You can't aruge taste...

I hate Final Fantasy VIII. Seriously, in my honest opinion, it is one of the worst games ever made by Square. I find it to be a disgrace to the Final Fantasy name, and I think that it sullied the work done by previous installments to the series.

But I do like FF7. It's one of my favorite games, ever. And FF6, as well. FF6 may be my favorite game ever made by any company.

Insterestingly enough, I know a girl who liked FF7 a lot, just like me. But she absolutely LOVED FF8. It is, by far, her favorite game she has ever played.

So I talked her into trying FF6. And she didn't care for it at all. She couldn't get more than 2 hours into it because she did not like it.

So we both liked 7, a lot. But I loved 6 and she hated it. And she loved 8 and I hated it.

It goes to show that you can't argue taste.

Final Fantasy 1 was incredibly charming and rather addictive. The technological capabilities of the 1980's prevented Square from making the game like they may have wanted to, but I wouldn't change anything about FF1. It was challenging, and I still enjoy playing the original NES version of it, so many years later. And I'm sure I always will.

What about the gameplay does this to me? I don't know for sure.

But I am convinced of one thing.

GAMEPLAY makes the game. Not music, not graphics, not even really story. Games are usually measured by those four parameters. Gameplay, graphics, music and story. But gameplay is what makes you continue to play the game. The graphics, story, and music should support the gameplay. You shouldn't sell a game on graphics, or anything but fun gameplay.

Take Tetris for example.

The gameplay hasn't really changed much in about 20 years. But it's still is fun as heck, and is still a game that I can play for a few hours in one sitting. Is it because it has good graphics? No. Music? Yeah, the three songs you can listen to are awesome and all, but heck, the game is still just as fun with the volume down. Story? Unless I've missed something, Tetris has no storyline.

So why do people like myself continue to play Tetris, all these years later?

Because of the gameplay!

Final Fantasy X-2 may have excellent graphics, fun music, and a cool story, but it lacks in gameplay, the fundamental element that makes games so addictive.

I can honestly say that I have not played a RPG with absolutely outstanding gameplay since Final Fantasy Tactics. There have been some okay games (like FFTA, FF9, Chrono Cross, .Hack), but nothing that is absolutely addictive.