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Final Fantasy vs. Oblivion
An anonymous reader writes "bit-tech has up a short comparison between Final Fantasy VII and Oblivion. While Oblivion is touted as the latest and greatest PC-based RPG, Final Fantasy VII is held in the minds of many gamers as the best RPG of all time. From the article: 'At the time of its release, nearly ten years ago, FFVII received rave reviews from the press and the public, and it has a claim to being the best loved Final Fantasy game ... In a Top 100 Games of all time, it would be up there in the single digits. It is, by all accounts, Sergeant Pepper-Citizen Kane great. If something is great, it should be great whenever you pick it up -- buy a fresh copy of Pepper or Kane now and they'll still blow you away: they were great in '67 and '41, and they're great now. Is the same true of FFVII?'"
No. The graphics aren't as great as they were perceived when it first came out. I'd much rather play a great sprite-based game (FFVI) than a game with early 3D graphics.
Then again, graphics aren't everything. But FF6 beats it in the story department, too. And the gameplay department.
It's like sex, except I'm having it!
FFVII isn't even the greatest of the final fantasy games- 4,6, and 9 blow it out of the water.
That said, I'll take even 7 over Oblivion any day- RPGs are about the story to me, and sandbox RPGs have way too weak a story.
I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?
Nostalgia makes everything old seem good. FFVII was a great game (perhaps the greatest) in it's time but any flaws it did have fade from our collective minds over time. I say the video game press should let people keep there fuzzy memories and stop this endless stream of lists of top games and apple orange caparisons between the modern popular games and the classics. If this is the only way to fill the pages of a gaming mag (or blog or site) that should tell us something.
I don't give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way.
Mark Twain
Personally, I think SW:KOTOR is the best PC (and Xbox) RPG in the last few years. Oblivion had such an open world, but just about everything was linear in it - dialog choice was pretty much fixed, and about the only player choice was whether to sneak or not for each quest. With KOTOR, there was multiple choices for practically every quest, with the 'light-side/dark-side' system. Sure, it wasn't perfect, but it certainly made it more entertaining and gave the game more replay value.
They're pretty dissimiliar games. Final Fantasy 7 is pretty linear, has turn-based combat and a more traditional leveling system. Oblivion is mostly non-linear, has real-time psuedo-FPS style combat, and has a less traditional skill based leveling system. Comparing the two is almost like comparing Command and Conquer to Civilization because "they're both strategy games".
No, I havn't RTFA, and don't intend to.
Final Fantasy wasn't the greatest RPG per se. Most RPG fans will say there are other games which stand out far more such as Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Ultima VII, or Fallout. It was simply an RPG that for some strange reason was loved by so many, even those who hate RPGs in general. I would say that its the same thing as what happened with World of Warcraft. Most expected WoW to be a success, but it's instead been a monumental achievement the likes of which investors dream of when they invest in a company.
I wouldn't call FF7 the Citizen Kane of RPGs or games, but rather I'd call it the Star Wars of the gaming industry. Noone I think really expected it to explode into the success that it was and reach such a larger audiance (I dont think anyone who had a PS1 didnt have FF7). On top of that, like star wars it seems each recent sequel can't find the same place in people's hearts that FF7 found. It was strange indeed, but I think its success can largely be attributed to many little things. Things ranging from marketing and publicity down to the twists in the story and Characters in game (Sephiroth is still by far one of the greatest villains ever). I can still remember working on leveling my characters up all day just so I could beat the Ultima creature.
As far as keeping it fresh and would FF7 still stack up today? No... I don't think so. Unfortunatly games have made moves in recent years that are so major it can't be helped but not feel impressed by games like FF7. Sure FF7 will always carry the nostalgia love with it, and while its story and characters are still top notch, you cant help notice some things that have been improved on since (graphics aside) and perhaps wish that PS3 tech demo at E3 was actually being made into a FF7 remake =)
If we assume for a moment this guy ain't a shill then all he is showing that he prefers adventures over RPG's.
The simple fact is that the western RPG ala Baldur's Gate is a totally different genre then the japanese "RPG" ala the Final Fantasy series. The biggest single difference is that you do NOT have a choice in the japanese "RPG". Why do I use quotes? Because I am a westerner and as such think that RPG's originate with the D&D Pen & Paper style games. These games were not just about fighting and levelling up or being told a story. They were about making choices. The dungeon master would tell you the situation and then the game starts with, what do you do.
The western computer RPG usually tries to give you choice, choice as to what you play, choice as to how you play and choice as to well what choices you make. There are costs involved. The non-choice character Planescape Torment gives you a far stronger story then say Icewind Dale where you create your own party. Yet PT is as free as a bird compared to the on-rails gameplay of Final Fantasy.
If anything the Japanese "RPG" in western eyes is closer to an adventure with stat based fighting. Adventures are great games but usually not known for their free form story telling. Linear is the word most often used. I amazed to see games like Fire Emblem labelled as an RPG. Exactly where is the RP element?
You therefore in my eyes can't compare the Final Fantasy with Oblivion (although Oblivion does suffer from a lot of linear quests) because fundementally they belong in different genre's.
To me, a western CRPG lover Final Fantasy doesn't count as a great RPG, a mediocre RPG or even a bad RPG. I don't count it as an RPG. Doesn't mean it is a bad game. It just ain't a RPG.
I am not totally alone although I realize it is hard to come up with enough labels to eh label all the various game genre's. Lets just settle for Japanese RPG and Western RPG. Most people here would know what is meant by that including that comparing games between the two is futile.
This reviewer probably hasn't learned that distinction and was either burned by Oblivion thinking that ALL RPG's are like Japanese RPG's. Either that or he is an idiot.
As for this being posted by Zonk, well big supirse there.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
The materia system is one of the things that ruined FF7. It made it so your best melees were just as capable at magic as your worst. This means there was no reason to use most of your characters- just your 3 best at all times. THe inflexibility of FF9 was a strength- it made characters have strengths and weaknesses.
I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?