Well, for those who haven't played VII or VII, I'd like to think I have a non-biased perspective as someone who ISN'T very good at role-playing games. I'm a sports gamer at heart.
Final Fantasy VII was an enigma. Like other great series, etc... it's got this brand new story, with brand new characters, and items you've never heard of. Materia? Cloud, but he's a person? What is this game? Like many of the games I've gotten sucked into over the years, I was at a friends house when I saw someone else playing FF VII. It was clear the graphics were top-notch for the time, and the store was interesting. But where to go to buy batteries, so I could move a fan blade and proceed to the top of a plate that held an upper world? That was a lot for someone who's brain doesn't think that way most of the time. Then again, I had trouble with the Zork games too.
Anyway, I was VERY lucky. A buddy who was at the OTHER friends house was a true fanatic about VII. He helped me play it. And in the end, I got ALL the way through the game. I didn't kill Ruby or Diamond weapon (they are called weapon, but they are opponents... crazy huh?), but you didn't need to to take on the final battle and win the game. So that was pretty incredible.
Suffice to say, the story is amazing, the graphics are great, and the characters suck you in. I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't played it. I actually setup my PSP to play such games, and I played about 2 hours each way to and from to and from Dallas recently. I didn't know all the right moves to get special pendants and materia, but I remembered enough of the game to have a general idea of what I was doing. And even when I got a little stuck, I kept going and figured things out. Didn't mean I didn't die a couple times, but it wasn't too bad.
If you like to read, and you like video games, Final Fantasy VII is a must play. I've still got my copy (and it's EXACTLY that) for the PC around here somewhere. I own the PSX version (which is how I put it on my PSP), and that is one I'll never let go. Got it at an EB for $20 used I think, and could sell it for more than I bought it.
Well... if someone gets this running on a PC with the enhanced graphics and it runs ok, I'd love to hear about it. I have a 7800GTX that is dying more more pretty graphics to run on my system. Though my monitor is a 24" Dell widescreen (should have waited for the HDCP 2407), and I don't suppose I can make the game run at 1920x1200.
Best wishes!!!