A Rebuttal to "End Final Fantasy"

by Alex Weitzman 

After reading Jesse's editorial, I built up an amount of sarcasm I have not been able to release in any other form. So allow me a small sarcastic reply before delving into this editorial.

"Tis' I again, to spew forth more Square-apocalyptic banter!"

Oh, goodie. Can I invite over some co-workers to watch?

Ah, that feels better. Now, on to the rebuttal. Mr. Goonsantiviboon certainly seems to like to rant, but from the submission, I infer that he understands little about the Final Fantasy series. Let me show so by quoting.

"Too much stuff is being repeated over and over again."

The stuff he lists as "repeated" are either inside jokes or staples of the Final Fantasy magic names. Is it me, or has nobody ever actually had a problem with seeing the word Fire connected to a fire spell? Fact is, this is all unnecessary nit-picking on what is really simply inside jokes. Cid is one of the biggest inside jokes, along with Chocobos. And, with all the originality between two different Final Fantasy games (like story, music, characters, game play, etc.), isn't it nice to see a small recognizable staple of the series like Chocobos? Also, the inside jokes have their own brand of originality. Cid certainly changes, the Summon monsters change around depending on game play variations, and Chocobos have had different roles as the games went on. Therefore, a non-point at true length.

"...but it will only be a matter of time before our beloved FF starts looking like a bad B-movie sequel fest."

Now wait a moment. Haven't we already established that each story of each game is original?

"True, each individual FF has its own outstanding plots and characters..."

That's right, we have. His B-movie crack was unfounded and contradictory of what he put earlier. Square has a wonderful habit of learning from past mistakes. After making Secret of Evermore, did they make another just like it? We'll have to see with SaGa Frontier 2, but I'm expecting them to have learned something. I'm personally hoping for a long run of fantastic, emotion-manipulating RPGs from our friends Square.

"I think Square should make a grand finale out of FFIX, somehow tying the plots of each game together."

We've seen something like that before. It was called the finale of Seinfeld. A finale that seemed rushed, incorrectly timed, and really the living proof that the decision to end the series was on a whim. That episode was only made to reunite all the plots of the previous episodes in one courtroom. And that is almost exactly what Mr. Goonsantiviboon is suggesting. The specific plots of each game are meant for their respective games. Crossovers are what we refer to as parody, not to be taken seriously.

In conclusion, this whole editorial was to rebuke what he believed to be Square's adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". However, Jesse Goonsantviboon seems to not understand why the FF series is the kind that can and should last with pure originality. As opposed to most mascot games, like Mega Man, the series will never tire due to the fact that each game can be considered completely separate from each other. Only if Square gets in a rut like the return of Dr. Wily every game (highly unlikely) will FF tire. In the meanwhile, kick back and enjoy a master company at work. Hey, we're the ones reaping the benefits.