The Legacy of Final Fantasy VII

I'm currently playing "Crisis Core" for PSP, so I'm finding myself stewing in FFVII nostalgia: thing is, I don't remember actually being all that fond of FFVII. Sure, it was a fun game and groundbreaking for it's time ~ but I guess none of the characters ever struck me as anything but 3-D cartoons. I didn't care about them... and honestly, I still don't. I find myself having a great deal of affection for Crisis Core's new characters (with the exception of Genesis, who is a giant cliche emo Vkei black-winged angel douche), but the original characters and storyline still leave me cold. (Watching "Advent Children" is as impersonal and joyless for me as watching two very good looking androids make out.) It's the environments and music that are bringing back the warmest memories for me. Whatever my opinion of the storyline: I do still hum "Aeris's Theme" at random when I'm walking down the street.

Most "new generation" (ie. Playstation or PS2 was your first system) gamers seem to think that Final Fantasy VII is the best Final Fantasy, if not the best RPG of all time.

Older gamers seem split 50/50 between FFVI and FFVII.

Why? What is it that makes Final Fantasy VII so special?

Do you agree or disagree with the fanboy consensus? If you disagree, which WAS the best Final Fantasy? And is the best RPG a Final Fantasy at all?

What do you think of all the spin-offs?

FFVII WAS a fun game. Pretty good, what makes it sooo special I don't know. I mean I enjoyed watching Advent Children, it was well animated to me, except everything seemed kinda....ehh too depressing at moments. I wouldn't call it the BEST FF, then again I'm not a huge fan of the FF series, X and after...blew. In absolute opinion I don't think there IS a "Best" FF, only good ones. I also don't think there is a "Best" RPG, it'd literally have to blow almost everything the past ones had out of the water and out to the edge of the universe, to me there are only really good ones. The music is catchy though, like most RPG's I play. Still I won't lie, I DO Cosplay Sephiroth because it's fun and a good way to get free hugs and pictures lol.

Still all these branches off it...kind of ruins it for me. I say the game and the movie were enough. Keep it at that. Also it's story line was...nothing really new. I mean kinda like Halo, they said it would revolutionize the FPS (Some claim it did and/or would). As I see it it only did if you had your head up your ass for the past ehh 17 years.

I loved FF7. It was a great game. Like everyone else though, I can't really explain what made me love it as much as I do. Heres my opinion on the series.
FF7- Amazing
FF7AC-Really Good
FF7LO-Really Good
FF7BC-Haven't plaed but it looks like a good game.
FF7DC-Ok
FF7CC-Haven't played but looks to fit in the category of amazing

As for being the best RPG there is. Well its pretty close but I'd have to give it to FF5 over FF7. I love the job system of tactics combined with the classic four player FF style.

In my opinion FFVII is the most important one of the whole series (up till now) and the way fanboys and anti-fanboys bitch and scream over it just proves it again and again.

FFVII brought RPGs the world wide appeal they have today. Before FFVII we in Europe could only dream of ever getting those Japanese high quality games. And I don't think the USA was showered with them either.
That reason alone is good enough for me to put it in the top 10 most influential games ever. Add to that the fact that it's actually a VERY good game and you have video game gold.

Personally i Loved FFVII, it was my first FF and one of those games that helped develop the RPG genre for me. Other then it being my first, it doesn't stand out too much and the fact that there are so many other stuff made off the original game (I.E. movie, two more games) it tends to get annoying after a time and the specialness i had for it began to wane, sadly.

Therefore, even though i'm not yet finished with the game as it broke on me, VI is a more solid game in my opinion. the characters are more believable, which they had to be with how old it is now. It's not like it was lucky to be made in a time of wonderful graphics like in this age.

personally speakin', it isn't my choice for best RPG but it belongs in my top ten...i do think it took the FF series and RPG to a whole new realm-visually, that is...but i don't think it is something special gameplay/character/storyline/soundtrackwise coz every other ff share and repeat that somewhat same formula over and over again- they always show us something new without destroying the familiar elements...storylines are different everytime a new one comes out but the flow of the story remains the same...characters are generic but players always had a favorite...gameplay stayed the same through the ages, the programmers just did changes that were exclusive for the said installments(materia system, gambit system, summon systems, etc.)...soundtrack is one of the best points of a FF game if ya ask me, it was always blended perfectly for the game itself...

for me, what makes FF7 so special is that it came out at the right time...when 7 was first released, it was a total success because gamers haven't seen that much visual grandeur in a game at that time...backed up with the usual and proven FF formula it was definitely a near-invincible gaming juggernaut...

ff9 is my personal favorite coz i loved the element twitches in it, but i can't deny the fact that it is dwarfed by ff7 when it comes to sheer impact to pop culture...

if final fantasy was a religion and its pope-ish man named any other FF(except 7) as its leading saint, i think the worshippers will accuse him of blasphemy....

Personally, I'm split between Final Fantasy VIII, IX and X. all three games have decent battle systems, amazing story lines, likable characters.

I actually found Final Fantasy VII too preachy. Sure, saving the environment is a worthy cause, but using it an initial plot device didn't really fly well with me.

The only reason why FFVII is as popular as it is stems from one thing: It came out at the right time in the Playstation's life cycle. Not only did it appeal to older gamers who have played all the older Final Fantasy games, it also brought in newer gamers who were just starting to hear about this cool new thing called a "Playstation", and were hooked.

I won't lie, I bought a PS1 to play Final Fantasy VII, but it most certainly isn't the best Final Fantasy game, most popular, sure, but not the best.

And I really, really, wish that SquareEnix would stop milking the cash cow and move on.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by aceman67

And I really, really, wish that SquareEnix would stop milking the cash cow and move on.

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I think they would have if the raging fans didn't keep asking for it.