I never got around to finishing Final Fantasy VII.  I was 19 when I first played it.  I had borrowed it from my step-brother, but after two weeks I was only about midway through the game.  I recall I had just gotten to the portion of the game where you could go to the casino.  Then, being the bag of douche he is, my step-brother asked for the game back.  He had already played through the game three times, but being without it for two whole weeks was killing him.  He later did the same thing with Final Fantasy Tactics.  I quickly moved on to something else.  It was summer time, and I believe Madden had just been released anyway.

So, here I sit 10 years later, and I've never finished the game.  I don't know how the game ends, but I did manage to spoil the fact that Aeris dies at some point.  That was inevitable, I suppose, so it does not bother me very much.  I have searched eBay for the game, occasionally, but I am unwilling to pay upwards of $100 for 'mint' condition or 'factory sealed' copies of the game.  I've been holding out.  I held out on doing the same thing with Final Fantasy Tactics, a game not nearly as popular as Final Fantasy VII, and now I own the PS1 (greatest hits) and the PSP version.  I have yet to finish either game.

Anyway, The launch of the PSP and the subsequent number of Playstation 1 and 2 ports that have been released has had me wondering when Square's most popular game of all time was going to come out for the PSP as well.  They have had no problem porting over Super Nintendo games, Final Fantasy III, or other Playstation 1 games, FInal Fantasy Tactics, to the PSP, so where is Final Fantasty VII?

There have been a number of rumors floating around the internet recently that say Square-Enix is going to announce Final Fantasy VII is.... is... and here is where the rumors diverge, coming to the PSN as a straight port, is being remade completely for the PS3, is going to be released as a port for the PSP, is going to cure cancer... at this year's Tokyo Game Show in October.  These all sound more like wishful thinking than actual rumors. 

So, my wish is that they are indeed re-making Final Fantasy VII for the PS3, but they will also put out a collector's edition that will allow you play the original PS1 version on your PS3 or PSP.  How fantastic would that be, I ask you?
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Stab the corpses and lick the knives like we're evil forces.

Note: I have finished, that I recall right now, 3 RPGs by myself.  Vandal Hearts and Vandal Hearts 2 on the PS1, which were tactics RPGs, and Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings on the DS, a RTS RPG.  I got to the final boss in Xenogears, but I was underpowered and couldn't beat it.  I got distracted by a shiny new game and never came back to finish it.  My current girlfriend likes to watch me play games, so I have since finished Blue Dragon on the 360, and we are currently halfway through Final Fantasy XII.

Yes, my last post said that I was afraid to make games wish list.  Well, I am going to stop being a pussy and just make the list.  So, here it is, my list of 'I WANTS' for the Fall 2008 season, in order of current release date.

• Madden 09- I know what you're saying.  "You sheep."  I know, I know.  However, I am not entirely certain I am going to get the Xbox 360 version this year.  I prefer playing sports games on Playstation's Dual Shock controllers, but I'm not sure I even want to get a current-gen version of Madden.  Every iteration of Madden or NCAA on the Xbox 360 or PS3 has been garbage.  This year, it seems like it will just be more of the same.  NCAA 09's release has shown that the game is riddled with bugs.  I just paid $60 to beta test this crap game for EA.  Don't they have internal beta testers at EA?  If they do, seriously, they should all be fired.  EA's NHL and FIFA franchises are FANTASTIC on this generation of consoles.  There is no reason why I should be considering purchasing the SUPERIOR PS2 version of Madden.
  
• Too Human - I knew absolutely nothing about this game until yesterday.  In fact, I knew less than nothing.  I thought this game was actually based on the Destroy All Humans game.  A friend asked if the demo was any good, so I told him I'd try it out while he was at work and let him know.  Wow.  It went from "Eh, what that's? to "Gimme it now!" in one short hour.
  
• Mercenaries 2: World in Flames -  I get to blow stuff up.  And, I get to do it MY WAY.  I loved the first Mercenaries, and I am really hoping this will be of the same, only prettier.
  
• Valhalla Knights 2 - I should finish Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core shortly, and I will need a nice long RPG to take the bathroom, er, subway with me.  I know next to nothing about the game.  I know the title, the platform, and that it should take around 80 hours to complete.  I'm going into this one pretty blind.
  
• World in Conflict - I'm not sure if I want get the console version, or just go out and get the PC version now.  The longer I put off getting the PC version, the more likely this game turns into a console test via Gamefly.
  
• Rock Band 2 - This is on the list because my girlfriend loves to sing, and I do not.  We can play together, and I don't have to embarrass myself.
  
• SOCOM: US Nave Seals: Confrontation - SOCOM 1 and 2 were fantastic.  Far and away my favorite games on the PS2, and I have met a lot of great people through this game.  SOCOM 3 and Combined Assault were horrible departures of the game, and I sincerely hoping that Confrontation really can return that loving feeling.
  
• FIFA 09 - FIFA 08 was EXCELLENT.  Euro 2008 was EXCELLENT.  This one should be EXCELLENT, too.  You see, Tiburon, THIS is how you make a damn sports game.
  
• Tom Clancy's EndWar - I'm not entirely sold on this game, but the concept is interesting.  Interesting enough for me to think that I must try it out.
  
• Fable 2 - The first Fable, although it fell short of its own goals, was still a very fun game.  They've pushed the game up a generation in terms of consoles, and they've added two player co-op.  It should be prove to fun.
  
• Resistance 2 - I enjoyed the first game since, well, since it was the ONLY decent game at the PS3 launch.  I'm not certain how much I'll get into the online experience this time around, but I'm looking forward to the single player.  It all depends on how much Insomniac actually does to promote community aspects of the game this time around.
  
• Gears of War 2 - I am playing this one mainly for the single player.  The online portion of the 1st game was fun, for around a month.  Once people realized how much of advantage the game host actually had in-game, the fun level went out of the door.  I hope they have fixed this, like they claim to have done.
  
• Call of Duty: World at War - This one is narrowly on the list.  Call of Duty 4 is my favorite game of the last 4 years, and it will be hard to top.  The fact that Infinity Ward isn't working on it, is scary.  The only thing that saves this the fact C-level developer Treyarch is using the Call of Duty 4 engine that Infinity Ward created.  I am not wowed by the trailers for the game right now, though.  The story just doesn't look compelling.  Plus, CoD4s online segment is phenomenal.  I have severe doubts that Treyarch can step into the shoes they've been called upon to fill.

Its Summer, the barren wasteland of gaming.  But, August is coming and it brings the yearly deluge of games for the Fall season with it.  I haven't cataloged all the games I am looking forward to this year for the same reason I fail to do it every year.  I am afraid.  I am afraid of the amount of money its going to cost me to get all the games I am waiting to play.  Too Human, Mercenaries 2, and SOCOM: Confrontation are the first three games to come to mind.  But, then there is Gears of War 2, Resistance 2, and Fable 2. 

In 30 seconds I just listed $240 worth of games at retail price.  No, that was not the full list, either.

Now, granted, I will likely reactivate my Gamefly account to deal with this flood of games.  But, this will only suffice for games where the single player portion is king.  Too Human, Mercenaries, and Fable 2 feel like short term titles that will do best as rentals.  I will play them to completion, and then return them from whence they came.  Its the first person shooters that present the greatest problems.  These games are driven more by their online experiences than their single player contributions.  Buying them is a risk.  What if my friends don't like it?  I will be left holding onto a game that has had most of its entertainment potential ripped from its guts.  We're coming on nine months since the games release, yet I'm still playing Call of Duty 4 on a regular, nearly daily basis.  This is largely because I have friends that still play it.

And, lets not forget the glut of rehashed sports games that I will be compelled to play.  These games are usually entertaining for the length of their respective sports seasons.  They can not really be rented, rather they must be purchased and then strategically used as trade bait towards a new game before their retail trade-in value plummets.

I love you Fall gaming season.  You are every bit as cruel and harsh as the Summer gaming season, yet I love you still.  BRING ON THE GAMES!!
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I'm a Troublemaker.