This may be the best game ever made. I could go on a 10-paragraph description of what makes it so great, but this time I'll just comment on the scores I gave it, and hopefully some insight will come out of it. Gameplay -- 9. When I say "gameplay," I don't mean the overall enjoyment of the game. What I mean is the mechanics of the game (controls, battle system, that sort of thing), and how fun they make the game to play. What can I say? The gameplay is excellent. As the GS reviewer said, the Materia-based battle system is very powerful and elegant, yet easy to learn in stages. Battles tend to be fun (although, of course, random encounters get annoying after a while), and, more importantly, such that improving your stats and materia actually seems worthwhile (even though the game is still very easy without any special levelling up). The required minigames are all enjoyable. However, I can't give this category a hallowed 10 because, well, the gameplay ITSELF never quite reaches Metal Gear Solid-level suspense and excitement. It's not the gameplay so much that propels the casual player as the amazing plot (see below). Beating the game is very easy (this is neither a criticism nor a compliment), so the only time the gameplay really becomes an objective of play is when you're going for the COMPLETE FF7 EXPERIENCE, i.e., get everything, beat everyone, etc. The game gets considerably tougher then, and the gameplay can be quite rewarding. Still, I'd "only" rank the gameplay as superb (9) as opposed to perfect (10). Graphics -- 8. 8 is "great" (for the time it was released). But let me explain. Artistically, this game gets an absolute 10. The sense of atmosphere projected by the graphics of this world is absolutely, 100% UNPARALLELLED in _any_ game, let alone Final Fantasy game. As I played, I really felt like a part of the dark slums of Midgar or Junon fort besieged by the Weapon. The character design is excellent (check out Cloud and Tifa, for example), too. The battle graphics, in technical terms are a 9 for the period. They're crisp, and convincing (both the background textures which match the surrounding map area, and the flat-shaded character models). The 3D map graphics are very good too (can someone explain to me why FF8's are worse?!) -- 9. Unfortunately, the character 3D models in the field as you walk around are VERY bad; almost embarassing. Here I'm forced to give the graphics something like a 5. It may sound a like small element, but really it's quite huge. These characters look like cool, real beings in battle but like re-tarded blocky kids in the field. It's especially unsettling seeing the nice background cutscenes with ridiculous 10-polygon character models in the foreground. Sometimes it's hard to believe you're looking at the same version of Cloud. Combine all these ratings together, and you get something like a technical 8, an artistic 9. Sound -- 8. 10 for the music (even better than in FF6, absolutely stunning music in this one). Sets an excellent sense of atmosphere. 6 for the sounds effects -- the beeps as you select menus etc. -- but who cares about those. And, a 6 for the technical qualities of the music in the PC version, which sounds awful due to the MIDI synthesis. Of course, the material itself is still great, but come on. So, comes out to a generous 8. Value -- 10. This game is probably the most replayable game I've ever seen, and this includes the almost unlimited replay value of multiplayer games like Team Fortress, Red Alert, etc. There are two reasons why you'll probably dump about 200 hours of your life into this game. (1) THE PLOT. It is very very VERY cool, and very very VERY hard to grasp on only time through the game (but still very satisfying). On the 2nd time, you'll see everything again, get it straight, and really figure it out. On the 3rd time, you will finally really understand it (as well as all the characters' motivations, especially Cloud's and Tifa's). So, each time you play the game, you discover something new and interesting about the backstory. (2) The side quests and secrets: To get everything in the game by yourself, you have to really explore, and this is often quite rewarding, especially beating the two super Weapons at the end. Finding all this stuff is fun and probably will take at least 2 times through the game. Tilt -- 10. The point is, even if I point out flaws in this game, like the silly field character graphics or the bad music synthesis, or the random encouters sometimes, the important thing is that this game is addictive, fun, and awe-inspiring. It's a little bit like being in the best movie all time, but it's also 30 times longer and fuller than any movie, and you get to actually affect what happens. Sure, not EVERYTHING you do reaches Counterstrike's level of excitement, but the overall fantasy is beyond anything you can imagine. Just buy this.
General/Summary: I just have to say this is one of the greatest RPG games I have played, right up there with Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Evermore and Final Fantasy 3. You play as Cloud (you can re-name him... Read Full Review
If you have already played FFVII, skip down to where it says "VETERANS". There are a few games in the lex iconic halls of the pantheon that should be revered and praised with utmost solemnity and admiration.... Read Full Review
