What didn't work/what didn't you like about this game?

FFVII is one of the most beloved games of all time, but what about this game didn't you dig?

Personally, I'm not a fan of the materia system. It stresses me out, making sure I collect it all, and level it all. I'm not a huge magic user, and I don't mind having it equipped, but it affects the stats of your characters, and that always upsets me.

I don't really care for Sephiroth as a villain. I mean, he's okay, I guess. I just don't care much for him.

Please keep this thread respect. This thread isn't really to say why someone is right or wrong, but to just say our personal opinions on what we didn't like about this game.

I dunno, the ending comes to mind. I give it more beef than I should, but I've lightened up over the years. But coming from the SNES generation as my first Final Fantasy games my expectations were very very high, and perhaps too high, kinda like how VII fans probably felt about VIII when it came around. I'll start by saying I don't like the ending. The ending was weak to me, and I wanted to see more after the escape, and not just seeing Red and pups bouncing hither and tither. Not a big thing, but it bugged me at the time.

Disc 2 and on, save the section of returning to Midgar, I never much liked at all. Well, the mini games and side stuff were always fun fun, especially snow boarding which I could play that for hours. I've also never liked Cloud. Cloud being..well..uh Cloud is a downer by itself. Who the hell is Cloud? Are you playing a bitchy version of Zack half the time, or the annoyed spiky haired whiner? I woulda preferred Zack being the hero, or making Cloud a likable guy. People that praise Cloud but insult Squall is just funny. Cloud has a very big cocky negative attitude that is one of the most annoying I have seen in a main character. Cloud helps drag the game down all by himself.

Much like the unneeded confusion of realizing that your main character is not who he even thinks he is, I didn't find the Jenova and Sephiroth story line anything more than a way to overcomplicate storytelling in 1997, and even when it made more and more sense to me in later plays, I found it very large mess and could have been done a lot better. My first play through I was very "wtf" are they talking about, and it only got worse as Hojo, Lucrecia and Vincent added more to it all?.

Disc 1 is about as perfect as I can imagine right now. I like disc 1, and can't find much to complain about it at all, but somewhere after that it progressively got weaker and weaker. I like most of the characters, granted I like Shinra, Turks, and Zack better than most of the main cast, I don't have issues with them. I like how they gave Tifa, Red, Barret and all of them time to begin to flesh out there characters. Oh, and the music is great...but this isn't a praise thread. Those are the main things that left me dissatisfied at the end.

I played the game a couple months ago, and enjoy it a lot better, but I still ended up stopping at the start of Disc 2. If I ever get around to finishing it and my opinion has changed more so over the years I'll chime back in.

Yeah, I find the storyline pretty convoluted.

Also, to this day I still can't figure out how Red XIII had babies if he was the last of his kind.

I think it's hinted that he found someone else. He ended up not being the last of his kind in the end. Of course, that's not explicitly said, but that makes the most sense to me.

Honestly, it's been so long since I've played VII past the Midgar section that I don't remember much of my opinions on what should be changed. I didn't mind Cloud that much, but I didn't really like him either. I do enjoy Sephiroth to an extent (and I enjoy that he is present throughout the game and not just in the closing moments as the final boss). However, I also agree the the Jenova/Sephiroth story line seemed a bit convoluted based on my memory of it.

I like Sephiroth as a character but not much as a crazy villain. He only has two moments of villainous that really sticks out even years after playing the game. Burning down Cloud's home in his anger and killing Aerith, the latter of which he did while she was defenseless in the middle of a prayer from behind. When you first start hearing about him I thought they were building him up as the anti-hero. Someone who was willing to go to extreme measures to make sure Shinra didn't harm another soul in response to the experiments and such. Since I always saw Shinra as the true villain of the verse since they're responsible for pretty much everything. But I digress.

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Originally Posted by Jinx

Also, to this day I still can't figure out how Red XIII had babies if he was the last of his kind.

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Hojo was onto something when he tried to breed him and Aeris.

I would have to say I hated a few different things.

The pacing was one, until you left Midgar the first time you were basically stuck in one long hall with only one way to go. Then you leave and you get that long flashback of Cloud's hometown and such. I suppose maybe the first time I played I was kinda interested, but now I just want a big skip button over that whole part.

Sephiroth didn't give me much of a villanious vibe as much as say Kefka did. Sure he was imposing and powerful but other then the flashback and watching him kill Aerith you have no real scope on how powerful he really is other then the game tells you that he is a badass so he is.

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Originally Posted by Veinexes

Sephiroth didn't give me much of a villanious vibe as much as say Kefka did. Sure he was imposing and powerful but other then the flashback and watching him kill Aerith you have no real scope on how powerful he really is other then the game tells you that he is a badass so he is.

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For me seeing those blood stains in Midgar brought me chills on my first play through. The big ass marsh Midgar Zolom that had been easily staked by Sephiroth, yet wiped my party again and again was also an intimidating visual. Those things along with the fire filled flashback was also eerie and it helped set the tone for the guy, but by the time I got to know him he didn't live up to that hype and the initial fear he gave me.

The god damn Kalm flashback, even Square mercifully putting in the ability to save mid-way through didn't save it from being something I dread every time I play.

As for Red, I just assumed he reproduced asexually.

I can't come up with anything bad about it.
It was a very solid made game for me :D

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Originally Posted by Forsaken Lover

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Originally Posted by Jinx

Also, to this day I still can't figure out how Red XIII had babies if he was the last of his kind.

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Hojo was onto something when he tried to breed him and Aeris.

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Ewwww... Well he is one wacky scientist after all ;)

I dunno, it just didn't grab me. I love magic and being able to customize my characters, so considering that, the materia system was a bit disappointing. Especially since my equipment would affect how much materia I could equip.

I didn't like most of the characters. And characters are the first thing I look for in a game. I liked Red XIII, Cait Sith. I didn't mind Beret, or however you spell his name. Cloud annoyed me most of the time. I haaaaated Aeris. I mean, I actually wanted to kill her myself throughout the whole first disc. She made the game so much worse for me. But I am obsessed with keeping all of my characters as equally used and built as I can, so I still kept using her anyways. When I ended up on the date with her I actually turned off the system and quit playing for a while.

Some of the areas didn't do it for me and some of the sense of humor I didn't really like.

It definitely could have been worse. It's certainly not my favorite, though.

MOAR SIDEQUESTS!

VIII had a troutton and that was awesome. VII didn't have enough not story side stuffs for me.

But otherwise nah not really anything that comes to mind that I really disliked.

I guess the way Cait Sith joined the party was pretty damn dumb.

Chocobo breeding. I found that repetitive and boring, which is funny because that's what a lot of people criticise one of my favourite mini-games for (Chocobo Hot & Cold in IX). Still it unlocks a lot of stuff, so I feel compelled to go through it every time I play.