Dear Future Gamer

On the subject of cheating, I would like to say that I think some publishers deliberately make their games impossible to complete without resorting to things such as walkthroughs. I feel that Squaresoft are one of the most obvious examples of this. I consider myself a hardcore gamer but after playing Final Fantasy VIII for 26 hours, I reached a point in the game where an enemy was impossible to kill. I spent ages trying to kill this boss but with no success. I decided to check a strategy guide and I was shocked to see that by this time I should have obtained several more guardian forces and other essential items. How was I to know this? I played the game carefully but I never noticed these things. I went and asked my friend who I thought a Final Fantasy specialist and he laughed at my mistakes - I later found out he was using a guide. I'm still unsure whether Squaresoft do this for financial reasons or if they just get thrills from making games extremely difficult.

I don't have the time or patience to start Final Fantasy VIII all over again at this moment in time. Don't misunderstand me because I think its a great game and I would advise everyone to buy it, but don't forget the walkthrough.

Hass

FG: I sympathise with you Hass, but you've got to bear in mind that a developer can't legislate for every gamer's playing experience. Some people will approach a game in one way while others will approach it in another. This doesn't excuse them for not guiding the player sufficiently, without having to resort to walkthroughs and the like, but as games become ever larger and with ever less linear paths, it's becoming a harder task. It would be a very cynical person that suggested games were designed in such a way that the official strategy guides were needed to play it properly, because if that were the case then the game would be crap.