Overview

Final Fantasy VII is the game by which almost all RPG's are judged, and this is certainly not surprising, especially when considering that its graphics, gameplay, music, and storyline, were all state-of-the-art at the time.

Body

Graphics - Final Fantasy VII was one of the first SquareSoft games to have pre-rendered backgrounds. In a word — ingenious. The most blaring aspect is the amazing realism jumping out at you from these backgrounds, and although obviously pixelated, the environments are incredibly detailed. Character animation was impressive for its time, as after all, the PlayStation marked the jump of Final Fantasy games into a three dimensional plain. However, against today's standards, you probably won't enjoy this graphics as much. The cinematic's were just as good as Final Fantasy VI's, yet they were obviously improved in certain areas. The special effects in the FMV's were definitely a welcome addition, such as the sparks in the opening scene. Overall, Square has done a good job with the graphics of the game, and they still maintain a Final Fantasy-esque style, despite moving into a three-dimensional gaming era. (10/10)

Gameplay - Wonderful! Almost all areas branch into others, and with the cities being well and mysteriously designed, a real sense of awe is brought about as you explore. The gameplay ranges from shopping in the slums, hiking the mountains of an Asian-themed city, to snowboarding down snowy cliffs. This game provides a very varied and enjoyable gameplay, with frequent active time battles keeping you entertained. The Esper system of Final Fantasy VI was so successful that the same basic principal was used for Materia. (Orbs attached to weapons to give your character certain attributes). A weapon can hold varying amounts of materia, and joined materia slots give you all kinds of options. This is certainly a very enjoyable game to play. (10/10)

Music - The only tracks I compare these tracks to are from the Crono Trigger Original Sound Version, other Final Fantasy soundtracks, and the Xenogears Original Soundtrack. As usual, the ingenious Nobuo Uematsu amazes us with his soundtrack, which varies in style to produce feelings of pain, fear, happiness, silliness, and downright drama. Wonderful pieces include "Holding My Thoughts in My Heart," "Cosmo Canyon," and "One Winged Angel." You may want to check the forum group review for a more detailed account, but, in brief, the music for this game is truly inspirational. (10/10)

Story - The storyline is the last important element. The story is complex, and it is once again a story in which you have to find you own information. Every aspect of the storyline is connected in a very entertaining and compelling way, although realistically in gameplay, certain areas may not be linked at all. You play as a 21 year old mercenary named Cloud, who intends to stop an "evil" corporation. However, although that sounds simple, there are so many run-on plots that it turns into so much more. Every stop leaves a new surprise, realization, or thought. This game has a tendency to question morals, which is another great step. (10/10)

Summary

Final Fantasy VII is an impressive game, and the immense amount of thought an complexity poured into all aspects of the game is certainly evident. This is, in my humble opinion, the greatest RPG story to date.

Percentage Overall Score: 98%