty.

I could reccomend some.


its definetly not for the feint hearted... but Drakengard.

if you are. Drakengard 2.

there are quite alot more... but these two are the best.

[Sefie1999AD]

There are many great non-FF Square Enix games. My favorite is probably the Kingdom Hearts series. Chrono Trigger is an amazing game, and even though I haven't played it for ages, I have a lot of great memories and nostalgia about the game. The Seiken Densetsu series is pretty good too, and I especially like SD3 because it has so many different character and class combinations you can take.

[feioncastor]

Square actually has another series with almost as many entries as Final Fantasy, and it's commonly called the "SaGa Series".

It consists of:

Final Fantasy Legend (Gameboy)
Final Fantasy Legend II (Gameboy)
Final Fantasy Legend III (Gameboy)
Romancing SaGa (Super Famicom?)
Romancing SaGa 2 (Super Famicom?)
Romancing SaGa 3 (Super Famicom?)
SaGa Frontier (PSX)
SaGa Frontier 2 (PSX)
Unlimited SaGa (PS2)

Note that the Romancing SaGa games have yet to be released in North America. And I think, I'm not sure, but I think Unlimited SaGa never made it to North American PS2s.

But that's not it for Squaresoft. Shortly before Final Fantasy VIII came out, they released a game called "Brave Fencer Musashi". It's an action/adventure/RPG, involving real-time combat and a LOT of fun. It was released for the Playstation 1.

The follow-up to that game, Samurai Legend Musashi, was okay, but was nothing compared to Brave Fencer.

Square also collaborated with Nintendo to develop Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars. This game was a fantastic example of an RPG that just wasn't quite so dark and serious as Final Fantasy could be. In my opinion, Super Mario RPG holds up alongside many Final Fantasy games as an outstanding RPG, because of its catchy gameplay, familiar characters, all new and awesome characters (Geno!), and for featuring the FF4 boss music and victory fanfare in a somewhat hidden (and really hard) fight.

As is mentioned in the post above mine, the Seiken Densetsu series is also great. The first entry of the series appeared in North America on the Gameboy as Final Fantasy Adventure. It was a heck of a lot of fun, but even before I knew that it wasn't an FF game in Japan, I could've guessed it wasn't because it doesn't play anything like an FF game. The next game in the Seiken series was Seiken Densetsu 2 for the Super Famicom, which was released in the USA as "Secret of Mana" for the SNES, and it's just wonderful. It, along with the other Mana/Seiken games, is an action RPG. The battles aren't at turn based at all, but you still can't just go up to your enemy and hack'n'slash away. Well, not if you want to beat your enemy, anyway. You do move freely around in combat, and you do get a means of aerial travel that is not an airship. It may be the best use of a 3 player adapter for the Super Nintendo. Heck, it may be the only use for a 3 player adapater for the SNES. After Seiken Densetsu 2 came, of course, part 3 for the Super Famicom, which just never got around to getting released in the USA. I've seen bits of it, and it looks neat enough. If it ever makes it stateside, it will be a guaranteed purchase for me. There are a few other games with "Mana" in the title (Legend of Mana, Sword of Mana), but I'm not certain how they fit into the Seiken series. If anyone else can explain, sweet. If not, that's okay too.

Another Square game that is often overlooked is Einhander. It's a side-scroller flying game, where you control a single-manned fighter ship, in a futuristic war between the Earth and the Moon. I loved Einhander. It reminded me a lot of a fast-paced Super R-Type.

Around this time, Square put out a game called "Bushido Blade", which was a fighting game, as in 1 on 1 fighting stuff. It was an okay game, but the peculiar thing was how realistic the damage was. You could go against an opponent and strike him 20 times and he'd still be standing, or you could go get one accurate (or lucky) shot and take him down in one hit.

There's also a game called Parasite Eve. I know it was a somewhat big deal when it was in development because people were comparing it to Resident Evil, but I never got around to playing it. I've been told that it's a significant part of Square-Enix's catalog of games, but I don't know enough about it to describe it, so if someone else feels up to it...

There's the ever wonderous and mysterious Xenogears, with a really sweet battle system and giant robots that are way too big for the average fair fight. Did anyone else feel like they kind of rehashed Xenogears' battle system in Chrono Cross?

And finally, there's the game that may actually count as a Final Fantasy game, but it's not actually part of the series, and that game is FINAL FANTASY TACTICS, which is the single greatest game ever made, ever. This game has changed the way I do things. Square put together a game that has dominated the genre of SRPGs and actually come to redefine them. If you've never played a Strategy RPG and you play FFT as your first SRPG, chances are you'll be disappointed in the other great SRPGs out there because of how wonderfully done this game is.

I don't count FFT as an official entry in the Final Fantasy series. I think they called it that because having Chocobos and Cloud wouldn't make much sense if they didn't.

Interestingly enough, Final Fantasy seems to be utilizing the land of "Ivalice" more and more in their stories, and unless I'm mistaken, FFT for the Playstation is the first time Ivalice is used.

[RiseToFall]

If you were a bit older I would tell you to go out and try to find a copy of Xenogears.

[Zeromus_X]

tri-Ace games, though they are only published by Square-Enix.

[Wolf Kanno]

For quirky fun, play Brave Fencer Musashi or Threads of Fate (Dew Prism in Japan) They are both pretty light hearted but really fun.

For a more modern twist try out Parasite Eve, though it is a bit gory and weird...

Front Mission III and IV are damn fun to play if you like SRPG's that involve using giant robots and heavy political themes.

Einhander is good, it's just trying to find a copy that's difficult. It's a pretty good shooter only made impressive by the fact it was made a company that doesn't really specialize in them.

The Saga series is unique, it is sorta've Squenix's unoffical testing series. All the games are pretty experimental. Some good (Saga Frontier 2) some bad (Unlimited Saga)

Chrono Trigger is a classic game which revolves around time travel and sword and sorcery. It has incredible graphics and music for a game released late in SNES life. It's sequel is also pretty good, though it has some mix feelings in the fan base. I suggest you try it out for yourself before listening to anyway really give their opinion about it.

The Mana series is a a personal favorite, if you can get a copy of Seiken Denetsu II (Secret of Mana) for the SNES I would go for it. It's a damn good game and will prepare you for all the others in the series. Legend of Mana is pretty good though it is pretty aimless at times and doesn't really have an overall plot. It is still very pretty and really fun to play.

I save my two favorite non-FF's for last. Xenogears and Vagrant Story. Xenogears, is an incredible game with an intricate twisting plot and a storyline that just blows you away. It uses a few RPG cliche's but it does them in a good way. It has one of the greatest soundtracks in an RPG and a wonderful cast of characters that you grow to really care about. The battle system is really fun but even I'll admit that towards the end of the game, it gets a little boring but the game is LOOOOONG expect to put at least 60+ hours into it.

Vagrant Story is my other favorite. Made by the FFT team, it is also set in Ivalice (though they never blatanly say it, and it's odd having a real religion showing up in a ficticious world) It's battle system is really weird and gets some getting use to, especially since the game doesn't have a real tutorial. Once you get a handle on combat, making weapons and managing Risk the game is really fun. In reality, it's the story that is the true highlight of this game. It's like a medieval Metal Gear Solid, involving a Riskbreaker (a feild agent rank within a secret task force created to cover up the secrets of nobles and high ranking officials) named Ashley Riot being sent into a cursed city to rescue a Duke's son who has been kidnapped by a cult that was being secretly funded by said Duke. Ashley must rescue the child and eliminate the leader of the group, a man named Sydney Lasserotte, before the Crimson Blades ( A fanatical group of knights under the authority of the Christian church) get to them first. It's plot is incredibly well written and is one of the reason's why I've been looking forward to FFXII since I heard this team was developing it.

On the Enix side, I suggest Drakengard, another game with a really freaky plot... or Star Ocean: The Second Story or even Star Ocean III: Till the End of Time. SOII has a wonderful cast and though it's plot is kinda've weak it's still incredibly fun to play. Word of advice though, choose Claude if you want the better plot, choose Rena for the better party options. The game also has the best way of going about doing optional dungeons. As you know, 9 at of 10 times, most RPG's have uber optional bosses that require insane amounts of time to prepare and beat. Afterwards, the final boss is a joke since you beat this uber boss. In SOII, to unlock the optional dungeon you have to do a side quest that makes the end boss insaely more powerful than normal. SOIII has a better storyline but I feel the cast isn't as solid. It also has the most bizarre plot twist in any game that tends to either make or break the game for people (I still know people who feel this game is dead to them since they reached that plot twist)

If you can find it, Robotrek is another wonderful Enix game that features robots and time travel but it is for the SNES

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Note that the Romancing SaGa games have yet to be released in North America.

The exception being the PS2 remake of the first Romancing SaGa.

And I think, I'm not sure, but I think Unlimited SaGa never made it to North American PS2s.

Oh, but it did, sad to say.

There are a few other games with "Mana" in the title (Legend of Mana, Sword of Mana), but I'm not certain how they fit into the Seiken series. If anyone else can explain, sweet. If not, that's okay too.

• Sword of Mana is a remake of the original Seiken Densetsu.
• Legend of Mana, Children of Mana, Friends of Mana, and Heroes of Mana are spin-offs of the main series.
• Seiken Densetsu 4, known in America as Dawn of Mana, is the sequel/prequel to Seiken Densetsu 3.

[ValiantKnight]

Hmm, no one mentioned Dragon Quest VIII?

[feioncastor]

And I think, I'm not sure, but I think Unlimited SaGa never made it to North American PS2s.

Oh, but it did, sad to say.

So, I'll assume it wasn't much of an improvement from SF2?

Honestly, SaGa Frontier 2 might've been the biggest let down in a follow-up title, other than FF8.

SF2 had none of the sweet catchy gameplay that made SF1 so sweet. And it the music wasn't as cool. Plus, the combat system was really bizzare. And the story wasn't that great

Hey, what are defining trademarks of games in the SaGa series? You know, FF games usually have Cid, Chocobos, Airships, magic, and various other trademarks that loosely tie the series together. Does SaGa have any such trademarks?

Mana kind of does. The tree, the Mana Sword, and in the first 2 games, the term "Gemma" or "Jema". Plus, the first two Mana games had similar gameplay styles, in that it you could freely move and freely attack, unlike FF games (until recently...)

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Hey, what are defining trademarks of games in the SaGa series? You know, FF games usually have Cid, Chocobos, Airships, magic, and various other trademarks that loosely tie the series together. Does SaGa have any such trademarks?

The only thing that comes to mind is the Minstrel, but he's only present for the Romancing SaGa games.

In practical terms, I think the main aspect that unifies the series is the non-linear, semi-randomized gameplay.

[feioncastor]

I was gonna say that maybe each SaGa game had multiple scenarios, because I know one of the Romancing SaGa games does. And I know Sf1 and SF2 both do.

But I don't think the FF Legend games do, and they are technically part of the series.

I actually just bought FF Legend III for the GB, the same day I bought FFIII for the DS. Funny.

[Jessweeee♪]

Threads of Fate!

Oh...no that's Squaresoft...but whatever.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Square games and Enix games count retroactively as Square Enix games.

[Dragonface]

Final Fantasy + Resident Evil = Parasite Eve

Yea, PE is SE version of RE.

I own both PE2 AND PE, but PE never has the PAL version.