Sakaguchi was definitely a good moderating influence on Square. FFX-2 is a really good game, but I think that's a matter of luck more than anything else. Most of Square's recent cash-in ideas seem destined to backfire eventually.
Without a doubt though there will be countless people trashtalking this very post in a very short time. Why? "Dreamcast is dead", "Why would you want to waste your time with an old system?" "Don't you have a life?" "I bet you can't get laid!"
How about "Why would someone release an Atari ST emulator for a system for which few people have a keyboard?"
Just because some criticisms of a project are illogical doesn't mean that all of them are.
OK, I'll bite. Tell me what makes Kefka a better villain than Sephiroth. Hell, to make it easier on you, tell me what makes Kefka a better villain than Jenova.
Most of the problems you listed are also in FF6, which isn't too surprising since FF6 and FF7 had very similar gameplay (and every FF has had long cutscenes and annoying random battles). The nonlinearity in the second half of FF6 didn't mean too much when the whole game fell apart.
Nope. There was a rumor that the invisible person in Coneria was Cid, but it turned out to be a bug (and the dialogue was that of a female character, at that). And the doctor who helps you out is named Dr. Unne.
The thing is, it's not just the stubborn fanboys who think that FF7 is the last Final Fantasy that should ever have a real sequel. An actual sequel to FF7 ruins the dramatic ambiguity of the ending, which is the only value that the ending had. Oh, and the theme of FF in general precludes the existence of real sequels, but that issue is rather moot now that FFX2 has been out for a year. This isn't zealous protectionism, but simple literary analysis.
The FFL series was actually SaGa in Japan (thus their similarity to the SaGa Frontier series). And have you actually played FFMQ? It's not a particularly deep or difficult game, but I'd hardly characterize it as "god-awful."
FF has always had a fusion between the magical and the technological. FF7 is hardly more science-fiction than FF1 (remember Warmech and the time-travel plot that FF8 rehashed, among several other things?) is. The "movement from fantasy to SF" is just a figment of detractors' imaginations.
Or maybe so many people like FF7 because *gasp* it was good?
Sorry, bub, your argument was discredited a long, long time ago. Personally? I started playing FF right from the beginning, back in 1990. FF7 and FF8 are tied as my favorite FF. Besides, even if your argument did hold any water, all it would prove is the inane obstinance of the nostalgia freaks who can't handle their games maturing beyond their simplistic plots, characters, and gameplay.
I'm pretty sure the grandparent wasn't referring to FF6 when he implied that FF7 didn't have the best characters. Or if he was, he obviously didn't play FF7. More != better.
Either you're trolling or you haven't played more than one or two FFs. Or both. If all of the FF games are the same, then all of the games in every other series are the same as well.
Yes it was a good game, but everything it did had been done before.
Besides the injection of plot, the scripted sequences, and the AI that actually did a good job of living up to its name? The first was done by Marathon, granted, but it was Mac-only so it never got to be as influential as Doom was. And System Shock was more of an adventure than an FPS (you could even turn off the shooting parts to focus on the puzzles and the plot), so it doesn't really count. AFAIK, the other two things were unequivocally Half-Life firsts in the genre.
Even if you don't agree that HL was revolutionary, though, you must realize that it would be a better choice than Deer Hunter.
Actually, the first RTS was Herzog Zwei for the Sega Genesis. (You might be able to name one earlier than that depending on your definition of "RTS.") Dune 2 was the RTS that everyone else copied (or in the case of Westwood, rehashed). It's similar to the difference between MIDI Maze and Wolfenstein 3-D in the FPS genre.
I hear that it's not very good, but the people who say that are likely stereotypical twitch gamers, so take that with a grain of salt. I haven't played it yet, but it sounds a lot like Vietcong, which was pretty good.
Anyway, this article just proves that marketing people are idiots. If that means that the gaming industry doesn't take itself seriously, then just about anything else that involves marketing doesn't take itself seriously either.
They were the ones who made the Dizzy games for assorted systems (I think they were most popular on the Spectrum), as well as the classic Micro Machines games for the NES and Genesis. Nice to see them making games after all of these years (though obviously this one isn't going to be made).
There was a point when Acclaim titles were respected.
When? No fan of FPSes that were actually good liked Turok, and that's the only Acclaim game I can think of that wasn't completely trashed by the public.
Slashdot Mirror
They already did the unexpected (by doing something entirely unoriginal) with FF9, though.
Rob
Sakaguchi was definitely a good moderating influence on Square. FFX-2 is a really good game, but I think that's a matter of luck more than anything else. Most of Square's recent cash-in ideas seem destined to backfire eventually.
Rob
A lot of people, including myself, lump FFX - to some extent - and FFX-2 definitely, into the category of "royally sucks".
A lot of people are also stupid. Maybe you should try playing a game that actually sucks, like SaGa Frontier.
Rob
On a second thought, after playing FFX2, maybe it would be best NOT to have a sequel...
Yes. It would be hard to make a sequel as good as FFX2, so why bother trying?
Rob
Here.
Rob
Without a doubt though there will be countless people trashtalking this very post in a very short time. Why? "Dreamcast is dead", "Why would you want to waste your time with an old system?" "Don't you have a life?" "I bet you can't get laid!"
How about "Why would someone release an Atari ST emulator for a system for which few people have a keyboard?"
Just because some criticisms of a project are illogical doesn't mean that all of them are.
Rob
Sephiroth is just a rehashed Kefka!
That's giving Sephiroth way too little credit. For one thing, Sephiroth had actual motives.
Rob
OK, I'll bite. Tell me what makes Kefka a better villain than Sephiroth. Hell, to make it easier on you, tell me what makes Kefka a better villain than Jenova.
Rob
Most of the problems you listed are also in FF6, which isn't too surprising since FF6 and FF7 had very similar gameplay (and every FF has had long cutscenes and annoying random battles). The nonlinearity in the second half of FF6 didn't mean too much when the whole game fell apart.
Rob
Nope. There was a rumor that the invisible person in Coneria was Cid, but it turned out to be a bug (and the dialogue was that of a female character, at that). And the doctor who helps you out is named Dr. Unne.
Rob
The thing is, it's not just the stubborn fanboys who think that FF7 is the last Final Fantasy that should ever have a real sequel. An actual sequel to FF7 ruins the dramatic ambiguity of the ending, which is the only value that the ending had. Oh, and the theme of FF in general precludes the existence of real sequels, but that issue is rather moot now that FFX2 has been out for a year. This isn't zealous protectionism, but simple literary analysis.
Oh well, at least they didn't resurrect Aeris.
Rob
The FFL series was actually SaGa in Japan (thus their similarity to the SaGa Frontier series). And have you actually played FFMQ? It's not a particularly deep or difficult game, but I'd hardly characterize it as "god-awful."
Rob
FF has always had a fusion between the magical and the technological. FF7 is hardly more science-fiction than FF1 (remember Warmech and the time-travel plot that FF8 rehashed, among several other things?) is. The "movement from fantasy to SF" is just a figment of detractors' imaginations.
Rob
Uh-huh.
Rob
Or maybe so many people like FF7 because *gasp* it was good?
Sorry, bub, your argument was discredited a long, long time ago. Personally? I started playing FF right from the beginning, back in 1990. FF7 and FF8 are tied as my favorite FF. Besides, even if your argument did hold any water, all it would prove is the inane obstinance of the nostalgia freaks who can't handle their games maturing beyond their simplistic plots, characters, and gameplay.
Rob
I know old-school FFers are supposed to think that everything after 6 is eye candy. Sorry - can't say that I agree.
Hell, you might as well just say that they're completely wrong. You know, because they are.
Rob
I'm pretty sure the grandparent wasn't referring to FF6 when he implied that FF7 didn't have the best characters. Or if he was, he obviously didn't play FF7. More != better.
Kefka was a strong character? Now that is a joke.
Rob
Either you're trolling or you haven't played more than one or two FFs. Or both. If all of the FF games are the same, then all of the games in every other series are the same as well.
Rob
Yes it was a good game, but everything it did had been done before.
Besides the injection of plot, the scripted sequences, and the AI that actually did a good job of living up to its name? The first was done by Marathon, granted, but it was Mac-only so it never got to be as influential as Doom was. And System Shock was more of an adventure than an FPS (you could even turn off the shooting parts to focus on the puzzles and the plot), so it doesn't really count. AFAIK, the other two things were unequivocally Half-Life firsts in the genre.
Even if you don't agree that HL was revolutionary, though, you must realize that it would be a better choice than Deer Hunter.
Rob
Actually, the first RTS was Herzog Zwei for the Sega Genesis. (You might be able to name one earlier than that depending on your definition of "RTS.") Dune 2 was the RTS that everyone else copied (or in the case of Westwood, rehashed). It's similar to the difference between MIDI Maze and Wolfenstein 3-D in the FPS genre.
Rob
I hear that it's not very good, but the people who say that are likely stereotypical twitch gamers, so take that with a grain of salt. I haven't played it yet, but it sounds a lot like Vietcong, which was pretty good.
Anyway, this article just proves that marketing people are idiots. If that means that the gaming industry doesn't take itself seriously, then just about anything else that involves marketing doesn't take itself seriously either.
Rob
They were the ones who made the Dizzy games for assorted systems (I think they were most popular on the Spectrum), as well as the classic Micro Machines games for the NES and Genesis. Nice to see them making games after all of these years (though obviously this one isn't going to be made).
Rob
Which is a division of Acclaim.
Rob
That was a Rare game, sort of like how Mortal Kombat was a Midway game. Turok came straight from Acclaim.
Rob
There was a point when Acclaim titles were respected.
When? No fan of FPSes that were actually good liked Turok, and that's the only Acclaim game I can think of that wasn't completely trashed by the public.
Rob