Please, enlighten me.

[Wolf Kanno]

Probably the music, VII has one of my favorite soundtracks. Probably one of the last Uematsu soundtracks I really loved. I also love the world design. The rest I can leave behind. Though I don't hate VII its not really my top fave FF.

[BG-57]

The materia system is a neat reversal of magicite in FFVI: instead of equipping a magicite and improving a specific character's spell list, the materia is itself leveled up and can give those unlocked spells to anybody who equips it. It's simple enough to get through the game with little trouble but the subtleties of pairing materia are complex enough to allow for a lot of experimentation.

The characters are great, although one of the few things I really liked about AC was giving Tifa a more sensible outfit and Cait Sith losing the Moogle. The story gave each a place in the world for their backstory to unfold so you knew exactly what they were fighting for. Although I'm sure Kefka would mutter something about 'self-help books' at this point.

I liked the story although some of Cloud's backstory is told in optional flashbacks, so it's a lot of work to piece it all together in the first playthrough. I won't spoil the story for you, but there were several moments that moved me deeply. It's interesting that you can invest emotional energy in caring for video game characters, but they suceeded.

The music was great, next to FFVIII as my favorite FF soundtrack. Not much point in listing tracks when you haven't played yet, but if you like what you hear, get the ST. It's great music to just listen to.

Great games need great villains, and this game has plenty, some more obvious than others. The major villains are hissably well done, but they don't inspire affection the way the Turks do. I love those guys, even though I cheered every time I got to beat up Reno.

Some of the minigames, especially at Gold Saucer are hit and miss, but Chocobo breeding/racing and Battle Square were both some of the best mini-games in FF history. They were moderately challenging but time intensive, with great rewards for suceeding.