The Scoop: In the days of the Super Nintendo and Genesis it was commonplace for a role playing game to cost more, if it even was to be released here in the United States. You see, back in the olden days companies believed that console gamers weren't interested in Role Playing Games, thus making limited quantities and sticking the consumer with a high ticket price.

Of course, the truth is that companies had very little faith, and were often releasing the wrong role playing games. The good RPG's, the ones that often cost ten dollars more than the standard side scrolling shooter, weren't highly popular due to their high prices. Whereas, the lower priced, budget bin RPG's were often bought and disregarded, giving gamers a horrible taste in their mouth.

This all changed with the release of Final Fantasy VII. The true sequel to Final Fantasy III on the Super NES (which was in turn Final Fantasy VI in Japan) invited the non-Role Playing public into a world unlike anything they had ever seen before. Final Fantasy VII was one of the top selling games in 1997 in the United States, forever proving that gamers really WILL buy RPG's.

The Other Side: Even though Final Fantasy VII was critically acclaimed, not everybody loved the game. Some people felt misinformed buy the advertising, which focused entirely on the cinemas rather than the game play. Others felt the game paled in comparison to other outings. Some people were just confused by the notion of going from number III to number VII.

The Impact: With the success of Final Fantasy VII, more companies were willing to spend the money and time to port their epic adventures to English. And even though future Role Playing Games would end up taking multiple CDs to get the story across, companies such as Namco, Koei, Capcom, Sony, and Square themselves managed to keep prices under control . for the most part.

Where Are They Now?: Final Fantasy VII is still the best selling Final Fantasy game in the States, and by many considered the best of the bunch. There have been a number of bigger and longer adventures, including a tenth installment on the PlayStation 2, and an Online game that may or may not come out in 2003. Square has promised much more Final Fantasy, while still making sequels to their other franchises.

Square recently announced a direct sequel to Final Fantasy X, called Final Fantasy X-2 (pronounced "ten two"), leading people to speculate whether other "side quests" could be in the works. No matter how many Final Fantasy games are made, however, none will ever achieve what the seventh installment was able to.