Final Fantasy VII

[Jibar]

Almsot everyone I have talked to about this has said that Final Fantasy VII is one of the greatest games ever, so I wanted your opinions on this.
I'll admit, it's Final Fantasy, so it's gotta be good, but is it really one of the greatest games ever?

[Seerow]

Play it and decide for yourself.

I think it's a good game, but vastly overrated. Tactics was much better IMO.

[Renmazuo]

FFVII was a really good game, no questions about it. But Xenogears beats the crap out of it. Xenogears is the best RPG around IMO.

[Adolfo]

Best, I'll say for plot+gaming experience, I only have FF7 to FF9 since I'm using our dear playstation, so I don't really have much base to compare with.

[Spuddly]

For it's time, one of the best games ever.

Terrific plot, very likeable and real characters, good magic/combat system (intuitive for beginners but tons of room to become awesome), extensive world to explore, goregeous graphics, tons of sidequests.

[AdInfinitum]

Great game...but VI was still better. Except for that one frickin spell....

[kleedrac]

I may be biased
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/missa2xtreme/Kurtis.gif http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/kleedrac/KurtisDrivesII.jpg shows it :) ... anywho ... Final Fantasies are by far the best console RPG's IMHO and VII was no exception ... I own this game for both PSX & PC and still enjoy playing through now and again :)

Kleedrac

[AdInfinitum]

Final Fantasies are by far the best console RPG's

Uh...Crono Trigger? I'd also put Romancing Saga 3 in there, but that's just me.

[kleedrac]

Would you feel better if I thought that pretty much everything from Square is great? Final Fantasies are still my personal favs though :)

[Super_Ashura]

I loved it, but I liked FFX's battle system more

[DeathQuaker]

I got halfway through the first disc and got bored. I've never finished it. I keep wanting to go back, because people keep insisting it's wonderful, but I just don't see it. It's a decent story when the annoying characters like Barret don't get in the way... but in between the decent story is a lot of aimless wandering, plodding combat, and endless random encounters. I did play and like FFIX.

I'm currently playing Suikoden II, having just finished the first Suikoden. THOSE are good RPGS for the Playstation (the PS2 sequels are good as well; I actually played them first).

Overall I much prefer PC RPGS to console RPGs, but as far as consoles go, the Suikoden series seems to be my speed.

[Starbuck_II]

DeathQuaker, you should go back and at least get to the third disc.

FF 7 was a great game if you are into psychological problems with the hero, misleading last boss, and a great person dying *;D

I mean, Cloud has so many issues it isn't funny...actually it kinda was.

Fei from Xenogears may have had a few issues but he never stole a persona at least.

But overall, FF7 was great game. I thought it made no sense Cloud being able to survive Seph's sword attack through the chest...but sometimes you have to suspend thought lol.

[DeathQuaker]

Yeah, the death was already spoiled for me by overzealous FFVII fangirls in another forum I participate in. :(

I will get back to it at some point. I think I hit a slow moving spot. I just wish there weren't so many random encounters.

[Marcus]

Hmm... Was it not possible to at some point obtain some piece of materia that eliminated random encounters? Someone with a better memory might know where and when that thing could be found.

[DeathQuaker]

Hmm... Was it not possible to at some point obtain some piece of materia that eliminated random encounters? Someone with a better memory might know where and when that thing could be found.

Not early enough in the game.

[NEO|Phyte]

meh, I'd play through the game again, but my disk1 doesnt work, and you can only have so much fun with lvl99 characters after beating all of the weapons. Having a nearly unbeatable materia combo rocks for beating Emerald and Ruby weapon.

[M.A.T.E.S5]

Ah, ff7. Nostalgia. It was (and is) an incredible game. The gameplay was great, the limit break system was one of the best in any FF game (only ten did it better). Personally, I think 9 was better, but I never finished 7. Definitely in my list of top ten console games

[waspsmakejam]

Final Fantasy VII? Yep, its fab. Check out the top 10 thread, it'll turn up often.

The gameplay is excellent, but its the storyline and the characters that make it one of the greats.

[Ryver]

Hmm... Was it not possible to at some point obtain some piece of materia that eliminated random encounters? Someone with a better memory might know where and when that thing could be found.
Nope. Doesn't exist, AFAIK.

FFVI had the Moogle Charm, and I sorely missed it in FFVII.

Other than that, though, FFVII is one of my favorite games ever. I didn't play it until a long time after it came out (I still don't have a playstation; I bought the PC port), but it was worth the wait. I enjoyed the characters, the plot was deep and had those little things that tied it all together at the end. Aside from that, it's got that steampunk-ish feel to it that I've grown fond of. Swords and guns at the same time. Mmm... swordfights on motorcycles...

Random battles suck in every game, IMO. I can't stand them ever. It sometimes seemed like FFVII had a lot more than usual, but I remember thinking that about other games, too.

I have a place in my heart for Chrono Trigger and FFVI, but FFVII will have its place right next to them.

Re: Cloud getting stabbed: (Spoilers below!)
Well, some might say that his survival was indicative of his destiny. He lived because of his inner strength, or somesuch. On the other hand, there's also a case to be made for the fact that Hojo got his hands on Cloud. Hojo may have wanted his test subject alive, and patched him up... if not that, I wouldn't doubt he'd bring Cloud back to life if he needed to continue the experiments, that sicko.

Aeris didn't have that kind of treatment. She died pretty quickly there, and it was her intention to die. Her wounds were probably more mortal than Cloud's, too; maybe he just got lucky?

[akuma12]

Nope. Doesn't exist, AFAIK.

FFVI had the Moogle Charm, and I sorely missed it in FFVII.



Actually there was an Enc. Down materia that could be bought with GP in the Wonder Square at the Gold Saucer, along with the Enc. Up materia. But it only reduced the chance, didn't eliminate random encouters completely.

[Fale]

Yea. I really enjoyed FF7 and it would have to be somewhere in my top five. It's storyline was the best part about it IMHO. I never completed however. I managed to save just before the very last battles, but I would need to spent countless hours gaining levels and finding materia to defeat it, so I haven't touched it recently.

[Ryver]

Yea. I really enjoyed FF7 and it would have to be somewhere in my top five. It's storyline was the best part about it IMHO. I never completed however. I managed to save just before the very last battles, but I would need to spent countless hours gaining levels and finding materia to defeat it, so I haven't touched it recently.
I doubt that. The last battle is laughably easy, and many people find that it requires no powering up beforehand. All you need is a party with good materia (with members you've been using for a lot of the game), and you should do just fine.

[NEO|Phyte]

heheh, its impossible to NOT beat the final boss. its just the bosses before him that are kinda mean.

[Chumbaniya]

I think FF7 is definitely the best of the FF series, and one of my favourite RPGs. I felt that it got everything spot on - characters, plot, combat, graphics and music all came together so well to create an awesome gaming experience. I haven't completed it myself (which I have no explanation for, and I will probably start playing again later tonight) but I think I'm pretty well through most of it and it hasn't seemed to put a foot wrong. One thing I do notice about it though - I always end up using the same team of all the "beefy" characters - Cloud, Barret and Cid.

Compared to FF8 and FF10 (which are the others I've played) I think it wins out because it feels as though it's a little more complete - FF8 had great characters and story, but the combat was dull and the graphics were a little off, and FF10 was brilliant in graphical and combat terms, but the voice-overs and characters didn't really compare to the other games.

[Lothorus]

I think FF7 is definitely the best of the FF series, and one of my favourite RPGs. I felt that it got everything spot on - characters, plot, combat, graphics and music all came together so well to create an awesome gaming experience. I haven't completed it myself (which I have no explanation for, and I will probably start playing again later tonight) but I think I'm pretty well through most of it and it hasn't seemed to put a foot wrong. One thing I do notice about it though - I always end up using the same team of all the "beefy" characters - Cloud, Barret and Cid.

Compared to FF8 and FF10 (which are the others I've played) I think it wins out because it feels as though it's a little more complete - FF8 had great characters and story, but the combat was dull and the graphics were a little off, and FF10 was brilliant in graphical and combat terms, but the voice-overs and characters didn't really compare to the other games.

The "Same Team" stigma is pretty common for that game. What isn't common, however, is the team everyone uses all the time. One person might go for one style while another will go for yet another (wow that was poorly worded). There are plenty of viable tactics for each combo, though, so don't be afraid to switch a few around. Heck, you might even find Cait Sith in your party. Maybe.

Also, you might want to give FF9 a shot. It's got a nice atmosphere more reminiscent of the original NES and SNES games. You might find them to be your liking, and a welcome alternative to the lackluster numbers 8 and 10.

[Fale]

I doubt that. The last battle is laughably easy, and many people find that it requires no powering up beforehand. All you need is a party with good materia (with members you've been using for a lot of the game), and you should do just fine.

Really? From what I remember I got completely wasted once I arrived. Prehaps I might have to try it again.

[Ryver]

I dunno. Maybe it was just cuz I used the same team throughout most of the game, and I completed most of the sidequests, but I found most of the stuff in the final area to be a walk in the park, including the last series of boss fights. :x

[Heavenlyarcher]

I agree with everybody else. It is very good, but not in my top five.

[Fale]

I dunno. Maybe it was just cuz I used the same team throughout most of the game, and I completed most of the sidequests, but I found most of the stuff in the final area to be a walk in the park, including the last series of boss fights. :x

That would have been my problem. I switched my party all the time to keep their levels even. I did a few of the side quests but not many. Once I find the time, I'll try again.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

To be honest, one of my least favorite FF games. It was such a dissapointment. Plot sucked, main characters dying off early in the game... you know the game stinks when you are rooting for the bad guy to win.

Come on, the plotline more closely resembled a plotline of a soap opera. Your main character is seriously not mentally healthy. Obsessing over Tifa, and a Napolian Complex. Barrett is, to be blunt, a terrorist.

And they released it WAY too soon. They should have waited until second gen PS graphics engines were developed before using such blocky polyhedrons. Come on, when ya can't tell the difference between Barret's gun hand and his real hand... that's pretty damn bad.

My favorite FF is VI. You have good, well developed characters. Good plotline. Good method of learning spells, too. Much better than the materia crap. And I think that Sprite Graphics were unmatched until they came out with Game Cube/PS2 level graphics.

There's a lot of Square SNES games that rock. Secret of Mana, Secret of Evermore, FF IV, FF VI, Chrono Trigger... good times.

[The Giant]

A good portion of what I know about character development and plotting came from playing FF6 about eight times all the way through. FF7 was good, but has only been played by me once.

[Eriol]

I still rank Chrono Trigger as my #1 RPG, though FF6 is a close second. If any of you have never played CT, I would highly recommend it.

FF7 isn't REALLY high up as I always felt the characters suffered from "non-uniqueness" in the combat system, as well as unlikable main characters. Personalities were distinct, but ultimately Aeris was the only one without serious issues. The rest of them felt like a bunch of misfits that you KNEW something bad was going to happen by just associating with them. They all just had personalities that SCREAMED "bad things will happen to these people".

But 6 wasn't like that. Aside from the fact that it was overall a more fun game to play (liked combat much better), the characters felt more like "bad things happening to good people" (generally), rather than the "these dysfunctional idiots deserve everything they get," which was more the vibe in 7. Aeris was the ONLY exception to that, and hence they killed the ONLY character you gave a damn about. The other guys I would be just as satisfied seeing them get "ground into hamburger" by the antagonists. Really, I was almost rooting for Sephiroth by the end of it, the main people were annoying me so much. All of the protagonists in 7 were TOO stereotyped. While most of them had fairly complex backstories, backstory does not a character make. You can have an EXTREMELY complex background, and remain a completely flat character, and that's what virtually everybody in FF7 was: you knew their entire personality from 5 minutes with them. In 6 the characters actually felt real.

6 was less morally ambiguous too. Basically in 7 you had the "good guys" bombing reactors and killing 100s (or more) people. Sure it was still the "good" cause, but it definitely didn't feel righteous. But in 6 it was the resistance, and people willing to put their lives on the line for others, and were NOT reckless (generally). They'd even put their lives on the line for complete strangers (Locke for Terra), and even for enemies (Locke for Celes, Sabin admiring Leo). Sure the "obvious good" vs "obvious evil" might not be as realistic, but it made the player feel a lot better about the side they were on.

Basically I think 7 suffered from being over-stylized, with characters that reflected such, along with a sub-par battle system. Not as bad as it got for the series (8 was OMFG aweful), but pretty bad IMO. If you had transplanted another battle system into it (I dunno which one, Crono Cross's perhaps would be closest to work without story changes, though I'm not the biggest fan of that system either), and made the characters LESS stylized, it would probably work 10x better.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Yea, when the main character is more sane than the heros... you know there's a problem.

One of the reasons why I loved VI... Kefka was the guy you loved to hate. Uses poison to kill off hundreds of citizens of a castle, blows up the world, completely insane... yea, you knew this guy had to go down.

Sepiroth, on the other hand, was actually saner than the main characters. He was also WAY too easy to defeat. He should have been tougher than the Weapons. Instead, when you finally came to him, with all the "Sepiroth rocks" stuff throughout the whole dang game, he was a pushover.

[Renmazuo]

FFVI was okay, I liked it. But I thought the huge amount of charecters in the games, and the lack of a deep story for most of them hurt the game bad.

My favorite FF game has to be FFIV, I liked it alot, just because of the story with the crystal, and Golbez. one of the coolest villians ever IMO.

[VParrotFace]

FF7 is one of my favorites, but I'd have to agree with some of the criticism of it.
My favorite game of that type is the relatively unknown Valkyrie Profile. Very moving, very entertaining.
Also, there's some random character in a cutscene who is played by the same voice actor who does Ash on the Pokemon tv show. And the character sounds exactly the same. Its great.

[Jibar]

Curse me and my date of birth!
I never have got around to playing VI, and it is one of my favorite Final Fantasys.
When the Revoloution comes out, It'll be one of the first games I download.
Oh, and if you enjoy final Fantasy VI, or VII for that matter,
http://emudimension.com/fffantasy/FFF.html
Final Fighting Fanatsy.
It takes the characters from I-VII from the end of their games, and delivers an absolutly smashing story. Go watch, now,

[Spuddly]

Come on, the plotline more closely resembled a plotline of a soap opera. Your main character is seriously not mentally healthy. Obsessing over Tifa, and a Napolian Complex. Barrett is, to be blunt, a terrorist.

The moral ambiguity was precisely why I liked the game. I like a flawed hero. I like seeing the domestic side of terrorists.

There's an epicness about FF7. Maybe it was just the age I played it at, where everything mattered lots and we all pretended to be so special and mopey (you guys remember those days, don't you?). And there were all these characters, all real people. They weren't a bunch of LG paladin pansies. Outlaws and outcasts with problems. But they were a family.

And the mild cyberpunk feel was pretty cool.

Cloud had problems, yeah. And he was a complete badass. He was also empty for a protagonist. Stand-offish and quiet, spoke little. He was tore up over Tifa and Aeris and a past he couldn't remember, but there was a large part of Cloud that the player could identify with simply because it wasn't there. The other characters had far more character. Cloud was always subdued, didn't throw out colorful or opinionated language nearly as much as the other characters did. Which I think is sort of a good idea for a main character that you control. Identification through projection.

FFVIII went too far in the direction of FFVII. Squall was a complete ass. It was like playing Top Gun, but instead of American studs we get waifish anime characters. Pfff no thanks. And the load times were atrocious.

[Jerthanis]

I really really disliked FF7, I went into it expecting it to be great. All my friends had regailed me of wonderous stories about it, how it was fantastic and stuff. When I bought it, the cashier freaked out, saying that he couldn't believe I hadn't played it before and how it was his favorite game ever. Once I finally got around to playing it I questioned why anyone ever played this game at all.

The game starts you out in a dungeon, the reactor core with little or no explaination as to why you're there or what you're doing. In fact, the first 8 hours or so of the game are almost completely without plot or exposition, just a little character development of Cloud and Aeris and a LOT of pointless dungeons and absolutely mindlessly stupid minigames. The Shinra building was the dumbest, most tedius dungeon possible... and then you get out of Midguard and the game decides to FINALLY give you some plot information.

The story does this not by slowly drawing forth the plot in small and managable steps, slowly developing the story over time, but by putting you in an innroom and having Cloud EXPLAIN THE ENTIRE PLOT! before you have to go through countless dungeons again. There is no storytelling technique to that game, there's no impetus to take the next step, there's no threat breathing down your neck (until the very end) there's no sense of character development from step 1 to step 2... I'm totally unclear on how LOOKING at a monster being grown in a tube made Sephiroth realize he was a monster grown in a tube, NOR why that made him go crazy and kill hundreds of thousands of people and want to end all of existance. The only plot development after that innroom was the minor details that Cloud got wrong because he went crazy for no reason... and those plot details he got wrong SHOULD have been known by Tifa, who could have piped up during that scene in the Innroom, but didn't for no reason. Add to this the fact that every villain that wasn't Sephiroth was comic relief or otherwise utterly rediculous (boss battles consisted mainly of the pieces of Jenova that Sephiroth would throw at you... meaning Sephiroth was carrying his dead/living? mother around with him, tearing pieces of her off and throwing them at some random schmucks who were generally wandering around with no clue what was going on.) (The Turks were comic relief, the Shinra forces were comic relief, a large portion of monsters were comic relief, many situations were supposed to be comic, but failed to be... I had to wonder where the drama was that this comedy was supposed to be relieving)

I also don't understand the whole "It's Final Fantasy, so it's gotta be good" mentality. Final Fantasies aren't the best RPGs by a longshot. They're the most famous and biggest budget, but there are so many better RPGs and RPG serieses out there than Final Fantasy.

[Renmazuo]

While I don't think FF7 is the best FF ever. You seemed to have missed out on some things

1) When Sephiroth freaked out because he saw Jenova in a tube, all moster like, he realized he was a monster because he was told his mother indeed was Jenova. He came to a fairly obvious conclusion of what he was

2) There is story and plot in the first 8 hours of FFVII, but it doesn't really go into the whole grand scheme of things. ALL rpg's start off slow, it's a fact. FFVII first 8 hours was there to introduce and show the type of world you were living in. A horrible world controlled by an evil coroporation bent on only making life better for themselves - Shin-ra. Then it goes to tell you what you are doing and why - you are AVALANCHE (sp?) a group dedicated to use any means neccesary to stop shin-ra from eventually using up all natural resourses on the planet.

The first 8 hours of the game basicly was there to show you the good vs. evil aspect, and why you were actually fighting them.

EDIT: About the Tifa thing. If you paid attention to the story, Tifa could not tell the story because she can't remember it. She suffered a near fatal wound from sephiroth, and her mind pretty much blocked out the events. Thus making it impossible to clarify on clouds story. Or else, I think she would have

3) There were plenty of bosses that were no joke that were not Jenova. I do believe the weapons come to mind. I remember having a bitch of a time with them.


I can understand not liking the game. But your reasoning to some of the stuff I don't agree with at all. This post is in no way spitefull, I just disagree, thats all.

[tyr]

Aeris DIES?!

I borrowed this game a week ago. I'm like 22 hours into it and I haven't reached disc 2 yet. When do I? Also, is it possible to beat this game with a normal PS1 memory card?

[Wih]

tyr, this thread will have lots of spoliers. I suggest you don't read it unless you want to know them. Yes, you only need a normal PS1 memory card.

I've always considered FF7 to be the best FF game ever made. Just about all the characters were very well done. It had a brilliant plotline. One so complex you either had to read a walkthrough, or play it 4 or 5 times to find it all out.
And that's just the plotline for the main characters, not the minor ones.

I've always been a fan of complex, convoluted storylines with fatal plot-twists. I've always been a fan of the 'mind-screw' genre of films. FF7 catered to me perfectly. But it hasn't and wont cater for everyone's likes.

As for the graphics, yeah, they were blockly, and bad. I would have preferred the graphics of FF6 on the game (but then again, I've always liked 8-bit graphics) - the graphics of FF7 were never a strong point - what the creators busted their guts on were the FMVs and the storyline. And they did a damn good job of it IMHO.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

I've always considered FF7 to be the best FF game ever made. Just about all the characters were very well done. It had a brilliant plotline. One so complex you either had to read a walkthrough, or play it 4 or 5 times to find it all out.
And that's just the plotline for the main characters, not the minor ones.

I disagree completely. The plotline was very see-through. The character backgrounds were carboard-cutouts. The only relatively sane character in the whole game was the ending bad guy. The plotline consided of 'what the hell are we doing', followed by 'life sucks', then 'the world is going to end if we don't gain super powers and win the day'. That's it. As side plots... you had a kleptomaniac ninja, a necophilliac sociopath with a gun, and a cat riding a big stuffed toy who ended up betraying you.

I've always been a fan of complex, convoluted storylines with fatal plot-twists. I've always been a fan of the 'mind-screw' genre of films. FF7 catered to me perfectly. But it hasn't and wont cater for everyone's likes.

It wasn't a complex, convoluted storyline. It was one of the most simplistic plotlines since Mystic Quest bombed.

As for the graphics, yeah, they were blockly, and bad. I would have preferred the graphics of FF6 on the game (but then again, I've always liked 8-bit graphics) - the graphics of FF7 were never a strong point - what the creators busted their guts on were the FMVs and the storyline. And they did a damn good job of it IMHO.

This is one of my core complaints. I saw the FMV of the party jumping into the three-wheeled truck and Cloud on his bike... and they told me that was actual game play. I've never forgiven them for it. The FMV's were awsome for it's day... and that was the only thing that I enjoyed about this game, other than taking a sledge to it after having beaten it, doing all the side quests, earning the most rare materia and leveling it up to obscene levels (KOTR + 3 mastered mimic materias, and breeding a gold chocobo), and STILL finding that the game sucks.

The plotline for the original FF was miles better than VII, and it was on the NES, and had radical graphics for it's day and age. The plotline for IV and VI blew VII out of the water so bad there was no comparison. The only FF games it MIGHT compare with for plotlines was 8 and 9 and MQ. Maybe if they hadn't followed two awsome plotline FF games with a bunch of sewage, it wouldn't have tasted so foul.

[Eriol]

I don't know why you're ranting on MQ so badly. The gameplay sucked (very simplistic), but the plot was OK IMO. Not super-depth, but it was OK. Pretty much agree with everything else you said though.

But if a convoluted plotline is desired, try an english translation of FFV. It's not as well-known, as it wasn't originally released here, but it's solid. Convoluted, but it makes sense at the end. And with enough freedom on HOW to complete it in the final stages to really satisfy you. Somewhat similar to FF6 in that the end-game "side quests" are not merely side-quests, except that while in FF6 you don't need to do them beyond having enough people to conquer the tower, in FF5 they ARE essential, except the free-form order gives the good feeling of freedom.

[tyr]

Point taken, Wih, although I was kidding (come to think of it, I gave no indication that I was--oops). I figured the whole Aeris thing was pretty much universally known, like the Darth Vader thing in Empire Stikes Back. Thanks for the Memory card thing, by the way, I've been scared to death of harming the one I borrowed somehow.

The thing I dislike about this game is that it keeps picking my teams for me at the most inopportune moments. Any character specialization at all is neutered by the plot every time there's a boss fight.

[DeathQuaker]

Point taken, Wih, although I was kidding (come to think of it, I gave no indication that I was--oops). I figured the whole Aeris thing was pretty much universally known, like the Darth Vader thing in Empire Stikes Back. Thanks for the Memory card thing, by the way, I've been scared to death of harming the one I borrowed somehow.

You're lucky. I actually didn't know, when I was playing it, and someone spoiled it for me on another forum.

That might be another reason why I haven't brought myself to finish it yet either... the joy of discovery's kind of ruined when Internet buzz has covered most of the story and people fail to give spoiler warnings.


The thing I dislike about this game is that it keeps picking my teams for me at the most inopportune moments. Any character specialization at all is neutered by the plot every time there's a boss fight.

YES... I noticed that. Other games do that too, to some extent (Suikoden--a series I love dearly, mind you--does that to a sometimes excruciatingly annoying degree). Especially when you're forced to take along some character you really have no use for or interest in.

[coltsith]

In what FF is there a cooler move than Omnislash or KOTR?!
Or super nova?! ;D

[Nero24200]

People are failing to realise certain aspects

Yes, the game does pick team-mates for you for certain battles, but would you ever use those team-mates otherwise, no. This means there is actually a point to having several characters (not including sotyline purposes).

Yes, cloud did have mental isssues, and Barret IS a terroist. I've got a newsflash for people who don't like these ideas - PEOPLE ARE NOT PERFECT. I doubt very much that anyone who has left an elite goverment war-based operation only to fight against siad operation, isn't likly to have all his marbles
If you were to ask a terroist why he kills innocents, you find that, in their answers, they sound very much like Barret.

As for those who complain that Sephiroth was an easy final boss, you obivoulsy don't understand the storyline that well.
In truth, the characters never pursued sephiroth, it was Jenova. Only at two times in the game do you see the real Sephiroth, cloud's flashbacks, and when cloud hands over the black matreria in the northern crater

[WampaX]

Hmmmm, FFVII . . . I recall that I got to the final dungeon, then one winged angel kicked my behind and I stopped playing. For a long time, like 6-7 months. I don't remember why, though.

Wait, I didn't get the game until around Christmas of '97 and then FFT came out in January of '98. Heh, that was it. I stopped playing FFVII for FFT and never looked back. I think I beat FFT three times before I even touched FFVII again.

Still haven't gotten around to beating the Weapons.

[Jibar]

Got hold of it at last last friday.
Kingdom Hearts only manage to beat it for awesomeness because it has the new look Cloud.
I'm already on Disc 2, and it just so very very perfect...
And Disc 1's ending has ahd me depressed all day...
:'(

[Akiosama]

I'm kinda for the 'each to their own' theory about Final Fantasy-s... They're all so different from each other.

The game systems change, the character designs change, the technology/magic level changes, the graphics change... it's hard to compare them all to each other.

As for my opinions on FF, I think I liked FF VI best, though I haven't solved ANY FF game since FF IV. *They all tend to be too long (except for FF VIII which I stopped playing for a different reason altogether), but I tend to like them all (except FF XI but that doesn't count) and acquire them all. *Each tends to have its own high points and low points, and I don't compare them to each other, except on a "how much fun am I having" scale, and they all tend to rank about the same. *I'll enjoy each thoroughly for a month or two, get caught up in something else (another new game/work/school, etc.) and come back to it in a few weeks, not know where I am anymore and start over again, wash, rinse and repeat. *They're fun enough that I come back and keep trying to finish them, but not necessarily engrossing enough that I play them out to the end to the exclusion of all else...

As for best badguy... Kefka from FF VI, definitely. *Never have I wanted to reach into the game and strangle a character like I did with Kefka. *And that was only at the point where he uses poison near the beginning of the game. *It was over when he killed the enemy general that was actually trying to smooth out the wrinkles between the heroes and the enemy forces. *(Names escape me, it's been so long since I've played...)

Fortunately for me, I was able to play FF Vi on the Japanese cartridge on the original release. *I had too much fun naming all of the swordsman's special moves with Chinese characters/Kanji. *They took that feature out when it was brought to the US, and I was sorely disappointed. I missed not having my "Poison Wind Black Death Slash" *(Actually, I don't remember any of the names that I used for the moves, but that sounds a lot like how I went about naming the moves. *It made looking at strategy guides difficult, though. * 8)) *Not that I was surprised they took it out... but it was probably one of the most fun parts of the game for me... I'm weird like that...

So, anyhow, that's my opinion on the whole FF issue. * ;D

As for FF VII? *Good game, a little slow to get 'free will', but FF has been heading that way for a while, and pretty complex as a whole. *I'm actually playing it again (Do you KNOW how hard it is to find a copy of that game now? *It was easier to find a Strategy Guide, it's still in print) due to the hype over FF VII: Advent Children. *As for Advent Children, it's pretty much what the FF movie should have been. *And Tifa rocks!

Just my 2 yen,

Game on!

Akio

[Jibar]

I'm kinda for the 'each to their own' theory about [i] *It was over when he killed the enemy general that was actually trying to smooth out the wrinkles between the heroes and the enemy forces. *(Names escape me, it's been so long since I've played...)

*And Tifa rocks!



That was General Leo.
And Aeris is better.

[Akiosama]

That was General Leo.
And Aeris is better.


Heh, says you. Aeris is dead and Tifa is not, if I remember correctly. ;D

And she was FAR FAR FAR cooler in Advent Children than Aeris was. 8) (Granted, Aeris was definitely somewhat cool in Advent Children - she was voiced, after all, by Sakamoto Maaya, who at this time is one of my favorite voice actresses - as Lunamaria Hawke in Gundam Seed Destiny, in any case...)

But you can have Aeris. That'll leave Tifa for me. ;D

My 2 gil,

Game on!

Akio

[Jibar]

All the best female characters die.
Kairi died in Kingdom hearts, whatshername (Zelda's babysitter lady thing...) died in Ocarina of Time, as did Saria,
And Aeris does far more than Tifa.
But, anyway, I'll have Aeris, you can have Tifa.
None for the rest of you,
Weeeeell, one of you could Elena and someone else could have Yuffie.

[WampaX]

Pfft, Aeris didn't die, she just shifted to another franchise (KH) or another world (Ivalace).

[Akiosama]

Heh, she seemed pretty dead in the movie. *But then again, crossover stuff tends to get convoluted and messy.

I have nothing against Aeris/Aerith. *I just like Tifa far more. *But I like women that can kick butt and still look good doing it. * 8)

And in either case, they both deserve better than... Cloud Strife.

My 2 gil,

Game on!

Akio

[Jibar]

Good point, they deserve us.
Come on Akio, let's go to wherever FF7 is set and find them!

[Akiosama]

Right on, brother Jibar!

Heh.

Game on!

Akio

[OzymandiasVolt]

FF7 was a pretty good game.

Many people hate it because of the massive amounts of hype they were (and are) constantly bombarded with.

First it was the ad campaign, and then it was the rabid fanboys.

If you can find a cheap copy, pick it up. It's worth a play through.

(As for Aeris, I just assumed that someone who ISN'T mentally retarded found her floating in a river and used a Phoenix Down on her.)

[Jibar]

I worked out about that.
Everybody has a designated moment to die in the Final fantasy universe. When it comes, then phoenix downs or life spells won't work. that's it. Off to join the lifestream.
This explains why some characters die, and stay dead, and others can be brought back,

[Cubey]

Actually it is pretty simple. Life spells and Phoenix Downs treat unconscious characters. Not the ones who are already dead. Check the status name for a character with 0 HP - I am sure it will be KO, Wounded or Incapacitated, at least it used to be in FF 6. Not dead, definately not.

Another proof would be when Galuf was dying in FF 5 - the rest of the team was using all the stuff on him, including Phoenix Downs and Elixirs. But he was too badly wounded to survive - alas, poor Galuf, I liked him very well (not really a gramatically correct sentence).

[Jibar]

Hmm, that makes a lot more sense.

[Cubey]

*annoying fanboi mode - not to take seriously*

In that case, I have dibs on Yuffie. She has stolen my heart... *searches pockets* right after my materia. *sigh*

[Jibar]

Okay, then now we just have to get rid of Elena. Then we can set off.
(Dibs on Odin materia)

[somebodyelse]

I think a lot of people dislike FF7 because it's popular, and then find other reasons to justify their new opinions. That's my theory, anyway.

I like FF7. It was the first Final Fantasy I got really into. Later I went back and played the other ones more, but FF7 was the first one that really grabbed me. I think it was in part because I had more free time for video games when it came out.

A lot of people are way to obsessive about the game, though. Really frighteningly fanboy-ish. It's a good game with a cool story, but I wouldn't say it's the life-changing god-send that some people claim it is.

I really liked the materia system. I liked how you could combine different materia in your own way, which introduced a whole bunch of cool things you could do. My personal favorite was command counter + mimic. ( Turns out a character can mimic their own limit break... )

It was a pretty big downer when Aeris died like that. I didn't really see it coming. ( I was thankfully sheltered from internet buzz and fanboys. )

About the 'phoenix down for KO but not dead' thing.. That's what people tell me. But... I dunno, maybe it's a flaw with hit points, but like, if you've got 20/20 hp and get hit with a sword for 22 damage, yeah, ok, you're unconscious and a phoenix down wakes you up. But when you've got like 400/4000 hp and you get hit with Flare for 8000 damage, shouldn't you be a little more than just unconscious?

But that's just useless nitpicking. lol.

Also, I've heard a few people incorrectly say that FF7 was the first game where a main character died. I'm positive this is not the case. In both Phantasy Star 2 and Phantasy Star 4, a main character dies. PS 4 made more sense. I think there was a translation error in Phantasy Star 2 when you try to resurrect the girl, because it doesn't make much sense. ( It says "It won't work because she is a mutant" but if she dies earlier in the game from normal combat you can revive her just fine. )

Yeah I'm done.

(edit: fixed typo. the resurrect the girl weirdness is in phantasy star two, not four. )

[Hadriel]

Good game.

[Cubey]

This is to somebodyelse's post:

About the damage/KO part, I think it's just a suspension of disbelief.

Now, about a main character being killed - of course FF VII is not the first game to do that, heck - it isn't the first FF game to have a person from the main cast die!
Spoilers to follow, do not read if you didn't play FF 4-6.

IV: Tellah the sage dies after using Meteo and losing his life power in the process

V: Galuf dies after trying to protect his granddaughter Cara (who later joins the part in his place) from ExDeath, the main boss. Very sad, really. But the scene when he and his old (dead too) friends come back (temporarily) to kick butt... I can't say I was crying, but it was moving.

VI: Shadow the assassin dies. Hell, he can even die in two places - at the end of the Floating Continent (if you do not wait for him for long enough), or at the end of the game. Interestingly, his death scene per se is never shown.

[Nero24200]

Its not sad for Tellah though because he acts like a mupet

And Galuf was a little predictable (using the job abilty system but having 5 characters is what tipped me off)

Poor Shadow, HE RULED, sniff

[somebodyelse]

I know FF7's not the first game where main characters die. { Though Shadow's not really a 'main' character ). But I've heard people say that it was.

There are a lot of people that the only RPG they've ever played was FF7. When those people become fanboys, it can have strange results.

I knew this person who was like that, and then I guess they got tired with FF7 and they'd try to rant about RPGs and how they're all the same. But they'd never really played anything other than FF7, so they really had no idea what they were talking about. ie: Them: "Why's there never a girl main character?!" Me: "FF6?" Yeah.

[Renmazuo]

I wouldn't say Terra was a main charecter. While there was some focus on her the beginning of the game, it hugely shifted away. I don't consider her a main charecter, just because FFVI had so much bloody people, and in the end Terra didn't really even matter. Technicaly if you wanted, you could say Locke is the main charecter, cause the game focused on him alot later on.

[Casualgamer]

Watch Advent Children. It makes you love FFVII. Wonderful battle choreography (SP?!!!).

Big swords kick ass. Its not overcompensation, its advertisement... and false advertisement just isn't right.

Other good RPGs include Tales of Phantasia (OMFG awesome), FFI, and Otogi 2 (I guess that doesn't really count...). Oh yeah, and if mmos count, WORLD OF WARCRAFT. FOR T3H HORDE!!!

Bad RPGS:
Xenogears= :P, disgusting character models.

FF VIII: Squall= pansy. Lame weapon. Love interest was a hoe. I wish my lawn was as emo as him so it would cut itself.

FFX: Seriously, who takes a game in which the main character is a mini-vest wearing neuter (Tidus=high voice) seriously?

FFX-2: LOLSKATESROFLECOPTERBBQPWN! "I become more scantily clad to become more powerful and/or more diverse as I embark on a largely pointless quest for my castrated love.

FFXII: Ummm... the main characters look exactly like Tidus and Yuna.... And the boy, Vaan or whatever... why the heck does he use a longsword and buckler?? And what is he WEARING?

[Renmazuo]

Bad RPGS:
Xenogears= :P, disgusting character models.




.....Your kidding right? for PSX, it was pretty good. Not the best by all means. But if you claim Xenogears was bad just because of bad charecter models, it's sad.

Xenogears has had the best story of any RPG yet. It had wonderfully done charecters, compelling plot, and a wonderfully executed battle system. This game is the best RPG of all time IMO

saying it's bad because of charecter models!? :o

[Xyber02]

Uh...Crono Trigger? I'd also put Romancing Saga 3 in there, but that's just me.

Well, just because it says best, doesn't mean that others aren't great. :D

I liked FFVII, but not as in ZOMG Roxxorz, you know?

FFIX, now there's a game. :)

[Jerthanis]

All the best female characters die.
Kairi died in Kingdom hearts, whatshername (Zelda's babysitter lady thing...) died in Ocarina of Time, as did Saria,
And Aeris does far more than Tifa.
But, anyway, I'll have Aeris, you can have Tifa.
None for the rest of you,
Weeeeell, one of you could Elena and someone else could have Yuffie.


Waittaminute... did ANY of those other characters die? I mean, whoops, spoilers, but seriously, Aeris is the only one of those characters who dies IIRC.

But I agree that Aeris is where it's at... her abilities were surprisingly more awesome than I'd ever have thought, and all through Disc 1 I used her AND Tifa (nothing says you can't have them both.)

In fact, a lot of my personal animosity for FF7 comes from what I call the "Loddoss Wars" syndrome, where I stop caring after my favorite character dies. (Whoops, spoilers again?) Aeris was what kept me playing to the end of disc 1, despite having no idea what was going on or where to go... and needing a strategy guide to know what town I was supposed to be heading towards. I knew she was going to die, but I also thought that if she were killed I would care enough to avenge her death. Of course, that turned out not to be the case.

[Jibar]

Technically Kairi dies. I mean, what happens to ehr is what happens to Sora when his hp runs out, so it counts as dieing.
And the other two die. All the temple guardians die, thats how they become the guardians.
And I know what you mean. I've given up for a while now. I'm lost in the great glacier, and I miss her too much to continue,

[Godhand]

(whoever hasnt played FF VI, do not read this)

Whoa whoa whoa, someone said that Terra wasnt the main character in FF6... FF6 had 2 main characters. Terra and Celes. Terra is the center of the plot for the first half of the game while Celes is the center for the 2nd half. Saying Locke (or Edgar) is the main character is false because hes the main SUPPORT character.

The entire first half of the game is the entire strife between Espers and Humans. Terra, being half esper and half human, is the center of this strife. The humans are trying to control the espers for their power, even Terra is controlled with the slave crown. Locke is always there yes, but thats it, hes just there. Locke is just a thief, Terra is the centerpoint of a war now repeated after 1000 years.

The switch from Terra to Celes is when General Leo dies. After that Celes becomes the main center of the plot. From the stabbing of Kefka on the floating continent (go Celes!), to jumping off the cliff to eventually bringing all her friends back together at the end. Locke coming back is the culmination of Celes quest to bring everyone back because its the climax of the love triangle between Celes, Locke and Rachel (sp?). Whew

Forgiveness for my rambling.

[Renmazuo]

Sorry If I wasn't being clear, but I was stating that FFVI technically had NO main charecter. As one charecter really wasn't the focus for the entire game. I just made the Locke referance because I remeber the game revolving around him a good bit as well.

[Godhand]

Oh sorry, didn't mean to sound judgemental. I took that way too seriously. I can see your point.

[Renmazuo]

No problem at all. I didn't think you sounded judgemental or anything, I realized I just didn't make myself clear on my point ;D

no harm done.