Pros: GREAT game, graphics, play value, detail
Cons: ?
The bottom line: If you are a fan of RPG games you will find this game enjoyable and worth the 19.99. You'll understand why it became a greatest hits!
I have been a Final Fantasy fan since the release of the first Final Fantasy on regular Nintendo (has it really been that long??):). And until the recently released Final Fantasy 9, Final Fantasy VII was my all time favorite in the Final Fantasy series.

Graphics
Final Fantasy VII was the first graphical 3-D game to be released in the US from the FF series (to my knowledge any way). Although when you look at it now and think "But the characters are all boxy looking," just imagine going from the 16 bit graphics of the Super Nintendo to an all around 3-D graphical view of your game and characters. It took a bit to get used to since they also place a much more detailed background and that makes the screen look busier then ever. It was a pretty awsome leap. I also like the fact they have clips for you to watch from time to time, those were just amazingly wonderful. I remember watching the intro for the first time on this game and I was just amazed by how well it looked!

Sometimes I feel they went a little overboard on doing some of the graphics which made game play harder to do then it should have been. Some areas just seemed too dark and it was hard to navigate through but after a few hours of game play you did get used to the darker settings in certain areas (and after years of game play you hardly notice it at all LOL).

Sound/Music
While I don't really pay much attention to the music, it is always there in the background. The one that sticks out in my head the best is when you are fighting the final boss, it has sort of an opera feel to it really dramatic and full of emotion. When you get into regular battles it is the similar tune that is on most FF series games The rest was normal and didn't make a lasting impression to me.
I am not one to run out and buy the sound tracks to these games either and I didn't put much thought into purchasing this sound track.
Sound quality is good and the sound effects were normal.

About the Game
You start off as Cloud, a young blond haired spunky ex-Soldier, who has teamed up with the group called Avalanche, that is going on a mission to blow up a Mako reactor in defiance against the Shinra Corporation. After doing so you fallow the group back to their hide out and attempt to leave only to be drug into things more deeper then you though by an old friend. It is here that you learn about some other playable characters: Barret and Tifa.
Barret is the loud mouth stubborn leader of Avalanche and Tifa is a member of Avalanche but is also an old time friend of Cloud. Tifa Persuades you to stay on for one more mission and this is where you gain two more playable characters. A little later after the mission is over and there was an accident you run into Aeris, who becomes another playable character and Red VIII, who you break free from the Shinra Corporation before making your great escape from Midgar.

The begining (Disc One) is basically a way to get you warmed up for the rest of the game and help you get used to using your weapons and items. Each character has their own special technique and weapon they use. It can seem long and teadious at times since there is much to do and can take hours to complete.
The second and third disc brings you to the great wide open where the real adventure begins introducing you to the World Map and a whole slew of newer and tougher enemies to fight and characters to gain. You begin to learn a bit more about Cloud's past and memories that are all a blur and you discover more about the infamous Sephiroth (the best Soldier there ever was in the Shinra Corporation) and what happend to him.

A neat thing introduced in this game was optional characters. These are characters that you will not necessarily get. You have to look for them or say the right thing(s) to get them. There are only two optional characters in the game and both are worth having in my opinion.

Side quests and chocobos (which are both optional) also offer a little more variety to the game and make game play funner. There are few side quests for you to do and with the Chocobos you get to raise them and race them. When you race them you earn items and gil (money).
I did the side quests but I was horrible at the Chocobos so I stayed away from that LOL.

Battles
Unlike the other FF games you are limited to three people in a group at a time instead of 4. That does make fighting a little tougher but Final Fantasy VII has introduced a new system that makes up for the lack of man power... Materia.

The Materia System is a rather complicated system to figure out if you have never played a final fantasy game before (or even if you have slightly) and it does take some time getting used to. You are explained to briefly (if you choose) on the first disc when Barret asks Cloud to refresh his memory on how to use materia again.

There are several different types of materia you can find out there. Summoning materia is very powerful and lets you conjure up Espers which makes this one of the better materias to have. There is also magic material which allows you to learn magical spells that can heal or hurt. Then there is the materia that is used for status effects. Depending on what it is it can affect you in different ways like rasing your power or stamina.

You equip materia on to your weapons and armor so depending on how many slots you have on the items you are wearing depends on how much materia you can equip on yourself.
I think materia was a great introduction into Final Fantasy VII and gave it an even more challenging yet fun experience for game play.

Also your characters have what is called Limit Breaks. These are a special move that you are able to do after you have been attacked a certain amount of times. Each person has their own different limit breaks they can do that either hurt the enemy or heal the party members.

Something different
Another change they did with Final Fantasy VII, that most FF buffs didn't care much for was, they threw it into a futuristic time. Up until now Final Fantasy has always been set in a medieval time period with airships though as the main advance item. While I found the change to be interesting and enjoyable others seem to feel that it took away from the feel of it actually being a true Final Fantasy. I am sure many FF fans were happy to see that with Final Fantasy 9 they had gone back to the original way :).

Overall
I have gotten many wonderful game play hours out of Final Fantasy VII and still enjoy pulling it off the shelf every now and again. I think it's a great game and a must in your collection if you are a RPG fan!


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Just for fun here are some facts that I was told about the final fantasy series:
1. The reason for the name Final Fantasy, was due to the fact that before the release of the first Final Fantasy it was make or break and if Final Fantasy I didn't sell that was all there would be.
2. In each Final Fantasy there is a person name CID, playable character or not.
3. Although similar time settings on most of the Final Fantasy Series (except 7 and 8), each final fantasy is it's own RPG game and has no relation, just similarities.
4. (This one is on FF7 alone) In the original FF 7 (Not the greatest hits one) you can never do Tifa's final limit break, there is a flaw in the game that prevents it from ever happening. But in the Greatest Hits one that you can buy for 19.99 now you are able to do it.
These were little tid bits my brother infomed me of and I thought it would be neat to post them too :).
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*Shanny~