First off, any article that repeatedly states "i know i'm going to get flamed" is written for that precise reason and probably has little substance to it. As with this one, despite it being well written.

The article seems to argue that the games of yesteryear, especially the most nostalgic ones, don't deserve the reverence they're attributed. It also introduces that there are a few timeless games that by virtue of some magical foresight and gameplay ingenuity manage to achieve god-like status.

That just isn't true. I can still play simple, average titles like Crash Team Racing and have a fun time with them. Even games like Twisted Metal 2 whose both graphics and controls are abominable by today's standards can offer a lot of fun playing them. A game doesn't have to be timeless to escape the disappointment of rose tinted glasses.

The same is true with Final Fantasy VII, which is astonishing that his recurring theme is that FFVII isn't as good today, when he inevitably admits he hasn't checked (it's namedropped as flame bait). FFVII looks horrendous on an HDTV, but on the PSP, which you can now play legally, it actually looks like an incredible portable title. The environments are still unique, the music is still arguably Nobuo's best, the combat is still the most stylish and fluid ATB system, the characters are still colorful, the customization options are still deep, and the game is still incredibly well paced with a variety of story, combat, exploration, mini-games, and tons of other stuff to do other than the previously mentioned. The only thing that hasn't aged as well is the dialogue and script, which is still leagues beyond the FF games that came before it. Even on an SDTV the graphics don't look as bad.

I would actually say the opposite is true, as the years have gone on, my appreciation for FFVII has only increased, especially in light of later video games and FF titles. I see how the combat was much more exciting than the later PS1 games, yet maintains the strategy and uniqueness later titles lack; the music has all the creativity of the later songs but is the last to maintain the charm of being done on a console's sound chip; and I'm constantly finding little nods towards previous titles and little nuances of the world's mythology. After beating every title in the franchise multiple times (except XIII just once) I can confidently claim that FFVII has the best music, pacing, and combat in the series. It's also among the most unique worlds and nails it better than the ones on its level.

I've played FFVII many times over the years and have had a blast on many of them. Most recently I played and beat it exclusively on the PSP, and it's still a better game than most titles on the system, including recent masterpieces like Peace Walker, Vaklyria Chronicles II, and Ghost of Sparta. I also played it a few years ago in undergrad, for the first time on a surround sound system: we cranked it up and absolutely had a blast rocking out to the Sector 1 Mako Reactor bombing mission.

I can also claim the same for Goldeneye, to some extent. Someone argued with the gameplay innovations like multiple grenades, aiming down the sights, and the controls, that Call of Duty is simply a better game than Goldeneye in every respect. But play split screen couch mulitplayer with Call of Duty and when you run out of adequately sized maps to play, try Goldeneye. I can't vouch for the dude who wrote the article, but I still have fun with people who really cared about it. The controls and graphics are arguably horrendous, but I've found the same thing with Twisted Metal 2 - there's just some innate design quality to the split screen couch multiplayer that remains to this day.




Anyway, IGN is cheap. And wrong.