On That Day Ten Years Ago

On that day, ten years ago, I played Final Fantasy VII for the first time. February 16th, 2001. It was a Friday, and a friend was coming over as he usually did every other weekend, as his father lived next door. This was back when I was a true hardcore gamer, and all I ever did in my spare time was playing video games. Anyway, this particular day, he brought a game none of us had played before. It was called Final Fantasy VII. I had known about the Final Fantasy series for a while, but I just hadn't gotten a chance to play any of the games yet. So, I popped the motherfucker in and started a new game.

I don't remember what my thoughts were during the intro, but when I started playing, I thought it was pretty damn weird. What's with the pokemon like battles? That day, I believe I played up to the elevator inside the first reactor before I dismissed the game as "weird". Then my friend told me that he had reached a boss that he had lost to, and I decided to give the game a new chance the next day, to see if I could beat this boss. And I did. I reached the boss, beat his sorry ass and kept playing until I reached the plate area before Reactor No. 5, where I saved in the early morning hours. Needless to say, I had fallen in love with the game, and during the next week, I would come to realize that this was the best game I had ever played, and this would not change for the next ten year.

Anyway, my first playthrough was not without trouble. Sunday came, I had reached the Train Graveyard and my friend was leaving. With the game. That resulted in a sad Garland. The rest of the evening was just plain torture, as this game was already a drug I was completely addicted to. So after school the other day, I called him up and begged him to lend me the game again, even though it wasn't his. Thankfully, he agreed, and I was a very happy man. The rest of the week was spent playing FFVII until 2 or 3 in the night, even though I had to leave for school at about 8. Thankfully, winter break was coming up, so I would be able to spend the entire next week playing.

However, when I defeated Diamond Weapon the next Saturday, the game froze in the following FMV. This resulted in a very angry Garland, and I tried all the tips and tricks I learned about cleaning game discs, but nothing would work. The video always froze in the exact same frame, when the camera zooms in on Diamond Weapon's face just after the battle. I'll never forget that. However, it would advance a few times, but then it froze when he got shot by the Sister Ray. Of course, this gave me hope, so I kept fighting him over and over, just praying I would be able to get further, but it was all in vain. There was no hope. Since this was a Saturday evening, and all stores are closed on Sundays here in Norway, I had to wait until Monday before I could go buy the game myself. However, none of the stores in my town had the game, so I had to order it. Winter break was ruined.

I had to wait until the next Thursday, March 8th, before I received the package with FFVII and FFVIII Platinum. Then I could finally continue playing, and the next day I reached the final boss for the first time. I remember being very disappointed by reaching the final boss so soon, as I had just started disc 3, and a friend had told me it took 90 hours to beat the game. I had only played for 45. Anyway, after spending an hour beating Bizzaro with two parties, I reached Safer for the first time.... and lost. All I can remember is that Nanaki was the only one standing during Super Nova, and that he got killed by Break. Then I tried again. And again. I believe I needed five or six attempts to beat him, and my winning party was lead by a level 62 Cloud. I don't remember who else I used, but I believe their levels were around 60 as well. The game was beaten, exactly three weeks after I first played it, and I was once again a sad man, as I knew it was all over.

And that's the story of my first time playing through Final Fantasy VII. To sum it up, it still remains my best gaming experience ever, and this is a very important reason why it's still my favorite game. The game certainly has its flaws, and there are several ways in which it could be improved, but the first time experience weights up for that. I've never had that much fun playing a game before or after my first time playing FFVII, and sadly, I don't think I ever will again.

Garland