Originally Posted by
Bolivar
Wow, in a short time I have so much more to say... but it's to you guys..
Starting with Mullet, we can definately agree to disagree and i agree with you 100%. Although I don't think revolutionary is relative, as it's so easy to see how similar the first six games are ESPECIALLY compared to VII. Although VI took some serious strides forward, the first six in terms of both look and gameplay appear to be practically the same game when you compare it to how much of a change VII was. I believe that clearly outlines revolutionary.
Goldenboko, I very much applaud your counter-argument, and while you absolutely picked a great scene which reminded me how much I really love VI, NOTHING SAID IN THAT SCENE IS "DEEP". Everything is on the surface, it's general and obvious statements about life that i'm sure every person across cultures would agree with, IT'S REDUNDANT!!! It serves the purpose well for an RPG, but if you want to compare the artistic credibility of writing, it's laughable that you would even suggest it.
And ah, yes. Last but not least. Ever in opposition to my ideals, as I am unwavering against his. Mr. Kanno. I knew you'd show up sooner or later to wage your never-ending crusade against the fanboys of this game.
First off, I'm going to just put it out there, you will always and predictably never give this game any unique and positive distinction over the other games because it's gained more recognition than your favorite. Plain and simple my friend. And because VIII and X were directed by Kitase, and because their scenarios were written by Nojima, and because Nomura designed their characters, you will not allow yourself to enjoy those games. But you forget that it was Kitase and Nomura (among others, but most prominently Kitase) that brought you and wrote for you your beloved FFVI!!!
Now that that's out of the way, I'll use one of your points to adress what you, Mullet, and Boko have all insisted upon: That "it's the Sony Playstation that was revolutionary moreso than the game that is made for it."
And this is my main point - it changed how games were made. All 3 of you talk about how the graphics, sound, gameplay are revolutionary for the system, not the game, and I COMPLETELY AGREE.
This is my thesis - it is how Square took these elements and used them that allowed Final Fantasy VII to change games. So far, with the CD revolution in games there were two extremes, stereotypical of two prominent systems in their history - The SegaCD (not saturn, sega's first, and possibly the first popular, attempt at a CD console) had games that were basically movies - you make a minor selection, and then a scene plays out. Lather, Rinse, Repeat. Understand that I mean this in the most literal sense, this is not like all of your criticisms of the newer final fantasies, these were REALLY interactive movies. At the other end you had the playstation, which for the most part took gameplay elements that were already in existence and were able to make really large, or really long video games.
This is why I believe VII is revolutionary - it was able to transcend both extremes masterfully and create the foundation for the modern console game. It was able to take very in-depth gameplay, the best looking movie sequences of its time, and combine them at just the right ratio in order to provide one of the best gaming experiences of all time. It was the middle ground, not to say other games didn't dance around it, but FFVII was what nailed the bull's eye, and basically gave the blueprint for how games were to be made, especially on the Sony Playstation. If you didn't have your badass cut scenes, your game was boring. If you didn't have the good gameplay, you just didn't have the game. VII created this market.
It seems like the 3 of you were arguing that Sony Playstation provided the boundaries to allow a game like FFVII to be made. But what you're all forgetting is that FFVII MADE the Playstation, and allowed Sony to succeed as a brand name. It was because of that game that it was able to go toe to toe with the giant that was Nintendo, you can point to FFVII as the exact moment that the PSX became fulfilled. That's why it's such a huge controversy today as to whether FFXIII will be multi-console or not. Am I wrong?