Videogames are occasionally overrated, but some titles just take on a rhapsodic life of their own. They achieve a mythical status that makes them practically impervious to anything but the most glowing analysis. A passionate fanbase digs a moat around a game to defend it against criticism of any sort, even benign curiosity about an aspect of the game that might be improved is treated with open hostility. But as videogames mature, it's important to cast a critical eye back at these proverbial sacred cows. How else can game design improve if we do not seriously consider the possible demerits of even the most vaunted games?
With that as a mission statement of sorts, IGN Retro is taking a look at videogames that some may consider overrated. First, we took a critical look at the enshrined Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Now, Square's magnum opus, Final Fantasy VII, gets the same treatment.
"Final Fantasy VII was a lie from the get go."
IGN Insider's Michael Thomsen wastes no words describing Final Fantasy VII. Square's 1997 adventure is revered as not just one of the best role-playing games of all time by legions of fans, but as one of the best videogames, period. The game is one of the most crucial releases for the original PlayStation, giving Sony's console the last dose of legitimacy it needed before the PlayStation solidified its place as the de facto console-leader of the generation. But it wasn't originally intended to be such.
Square had a strong relationship with Nintendo at the time. All previous Final Fantasy games had been released on Nintendo consoles. However, Square's vision for a sweeping epic outgrew cartridges. When Nintendo ultimately decided to stick with silicon for the N64, Square had no choice but explore other pastures and decided on the PlayStation, which was a forward-looking console from a hard-charging newcomer in the videogame landscape.
Spanning three discs, Final Fantasy VII was unparalleled, both in size and in scope, for a console RPG. The new medium let Square craft a series of CG-animated cutscenes for which the company is now known for, for better or worse. While the dedicated Final Fantasy audience followed along without question, these cutscenes and other commercialized aspects of the game were responsible for introducing the genre to a whole new audience of gamers. After all, these heroes did not exist as flat sprites in a world of repeating backgrounds and eight-level-deep menus. Hellzapoppin magic effects filled the screen. Characters looked somewhat adult, which dovetailed nicely with Sony's plot to bring games to an audience that had previously dismissed them as playthings.
But Thomsen doesn't buy it, characterizing the sales pitch as nothing short of gimcrack. "It sold a vision of gaming that, for a moment in history, convinced a lot of people that RPG's were more than just Dungeon's & Dragons-style chart-keeping," says Thomsen. "Final Fantasy lured people with the promise that gaming was an action-packed spectacle filled with dozens of hours of razzle-dazzle that outstripped Hollywood."
So then how does Thomsen describe Final Fantasy VII? The hardcore fans that celebrate the game as one of the unshakable greats best skip to the next paragraph. "FFVII was an unholy hybrid of Chuck Norris action, surreal anime, turn-based combat, and an obtuse weapon upgrade system," he snorts.
Tough words. But does Thomsen have a point? So often we get wrapped up in the hype and hope of a game that we force it to fit our expectations. Final Fantasy VII, ripped from Nintendo fans, became both a whip for stinging N64 owners and a cudgel for punishing gamers that owned a Saturn. Admiration can also tip into near-blind reverence with the passage of time, too. Games can take on a life of their own and gather kudos just for being. It's hardly the first game to achieve such status. Last month, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time withstood the same line of questioning.
Narrative or Nonsense?
RPGs -- particularly Japanese RPGs -- often feature fantastic plots and the story of Final Fantasy VII is no exception. Two of the most common praises for the game seen around the Internet are narrative and atmosphere. Final Fantasy VII deviated from the "for king and country" medieval quest and introduced a fantasy/sci-fi/steampunk hybrid world in its place. SEGA's Phantasy Star series occupies this universe, too, as seen in Phantasy Star II for the Genesis, but Final Fantasy VII enjoyed far more play that that franchise, and so it is largely credited with advancing this aesthetic
It isn't just the setting that makes Final Fantasy VII engaging to its fans, though. According to Ryan Clements, associate editor on the IGN PlayStation team, "Final Fantasy VII did one thing better than any of its predecessors: create unbelievable atmosphere. Within the first few hours of the game, the player is taken on a heart-pounding train ride through an impossible city, wanders the slums of a neon-lit town and plots an underground movement in the secret basement of a bar. There's charm at every turn."
The characters, specifically Cloud, Aeris, Cid, and Sephiroth, are credited as being more mature than those in previous games -- and not just in design. Thanks to the expanded medium and the ability to create cutscenes with a soaring soundtrack, Square gave a greater sense of life to the cast of Final Fantasy VII than in previous games with text-driven narration and dialog.
Eduardo Vasconcellos, IGN associate editor, praises the characters. "Cid's quest to be the first man into space, sacrificing all that he's worked for to protect everyone he loves. Yeah, Cloud's kind of a jerk, but when he went nuts and his backstory was explained, that made him easier to sympathize with, and did a solid job explaining why we should consider him a hero. The fact that Sephiroth wasn't exactly a villain -- he was kind of trying to save the world, though it was in his own demented way. It broke the mold of the over-the-top screwball bad guy."
Not everybody agrees with Vasconcellos's sentiments. Colin Moriarty of IGN Guides smacks down the Final Fantasy VII crew with, "Cloud is a useless main character, and his supporting cast is a laughable collection when you consider the casts of Final Fantasy IV and VI."
Well, did you cry?
One of Final Fantasy VII's characters is responsible for what IGN Database editor Meghan Sullivan refers to as "one of the most shocking moments in a video game to date." The death of Aeris at the hands of Sephiroth is a seminal moment for a lot of gamers. It is the first time a game really ripped your heart out. And in the context of the game's narrative, a wide struggle for the control of a planet that touches on everything from genetic manipulation to the destruction of an entire city, it is given an extra degree of weight. Provided you actually enjoy the story in the first place, of course.
Its many twists and turns are the template for future massive plots in the franchise -- but not everybody appreciates what Square was reaching for with Final Fantasy VII.
Thomsen comments, "It lacks narrative cohesion and indulges in the bizarre a little more freely than previous games."
Gameplay Accolades
Final Fantasy VII's gameplay is perhaps more focused than its narrative. The game employs turn-based battles with random encounters like most RPGs released up to this point, although Final Fantasy VII does move at a faster pace due to its active turn-based combat, which means while your main hero is waiting for a turn, other characters are acting. This speeds the battle process, which could be considered a mercy since there are a lot of random battles in Final Fantasy VII.
Limit breaks are also called out as a high point of Final Fantasy VII by many gamers. When you take damage in Final Fantasy VII, your limit bar slowly fills. When the limit bar is completely filled in, you can unleash a massive limit break attack that does a great deal of damage to an enemy. The attack is accompanied by a lengthy animation though, as are summons. If you want to speedily play through Final Fantasy VII, you better steer clear of these moves.
While some critics now point to the limit break and summon systems as something that threw off the balance of the entire game, Vasconcellos loves the battle system. "The battle system is rock solid. Love those limit breaks! Omnislash or bust!" gushes Vasconcellos.
Final Fantasy VII also ushered in the materia system for upgrading weapons and gear. Gamers place materia in slots on items to improve their usefulness. Materia also runs through the game's magic system. Sullivan praises Final Fantasy VII's skill-based materia system, although Moriarty counters with, "I haven't heard the argument yet that convinces me Materia was a better magic system than Espers."
Final Fantasy VII is also notable for the inclusion of a number of minigames, such as chocobo racing. Are these a distraction or something that makes the universe feel fuller? The minigames in Ocarina of Time, such as fishing, are praised for making Hyrule feel like a complete place. Why shouldn't Final Fantasy VII's smaller events deserve the same kudos?
The Legacy
The value of every facet of Final Fantasy VII is open for debate. While the game received almost near universal acclaim in 1997, time is the ultimate decider in determining a game's staying power. Final Fantasy VII was a boffo seller from the get-go and a minor industry of its own, something Sullivan thinks is important to point out.
"The game has sold nearly 10 million copies worldwide since its release in 1997 and has spawned all sorts of prequels, sequels and spin-offs. There's Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, Last Order: Final Fantasy VII, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII and Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode: Final Fantasy VII, and of course Crisis Core. And a snowboarding mini-game," Sullivan explains.
But sales and spin-offs cannot be the only measure of success, particularly when trafficking in the currency of legacy. Lasting impact on a genre is a significant measure, which is certainly something Final Fantasy VII has accomplished -- even if not everybody is exactly happy about its still-powerful ripples.
"It was a clarion call for all those in gaming who thought the medium could be bent towards the cinematic," says Thomsen. "To trace the evolution of the videogame after Final Fantasy VII is to look at an avalanche of games that largely went for broke trying to ape the storytelling conventions of cinema and wedging them incongruously into gameplay segments that were only loosely connected."
Final Fantasy VI
Moriarty also argues that the game is overrated, but he approaches it from the beginning of the series instead of what has come in Final Fantasy VII's berth. "It's far from being the be-all/end-all that so many make it out to be," he said. "It's not even remotely in the list of the best RPGs of all-time, in my opinion, and just about every Final Fantasy game that preceded it is far, far better. Final Fantasy VI, for instance, can easily be classified not only as the best Final Fantasy game, but one of the best RPGs of all-time."
"Perhaps, for hardcore fans like Colin, it would be more appropriate to say that in comparison, Final Fantasy IV and VI are underrated," Clements counters. "There's no doubt that the games are fondly remembered and franchise-favorites according to a vast number of Final Fantasy enthusiasts, but they're often forgotten in favor of the flashier, more groundbreaking seventh iteration."
Moriarty doesn't exactly take such an assessment lying down and believes that gamers without history are responsible for putting Final Fantasy VII in such a vaunted position.
"If Final Fantasy VII was your first RPG, then it's understandable that it would be one of your favorites, since it brought you into such a robust and rich genre for the very first time," says Moriarty.
It's an interesting take and hits on another parallel between Final Fantasy VII and Ocarina of Time. Is Ocarina of Time really the greatest Zelda game? Or is it the greatest Zelda game for players that entered the franchise after the advent of Link to the Past on the Super NES? The same could be very true for Final Fantasy VII.
As before, we turn the last word over to you. Is Final Fantasy VII overrated, as Thomsen and Moriarty suggest? Or do you agree with the assertions of Sullivan, Clements, and Vasconcellos who claim that the game is by no means undeserving of its position in the pantheon. Hit the comments section and tell us what you think. The best arguments will be read on the next episode of the RetroCity podcast and appear in a Final Fantasy VII-themed mailbag on IGN Retro.
