Final Fantasy VII

The Good
The world of gaming industry would surely not be the same without this game. Almost everything about this game is more than good. At the time of its release few games could rival its graphics. The backgrounds and characters were beautifully designed and the FMVs added a cinematic experience that no other game had at that time. The materia system was also pretty good and easy to use with many combinations that you could try in battle. The developers really succeeded in mixing a sci-fi world, full of technology, with magic and with the concept that the planet was alive. I believe that the eccentric, anime-like style characters fitted there pretty well too. Great graphics and great gameplay. But Final Fantasy VII is more than just that.

You take control of a cold-blooded Ex-SOLDIER named Cloud who joins a resistance faction called Avalanche in their struggle to get rid of the Shinra Inc. – a corporation that made the lives of people easier by creating reactors to drain Mako energy but ignoring or not caring that this Mako energy is the same life force of the planet and so the planet will eventually perish if that goes on. Still that’s only a prologue to the game. Many events that will change your true goal will follow.

All the characters of the story are tragic. They will all have to face their past, sooner or later and meet their destiny. The player will have an emotional impact with the events on the game that will make his/her hair stand on end. The magnificent music will help on that feeling too. I mean who needs voice-overs when the music was written by Nobuo Uematsu? Another thing that made this game what it is – is the villain, Sephiroth. Sephiroth was probably the most tragic character off all. Square took him to a far greater level than any other villain in the series by giving him deeper reasons that justify his later actions. Just name a villain from another game that has a reason for what he/she is or does and not just because they didn’t wake up nicely in the morning. Well? That’s right. That’s why Final Fantasy VII is unique.

The Bad
The only bad thing I can say about this game is the difference between the graphics of the characters when on field and the ones when inside a battle. The gameplay on the action mini games is a minus too. Also the gameplay of the rest of the game is linear but if you think about it Cloud, the leading man, doesn’t do what he does because he was ordered or because he was caught up in a major scene where the facts controlled his choices. It was his choice to follow Avalanche and then it became like his quest to defeat Sephiroth. I believe that feeling of freedom of choice makes you not notice the linear gameplay. Well maybe not.

The Bottom Line
FFVII is one of the best games that were ever created. Not only it brought japanese RPGs to the west but it also expanded the definition of what the title ‘’Final Fantasy’’ meant – something that didn’t please many of the fans of the series though. It also made Playstation, along with the Gran Turismo, the console it was. And after all these years if you think the graphics and the gameplay are outdated so that you shouldn’t bother checking it keep in mind that it’s an RPG. Graphics matter not. The true core of RPGs, especially the ones that are turn based, is the plot. The plot and the depth of the characters. This game has both. That’s why it has last and will last even more.

I also want to say something that was bugging me for quite a long time. Characters in video games can jump higher than normal people, keep their breathe for 10 whole minutes underwater and lift swords yes lift swords bigger than them like they were feathers. And they look cool.Why? Because it’s a game. A GAME! And in a game ANYTHING APPLIES. WAKE UP!