Final Fantasy VII - A Masterpiece! (Final Fantasy 7 (PC))

Member Name: iMysty

Product:	Final Fantasy 7 (PC)
Date:	03/08/09 (32 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Amazing gameplay and storyline

Disadvantages: Can get addicted to it very easily

Even though Final Fantasy was the RPG which influenced pretty much every RPG game that had been made, I never really got the urge to get up and play this game. I started off by playing Final Fantasy 8 and then never got round to playing Final Fantasy 7.

About 2 weeks ago I picked up this game and started to play it. Now I can understand why people have said that this game is just amazing! This is the first 3D RPG ever made and the whole concept of this game is just amazing.

The game starts off with a cold mercenary called Cloud. Cloud sets off on a journey to stop the evil corporation called Shinra Inc. Cloud, as powerful he is, cannot do this alone and has companions which help him complete his journey and mission. Along the way of doing this, he meets various people who want to stop Shinra Inc. As Cloud and his friends set off on this journey, they discover many secrets and this keeps them determined to save the world!

What makes this game so unique is the game play. It has like all the other Final Fantasy games before this, a Turn Based Battle System. This means that when walking around in certain areas, such as the world map, a battle will happen at random. When this happens, you will see the characters you have in your party and the enemy that you are fighting. Every character has a gauge which gets filled up as time goes on. Once it is full, you can choose what command you would like that character to do. For example, I have Cloud and I choose for him to 'attack', it would then ask me what enemy I would like to attack and then that would happen. This would empty Cloud's gauge and then you will have to wait for it to fill up again. With all Final Fantasy games (with an exception of 11 and 12) it would work exactly like this.

What I found very unique about this game was 'Limit Breaks'. This is a very strong attack which each character has. Every character has their own personal limit break. The way to get limit breaks is by getting attacked. Every time your character takes damage their limit break bar will fill up. By going through the game, more limit breaks will be unlocked which will make them extremely powerful.

Another unique feature of this game are items called 'Materia'. Materia is magic but it is used in a slightly different way. When starting the game, you start off with different types of Materia. You equip this to either your weapon or armour. When winning a battle against enemies, you will get experience and 'AP'. 'AP' is what levels up Materia. Once the Materia has got enough AP, it will level up and you will be able to use a more powerful version of that spell.

For example, Cloud starts off with the 'Fire' Materia. I would then equip this to my sword. After about 5000 AP, it will level up. This means I will be able to use 'Fire2', which is a more powerful version. This keeps going until the Materia is maxed out. Certain Materia will decrease some of the characters stats. This can cause a problem when it decreases the amount of Max HP (Hit Points or Life) you can have. It can also decrease strength, which can cause a problem if you want to mainly do physical damage. Throughout the game you will find new Materia which will enable you to use powerful spells and even have the ability to summon giant guardians.

What I found about this game, was that the story line had a lot of emotion and depth to it. Unlike most modern day games, such as FPS's, it has a story line which you can just drift into. The story line can be very emotional, so if you get emotional easy, you might get a slight tear in your eye, simply because it has so much dept in it.

Even though you can buy Final Fantasy on PC, I would recommend to get it on Playstation. If you don't have a Playstation you can buy a Playstation 2 off eBay for £20+. Even though Final Fantasy 7 is a PS1 game, the PS2 will play the old PS1 games. Also buy getting a PS2 you can play Final Fantasy 10 which I also highly recommend.

The game on playstation can be bought for £13+, which I think is a great deal! If you have a PS3 and it can't play PS2 or PS1 games, do not fear! On the Playsation Network, you can buy PS1 Classics and in this selection of games is Final Fantasy 7 for a cheap £7.99!

All in all the game is a masterpiece. Squaresoft (AKA Square Enix) have done a fabulous job at creating a game with a story line which keeps you engaged, with emotion but also having a game play like no other. I would highly recommend this game to everyone! It is a game not to be missed and I can guarantee you will love it!

Summary: An RPG like no other