It filled some of the holes left from FF7, but made others in the process.
STORY
The most important thing to remember about this game is that it is a prequel to one of the greatest RPG's ever created. With that said, I had a lot of expectations when it came to the plot. You are Zack, the man who was already dead in FF7 and whose story was left shrouded in mystery until now. His story follows his journey to be recognized as a hero, working for Shinra before it fell apart. During that time, you will meet familiar faces with not-so-familiar personalities, namely Sephiroth. In this story, he is an ally who is an inspiration to Zack, and a very admirable person to say the least. Alongside him are first class SOLDIERS Angeal and Genesis. Angeal is Zack's mentor and best friend. Genesis can be considered a brotherly rival to Sephiroth. The story revolves around all of these characters, unveiling the truth behind Shinra, and ultimately the events that lead to FF7. The end is simply breathtaking and leaves you so sad and hopeless for our protagonist, the way it was meant to be.
The story was told beautifully, aside from some characters who were left unfinished. The interactions between Zack and Aerith were very touching, but were too few and far between.
VISUAL/AUDIO
For the most part, the plot was told in full motion capture with voices and CG. The voices were some of the best I heard in gaming. The facial expressions were absolutely spectacular - and to think all of this was done on a hand held system. The music was very reminiscent of FF7 (obviously), but it was modified in some themes, making them even more beautiful. New songs were added as well, and fit the mood perfectly.
GAMEPLAY
Think Kingdom Hearts. Everything is in real time, with seemless transition from traversing the world into combat. Combat was never dull, and was very challenging on Hard mode. Side quests include side missions which were perfect for a hand held game. Pick it up, play a few missions (they aren't long), and put it down until later. The one down side is that there is no weapon and armor upgrade system, but accessory and materia still remains with a new fusing system. This added some more individuality during combat.
SUMMARY
If you played FF7, this is a game worth experiencing. You may feel robbed because of it's length, or because of some unfinished character development, but it will throw some scenes at you worth remembering. The audio and visuals are truly a masterpiece. The ending is worth reaching even though most already know what it is.