Final Fantasy VII: Overrated?

[Yar]

Okay, if you will, please allow me to respond to your essay of a post.

Please, keep in mind. I don't hate VII, although it is one of least favorite of the series I don't think it's a bad game.

The story was same basis for II and VI, just tweaked for its own purposes.

Personally, I feel the connection Cloud has with Shinra and Sephiroth, and the back-story including Zach and Jenova, makes FFVII one of the more complex stories. It deals a lot with mixing the past and present, and switching alliances. To me, it's ones of the better stories.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. However it seemed recycled to me. Empire A is doing bad things so Resistance Group B has to stop it. Then they added such things to make the story more complex and seem refreshing.

Materia was new and innovative, but all Final Fantasy installments have new and innovative systems. VI has Espers, VIII has junctioning, and XII has the licenses allowing for total customization.

Yes, all installments have new and innovative systems. But unlike the majority of Final Fantasy's prior, it has no class system. This paved the way for systems to come. It allowed you, the gamer, to choose the strengths and weaknesses of each character.

Plus, maybe the reason FFVIII has junctoning and Final Fantasy XII has total customization is because of the groundwork left by Final Fantasy VII.

VII had about as much of a class system as VI. Anyone can be really strong or really intelligent, you just have to take actions to make them so. But the classes are there. I'd like you to prove to me that Tifa is not a monk or that Cloud is archer.

I think that VI had more of an influence on VIII's junctioning system than VII. You take a summoning monster and associate them with a hero for certain benefits. X seemed to set the basis for XII's licensing board as well. VII seems rather absent from XII's license board.

The graphics were 3D, but when the game just came out, they were still disgusting in my opinion. The only time they seemed okay was during battles when you people "grew."

The graphics may not have been perfect, but they were definitely a step up and something new. Aside from the blocky characters, the environments these characters were placed in were rich in detail and vast in scope.

IV, V and VI's graphics were beautiful, even if they were only 16-bit. VII seemed dirty to me because everything was so dark and crude. Many of the environments were drawn backgrounds that were then programmed where you could and couldn't go.

You must also remember this was the first futuristic story and environment, adding to its innovation.

This seemed like blasphemy when it had first come out. Final Fantasy was always medieval with just a touch of the future. I did eventually grow out of this mind-set though, and fell in love with it. This game did allow me to enjoy VIII more.

The music isn't Uematsu's best in the series. IV, V and maybe even VI had arguably better scores.

I'm sorry, but when I hear the theme for Aeris, I can't help but feel a wave of emotions. Same for when I hear "One-Winged-Angel". But I guess this is a difference of opinion.

This does come down to personal opinion. But there are more people that like IV, V and VI's music better. People are saying it anyway.

The game is easy. That comes with almost all new games these days. Barely any time is required grinding, if any. There is no obligation to train all your characters either. You can basically pick three characters and stick with them.

Maybe for those 16 and over. But many who played it when they were 12, as many of us did, didn't have such an easy time.

So you're saying I'm just argueing with bunch of twelve-year-olds?
I'd like to see how much of this has less to do with age and more to do with inexperience. I've played VII since I was in the third grade. I never cared for it as much as I did II and III (SNES), so I never got actually determined enough to sit down and beat it till I was about 11 or 12.

It might be best for everyone to learn the definition of "overrated". Overrated doesn't mean "bad." It means that people say it's better than it actually is.

I don't think a game that did as much for RPGs as Final Fantasy VII did can be considered overrated. It was extremely innovative, and provided new elements the series had NEVER seen before.

Yes, it can be considered overrated. I just did it.

I guess what it comes down to is just respect for opinions. When I hear people say "I love VII, it roxxors various footwears of mine," I say "that's cool;" but when VII apologists hear me say "VII wasn't that great," then the world comes to a screeching halt.