Final Fantasy VII is one of my all time favorite games, and one of the original PlayStation’s classics. Now, it’s available in a new PC version with some minor upgrades and compatibility optimizations for modern hardware. I had to dive in and give it a shot.

Final Fantasy VIIThe game is pretty much as you remember it. The textures and models seem considerably sharper to me, probably due to the higher resolution, allowing me to make out details I missed on the PSX back in 1997. I play at a 1440×900 resolution which leaves me with black bars on the left and right side of the screen, which is annoying but not as bad as it would be if they’d stretched the image. I would have preferred a true widescreen picture but that wasn’t to be. The game supports the keyboard but let’s be honest: it’s designed for a gamepad. I recommend something like Logitech’s old Rumble Pad 2, due to it’s close approximation to the Sony’s Dual Shock controller. I personally use an Xbox 360 controller and I don’t feel like I’m missing anything, control-wise.

So far I’m only an hour or so in and haven’t yet played with the new “Character Booster,” which boosts your stats and money to it’s max for sticky situations. I have earned a few early achievements which some people will frown on but I like having occasional mile markers while I play – so long as I don’t have to go out of my way to get them. I’ll bring a full review I the near future.