/vr/ - Retro Games

The reason behind its success is that they kept most of the tried and true mechanics from the older games, but brought it into a more relatable setting (class struggles, corporate abuse, genetic experiments, etc.). They got rid of some of the more obtuse, stringent (yet respected) rules of the old-school titles, and it helped a lot more people get into the game. They focused on the characters themselves rather than the archetypes. FF V and VI had begun this trend very successfully, and they got more or less the best type of balance on this one.

It was a fantastic game and I'm still impressed by the sheer scale of it. Thinking back to the credits, I'm dizzy thinking of the hours put on by that scary number of people toiling away on it for so long.

Still, it's also a good example of how a muddled translation can really hurt the overall perceived quality of the game. Had it been through a bit more polish, I think the 'hardcore' crowd wouldn't have been so keen on dismissing it.