FF9: looks like ice cream, tastes like chicken! - July 11,
2000 - Chris Jones
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this column are those of
the participants and the moderator, and do not necessarily reflect those of the GIA. There
is coarse language and potentially offensive material afoot. Yep, it's another
non-sequitur. Enjoy. Don't say we didn't warn you.
For good or ill, we stand at the end of an era.
With the advent of the PS2, Dreamcast, and other next generation consoles, the days of
worlds and characters being represented by crude icons and models is over. RPGs will start
to be represented entirely by increasingly realistic graphics, and for the most part the
days of suspension of disbelief will be over, at least from a visual standpoint.
Some might say this is unimportant to the core of the game, and indeed, they may be
right. Link, Terra, Alis are all real, concrete characters in the minds of many gamers,
despite being tiny blobs of blurry pixels in some cases. But I'd argue that the change
cannot help but change how society as a whole sees games, and thus how games will be
conceived and produced. Non-gamers who might not give a second glance to Rinoa's in game
model might be willing to take FFX seriously, if that game featured a reasonable facsimile
of Heather Graham. (Female readers may substitute Squall and Leonardo Dicaprio.) Dungeons
will cease to be flat prerendered scenes or monotonous gray tiles and become places with
fine texture and depth. Something major will be changing in RPGs once these last great PSX
titles are squeezed out.
But with their differing styles, how do DQ7 and FF9 compare as games? Until
both are released, no one can make a comparison, but where would gaming fandom be without
the opportunity to engage in endless speculation and conjecture? And it is my pleasure to
host such a brilliant waste of time in this column.
Onward.
| Everything gets old after a while |
| Hmmm, very interesing. Two rival powerhouses that have squared off (no
pun intended) before. I think the question isn't a matter of which game will sell more
copies, but where each game will sell best. Dragon Quest VII - Let's face it, in Japan
this game has a cult following. Government legislature has prohibitted the sale of Dragon
Quest games on weekdays because anyone and everyone will ditch work/school to pick up
their copy of the latest release. However, on the other side of the pacific, Dragon Quest
games aren't recieved as well (due in no small part to the fact they weren't released in
the US). Only hardcore gamers were interested in getting the adapter to convert their
Super NES to a Super Famicom then shell out the cash for the import copy of the game. In
the US, should Enix decide to release it, Dragon Quest VII will come out in relative
obscurity.
Final Fantasy IX - In Japan, the Final Fantasy series has been a calmative or a placebo
for the fans waiting for the next game in the Dragon Quest series. The Final Fantasy
series sells well and is popular, but where is it's cult following? Here in America is the
answer. Square's Final Fantasy series has been a huge hit in the US with RPG fans.
Excellent quality has made these games some of the highest selling games ever. While
Square made a few mistakes with Final Fantasy VIII, they are quick to remind the world
that they won't make the same mistake again (why else is Square so highly publicizing the
'return to it's fantasy roots'?).
So the winner is: a tie!
USA = Final Fantasy
Japan = Dragon Quest
They call me...Gouki! |
We've been over a lot of this before, but it's well stated here. The only points I'd
make are that DQ has yet to prove itself in the modern era, as opposed to the nostalgia
and fondness for the classics that have fueled sales of the PSX DQ remakes. FF also can't
be argued to be a true winner if it can't capture the hearts of the Japanese, since
Japanese sales far exceed those in the US and the games are created with the Japanese
primarily in mind.
Still, I suspect you're primarily correct - FF will continue to find a strong following
over here in the US with FF9, 10, and the Final Fantasy Movie, while the Japanese will not
be disappointed with DQ's latest installments.
| I like bananas, personally |
| Face hell with a smile, Chris - you'll get through just fine. About
your question, there's no comparison between FFIX and DQVII - apples and oranges. I'll
drop everything to play DQVII, and the first time I beat it I'll probably start it all
over again that same night. The superfast gameplay, first-person perspective in battles,
adorable monster designs, rustic environments, sweeping musical score and endearing fairy
tale plots made me worship DQ 1-4. But i also know i'll get FFIX eventually, and probably
love it as much as i did 6 and 7. Unless it's as tedious as 8.
By the way, did you know Daily Radar compiled a list of the top 100 game series of all
time, and DQ WAS NOT ON THE LIST? |
I don't read Daily Radar all that much, so I can't comment on the list. However, the
fact that I don't visit DR and don't regard their reviews as worth reading probably says a
lot in and of itself.
As for your comments about DQ, they're entirely based on opinion, and there's not a lot
I can say about them one way or another. All I can do is put up an opposing opinion and
let the readers make their own call.
| It's not a bug, it's a feature |
| What sort or horrific cataclismic travesties could possibly cause a new
game trying to remain pure by means of simplified graphics, no FMV, and no minigames to
take over three and a half years to make? More importantly, why would Enix try to make the
delays look cool? "Over three and a half years in the making!" -SC4000 |
Again, mostly opinion, but a common one. Moving on...
| McCloud shoots, misses? |
| I agree with you 100% about Understanding Comics - it's a groundbreaking
work, and a must read for anyone interested in media, comics, literature, iconography or
just all-around interesting stuff. However, Reinventing Comics isn't in the same
league. It's not even close.
The book is split into two sections: one on reinventing the industry, and one on
reinventing the medium. The first half is pretty pointless. There are some interesting
examples, but McCloud fails to mention anything we haven't heard before (comics need more
minorities, etc). The second part is better, but aside from one or two interesting things,
again, there's nothing too original.
It's nice enough to read another nonfiction book from McCloud though - it's easily
worth the price of admission for that alone. But don't expect to be blown away.
-jason
PS: The reason you're getting conflicting reports about its status is that the comics
market version is out now, but the mass market version won't be out until August. They're
identical in content, of course. |
I still want to read through it for myself, and it's worth noting that other reviewers
have already given the new book rave reviews. Still, nice to hear a second opinion, and
thanks for the info regarding availability.
| You want something done right... |
| Want a review of a game that'll do ya good? Can't decide whether Legend
of Dragoon's any good? Get a car (or bike, scooter, unicycle, whatever) and rent it at
Blockbuster or wherever. All it takes is $3-5 to get the game in the hands of the best
reviewer for yerself. Gosh. Primus |
This idea works fine for something like Space Channel 5, but often an RPG takes longer
to get into than a rental will allow. On the other hand, since you keep the saved game on
your own memory card, it shouldn't matter that much. Hell, you may decide that you want to
rent the game a few weekends and just beat it that way.
| Hardly comparable |
| Greetings Double Agent, It seems overly obvious that Dragon Quest 7 is
hardly comparable to Final Fantasy IX because of two factors: originality and
presentation. While I have played neither of these games, the information released is self
sufficient.
Final Fantasy IX, despite being labeled "old school," appears to be very
original, having a unique world and very "original" character designs, which
besides the black mage, bare little resemblence to anything previously seen in the series.
In contrast, Dragon Quest VII really is "old school," if that is the correct
term for the rehash of a classic game. Visually, the characters in Dragon Quest VII appear
to be little more than isometric versions of the character class sprites found in Dragon
Quest III and VI. Unfortunately, the battle engine looks graphically, very similar to the
SFC Dragon Quest III remake, amazingly, with few visual enhancements. Monster raising,
which has been inaccurately called a "new" feature by many gaming sites, is
actually yet another throwback to Dragon Quest VI.
The difference between Final Fantasy IX and Dragon Quest VII is clear. While both games
are being labeled "old school," one feature innovation while the other is merely
a serving of the leftovers from the good old days(at least to the Japanese). |
Never underestimate the power of leftovers - people write me daily telling me how great
the original Zelda, Final Fantasy, or Pac Man is. But speaking entirely as far as opinions
go, you've nailed mine just about perfectly.
Closing Comments:
Kinda shafted you folks again, but I have good reason, even if it's something I don't
want to go into at the moment. I'm unfortunately going to be absent from the column for
the rest of the week, but should return Monday with a little luck. At any rate, Jeremy
Steimel's up tomorrow, so be nice or I'll come back and bust yo' stinkin' heads, fools!
Later.
-Chris Jones, hitting the ground running |
|
|
|
