You will laugh, cry and sometimes simply stare at the screen dumbfounded.
FFVII greatest strength is it's story. The plot starts strong, and, various twists and turns later, it ends far stronger than it began. I would give examples of the writing genius that is incorporated into this game, but even the smallest tidbit is to important to the plot. I will say this however. You will laugh many times, you will stare dumbfounded at the screen almost as much, and even the most macho will cry at least once.
The characters in FFVII are almost better than the story. From the emotionally crippled Cloud, to the physically cursed Vincent, the game shows you what you would expect to see from a character, then shows you that the characters are just as complex (if not more so) than anybody I know. Whether consciously or subconsciously, you will almost certainly begin drawing comparisons between you and the characters, and the amount of similarities will surprise you.
The game's graphics nowadays are considered very much obsolete, but at the time it was made, the game gave the very best possible.
The soundtrack for this game is phenomenal, and is matched perfectly to events in-game. Sephiroth's theme music is particularly chilling, while Costa De Sol's music is fun and will likely have you dancing without realizing it.
The combat system in this game is particularly fun, compared to other games in the series. While combat utilizes an ATB system (Active Time Bar), the truly innovative aspect is the magic. To cast magic, you need to have Materia equipped into slots on your weapons and armor. Different weapons and armors have a different number of slots. Materia also levels up, using AP, which is gained the same as EXP [experience(which is used to level your character up)]. The higher the level of the materia, the more spells you can access from that materia, and the more powerful existing spells become. Needless to say, this creates a lot of different character options. You could have two of your party members be white mages, growing Cure and Esuna materia, while you have a black battle mage grow Fire, Ice, Thunder and various other attack materia.There are many possibilities, giving players a chance to tailor the game to their own styles.
Overall, Final Fantasy VII is possibly the best game in the series, an arguably the best Role-Playing Game in the World.
JMO