Shadow Fire

<div align="center"><img src="http://core.the-gcn.com/reviews/FFVII.png" border="0" class="linked-image" /></div><br /><br /><b>Director:</b> Yoshinori Kitase<br /><br /><b>Producers:</b> Hironobu Sakaguchi, Tetsuo Mizuno, Tomoyuki Takechi<br /><br /><b>Music:</b> Nobuo Uematsu<br /><br /><b>Rating:</b> <img src="http://core.the-gcn.com/reviews/rating/4-5stars.png" /><br /><br /><br /><u><b>Plot</b></u><br />As a young woman walks around the gigantic underground slums, a train approaches the entrance to the Mako reactor, where two Shinra guards are standing watch. Suddenly, people jump down from the train and take out the two guards. After some more people jump down, another person jumps down, that person being Cloud Strife, a young man with spiky golden hair. Proclaiming himself to be a former member of the Shinra elite forces known to all as SOLDIER, Cloud has offered this mystery terrorist group, known as AVALANCHE, to help destroy the Shinra Mako Reactor in exchange for money. However, even after the first reactor is destroyed, he finds himself pulled into a quest to save the Planet from total annihilation.<br /><br /><br /><u><b>Review</b></u><br />Without a doubt, it is Final Fantasy VII which gave the franchise its current day fame. It's not hard to see why, either. A vast storyline, with an even bigger world make this game one of the largest games of the Final Fantasy series.<br /><br />I remember first trying Final Fantasy VII. I had first watched Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, the movie based two years after the events of the game. I loved how the movie panned out, and seeing the fight between Sephiroth and Cloud only fuelled my desire to play the game. My boyfriend gave me a copy of the game for PC, which I quickly installed and began playing. At first, I was extremely confused, but thanks to some guesswork and a little bit of help from his Official Final Fantasy VII Strategy Guide, I managed to make my way through the game.<br /><br />Final Fantasy VII uses the Active Time Battle system. This system has a gauge fill up for each character, and when the gauge is completely filled, that character can make their move. However, when one character/enemy attacks, everyone else freezes until the attack is over, before the next character can make their move. Thankfully, for beginners, the battle mode can be modified, so that whenever selecting a move during battle, the enemy won't be able to make a move. However, in regards to ATB systems, I prefer the system used in Final Fantasy X-2. As is common for Final Fantasy games, whenever the main battle characters are wiped out, or unable to make a move (ie petrified), the game ends, and you must continue from where you last saved.<br /><br />Character levelling uses the standard level-up system. When a character gains enough experience, their level increases, as do their base stats. In order to power up the characters so they may use certain abilities, Materia is used. Put bluntly, Materia are magical balls that are fitted into weapons and armour to boost their abilities. Quite frankly, it's quite confusing, and this is probably the only reason I lower the game's rating.<br /><br />Graphics are quite impressive, considering when the game was released. When compared to today's graphical capabilities, you'd most likely laugh, but bear in mind, it's an old game, but still maintains the most respect within the Final Fantasy series.<br /><br />Music is composed by Nobuo Uematsu, who successfully captured the mood of the game. You can feel the emotion emanating from the music. However, the PC version of the game has a distinctive disadvantage when compared to the PSX version of the game... MIDIs. That's right. The PC version uses MIDIs in place of the wonderfully synthesized music of the PSX version. However, it doesn't suffer much from this drawback. In fact, the only track to suffer greatly is The One-Winged Angel, as on the PSX version, it contains words, but in the PC version, as it's merely a MIDI, it contains no words. Still, the music does this game great justice.<br /><br /><br /><u><b>Overall</b></u><br />If you've never played Final Fantasy VII, you can't call yourself a fan of the series. It's this game which produced all the hype. I had to lower the rating due to the confusing as anything materia system the game uses... but overall, it's a wonderful game that should definitely be played through all the way. Now, if only Squaresoft had translated the game properly. =P

The nostalgic smile returned briefly, Silver taking mental note of the graceful speed of the fire-dog Pokemon. Mind returning to the present, he watched as his opponent's Pokemon managed to sink its fangs into Magnemite's metallic frame. Magnemite better show it can hold its own... The magnet Pokemon flinched slightly from the attack, but it quickly recovered, launching another Thunder Bolt... without being told. Heh... I guess it wants to win at any cost.

Silver gave a slight nod as Magnemite dodged the attack. Magnemite's steel type pairing makes it weak to flames. I should think carefully in this battle. "Magnemite..." the red-haired teen said. "Thunder Bolt."

Upon seeing Ethan's Growlithe, Silver actually smiled, a smile which seemed to be filled with nostalgia. Growlithe... Just like Fang... The smile vanished a few moments later, replaced with his usual icy stare. However, his smile lasted long enough for anyone to see.

Granted, but now they're all fighting with you. I pass my wish on to the next poster.

I am a poetic mastermind. I'm also apparently a parrot. Malqua's hill. The parrot owns it too.

Silver released Magnemite, deciding to test out his newest acquisition. I wonder... Does he have any new Pokemon?

Silver's smirk faded, the red-haired teen showing a blank expression on his face. Now I can see if my training is paying off. When Gastly had finally led Ethan over to him, Silver gave a silent nod, before staring right at the other trainer. "So I see you're getting better and better..." he mumbled. "I too, have been training fiercely. I want to prove now, that I am capable of taking you down."

Silver motioned for his Gastly to come closer, whispering something to the ghost Pokemon. Understanding, the Gastly gave a smirk, before floating off towards Ethan. "Gaaaaastly..." it purred to catch Ethan's attention. "Gastly..." He began moving away slowly, stopping every few seconds to look back and ensure Ethan was following.

Silver suddenly heard a voice coming from the direction of the entrance. With a slight smirk, he knew it was Ethan. So, our next battle is sooner than expected.

Silver's training regime was rigorous. True to his word, he was training Snappy even harder than his other Pokemon, although secretly, there was an ulterior motive behind it. As the training program ended, Silver glanced at his Pokemon in satisfaction. They all looked incredibly stronger. Now, I should be able to defeat him.

Silver decided that he'd return to Ecruteak City, to check out the Burned Tower. On his way, he stopped to catch a Magnemite, training his Pokemon a bit on the way back. Finally having returned, he made a beeline for the tower, entering to find it was eerie. The perfect place for honing one's power...

Silver had run right out of Ecruteak City, making it halfway to the next town, Olivine, by the time he stopped to catch his breath. "What the hell's wrong with me?" he muttered to himself. "Why did I freeze up like that? Even more so... the apology... it just... came out of nowhere." Snappy broke the teen out of his questioning, the red-haired boy shaking his head as if to erase thoughts from his mind. "I know..." he mumbled. "We'll work harder to beat him, at any cost. But until then, I'm going to make you work double as hard... punishment for biting me like that." The Croconaw nodded in understanding, before giving a toothy grin.

Silver was already awake, staring ahead blankly. When he glanced to the side and noticed Ethan had woken up, he stiffened, before glancing away, teeth clenched. "You're awake..." he mumbled. "I just..." Standing up, Silver had his bag slung over his shoulder. Glancing down at Snappy, he gave a slight smile as the Pokemon nodded, both trainer and Pokemon walking to the door. As the red-haired teen reached it, he stopped, glancing down at the ground. "Sorry..." he said softly. "For last night... I was out of line." With those words, Silver rushed out, the door closing behind him.

Letting his eyes close, Silver gave one more wince, before falling asleep. Maybe I really did deserve what I got...

Silver glared over at Ethan, before dropping back onto his bed. His eyes narrowing venomously, he turned his gaze to Snappy, who had since let go of his leg and was growling at him to shut up and get some sleep. Though Silver couldn't actually understand his Pokemon's words, he still knew what he was trying to convey. Snappy... you turned on me... but why? I haven't abused you... The crocodile Pokemon met Silver's softening stare. "Naw..." he said. "Croco..." With a sigh, Silver said nothing, but allowed the Croconaw to clamber up onto the bed and fall asleep beside him. Glancing at the reflective tiles on the ceiling, the red-haired teen winced as he saw the black eye that was forming. I'll pay him back for that someday...

Silver prepared to lam Ethan again, until he felt strong jaws clamping onto one of his legs. Letting out a loud howl, he glanced down to see Snappy had chomped down on his legs. He looked back up at the wrong moment, getting slammed in the face by the other trainer. Don't make me hurt you for this, Snappy.

Silver's head snapped to the side from the punch. Lifting a hand up to his face, his right eye to be exact, he winced at the pain that he felt. Shock from being hit was quickly replaced with pure hatred, his eyes narrowing to a deadly glare. "You son of a bitch..." he spat venomously. "How DARE you hit me!" Curling his own hands into fists, the red-haired boy swung a powerful left hook at the other boy, slamming him in the face. "Nobody hits me..." he hissed. "...and gets away with it. Nobody!" By the time, Snappy had already awoken and was staring with awe at the two humans.

Smirk widening, Silver found himself really enjoying the rise he was getting out of the other trainer. He watched as Cynder hid his face and instantly snickered. "I think I know why..." he sneered. "My Pokemon are probably think yours need a confidence boost. Considering how pathetic they are, I'd say it's not working well." Silver knew he had long steered into dangerous waters, but he couldn't stop now. "My Pokemon are ashamed..." he continued. "I've realised that now. They threw their matches!" The red-haired teen threw his head back and laughed.

Silver opened his eyes at the slap. It was something he hadn't expected. A wicked smirk crossed his lips as he heard Ethan spat out more needless sentiment. "You're more a fool than I thought..." he laughed, standing up to stare Ethan down. "Pokemon are tools to provide power. They're also pets. Nothing more. If you keep prattling on about love and caring and all that crap, you'll be swatted down like a fly. Your problem is you're way too soft. When push comes to shove, your Pokemon are there to help you gain power and to succeed in your endeavours. Sensitivity? Feh!"

Silver's eyes widened for a moment, before he glanced away, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Blame my father for that..." he muttered under his breath. "I did care once..." Shaking his head, he returned to his usual attitude and simply scoffed. "Don't feed me your drivel..." the red-haired teen hissed. "My Pokemon serve me, and know of my ability. They give their best, and even go beyond. If you don't want to tell me truthfully, that's all well and good, but don't feed me such nonsense. Now if you don't mind..." Giving a snort, Silver closed his eyes.

His eyes reverting, Silver looked blankly at Ethan before laying back down. "Nurse Joy already gave you the card key..." he muttered. "You can stay, so long as you don't irritate me, or wake up my Snappy." Silver let his eyes drift shut momentarily, unleashing a sigh. Eyes opening again, he turned his glance to the other boy. "Tell me..." he continued. "How were you able to beat me? I've beaten trainers with Pokemon far superior to yours, and yet you always seem to stand in my way. So... what the hell allows you to defeat me?"

Silver blinked when he heard the knock. Expecting Nurse Joy, he reached beside his bed to allow the door to open. As it did, he looked up... and came face to face with his rival. "Ethan..." he murmured, eyes narrowing slightly. "It's you..."

Silver was still caught up in his thoughts when the Pokemon Center had another visitor. The room was also sound-proof, so he was unable to hear the voices outside. "A room?" Nurse Joy asked. "I'm afraid I've got no single rooms left, but I have a double room. A trainer is already in it, but since you need somewhere to stay, it should be alright. Here. Take this card key."

Silver finally arrived at Ecruteak, exhausted from the journey. Spotting the Pokemon Center, he headed straight for it, heading inside. Nurse Joy was telling a Chansey about a patient that needed assistance, when she noticed the red-haired boy. Giving one of her smiles, she walked over to Silver. "Welcome!" she said in her cheery voice. "You're out rather late tonight. Would you like a place to stay?" Silver's cheeks reddened slightly and he nodded. Joy smiled a little wider, before heading over to the card key locker. Opening it, she blinked a few times before taking one of the last two card keys out. "Here..." she said, handing the card key over to Silver. "This card key will give you access to a double room. It's the only room we have left, but nobody else is in it at the moment." Giving a slight smile of his own, Silver thanked the nurse, before heading off to the provided room. As he got inside, he took off his shoes and placed them neatly beside the door. Approaching one of the beds, he sat down on it, before letting Snappy out of his Monster Ball. The water Pokemon was still sleeping, giving cute little snores. We've gotten stronger on the way... I only wonder how many more Pokemon I can acquire. Laying backwards, the teen stared up at the ceiling, deeply wrapped in his thoughts.