Is it me, or does it feel like following the narrative of Halo  can be headache inducing.  Epic games hired a AAA writer to tie down the story in Gears of War, and the most memorable line in the game is Cole’s “Wooh!” Let’s not even bring up Gears 2, complete with the laughable meltdown of Dominic Santiago followed by the cheesy dialogue. Where did narrative go? What happened to the tragic narratives that focused on themes like; Love, Betrayal, Death(and I don’t mean come back as a Zombie)? Has it been replaced by INSERT SPACE MARINE SHOOTER HERE?

I borrowed my friend’s copy of Tobal#1 for the Playstation 1 console unknowingly that this would be a life changing experience. Well, the life changer was the demo that was included with Tobal. Final Fantasy VII would become one of the most memorable experiences in my life and alter my view of games for years later.

The story centered around Cloud, a young arrogant 19 year old, that couldn’t make it in the elite military unit called, Soldier. He later ended up a failure and running missions for a Rogue reformists organization. There the story begins. Throughout this 60 plus hour game, you are introduced to a group of characters, and each one has a seperate story arch.

The most memorable character was Aeris. Introduced in the opening cinema of the game, you get to know Aeris and her will to save the planet along with all of it’s people. Sadly it meant she had to sacrifice herself, and she was killed. Situations like this rarely happen in games today. Many FFVII lovers can recall their immediate reaction to Aeris’s death scene and their emotions following that scene. I was a 17 year old junior in high school. After playing the game for 5-7 hours on a Saturday night, the scene transpired, and I had an immediate reaction of despair.

I had grown to love the party of characters, and even went on some dates with Aeris before the fateful scene. This wasn’t a sims type date. You were given the option to go on a date with either Aeris, or with another one of the party members. I knew my choice to date Aeris would hurt Tifa, but it was my choice.

The dating or the Death or Aeris, aren’t the reasons why I hold this game in such high esteem, it was the development that made these scenes so great. Aeris was sort of a mystery. There was something about her that was different and they never revealed all of the clues to explain why. She would leave in the middle of the night, and get to the destination ahead of the group. Throughout her personal issues, she always put the life of the planet before her own.  So, when she died, some of her story wasn’t explained till later in the game.

I’m a committed Final Fantasy fan, but the love of the game and genre began with Final Fantasy VII.  The game didn’t rush the story and allowed  the player to grow with the game, so losing a main character pushed the player in an unfamiliar position. Although most games have abandoned this art,  some games highly regard the narrative.  Bioshock excels by presenting the world of Rapture to you. There isn’t a narrator, and the main character is completely silent. The player is surrounded by a world full of life, which portrays the image of being completely operational independent of the main character.  The focus has turned away from a strong narrative, and is replaced by a focus on multiplayer components or and an over emphasis on graphics. There are a few games on the horizon that are expected to take emotions to a new level. Heavy Rain is a PS3 exclusive that will present the player with challenges never witnessed in a video game.  It will take the player on a train ride of emotions.  It is too early to determine if this game will successfully integrate human emotion, especially in a way that compares to Final Fantasy VII,  but the thought is enough to give me hope.