Finally Fantastic.

Final Fantasy VII.Three words.A myriad of memories.It all started ,like all good console game stories do,with the purchase of the game.i had just recently purchased a PSOne and was bored of Tekken 3 and Brian Lara Cricket 99.During those days of ’99,i never had access to uber cool sites like Gamespot or Game Revolution.However i had Joshua.An awesome buddy of mine ,who was the connoisseur of gaming.He suggested it to me.

Without a second thought i was hell bent on finding it. Being the newb i was then,i scoured the lamest software haunts such as Continent and GeeKay HiFi( which was kind of lame back then). My search was fruitless.Till i decided to check out my local TOYS “R” US. A quick search soon yeilded me a copy of the game i was waiting for.

A greatest hits platinum edition of Final Fantasy VII.The first thing that struck me was the cover.White background ,sharp black font and an awesome green meteor design.Pure drool worthiness.

It took me a good four years to actually finish the game.Four years checkered with school work,memory card erases and a subsequent switch to the PC version of the game.

More often than not ,you hear someone say that its not the destination that counts,but the journey that makes it worthwhile.The game epitomizes this concept.From the classic opening sequence to the very last spectacular boss battle,you faced an experience worth a thousand lives.Gaming nirvana at its best.

It made me laugh (a section where you’re to dress your hero like a floozy to enter a whore house.It gets funnier the moment the guys want you to gratify them),made me cry (death of Aeris at the end of disc 1),made me introspect (when Cloud Strife finds out that he was a failed clone of Sephiroth,the game’s villain) and made me stare awestruck of the marvellous cutscenes(such as AVALANCHE’s escape from Midgar).

Most of all,it had a story that would put all the works of Shakespeare, JK Rowling,Terry Prachett and Tolkien to shame.Extremely well written and executed.Not to mention that the characters are so memorable that i know their names and tend to forget those of the people around me.Characters i actually cared about.

Those were some of my favorite gaming years ever. There were days where i would hardly get sleep and not realize.It had me hooked.

All said and done,it lacked something.A concrete ending,a scenario that would tie up all the loose ends of this epic story of love,life,solitude,death,peace and war was lacking.To say the least,the ending was by all means,ambiguous.Does life continue on the Planet or doesn’t it?

Nevertheless,all those questions and much more have been answered,in stunningly brilliant detail.It’s now 30th November 2005,i’ve stumbled upon Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.The CGI film sequel to the game that left me spellbound.i was sceptical,could an hour and a half worth of fancy images be able to portray the essence of a masterpiece?It was a tough act to follow.

Oh my it followed well.The fight scenes were jaw droppingly good,the graphics made me wet my keyboard several times over and the story proceeded with ease.Infact it was a solid sequel,worthy of the game.

Plotwise it progressed decently,helped by some of the most subconsious stickable music ever.Heck,it’s everything an FF Fanboy could hope for and want.

However the icing on the cake ,is the juxtaposition of themes.Cloud’s inner conflict,his battle with the dreaded geo stigma,his feelings for Aeris and Tifa,his inability to save the world.His need for friendship,love,solitude and his success over all odds come together in this rivetting tale of Advent Children.

Though some more screen time of the other characters would’ve been nice,it ended the series on an impressive note.No more would you worry if Cloud and gang have a happy ending.Neither will you worry if Shinra Corporation go back to their evil ways nor will you even dream of Aeris making a comeback (though i know most of you would anyway).Everything ends as it should.In happiness.

Like always,the journey getting there was outstanding.The insanely well choreographed fight scenes would make Kung-fu Hustle and the Matrix trilogy sit in a corner and cry like hormonal teenage girls who were told that Harry Potter is a faggot.

Graphically,it looks as realistic as it would be if done with actors.My mom was under the impression i was watching a movie with real live actors when she walked in.No scene in movie history could beat Cloud and gang defeat Bahamut,the baddest summon monster in ANY Final Fantasy game or movie.My eyes are still stuck to the screen ,wading in my drool next to my tongue.

All in all a must watch.It puts an end to all doubts.And unfortunately ,brings this series to a close.Unless Square-Enix decides to make a game for the PS3 (if you’re working in Square-Enix and read this,DO SOMETHING!!!).

Excuse me,while i hunt out my copy of the game…this is one bit of nostalgia worth reliving.

Now Listening To: Foo Fighters-Come Back