Overthinking Final Fantasy VII

Stirring the flames of passion within the Final Fantasy legion has quickly become one of my favorite pastimes. It's just so much fun!  Moving on from my disjointed primer on Final Fantasy Fandom, I've decided to do something more focused, direct and something that sometimes is down right spiteful. The time has come to spit in the eye of the cyclops. To face the ecclesiastical faithful and deny their Shepard, their prophet. To go toe for toe against the most beloved Final Fantasy of them all! I hate Final Fantasy VII, and so can you!

Stirring the flames of passion within the Final Fantasy legion has quickly become one of my favorite pastimes. It's just so much fun!  Moving on from my disjointed primer on Final Fantasy Fandom, I've decided to do something more focused, direct and something that sometimes is down right spiteful. The time has come to spit in the eye of the cyclops. To face the ecclesiastical faithful and deny their Shepard, their prophet. To go toe for toe against the most beloved Final Fantasy of them all! I hate Final Fantasy VII, and so can you!

Oh no! I misspelled a name Square drew randomly from the Bible and I post things before I edit them all the way because spell check stops working for me after the first paragraph. All my points are clearly invalidated!

But seriously, anyone else have the same problem with spell check not working after the first few sentences on the blogs? I'm lost without spell check so I was just wondering if anyone else had the same problem.

"Yeah, I'm lost without spell check
"

"Learn to fucking spell "Sephiroth" and I'll fucking reading your stupid philosophy on why you dislike the game.

Dumb fuck.
"

Awww... But I loved FF7! I fondly remember the first time I started playing it when I was about 10 years old.

Knights of the Round was one of the most obnoxious items I ever got in a videogame. I still don't really know why I got it...yeah, it was awesome, but by the time you had it, one-hit killing Sephiroth was kind of anticlimatic.

As for the game, it's fine, but it in no way deserves the godlike status it's attained over the years. Yeah, it was one of the first games with decent FMV, but it's still an inferior product to Final Fantasy VI.

"Knights of the Round was one of the most obnoxious items I ever got in a videogame. I still don't really know why I got it...yeah, it was awesome, but by the time you had it, one-hit killing Sephiroth was kind of anticlimatic.

As for the game, it's fine, but it in no way deserves the godlike status it's attained over the years. Yeah, it was one of the first games with decent FMV, but it's still an inferior product to Final Fantasy VI."

"ParrapatehRappa said:

"Learn to fucking spell "Sephiroth" and I'll fucking reading your stupid philosophy on why you dislike the game.

Dumb fuck.
"

Dude chill, just because the game is overrated does not mean you need to flip.
"

I have no idea why "Sepheroth" sounded right in my head at the time, guess I need more sleep and less hating on a good game.

What i will say is that FF VII has aged EXTREMELY poorly. I can't think of any games from the PS1/N64 era that have aged more horribly. It's true that this game would benefit hugely from a remake, most awesomely for the DS. It doesn't need a big budget remake, just one that can sort out all the mistakes that were made, like with the backgrounds and character models.

"What i will say is that FF VII has aged EXTREMELY poorly. I can't think of any games from the PS1/N64 era that have aged more horribly. It's true that this game would benefit hugely from a remake, most awesomely for the DS. It doesn't need a big budget remake, just one that can sort out all the mistakes that were made, like with the backgrounds and character models."

Yeah, you using Firefox?  Try right clicking and turning SC off, then back on.  Annoying as hell.  Also doesn't catch words like Google does.

As for the Blog.  I can tell your a fanboy grown old?  I feel the same way now.  But not when I was a kid.  I loved it then.  But over the years I started to see it's many flaws.  Like all games.  As I matured, I started to see things for what they are.

I can still play FF7 just fine these days.  It's not about the game play for me.  It's more about the nostalgia.  I don't care whether or not the story hits all the right points.  It's the way it pulls real emotions from me that matters.  The way the music pulls me forward and the way I relate with the characters.

It will definitely stand the test of time, just because of what it is as a whole.  Obviously still a magnet for controversy.  Has a massive, worldly following of both negative and positive view points.   What SE accomplished with FF7 alone will warrant it's title in the history books.  A thousand years from now, FF7 will come up when students discuss past entertainments.  

But honestly, I like 6 way better.  Good toast.

Hahahha, I figured the title of my blog would get me in trouble.

Really though, Final Fantasy VII is a fine game that just has not aged all that well. It fell into a really weird time in the life of the PlayStation where the graphics, CG, localization and other factors just meshed together in a really weird and interesting way. Its kind of a 24-bit RPG with its combination and blend "Pop-eye armed People" and its slicker in battle characters and cg characters. Doing a parody of Colbert's book title was fun but a dickish move on my part, I'll come up with a less provocative title that makes my blog seem like its more from a dour beaten up old gamer who thinks about old stuff too much rather than a rabble rousing flame monger.

I really don't think anything I actually put in the blog was all that scandalous. I think you could actually explain away most of my arguments by just saying Square played it safe on gameplay, copied popular ideas from other media in Japan, that Japanese games from that era were very avant garde and made little sense anyway and that SCEA didn't know how to localize things yet (Proof: Final Fantasy Tactics, it makes Final Fantasy VII's localization sound like Hemingway).

 Most of the arguments I make are spurious, have been brought up before and are dull and tired and are offered with little proof or explanation. Its important not to overthink games or you'll end up like the parody I did of myself, you'll end up hating the games that you loved because you've become to big for your britches. You forget what the meaning of "fun" is and you end up smoking cigarettes in a coffee shop staring down your nose at everyone one you see. Final Fantasy VII is a weird quirky game that really wouldn't have worked out in the present. But that isn't when all of us played this game, well most of us at least. Playing a game is valuable because of the experience and don't let anybody trying to make a silly point on their poorly researched blog convince you otherwise. This is why I hate blogs in general, it allows for writers to make broad stroke statements without proof, without the need for research to be done to prove points.

 This is probably the best blog I've written so far in that I took a position I didn't fully believe in and I went all the way. Those are always the hardest ones to write, the ones that make you think from the other side because though the ideas I put forward corespond to my opinions of the game, I replayed the game a year ago and still had a lot of fun with it. The message I gues that I'm trying to convey fun trumps everything else, that's what makes something like Final Fantasy VII or Die Hard so good. Even though there are a lot of flaws that people can point out and try to use to dampen your buzz, if something is entertaining then really who cares. Who cares if I think FFVI is better than FFVII, they were both good, fun games. Isn't that whats most important in the end?

Note: I gave myself a minus for that blog, I was going to write a follow up blog tomorrow called "I Love FFVII and so Can you" but I think I've had my fill on the subject. Now lets get some sleep.
 

FF7 is my favorite game ever
Honestly speaking though,  the new ideas of FF7 isn't Final Fantasy 7.  

And I think you're overthinking it.  While the materia system may have made characters interchangable, wasn't it, you know, a fun system?
Because while you say Tifa and Yuffie were much alike in battle skills, it's not like that mattered---> they have narrative purpose.  Tifa is part of the core story and Yuffie's more of a side story (and don't say that side story = pointless, red's is a side story as well)

Spell check wouldn't help for Sephiroth. It's not in Firefox's dictionary.

"What i will say is that FF VII has aged EXTREMELY poorly. I can't think of any games from the PS1/N64 era that have aged more horribly. It's true that this game would benefit hugely from a remake, most awesomely for the DS. It doesn't need a big budget remake, just one that can sort out all the mistakes that were made, like with the backgrounds and character models."

"Knights of the Round was one of the most obnoxious items I ever got in a videogame. I still don't really know why I got it...yeah, it was awesome, but by the time you had it, one-hit killing Sephiroth was kind of anticlimatic.

As for the game, it's fine, but it in no way deserves the godlike status it's attained over the years. Yeah, it was one of the first games with decent FMV, but it's still an inferior product to Final Fantasy VI."

FF7 is a good game. Nothing more, nothing less.

Good games come and go but nostalgia is forever.

"FF7 is a good game. Nothing more, nothing less.

Good games come and go but nostalgia is forever.
"

U guys need to chill, each to their own opinion wise.
I for one loved VII and still sometimes play it, if people hate it, let them.

Good blog, i laughed when u wrote "the first 6 hours of the game" because these days, alot of games only last that long in total.

"Was I a disingenuous dick for writing the first few paragraphs dick for righting the first few paragraphs of this blog? No doubt, but I think I have a new found appreciation for Final Fantasy VII and other games as a result. Let me catch my breath and remember that I play video games because their fun and engaging, not I can prove the length of my critical penis on the Internet. Keep on trucking Final Fantasy VII and FFVII fans, don't lose heart and let trollish snobs berate your game of choice. This blog was a lot of fun to write, but it made me feel all icky inside after I realized how venomous and devoid of taste and humor. Like Doctor Frankenstein I have looked at my creation, found it inadequite and a pox upon my character and am washing my hands of the affair. Boy do I feel cleansed."

Yes quite disingenuous indeed. You're right no game is above reproach, something FF fanatics need to understand. People need to also realize that FFVII was a good game. People who love to pick on the FF fan boys by telling them their dear childhood treasure sucked need to realize that too. I see a lot of hate for JRPGS on these forums which I guess with the current state they are in might be understandable but people tend to forget how good they used to be. I haven't played a console JRPG in a long time. Not since FF XII which was not so great. I loved final fantasy 7, 8, and 10 though. They weren't perfect but they provided a long and engaging experience that lasted a lot more then the single player experiences you'll find today. Much like yourself FFVII was a game that got me to play more games and get into video game more. I played Shining Force for the genesis before I played FFVII but it was definetly the game that got me hooked into rpgs, Western and otherwise. Now it's probably my favorite genre.

"Was I a disingenuous dick for writing the first few paragraphs dick for righting the first few paragraphs of this blog? No doubt, but I think I have a new found appreciation for Final Fantasy VII and other games as a result. Let me catch my breath and remember that I play video games because their fun and engaging, not I can prove the length of my critical penis on the Internet. Keep on trucking Final Fantasy VII and FFVII fans, don't lose heart and let trollish snobs berate your game of choice. This blog was a lot of fun to write, but it made me feel all icky inside after I realized how venomous and devoid of taste and humor. Like Doctor Frankenstein I have looked at my creation, found it inadequite and a pox upon my character and am washing my hands of the affair. Boy do I feel cleansed."

Yes quite disingenuous indeed. You're right no game is above reproach, something FF fanatics need to understand. People need to also realize that FFVII was a good game. People who love to pick on the FF fan boys by telling them their dear childhood treasure sucked need to realize that too. I see a lot of hate for JRPGS on these forums which I guess with the current state they are in might be understandable but people tend to forget how good they used to be. I haven't played a console JRPG in a long time. Not since FF XII which was not so great. I loved final fantasy 7, 8, and 10 though. They weren't perfect but they provided a long and engaging experience that lasted a lot more then the single player experiences you'll find today. Much like yourself FFVII was a game that got me to play more games and get into video game more. I played Shining Force for the genesis before I played FFVII but it was definetly the game that got me hooked into rpgs, Western and otherwise. Now it's probably my favorite genre.

I found that those who consider FFVII among the greatest games of all times tend to be able to argue for their point a lot better than those who say it's an average or bad game. There are ignorant idiots on both sides, but the "horde of blind FFVII fanboys" is a myth - There are much worse, and much more prominent groups of fanboys from other games, such as Ocarina of Time or the Metal Gear Solid series, that are totally oblivious to the faults of their games and the way they don't hold up today for people who have not played them then.
The Final Fantasy VII fans are a rather quiet, reasonable bunch, from what I've seen. It's the other side that's full of hate.

I think a lot of people who tend to say Final Fantasy VII is a bad game are those who hate to play games with "bad graphics." Nostalgia is only part of the reason why I love FFVII, I could play it today and still enjoy it. Of course I can see it's flaws and I can also admit that to today's standards, FFVII has not really aged too well. Personally, I'm someone who doesn't care if graphics are bad if the game is fun, so nostalgia isn't really the reason why I consider it one of my favorite games, I still think the game itself is great.

On another note, I like the Materia system. You may say that this takes away qualities that make a character unique, but I think the story and the personality of these characters are much more important than their actions in gameplay. I think it also gives players more incentive to use other characters in battle instead of sticking to a select few. If the characters were only given certain abilities or could only hold certain materia, it would probably limit the number of characters people would play as.

I have to go to work, I really want to type a massive reply here but I cant. I'll keep it short.
Prior to Final Fantasy VII the JRPG genre...hell...the RPG genre in general for consoles was a niche genre not amassing reasonable sales at all. Dragon Quest, Earthbound, Wild Arms, even previous localized Final Fantasy games didn't make the mainstream jump like Final Fantasy VII did. Because of it's sheer popularity, and probably because of it's animosity regarding it's success, Final Fantasy VII is a very polorizing title.

Meowayne said:

"I found that those who consider FFVII among the greatest games of all times tend to be able to argue for their point a lot better than those who say it's an average or bad game. There are ignorant idiots on both sides, but the "horde of blind FFVII fanboys" is a myth - There are much worse, and much more prominent groups of fanboys from other games, such as Ocarina of Time or the Metal Gear Solid series, that are totally oblivious to the faults of their games and the way they don't hold up today for people who have not played them then.
The Final Fantasy VII fans are a rather quiet, reasonable bunch, from what I've seen. It's the other side that's full of hate."

No game is above reproach. However, Nostalgia has the side effect of shielding the faults of the game from us when they are readily apparent to others. Example: I bought Resident Evil 2 for $9 at what is basically a pawn shop for electronic media last year. It has not aged well, both in structure and presentation. However, there are those in the RE fanbase who consider it to be the best game in the series (of course, those are the people who hate RE4 and what it stands for). I disagree, but they have nostalgia on their side, so I let it be.

Final Fantasy VII can be considered revolutionary for its time, but by today's standards it does not hold up. However, that's not a bad thing if is to be remembered for what it did then, instead of what it does now (which isn't much). Ironically, this game would benefit the most from a remake out of all the series (FFIV didn't especially need one) but it is the game that Square refuses to make, instead capitalizing on the name with crap like Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus.

"Final Fantasy VII can be considered revolutionary for its time, but by today's standards it does not hold up. However, that's not a bad thing if is to be remembered for what it did then, instead of what it does now (which isn't much)."

I was gonna give you a piece of my mind when I first read the first few paragraphs. :) I'm glad I read the whole thing before posting. Great write-up.

A good post, though I lost the reason behind it.  But you must be tripping if you think FF7's plot was the most confusing.  Ever here of a game called ... oh what do you know, next in the series FFVIII?  In order for the time traveling plot to work at all even in a theoretical sense, it would have to involve a first universe which causes problems in second universe which then causes a fucking time paradox in a third universe which makes the past makes the future and the future makes the past. FUCK! now that is confusing.

"A good post, though I lost the reason behind it.  But you must be tripping if you think FF7's plot was the most confusing.  Ever here of a game called ... oh what do you know, next in the series FFVIII?  In order for the time traveling plot to work at all even in a theoretical sense, it would have to involve a first universe which causes problems in second universe which then causes a fucking time paradox in a third universe which makes the past makes the future and the future makes the past. FUCK! now that is confusing."

"Learn to fucking spell "Sephiroth" and I'll fucking reading your stupid philosophy on why you dislike the game.

Dumb fuck.

Btw. One had to work their ass of in order to get some of the Materia. You could find sub-par Materia on the ground, but when it came to summons like "Knights of the Round" and a lot of the rare Materia, it took quite a lot of time to get it.
"

If you're gonna be like that then learn how to spell "Parappa The Rapper".

"Dumb fuck."

Anyway on-topic now.

When I first played FF7 around when i was 10 or 11 I really loved this game. It's just a part of my childhood, no matter how stupid the characters are or how awkward the story is, I just can't help but love it.(Nostalgia goggles)

I loved FFVII when it came out for the PS1.  I was a Nintendo fanboy in the past and only owned Nintendo consoles at the time (the Atari 2600 doesn't count).  Anyway, when I heard that FFVII was going to the PS1 and NOT the N64 I was so mad I wrote Nintendo an e-mail telling them how disappointed I was at them and "how could you let this happen?"  Surprisingly enough I did get a generic response back...  Anyway back to FFVII--I loved the game when it came out.  Hell, I even bought a PS1 for it (it felt sooooooo dirty buying a non-Nintendo console!!!), but looking back on it, I really don't know why people love it so much.  My favorite FF was FFII (FFIV in Japan) for the SNES.  The first time I saw the airships flying over the ground in STUNNING mode 7 graphics, I was hooked.  I still think it has the best music of any FF.  Anyway, this game was probably the first JRPG a lot of younger gamers played, and thus have such fond memories for.  Speaking of fond memories--I'm going to start playing some DQ VIII for the PS2 soon!!!