Reviews / previews
The grass is always
greener somewhere
else. For years,
computer gamers have
asked for conversions of
console role-playing
gamesones that are
accessible and cute as
well as funand their
wish has finally been
granted. Final Fantasy
VII, the first 32-bit entry
in Squares celebrated
RPG line, has been
converted from the
PlayStation. Aside from
a few rough patches
(some unique to this
Windows 95
implementation, some
inherited from the
original game), this
four-CD epic is
accessible, cute, fun,
pretty, and likely to
keep you pleasantly
occupied for a long
time. Youre cast as a
mercenary named Cloud
whos working for a
resistance movement
preparing to bomb one of the reactors in the city of Midgar. Despite initially
being in it for the money, he stays the course. Along the way he finds new
allies and old friends, and his band of freedom fighters escapes the city into
the wide world.
What makes FFVII special is variety. Youre given a good number of choices
en routeshould you sneak into the Shinra HQ or just knock on the front
door?so you never know quite whatll come next. I liked the combination of
fighting (in third-person 3D, but in the traditional face-off style of console
games), exploration, puzzle solving, shopping, storytelling, and the
exoticness of an unpredictable plot. The game is driven by combat but not
dominated by it, and just when you get tired of bowling over minions, a
boss-level monster wanders along and reacquaints you with the concept of
death.
FFVII is also beautiful. The rich environments, displayed from a range of
perspectives, were unlike anything the console world had seen, and they
stand up particularly well on a PC with a 3D accelerator. The backdrops for
the combat scenes seem to hold an inner light, and the effects for magic
spells and special moves (often gorgeous) have a new momentousness.
Its otherwise the same game as on the PSX. I enjoyed its easygoing,
large-print interface and the ability to move everything I found after combat into
my collective inventory with the push of a button. I liked the feeling of
anticipation, which never really went away.
On the other hand, you can save only in certain special spots, which may not
sit well with computer RPG vets. The 3D characters are cute in their spiky,
huge-eyed anime wayI ultimately found myself caring about thembut the
occasional close-ups make them look like Kewpie dolls with painted-on faces,
which worked against my acceptance of them.
The writing isnt exactly Hemingway, and while I got the Big Picture just fine,
it was occasionally difficult to understand exactly what the writers meant in
given situations. (Too bad the characters dont have their own voices.) Of
course, console players might tell you that very vagueness is part of FFVIIs
charm, and theyd be right. Unfortunately, theres no mouse control, and I had
some trouble with the graphics. On a PC with a Voodoo Rushbased Intense
3D card, FFVII had a lot of glitches in movement mode. With a Voodoo-based
Righteous 3D card, it displayed a black screen during a number of cut-scenes
and all but the tail end of the sumptuous rendered intro.
I guess even when the grass is greener, you still have to deal with a few
weeds. But not so many, or so well rooted, as to wreck a charming, light
RPG.-- Peter Olafson / GamePro
Got an opinion about Final Fantasy VII? Or maybe know a good cheat or strategy? Share it with the world!