Review: Final Fantasy VII (PS1, PC 1997,1998)

Developed by Square [Enix]

Published by Sony Computer Entertainment

Story- 9.2/10

Gameplay- 8.7/10

Design- 9.0/10

Control- 8.8/10

Music- 9.8/10

Fun Factor- 8.4/10

Overall- 9.4/10

Yeah, I know… Hey, don’t you judge me.

Look, the fanboys didn’t get to me; I just figured I’d do something a little different- something outside my comfort zone. This review is going to be incredibly short; writing a review the same length as my other ones would only increase my self-disappointment for playing this, but alas, I shall make an unbiased attempt at a review.

Story- 9.2/10

I feel like I should explain the story, but I won’t because (no thanks to the fanboys and girls) everyone should know it by now. If you don’t, then I’m about to give away a huge spoiler. Ready?

“Sephiroth only has one wing.”

Can you believe it?! was just as dumbfounded as you were the first time you saw that.

Simply mind-blowing…

Gameplay- 8.7/10

Whenever you aren’t watching cutscenes or dealing with story, you’ll find that the game is a traditional turn-based RPG. Good luck finding one of those on a console nowadays. Plenty of power-ups, spells and new additions to your party will be at your disposal throughout the game.

Design- 9.0/10

When I first booted FF VII up on my computer, I couldn’t help but laugh at how outdated the graphics were. If it‘s not a flat plane, then it’s a ridiculous mess of simple polygons. Honestly, if it weren’t for the amount of cutscenes, it could have easily been a late “N64 Expansion Pak” game. Graphical limitations aside, the game is simply beautiful. It’s everything you’ve come to expect from a Final Fantasy game.

Control- 8.8/10

The PS1 version has pretty solid controls (and I wish it stayed that way through FF XIII). The PC version is… functional, but it takes some getting used to. It’s understandable when you think about it: I have a direct PS2-PC port of Guilty Gear XX #Reload: The Midnight Carnival on my hard drive. The game’s controls are intended for controller use, not keyboard. Let me put it this way; “Q,E,I, and P“ are assigned to “L1, L2, R1, and R2”.

Music- 9.8/10

I can’t say Nobuo Uematsu is my favorite composer; that title belongs to Daisuke Ishiwatari. However, FF VII’s soundtrack is amazing through and through. It rivals that of its forbearer FF VI. My only wish is that when a new version of the game comes out, which it will sooner or later, is that it uses the soundtrack from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

Fun Factor- 8.4/10

Personally, I had a hard time actually getting into the game. My self-made proclamation to never play this game could be a partial reason, but that just applies to me. What might turn some off when they enounter Final Fantasy VII, is that it’s a J-RPG. J-RPG’s have a completely different presentation and feel to them. To some, J-RPG’s just end up being all about flash, ridiculous fashion, overly dramatic events and an abundant use of cinematics. Often, J-RPG‘s don’t appeal to many gamers; they‘re a bit of an acquired taste.

Overall- 9.4/10

Final Fantasy VII is an excellent piece of work, and quite possibly the best game… for PS1. The transition to PC does the original some great justice, as all of the original content remains intact. If the fanboys haven’t driven you to the edge of insanity yet, then Final Fantasy VII is game that you should play. It’s a great example of a video game- perfected.

I know what you’re probably thinking; what could possibly lead me into reviewing a game that I swore I would never touch? Well, I could tell you straight up, but I figured I’d leave a few clues lying around for you to figure out.