Final Fantasy VII - PC Review - Gamecenter

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Final Fantasy VII

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Operation Rescue
I didn't enjoy another console staple--the save points. Unlike most PC titles, you can save only at certain locations in the game. You can go an hour or more without reaching a save point. This is mildly annoying around dinner time, but it is downright frustrating if your machine happens to crash after an hour of playing. I found FFVII to be a well-behaved Final Fantasy VII game generally, but I did experience two crashes that seemed related to swap space on my hard drive. Save points are an integral part of the game (some charge money, and special items allow saves), so it would be difficult to simply do away with them; however, this change would be worth considering for future ports.
FFVII's world itself is perhaps even more bizarre than the the game's mix of RPG, action, and adventure genres. FFVII takes place in a world that is half future and half fantasy, creating an odd mix of technology and mythology. Robots fight alongside legendary creatures. Weapons include machine guns and magic. Even more perplexing is the general weirdness of the game. Gil, Mako, Chocobos, Materia--where the hell do they get these names? Maybe if I use them all in a sentence it will help: "Materia is concentrated Mako, which can be attained with Gil, but you'll likely be short if you're breeding Chocobos." Does that help? Or how about this: "We are living in a Materia world, and Tifa's a Materia girl."
FFVII's world is unbelievably huge. The hordes of creatures, locations, spells, and miscellany give this game more playing hours than any graphics-laden RPG I've come across recently. It took me more time getting through the first disk than it normally does to play other games from start to finish. (There are a total of three disks; four if you include the install disk.)
The World According to Cloud
My biggest complaint about FFVII is the manual. It doesn't contain any useful information, such as lists of spells, creatures, or even a handy glossary. There are tutorials in the game, but plan on getting a strategy guide, if only for the information missing in the manual.

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Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy VII

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