No, no, I loved the materia system too!
Hated the junction system in VIII.
And like you, Talysia, FFVII was the first of the series I played, so it's not surprising that I
totally agree with you. The music....I could go on all day about the music, I listen to the soundtrack all the time!
Nobuo Uematsu is a genius, and I really think the games have lost something now that they're not using him (I found the music in FFXII to be very bland by comparison).
I'm hoping to pick up a copy of
Dirge on the cheap soon. It will be strange, but I have to play it. What did you think of its story?
Omega Weapon was a cool fight, definitely. And all the work you had to do to get down to it...at the Deep Sea Deposit...
I also agree that VI has the best storyline after VII. I keep thinking how amazing
that would look if it was made now, but like you, I think it would lose some of its charm if remade...
I have mixed feelings about FFXII; on one hand I really enjoyed playing it, and although I miss the old ATB battle system, the new one
feels the same and its integration into the world is genius. On the other hand, I have a few gripes about it. My biggest issue was with the storyline, which, without saying anything specific, seemed very lightweight and rather short (when you subtract all the time you spent doing other stuff). I completed this game by accident. I just never even thought that I could be at the end already, and then suddenly it was over.
[edit] Overread, I have had the same thoughts regarding a remake. In some ways, I don't think I would like it. But I would play it.