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Its Long but worth reading | | Cloud from Sterling, Co USA says (16/Jul/2003): | This is another one of the Final Fantasy games that everyone will always remember. Even if all of the latest Final Fantasy games are usually instant classics but FF7 is special. Not only because of the game itself, but also because of the amount of attention this one received with all the advertising, T shirts etc. But, FF7 did deserve the hype all the way. But why didn’t other FF’s get this much attention? Well, FF7 was something new and exciting. It was Square’s first game on the Playstation and it spread across three cds. The FMVs were breath taking and people were expecting a lot from this one. But hyping FF7 too much also gave a few bad results. With all of this commotion and advertising, Square raised everyone’s expectations. FF7 gets the job done, but not for all gamers. If you’re a fan of the the FF series, you’ll have to think about something. FF7 is not the same as the others. It's a big leap from Final Fantasy 6 only in certain areas of course. And you have to ask yourself if you are ready to take that leap. Well at first I wasn't for sure. But with a little preparation, I went for it, and enjoyed every moment of it.
Final Fantasy 7 succeeds in creating a lighthearted, fun kind of feel when it is needed. This fun feel definitely made the game much more enjoyable. It’s nice to be able to stop for a minute, catch your breath and take a break by snowboarding or helping moogles fly. This fun feel is what I missed in FF8. I have heard many complain that FF8 was just too serious. Mini games are a nice little break and/or reward for working oh so hard to get to where you are. There’ll be plenty of mini games everywhere you look from a motorcycle race to a rock paper scissors type of fighting game. But the real place to party is the big 'Chuck E. Cheese's' Golden Saucer, in other words mini game heaven. While playing the game you’ll encounter several mini games. You'll be raising or racing chocobos, avoiding Elena's punches, snowboarding and much, much more.
And besides a fun feel, there is a lot of emotion here. There are moments in the game that you'll remember for the rest of your gaming life, which I can not reveal without spoiling something. But you'll know what I mean when you hit them. You'll know, because you'll feel it unless you’re an emotionless robot of some sort. Whether it be your hands shaking, your eyes burning up with fury or that lump in your throat that makes you want to cry FF7 has it all. If you just devote your time and some money to FF7 it'll give back way more. It’ll give you an incredible experience, one that you’ll never forget. It will go down in your gaming history book along with all the other special gaming moments that you’ve experienced.
The storyline I found somewhat confusing at first, but after I've read about it and re-read some dialogue, I now have a full understanding. Don't be surprised if at one time or another you stop, think and say ''huh?'' You may not understand it at first, but just remember that you will soon. The story is fantastic, with plenty of surprises, sad moments, happy moments, and extremely funny ones (haha look at Cloud in that dress!) that'll have you begging for more. It starts off relatively simple. Cloud is a mercenary who used to work for Soldier, an elite group of soldiers. He was hired by Avalanche, a group who wants to stop the evil Shinra Co. from destroying the planet by sucking up all the ‘mako’ power. But it becomes a lot more then that; you'll see. Cloud's reason for staying with Avalanche starts to change from just money. He begins to see things from a different point of view.
The characters are all thought-out, have their own personalities. They all have their own stories – some intertwine with each other’s but in the end, all get a lot of development in their story (some more then others – hehe.) Below I’ll give a short intro on some of the characters – if you wish not to risk spoiling any small detail, I suggest you scroll down until you see this symbol - **
The main character, Cloud really is quite an interesting person. He has a strange and mysterious past and supposedly grew up with Tifa. From there off it gets much more complicated and gets kind of confusing as well. I can’t reveal too much about his story though. In the beginning, he doesn’t care about the world, just the money he can make. He’s a natural fighter with a large sword called a ‘Buster Sword’ which is very dangerous. The only friend he really has is Tifa in the beginning of the game, but a lot happens. And you’ll see how Cloud changes throughout the game.
The evil villain in FF7 is Sephiroth - the best villain I've ever seen in an RPG or any game, period. Once you've seen him (especially in FMV) you'll forget about any other ‘bad guy’ and start to wonder “how the hell am I gonna beat him??!” Sephiroth is the ultimate enemy. He starts off normal, working with Cloud. But he's a confused and destructive monster of a human being (not even..) And his words flow out of his mouth as if he had it all planned already - as if he knew what was going happen so he'd have the perfect thing to say. Sephiroth himself is a major part of the FF7 story. You’ll find out sooner or later that Sephiroth isn’t your only enemy, but he sure is the main one. He's dangerous, he looks awesome, he has a deadly and long sword called the ‘masamune’ and he's not willing to give up no matter what. He'll be walking in a direction and if something gets in his way, he’ll simply keep walking forward and move his obstacles out of the way, just because he has the power and ability to do it. Sure, there are villains who come close to pure evil, but Sephiroth really has it all. Everything you can name that you like about villains – you’ll find in Sephiroth.
Tifa is a bartender at her very own bar – 7th heaven. She’s also a key member of Avalanche. She’s had a thing for Cloud for a long time, but never found the right moment to reveal her feelings. She’s a strong fighter, born and raised in Nibelheim (or is it Nivelheim?) who uses her fists as weapons. She always tries to be sensitive and caring, especially when it has something to do with Cloud or someone else she cares about. Her limit breaks are very deadly and she’s definitely not your typical female healer.
And then there’s Aerith/Aeris. The one who screws it all up for Tifa [lol], the one whom most people like so much. She’s spunky, happy, peaceful, caring, and kind. You first meet her selling flowers near the start of the game… you won’t think she’s too important at the moment, but you’ll see how much she really accomplishes. She’s not too much of a fighter, but she still comes in handy. You can either spend all your time levelling her up and getting new limit breaks(which will be VERY useful in tough battles), or you can set her aside thinking that you won’t need her because.. argh can’t finish that sentence. Anyways, it’s up to you.
Barret, the crazy and energetic tough guy. He has a gun planted on his right arm (I think..?) and there’s a story for that dealing with his home town and his friend, Dyne. He likes a argue with people, but Cloud the most - all the time even. He has a daughter (well kind of) named Marlene, who comes first when Barret makes important decisions. He’s the leader of Avalanche and is always ready to sacrifice to make things better for others. Oh and his hometown isn’t too fond of him.
Red XIII or Nanaki is a tiger/dog type of beast. He comes from Cosmo Canyon and has a long story to reveal dealing with his father and mother. His grandfather, Bugenhagen will help you on your quest. Nanaki is very powerful and wise. He’s usually very quiet but has a good idea of what’s going on, and his species live for over hundreds of years.
Cait Sith, the return of the moogle! I can’t say too much without giving out some spoilers.. but it’s pretty much like this : Cait sith is a cat riding on a big stuffed moogle. He uses a mega phone to attack, and has some crazy limit breaks. Cait Sith is strong, and ready to fight at all times. That is all.
Yuffie is kind of a ‘secret’ character, and you’ll have to do some work to get her to join you. The ending won’t be different if you have her or not (same with Vincent) but she’s still worth getting. Her limit breaks are very powerful. She uses a big shuriken type thing for a weapon, and can never seem to keep her mouth shut. She likes to talk and steal – so you better keep an eye on your materia… : ).
Cid Highwind, the most memorable character of all. He’s constantly angry and swearing at everyone and smokes a cigarette. He had always wanted to go to space, but he had some bad luck and it never happened. Cid uses a spear type weapon and strong limit breaks. He’s always ready to give a smart remark to whatever someone says, such as when Cloud says “Let’s Mosey” in the game. The Cids will be here forever!
Vincent - another one of my favourite characters from FF7. He's mysterious, his past is unknown and you'll have to work extra hard to get him in your party. It starts in the Nibelheim/Nivelheim mansion. You’ll need to follow the clues to find a code to the safe. You have to enter the code in very little time, and then you have to face one big bad enemy. And AFTER that, you’ll have to go down open the door to Vincent and say the right lines to get him to join you. Vincent has unique limit breaks, in which he transforms into a powerful monster and you lose control of him whatsoever. He’s almost a zombie.. or a vampire if you will. He has the speech of a poet, confusing words and concepts that not all will understand. But then you start to unravel his past.... and you can see how sad and unfortunate it really was. That's why I took him to fight Hojo... so he could get his revenge >: ) Ahem, but I can’t say too much about that.
That covers the main characters..
**
The music is some of the best in the series. From Jenova's theme, to that song you here when Sephiroth walks away into the flames... it'll tug at your mind telling you how to feel even if you don’t understand why. You'll understand what I mean when you hear it for yourself.. a good piece of the tracks are inspiring masterpieces which were carefully constructed by the musical genius, Nobuo Uematsu. These are the songs you'll remember along with the other classics. Some are catchy, others will amaze you.. and the rest will make you smile, laugh or cry. I love this music, and so will you.. if you know good music when it hits you.
Now the main difference you'll notice in FF7 from FF6 is well, it's in 3-D. Yep, you can now fully explore towns in 3-D. I like the 2-D effect a lot but 3-D is nice I guess. All the characters are polygonal and are on the blocky side (With big cubes for hands as well) but trust me you won't notice while you play – you’ll be distracted by the great gameplay, music, and story. The environments, world map and cities are all detailed and are very colourful. During battle, the characters aren’t too impressive, but they look OK. The limit breaks all look fantastic… especially ones like highwind and omnislash. The FMVs are absolutely breathtaking, but when you see what FMVs FF8 has to offer - you'll forget all of these.. except maybe the one with Sephiroth and Aerith/Aeris.... oops.
The oh-so lovable MP system of FF6 is gone (*sob*) and in place of it is the Materia system. Materia look like little marbles and they fit right into your character's weapons. As you go along and battle more and more your Materia will also gain levels. As your materia advance you'll gain more and more spells to do.. until it becomes a master materia in which it's at its most powerful and can give ''birth'' to new materia of the same type. Certain master materia allow little special things that you'll see : ) There are different types of materia - Magic, Skill, Summon and .. err.. I forgot what the name of those other ones are called. In magic you'll be able to cast spells with different types of materia: there's fire, ice, tornado, meteor etc. Skill materia allow you to use a certain skill during battle. For example Sense allows you to see the enemy's weaknesses, HP, level etc. Summons are like GFs in FF8 and the Espers in FF6. A monster/beast will come to aid you in battle. You can also combine materia, to create your own custom combos. If you bind an elemental and fire materia on your weapon, your weapon will have a fire edge. This way, you can prepare for enemies that are weak against fire! Get it now? There are and endless amount of combinations so you have a lot of choice. These combos basically do what Junctioning does in FF8. I like the materia system, but so far FF6's mp/magicite system is my favourite.
Limit breaks are special techniques that can be pulled off when your character has taken enough damage to really get them angry. These are really cool - and there are hidden limit breaks for every character that'll do A LOT of damage, and look great at the same time. Some of the limit breaks include : Cloud’s Braver, Barret’s Big shot, Cid’s highwind, Yuffie’s Greased lightening and more. Limit breaks can be the deciding factor to the result of a battle. For example: you’re facing a boss. You forgot to save at the last save point and it was a long journey to the boss. You’ve been battling for a long time, you feel the boss is extremely weak – but only one of your characters is left.. and he or she has a limit break ready. What do you do? Do you risk it all and launch the ever powerful limit break? Or do you play it safe and heal yourself or revive your companions? Your hands will be sweating… what should you do?
The chocobo raising aspect of the game is one that'll take skill, time and money. You have to be really devoted to FF7 if you plan on getting your very own Golden Chocobo. It's a long process that'll have you waiting, working and sweating even. You’ll have to catch the perfect chocobo that meets the standards. You'll have to race your chocobos against some of the best racers out there, all with the help of Esther of course. You’ll need to breed your chocobos, to get new chocobos (you go from blue, green, white and so on) and take care of your chocobos to get a golden one but trust me the rewards you get for it are worth it. The Golden chocobo can go anywhere – absolutely anywhere. You want to walk on the ocean? The gold chocobo can do it. They are the ultimate exploring tool.
There are plenty of hidden things and secrets to find in FF7. After you're done with Sephiroth there'll still be plenty of do. You can find all of the hidden best weapons for each character, raise your chocobos, fight the difficult Ruby, Emerald or Ultimate weapons, and buy all those prizes at the golden saucer. There's lots to do - you won't be done with this one for months. And after a long while you might want to play it again. To relive the experience, to finally get Tifa's last limit break, to buy omni slash, to laugh at Cid's lines and to see if there's any possible way to keep Aeris (Don't ask) You'll enjoy this one from beginning to end, unless you're one of those people who just aren't ready for new technology. You can sit and wait, but when you're ready, promise me you'll play FF7. It's a wild ride of fun and emotion.
Scores
Gameplay :: 10
Graphics :: 9
Audio :: 10
Controls :: 10
Replay :: 8.5
Overall :: 9.9
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| Greatest RPG Ever... | | McCheez from Rocket Town says (14/Feb/2003): | Final Fantasy VII is undoubtedly The Best RPG EVER!!! Final Fantasy VII is such A Memorable RPG ... Much better than Kingdom Hearts, which I am still bewildered by the fact that so many people like it. There were So Many Sad Moments , So Many Happy Moments ... Well, let me start off with the Mainness. You must defeat a foe of malice. A Seeker of The Promised Land . "You will get what you want in life, but you will lose something dear." Fortune from Cait Sith I love this RPG so much, I am completely obsessed with Its Greatness . There are a total of nine , count 'em, nine Characters . Here They are: Cloud Strife : Ex SOLDIER , Barret Wallace : AVALANCHE member and leader of AVALANCHE , Tifa Lockhart : Cloud 's Childhood Friend and member of AVALANCHE , Aeris Gainsborough : Flower Girl from The Slums of Midgar , Red XIII ( Nanaki ) : Specimen from Shinra Building , Cait Sith ( Reeve ) : Fortune Teller , Cid Highwind : Pilot , first man in Space , Yuffie Kisaragi : Materia Hunter , Vincent Valentine : Former Turk ... The Character Development in Final Fantasy VII is the best I've ever seen. The personalities of The Characters seem so life like. Oh, the Sadness you'll experience at The End of The First CD ... Final Fantasy VII 's Graphics are Awesome , though most gamers don't like the hooves for arms. The Graphics of Final Fantasy VII may seem quite like something you'd expect from an early 3D game, but they are more. They will absorb you like you are water. The Backrounds in Final Fantasy VII are probably The Greatest I've ever seen. Onto The Storyline ... The Storyline From Final Fantasy VII is The Greatest of ALL TIME... It will leave you in Tears ... Crying for Aeris ... It is also Great because of Its Confusingness... Onto The Music ... Nobuo Uematsu is a genius. He truly is. The Music found in Final Fantasy VII (and most other Fantasy RPG s ) is so Memorable , So Sad , So Inspiring ... The MIDI Form makes it so Great and what It Truly is... Onto The Gameplay... The Gameplay Found In Final Fantasy VII is so Great... This RPG has it all: Tons of Side-Quests , Minigames , rare Items and Materia to find... One of the best parts of the RPG is The Gold Saucer ... There you will find all of the Minigames that you have already played, Battle Square , Chocobo Square , and many other Square s that will entertain you for an eternity. The Minigames include The Motorcycle Game , The Submarine Game , Mog House , The Rock-Paper-Scissors Fighting Game , and The Snowboard Game . Training is a great aspect of Final Fantasy VII ... You'll never get tired of it (well, if you're a training freak like my friend who participated in over 4,000 Final Fantasy VII battles ) ... There are some secret Summons to get, such as Alexander and Knights of The Round Table and Titan and...umm... and All Three Bahamut Summons . There are all types of Materia that you can get. Ex: 2X Cut . ... Well, onto the conclusion of this review... Final Fantasy VII is (in my opinion) tied for best with Final Fantasy III . I don't know why; probably because of Its Classicness ... Final Fantasy VII is filled with both joy and much Sorrow ... It actually IS A CHALLENGE ! When you fellow RPGists think of Final Fantasy VII as a challenge, you probably laugh. But you must probably only be thinking about the Main RPG itself and not all of the Challenging Sub Quests ... Emerald Weapon is tied for the Hardest Boss in The RPG with Ruby Weapon . The Emotions of Final Fantasy VII are Real, and Final Fantasy VII is not a game, it is A Parallel Universe That you live in... In a sense I ghuess. When you see Aeris in The City of The Ancients Praying ... Then The Masamune striking and going through her like, like, like, some sort of evil, you will cry, and mourn for Aeris ... But she will find The Promised Land , as Ifalna says...
| Quite possibly the all time greatest... | | CySt from NYC, NY says (28/Jan/2003): | If ever there was a game that changed the gaming industry, FF7 is definately one of them. To say it simply, a landmark in gaming. I've played hundreds of games...literally, but very few can compare to this one. Although old as it may be, it is still used as a basis of comparason for the newer rpgs. It's constantly refer to in gaming magazines and websites alike. If that's not proof enough of it's greatness, then perhaps the fact that it sold more copies than any other previous game should convince you. This is the one game that encompasses all aspects of RPG and then some. The usage of CGFMV (computer graphic full motion video) is stunning considering how old this game is now. I still enjoy watching the north cannon fire a round through sephiroth's weapon. Oh and how about that last spell from sephi? oh man...nothing has been able to top that one. ok, enough reminiscing, moving on with the review! Graphics: they are great and the cut scenes are fanatastic. Try to keep in mind that this game is not by any means new. The graphics are not up to par with today's standards. However, they are better than nearly all the PS1 games. The sound is way better than most rpgs, actually, I believe they released a sound track for this game...that's a sign of a good sound track. Game play: ok, here is the deal with this, it's turn based tatical game. meaning, your characters take turns to act and cannot act simultaneously. Also, your character cannot move from his position on the field. Not like... Mario 64, where your control movements dictate your character movements. Instead your controls effect what ability, spell, or summon your character uses. All of these actions can be acquired through "Materia". You'll learn more about them during game. Personal note: I know everyone loves the "knights of the round" summon, but for me...it's "bahamut zero" all the way. Not as devastating, but much cooler CG. The Replayability on this game is very high. Once you go through it, you wonder what you missed, in items as well as plot lines. This story line can be very confusing and I've often heard gamers playing it through 2,3, and even 5 times over just to get all the details of the story line...yeah, it's that good. Although, it's the same "Doomsday" scenario, it nonetheless absorbs you into it's world and makes you care for a planet that only exists in digital form...how odd eh? Fun Factor: 10 10 10! I can say it again if you like... The main thing that got me hooked are the "Materia" they are so many different varieties that can do different things and to top it all off, you can link a automated action from a "materia" to another automated action from another "materia", thus providing the means to create some wicked combos. Believe me gamer, you'll be at wonder at the possibilites of power held within the "Materia." As for Originality: I give it a 9...It should be 10, but you know...that whole "doomsday" thing...it's been used too often in games. Value: considering this game is now part of the "classics" series and under $20 bucks. You simply cannot go wrong with this purchase. One word of caution though, be prepared to spend any where from 50-70hrs on this game. It's all a matter of how far you are willing to go to find all the secrets in the game...they are alot of them...I assure you. This game is truly deserving of it's epic title.
| Truly the best game ever! | | Sean from USA says (14/Feb/2003): | This is thy most coolest and funnest game ever! It's not only got a great storyline but great characters too! Red XIII is my favorite, anyone? In my opinion, I think this is better than all of the others, but for the newer ones for PS2, I'm not sure. This is long and fun to keep you entertained, the best disc is the third one. Because you can either go on and beat the game or just leave and fool around the whole entire game. You could train, have different types of transportations. And you also have optional characters, weapons, and bosses. The graphics however aren't that great but it's an old game anyways. I still play this game and probably will for a long time. A must get for your playstation! I heard that may make a FF7 remake but the original is not bad, only the graphics. They shouldn't have different things happening, just newer looking graphics. But it's always the gameplay, not the graphics. One of the best things in this game is the music! Everyone is awesome! This game also is pretty funny because you have choices to say nasty things to your girls who have a crush on you or just act nice. You can even have a choice of kissing a man! This game has everything to keep you entertained. It even has a theme park where you can play games there, battle or go on a ride where you shoot. This game also has very touching parts, some are funny, sad, happy or just plain silly. I'm already starting on my 5th game already, each one I named differently. In my opinion, I would say Ruby and Emerald WEAPON are the hardest bosses but they are optional. Two more others is the Demon's Gate and Sephiroth. You must fight those two, but they're not that difficult to fight. The storyline is that you are hired to help a group of rebels bomb reactors, the reason for you is because of the money. However, throughout the game, you start to do it because of why they are. To save the planet, but then you must face an old friend you fight 5 years ago, on that day. Then your whole mission starts to change, with a party, you go and search for your old friend. You meet newer characters later on in the game, and new opponents. You findout your character's past and how you and your old friend turned into enemies. You will find out all your members' pasts when you meet them or later on. The real question is, will you save the world? Get this game and you won't be disappointed, Squaresoft makes another victory in this game. The opitional characters Yuffie and Vincent are also pretty good too. I don't want to spoil this for you so you're gonna have to learn their pasts yourselves! Everyone has a special that is different, but their last ones are the bests! Also you can have optional materia too, they are real cool to watch too! The music is the thing that matches the emotions at the part of the game, Nobuo Uematsu is a real good musician. Every character has a cool theme of their own, some are peaceful and some are rad. Don't just waste your time reading! Get this game if you want to know more! This game is an ancient, a legend and probably the best of them all!
| Awesome... but not best. | | Kyle M. from Brampton, Ontario, Canada says (9/Jun/2007): | I shall be frank. I adore Final Fantasy VII. I enjoy the plot line, the graphics were excellent for the time, and the characters were very likeable.
Having said that, the gameplay has suffered since Final Fantasy VI.
First of all, I will mention that graphic excellence does not impress me, although Final Fantasy VII does have it in spades. But I hated - I repeat, HATED - the materia system. It had some cool points; linking materia for added effects was cool.
But through the use of materia, the distinctiveness of each character became very limited. Effectively, anyone could do the same things as anyone else, which made the game very boring for me.
I'll give an example: In Final Fantasy VI, there's a level called the Fanatics Tower in which one could only use magic. Therefore, you'd have to be careful which characters you chose to enter it. Your team had to be trained very well in magic spells.
If that same level were in Final Fantasy VII, there would be no strategy needed. Anyone would plausibly be able to equip any magic, leaving any character distinctiveness - in this example, magical ability - in the dust.
*NOTE* After double-checking the review guidelines, I will explain that the reference to Final Fantasy VI was strictly to demonstrate the lack of distinctiveness in character ability in Final Fantasy VII and not as a direct comparison to state inferiority/superiority.
The redeeming factor in this area of gameplay comes from the Limit breaks, this I will admit. A good idea and a well thought-out principle. But that doesn't win back anything substantial for me to counter the game's flaws.
Before critics of this particular criticism come after me with hate mail, I'll ask you: is there any particular REASON, at any point in time, to choose, say, Cait Sith over Barret? Or Yuffie over Red XIII? Given the same materia, in either case, both could have the same abilities besides limit breaks, and it's less of a headache to change materia around. No particular strengths, no particular weaknesses, which is where the gameplay suffers.
I didn't mind the chocobo breeding, though. That was a fun element, as was the racing. But with the exception of collecting materia and finding secrets - and the fact that Vincent is just plain awesome - this game ends up tired and repetitive, and although it certainly captures interest throughout, it's certainly not the best Final Fantasy out there, nor the best RPG.
For the best RPG's, look to the SNES.
--Official Ratings--
Graphics: 10. It was a groundbreaking game graphics-wise, and brought Final Fantasy into the media hype.
Sound: 10. Nobuo Uematsu will always be a musical genius.
Gameplay: 4. For the reasons listed above.
Originality: 7.5. For a game in a long-running series, VII had a high level of ingenuity. As much as I disliked materia, it was certainly very clever.
Storyline: 8. Good, and very deep. Sephiroth as a villain, however, really doesn't impress me that much.
Overall: 7, appropriately enough.
| Square is known for final fantasy games,but out of them all-7 is the best! | | Cloud Strife from Toronto Canada says (6/Dec/2003): | hey-this is my third review on this site. ive done 1 for ff8(i wrote about how much it sucks)and 1 for ff9.i feel good to finnaly do a review for ff7.its my favourite game game ive ever played-its even better than 11.some people believe that ff7 is the first ff game that was ever made-they were unaware that nintendo had its own era of ff games too.when 7 came out it sold a bunch of copies-its even the best ff seller after 6 years.7 introduced many things to the ff series-the limit breaks to themateria system to the 3d graphics to the full motion cinema scenes to the fact of being thefirst cd title. the list goes on and on.ff7 didnt have the best graphics but in every other catogory,ff7 beat all the other ff games.7 was so popular, that square wanted to make a sequel.too bad mr.sakuguchi(the ff7 producer)didnt let them.besides, they were planning to make an ff game even more popular than 7-ff8.however square completly screwed up and 8 didnt make much money(it made less than legend of dragoon!)...8 was a total disaster.people started losing confidence in square- but square had hope in their next title-ff9.again,square screwed up(9 was a great game though)and didnt make as much money as 7 did.squares financal state was getting worse and they wanted to make a sequel to ff7. than again,they had to go on to 10. they were going to make 10-2 when they thought that if 1 sequel succeeds,another might.10 brought ALOT of money(not as much as 7 though).when ff10-2 came to japan it was a hit(again,not as popular as 7 though).so they decided to make ff7-2.however-they did something diffrent-its gonna be a movie.its awesome.i saw a clip of it, it had lots of action.there you go.there is the history of 7 and the beginning of 7-2.now lets get on with the main thing-how ff7 is today.ff7 is a great game(not in terms of graphics though).ff7 had the best story,sounds,music,gameplay,characters,battle system,customization,equipment customization and full motion cinema scenes(in terms of action,tragedy,backgrounds and parts of the story.)ff7 continues to sell even as i type and as you read this.its a greatest hits psx game.youll even find it in the best holiday gift guide today....and i bet,that by the time im my grandfather's age,ff will live on and 7 will still be the best seller and have ,like 50 sequels.now if they make a sequel to ff8 im gonna freakout and someonell bankrupt square for that piece of crap that they made called ff8...an ff game? no way.now ,about 7....well i guess i dont have words that are good enough to describe this great game(i have words to describe how much 8 sucks though).
| Absolutely fantastic. | | Sephiroth from London, England says (10/Mar/2004): | This game is, without a doubt, the best game I have EVER played. It's the game that got me into the Final Fantasy genre - before buying this game in 1997, I was a casual, slightly-moronic gamer, obsessed with driving games and shoot-'em-ups. I bought FF7 because a friend told me it was an awesome driving game (sad, huh? - I didn't even check the box or ask anyone about it, I took him at face value), and I was dissapointed as hell when I found out I had 'wasted' 30 pounds. But I was determined to find a silver lining in this dark cloud (get it? CLOUD? ^.^), and I began playing that very night. I was hooked. I played it for almost ten hours straight, and I still hadn't nearly finished the first disc. The characters are perfect - none of them are cliched or unrealistic. Cloud isn't the typical vision of a Hero - not the butt whompin' hero wielding a magical blade, but a skinny, spiky-haired guy with psychological problems and an enormous sword. Barret isn't the typical vision of a 'sidekick' - an overweight black guy with a gun grafted onto his hand and a hatred unequalled regarding the Shinra corporation. The only 'cliched' character is Vincent Valentine, and that doesn't really matter because he kicks butt anyway (think black-cloaked guy with a creepy voice who can turn into a demon at will, and you've pretty much got it). So that's what got me at first - the sheer originality.
But that's not all! The game itself is so remarkably huge. It took me almost 40 hours to finish it on my first go, and I was so mesmerised by the end sequence and final battle with Sephiroth (the coolest villain OF ALL TIME, in by opinion. How can you not love him? Black-cloaked, silver-haired, masamune-wielding lunatic who gradually mutates into a foul parody of an Angel, all the time messing with the good guys minds and sneakily trying to drivem the group apart), that I began the game all over again, just for kicks. The music is superb, the fun factor is practically unequalled, and the graphics - though not perfect - are enjoyable enough, and become near-perfect in the cut sequences. I would advise ANYONE who likes RPGs - and anyone who doesn't! - to buy this game immeadiately. It came out 7 years ago (ironic, huh?) and it STILL beats most games into sheer pulp when it comes to RPGs.. or any other type of game.
BUY IT.
| I am still... At a loss of words. | | Michael from South Seaville, NJ, U.S. of A says (16/Aug/2003): | Back in good ol' '97 when I first got this game. I didn't think much of it. I wasn't into RPG's at the time. I loaded it up. Died my first boss battle. I was slaughtered... The popeye like arms and the stubby like bodys didn't do the game any justice at the time. A While past... I played it again, And played it... And Played it. After a while, The game captivated me. It drew me in... like a mindless golem. I had to play it. No, I needed to play it. The Characters to the music. It was all... Everything I needed in a game. The Story line.. offers so much. Love, Sadness, Hate, War, Confusion, Trust, Loyalty... I can go on. Even the Popeye like arms and the Stubby characters grew on me. Giving it this unique look to it. The Battle System, Beautiful graphics for it's time. Right down to every summon in battle. Not to mention that the Battle music and Boss battle music ROCK! No, no... The Entire Sound track rocks. I haven't played a game were I liked the entire sound track. But Now, Through this game, I can say I LOVE the sound track. And I also say... From beginning to end.. This game will keep you coming back for me. So many Unique characters... Two of which are hidden. A game with alot of side quests is a good game to me. Which, This game does offer alot of Side quests. Two of them being Defeating Emerald and Ruby weapon. Which a alot tougher than the last battle with The Fallen Angel. Stunning and Amazing the FMV's were for it's time. The Materia Idea had to be the best Idea for Equiping Magic and the Support commands. I've never seen a game that truely comes close to me saying I loved the Battle system completely and entirely. There isn't much I can say, I am still in awe from this game. I can't stay on one topic for too long. And I'm jumping around too much. I'll sum it up... This game is godly like. Not to mention you can take Advantage of the W-Item materia. Hahaha. But, this game is a must have... No, You need to get it right now! Go! Now! If you don't have it! Get it now! Go on! What are you waiting for!? Go! Go! Go!!!!!!!!!
| The Greatest Game Ever Created | | David Leeming from Cleveland, England says (17/Feb/2003): | Final Fantasy 7 has to be the greatest game ever created, it always had the potential to go to the top, a true masterpiece in gaming history. In the game you follow the adventures of Cloud, an ex-member of the evil group Soldier. Rescently Cloud quit Soldier and joined Avalanche, a group of outlaws trying to free Midgar City from Shinra & Soldier. The leader of Avalanche, Barret, a tough, arrogant man escapes midgar city with Cloud, Tifa (the local bar maid & member of Avalanche) Aeris (he local flower seller), and Red XII (a sort of lion thing that can talk). As they embark on their journey, Clouds strange past starts to catch up with him, visions of his home and the one they call Sephiroth- a schitzophrenic madman with only one desire, to become a god. As you make your way through the various countries and lands, you make new friends: Cid (a gone to pot ex-pilot with a smoking addiction),Yuffie (a theif to put it plainly), and the mysterious Vincent (a man turned into a sort of mutant by the evil dr Hojo). Your journey is filled with battles and sub-quests. When in a battle you get the option of weather to attack or use magic. If you attack, you use your weapon (bought at local stores). If you use magic, you activate your materia, which are small spheres that slot into your weapons, the materia level up with AP, which can be obtained in battle, when they level up, they make stronger spells (i.e Bolt --> Bolt2 --> Bolt3 --> MASTER). The final battle is with the mad schitzophrenic Sephiroth, who has become a 1/2 god, when you defeat him he becomes a full god. Then, after that battle, he (seems) dead. But Clouds soul goes into one last battle to truly save the world from him & Meteor. The cut-scenes are fantastic, the game is long, the battles are good, the concept is GREAT, the whole story is magnificent beyond beleif, and Hironobu Sakaguchi is an absolute genious. Anyone who hasnt experienced the fantasy of this game should get straight to your nearest game shop and spend a tenner on this 3disked game. Pure genious.
| Final Fantasy 7: Best game on the planet??? I think so!! | | Steven Y. from Cabot, AR USA says (29/Jun/2004): | just to get one point across to all of you people who "dislike" this game b/c of graphics... its on the original playstation...!!! duh the graphics are gonna be kinda bad! but you cannot argue that this has the best plot and hardest monsters out of all of the final fantasy games! PLOT: ok you are an ex- soldier who joins a group of rebels to try and defeat a group that you were once in!!!! how ironic! MONSTERS: well for one thing the first thing you do when you get off of the train at the begging of the game is what??? BATTLE!!!! you meet up with barret and get into a battle right off! the adrrenaline rushes because you dont know what to do (if you havent played before)... and you choose to attack! 2 hits and the soldier falls! the next soldier attacks you and you counter with a lightning magic spell... how cool!!!! anyway back to monsters being harder... just a comparison!!! final fantasy 8 final boss ultimicia is hard only because she has 4 forms... and thats not even that difficult! the hardest monster in final fantasy 8 is without a doubt omega weapon... which is also easy if you know a good strategy (aura, holy war, limit, eden) very easy and should only take you 25 to 30 minutes!!! after playing the game over and over i have gotten it down to an art of 10 minutes!!! back to final fantasy 7... sephiroth is not too hard but is still harder than ultimicia!!! emerald weapon isnt to difficult but OMG ruby weapon can and will kick a veterans a$#!!! it took me so many tries to defeat him and then finally i came up with a great strategy!!! and it still takes me 20 minutes at a minimum to defeat him!!!!! still longer than omega in 8!!! so i guess all in all you could say that i "dont have any good reasons" or something like that... but think about this...final fantasy 7 the first game on playstation and look what evoled from it (8,9,10,11) so just chew on that for a while!!!!! thank you for your time
oh yeah the movies are so much better in 7!!!! and they are making a sequal and a motion picture!!!
steven y.
| Final Fantasy 7...one of the greatest games of all time...(except FF9, it sucks) | | Fer from Maywood, United States says (9/Apr/2004): | I recently read a comment about Final Fantasy 7. Some stupid lowlife retard said what was the point of the date scene in FF7. Dude, if you can't handle a little romance, I don't know what's happening. He claims to be a "hardcore Final Fantasy fan," but all I saw was some stupid f< remove me > at #$ face who seems to be gay. Come on, a story has to have a bit of everything right. If it was just plain serious throughout the entire game, it just wouldn't seem realistic. Well, with that said, those who can't stand a little romance, either are stupid and gay or haven't gone through puberty yet. That's right you guys heard me! (wow that felt great) Anyway, the game was awesome and everything about it was great. But, see, I can't give two games the rating of 10. Nope. This game is very cool with the incredible storyline and the freak'in kick ass hell villain Sephiroth. Very nice. I enjoyed the movies and all the boss battles. What I think this game did a good job in was explaining the pasts of each individual character. I liked the all the music from the game (Nobuo Uematsu, you've done it!) and I really enjoyed the ending. I like endings that leave with questions and wanting more. What good is a game if it gives you all the answers and you can't think about it on your own. Unless your stupid and can't figure out things. I am about to say the only thing I thought about this game sucked. The final battle with Sephiroth. Too easy. At least in FF8 you had to take on Ultimecia, then Greiver(the strongest summon/GF in Squall's mind) the combination of Ultimecia and Greiver and finally Ultimecia in her final form. In FFX, see that ending was kick ass cause you fight your summons, Jecht, Seymour for the last time and Yu Yevon. But overall, FF7 stands (in my opinion) next to FFX. FF8 being my most favorite FF till now. Buy this, you'll love it damn it!! Buy it NOW!!!(I got mine for $13 bucks!) Email me for any questions or comments!
| Hey This Game is The Best game I have ever owned & played | | Joseph Balotti from Missouri, USA says (12/Sep/2004): | This game is totally awesome compared to the other Final Fantasy series. I totally believe that this game is out of this world I would reccomend it for starters of the series. Sure some of you are saying that the graphics are bad and the conversation is silent and that's fine because the only thing that is horribly programed is the combat programming. These next five scentences are for people whohave already beaten or are at the end of the game. If you need any information on how to get the (Knight's of the Round Summon)or any of the other materia that requiers a green, blue, black, and gold chocbos email me ok. The only thing that I seriously dislike about the game is the American creatures that's right the Ruby and Emerald weapons they're unstopable has anyone beaten them tell me your secret on beating them please because I have every materia required to do so. Those of you who loved using Aeris because of her limit breaks that help the party will be fun to use in battle becuase I'm going to tell you that she uses a limit break called PLANET PROTECT which in my experience of using it is a boss destoyer because it protects you from anything and I mean anything, but it's just to bad because Aeris is only useable in the first disc which pissed me off when I first played the game because she was my favorite character to use when she got to her third limit break. This game also has some super powerful materia that includes the legendary and almighty KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND which by the way beats the last boss in the game in about 2 casts. I don't if anyone has beaten the game but man is it awesome I am not saying because I want to brag about how I got the almighty summon but that I love the story line and the battles but this game is good to play instead of doing homework and is good for any body. Oh! I almost forgot the only ultimate Limit Break I had ever gotten was Cloud's Omnislash.
| The Best Game Ever Made In RPG History | | Neo_Squall from Malaysia says (25/Jul/2002): | Welcome to the world of Final Fantasy VII
Prepare to explore a world of black destruction and unimaginable beauty. Wander through dripping sewers, abandoned towns, and ancient forests.Bustling cities stand high above the slums they have created on a plate supported by pillars, forever shunning the poverty and ruination from view. Despite the yet untouched breathtaking splendor on the outskirts of the planet or the candy colored, plastic facade of the Las Vegas style commerce center, this is a world without hope of tomorrow.The mega-conglomerate Shinra, Inc. has stranglehold over the planet's natural resources through their Mako Reactors, which permanently leach the essential life-force from the land. A few rebel groups have been formed to fight these sinister forces. The most powerful of these groups, AVALANCHE, includes some of the strongest, cleverest and most passionate fighters the world has seen, all of whom have lost something of personal value to the evil corporation or perhaps have suffered even greater indignities.With the addition of their newest member, Cloud Strife, a former Shinra SOLDIER, AVALANCHE may just be primed to win back control of the world. Prepare for terrorism, cross dressing, a train graveyard, a city sized amusement park, fortune telling, animal racing, stealing, snow boarding, and the fight of Cloud's life, which will take you deep inside the planet. You will travel to the bitterest frozen tundra, an exotic island resort, an ancient forest, a village made of giant bones, numerous caves, and Cloud's hometown. Don't fret if you start hearing voices in your head, Cloud suffers from partial amnesia as a result of a horrible event in his past. Cloud is searching for his childhood hero, the legendary Sephiroth, who seems to have disappeared off the face of the planet.
| the best game period!!!!!!!!!!! | | Eric Mederos from covington georgia,usa says (29/Mar/2004): | this game is the best of all final fantasy games. much better then that piece of crap final fantasy x. to me i think this game is the longest and most addicting final fantasy game square enix (squaresoft) ever made.the game play is a perfect 10. the music is very catchy and will be in your head forever and ever.the graphics are good for a playstation but the people look like they have bumb bells for arms but is still cool lookin.you get a bunch of weapons and you can name all your characters ( i named my barret donkey kong haha lol). and the boss of the whole game is setheroth the coolest of all the bosses you could fight and no other final fantasy has except losers like... all who cares. you can even play in an arcade which is cool.you get to snow board and ride motorcycles. there's a lot of machines to ride like a buggy or suberine which is cool and also you can ride chocobo's (cubby chocobo = if you don't now what that means then never mind). there is a whole bunch of summons too like ifret and shiva and a whole bunch of other ones to find and use.if you don't like rpg's and you play this you'll will love it no matter what its so fun and i recommend that everyone who reads this to go out and buy it. it's a must have game that everyone should have.if you don't have a ps2 and don't won't one then get a ps1 instead ($30).it will ony cost $50 to get ff7 and psx trust me its that good. so no excuses peoples just get it or else be a loser like everyone else who says this game sucks (which is not a lot of people and very rare for anyone to say it sucks).
graphics:10 (for psx)
gameplay:10
sound:10
lifespan:10
fun factor:10
value:10
perfect 10's
p.s. final fantasy 10 sucks and is a peace of stinkin crap so there hahahahahah
| this game is now a part of me | | Liquid from USA says (30/Aug/2003): | back at 1998 my uncle had his playstation over the house so I decided to go over to block buster and rent a game and there it was brand new and unstoppable FF7.I rent it and I played it it was awsome I only got to where you must take aries to some big town I never got there.1 year later me and my dad decided to buy a playstation he got madden and I got what I wanted to have FF7 so I styarted a new game because I never had a memory card back then now I made it through and believe me you will never have a better adventure then this even though they may make better and more fun rpg games in the future but you must execpt the fact that the one that started it all was this game.When I saw barrets friends die in that explosion I was in tears (I don't care trust me you would do the same thing)then when the I saw the past of sephiroth I was scared after I saw that man beat the crap out of those monsters. then.........when I saw aries die I never been more sad and vengeance in my life.later then I found out about cloud not what he really was that was freaky.then when I found out he was the one who beat the crap out of sephiroth I was surpised!!!!!.Then when it came down to just me and sephiroth when I was about to kill him once and for all I thought about everybody.cloud aries,Especially Tifa,the group ,jesse wedge biggs(dudes those names have been familar almost every game if you think about it)when it was finally over I didn't want to think about it I wanted this game to keep going forever but then in the end you always have to say goodbye to these legends ,heros,friends.God thank you for bringing these legends to our hearts and mabye one day one day we can say hi once again until then rest easy heros and thank you for the good times.
| A Revolutionary Game | | Chrono Serge from Warner Robins, GA USA says (7/May/2002): | Final Fantasy VII, the first on the PS one console, revolutionized the series and made the PS one the leader in video game consoles. Okay, it had some help from other games, but FF VII still had a hand in doing it. With FF VII’s stunning graphics, unforgettable characters, and amazing FMVs and cutscenes, it made everyone who played it fall in love with the Final Fantasy series. The new and amazing materia system was a new approach to the franchise, and it is, in my opinion, the best way that Squaresoft has represented magic in the series.
The storyline starts off with a rebel group called AVALANCHE hiring a mercenary named Cloud to help them blow up Mako reactors, which suck out the planet’s life force, Mako. The story grows deeper and more conflicts arise the further along you get into the story. Many new characters are met, better magic and limit breaks are acquired, and unanswered questions are answered, even if the answer isn’t exactly what you were looking for. Unpredictability and the emotions that the characters pour out make it one of the favorites among fans of the series.
If you don’t own this masterpiece, it is imperative that you get it into your collection. And with it costing less than $20, there is absolutely no reason to pass this game up. Go out to your nearest gaming store (Wal-Mart is the most reliable place) and pick this one up! You’ll be glad you did.
Games are rated on a 5-point scale. Each point is associated with a separate category, which are: G: graphics; L: load times; R: replay value; P: playability; and G: gameplay. Each category can receive either a full point (1.0), one half of a point (0.5), or no points (0). Get the picture?
G L R P G
10 10 10 10 10
| Who is Spear-a-moth? Read on to find out. | | Chris and Adam from Donegal, Ireland says (3/Mar/2001): | We're back!!! Funny enough we reveiwed FF8 first because we had nothing better to do.Now we have finished FF7 again(in 2 weeks) we are well equiped to write this review.People who dis the graphics of FF7 really have no standard of gaming.It enhances the fantasy aspect of the game.People who complain about the post-modern punk graphics of the game can't see the game for what it is...or they are idiots(like our girlfriends,don't tell them we said that)The plot is breathtaking,better than a Hollywood production.It revolves around a group of eco-terorists,the mega evil company Shinra,and the worlds greatest soilder,now presumed dead Sephiroth (or spear-a-moth as C.Q once called him.) For a few hours at the start of the game,the game is limited to the city of Midgar,but latter expands to a massive world-map.As the game progresses,you get an insight into the characters past.At the end off disk 1 a major charecter dies,but we won't spoil it for you.(aeris R.I.P.)whoops sorry.If you didn't want to find that out you shouldn't have read the last line (no more spoilers...hopefully) It also has entertainment aspects such as chocobo-breeding,raceing and betting.Many of these aspects can be found in the Gold Saucer e.g snow-boarding,submarine challange,and the greatest game ever,Mog House(ha ha ha hardly) Finally the FMV of sephiroth walking through the flames of the burning Nibelheim village left us wide-eyed and amazed.
This has been another successful (hopefully) review brought to you by Chris and Adam at Chris's house. Were off to 'correct' C.Q on his Sephiroth problem. More reviews comming soon,keep watching those pages to find out what were playing at the moment.
| FFVII- The Best Game ever | | Tom from Sussex Co. NJ, USA says (6/Aug/2003): | FFVII is the best game ever. Sure the graphics aren't too great...but what lacks there is made up in the gameplay. I started the Final Fantasy series when FF9 came out. I wuz in the store one day and saw FFVII...took a risk and bought it. It was the best game I have ever played! The characters rule...you get to know some stuff about their pasts (not all though which makes it good!). Sephiroth is also great. The best villain in Final Fantasy. I swear, I never get tired with that game (I beat it on 9 different files). My first file is the best thou (gold choco, most master materia...4 star KOTR summon...lots of gil). Materia is also the best thing ever created. Then the two optional bosses, Ruby and Emerald weapon, provide challenge for the most experienced players. I have conquered the Emerald Weapon, but the Ruby Weapon seems impossible. Oh well, I keep trying...(at least you have a chance to beat them unlike Ozma in final fantasy 9. Those who have faced him know what I mean. Damn that Curse!). This brings me to the places and music of 7. The places are all good and interesting, the music for each really sets a mood for the game. Hopefully 7 will continue to be the best game around. I do not like one thing about the game though, the fact that Aeris dies. She is one of the best characters in the game. I can't beleive that Square kills her! Other than that I would give FF7 an infanite rating because no other RPG can compare to it! For those who haven't experienced this game, my best wishes are for you to go buy it. You won't regret it!
| wow! The best RPG ever? | | LittleJoe from London says (19/Aug/2003): | Wow. Squarsoft have done a great job. When ff7 was released, it was the first ff on the playstation. No one knew what to expect especially one of the greatest rpg's of all time.
The story follows Cloud, a mercenary, caught up in a struggle to save the planet from ultimate destruction. The plot has many twists and with many different characters and bosses, enemies etc, the stroy is very original and adds to FF7's greatness.
The graphics are a bit out dated but they were ground breaking when it was first released. The characters blocky hands makes the game less defined and players will have to use their imagination.
The music has got to be one of ff7's greatest assets. The tunes are simply fantastic. To prove this you can download the songs on mp3 and even get ringtones! In my opinion this has the greatest music out of the whole ff series. Fantastic!
The life span has got to be several weeks, which is truly amazing! Tons of sidequests, monsters, areas to explore, items to collect, mini games, you can even buy your own villa! The game is great to be re-played aswell because there are mini tasks like marching in the parade that can be improved. I must have completed this game about 6 times already. Great lifespan!
The gameplay is unique. Magic is equipped and un-equipped using spheres known as materia. This makes it great fun customising your characters abilities. The battles are fantastic with great user friendly menu's.
In summary, ff7 is without a doubt the greatest RPG of all time! Great music! Great Story! Great Life! Great Game!
| Pure class! | | john the great from reading england says (3/May/2004): | final fantasy 7 is the best game i've ever played, the best game in the series (but they are all amazing) and the best game ever!. final fantasy 7 is a very exciting,funny,interesting game. it is exciting from the first cut-scene to the final cut-scene. this game has everything you've got the main game with one of the best storylines ever and you have the gold saucer which has funny and fun mini-games also during the game you have some hilarious side-quests e.g. in the slums at midgar you hav 2 dress up as a women just to save one of your allies!. the characters on this game have interesting history's as well as cool and powerfull limit breaks and each charatcer has a vast selection of great weapons such as the heavens cloud, there is lots of magic you can use as well as some amazing soummon monsters like bahumut, there is also well crafted bosses and monsters. the only downside to this game is obviously the graphics but i'd still give this game full marks thanks to the interesting storyline and gameplay but im sure if this game was re-released on ps2 it would be easily one of the best games of all time. i urge any hardcore gamer like my self to buy this game as it is fun,funny and exciting you will have hours of fun on this massive game and if you want my advise after completing this game you should buy the guide because there is so much hidden things in the game you would need the guide just to make sure you've got everything but i'd bet you wouldnt have. in conclusion you would never get bored of this game so buy now its also cheap!.
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