FFVII truely was the end of Square's golden age. It really departed from the other FFs in terms of content and setting. The direction had started with FFVI though. Square really started delving into the cinematic direction and upped the pretense with an unhealthy dose of existential nonsense filtered through babelfish. That's where the irritation of many toward this game comes from. I don't dislike this game, but I dislike those aspects of it. I think it's a good game, but it doesn't deserve all of the praise it gets. If you compare it to its contemporaries you'll see why.