This has been on my to-play list for years, and I knew I would enjoy it, but holy hell… this game blew me away. From beginning to end I felt the unnameable feeling you get when you’re in the theater watching a movie you realize in the moment will soon be seen as a masterpiece. That feeling where you’re just awe-struck. Anyway, what’s there to even say? The ATB system was confusing to me at first, but by the end of the game I understood it better than I understand controlling the temperature in my apartment’s shower. Don’t know why I went with that metaphor but I’m gonna just keep typing. The characters are absolutely the best thing about this game. So many characters that would be the standout best character in 99% of other games. I’m not even just talking about Cloud or Tifa. I mean Red XIII and Rufus and the Turks. They’re all so great. I love that everyone is over the top with such clearly defined personalities, but everyone also feels real. Like, everyone has their own motivation and worldview that guides their actions. Examples: Rufus rescuing you at the beginning of Disc 2 but then deciding to execute you so he could blame everything on you, the Turks deciding to let you go in Wutai, every party member having a unique motivation for joining the party, and the fact that you and Shin-Ra are trying to accomplish the same thing in Disc 2- save the planet- but in vastly different ways. And what really needs to be said about Sephiroth? He’s an icon for a reason, and it took me forever to beat the final boss because he kept making Tifa a frog.