What's so special about FF 7 for you?

[happyninja42]

Ok so, obviously lots of chatter going on in the forums about this game due to the remake coming out, so I thought I'd ask.

What's so special about the game? I mean I played it when it came out, dumped tons of hours into it, but it didn't seem like the Mona Lisa of gaming to me that it seems to have become, (or at least perceived to be). It was an ok JRPG with some good elements, and some bad elements. In fact, me and my friends who played it, basically took shifts playing it and doing different parts. Because large sections of the game just didn't do it for us. Like they could stand doing the chocobo breeding stuff to get the mounts, whereas I couldn't stand playing for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours, grinding for levels and the espers and all that gear building shit.

So yeah, I don't really get why it's so huge. The story was average for a JRPG, or just storytelling in general. To me it hasn't aged well, so I don't really see why it's held it's appeal several decades later.

So why do you love the game? Assuming you do. If you don't, well this thread's not really for you.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

The fact that I never played it though I'm told I should totally have to.

 

[go-10]

loved the game play, characters, world, lore, the story, and most importantly the music. Unlike most people I think Tifa's theme is one of the most amazing songs ever, WAY better than Aerith's theme

it was pretty big for me at the time it came out I was 12 and it made a big impact on me for some reason. Also it's the sole reason why I learned English, so if a game entices you to pick up and start learning another language; I think that game meant something to you

 

[stroopwafel]

I was already inredibly hyped about the release of the original in 1997. Reading about it in American magazines like EGM and Gamepro and even drooling over promotional material of the game. I had the U.S. version reserved at a local import store just to play the game early and that wasn't easy nor cheap. These were the days before the internet so every info about the game was scarce and the hype was something I enjoyed alone b/c no one I knew at the time cared.

I still remember going to the import store and leaving with the game firmly in my clutches rushing home. Put disc 1 in my PS1 and being totally mesmerized by the game. Just the story and the graphics and the world and the sheer sense of adventure was unlike anything I ever played. Mind I already had a fairly long history of importing games that were never released here such as FF6 and Chrono Trigger.

The memory I have of FF7 is one I'll cherish forever, so naturally there is some nostalgia involved. Having said that though I still think its a damn great game and remains my most favorite JRPG to date. It still has my most favorite setting with all those cyberpunk influences and characters.

 

[McMarbles]

I dunno about "special". I played it about fifteen years too late for that.

 

[remnant_phoenix]

The world and setting.

It's the plot and characters that usually get the most attention from fans, but I say it's the setting that is the real star.

The relationship between Shin-Ra and the rest of the world is a stark picture of hyper-capitalism and the military-industrial complex. Midgar is a picture of dehumanization and wealth disparity, and the Midgar scenario touches on the sociology of poverty. The various locations of the game world come together to paint a broad metaphor for the relationship between nature and technology, and humanity's place within that relationship. The relationship between Wutai and Shin-Ra is an uncanny historical analog for Japanese history and culture after westernization, urbanization, and the loss of the last world war.

These are the big ones, but FFVII's setting is RIPE with stuff like this, and that's why I love it.

 

[Maximum Bert]

I just fell in love with the setting, story and most importantly for me the characters. The cast of FFVII is still my favourite cast out of any medium ever.

When it came out I honestly had no interest in games outside of platformers and fighting games and certainly no interest in games that required lots of reading or attempted to tell a story. I had tried some like that before and it only reinforced my negativity of the RPG genre in particular. FFVII changed that. I am not sure why but I was totally enraptured by it in a way no game had done before or has done since and its still the only RPG I have finished multiple times (bout 10 so far).

People can hate on it and say its not that good and I am not really interested in trying to change their opinion but for me it was and is the only game that has ever changed my entire outlook on what a game can be and try and achieve. If I had never played FFVII I would never have gone back to some of those earlier (and awesome) RPGs I had dismissed as trash or even tried other genres outside of platformers and fighters meaning I would have missed out on some amazing titles.

As for why I bought it well I cant remember I think it was a mix of peer pressure, marketing (got a FFVII postcard for some reason through the door) and curiosity. I am glad I took a chance however.

 

[SlumlordThanatos]

It's the point in the FF series where everything started to go horribly wrong.

Final Fantasy is not (and has never been) very well written. They were able to get away with it in the 90s because, well, they were one of a very few series that tried to tell a serious story. Storytelling in video games was still in its infancy, and that means that they simply did not have the same quality of writing that other mediums had.

When FF VII rolled around, that was the point where the graphics, art design, and music all started to take precedence over the single most important aspect in storytelling: the writing itself. You can have J-Pop stars come in and record songs for the soundtrack, you can have stunningly beautiful pre-rendered cutscenes, but none of that means a damn thing if the story and the characters are terrible. From Final Fantasy VII onwards, the games have been one of two things: they were either all-around predictable (FF VIII, IX, or XII) or an interesting idea sunk by terrible, terrible characters (X and XIII).

The graphics, music, and gameplay have evolved over the years, but the writing for Final Fantasy is still stuck in the 90s.

 

[Treeberry]

It was probably the first RPG I played. The music and introduction hooked me straight away. The introduction to the game is brilliant - a short cinematic that gives you a feel for the world (or Midgar at least) with a hint of mystery and then straight to playing. You're introduced to a few characters and the gameplay without an overbearing tutorial or overly long dialogue.

The game has lots of quirky moments and brilliant side activities (the crossdressing, Fort Condor, the goddamn awesome Golden Saucer) that aren't all necessarily combat based. The world itself is interesting as are the characters.

I've never actually finished this game (got all the way to the third disc and then just stopped) but I keep meaning to go back to it. And I will keep a Golden Saucer save separately.

 

[Something Amyss]

What's so special about the game?

Ever watch Doctor Who or James Bond? People tend to latch on to the first "Doctor" or "Bond" they're exposed to. If you watch Doctor Who, there's a good chance your entry point was either when the Fourth Doctor was on the air (or copious reruns) or when the Tenth was. Conveniently, these two points in the show which were the entry point for a huge number of fans also feature the favourite actors of the show.

Similarly, if Brosnan or Craig are your favourite Bond, odds are you started with them.

FFVII represents a huge watershed moment both for Final Fantasy and for (J)RPGs in the West. Yes, North American releases of others games happened, but this is the one that caught fire. It was baby's first RPG, and it was many folks' first exposure or first significant exposure to RPGs/JPRGs/FF games. It doesn't hurt that it also pushed technical limitations and expectations at the time. But it codified in many people's minds the idea of what an RPG was and/or should be. And with things like Aeris/th, it literally broke the mould, providing a major game change even for seasoned players.

That being said, I still like playing the game. Not because it's a masterpiece, but because I still like the ATB system and the materia system and combat's fun. I cringe when I get to the little RTS thing and some of the other dumb minigames, the game looks dated, and a lot of the plot is just cheesey. But it's still got a place in my heart.

The fact that I never played it though I'm told I should totally have to.

It is mandated that you play it. Kindly play the game or report yourself to the nearest gatekeeping authority.

 

[Fox12]

When FF VII rolled around, that was the point where the graphics, art design, and music all started to take precedence over the single most important aspect in storytelling: the writing itself. You can have J-Pop stars come in and record songs for the soundtrack, you can have stunningly beautiful pre-rendered cutscenes, but none of that means a damn thing if the story and the characters are terrible.

You see, this is probably the most common opinion of the game, but I personally just can't agree with it. Not on 7, at least, which managed to rise above an otherwise pretty mediocre franchise.

I thought the characters were far more complex then the black and white characters that came before. The main characters are all terrorists, after all, and they kill hundreds of innocent people during their Shinra attacks. Cait Sith even calls them out on this later. Just look at Barrett. He build a terrorist cell because he claims that he wants to save the planet. But then you discover his backstory, where he was a coal minor, and he wanted to work for Shinra. He never cared about the planet, he just wanted revenge. He knew he couldn't do it alone, though, so he lied about his motives in order to get people to join him. He then gets them all killed. This is surprisingly subtle character development, and even though we sympathize with the characters, they are very flawed, and very real, in their presentation.

Then you have the villains. Sephiroth is certainly crazy, but he used to be a war hero. You see his gradual decline into insanity, and feel sorry for him. Rufus Shinra is a cold hearted dictator, but he's willing to get his hands dirty to achieve his goals, and he ultimately dies so that Cloud can fight Sephiroth. Then you have the whole back story with Gast and Hojo, which you have to figure out on your own. The relationship between Sephiroth, Gast, Hojo, Aerith, Vincent, and Lucrecia is all very complex and intricate, but it's brilliantly devised. The villains have very complex motivations, especially when compared to the cartoon-quality villains that came before, like Kefka.

Then you have the themes of the narrative. There's a real sense of existential despair in the story, as the characters ponder their place in the universe. It's actually quite nihilistic. Budenhagen tells Red 13, privately, that he doesn't think it matters if Cloud wins. He assures Cloud to his face, but believes that defeating Sephiroth is impossible. However, the real kick comes when he says that, even if you stop Sephiroth, even if you stop Shinra, the world will still end. Everyone will die, the lifestream will fade, and the planet will become empty. I've compared it to Dark Souls before, in that regard. The best you can do, then, is live your life well, and try to find meaning in the time that you have. Which is explored in the relationship between Tifa and Cloud, especially before the final battle.

There's a lot going on in this game. I haven't even scraped the surface. I understand it's not everyone's cup of tea, and aspects of the game haven't aged well, but this isn't Naruto. This isn't a cliche' driven, shonen style action romp. I would even argue that it subverts many of the cliche's people expect. It's not here to make you feel good about yourself, and it's not here to comfort the player. It's much, much deeper then that. It's a game about loss, and pain, written and directed by someone who was experiancing great loss in his own life.

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

 

[Mister K]

Can I post if I don't love it, but just like it?

Anyhow, to answer your question about why it is so popular. It is not so because of characters, because VI had better ones. It is not because of story, because, once again, Vi had better (simpler, true, but overall better) story. It is not because AERITH DIES ZOMG, because there WERE deaths of party members in previous FF games and other JRPG's.

I think it is because it was the first fully 3D one and it blew the ever f***ing minds of people, especially young ones. Plus, it did (and does) have rather cool steam punk-ish aestetics. Plus Tifas jiggly bossom (I kid, I kid). Basically, it happened to be made at just the right time to explode.

As for good parts of the game. As I said before, world aestetics are nice, character designs of party members (most of them, at least) are memorable and pleasant to the eye, Sephiroth manages to look both eyecandy-ish and cool. The story is passable. And IMO materia system is cool, as it allowed for tailoring every character to your preferences.

But in materia system lies problem too. If everyone can learn everything, then what is the point of having more characters than the maximum ammount allowed in battle? Yes, it sounds a bit hypocritical coming from the guy who loves FFX, but objectively speaking, why would I even think about leveling up more than 3 characters, except for completion sake (or because I like THIS PARTICULAR character)?

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.

OK, TLDR: FFVII is so popular not because of what it is but (IMO) because it managed to be at the right place at the right time. Good things are (at the very core) visuals and materia system. Special mention to Tifa and Barret, love those 2. Everything else is average at best, bad at worse (F YOU boring tower defense game).

 

[Danbo Jambo]

Because it's "magic".

FF7 gets several key components right that create ths wonderfully absorbing world - music, atmosphere and "vibe". There's just this superb meld of elements much like Remnant Phoenix describes............

The world and setting.

It's the plot and characters that usually get the most attention from fans, but I say it's the setting that is the real star.

The relationship between Shin-Ra and the rest of the world is a stark picture of hyper-capitalism and the military-industrial complex. Midgar is a picture of dehumanization and wealth disparity, and the Midgar scenario touches on the sociology of poverty. The various locations of the game world come together to paint a broad metaphor for the relationship between nature and technology, and humanity's place within that relationship. The relationship between Wutai and Shin-Ra is an uncanny historical analog for Japanese history and culture after westernization, urbanization, and the loss of the last world war.

These are the big ones, but FFVII's setting is RIPE with stuff like this, and that's why I love it.

.......which gives you this just really, really interesting and absorbing game.

Add to that dramatic combat with great OTT summons, an easy to understand but still great materia system and you're doing well.

But then throw in that simply lush, creamy, and wonderful music - such as the battle music with drips with excitement - and characters which cover a lot of bases so it's easy for you you feel a connection to at least some of them, and you've just a superbly magical game.

It's an emotional game which for me connects with more emotional based people than logical ones. But if you switch your brain down a bit and just let it suck you in it's one of the best RPG experiences ever. Some elements may be a tad dated and boring (such as the tower defence) but as an overall experience it's lush.

 

[Lucane]

Because large sections of the game just didn't do it for us. Like they could stand doing the chocobo breeding stuff to get the mounts, whereas I couldn't stand playing for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours, grinding for levels and the espers and all that gear building shit.

So yeah, I don't really get why it's so huge.

Sounds like you only really played apart of it, but what really concerns me is that you said Espers and gear building which weren't in the game. If you meant Bahamut, Ifrit Shiva and the rest then they were called Summons in this version where 8 called them Guardian Forces and FFVI and FFXII called them Espers. There was no gear building in Seven unless you're talking about Materia experience to learn higher level magic or Equipment management in general because every weapon only had one form after getting it.

So I'm thinking you either got your Final Fantasies mixed up or other RPGs

But why it was special for me was it did such a great job of world building you don't start the game of as a wandering hero tasked by a King to save the kingdom or world from a great evil demon/beast, your a Merc with a sword hired by "Avalanche" to destroy a Mako reactor in the cover of night to save the planet from a eco-terrorist angle from a large company slowly killing the planet and ignoring the signs or disregarding them till a familiar face shows up to say the wanna destroy the world for his "mother."

Also with your admitted play sharing of the game you likely didn't watch/play every minute you probably didn't get to see all of the various character moments and development through out the game so it shouldn't be surprising to you that you don't really feel anything for the characters or story.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

The fact that I never played it though I'm told I should totally have to.

It is mandated that you play it. Kindly play the game or report yourself to the nearest gatekeeping authority.

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.

 

[anthony87]

First game I ever got with my PS1 as well as the first RPG I ever played.

 

[RandV80]

The fact that I never played it though I'm told I should totally have to.

It is mandated that you play it. Kindly play the game or report yourself to the nearest gatekeeping authority.

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.

It is available on Steam. Though personally while I've been a JRPG fan from the start and can easily go back and play old games, I only got 13 hours logged into VII on my account. The setting just doesn't click with me, I'm not really a fan of the dirty steam punk-type setting and prefer my JRPG's to be more sword & sorcery. So with the FF series on PS1 I preferred IX... and of course Tactics.

Also if you want to play a JRPG on Steam I'd recommend Trails in the Sky as the best available.

 

[Lucane]

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.

 

[Denamic]

It was the first game I got emotionally invested in. Before FFVII, games were just 'fun' or 'exciting'. You moved a dude and shit exploded and such. FFVII made me care. It made me cry. I fucking weeped. There was snot, not gonna lie.