Final Fantasy 7:  REVIEW:



Introduction:

	I myself have played video games for many years, as have many 
of you.  My experience in the role playing genre is still quite limited, 
but this games review is not truly compared to others.  I will tell you 
how I saw and felt the game was by itself in my opinion.  

Graphics: (9.5/10)

	I have seen graphics that have made me wonder how far can games 
go on.  In every form, action, simulation, strategy, adventure, and 
especially role playing - there is always one game that has graphics 
that are way ahead of its time.  Final Fantasy 7 is one of these games.  
The graphics are lush, stunning, and wondrous to behold.  When I first 
inserted the game into my Playstation, I knew to expect a great game, 
as many others told me.  I just never knew how taken aback I would be 
when the first, CG rendered, opening scene unfolded before my very eyes.  
Suddenly, I was sucked into the game, and everything around me blurred 
away.  Once the introduction ended, the graphics continued their magic 
on me.  I wished I could never stop playing, but time, as always, crept 
up on me, and I had to leave the world of Final Fantasy for another day.   
The characters themselves are well rendered, as they have a very 'real' 
look to them.  The lighting was excellent as it gave a very authentic 
feel to the areas.  Truly amazing graphics.  The CG rendered cut scenes 
bring the game even more alive.  They are detailed to the maximum, and 
are carefully crafted to keep your eyes pasted on the screen.  No words 
I can say can truly tell you what they actually look like.  Let's just 
say I have a yearning to find a FMV type movie player out there.  Final 
Fantasy 7's graphics helped make it what it is today.  They are the best 
I have ever seen in an RPG so far.  Simply put, one of the, if not, the 
greatest RPG out there today.

Sound: (9/10)

	This is what has made the Final Fantasy series one of the most 
cherished RPG's in the market.  Without the music, this game would not 
be the same at all.  Every piece that came out of the built in 
synthesizer filled me with a different emotion.  From Aeris's theme to 
the ominous chorus for Sephiroth, the music was fantastic.  The games 
melodies have a way of evoking your most deepest emotions.  For example, 
the little incident at the end of disc one is amazingly done.  The music 
adds that 'invisible' element along to the beautifully rendered CG cut 
scene that enhances the richness of the moment -and as they worked in 
harmonious cooperation, the feelings provoked were very heartfelt.
	The game does not take advantage of full CD quality sound 
though, such as the use of Red Book Audio, because is runs the music 
through the consoles built in synthesizer.  Although this is 
unfortunate, this was done to increase the games access speed.  
However, the music is still top notch. 

Story: (9.5/10)

	Where do I begin? No I won't tell you what it was about, but 
rather, how well done and executed it was.  I have never played a game 
with such a rich story line.  The game mixes elements of soul searching, 
love, hate, friendship, religion, and life into one.  Although there are 
some obvious translation errors, that is only a minor detail. 
	The story is very rich and involving.  It still contains the 
classic villain trying to rule the world, and is opposed by a slew of 
heroes and heroines.  However, only Square can make such a widely used 
method into one that seems totally original.  I became immersed within 
the plot very soon after starting the game.  As mentioned, the music 
within the game was a key element that helped me get into the story very 
quickly.  The characters are very three dimensional, and you end up 
caring about them very quickly.  I found this very surprising, since you 
get to juggle around with nine characters in total.  Square's story 
writers did an amazing job in bringing so much life to each individual 
within the game.  Honestly, you begin to know some of them as if you 
have your whole life, and you actually miss them very much when they are 
gone.
	After finishing the game, I felt very empty, because now the 
story has finished, and I can't 'continue' on with them anymore.  
I know many of you would tell me, "It's just a game!"  But, is it really 
just a 'game'?
	The story seemed a tad incomplete as Square did their best to 
finish it up for the deadline.  The death of one of the characters was 
supposed to be reversed later on.  However, it never happened.  Square 
did leave some traces of the resurrection process, and it's sad to see 
the 'true' story may have never been revealed.  This does not mean the 
game is bad.  It is far, far from that.  Square made the missing 
element work to create an even better story, where you are left stunned 
-we don't leave with the usual lollipop feeling we see in other 
RPG/Adventure games.
	The ending?  Hmmmm, what can I say?  It was nice.  I wish I knew 
what happened to the characters.  You sort of find out what happens to 
only one.  Did Aeris come back to life?  Uh?  I think Square did this 
one to leave us pondering about it forever.  
	I cannot wait for Final Fantasy 8.  I just wish that these 
characters in FF7 continue on into the next fantasy -I think they are 
perfect in so many ways, with so much more to explore within each of their 
intricate personalities.  That will never happen though, as it is a 
'Final Fantasy'.  (It will be hard to replace these characters!).
	
Fantasy Elements:  (10/10)

	The game is filled with wondrous, yet deadly monsters.  The 
magical powers are excellent.  The game is filled with many armor and 
attack weapons for those of you who crave brutality, and also contains 
many different spells.  Hmmm, let me see... open the right hand, and 
CAST!!..(Darn!.ya, it only works in the game :)~.

	Do you really want me to tell you about the controls?  
Ok, here's the run down.  They are very well done.  The game moves 
fluidly, and the battle engine is well organized and executed.  
A camera angle type feature is used, and is excellent.  Don't worry!  
Do you really think that Square would create such an amazing game, only 
to ruin it with poor controls!!  Not in this life time, dimension, or 
whatever.  Controls (10/10)

Final Comments:

	I have played games like Quake, and thought nothing better 
existed than gibbing a camper or whatever running around.  I used to 
think that that was the future of gaming.  Obviously, I was very 
diluted in my thinking.  Thanks to my friend, this web master, I have 
been exposed to so much more.  I will never look at Quake games, albeit, 
any other game with the same measure.  Now I truly know what makes a 
great game.  The story and music -and if graphics are available, than 
even better so!  The game is finished for this reviewer.  Those of you 
that have not played it, may the experience be as rich for you as it was 
for me.  Buy it!  It's worth it!  I miss the game already, and I just 
finished it less than an hour ago.  I wish it never ended.  Maybe it 
would have gone for a very long time if it was called Forever Fantasy 
perhaps.  Then again the game is well over 30 hours (it took me a total 
of about 85 -I relished every detail of the game!) However, as I 
learned a while ago, "All good things must come to an end!"  (Which is 
good for me, because if this game did not stop, where would homework 
come into play?) 

"May Final Fantasy 7 and all it embodies live on forever in each of us 
who loved it."

The reviewer

This Review was written by ME!

Sasha Bakshi  (bakshi@idirect.com) 

aka:  GrÜmP˙ SmÜrf