The Gaming Standard

Battles:	4
Plot:	5
Music:	5
Visuals:	4
Tilt:	5

Overall: 5

Release Date: September 3rd, 1997

In short: The definitive Squaresoft masterpiece that single-handedly launched RPGs into the gaming mainstream.

Much as Freud is required reading for anyone interested in Psychology or Newton for anyone getting into Mathematics, Final Fantasy 7 is required playing for anyone who claims playing RPGs is their hobby. Indeed, if it were not for the huge success of this singular Squaresoft masterpiece, it is very likely the RPG market would have remained the quaint niche market it was in the early 90's. Final Fantasy 7 in many ways has come to define an entire generation of gamers, and ushered in a golden age of RPG development; no longer was this genre confined to the swords-and-sorcery archetype set in its tabletop roots. Featuring an intense storyline, a memorable musical score, and a cast of extremely likable characters, the ripples of this game�s release can still be felt today.

The battle system in this game brings over a lot of the traditional trappings from FF6, including the ATB gauge, summon spells, and learning magic by equipping things. Nevertheless, FF7 adds a few very nice wrinkles to the mix. The first are the inclusion of Limit Breaks. These are special attacks that can be executed once a character has been damaged enough. The gauge that tracks the amount of damage carries over between battles so a certain air of strategy is involved in deciding whether or not to quickly kill a group of enemies or to let them attack your party and raising the Limit Break gauge for an upcoming boss encounter. Another unique twist is the descendant of the Esper system in FF6: Materia. Materia are little orbs that you place in slots in your weapons and armor; once placed in these slots, the Materia allow you to use the ability of the Materia, be it magic, summoning, or even a new command, such as Steal. Equipped Materia lowers your physical stats however, so loading a single person down makes them extremely vulnerable in combat. Ability Points are earned at end of each battle, and the accumulation of AP allows your Materia to evolve into more powerful versions of itself, giving access to more powerful spells or even dividing into two Materia.

Not exactly a resort town.

Due to the ATB gauge, combat is a fierce and quick endeavor, as any hesitation on your part often means the enemy is allowed to attack again. Overall the whole system is pretty intuitive and lends a bit of strategy to buying new weapons and armor as some will have more slots, less slots, linked slots, or even giving equipped Materia to grow at double or triple the rate. What many gamers will lament however is the apparent loss of character individuality. Since Materia can be freely interchanged between characters it is easy to just swap out characters without a second thought. This is more or less correct; the only thing that makes one character different than the other in combat is his or her base stats, their Limit Breaks, and character polygon. I disagree with those that think this somehow makes the characters blander though. The sole reason I kept some characters around in the much lauded FF6 was because they had a useful skill; all their �individuality� got me were some tough strategic decisions in which I was forced to take a weak character into a major battle just so I had the opportunity to Steal. In FF7 I take the characters I like into battle, and in many ways this makes them a lot more personal than the characters in FF6.

The game starts you off in the role of Cloud, a mercenary in the "steam-punk" megalopolis of Midgar. Cloud has just joined a resistance organization that intends to destroy one of the many power stations controlled by the monolith Shinra Corporation. In typical Squaresoft fashion, the story eventually becomes an epic crusade against an ancient evil, but it is the manner in which the story progresses which deserves special mention. As you progress through the early stages of the game, Midgar becomes something more than a mere setting; Midgar becomes a character in of itself. From the privilege and luxury of its upper-levels to the poverty and despondency of the lower slums, you begin to realize just how real the city feels. This city is no longer one of the countless vanilla villages that dot the RPG landscape; this is a living, breathing entity. When Cloud and company are forced to leave Midgar to explore the larger world, it truly feels as though you are leaving something important behind. I am sure I was not the only player who thought that the entire game could have easily taken place within its gritty walls. It is amusing to think of this because Midgar is just the beginning; the aura of exploration and gravity continues on for the rest of the game.

Return of the A Team.

The cast of FF7 also deserves special mention, not only for their interesting personalities but for their ability to evoke true emotion in the gamer. At a glance it seems as if someone such as Barret is merely a stereotypical �Mr. T� character from his swear-filled dialogue and unique appearance. As the plot continues however, the many layers of Barret are revealed, and we are at once are privy to his devastating past and constant pain over emotional scars left by Shrina. The two female leads also reveal how much can hide just beneath their somewhat stereotypical surface. What is the most brilliant however is Cloud. Cloud�s allure is in part due to the complexity of his character: just when you think you have him pegged as the traditional unsociable hero (a description this game pioneered), he becomes something deeper, something darker, and something more human. Indeed, Cloud�s personal battles within his own mind at times dwarf even the greater plot at large in importance and interest. While some would think that the player would be turned-off by the main character behaving in such a strange manner, the way the plot plays out makes Cloud identifiable in his distinct human-ness. You see his anger, you feel his pain. His psychotic episodes become at once disorientating and familiar, as you struggle with him to rectify his past and sort out his future. The Final Fantasy series has yet to see as profound a character as Cloud, even three iternations later. It is unlikely we ever will, in this series at least.

Music is one of those areas that are often undervalued by gamers in general; music is an extremely important and integral part of the entire gaming experience. I can say with absolute confidence that the most emotional scene ever produced would be easily ruined by sub-par music; conversely, the tritest of dialogue could be elevated to epic proportions if it was only accompanied by a good musical score. Music sets the mood, adds emotion, and is a vital part of the whole experience. With that said, I can happily report that Nobou Uematsu did an outstanding job with FF7�s music. His style definitely changed for this game, becoming a jazzy sort of techno sound that fits the game setting like a glove. Some will be understandably rubbed the wrong way by his change from a more orchestrated style to techno, but the effect is well worth it. Being able to generate one of the most emotional videogame songs ever from a synthesizer only underscores his raw ability as a composer. While a grand orchestra performance is always hard to beat, one must admit it would have felt a little out of place playing in the streets of Midgar. The melancholy Overworld Theme was perhaps one of the greater surprises I found in the music, but it set a tone that the rest of the game followed closely; a jovial melody would have felt completely out of place.

That's one big-ass gun.

Graphics for RPGs are usually the least developed area when compared to other games in other genres. While many old-school enthusiasts like to pretend that graphics have no actual bearing on the value of an RPG, it was made quite clear with FF7 that graphics - once embraced - can play a huge role in development of the plot and pulling the player ever deeper into the gaming world. While the sharp polygons and Popeye-style limbs of the denizens of FF7 might seem downright primitive when compared to the games of today, it must be noted that they were leaps and bounds ahead of other RPGs on the market at the time. The liberal CG sequences were also peerless in quality until the eventual release of FF8, but still remain as some of the most endearing and powerful images ever to come out of this genre. There is no question that something tangible would have been lost had Squaresoft opted to render these scenes with archaic sprites and pixels.

I sometimes think back to that fateful year of FF7�s release with a bit of curiosity. Why was this game so incredibly popular? What was it about this game that launched the genre into the gaming mainstream? Some cynics will mention the unprecedented publicity budget Squaresoft afforded this game, with numerous advertisements on teen culture channels such as MTV. Others will point out how the characters were stereotyped in an effort to lure in the casual gamer who might better relate with the main characters if they were less fantasy-based. Finally, they might bring up the fact that the hardcore RPG audience was lured to this game after being given the �superior� FF6. I am willing to grant skeptics these three points, as their combined potential surely would be able to explain FF7 popularity at the time. But to them I say this: why is FF7 still so revered? If its success is rooted in petty commercialism, why has the cast been idolized to represent the entire RPG culture? The music lauded and remixed many years after they stopped making the game? Why do such �shallow, stereotypical� characters still receive so much attention?

No, the continuing success of this game cannot be explained away in any other fashion than to admit that it was - and still is in many ways - an absolute masterpiece. The characters are endearing, the music memorable, and the plot heart-wrenching and brilliantly executed. It will be difficult for anyone, including Squaresoft itself, to create such an overwhelmingly complete experience such as FF7 again. This simple game will rest in the hearts and minds of many people - this reviewer included - forever.