The ESRB Knows What's Missing
Playing my PSP version of FFVII, I notice the ESRB warning: "Comic Mischief". This was a huge portion of FFVII, and even the rating board notices it. It is part of the reason the game is so loved. So why has it been forgotten? Take the FFVII Compendium. Where's the lighthearted fun, the whimsy, the silliness? Everything is drab, gritty, and ultra-serious. How is that a continuation of FFVII? FFVII had dark moments, sure, but they by no means overwhelmed the game.
And it's not just the Compendium. The games have been getting further away from the whimsical comedy. IX also had a lot (they did do a good job capturing the nostalgic feel with it). X still had a sizeable portion, but considerably less than VII and IX. XII had only tiny lighthearted sections, and XIII only has one that I've seen so far, and it's just a Datalog entry.
What happened to the fun part of the worlds? The part where everything is trying to kill you but you still can't help but laugh at the ridiculous antics of the Moogles? The part where you crack up because you are running in terror from something as cute as a? Where are the jokes, the mischief, the bit where the characters unwind and you get insight into a happier world? Where is the whimsy?
Square needs to go back, and take a good long look at why FFVII was their most successful game ever. It wasn't because it had ultra-perfect graphics, or because it took itself ultra seriously all the time, because it didn't. Even the ESRB noticed what that game had. Bring back the whimsy, Square.
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Master of the Fork
Originally Posted by Freya
