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Final Fantasy VII
Studio : Square Enix
by Square Enix
Brand : Playstation
Platform : PlayStation
Publisher : Square Enix
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
EAN : 0711719416326
UPC : 711719416326
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 1205 reviews)
Our Price : $180.00
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For Sony Playstation
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3 discs
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69 page manual
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Editorial Review |
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Long recognized as role-playing games par excellence, the Final Fantasy series gets a technological makeover in this installment (and series debut on the PlayStation). Shedding the two-dimensional graphics and limited sound capabilities of its predecessors, Final Fantasy VII features lush 3-D graphics, beautifully animated "movie" sequences, and soundtrack-quality music. Coupled with the game's intricate storyline, endearing characters, and immense yet highly imaginative world, these new advancements make for a quite an engrossing experience. The story of Final Fantasy VII centers around a solider named Cloud Strife, who joins forces with Avalanche, a group of resistance fighters, to take down an evil mega-corporation known as Shinra. (The fate of the world hangs in the balance, of course.) Truly epic in scope, this four-disc game requires a considerable amount of time to complete---this reviewer gladly gave up over 80 hours of his life to finish it. But it's definitely a rewarding adventure that every PlayStation owner should consider undertaking, especially since it's now one of the low-priced "Greatest Hits" titles. --Joe Hon Pros:
- Intricate and absorbing storyline with endearing characters
- Immense and highly imaginative game world
- Special battle system
- Beautifully animated movie sequences
Cons:
- Your friends and family may feel neglected
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Ultimate Nostalgia |
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Recently threw this into the PS2 and revisited what I consider to be not only the best RPG but the best game of all times... Aeris. All I gotta say. :D |
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The nostalgia levels are through the roof. |
Square Soft brings the Final Fantasy series to the Playstation with a gem that will (and did) change the industry. Even today, nearly twelve years later, many consider Final Fantasy VII to not only be the best game Square Soft has released, but the greatest RPG of all time. For those not familiar with the series, there were six prior releases to this one and all were considered gems in their own right. So what sets FF VII above all others in the genre?
Story:
Cloud Strife is an ex member of Soldier, a military arm under an evil organization named Shinra. After witnessing his idol, Sephiroth, torch his home town upon discovering the truth behind Materia and the Mako reactors, he switches sides and joins Avalanche, a secret organization based in Midgar that is set on shutting down Shinra and saving the world. The cast in FF VII is nothing short of spectacular.....and have evened spawned their own games (albeit not very good games)
Gameplay:
Final Fantasy VII has a lot to offer the gamer. The game starts in the cold underbelly of Midgar as Cloud departs the train and meets Barret, the leader of Avalanche with a gun graphed to his arm. All the features you'll associate with a role playing game are here....with so much more. Each character in the game....from the playable characters to the NPCs.....all have unique and entrancing personalities. You have a basic leveling system, where you gain levels by fighting monsters in and around Midgar. Magic, mayhem, and summoning, are among a few of the skillsets you'll have at your disposal. There are side quests and side missions that you can choose to partake - some lead toward hidden characters that can join your party. The game play is smooth and easy to use. There is one problem that I have about the gameplay....you're not allowed to use the thumbstick to move your characters....only the thumbpad. Materia is also a vital part of the game. Materia is compressed Mako that, when used in conjunction with your weapons or armors, grant that user skills like, magic, summoning, stat increases, mug, etc......
Graphics and sound:
The graphics really are the games only downside. Yet, while the in-game graphics are beyond horrendous, the cutscenes are some of the best around.....and when you consider that this is a PS1 release, the cutscenes are even more special. The sound is top-notch. The music is orchestrated to convey the emotions of the events unfolding and does this to near New York Philharmonic quality....yes, they are that good.
Final Thoughts:
So, is Final Fantasy VII the best game ever? No! It is the first RPG to be released on the PS1 and the first to have mature themes, and is nostalgic and the one we all remember and those memories will always keep this game ranked up there with whatever games are released henceforth, but the greatest game? no. |
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One of the Finest RPG Outings |
Pros
+A Very Deep, Engrossing and Heartfelt story
+Memorable characters
+Very Customizable game
+Enriching soundtrack
+Very detailed cinematics and incredible looking pre-rendered backgrouns
+Tons and tons of optional things to do
Cons
-The characters may be memorable, but the game does little to develop them beyond a certain point
-There's no big incentive to use one character over another
-It may very well be one of the easiest Final Fantasy games in the series
After eleven years, Final Fantasy VII still manages to be a beast in the RPG field. Boasting a colossal story and a few memorable characters. Final Fantasy VII is the game which made the JRPG genre big in the West and eleven years later it still ranks as one of the greatest games of all time.
Final Fantasy VII centers on Cloud Strife. A mercenary who has joined the rebelious group known as AVALANCHE, who are taking on the Shinra Corporation, that is slowly draining the planet of its life. The story all comes together by Cloud's mysterious past, a terrifying villain and some heartfelt characters. The story of Final Fantasy VII spans so much more than just an evil Corporation. You'll eventually find yourself on a journey that involves you saving the world. Even compared to today, Final Fantasy VII is an RPG that breaks the rules of traditional storytelling. Rather than being a band of teenagers out to stop some evil adults (as the JRPG has been drowned out in in recent years), Final Fantasy VII puts you in the role of characters about something more. If there were any criticism of the story, it would be that it's a lot to take in. Some things never really come together in the end and you'll be left with a lot of burning questions. Much of this, you can bet, is due to some of Final Fantasy VII's shoddy translation. There were some pieces in the localization process that were left out entirely and make the story come off as a little more sloppy than it was intended to. Another small criticism comes with its characters. While they're memorable, they often times take a backseat to some of the stories progression. Once we learn what we need to learn about certain characters, the game never really touches them or makes them integral to the plot itself again. If it weren't for their stark personalities, funny quips and own charms, you might forget them.
Ever since Final Fantasy IV, the series has used the ATB battle system and Final Fantasy VII is no exception. Every character has an ATB gauge that lets them take action once it's filled. Pretty basic, but Final Fantasy VII gets a bump by being very customizable. The Materia system allows for nearly endless possibilities for its characters. There are several different kinds of Materia. There's your basic magic materia that give you spells to cast, but there is also materia to give you more battle commands such as being able to steal or throw items at an enemy. There are other materia there just to boost your stats and others that enhance your spells by giving you the ability to hit all the enemies at once or to absorb health from your enemies. There are far more in each category and they give you infinite ways to play Final Fantasy VII.
Without materia, though, your characters are naked and can only attack. This brings about small problem. The first being that there's is no incentive to use any one character above another. Final Fantasy VII remedies this by givng its character ultra powerful limit breaks. Every character has a limit gauge and when it fills up as they take damage. When full they can let forth a brutal attack. Characters also have limit levels for different limit breaks and the higher the Limit Level the more damage you have to take before its full. Unfortunately, this is all that makes any character different in battle. Materia gives them legs, but you can always transfer over anyone else's materia to anyone else. In the long run this won't bother anyone, but it leads to a lack of variety in the characters and you more than likely won't need limit breaks that much to begin with. Final Fantasy VII's pros more than outnumber the cons. The amount of customization is great, but it still would've been nice to need one character's ability over another.
Final Fantasy VII is by no means a hard game. It is arguably one of the easiest games in the series. In particular, the final battle turns out to be one of the easiest fights in the game against someone who has often been labeled one of the most threatening in history. Yet Final Fantasy VII makes for that with several hidden goodies. You won't find too many optional dungeons in Final Fantasy VII, but you will find an incredible number of optional things to do off the beaten path. From breeding and racing Chocobos, to finding hidden materia, to taking on ultra powerful bosses and even finding hidden characters who have more than just a face, but actually play into the story itself. There are more secrets in Final Fantasy VII than even most RPGs of today.
Graphically Final Fantasy VII is a mixed bag. In 1997 these graphics were phenominal. the pre-rendered backgrounds are still incredible looking even to this day. The seventh Final Fantasy has a lot of style. The polygons are charming though they don't look as cool as the rest of the environments. The FMVs are still amazing and wonderfully detailed for its time. There are a couple of moments of slowdown with Final Fantasy VII, however, and some of the summon animations can get lengthy and repetitive. But they don't take away from its wildly detaile environments.
The music score may actually be the most rewarding thing for Final Fantasy VII. The music score manages to fill the situations for the right moment. But it also isn't afraid to showcase a lot of emotion either. There are some moments where it can be dark and others where it's very light. In particular, the character themes are really nice and memorable. Final Fantasy VII doesn't have the best soundtrack within the series, but it has some of the most memorable music numbers of the entire series.
After eleven years Final Fantasy VII is still a force to be reckoned with. There are a few gaps in its storyline that you may have to read a bit more deeply to learn about (as not all of it is within the game itself, but if anything confuses you there have been countless FAQs written as well as spin-offs and sequels) and it shuns some of its characters at points, but the package is still one of the best Playstation outings of all time, and every gamer should pick up and play Final Fantasy VII at least once. |
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11 years later... |
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After eleven years I'm still hooked on this game! I was mesmerised by the opening FMV,and I knew that this was going to be a special game, a game of epic proportions. With its top-notch plot,irresistable characters,pre-rendered 3-D graphics,powerful score and one of the most famous scenes in videogame history(Aeris's death scene),this was destined to be the greatest game ever made.It's like you get sucked into the story and it feels like you're a part of what is transpiring!It just forces you to become part of it's world! I just can't explain it! That's why my love for this game is unwavering I mean what's not to like about this game? I know a few things,yes!Even though I love this game with every ounce of my being, I must say it is far from a perfect game. Here is a list of this games many factors (though many of them are minor and do very little to detract from the game's playabillity)!1.during most of disk 1 the story has a slow and boring pace but at the end of disk 1 it gets interesting again and stays that way 2.The games bosses are way too easy.with just one limit break, or a few magic spells the boss is toast,but the epic final battle is well worth waiting for! 3.This is where the game suffers the most. Bad translation. The game is rife with poorly translated dialogue especially in crucial moments of the story.FF7's plot is confusing enough without engrish dialogue' but it manages to be in the least bit understandable!OK it is not a perfect game but it is damn close to it! If you are not interetsed during disk 1 wait till disk1's conclusion aeris's death should further seal your determination to complete the game and get your revenge! That's it! I wont spoil the rest of the game for you.(what's left to spoil,that is)Chances are you've already played it or you're a new fan that's dying to play it.I managed to keep up with my original copy from Christmas of '97 so I don't have to worry about buying it now! Today it cost's an arm and a leg,but this game is worth it, and it will be for years to come! |
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Why am I reviewing this so long after it came out? |
Seriously, it's 2008, why am I reviewing this game so long after it came out? Well, because I want to. So there. Anyway, this game is marvelous; I still replay it every once in awhile, and it never gets old for me. You'd think I'd get sick of it after awhile, but I notice and appreciate something new each time I play it. I personally think this game has aged pretty well, and I'll continue to play it until my discs break in half.
Graphics (10/10): Well, by today's standards, graphics aren't so good. However, for their time, they deserved a 10 out of 10. There's something about seeing a character in 3-D (albeit rather blocky 3-D) that helps you identify more easily with the characters.
Music (10/10) : What can I say? The music in this game is both evocative and distinctive. The music fits the scenes and conveys mood very well. This is especially true of the overworld music-I feel like the world really is in dire straights whenever I hear it.
Characters (10/10): Wow. Character are excellently portrayed; they all have personalities and some kind of backstory. Even Yuffie. I mean, after playing a certain recent FF (12, cough), I've really come to appreciate the fact that no character in FF7 is just tacked on to the party (cough, FF12's Penelo, cough). Every single character has a backstory that's relevant or ties into the main story in some way. Overall, excellent characterization.
Story (10/10): Wow. That's all I can say. FF7 has an amazing intricate network of subplots and character histories on top of the main story. I love the complexity of it. However, the one drawback to this complex story is that it requires multiple playthroughs and some thought before you catch everything. To me though, this makes the game better, not worse. Also, the pacing of the story is excellent. I never felt bored or compelled to continue "just to reach the end".
Battle System (10/10): Once again, I have no complaints here. I love the materia system-it allows for some good customization, which I enjoyed.
Gameplay (10/10): This is my catch-all category. The game is just chock full of extras and side-quests. Plenty to explore and accomplish. The controls are easy to use and are rather intuitive. I really have no complaints.
Overall (10/10): NOTE this score is not an average, it's my subjective overall score. Personally, I cannot recommend this game enough. I realize that it looks rather dated by today's standards, but it's what's inside that counts, right? The core of this game is still gold. FF7 is like a fine piece of literature-it may be old but it's still a classic. |
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