I wanted to like this game, I really did. Cloud was my favorite character in smash 4, and I wanted to know a bit more about my main. But honestly, I just can't get behind the hype. First off, this just isn't a great port, having to make a square enix account and go through their launcher while staying online at all times. Granted, if that was the only problem I wouldn't be too upset, so I'll just put the rest of my complaints as a list.

1. Compared to other games from the same era, the graphics are atrocious. The difference between the roblox character models and the hand drawn backgrounds honestly made me nauseous.
2. Party roles are not well defined. Perhaps others would like having flexibility, but when I look at Cloud, Tifa, and Barret I have no idea who the mage, damage dealer, tank, or healer is.
3. Too many flipping characters. It's a problem in a lot of rpg's, but you've leveled your 3 characters every character after that is an extra. They'll inevitably be underleveled compared to your main party, and their strengths aren't well defined enough to justify changing.
4. The tone. The game starts out as a grim fantasy, but then it tries to be all happy and fun with crossdressing, Cait Sith, chocobo races. The shift is a bit jarring.
5. Lack of direction. After you lead Midgar you're left with very little idea what to do or why. You can kind of find the plot by wandering around for a bit, but it's more than a little tedious.

I'm sure someone else would like this game, but honestly it just doesn't live up to the hype. Hopefully I'll be happy when I get the chance to play the remake, but until then I'd just recommend FF9 for anyone who wants their fantasy jrpg fix.

I wanted to try an old school rpg, so I bought FF7. With it's downer tone, lack of direction, and weird systems (not to mention that you have to make a square enix account and be online at all times) I gave up on the most popular rpg of that era, and decided that perhaps the Final Fantasy Series wasn't for me.

Then a friend bought me this game, and I love it. It has an upbeat and fun tone while still keeping a serious story, all of the characters are fun and unique while still having clear roles to fill, and it gives you clear directions for where to go without feeling like it's railroading. If anyone ever asks me for an rpg recommendation, this is always the first game I point them to.