Thanks to Scott Baird of ScreentRants.com for the inspiration!

6. THE CHOCOBO WORLD PAYWALL

The idea of games hiding features behind paywalls (like DLC or amiibos) is a controversial one among modern gamers. This is something that has been happening for a long time, especially when you consider arcade games like Double Dragon 3 allowed you to buy extra weapons if you put more coins in the machine.

Final Fantasy VIII was also guilty of this, as it had a minigame involving Chocobos that required you to buy an accessory called the PocketStation.

The PocketStation was a VMU that acted in a similar way to the Dreamcast memory card. It could download minigames from specific games that you could play on the PocketStation.

The Chocobo World minigame was the only way to acquire certain rare items and Guardian Forces in Final Fantasy VIII. What made this even worse was that the PocketStation wasn’t actually released outside of Japan, which meant that the Chocobo World rewards were unavailable to most players.

The PocketStation was a handheld “miniature personal digital assistant”. It also functioned as a Memory Card to enhance the gaming experience of the PlayStation. Several games were compatible, including Final Fantasy VIII. Chocobo World was such a game and the idea was to find a GF named Minimog. But, as Scott points out, most people at the time couldn’t get him.

Later on, “Chocobo World was ported and included in the PC version of Final Fantasy VIII, including the 2013 re-release, where Chocobo World is playable directly from the launcher after booting up Final Fantasy VIII”.

So Scott wants Square Enix to cut the idea of a paywall. Great! Now players can experience this mini-game without having to pay first. I’m sure many fans agree. I do too. Unfortunately, a Chocobo World paywall, as with others, is more likely than ever.

Prime example: Final Fantasy XV, which spawns several spin-offs ranging from free-to-play mobile games, and several DLC. Most notable is the Final Fantasy XV: Monster of the Deep, which involved purchasing a VR headset. That game was not only optional, but it didn’t affect your gameplay of the Final Fantasy XV. We might see the same thing with Final Fantasy VIII’s Chocobo World.

We all have mixed feelings about DLC. Some of us love the extra content, other hate paying for it. What are yours?