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The Japanese PlayStation Store Gets Final Fantasy VII, Life Declared "Unfair"

Posted by Bob Mackey

Let's face facts; the American PlayStation Store is...not so good. Just take a look at the number of original Playstation games you can download in Japan, compared to what's available here. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Surprised? Then you probably haven't been paying attention. No offense intended, of course, but if you've been following PlayStation Store release news since the PS3's launch, then you're probably familiar with the disappointment all PS3 owners feel when they see so many of their favorite games just out of arm's reach. Of course, it's always possible to go through the rigmarole of creating a Japanese account and "tricking" the PlayStation Store into thinking that you deserve access to its superior Japanese marketplace, but you shouldn't have to. Hell, if Sony got their act together and started pimping the PS3 as the place to get your affordable fix of their respectable and immense library (especially the PS2), I'd consider adding their new console to my rickety fire hazard of an entertainment center.

And to add insult to injury, one of the most beloved, sought-after games in Sony's history, Final Fantasy VII, has just popped up on the Japanese PSN store, causing Final Fantasy fanboys country-wide to start wailing in agony.

Despite being so successful and so reprinted, Final Fantasy VII inexplicably goes for unreasonable sums on sites like eBay. Its price in PlayStaion Store? 1500 yen (roughly 15 bucks), which isn't too shabby for a game approaching its twelfth birthday. So far, Square's released quite a few games for the PlayStation Store--including the ultra-rare Einhander--but they've entirely ignored their American fanbase. Making Final Fantasy VII available outside of Japan would basically be like printing money, though it's important to note that Sony seems to have taken a firm anti-money stance this generation. Whatever their justification, I hope they at least think about expanding their American PlayStation Store soon--if only to quiet those misguided fools who still regard Final Fantasy VII as the "best game ever."

Related Links:

PSOne on PSN: Somehow, it’s Suikoden
Beating the Dead Horse Who Has It Coming: Playstation Releases on PSN
Far Out, Man


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Comments

Roto13 said:

The Japanese PSN store gets more PS1 games, but they also get fewer ORIGINAL games. I think Japan gets the shitty end of that stick, really.

April 13, 2009 2:56 PM

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About Bob Mackey

For a brief period of time I was Bull from TV's Night Court, but some of you may know me from the humor column I wrote for Youngstown State University's The Jambar, Kent State University's The Stater, and Youngstown's alternative newspaper, The Walruss. I'm perhaps most well-known for my bi-weekly pieces on Something Awful. I've also blogged for Valley24.com and have written articles for EGM, 1UP, GameSpite and Cracked. For all of my writing over the years, I have made a total of twenty American dollars. It's also said that I draw cartoons, which people have described with words such as "legible." I kidnapped the Lindbergh Baby and am looking to do so again in the future.

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John Constantine, our superhero, was raised by birds and then attended Penn State University. He is currently working on a novel about a fictional city that exists only in his mind. John has an astonishingly extensive knowledge of Scientology. Ultimately he would like to learn how to effectively use his brain. He continues to keep Wu-Tang's secret to himself.

Derrick Sanskrit is a self-professed geek in a variety of fields including typography, graphic design, comic books, music and cartoons. As a professional hipster graphic designer, his recent clients have included Hooksexup, Pitchfork and MoCCA, among others.

Amber Ahlborn - artist, writer, gamer and DigiPen survivor, she maintains a day job as a graphic artist. By night Amber moonlights as a professional Metroid Fanatic and keeps a metal suit in the closet just in case. Has lived in the state of Washington and insists that it really doesn't rain as much as everyone says it does.

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Bob Mackey is a grad student, writer, and cyborg, who uses the powerful girl-repelling nanomachines mad science grafted onto his body to allocate time towards interests of the nerd persuasion. He believes that complaining about things on the Internet is akin to the fine art of wine tasting, but with more spitting into buckets.

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