Final Fantasy VII (PC-2012) Review

Well, if you ever want to place something next to the term “money grabber” to further illustrate your use of it, just throw down this PC port of Final Fantasy VII and walk away from the situation. You know how this entire time leading up to the release of this game was mired in wonderment? No one had any clue as to how Square-Enix would change the game past the character boosts and achievements. There were no screenshots or videos. You know why? Because they didn’t want you to know that this is just about the same exact PC port from the 1990’s just recoded a tad to work on the new versions of Windows. Don’t look for bells and whistles here, folks. That is all you are getting here.

The worst part about this is the DRM placed on the game. This is FINAL FANTASY VII. The game was released in 1997. 1997! Does it really need this crazy authentication process and online activation that just makes everything a pain? Honestly, I love Final Fantasy VII. I own three copies on the PS1, the PS3/PSP download, and still have an old pyramid box for the first PC port unopened. (Also, no I will not sell it you.) If I knew that this version would limit me to downloads, authentication, have a need for online access, use the MIDI soundtrack, and not change a thing, I would have never of purchased this and even more so put up a post on this very website alerting people to not buy it.

This is absolutely ridiculous that Square-Enix would pull this off. You aren’t Capcom with Mega Man here, Square. This is your beloved franchised and even more beloved game in that franchise. The one that people pine over remake rumors. The one that has spawned a whole plethora of merchandise and spin-offs. Did you really have to dangle this release in front of us with no clue as to what we were getting? And before I get those people who will say, “you were getting Final Fantasy VII, what did you expect?” I expected the PS1 version with the new little features, cleaned up translation, and no crazy, downright stupid, DRM. I understand why the first PC port was like this back in the day. The architecture of the PS1 and PC was vastly different. However, with today’s technology you would think that they would have been able to finally give a full, original, yet slightly updated coding and script-wise for PC players.

Another aspect of this that is troublesome is that not everyone has played this game. So you release this only on a digital store that no one is really familiar with. Why not Steam? Hell, why not Origin even? Why limit people to a store that no one cares about? I bet the sales from release to now would pale in comparison to just one week of sales on Steam.

Also, for those people who have never played it and did buy it from the Square-Enix store, they are playing an inferior version and a lazy port. That just won’t give them the experience to match up the hype this game has always had. It’s a slap in the face to all of the fans who told their PC friends to finally jump on board to just be met with this port.

Aside from all of that, the game itself is still in tact. If you don’t mind everything I said above, then by all means buy it and experience Final Fantasy VII on your PC. It is extremely easier to do then finding the old Ultimate Edition and making it work on your Windows now. Convenience aside, you won’t find anything new or updated. Sure, you can boost your levels and gil and earn some achievements but who will see them? The game isn’t linked to Steam or Xbox Live or any system like that. Your best bet is to hope Raptr has support for it to share it with your friends there. You won’t have any issues installing (after the DRM) and playing. Everything was smooth and ran fine.

I love Final Fantasy VII and as you read I’ve bought plenty of copies. I feel ripped off with this one. Existing fans need to stay away from this. New players thinking of finally trying it, just read this review again and see if this port is what you want to play. The experience will hardly live up to what your friends have been saying for years.

Final Fantasy VII (PC-2012) Review

Ronald reviews Final Fantasy VII for the PC.

Review Overview Review Score - 5 50 5 Classic game still intact User Rating: Be the first one ! 5



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