A FF Vet's Review of VII(so far)

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Natashina

Natashina

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I wasn't sure where to put this topic, so I decided here would be in a safe place. I've been wanting to share my thoughts about this game and my some of my experiences thus far. Warning: If you don't like huge posts, this may not be for you.


Recently, I started playing through VII for the first time. I'm not a rookie to FF and I've been playing the series for about 20 yrs. My dad did get VII when it first came out...for the PC. While the translation appeared to be better, the crashing and bugginess was horrid. I found it unplayable and so I quit playing. After I moved out of my parents' house, I had no access to a PS1. So I missed out on that entire generation of FF. With one exception, I feel I missed out on a great era of Square games *cough VIII cough*.

I came in with a fair amount of knowledge of the game. I knew about Sephiroth(no kidding right?); I knew about Aeris' death; I knew about Shinra the evil megacorp and about Meteor. Also, beating Crisis Core helped shed a lot of light on the background of VII. I know that they retconned some of it, such as adding Genesis and Angeal.

Not too long ago, I found a great bundle on eBay that had VII-IX on the PS1, plus walkthroughs for VII and VIII. After kicking the crap outta X and playing Crisis Core, I decided to throw VII in. I'm currently going back to the Ancient City on Disc 2. I'm going to give my highs and lows on the game so far. This isn't a bash on the game and yes, I know I haven't finished it yet. This is just my observations to this point:

The Good

-Ah, good ol' fashioned ATB combat. How I have missed thee. What can I say, I'm old fashioned. It's always been my preferred method of combat in many RPGs.

-The story is quite good. There is no doubt that this is a well told story. While I knew a lot about VII, it had some real surprises. It has made me interested in beating all the Weapons(including Ruby and the infamous Emerald) and in finishing the story. Sephiroth is the first truly sympathetic villain, more so than Goblez from IV. His motivations and reasoning make him seem more real. At least to me. Plus, the story does offer a unique twist on the old fantasy cilche of the evil empire/megacorp/madman trying to take over/destroy the world. I like the humor and I like Cloud's character in the game.

-The Materia system, although it has it's flaws, is an innovative system. It does allow for the ultimate customization for your party. I like to set them up according to the way I see the characters. It adds a fun rpg element to the whole thing. For example, Tifa or Cait Sith(whom I named Cat Sith) are my thieves; Cloud is my blue mage; Red XIII(whom I named Ulfric) is my Red Mage, and so on.

-The Meteor in the sky is a really nice touch. In many games that end or nearly end the world, you don't see the big bad that's coming. I also enjoy how you can see the Weapons rather than just engage them blindly. It makes getting around the world a little easier. The music is eerily fitting for the world map, although having the music change on the airship is a nice contrast.

-Aeris'/Aerith's death. This was an excellently executed scene, as cliche as that sounds. I think that
taking her out on a date right beforehand
as well as making you care about the character really twisted the knife in. I didn't cry, but I'll admit it was sad to watch.

-Cid. His dragoon ablities, his attitude and his spirit really add to the game. It symbolizes the freedom of the character as well as Square's newfound freedom from Nintendo. Damn that censorship over(imho) stupid crap!

-Wark! :chocobo: I have to admit, catching and raising Chocobos isn't as bad as I thought. Thanks to the walkthrough, I know where to get the Good and Wonderful chocobos. Chocobo racing is actually fun and it makes me want to really work hard on Disc 3 to get Knights of the Round.

-Cloud in drag. I know this is subject talked to death, but I had to mention it. I got all the best clothes for the sequence, so I skipped out on the more "interesting" scenes. Still, it was funny and unexpected to find in Final Fantasy.

The Bad

-Lack of menu organization for Materia. Granted, this could be something I'm just overlooking somehow. It is becoming quite irritating to have a ton of unorganized Materia to sort through. Again, if there is something I missed, please let me know. On that note:

-The item sort menu. I know there is a bunch to choose from, but it still seems oddly random. For example, I'll hit sort by type. It mostly works, yet for some reason my X-Potions(as an example) end up right below my Materia grinding gear. It's not horrible, but still a little aggravating.

-The graphics in the background. Wait, hear me out. This is not a bash on the graphics themselves. I know what year this came out in(I graduated from HS that year) and I know this was one of the big PS1 games. At times it just gets frustrating to see my character become about 5 pixels tall while running around in the background. The pointer/marker feature does help, but I feel it gets in the way of the art in the game. *shrug* I don't let it bother me too much, I do find it somewhat distracting.

-Yuffie. I took the time to go out and find her. It's a mixed blessing. She is a pretty powerful warrior(although I can't call a 15 yr old girl a ninja with a straight face) and can be a great caster with the right set up. However, she's more annoying than I thought she would be. Yes, I knew she was a giggly bit of fan service. However, I was hoping for a bit of seriousness from the character(like in the pagoda sequence). So far I've been disappointed. Then again, I've noticed I'm one of the people that really hate Rikku in X-2(that liked the game), so maybe it's just me.

-Lack of dialogue in some characters. Vincent is a neat character, but I don't find myself using him much since Aeris' death. Part of it was my own fault. I made the mistake of taking Cid and Vincent. I know Vincent is an optional character, but he seems a little too silent. Cloud makes his big dramatic speech about going after Sephiroth, and the only response I get is from Cid. "I guess so." That took away from a little the impact, but it made for some unintended humor.

-The translation is kinda off. Again, I aware that this topic has been done to death, but it has also made some unintentionally funny moments. Rude: Be strong! Remember, you're a Turks. I laughed at that one. I don't let the shaky translation bother me too much. I did grow up in the Woosley generation of FF translations. :P

I know I haven't completed the game, but that's my thoughts so far. I'll make sure I have an update when I complete the game. I'll admit, this is a fun and adult FF. It doesn't treat you like you're a child. It will never replace my two favorites(IV and VI), but it's well worth playing.
 
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Hi! Great review so far i think, allthough i wouldn't worry to much about
vincent beeing quiet. He is supposed to be a mystical character :), you can always later play DOC for a better understanding of his character, allthough i wouldn't play that game for any other reason, but thats only my opinion ;).

May i just ask you why u use a walkthrough? i have always found them to destroy the game experience, and ff VII is one of the games i have spent most time with, there are so much to find and hidden stuff that makes you "wonder". It definitely comes in second place on ff-games i spent most time with AND enjoyed, (First one is X).

I myself is playing through FF V for the first time now and no walkthrough, have just finished the Earth flying thing, ( I know its a shame but i got the game at grown age and don't have the time for gaming as i used to :P). Maybe i'll copy you and give a review on my game-experience with ff V.

Anyway, i will be watching this thread and are looking forward to hearing more of your thoughts on this game.
 
Warning: Contains a minor rant

I would love to read your review of V. I've only played through it once, but it's a great game. There should be a section in the FF V forums for reviews that people have made when they beat the game. I look forward to reading it.

I read earlier tonight about about Vincent's past by going to the Final Fantasy wiki. I'm going to save myself the pain of trying to play for DOC. *shudder*
:vincent:I can understand that he's quiet, I just brought him for the wrong occasion. His overall story and attitude
as well as his connection to Hojo
are very interesting. However, I think Aeris' death was not the right occasion to bring him. :P This time, I'm going to bring Tifa and Barrett/Red XIII with me when she dies. They should have more the better dialogue in response to Cloud's rousing speech.

Why did I use the Bradleygames walkthrough? Well, those guides for VII and VIII came with the eBay bundle. I grabbed the bundle before the game was available on the PSP. I've only started VII again after my Memory Card ate all my save data after I got about 3/4ths of the way through Disc One. :yell:I did not need to start Disc One all over again. I did not want to be sick of the beginning of the game before I had a chance to beat the damn thing!

Sorry, I got lost in a rant. Where was I? Oh yeah, the walkthrough. I used it mostly to try to avoid getting lost in some areas(*cough* Temple of the Ancients *cough*). However, this particular walkthrough has got some serious typos(examples: Fire Veils became Fire Vests, Tifa's piano tune has a C where an O should be); it makes certain events sound much harder than they actually are(North Corel Train, Sub Mission, ect). I also didn't realize it was overall crap(like not having the Cursed Ring in it) and it dedicated no less than 2 pages to Aeris' death scene. Wow, thanks Bradleygames, good thing I already knew that. :eek:uttahere:

Usually, I would mentally block out all references to spoilers, and look the walkthrough over when I was stuck(not often). I did get up to Disc 3, but my husband was tired of seeing me disappear into the guest room to play it(PS2 is in there; the PS3 is in the living room). I've restarted this for the PSP, so I'll be able to do an update here very soon. I'm flying through the game the 2nd time around and rarely bother with a walkthrough. When I do use one, its for maps. The only walkthrough I'm actually planning on using this time is just for chocobos. :chocobo: and the enemy skills. Yes, I did get the Disc One Nuke before I got to the Mythril Mines. I haven't been using it much at all, unless I'm sick of random battles. Ah, nothing like a good Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies spell when you're in a hurry. :)


Upon close examination, I've concluded that Hojo is the true villain of VII.
He wooed Vincent's love away from him; he got Lucretia pregnant and persuaded her to have Jenova's cells injected into her unborn baby;whom happened to be Sephiroth. He told Seph that Jenova was his mother(not Lucretia), which helped Seph go insane later. Hojo was happy to help Sephiroth in his ultimate goal, to the point where Daddy was ready to destroy the world to do it.
 Plus, he did countless experiments on people in SOLIDER and frankly anyone that got in his way. :wtf: He is totally immoral and amoral, creating destructive creatures, destroying lives, too see what happens. I enjoy the fact it was really a conniving scientist that engineered so much despair, death and destruction.

Don't get me wrong though. After some time and consideration, I've decided Seph is decent antagonist. He's fairly spooky and has got the "I'm a Badass" look to him. Sephrioth does have the one of the best themes I've heard in any FF game. :seph:

That being said, however, Kefka is(and will always be) my favorite baddie of the series.
kefka.gif

 
You can now read my review in the "ff V" area on this forum :) Bare with me though, its my first review and my english isn't the bestXD.

So you can play it on the psp?! how awesome. I only have 1-6 on my psp. But its nice to be able to play portable:)

tss, loved ones never understand the love an ff-gamer has for the games, my gf dont get the games att all ;) so i have to play as much as i can now when she is away for a few weeks :D.

will you be going all in on the game and beat every weapon and get all the special summons etc?

the music is so great in this game! play it with a good soundsystem and its worth playing just for the good tunes in it :)
 
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