*This releates to FFVIII aswell slightly, but I don't think this needs to go in General, but I'lll let the admins decide*
My favorite FF games are VII and VIII and I would play them constantly, I used cheat devices for which I am ashamed, and have given that up (I am really working in FFVIII at the moment). However I've been thinking, about this recently, and to me it makes perfect sense, but I may be wrong, as I can only see it from my own perspective. There have been many complaints that in FFVII many key storyline points are not explained fully enough, I am talking about things that many gamers had to read outside sorces to understand, such as what really happened to the Nibelheim residents, and the truth about "cloning" (and Cloud's memories) I actually found the explination while playing the game, I never read anything until I saw posts about it. I also (as you know) defend FFVIII's "Orphanage Scene" on a regular bases, because I strongly feel it does work as a realistic scene (I am compiling a sepperate document on this subject.)
I feel that because I managed to skip most of the action (I used KOTR regularly, in my first few FFVII playthoughs, and Squall was pratically invincible in FFVIII) I was able to get to the storyline points quicker between playthroughs, so I feel I was able to see so much more than I should have at once, I also had multiple saves of my favorite scenes, so I could study them, I managed to understand FFVII a lot, and I apreciated it everytime I played it. I saw the things the otherway around aswell, for instance, I knew what had really happend "5 years ago" on my 2nd playthrough onwards, so I was able to pick up hints towards the truth. Square are brilliant with hints as they're so subtle, you only notice them after you know what they're hinting towards.
The same applies to the hints to the Orpanage on FFVIII, there are actually many clever hints towards it, but they mean nothing until you've actually seen the scene itself. What did I do when I completed FFVIII? I just started all over again, and I was able to see within dilogue and actions, that there are hints to the Orphanage Scene. And they are beasically the same style hints that FFVII gave to the Nibelheim/Mideel scene, with an important subtle differece that will soon be explained.
I have always had resepct for Square, and I have a lot more now.