Final Fantasy VII Retro Review

"Out of the deep depths of misfortune comes bliss." What's up with reviewers today, huh? Sometimes they review half a game, sometimes they have selective reading, or sometimes they review OLD GAMES -- "OLD GAMES," you say? Yes, games so aged, the baby-boomers have to eyeball it a second time before the motors in their brains clicked, and they started  constructing the connections in their heads. Reviewers have a job to tackle, folks. That occupation consists of appealing to their audience. Critics will critique, and readers will naturally formulate opinions -- it's the natural scheme of things. It doesn't matter the material.

They refer to such reviews as RETRO reviews. Reviewers have made these old games sound, and appear refreshingly new. At least on a word processor. Final Fantasy VII is a game that I played as a wee lad; and now I'm sounding older than I actually am. You see what tangents will do to ya? But do these RETRO games really hold a candle to the imagination of a grown...lad? Well, for starters look at our media and the fascination with history. Media such as music and movies for example tend to be better received the older they are.

So delving thoroughly into Final Fantasy VII and dissecting seems like an easy enough task given the rather simplistic makeup of the plot. So rather than extrapolating just the mechanics of the game -- which I will do; and TELLING you what exactly the game is about -- which I will also do; I will gently scroll you through the journey Cloud and AVANLANCHE (an eco-terrorist group) traverse through, as they plod through the beginning portion of the game. All the way up to when the Cloud becomes -- a gloomy city the game drops our main protagonist in, which is operated by Shinra Inc. The game starts out with a girl; and if it already sounds like an epic monologue in the making, as well as the story of your life, you've got the right idea of where the game is headed. Her green eyes brightly light up an alleyway, then the scene transits. Our protagonist: Cloud enters the picture fashionably as a mercenary in fictional Midgar. The main party kicks off with Barret, Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie. Although, only Barret is playable. Read more.




The game wraps our head and eyeballs like a contortionist around the  plot involving a band calling themselves AVALANCHE. They are enveloped in a "crisis," as well as a crusade to stop Shinra. The biggest crisis I've ever had on my couch include crumbs and couch-lock, to contrast. Deemed terrorists by the city, and condemned by Shinra Inc, AVALANCHE hires Cloud Strife, whom is a mercenary to see to the destruction of a reactor. Reactors in the game suck the life force out of the planet: GAIA for profit by Shinra. This life force is refereed to as Mako. And as the story progresses, Cloud reluctantly leads AVALANCHE -- rather, the group. AVALANCHE ends up dissolving after the death of key members.

Barret is a hot-tempered man with a gun surgically grafted to his arm. An You will learn the tragic back-story of Barret, as well as the back-story of other key members later in the game. The agenda of the day was to bomb the reactor, then rendezvous back to AVALANCHE's hideout in the slums. We came up against our first boss: the Guard Scorpion. Watch the first boss battle against the Guard Scorpion ---> here: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoQnRHUNmk4]. We then had ten minutes to escape with our bearings before the reactor went up in smoke. Our team would soon be separated, as the character finally got a chance to explore a little bit of the world; and although very linear, as scenes shift in and out with no opportunity to back track  the game maintains its mood in return. When I find a game I can dig into without it feeling like a chore, I revel in it, and scour every inch of its world. That's how immersive the game is. Cloud  would quickly regroup with AVALANCHE on the train, but not before being chewed out by Barret.

The gang headed back to their hideout in the slums, and Cloud demanded his pay of fifteen hundred Gil -- the game's currency. Cloud obviously never heard of direct-deposits. Tifa, another main character we're introduced to seems like the high school sweet heart, although Cloud and Tifa are showcased as very close friends. AVALANCHE is operating out of Tifa's Bar: the Seven Heaven; and I wonder what's in it for her? Maybe a chance run in with Cloud? Barret grew infuriated, and Cloud scuffed at the money. Barret said it was for his daughter's education, but Cloud could care less in his defiant stance. I also wonder how AVALANCHE was founded, and how Wedge, Biggs, Barret and Jessie hooked up together. Maybe it'll never be explained, but it is interesting nonetheless. They all seem to have their own quirks. The game's music is moody, and the despair and reality of the arduous task to save the planet is felt. The gang's base of operation is below the bar; that an elaborately disguised  elevator takes you down to.

Cloud would reminisce with Tifa to a point in the past before Cloud had left his hometown to join SOLDIER: a group of elite soldiers that work for Shinra. Think Special Forces. Big promises were made. Mako was infused in SOLDIER to give them great strength; and is indicated by a green glow in their eyes. Final Fantasy VII is a wonderful game, and the development cycle for it began back in 1994. It was supposed to be just another 2D Final Fantasy game for the Super Nintendo (Super Famicom in Japan,) but the team swiftly moved all of their resources to the next generation Nintendo console: the Nintendo 64. Ultimately, the team decided that it was mandatory to keep up with the times and technology and scrapped all plans for a new Nintendo iteration of Final Fantasy. In a surprise move, Square decided to work closely with Sony, whom published, marketed and funded the game as a PlayStation exclusive. The game utilises the PlayStation hardware to produce its music and sound effects with MIDI. The music was famously composed by legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu. The world map is pretty huge and you can traverse the terrain by way of airship, Chocobo ( ---> here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvfA72ajAFA) plane/boat, by foot, by buggy, and even by submarine. The character designs were drawn up by Tetsuya Nomura, whom penned some of the most memorable characters of Final Fantasy.

The story centers around Cloud and his search for his past. As he progresses through the game he discovers key areas of his past and of  his very own psyche that was hidden and tucked away. The game also delves into the past of key party members as well. Such as Barret's tragic past in his hometown of Corel, and his history with his old friend: Dyne. Tifa's past primarily deals with Cloud. There are unlockable characters such as Yuffie and Vincent. Cait Sith is an unexpected party member who reveals a very hidden secret about his origins as well late in the game. Cloud is shocked by the arrival of Sephiroth -- so much so he feels compelled to confront and track Sephiroth, as Sephiroth turns out to be the game's main antagonist with is own masterminded plot.

After Shinra were thought to be the true enemy. Some key characters include: Professor Hojo, Professor Gast, Zach, Tifa, Barret, Cloud, Red XIII, and Arieth. The game is an epic and a half and is available on the PSN for $9.99, although I bought the game when Square were having the fifty percent off discount in the PlayStation store for the Final Fantasy 25th anniversary. The Final Fantasy series has deep roots. The only ugliness the game produces are in these areas¡ the character models: they are pretty deformed, which FFVIII and FFIX improved upon. The FMV's uses the same character models and it can look a bit unrealistic, pulling you out of an otherwise immersive experience. The music while catchy and good can sound outdated on the technology.

There's nothing like hearing the One Winged Angel composed by Nobuo Uematsu in all its glory. Especially in orchestra format. Matter of fact, hear it is for yourself. Here's One Winged Angel ---> here: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7wJ8pE2qKU] Its pretty epic to this day if I do say so myself. I first played Final Fantasy VII back when I was eleven or so, and now I'm 23. Yet the game still manages to create a sparkle in my eye, as I am still gripped by the storyline, woven together with the plot. As if it was my first play through -- if that's not magic, then I don't know what is. The game's environments vary and the game will take you all over GAIA -- spanning diverse terrains.

A reluctant Cloud conceded to Tifa's demands, and she would accompany him and AVALANCHE, as they made preparations to bomb another reactor. The gang was rounded, but as got to the train, we had to hastily hop off of the train due to Jessie making alterations to Cloud's Special ID. They were made to get through the security checkpoint, however it tripped and set off the alarms. The train was entering shutdown. So what did they do?  Cloud, Tifa, and Barret leaped out of the train, but Frogger was nowhere in sight. This is like a MICHEAL BAY movie! An abundance of dramatic scenes makes the game appear larger than life at times, as fans will know. If you think, back then the graphics were outstanding for the time; and although age has shown its face, the characters still have life  to them. Cloud, Tifa and Barret roamed the tunnels under the reactor we were going to take out. The corridors led to more corridors -- the corridors were also  grimy-looking and pitch-dark. With no end in sight yet, I got into a few random encounters -- ah! Well, I do love random encounters and have no issues with them. In the same vain, I enjoy seamless game play as well. This wouldn't be the first time I've blazed through the game, although I did have to refresh my mind, as I continued to play. I traveserd trough  more areas reaching the area that was expanded. We headed upwards it was a tower with some stairs. Here I would regroup with Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge.

And got some items laying around before I stuffed my way into a ventilation shaft. Famously composed by Nobou Umetsa, the music  quickly dropped to a metal, scratching, steel industrial tune, with hard drops. And as we entered the more industrial aspect of the reactor. The game moves at a rather steady pace, and characters are introduced periodically. Usually after or during a major event within the game. We reached the reactor and it was eerily similar to the first reactor we had bombed. I roamed throughout the reactor, reaching an elevator. The game reminds how simplistic and fun the game was even back then. When I was younger, it was easy for me or my siblings to pick up the controller and get immersed in the world. The game is driven primarily by random encounters, FMV's, and dialogue -- as a vehicle to tell this GRAND fantasy. The dialogue unfortunately suffers because of errors in its English translations.

Regarding the FFVII Japanese dialogue English translations: As we reached the reactor's core, emotions were felt by Cloud and shook him, as a flashback of Tifa mourning her dead Father in a similar reactor, "Shinra...Sephiroth." " I HATE THEM ALL," she proclaimed with the sword that was used to kill her Father. She ran deeper into the reactor in the flash back. Flash backs also play a part in the telling of the story. Cloud then set the bomb, and we headed on our way out. The music then changed into a more Army theme exuding pride it was the Shinra theme as a helicopter dropped off the President himself -- the President of Shinra. While the extra storage capacity and computer graphics gave the team the means to implement more than 40 minutes of full motion video (FMV) movies, Uematsu opted for MIDIs, using the PlayStation's internal sound chip with digitized vocals

The game utilities a Materia system for using magic within the game. I should have explained all this shit to Barret when I had the chance to because now I'm confused. The Materia system works like this: Cloud, Barret, and Tifa were shocked to see the President in person. So far in the game, I've come into contact with seven key characters, including my first run-in with Aerith (ARIES?) -- whom has seen some name changes throughout  including Barret: Wedge: Jessie: Biggs: well, Biggs seems very down to earth. We faced our second Boss battle against the "TECHNO soldier:" you can see this boss battle ---> here: And after a few turns, as well a shot from Cloud's limit: BRAVER, which inflicted over 500 damage, we stood victorious. The CURE Materia I equipped to Tifa came in handy, as well as my Potions. As we defeated our second boss, we would soon be separated as the explosion of the techno soldier caused the ground beneath us the platform to be destroyed and Cloud was left hanging on for his life...