Final Fantasy

 is a Japanese anthology science fantasy media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science fantasy role-playing video games. The first game in the series was released in 1987, with 14 other main-numbered entries being released since then. The franchise has since branched into other video game genres such as tactical role-playing, action role-playing, massively multiplayer online role-playing, racing, third-person shooter, fighting, and rhythm, as well as branching into other media, including CGI films, anime, manga, and novels.
"Final Fantasy" installments are generally stand-alone stories or role playing games, each with different settings, plots and main characters, but the franchise is linked by several recurring elements, including game mechanics and recurring character names. Each plot centers on a particular group of heroes who are battling a great evil, but also explores the characters' internal struggles and relationships. Character names are frequently derived from the history, languages, pop culture, and mythologies of cultures worldwide. The mechanics of each game involve similar battle systems and maps.
The "Final Fantasy" video game series has been both critically and commercially successful, selling more than software units worldwide, making it one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time. The series is well known for its innovation, visuals, and music, such as the inclusion of full-motion videos (FMVs), photorealistic character models, and music by Nobuo Uematsu. It has popularized many features now common in role-playing games, also popularizing the genre as a whole in markets outside Japan.
Media.
Games.
The first installment of the series was released in Japan on December 18, 1987. Subsequent games are numbered and given a story unrelated to previous games, so the numbers refer to volumes rather than to sequels. Many "Final Fantasy" games have been localized for markets in North America, Europe, and Australia on numerous video game consoles, personal computers (PC), and mobile phones. Future installments will appear on seventh and eighth generation consoles. As of November 2016, the series includes the main installments from "Final Fantasy" to "Final Fantasy XV", as well as direct sequels and spin-offs, both released and confirmed as being in development. Most of the older games have been remade or re-released on multiple platforms.
Main series.
Three "Final Fantasy" installments were released on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). "Final Fantasy" was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1990. It introduced many concepts to the console RPG genre, and has since been remade on several platforms. "Final Fantasy II", released in 1988 in Japan, has been bundled with "Final Fantasy" in several re-releases. The last of the NES installments, "Final Fantasy III", was released in Japan in 1990; however, it was not released elsewhere until a Nintendo DS remake in 2006.
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) also featured three installments of the main series, all of which have been re-released on several platforms. "Final Fantasy IV" was released in 1991; in North America, it was released as "Final Fantasy II". It introduced the "Active Time Battle" system. "Final Fantasy V", released in 1992 in Japan, was the first game in the series to spawn a sequel: a short anime series, "". "Final Fantasy VI" was released in Japan in 1994, titled "Final Fantasy III" in North America.
The PlayStation console saw the release of three main "Final Fantasy" games. "Final Fantasy VII" (1997) moved away from the two-dimensional (2D) graphics used in the first six games to three-dimensional (3D) computer graphics; the game features polygonal characters on pre-rendered backgrounds. It also introduced a more modern setting, a style that was carried over to the next game. It was also the second in the series to be released in Europe, with the first being "Final Fantasy Mystic Quest". "Final Fantasy VIII" was published in 1999, and was the first to consistently use realistically proportioned characters and feature a vocal piece as its theme music. "Final Fantasy IX", released in 2000, returned to the series' roots by revisiting a more traditional "Final Fantasy" setting rather than the more modern worlds of "VII" and "VIII".
Three main installments, as well as one online game, were published for the PlayStation 2 (PS2). "Final Fantasy X" (2001) introduced full 3D areas and voice acting to the series, and was the first to spawn a sub-sequel ("Final Fantasy X-2", published in 2003). The first massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) in the series, "Final Fantasy XI", was released on the PS2 and PC in 2002, and later on the Xbox 360. It introduced real-time battles instead of random encounters. "Final Fantasy XII", published in 2006, also includes real-time battles in large, interconnected playfields. The game is also the first in the main series to utilize a world used in a previous game, namely the land of Ivalice, which had previously featured in "Final Fantasy Tactics" and "Vagrant Story".
In 2009, "Final Fantasy XIII" was released in Japan, and in North America and Europe the following year, for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the flagship installment of the "Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy" series and became the first mainline game to spawn two sub-sequels ("XIII-2" and '). It was also the first game released in Chinese and high definition along with being released on two consoles at once. "Final Fantasy XIV", a MMORPG, was released worldwide on Microsoft Windows in 2010, but it received heavy criticism when it was launched, prompting Square Enix to rerelease the game as ', this time to the PlayStation 3 as well, in 2013. "Final Fantasy XV" is an action role-playing game that was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2016. Originally a "XIII" spin-off titled "Versus XIII", "XV" uses the mythos of the "Fabula Nova Crystallis" series, although in many other respects the game stands on its own and has since been distanced from the series by its developers. The next mainline entry, "Final Fantasy XVI", was announced in September 2020 for the PlayStation 5.
Remakes, sequels and spin-offs.
"Final Fantasy" has spawned numerous spin-offs and metaseries. Several are, in fact, not "Final Fantasy" games, but were rebranded for North American release. Examples include the "SaGa" series, rebranded "The Final Fantasy Legend", and its two sequels, "Final Fantasy Legend II" and "Final Fantasy Legend III". "Final Fantasy Mystic Quest" was specifically developed for a United States audience, and "Final Fantasy Tactics" is a tactical RPG that features many references and themes found in the series. The spin-off "Chocobo" series, "Crystal Chronicles" series, and "Kingdom Hearts" series also include multiple "Final Fantasy" elements. In 2003, the "Final Fantasy" series' first sub-sequel, "Final Fantasy X-2", was released. "Final Fantasy XIII" was originally intended to stand on its own, but the team wanted to explore the world, characters and mythos more, resulting in the development and release of two sequels in 2011 and respectively, creating the series' first official trilogy. "Dissidia Final Fantasy" was released in 2009, a fighting game that features heroes and villains from the first ten games of the main series. It was followed by a prequel in 2011. Other spin-offs have taken the form of subseries—"Compilation of Final Fantasy VII", "Ivalice Alliance", and "Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy". Enhanced 3D remakes of "Final Fantasy III" and "Final Fantasy IV" would be released in 2006 and 2007 respectively. "Final Fantasy VII Remake" was released on the PlayStation 4 in 2020.
Other media.
Film and television.
Square Enix has expanded the "Final Fantasy" series into various media. Multiple anime and computer-generated imagery (CGI) films have been produced that are based either on individual "Final Fantasy" games or on the series as a whole. The first was an original video animation (OVA), ', a sequel to "Final Fantasy V". The story was set in the same world as the game, although 200 years in the future. It was released as four 30-minute episodes, first in Japan in 1994 and later in the United States by Urban Vision in 1998. In 2001, Square Pictures released its first feature film, '. The film is set on a future Earth invaded by alien life forms. "The Spirits Within" was the first animated feature to seriously attempt to portray photorealistic CGI humans, but was considered a box office bomb and garnered mixed reviews.
A 25-episode anime television series, "," was released in 2001 based on the common elements of the "Final Fantasy" series. It was broadcast in Japan by TV Tokyo and released in North America by ADV Films.
In 2005, ', a feature length direct-to-DVD CGI film, and ', a non-canon OVA, were released as part of the "Compilation of Final Fantasy VII". "Advent Children" was animated by Visual Works, which helped the company create CG sequences for the games. The film, unlike "The Spirits Within", became a commercial success. "Last Order," on the other hand, was released in Japan in a special DVD bundle package with "Advent Children". "Last Order" sold out quickly and was positively received by Western critics, though fan reaction was mixed over changes to established story scenes.
Two animated tie-ins for "Final Fantasy XV" were announced at the Uncovered Final Fantasy XV fan and press event, forming part of a larger multimedia project dubbed the "Final Fantasy XV" Universe. ' is a series of five 10-to-20-minute-long episodes developed by A-1 Pictures and Square Enix detailing the backstories of the main cast. ', a CGI movie set for release prior to the game in Summer 2016, is set during the game's opening and follows new and secondary characters.
On February 26, 2019 Square Enix released a short anime, produced by Satelight Inc, called "Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn – Prologue" on their YouTube channel which acts as the background story for the final piece of DLC for "Final Fantasy XV" giving insight into Ardyn's past.
Square Enix also released "", an 8-episode Japanese soap opera. It features a mix of live-action scenes and "Final Fantasy XIV" gameplay footage. It premiered in Japan on April 16, 2017 and became available worldwide via Netflix in September of the same year.
It was announced in June 2019 that Sony Pictures Television is working on a first ever live-action adaptation of the series with Hivemind and Square Enix. Jason F. Brown, Sean Daniel and Dinesh Shamdasani for Hivemind will be the producers while Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton will write for the series and will serve as executive producers.
Other media.
Several video games have either been adapted into or have had spin-offs in the form of manga and novels. The first was the novelization of "Final Fantasy II" in 1989, and was followed by a manga adaptation of "Final Fantasy III" in 1992. The past decade has seen an increase in the number of non-video game adaptations and spin-offs. "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" has been adapted into a novel, the spin-off game "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles" has been adapted into a manga, and "Final Fantasy XI" has had a novel and manga set in its continuity. Seven novellas based on the "Final Fantasy VII" universe have also been released. The "Final Fantasy: Unlimited" story was partially continued in novels and a manga after the anime series ended. The "Final Fantasy X" and "Final Fantasy XIII" series have also had novellas and audio dramas released. "Final Fantasy Tactics Advance" has been adapted into a radio drama, and "Final Fantasy: Unlimited" has received a radio drama sequel.
A trading card game named the "Final Fantasy trading card game" is produced by Square Enix and Hobby Japan, first released Japan in 2012 with an English version in 2016. The game has been compared to "", and a tournament circuit for the game also takes place.
Common elements.
Although most "Final Fantasy" installments are independent, many gameplay elements recur throughout the series. Most games contain elements of fantasy and science fiction and feature recycled names often inspired from various cultures' history, languages and mythology, including Asian, European, and Middle-Eastern. Examples include weapon names like Excalibur and Masamune—derived from Arthurian legend and the Japanese swordsmith Masamune respectively—as well as the spell names Holy, Meteor, and Ultima. Beginning with "Final Fantasy IV", the main series adopted its current logo style that features the same typeface and an emblem designed by Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano. The emblem relates to a game's plot and typically portrays a character or object in the story. Subsequent remakes of the first three games have replaced the previous logos with ones similar to the rest of the series.
Plot and themes.
The central conflict in many "Final Fantasy" games focuses on a group of characters battling an evil, and sometimes ancient, antagonist that dominates the game's world. Stories frequently involve a sovereign state in rebellion, with the protagonists taking part in the rebellion. The heroes are often destined to defeat the evil, and occasionally gather as a direct result of the antagonist's malicious actions. Another staple of the series is the existence of two villains; the main villain is not always who it appears to be, as the primary antagonist may actually be subservient to another character or entity. The main antagonist introduced at the beginning of the game is not always the final enemy, and the characters must continue their quest beyond what appears to be the final fight.
Stories in the series frequently emphasize the internal struggles, passions, and tragedies of the characters, and the main plot often recedes into the background as the focus shifts to their personal lives. Games also explore relationships between characters, ranging from love to rivalry. Other recurring situations that drive the plot include amnesia, a hero corrupted by an evil force, mistaken identity, and self-sacrifice. Magical orbs and crystals are recurring in-game items that are frequently connected to the themes of the games' plots. Crystals often play a central role in the creation of the world, and a majority of the "Final Fantasy" games link crystals and orbs to the planet's life force. As such, control over these crystals drives the main conflict. The classical elements are also a recurring theme in the series related to the heroes, villains, and items. Other common plot and setting themes include the Gaia hypothesis, an apocalypse, and conflicts between advanced technology and nature.
Characters.
The series features a number of recurring character archetypes. Most famously, every game since "Final Fantasy II", including subsequent remakes of the original "Final Fantasy", features a character named Cid. Cid's appearance, personality, goals, and role in the game (non-playable ally, party member, villain) vary dramatically. However, two characteristics many versions of Cid have in common are 1) being a scientist or engineer, and 2) being tied in some way to an airship the party eventually acquires. Every Cid has at least one of these two traits.
Biggs and Wedge, inspired by two "Star Wars" characters of the same name, appear in numerous games as minor characters, sometimes as comic relief. The later games in the series feature several males with effeminate characteristics. Recurring creatures include Chocobos, Moogles, and Cactuars. Chocobos are large, often flightless birds that appear in several installments as a means of long-distance travel for characters. Moogles are white, stout creatures resembling teddy bears with wings and a single antenna. They serve different capacities in games including mail delivery, weaponsmiths, party members, and saving the game. Cactuars are anthropomorphic cacti with "haniwa"-like faces presented in a running or dashing pose. They usually appear as recurring enemy units, and also as summoned allies or friendly non-player characters in certain titles. Chocobo and Moogle appearances are often accompanied by specific musical themes that have been arranged differently for separate games.
Gameplay.
In "Final Fantasy" games, players command a party of characters as they progress through the game's story by exploring the game world and defeating opponents. Enemies are typically encountered randomly through exploring, a trend which changed in "Final Fantasy XI" and "Final Fantasy XII". The player issues combat orders—like "Fight", "Magic", and "Item"—to individual characters via a menu-driven interface while engaging in battles. Throughout the series, the games have used different battle systems. Prior to "Final Fantasy XI", battles were turn-based with the protagonists and antagonists on different sides of the battlefield. "Final Fantasy IV" introduced the "Active Time Battle" (ATB) system that augmented the turn-based nature with a perpetual time-keeping system. Designed by Hiroyuki Ito, it injected urgency and excitement into combat by requiring the player to act before an enemy attacks, and was used until "Final Fantasy X", which implemented the "Conditional Turn-Based" (CTB) system. This new system returned to the previous turn-based system, but added nuances to offer players more challenge. "Final Fantasy XI" adopted a real-time battle system where characters continuously act depending on the issued command. "Final Fantasy XII" continued this gameplay with the "Active Dimension Battle" system. "Final Fantasy XIII"s combat system, designed by the same man who worked on "X", was meant to have an action-oriented feel, emulating the cinematic battles in "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children". The latest installment to the franchise, Final Fantasy XV, introduces a new "Open Combat" system. Unlike previous battle systems in the franchise, the "Open Combat" system (OCS) allows players to take on a fully active battle scenario, allowing for free range attacks and movement, giving a much more fluid feel of combat. This system also incorporates a "Tactical" Option during battle, which pauses active battle to allow use of items.
Like most RPGs, the "Final Fantasy" installments use an experience level system for character advancement, in which experience points are accumulated by killing enemies. Character classes, specific jobs that enable unique abilities for characters, are another recurring theme. Introduced in the first game, character classes have been used differently in each game. Some restrict a character to a single job to integrate it into the story, while other games feature dynamic job systems that allow the player to choose from multiple classes and switch throughout the game. Though used heavily in many games, such systems have become less prevalent in favor of characters that are more versatile; characters still match an archetype, but are able to learn skills outside their class.
Magic is another common RPG element in the series. The method by which characters gain magic varies between installments, but is generally divided into classes organized by color: "White magic", which focuses on spells that assist teammates; "Black magic", which focuses on harming enemies; "Red magic", which is a combination of white and black magic, "Blue magic", which mimics enemy attacks; and "Green magic" which focuses on applying status effects to either allies or enemies. Other types of magic frequently appear such as "Time magic", focusing on the themes of time, space, and gravity; and "Summoning magic", which evokes legendary creatures to aid in battle and is a feature that has persisted since "Final Fantasy III". Summoned creatures are often referred to by names like "Espers" or "Eidolons" and have been inspired by mythologies from Arabic, Hindu, Norse, and Greek cultures.
Different means of transportation have appeared through the series. The most common is the airship for long range travel, accompanied by chocobos for travelling short distances, but others include sea and land vessels. Following "Final Fantasy VII", more modern and futuristic vehicle designs have been included.
Development and history.
Origin.
In the mid-1980s, Square entered the Japanese video game industry with simple RPGs, racing games, and platformers for Nintendo's Famicom Disk System. In 1987, Square designer Hironobu Sakaguchi chose to create a new fantasy role-playing game for the cartridge-based NES, and drew inspiration from popular fantasy games: Enix's "Dragon Quest", Nintendo's "The Legend of Zelda", and Origin Systems's "Ultima" series. Though often attributed to the company allegedly facing bankruptcy, Sakaguchi explained that the game was his personal last-ditch effort in the game industry and that its title, "Final Fantasy", stemmed from his feelings at the time; had the game not sold well, he would have quit the business and gone back to university. Despite his explanation, publications have also attributed the name to the company's hopes that the project would solve its financial troubles. In 2015, Sakaguchi explained the name's origin: the team wanted a title that would abbreviate to "FF", which would sound good in Japanese. The name was originally going to be "Fighting Fantasy", but due to concerns over trademark conflicts with the roleplaying gamebook series of the same name, they needed to settle for something else. As the word "Final" was a famous word in Japan, Sakaguchi settled on that. According to Sakaguchi, any title that created the "FF" abbreviation would have done.
The game indeed reversed Square's lagging fortunes, and it became the company's flagship franchise. Following the success, Square immediately developed a second installment. Because Sakaguchi assumed "Final Fantasy" would be a stand-alone game, its story was not designed to be expanded by a sequel. The developers instead chose to carry over only thematic similarities from its predecessor, while some of the gameplay elements, such as the character advancement system, were overhauled. This approach has continued throughout the series; each major "Final Fantasy" game features a new setting, a new cast of characters, and an upgraded battle system. Video game writer John Harris attributed the concept of reworking the game system of each installment to Nihon Falcom's "Dragon Slayer" series, with which Square was previously involved as a publisher. The company regularly released new games in the main series. However, the time between the releases of "Final Fantasy XI" (2002), "Final Fantasy XII" (2006), and "Final Fantasy XIII" (2009) were much longer than previous games. Following "Final Fantasy XIV", Square Enix stated that it intended to release "Final Fantasy" games either annually or biennially. This switch was to mimic the development cycles of Western games in the "Call of Duty", "Assassin's Creed" and "Battlefield" series, as well as maintain fan-interest.
Design.
For the original "Final Fantasy", Sakaguchi required a larger production team than Square's previous games. He began crafting the game's story while experimenting with gameplay ideas. Once the gameplay system and game world size were established, Sakaguchi integrated his story ideas into the available resources. A different approach has been taken for subsequent games; the story is completed first and the game built around it. Designers have never been restricted by consistency, though most feel each game should have a minimum number of common elements. The development teams strive to create completely new worlds for each game, and avoid making new games too similar to previous ones. Game locations are conceptualized early in development and design details like building parts are fleshed out as a base for entire structures.
The first five games were directed by Sakaguchi, who also provided the original concepts. He drew inspiration for game elements from anime films by Hayao Miyazaki; series staples like the airships and chocobos are inspired by elements in "Castle in the Sky" and "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind", respectively. Sakaguchi served as a producer for subsequent games until he left Square in 2001. Yoshinori Kitase took over directing the games until "Final Fantasy VIII", and has been followed by a new director for each new game. Hiroyuki Ito designed several gameplay systems, including "Final Fantasy V"s "Job System", "Final Fantasy VIII"s "Junction System" and the Active Time Battle concept, which was used from "Final Fantasy IV" until "Final Fantasy IX". In designing the Active Time Battle system, Ito drew inspiration from Formula One racing; he thought it would be interesting if character types had different speeds after watching race cars pass each other. Ito also co-directed "Final Fantasy VI" with Kitase. Kenji Terada was the scenario writer for the first three games; Kitase took over as scenario writer for "Final Fantasy V" through "Final Fantasy VII". Kazushige Nojima became the series' primary scenario writer from "Final Fantasy VII" until his resignation in October 2003; he has since formed his own company, Stellavista. Nojima partially or completely wrote the stories for "Final Fantasy VII", "Final Fantasy VIII", "Final Fantasy X", and "Final Fantasy X-2". He also worked as the scenario writer for the spin-off series, "Kingdom Hearts". Daisuke Watanabe co-wrote the scenarios for "Final Fantasy X" and "XII", and was the main writer for the "XIII" games.
Artistic design, including character and monster creations, was handled by Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano from "Final Fantasy" through "Final Fantasy VI". Amano also handled title logo designs for all of the main series and the image illustrations from "Final Fantasy VII" onward. Tetsuya Nomura was chosen to replace Amano because Nomura's designs were more adaptable to 3D graphics. He worked with the series from "Final Fantasy VII" through "Final Fantasy X". For "Final Fantasy IX" character designs were handled by Shukō Murase, Toshiyuki Itahana, and Shin Nagasawa. Nomura is also the character designer of the "Kingdom Hearts" series, "Compilation of Final Fantasy VII", and "Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy". Other designers include Nobuyoshi Mihara and Akihiko Yoshida. Mihara was the character designer for "Final Fantasy XI", and Yoshida served as character designer for "Final Fantasy Tactics", the Square-produced "Vagrant Story", and "Final Fantasy XII".
Graphics and technology.
Because of graphical limitations, the first games on the NES feature small sprite representations of the leading party members on the main world screen. Battle screens use more detailed, full versions of characters in a side-view perspective. This practice was used until "Final Fantasy VI", which uses detailed versions for both screens. The NES sprites are 26 pixels high and use a color palette of 4 colors. 6 frames of animation are used to depict different character statuses like "healthy" and "fatigued". The SNES installments use updated graphics and effects, as well as higher quality audio than in previous games, but are otherwise similar to their predecessors in basic design. The SNES sprites are 2 pixels shorter, but have larger palettes and feature more animation frames: 11 colors and 40 frames respectively. The upgrade allowed designers to have characters be more detailed in appearance and express more emotions. The first game includes non-player characters (NPCs) the player could interact with, but they are mostly static in-game objects. Beginning with the second game, Square used predetermined pathways for NPCs to create more dynamic scenes that include comedy and drama.
In 1995, Square showed an interactive SGI technical demonstration of "Final Fantasy VI" for the then next generation of consoles. The demonstration used Silicon Graphics's prototype Nintendo 64 workstations to create 3D graphics. Fans believed the demo was of a new "Final Fantasy" game for the Nintendo 64 console. 1997 saw the release of "Final Fantasy VII" for the Sony PlayStation. The switch was due to a dispute with Nintendo over its use of faster but more expensive cartridges, as opposed to the slower and cheaper, but much higher capacity Compact Discs used on rival systems. "Final Fantasy VII" introduced 3D graphics with fully pre-rendered backgrounds. It was because of this switch to 3D that a CD-ROM format was chosen over a cartridge format. The switch also led to increased production costs and a greater subdivision of the creative staff for "Final Fantasy VII" and subsequent 3D games in the series.
Starting with "Final Fantasy VIII", the series adopted a more photo-realistic look. Like "Final Fantasy VII", full motion video (FMV) sequences would have video playing in the background, with the polygonal characters composited on top. "Final Fantasy IX" returned to the more stylized design of earlier games in the series, although it still maintained, and in many cases slightly upgraded, most of the graphical techniques used in the previous two games. "Final Fantasy X" was released on the PlayStation 2, and used the more powerful hardware to render graphics in real-time instead of using pre-rendered material to obtain a more dynamic look; the game features full 3D environments, rather than have 3D character models move about pre-rendered backgrounds. It is also the first "Final Fantasy" game to introduce voice acting, occurring throughout the majority of the game, even with many minor characters. This aspect added a whole new dimension of depth to the character's reactions, emotions, and development.
Taking a temporary divergence, "Final Fantasy XI" used the PlayStation 2's online capabilities as an MMORPG. Initially released for the PlayStation 2 with a PC port arriving six months later, "Final Fantasy XI" was also released on the Xbox 360 nearly four years after its original release in Japan. This was the first "Final Fantasy" game to use a free rotating camera. "Final Fantasy XII" was released in 2006 for the PlayStation 2 and uses only half as many polygons as "Final Fantasy X", in exchange for more advanced textures and lighting. It also retains the freely rotating camera from "Final Fantasy XI". "Final Fantasy XIII" and "Final Fantasy XIV" both make use of Crystal Tools, a middleware engine developed by Square Enix.
Music.
The "Final Fantasy" games feature a variety of music, and frequently reuse themes. Most of the games open with a piece called "Prelude", which has evolved from a simple, 2-voice arpeggio in the early games to a complex, melodic arrangement in recent installments. Victories in combat are often accompanied by a victory fanfare, a theme that has become one of the most recognized pieces of music in the series. The basic theme that accompanies Chocobo appearances has been rearranged in a different musical style for each installment. A piece called "Prologue" (and sometimes "Final Fantasy"), originally featured in the first game, is often played during the ending credits. Although leitmotifs are common in the more character-driven installments, theme music is typically reserved for main characters and recurring plot elements.
Nobuo Uematsu was the primary composer of the "Final Fantasy" series until his resignation from Square Enix in November 2004. Other notable composers who have worked on main entries in the series include Masashi Hamauzu, Hitoshi Sakimoto, and Yoko Shimomura. Uematsu was allowed to create much of the music with little direction from the production staff. Sakaguchi, however, would request pieces to fit specific game scenes including battles and exploring different areas of the game world. Once a game's major scenarios were completed, Uematsu would begin writing the music based on the story, characters, and accompanying artwork. He started with a game's main theme, and developed other pieces to match its style. In creating character themes, Uematsu read the game's scenario to determine the characters' personality. He would also ask the scenario writer for more details to scenes he was unsure about. Technical limitations were prevalent in earlier games; Sakaguchi would sometimes instruct Uematsu to only use specific notes. It was not until "Final Fantasy IV" on the SNES that Uematsu was able to add more subtlety to the music.
Reception.
Overall, the "Final Fantasy" series has been critically acclaimed and commercially successful, though each installment has seen different levels of success. The series has seen a steady increase in total sales; it sold over 10 million software units worldwide by early 1996, 45 million by August 2003, 63 million by December 2005, and 85 million by July 2008. In June 2011, Square Enix announced that the series had sold over units, and by March 2014, it had sold over 110 million units. Its high sales numbers have ranked it as one of the best-selling video game franchises in the industry; in January 2007, the series was listed as number three, and later in July as number four. As of 2019, the series had sold over 149 million units worldwide. As of November 2020, the series has sold over 159million units worldwide.
Several games within the series have become best-selling games. At the end of 2007, the seventh, eighth, and ninth best-selling RPGs were "Final Fantasy VII", "Final Fantasy VIII", and "Final Fantasy X" respectively. "Final Fantasy VII" has shipped over 12.8 million copies worldwide, earning it the position of the best-selling "Final Fantasy" game. Within two days of "Final Fantasy VIII"s North American release on September 9, 1999, it became the top-selling video game in the United States, a position it held for more than three weeks. "Final Fantasy X" sold over 1.4 million Japanese units in pre-orders alone, which set a record for the fastest-selling console RPG. The MMORPG, "Final Fantasy XI", reached over 200,000 active daily players in March 2006 and had reached over half a million subscribers by July 2007. "Final Fantasy XII" sold more than 1.7 million copies in its first week in Japan. By November 6, 2006—one week after its release—"Final Fantasy XII" had shipped approximately 1.5 million copies in North America. "Final Fantasy XIII" became the fastest-selling game in the franchise, and sold one million units on its first day of sale in Japan. "Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn", in comparison to its predecessor, was a runaway success, originally suffering from servers being overcrowded, and eventually gaining over one million unique subscribers within two months of its launch.
The series has received critical acclaim for the quality of its visuals and soundtracks. In 1996, "Next Generation" ranked the series collectively as the 17th best game of all time, speaking very highly of its graphics, music and stories. In 1999, "Next Generation" listed the "Final Fantasy" series as number 16 on their "Top 50 Games of All Time", commenting that, "By pairing state-of-the-art technology with memorable, sometimes shamelessly melodramatic storylines, the series has successfully outlasted its competitors [...] and improved with each new installation." It was awarded a star on the Walk of Game in 2006, making it the first franchise to win a star on the event (other winners were individual games, not franchises). WalkOfGame.com commented that the series has sought perfection as well as having been a risk taker in innovation. In 2006, GameFAQs held a contest for the best video game series ever, with "Final Fantasy" finishing as the runner-up to "The Legend of Zelda". In a 2008 public poll held by The Game Group plc, "Final Fantasy" was voted the best game series, with five games appearing in their "Greatest Games of All Time" list.
Many "Final Fantasy" games have been included in various lists of top games. Several games have been listed on multiple IGN "Top Games" lists. Twelve games were listed on "Famitsu"'s 2006 "Top 100 Favorite Games of All Time", four of which were in the top ten, with "Final Fantasy X" and "Final Fantasy VII" coming first and second, respectively. The series holds seven Guinness World Records in the "Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008", which include the "Most Games in an RPG Series" (13 main games, seven enhanced games, and 32 spin-off games), the "Longest Development Period" (the production of "Final Fantasy XII" took five years), and the "Fastest-Selling Console RPG in a Single Day" ("Final Fantasy X"). The 2009 edition listed two games from the series among the top 50 consoles games: "Final Fantasy XII" at number 8 and "Final Fantasy VII" at number 20. In 2018, "Final Fantasy VII" was inducted as a member of the World Video Game Hall of Fame.
However, the series has garnered some criticism. IGN has commented that the menu system used by the games is a major detractor for many and is a "significant reason why they haven't touched the series." The site has also heavily criticized the use of random encounters in the series' battle systems. IGN further stated the various attempts to bring the series into film and animation have either been unsuccessful, unremarkable, or did not live up to the standards of the games. In 2007, "Edge" criticized the series for a number of related games that include the phrase "Final Fantasy" in their titles, which are considered inferior to previous games. It also commented that with the departure of Hironobu Sakaguchi, the series might be in danger of growing stale.
Several individual "Final Fantasy" games have garnered extra attention; some for their positive reception and others for their negative reception. "Final Fantasy VII" topped "GamePro's" "26 Best RPGs of All Time" list, as well as GameFAQs "Best Game Ever" audience polls in 2004 and 2005. Despite the success of "Final Fantasy VII", it is sometimes criticized as being overrated. In 2003, GameSpy listed it as the seventh most overrated game of all time, while IGN presented views from both sides. "" shipped 392,000 units in its first week of release, but received review scores that were much lower than that of other "Final Fantasy" games. A delayed, negative review after the Japanese release of "Dirge of Cerberus" from Japanese gaming magazine "Famitsu" hinted at a controversy between the magazine and Square Enix. Though "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" was praised for its visuals, the plot was criticized and the film was considered a box office bomb. "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles" for the GameCube received overall positive review scores, but reviews stated that the use of Game Boy Advances as controllers was a big detractor. The predominantly negative reception of the original version of "Final Fantasy XIV" caused then-president Yoichi Wada to issue an official apology during a Tokyo press conference, stating that the brand had been "greatly damaged" by the game's reception.
Rankings and aggregators.
Various video game publications have created rankings of the mainline "Final Fantasy" games. In the table below, the lower the number given, the better the game is in the view of the respective publication. By way of comparison, the rating provided by the review aggregator "Metacritic" is also given; in this row, higher numbers indicate better reviews.
Legacy.
Final Fantasy has been very influential in the history of video game mechanics. "Final Fantasy IV" is considered a milestone for the genre, introducing a dramatic storyline with a strong emphasis on character development and personal relationships. "Final Fantasy VII" is credited as having the largest industry impact of the series, and with allowing console role-playing games to gain mass-market appeal. "Final Fantasy VII" is considered to be one of the most important and influential video games of all time.
The series affected Square's business on several levels. The commercial failure of "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" resulted in hesitation and delays from Enix during merger discussions with Square. Square's decision to produce games exclusively for the Sony PlayStation—a move followed by Enix's decision with the "Dragon Quest" series—severed their relationship with Nintendo. "Final Fantasy" games were absent from Nintendo consoles, specifically the Nintendo 64, for seven years. Critics attribute the switch of strong third-party games like the "Final Fantasy" and "Dragon Quest" games to Sony's PlayStation, and away from the Nintendo 64, as one of the reasons behind PlayStation being the more successful of the two consoles. The release of the Nintendo GameCube, which used optical disc media, in 2001 caught the attention of Square. To produce games for the system, Square created the shell company The Game Designers Studio and released "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles", which spawned its own metaseries within the main franchise. "Final Fantasy XI"s lack of an online method of subscription cancellation prompted the creation of legislation in Illinois that requires internet gaming services to provide such a method to the state's residents.
The series' popularity has resulted in its appearance and reference in numerous facets of popular culture like anime, TV series, and webcomics. Music from the series has permeated into different areas of culture. "Final Fantasy IV"s "Theme of Love" was integrated into the curriculum of Japanese school children and has been performed live by orchestras and metal bands. In 2003, Uematsu co-founded The Black Mages, an instrumental rock group independent of Square that has released albums of arranged "Final Fantasy" tunes. Bronze medalists Alison Bartosik and Anna Kozlova performed their synchronized swimming routine at the 2004 Summer Olympics to music from "Final Fantasy VIII". Many of the soundtracks have also been released for sale. Numerous companion books, which normally provide in-depth game information, have been published. In Japan, they are published by Square and are called "Ultimania" books.
The series has inspired numerous game developers. "Fable" creator Peter Molyneux considers "Final Fantasy VII" to be the RPG that "defined the genre" for him. BioWare founder Greg Zeschuk cited "Final Fantasy VII" as "the first really emotionally engaging game" he played and said it had "a big impact" on BioWare's work. "The Witcher 3" senior environmental artist Jonas Mattsson cited "Final Fantasy" as "a huge influence" and said it was "the first RPG" he played through. "Mass Effect" art director Derek Watts cited "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" as a major influence on the visual design and art direction of the series. BioWare senior product manager David Silverman cited "Final Fantasy XII"s gambit system as an influence on the gameplay of "". Ubisoft Toronto creative director Maxime Beland cited the original "Final Fantasy" as a major influence on him. Media Molecule's Constantin Jupp credited "Final Fantasy VII" with getting him into game design. Tim Schafer also cited "Final Fantasy VII" as one of his favourite games of all time.


Kaisa (cue sport)

Kaisa or karoliina is a cue sport mainly played in Finland. The game originated in Russia, where it is still played to some extent. Kaisa equipment is similar to Russian pyramid from the 68 mm ( in) balls, small pockets barely large enough for a ball to enter, and the long and heavy cue sticks. Kaisa tables are usually 10 feet long and thus 2 feet shorter than official tournament Russian pyramid tables which are 12 feet long. It is a two-player or two-team game. As with many carom billiards games, both players have their own used to shoot at the other balls, and usually differentiated by one cue ball having a dot or other marking on it. In all, five balls are used: the yellow (called the "kaisa" in Finnish), two red object balls, and the two white cue balls (each of which serves as an object ball for the opponent). The game is played to 60 , in a rather elaborate scoring system, reminiscent of those used in snooker and English billiards, with points being awarded for various types of shots. Like both Russian and English billiards, which are also played on large pocket billiards tables, kaisa is a hybrid of carom and pocket billiards game styles. Kaisa is principally a recreational game, without professional players. However, the first kaisa world championship tournament was held in April 2010. Participants came from 33 countries, and the main tournament was held in Kotka. A Finnish player, Marko Rautiainen, won the championship title.
Origins.
Kaisa can be traced back to an 18th century game called Russian carambole played with two white cue balls and one red object ball. By the beginning of the 19th century, a new variant added two more object balls: a blue ball and a black, brown, or yellow ball called the karolin, caroline, or carline which gave the game its name.
Rules.
The players to decide who will be the first shooter; the player who wins the lag begins the game. The object balls are positioned at their , and the cue ball of the winner of the lag is placed behind the , while the lag-loser's cue ball is placed somewhere between the and , but cannot obstruct the first player being able to shoot the yellow "kaisa" toward the corner pocket diagonally opposite the corner pocket closest to the first player's cue ball. At the start of the game (or with after an opponent's foul), the player cannot shoot an object ball directly to a ., though this shot is legal at any other time.
All shots must be in detail. In most games, nominating the object ball and the intended pocket is sufficient, but in kaisa the shooter must also call any on other balls or contacts on the path of the object ball to the pocket. After pocketing of the called object ball, any carom on or pocketing of another object ball for additional points "(see below)" need not be called.
The same player continues shooting after each successful shot, but yields the table to the next player after failing to earn points on a shot attempt. All pocketed balls are before the next shot is taken, except the opponent's cue ball, which remains pocketed until the end of the current shooter's . Balls moved but not pocketed remain where they lie. The incoming player shoots from where that player's cue ball lies if it remains on the table, or has ball-in-hand behind the head string if that cue ball was pocketed by the previous player.
Scoring.
Points are acquired by () the object balls with the cue ball, with additional points being available for additional feats. The game ends when one player earns 60 or more points.
Basic shots:
Additional points are awarded for the cue ball to object balls (in any order) on the same shot, providing that the initial object ball was pocketed. This kind of carom is called "nakki" in Finnish (which translates to "vienna sausage" or "hot dog" in English). A – causing an object ball to hit another object ball – does not award points.
In scoring "nakki" shots, the caromed balls are scored as in a basic shot (white is 2 points, each red is 3 points, yellow is 6 points), but the effective point value of the pocketed ball changes (white is effectively 1 point, each red is still 3 points, yellow is effectively 9 points). The result is the following "nakki" shot values:
A special 12-point shot is pocketing the yellow "kaisa" ("yli keskelle" in Finnish) as the "first-struck" object ball. It does not matter which ball hit the first, the cue ball (a ) or the "kaisa" (a ). This adds an additional 6 points to the shot's value, which otherwise accumulates like a regular object-ball pocketing shot:
Additionally, the player gets still more points if a ball with which the cue ball caromed for additional points (i.e. a "nakki" ball) is also pocketed on the same shot. The number of points is awarded by the pocketed ball's value: white = 2, red = 3, yellow = 6. For example, if a player pockets the yellow "kaisa", and caroms a red "nakki" ball into a pocket, the score is 15 points ("kaisa" pocketed for 6, "nakki" carom off pocketed "kaisa" for 3, red hit on "nakki" carom for 3, plus red ball in a pocket for 3, equals 15).
Fouls.
If a player his/her cue ball into a pocket or off the table, the player's points are reduced according to which ball the cue ball hit first (e.g. a scratch off the yellow "kaisa" deducts 6 points). If no ball is hit before the scratch, the penalty is simply 2 points.
Fouls result in for the incoming player.


Julian Togelius

Julian Togelius is an associate professor at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the New York University Tandon School of Engineering.
Career.
Togelius holds a BA from Lund University, an MSc from the University of Sussex, and a PhD from the University of Essex.
He was an associate professor at the Center for Computer Games Research, IT University of Copenhagen before moving to NYU.
Togelius is the editor in chief of the "IEEE Transactions on Games" journal. He is also, with Georgios N. Yannakakis, the co-author of the "Artificial Intelligence and Games" textbook and the co-organiser of the "Artificial Intelligence and Games Summer School" series.
Togelius co-edited the book "Procedural Content Generation Book" for games.
Research.
Togelius was described by Kenneth O. Stanley as one of "the world's most accomplished experts at the intersection of games and AI". His research has appeared in media such as "New Scientist", and "Le Monde," "The Verge", The Economist, and the MIT Technology Review.


Video games in Canada

Canada has the third largest video game industry in terms of employment numbers following those in the US and in Japan, with 20,400 employees, 472 companies, and a direct annual economic impact of nearly $3 billion added to Canada's GDP in 2015. Video game development is beginning to rival the film and television production industry as a major contributor to the economy.
History.
Canada has become a major leader in the emerging video game industry. The first documented commercial Canadian video game is "Les Têtards" published by Logidisque in 1982. However, "Evolution" and "BC's Quest for Tires", both released in 1983, were the first video games developed in Canada that gained substantial commercial success. Chris Gray and Peter Liepa, from Toronto and Ottawa respectively, together created Boulder Dash in 1983 which was later acquired and published by First Star Software.
In the past decade more companies have been moving from the West coast East, to Ontario and Quebec where there is more government support for studios and the cost of living is lower. For example, Ubisoft opened Ubisoft Montreal in 1997 with government incentives. The studio has since grown to be one of the largest single-location studios by employee count, and led other video game developers to establish studios in Montreal, including Electronic Arts and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Montreal itself saw a growth in younger professions coming to the city, not only in video game programming but other technology fields. Ubisoft has since expanded out to other Canadian cities, including Ubisoft's Montreal sister studios Ubisoft Quebec and Ubisoft Saguenay. However, this draw to the eastern side of Canada has left Vancouver in British Columbia, also once similarly thriving with video game developers, seeing its impact on the industry wane.
Demographics.
In 2015, approximately 19 million Canadians identified as gamers (54% of the Canadian population). The average age of the Canadian gamer was 33 years. By gender, 52% were male and 48% were female. Console game revenue fell 32% from 2013 to 2015 but still accounts for 35% of the overall revenue. Consoles are preferred to portable gaming compared to other countries. Mobile games saw an increase of 20% from 2013 to 2015 and account for 31% of total revenue earned. Computer game sales fell marginally (3%) and compose 25% of the revenue. The most popular game genres in Canada are, in order of popularity, action-adventures, family games, and shooters.
Research.
There has recently been a substantial amount of interest in the emergence of video game development as an industry in Canada and its impact on the economy, the creative industries, the role studios play in specific city ecosystems and how video games affect physically and mentally. A recent study was done at McMaster University studying how playing video games improves the eyesight of those who suffer from vision problems. Montreal, Quebec is a particularly popular subject of study due to the maturity of the gaming industry and its overall urban ecology.
Video game industry.
80% of all Canadian game studios are located in Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario. Quebec is the largest producer of video games in Canada, housing 29.4% of all game studios (14 of which are large companies) and has annual expenditures of $1.14 billion. British Columbia is the second largest, with 27.1% of companies residing in the province (4 of which are large companies) and spends $576 million annually. The third largest video game producer is Ontario, which has 22.9% of all game studios (3 of which are large companies) and has annual expenditures of $264 million.
Education.
Many Canadian post secondary institutions offer industry relevant courses in areas such as computer programming, animation/concept art, and game design. Many of the top programs are offered in either Vancouver, British Columbia or Toronto, Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area. Industry employees earn an average of $72,500 annually and the average age of an employee in this industry is 31 years old. According to the Entertainment Software Association of Canada in their 2015 report the skills that are most lacking in current recruitment pools are programming, art and animation, game design and data analysis. it is anticipated that approximately 1,377 new jobs will be filled in the next 12–24 months, with approximately 40% being intermediate or senior level creative positions and approximately 60% being intermediate or senior level technical jobs.
Studios.
Canada is home to some of the biggest studios in the industry. Edmonton, Alberta hosts BioWare and Prince Edward Island is home to Other Ocean Interactive. EA Canada, located in Burnaby, British Columbia, is a major contributor to the industry with popular, global franchises such as "FIFA" and "Need for Speed" and has 4 other studios in Canada (Charlottetown, Edmonton, Kitchener and Montreal). Rockstar Vancouver was a sizeable contributor to the Vancouver gaming scene, as well as another Rockstar studio in Toronto. Montreal's Ubisoft studio is getting a large amount of attention worldwide as the lead studio for the Far Cry series and for their contributions to the Assassin's Creed franchise. As a major studio they are attracting other video game developers and studios to Montreal further defining it as the gaming capital of Canada, as well as the other major game studio, Warner Brothers Interactive. Ubisoft Toronto is also a large contributor to the global success of the Far Cry franchises as well as Splinter Cell Blacklist.
As of 2015, the entertainment software industry is growing at unprecedented rates and shows no signs of slowing down. More opportunities are being created to learn the skills relevant to the industry and as more job opportunities are being created allowing this industry to experience a healthy boom. Many strong game development studios choosing to locate to Canada help to not only strengthen the industry but promote its longevity. Large scale gaming events such as the Canadian Videogame Awards, Fan Expo Canada and ComiCon help to promote the industry and encourage its growth.


Daikatana (Game Boy Color)

Daikatana is an action-adventure game developed by Will and published by Kemco for the Game Boy Color handheld game console. It was released in Europe in 2000 and in Japan in 2001 for the Nintendo Power cartridge. A North American release was planned but was cancelled due to the poor reputation of its Windows and Nintendo 64 counterparts of the same name. Where these versions are first-person shooters, the Game Boy Color version was designed at the request of creator John Romero to be an adventure game similar to "The Legend of Zelda" in order to differentiate it. It stars Hiro Miyamoto, who must rescue his friend and the titular sword Daikatana. It has received generally positive reception, as a contrast to the poor reception other versions received.
Gameplay.
"Daikatana" features gameplay similar to early entries in "The Legend of Zelda" series. It has a top-down perspective as opposed to the first-person perspective of its PC and console counterparts. It features dungeons, which have puzzles to solve and bosses to defeat. It features super-deformed character designs.
Plot.
"Daikatana" stars Hiro Miyamoto, who is told that an enemy of his family, Kage Mishima, had stolen the Daikatana with the intention of using its time-warping abilities to change history. Mishima then kidnaps his friend Mikiko and attacks the family dojo.
Development.
"Daikatana" was directed by Takeo Mogi and developed and published by Kemco. It was designed to resemble "The Legend of Zelda" for the Nintendo Entertainment System and "" at John Romero's request. It was announced that Kemco would be responsible for publishing the game in the United States. It had a set release date of December 17, 1999, but Kemco said it could be pushed back to January or February of 2000. When informed of the planned release of "Daikatana" for the Game Boy Color in 2000, IGN staff joked that it would end up coming out before the PC version, which was infamous for delays. Other media outlets picked up on this as a story, and Kemco did a press release to clarify that this was not the case. Kemco cancelled its American and Japanese releases due to the negative reception the brand had received. An unreleased version of "Daikatana" was released by Romero on his website.
Reception.
The pre-release reception for "Daikatana" was positive. E3 footage of the game seemed promising to IGN staff, noting that its differences from the PC version were a good thing due to the PC version's issues. They praised the E3 demo's visuals and gameplay, specifically noting that its Japanese-inspired design benefits it. It was the runner-up for IGN's "best handheld adventure" award at E3. GameSpot writer Yukiyoshi Ike Sato compared it to "" and "Secret of Mana", noting that the game's demo seemed easy but showed promise.
"Daikatana" has received generally positive reception and is noted for being quality despite the poor critical reception of other versions. It holds a 79.38% on GameRankings. Writer Frank Provo found the game fun, praising the game's puzzles and instant save feature but criticizing its lack of overworld and stiff control. He found the visuals appealing, noting that while the character models lacked color diversity, the world was rich with color and the characters with strong animation. He was more negative towards the sound quality, owing to a limited selection of sound effects and poor use of the GBC's two-channel MIDI. Writer Lucas Sullivan called it a "little GBC gem for those who bothered to give it a chance." Writer Scott Sharkey expressed disappointment in its cancellation due to it being a better game than its PC/N64 release. He felt that the translation was "wonky" and that the characters were not very different from one another mechanically, but noted that these were ultimately minor issues.


FDR (video game)

FDR is a 1996 interactive CD-ROM game developed by Corbis. The title allows players to explore the life and times of Franklin D. Roosevelt through imagery, documents, video, a timeline, and other multimedia.
Development.
"FDR" was scheduled for release in late 1996. The game's distribution strategy involved being pushed to museum stores and other specialty outlets. The game is one of six created by Corbis including "Leonardo da Vinci" and "". A companion website at http://www.corbis.com/fdr/ was also released. The developers publicised the game in an interview in "Time" magazine. The company paid their photographers a minimum royalty of $45 per image.
Content.
The game is divided into 11 chapters: Nothing to Fear; The First Ten Days; Legacies of the New Deal; The Changing Face of America; A President in Isolation; The Inner Circle; Seasons of Dilemma; Pearl Harbor; Hour by Hour; A Nation at War; and To Yalta and Back.<ref name="http://www.historynet"></ref>
Critical reception.
ComputerLife praised the game's interface, sense of humor, and renderings. The "Wall Street Journal praised" the title for being "visually arresting". The "San Francisco Chronicle" deemed it "ambitious and gorgeously executed".


The Treasure in the Royal Tower (novel)

Treasure in the Royal Tower is a young adult novel by Carolyn Keene in the Nancy Drew stories.
Plot summary.
Nancy takes a vacation in Wisconsin when the library of the place she is vacationing at is vandalized. Nancy, along with her friends George Fayne and Bess Marvin, must survive an unknown assailant while discovering the secret passageway's inside of an old castle.
Adaptation.
The fourth installment in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series by Her Interactive, named "", is loosely based on the novel.


George Ortuzar

George Ortuzar (born August 14, 1961), also known as George O, is a Cuban American actor, comedian, and television host best known for his work on Univision, including hosting the shows "Lente Loco", "La Piñata Loca", and "Giorgiomania". Ortuzar has also appeared in several films and commercials, and was featured in advertisements promoting the Hollywood Park Racetrack, for which he served as the marketing manager during its last 12 years of operation. Since 2015, he has hosted the online sports show "Better Sports News" on YouTube.
Career.
Television.
Ortuzar's career on television began in 1991, when he joined Univision after being discovered by production executives. After numerous appearances on "Sabado Gigante", he went on to become the host of "Lente Loco" in 1993, alongside Odalys Garcia. Years later, he starred in two children shows "La Piñata Loca" and "Giorgiomania", and has been featured in numerous commercials and infomercials over the years. Ortuzar was also a contestant on the game show "The Moment of Truth" in 2008. On February 14, 2015, Ortuzar began hosting the YouTube sports news series "Better Sports News" alongside sportscaster Jeff Chapman.
Other work.
Ortuzar was the spokesperson and marketing manager for the Hollywood Park Racetrack from 2001 until its closure in 2013. As of 2014, Ortuzar works as a jockey agent for the Los Alamitos Race Course. In 2015 George was hired by C.A.R.F (California association of racing fairs) to be their track announcer/morning line maker.
Personal life.
Ortuzar has been dating his longtime girlfriend Lily Marian since 2001. He has three children from a previous marriage, Alex his eldest and twins Georgie and Natalie Ortuzar. He has two granddaughters, Sofia and Marilyn. George has two step-children that he has raised with his girlfriend Lily Marian.
In his appearance on the second episode of "The Moment of Truth", after truthfully answering no to the question of whether or not he'd ever gambled away one of his children's college funds (his son, who was present, had previously been told by Ortuzar's ex-wife that he had gambled his college fund away), Ortuzar declared that he felt that he "was a winner" even if he left with nothing. He ended up leaving with $100,000.


The Shopping Game

The Shopping Game was an American game show created and produced by Nick Nicholson and E. Roger Muir that aired on the Satellite Program Network (SPN).
The program aired mainly during 1982, and was taped in Nashville, TN and hosted by Art James with co-host Elyse Brown.