On July 29 2011, Takeshi Miyaji, the creator of the Grandia series, passed away. I was saddened when I heard because I played Grandia when I was still in 7th or 8th grade. I don’t own the game anymore (I have since adopted a “never trade in anything ever” stance) but when Miyaji died, I wanted … Continue reading Kenji Eno and the Loss of a Conversation
[This piece was written as a part of Critical Distance‘s January 2013 Blogs of the Round Table feature] At a friend’s encouragement I’ve decided to finally tackle Final Fantasy Tactics. Occasionally I’ll find myself really latching onto a quirk in a game that makes it seem unique. Many of these little quirks I jump all … Continue reading How Agnes Taught Me to Appreciate Difficulty
True to their modern business model, Square-Enix has re-released a beloved classic in the form of Final Fantasy VII for PC. The PC version of the game will include new achievements and…that’s about it. As annoying as it is to see a game from fifteen years ago paraded like a company’s proud new accomplishment, ultimately … Continue reading One of Many Looks Back at Final Fantasy VII
[Originally posted on PopMatters] When I was growing up, there was no need for the “J” in JRPG. There were RPGs from Japan, many of which featured similar conventions and drew from many of the same tropes, but only recently has the JRPG become a genre of its own. And for Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, … Continue reading Finite Fantasy: The Problem with JRPGs
