What the Nintendo-Square Deal Means to You
Written By: Roger Taylor

Before reading this editorial, be sure to read the big news.

5. A Larger Library

The new company may be a small one, and may only release a few games a year at most, but even a few games help. If just one of the games released for the GBA or GameCube from this venture is worth buying, the whole thing will be worth it for gamers.

4. A More Varied Library

The Nintendo 64 fell short in a few genres, most notably RPGs. Of the few that were released, the only one worth mentioning is Atlus’ old-school style Ogre Battle 64. Most gaming writers have speculated, and Nintendo has promised, that the GameCube will feature more RPGs than the N64, but Nintendo has yet to deliver. While a small Square presence may not mean an RPG renaissance for the GameCube, it will certainly help beef things up in that department.

3. Final Fantasy?

Since its jump to 3D, the Final Fantasy series has become one of the most important in all of video games. While nothing has been finalized yet, there is a good chance that we will see ports of the SNES Final Fantasy games to the GBA and Final Fantasy XI on the GameCube. There will even be an exclusive Final Fantasy game on the GameCube that connects to a GBA counterpart. Once again most of this is just speculation.

2. Bigger Things

Perhaps the most important aspect of this deal is what it could lead to. Sure a port of a couple of games here and there might be nice, but that’s not really the huge announcement that Nintendo fans have been hoping for for years. The bigger news here is that the grudge between Square and Nintendo is finally starting to wither, and real business can once again resume. The fact that Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi, a long-time Square basher, is helping to fund the venture helps back up the idea that Nintendo and Square have finally buried the hatchet. Maybe this isn’t the big new you were looking for, but the doors are open now, and there is no telling how far the relationship between Nintendo and Square can go if they both want to take it there.

1. Celebrate

This is what all of us Nintendo-geeks have been waiting for and creating rumors about for six years. So break out a bottle of champagne or, if you’re under 21, a non-alcoholic substitute. And don’t let anyone tell you that this isn’t big news, or that it’s inconsequential. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for. So bask in it. And feel free to rub it in the faces of every Sony fan that you can find.

Posted: 3-26-02