Why do you like this Game?

[demondude]

I dont

[Hazzard]

I've never thought of it before, but maybe Cid did overshadow Barret, in every way. He took control of his emotional speeches, and swore constantly with his matching cigar. He helped the group largely, with the whole Highwind, but Barret is still great though.

I think Cloud was just irrelevant to Sephiroth, but was merely a tool at his free disposal. He only realized that Cloud was a threat, once he had challenged him at the north crater, and from then on the rivalry had began.

[Jigsaw]

I really liked the story, especially the first half or so. I didn't really get everything that happened near the end, but I was prettymuch hooked by then The materia system is cool too. Finding new materias etc

[Edge7]

Interesting story, awesome battle system and graphics good for it's time. 'nuff said

[hanawa]

Intriguingly awesome storyline. Nothing beats it. Though i cant deny the fact that it got me really confusing during my first time.

Characters are fine. I mean their innate abilities (limits), appearance, attitude etc. Though i don't really like Cid at the beginning cos he's aint a gentleman! But as time goes by he seems to be ok. Owh im craving for Sephiroth despite being a villain... He's so damn gorgeous!

Did anyone ever notice that this game comes with awesome soundtracks? I cant live without them! That explain why i filled my MP3 and notebook with most of em. However Aeris' theme song sounds similar to one of the early FFs'. Perhaps FFV or VI, i forgot which.

The battle system is easy to master. I personally love the materia-filling system. (N materia-hunting missions =P) Unlike other advanced FFs, one not need to upgrade weapons and stuffs. Basically all you need to do is engage into battles as many as you might and thats it. You earned yourself enough gil and go check out the nearest weapon shop for the latest in town. And steal a whole lot from the bosses! You might get lucky to have some awesome goodies to be equipped.

[Mirage]

Wolf Kanno's post sums up most of my opinions.

[Wolf Kanno]

Did anyone ever notice that this game comes with awesome soundtracks? I cant live without them! That explain why i filled my MP3 and notebook with most of em. However Aeris' theme song sounds similar to one of the early FFs'. Perhaps FFV or VI, i forgot which.

It sounds very similiar to "Celes' Theme" and to a lesser extent "Aria Di Mezzo Carattere"

[Mirage]

I don't think Aeris' and Celes' themes are very similar.

[Lynx]

allthough not my favorite FF still a good one. the incredible amounts of fanboys annoys me though misguided souls who have never played FFIX or FFVI.

anyways ill break it down into sections.

characters:
great cast of characters. cloud definatly goes thrgouh a lot of character development. goes form a cold hearted money hungry mercenary to a passionate hero. his background is confuseing and yet interesting. through half the game you think one thing until you finnaly get the whole story later on.

barret kinda gets overlooked a lot. he was mainly only important in the beginning. but he befriends cloud and thats what makes him continue.
tifa an old friend of cloud gives her a strong role in the story nice to see a girl in FF who packs a punch. aries her nice character builds up the sadnbess for when she dies. redxiii was cool he was smart yet could be kinda childish when at home. also it was cool haveing a talking wolf cat on your team. cait sith kinda confuiseing seeing as how hes just a robot or something like that. cid was the coolest cid in FF. yuffie was annoying but i think her weapons are cool. vintcent was a very important character too bad hes only optional.

story:
love the complex story. shinras draining the planet of life so you go to save hte planet. but then a new familiar threat has arrived. giant monsters known as weapons are set free to restore the planets life by killing everyone. is cloud just a clone or not? a meteor is comeing crashing down towards the planet. cloud keeps getting taken over by sephiroth. how is sephiroth alive if cloud killed him. who is zack? what really happened all those years ago on that "incedent"? you run into the turks yet they dont feel as if they should fight you. jenova, cetra, turks, chocobos.

some of the many things involved in FFVII that make the story great.

bad guys:
shinra was the best empire like enemy in FF in my book. the turks were an awesome part of the shinra organization.

sephiroth everything about him screamed power. a legendary swordsman who kills without mercy. hes just so evil. you wake up in jail and the halls are covered in blood. he gives a rather creepy vibe to the whole game.

jenova kinda like the enemy in the background. little does everyone know jenova is pretty much the main enemy.

[Wolf Kanno]

I don't think Aeris' and Celes' themes are very similar.

You're right, I was listening to them again and they don't match up. But it does match up a bit to Aria Di Mezzo Carattere

[Devourment]

it brings you to another world you can get lost in

That, & I love fantasy stuff.

I've completed FFIX 23 times.

[Bolivar]

I didn't want to give my thoughts until I got a good variety of answers. I'm glad to see alot of good points in here, with reasons to back them up.

If I were to sum up why this is my favorite FF with one reason, it would be the artistic undertaking that it was.

I remember the commercial saying it was 2 years in the making, over 200 programmers working on it. This is the game that changed video games as we know it. Without it, I wouldn't be surprised if PSX went the way of Sega Saturn. At the time, there was alot of reaction to CD's, alot of people preferring cartridges for different reasons, and that this format couldn't compete. This game changed that. Now, discs have become the standard, and it was FFVII that showed why.

Artistically, to me, this game puts to shame the first 6 FF's and will always be the measuring stick for games that come after it. Since story seems to be the dominant factor among posts in this thread, I'll start with that.

This game's story is told "en media rey" (spelling might be off, it's been a while since I took english lit). This means that it starts off in the middle of the action, that being AVALANCHE'S fight against Shin-Ra in Midgar. Next, it proceeds to a flashback which details what happened before the story began, the events 5 years ago. Afterwards, the game picks back up to current events and leads to the climax and resolution. Such a literary technique being used in a video game is impressive, and part of why the story is such an appealing factor.

The way that the events unfold is also very well done. The game begins in the largest city, then exploring the rest of the continent, the next portion of the game taking place on the next continent, then the northern continent, until finally the story takes place all over the world, in a scramble for the huge materia that just screams "Final Fantasy IV."

I guess you can't talk about this game's story without mentioning its antagonist. Sephiroth. Whether you love him, hate him, or love to hate him, every fan of FF seems to have a strong opinion about him, one way or the other. I feel he has the best introduction of any FF villain for one fact - so much is said about him and he heavily impacts the story before you actually see him. Several characters mention "The Great Sephiroth." Metaphorically, he is described with the trail of blood that leads to the most powerful man in the game, dead, impaled by the legendary sword. He turns the game's plot upside down on its head before he even makes an appearance. And for the entire game, he still isn't present, he lies dormant in the northern crater, manipulating different actors in the game like pawns on a chessboard.

There's so much more to be said about the story, but for the sake of length, I'll delve into other factors. I'll stay with the artistic ingenuity. Visually, the game was groundbreaking for its time. Each of the pre-rendered backgrounds by themselves could be its own painting. Scenes like Junon and the northern crater are truly breathtaking. Film is also another artistic medium that this game excels at, obviously this game set the precedent for FMV's. Sequences like Sephiroth walking into the flames and tearing off the guardian in Jenova's chamber stay with you, and portray his character like previous games couldn't. I would go into the music, but the series has been acclaimed for it long before VII.

That sums it up for this game's artistic qualities. The mediums of Storytelling, Drawings, Film, and Music all being combined into one work is probably this game's greatest accomplishment.

And of course there's gameplay. I have to say out of the series, I probably enjoy the battles in this one the most. The materia system was very useful, as not only do they teach abilities, but they augment your stats right away, rather than at level up. Alot of people didn't like only having 3 characters, but it was a refreshing break from the stereotypical 4-person party, as I find FFIV. The amount and length of sidequests was pushed further than before with VII. The range of mini-games has been unmatched since. It's fun to explore the world and all its secrets, and you get a good amount of vehicles to do that.

And I'm gonna leave it at that before this gets longer than it already is.

[Peter_20]

First of all, it starts off very good, in medias res, with plenty of action, and this alone gets you pumped up for more.
I also loved how the game flowed and never dragged on too much; when you choose a command, the character actually executes it at once, rather than standing around and waiting a century for nothing in particular.

The characters are cool, get plenty of development and don't feel exaggerated; even the main hero, Cloud, who looks like a typical "macho dude with spikey hair-style, c3wl-ness-zorz" feels natural and likable.

[Dreddz]

Great Music, great setting, great characters and a pretty good story unless you want to go through it with a fine tooth pick. The game doesnt excel in anything particular but its all roundness in quality make it a memorable experience.

[NeoCracker]

Great Music, great setting, great characters and a pretty good story unless you want to go through it with a fine tooth pick. The game doesnt excel in anything particular but its all roundness in quality make it a memorable experience.

While I think less of the game than this, this basically sums it up. Nothing great, but worth playing.