Lorehound’s iTZKooPA is hard at work and getting ready to reveal all the new footage he got from PAX. The wait for new content and information can be a test of patience — so here’s something you can distract yourself with in the meantime.
If you haven’t yet heard of Monty Oum’s Dead Fantasy series, intense CG movies starring a cast of characters from the Final Fantasy and Dead or Alive games, then you must have been swallowed by a huge whale at the tender age of seven.
The stage was first set by a surprising mix of a Halo and Metroid fan movie called Haloid, which despite lackluster direction, still managed to awe the fans with great choreography and how well everything was put together by a single person. In this movie, the amateur 3d animator pitted two popular video game heroes from different franchises in a battle to find out who is more badass. The action took it’s time to unfold but once it got going, it was hard to look away. In addition, the unexpected twist towards the end of the video caused a large stir on the forums where it was first posted.
Then came a series of videos based on Square Enix’s popular franchise – Final Fantasy. Oum’s intention for Dead Fantasy was to create a new CG movie that featured more realistic characters, instead of simply “humanoids”, as was the case in Haloid.
Combining the universes of Final Fantasy and Dead or Alive, Oum has created a second piece that not only rivaled the first but also bested it. It showed various girls from both games (Yuna, Rikku, Kasumi, Ayane) kicking some serious ass. The video boasted a great improvement in animation and character design in comparison to the previous work. There was a sense of direction which made the whole piece fit together nicely and gave it a sense of purpose. Fans of both series were pleasantly surprised and were eager to see a continuation. Lucky for them, Oum gave in and came out with an announcement – part two was in the works.
In the second episode of Mounty Oum’s epic kick-fest, the faceoff between the FF girls and the DoA girls continued.
Click through for more Dead Fantasy goodness.
More characters were thrown in, including an appearance of a certain lady from Ninja Gaiden. Again, fans were thrilled by the quality of the animation and imaginative fighting sequences. Mounty stated that he wanted to really engage the viewers this time and provide a more exciting experience. What pleased the fans even more was the fact that even more releases of Dead Fantasy were to come in the near future.
Part three of the machinima series had a more “toned down” feel to it. This, however, did not hurt the action as the pace was just right for the well choreographed fighting between Tifa and Hitomi, with a few cameos from the latter’s Dead Or Alive compatriots. The series was relatively well received although some viewers did express concern over where it is headed and the rumored characters of the fourth installment did little to raise their expectations.
Dead Fantasy IV was finally released in 2009. The opening of FF VIII served as the main inspiration for the concept of the video. The starting sequence depicts Kairi finding a white feather on the sand of a deserted beach. Words are displayed and the scene shifts to a flower field where the battle between Kasumi and Yuna takes place. This installment amped-up the scale of battles with the introduction of iconic summons from the Final Fantasy series and added even flashier effects to the frenzied action. Some fans had qualms about the arguably weak battle display of famous creatures such as Shiva and Bahamut. The majority of the fan base, however, was completely satisfied and begged for more.
Part five was the long awaited continuation of the previous installments in the series. It starred Tifa Lockhart facing off against the army of ninjas sent by Hayate. After the brutal fight, she is severely beaten and then taken to Helena. The video lasted 8 minutes long, presenting a great build-up and leaving the fans wanting more. According to Oum, two more episodes are in the works so that should hopefully satisfy the hungry crowds.
Mounty Oum (front) with a cast of characters from Dead Fantasy at Anime Expo 09, LA.
wow, those are freakin awsome. ive been a FF and DoA fan since i was a wee little lad. sadly this is the first time ive ever seen or heard of this vids. awsome find Ronix
Glad you liked them Vayder ;) Its a shame we might have to wait for some time until parts 6 and 7 are released.
I’ve known about these for quite some time. But the movies themselves were buried for awhile until they were noticed (i.e. not soon enough).
This guy shoulda gotten paid to make this an official series. There some of the best machinima out there.
wow, that’s some awesome animation. goes way beyond fanart :). Always played as Ayane in DOA and Rinoa and Yuna have been my fave FF ladies — I don’t know who to cheer for :)
Kairi would have to win on my part.
Rikku all the way…but where is Pain? She was a baddas chick, or even Yuffie or Aerith.
I hadn’t heard of these before and I enjoyed watching them, except for how no one wins in Dead Fantasy I – IV. I understand it would make so many fans annoyed, but it isn’t as satisfactory. Also, having never played DoA and only played FF7, 8, 9 & 13 I don’t know all the characters that well. Haloid was my favourite though, since not only do I know both of the characters well, it did end in them winning.
Still thanks for putting me onto this, I shall be looking out for the other parts in the future.