Well, what I have to say in response to this debate and to defend my viewpoint is this, that I honestly believe that the game was ruined with her death. I believe Square miscalculated on this point. If Crono had truly died in ChronoTrigger would the game have been even half as good as it was? Not hardly. They killed her for a plot point, to inspire true hatred for the villain. From a writer's point of view, it was a shrewd move. It maintained willing (perhaps even unwilling) suspension of disbelief in the game and made the player hate Sephiroth, unlike all the other FF villains, such as Golbez, Garland, and Kefka.

      However, it also made me hate the game itself.

      It's not as if the game gets any happier after her death either. The only thing to break the monotony of three overly large and complicated dungeons was the revelation that Cloud is a Sephiroth clone. Cloud's grovelling in front of Hojo before he gives the Black Materia to Sephiroth angered me so much that I almost quit playing the game. It affected me that much. It is not until much later (almost ten hours later) that the truth about Cloud comes out. That was the sole good event on Disc Two. I've already voiced my opinion on the ending. Overall, the game promised so much during the first disc, and yet it failed miserably to deliver...

      If Aeris were to return, would the plot be destroyed? That is debatable. It is partly because of the somewhat shoddy translation of Bugenhagen informing Cloud about the purpose of Holy that we are still in the dark about whether or not someone needs to die to summon Holy (remember, nowhere in the game does it explicitly state that is true, it is merely inference from known statements). The ending would have to be one hundred percent different, and hopefully much better than it was. I used my imagination, I tried to rationalize what would happen if humanity survived. Barret would probably commit suicide if Marlene had died in Midgar, or else raise her if she had lived. Red XIII obviously found a mate, who knows what Vincent did besides look spooky and talk in cryptic sentences, and Yuffie probably went off with the Materia. Cait Sith was probably deactivated by Reeve, who went on to lead a better life, perhaps as a leader of others. Cid probably married Shera and built a new airship. And Tifa and Cloud? Judging by Cloud's cryptic wordings during the ending, Cloud either killed himself to be with Aeris or lived out a life of hermitage, regretting not having taken advantage of love when it was presented to him. He certainly didn't marry Tifa, as the ending hinted at...

      Then I realized that it was all pointless. Cloud didn't love Tifa, he loved Aeris, and now she is gone forever. Whatever ending they showed which didn't include Aeris being resurrected was hollow and pointless. What is left in Cloud's life now that his love is gone? Emptiness.

      My original letter was a form of catharsis, perhaps, getting over the disappointment this game has generated. Did Square truthfully want it's customers angered and saddened over the game? Disillusioned at how they have turned into a monolithic corporation? If I read a book in a series that I didn't like, I usually don't buy the next book. That will definitely not be the case here, as I will purchase FFVIII whenever it is released. However, I believe Square made a huge miscalculation with the game. The vast majority of gamers don't want an ending which has everyone debating about semantics for two years, they want an answer. They want an adventure which sweeps them away with its power, grandeur, and beauty. They want true love, tragedy, a villain that is truly three dimensional, and a story which makes you think. They don't necessarily want a depressing and tiring game about a psychopathic main character who rejects true love and a quest to release a force that will do as much harm as good, and an ending which is defined as a classic cliffhanger ending, even though it is well known that Square never (ever) continues its characters' stories.

      In short, they want a game which is a Final Fantasy. The first disc promised this, but the rest let us all down. Was it all because of Aeris's death? For the most part, yes.

      And most gamers will agree with me.

      - Mike Lenzo