Playing FFVII for the first time thread

[Danseru-kun]

And my first main FF game, yeah that's how much of a pitiful existence I am. Turns out my old teammate has a copy of the game and I didn't bother to ask him where he got it. I told myself I'll play this after graduation, but I realized I may not have another chance once I start working.

Anyway 2 hours into the game with no guide:

Died at the first boss
Nice to everyone (I always choose the option that makes Cloud less of a jerk)
Talks to everyone
Meets Aerith, pushes barrels twice (because I thought it may help her)
Already spent 15+ minutes trying to find her house
Crisis Core becomes less awesome every minute

Reaction so far:
I find backgrounds and scenery more beautiful than many new games.

 

[Vendel]

And my first main FF game, yeah that's how much of a pitiful existence I am.

This guy are sick.

 

[Alex Strife]

I'm just amazed someone can be in this forum without having played any main FF game before.

I mean, wow!

Enjoy it, though. I'm sure you will. You have a great road of discovery ahead of you.


(Also, pre-rendered scenarios FTW)

 

[Ite]

Cool! Enjoy! I know that another member on here, CameoAmalthea, is playing through for the first time. She's about ten hours ahead of you, but she's got a great twitter (@NonGamerPlaysSt)

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

I find backgrounds and scenery more beautiful than many new games.

I love those backgrounds with all my heart. They may not be hyper photo-realistic, but they are so full of charm, atmosphere, and a powerful sense of place. (the very things Crisis Core so often lacked, despite its so-called 'superior' graphics). The attention to detail is just phenomenal, even in rooms where Cloud never goes or cannot interaact with anything. Look at all the bedrooms in the hotel in Wall Market. Look at the bathrooms, the rolls of toilet paper, the shower curtains, the shower curtain rings for god's sake, the rugs on the floor; the rows of bottles behind the bars. Look at all the different rooms as you explore Junon. You get the sense that everywhere real human individuals are living out full lives, however briefly those lives may intersect with the party's. Those backgrounds are a huge part of the magic of FFVII - they are both detailed enough to come alive, yet 'unrealistic' enough to leave scope for our imagination. I think the thing I'd hate most about a remake is that new graphics would probably make those places look just like everywhere else in videogameland.

PS Have fun playing!!

 

[RedXIII]

^ so true. I love my memories of the thoughts and feelings i had during the first play through, i'm jealous that you're experiencing this for the first time! enjoy the ride.

 

[Danseru-kun]

10 hours into the game without a guide (nope... I actually consulted how to recruit Vincent and Yuffie faqs)

Picked “(Tifa) is my girlfriend”
The infamous Clerith park date is just 2 minutes long!?
Tied in the squatting contest
Just got a silk dress and tiara
I wasn’t able to enter Honey Bee Inn…. I suck
All the stuff about Don Corneo and his mansion- is this game really for kids?
Don picked Tifa, I went into a room of zombie rapists
Reno’s pyramids killed me at the first try
Awesome Tseng bitchslapping (which I don’t get why he did at the first place)
When Marlene told me that Aerith likes me I picked “I hope so.”
Breaks into Shinra Headquarters, took the stairs. My reaction is the same as my characters.
Sucked at sneaking, guards caught me every time. Had to fight them over and over. If I can't do it, then Tifa or Barret should have tried it themselves at least damn lazy pals.
I want to be a Shinra building employee too assuming that nothing will happen and no one's evil. I'm a nap person and I love the nap room.
Flushed the toilet... nothing happened.
RedXIII biting Hojo looked like raep. Stupid dog, didn't kill him when he had a chance.
Fought the elevator bosses without materia because then get killed by Rufus. Repeated the long talk about the old man impaled by a sword and had to hear the ginger guy's speech again- but this time I equipped materia... but it left Cloud with nothing except Restore. I was targeting Rufus at first but his dog is so annoying I had to kill it first.
Highway motorchase is so fun and cute. Gives me nostalgic feelings of Chocobo racing.
Cloud's Nibelheim flashback gives me nostalgic feelings of Crisis Core (LOL reverse)
So... the whole Nibelheim massacre happened when Zack was asleep?
LOL Tifa playing along the story
Got killed by the giant snake in the marsh because I didn't have the sword of Gryffindor
LOL at Turks climbing vines *flashbacks of Tarzan*
Stopped at Fort Condor and agreed to the mission
Now in the forest of death looking for Yuffie

So far my favorite party is Clerifa but since I don't want others left behind so I'm using Barret and Red XIII everytime the others gain a level. I equipped Tifa with Steal and Ice so far and Aerith with Earth and Lightning. Cloud has Fire and the Chocobo summon. I had other materia but I forgot where they are equipped.

Reaction so far:

Hard to stop playing. I can't believe anyone who cannot enjoy this because of the graphics. This is probably one of the most fun games I played for a while.

I'm reserving my thoughts about the LTD until I finish this.

*goes back playing*

 

[Ryushikaze]

10 hours into the game without a guide (nope... I actually consulted how to recruit Vincent and Yuffie faqs)

Picked “(Tifa) is my girlfriend”
The infamous Clerith park date is just 2 minutes long!?

Yep, 2 minutes, including talking about the boyfriend.

Tied in the squatting contest
Just got a silk dress and tiara
I wasn’t able to enter Honey Bee Inn…. I suck
All the stuff about Don Corneo and his mansion- is this game really for kids?
Don picked Tifa, I went into a room of zombie rapists

Yep. If he picks Aerith, Tifa takes those guys out all on your own. Amusing note- for affection mechanic purposes, telling Tifa you need to rescue Aerith is the choice that improves her opinion of you.

Reno’s pyramids killed me at the first try
Awesome Tseng bitchslapping (which I don’t get why he did at the first place)

To make it convincing

When Marlene told me that Aerith likes me I picked “I hope so.”
Breaks into Shinra Headquarters, took the stairs. My reaction is the same as my characters.

You get a spiffy item out of it. You can also get an even better one if you do it again when you get the ability to come back.

Sucked at sneaking, guards caught me every time. Had to fight them over and over. If I can't do it, then Tifa or Barret should have tried it themselves at least damn lazy pals.
I want to be a Shinra building employee too assuming that nothing will happen and no one's evil. I'm a nap person and I love the nap room.
Flushed the toilet... nothing happened.

I think it was just the idea of having a flushable toilet that amused the creators.

RedXIII biting Hojo looked like raep. Stupid dog, didn't kill him when he had a chance.
Fought the elevator bosses without materia because then get killed by Rufus. Repeated the long talk about the old man impaled by a sword and had to hear the ginger guy's speech again- but this time I equipped materia... but it left Cloud with nothing except Restore.

You can transfer materia between the fight, but it's not well explained that you can.

I was targeting Rufus at first but his dog is so annoying I had to kill it first.
Highway motorchase is so fun and cute. Gives me nostalgic feelings of Chocobo racing.
Cloud's Nibelheim flashback gives me nostalgic feelings of Crisis Core (LOL reverse)
So... the whole Nibelheim massacre happened when Zack was asleep?

Not quite. The version Cloud tells is a mix of his own and Zack's positions.

LOL Tifa playing along the story
Got killed by the giant snake in the marsh because I didn't have the sword of Gryffindor

Chocobos are the sword of Gryffindor? That's so much cooler than what it really is.

LOL at Turks climbing vines *flashbacks of Tarzan*
Stopped at Fort Condor and agreed to the mission
Now in the forest of death looking for Yuffie

So far my favorite party is Clerifa but since I don't want others left behind so I'm using Barret and Red XIII everytime the others gain a level. I equipped Tifa with Steal and Ice so far and Aerith with Earth and Lightning. Cloud has Fire and the Chocobo summon. I had other materia but I forgot where they are equipped.

Reaction so far:

Hard to stop playing. I can't believe anyone who cannot enjoy this because of the graphics. This is probably one of the most fun games I played for a while.

I'm reserving my thoughts about the LTD until I finish this.

*goes back playing*

Enjoy.

 

[Ghost X]

I have no idea what the game is rated in Japan, but this is Japan. As far as I understand, I think almost anything is allowed for kids (exaggerations apply).

 

[Selphie Tilmitt]

Glad you're enjoying it so far

Clerifa is my favourite team too. Cloud limit + Tifa Limit Chain + Fury Brand + Cloud limit + Tifa limit chain awww yeeah

I think the scene with Cloud and Aerith in the park is cute, taking a break, asking/finding out a bit more about each other

 

[Octo]

To second the thing about the pre-rendered backdrops - I totally agree. Its mad how a backdrop you only have very limited interaction with can still seem so much more realistic and immersive than say....something like Elder Scrolls, where you can interact with everything, and stockpile identical pieces of cheese in your basement until you crash the game

I'm not saying Elder Scrolls is bad, just that I don't think we're at that stage yet where game enviroments feel truly realistic and not like a bunch of props and cardboard cutouts.

 

[Lex]

The problem for me in games these days is knowing there's an end to what's visible. Somehow that feeling was avoided in FF7, and I can't work out whether that's because I've grown up or they did a really good job at making the world feel alive.

 

[Flintlock]

How did you manage to die against the first boss?

 

[Ryushikaze]

Attack while the tail's up!

I mean, seems obvious to me.

 

[Lex]

Perhaps attacking while the tails up? The bad translation never really makes that too clear XD

 

[Alex Strife]

 

[Flintlock]

That's what I assumed, but I've done that plenty of times and never once managed to die.

 

[Danseru-kun]

Attack while the tail's up!

I mean, seems obvious to me.

Did it

I still hadn't grasped the battle system at that time and I was used to turn based strategies so the pacing kinda made me panic. I attacked like crazy the moment my CP(or CT I forgot) fills up then I died.

That's what I assumed, but I've done that plenty of times and never once managed to die.

Then I must have done a rare achievement

 

[Danseru-kun]

Fort Condor extorted around 8000 gil from me, that's what happens when you try to help people. Now broke and farming gil in the forest.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

Fort Condor extorted around 8000 gil from me, that's what happens when you try to help people. Now broke and farming gil in the forest.

You can earn a fortune while looking for Yuffie.

 

[Danseru-kun]

You can earn a fortune while looking for Yuffie.

I spent on them the fortune I earned looking for Yuffie.

 

[Ghost X]

In my last playthrough, I didn't bother using the guide for Yuffie, so I forgot the right answers. She ran away from me a fair lot .

 

[Lex]

That's one of the many reasons I never ever bother with Fort Condor until you actually have to do it later in the story, and even then I don't play it properly. I usually visit to stock up and sleep for free on my way to Junon, but other than that I really don't like the place.

 

[Danseru-kun]

@ Ghost X
I don't like Yuffie that much to have patience recruiting her so I looked for the fastest way possible.

Right now I'm getting sad that I'll lose Aerith since she's really a great party member as a healer.

 

[Fangu]

That's what I hate about Fort Condor. When I got there the first time I felt the game was sort of telling me 'you are the hero and you must rescue these people!' It all pointed towards Fort Condor, and so far in the game the train of actions where like this: Arrive at new place, do stuff, fight some boss, move on. So when I got to Fort Condor I assumed this was the next Thing To Do. When I learned you can skip the whole thing for a long time I felt cheated. How was I supposed tofuckingknow, I was on Krete on my PSP and didn't have access to the Internet. I was playing this shit old style, like when I was on my 8-bit Nintendo and all I had for help was the Nintendo Magazine which came out once a month. (I wasn't allowed to call the help lines, too expensive.)