I think the fact that it was first released in the West had a lot to do with it. While for most of us it was a sequel to one of the best series ever, it was the first time it was released in the west / worldwide and while it was a prequel for us, it was for many a brand new game and one that I am sure many new gamers at the time hadn't played before in the western markets.... so it had to introduce itself as a stand alone game as well as a prequel for those of us that had been part of previous releases. I think I would have done a few things in FE7 differently if I were part of the team, but for the most part it worked as a prequel, if you took in to consideration that it was the first introduction of the game world wide. I think FE6 would have been waaaaay too hard for most as a first introduction to the series and the characters.
