Happy Birthday Final Fantasy VII

It's funny how time flies so fast in the gaming world - last week we celebrated Street Fighter's 25th birthday. Today, we celebrate the monumental 15th birthday of Final Fantasy VII.

Back in 1998, transitioning from the Family Computer and the Game Gear onto the Playstation console for me at that time was a big step. Everything was new; the games are on CDs now, the controller is comfortable to hold, and the graphics were awesome! As a new PS gamer, I rarely knew any cool and exciting games to get me started. It was then that my Grade 6 classmate introduced me to FFVII.

It was my first time to play an RPG, and it was a game I have never heard of before. What was the story of Final Fantasy? How does this game work? Will I get to enjoy and finish it? Those were the initial questions that crossed my mind since I was used to action genres. But once I plugged that first disc (3 discs!!!) on my PS1, the rest, was history.

FFVIIs intro caught me right away - graphics-wise, this was the bomb during its time. You're introduced to Cloud, the main protagonist, alongside his childhood friend Tifa, the leader of Avalanche Barret, and its other members Biggs, Wedge, and Jesse. You later of course get to be introduced to the other main cast of characters that you would control through the course of the game; Yuffie, Cid, Vincent, Cait Sith, Red XIII, and Aeris. Later on you were introduced to the antagonists; Shinra Corp., and the main bad guy, Sephiroth, a badass looking of a villain that side of Nibelheim.

<Insert comment here> lol

The story focuses on your band of heroes saving the world from a major threat that could mean the planet's destruction. There were a lot issues that FFVII tackled which made the story even deeper; the relationship of man and the environment, the searching for one's identity and purpose, family / relational issues, forgiveness, love. As a kid back then, it was nice that Squaresoft (Square Enix today) developed such a rich story which significantly impacted me a lot while growing up.

Being as this was my first RPG, I had to learn the ropes about the Active Time Battle sequences, how to develop Materia and setup combinations, Chocobo breeding, and inventory / item management. It was pure hands on experimentation for me to get to know and become knowledgeable of the game. What also kept my hands fully entertained to the game was the side quests, mini games (hello Gold Saucer) and "ultimate" bosses (hipster Ruby and Emerald was cool before Pokemon came in lol) that I needed to explore!

Of course, I was not alone on this adventure. At school, we would exchange ideas and techniques on how to defeat certain bosses and materia combinations. If we were stuck in a particular part of the story, there was always someone from my class who was willing to lend a hand as well. I remember we would also go to a friends house to play our separate saved games and compare notes.

Overall, and after playing the game 20 times or more, my experience with FFVII was awesome! In a time when gaming was still in its budding stages, this definitely stood out from the pack. Because of its phenomenal success, FFVII expanded to several other gaming titles (Dirge of Cerberus to name a few), a CGI movie (Advent Children!) and a deeply-rooted loyal fan base. I'd like to thank Square Enix for developing a gem worth keeping and remembering. Thanks for the memories. Thanks for the fantasy adventure. Happy birthday Final Fantasy VII! Knights of the Round!



My PSN ID is NinjaKabute. You can also follow me on Twitter to get the latest updates on my blog, PS3 news, manga, the NBA, photography, or just my gaming experience cramped up in 140 characters.