…is your Final Fantasy VII.
No, this is by no means going to be a discussion about which is the better Final Fantasy game on PlayStation 1. That’s a discussion that will never have a winner, nor should it. Because it would exclude at least two games from the main series, and they simply don’t deserve that.
This is much more about why Final Fantasy VIII (Square, 1999) occupies the place in my heart that Final Fantasy VII (Square, 1997) does for so many others. And who knows, maybe others feel the same way.
I remember very clearly how and where I bought FFVIII back then. It was at Hertie (a department store chain in Germany at the time) in a neighborhood you don’t often visit, even though it was actually easier for me to get to than the main shopping district. In the video game section, the big boxes for PC games that were popular back then naturally caught my eye right away. But of course, there was more than that. The PS1 games were hanging on hooks on a metal shelf, since they’d been packed into security boxes with sensors to prevent theft.
I had read about FFVIII in one of the many video game magazines and was completely blown away. It seemed very different from anything I had played up to that point, but somehow familiar too, because it had elements that I liked. Especially the battle system, the Guardian Forces you could summon, the blend of technology and magic, as well as the rendered characters and scenes, and even the cutscenes.
So far, as far as I can remember, the stories presented to me through video games have always been very down-to-earth. Sure, there have been monsters, aliens, and the like. The settings also varied from time to time, especially when I think back to Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders (LucasFilm Games, 1988), Wizball (Sensible Software, 1987), or M.A.X. (Interplay Productions, 1996).
Final Fantasy VIII was different in this regard, because the world felt like a fictional yet internally consistent place, which in turn made it feel real. This was, of course, also enhanced by the visuals and the human characters, who were only slightly, if at all, abstract. And I’m well aware that there’s a lot of controversy today about the graphics and sound in FFVIII. Back then, there was none of that, at least I didn’t notice any, we were just happy that such a great game had made its way to us.
I realize this sounds very confusing, especially since I’d already played quite a bit of it. But it just feels fresh, new, and different, a feeling I sorely miss these days.
The reason FFVIII is so special to me also has to do with a device called the Olympus Eye Trek. It’s a pair of glasses with two LCD displays inside that show the image that would normally be displayed on a monitor or TV. I bought this little marvel, by the standards of the time, as a reward for completing my vocational training. It fits perfectly with my little PS1, so, just like those cyberjunkies in some movies, I’d lie in bed with the Olympus Eye Trek on my nose and play FFVIII. Usually for several hours at a time. Experiences like that really leave a mark!
Sadly, I no longer have the Olympus Eye Trek. Even back then, I made the mistake of lending out items from my collection. That was the case with my very first copy of The Matrix (Warner Bros., 1999) DVD, which I lent out and never saw again. The same thing happened with the Olympus Eye Trek, I lent it to my girlfriend’s brother at the time. Well, I never saw any of them again, neither the brother nor my ex nor my Olympus Eye Trek. As for the first two, it’s probably for the best, but it’s a real shame about the glasses!
But why no discussion? Well, over the years, I’ve talked to many people about this “special” Final Fantasy topic. There’s no question that the three games released on the PS1 were among the most influential. They ushered in a new era, especially because of the technical advancements.
Of course, it’s also worth mentioning here that these six games laid the groundwork for everything we would later see in Final Fantasy. They are certainly no less important to the franchise, or to the RPG genre as a whole.
Back to the discussion. The many conversations already mentioned have shown that Final Fantasy VII is definitely a top choice for many, but there are also some who prefer FFVIII or FFIX.
But why all this? Why this article? Good question!
I just wanted to offer a little insight into why there are actually people in my “Goonies” generation who, in theory, should adore Final Fantasy VII but simply don’t. This isn’t meant to be judgmental, even if many would like to see it that way, it’s simply a matter of taste, personal preferences, and, to some extent, the influence of various media.
And I’ve really tried many times to finish FFVII, but I just can’t seem to do it. Time and again, I lose interest, find other things I like better, and quickly set it aside. By the way, I felt the same way about the remake, but there are other factors involved there that bother me, and yes, I’ve had many discussions about them as well.
I believe that the foundation of this article rests on two key points.
- Even though Final Fantasy VII enjoys such a huge following, both then and now, and the game is widely celebrated, we should also accept that there are people who understand all of this but don’t get on board. This is due to the reasons already mentioned. Tastes vary, lives are different, and we should accept that. Both sides!
- It’s precisely these kinds of games that strike a very specific chord at a very specific moment, or perhaps even during a very specific phase of life. This has an enormous impact on how a video game is evaluated. Trying to convert others rarely goes over well! Here, too, we should simply accept that some people love FFVII while others love FFVIII (not to mention that there are quite a few other installments as well).
Yes, these two points sound similar, but even though they both center on acceptance, they are fundamentally different. Sure, we enjoy talking to others about video games because it’s simply fun to discuss this topic with others. But we shouldn’t try, and keep pressing the issue, to convince others of something they simply can’t be convinced of.
If you don’t like something, you just don’t like it. If you have a connection to Game A and ignore Game B because of it, that’s something you just have to accept.
Let’s talk more about video games and spend less time trying to convince others to play the same game. But in the end, we’re robbing them of the chance to discover something great because we’ve simply gone overboard.
And yes, to some extent, I also wrote this article to share my personal experiences.
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