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    Final Fantasy VII

    Game » consists of 20 releases. Released Jan 31, 1997

    The seventh numbered entry in the Final Fantasy franchise brings the series into 3D with a landmark title that set new industry standards for cinematic storytelling. Mercenary Cloud Strife joins the rebel group AVALANCHE in their fight against the power-hungry Shinra Company, but their struggle soon becomes a race to save the entire Planet from an impending cataclysm.

    Is FF7 any good?

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    kishinfoulux

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    Yes it's the best Final Fantasy.

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    cmblasko

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    Sure, lots of people like it, it's lauded by critics... good game.

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    newmoneytrash

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    It's far from the best final fantasy, but has the first 3D final fantasy it's incredible

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    IceNDice

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    The hardcore FF fans will tell you that FF 7 is the most overrated piece of trash to ever exist. They're right, but it's not that bad as they are making it seem. I mean if you played FF 9 and the other good ones, then play this, it's a solid game, the rpg elements are great, the story is not bad, a little cliche but this FF is better then anything they have put out in the last couple of years.

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    soimadeanaccount

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    For people that said FF7 story is bad, I really want to know what games they consider to have a good story, and how many of those games are out there...

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    shiftymagician

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    Yea it's good but to enjoy it you basically need to not be sensitive to dated graphics, make mental concessions for poor translation to parse the story and understand the well-meaning character development for the time. Also if you are okay with PS1 sound chip soundtracks, FF7 definitely has one of the most memorable soundtracks of the series in my opinion (PS: The thought of the FF7 Remake making orchestrations of that soundtrack makes my head want to explode with happiness imo). Also there is a little bit of depth to be found in the materia system and in general the secrets are usually fairly challenging but fair, generally not requiring a guide to figure it out. There might be a couple of unfair secrets but I can't remember atm but I don't believe any secrets in FF7 were as bullsthit as stuff like not opening arbitrary chests spanning most of the game to acquire an ultimate weapon in FF12 for no explainable reason. Fucking dumb that was though I found some fun in FF12 anyway.

    I played this game for the overall audio-visual experience with serviceable game mechanics that FF7 delivered to me in spades back when I played it, rather than to fulfill a mental need to press buttons to see enemies die with a plot to act as a motivator to keep playing. If you're mind is open to new experiences and you want to see an interesting period piece, you can't go wrong with FF7 regardless of what mixed internet reactions are giving you. Otherwise move on and play some more modern games though I can't think of any alternatives to you atm.

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    CheapPoison

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    All this people who are dishing Final Fantasy IX need to get real.
    9 is where it is at!

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    amafi

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    Nah, it's a Bad Game. Bad writing, bad plot, bad pacing, bad characters, bad combat systems, bad melodrama, bad voice acting, bad localization, bad art direction AND bad art execution. It's not as bad as FF x-2 or anything, but it's nowhere near as good as 6. And I kinda hate 6 too.

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    Crysack

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    For people that said FF7 story is bad, I really want to know what games they consider to have a good story, and how many of those games are out there...

    As far as JRPGs go, the story isn't half bad. I guess the issue is that, in the grand scheme of RPGs, JRPGs tend to be quite derivative from a storytelling perspective.

    That being said, I won't pretend that FF7 wasn't a spectacular game for its time.

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    TwoLines

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    #110  Edited By TwoLines

    Yes. It's a good game. Very nicely presented, interesting characters, fantastic music and a fun battle system. Aged pretty poorly though, there are long lulls in the gameplay and the graphics... well, they have anvils for hands.

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    Zelyre

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    It was great. At the time. But, it's aged really poorly. The translation, which was excusable on the SNES when JRPGs were as niche as the laser disk Tenchu Muyos at Suncoast was pretty bad. The summons are cool, once or twice. But man, I hope you like watching that 30 second KOTR summon, because you'll be watching that a lot!

    The art style was all over the place. You had overworld characters, in battle characters, in map characters, CG characters, CG2 characters, and they all looked different. I understand needing an in-game model and a CG model, but the CG characters went from high detailed to low-detail.

    Though, if you could only play one mid-late 90's JRPG, it should be Chrono Trigger. Not FF7.

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    blackichigo

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    Yes.

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    Corvak

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    Ah, FF7. And by extension, PS1 era Final Fantasy.

    I think they're great games, but products of their time. Much of the bad translation is fixed in the ports. It's not the second coming of christ many hold it up as, and it's not the garbage pile others say it is.

    Do you like JRPGs, or RPGs of that era? If yes, I would say grab it on the steam sale, and make your own decision.

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    soimadeanaccount

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    @crysack: Interesting, I have the exact opposite experience with stories in games. During that era I honestly can't remember that many games having a focus on story. RPGs were nearly the only games out there with that. I can't even get into western rpgs all that much, I find them lacking, there were choices, more "open," and naturally dialog and voices were superior, but jrpgs were the only ones with overarching stories that I found really engaging.

    Eventually all games start to have more focus on story and I guess that's when jrpgs start to fall off.

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    BradBrains

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    #117  Edited By BradBrains

    I think any game with this much of a fanbase is gonna have its group that go to the extreme of both sides.

    ff7 isnt a bad game but its a relatively boring one and a huge step down in storytelling from the last couple games in the series where games like 6 had interesting and unique characters 7 using far to much cliched storytelling and melodrama.

    gameplay is serviceable but in some places really slow.

    the localization is also really bad.

    9 is the 3d fantasy game to go for. none of the ps1 games are perfect but 7 is probably the worst of the 3.

    though I dont think anyone can defend ff8's stupid "we were friends since we were kids but forgot for some reasonall forgot" ending reveal .

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    blackichigo

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    @amafi said:

    Nah, it's a Bad Game. Bad writing, bad plot, bad pacing, bad characters, bad combat systems, bad melodrama, bad voice acting, bad localization, bad art direction AND bad art execution. It's not as bad as FF x-2 or anything, but it's nowhere near as good as 6. And I kinda hate 6 too.

    FF7 had voice acting?!

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    DT9k

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    I really liked it at the time, but it was also the first RPG I'd ever played. I went back through it relatively recently and enjoyed myself, but I am almost certain a lot of that was nostalgia.

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    ghost_cat

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    I like the poor translation. It's hilarious and gives it an unintentional charm. But that snowboard minigame SUUUUUUUUUCKS.

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    sodapop7

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    #121  Edited By sodapop7

    I played it then and a number of times over the years since and it's great. 4, 7 and 9 are probably my favorites and 7 is definitely worth playing.

    Maybe I don't read super carefully but I've never had a problem with the translation through any of the times I've played it.

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    pyrodactyl

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    #122  Edited By pyrodactyl

    It is a dated ass game with a terrible story and a combat system that is complete garbage for more than half the total length of the game. It is one of the worst final fantasy games.

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    NorthSarge

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    I believe FF7 is well worth playing. That being said so are the other PS1 FF games - they are all pretty great and each did amazing things in gigantic scope.

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    deactivated-5bf47a52ab2a3

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    @lawgamer said:

    I find it's easiest to think of main-line Final Fantasy games sort of like family members - they all adhere to certain archetypes;

    FF6: The family patriarch. His portrait hangs in the front hall of the family mansion. People respect him because he was the first to make the family business really successful and because dammit, back in his day people took the time to do things right the first time. If he were still alive, he could probably do a better job running the company than his kids.

    FF7: The son who took over the family business after his dad died and made the company even more successful. Still, behind his back people say he isn't that great and wouldn't have amounted to anything if it weren't for the old man. He also refuses to modernize himself, which leads to people saying he's out of touch.

    FF8: The goth kid who constantly talks about death and the futility of life. When people come over, he hides in his room and plays music really loud because NO ONE UNDERSTANDS HIM!!!

    FF9: The middle-child. Passably smart, reasonably successful and in a stable marriage with two kids. Most people like him, even if they forget about him pretty quickly. Has a lot of good ideas, but gets ignored because he's too quiet and the rest of his family is bat-shit insane.

    FF10: The once-attractive blonde who runs the company with her brother FF7. She's vain and starting to show her age, so she recently had a lot of plastic surgery. Gets by on personality, but is actually kind of shallow. Insists that it is she, not her brother, who is most responsible for the company's success.

    FF10-2: The crazy aunt, sister to FF10. She's fairly ditzy and doesn't care so much about her appearance. Also may randomly take her clothes off. Although no one admits to liking her more than her sister, they secretly think she's more fun at parties.

    FF12: The smart child who refused to join the family business and got a Master's degree in International Relations instead. Really smart, but bores people at family gatherings discussing dependency theory and extolling the virtues of Marxism.

    Everyone tries to ignore FF13. She's adopted.

    Okay, now, list the FF games as members in the Belmont dynasty.

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    RagingFlower

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    What a can of worms this freaking topic is. There's clearly no right answer to this question. It's fun to watch though, I can see why Brad constantly incites FF riots

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    oraknabo

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    #126  Edited By oraknabo

    It's very good, but even at the time, Suikoden 2 was better. I'd rather have a HD/3D remake of that.

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    deactivated-60dda8699e35a

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    @laxbro19 said:

    For reference,I just turned 21 and I was way to young to have PS1 so I never played it when it came out. I've also never played a Final Fantasy game or a JRPG before and wanted to know if I could still have a good time with it even 17 years after its' release. I would be getting the VITA version for 10 dollars if that helps inform any opinions on the matter. Thanks for you time and happy commenting.

    At this point I recommend waiting for the remake to come out in 3-4 years and play that instead. To counter everyone else in this thread though: FF7 is a good game. Is it the best of the Final Fantasy franchise? Personally I don't think so, but it's still fantastic in what it does.

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    BelowStupid

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    #128  Edited By BelowStupid

    This is the only JRPG I've beaten. I played it for the first time on my ps1 in 2012 and I really enjoyed it. I like the setting of a dirty industrial future a lot more than a typical dungeons and dragons setting. All the problems with this game are a product of it being 17 years old ( graphics, stiff controls, translation ) but I really enjoyed playing it even the graphics ( I like the art style of desperately attempting to make something out of basic shapes, without it looking like it was made from basic shapes )

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    pyrodactyl

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    @random45 said:
    @laxbro19 said:

    For reference,I just turned 21 and I was way to young to have PS1 so I never played it when it came out. I've also never played a Final Fantasy game or a JRPG before and wanted to know if I could still have a good time with it even 17 years after its' release. I would be getting the VITA version for 10 dollars if that helps inform any opinions on the matter. Thanks for you time and happy commenting.

    At this point I recommend waiting for the remake to come out in 3-4 years and play that instead. To counter everyone else in this thread though: FF7 is a good game. Is it the best of the Final Fantasy franchise? Personally I don't think so, but it's still fantastic in what it does.

    FF7 is not even close to the best final fantasy game. It's also extremely dated, the story is bad and the whole combat/materia system doesn't get going until near the end, like 50 hours in.

    Anyone who hasn't played a JRPG before should go with FF6 or Persona 4. High watermarks of the genre instead of some PS1 game that aged poorly.

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    Kumatose

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    #130  Edited By Kumatose

    @soimadeanaccount said:

    For people that said FF7 story is bad, I really want to know what games they consider to have a good story, and how many of those games are out there...

    Strictly sticking to JRPGs released on the PS1, I would cite Persona 2, Valkyrie Profile, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (originally a Super Famicom game, but first localized for the PS1) as having far superior stories to any of the numbered Final Fantasy games.

    I think the fact that so many people continue to praise Final Fantasy 7 for its story -- probably because it was one of the first text-heavy games they played -- is one of the reasons the backlash against it has been so vociferous. Heck, even the Wikipedia article on "Video games as an art form" lists Final Fantasy 7 as the sole JRPG representative when any of the four games I mentioned above possess more artistic merit and do more to demonstrate the narrative potential of JRPGs.

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    Sagalla

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    #131  Edited By Sagalla

    I'm pretty confident most of the love for ff7 comes from people who discovered the genre with it. The setting was interesting but it is pretty uneven and quirky things that might of been endearing back then are just awful now. If you want to go back and play a classic JRPG on a portable system now try something like Suikoden or Persona, you will have more fun with those

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    nok

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    #132  Edited By nok

    First hour or two in midgar are pretty good and start to set up what could be a pretty great story, then it gets really boring. That's just my take, yeah some of the summons and cutscenes were amazing for the time but it does not hold up well.

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    Rahf

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    #133  Edited By Rahf

    Many opinions that don't seem to consider their own experiences. Here's my take:

    - I was a child and loved it.

    - My first language is not English.

    - FF7 was the first Final Fantasy for a majority of European gamers.

    *Edit* Dangit, now I want to play Suikoden 2.

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    matatat

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    #134  Edited By matatat

    I like Final Fantasy 7 a lot. It's probably my favorite JRPG ever. The hardest part to go back to (and honestly frustrated me at the time) are the graphics mixed with the controls. The graphics themselves are kinda lame but I have a fondness for them fueled by the place in my heart it holds. But there were many times when it was confusing to figure out where to go, or just constantly walking against walls to try and figure out parts that you could walk past. The story is pretty generic "save the day" bullshit, but it is nuanced in some of its arcs. It deals with greed and themes of environmentalism and I think the elements of Cloud's confused past are kinda interesting. BY FAR the best thing about Final Fantasy 7 are the locales. I have never played a game since that gave me the same sense of wonder I had going through the world. However I should preface this by saying that I really like settings that take inspiration from modern day. There is plenty of stuff to find that is high fantasy or sci-fi, but I felt like FF7 managed to strike that balance in a way that just really jived with me. FF6 was still pretty high fantasy-ish and FF8 went a little too sci-fi with it as well. Although as far as settings I do enjoy FF8 a decent amount, but I think the major focus on the relationships between the characters in that game is not for me. And if you think Cloud is a whiny bitch then wait until you deal with Squall.

    @nok said:

    First hour or two in midgar are pretty good and start to set up what could be a pretty great story, then it gets really boring. That's just my take, yeah some of the summons and cutscenes were amazing for the time but it does not hold up well.

    I wouldn't say it's boring, but it definitely slows down dramatically past that point. The game does a good job of roping you in right off the bat.

    As far as JRPGs to start out on it isn't that bad. But I think something like Chrono Trigger holds up a little better. FF6 is pretty good too but by the time I got around to that game I was sorta getting tired of playing JRPGs. Chrono Trigger has a lot of character and the pacing in it is pretty solid. I don't necessarily think the story is that fantastic now, but its still somewhat endearing and keeps you engaged. Probably the best JRPG that is the most current is Persona 4, although it deviates from those Final Fantasy style RPGs in quite a few ways.

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    deactivated-5c295850623f7

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    Before I go into my thoughts, I think Jim Sterling put it best in this piece he wrote a few years ago -> http://www.destructoid.com/final-fantasy-vii-is-not-overrated-205170.phtml

    Anyway. The one thing 7 doesn't get enough credit for which it did so well (and what the compilation and modern entries got so wrong) was subtlety. The story was good in that it didn't feel the need to over-explain anything and left a lot of backstory (and a few major plot points, namely Jenova, reunion and the Sephiroth projections) for the player to infer. It didn't treat players like idiots.

    Whether this was by design is a point of debate but is frankly quite pointless because what is there works really well.

    It's also one of those rare JRPG's that knows how to pace itself and has arguably one of the best opening acts in videogames. I don't get the argument that it's cliche because I'm playing through again at the moment and the one thing I'm taking away is how unique and realised the world is (and just how plain weird some of the scenarios and characters are). Playing through it's obvious this came from a well planned and executed vision (design, music and atmosphere). The graphics overall hold up because the pre-rendered backgrounds are so full of ambience and character but I understand if modern players are put off by the blocky character models and sparsely detailed overworld.

    If anything, I'd suggest OP plays through for it's historical importance but in doing so I hope the pacing and world building get it's hooks in too.

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    F-Metroid

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    I just got it. 80 minutes in,and it's the best game evah.

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    Xeiphyer

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    Great at the time, tough to go back to. Definitely wait for the HD thing coming out eventually.

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    Onemanarmyy

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    The combat and story are still pretty great. The graphics are pretty rough, but if you can't deal with it, you can find a ton of mods for that.

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    shaunk

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    I play JRPGs for two main things: gameplay, and the plot (specifically the characters of the plot). I played FF7 for the first time through in July of this year. I had a lot of fun with it. I think the gameplay mechanics are simple, but great. It is a nice change of pace for me, as an FF8 fan, changing from the complicated junction system there to the simple materia system here. I had a problem with the story though, mainly that I thought it was boring. I don't know, maybe I needed to play it at the time, but it did nothing for me to stand out as a plot, or to have interesting characters. Maybe I was just spoiled on that from FF8. I think that if you enjoy JRPGs it is really easy to go back to, there are almost no elements that I would say make it dated in terms of gameplay. Unused characters still get some EXP, so you can switch around pretty safely, and thats usually the problem with JRPGs.

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    Justin258

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    I played about ten hours or so of it earlier this year. It's fine. It's fun, but I can't think of many other games from that era that "show their age" more than FF7.

    Final Fantasy VI, though, I played the for the first time last year, thought it was a hell of a game then, and I still think it is now. I think it's due for a replay, actually.

    I actually don't know what I would suggest for a "beginner's JRPG". Probably Pokemon, but I've never actually played much of any Pokemon game.

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    BananasFoster

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    @aegon said:

    It's funny, FF7 which was this behemoth for Square before now seems to be viewed as a lesser Final Fantasy, from what I can tell. On the other hand, I remember FF12 being crapped upon on the internet when it was released, and now I get the sense that it's viewed in a more positive light than before.

    As someone who was into Final Fantasy from the first iteration, FF7 was a bad game when it was new. It had many, many glaring problems that people just saw fit to overlook because it was their first exposure to so many things.

    A lot of people had never played JRPGs before.

    A lot of people had never played CD-based games before, and had never experienced the graphics and sound that goes with it.

    A lot of people had never experienced a more-mature-than-Mario-Brothers storyline before.

    A lot of people and never experienced anime before.

    Now almost none of those things are the case for anybody. As a result, the limiting factors like a poor storyline, overemphasis on cutscenes and animations, and infuriating load times detract from the good things that the game does, but to me they always did.

    Great art and designs and a great atmosphere. That's about all FFVII has going for it.

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    Markus1395

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    #142  Edited By Markus1395

    I'm about the same age as you and I played it for the first time earlier this year. It's now easily one of my favorite games ever, and that's saying something, considering I thought my favorite games list was pretty set in stone. The thing is, you just really need to love how jrpg mechanics are and be able to respect the innovations to them and the unique systems each game has around them, of which I find FF7 with its Materia system to be the best (yes, better than 6, which I also played for the first time this year. I thought it was actually really bland and rather boring). So I think the key really is finding out if you just enjoy classic jrpgs in general, so I would recommend checking out FF4 or even 6 ( though I'm not very fond of it) before jumping into 7. And be prepared for a LOT of story before getting into any classic FF open world-iness.

    Edit: also just realized this topic is a year old. Damn.

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    geirr

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    At the time of its release, yes, unquestionably. As for today - probably not?

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    BladedEdge

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    @bananasfoster:

    Ok yes, necroed topic but this opinion is new so I'll answer it.

    As far as my experience went, your in the minority here. FF7 was a massive smash hit among me and all my friends..all about 5 of us, who were 5 of maybe 10 kids who even knew gaming systems did something besides play sports games and maybe mario as far as our school was concerned (and mind you, this was in a senior class of over 700 people, so not a tiny town).

    We were not any of the things you list, we were the nerds, the people who rushed to the video store to beat each other to renting, for the 10th time, FF2/3 (4/6). (Being poor was a thing).

    I get that you have your view and I have mine..but man I don't know anyone in my own social circles in r/l who held them at the time. They exist now, sure, and they became a thing back then because the game was so popular. It absolutely was many people first big cd rpg experience. It got me to buy my ps1. But then again, me and my friends had computers, we'd play the BG1-2 and dnd and magic and..like I said, nerds.

    The game was so good because it was a massive, massive departure from the previous games. It was 5 or 6 or 7 times as long for one thing. It had a story with twists and turns told in cut scenes both in game and out that were nothing like anyone had seen (on a console) at the time. Sure, today all of that is standard but back then? That wasn't just flash in the pan, it was the stuff that made an interesting story great.

    So like I said, your entitled to your opinion here..but man from where I am sitting your the minority in holding it, and absolutely would have been back then.

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    soldierg654342

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    #145  Edited By soldierg654342

    It's fine. You'll do yourself no harm by playing it, but there are also better games from that era to go back to.

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    OurSin_360

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    Yes

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    Justin258

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    #147  Edited By Justin258

    @markus1395 said:

    I'm about the same age as you and I played it for the first time earlier this year. It's now easily one of my favorite games ever, and that's saying something, considering I thought my favorite games list was pretty set in stone. The thing is, you just really need to love how jrpg mechanics are and be able to respect the innovations to them and the unique systems each game has around them, of which I find FF7 with its Materia system to be the best (yes, better than 6, which I also played for the first time this year. I thought it was actually really bland and rather boring). So I think the key really is finding out if you just enjoy classic jrpgs in general, so I would recommend checking out FF4 or even 6 ( though I'm not very fond of it) before jumping into 7. And be prepared for a LOT of story before getting into any classic FF open world-iness.

    Edit: also just realized this topic is a year old. Damn.

    I'm 24, so a little bit older than the OP. I played IV and VI for the first time last year and I loved both, a whole lot. I'm just curious, why did you think Final Fantasy VI was bland? Did you play any SNES games growing up?

    EDIT: As I mentioned above, I did play some Final Fantasy VII earlier this year. I didn't finish it, but from what I saw, it does have a lot of great stuff going for it and I can definitely see how it might have been mind-blowing back then. I should probably check back into it at some point.

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    tebbit

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    Final Fantasy VII and IX are both great games, VII has not aged fantastically but it is still worth playing - the gameplay and characters hold up well - the translation and graphics less so.

    It's very easy to be critical of VII and most of those criticisms are valid, but as an overall package, it is a great, old game.

    You have to play it in context - It's like trying to play StarCraft 1 now that StarCraft 2 is out - still great, just not current.

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    Markus1395

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    #149  Edited By Markus1395

    @believer258: I guess I'm not sure exactly what it was, but almost nothing from it was memorable for me, aside from Ultros. That dude was fly. Pretty much none of the main characters connected to me in a meaningful way, and Locke, arguably one of the most important ones, downright annoyed me. Even after you get to know his back story and motivation, he still just annoyed me to no end. I think the only character I really liked was Sabin, to be honest. Relm was alright, too. I just couldn't find a meaningful reason to care about the rest of them.

    As far as story goes, I wasn't a huge fan of that, either. It just seemed, at least in the main story arc, there just wasn't enough of it. If you consider the main bit to be Kefka's character setup and rise to power, it just felt really short for a Final Fantasy game. There was obviously more tat happens during the critical path of the game, but it was pretty much all exposition for characters that, as previously stated, I just couldn't find a reason to care about. So that stuff didn't do anything for me.

    The last thing I can really think of was that I thought it was too easy. Now, I think the argument could be made that VI is actually the most well-balanced of any FF game, but I'm a bit of a grind freak (growing up with FF Tactics will do that to you). I'm kinda used to having a mid to late game period where you just have to grind like crazy for a while, and doing that in VI just kinda made stuff a bit trivial. I know that one is my own fault, but it still hampered my own personal enjoyment, cuz I'm a weirdo.

    I played a good bit of SNES when I was younger, yeah, thanks to my older brother. Though I mostly played A Link to the Past, Mario World, Super Mario All-Stars, and this weird side- scrolling shooter called Doom Troopers. I watched my brother play a bit of FFIV, but not much, and I didn't play it myself at the time. I was definitely more of a PlayStation kid, but I had a history with the SNES (and the NES too, actually. Played a lot of Ninja Gaiden).

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    BananasFoster

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    @bananasfoster:

    Ok yes, necroed topic but this opinion is new so I'll answer it.

    As far as my experience went, your in the minority here. FF7 was a massive smash hit among me and all my friends..all about 5 of us, who were 5 of maybe 10 kids who even knew gaming systems did something besides play sports games and maybe mario as far as our school was concerned (and mind you, this was in a senior class of over 700 people, so not a tiny town).

    We were not any of the things you list, we were the nerds, the people who rushed to the video store to beat each other to renting, for the 10th time, FF2/3 (4/6). (Being poor was a thing).

    I get that you have your view and I have mine..but man I don't know anyone in my own social circles in r/l who held them at the time. They exist now, sure, and they became a thing back then because the game was so popular. It absolutely was many people first big cd rpg experience. It got me to buy my ps1. But then again, me and my friends had computers, we'd play the BG1-2 and dnd and magic and..like I said, nerds.

    The game was so good because it was a massive, massive departure from the previous games. It was 5 or 6 or 7 times as long for one thing. It had a story with twists and turns told in cut scenes both in game and out that were nothing like anyone had seen (on a console) at the time. Sure, today all of that is standard but back then? That wasn't just flash in the pan, it was the stuff that made an interesting story great.

    So like I said, your entitled to your opinion here..but man from where I am sitting your the minority in holding it, and absolutely would have been back then.

    I know my opinion is unorthodox, but it wasn't among people who had my background. The main things you had to do in order to have an opinion like mine, It think, were

    a) have watched anime before and been familiar with Japan

    b)Have a computer and have played Origin's games (Ultima, Wing Commander) as well as other RPGs before

    c)Have played other Final Fantasy games before

    Most of the reasons people gave for loving the game were things like, and you'll still hear this, "this was the first time a character in a videogame ever died and stayed dead!"

    Not even remotely. Not only did Tellah do it in FFIV, pretty much EVERY Final Fantasy game from then on has that element in it. (V wasn't available to us at the time, though)

    You also heard, "The characters were so 3 dimensional and deep!"

    Actually the characters in FFVII are paper thin. Barrett is an offensive stereotype, Yuffie and Vincent are secret characters and therefore have no story at all, for the most part, Cait Sith is a late-game character with little to him beside a plot twist, Cloud is a blank slate who can't remember his past, and Aeris is a stereotype japanese anime "princess" character. That leaves pretty much Tifa and Cid to do the heavy lifting.

    "The story was so good!"

    Actually MOST of the story is directly lifted from Final Fantasy VI, until he story twists and becomes about Cloud v. Sephiroth.The rest of the story was badly translated.

    Don't get me wrong, there is a lot to like about FFVII. the music is astounding, the character designs are Nomura's best by a long shot, the art direction is unparalleled and certain characters, like the turks, are fantastic. The material system is still one of Square's best.

    Btu when I think about FFVII, I think about bad combat design that was designed around the processing limitations of the playstation (Final Fantasy is supposed to be 4-5 vs 1-9 badguys at time, not 3 vs. 1-3. It ruined a ton of the strategy of the game), It think about cripplingly long load times. I think about dumb features vanity features like summons that took minutes to conclude. I think about an overly long, convoluted story that went on far longer than it needed to or was justified.

    Basically, I think that if they had ended the game with the conclusion of the Shinra stuff, it would have been a much stronger game. But, then, it also would have been a carbon copy of the story from FFVI.

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