Author Topic: Is FF7 over-rated? (Read 7252 times)

honda_insightful · « **on:** October 10, 2003, 05:36:13 AM »

It's not a bad RPG, but it's not a good RPG either. I think this article said it best:

"When I compare the components of VII to the other games, I just don't think it stacks up. The music is good, but Uematsu has composed better. Save for Yuffie, the characters weren't as memorable as other FF denizens. Gameplay has been done better in other FF games. The story is uneven and not as "epic" as other FF tales. The one thing I don't get at all is how people rave about the "materia system," which is the game's prevalent method of character customization and combat. It really deemphasizes individual characters and abilities. One of my buddies said, "Materia makes magic and abilities too interchangeable, so the characters fade away and just become materia slots. So the whole point of characters becomes their limit breaks, which is sort of lame."

Read more here: http://www.gamespy.com/articles/september03/25overrated/index20.shtml

honda_insightful · « **Reply #1 on:** October 10, 2003, 05:37:15 AM »

I'd rank FF7 as #2.

#2 WORST game that is. Right after Final Fantasy 2 on the Original Nintendo.

.

IMHO 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, & 10 were all superior. Even 8 was superior which is a pretty serious slam against FF7. I know everyone raves about the story, but for me:
- FF9's story was far more fun (humorous/cute/loveable).
- FF10 was far more emotional and compelling.
- FF5 had the awesome job system to provide infinite replayability.
- FF6 was the most epic and tragic.

In FF6 the bad guy actually WINS and destroys the world. And the characters ALL have fascinating backstories. And even when you "win" the game, the world is still a horrendous mess. No happy endings here. (Except hope... there is hope for a better future!)

FF7 gets all the hype, but FF6 actually *deserves* it, because it's by far the best game. (And don't go saying "FF6 sucks" if you've never played it.)

MY RANKING:
1 FF6 - Terra, Kefka, and all the other awesome characters
2 FF10 - Yuna's gut-wrenching/tear-jerking journey
3 FF9 - Vivi was my favorite + great humor + great battle system
4 FF5 - awesome battle system for infinite replayability
5 FF4 - eh not bad
6 FF3 - eh
7 FF8 - great story/sucky game
8 FF7 - walking materia slots and a boring story
9 FF2 - worst FF ever

FF1 not played yet (and probably never will... it's seriously lacking in story and playability). Yep, FF7 is definitely the 2nd WORST in the series In my opinion.

GoldShadow1 · « **Reply #2 on:** October 10, 2003, 07:16:22 AM »

I like FFVII, though I do agree it's overrated. I found the storyline very compelling, personally. The main things that annoyed me are its complete linearity and its random battles (random battles are much more annoying on PSX - they take much longer than on the SNES, where you could just mash on attack.) Also, aside from a few songs (One Winged Angel, Aeris's theme) it's score was not anywhere near as good as FFVI's brilliance.

Ian Sane · « **Reply #3 on:** October 10, 2003, 07:49:17 AM »

I liked FFVII for the first several hours of playing but I felt the story just got really boring once it became "chase after Sephiroth". I feel the game is pretty good for an RPG (I typically don't care for the genre) but I feel all of the praise it gets for being so original is largely unwarrented. The game really doesn't play much differently than the FF games on the SNES except it has FMV cutscenes and the backgrounds are pre-rendered and thus look 3D. The gameplay itself is no different then the SNES games except the backgrounds are such that you don't always play from the same perspective. But you still essentially move in 2D. Something like Skies of Arcadia is an RPG that actually plays in 3D. FFVII is just a 2D RPG with polygon characters.

Uglydot · « **Reply #4 on:** October 11, 2003, 08:33:06 AM »

I have to go with the hype on this one, I absolutly loved FF7. I found 9 to be a little genaric and too easy, but it was fun too. FF7 just gives me a little feeling when I hear the music, I remember late late nights up in my room trying to get a little further with my tired eyes. I hated FF8 and 10, but the rest I found to be fun.

Grey Ninja · « **Reply #5 on:** October 11, 2003, 10:13:09 AM »

Yes. Very much over-rated. It's far from the best RPG ever, and it's not the best Final Fantasy either.

Bill Aurion · « **Reply #6 on:** October 11, 2003, 11:15:59 AM »

Over-rated? Yes, because a lot of people qualify as the best game on earth...However, it is a lot better, imo, than 8, 9, and especially 10...FFVI takes the FF cake here...

honda_insightful · « **Reply #7 on:** October 12, 2003, 03:45:54 AM »

Quote
It seems as if everybody has mixed feelings about set characters or customizable ones.

I like customizable characters, but I also like a reflection in reality. The goal of RPGs is to try to create a realistic world in which to play. Even though it's fantasy, the game designer tries to follow a realistic and consistent set of rules.

In the real world, it takes TIME to learn new skills. FF10 reflects this reality (you can turn Yuna into a black mage like Lulu, but it takes ~20 hours of game time). Ditto FF9/6/5. Learning new skills takes time. Even in D&D, where you can customize your characters, once you start the game, you're stuck with what you've got. You can change, but it takes several hours to learn the new skills (like real life).

In FF7, reality is thrown out the window. You can teach Cloud to be a tree-hugging, baby-kissing White Mage instantaneously (just switch Materia from Tifa to Cloud). When Aeris died, I just shrugged my shoulders, and I gave Aeris' materia to Tifa. Ditto with Cait Sith; gave his materia to Cid. They are simply walking materia slots... completely interchangeable. Such instantaneous learning is a serious flaw from my POV.

And then there's the story. I don't think it's anything special. To me, it's just the modern world turned into a game. Substitute
-"materia is running out/destroying the world"
with
-"oil is running out/destroying the world",

and you'll see what I mean. It's basically a pro-environmental tale taken from the modern world with some Japanese mythobabble thrown in.

Bill Aurion · « **Reply #8 on:** October 12, 2003, 05:43:11 AM »

^---- A very heartless person....

The All Knowing Lung · « **Reply #9 on:** October 12, 2003, 07:11:51 AM »

I think it is definitely overrated. Then again, I think today's FF series (From VII on) is way overrated. To me they're nothing but overdone FMV sequences linked together by weak gameplay. I'm not exactly thrilled by the typical Japanese version of RPGs on the whole. They're too lead along for me. I prefer to have an actual role in my Role Playing Games.

FFVII (As someone else stated) fell apart about half way through. Even though I enjoyed it at first, I sat there after it was over thinking was that it? It never really came back together.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #10 on:** October 12, 2003, 08:18:44 AM »

Lung: You're a Fallout-fan, right?

Bloodworth · « **Reply #11 on:** October 12, 2003, 11:04:23 AM »

I'm with the overhyped group. I loved the first disc really, but after that, the story just got convoluted, and the gameplay was pretty flat. I no longer felt motivated by the story so much as the hope that it would get better.

What really angered me though were: 1. The fact that you could never skip summons, which became tedious and frustrating, especially on the final boss. 2. That the final boss looked like a rehash of FFVI's final boss and for no apparent reason. and 3. That the third disc seems entirely unnecessary. I guess they needed it for the video ending, but it just seemed to be there to hype the game more.

For me FFVI has always been the most epic in pretty much every sense. Although I think I like FFIV's story slightly better, perhaps because it's simpler and keeps you going. I only finished FFVI twice, while I went through FFIV dozens of times.

honda_insightful · « **Reply #12 on:** October 12, 2003, 05:40:31 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Bill
^---- A very heartless person....

Excuse me... what *exactly* give you the right to call me "heartless"? Do you know me? Have we ever met? What gives you the right to insult me like that?

For the record, I donate about $5000 (sometimes less...sometimes more) each year to the Boystown for orphans. I am hardly a "heartless" person.

So F*** off.

KnowsNothing · « **Reply #13 on:** October 12, 2003, 05:57:35 PM »

That last comment really made your whole post some together, honda, and seemed to prove your point quite well, if i do say so myself.....

PIAC · « **Reply #14 on:** October 12, 2003, 06:05:41 PM »

heartless and agressive

i somehow doubt that bill ment that in every aspect of your life your a heartless bastard, mearly the fact you shrugged your sholders when aeris died, or something.. either way settle down a bit.

SuperLink666 · « **Reply #15 on:** October 13, 2003, 12:50:16 PM »

I loved the first disk but never played after that. If it was remade I would probably buy it.

Bill Aurion · « **Reply #16 on:** October 13, 2003, 03:58:22 PM »

Oh...my...god...You took what I said way too seriously. I guess I forgot to add the wink at the end...For my mistake, I add two...

Dirk Temporo · « **Reply #17 on:** October 15, 2003, 04:38:39 PM »

Yeah, we all know how intelligent the people over at Gamespy are. FFVII was a GREAT game. Yes, a GREAT game. It completely pwned all the others. Eight just sucked and nine was only okay. After WATCHING the first hour and a half of ten, I gave up on it. The storyline is also WAY more detailed than the earlier ones.

Uglydot · « **Reply #18 on:** October 16, 2003, 02:02:49 AM »

When I think back on FF7, for some reason the music and grafics come to mind. They really pulled me in. The grafics not because they were good, but because I thought that they fit the game well, same with the music. I don't like micro managment that much, so the materia system gave me as much management as I really liked. I enjoyed the story must more because the elements helped pull me in. Yes, I HAVE played the previous FFs, FF3(US) is sitting next to me, and it is a great game. I just enjoyed the entire package with FF7 and hype had nothing to do with it. Actually, I only really thought about the game because I saw my cousin playing it and decided that it looked like a lot of fun, and it was.

Celebi · « **Reply #19 on:** October 16, 2003, 07:55:52 AM »

Correct me if I am wrong but FF7 took the longest period of time to developed compared to the other FF games.It was originally planned on the N64 as a AAA title,abandoned..the rebuilt again from scratch with an aim to help their new found partner at that time,Sony to sell their console.Today the FF series on the PS2 seems to be rushed out.That's why true games like FFVII,Zelda OoT,Wild Arms are not available anymore today.People want to see better graphics these days.

Marcus Arillius · « **Reply #20 on:** October 16, 2003, 02:02:54 PM »

I'm just perplexed as to why you would site an article which claims one of the worst aspects of FF7 is the materia system because "It really deemphasizes individual characters and abilities. One of my buddies said, "Materia makes magic and abilities too interchangeable, so the characters fade away and just become materia slots. So the whole point of characters becomes their limit breaks, which is sort of lame" yet you boast that the job system in FF5 is "awesome," when the job system makes individualistic aspects of the characters completely non-existent. In FF7 at least there was some variation between characters based on their weapons. With the Job system everyone can use everything.

honda_insightful · « **Reply #21 on:** October 16, 2003, 04:21:17 PM »

As I explained, in FF5 characters don't instantly learn new skills. It takes time for them to grow and work their way from level 1 to level 5 (basically the entire game). As a result, you end up with characters who are different from one another.

In FF7, the learning is instantly transferrable. If Cloud knows Fire 3 then he can transfer that learned skill to Tifa just by switching materia. And so all the characters are the same (except for limit breaks).... i.e. walking materia slots / clones.

BTW, I found this essay which I think is rather cool. It describes how Cloud/Sephiroth are NOT the main characters... but instead the main characters in the story are Aeris & Jenova:

No, you cannot just cut and paste somebody else's work into the forums. Link to it and give them a little respect. -Bloodworth

honda_insightful · « **Reply #22 on:** October 17, 2003, 04:50:52 AM »

Quote
Before FF7, RPGs were more reserved for hard core gamers and never peeked the interest of the majority of gamers. The release of FF7 was so different for many gamers, with its compelling story....

Disagree. I think Final Fantasy 3 (alternate title: FF6) deserves that credit. It was an extremely popular game and high in sales.

Remember... Final Fantasy 3 was *already* a system seller for the Nintendo 64... people bought N64's just so they could play the next installment. When Square left the N64, it sent shockwaves through the gaming world.

Why? Because people LOVED FF3, and they were looking forward to the sequel. FF3 is the RPG that appealed to the majority of gamers.

Galford · « **Reply #23 on:** October 17, 2003, 09:24:30 AM »

Wow, not another FF7 discussion...

FF7 is a very polarizing games for many reasons. Few of which I see
listed here....

- FF7 when it came out was a game that cost Nintendo the N64
gerenarion for a number of reasons.

- Many old-school gamers could not accept the
direction that FF7 took the series in.

- FF7 opened RPGs to a number of people which had never played a RPG
before, thus many newbies said it was the best RPG ever.

- Yes, it was overhyped, but FF7 had one of the most complex and deep stories in an
RPG, but few people understood it as honda's post points out.

Feel free to add or take from these points, but I'll be up front now.
I believe that FF8 and FF10 are the two best games in the series.

Uglydot · « **Reply #24 on:** October 17, 2003, 10:24:32 AM »

This thread is just starting to look like honda wants to rail against the norm...you don't think FF7 was a great game, oh well. Some of us do. And no, I didn't read your stupid long discussion about ff7, frankly, my interpretation is all that I care about.

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Author Topic: Is FF7 over-rated? (Read 7252 times)