Penultimate Fantasy

So this is really, finally happening. I am elated.

As I think I’ve made clear, FFVII is, if not my favorite game, certainly the most important in my gaming career. People often talk about it being overrated, but of course, that’s really not saying anything. Compared to what? What should it be “rated”? It was an incredible moment in gaming history, and if you allowed yourself to fall into it at that time, its world was totally captivating. If you play it now for the first time, admittedly, you’ll probably not be impressed. But at that time it was the pinnacle of narrative-based game design, and had an amazing, dark story to tell. Its creators weren’t afraid to kill main characters, it featured strong women in leading roles, and it explored themes that most games (with the exception of other Square titles) typically didn’t bother with.

JRPGs have always been fairly polarizing, so it’s no surprise that there’s a fairly vocal segment of folks who weren’t into it. That’s fine, as long as I get mine. Which apparently I will, at some indeterminate future date.

EDIT: Evidently, it already happened.