Final Fantasy VII - Playstation 1

[Lightning Strike]

Final Fantasy VII - Playstation 1 (Released 1997)

Welcome to the world of Cloud Strife, a young man that was once apart of SOLDIER, a group of highly trained 1st class warriors under the command of SHINRA, a large corporation that supplies the world with power. Cloud joins AVALANCHE, an anti-Shinra organization lead by Barret, a large man with his right arm replaed by a gattling gun, to destroy a reactor. Barret explains that Mako energy, that Shinra uses to power the city, is in fact the planets life-blood and Shinra is killing the Planet.

After returning from the reactor, Cloud meets up with his childhood Tifa who convinces him to stay and help AVALANCHE. When storming the next reactor, Cloud falls and lands in a church and meets Aeris. After some time in which Aeris gets captured, CLoud vouches to save her, and heads for Shinra HQ. When there, they meet Red XIII, a lion like creature that speaks english, and with him, they discover that Sephiroth, an old friend of Cloud and SOLDIER ex who went insane after he discovered that he was created, has returned. He takes his mother JENVOA, from Shinra HQ and tries to take over the world, in which Cloud is insistant on opposing him.

This is on the the greatest playstation games of all time, and this isn't just in my opinion. The games story and in-dept characters have caught the hearts of 1000's of fans. This 3 disk game was the greatest seller of 1997 and still has a large fan base to date.

It brings the ATB and random battle system back again, which is in many final fantasy prior and after this game. Chocobos, Airships and Cars are just some of the methods of travel across the world of Gaia. This was on the the first final fantasy game that incorporates minigames, there is an amusement park set just for minigames. This game was so well liked infact, that years later after its release, a complication of FF7 was released that included several new games and even a feature film.

This is a great game for all those who wish to see a game of great fun and sorrow. It has shown true heart that other blood and gore games do not. Excellent game with an excellent soundtrack and graphics to boot.

Score : 10/10

http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/4879/ffviiboxsz0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/630/ffviifieldmapexampleyj4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/5924/ffviibattlexamplech3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Nintengod]

A great game indeed. One of, if not, the best games in the series. This and Final Fantasy VI were in my opinion the series highlights, although not played X o XII yet much!!

So many great videogame moments in FFVII. I love the bit where you go from Barretts home town slums and take a ride to the magnificent Gold Saucer theme park. So many things to do in that - it's a real masterpiece.

This game probably ended the console battle between PS1 and N64. Ocarina of Time came out too late to save it!

[Lightning Strike]

Thanks, yea i love this game, and 6 is good to, but this one is so popular, that they have brought so many other things with it, like Advent Children or Dirge or Cerberus and the new to come to psp, Crisis Core

[Nintengod]

I'm surprised that this game has not had much comment on it. It's not a shameless bump....and if it is, so what, i'm the editor! :p

An amazing piece of software, totally blew everyone away at the time with its beautiful presentation. This made turn-based RPGs mainstream in Britain.

This game is as influential to the Playstation 1, as Street Fighter II was to the SNES.

[RahXephon]

Yes, it's one of the great game and maybe one of the best for many people but it's not mine. By the way it's rated 8/10 for me :)

[twentytwo]

first post, and where better to do it than one of my favourite games of all time :)

i'm yet to find a game with a story that's gripped me like FFVII did. just a pity the whole series seemed to go downhill from there, don't get me wrong, i really enjoyed playing 8 and 9, but they were not as good as 7.

i got bored of 10, didn't even try 10-2, played 11 for a while, and was left very disappointed with 12. is it wrong to get my hopes up with 13?

[Nintengod]

first post, and where better to do it than one of my favourite games of all time :)

i'm yet to find a game with a story that's gripped me like FFVII did. just a pity the whole series seemed to go downhill from there, don't get me wrong, i really enjoyed playing 8 and 9, but they were not as good as 7.

i got bored of 10, didn't even try 10-2, played 11 for a while, and was left very disappointed with 12. is it wrong to get my hopes up with 13?

There is a certain magic in Final Fantasy 6 & 7 that's somehow not quite there for its sequels. I think the nostalgic effect of those games being the "breakthrough" RPG titles to the mainstream in America and Europe helps though.

[twentytwo]

having likable main characters helps as well :D

[Lightning Strike]

im not going to argue your own points, but i loved the other FFs as well, i found 9 more enjoyable than 7, everyone loved 7 so much, i just suppose i wanted to be different, i thought 10s story was sadder than 7 and 12, the gameplay was beautiful, but dont get me wrong, i loved 7 as well :D

[Grim_Reaper_Rules]

This is my second post so here goes lol. Me i love the Final Fantasy series they are great games and FF VII was one of the best it is not my favourite in the series but it is still a great classic game to play and i still play it now and then when i am in the mood.

For me the best game in the series is FF IX because i like the story and charcters better but FF VII is still a great game and i am glad i never got rid of it when i replaced my PS1 with my PS2 well i give this game 7/10

[Jamie John]

Completely agree with the review - this and IX are easily my favourite games of all time, the way they invite you to escape into a completely different world hasn't been matched in any game since.

There is a certain magic in Final Fantasy 6 & 7 that's somehow not quite there for its sequels. I think the nostalgic effect of those games being the "breakthrough" RPG titles to the mainstream in America and Europe helps though.

What about VIII and IX? Both, the latter especially, were absolute gems for me, and still are when I'm completing them again, seven years later :D. You could argue that they didn't move on from the bar VII raised but why would you need to when VII's formula was so perfect?

From X onwards though I definitely think that the FF series lost the "magic" you mentioned. For me, the PS era of games were all about character development and narrative, which was why the player cared about them so much; while the PS2 series introduced some solid additions to the battle and levelling up systems, they sacrificed technical and gameplay finesse for empathy with the protagonists - most of them weren't likeable and you simply weren't bothered. For example: when Squall and Rinoa kissed at the end of VIII it was immeasurably fulfilling, the best ending to a game I'd ever seen (the best opening too, come to think of it) - when Tidus and Rinoa did it the same mid-way through X it was cheesy and predictable, both of them were annoying drips.

I simply got fed up with XIII towards then end for the similar reasons: while the battle system was superb, you learn nothing about Vaan (or was it Vann? Shows how much it stuck in my mind afterwards). For the lead character, he has hardly any dialogue and comes across as extremely shallow and dull - most of the game focuses on Ashe and Baltair (again, was that his name?). When the FF games are of the role-playing genre it helps to know who's role you're playing :o.

Roll on Lost Odyssey for the 360 I say.

[Bleach]

The great story of FFVII makes you forget how bad it looks.
It's more or less an interactive bestselling book.

[Jamie John]

The great story of FFVII makes you forget how bad it looks.

Not in 1997 it didn't. The character's are admittedly blocky but the backdrops are still beautiful and the CGi still awesome.

[Lightning Strike]

I found the cheesiness of ffx great, and the fact the story is told until the end, i cant explain it, but i loved it :D and 12, 12 is great for Vaans story is continued in Revant wings, and the game-play is awesome, but i must admit, the story is very small.

[talentz]

Well another great review,for the fantasy games....Love these reviews....

[Sam2008]

A girl friend of mine actually has this game. Didn't have the chance to play it until a few days ago. Didn't actually have the time to finish it :P