Firstoff thanks for the topic. Whatever gets my mind off Square failling miserably in thier movie project, the constant FF8 vs FF9 debate or the death of the Dreamcast works for me.

And now the actual topic.

My favorite game characters...(I hope you did'nt limit this to one)

(1)That nameless guy in Final Fantasy adventure comes to mind, simply because he was the first character I ever played that actually doubted himself at some point. (He was also the only game hero with actual dialogue at that point in time.)

(2)Setzer (FF6) I guess that out of all the characters I've played Setzer's values most resembles my own. His good fortune and ability to bring it to others sorta inspired me as much as he inspired the rest of the cast.

(3)Galuf (FF5) Just cause his death was so noble and unexpected. Not to mention I always liked tragic figures.

(4)Citan (Xenogears) One of the only game character that was truly misterious. You knew he spoke with the emperor, yet he risked life and limb for you on a regular basis. Nobody could tell what his motives truly where. Unlike some OTHER characters.

I could go on.

And while on the subject: You ever notice how much game characters become a part of us? Who never contemplated the way a certain character would handle one of our situation or never used one of their quotes? How many times did that happen to you I wonder?

Nick-V

The best RPG character (that I can think of right now) is Lezard Valeth, from Valkyrie Profile. He was completely out of his mind, and his ultimate motive was not to rule/destroy the world, but to become a god (um, that might be a spoiler, so...watch out). Also, he said great things like, "Well, that was impressive, even for me," and "Excuse me, but I am most definitely NOT a peeping tom."

Besides, heroes are tiresome (I'm sure you got a lot of letters that said that). They're really all the same when you get right down to it. Good intentions, fighting to save the world, etc. They aren't at all believable, either. RPG heroes are ridiculously brave, you know? I want to see a character that enters a battle, wets himself, and then runs away screaming. Now THAT would be believable.

-L. Valeth
"Let's fight, guys! We-- HOLY SHIT! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?! AIEE! RUN AWAAAAAAY!"

Squall is not my favorite RPG character, nor one that I consider to be the "best". But there were a few moments in FF8 that made me connect to him, maybe moreso than any other character...... These moments were when Squall would go to his room in Balamb Garden, lay on his bed, and just think.

That's it. Just think about what's been happening.

You could see the insecurity in his thoughts, the confusion of what he should do as he tossed and turned in his bed..... These moments struck me so profound because it is what *I* do many times, and I'm sure many other teenagers and other people do. Square hit the nail on the head with that part of the story. I'm not going to comment on Squalls characterization or any other problems I had with FF8..... But those moments where he would act like a REAL PERSON and think about things whilst tossing and turning on his bed, those moments were perfect for me.

For those scenes, Squall was not a super-strong, super-confident super hero that other RPG's had. He was a normal teenager with problems.

- Shake

It is of my opinion that damn near anything can be handled well within a movie, if its done with a certain amount of aplomb. As you've mentioned before, Crouching Tiger is a pretty good example of philosophical ideals creeping their way into a movie.

With that in mind, we can assume (just for arguments sake) that Sakaguchi can create a good movie in his own style. Now, why, I ask, would anyone want him to stifle his own views and creativity just to create a generic action flick and make a quick buck? We all know what Sakaguchi is good at, and we all know what the FF series is about, so I'd rather Sakaguchi stick to his guns (and indeed the true root of the series) and create a real movie, as opposed to one with financial motives. As much as I don't want to see Square hit hard times, I'm not going to walk into a movie hoping its clichéd and derivative enough to appeal to the general public. Once this becomes the focus, the movie becomes more Economic than Artistic, and who really wants that? Leave the business out of the creativity.

Justin Freeman

-Letter expresses optimism about FF Movie
-Moderator picks it apart
-(repeat)

Perhaps the moderator could reduce the metaphysical crap in his screenplay, because he's working with an audience that isn't buying into his story.

-n0sh (who doesn't buy the moderator's story either)

-tries to saves every one from everything no matter what the cost

Best Real Hero: Ashley Riot

-says things like "I am the reinforcements" and becomes a Batman-like character in the end

Best Antagonist: Seifer

-unlike most RPG antagonists, he had realistic conflicts within himself and with others that did not involve wiping out civilization. And unlike most RPG antagonists, he had some character growth. I loved his scene in the ending.

Best Bad Guy/Good Guy: Sydney

-no character in any other game has a character like this

Best Romance: Squall & Rinoa

-I won't say something trite, because the romance is anything but trite (ok so that was trite)

-you know every time FF8 comes up in a discussion I try to send in letters praising the portrayal of Laguna. In fact I'm thinking of rewriting this whole letter into one big Academy-Award style tribute to Laguna. But now I realize that his humanity and heart are self-evident. Or are they? I sure hope I'm not the only one who was impressed with the story of Laguna, Kiros, Ward, and Raine.

-Fares

P.S. the Nameless One from Planescape Torment would have gotten an award if this was a PC game column

I'll skip that whole bravest hero and romance thing, and just get to what characters worked best for me.

I'll start with Squall.

Squall, unfortunately, seems to be disliked by many people. Me? I loved the guy. Never, before or since, have I ever identified with a character like I did with Squall. Did he act like a jerk? Sure. But the guy was honest. He said what he thought(most of the time), and never pretended to care about something, or someone, when he really didn't.

A little brutal? Yes. Possible anti-social personality disorder? Maybe. But the guy stayed true to himself. He didn't fake it. And that really hit home with me.

His character does of course evolve as the game progresses; he learns to interact a little better with the other characters, and depend on them more, which is good. Even so, that rather brutal aspect of his personality is still there, which is also good.

The other character I would like to touch upon, is Magus.

The thing about Magus that really appeals to me, is his selfishness. Magus's motives, when it come down to it, are purely selfish. And that's once again something I can identify with.

His desire for revenge against Lavos is one example. Schala I'll admit, does play a role in his desire for revenge, also, but even then, gaining revenge for her is still for his own personal gratification, and peace.

It's the same with his reasons for joining the fight against Lavos, with the other characters. It wasn't to save the world. It was for himself again. His quest. His revenge.

Further, even his search for Schala is in many ways for himself. Sure, he wants her to be alive and safe, but even then, he wants her to be alive and safe for him, because He wants peace.

It can be argued, but that's how I've always seen it.

Thank you

-Daniel(who likes fluff topics)

Um, wrong. You have the option of not going in the first place or of walking out if it sucks. And if you think Square isn't going to give a damn if you pay and then walk out, you're wrong. Titanic made an ungodly amount of money not because everyone and their brother went to see it, but because everyone and their brother went to see it multiple times. It's the same way with the Star Wars movies. The FF Movie can't just be an okay movie where you leave the theater thinking, "Hmm, should I eat at Grand China Buffet, or Pizza Hut?" It has to be a movie people want to see again and again, especially if it's only going to attract a core RPG crowd, or a Japanimation crowd.

About the topic... hmmm, best cast I would say would be FFVII. I liked that mix of ragtag rapscallions and big bad evil guy that was always three steps ahead of everyone else, and even offed a good guy and very nearly a few more. Bravest hero I don't know... it's hard to distinguish between bravery and stupidity sometimes. Is Squall brave for going out in space to rescue Rinoa, or just stupid? Or both? Best romance... hmm, definitely not Squall and Rinoa. That was the worst "romance" (and I use the term very loosely; perhaps "relationship" would be more adequate) I've ever seen in any fictional medium. Ashley and Marina from Wild Arms 2 are the only alternatives that spring to mind at the moment, but then that game was stellar.

Well, that's my ten cents on more subjects than anyone cares about.

Sincerely,
Robert Silvers

Keeping in mind that I haven't played any pre-Playstation RPGs (like Final Fantasy V or VI, or Chrono Trigger) I would have to say that Ramza from Final Fantasy Tactics is my favorite RPG hero. So many of the RPG heroes lately seem to be from the "anti-hero" or "man with a dark and clouded past" mold. For example: Cloud, who begins the game as a mercenary who joins Avalanche for the money; Squall, who is moody and introspective (read: outright jerk); Ashley Riot, who is haunted by dark memories of his murdered family; Ryudo from Grandia II, a mercenary who also happens to have a dark secret in his past; etc, etc.

Ramza, in comparison, appealed to me because of his sense of justice and honor. I know that, to many people, he might have seemed boring and a static "do-gooder" type of character, but to me, it was very refreshing to have a main character that didn't suffer from inner torments, and that actually was "nice" to other people. He also isn't a static character: he develops and changes throughout the game. He starts out more than a little naive, oblivious to the amount of evil around him. As the game progresses, he matures, loses his naivete, but doesn't lose faith in his ideals. What I think gave his character realism is, in the second half of the game, he isn't trying to "save the world"; he's just fighting to rescue his sister.

I don't mean to say that I didn't like the other RPG heroes I mentioned; I do. The events that shaped their lives (and gave many of them nightmares) are integral to the storylines and add interest and depth to the game's plot. It's just that, after seeing so many "anti-hero" types in RPGs and in popular culture today, Ramza was well characterized and a breath of fresh air.

-Ken (who admits Ramza could have had a better name)

As a gamer there's one thing I hate, that seems will never die. I see it on TV all the time, and it's a vast disrespect to the artform. No I'm not talking about the senate hearings, and the way the media refers to videogames as a gateway to murder. I'm talking about how when games are shown in a TV show, they always have the sound effects of Pac-Man for the Atari 2600.

Why? The character in any TV show, could be holding a Playstation controller, or a Dreamcast controller and you would hear "DANK--DANK--DANK" from the ancient Atari game. A discussion on this topic with my friend led to the theory that those sound effects are stock footage for video games sounds. I say that's BS. I think this is just some form of prejudice, to keep the public perception of video games as mere kids toys not worth a second look, or as the case may be, a second listen. I mean they go out of their way to add sounds that are 20 years old!

Okay the most sane reason I can think of for this, is there are copyright issues to be dealt with, and having music, and/or sounds from an actual game, played freely is some illegal act. God forbid there's free advertising to be had. But doesn't Namco, or Atari own those sound effects? Did they sign a deal with Hollywood, to have those sounds represent videogaming for the rest of eternity?

Perhaps when TV shows show gaming as it really is, that's a sign that public (the media's) perception is that it's a respectable form of entertainment. Heh, that'll be the day.

Greg Spenser - Thanks for letting me rant.