Final Fantasy VII
Overall Value: Priceless
Gameplay 0.5, 1
Length/Cost 1
Controls 1
Stability 1
Video 0, 1
Story/Development 1
Unique 0.5, 1
Evolving Gameplay 0.5, 1
Audio 1
Next Gen 1
OVERALL 7.5-10
Length/Cost 1
Controls 1
Stability 1
Video 0, 1
Story/Development 1
Unique 0.5, 1
Evolving Gameplay 0.5, 1
Audio 1
Next Gen 1
OVERALL 7.5-10
Gameplay: 0.5, 1
“Non-Conformers and fad chaser”: 0.5/1
This is just one of those types of games that sees a lot of different types of gamers coming to it and a lot of different types of gamers walking away from it changed forever. Period. Period the period. There is so much content in this game for so many different tastes that it makes it impossible for most to not find some reason to continue playing. The storyline will have people crying, laughing, intrigued, and downright satisfied. In fact the storyline in pieces or in its entirety have been pilfered from for generations- Fire Emblem Awakening, Lost Odyssey, many other Final Fantasy’s, Dragon Age Inquisition, and the list could literally go on forever. An RPG game in elements but not in the grind, you really could play through the game without any grinding at all and end the game around lv 75-85 when level 99 is max. Few games really can do this to such an amazing extent (Jean of Arc for PSP did this as well) and even fewer have other content to boot. So who are these people that walk away unimpressed? There are two groups of people that walk away “unimpressed”, and they are:
The “Non-Conformers”: You know them, I know them, the people that would rather listen to that “indie band” JUST because they are indie, even if they are terrible. The kind of people that love Dark Souls, even though the game has some of the most terrible control designs in a game to date, just because it is a “niche game”. The kind of people that really just can’t enjoy life because they spend all their damn time trying to be different and stick out of the crowd like a pimple ready for takeoff. Sadly this game attracted (and continues to attract) so much fan and critic praise that these “Non-Conformers” have to take a stand for “being different” sake. Even within the Final Fantasy crowd (God, maybe even MORE so in this crowd) will you have people dig deep and pull a Final Fantasy out of their ass that NO ONE has heard about and claim it was better (they aren’t, I have played them ALL)- “oh yeah, FFVII wasn’t bad… but FFIV was the best!” and people just shake their heads and walk away. You are cool man, you are so cool because you think some pixel trash that no one liked was better, “refined taste” and all that jazz…
“Fad-Chasers”: Ironically these people have allied themselves with the “Non-Conformers” in their “distaste” for this game- does that mean the “Non-Conformers” are now the new “conformed”? God only knows… Some time ago some of the “Non-Conformers” got together and decided what a “real HARDCORE RPG EXPERIENCE!” (with a screaming intense voice!) was and what was not, and poor FFVII was put in their cross hairs. So much blind hate and for so long they battled FFVII that a fad developed, one were if you thought FFVII was a “good game” you were ruthlessly attacked and belittled like you were some lost puppy wandering around in “fake RPG land”. This has gone on for so long in fact that many of that crowd do not even know why they hate the game so much, many not having honestly even played the game. But, if your options are to either 1. Hate the game, tear it apart and destroy it and have your opinion be respected for any future reviews or 2. Review the game honestly and have the fad-crew attack and try to discredit you for the rest of your existence well, then many a game reviewer will pussy out. But I ask, who is really more pathetic, those that are being honest about this game or the fad-chasers and non-conformers who are so lost in their higher thought processes that they failed to recognize what they have become and who they are even standing beside anymore?
Everyone else: 1/1
I even gave the above group a 0.5/1, because even they if they started the game, finished the game, and secretly enjoyed something. This game brings so much to the table across the board and does them all too almost flawless extent that very few will walk away not having enjoyed the experience. Hard core gamers will find hidden loot, loot that can never be recovered again, deep combinations and linked skill usage with a combat system that works in real time. Casual gamers will find an enjoyable storyline that isn’t preachy that will catch you and hold you the entire game. The sound and visuals were some of the best of its time and still hold true. Bottom line is that there are very few who will not enjoy this game from top to bottom.
Length/Cost: 1
When this game came out it sold for $20, and now years later you can get copies for less than $10. This game came with a whopping three disks and took over 40 hours to complete- let alone all the hidden content, mini games, and side quests. No pay to win/continue/play, no hundred DLC’s, just one package that has never been over $20.
Controls: 1/1
I have played this game on many different ports (pc, consoles, etc) and every one worked flawlessly. Amazed that older game were able to port to so many different platforms and nail their controls while modern companies fail at this repeatedly. You will not find the controls to be an issue.
Stability: 1
Played this for the first time on our family’s toaster (pc) which couldn’t handle games well at all (it struggled with the old 3do Might and Magic games) and it ran without glitch. The experience was better on the couch with a controller but not because it “ran better”. The game doesn’t crash, the game doesn’t have save file corrupted, and the game runs without hitch. A testament to the work and dedication that older companies had when making games.
Video: 0, 1
Only like post 2010 games: 0/1
There are those (we all know some, we might BE them) that grew up in the CoD zone and graphics only have “one option” and anything that doesn’t look “just like _____” is inexcusable! If you are the kind of person that needs things to look a certain way and if it doesn’t look that way you will piss your pants than maybe you should watch some videos online before playing the game. I have played the game after playing giants like Skyrim and Dragon Age Origins and I found the graphics in FFVII to hold just fine, but if you watch a few gameplay videos or trailers and don’t think you could handle it then this warning is for you.
Everyone Else: 1/1
This game blew the minds of gamers everywhere when it came out because of the graphics and the graphics continue to hold their own years and year later. You will feel like you are watching a movie at times with the graphics and audio being crystal clear. Final Fantasy VIII and IX which came out after were known to have “poorer graphics”, which in itself is an impressive compliment to this game's ability to stand the test of time.
Story/Development: 1
One of the greatest story telling experiences in an RPG to date. Few have rivaled this game (or honestly even attempted to) in the years before and after its release. Parts will have you laughing, parts will have you crying, parts will have you giggling like a little school girl, and parts will have you just simply smiling. This is one of those games that takes you all over the world and does so with such magic that you really feel like you are a part of this amazing new world. So many parts that I could elaborate on but wouldn’t want to spoil any experience this game could and would provide.
Unique: 0.5, 1
Playing the game backwards: 0.5/1
What do I mean by this? I mean have you played every game that has stolen from FFVII for years but not FFVII? If that is you then by playing this game you might feel like somethings are “old”, when in fact this is the original text. Meaning, this game is the original thought that sprouted all the spin offs of the last generation but for those who haven’t played it a single time, they might view IT like a cliché piece. If that is you then be prepared playing it for the first time to see the “whole” of the “pieces” that you have grown up on.
Everyone else: 1/1
Nothing like it on the market at the time, and nothing really since. There are a couple games that have pieces of what this game had, things they might have shared in common, but as a whole this game was brutally unique and why it saw the huge amount of success (and continued success) that this game sees. Playing the game for the first time (even if you are a serious gamers) I will promise you that you will still find something, storyline included, that you will find totally unique, something you have never seen before, something that you will find magical.
Evolving Gameplay: 0.5, 1
Play straight through: 0.5/1
Now if you don’t try to find hidden content, enjoy side missions and mini games, or try to upgrade and find new and improved combinations for your material then this game might get somewhat repetitive. There are those that just want to play through games like a bullet shot from a gun, to those I would say you would still find the game enjoyable but not as “earth shattering” as those that explore the cracks in this game.
Everyone else: 1/1
From mini games, to material gathering/hunting/leveling/combining, to leveling, to limit breakers, to storyline, to hidden content in all its wondrous forms (characters, equipment, material, ect) this game evolves until you finish and when it finishes you’ll wish it hadn’t. So much content, so many different places to explore, so much hidden. Play with a guide.
Audio: 1
One of the best soundtracks to date. Final Fantasy Tactics has it beat for sure, but there are few other that took the time to add the audio that this game did. This game feels downright “magical” at times, with the music being unique even down to towns, dungeons, and cut scenes; all of which add to the mood and feeling that makes it all feel “magical”.
Next Gen: 1
As I have said above and will again- this game changed the genre forever. Much like how people feel Skyrim has done for the sandbox/RPG/OpenWorld genre, this game did for its genre. For years it has been pilfered from, for years it has been replicated (failed replication), and for years it has stood the test of time. This game took everything the genre had done well and added to it to the extent and to the improvement thereof that generated the craze that surrounded the game- much like Skyrim.
Bottom Line:
Looking around at RPG’s today I have to say I am very surprised (frankly I find it laughable and absurd) the amount of people who now claim that FFVII is not a good game. It almost became a fad to say it, and now there is a stigma against people who actually still OPENLY love the game. It is almost like homosexuality, where at one point it was clear to everyone that it was unnatural, now everyone not only claims it to be natural but if you happen to still openly say “I don’t think that’s natural” you are attacked without mercy. So your options are to throw up your hands and surrender and say “yeah FFVII sucks… and homosexuality is natural...yeah… whistle*” or to actually be a man and admit that this game was and still is a landmark for videogames in the genre. FFVII is a linear (but not a freaking movie, screw FFXIII that crap sucked) story based RPG that takes aspects of RPG’s (such as leveling up, magic, equipment, bosses, etc) but removes the ability to “be anyone” aspect of RPG’s for a story driving game. This does not work, and continues to not work if you hate the story (for me that was Red Dead Redemption) and the grand majority of people still find the story to be amazing. There isn’t random acts of knifing and/or camping in corners and/or spawning enemy terrorists that spawn with hundreds of grenades (where did they get the money to afford so many grenades we will never know… You would think if they had money for grenades they would get a better gun then an AK, but I digress…) so the people with ADHD might not be able to follow, but everyone else who can read to at least a 5th grade knowledge (you know books, the things where you read words and turn pages…) would find this story intriguing. Bottom line is this game is freaking awesome and I am man enough to say it.
“Non-Conformers and fad chaser”: 0.5/1
This is just one of those types of games that sees a lot of different types of gamers coming to it and a lot of different types of gamers walking away from it changed forever. Period. Period the period. There is so much content in this game for so many different tastes that it makes it impossible for most to not find some reason to continue playing. The storyline will have people crying, laughing, intrigued, and downright satisfied. In fact the storyline in pieces or in its entirety have been pilfered from for generations- Fire Emblem Awakening, Lost Odyssey, many other Final Fantasy’s, Dragon Age Inquisition, and the list could literally go on forever. An RPG game in elements but not in the grind, you really could play through the game without any grinding at all and end the game around lv 75-85 when level 99 is max. Few games really can do this to such an amazing extent (Jean of Arc for PSP did this as well) and even fewer have other content to boot. So who are these people that walk away unimpressed? There are two groups of people that walk away “unimpressed”, and they are:
The “Non-Conformers”: You know them, I know them, the people that would rather listen to that “indie band” JUST because they are indie, even if they are terrible. The kind of people that love Dark Souls, even though the game has some of the most terrible control designs in a game to date, just because it is a “niche game”. The kind of people that really just can’t enjoy life because they spend all their damn time trying to be different and stick out of the crowd like a pimple ready for takeoff. Sadly this game attracted (and continues to attract) so much fan and critic praise that these “Non-Conformers” have to take a stand for “being different” sake. Even within the Final Fantasy crowd (God, maybe even MORE so in this crowd) will you have people dig deep and pull a Final Fantasy out of their ass that NO ONE has heard about and claim it was better (they aren’t, I have played them ALL)- “oh yeah, FFVII wasn’t bad… but FFIV was the best!” and people just shake their heads and walk away. You are cool man, you are so cool because you think some pixel trash that no one liked was better, “refined taste” and all that jazz…
“Fad-Chasers”: Ironically these people have allied themselves with the “Non-Conformers” in their “distaste” for this game- does that mean the “Non-Conformers” are now the new “conformed”? God only knows… Some time ago some of the “Non-Conformers” got together and decided what a “real HARDCORE RPG EXPERIENCE!” (with a screaming intense voice!) was and what was not, and poor FFVII was put in their cross hairs. So much blind hate and for so long they battled FFVII that a fad developed, one were if you thought FFVII was a “good game” you were ruthlessly attacked and belittled like you were some lost puppy wandering around in “fake RPG land”. This has gone on for so long in fact that many of that crowd do not even know why they hate the game so much, many not having honestly even played the game. But, if your options are to either 1. Hate the game, tear it apart and destroy it and have your opinion be respected for any future reviews or 2. Review the game honestly and have the fad-crew attack and try to discredit you for the rest of your existence well, then many a game reviewer will pussy out. But I ask, who is really more pathetic, those that are being honest about this game or the fad-chasers and non-conformers who are so lost in their higher thought processes that they failed to recognize what they have become and who they are even standing beside anymore?
Everyone else: 1/1
I even gave the above group a 0.5/1, because even they if they started the game, finished the game, and secretly enjoyed something. This game brings so much to the table across the board and does them all too almost flawless extent that very few will walk away not having enjoyed the experience. Hard core gamers will find hidden loot, loot that can never be recovered again, deep combinations and linked skill usage with a combat system that works in real time. Casual gamers will find an enjoyable storyline that isn’t preachy that will catch you and hold you the entire game. The sound and visuals were some of the best of its time and still hold true. Bottom line is that there are very few who will not enjoy this game from top to bottom.
Length/Cost: 1
When this game came out it sold for $20, and now years later you can get copies for less than $10. This game came with a whopping three disks and took over 40 hours to complete- let alone all the hidden content, mini games, and side quests. No pay to win/continue/play, no hundred DLC’s, just one package that has never been over $20.
Controls: 1/1
I have played this game on many different ports (pc, consoles, etc) and every one worked flawlessly. Amazed that older game were able to port to so many different platforms and nail their controls while modern companies fail at this repeatedly. You will not find the controls to be an issue.
Stability: 1
Played this for the first time on our family’s toaster (pc) which couldn’t handle games well at all (it struggled with the old 3do Might and Magic games) and it ran without glitch. The experience was better on the couch with a controller but not because it “ran better”. The game doesn’t crash, the game doesn’t have save file corrupted, and the game runs without hitch. A testament to the work and dedication that older companies had when making games.
Video: 0, 1
Only like post 2010 games: 0/1
There are those (we all know some, we might BE them) that grew up in the CoD zone and graphics only have “one option” and anything that doesn’t look “just like _____” is inexcusable! If you are the kind of person that needs things to look a certain way and if it doesn’t look that way you will piss your pants than maybe you should watch some videos online before playing the game. I have played the game after playing giants like Skyrim and Dragon Age Origins and I found the graphics in FFVII to hold just fine, but if you watch a few gameplay videos or trailers and don’t think you could handle it then this warning is for you.
Everyone Else: 1/1
This game blew the minds of gamers everywhere when it came out because of the graphics and the graphics continue to hold their own years and year later. You will feel like you are watching a movie at times with the graphics and audio being crystal clear. Final Fantasy VIII and IX which came out after were known to have “poorer graphics”, which in itself is an impressive compliment to this game's ability to stand the test of time.
Story/Development: 1
One of the greatest story telling experiences in an RPG to date. Few have rivaled this game (or honestly even attempted to) in the years before and after its release. Parts will have you laughing, parts will have you crying, parts will have you giggling like a little school girl, and parts will have you just simply smiling. This is one of those games that takes you all over the world and does so with such magic that you really feel like you are a part of this amazing new world. So many parts that I could elaborate on but wouldn’t want to spoil any experience this game could and would provide.
Unique: 0.5, 1
Playing the game backwards: 0.5/1
What do I mean by this? I mean have you played every game that has stolen from FFVII for years but not FFVII? If that is you then by playing this game you might feel like somethings are “old”, when in fact this is the original text. Meaning, this game is the original thought that sprouted all the spin offs of the last generation but for those who haven’t played it a single time, they might view IT like a cliché piece. If that is you then be prepared playing it for the first time to see the “whole” of the “pieces” that you have grown up on.
Everyone else: 1/1
Nothing like it on the market at the time, and nothing really since. There are a couple games that have pieces of what this game had, things they might have shared in common, but as a whole this game was brutally unique and why it saw the huge amount of success (and continued success) that this game sees. Playing the game for the first time (even if you are a serious gamers) I will promise you that you will still find something, storyline included, that you will find totally unique, something you have never seen before, something that you will find magical.
Evolving Gameplay: 0.5, 1
Play straight through: 0.5/1
Now if you don’t try to find hidden content, enjoy side missions and mini games, or try to upgrade and find new and improved combinations for your material then this game might get somewhat repetitive. There are those that just want to play through games like a bullet shot from a gun, to those I would say you would still find the game enjoyable but not as “earth shattering” as those that explore the cracks in this game.
Everyone else: 1/1
From mini games, to material gathering/hunting/leveling/combining, to leveling, to limit breakers, to storyline, to hidden content in all its wondrous forms (characters, equipment, material, ect) this game evolves until you finish and when it finishes you’ll wish it hadn’t. So much content, so many different places to explore, so much hidden. Play with a guide.
Audio: 1
One of the best soundtracks to date. Final Fantasy Tactics has it beat for sure, but there are few other that took the time to add the audio that this game did. This game feels downright “magical” at times, with the music being unique even down to towns, dungeons, and cut scenes; all of which add to the mood and feeling that makes it all feel “magical”.
Next Gen: 1
As I have said above and will again- this game changed the genre forever. Much like how people feel Skyrim has done for the sandbox/RPG/OpenWorld genre, this game did for its genre. For years it has been pilfered from, for years it has been replicated (failed replication), and for years it has stood the test of time. This game took everything the genre had done well and added to it to the extent and to the improvement thereof that generated the craze that surrounded the game- much like Skyrim.
Bottom Line:
Looking around at RPG’s today I have to say I am very surprised (frankly I find it laughable and absurd) the amount of people who now claim that FFVII is not a good game. It almost became a fad to say it, and now there is a stigma against people who actually still OPENLY love the game. It is almost like homosexuality, where at one point it was clear to everyone that it was unnatural, now everyone not only claims it to be natural but if you happen to still openly say “I don’t think that’s natural” you are attacked without mercy. So your options are to throw up your hands and surrender and say “yeah FFVII sucks… and homosexuality is natural...yeah… whistle*” or to actually be a man and admit that this game was and still is a landmark for videogames in the genre. FFVII is a linear (but not a freaking movie, screw FFXIII that crap sucked) story based RPG that takes aspects of RPG’s (such as leveling up, magic, equipment, bosses, etc) but removes the ability to “be anyone” aspect of RPG’s for a story driving game. This does not work, and continues to not work if you hate the story (for me that was Red Dead Redemption) and the grand majority of people still find the story to be amazing. There isn’t random acts of knifing and/or camping in corners and/or spawning enemy terrorists that spawn with hundreds of grenades (where did they get the money to afford so many grenades we will never know… You would think if they had money for grenades they would get a better gun then an AK, but I digress…) so the people with ADHD might not be able to follow, but everyone else who can read to at least a 5th grade knowledge (you know books, the things where you read words and turn pages…) would find this story intriguing. Bottom line is this game is freaking awesome and I am man enough to say it.