Final Fantasy VII: And So the Madness Began

Image from Final Fantasy Shrine


Listening to the soundtrack to Final Fantasy VII over the past few days has me on a nostalgia trip. Hard to believe that it's been almost eight years since my very favoritest video game had its US release. I didn't get it right away; not for a while in fact. At the time, I didn't even own a PlayStation. I had played FFII and owned FFIII, but much as the movie trailer-like ads for the new game intrigued me, I didn't see myself shelling out for anew system. I figured I'd just stick with my Super Nintendo and let the next generation of consoles pass me by.

This plan fell apart around Christmas. Andrew and I had been dating for about a year then and he apparently felt that what I needed in the way of a present was a PlayStation and Final Fantasy VII. He was, of course, right and from the very beginning I was completely enthralled. While I already liked the Final Fantasy series, this was the game that solidified my addiction.

The fact that FFVII was the first PlayStation game I ever played may be part of the reason I loved it so much. But I did have a freebie demo disc of various other games and none of them seemed to come close to what FFVII provided. Square was clearly king at the time when it came to graphics. And by this point, I think I was developing a preference for the RPG. I still like various other game genres and every now and then I need to take a break and have some mindless fun (hence "God of War"). But I love the depth of story that the RPGs provide and the fact that your reward for completing a task is either story progress or beautiful cutscenes, or even both. FFVII provided deep story and incredible visuals in spades with the added benefit of chocobos.

Time is not kind to video game visuals. What is groundbreaking for its time often becomes primitive and clunky in the space of a few years. Still, the original impact of Final Fantasy VII's graphics has stayed with me. And the story remains on of the best loved narratives in the entire series. It's a fact that Square-Enix clearly realizes, given the upcoming release of Final fantasy: Advent Children, a direct to DVD sequel to FFVII. As for me, I'm surprised how easily the score of FFVII can take me back to specific moments in the game, from the house full of cats in Wutai to Red XIII stumbling around in his soldier disguise to chocobo racing at the Gold Saucer. While I'm always excited by new advances in video game technology and ever more stunning graphics, Final Fantasy VII will always have a place on my video game shelf.