I tend to have the reverse opinion of FFVII. I think the gameplay is its best feature and the characters, story, music and graphics are what keep me from really liking that game. Basically, I think it plays well, but its overall aesthetic style doesn't do much for me. But then, FFVIII is my favorite PS Final Fantasy so I'm already way out in wacko-land.

The story was for kids too, not only the design:

Spoiler:

Cool! a red eye in the sky that watches everything ,a fat queen thats hungry for power, a living doll, a runaway princess, a king that was turned into a frog, a monkey boy with an important background, a lost civilization with magical powers..

want me to continue? Not only for kids it was also full of cliches, annoying ones.

oh.. and i dont like Gears ;)

EDIT: Psycho and Happy Tree Friends design have a purpose, Humor.

Are you saying that the card game is better than Blitzball :crazy:?
IX is the game that most developed the main characters, best music? Now thats just silly :P and if you watch Gametrailer's Retro again (VI or VII), you'll see that they agree with me. :D
You really liked X-2? :shifty: that game must be the worst of all (never played VIII or XII) What did you liked about it? :)

Eh, I would say that it's for everyone, rather than being "for kids." I'm pretty much on C.S. Lewis' side when he writes: "When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."

But of course, this is coming from the guy with an Alice in Wonderland avatar, so take it for what it's worth. :D

I couldn't get into X. Played it for a while and got tired of the TERRIBLE voice acting, the bland characters, the bland love story. Nothing was all that memorable.

IX was at least engaging. And yes, the story was full of cliches, but even the retro video for it said clearly that it was intentionaly. The whole game was intended as a throwback. And fuck it, it had so much sweet and silly charm while managing some memorable characters with their own interesting story arcs (for the most part). Maybe it's not as explosive a release as VII or XII, but it was one that held me for the duration I was playing it.

Even if a game is intended for kids (and I'm not making any judgements either way on that, never having played it) that doesn't mean it's a game adults should avoid. The Harry Potter books were intended for kids but that didn't prevent a lot of adults reading and enjoying them, why should it be any different for games?

Personally I enjoy the odd intended for kids game every now and again (though it is embarassing when I struggle to complete them. :crazy: )

Metroid Retro:

Last Part - http://www.gametrailers.com/player/24118.html

FF Retro:

Part VII - X and X-2 - http://www.gametrailers.com/player/24248.html?type=wmv

X was .. well ... its was a nice game but nothing special imo. Had some cool stuff like the way you control summons\aeons (Yojimbo! :P) and blitzball was awesome. :D
I simply didnt liked X-2.
(They said something about The Bouncer , now that beat'em up could be one of the greatest :P .. if it had co-op :shifty: )

Part VII - FF XI - http://www.gametrailers.com/player/24493.html

never played a mmo, i would like to try this game.

Part VIII - Tactics, Vagrant Story, Tactics Advance and XII - Timeline -
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25003.html

Part X - 'The random franchise ventures from the GameBoy to the television to the silver screen' part I - http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25549.html