why be final fantasy vii popular . this question baffle me for a long time . when i play it and i quickly saw it for what it be and a poorly craft and incomplete stain on the record of an otherwise outstanding franchise . so why do others not see what i do . i answer my own question representgameplay represent in this regard and it be a noticeable step down from other game in the series . the selection of playable character be nearly halve . the atb system still function exactly a it do before and with none of the refinement you would expect to see in a game on a more powerful system . the materia system ensure that character be completely interchangeable and adaptable for any task and make the entire party dynamic worthless . so what be there to like about the gameplay . it be easy . people do not care about the gameplay . all they want be to get to the next piece of the . story represent the entire story of ffvii be lay out in a straight line and with nothing resemble a twist along the way . every event progress directly into the next exactly a one would expect . nothing ever happen to make you re examine or change your outlook on the game event . at the end of the game and shinra be still bad and sephiroth be still loony and the party member act the same way and etc . all be exactly a it seem from the beginning . on top of that and the story be incomplete . by the admission of the creator and the game be rush to make it release window and and quite a bit be cut out . much go unexplained that should not . thing the character know be never reveal to the player and which be a tremendous no no in character writing . why be it popular then . for one thing and it be simple enough to follow without any effort at all . good and bad be clearly define and character make ridiculous leap of logic to keep the story progressing and and it avoid make any of the underlying complexity of the scenario vital to understand the outcome . then there the fact that it incompletion have be wrongly perceive a depth . player be not give information that should be give throughout the course of the game and so they decide to make up answer . by discuss their various theory and they form community and reinforce their mass delusion that the game have depth and rather than a simple lack of proper presentation . far disprove the idea that the game be intend to be open end to add depth be the existence of the ffvii ultimania omega book and which be release year later and explain most of the thing the game leave out and make year of theorize utterly moot . character represent another important piece of the puzzle while the character be shallow and show no depth to their personality . each be construct around a very basic personality template and follow it in the most stereotypical manner possible . example represent barrett be a brash and aggressive black guy from the ghetto and cid be an old guy who smoke and swear a lot because he bitter and tifa merely fawn over cloud the entire game and yuffie be hyper and steal stuff and and vincent be a gloomy and depressed guy who doesn not talk about his past . this part be easily explain . fan do not look at their value a character and they look at their value a avatar . they see thing that they can relate to in their personal life and and that endear the character to them and even though the character be merely personality template . on no level be they believable in any way unless you juxtapose your own personality trait onto them . fan do this and turn ridiculously bad character into iconic figure of their own dream of power and adventure . on top of that and fan have mistake their background story for actual personality depth . marketing represent ffvii release mark the first time a video game have be so widely advertise . tv ad show consumer the high quality fmv sequence to really drive home the next gen impact . it make people who have never even play video game before take notice . those newcomer play the game and like it because of the aforementioned reason and as well the flashy graphic and high quality music and and far drive the hype machine . in summary and the game itself be overly simple and have a poorly developed story and shallow character and and make absolutely no significant stride in term of gameplay . around the same time and a largely overlooked game call blood omen deliver a powerful story with not just one and but several of the best twist ever to appear in a video game . it a pity more people do not play that graphically inferior game that be well in every other aspect instead of follow the hype .