Now, it's easy for me to say that the romance in FFVIII doesn't cut the mustard. It certainly ain't no Romeo and Juliet.

But I wonder if I'm being fair. I'm a pretty embittered cynical vicious prick about romance. I've never been in a relationship that went well, period, not even my marriage.

If I drop all pretense of "sophistication" or "aesthetic criticism," the very simple question remains:

When Squall decides to tell Esthar to shove it and springs Rinoa from her impending imprisonment, and they embrace for the first time (the moment teased in the intro, and in fact the logo), do I feel anything?

Related: Being a musician myself, I have to say that I don't agree with popular opinion about "Eyes On Me." Its cadences do hint at a non-native English speaker having written it, but am I allowed to play judge and jury over other cultures? Is it mere arrogance to say that because it isn't "To Make You Feel My Love" by Bob Dylan, that it's a bad song?

In short, I suspect that this love story is maligned not because it's poorly done, but because of the distaste gamers have for anything that tries to be sweet.