If I wanted to play Final Fantasy 7 without spending 100+ dollars on a used copy...

[Delirious]

I live in the US and there are insane laws on copyrights for video games. I want to play the original Final Fantasy 7 for PSX or PC (this is an example, really any game no longer mass produced) The problem is the used ones start at 75 and the new ones are like 300+. That is absolutely ridiculous.

I however being a law abiding citizen, choose not to try to emulate the game since I do not own a legal copy of the game. Sure it could be really easy for me to just emulate the game and play it but that would be consider illegal because sony and squaresoft still own the rights to the game.

Despite all this, I am lost as to what I could do to play the beloved FF7 legally without having to fork out a bunch of money.


That is an example of something I wish to know more about. Nintendo has a strict no tolerance policy that any emulation of any of their games is illegal. With the advent of the Wii virtual console you now have the option of buying the games properly (still no stupid goldeneye or super star wars, how could I play those legally if I do not own the games?)

I guess what I am trying to ask is how can there be certain exceptions to these rules? Surely the companies who made these amazing selling games would want to make money off the games and satisfy their customers with these great games.

I see though a lot of the cases...we are left cold turkey suffering with the great dillema...emulate the games illegally or fork out a bunch of money for used games (in which only the seller of the game then gets the money)

Yes I know soon we will be able to play these games again, saying maybe if you could buy FF7 to play on your PS3 (in which making you buy the console). It just really aggervates me the state in which this is all in...seeking a solution.

Sorry if I repeated myself a bit and if any of my information is incorrect please feel free to correct it. I hope I got my point across and hope to see some insightful information to this dillema...

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Well FFVII can be bought on Half.com for about $60. Since the game is used you can buy it, play it, and then hopefully get your money back when you sell it.

 

[Philly]

I'd try and find out if any of your friends have it for you to borrow.

 

[nk4e]

Well, same goes for Ninja Gaiden(This generation consoles). I looked for a copy of Ninja Gaiden or Ninja Gaiden Black and nothing. Though I think that I may stop at Ninja Gaiden 2 for video games.

 

[nd 4 holden spd]

I'd try and find out if any of your friends have it for you to borrow.

+1 Many people own a copy of FFVII, it's only one of the best games in history, so ask around is my best recommendation.

 

[Sniffs]

HOW much?!

 

[Delirious]

That's not exactly what I meant...sure I am looking for the game, but what I want to DISCUSS is the dilemma of all this

Me being a law abiding citizen choose not to emulate copyrighted games

 

[Kent]

Wow, I'm going to have to sell my copy of FF7. Although I never finished the entire game and I never enjoyed the chocobo elements, I still thought it was a good game.
Let's just say I'll start the bids at $200.

Just kidding but really I had no idea.

I'd go with the friend and borrowing first and then resort to used games if possible. Just remember that a $60 used game will only get you maybe $20 on the return so be sure you want to buy the game before committing.

Btw, I'm not really sure I see how this falls into the political or social issues area. Wouldn't this be better for gaming in general or the rumble strip?

 

[tait]

I think it belongs here, for me at least it brings up an issue. To me, if you bought it previously and lost your disc, then there's no problem in emulating it. You already paid to play it. To me, that's more morally justified than buying the game from a private seller.

I'll check to see if mine is still alive. If so, it's yours for the cost of shipping.

 

[Tornado]

Just remember that a $60 used game will only get you maybe $20 on the return so be sure you want to buy the game before committing.

Games with a strong followings as that never lose resale value. He could buy it for $60 and more often than not he will make at least that much on resale.


Emulation by itself isn't illegal, most of the time. Technically speaking, emulation is just recreating a systems capabilities through means other than the system uses, which there sorta is legal precedent defending.

That being said, to perform emulation you would need to get your hands on the game, so what have you. The only real way for you to play FF7 is to fork out the money. Maybe something like Craigslist will net you a good bargain.

 

[Kent]

Games with a strong followings as that never lose resale value. He could buy it for $60 and more often than not he will make at least that much on resale.


Emulation by itself isn't illegal, most of the time. Technically speaking, emulation is just recreating a systems capabilities through means other than the system uses, which there sorta is legal precedent defending.

That being said, to perform emulation you would need to get your hands on the game, so what have you. The only real way for you to play FF7 is to fork out the money. Maybe something like Craigslist will net you a good bargain.

Note I said "return" and not "resale."
Some of us don't have the time or inclination to sell games in order to get the most money. A good example of how many people fall into that category are all the people who trade-in systems and games... Its not like they don't know they could get more through resale to a private party but taking the time and putting up the effort to do that is much more demanding than simply taking the hit and trading the game/system to the much more convenient game store.

Good luck with the FF7 problem.
Just try to remember it's only a game and definitely not worth $100.
IMO the games only worth a little bit and seriously over-rated.
I hated Chocobo racing and breeding (especially for the sake of completing the game).

I bought the game for everything but chocobos and those ended up being the most important part of the game.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

I think if you have the time to play Final Fantasy VII, then you should have the time to re-list it on half.com and ship it out. You don't even need pictures on half.com or amazon.com for that matter.

 

[Wolfe]

Emulation by itself isn't illegal, most of the time. Technically speaking, emulation is just recreating a systems capabilities through means other than the system uses, which there sorta is legal precedent defending.

I believe the distinction is that an emulator isn't illegal unless it's been directly reverse-engineered from the original system. Also, using an emulator isn't illegal if you only play homebrew games.

Anyway, those prices for used copies of FF7 are absolutely ridiculous. As nd 4 holden spd pointed out it's not a rare game at all, and though I did thoroughly enjoy it in middle school, it was the first Final Fantasy that didn't enthrall me enough to beat more than once. I now look back on it as the beginning of the decline of the series. Don't get me wrong, it's a good game, just not great.

If I were in your shoes, Delirious, I'd download the game without a second thought. I have no qualms over downloading old games to emulate/pirate because, as you explained, you're doing no more harm to the developer than if you had bought it from someone used. It is still illegal; I just don't care.

 

[Delirious]

"If I were in your shoes, Delirious, I'd download the game without a second thought. I have no qualms over downloading old games to emulate/pirate because, as you explained, you're doing no more harm to the developer than if you had bought it from someone used. It is still illegal; I just don't care."

Thank you Wolfe for the insightful post; the only thing I wish to find out is how I could do what you quoted legally, that is emulate it if I do not own the game. That's what I wanted to discuss. For this example could they somehow make it legal if we really wanted to play the game without forking out a bunch of money?

 

[Speedy Samurai]

Good luck with the FF7 problem.
Just try to remember it's only a game and definitely not worth $100.

I disagree. It is worth what people are prepared to pay for it. In this regard, it is worth $100.00.

 

[Wolfe]

Thank you Wolfe for the insightful post;

I can't tell if that's supposed to be sarcasm. I was just throwing in my $0.02.

the only thing I wish to find out is how I could do what you quoted legally, that is emulate it if I do not own the game. That's what I wanted to discuss. For this example could they somehow make it legal if we really wanted to play the game without forking out a bunch of money?

The only legal emulators are official downloadables like on Nintendo's Virtual Console or Xbox Live Arcade, or classic game packs on modern systems (eg. a 6-in-1 pack of old arcade games for the PS2). There's also GameTap, I guess. I don't know much about that site, but I don't think they have FFVII.

The only cheap, not-blatantly-illegal solution would be for you to find someone from whom to borrow the game. My suggestion to go ahead and pirate it may have sounded brash, but between borrowing it and downloading it yourself, I don't think you have any other cost-effective options.

 

[Tornado]

The only legal emulators are official downloadables like on Nintendo's Virtual Console or Xbox Live Arcade, or classic game packs on modern systems (eg. a 6-in-1 pack of old arcade games for the PS2).

I don't think it is that simple. For example, I know of a couple of emulators that have been developed for PC that companies later licenced (more or less) to use in the releases of games for consoles in compilations. If emulators were illegal as such, I doubt there would be such amnesty towards the emulation scene as to not simply sue the developer for control of the emulator and its code and then use it.

The major problem with emulators involves system BIOS. When they are built into the emulator through software emulation of them, there are no problems, but when they are required separately for the emulator to run (for example, as in ePSXe) is when legal problems arise because then you are using copyrighted code to run the program.


However, what Wolfe said is true. If you want to play it legally for cheap, you can either wait for a compilation to come out (either unlikely or very likely, depending on your point of view), wait for a reprinting like Square did with Final Fantasy Tactics (not gonna happen), find a monster deal for it (also unlikely, because the game is not rare so it isn't as if many don't know what it is) or steal it under the guise that Square won't get any money for it these days anyways. You will not find it cheap 95% of the time because a large majority of people trying to sell it know what it is worth and many people want to get their hands on it.

Its not like they don't know they could get more through resale to a private party but taking the time and putting up the effort to do that is much more demanding than simply taking the hit and trading the game/system to the much more convenient game store.

If you are willing to jump through hoops and pay a large sum of money to get a game but are not willing to jump through the same hoops to get rid of it when there is constant demand for it, you deserve to lose money. Selling a game on eBay is no more difficult than going to a Gamestop and dumping it off there, and since most game shops don't accept PS1 games anymore it is probably easier to just auction it off. And games in the Final Fantasy come astonishingly close to selling themselves simply by popularity.

 

[HACKr]

Hell, this thread makes me want to cry. I lent my copy of FFVII to a friend...

...I don't think I'm getting it back.

And emulation is perfectly legal if you own the game, though sometimes you need the system too, because some emulators require BIOS images. Anyway, I got an SNES. I can emulate the hell out of Super Mario World if I please because I own it and having a rom is pretty much like having a backup copy.

 

[nk4e]

Isn't the PS3 version coming out soon?

Hackr: Well not really. Though there are sites that let you download SMBW but they follow the agreement to delete that download for the majority of Snes games. The Internet is limitless to it. Deeper you go into the net, the more chances its a fake or a hack.
If your a fan, look for different sites rather than ebay. I am sure that is tons of site that has a copy. But look for the S&H costs. Here is one example: Toys N joys.com but the other way is modding your PS2 in a illegal way to play the JPN version.

 

[TheCracker]

I live in the US and there are insane laws on copyrights for video games. I want to play the original Final Fantasy 7 for PSX or PC (this is an example, really any game no longer mass produced) The problem is the used ones start at 75 and the new ones are like 300+. That is absolutely ridiculous.

Why so expensive?

A quick look on ebay in the uk throws up dozens of copies all going for between £10 and £15

 

[Delirious]

Wolfe i wasnt being sarcastic by the way...

I wanted this to be a serious discussion but since they decided to move it here then forget it...