Full Review for Final Fantasy VII by Kage Hateichi

Introduction

This is a review submitted for the 1997/98 RPG classic ps1 game Final Fantasy VII. Please note before reading that this review does not include the special International disk added later on.

Final Fantasy VII is a well done and highly functional game with very effective protagonists and antagonists, that you can easily relate to or see within today's society. Final Fantasy VII is Squaresoft's finest Final Fantasy installment, and is possibly the greatest RPG game ever made.

Graphics

The graphics, by today's standards are relatively pathetic in terms of the characters, but the wide span of well done environments make things all better. The fight scenes have a good 90's quality to them as they should, and the attack visuals are affective. There are some occasional in-game glitches with regard to some objects missing, such as Sephiroth's gloves when he kills Aeris, or the occasional mishaps in map locations. The cut-scenes are well done as well, with the occasional strange body movements due to the old fashioned quality of this game. As a whole, these graphics are incredible.

Sound

The music for this game is completely outstanding. It has the old video game feel to it, but Final Fantasy VII holds some of the most incredible video game music ever heard. There are no recorded voices, which is a shame, but that is not too much of an issue, because the text-boxes and captions still are able to effectively capture the storyline of this game.

Gameplay

This game is very addictive and enjoyable to play, implementing many complex situations that can be highly relatable. The game itself gives hours of enjoyment and intense challenges. A turn-based battle system is present, but despite the horror that can often come with such a system, Final fantasy VII effectively works with it, posing all sorts of different challenges and situations. This game can give some boredom as occasionally with incesant walking and running, there are parts of the storyline that are dug out for a while, but most of the time, the player will find himself/herself affixed to learning what happens next. Like some sort of interesting novel, Final Fantasy VII gives a wide variety of emotions during the game, making the player jump up and down in happiness or flood their lap with tears.

Movement can be relatively irritating on the other hand for this game does not have an auto-run motion set in effect. The (cancel) button must be used in order to move quickly at all. There are occasional freezes in the game that may come as the result of a lack of memory space or an insufficient system. Cut scenes and other video-graphic portions of the game sometimes take a while and can be irritating to those who play games in a hurry. Some in-game quests can also be primarily left to chance and can leave the player highly frustrated. The multiple disk issue is frustrating as well, because some things are lost between disks, however, the disks are not changed all too much during the main gameplay.

But, as a whole, this game is more than likely the most effective and well-done game in terms of gameplay.

Lastability

This game, because of the fact that it is a compact disk game rather than a cartridge game can often face severe wear and tear. However, if the player/owner actually takes care of the disks properly, making sure that they do not get exposed to dust, grease, heat, or anything that can damage the surfaces. The lastability is mostly up to the person who owns the game, but it is advised the game discs are stored in their case, away from sunlight and other hazards. It the discs are damaged, it can sometimes be a major hassle to replace them, and it is necessary to have all three discs in order to play again and again. At a certain point in the game, the player only needs disc three, but in the instance that the player is to lose the memory card or something that would require starting a new game, this is not advised.

As a whole, all that is really required to make this game last is simple responsibility and thought on the part of the owner/player.

Overall

Final fantasy VII is more than likely the best RPG game ever made and makes an excellent gift or pastime. It is highly entertaining and functional, as well as addictive. Any player who plays the full game will certainly enjoy it's quality and join the hope that maybe someday a remake will appear that will extract what few flaws this game has.

Final Score: 98%