I guess I'll start with the very first thing you see in the game, the CG cut-scenes. They are amazing, Square's forte has always been graphics, and this is no exception. CG cut-scenes? Gorgeous. In-game models? Amazing. The environments are a bit blander though. Now, as for the intro itself... was it really necessary to redo Final Fantasy VII's opening? It pulled at my heart strings, yes, but... why? If you wanted to show parallels between Zack and Cloud, they could've done it by using a different train on a different area. Oh, but they have an excuse, a flimsy one at that... it's a simulation!
And they screwed it up. Firstly, they try to trick the audience, with Zack asking why are they fighting Shinra Soldiers, and Angeal replies that they are disguised Wu-Tai soldiers. That's dumb, it's a simulation, who cares? You could argue, and it's a stretch, that Zack was trying to be funny "Yo, why are friendlies my enemies?" and Angeal was being sarcastic. But it's a stretch. And why would you simulate fights against your OWN forces? What the hell? Shouldn't the simulated enemies be, well, you know, your REAL enemies? And the 'last boss' is a Sephiroth simulation. What? And why doesn't Angeal need a visor to see/enter into the Simulation? Heck, why does Zack need it? Also, how come a Simulation broke Zack's sword? Let's entertain the notion that it can somehow create matter.... then why would Zack need the visor? This is the type of nonsense present day Square-Enix is known for, seems to be written by the same guy who did Final Fantasy XIII. No bueno. That said, I like Zack's cheery personality being so opposed to Cloud's no-nonsense demeanor. And no, Cloud was never Emo, he was a bit sassy as a matter of fact.
As for the gameplay... I dunno, I like it, but I don't. For instance, what enemy Zack attacks is almost completely random, it says that Zack targets the nearest enemy, but I'm pretty sure many a times he didn't target the one closest to him... which meant he incurred damage when I sent him to attack. Attacking feels very... automatic. You can dodge at any time, which is cool, but why bother letting you move around if pressing X will have Zack break into a dash towards the enemy and attack? I dunno, I feel like I'm barely in control. And what's up with Leveling up being Random? Leveling up both Zack and his materia is random. I researched a bit, since even Square couldn't be so backwards when it came to game design, and it kinda isn't, but it kinda is. There's an invisible experience meter that makes it more likely for the reels to stop on 777 and you earn a level up. But still, it's a bit random. Getting Limit Breaks is also random. Why... why would you build a game around random mechanics? Why?
All in all... now that I put my thoughts on paper, or data, I can tell I'm not really enjoying it. Godammit, Square, what happened to ya?
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