There are games with a level of notoriety that tends to inform the conversation years and years after their release. And some of those games, through a series of circumstances, just get skipped over. Within the scope of my interests, the biggest title I hadn’t done an independent playthrough of is Final Fantasy VII. And it took until this year, 2023, for me to sit down with it.
Finally, Final Fantasy Tactics
One of the most glaring omissions on my backlog progress is Final Fantasy Tactics, one of those games that on paper should be a sure thing. And I’ve made a pass at it in the past. Quite a while ago I was going to play FFT for the Fangamer Game Club, a community playthrough, but circumstances att he time delayed my start and I just couldn’t gel with a tactics game while under a truncated deadline at that time. And as it happens, when you put down an RPG sometimes you become reticent to comes back. And that mistake is on me.
Considering Chrono Cross
Chrono Cross faces a difficult hurdle – following up a game with a reputation like Chrono Trigger. Whatever your preference, it’s not controversial to say that Chrono Trigger had and has an enormous following. And it’s not controversial to say that some of Chrono Cross’ most polarizing elements are born out of this association. But is this entirely fair?
I’ll See You at Final Fantasy Eight
Final Fantasy VIII has a somewhat turbulent history with me. It wasn’t a game I particularly cared for, and I cemented that opinion for years after playing it. But a recent trend of my gaming has been to revisit games where my initial impressions fell short and ascertain whether or not my opinion has changed.
I’d done this for a number of titles, some I warmed to and others I liked a lot less. But I still held Final Fantasy VIII in a negative light with very little interest to play it. What changed my mind was when I realized my introduction to the game was really, really underwhelming and unfair.
The Wanderer Stopped By For a While – A Look at Vagrant Story
I’ve been with this sword for ages, it’s become my one trusted companion in this ghost city of wailing secrets. The only one on which I can rely. It’s grown along with me, an extension of my own savagery. It has clawed its way to the upper echelon of weaponry through the limbs and viscera of many beasts, humans, and uh… evils. It’s a shame I’ve given it such a childish and filthy name.
Vagrant Story. A dark, cinematic, and deeply engrossing action RPG. If there is one thing I remember about this game is that reviews and opinions have often been very divided. This is a game that garners much praise as well as derision. It’s a game with cascading levels of complexity that will either draw the player in or push the player away. This is the nature of most unique games.
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