Final Fantasy VII

Review

BATTLE SYSTEM:

Now this was one of the big plus points in this game in my opinion. The battle system used in Final Fantasy VII was arguably one of the best of all time.

It used Materia which would enable the equipped characters to use certain abilities or magic. The player could then, with much thought of course, think of completely new combinations of certain Materia to achieve a distinct affect (for example: Lightning Materia coupled with an All Materia would make the spell lightning attack all enemies).

The Materia were placed in to slots, that were on the weapons of the characters, which in turn differed from weapon to weapon. Some weapons had only 4 slots while others had 10. It is an aspect that must be considered when picking weapons (do you want lots of damage and not as many slots, or less damage and considerably more slots to use) although there are some weapons that find a perfect compromise.

Limit breaks were also a very interesting factor in Final Fantasy VII with it being split up into levels. One could use different levels which would have different limits skills. This added a very customizable element since the player didn’t always have to use the same limit over and over again.

Not only that, but the limits would level up after awhile making them stronger and stronger the more the player used them. This also made it more fun to use the limits because you could strengthen the limit you like the best.

Score: 10/10


GRAPHICS:

The graphics used in Final Fantasy were ground breaking when at the time of its release and showed the potential graphic prowess the Playstation could have.

When I saw the first Final Fantasy VII CG movie in this game, I knew it was something special. It looked so real and was very nicely done. All the scenery and even the characters literally jumped out of the TV screen and threw me into the world of Final Fantasy VII. It was another aspect that made the whole game seem even more real and gave me the urge to play just so I could see the next one.

The in game graphics on the other hand were good but not perfect. None the less it was not an aspect that bothered me and it actually helped the storyline at some points in my opinion.

All in all, the graphics presented in Final Fantasy VII were awe inspiring and were a revolution in the game industry setting the standard for future games.

Score: 9/10


MUSIC SCORE:

Final Fantasy further deepened the feeling of reality through its beautiful musical score. Once again the renowned Nobuo Uematsu composed the music and again he succeeded in putting the player into this one of a kind world. The music helped the setting feel mysterious at some points while giving a feeling of action at others.

The music was so good in fact that it, as many other pieces of Uematsu, were later to be placed on CD format so that the die hard Final Fantasy fan could here it in the comforts of their home or anywhere else for that matter.

Music was another great element that helped this game further convince me of its uniqueness and originality.

Score: 9/10


SIDE QUESTS/GAMES:

Side quests galore! That’s how I describe this game. It has so many things to do next to the main story that you won’t even know where to start. This adds another way to gain an advantage, if you want, and makes it more enjoyable since you’re not obligated to do the main objective at any given time.

Side games are also a very enjoyable element. Some of them are even so good that they are almost a game in themselves.

A perfect example of this is Chocobo racing which is presented later in the game. Yes, you heard right! The lovable yet overgrown chickens are back and they shine more than ever. This side game lets you breed your own racing Chocobo which you can also use to explore the world and they even become vital at points to be able to make it to certain areas on the map. Not only that but you can breed your Chocobo to become the fastest of all time. This side game alone gave me something to do for hours.

There are of course many other side games like being able to knock people off of their motorcycles with help of a sword (give me a hell yeah!), being the captain of a submarine and sinking other subs (give me another hell yeah!), snowboarding, and a bunch of other fun games to play.

Discover all of these quests and game on your own when you play Final Fantasy VII. Trust me it’s worth it.

Score: 10/10


REPLAY VALUE:

While playing Final Fantasy VII once is fun, playing another few times is even better. I know I’ve personally completed it a total of seven times and I still love the damn thing. It’s just fun to be able to relive the story over and over again. Not many games have the charm to do exactly that.

Even the side games are always a pleasant thing to pick up on if you haven’t played for a while. In fact if your looking to get every secret, catch every hint, and understand the storyline completely than your going to have to play it again. Still it’s something that pays off in the end and is fun at the same time.

Score: 9/10


FINAL NOTE/CONCLUSION:

One can barely be able to understand how amazing this game truly is but I hope to have given you an idea of the tremendous feeling one gets when playing this game. I mean if you’ve always wondered why exactly RPG’s have such a massive fan block than try this game out and you’ll know exactly why.

It is a form of escapism which can relieve you of your daily problems and transport you to a completely unique world. This is something that most games aren’t able to do but this one does it with flying colors.

You will find yourself wanting to master every element, every aspect of this hugely unique game that is definitely in a class of its own. Become one of the many that have discovered the beauty by playing Final Fantasy VII and you’ll know why this is one of the most loved RPG’s and even games of all time.

Score: 9.7/10


Please feel free to submit a review to the site for other Final Fantasy fans to read. (Click Here) or check out our complete list of other Final Fantasy Reviews.