That Sequel Sucked!

by Mondryn

"Man, Final Fantasy VIII sucked! It was nothing like VII! What a rip-off!" How often have we heard this? Often, sequels are compared to their predecessors, and, unfortunately, they are found lacking. Every time I hear someone complain that a game wasn't as good as another, I can't help but wonder, "Why don't you just play the game for its own sake, instead of comparing it to something else?"

Everyone has their favorite games. My personal favorites are Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger (it's a tie). But that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy Final Fantasy VII or Chrono Cross. Quite the contrary. Both are excellent games. But, all too frequently, people decide that their favorite game is the best of all time and nothing will ever be as good. Perhaps. But that doesn't mean that other games aren't fun or innovative.

Final Fantasy VII received a lot of pot shots for its Materia system. Final Fantasy VIII got a lot of crap thrown at it for the Draw and Junction systems, and Guardian Forces. Heaven forbid that Square tries something new! While these systems may have their flaws, that doesn't make them worthless or stupid. They allow me to customize my characters to be the way I want them. In fact, that's my favorite part of any RPG!

The Materia system allows me to say, "Cloud, you're going to be able to steal," "Barret, you're gonna have a whole lot of Red Materia," and "Yuffie, I want you to have the healing Materia." How is that any different than a Job system? I just made Cloud a Thief, Barret a Summoner, and Yuffie a White Mage. And then, if I feel like it, I can change those around at will.

And what's wrong with the Draw system? Sure, it takes a while, but, since the importance of leveling up has been greatly reduced, the overall time taken to become powerful is the same as any other RPG. I think it's quite an original way to obtain magic. But, people tend to prefer to take the easy way out, and so it is bashed. Junctioning also seems to annoy people. Too much micromanagement, I suppose. So what? Once again, the Junction system allows me to customize my characters the way I want. I define what abilities they have, both in combat and out. I determine who can cast which spells. It's my decision, not the game's.

And the complaints don't stop there. Square tried to go back to the "roots of Final Fantasy" with Final Fantasy IX, with each character having distinct, unchanging skills a la Final Fantasy VI. What did people do? They complained. So, Square decides to try something new again, and we get Final Fantasy X. I haven't played this one yet, but I understand that its systems are quite unique. And yet again, people complain. I just don't get it.

The problem isn't just restricted to the Final Fantasy series, either. I'm just using it as an example because it seems more people are familiar with Final Fantasy than any other series, including myself. I personally don't have much experience with other series, though I've played every Final Fantasy up to, and including, IX.

When Suikoden III was released, it was pronounced inferior to Suikoden II for various reasons. The battle system wasn't as good as II. There weren't as many rewards for beating II as Suikoden II had when you've beaten Suikoden. And, Suikoden III is in *shudder* 3-D! Oh, no! And that's not even all of the complaints. Hearing this forces me to think, "So what?" I'm certain that, in its own right, Suikoden III is a wonderful game, just as Suikoden II is.

If we play a game, searching for inferiorities, we will find them. It's as simple as that. There is no such thing as The Perfect Game. I don't even consider my two favorites, Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger, to be perfect. They have their flaws. But, in spite of these flaws, the games are fun to play. The same is true for just about any game we pick up, even if it's not the same as its predecessor in the series. No, especially if it's not the same. If game companies were afraid to try anything new, we'd still be playing Dragon Warrior. Thankfully, that's not the case, and we have a rich library of games from which to choose, none of which are identical. And all are fun to play.