The game that started a revolution...
That's how a lot of people describe the impact that Final Fantasy VII had on the RPG genre
and the videogame world in general. This is that elusive game that really "had it
all". At least, that's a lot of people's opinion anyway.
To begin with, the actual in-game graphics are really a
mixed bag. I know that if you've been doing research reading reviews across the internet,
people either praise FFVII's visuals, or completely trash them. There's a reason for both
sides, but it's not fair to criticize one, and not even talk about the other.
With that said, the character models are the source of
negative opinions. They are blocky, and they have dumbells for arms. However, they do
actually have quite a few animations and and the battle graphics are quite nice. Also, the
field and battle backgrounds are gorgeous. I can't find anything to really criticize them
about.
Before I get into the battle graphics, I've got to say just
a few things about the FMV's. These FMV's are used to broaden the player's introspective
into the story. They are there to advance the story and show your characters in a
beautiful perspective. They also started the trend of putting cinemas in videogames. These
FMV's are so incredibly well done, I personally cannot understand why videogame developers
do not spend enough time making their FMV's more like these. They are really that good.
Anyway, the battle graphics are also quite good. The have
an immense level of detail in these battles. For instance, when you equip a new weapon, it
will look different than other weapons. For every area that you enter, there is a new
background for both battles and the field. Enemies and bosses are also quite detailed. The
spell and action effects are all excellently done, and some (like Knights of the Round and
Meteor) showcase the power of the PlayStation.
The sound is so incredibly well done, I don't think I've
heard a negative comment about them from an unbiased source ever. The game has an
orchestral/rock soundtrack done by the biggest name in the videogame soundtrack buisiness,
Nobuo Umetsuo. Every character's theme is quite well done, and it kind of gives you some
introspective about them by listening to the type and pace of the music. The
city/field/battle backgrounds are excellent, and I love to listen to this game in
surround, or at least through more than one speaker. They are truly done the way they
should have been (my particular favorite is Aeris's theme).
The gameplay of Final Fantasy VII can be divided into
basically 4 categories: field, battle, menu, and mini-games. In the field, there's really
nothing that you can criticize in this area, although I wish that the game had analog
support. Keep in mind this game was released in 1997, and the Dual Shock wasn't sold in
America until 1998. You can open treasure chests, talk to people, and do so much more with
the press of one button.
In the battles, control is extraordinarily tight as well.
However, there can be a little slow-down in the battles, but this in no way detracts from
the actual game itself. The ATB time system works quite well here as does the limit break
system.
Your characters are defined by little orbs called Materia.
The materia system is the real gem of FFVII, if you ask me. With it, it enables you to
completely customize your characters (although some characters will be better than others
at certain things). There is a disadvantage to it though; with most materia, some kind of
attribute will go down, but will raise something else, so you've got to be careful about
what you equip. There are quite a few different kind of materia. I wasn't able to count
them all (and personally, I don't want to!) but I'm almost positive that there's around
150 different orbs to equip on your character. One aspect of the materia system is that as
you grow and level up, so does your materia! For instance, you could start out with a
Restore Materia, and have only the spell "Cure". However, as you grow and gain
experience and AP, (ability points) you will eventually accquire spells such as "Cure
2", "Cure 3", and "Regen" from that one materia. Once you max out
a materia, they will start to divide, and you will have brand new materia, that is exactly
like the one it divided from, except it's right back at the very beginning of the first
one's life cycle. You'll have to get the other spells all over again.
This brings us up to the menu in Final Fantasy VII. The
menu is easy to navigate, and usually simple to understand. The menus will dominate a
large part of this game. In the battle and in the field, you will see menus. Like most
RPG's the menu-driven gameplay is intact, and unlike most, it is actually helpful and easy
to use.
The mini-games are really the only control factor to
complain about. Most are solid, but a few of them are quite badly done, such as the
basketball game in the Gold Saucer. Other than that, though, it's pretty good, but nothing
really too special.
The story of Final Fantasy VII is so good, you'll think
you're watching a movie or reading some kind of interactive book. The way that the story
twists and turns showed that videogames were ready for the next step in videogaming. No
more of this "The dragon kidnapped the princess" crap. After this game,
developers were forced to actually think about why the player really cared about the
game's characters. I don't really want to go into detail about this excellent story,
because I feel that it should be discovered by the player, not the reviewer. It is
definitely well worth your time and effort.
There's not really very many factors in the game that would
warrant a high replay value, but I still find myself coming back for more and more. Many
people go back and play it to get the items they never got, or the characters they never
recruited, or the bosses they never fought. For any reason, this game is in my mind, one
of the top replay prospects ever, maybe it's just for the story, maybe not.
Overall, Final Fantasy VII is one of the greatest games
ever made. It redefined the entire gaming industry, made the PlayStation a success, and
made people care about RPG's. This game is only about $20 now, so you really should go and
pick it up if you haven't already. If you like RPG's at all, this is one game you should
never miss.
.:. bizzarro |
