This Gamer Is Scared

by Raincrystal

I'm nervous, too.

I used to wait with eager anticipation for the next FF game. The day FFVI came out, I ran up to my mom screaming, "Oh please, Electronics Boutique just called and Final Fantasy III is in! You HAVE to take me to the mall! Right NOW, oh PLEASE!" I still remember desperately begging her not to wait until after dinner.

Now, I'm in the same position all over again because FFIX is coming out soon. I refuse to judge it one way or the other before I've seen it, but I'm scared. People like it, people hate it, people criticize and analyze "The Future of RPGs" and "Squaresoft's Design Strategies" in forums like this. Being on the Internet-- which I wasn't in 1994-- has exposed me to much more than lovely fan art. Now, I know about marketing and design strategies and translations and release dates, and I walk with blinders on so I don't accidentally catch a peek of an FFIX character (that would spoil the enjoyment of discovery when I actually get to play it.) Now, I critically analyze the worth of a game, and I know that if a game isn't good, people won't buy the next one, and the series will collapse.

And now I'm not excited about RPGs anymore, just scared of them.

W-what if... oh dear god, it can't be, but... what if FFIX *really* sucks? Square would lose so much face, which would cause them to lose money. Gamers the world over would criticize them, and disillusioned fans would stop buying their games. They might not have the money to make future FF games up to their standards. Everyone would be disgusted and the editorials section of this board would be filled with Suikoden and Lunar editorials instead of the near-solid block of FF discussion.

Of course, Final Fantasy itself was created as an effort to keep Square from collapsing, but I didn't know that back in 1994, did I? It barely occurred to me that the reason Cecil talked so funny was because these things were translated from Japanese. I didn't think the graphics were too costly or too hyped; I just thought the higher resolution character portraits were cool. And the only person I wanted Square to please was myself.

Maybe when FFIX finally comes out, I'll just turn off the Internet completely, and the only opinion I'm exposed to will be my own. But the awareness is now there. Whatever I feel emotionally for the game, I'll be worried: what will the gaming market think of this?