The future is in the future - July 18, 2000 - Andrew Kaufmann
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. I can't decide whether or not I like blue carpet. Don't say we didn't warn you.
Final Fantasy IX continues to be the dominant topic, believe it or not. I mean, come on people.
We need a good debate about whether or not the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game for the NES
was quality or not.
| Long live FF |
|
I can't understand Pikafoo's position about the Final Fantasy series getting old. One of the many freedoms that comes from not following one single story is the ability to let a series go on and on without it becoming old. Sure, even very successful movies don't get all the way to 10, but the reason is that they follow the same story, characters and locations. The 9 Final Fantasy games could easily be released individually and titled as such, and I often think that the only thing that holds them together is their excellence. As long as Square exists, and new story and character ideas keep coming in, the Final Fantasy series can, and most likely will go on.
Yuji
|
Yeah, I don't see it getting old either. I don't it'll go on ad infinitum, I think that eventually
Square will bring it to a smashing conclusion. But like you say, it really is a separate game each
time that's not dragged down by stale ideas and trying to prolong a story that really should have
ended. Each self-contained story is a masterpeice on its own.
| The charts |
|
Hey -
Just a quick tidbit here: Dragon Quest VII was indeed at the top of
Famitsu's Most Wanted chart for a long, long time. Then a game called Final
Fantasy IX came along and bumped it down to number two for about five
months (read: from the time that FFIX was officially announced to the time
that it was released). Now that FFIX has hit shelves, good old DQVII is
back at the top, though it is once again being challenged... this time by a
game that is almost a full year from release. Yup, you guessed it - Final
Fantasy X has almost overtaken it for the top spot.
Says a lot about DQ's Japanese popularity these days, doesn't it?
jt.
|
There we have the scoop from the mighty JT himself. Superhuman Japan correspondant
for the GIA. He's an animal. We try to contain him, but it can't be done. Thanks,
JT.
| Theory of relativity |
|
Cough man,
Hmm... SonicPanda made a good point yesterday about the true worth of a game lying in the amount of fun. I can't tell you how many games I purchased after seeing good reviews from a mag, only to be disappointed at the fact that I would've had a better time chewing on a wad of sandpaper about the size of a baseball.
Fun is completely relative, and this goes double for storyline-intensive games such as RPG's. Some players will laugh at the melodramatics or bad dialogue in some games and won't have as good a time as the happy-go-lucky kid who loves fantasy and will believe it all for the sake of fun and overall appeal. Me, I'm a combination of both. I can get into some pretty kooky stories and lots o' zaniness, but to an extent.
Fortunately, not many reviewers base their review of a game solely on the storyline. They go after what's new, innovative, blah blah blah. Yeah, innovation is great, but do we have to put down every single game that doesn't feature something new? So what if we're getting more of the same? If you enjoyed Legend of Oogaboofa, then Legend of Oogaboofa 2 would please you if it kept the same style of gameplay, right? Suikoden is one series that has proved very fun to me with few major additions to the sequel.
This is not to say that innovation is bad (far from it) but that it is not the most important aspect of a new game. I just wish that reviewers would concentrate more on what's in the game than what's not. Maybe then I could actually trust them again.
- Toaster Thief
PS - I loved Chrono Trigger, and I'm pretty sure I'll love Chrono Cross. Change in a series can be very good, as long as it's fun. And Streets of Rage rocks.
|
I think that a good review describes various aspects of a game, so a gamer can make a decision
on the quality of the game without playing it. Even though the reviewer, in the end, may decide
he doesn't like the sum of the parts, adequately describing them allows the gamer to weigh the parts
in his own mind. Fun truly is a personal thing. It explains how some games, such as Legend of Dragoon,
are ridiculed by some and worshipped by others. You said it well.
| Delayed to the moon and back |
|
Hey AK,
Can you tell me what the _original_ release date for LUNAR: SSSC was? I'm
guessing somewhere around August '98, but I need confirmation here.
Thanks.
~JM Stalker
P.S. Can you honestly tell me anyone was surprised that LUNAR: EBC was
delayed? -=P
|
I asked Mr. Andrew Vestal, and he's guestimating May of 1999, so I'll take his word for it.
The boy has no sense of direction, but tends to have a good memory. At any rate, it was
delayed so much that the original release date was lost in the annals of time.
I actually wasn't even aware that Lunar: EBC had been delayed again. I quit paying attention
to most Working Designs news... when something interesting comes up, someone usually tells me.
So much of their news is "Gamers that preorder Lunar will receive a kerosene lamp, a roll of
duct tape, and a half-nude pinup of Victor Ireland on a Harley Davidson" or "[Game X] has been
delayed for the 31st time."
All sarcasm aside, though, I'm looking forward to Lunar: EBC. But I'm going to ignore release
dates. Someday, hopefully before I'm too old, I'll wander into a store and see it on a shelf.
Until that day, I won't believe a release date.
| As long as you laugh |
|
AK,
Am I the only person who finds himself laughing everyday he reads the column?
There is at least one person who always writes in to say in some way that
they liked FF7 more than FF8 for some reason or another and that it was a
great game, yet you know that most of them were saying how horrible FF7 was
when it first came out and that FF6 was the true pinacle of gaming. I just
found that funny. Thanks for your time.
Kaze
|
Well, to each his own, I guess. I hope I, personally, have been consistent
in my opinions, but I'm probably as much of a dingbat as anyone else. But to be
fair to everyone, people can change opinions. As one changes as one grows up
and becomes a man/woman, one's opinions on games change, too. So I forgive them.
But hey, our goal here is to entertain. So if that's entertaining, then by golly,
props!
| Tell me all of your secrets |
|
I noticed the gia has a new guide and walkthrough for FFIX. Is it just
me, or is there something sick about knowing all the secrets in a game
that you can't even purchase in local stores yet?
Just wondering.
SGT PROTON
|
That guide isn't there so you can "experience" FF9 through html... it's for the
people out there that are importing the game and don't read Japanese. I'd rather
wait and play in a language I can read, but some people can't wait. To those
people, the guide is there for you.
| Bringing it all together |
|
Actually, being a very dedicated and oh so loyal fan of the Final Fantasy
series, I have thought about that subject a lot. It is not impossible. And
I have drawn up a few very legitimate, very appealing screenplays in my head
demonstrating a plot which would allow the game to include previous games in
it while existing in a completely unique and independent world/reality.
Square would be able to "make it happen" without sacrificing it's way of
doing things. And it would be done right, too. I am thoroughly surprised
that this topic hasn't been brought up before in any other site dealing with
Final Fantasy, or at least, not that I am aware of. I would really be
interested in discussing this further, and maybe pushing for a movement to
catch the attention of Square looking into this. Or even, at the very least,
it would make for a really interesting fanfic series, no?
I'm willing to get the ball rolling on things. :)
-Ryan, wondering if he telepathically sent that thought to Scott.
|
Actually, this is something that was quite common years ago, when I first got on the Internet, but
is something I've seen less and less of as time goes by. I hate to say it, but it'll be a waste of
your time unless it's something you want to do for entertainment. For legal reasons, no gaming
company takes fan-submitted ideas for plots. It's also a creativity thing. I don't know that
Sakaguchi would be keen on handing his series over to fans.
I hate to be a naysayer and the voice of negativity, but I've seen similar sorts of things get
duly ignored by Square over the years. Now, if you want to make it a fanfic series that you and other
collaborators make for your own entertainment, more power to you. Just don't expect anything
out of Square, because they'll let you down. Again, apologies for being a drag.
| What pals! |
|
Hey, don't rag on yourself, AK, off course we care! In fact, the entire DA
community wanted me to tell you that we'll even help you move, we care so
much! (I won't be helping, mind you. It was my job to tell you.) Expect a
rabid band of DAers at your front door tommorow, where they will work
diligently for 7 minutes before someone says:
"This sucks worse than Xenogears!"
And then everyone beats the crap out of one another.
"Putting the 'K' in kare"
-Aaron L.
|
Man, you all would do that for me? What pals! And hey, 7 minutes is better than nothing!
I bet you guys could carry a lot of stuff in 7 minutes, and even help me assemble my desk.
It's amazing how much desk they can get into one very small box. I'm going to be relying
on my Mechanical Engineer roommate to help me out. The instructions for assembling that thing
are incredibly complex. He works with cryogenics, but I'm not sure he'll be able to tame the
beast that is this desk. Wish us luck.
Closing Comments:
And the marathon DA session goes on! Take care!
-Andrew Kaufmann
|
| |
| |
