Why all the hate on FFVII?

[Sejs Cube]

Short version?

Fans. Fans are why there's some much hate for FF7.

Unrelenting, mouth-agape fanboyism has lead to people being well and truly fed up with FF7 as a title. Yeah. It's a game. Yeah, for a lot of people it was your first introduction to console RPGs. No, frankly, it wasn't anything groundbreaking or fantastic.

But fans. Fans won't. Shut. Up. About it even though it hasn't been relevant for over a decade.

Quit attaching your ego to the perception of a game and move on.

It has nothing to do with hating on something that's popular, it has everything to do with hating on something that long since grown tiresome but annoying fans won't let go. See also: Sonic.

 

[Katana314]

The one thing I WOULD say about FFVII is that Sephiroth never seemed like a believable villain. There was just this one point at which he went through a bizarre internal thread of logic that churned out "The world needs to be destroyed for Jenova, my mother" and none of it was identifiable or even sympathetic.

He believed he was a descendant of the Ancients and that the human race had betrayed them. In such, he was passing judgment on humanity in the form of a giant, world killing meteor. Not too hard to decipher really. When you pair that with his power (and ego to match) then you have the fixings for a megalomaniac.

OP: It's cool to hate what is popular. And JRPGs are currently cool to hate - especially the poster boy - Final Fantasy - even more so the series' most popular entry - FFVII.

But that's a comic book villain excuse. Have that many successful, intelligent people in the world ever just decided they want to "pass judgment on humanity"? It doesn't feel believable, or even well-covered; it's the long black coat version of Dr. Take Over The World. It was really pretty shameful when the rest of the game was well-written.

 

[Archemetis]

In fairness, Cloud really isn't emo...

I mean, can anyone here say without a shred of dickheadedness that if they were hypothetically faced with an identity/existential crisis wherein you've been led to believe that your entire childhood and everything you think you know was part of an experiment to create a perfect clone of a mentally unstable superman hell-bent on destroying the world. All because he thinks that's what his surrogate space-mother set out to do, only it's not his space mother, he's just been infused with cells that have sent him over the edge...

Is any of that sinking in?

There is a seriously deep story with incredibly thought out characters underneath all the brooding and 'wahwahing' that DEVIANTART will have you believe (Y'know in between drawing Cloud and Vincent fucking Cait Sith).

If Cloud has any 'emo' moments between questioning his own identity and generally sucking it up and getting the fucking job done. Then I think it's entirely justified.


This all coming from someone who actually liked Final Fantasy IX better...

 

[Skoosh]

I don't get the "Sephiroth is a momma's boy" line of thinking. He got his strength from Jenova, so he was rejecting his actual mother and saying he was a child of power. He was worshiping the monstrous side of himself. He rejected humanity and went for nothing but raw power, which was why he was destroying the world: kill humans, gain power of lifestream. If he was a momma's boy, there wouldn't be a chick in a waterfall. I think people just heard a couple lines and didn't think about the actual meaning behind his words. People don't listen past the surface, especially if it's a madman.

Anyway, I think a lot of people hate it because it was hyped a lot and it didn't live up to the hype for them. Also because people hate popular things. If it isn't popular, there's no reason to hate it, you'll just forget it. The game isn't for everyone. You also have people inflating the game's image due to nostalgia and people that didn't play it originally (games of yesterday don't hold up as well by today's standards, look at Goldeneye).

 

[TheSquashedOrange]

I think that it's just cool to hate popular things, same thing happened with halo and mdern warfare. I will say however that ff7's graphics certainly haven't aged well, they just look...ugh.

 

[Danceofmasks]

FF7 was good.
If I had to pick out a Square game that's a masterpiece, I wouldn't say FF7 though.
I'd probably say Seiken Densetsu 3.

That's probably why the "hate" ... it's overrated.

 

[DevilWolf47]

If Cloud isn't angsty, then i'm not fat.
...i'm 20 pounds overweight? Well fuck. I guess Cloud's ANGSTY.

No shortage of evidence with that between the fucking movies and that scene where Aeris dies that i swear was the inspiration for the Star Wars prequel series where Cloud just sits there trying to remember how to emote. Bad acting in a text based segment... that's never a good sign.

That being said, my big problem with Final Fantasy VII is that the writers have absolutely no sense of discipline. There isn't a real central plot, just a massive amalgam of stupid subplots that even by that point in the Final Fantasy series were beginning to age. Just how many times have they used the former soldier rebelling against a corrupt government plot? Final Fantasy VII is a generic turned based JRPG that only gained popularity because Neon Genesis Evangelion hadn't gained as much popularity in America at that time so a lot of gamers were unfamiliar with "Emo." They thought it was hot shit.
Understanding why is an exercise in futility. Enix was making better turn based strategies before it combined with Square Soft, and Square Soft hadn't lost it's edge before VII.


And i think there may also be some old Square Enix fanboys who rail against FFVII because it really was the mark where the series began to rapidly stagnate.

I also have one more beef with it. Square Soft's Bushido Blade? Square Enix's The World Ends with You? To a lesser extent (Much lesser) Nier? The company isn't completely without talent, but they keep releasing Final Fantasy title that more and more are beginning to have less interactivity than Heavy Rain. And Star Ocean... goddamn am i glad BioWare exists. If Star Ocean had a monopoly on the sci-fi RPG genre, then i'd probably begin cutting.

 

[Tehlanna TPX]

I hate the fact that 'emo' is such an overused, and poorly placed, word in the english language these days. As bad as 'gay' (although without the sensitivities that comes with misusing the term).

I love FF7. Why? It was the first FF that I was allowed to play. The others were only viewable in shotgun mode while my Uncle played. It was no-touchy-touchy on his beloved nintendo systems. But by the time 7 came out, I was old enough, and apparently trusted enough, to give it a shot with my own hands on the controller. That brings a sense of nostalgia that nothing else really can. It was fun to watch my Uncle play the other titles, but ...yeah.

I can understand a little bit of annoyance towards fan boys. The same that non fps'ers (and even some fps'ers...) feel towards CoD idiots, and the like. But there seems to be so many misconceptions towards the game that maybe some of the 'haters' should take a step back and just calm down. And then move on and hate something more important. Although if it must be game related, then choose something much more worthy of your ire, mmkay.

OT: Haters gonna hate. Just like in anything, in this world.

 

[Ladette]

Hype backlash? I don't hate FF7, I think it's a mediocre game that's been massivley overrated.

 

[DanteVX]

I never really understood the hate that has rose against 7, I will say that I didn't enjoy it that much and I don't really know why. In my personal experience most of my friends really like the game and the reason they give is because of nostalgia, they played it when it was released, we were 7-8, but I didn't.

I played it for the first time last year with a friend and they were reminiscing telling me stories of this boss and that plot point, and I just couldn't get into it. For me X was my favourite, maybe because it was newer, I do find that age of graphics unappealing, which is weird because I play mostly retro games these days. I know why I like X so much and I know that it was not the game, but for a disgustingly subjective reason so doesn't have any place in an actual debate. I didn't particularly like any past X because I hate the real time battle systems, for me, they have lost all strategy that the earlier games had, where for some fights you had to sit and figure out how to win, with 13 in particular I didn't even know what I was doing, I just spammed 'X' and beat the game.

OT: For those of my friends who like it, it is nostalgia and they admit that. Maybe the hate comes from over zealous people who don't understand why so many like it. Conversely maybe the 'fanboys' who so adamantly bestow and defend its God like status and agitate so many, realised that it wasn't as good as they remember and get tetchy about it, one of my friends in particular is like this. When drunk, she admits she has actually had a growing hatred for it on her recent play through. For me, if you enjoy a game good, if you don't, you don't. There is no need to attack others for a different opinion. Most forget the difference between opinion and fact.

 

[Fledge]

To be fair, Sephiroth isn't actually on the front lines all the time. I mean, you don't even see him (not including memories) in the whole of the first disk - it's just Jenova all the damn time.

 

[mythgraven]

If there's one thing I've learned over the last couple months, it's that people don't seem to like FFVII as much as the game's massive popularity might suggest. Across the internet on places like FaceBook, deviantART, Youtube, Newgrounds, 4chan, even rare sites like The Choas Theatre, people just flat out hate the game. Naturally, as a guy that actually likes the game, I get comfused and ask why. Politely, of course. The Answer is always the same: "Because Cloud's emo and Sephiroth is a mama's boy."

Okay, before I start ranting here, I suggest you take a minute and ask yourself:
What do I think of the game?

Please also note that while I like FFVII, I don't exactly think it's the best game under the Final Fantasy Label. The winner of that award goes to eiterh FFVI or Crystal Chronicles. Can't decide which. So no spam saying I'm a fanboy, alright?

Okay, rant starts here. *Ahem*
1st point: NO. HE. ISN'T.
Cloud is not in the slightest bit emo, angsty, or even remotely depressed. There are a lot of things I would use to describe Cloud, and emo sure as HELL isn't one of them. Stoic, bored, uninterested, serious, angry, confused, proud, those are all words I'd use to describe Cloud. Not only that, he has a sense of humor. The number of things that you're given the option to have him say or do throughout the game proves that. Playing Tifa's piano in the memory sequence near the begining, Smart Mouthing Barret by saying he looks like a teddy bear wearing a marshmallow while he's in the sailor's suit, things like that. There is litterally one spot in the game that I'd call him depressed or sad: right after Aeris dies.

Now Sephiroth is, of course, a harder goal to defend, but face it folks: he's a pretty good villain. He has the plan, motive, means, and mindset to make the plan happen. He's not a mama's boy for this reason: he's attempting to destroy the world BECAUSE of Jenova, not for her. He discovers the truth in his past, goes insane, finds what remains of Jenova, takes it, then goes off to plot. Besides, he's also one of the only Villains I've seen who's constantly on the front lines, always doing everything he wants done himself. There isn't anything that he ever needs help with. He just kicks everyone's butt and gets back on his way.

Okay mortals, state your possitions on the game and clarify them. Feel free to say that you just don't like the game, because quite frankly that's your opinion. But if you disagree with my rant, prove it. Either one of them. I expect thurough, well thought out reason for why you think Cloud cuts his wrists and Sephiroth's a mama's boy. Go ahead.

First off: Hey look! A title with FF7 in it! Im guarenteed to get lots and lots of hits. And so you have. Good job. At the time of writing, this boring bait thread has netted 98 replies. 98 fishies. Good haul.

And Second: People are generally sick of hearing about FF7. It came out over a decade ago. It was a fun game, but much like WoW, over-saturation has given it a "who the fuck cares?" outlook.


You want people to stop hating on FF7? Stop bringing it up.

Whiskey Echo!!
Mythgraven

 

[Redtiebear]

I happen to love FFVII, but I can still understand why there's a lot of dislike, considering the endless remakes, making it what is a cheap cashcow for Square these days. Endless sequels of a game meant to stand alone drag down the original. Imagine X-2 and (ugh) FFXIII-2 coming out. Plus, the fanbase for it is pretty.....obnoxious sometimes. Okay, a lot of the time. A dumb fanbase can really ruin a good thing.

That being said, I try to keep my affection for FFVII reasonable and have plenty of other favorite games in similarly fashioned franchises, such as the Tales Series and Star Ocean. If you love a game, just don't be stupid and don't let stupid people ruin it for you. And if you hate a game, you have every right to do so and avoid the people who love it.

 

[Dexiro]

The Answer is always the same: "Because Cloud's emo and Sephiroth is a mama's boy."

Since when has that been the only answer? I've been involved in many a rant involving FF7 and I've actually never seen that response.

Personally I tried playing FF7 to see what the hype was about and felt like I got treated to 5 hours of depressing cutscene. I lowered my expectations and had to make a conscious effort to try and enjoy it but after like 5 or 6 hours I still really wasn't enjoying myself.

Maybe it just hasn't aged well because one of the main problems was immersion, it looks like lego characters layered over a bad quality jpeg image. In a game as story heavy as that immersion is really important.

 

[Harklen]

No Hate here, easily my favorite game of all time.

 

[mythgraven]

[/quote]

Well you're a dick.
First off: I posted the thread as a simple curiosity, not to see how many views I could rack up. If I were to do that, it would go against my standards. If you want to say that I'm just trawling for posts here, go ahead; just know that you're being an asshole to the tenth degree.

Second: If people are sick of it, then why do so many people I know both online and off profess their love of the series as a whole on a near daily basis? Why do people still discuss Star Wars? or indeed, World of Warcraft?

Simple: because there is still merit to be found in scrutenizing the details. Yes, it came out a decade ago, but Mario 64 came out at the same time, give or take a few years, but people still like ot talk about that.[/quote]



Im not a dick for having an opinion on your post, Shatter. Also, I didnt make any assumptions on your character. I calls em like I sees em, and posts that are "bound" to rack up hits with any of the million "key" words in them, are usually made specifically for that very purpose.

I dont know why your online and offline friends talk about FF7 on a daily basis... have you considered asking them? The jist of my post was not your perceived attack on you, but was, and remains, a statement about the over-saturation of certain games/movies/music/themes in the entertainment industry.

Why does every male between the ages of 18-28 feel that they need to quote Office Space, Top Gun, and the lyrics to "Every Rose Has Its Thorn"?

Why are gamers still talking about FF7? And why do they hang and salivate on any and every mention or denial of a possible remake?

I dont know. Do you? Over-saturation leads to disgust. Disgust leads to hate. Hate leads to the Dark Side.

Still, tangent aside, you posted that you were sick of all teh hates to FF7, but then you retort that you hear positive things about it on a daily basis. Thats sort of confusing.


Whiskey Echo!!
Mythgraven

I seem to have hosed up the Reply Function.

 

[Cheesepower5]

Because it has flaws and when everyone ignores them for 10 years some people like to push it around. It's still a great game though, and it baffles me why the hater group is still so vocal.

I just hope 6 and Tactics never get vocal haters, my heart would be broken.

 

[Xenomemphate]

I loved all the Final Fantasy games up until 12.

Thats where it went downhill. Don't get me wrong, I completed it, but it wasn't as good as the others. In a similar vein 13 failed to match up to the likes of 7, 8, and 9 (all three of which I loved)

But then I don't compare 13 to them, compare it to 12 and you will see that they have improved on 12. Okay, maybe not to the extent we may have liked, but hey, its an improvement. Rebuilding takes time.

 

[Chibz]

Oh, another reason I dislike it is because FF7 has a lot of news for a remake despite the sheer mediocrity of it, despite my FAVOURITE of the series (FF3 FTW!) only ever having ONE remake and not being on virtual console.

I am sad, so very sad.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

http://www.g4tv.com/videos/37041/your-childhood-sucks-final-fantasy-vii/

Sessler says it like it is. The overhyping by the extremist fans, coupled with the bad english translation and the fucking annoying random encounters put a lot of people off.