Is Final Fantasy VII Still Worth Playing?

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KornKid91

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So you may have heard that Final Fantasy VII is $7 this week on PSN, and I'd like some honest feedback on the game. Now before you tell me it's the best RPG you ever played keep in mind that it's 15 years old, and that it may not have aged well. I'm asking as someone who's never played a Final Fantasy game, and has only played a handful of RPGs.

I'm not the biggest fan of turn based RPGs, but I've been trying to get into the genre more. My main reason for wanting to play this is it's historical importance. Does this game have a steep learning curve for new players like me? Apparently there's a PC version, should I try to play that version instead? If I do buy this game what's the best way to play it HDTV, SDTV, or on a PSP? I sort of want to play it on PSP most, but I'd have to buy a bigger memory card to fit it on my PSP. Does it look okay on PSP, and does the PSP's lack of 2 shoulder buttons make the game more cumbersome to play?

Thanks for your time
 
I bought it on PSN to play on my PSP, and it was just fine. The graphics in game don't stand the test of time too well as everyone is blocky and the characters themselves can be meh for the most part. The cutscenes, IMO, are still impressive. They were done at a time where cutscenes were put in for wow moments, not every 10 minutes like games are now. I think some of them still look amazing, especially the Weapon monsters you encounter.

The battle mechanics is pretty standard, but easy to learn. You can equip magic in the form of "materia" on your weapons which allows you to use them in battle. You use them, they level up, etc. Nothing noteworthy battlewise other than the limit breaks which you also gain as you progress. Basically they are special attacks that you get once you are attacked/attack enough times to deal extra damage.

Story wise...it's Final Fantasy. End of the world with one main villain behind it (who happens to be one of the most famous villains in gaming) that you have to stop. You get friends along the way to help deal with the problem. This was what felt like the beginning of the emo feeling to characters as Cloud was a major downer for a good chunk of the game.

Honestly, it's still one of my favorite games. I love the music, the side quests I spent a lot of time doing, and I loved the setting. Even the characters, with their faults, I still enjoy. I have finished the game many times, and I'm sure I'll play it again one day.

But if you are going in having never played it before...just understand it was the first big leap in graphics for Final Fantasy. There's a lot that you may not like, and the graphics can instantly be a turn off. I think a lot of hate it gets is because of the people that love it so much. It's not the greatest RPG ever, but it's not the worst. If you play it, I don't think you'll be disappointed as long as you go in with an open mind.
 
I think there will be a HD remake of this & looking at the sales 10 million. If they were to re-release this in HD form with a truly special LE you could honestly expect another 10+ million sales not sure if it would be at a COD type epic pace but they would come.
http://www.vgchartz.com/gamedb/?nam...sher=&platform=&genre=&minSales=0&results=200

I've never played but people I know who REALLY LIKE FF & RPG's still love this game & still play it to this day.

For $7 look for 1-2 good game flips for credit & grab a PSN card then it's no loss. Plus, if you really like the game then there's plenty of FF for you to feast upon until the re-release. LOL
 
imo no. I didn't like it then and don't like it now. I personally like a lot of 16 bit era jrpgs over ffvii.
 
I'd say go for it. I really enjoyed it back in the day and I'm sure it still has some redeeming qualities. Just make sure you realize that it's a big time commitment on an older game that doesn't look all that great. Otherwise it's a title that I recommend everyone at least give a shot at.
 
I think FFVII looks quite good, and I'm not sure how this still is the only complaint people can muster. The backdrops are nice, the models are blocky but simple, and in combat things look much better. It's a highly inoffensive looking game, and still conveys its mood just as effectively as it did over a decade ago.

PSX FFs are hard to go back to, though, because there have some pretty bad pacing and dungeon segments. They just feel outdated and tedious. And I haven't brushed up on my FFVII lore recently, but I think some of the characters missed their mark, and the plot was pretty convoluted.

Worth the money, though.
 
[quote name='LennyTheKenny']Final Fantasy IX might be a better choice, but then again I didn't really care too much for VII.[/QUOTE]

I'm with this guy, or playing IV, V, or VI. I bought it at rerelease (VII and IX) and VII looks like crap, now. IX aged much better (and yeah I know it IX is from late PSX while VII is from early PSX, but I dunno I was going somewhere with this but I decided not to, and lost interest in what I was saying, just go play V or VI)
 
IV, VI, and IX are all better than VII imo but VII is still worth a play especially for just a few bucks. There are worse way to blow $7.

At the very least, you will not have to wonder what VII is all about and why some people (usually those whose first RPG is VII, think it is the holy grail of JRPG). Maybe you will join FF VII fanboys, maybe you will just think its "ok".... whatever the case may be, you will be able to join the conversation.

Definitely play it on your PSP. it doesn't look half bad on it :)
 
I still remember what a "big deal" this game was. This was back in the AOL days, lmao. All over the video game chatrooms. Tons of screen names based on the characters.

PSX/N64 era, good times. I found the SNES/Genes era had better quality games, but there's something special about the PSX/N64 era. FF7 is a huge, if not, THE biggest part of all of that.

But... if you don't like turn based, why would this appeal to you? Not being a smart ass.
 
[quote name='Gden']I'm with this guy, or playing IV, V, or VI. I bought it at rerelease (VII and IX) and VII looks like crap, now. IX aged much better (and yeah I know it IX is from late PSX while VII is from early PSX, but I dunno I was going somewhere with this but I decided not to, and lost interest in what I was saying, just go play V or VI)[/QUOTE]

I agree with this. IV, VI and IX are all better than VII in my opinion. I think VII is a great game overall but I also think it's one of the most overrated games ever. I'm sure VII is still worthwhile to play if you don't mind the blocky graphics but if you haven't played any FF games, you might want to look into some other ones first. I'd probably start with IV or VI if it's possible, honestly. Although I believe the PS1 version of VI suffers from a little lag and lesser quality music. But yeah, I guess my point is you probably shouldn't get locked into wanting to try VII because of all the talk about it. Other FF games out there are just as good, if not better. If you could pick up a $20 PSN card, I'd say pick three of the FF games with it (four if you can somehow get PS+) and enjoy.

I think playing these games on a SDTV would be best but I'm not sure exactly. I've played them fairly recently on both a HDTV and PSP and they looked normal on each one to me. Although the PSP's smaller screen seems even smaller than it already is because it squeezes the game into the 4:3 mode. You can stretch it out to fill the screen but then it just looks kind of distorted and weird. But you can transfer the game saves between your PS3 and PSP so it wouldn't hurt to try it on both and see which one you liked more.
 
FF 3/6 is still the best FF ever made. The graphics were the best 16 bit RPGs ahd to offer and the story/characters were by far the best. The emotion the devs got out of tiny sprites was amazing! I will never forget that laugh Kefka had. It was awesome.

I never really got into 7. I think it has to do with the load times. I always say once games went to CD and load times, I couldnt play JRPGs any longer. My ADD kicked in and never let go.
 
Last time I played it was around 2004 and it was great then and I'm willing to bet it's still great now. As some in this thread have said FF6 is indeed the best, but FF7 is arguably the most important game in the series. As far as I know, it was the game that really brought rpgs to the mainstream in the industry.
 
Anyone else look at final fantasy VII, and scream "GIVE US LEGEND OF DRAGOON, DAMN YOU!!!!". I apologize for not answering your question earlier, but play it on a PSP. If you need to upgrade your card on your psp, I suggest you buy a micro SD card and a pro duo adapter. You can get a 32 gb card on newegg for about $33, whereas a pro duo card will run you about $60. If you want a 16 gb card I think the prices are about the same, no, I take it back the pro duo is still about $30 more than the micro sd (which runs about $16). So, anyway, get a micro SD card and a pro duo adapter. Anyway, here's a link to a 16 gb micro sd card and adapters
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5086224&CatId=7070
if you wish to get a 32 card, you would have to go to newegg, because tigerdirect is selling 32 gig cards for $70 or so right now and newegg has them for $32. Okay, I'm done yammering.
 
[quote name='Gden']Anyone else look at final fantasy VII, and scream "GIVE US LEGEND OF DRAGOON, DAMN YOU!!!!".[/QUOTE]

Ive been patiently waiting for both Legend of Dragoon and Legend of Legaia. Hope they get around to releasing both eventually.
 
I have never played ff7 as well. Well, I tried it on my psp years ago but it got screwed up at about 2 hours and just gave it up. I played 6 though on snes and it is pretty damn sweet. The story was very good. ff2's story was pretty good, too (not as good as 6 but still nice). I might play 6 again when I have a lot of time in the future but I think 7 is not for me. My expectations are too high and I know I'll be let down.
 
FF7s story was fantastic. The music, too.
I know we all hate rehashes and remakes, but an FF7 redo (just focus on the models/graphics) and it would be an even mor fantastic game.

It's kinda funny. Look at the game now and it's super blocky. Back then? It was GORGEOUS.
 
[quote name='4thHorseman']Ive been patiently waiting for both Legend of Dragoon and Legend of Legaia. Hope they get around to releasing both eventually.[/QUOTE]

Oh man, Legend of Legaia. Now that brings back memories. Excellent game. If that was on PSN it would be an insta-buy for me.
 
I would recommend 7 since you said you do not really play many JRPGs. I think 7 is a good beginners FF but if you really like the game I totally recommend FF3/6 and advise you to either play the SNES or GBA version of 3/6 though.
 
FF7 was one of the worst FF games and totally not worthy of the blind praise people give it. They just like it so much because it was their first FF most of the time and nostalgia has grossly affected their opinion of it.

If you havent played it yet, don't waste your time. You really aren't missing anything special at all.
 
I came in late to the FF7, beat it a couple years ago on my PS2.

I think the graphics are tolerable and it is a fun game (and the story is good as well granted it hasn't already been spoiled for you).
 
If you can get past the graphics being dated then yeah, get it. It is the game that started getting rpg's noticed by more than just hardcore gamers.
 
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