The Shinra Corporation is draining our planet of its life-forces. Cloud Strife, a cold-hearted mercenary, accepts a mission from a group of eco-warriors, unaware that it will lead him on a journey that will change not just his life, but the lives of every soul in the universe... Welcome to Final Fantasy VII - an epic adventure on 3 CDs where sorcery and science collide, where friendships are lost and won and where one man can make a difference that lasts forever!
Well, that's what it says on the back of the box. But you didn't need to come here for me to tell you that, did ya? Besides, games always tell you how good they are, even if they're complete bullshit. So let's look at the facts...
This game is simply the best RPG ever made. Admittedly, the graphics look a little dated compared to Final Fantasy IX and the like, but the storyline is near perfect, and along with balanced gameplay, superb music, and graphics which were top-notch for their time, FFVII is simply a masterpiece.
It begins with a mercenary, Cloud Strife, helping out a group of eco-terrorists known as AVALANCHE. They're fighting the evil megacorporation Shinra, whose Mako Reactors are bleeding the planet of its life energy. Sounds serious? You bet. Barret, the leader of AVALANCHE, plans to destroy the Mako Reactors, to save the world. But of course, they have to be doing this to save the world - it wouldn't make a good RPG if he was just doing it for fun, would it? One of these days, I'd like to see an RPG where the goal of the game is to make a sandwich. Ah well, back to what I was saying.
It starts off simple enough, AVALANCHE fighting Shinra, the obligatory explosions, etc. However, as is to be expected, shit happens and Cloud finds himself getting in the middle of a complicated situation involving the Ancients, a mysterious creature known as Jenova, an ex-Shinra commander known as Sephiroth, and the twisted experiments of Dr. Hojo.
Cloud's memory is sketchy at best, and he frequently gets flashbacks as the game progresses. Piece by piece, the truth of Cloud's past is put together, until the chilling truth is finally revealled. No, I'm not gonna tell you what it is - buy the game and find out yourself! :) Needless to say, the plot is engrossing, and it's one of those games you just can't put down, even if it means losing sleep in the process.
The best bit, in my opinion, is the fact that the game is loaded with secrets. Two secret characters (Vincent Valentine and Yuffie Kisaragi), and to find out what really happened back in Nibelheim, you have to do a lot of searching to find some nifty hidden FMA's. Or you could just breed chocobos, kill monsters, explore strange places...
I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea by now. If you haven't done so already, get a copy of FFVII. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. :)