Cloud computing.

This is Final Fantasy VII, one of the most revered video games of its time and one of the most beloved RPGs of all time. It's one of the games that defined the genre and pushed it to the mainstream, not to mention giving the PlayStation some serious edge over its main competitors, the Nintendo 64 and the Sega Saturn. There is nothing that hasn't been said about this game since its inception into the annuls of video game history that I wouldn't be regurgitating from reviews in the last two decades. Final Fantasy VII has been universally declared as one of the finest games of all time, right? W-wait a second...

What's all this, then? Seems like there's a bit of controversy going on here, especially with the two reviews near the bottom of the list, one labeled '"A Review of an Overated "Classic"', followed immediately by 'Final Fantasy 7 is not overrated. Shut up.' Users such as TheUgliestMan (who may or may not qualify for that moniker) have differing opinions, claiming this game to be worth less than its fame has earned it. Maybe it's not so universally respected and admired. Perhaps it's worth taking a closer look after all.

The game places you in the army boots of Cloud Strife, a former mercenary of Shinra, a heartless corporation hellbent on suckling the life energy out of the planet for profit. Tired of being a pawn of Shinra, Cloud is hired by the rebel faction AVALANCHE whose sole purpose is to take down Shinra by any means necessary. After destroying one of their reactors, AVALANCHE is caught at the next one; Cloud falls to what is assumed to be his doom in the boroughs below, but is actually saved by Aeris, a flower girl. The story continues from there, documenting Cloud's bodyguard duties to Aeris, his reunion with the people of AVALANCHE, and the subsequent conflicts with Shinra. But the biggest threat is no longer Shinra, but Sephiroth, one of Cloud's former comrades and a genetic experiment gone awry. Though once considered to be dead, Sephiroth follows what he presumes to be his reason for being: to gain power over the planet alongside his mother, the alien monstrosity, Jenova, by any means necessary. I could go into greater detail, but there are so many minute plot points that I would probably ramble for an hour. There are plenty of moments within the game that flesh out most characters' backgrounds and motives. And no, I won't talk about that one "big" moment in the game. I can't spoil it for the two people who don't know what happens partway through. Got my box of tissues handy, though. (And there are other "big" moments in the game, yes, although they're not quite as well publicized.)

One of Final Fantasy VII's major faults is in its translation. The localization was made long before considerable painstaking efforts were being taken in games to actually make the story and dialogue coherent. Sometimes parts of the story don't feel as though they connect, with characters just outright stating that X is the next course of action, followed by me blinking with wide-open eyes, wondering how they came to such a conclusion without me knowing. Its dialogue is often disjointed, though they certainly took the time to translate swear words (or poorly covering them up by wedging an apostrophe in — "Shi't" is not a suitable substitute) and, at one point, the now politically incorrect term "retard", which would definitely be advocated against today. Frankly, the poor translation ruins much of the storyline, so much so that I now rely solely on the gameplay for enjoyment, rather than try to follow the storyline.

As is typical of RPGs, players progress by engaging in battles and earning experience points to improve their characters. The options during battle are standard: choosing to attack, defend yourself, use an item or some magic, or hightail it out of there if brawling isn't in your best interest. Each battle occurs in real time (although you can modify this point to suit your mood), so you'll have to always be watching for your next turn. You can't just leave it for a while, expecting everything to be the same when you return. You'll probably get a Game Over that way. In Final Fantasy VII, leveling up mainly increases your hit point count and has fairly little bearing on your actual stats (attack, defense, etc.). These stats are affected primarily by the equipment you have.

The battle system is pretty fair, and fights don't take an excruciatingly long amount of time like other games do. I will say this, though: The final battle is impeccably tricky. I invested an hour and a half into that set of battles. A notable percentage of that time was spent watching Sephiroth's Super Nova attack, whose animation clocks in at two minutes (enough time to go and get a snack or quickly visit the facilities). This animation is only around 20 seconds in the Japanese version, so I'm not sure why it was deemed important to add extra tedium to an already overblown fight.

One new introduction is Limit Breaks, governed by a meter charged up whenever a character takes damage. When the meter is full, each character can pull off a special move far more powerful than their usual attack. As the game progresses and the character evolves, higher-level Limit Breaks are made available that deal even more damage.

Final Fantasy VII also added Materia into the mix, a concept that did not continue beyond this title. Materia are small gems that can be inserted into weapons and armor to give added abilities, including all magic spells you'll ever use. In addition, equipping Materia can have a positive or negative effect on your stats depending on their attributes. As such, a little strategy is needed, although the changes caused by Materia aren't THAT game-changing. There are plenty of Materia out there that is either found throughout the world or purchased in shops, although the more rare stuff won't be easily located. Materia are often element-oriented, such as Fire, Ice, and Lightning, but they can also deal in status effects, such as Time (for slow-down spells) and Cure (for healing up in tough situations). By engaging in battles, you'll not only win experience points but also ability points which help Materia to evolve, resulting in unlocking greater spells or improved abilities. Managing the Materia of multiple characters can get tricky if you want to spread the spells around, but it's still a good time.

Summons also make a return and can be called only after their respective Materia are found and equipped. Popular summons such as Bahamut, Ifrit, and Shiva all make grand entries here and feature detailed character models and animations when they are called upon.



An epic juxtaposition of justice and injustice, wrapped in baffling dialogue and battles against giant insects.

In addition to brawling and listening to citizens say things of varying importance, Final Fantasy VII also features mini-games... and I mean a TON of them. And they all stink. Sometimes they're a fun little distraction, like doing a prehistoric dance in Chrono Trigger or playing Pachisi in a Dragon Quest game. But here, they're just so... bizarre. We have Cloud trying to outsquat another character, riding a motorcycle while kicking fellow enemy bikers in the head, and even snowboarding for several minutes. There's a whole area in the game called the Gold Saucer dedicated to silly little games like this. Luckily, those ones are optional, but most others are not. One part of the game has a very long tower defense battle scene that could run you a good half-hour. Heck, there's even a mini-game dedicated to CPR! Who in their right mind thought that would be entertaining in the slightest?! As much as I love variety, we have to draw the line somewhere... and cardiopulmonary resuscitation is where I draw the line!

Final Fantasy VII was the first game of the series to "go 3D", although I have to use that term loosely. Yes, all sprites were replaced with polygonal character models. While they may have been a treat to look at back in 1997, they're exquisitely primitive today. But to say the game is 3D is a lie: the characters move primarily on pre-rendered backgrounds, with the exception of the map area. Final Fantasy VII was also the first to include full-motion video sequences to depict important events, and they look pretty good, especially for their time. It's odd, though, how the cinematic sequences don't always use the same art style. Some use a more realistic graphic style, while others have almost cartoonish characters in them, similar to the in-game sprites. The lack of consistency is a lack in polish that the game could have used. Character design as a whole is definitely interesting, too. Though Cloud is pretty generic (Is spiky hair now a prerequisite for a hero?), others like Cait Sith, the robot cat riding a giant puffy Moogle, just comes out of left field.

Composer Nobuo Uematsu has created yet another masterpiece with the game's soundtrack. Filled with emotion, every song is suitable for its placement in the game. It is odd that Uematsu chose not to take advantage of the CD medium presented before him in recording truly orchestral tracks, instead using the PlayStation's built-in audio chip. I suppose I ought to give him credit for still providing a deep atmosphere with the chip's limited capabilities. Regrettably, I knew the song "Those Chosen By The Planet" more from this video by Vinesauce than from the game itself.

But all this being said, the question still lingers: is Final Fantasy VII as good as its general audience proclaims? If I had to make a firm decision, I'd say "not really". For as fun as the journey was, it definitely has its faults that push it away from perfection. Battling is generally a good time, but the translation is iffy at best, the game's direction as to what exactly to do next is a tad spotty, and the mini-games are groanworthy. But as a whole, Final Fantasy VII is generally fun, far more than the next game in the series, Final Fantasy VIII. THAT one was a bit more nasty. The Materia system is easy to get into, and it's actually not a bad entryway for new fans. It's far from the best game in the genre, but it opened up doors to make the genre more mainstream, and that legacy might be worth something. To reiterate, Final Fantasy VII isn't the best RPG ever, but it's definitely a decent example of what an RPG should strive to achieve and exceed.