Squaresoft’s Final Fantasy VII is probably one of the most famous and loved RPG (role-playing game) for a console. It was released way back in 1997 for the Sony Playstation. However, back then, not many had Sony Playstation consoles but PCs did have enough power to play Final Fantasy VII. It was almost impossible to emulate the game from the Playstation Disc. Doing that would have been taxing for the computer hardware available at that time.
Thus, in mid-1998, the PC version of Final Fantasy VII has been released by Eidos Interactive for the PC. Here are the system requirements as stated on its box. A Windows 95 operating system, DirectX5, an Intel Pentium 133 MHz processor if you have a 3D-accelerator or an Intel Pentium 166 MHz processor if you don’t have a 3D-accelerator. 32MB RAM, 4x CD-ROM drive, and DirectX5 compatible sound and video card. It came with 4 discs where one is the install disc and the rest are the game/play discs.
As you can see, the system requirements are completely obsolete. Compare it to today’s computers and you’ll just laugh. However, compatibility for the game could be an issue. I’ve tried running it on an obsolete AMD Sempron 2800, 512MB, ATI9600 128MB video card computer with Windows XP (which is still way faster than the system requirements) and it ran for a bit but it kept on hanging.
To narrow down the problem, I tried playing other games and they’re all just fine. It seems the PC version have compatibility issues with more powerful computers and newer operating systems such as Windows XP. If I remember correctly, a friend of mine gave me a patch of some sort but I still had problems.
Well, I was able to play it when my aunt bought me this game a decade ago. I had an Intel Pentium 166 computer with 32MB RAM and a Canopus Pure3D 4MB 3dfx voodoo 3D-accelerator. It ran great. The graphics were stunning and the colors were vivid. It really was a great improvement over the Sony Playstation version.
If you try to play it with your keyboard, it could be a bit awkward. It has a keyboard map cut-out so you can see what the keys’ functions are. It’s really a different feeling compared to playing it with a gamepad or a Sony Playstation controller for that matter. Don’t worry though, the setup is easy and you can change the settings through the Final Fantasy VII configuration program.
If you’re expecting something different from the Sony Playstation version then you could be disappointed. The only difference between the two is the system you’re playing it on. The gameplay, storyline, battle system, etc. are all the same.
Although the PC version of this game is not available anymore, it’s nice to look back at one of the best PC ports from the Sony Playstation. It was really expensive when my aunt bought it in New York. But then, you can look around for the Sony Playstation version though but it’s not as easy to find compared to a few years ago.
Source:
Final Fantasy VII PC Data – Gamefaqs.com
http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/data/130791.html
