I know you will probably put it up again

February 27, 2024 12:14 PM

just to tick me off. In the early 2000s, gaming magazine GameNOW spent two years sneaking the same screenshot of Final Fantasy VIII into every issue, just to needle a single irate reader.
posted by signsofrain (11 comments total)

Ah, spite - one of the greatest creative motivators.

The spine screenshot is just (chefkiss).
posted by NoxAeternum at 12:18 PM on February 27 [28 favorites]

Now that is some commitment to a bit.
posted by jedicus at 12:18 PM on February 27 [3 favorites]

This is missing an interview with the irate reader, but other than that it's brilliant.
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 12:21 PM on February 27 [6 favorites]

I read this post shortly before coming here. Incredible.

The entire site rules. Yes, I am proud FFVIII liker. I originally heard about it via Ars Technica.
posted by May Kasahara at 12:31 PM on February 27

I have a friend who wrote a movie review as a student for the local newspaper, and gave a bad review for The Fisher King. A reader wrote in to the paper about how they disagreed with the review, insisting the movie was deeper and that my friend just didn't get it. My friend saw the response, so from that point on, made sure to compare any terrible movie with lines such as "it is boring, but not The Fisher King-level monotony" etc.
posted by Metro Gnome at 12:35 PM on February 27 [11 favorites]

I have never played a FF game in my life and therefore have no opinion on the relative merits of these ones, but I *am* a fan of trolling snarky members of the public and this is a Hall of Fame example of the art.
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:41 PM on February 27 [9 favorites]

I am a big fan of spite, as well.
posted by signal at 1:17 PM on February 27 [3 favorites]

My husband and I were nerdy enough FFVIII lovers to cosplay as Squall and Rinoa at our wedding reception (It was a Halloween wedding). This was fucking top tier trolling, and I loved every second of this article. I never saw the bottom picture coming.
posted by StaleCigsandStrongWhiskey at 5:57 PM on February 27 [1 favorite]

I don't care much for video games and have no idea which version of Final Fantasy is or was best.

But I do care for pointless spite, especially when it's carried out so publicly. I take my hat off to the editor brave enough to carry out this campaign for so long, with the spine images being the absolute icing on the cake. Bravo!
posted by dg at 6:53 PM on February 27 [3 favorites]

VIII is the only Final Fantasy game I've played to completion. I have the complete set of action figures, under a plexiglass display box, in a small shrine in my kitchen.
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:25 PM on February 27 [2 favorites]

That is one hell of a punchline.
posted by Pope Guilty at 8:32 PM on February 29