September 9, 1999 will mark both the 25th anniversary of the Sega Dreamcast, and of Squaresoft’s Final Fantasy VIII launching in North America. Sporting a Metacritic score of 9.0, Final Fantasy VIII is the lowest rated PlayStation 1 Final Fantasy game. The fact that a game with a 9.0 rating is the lowest scoring game…
Tag: PlayStation 1
The Top 5 Most Memorable Storylines in 1990s Turn-Based JRPGs
So, given that I spent the last month writing a The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time piece for its 25th anniversary, I decided to give other 1990s games some love. Today, I am remembering, and listing the most memorable Storylines from turn-based RPGs that I played during the magical 16 bit – 32 bit…
Final Fantasy VII’s Cast Depth Helped in Improving the Writing of Baldur Gate 2’s Companions
While it might be hard to believe now, before the Witchers, Elder Scrolls, Mass Effects of the world, Japanese RPGs were known for their great stories, and writing focused on deep character development. No game was more popular, and did those things better than Final Fantasy VII (Xenogears fans might disagree). How influential was Final…
Games That Will Cost You a Kidney: Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
So, it hasn’t been uncommon on this section of “expensive” retro games, to see Working Designs published titles making the rounds. These games were fairly pricey during their heyday (given their premium packaging), and today – in part due to said packaging – these games can run for a few hundred dollars. Lunar: Silver Star…
Throwback Bit Thursday: 1998 For a JRPG Fan!
So, it is hard to believe, but it has been a quarter century since 1998. I have very fond memories, perhaps my fondest memories, as a gamer are from that year. While most of my time was spent playing (oh blessed days!) WCW/NWO Revenge, Ocarina of Time, and Golden Eye. I did play some JRPGs…
Square Enix: Remaking Final Fantasy VI Would Be Difficult
Given that rumors abound of an “in the works” Final Fantasy IX Remake, and Final Fantasy VII’s resurrection as Sequel/Remake of sorts, gamers have turned their attention to the other popular – and most revered – game in the franchise: Final Fantasy VI. While Final Fantasy VI did not set the sales world on fire…
The Top 5 RPGs I Must Replay Now and Then
Last week, I wrote a column about the JRPGs that I would like to replay some day, but most likely would never get around to replaying for a variety of reasons. Today, I will list a completely opposite collection of games. These are RPGs (not all are JRPGs) that I must replay every 1-2 years….
TBT: Final Fantasy VII: That Time a Popular Game Killed its Princess
So, at this point, it is well known in the gaming world (it has been nearly 26 years), that Aeris (now known as Aerith) died (was murdered really) in Final Fantasy VII. Gamers born after the fact, or near it, will not quite appreciate the shock and awe factor, of watching a heroine, or better…
Throwback Bit Thursday: Remembering a Merry 1998 Christmas
It is known (if you are a long time reader of the site), that 1998 is, in my honest opinion, is the greatest year in gaming, bar none. Most us will look back at that time when we were 10-14 years old, as the best time for video games, regardless of the year. That said, 1998…
Final Fantasy VIII: The Most Underrated Final Fantasy?
Now, the heading above, will sound hypocritical to some who have read our reviews over the past 20 years (the site turns 20 in 2023). Until very recently, I did not like Final Fantasy VIII; at least, not nearly as much as I did its legendary predecessor. Final Fantasy VIII was the first video game…