When you first played through you thought...

[Aki]

Yeah teh Zack thing confused me a little. I had grasped a general idea of what was happening with the Clone thing. But the internet cleared it up fully, aswel as the Sephiroth/Jenova your following.

I think alot of the translation was messed up and the japanese script may be alot clearer


I couldnt imagine playing VII after watching AC or playing CC. I love how they portraid Zack in CC. As in VII he dosnt really have many lines, and his personality isnt shown clearly

 

[Alessa Gillespie]

I liked Tifa, she was really sweet. And despite my friend berating me about how much of an evil slut she was, I didn't see it. I guess I just wasn't judging her clothes enough...

But I also bought this game in...2002? 2003? Later on when the PS2 was out at least, so the graphics did little to impress me, what with Cloud looking like Popeye and all.

I never got Yuffie, but I went onto a cheat site to see how to recover Vincent and I was obsessed enough to memorize the code to get downstairs. Or was it into his room? I can't even remember anymore. Anyways, I had no clue you could even get Yuffie until 2004 when I saw a guide on how to get her as a character. Lessee, I also sucked in Battle Square so I couldn't get Omnislash, and I was shitty with materia, so I didn't get anything special with that either. Hell, I never even fully challenged Sephiroth of anything. But I still enjoyed the game.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

I couldnt imagine playing VII after watching AC or playing CC. I love how they portraid Zack in CC. As in VII he dosnt really have many lines, and his personality isnt shown clearly

I am just finishing playing FFVII for the first time after watching AC and then playing CC. FFVII does not suffer by comparison. I have enjoyed every minute of it, although, as I'm pressed for time, I use a walkthrough for everything except the optional missions. Even though I knew the story before I started, taking part as it all unfolded has been a delight. Having played CC before FFVII I think might give it some added depth, even, since every reference to Zack has huge resonance.

 

[Loxetta]

The surprise to it all is kind of spoiled though, if you play CC before the original I always have a bit of a feeling of being 'cheated' out of that. Not that it makes the story any less powerful, just I wonder how I would have felt if I hadn't know most of the twists beforehand. Like the Lifestream sequence -- seems like it was made to be a pivotal, dramatic, bizarre plot twist of doom, but to me it was really just a reiteration of what I already knew was coming.

Le suck.

 

[DrakeClawfang]

When I first played through, FF7's plot had no surprises for me. I'd already read all about the plot on the FF Wiki and knew what was coming. So for me it was about seeing if the game lived up to the hype.

In that vein, when I played through the Nibelheim scene, it was my first exposure to Sephiroth in his original title, and for a guy so beloved I had high hopes and high expectations. I played through the scene, up until Cloud finished the story, and my reaction was "that's it?" For supposedly one of his most badass and memorable scenes, the Nibelheim incident didn't do much for me. Prior to FF7 I played FF4, 5, 6, 8 and 9, so as far as I was concerned, destroying a town was a requirement to qualify as a FF villain, but nothing more than a requirement. Sephiroth burning Nibelheim was just another check on the list, and it really didn't impress me. And after that, I spent the rest of Disc 1 chasing him around like "come on, he's the villain, when is he gonna actually *do* something?"

When I played FF7, most of the hype about it being awesome turned out to be pretty true. The only let-down was Sephiroth.

 

[looneymoon]

Oh, like she "took care" of Sephiroth. I see.

Oh yeah. Another thing I remember from my first playthrough was that I thought that Ester the chocobo lady was a robot. Her model just looked like a weird robot to me. I wonder what she looks like in Nomura's art...

Holy shit I thought the same thing about the Ester lady. I actually have trouble imagining her not to be some sort of robot thing.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

When I played FF7, most of the hype about it being awesome turned out to be pretty true. The only let-down was Sephiroth.

I agree.

 

[Neutron Ronnie]

When I first played through, FF7's plot had no surprises for me. ...

And after that, I spent the rest of Disc 1 chasing him around like "come on, he's the villain, when is he gonna actually *do* something?"

I didn't know Sephy-Rot was going to knock Aerith off, so for me it was a pretty nasty surprise... The Nibelheim flashback creeped me out, but Aerith's death really mad me hate him. And I didn't even like her at that point, not one bit.

Perhaps people who knew he was going to kill Aerith just didn't get affected the same way? I never thought of the sicko as a let-down, simply because he made me hate him so much.

And I don't remember Ester as being robot-ish, time to hunt for pictures. Reckon there's any (concept) artwork of her?

 

[DrakeClawfang]

Oh the death scene was still emotional for me, because I'd grown to adore Aeris. Watching my most hated character kill my favorite was a nightmare.

 

[SoulReaper]

The first time playing through I didn't get shit because my English wasn't good enough. (hey I was 13 back then and my English education (as it is not my first language) wasn't too great )

 

[Sephiroth]

The first time I played Final Fantasy VII was a little confusing because I didn't know much about the materias, the weaknesses of the bosses, the secret characters, hidden items, etc. I didn't have the same capacity that I have now so it was a challenging game for me at that time. Now I know all the bosses weaknesses, the items that they carried, how to get the secret characters, etc. It was a good experience playing Final Fantasy VII back then.

 

[Aki]

The Sephiroth scene was epic back in the day, maybe not so much today. But he didnt just burn the village down. He slaughtered the whole village.


Yeh I agree if you played Crisis Core first the Zack referances will get you straight away. As I completely forgot that Arieth talks about him in Midgar and if you have Tifa and Aeirth in your party at Gongaga you get a little scene about Zack. It wasnt until I had played the game over I realised. Tifa's reponce is the best as she dosnt want to admit to Cloud she dosnt remember him.



The Materia system isnt really complex, once you crack it. Its simple and easy. The only thing that gives it draw backs it the ammount of Materia you dont really need. I can complete the game just using the basic Fire, Bolt, Ice, Heal, Ultima, Ememy skill, All, HP + materias. The others are redundent tbh and can never be arsed leveling them

 

[Cat Rage Room]

When I first played through FF7, it was around when it first came out, so I was fresh to the entire experience.

I know people talk about it a lot nowadays, but Aeris' death hit. Big time. Not even the fact that she died, but the presentation. Tifa just breaks down crying and the normally bombastic Barret just puts his hand on Cloud's shoulder. Cloud's breakdown, the fight after that (with the most appropriate music placement in the entire game), and the FMV. Even after that, the game never lets you live down her death, and you're constantly reminded of it every few minutes of the game.

FF7 may not be objectively the best RPG and its not even my own personal number one, but there's quite a few reasons why it has the status it does.

Even now ten years later, when I hear her theme, I get a little sad.

 

[Cat Rage Room]

Come to think of it, I'd pay money for Square to make a next generation version of that entire segment and that segment alone.

 

[Smaddy]

Come to think of it, I'd pay money for Square to make a next generation version of that entire segment and that segment alone.

I wondered why that never happened. It's possibly the most famous movie clip from any game. I thought it would have appeared in AC/C, but it was only very brief. They did revamp the burial scene, though.

 

[Cat Rage Room]

DAMMIT

I'M LISTENING TO SETO'S THEME AND I'M ACTUALLY TEARING UP

I'M A GROWN ASS MAN WHY IS THIS HAPPENING

 

[Makoeyes987]

DAMMIT

I'M LISTENING TO SETO'S THEME AND I'M ACTUALLY TEARING UP

I'M A GROWN ASS MAN WHY IS THIS HAPPENING

I just have this image now of Kenshiro standing in the open open desert with a single tear running down his cheek...

 

[loverofCloud]

i really thought Tseng was dead and i didn't understood a lot of thhngs since some months ago..

 

[Shademp]

I just have this image now of Kenshiro standing in the open open desert with a single tear running down his cheek...

Replace that with instead Bugenhagen crying, then falling from his floating green ball.

I'm trying to think of more thoughts I had the first time I played...
Well, I did NOT suspect that Corel Prison was in fact the remains of the original Corel.
...Or did I?

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

i really thought Tseng was dead and i didn't understood a lot of thhngs since some months ago..

After Tseng dragged himself off to one side in the temple of the Ancients, I had Cloud go up and sort of kick him, and Tseng said "I'm - still alive - " Did everyone get that?

 

[Smaddy]

After Tseng dragged himself off to one side in the temple of the Ancients, I had Cloud go up and sort of kick him, and Tseng said "I'm - still alive - " Did everyone get that?

Many people thought Tseng was dead until FFAC came out, due to Elena saying something to the effect of, "I can't believe you did my boss in like that!" when you run into her at Icicle Village. Makes it sound like he was killed, as opposed to (obviously) the correct meaning of, he got really beat up.

 

[Cat Rage Room]

Yeah, we all got that; the implication however was is that Tseng either died of his wounds later, or got crushed in the Temple.

 

[minimosey]

I thought...

That Aerith would stay in my party and kept her in there all the time and used and leveled her limit breaks a lot.

...Actually, I still do, but the first time made me soooo bitter.

I also didn't really like Tifa because she was "OMG LYING" to Cloud, and then on later playthroughs I got a better understanding of why she didn't talk to him about it.

Other than that, I think I was just both baffled and wowed by the plot. Being...nine or ten.

 

[Splintered]

The first time I played was like.. over a decade ago, though I had watched pieces of the game before hand with my brother playing it. Like everyone else I thought Tseng and Rufus were killed.

Also

I thought the promise land was a real land, and I thought Midgar might have been it because the 500 year later scene where Red runs up and howls, you see a lush and beautiful Midgar. It makes no sense now, but to an 11/12 year old I thought it was the ultimate source of irony that somehow Shinra was already pumping out the Promise Land so much that it made it desolate before it could flourish.

I thought Aerith could have been revived. Not ingame mind you, but I didn't what she really meant by, "I'll be back when this is over" and the "I think I can meet her there."

I thought the Nieblheim incident was seven years ago, not five (When Cloud says something like "hey it's been five years!" and she thinks "Actually it's been seven." Piss poor reading comprehension on my part.

I wondered why that never happened. It's possibly the most famous movie clip from any game. I thought it would have appeared in AC/C, but it was only very brief. They did revamp the burial scene, though.

I think it was intentional though. I mean, Sephiroth's fire scene has been redone in almost every compilation piece, but Aerith was left untouched. I mean, the way it was done before hand was so dramatic, I think everyone would get mad if they changed it up even a little. When her arms dropped to her sides like they instantly lost life, I was like, "Oh damn"

 

[SimplyShady22]

Oh the death scene was still emotional for me, because I'd grown to adore Aeris. Watching my most hated character kill my favorite was a nightmare.

SAME HERE!
I watched someone else play through the full game when I was about 8 or 9 before I actually got to playing it myself. For some reason, Aeris became my favorite character, and I lost it at that scene. Haha I cried for an hour and a half....and I refused to watch the game anytime Sephiroth was in a scene for the entire 2nd disc because I was mad at him.