FFVII has been the first of the franchise I got aware of, back in the days; the first one to make me aware of JRPG and thus, the one to seek out games like this before I had money to buy this. And yet, after distractions from other backlog games and attempted playthroughs, it is just after 27 years that I finally sat down and saw this game through to the end. And for that, it can now be crossed off as #1 on my gaming bucket list.

What can I say what hasn't already been said for this classic; a flagship product for Playstation back in '97 when 3D games were picking up and technology reached a new milestone?
Suffice to say, the Final Fantasy games were successful for their uniquely engaging story, with a world building that provided more experience for each playthrough I've done (unless I am off the attention for details); this seventh entry is a standout with at that point, with themes of ecology, science and psychology. It also helps that they have a colorful cast, most with the background stories holding some kind of charm, unfolding with the progression. My favorites would be those of Cid, Barret and the mutual bond of Cloud and Tifa.

Over time, turn-based combat mechanics can be a trying feature for players with less patience, especially for grind sessions, unless there is some feature that breathes life into the experience anew. Here, collecting and using materia for growing your options of magic and abilities add to the strategic element in battles, making them more dynamic in the long run of gaming.

Some imperfections are to be expected, even in the classics. Final Fantasy VII flows well in the initial part with Midgar and keeps the engagement for progress close to follow. But soon after you get to travel the world, somewhere along the way, the pacing gets bogged down. I noticed I had to decide to come back to pick up the journey between gaming sessions. It doesn't even help that some objectives lack hints on where I should go next, turning into a hide and seek game on progress. So clues leave more to be desired, but that game's from the time when strategy guide books were quite a thing for the less explorative audience.

To this point, I have seen fragments of scenes throughout the game and finally I've pieced them together by clearing Final Fantasy VII myself. That leaves me to pick up on Crisis Core and then start with the remake series, to get the best of the old and the modern presentation.

I can warmly recommend the original game so that you can get up to speed with what made this a masterpiece of its time, as much as there are a few stumblings in the overarching progression. Should you decide try the original game in before-hand, then you are in for the experience. I would mention getting a handful of mods to buff the graphics, the soundtrack and the quality-of-life aspects. Echo-S puts together well-done voiced lines for practically everything, adding more to the cinematic factor of the story itself.

The magic is still in here. Jevnation out!

This was a weird one. FF7 was revered as a genre-defining JRPG when it released back in 1998. That was 3 years before I was born so naturally I missed the train on that one. However I like some JRPGS and I'm not afraid of diving into a retro title so I thought I'd see what all the hype was about. As someone who grew up playing a hand-me-down N64, I could instantly tell why this made such a splash. For the time period of this release, the graphics and cutscenes are impressive beyond belief. The real-time combat in a turn-based setting however was something I really disliked. It felt like it tried to combine those two things and ended up with none of the moment to moment fun of real-time along with no ability to pause and ponder your moves like in turn-based. The slightly obtuse objectives and my struggle to understand the geometry of some of the screen layouts also contributed to my confusion and frustration. Even with those gripes, I can see the bones of a good game here and I can tell that if I was around at the time I would more than likely have fallen in love. Gonna give the remake a try because I loved the world and characters from the Midgar section.

My favorite game of all time!

If you owe the PC version of FFVII, and are a first-time player, mods are key to getting the most worthwhile experience from this PC port. You will absolutely want to ensure that the music, sound effects, etc. are fixed and you aren't listening to the much inferior midi soundtrack. You can also install graphics mods if you so choose, although I will always have a nostalgic tie to the blocky, Lego-style graphics of the OG.

For FFVII veterans, I highly recommend Sega Chief's New Threat Mod - this contains new content, bosses, side quests, challenge, etc. It made me feel like I was playing FFVII for the first time again! So much love and effort was put into it, and it shows! Surprises are aplenty, and while the experience is that same familiar FFVII you all know and love, it is truly a unique and fresh playthrough of one of the greatest games of all time!

If you consider yourself a diehard FFVII fan, pay your respects and play it (link below)! :)
http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=14938.0