Misty
I'm the TRASH MAN! I eat GAHBAGE!
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2005
- Messages
- 5,220
- Reaction score
- 109
Just completed this game a few days ago. Definitely an amazing game - it truly shines as an example of what RPGs used to be. Great characters, good battle system, good story, great villain, superb graphics for the SNES, great soundtrack, and some great battles.
That said, the game's not perfect. The plot's good, but it's very simple in and of itself - there's quite a bit of backstory to each character, but that's rarely truly relevant to the plot. Further, the game is EASY - the only bosses I had problems with were Atma Weapon, Poltergeist, and Kefka. That's not really a problem for me - I like my RPGs easy, lest a too-hard battle break up the story and hurt the experience - but a bit of challenge here and there would be nice. Particularly when I started building my collection of uber-equips in the World of Ruin - it became apparent that FFVI has no real superbosses, like Ruby and Emerald Weapon in FFVII, or Ozma in FFIX. Sure, there's stuff like Death Gaze and the dragons, but those aren't much more difficult than any other boss.
Then there are the characters. As I said, they're good - but they're also a bit cliched. Of course, as this is an SNES game, the cliches probably weren't as bad then, but playing it now gives you a "been there, done that" feeling.
Okay, now for the question that so many people ask - FFVI or FFVII? Having played both long after the hype is gone, I've made some opinions about both.
Gameplay - Honestly? Pretty even. Both games are easy, both games have interesting but non-obtrusive battle systems, and both games don't really have you do much outside of battle.
Graphics - This is a tough one. For an SNES game, FFVI is beautiful. For a PS game, FFVII is pretty ugly. However, FFVII has the FMV factor - yes, that's part of graphics... in the end, I don't really care about graphics, and both are graphically well-done enough to convey what they want. It's so up to opinion that it's impossible to make a fair comparison.
Story - Here's where I can make a choice. FFVII. Both games have incredible amounts of backstory, probably encompassing books of writing. But the way it comes together in FFVII is much different from the way it comes together in FFVI - in FFVI, every character's backstory is simply in a void, aside from occasional simple references to the main plot. In FFVII, on the other hand, the backstories of Tifa, Cloud, Aeris, Barret, and Sephiroth mix to create an amazingly detailed plot to go along with the backstory. Yeah, FFVII still has some "extraneous" characters, but the point is that the story is more complex and interesting.
Soundtrack - Okay, this comes to opinion again. FFVII's track includes some spectacular bits, including the coup de grace, One Winged Angel. On the other hand, it includes some absolutely annoying themes(Barret's theme comes to mind). FFVI's soundtrack, on the other hand, contains pretty much all good-great themes - nothing's particularly bad, but nothing is on the level of OWA, either. Now, if you're a soundtrack whore like I am, bad tracks aren't really important - you want the good tracks, and hence that's why I prefer FFVII. On the other hand, as it relates to the game, FFVI has the superior soundtrack.
Characters - Okay, this is a doozy. FFVI has 12 well-developed heroes, some great villains, and some good side characters. FFVII has 5-6 great main characters, and Sephiroth. The question is - quality or quantity? Sephiroth, I think, is a superior villain to the Emperor and Kefka - simply because Sephiroth felt like he had a real purpose. Kefka's backstory was "He went insane, killed people, and died." Sephiroth, on the other hand, has a deep backstory that I won't even both summarizing.
For the main characters... admittedly I never really developed an attachment to the FFVII cast. FFVI's vast array of characters means that it's pretty easy to find a set you like. On the other hand, Terra is the only FFVI character with any real development - everyone else has fairly simplistic backstories. FFVII's cast has a lot of backstory - even the irrelevant characters like Cait Sith and Yuffie. On the other hand, a lot of that backstory is hidden away in sidequests >.> Anyway - I'm going to waffle out of this and not make a decision here. But suffice to say you can make a good decision on this by playing the games.
So my final decision? FFVII. All else being equal - and it may as well be - FFVII has the much superior story, and that's important in an RPG. Therefore, it gets the nod from me.
That said, the game's not perfect. The plot's good, but it's very simple in and of itself - there's quite a bit of backstory to each character, but that's rarely truly relevant to the plot. Further, the game is EASY - the only bosses I had problems with were Atma Weapon, Poltergeist, and Kefka. That's not really a problem for me - I like my RPGs easy, lest a too-hard battle break up the story and hurt the experience - but a bit of challenge here and there would be nice. Particularly when I started building my collection of uber-equips in the World of Ruin - it became apparent that FFVI has no real superbosses, like Ruby and Emerald Weapon in FFVII, or Ozma in FFIX. Sure, there's stuff like Death Gaze and the dragons, but those aren't much more difficult than any other boss.
Then there are the characters. As I said, they're good - but they're also a bit cliched. Of course, as this is an SNES game, the cliches probably weren't as bad then, but playing it now gives you a "been there, done that" feeling.
Okay, now for the question that so many people ask - FFVI or FFVII? Having played both long after the hype is gone, I've made some opinions about both.
Gameplay - Honestly? Pretty even. Both games are easy, both games have interesting but non-obtrusive battle systems, and both games don't really have you do much outside of battle.
Graphics - This is a tough one. For an SNES game, FFVI is beautiful. For a PS game, FFVII is pretty ugly. However, FFVII has the FMV factor - yes, that's part of graphics... in the end, I don't really care about graphics, and both are graphically well-done enough to convey what they want. It's so up to opinion that it's impossible to make a fair comparison.
Story - Here's where I can make a choice. FFVII. Both games have incredible amounts of backstory, probably encompassing books of writing. But the way it comes together in FFVII is much different from the way it comes together in FFVI - in FFVI, every character's backstory is simply in a void, aside from occasional simple references to the main plot. In FFVII, on the other hand, the backstories of Tifa, Cloud, Aeris, Barret, and Sephiroth mix to create an amazingly detailed plot to go along with the backstory. Yeah, FFVII still has some "extraneous" characters, but the point is that the story is more complex and interesting.
Soundtrack - Okay, this comes to opinion again. FFVII's track includes some spectacular bits, including the coup de grace, One Winged Angel. On the other hand, it includes some absolutely annoying themes(Barret's theme comes to mind). FFVI's soundtrack, on the other hand, contains pretty much all good-great themes - nothing's particularly bad, but nothing is on the level of OWA, either. Now, if you're a soundtrack whore like I am, bad tracks aren't really important - you want the good tracks, and hence that's why I prefer FFVII. On the other hand, as it relates to the game, FFVI has the superior soundtrack.
Characters - Okay, this is a doozy. FFVI has 12 well-developed heroes, some great villains, and some good side characters. FFVII has 5-6 great main characters, and Sephiroth. The question is - quality or quantity? Sephiroth, I think, is a superior villain to the Emperor and Kefka - simply because Sephiroth felt like he had a real purpose. Kefka's backstory was "He went insane, killed people, and died." Sephiroth, on the other hand, has a deep backstory that I won't even both summarizing.
For the main characters... admittedly I never really developed an attachment to the FFVII cast. FFVI's vast array of characters means that it's pretty easy to find a set you like. On the other hand, Terra is the only FFVI character with any real development - everyone else has fairly simplistic backstories. FFVII's cast has a lot of backstory - even the irrelevant characters like Cait Sith and Yuffie. On the other hand, a lot of that backstory is hidden away in sidequests >.> Anyway - I'm going to waffle out of this and not make a decision here. But suffice to say you can make a good decision on this by playing the games.
So my final decision? FFVII. All else being equal - and it may as well be - FFVII has the much superior story, and that's important in an RPG. Therefore, it gets the nod from me.
