You can skip pages and fastforward videos: why are RPGs the plodding linear exception?
Because the people who make RPGs are under the dellusion that you can freely explore the world just within the constraints of their storyline. ;-)
But you're probably looking for something like this: Final Fantasy VII Complete Movie (http://cgi.ebay.com/Final-Fantasy-VII-7-Complete-DVD-FMV-Anime-Movie_W0QQitemZ9111527193QQcategoryZ617QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem) which will let you watch/read all the dialogue, skips all the random encounters and most of the fights. (It also skips some of the subquests though, notably the Wutai one that focuses on Yuffie and the Turks.)
Honestly, if FF7 came on an "easy" or "cheat" mode you'd probably like it a lot more. Surprisingly, there is a lot of body language even with the blocky Russian doll sprites from hell. If you're not big on video games, then you're probably smart to pass however, if they are your thing then I do think it's worth it if you're really into the fandom. Although it's not the best video game ever, especially since it's about nine years old. A lot of the fans rabidness is the nostalgia value. (Because I don't think anyone would yell at you to play FF8 before writing the fic.)
Not even from a canon mindset, but there's a lot of sentimentality you can get while playing the game. You grow attached to the characters simply because you're forced to watch them hours on end. You truly get annoyed and frustrated with the villians, etc, etc. Also, strange as this sounds, but the cinematography is gorgeous. The camera angles aren't static and there are some kick ass positioning throughout the game. Of course, you're also suffering through 640 resolution to see this so it's not as cool as it should be. Plus, the music does play a big theme in FF7 because so many characters are defined by their themes. Plus the in-jokes are more amusing if you've had to hear the victory fanfare 4 billion times or if you've experienced the seething frustration and hate of Chocobo breeding. (So maybe there's a little mutual suffering clique going on too. ^_~)
It's probably... probably the closest example I can think of is watching the anime for a series and knowing it like the back of your hand but never reading the manga. It's close and it's similiar but there's always those few tiny details to be found?
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Because the people who make RPGs are under the dellusion that you can freely explore the world just within the constraints of their storyline. ;-)
But you're probably looking for something like this: Final Fantasy VII Complete Movie (http://cgi.ebay.com/Final-Fantasy-VII-7-Complete-DVD-FMV-Anime-Movie_W0QQitemZ9111527193QQcategoryZ617QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem) which will let you watch/read all the dialogue, skips all the random encounters and most of the fights. (It also skips some of the subquests though, notably the Wutai one that focuses on Yuffie and the Turks.)
Honestly, if FF7 came on an "easy" or "cheat" mode you'd probably like it a lot more. Surprisingly, there is a lot of body language even with the blocky Russian doll sprites from hell. If you're not big on video games, then you're probably smart to pass however, if they are your thing then I do think it's worth it if you're really into the fandom. Although it's not the best video game ever, especially since it's about nine years old. A lot of the fans rabidness is the nostalgia value. (Because I don't think anyone would yell at you to play FF8 before writing the fic.)
Not even from a canon mindset, but there's a lot of sentimentality you can get while playing the game. You grow attached to the characters simply because you're forced to watch them hours on end. You truly get annoyed and frustrated with the villians, etc, etc. Also, strange as this sounds, but the cinematography is gorgeous. The camera angles aren't static and there are some kick ass positioning throughout the game. Of course, you're also suffering through 640 resolution to see this so it's not as cool as it should be. Plus, the music does play a big theme in FF7 because so many characters are defined by their themes. Plus the in-jokes are more amusing if you've had to hear the victory fanfare 4 billion times or if you've experienced the seething frustration and hate of Chocobo breeding. (So maybe there's a little mutual suffering clique going on too. ^_~)
It's probably... probably the closest example I can think of is watching the anime for a series and knowing it like the back of your hand but never reading the manga. It's close and it's similiar but there's always those few tiny details to be found?
(So trying not to be argumentative. ^^;;;)