Re:Penny Arcade's reaction (Score 1)

I agree that the characters were somewhat cliches, but that doesn't mean they still weren't memorable. The problem with games like FF7 is that they're great games, but legitimate praise of the game is overshadowed by fanboys/girls yelling about how it's the best game ever for the silliest reasons. If you ever read Gamefaqs, they had a tournament with game characters, and Cloud and Sephiroth defeated the likes of Link, Mario, etc. to face off in the finals. Are either of them among the best characters ever? No way. Was the story the best? Hardly. What makes FF7 great was the world in which the game takes place, and the side quests. The game offered up tremendous challenges (Facing the Weapons or acquiring KotR) and tremendous fun (Racing Chocobos and setting up the Barret/Cloud date). Of course, you had to work your ass off breeding and fiddling with Materia, but it was worth it. It's tough to call anything the "best ever," but as far as being a complete gaming experience, FF7 is as good as it gets.