Peanut Gallery

I guess I should jump in here some time as this is a joint project, though lately my brain has been filled abstract nonsense and other video games rather than Final Fantasy XIII.

So, who am I? I'm Cam's avid, RPG lovin' significant Other! Or person of significance in Cam's life. Note how I don't say "other half"? Yeah, I'm a whole person. A single unit. And this is my opinion.


First a little history: a good portion of my childhood was spent in the 80s, the first golden age of video games, and my memories of that decade are fairly clear. I was only six when my parents bought their NES and they played Super Mario Bros. endlessly. And by played I mean Mom did all the grunt work and Dad tried to tell her what to do. Perhaps it was because my mother was only in her late 20s when we got the NES, or maybe it was because we lived in bloody Northern Ontario, but either way, our video game collection expanded quite rapidly into, among others: The Legend of Zelda, Faxandu, Dragon Power (horrid Dragon Ball rip off), Wizards and Warriors and, eventually Final Fantasy.

I took to Final Fantasy immediately. A combination of poor platforming skills and a love of narrative drew me to the RPG when I didn't even know what an RPG was. To say that Final Fantasy I actually had a narrative is stretching the term. There is a lot of wandering through dungeons and collecting things, and there is a basic plot. Mostly it's getting your ass kicked by critters and yelling at the television when your character attacks the blank space where a monster used to be. As it was, I would just watch my mother play and make up little stories for each character in my head. Mom even named a character after me - Megg, who used Kung Fu and was obviously male but I was still delighted. I tried to play on my own but I largely spent my time in the towns, talking to the villagers and then wandering out to get lost or dead.

Did I mention that I adore reading and I plan on writing novels? I'm one of those people actually invested in story telling and character development. I mean, killing things is fun but if I wanted just that I could play a side-scrolling brawler as a big-busted woman in a chain mail bikini. No, I'm here for the story, no matter how poorly translated or incomprehensible it might be.

Now, I've played plenty of RPGS since the first Final Fantasy. I got a-hold of Dragon Quest very young as well and still enjoy those games to this day, but Final Fantasy has always been my franchise of choice. Final Fantasy IV (or II in the U.S.) had a lengthy, if clumsily executed, plot with actual characterizations. Looking back on the game now I realize I likely could have come up with a better plot/dialogue at the age of nine (...maybe?) but it was the height of adventure for me at the time. My sister and I used to rent it at the video store every chance we got and we would read out all of the character's dialogue in different voices. To us, it was like an interactive play (who says video games can't be art when a book can be?). Final Fantasy represents a part of my childhood - hell, all video games do. My family used to sit together to play RPGs. My Mom had the controller but we'd all give her tips on where to find items and solve puzzles.

I've been snapping up all iterations of Final Fantasy since then and was very excited for Final Fantasy XIII's release. To this date I had never been disappointed with a Final Fantasy game; I've remained very open to all the changes they make and enjoy adapting to new and different game play. My RPG game play is very broad and I will not be giving you a list of games I've played through but it is extensive. I know shit about RTS, FPS, or sports games (if you like it, go actually play it for crissakes) but I do know my RPGs, especially JRPGs.

Despite my affinity for the genre, I do not like all RPGs. Tales of Symphonia made my eyes and ears want to bleed, for example, and I have absolutely no desire to play Legend of Dragoon again. I am objective and discerning and I have, admittedly, fairly high expectations - especially now after having played video games for 23 years.

My opinion on Final Fantasy XIII will remain, for now, unstated though Cam knows quite well how I feel about it. I have played through all of the game and my save point is now teetering at the end of completion but, for various reasons, I've yet to finish it.

I am a Video Game Nerd, even though I bathe twice daily and have social skills. I'm an avid lover of grinding, collecting items, earning points, learning new combos and all the frustration that comes with playing a forty-some hour (or more) game. So here I am to provide my counter point and expertise to this blog while Cam trudges through his first JRPG.

Good luck, buddy.