FFVII is all it's made out to be. If you're an RPG fan of any kind I suggest playing this amazing game.
I've played through the game a full 3 times now and I have to say it's still just as fun as the first time through. At release, FFVII was superb graphically. Of course it was soon out done in a very large way with FFVIII; however because I'm writing this review based on my opinions from my first play-through of the game I'm giving the game a graphical 10. Since playing FFVII I have explored other great RPG games that were done in classical style 2D graphics and compared to that graphical style which was common for many RPG's in 1997 FFVII stood out. Its use of polygon models, although primitive, got the genre going in a new direction. It helped greatly in immersing me in the plot and getting more involved with the game.
The gameplay of this game was very worth while and did not get old at all. The battle system was set up wonderfully. The use of materia for its many applications was also relatively simple and ingenious. With the onslaught of criticism over the new battle system in FFXII it could have really hurt FFVII's appeal to many if Square had attempted to change their regular turn based system. So even though similar to the style laid out before it, the use of materia, magics, Limit Breaks, and summons worked wonderfully for VII. Looking back now there are many features that would have been great if they were included in the game, such as the ability to swap characters and equipment during battle as you could in FFX, but they would take away from the classic appeal of the game. I think; however, that it would be awesome to see all the new and exciting features in the latest FF games incorporated into a ful-fledged remake of the VII, but that's a different story.
The music and sound of FFVII was another great strong point for the game. The only way I can emphasize the greatness of the music is that, even after 10 years, I still find myself humming along in my head to some of the tunes, like the music you hear while fighting the multiple pieces of JENOVA, or playing the boss battle music on my guitar. Few games, aside from FF games, are able to have that level of recognition for their music. Its like when you hear the theme song of Star Wars played. Almost anyone who's ever seen one or all of the movies can instantly say "Hey that's Star Wars". Same way for most people who've played FFVII.
The story is so epic, it gives the desire for multiple play throughs. If you haven't played the game, you play as the young and confused Cloud Strife, who finds himself in the city Midgar after some questionable events. Cloud is soon united with his old friend Tifa Lockhart who is part of a resistance against the planet wide power company Shin-Ra Power Company. The resistance, known as AVALANCHE, is headed by a man name Barret Wallace. Together the three start out on a journey to take down Shin-Ra, but soon find themselves on a journey to rid the world of the Shin-Ra experiment gone wrong, Sephiroth, and his "mother" the virus JENOVA . If you haven't played this game yet, PLAY IT. Just remember to consider the time this game was created in. The graphics are from 1997 not 2007 as many people that knock the game would have you believe. But it's not just about graphics, its about a story that will get you as involved and wanting for more as you've ever been with any game. All this is why I give this game a perfect score of 10 out of 10.