What's so special about FF 7 for you?

[Mister K]

Also, I'd like to point out that out of, what, 9 characters (?) that you can play as only 4 are in anyway important to the actual story: Cloud is a protag, Barret is the guy that a) hires Cloud and basically kickstarts the plot and b) well, he IS a leader of anti-Shinra movement. Other 2 are Tifa, a girl that keeps many secrets to Clouds past and Aerith, who is your magical/alien/prophecy girl. Others aren't that important.

Heck, I'd be GLAD if your party consisted of Cloud, Tifa and Barret only, with other characters joining as a guest characters at certain point in the game.

Not saying you're wrong as opinions go but to be fair.
Yuffie and Vincent are "Unlockable" characters so being main story critical would be odd. Nanaki(Red XIII) Cid and CaitSith admittedly have no direct save the world reason but are more anti Shin-ra with various reasons to not trust them or out-right fight with them. So with Shin-ra being out to capture/kill any/all of you working together is a good option like with Fort Condor wanting your help. But without Cid and CaitSith and Red you can't "acquire" the black materia without killing someone Cid can't pilot the Spaceship or stop the runaway train. and if Red was just a feral beast he might of killed Aeris/th or attempted to "mate" with her like Hojo intended. So they each have there own moments to help outside of other forced party membership moments Like Cosmo Canyon, Rocket Town, Golden Saucer and the Temple.

What you say is true. I still think that they should be a guest characters at these specific moments though. Well, with Yuffie being a guest character during this "Totally not Japan Island" quest and Vincent being some sort of super late game secret permanent addition to the party, who starts with a very high level and majority of magic mastered.

 

[stormtrooper9091]

It was the first of the *new* Final Fantasy games I played, the novelty was kind of strong still so I have fond memories of it. All of 8, 9 and 10 ended up much better games in my opinion though

 

[Lucane]

What you say is true. I still think that they should be a guest characters at these specific moments though. Well, with Yuffie being a guest character during this "Totally not Japan Island" quest and Vincent being some sort of super late game secret permanent addition to the party, who starts with a very high level and majority of magic mastered.

Well the only real thing you Level up in the game is the materia non active party members get dragged up in level behind the main ones you use the only issues is the equipment you use/buy/find and the Limit breaks you like. Do you like Aeris to have a free group heal, trying your luck with Caitsith's Dice Roll or chaining a growing series of hits with Tifa's Solt machine gimmick.

 

[EyeReaper]

I only got through disk one back in the days where ps1 was relevant (cut me some lack, Tekken 2 had a boxing velociraptor so obviously that was going to take up more of my spare time.) So I'll love to finally finish it.

Also, It's the only game that caters to my incredibly specific and potentially sick fetish of having two attractive women pretty me up to be manhandled by an Italian Mob Lord. Which is a scene that I fear is going to be removed from the remake for being too "Problematic"

 

[Amir Kondori]

I don't know if this is true for a lot of other people but it was the first JRPG I ever played. I bought it on Steam and played it again a couple years ago and found I couldn't force myself through more than a hour. It's combat is boring, I hate the random encounters, the pacing isn't great.

When I first played it as a kid I was grabbed by the story and by a type of game I had never experienced before. I think game design kind of passed up the JRPG in some ways, and it has been years since I've bothered to play any.

 

[FPLOON]

I think all of the "special" I would have had for FFVII went straight into Tales of Symphonia because I choose to play the latter first just to spite a middle school rival at the time... With that said, despite [finally] going into FFVII already with prior knowledge of the general story, songs, and sidequests beforehand, I ended up mostly enjoying the characters almost as much as the game's entire soundtrack...

Other than that, I can see it's placement in gaming history overall, so the least I can do is respect in on that front...

 

[Mister K]

What you say is true. I still think that they should be a guest characters at these specific moments though. Well, with Yuffie being a guest character during this "Totally not Japan Island" quest and Vincent being some sort of super late game secret permanent addition to the party, who starts with a very high level and majority of magic mastered.

Well the only real thing you Level up in the game is the materia non active party members get dragged up in level behind the main ones you use the only issues is the equipment you use/buy/find and the Limit breaks you like. Do you like Aeris to have a free group heal, trying your luck with Caitsith's Dice Roll or chaining a growing series of hits with Tifa's Solt machine gimmick.

Sorry, I didn't quite understand your last sentence. Are you asking which gimmick I like? The answer is Tifas Slots.
If it's anything else, could you please clarify? Again, sorry.

 

[CritialGaming]

To me FF7 was the first game that had a engrossing story line that truly captured me. When it came out, I was 13 and had never experienced a game that had such a story. Sure I played other games with story before, Resident Evil 2, Metal Gear, and the like. But this was a game that had such a world, such a story, that I was just captivated by it. Every time I thought I knew where the story was going, a twist appeared and I was completely and delightfully shocked. (Remember I was only 13 and very very stupid.)

Add to that the gameplay, which to me was also a first as I had never played an RPG before, the way the battle system worked and the way you could game that system by using MAteria in the correct way, it all blew my mind. I became obessed with that game. In a family where I only got a new game twice a year (birthday and christmas), I must have played FF7 through 30+ times. Every playthrough I found a new item, or a better combination of Materia.

It was glorious.

That game is probably the only game that I truly hold memories of. Not mario, not donkey kong or pac-man. Just FF7.

This remake means a lot to me. As I remember EVERY detail of the original game, and look forward to seeing what becomes of the new creation.

 

[Weaver]

Quite frankly games are products of their time. I'm sure FF7 was nothing short of pivotal when it released, but not playing it in the PS1 era I just flat out could not get into the game. I tried to play it in around 2007 and didn't care about the story, the characters, the setting, the gameplay, or the graphics.

I turned it off in a matter of hours confused at how this was supposed to be, quite literally, the best game ever created. In my (very humble) opinion it simply has not withstood the test of time. I have no doubt at all that FF7 is a classic - I just strongly disagree it's timeless.

 

[CaitSeith]

Difficult to pinpoint. I like FFVI more, but I still admire FF VII (I was delighted that it was in PC at the time too). Probably it was because the memorable parts were memorable for being good, impacting or unexpected. I loved how Sephiroth was first presented as a powerful badass, not just because of a cutscene, but because he one-hit KO'd in a legit battle a ridicuosly powerful enemy at your side. And later you have to evade the Midgar Zolom (a giant serpent that pretty much destroys you in battle) to cross a marsh; and at the other side, you find one of those impaled on a tree. The characters pretty much say: Yep! Sephiroth was here.

I love when game mechanics reinforce the plot.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

I actually played VIII before VII, so VIII is my favorite. As someone else earlier said, you latch on to the first one you play.

That being said, VII just flat nailed it. It took the JRPG formula and distilled it to perfection. Fun cast of characters, each one different from the next. Two of them you could go the whole game and not even meet. Tons of things to do in the world. TONS. And we're not talking stupid fetch quests or gathering items like so many games do today. The quests had meaning to them. Some characters' storylines weren't even resolved unless you went on a side quest. The absolute massive scope of the game was just downright impressive and it drew you in in a way that many games couldn't at the time.
The story was great too, and is built up instead of dropping you right away into "Save the world, Cloud!" You start out as a merc doing a job. Job is complete, you get paid, and then you're on to the next job. Oops, surprise, you meet a new girl and she seems to be tangled up in something. You save her, go on with your job, but then the government commits an act of terror that kills hundreds--and kidnaps the girl again. Well, now you have to go save her and get your revenge. Keep in mind, this is all still in the first area of the game. You haven't even left the city yet. And when you finally get to the head of Shinra, surprise. He's already dead--killed by someone who was supposed to be dead for years.
Sephiroth isn't even mentioned for several hours into the game, because the game built its story up. It flowed naturally, until you had spent several hours in it and didn't even realize it. Heck, even after Sephiroth takes over as the main threat, you're still dealing with Shinra. It was just perfect.

Of course, there will be people that disagree. There are always people who say the game was overrated, that it doesn't deserve the love and hype it gets, and that they just don't get it. I have given up on those people, because it is too late. Literally, it is too late, as I find a lot of those people didn't play the game when it first game out. They played it years later, when graphics were better and gameplay was faster, and thus VII is nothing special.
Am I looking at the game through rose-tinted glasses? Oh my yes. But it's like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. You had to be there when it first happened. You had to be there when the name Final Fantasy still set the gaming world ablaze, and the idea of the next one coming out was all gamers talked about.

 

[Lucane]

What you say is true. I still think that they should be a guest characters at these specific moments though. Well, with Yuffie being a guest character during this "Totally not Japan Island" quest and Vincent being some sort of super late game secret permanent addition to the party, who starts with a very high level and majority of magic mastered.

Well the only real thing you Level up in the game is the materia non active party members get dragged up in level behind the main ones you use the only issues is the equipment you use/buy/find and the Limit breaks you like. Do you like Aeris to have a free group heal, trying your luck with Caitsith's Dice Roll or chaining a growing series of hits with Tifa's Solt machine gimmick.

Sorry, I didn't quite understand your last sentence. Are you asking which gimmick I like? The answer is Tifas Slots.
If it's anything else, could you please clarify? Again, sorry.

Oh I was just trying to show how the characters all had their own talents out side of the materia so that it mattered a bit who you took not to mention ranged and non-ranged fighters

 

[Saltyk]

I suspect my story is similar to many others.

Final Fantasy 7 is the reason I got a PS1. I had seen it played and even played it at other people's homes, but I didn't really get to appreciate it till I got my own console and system.

Final Fantasy 7 was unlike any other game I had ever played. Up til that point, I had played games, like Super Mario, Sonic, even Comix Zone, and Earthworm Jim. But nothing like FFVII. And before I go further, I don't mean to imply those games suck. No, they were great games. Games I would tell you to play today. But, they didn't really prepare me for my foray into the land of Gaia as I explored it with Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith, and the others.

Imagine playing those other games and then starting up FFVII for the first time.


Immediately you're bombarded by these amazing graphics. Nothing even comes close to looking like this. And it oozes atmosphere. Starting with what seems like space which transitions into a young woman in an ally and slowly panning out until we see the entire city and the game's logo appear. At the same time, the game's music becomes louder and you experience the music for real. It makes you realize that you are in for an experience. From here the game starts cutting from this to a train. The camera starts to pan down, passing a giant skyscraper and settling on the train. With this, the music changes and your adventure in what may be one of the best game's of all time begins.

Final Fantasy 7 had what no other game I ever played had. A sprawling story. Several unique characters, each with their own history and motivations. I wasn't simply chasing down the boss to save a princess. At most, saving someone was a short term goal. We had far grander plans. This is on top of the best graphics of it's era, music that is still beautiful today, and a style of play that was completely new to me. And one can not forget the revolutionary materia system. Epic boss battles. Full Motion Video. And the music really deserves a second mention.

I suppose this may be hard to understand today. But FFVII gave many players new experiences. Ones we didn't even know we wanted. For many, it was probably the first time we saw characters that weren't simply "heroes" with little to no backstory, and maybe an attitude. But here we got a talking dog-lion thing that comes to learn that his father was a great warrior who had saved many people. And stood, encased in stone, still guarding the people. We witnessed Red XIII realize the truth of his father's sacrifice and come to proudly call him father. Hearing this his father cried, and Red XIII howled, a mournful sad and yet proud howl. That is an experience that still sticks with me.

Even beyond that Final Fantasy VII did something else. It made me love RPGs. It is thanks to FFVII that I began to crave more RPGs. Without this game, I would have never played Breath of Fire 3, Suikoden 2, Legend of Legaia, Star Ocean: The Second Story, Xenogears, and many other games. Many of them among my all time favorite games. I may not have played WRPGs like Mass Effect or KOTOR, either.

At the end of the day, I realized that games could be more than run right, jump and shoot. They could have characters that are more than attitude. They could tell stories. They could be experiences. They could be more than mere games. I owe that to Final Fantasy VII.

Is Final Fantasy VII the best game of all time? I would never truly claim such a thing. No game can be the best. Like no movie or song can be the best. However, I think it would deserve its own place in the history of the medium. It certainly deserves its own place in my history and my heart.

 

[SlumlordThanatos]

snip

Don't get me wrong, VII isn't bad. It took the standard JRPG knob on the amplifier (with the likes of Dragon Quest, Phantasy Star and other FF games), and turned it up to 11. None of the games before it were as big or as epic.

But like I said, it's the point in the series where everything started to go wrong. It was great for its time, and still worth visiting today. But the series as a whole (story-wise, at least) hasn't evolved a bit since then.

 

[FillerDmon]

That's why I, personally, love the game.

I feel bad for snipping it, but I feel the need to quote you regardless. I was going to try to find a way to defend the game, but I don't think I could say it too much better than you did.

 

[cdemares]

I've given it some thought over the years, because this game IS special to me. Basically, FF7 is one of the most important media artifacts of the 1990s. It's important to 90s media culture. It's got angst done well, being haunted by past trauma. It's got eco-terrorism and environmentalism, anti-corporatism and an anti-nuclear power message. It brought together so many 90s anxieties to tell a story about imperfect people trying to redeem themselves. It was one of my first JRPGs, as it was for a lot of people. It was a major showcase for PSone-era 3D graphics, too.

It was the first game, for huge number of people, that had complex characters and a long-enough story to care about the characters and see them change and face their demons. It destroyed everything else story-wise. People love to say it's overrated. But they started saying that 15 years after the fact. It's easy to judge media from 15 years ago as unworthy. But it doesn't matter if the game of the 90s blows your mind in 2015. It already won people's hearts when it mattered, when it actually came out.

I'll likely play the new version. I'll want to see it for myself. But it's not really important anymore. It's not a cultural force. After the PS2-era, a remake stopped truly making sense and became a white whale. I love that they're doing it, but it's fundamentally a stunt. Will it bring in new fans? Will it have real significance to them? Don't care, it's for me and people with the same itch.

Point is, my experience was just the opposite. I was truly impressed by this game and saw it become progressively less appreciated over time.

 

[Hawki]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq6K1rIR8MQ

You'll thank me later.

 

[Something Amyss]

Actually I would love to! It's just that at the time I got burnt out on JRPGs with Legend of Legaia on the PS1, and never bothered to look back afterwards. But it's definitely on my bucket list.

Well, it's thankfully available. I have both the PS1 version, the "originals" version for my PSP, and the PC version. Kind of overkill, but a portable version I legally paid for is a plus.

I mean, I don't think it's a life-changing game, but there's enough of merit that I keep going back.

 

[mysecondlife]

Just that its the greatest Final Fantasy game according to my friends from high school and spawned bunch of flash video parodies on Newground.

Also, the FF7 abridged series is highly enjoyable for most part.