Final Fantasy 7 characters?

[Gottesstrafe]

Eh, it all depends on which FF game was your first (or if you're even a fan of the series/genre to begin with). Final Fantasy VI was my first, so every opinion I have of any FF game after would be variably colored. Nothing will ever come quite as close to my first experience and I would probably defend it blindly even in the face of rational, well thought out criticism that I could privately agree with.

That being said, I'd have to disagree with:

Maybe the other media portraying them doesnt do them justice, but are likes of Cloud, Tifa, and Sephiroth actually good characters? At most they seem like stock characters, and at worse they seem very..bland and/or emotionless.

They may not all be as likeable or as memorable as your more vocal FFVII fan might have you believe, but I wouldn't call them bland or emotionless. It was their individual characters and the wide spread popularity of FFVII that made them into modern JRPG stock characters (with a few exceptions, mind you).

Aside from the main "main characters" (i.e. Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Sephiroth) though, the rest really aren't too memorable. Just off the top of my head, the rest can be summarized as: Mr. T with a chaingun, a talking dog, annoying robot on a larger robot, kleptomaniac jail bait with daddy issues, a "dark" vampire whose potential for badassery was ruined by his hordes of fan girls who were convinced that he was just a bad boy in need of a hug, and a chain smoking, profanity spewing wise ass who was just about the most likeable member of the group.

 

[Elvoret]

Eh, it all depends on which FF game was your first (or if you're even a fan of the series/genre to begin with). Final Fantasy VI was my first, so every opinion I have of any FF game after would be variably colored. Nothing will ever come quite as close to my first experience and I would probably defend it blindly even in the face of rational, well thought out criticism that I could privately agree with.

That being said, I'd have to disagree with:

Maybe the other media portraying them doesnt do them justice, but are likes of Cloud, Tifa, and Sephiroth actually good characters? At most they seem like stock characters, and at worse they seem very..bland and/or emotionless.

They may not all be as likeable or as memorable as your more vocal FFVII fan might have you believe, but I wouldn't call them bland or emotionless. It was their individual characters and the wide spread popularity of FFVII that made them into modern JRPG stock characters (with a few exceptions, mind you).

Aside from the main "main characters" (i.e. Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Sephiroth) though, the rest really aren't too memorable. Just off the top of my head, the rest can be summarized as: Mr. T with a chaingun, a talking dog, annoying robot on a larger robot, kleptomaniac jail bait with daddy issues, a "dark" vampire whose potential for badassery was ruined by his hordes of fan girls who were convinced that he was just a bad boy in need of a hug, and a chain smoking, profanity spewing wise ass who was just about the most likeable member of the group.

You forgot to say that the gun was also his arm. And the robots were a cat and a stuffed cat thing.

But yeah, you pretty much summed them up.

 

[Ranorak]

From the sounds of it, it seems I fell victim to
"http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SeinfeldIsUnfunny" (A bit new here, not quite sure how to link yet)

If so, then sounds good. I dont mind it too much, now I know people have a genuinely good reason for liking them

I think that trope does basicaly fit for it.

When I first played the game, two things hit me, first was wow I really like the combat, it can be a little flashy and long but hey thats ok it all looks cool enough.

Second thing that hit me was wow this story is weak, be it partly due to bad translation and in my own personal opinion poor writing.

I did enjoy the game though despite the flaws I saw in the story. The characters are honestly quite shallow in a lot of ways, though looking at the later FF characters I don't think they are too shallow.

Don't think though that a shallow character is always a bad character. Just don't expect too much from the game, just enjoy it for what it is, you don't have to dig in deep for higher meanings and such that may or may not be there.

Also remember a lot of people are remembing it through the nostalgia goggles.

Seeing as it should be a federal crime to link to Tvtropes when I have limited time!!
I'll post the relevant part here:

Console RPGs. The plots of many early ones seem to a modern audience more like textbook cliché Storms. Or, at best, like they're Strictly Formula. By now, quests to save the Cosmic Keystones, children stumbling into a quest far bigger than themselves, and becoming a turncoat against The Empire are all old hat.

Final Fantasy VII in particular tends to suffer from this. Oh, sure, having a moody protagonist (who may have amnesia) chase around White Haired Pretty Boy homicidal manic might seem played out, but at the time you would've been hard-pressed to find a large amount of JRPGs with that formula. While earlier Final Fantasy games had troubled heroes, Final Fantasy VII was the first to truly run with the concept to the point of presenting a hero that turns out to be an Unreliable Narrator questioning his existence. As a very specific example: the first few seconds of the opening sequence, with the camera panning out slowly from a classic piece of shiny magic rock to a dark futuristic city, were initially meant to be shocking. Can you imagine?

 

[Nmil-ek]

Cloud is nothing special as a character. His only real interest is in the fact he's a horrendous liar. Tifa is an alright character, as the "token strong female" archetype, she's one of the better ones compared to Freya/Lulu/Quistis who al have the emotional depth of a thimble and are merely there to look pretty.(Not so much in Freya's case)

And despite all the lunacy around him, Sephiroth is easily the worst villian in any Square game ever. Okay, maybe not as lame as Exdeth, but still, bad. And Ultemicia doesn't count in that race, since she was a "lol SURPRISE" villian. The real one of FF8 was Seifer, who also sucks, but not as badly.

No not by a long margin the worst villains in FF history are without argument NONE don't even try Necron and Zeromus.

 

[Hiphophippo]

The characters are all pretty bland in my opinion. The only thing the game maintains my appreciation of after all these years is the materia system. I still think it's a great way to handle magic in a rpg.

The characters though? The story?

Past it's prime.

 

[Kingsnake661]

I don't think the FF7 crew is any more memorable then any of the previouse FF crews... Cecil and crew will always hold a special place in MY heart, but then, i'm an old fart. LOL. I accually really liked the FF3(6) crew alot too. That FF is prolly my Fav. of the whole lot. 7 was a great game, but, sometimes i think it gets overblown. 8, was the start of, IMO, FF downfall, though i really enjoyed the game. I couldn't finish FF9, never played FF10, tried FF11, but didn't like it's group heavy focus... i keep forgetting there even WAS an FF12... seriously, what was it about agian??? And FF13, i own, but have yet to but any effort into playing... i will... eventually... i think... LOL

 

[theguiltyone]

Ahem.

CLOUD WAS NOT EMO BEFORE ADVENT CHILDREN.

He was plucky and snarky and tried too hard to be cool, and it was sort of endearing. Especially while Tifa sits there going "....um, no" the whole time. But then AC and Kingdom Hearts roll around, and the only voice-acted versions of Cloud we have are the emo version.

And now, surprise, that's what everyone knows him as. Not so in the original game.


But yes, what others have said. If you haven't played the game, you don't realize the depth of the characters. Thumbs up to the person that remembered that Tifa was the shy, silent, strong girl, and Aerith was the flirty, mischievous, quirky one. I hate seeing that stereotyped switched around. Aerith is NOT as pure as the driven snow, folks.

Barret, as a black character, COULD have been handled with a little more grace, but his backstory and how it shaped his view of things ( and how he comes back to it later ) is in fact quite touching.

Even Cait Sith will surprise you before the end.

So really, calling them bland before you get a chance to watch the story play out? Not all that fair. You go in with a certain mindset and you're going to get out of it what you try to. Just bear that in mind.

 

[LetalisK]

I think FF7 is way overrated. Everything in it was...okay. FF8 was a much better game, imo. FF7 is still infinitely better than FF12, though. God, what a waste of time.

 

[Roganzar]

On a character-level I enjoyed FF9 a LOT more. Vivi is reason enough for that, but there were several other very interesting characters too.

FF9 really is one of my top favorites of Final Fantasy. It has such a classy ending, you may see it coming, but that doesn't take away from it being excellently done.

OT: FF7 delivered a good story and good characterization especially for it time, 1997. It set the standard that a lot of these games go by now. It isn't perfect, nothing really is, but it did a damn good job all around and it still holds up pretty well today.

 

[mireko]

This is.. confusing. How could you have any opinion on the characters if you've never played the game from which they came?

Don't get me wrong, FFVII isn't as good as everyone says it is (it's as good as everyone who says it isn't as good as everyone says it is is). You sort of need to play the game, though. It won't make any sense otherwise, and I don't see why you bothered with Advent Children in the first place.

Even an incredibly cliched character can be compelling if handled by a good writer, and the characterization in FFVII isn't bad, to be honest. Certainly not as bad as some of the later entries in the series, but you can't really make any judgments on the topic without at least playing the game to the halfway point.

 

[lord.jeff]

I do think Final Fantasy 7 is a good game, but it does have reason outside it's quality that made it memorable. It was an early game that on the PlayStation1 and the first main stream RPG on it, I think, this meant it was the only game of that kind in the spotlight. Second the PlayStation was the first system to have 3D graphics, which meant it was the first time we didn't see two spirits and a dialogue box, the characters could move and I think this is what turned already good characters into timeless legends.

How can you expect to know a character if you have not even played the game they starred in?

Yes. They are very memorable. And no one could ever call Cloud emotionless. (Advent Children does not count. That movie was fucking shit.)

except Sephiroth who is evil for the sake of evil

Oh no he is not.

I think he is, or evil for the sake of power, which isn't to different, his whole to do list: destroy planet, conquer universe. Sure he had that mother issue thing but that came out of his obsession with Jenova which came from the obsession for power. He's not a bad villain, he's just not more then a villain.

 

[Vern5]

I just want to make this clear ahead of time but, I haven't played FF7. I've seen advent children and watched My brother play through the Kingdom Hearts games, at least the areas where they were featured.
That said, I hear a lot of people talking about how popular and memorable these characters are. How they set the bar for characterization for all the FF games to come..Thing is, I didn't find them particularly memorable.
Maybe the other media portraying them doesnt do them justice, but are likes of Cloud, Tifa, and Sephiroth actually good characters? At most they seem like stock characters, and at worse they seem very..bland and/or emotionless.

Opinions or answers?

I never owned a Playstation so I missed out on the whole "evolution of gaming" brought on by FF7. Nevertheless, later on in life, I found a console to play it on and fired up the game.

What I received was a cast of bland boring characters, poor localization and a cliched story (okay so the details of that story were special but the overall progression was pretty standard).

I think there was a magic time to own and play FF7 but, if you missed that magic time, then the game feels like a bunch of digital trash.

The reason this game is so lauded in the gaming community is because of its especially rabid fanbase. Seriously, have you seen those people? They are insane.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

The game managed to make me hate Aerith so much that I actually cheered when she died (not an exaggeration I still feel kind of guilty for it). I'm not sure that was thier intention but the writing got a reaction out of me anyway. I think I was feeling empathy for Tifa having always been in the same position as the 'just a friend' girl.

Cloud was emo but he was more appropriately emo than Squall from FF8 who I wanted to facestab for being such an asshole to his friends. They set up a good double act with Barret and Cloud I thought.

I can remember the characters very clearly after last playing them back when the game came out I think so they must be memorable right? lol.

 

[LogicNProportion]

I actually don't think that the FF7 set any real standards, they pretty much follow a lot of the same archetypes started in early Square games. Though in my opinion, Square still gets the credit for creating the character archetypes, plot mechanics, and general cliches used by every JRPG since.

That being said, the characters and plot (which can't really be separated) are really memorable. I think they get so much more credit than the previous square games because it was the first time (at least here in the states) it was all presented with, what was at the time, amazing graphics and cut-scenes. They felt so much more real than any previous RPG I, and many of my friends, had played from east or west. I think that was part credit to the game itself and the visuals. This is why the people who think of FF7 as the best final fantasy will probably never think otherwise, I don't think there is a way to make that level of impact again unless the next one is like full VR or something.

Though Sephiroth was a REALLY fleshed out villain, and the interconnection between him and Cloud was really cool.

This man has the best taste from what I've read of this thread.

Kudos, bro.

 

[tzimize]

I just want to make this clear ahead of time but, I haven't played FF7. I've seen advent children and watched My brother play through the Kingdom Hearts games, at least the areas where they were featured.
That said, I hear a lot of people talking about how popular and memorable these characters are. How they set the bar for characterization for all the FF games to come..Thing is, I didn't find them particularly memorable.
Maybe the other media portraying them doesnt do them justice, but are likes of Cloud, Tifa, and Sephiroth actually good characters? At most they seem like stock characters, and at worse they seem very..bland and/or emotionless.

Opinions or answers?

Well, I played this game when I was about 13 and thought it was awesome. That says enough about that I think.

And in case it does not;
I cant remember a lot of the characters from FF7. I remember their names and look, but their motivations and stories...not so much. The gaming mechanics from FF7 was fantastic though.

On a story-level I enjoyed FF8 a LOT more.

On a character-level I enjoyed FF9 a LOT more. Vivi is reason enough for that, but there were several other very interesting characters too.

FF7 was groundbreaking in several ways, but so was LOTR, and that is an awful, awful book.

LOTR is an "awful, awful book"? Really?
Get the fuck off the internet you twat

Yes, yes it is. I've read plenty of books, and it is without a doubt the single most boring fantasy novel I've EVER read. That does little to destroy its undeniable importance though as it introduced and created modern fantasy as we know it.

It is a dull book, with dull characters and a rather dull story. This is my opinion (and I love fantasy), and I am entitled to it without having to be called a fucking twat, thanks.

To put forward examples of GOOD fantasy (imo) A song of ice and fire, anything discworld (which is arguably not fantasy), wheel of time or the chronicles of thomas covenant the unbeliever. This is another topic entirely however, my point was that while Final Fantasy was groundbreaking in several ways (like lotr was) that does not really make it an amazing game, at least not by todays standards.

 

[tzimize]

On a character-level I enjoyed FF9 a LOT more. Vivi is reason enough for that, but there were several other very interesting characters too.

FF9 really is one of my top favorites of Final Fantasy. It has such a classy ending, you may see it coming, but that doesn't take away from it being excellently done.

OT: FF7 delivered a good story and good characterization especially for it time, 1997. It set the standard that a lot of these games go by now. It isn't perfect, nothing really is, but it did a damn good job all around and it still holds up pretty well today.

Possible. As I said, I dont really remember too much of the story/characters and take that as evidence that it wasnt particularly good.

I disagree a bit about characters/story being especially good for its time though. Baldurs Gate/Planescape Torment was also released around that time I think. 98/99 was it? And is imo a LOT more interesting character/story wise.

But this has some to do with my taste too I guess. What really blew my mind about FF7 was the graphics, the backgrounds, the fantastic soundtrack and the ingenious materia system. My god the hours grinding a fully upgraded Knights of round table....

 

[Shoggoth2588]

The 1990's was a very different time...

I think the FFVI cast was more memorable though: You had a warrior Mog in your group and a jungle boy (Og?). There was also the recurring baddie, Ultros

The big thing about FFVII was that it was the first 3D one. The characters looked like they were built using Lego but the detailed cut-scenes were pretty great, especially for that time. it was very new and different (for console players anyway. I think PC gamers have always been ahead, technologically)

 

[BlindMessiah94]

I think Chrono Trigger does a way better job of characterization. Robo, Glenn, Magus....ahh good times. But I do love FF7. Their characters do have backstory, motivations, and sometimes confusing and convoluted history, but still, nonetheless, not bad characterization. Then again Barret doesn't exactly play down the "I'm big, black, and tough" and angle, so they do conform to a lot of videogame stereotypes.

 

[BlindMessiah94]

I just want to make this clear ahead of time but, I haven't played FF7. I've seen advent children and watched My brother play through the Kingdom Hearts games, at least the areas where they were featured.
That said, I hear a lot of people talking about how popular and memorable these characters are. How they set the bar for characterization for all the FF games to come..Thing is, I didn't find them particularly memorable.
Maybe the other media portraying them doesnt do them justice, but are likes of Cloud, Tifa, and Sephiroth actually good characters? At most they seem like stock characters, and at worse they seem very..bland and/or emotionless.

Opinions or answers?

Well, I played this game when I was about 13 and thought it was awesome. That says enough about that I think.

And in case it does not;
I cant remember a lot of the characters from FF7. I remember their names and look, but their motivations and stories...not so much. The gaming mechanics from FF7 was fantastic though.

On a story-level I enjoyed FF8 a LOT more.

On a character-level I enjoyed FF9 a LOT more. Vivi is reason enough for that, but there were several other very interesting characters too.

FF7 was groundbreaking in several ways, but so was LOTR, and that is an awful, awful book.

LOTR is an "awful, awful book"? Really?
Get the fuck off the internet you twat

Yes, yes it is. I've read plenty of books, and it is without a doubt the single most boring fantasy novel I've EVER read. That does little to destroy its undeniable importance though as it introduced and created modern fantasy as we know it.

It is a dull book, with dull characters and a rather dull story. This is my opinion (and I love fantasy), and I am entitled to it without having to be called a fucking twat, thanks.

To put forward examples of GOOD fantasy (imo) A song of ice and fire, anything discworld (which is arguably not fantasy), wheel of time or the chronicles of thomas covenant the unbeliever. This is another topic entirely however, my point was that while Final Fantasy was groundbreaking in several ways (like lotr was) that does not really make it an amazing game, at least not by todays standards.

Obvious troll is obvious. Sorry for double post.
Lord of the Rings is the second most published book in the world. Next to only one other book, and that is the friggin bible. Although he shouldn't have called you a twat. Let's be civil here people.

 

[LittleBlondeGoth]

FFVII was the first Final Fantasy I ever played, back in 1997/8 (which makes me feel incredibly old now), and pretty much set the bar for me as far as story and characterisation go in a game.

I wasn't sure what to expect at first, but as I played and got deeper and deeper into the plot, it all got so deliciously twisted I was hooked. One of the posters above mentioned duality... Nothing is quite what it seems, nor are the people, and I loved finding out more about these characters, their stories and motivations. The villian, Sephiroth, starts out as one thing, but by the end I was feeling sorry for him, even though he IS the villain. Well, A villain. One part of the game even had me in tears, something which I'm ashamed to admit, but also pleased in a way, in that the game gave me an emotional reaction.

Delving into Cloud and Tifa's past was great, though it wasn't till the second time through I properly got my head round it. Cid cracked me up, he was good. I suppose the one thing that annoyed me the most about the characters was Vincent. I picked up this dark and mysterious person who was directly involved with Sephiroth and was there when it all started to kick off, and he didn't get anywhere near as much plot exposition as I wanted. I needed to know more, and I had to wait for DoC for it! Yes, I'm a Vincent fangirl. Does it show?

If it's any indicator, I still play this game now. God knows how many playthroughs I've done. And by this point, I'm horrendously biased in favour of it. But even though the graphics aren't much by today's standards and things have moved on since the 90's, I'm suckered in each and every time.