Final Fantasy ain't gettin' worse

by HarryCarey

Alright, kids. I've heard this time and time again, and I'm very pissed about it. When Final Fantasy VII first came out, everyone loved it. They beat it, and then hated it. They bought FF VIII, anyway. They didn't like it. Instead, they went into random chatrooms to ramble on about how much better the older Final Fantasies were. Hey, I loved FF VI and V, but, guys, I have a point to prove, and this is what it is...

Final Fantasy ain't gettin' worse.

More people are starting to hate Final Fantasy, and are bashing every single little element of the game that they can point out... like Philadelphia Sports Talk Radio, when it comes to local sports. Truth is, Final Fantasy isn't getting worse. It's getting better.

Why do I say that?

Well, first, there was Final Fantasy, the first one. It was a great, medeival game. It was more based on strategy than plot or anything like that... but for a nintendo game, it was great and well-rounded (great graphics, music, traditional fantasy story, etc.). I got far in it, but never beat it (which I plan to do soon). Then came FF II, and III. Unfortunately, I can't say much, since I never played them in their entireties.

Then came SNES Final Fantasy. FF IV was a great, new game, which was obviously the best rpg to that date. sure, its story was fun, but it was mush... however, at that time, at least in US RPG's, mush was usual in RPG stories. The music of the game is still thought of as great to this day. It also introduced some funky characters. A good game, indeed.

Next was FF V. I have never completed it (got up to some castle place, after the forest with the MAJOR spoiler, in the latter part of the game), and haven't played that far into it for a while, but the graphics, music, and story all seemed incredible, for that time. It had the job system, which was introduced in FF III somewhat, and it was well-made for the time. I never bothered to beat it, however, due to new RPG's coming and going.

Then came FF VI. An absolute masterpeice. It had possibly one of the best rpg storylines, even to this date. nice graphics, and INCREDIBLE peices of music. The plot twists, the way it was made, the game itself... it was just great. a 10/10 in my book, for SNES games.

Next was FF VII. I admit, when i first played it, i hated it. that was because I was a stubborn, stupid little kid at the time, and I wanted it to be everything FF VI was. It wasn't what FF VI was... but it was just about as good.. The plotline was confusing, and well-thought. AWESOME graphics, decent music... well, it was a pretty good game, and still deserves to rank among the best games of all time to this date.

And finally, we come to FF VIII. ... this is my favorite game, and in my opinion, the best RPG I have ever played. It was more of a sci-fi game than a fantasy game, but the story was deep... the graphics were the best ever on a 32 bit platform... the music was not liked by some, but was cool and original in its own way.

But, what it is my point?

Final Fantasy ain't gettin' worse. It's getting better. And this is why we think it's worse:

1) Because of its past success, we wish to critique every bit of the new games in the series, and point out every little flaw.

2) The newer FF's are hyped to hell, and some people seem to have a tendency to hate the more hyped RPG's, especially die-hard RPGer's.

3) The newer FF's are less medeival fantasy, and are more futuristic, FF VIII seeming like a "space opera". However, when you review FF VII and FF VIII, and look at them overall, you realize that they are both traditional final fantasy... just newer, with different, innovative ideas, and worlds. They're different from all other RPG's. What makes them bad?

4) Some people are tired of the usual FF stuff, i. e. the airships, chocobos, and moogles. That makes sense, and I can respect that.

5) Nintendo fans, and the move to Sony. There are MANY die-hard nintendo fans out there, whom refuse to like anything non-nintendo (not saying i hate nintendo, or all die-hard nitendo fans are this way). ... perhaps this is the major cause of the hatred for newer Final Fantasies.

In conclusion, FF isn't getting worse, etc, etc. It's just becoming different. Well, FF IX DOES look to end up being medeival, and that should be an interesting move. But, my main idea is that FF VII and FF VIII aren't bad games. If you still don't agree with me, sit down and think about it, or check out some websites, and compare the games. Anyone wishing to comment or complain about this editorial is welcome to send me a message at mysticknightt@hotmail.com. Thanks. I'm looking forward to hearing your opinion.