I'm going to start with a subject that I know has been done to death, but I still wanna touch on anyway: the Squaresoft RPG Final Fantasy VII.
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Final Fantasy VII is a 'love it or hate it' kind of title. And when it came out, I loved it.
The adventures of Cloud and company were my first experience with a fun, free-roaming adventure where I not only didn't feel constrained by the progression of a level-based game, but also felt connected with the characters on an emotional level.
What fascinated me was the work that had gone into making each character their own distinct individual:
*Cloud was 'too-cool-for-school' in that classic 90s way until you dug under the surface to find the vulnerable young man underneath. And yet, even after his vulnerability was revealed, the power of friendship and love brought out even MORE hidden depths and turned him into the hero he always wanted to be.
*Tifa was superficially an Action Girl to rival Lara Croft, but had a much sweeter, more vulnerable personality. And yet she could still kick your ass six ways from Sunday.
*Aeris/Aerith LOOKED like she should have been the sweet vulnerable one, but was more strong-willed, brash, and flirty (and even kind of a homewrecker!). Even so, don't mess with the magic user.
* Barret was the tough guy, inside and out, spouting cliches and oozing Mr. T vibes. But he was also a caring father and a devoted, dedicated activist and friend.
* Red-XIII went without saying...an animal that not only talked, but was more mature and better-spoken than half the cast. Then it was subverted AGAIN when you realized he was still only a teenager.
* Cait Sith. NO ONE believes the cute funny animal mascot could possibly be a traitor to the group's cause. I'd imagine this is why he's so close to the bottom of everyone's totem pole, even though otherwise he's not really that bad a character. They were clearly trying to play with the 'Mog' archetype established in FF6 (if not earlier) and just didn't get the recipe right. But use him as a magic-user after [BIG GIANT SPOILERS] and he still manages to kick all kinds of ass.
* Cid (my favorite character) was a wonderfully outspoken character with a lot of tough-guy attitude and symbols that sprang from his mouth even more commonly than Barret. But under that was a dreamer who'd had his dream ripped away from him. The closest modern analogy I can come up with is Once Upon A Time's Grumpy Dwarf (watch that show! you won't be sorry!). His belief in science and engineering as opposed to magic and Materia was a unique twist on the classic engineers of the Final Fantasy series, and at the same time his weapon, the spear, was as archaic as they come.
* Vincent was the only character where what you saw was what you got...a tormented, anguished soul with secrets and history that were as dark and angsty as they came. But overlaid with that was a well-balanced character who could unleash badassery on a level that in the pre-DMC days had been unparallelled, and of course monster transformations that could make or break a battle depending on what your other characters did around the raw damage-dealing.
* Yuffie gets a lot of flak for being the "Materia thief" and for her superficially bitchy attitude. But under that was a skilled warrior and a dedication to her hometown and its legacy that made even me, who hated her so much when I first played that I actively avoided using her unless I absolutely had to, respect her grudgingly. Now of course she's grown on me, thanks to the development of similar characters in other media, like Jubilee of the X-Men and Vanellope von Schweetz of Wreck-It Ralph, but even back then I saw things in her that made me less hateful than I would have been.
Other than that, I love this game. The gameplay and character customization was amazing, the story was compelling (even if it's cliche now, I still enjoy it as one would enjoy re-reading a beloved fairy tale), the environmentalist message subtle and not overly preachy, and the graphics, while they've aged horribly, were wondrous things back in the PS1 days. (Admittedly, I'd still love an HD remake to bring the visuals and dialogue up to today's standards, but I've resigned myself to never have that see the light of day)
This game was hailed when it came out as "quite possibly the greatest game ever made." And while other games have come and gone, and been excellent in their own right since then, I think this one has more than earned its rank in the annals of RPG history.
So here's to you, FF7, and 15 years of enjoyment. Here's to another 15, and someday a remake that'll bring you back into the present day.
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