A Poor Standard

by Richard Dore 

"It's no Final Fantasy 7." That one phrase irritates me even more each time I read it in a review for some new RPG. Why? Because Final Fantasy 7 is more of a hallmark of interactive movies than of RPGs; it's a sensory experience not often equaled in gaming, but as a true role playing game it fails to stand out.

Some people would argue Final Fantasy 7 as one of the best RPGs on the basis of its story, however, it is more the presentation than the actual story that impresses. The plot is the same basic save the world story of nearly every RPG on the market and leaves loopholes that detract further. The translation also leaves a lot to be desired, giving the kind of complexity to the story we could do without. The game also ends abruptly, failing to tie together the numerous loose ends. Combined with uninspired characters, many of whom are underdeveloped, and the result is a surprisingly unpolished and convoluted story.

Although the faults in the story are not enough to diminish FF7 as an role-playing game, the addition of mediocre game play puts the last few nails in the coffin. The game play is shallow compared to previous Final Fantasies and other high caliber RPGs, and challenge and exploration are a rarity. The materia system is an interesting idea, but its execution is poor, as few of the interesting spells of Final Fantasy tradition like Exit, Psyche, and Weak, leaving little more than attack and heal spells. The depth in armor, weapons and accessories is also inexcusable; not only is there less equipment in FF7, but interesting equipment in the same vain as the Imp armament of Final Fantasy is also missing. The game lacks in difficulty too, and the only challenge is provided by bosses who have atrociously high hit points. The ability to explore is rejected in the game When you finally get the airship, which has been crucial in exploration during past Final Fantasies, nearly the whole world has already been explored.

The world of FF7 is also uninspired. Few of the Bosses are as memorable as Calbrena, Golbez, the Four elements, The eight Dragons, or Ultros, making the game less memorable. Many Dungeons look the same and have large open spaces, making much of the game seem monotonous and humdrum. The large number of side games also detracts from the game, and gives it a hollow feel.

Despite these gripes, Final Fantasy 7 is still a fine experience, however, it is more a high-adrenaline movie than a solid RPG. So please do not use FF7 as a standard to judge RPGs, as it ill represents the genre. Don't reject the game as a whole however, since it is still definitely worth experiencing.