Final Fantasy VII: Not Good Enough For Us?

by Kao Megura 

Maybe FFVII shouldn't be released here. In fact, it might be a good idea if Square simply forgot the whole thing and never released another game outside of Japan again.

Why? Well ask anyone about FFVII, and whether they've played it or not, they'll tell you that it's the greatest RPG ever made. It's perfect, it's wonderful, it's the next big thing in the world of RPGs. But that's just the problem. In spite of all that, it may not be good enough for we non-Japanese gamers.

After all, when rumors started circulating on the Internet several months ago, FFVII got a lot of attention. People who heard these rumors were angry. "Why can't Aerith be revived?", "Where's the second ending?" or "I can't get that Underwater Breath materia!" was all anyone ever seemed to hear. There's no problem in debating a rumor, but then things began to get pretty ugly.

People started insisting that Square fix up what they 'broke' in the first place. Then they demanded. Soon, whole petitions were being written up just for the sole purpose of getting Square to cater to the American audience. Now like I said, FFVII is a great game. Personally, I think it has it's share of flaws, but it's a spectacular first attempt for Square and worthy of praise. But apparently, some people thought that it wasn't good enough for them, that it had to be better. I, too, fell victim to this at first and wrote my own angry "Start a petition...." letter to this very page.

However, I then stopped to think about it. First of all, everyone's getting so worked up over something that started from a rumor. No one's really proved one way or the other that it's true or false. Isn't it a little stupid for us all to rush ahead and start demanding things from Square? Then again, look at Square itself. American gamers are the people who seem to suffer the most when it comes to new RPG titles; it's no secret that companies really do consider us 'too stupid to play RPGs'. Here Square is once again making a venture into the American market that is sure to be successful, but perhaps not as profitable as initial sales were in Japan. And we're telling them that FFVII isn't good enough for us? A game that cost them millions of yen to make and years of work and planning?

When Square said that they would be 'improving' FFVII anyway, that they'd be adding new scenarios, new bosses, and fixing up problems that plagued the original version, it didn't get much notice over here. People who heard about it only asked 'Well, what about Aerith? I hope you're fixing up that little problem, too.' When was the last time that Square admitted that their biggest success could have been better, actually went out and improved it, and then sent it, to of all places, the American market? And their corrections were not based on executive decisions but actual Japanese gamers' opinions? At this point I was about ready to start worshiping Hironobu Sakaguchi as a deity, while others were forming lynch mobs and preparing to beat the stuffing out of any Square employee they could get their hands on.

People can spend hours arguing about Square's 'bad' side, about how they made games easier and simpler, how they ruined them. But the point is that after all these years, they're still trying to bring us these games. Evermore flopped, and FFII, considered one of the most popular games in the FF series, didn't sell half as well here as it did in Square's home country. But all these years later, the company is still willing to make a base of operations here in the US and try to work with Americans to create new games, to bring these games to people who who are lucky if they own over ten good RPGs, period.

I own the Japanese version of FFVII. And I'm a happy camper. I can't wait to get my hands on the English-text version come September, because that's going to be a lot of fun, too. And I'm really excited about the new RPGs that Square has in the works. I'm even more thrilled that along with Sony, Square is concentrating on catering to the gamer as well, insuring their tradition of producing quality games. People can say whatever they want, but I know one thing....

Final Fantasy VII is good enough for me, at least. And I think anyone who's played through the game (or will play through the game) can agree with me on this point. And to those people who do agree, let Square know by supporting them in the future, instead of berating them before they had even decided to release the game in your country.

Otherwise, we may not have any new games to pass judgment on in the future.