Spike vs Final Fantasy 7

Final Fantasy 7. There I've said it. It must be one of the biggest, most acclaimed, most best-selling and indeed, most enduring game ever made. It sold the Sony Playstation, introduced many to RPGs and, thirteen years on, still has more staying power than many other games/franchises.
Yet to the newcomer, all of this may seem intimidating. It has, in recent years become a trend to dismiss FF7 with spinoffs that didn't quite work, the entire franchise being milked for all it's worth, age being quite clear and many of it's devotees no longer in their teens.

So last year, I actually sat down and played FF7 with fresh eyes.



So why has it taken me this long? Well, personally I have been suspicious of anything attracting a large following as a) I feel that people should find things in their own time and come to their own conclusions, b) if experience has taught me anything is that anything supposedly awesome can easily turn out to be a massive disappointment and c) following a crowd like a sheep would rob me of my identity and individuality. That being said, I paid little attention to FF7. Additionally, I felt that i had picked up all I needed to know about the game through, by chance, reading an article on Advent Children in Anime Insider. Finally, it became all too clear that the game's reputation seemed to rely solely on one moment (I think you know what it is)

For many, Final Fantasy 7 was the first RPG their ever played - which in effect contributes to the never-wavering devotion form the fans. And in that sense, I am an interesting candidate to play FF7. You see, the first Final Fantasy I played was number 10 - a great game yes but it's not my favorite. The first JRPG I played was Secret of Mana which I think is one of the best games I ever played (I am so looking forward to having a three player game of it on the Wii). BUT! The first RPG I played on ANY computer/video game system was Pool of Radiance on the Commodore 64. As such, I find western RPG's a more attractive prospect than JRPGs (Baldurs Gate 2 FTW!!!!). So there is indeed a lot of truth to the notion that the first time you encounter something new is the most memorable.
Similarly, I don't consider myself a Final Fantasy fan: In my mind there are fans, those who have played EVERY FF game made, and non fans, those who played none of them. This places me in the middle - yet out of all FF games I have played, I have found something to enjoy: 10 was great, 4 was great, 5 and 9 were both fun to play even if underrated, and 6 is the one where they got everything right and is thus one of the best games I have ever played (in case you haven't heard those words a thousand times before).



But in the end, it was my own principles that got me: Everyone should discover something in their time and arrive at their own conclusions. I sought the negative opinions and, although a minority, I felt they brought up something interesting points. But no matter, I should least play it enough to form my own opinion. I had the game lying untouched on my shelf for Lord knows how long so there is no point in talking about something I haven't even played. Also, I have a Cloud cosplay planned (Kath's idea) so I may as well conduct some research. Who knows? I might be surprised....

At this point in time, I am halfway through the game and, surprise surprise, I am actually having fun.

Yeah I couldn't believe it myself. Try as I might to find an excuse to hate this game, I couldn't help but actually enjoy it. Sure the graphics looked antique by today's standards, sure the music sounds horribly midi for a Playstation game (or maybe that's me being biased after spending many hours playing Castlevania: SOTN), sure the character have little in the way of actual distinction, sure there are too many villains sure Sephiroth has got NOTHING on Kefka (don't like it? Bite me) and sure the story is absurdly complex, leaning on incomprehensible.
But you know what? That doesn't matter. I am willing to ignore all of the above when one considers the game's strengths: The backdrops and settings still manage to hold up pretty well - even if the rest of graphics don't. I also really like how the cyperpunk setting works wonders in a game where it's predecessors have all been based on a medieval/fantasy setting. The ideas that drive the game are compelling with the theory that the planet would be much better off without us humans (perhaps more so considering Al Gore's environmental campaigning has gathered more attention in recent times than ever before). The mini-games have been fun and the tasks to find some of the bonuses have so fun been enjoyable rather than frustrating *coughFFXcough*. The game seems less interested in forcing story progression onto the player and simply steps back and lets them go and bonk some heads - and that's what matters: The game is FUN.



There is a lot of joy to be had in going around and killing some monsters. It doesn't get tedious and the player is allowed to progress the story at their own pace. I thought I would abandon the game once my fav character was out of the picture but somehow I feel compelled to keep going onward (and whatever feelings of bitterness spawned from my paranoid mind (I might elaborate on this in a later note)). There is much to enjoy this game, and in a way it seems like an accumulation of all the elements spawned from previous FF's - but still making room for FF7 to say something of it's own. Now I'm not going to going to declare it one of the best I've played (Ico, Metal Gear Solid, Baldur's Gate 2, Civ2 and FF7's younger brother FF6 are still rated higher) but FF7 in it's own right turns out to pretty damn good.
In short, I came into FF7 with an open mind and I found it really fun to play.
Which is what a video game should do

So in the end, I played a game I have been reluctant to play and it turned out to be pretty damned good. Sure this opinion may be subject to change as my progress continues but ultimately what this goes to show that sometimes finding something out on your own, when thousands have come before you, can actually turn out some magic in it's own way.