Or "How to shoot yourself in the foot... with a rocket launcher"

by Wisdom 

It has been a bit too long since I last graced the editorial scene, but I do not think it comes from a fault of my own. Considering that the majority of the debates raging in the forum have been over Final Fantasy VI--and all seem to say the exact same thing, over... and over...--I really had nothing with which to respond. My attempt at a constructive editorial, (one not designated to destroy an opposing argument), is currently being processed for the contest, so truly, I had nothing to write about... until now. For that, Dragonwynd, I thank you... though somehow I doubt the sentiment will be returned.

Let me begin by establishing that the video game industry is often overlooked by the gaming populace, in that it is an industry. This may shock a few of you, but every company, no matter what they tell you, wants your money. Some of them would rather you spent it on them regularly, and thus try to establish a reputable name, but every single one of them wants what you work hard for. So all of you, dismiss this notion of honor and integrity in the video game industry--you're misguided. Business ethics are completely different realm, which is a fact many of you overlook. With that said, let us establish that Squaresoft is such a company. They prefer to deliver to their gamers, and they are quite capable of producing, (and do such on a regular basis), wonderful games. So in that sense, they practice honor and integrity. Square is open to gamer feedback and more often than not, they deliver an enjoyable experience. Here comes another shock: Square never sold out. They are incapable of selling out: they're a corporation, for the love of God. This isn't the Jamaican underground, people... this is a corporate market. Stop remniscing the "wonderful days of the SNES." I've addressed this so many times that it's not even funny. I will never understand how a group of people can be so blind. But that cannot be helped. I shall suffice myself to refuting this specific argument.

The first real argument the editorial asserts is that Nintendo does not "need" the money, and that Squaresoft would only be creating ports, and not original games. To say that Nintendo does not need money is roughly the equivalent of saying oxygen-based lifeforms don't need to breathe. Nintendo's dominance of the console market has crumbled completely. Figuratively, they should own the gaming industry, if you look at the trends from the peak of the SNES. This is not to say that Nintendo is in danger of going bankrupt--far from it--but to say that they do not need the money is ignorant. They are a corporation. They need the money.

Furthermore, there is no evidence that Squaresoft had no plans of developing games for the Game Cube, if allowed to release ports for the GBA. The examples given, of how "thin" Square is spreading itself, is a joke--the company has more than three development teams. The projects Dragonwynd mentioned are not major from a programming standpoint; the only "resource-consuming project" I saw was Final Fantasy XI, since it will involve a broadband network. The rest of the releases--the Wonderswan and the FFVII-IX releases, are not big deals, not unless they planned on revamping every game entirely--and if that was the case, then Nintendo should have no reason to fear that the GBA releases wouldn't be in the same vein. You simply cannot assume, from Square's current projects, that it would not pursue an original game with Nintendo--their recent announcement of a brand-new Wonderswan game proves that they are simply doing what a company does best: broadening its horizons. The reason Square chose a port as the original offer to approach Nintendo with was probably because relations have not been too good with the company, and asking permission to develop a brand-new series of game would be too large a step for both of them. This is a buffer zone, really--if this project is approved, which it should be, and both sides can iron out their differences during the development, then maybe a new franchise would be in order.

This second point is the one that grates on my nerves the most. The editorial tries to prove that Square was unjustified in turning its back on Nintendo, and that it did so only for the money. You couldn't be more right that Square did it for the money, and that's exactly why it was justified. Squaresoft is a company, people. Stop forgetting/ignoring this. They have employees who have families to feed. Look at how much Square has expanded since they left Nintendo--and don't even try and tell me they could have achieved the same expansion with Nintendo. Nintendo is the Adolf Hitler of licensing fees--they may as well abuse their third-party developers. As soon as Sony offered an open-door policy, everyone jumped the boat, because the relationship with Sony was not only more relaxed, but it was also less conservative. Do you honestly think games like Xenogears or Final Fantasy VII would have made it through Nintendo of America? Look at the N64! They are just starting to receive more mature games, (not just violence-blood baths), and it's sadly little compared to Sony's receptiveness to new genres of gaming. Every gaming company has thrived under Sony's wing, and because of Square's move they've been incredibly successful, and have had a chance to do some amazing things. (Like making that movie which, judging by the tone of the editorial, the author does not approve of.) Sony's consideration of its gaming market was galaxies higher than Nintendo's--Sony does not think Americans have trouble understanding plots more complex than "save princess." Sony did not insist on changing all religious references in every game that was released in America. (And don't try to argue that Nintendo's stance on censorship was only due to the political climate of the times... it was no different, if not worse, when Sony broke the mold, than it was then. Try and look at our current president and then argue that Christian values have less of an impact now than they did.) And lastly, the cartridge was an outdated medium... more now than ever. It is cheaper and infinitely more effective to use a CD for development, as shown by the plethora of PSX games released in a year, as opposed to the number of N64 games released. (And the N64 does not have a higher number of quality games. Don't even try.) And switching an RPG to cartridge format is very different from switching a normal game to a cartridge. They're two fundamentally different mediums... I don't even know how similar the development tools are. Whatever Capcom did, it definitely was not a game on the scale of any of Square's projects, save the hybrid RPGs or its action games. (The SaGa series, etc...) So this point is moot as well: Square could not be expected to hinder its own growth and punish its employees by remaining with an obstinate, unprofitable console company. They proved their integrity and honor by moving to Sony and delivering time and time again, by respecting their employees and their customers enough to risk a move of that size. Stop insulting them for making a financially sound choice. The company cannot make decisions with the prudence that a single person can. It wasn't a question of loyalty to Nintendo--it was a question of where Square stood to expand--and yes, profit--more. And that road was with Sony.

To finish this editorial, I would like to also refute the unfounded claim, that Square has failed to release quality games for the Playstation, that Dragonwynd made. That's simply ridiculous. Chrono Cross, Xenogears, Final Fantasy VII-IX, Final Fantasy Tactics, just to name a few, are games that nearly every reviewer ranked near perfect, if not perfect. Yes, even FFVIII was considered a wonderful game, because while it may be one of the worst in the series, we often forget how high we've set our standards for Final Fantasies. As a stand-alone game, without its name's legacy, it is a near-perfect game. There is no foundation for the claims made in Dragonwynd's editorial... Square has not fallen, in quality or quantity, and they certainly did nothing to betray Nintendo. Nintendo dug its own grave, and apparently it seems quite content to keep shoveling. I find this unfortunate, as the company helped bring me many of my favorite games, but it is their own fault. It is truly a sad state of affairs.