I have never in my 15+ years of gaming played a game that was as riveting, complex and addictive as Final Fantasy VII. Despite the chibi-avatars and boxy graphics inherent in the visual capabilities of the mid- to late-1990s (The game debuted in 1997 on PC and PS), I was utterly and completely sucked into this world after the first half hour of playing.

Through one of the most complicated plots I’ve ever seen, I ended up fighting to save the planet from evil in the form of ancient alien life, an elite and almost omnipotent ex-soldier on a homicidal rampage with a psychotic twist, and a giant asteroid on a crash course for Gaia, all while discovering that I (Cloud) wasn’t who I thought I was. Oh, and did I mention the hibernating vampire, Mr. T. look-alike, and cross-dressing sidequests?

Despite the fact that I had to play through the game twice and watch the Before Crisis and Advent Children movies about three times each before I fully understood what the heck was going on, I strongly recommend this game if you’re an RPG fan. It’s not that I found the battle system to be incredibly intuitive or the gameplay to be uber smooth; I simply fell in love with the characters and got wrapped up in their stories.

Yes, Cloud is an angst-queen unto his own and yes, there were times I wanted to smack him and scream “Just smile, dammit!” But after all the mako-poisoning, friends dying and mind-altering experiments done on him, I gotta give the guy a break and admit that he’s the best fighter in the game and has a good head on his shoulders. And it’s a good thing, too, ’cause he’s going up against Sephiroth, the ultimate warrior who unfortunately (because of his connections with a mad scientist and an alien) has become a maniacal killer out to destroy the world. Oh yeah, and he’s got a head of hair on him that’d make even Pantene swoon.

Of course, I can’t forget the rest of the crew: ethereal Aeris, the sweetheart who is the last of her magical and ancient kind; buxom and brave Tifa, a martial arts expert who will stop at nothing to help Cloud despite her unrequited love for him; cantankerous Cid, the old pilot who has a space rocket perched precariously against his house and always acts like there’s a fifth of bourbon in him; strong but sensitive Barret, who is so badass he’s got a machine gun for a right arm; sage Red XIII, the wolf-like beast with earthly wisdom and one hell of a Mohawk; the ever-mysterious Vincent, a campire who never talks more than a few words at a time and might just be the lover of the ultimate bad guy’s mother; hyperactive Yuffie, who’s a bit of a klepto but is fighting for her pride as a Wutai ninja; and the suspicious Cait Sith, a black and white cat with a megaphone who rides on the back of a magically animated stuffed Mog and who may or may not be a double spy from Shinra. And those are just the playable characters!

Take all of these and throw them into a plot in which who and what is bad and good gets thrown on its head over and over until you felt as confused as a chocobo on some bad greens. But something about Cloud’s quest, about unraveling the cause of Sephiroth’s turn to evil and insanity, spurned me on. I absolutely HAD to finish this game. Though, with all the sidequests and minigames, it did take me more than 120 hours — but damn if it wasn’t the best 120 hours of a game, ever.

Don’t let all this talk of murder and mayhem scare you off: Final Fantasy VII would be a great game for ages 10 and up, though I doubt anyone under 14 would have the attention span to sit through it. I didn’t find it to be gory or bloody despite all the monster-slaying, probably because of the limited graphics capabilities in comparison to what we’ve got today. And if soundtracks are as important to you as there are to me, then you’ve gotta check this game out. My favorite song was One Winged Angel — Sephiroth’s theme. Played in-game, the music is only alright, mainly because it’s got the quality of a midi file and sounds really synthesized. But getting to hear the songs performed by an orchestra was mind-blowing: I definitely recommend it.

All I have to say is thank god this game is so prolific! Without all the prequels and sequels (Advent Children, Before Crisis, Crisis Core, Dirge of Cerberus), I’d never be able to keep my addiction going strong. And it’s not like there wasn’t a moral in the game: No matter what the reason for evil, you can try talking and reasoning with it all you want, but in the end, you’re always going to have to beat it into oblivion.

Sage advice, dear gamers. Sage advice.