Final Fantasy 7 is an exceptional game. It was the first game in the franchise to use real-time 3D graphics, and the first released for CD-ROM. Technologically, it could accomplish things previous Final Fantasies could not, and it would go on to be the best selling game in the entire FF lineup, the best selling singleplayer RPG ever, and the second-best selling PS1 game ever, behind only the original Gran Turismo. Is it really that great?
Mostly yes. Kind of no.
The game is like any other Japanese RPG; run around, kill things with a battle system more sophisticated than the one in your average action shooter, gain experience, look for treasure, fight boss foes, max out your stats, and watch non-interactive sequences we nowadays call cutscenes. Doesn't sound too original, but bear in mind, this was the first video RPG to break into mainstream success. For many gamers, this was their first experience with a game that rewarded your killing of enemies by making your characters stronger. This was also many gamers' first experience with a game that tried to tell a real story, one with character growth, a defined world, and villains you just love to hate.
And it's certainly a solid game. Throughout disc 1, which contains roughly the first half of FF7, it's a very solid game. The prologue in Midgar is one of the most memorable sequences in videogame history. Everything happens so fast, lives are taken at such a breakneck speed, it's like an action movie with intelligence. And when you leave Midgar, though things don't happen as quickly, it still grips you. We learn that Sephiroth used to be a good man, but lost himself in his hatred of the human race. We learn that most of the playable characters have lost something precious to Shinra Incorporated, the corporation that literally rules the world in FF7. And at least one scene involving Aeris, FF7's obligatory pretty girl, will stick in your mind long after you've finished the game.
Then it's time for disc 2 and . . . things slow down. Plot development moves slowly, the game itself isn't as fun, the dungeons are less creative, and it stays this way, even to the end of disc 3, and the game itself. The ending isn't as memorable as the ending of most other FF games, either. The materia system, while innovative, requires much micromanagement, and limits how much magic your party can use during a battle. It's not as fun as the magic systems from FF5, FF6, FF9, FF10, and FF12, but at the very least, materia isn't broken like the GF system from FF8.
Much has also been said about the characters of FF7. Right now, I will tell you, the players of FF7 are nowhere near as memorable as the ones from FF6 and FF9. Cloud is the sullen anti-hero who cares only about himself, and even after discovering himself through the game, lacks the charisma of, say, Zidane from FF9. Aeris is basically a cuter version (What!? I like brunettes! Don't look at me like I'm diseased!) of Rosa from FF4 and Lenna from FF5. Tifa is almost exactly like Aeris. Cait Sith is bizarre in appearance and speech, Yuffie is a dorky teenage girl, Cid is a stereotypical blue collar engineer, Barret looks, and talks, like Mr. T from the A Team. Meanwhile, Red XIII is a very interesting character, no matter how you look at him. And Vincent, even after giving up on himself, has not given up on the rest of the world. Zack, although only having a minor role here, is very affable, and some of his personality did rub off on Cloud, although only a little. And then you have the villains. Most of the Shinra execs: Shinra, Rufus, Scarlet, and Heidegger particularly, are selfish, greedy, corrupt people, who make the actions of Enron look like child's play. And Hojo, the head scientist of Shinra, is an absolute monster, willing to sacrifice life and cast aside morality all for the pursuit of scientific progress. Oddly enough, these people are more evil than Sephiroth, the endboss. The only reason he's the endboss is simply because he's the most powerful, the most dangerous. And yet, Sephiroth is a little more than your average villain, too. When he discovered the truth behind his powers, he could've rebelled against Shinra, like Cloud eventually did. But instead, he viewed himself as being superior to the full-blooded humans, and vowed to pass judgment on them by calling down Meteor. In his mind, a few sins by some bad humans warrants an entire act of genocide against them. I won't compare Sephiroth to Kefka from FF6, Seymour from FF10, or even Vayne from FF12, but there's more to him besides a large sword and fashionable grey hair.
And I save the best for last; what really stands strong in FF7 is the music. Despite having worse sound quality than FF6, and the later FF games, Nobuo Uematsu composed yet another masterpiece. Granted, some of the scores are forgettable, and some scores sound better in the numerous arrangements that have come out since FF7's release, but much of the music really sets the mood. Some pieces really stand out, like "Anxious Heart", "Cosmo Canyon", "Fortress of the Condor" "Mako Reactor", Vincent's theme, Sephiroth's theme, the final boss themes, the world map theme, and especially all variations of Aeris' theme. It's no surprise that so many people adore Final Fantasy music. This game, having introduced many to the world of FF, has strong music. Get some MP3's if you haven't already!
So, FF7. Not as good as FF4, 6, 9, 10, and 12. Not as good as many other RPGs. Is it overrated? Yes. Is it majorly overrated? No, of course not. There is a good game in FF7, beyond the weak graphics and the story that nearly disappears after disc one. There does exist a great soundtrack, a few memorable characters, and a really cool sequence during the final battle. (Hint: it involves Cloud and Sephiroth, and nobody else.) And even if you don't adore FF7, at least it's better than FF3 for the NES and DS.
Final Fantasy 7 overview:
Good stuff: Large world to explore, not too challenging, phenomenal music, limit breaks are fun, and a story that starts off strongly . . .
Bad stuff: . . . and falters about halfway through. Equipping and un-equipping materia is a chore, poor graphics, no analog precision.
Final score: 9 out of 10. If the entire game was like the beginning in Midgar, it could've been totally astronomical . . .
