Final Fantasy VII ported to the Atari 2600

[04.01.99] » Square's blockbuster RPG rereleased for retro gaming fans' delight.

   Though widely acclaimed by most of the gaming world, Final Fantasy VII left some gamers reminiscing about the olden days of video gaming, citing the popular game as little more than computer-generated eye candy -- too many cinematics, too little gaming goodness. It appears Square has taken their complaint to heart, and FFVII will be rereleased on a platform where eye candy and cinematics have no place -- the Atari 2600.

   No fancy FMV here, just old-fashioned blocky sprites, the kind of graphics every gamer of the late 70s/early 80s was weaned on. Nostalgic fans would be foolish to miss this, but Square isn't making it easy for them. As with all Atari cartridges and systems nowadays, this limited edition is on sale now only at garage sales, for a retail price of $5. This is slightly pricier than most Atari games, but this is because it couldn't all fit on one cartridge. Instead, it takes up roughly 200.

   A sneak preview of what the port will look like is available through the link below, in animated GIF format. Careful, though -- it contains a major FFVII spoiler, so you'd be best advised to finish the first disc before viewing it. (Or, if you're one of the lucky souls who already has the Atari port, cartridge 77.)

A very dramatic moment GIF, 250x250, 109k