Rebuttal to "FF7 vs FF8" by Yuffie Janice Tanaka

by Kaeru

Original Editorial: FF8 vs. FF7....

[Editor's Note: Well, see, I originally posted this editorial because it made me laugh my butt off. There are other good qualities (despite it being 100% pure opinion). It creates very simplistic criteria in order to judge the entertainment value of a game. Whereas that doesn't really help, her analysis gives us insight into why people really DO like games. Despite the fact that people think it's 100% terrible opinion, the reason that they may like FF7 better is for the same reasons, they just like to wax philisophic about it to justify their opinion instead.]

Wow. What a terrible editorial.

I'm not going to argue which game is better. I happen to like them both, altho I do favour ff7 more. I just found the arguments used by Yuffie to be paltry and unconvinving, so this is a challenge to her logic and impartiality.

Ms. Tanaka's piece is referred to throughout this, her text being enclosed in asterisks.

**Characters: FF8.
Call me crazy, but the characters from FF8 are SO much better! Squall, although he starts out as a petulant... ummm yeah.... is actually a well-rounded person, who has a realistic relationship with Rinoa. Cloud, is just plain weird. I seriously have played FF7 about 5 times now, and I still don't understand the guy. The same goes for the supporting characters.**

I found Cloud to be a very interesting character indeed. I know there are many other gamers who enjoyed the depth his mental problems brought to the story. At any rate, he's not a bad character simply because you thought he was 'just plain weird'. And what do you mean by the supporting characters? Are you to tell me that all the other party members in ff7 were 'just plain weird' and you didn't understand any of them? I think the problem is perhaps on your end of the controller cord, not the PSX's.

**Plot: FF7.
Hmmmmm, Dollet vs. Mako Reactors. Edea vs. Sephiroth. Saving the planet vs. joining SeeD. No contest.**

Uh, yeah. I found the SeeD stuff pretty weak also. This was an awfully curt analysis of plot, tho, just comparing settings, bosses and climaxes. It doesn't really say anything, actually.

**Magic: FF8.
This is SO much easier to understand! It takes a few minutes to understand properly, sure, but at least they told you about adjusting stats and that! FF7 didn't bother to let me in on that particular little secret, so I had guys at level 99 with only about 1000 hp....**

No. FF7 did let you in on that fact. It was called the "description" in the materia menu. Said something along the lines of "+25% HP" when you were over the HP+ Materia. The reason ff8 needed all those tutorials was because of the greater complexity of its magic system. You may have found it easier to understand, but the mechanics themselves were much more complicated. Also, you must be an absolutely atrocious player, because my characters broke 1000 HP (without materia aid) around level 20 or 25.

*Summons: FF8.
C'mon. Think about it. This one doesn't need explaining.**

Yes. Think about it. Don't just say "think about it". DO think about it. The same 30 second-long summons over and over and over again, just to get anything done? No level of graphical wonderfulness makes up for that ghastly concept. I (literally) made and ate dinner during the escape from Dollet.

**Guys: FF8.
C'mon girls! Who would YOU rather date? Squall or Cloud? Irvine or Vincent? Laguna or Cid? It's no contest.**

Uh, I guess this is humour or something. Darien thought it was funny, so I won't bother going into it.

**Girls: Draw.
I juts don't know which group I like more here. They're all cool. Specially Yuffie and Selphie. My friend David says I'm like a combination of the two.**

This is about where the editorial fell apart for me. Yuffie and Selphie are generally held to be the two most annoying female characters in the last two FFs... ack... brain freeze! Cannot... comprehend... comparing... AWFULNESS!! @#$DFGsfjksssssss

**Overall: FF8.
Winning all but two of my little criteria, I'm positive that FF8 is better than FF7. I've noticed that many people have approached this game with a closed mind, so maybe that explains it....**

All but two, eh?

But you only had six, and one was a draw. So it's 2 vs 3; 1 point away from a tie. Even with your weird, biased criteria. Despite this, you are "positive ff8 is better than ff7"? I think perhaps a better explanation would be that you have flawed criteria, as well as poor taste and judgement.

Maybe that explains it.