[PrinzMegaherz]

Fixed save point locations are no issue for me, as long as the points are fairly placed. I have never heard anyone argue that the final fantasy games should have a free save option instead of fixed save points.

This works as long as the savepoints are not too scarce and the game not too random / hard. Call of Cthulhu would be an example for a game that has unfair savepoints. I stopped playing it because I got to frustrated. Wesnoth is a strategy game that has very random rolls and is very hard to play unless you save constantly - one reason why I do not enjoy that game.

So, fixed save points can be okay in the right circumstances, free saving is not the ultimate solution as many game designers use it as an excuse to make ridiculous hard games (like the formerly mentioned JA2)