Final Fantasy VII Game Strategy Guide

Final Fantasy started off on smaller consoles like nintendo and the likes, moving up slowly, gradually, until finally it reached the Playstation with it's seventh installment, Final Fantasy VII.

Most possibly the best rpg of all time according to online voters on the gamefaqs community. It is on the top of lists almost anywhere you look where rpgs are in regard.

Final Fantasy VII is incomparable to any other game of its kind, and even its siblings, FFVI and FFVIII cannot match up to it's true, unique, original splendour.

The story is unique, a dark side to all rpgs, with twists and turns you would never be able to guess, never be able to grasp. Even playing through a few times you can find new and exciting things that you had never expected before.

The characters are deep and able to elicit feelings and sympathy from the players.

So what's in the stragedy guide you say?

Well, in reflection to the game itself, the layout of the guide is also sort of dark. Dark colours, high-quality glossy pages, in-depth step by step walkthrough.

There will be pages that are marked, "Waltkrough" and others will be marked with their relevant headings such as sub-games/mini-games and so forth.

There's a glossary of all the monsters in the back, with information of their HP, MP, items you can steal, their weaknesses, their strengths and any other relevant information that the player needs.

Bosses and common monsters are all included - every monster is present in every form - in case they change forms during the course of the game and storyline.

There's many pictures of Cloud and co from the actual game in the form of cutscenes or screenshots or fmv scenes. The layout is very stylish and gives it the classic FFVII feeling. The pages are like slippery like magazine paper but thicker and easier to grip.

Depending on what version you lay your hands on, the front cover will be white or, consequently a little different, but the final fantasy 7 logo will always be present.

The picture for this current review is wrong, it's supposed to be something else. In fact, final fantasy 7's logo is final fantasy vii written in the middle, with a turqoise meteor falling with a long tail behind it.

The stragedy guide is very easy to follow, easy to read, but sometimes you may get lost because the actual game's locations can be hard to find, and you won't sometimes know where exactly it means. But you will find it after a few trial and error sessions.

The explanations are the best that any japanese game has ever had, so that's a big plus in my book.

The storyline is, to some extent revealed when you look through the stragedy guide, which is a shame because it is a spectacular story and you should venture to find out the storyline yourself instead of reading it in the guide.

I had finished the game when I got the guide, to go over things I'd missed, so I found out a dozen things that I hadn't known before, and things that you could only find out through someone else's help or the guide.

For example:

Code sequence orders, like in the rocket mission

How to successfully win chocobo races

How to successfully breed the golden chocobo, or acquire it otherwise

Hidden locations of materia (magic stones), and how to get there,

Secret islands that you cannot detect on your game-map.

Secrets about alternate consequences of actions: i.e. if you take something from a drawer at one point of the game, or later - and what the results of this are.

Or if you manage to rescue the town of Corel from a train disaster or fail - has different consequences, and these are mapped out in the walkthrough to help you be aware, and find out what you want to do.

Certain actions in this game, certain items and tasks can only be performed at a certain time in the storyline for example if you pass Disc 2 you cannot do such and such, if you pass Disc 1 you cannot meet so and so, or such and such will be distroyed by Disc 3.

That kind of thing is explained in the guide, which gives insight to second-time players who played it alone the first time.

I recommend this guide to second-time players, and those who are first time players and like surprises, you should play the game on your own first, and then with the guide, it's more interesting and rewarding that way to see what you could do yourself and what you did with help.

Of course if you feel comfortable knowing most of it first and then playing it, that's your choice --- either way, the stragedy guide is a wonderful companion on your way to make the best rpg gaming experience - Final Fantasy VII.

As far as I know I bought this guide for around £14 - it will probably be available in good gaming stores like GameStation, GAME or other such outlets second-hand and for around about £10-£12.

It's quite a thick book, and A4 size and an honour to own for any ardent Final Fantasy fans around. People new to this rpg franchise can of course also enjoy it, because it really is for the unexperienced, newcomer who needs guidance, hence, its called a Stragedy "Guide".

Experienced players will definitely enjoy the layout, the way things are displayed, written and explained. The pictures are eye-candy, and some of them are not easily available even online.

A 10/10 overall. Great, Legendary stuff.