Overview

Alright, let's talk about Final Fantasy VII. This is my personal favourite in the Final Fantasy series, as the game itself has so much more to offer than the others. It is based on a mercenary named Cloud who ends up joining a group of fighters dedicated to saving their planet, and in this game, we join the equivocal Cloud Strife in a journey where the world hangs by a single thread clasped in his hands.

Body

I think that the characters in this game are outstanding as thy each have their own story to tell. I guess this is shown the most through the prestige of Barrett and Tifa, the tormented yet worthy of Cid Highwind, and the caring ways of Aeris. Although there is little dialogue in the game, these characters are really brought out well, and this is through the FMV sequences. The FMV sequences in this game have their moments, but overall I don't think that they are memorable in the long run. Only two or three FMV's have the graphics that can grab the players attention, with the sequence for the opening title being the one that I recollect first.

Graphics is again another story. I guess, that for its time, the graphics were quite revolutionary, but when we look at the almost flawless graphics on Final Fantasy X-2, there is a massive difference in quality. I'd give this game a 6/10 for its graphics, yet I would love to give it a higher mark. Many people feel that the characters are chunky and perhaps slightly unrealistic, but I am sure that you will agree that the facial expressions are so much relevant than in Final Fantasy VIII, as is the body movement too. Yet alas, my 6/10 stands, because in comparison to games out now it doesn't really have the same flair.

The music in this game is great, and it is one of the best I've heard from any game in a while. Each piece of music is tailored wonderfully to suit each location, emotion, mood, and battle perfectly. Uematsu's score is certainly inspiring, and who can forget the timeless "One Winged Angel," and the epic "Liberi Fatali." The music is definitely one of the best assets of the game, and it is mainly because of this that I loved certain aspects of the gameplay so much.

Final Fantasy VII has outstanding gameplay. Following the main storyline suddenly seems to become less important as we enter a section in the game known as "The Golden Saucer." This section of the game contains a vast amount of mini-games, with the more memorable section being where you can breed or race Chocobo. Not only this, but you can also go and gamble your fortunes, or even become a warrior in the battle arena. There is certainly a lot to keep you going, so it receives high appraisal from me. However, seeing as though I keep on getting sidetracked in the game, I have to give it half marks for replay value.

This is a particularly challenging game, and while we are on the subject, I seem to recall a perplexing yet fun mini-game in which you need to fight warriors in a pit of strategic moves and rash actions. The bosses are tough and the main bad guy, named Sephiroth, is just pure evil! I wouldn't like to meet him on a dark night, that's for sure! Marks for challenge? How about an 8 for great!

Summary

Final Fantasy VII is my personal favourite, and it seems like it is the favourite of most Final Fantasy fans, too. With this said, if you haven't played the game... Play it!

Percentage Overall Score: 99%