Final Fantasy Ultimania Archive Volume 1

This is a quick review of the book from darkhorses latest production the Final Fantasy Ultimania Archive. This book coves covers final fantasy 1-6 in various sections. The various sections for all the final fantasy games are listed as follows : 1. Art 2. Final Fantasy (Insert number here) Story 3. Characters 4. World 5. Monsters 6. Extra Content - goes into different sub catagories and varies from final fantasy to final fantasy. 7. Last section is - Final Fantasy (Insert number here) Memories. I have to say I really like this book a lot, but then again It's a dark horse bool publication of course it's going to be good. The pages are THICKKK. When I thought they were glued together or something by accident but nope, these pages are just really that thick. The hardcover is nice, although best to keep it clean since it's mostly all white. My favorite section is probably the character section. Not only does it list which character is conected to who in some way as well as the villians but also it shows Yoshitaka Amano complicated and beautiful artwork bellow each of the characters pixilated forms. It really gives you a perspective in how Amanos art work was translated into these sprites. Even though the section on art is nothing special seeing as I own "The Sky The Art Of Final Fantasy Slipcase Edition" which I recommend btw, It is still no less nice to see his work here too. I do think we get to see more of his monster desgins here though, but also the art covers for each variation of the game like from the Famicon to Android to PlayStation. It also shows the different logos that were in other platforms/handhelds or media devices. Really cool stuff here. The story section is OK, doesn't really go indepth about it though. Nice but overall just an OK section. The world section is pretty cool, showing the entire map of each game. The final fantasy 1 map is super basic, with some green here, dots of green for bushes, some yellow there, etc. Overall a neat little section. The monster section does the same thing with the characters section in the sense that it shows you Yoshitaka Amano fantasic drawings along side the pixel forms they take in the games. Incredibly fascinating if I do say so myself. The extra content section is were you see the technical side of what went to making into these games like the sprite data, the map, color list and so on and so forth. This section varies from final fantasy to final fantasy but it gets really technical about it, really cool. The final section the memories section is just that, memories of the game with random images and quotes of the game. Final Verdict - 10 out of 10 I did check in the back of the book for a final section called creators voices which are short interviews with the grand masters of the final fantasy series itself and how they feel about their work. Really nice. Overall this is a well done book by dark horse books, yet another fantastic release guys. I highly recommend buying this book regardless if your a collector or not. My recommendations? Pre-order Volume 2 of The Final Fantasy Ultimania Archive, it comes out in december but still. As well as Pre-Order any of the upcomimg dark horse books, they are all really good regardless if you played the games or not.

We had the other two books 2 & 3 so now this completes our collection. The art work and knowledge in these books is unreal, it really breaks down the design of the game characters.

This is a really good quality book both in form and content. Its pretty big both in size and thickness, its actually taller than i thought and is very well made with beautiful print. If you are a fan of Final Fantasy or a fan of videogame artwork its a great item to add to your collection. I'd love to get the other two volumes as well.

This book has a ton of great information for fans of the first 6 Final Fantasy games. It includes artwork, sketches, maps, computer renderings, and more! Check out the video flip through of the book that I added. If you are a fan, you won't be disappointed! Note: many characters, monsters, and locations are shown with Japanese language (Katakana or Hiragana most often - sometimes Kanji) with a Romaji translation (such as Kokaturisu for Cockatrice) and a final English translation. Note that much of this book is based off multiple versions of the games - often the PSP / PS1 versions for 1, 2, 4, 5 and DS for 3. Just a note because translations are different for each version. Also some of the sprites shown in character models are from later releases, not original. But it is certainly forgivable since they often show the sprites for multiple versions. I am just pawing through it non-stop. I feel like a kid when I got the first Final Fantasy and literally wore out the map/monster chart that was included!

Arrived on time! Condition as advertised, great item!

GeminiGeek's Honest Review! If I had to review this Ultimania Volume 1 with a single word, I'd simply say: "FANTASTIC!". This first volume of the Final Fantasy Ultimania books covers the first six Final Fantasy games, and has an enormous amount of details and content. Each game has it own individual section, complete with images of each character's classic sprites, and even their official Yoshitaka Amano art work as well. Aside from being visually appealing, the book is overflowing with unique story details, character bios, and even an encyclopedia of items and monsters! This volume of the Ultimania series is thick, it is huge, but not to the point of being a pain to carry around or hold. If you enjoy any of the six Final Fantasy games that this volume covers, you'll find something to love in this book, there is just so much information and artwork contained within this tome. This is a must-have for anyone who enjoys the Final Fantasy series, I can't recommend it enough. As a long-time Final Fantasy fan myself, I love this book, and I can't wait for Volume 2 to come out this fall.

I love this book. Note that it only covers the first 6 games of the franchise by providing game artwork (even from the portfolio of Yoshitaka Amano), in game specifics and behind-the-scenes information (including interesting bits of trivia).

A GREAT PURCHASE