I don't know why so many people bash FF7 and 8. I thought they were both great. In fact, I thought FF8 was one of the best RPGs I'd ever played. While everyone else was practically ejaculating all over their keyboards when it was announced that FF9 would "go back to it's roots", I, on the other hand, was rather pissed. I
liked the sci-fi elements and realistic characters. When FF9 was released, I gladly layed down the $50 to snag a copy, but I never felt the awe and sheer exhileration with it that I felt with the other two titles.
I mean, how do you relate to a mutant monkey-man, or a freakish lump of God-knows-what with a tongue that's twice as large as it's body, or a black mage whose face is nothing more than a shadow with two glowing yellow "eyes"? All those "cute" characters and clichéd plotlines are all well and good if you're a 10-year-old with Attention Deficit Disorder, but I want something a little more serious, a little more complex, and a little more adult. I, for one, am
glad that FF10 is taking a step in the right direction by going with realistic characters again. It may not be sci-fi, but it's a start.
-Keiichi
http://www.geocities.com/morisato_81/