Final Fantasy VII's popularity
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With reference to the picture you use, I hear Gantz is the bleakest anime ever.
Anyways, it's something I don't really understand either. I found the characters to be irritating and the story to be weak. The environments didn't interest me and the final battle was the biggest let down since I found out Santa didn't exist.
However I have the same feelings about the Zelda franchise, and the Half Life series...especially the Half life series.
I suppose when someone really likes something then they tend to be obsessive about it, above all reason. So it's something I tend to ignore, like my sister's tastes in music and film.
VIII was way better, and I'm happy to leave it there.
Anyways, it's something I don't really understand either. I found the characters to be irritating and the story to be weak. The environments didn't interest me and the final battle was the biggest let down since I found out Santa didn't exist.
However I have the same feelings about the Zelda franchise, and the Half Life series...especially the Half life series.
I suppose when someone really likes something then they tend to be obsessive about it, above all reason. So it's something I tend to ignore, like my sister's tastes in music and film.
VIII was way better, and I'm happy to leave it there.
Lol, same here, it came out on my seventh birthday and my father got me it has a birthday present... the first RPG I ever played... but I wont take that into account much other wise I'd be a tad bit bias. Okay on a out side look the game have a memorable score, Bad graphics by today's standards but for 1997 they were Beautiful, Memorable characters, plot that had many holes but was none the less brilliantly told... well I try but no I can't my view is probably very bias as it was A. The first game I was ever bought B. The first RPG I ever played C. Nostalgia flows all way through my argument.daz_O_O said:
Sorry, but its really the whole series. Before i continue, id like to add that many would call me a FFanboy, although i wouldnt myself, since ive never really come to terms with the term. ( geeh, that sounded wierd.)
Nevertheless, all characters in the FF series are stereotypes, dialogue have always been so-so, and well, i truly believe the FF7 popularity came from the fact that it was the first 3d rpg that the masses noticed, and during a crucial era of the console timeline as well. Sure, semoi-steampunk is easy to like, sephiroth is a pretty boy (just as cloud and vince), theyve put some effort into animations as well and that always draws a crowd.
I would also like to add that whoever finds the FF7 story complex or refined or something really should turn of their tv (for, oh lets say, 5 weeks?!) and read a bloody book for once ! its all there, no mystery, just play the game and you shall be answered... And yes, that goes for the ENTIRE FINAL FANTASY series ! its like reading a nice comic, except you get to move stuff around and from time to time affect stuff. If people want "Story" from a game, there just trying to milk their dog to get coffe cream ! Story comes(/came) from guys like Dostojevskij, not people who make their living aided by special effects ...
ended up close to FF bashing here, but i like the series (a lot). Incidentally , i like both comics and novels as well.And i think FF5 was the best (due to game system). sorry for walling, wherever you are, and good night.
___edited for spelling.
Nevertheless, all characters in the FF series are stereotypes, dialogue have always been so-so, and well, i truly believe the FF7 popularity came from the fact that it was the first 3d rpg that the masses noticed, and during a crucial era of the console timeline as well. Sure, semoi-steampunk is easy to like, sephiroth is a pretty boy (just as cloud and vince), theyve put some effort into animations as well and that always draws a crowd.
I would also like to add that whoever finds the FF7 story complex or refined or something really should turn of their tv (for, oh lets say, 5 weeks?!) and read a bloody book for once ! its all there, no mystery, just play the game and you shall be answered... And yes, that goes for the ENTIRE FINAL FANTASY series ! its like reading a nice comic, except you get to move stuff around and from time to time affect stuff. If people want "Story" from a game, there just trying to milk their dog to get coffe cream ! Story comes(/came) from guys like Dostojevskij, not people who make their living aided by special effects ...
ended up close to FF bashing here, but i like the series (a lot). Incidentally , i like both comics and novels as well.And i think FF5 was the best (due to game system). sorry for walling, wherever you are, and good night.
___edited for spelling.
Having only replayed it recently after my childhood "zOMG" moments, I don't want to call it any sort of "best game ever". FF7 was definitely really really fun if you take it for what it is without trying to determine superiority. I generally felt the spirituality/lifestream/lovestory plotline stuff was often overdone, but at least it wasn't told poorly. But no matter what, the cinematic parts of the game were what made it really stand out for me. Unlike a game such as MGS4, when I hear the disc whirring and know an FMV is loading, I actually expect something exciting. Moments of pure awesome:
Cloud and co. decide the best way to escape the surrounded Shinra HQ is by jumping a motorcycle out of the 3rd story window onto the highway, going directly into a pursuit minigame.
Barret and Tifa are just about to be executed for crimes against Shinra when...
Mysterious Reporter: "Excuse me, Ms. Scarlet, a word for the press?"
"Kyaa-haha-...huh?...Ugh...y-you..." (falls unconscious)
"What the hell??? It-It's that damn moogle!!"
Cait Sith: SURPRISE! (instant combat with remaining guards)
I also thought it was kinda cool at one point to be allowed to control a separate character for the main story (also that Cid is a bit of a badass). I think some games have done it for brief sections (Resident Evil 4) but it's never quite as cool until it's done with someone established.
Final footnote, it was the longest game I've played in a very long time. The 6 hour standard feels like nothing when I look back.
Cloud and co. decide the best way to escape the surrounded Shinra HQ is by jumping a motorcycle out of the 3rd story window onto the highway, going directly into a pursuit minigame.
Barret and Tifa are just about to be executed for crimes against Shinra when...
Mysterious Reporter: "Excuse me, Ms. Scarlet, a word for the press?"
"Kyaa-haha-...huh?...Ugh...y-you..." (falls unconscious)
"What the hell??? It-It's that damn moogle!!"
Cait Sith: SURPRISE! (instant combat with remaining guards)
I also thought it was kinda cool at one point to be allowed to control a separate character for the main story (also that Cid is a bit of a badass). I think some games have done it for brief sections (Resident Evil 4) but it's never quite as cool until it's done with someone established.
Final footnote, it was the longest game I've played in a very long time. The 6 hour standard feels like nothing when I look back.
Um...
Final Fantasy VII has a hidden meaning that people debate about? Really? Bullshit. It has the same pseudo-hippy, stuff every game in the series has had. The funny thing is, it can be read as attempting to discredit nuclear power and encourage the shift back to coal with the whole Corel situation. I'm not going to read that far into that though. Final Fantasy as a series has always been about one thing: saving the world. Its what you do in every, single game and this one was no different.
As for the cookie-cutter characters? I assume you mean Cloud and Sephiroth, since everyone else is pretty well fleshed-out. Actually, even they couldn't really be considered cookie-cutter since they were pretty much the first of their kind. Every 'angst' hero or villain from then on was influenced in some way by Cloud and Sephiroth.
I have a feeling that you don't like JRPGs so you created a thread that is effectively identical to the "Why are JRPGs so popular" thread but put a thin veil of difference on it by attacking one of the figureheads of the genre.
This just in, not everybody has to share your taste in games.
Final Fantasy VII has a hidden meaning that people debate about? Really? Bullshit. It has the same pseudo-hippy, stuff every game in the series has had. The funny thing is, it can be read as attempting to discredit nuclear power and encourage the shift back to coal with the whole Corel situation. I'm not going to read that far into that though. Final Fantasy as a series has always been about one thing: saving the world. Its what you do in every, single game and this one was no different.
As for the cookie-cutter characters? I assume you mean Cloud and Sephiroth, since everyone else is pretty well fleshed-out. Actually, even they couldn't really be considered cookie-cutter since they were pretty much the first of their kind. Every 'angst' hero or villain from then on was influenced in some way by Cloud and Sephiroth.
I have a feeling that you don't like JRPGs so you created a thread that is effectively identical to the "Why are JRPGs so popular" thread but put a thin veil of difference on it by attacking one of the figureheads of the genre.
This just in, not everybody has to share your taste in games.
pushpushpushpushAku_San said:
As much as i Love FFVII, i say FFXII is much better. I've tried playing six, but never gotten through it (not because of the game, but because my friend took it back before i finished and has since lost it)
I love FF7. I still think it's the best FF, even though I've played and enjoyed most of them.
I think a lot of FF7's success over the others comes from the fact that there was nothing else out quite like it at the time for the PS1 (not that I remember anyway) and also for a lot of people, it was their first introduction to JRPGs, so those people will always look upon it more fondly.
Personally, I've never considered the popular opinion to be a factor in my favouritism towards FF7- it's my favourite because it appealed most to my personal tastes.
I think a lot of FF7's success over the others comes from the fact that there was nothing else out quite like it at the time for the PS1 (not that I remember anyway) and also for a lot of people, it was their first introduction to JRPGs, so those people will always look upon it more fondly.
Personally, I've never considered the popular opinion to be a factor in my favouritism towards FF7- it's my favourite because it appealed most to my personal tastes.
I guess a lot of people love FF7 as it effectively introduced the west to RPGS, much like Akira did for anime. I'm aware that people were playing RPGs long before FF7 came along but it just seemed to have that effect that dragged a lot more people into the genre. Perhaps looking back now it is looking dated and yes the angsty hero bit has been done soooooooo many times it appears shallower every time you play it. Personally I love the game, could play it again and again, nevermind the shameless cashing in or the now dreadfully over-used cliche character sets(the angsty one, the goofy one, the one that sounds like mister T, the ladies man etc... flower girl, boobs).
Bear in mind that in spite of its popularity there are likely just as many people who hate it, either way you can't ignore it.
Bear in mind that in spite of its popularity there are likely just as many people who hate it, either way you can't ignore it.
There's probably no real point in posting my views here but I'm going to anyway because I'm bored and have nothing better to do. Anyways, I only got into final fantasy a few years ago with FFX which I enjoyed a lot. Since then I've played IV on the DS and XII and I enjoyed both. I then discovered I could download VII on the PSN and since it's the one everyone raves about and I didn't have any other games I was playing at the time I downloaded it.
Well, first off I don't agree that it's the "best video game ever" and I'm not even sure I consider it to be the best Final Fantasy I've played (I'm not really sure which one I'd call my favourite, I enjoyed them all for different reasons). Nonetheless, I really enjoyed VII. Sure, it has flaws: The character graphics aren't great and the story is a little convoluted (I did figure it out in the end but there were a few occasions after cut scenes where I was left scratching my head). Also, the pre-rendered backgrounds are annoying because you often hard to tell what you can and can't walk on. Also, there are a few parts that require timing or quick reactions and since I am possibly the least co-ordinated person on the planet these drove me insane at times. Oh, and there was some grinding though I found there wasn't as much as I expected, mainly because I couldn't be bothered to level up ridiculously and take on the WEAPONs.
Nonetheless, I also found a lot to like. Although the story was sometimes confusing it was also cool and some of the twists took me by surprise (although obviously not the one at the end of disc one since I haven't been living under a rock all my life). I also liked most of the characters (except Cait Sith, and even he grew on me a bit towards the latter part of the game). I also enjoyed the combat for the most part, especially the strategy involved in selecting materia. Mostly however, I enjoyed the fact that it felt epic. The story line, the music, some of the FMV cutscenes to me just gave an impression that this really was an epic quest. It's not a feeling I can describe very well and I know not everyone will feel the same way when they play it but I'd bet that most of the people who enjoyed VII got that feeling.
Well, that's my view. Perhaps someone will comment on this so I can delude myself into thinking people care about my opinions and I haven't been wasting my time in writing this
Well, first off I don't agree that it's the "best video game ever" and I'm not even sure I consider it to be the best Final Fantasy I've played (I'm not really sure which one I'd call my favourite, I enjoyed them all for different reasons). Nonetheless, I really enjoyed VII. Sure, it has flaws: The character graphics aren't great and the story is a little convoluted (I did figure it out in the end but there were a few occasions after cut scenes where I was left scratching my head). Also, the pre-rendered backgrounds are annoying because you often hard to tell what you can and can't walk on. Also, there are a few parts that require timing or quick reactions and since I am possibly the least co-ordinated person on the planet these drove me insane at times. Oh, and there was some grinding though I found there wasn't as much as I expected, mainly because I couldn't be bothered to level up ridiculously and take on the WEAPONs.
Nonetheless, I also found a lot to like. Although the story was sometimes confusing it was also cool and some of the twists took me by surprise (although obviously not the one at the end of disc one since I haven't been living under a rock all my life). I also liked most of the characters (except Cait Sith, and even he grew on me a bit towards the latter part of the game). I also enjoyed the combat for the most part, especially the strategy involved in selecting materia. Mostly however, I enjoyed the fact that it felt epic. The story line, the music, some of the FMV cutscenes to me just gave an impression that this really was an epic quest. It's not a feeling I can describe very well and I know not everyone will feel the same way when they play it but I'd bet that most of the people who enjoyed VII got that feeling.
Well, that's my view. Perhaps someone will comment on this so I can delude myself into thinking people care about my opinions and I haven't been wasting my time in writing this
A long time ago I was led to believe this about the ending:
The Holy spell is needed to destroy Meteor and save the planet, but the Holy spell destroys all things that threaten it, including us. Hence the end where the Red 13 type creatures overlook the ruins of Midgar.
So the end was basically the choice between letting everything die or sacrificing ourselves so that the planet might live. This of course turned out to be bollocks, but I liked the idea anyway.
So the end was basically the choice between letting everything die or sacrificing ourselves so that the planet might live. This of course turned out to be bollocks, but I liked the idea anyway.
Concerning the thread topic:
I agree with the grinding sentiment, but this is in most RPGs and you can't really badmouth an old game for not fixing a problem more recent games still have.
I disagree about the storyline. I loved the FF7 story and, what's more, you didn't need to know the whole story to finish the game. There were a lot of side quests that exlpained other aspects of the story.
I agree with the grinding sentiment, but this is in most RPGs and you can't really badmouth an old game for not fixing a problem more recent games still have.
I disagree about the storyline. I loved the FF7 story and, what's more, you didn't need to know the whole story to finish the game. There were a lot of side quests that exlpained other aspects of the story.
FFVII?
Well it was the first RPG I really "owned" since my parents wouldn't let me get a SNES so I missed Chrono Trigger on it's first time around, oh sure I watched friends play it, but I never got to. FFVII was hence my first real RPG.
I have a soft spot for it, but I see it for what it is as well.
On the good side...
- One of the most interesting supporting casts in a JRPG
- Memorable Music, especially the awesome sauce Boss Battle Theme, one of the most dramatic and memorable in RPG's.
- Very Cinematic Boss Battles
- A very well written Scenario (this is a tough concept to grasp if you aren't a JRPG fan, but if you are, let me just say that Scenario Writing is what make games like Chrono Trigger, Skies of Arcadia and the Dragon Quest Games stand out from the rest despite some intensely generic elements)
- I love the mini-games, there I said it, I love them, I wish they would come back.
On the bad side...
- Cloud, a whiney ***** in his own right but also a template for a slough of whiney bitches in JRPG's that we still haven't been able to get over.
- Very, very poor translation that is downright confusing at times and utterly laughable at others.
- Overworld/Field Character Graphics are Ugly As Hell and were even when the game was first released, they should have gone with either the Battle Models on the Overworld OR done it FF9 style.
So, I suppose at the end of the day for me a combination of Nostalgia and The Good outweighing the bad makes FFVII an enjoyable memory for me. One that, while needing a decent retranslation, does NOT need a full blown remake.
Well it was the first RPG I really "owned" since my parents wouldn't let me get a SNES so I missed Chrono Trigger on it's first time around, oh sure I watched friends play it, but I never got to. FFVII was hence my first real RPG.
I have a soft spot for it, but I see it for what it is as well.
On the good side...
- One of the most interesting supporting casts in a JRPG
- Memorable Music, especially the awesome sauce Boss Battle Theme, one of the most dramatic and memorable in RPG's.
- Very Cinematic Boss Battles
- A very well written Scenario (this is a tough concept to grasp if you aren't a JRPG fan, but if you are, let me just say that Scenario Writing is what make games like Chrono Trigger, Skies of Arcadia and the Dragon Quest Games stand out from the rest despite some intensely generic elements)
- I love the mini-games, there I said it, I love them, I wish they would come back.
On the bad side...
- Cloud, a whiney ***** in his own right but also a template for a slough of whiney bitches in JRPG's that we still haven't been able to get over.
- Very, very poor translation that is downright confusing at times and utterly laughable at others.
- Overworld/Field Character Graphics are Ugly As Hell and were even when the game was first released, they should have gone with either the Battle Models on the Overworld OR done it FF9 style.
So, I suppose at the end of the day for me a combination of Nostalgia and The Good outweighing the bad makes FFVII an enjoyable memory for me. One that, while needing a decent retranslation, does NOT need a full blown remake.
Because it turned non-gamer 8-13 year olds into gamers. For a lot of people it holds that value. It's kinda like the gundam wing of final fantasies. As from someone who played ff, ff4, and ff6 before playing ff7. I find that it was horribly mediocre, and when you play other ones then come back to it, you find out how overrated it really is.
I can say right now, anyone who says 7 is the best, that was their first final fantasy.
Now for anyone who said it brought rpgs to America, what about 1,4, and 6? What about all the other games that came before it. What about dungeons and dragons man? If you're going to make the statement that generalized it for everyone. Well then congrats it's the halo of rpgs.
I can say right now, anyone who says 7 is the best, that was their first final fantasy.
Now for anyone who said it brought rpgs to America, what about 1,4, and 6? What about all the other games that came before it. What about dungeons and dragons man? If you're going to make the statement that generalized it for everyone. Well then congrats it's the halo of rpgs.
Much like alot of people have already mentioned, It was one of the first RPG's to be played by them insuring a special place in their heart for em. Aroudn the age of 9 or 10 i played it for the first time and to be hoenst i loved it back then. So days later after much bugging mom agreed to buy it for me but couldn't remember which i had played and thought i remembered "8" so she got me FF8 but alas was wrong game. played it all the way through and became favorite one by far
To my 9 year old mind junctioning system was insanely weird, the drawing system took forever etc. etc. but still loved it for being the first RPG i played.
FF7 had its moments, I do like the materia system in that game quite a bit, but its an average game in my book, not bad nor good average though I guess comparing it to the non-imaginative crap today, still pretty high up there
To my 9 year old mind junctioning system was insanely weird, the drawing system took forever etc. etc. but still loved it for being the first RPG i played.
FF7 had its moments, I do like the materia system in that game quite a bit, but its an average game in my book, not bad nor good average though I guess comparing it to the non-imaginative crap today, still pretty high up there
Untrue, it was my first Final Fantasy, but I don't think it's the best by a long shot...Durahan2 said:
My list goes something like 6, 9, 12, 10, 7, 4, 5, 8. Making FFVII my Number 5 favorite Final Fantasy.
Not my favourite FF, but I did like it.
I think its popularity is mostly caused by the details around its release, it was the first 3D final fantasy, one of the first RPGs out for the PS1 (I think) and really not that bad of a game.
The materia system was deep enough to keep you going, there was plenty to do beside the main storyline, the battle system was functional.
And of course, everybody is utterly in love with Sephiroth.
I think its popularity is mostly caused by the details around its release, it was the first 3D final fantasy, one of the first RPGs out for the PS1 (I think) and really not that bad of a game.
The materia system was deep enough to keep you going, there was plenty to do beside the main storyline, the battle system was functional.
And of course, everybody is utterly in love with Sephiroth.