Square has Moved On

by Emperor M

I have to say I strongly disagree that Square's games have gone sour. In fact, I think they've matured. We all remember the good old days with "Old school RPGs" like FF I-V, and yes, even VI.

Now, we have plot. Square's latest: FF VII, VIII, and Xenogears, to name a few, have shown what happens when you break away from tradition, tradition being a focus on gameplay and absence of a deep plot. Final Fantasy VII may have had a less creative battle and magic system (In some people's opinions),but it made up for it in so many other areas. The script, for many, ruined the entire game, but if you could see past it, you'd see that the plot was "Good VS Evil" at its best. You want stereotypical characters? Try FF VI's Edgar! In FF VII, you had unique characters who weren't held down by classes, like they were in FF IV (White Mage, Ninja, etc...). FF VII freed itself of that to give you unique characters with personalities, something FF VI had none of (For instance, Terra's character development consists of: "What is love?" throughout the ENTIRE game, give me a break...). And finally, you had some humor that was beyond the fifth grade Chrono Trigger level, like the bath scene in FF VII.

As for the 3D graphics, I certainly don't think they hurt the game, CG FMV adds a level of depth and realism that can't be filled by unrealistic pixilated characters.

I also disagree with the statement that FF VII had bad music. It set the mood, it didn't just sound good, like FF V's did, it actually had some emotion attached to it, like the sad song in Nibelheim, and the exciting assault theme in the game's beginning.

Finally, the challenge. I agree that the only boss I died on was Lost Number, and that the two Weapons don't make up for an easy game (but like FF VII should have to defend against a Mystic Quest level game like Chrono Trigger). However, a game need not be impossible to be fun. I'm currently making my way through Legend of Legaia, and the battles have gotten tedious, and I'm sick of fighting all the battles for gold. Anyway, the bottom line is, FF VII was very enjoyable for me, not that III-VI weren't, but it has been the most fun I've ever had with an RPG.

On a last note, I'd say: Notice a pattern. Square has moved away from it's old style of RPGs, live with it. Video and computer games have gone from typing commands to 3D worlds, I find that pretty cool. I don't think Square stands a chance if they continuously keep cranking out the same type of games. Switch to Working Designs if you don't care for the "New RPG", but before you, remember who set that "Old school standard." Give plot a chance, it's quite nice.