Just beat it, and while I definitely really enjoyed it, there were some quips I had with loose ends in the plot, namely (SPOILERS BELOW):
- If Nibelheim did indeed burn down (and that wasn't a dream/illusion/whatever), then what's the deal with it being there and all the residents seemingly oblivious?
- If I understand it correctly, 7 years before the game Cloud left to join Soldier, failed, and became a grunt - then 2 years later (5 before the game) the Nibelheim massacre occurred. What the hell did he do in the interim?
- Also, I'm still not entirely certain about the whole Jenova/Sephiroth/Cloud thing, and how they relate to one another - I guess every time we see him before the end it's actually either a big gooey malformed alien thing (Jenova) or an ex-member of SOLDIER (those cloaked dudes) somehow taking on his form and being controlled by him? Seems a little thin to me (and also, why did Elena think Cloud killed Tseng?)
- Cait Sith - is he a sentient robot with free will that just reports to Reeve, or is he simply remote controlled by Reeve? I'm guessing the former, but it's a little unclear (and if it were the latter, pretty much all emotional impact from his "self-sacrifice" in the Temple of the Ancients is gone)
I'm sure there are others, but these were the big ones that kinda bugged me - still, I'm sure on repeated playthroughs I'll be able to far more appreciate all the game and story's strengths, mainly once I know what to expect.
- If Nibelheim did indeed burn down (and that wasn't a dream/illusion/whatever), then what's the deal with it being there and all the residents seemingly oblivious?
- If I understand it correctly, 7 years before the game Cloud left to join Soldier, failed, and became a grunt - then 2 years later (5 before the game) the Nibelheim massacre occurred. What the hell did he do in the interim?
- Also, I'm still not entirely certain about the whole Jenova/Sephiroth/Cloud thing, and how they relate to one another - I guess every time we see him before the end it's actually either a big gooey malformed alien thing (Jenova) or an ex-member of SOLDIER (those cloaked dudes) somehow taking on his form and being controlled by him? Seems a little thin to me (and also, why did Elena think Cloud killed Tseng?)
- Cait Sith - is he a sentient robot with free will that just reports to Reeve, or is he simply remote controlled by Reeve? I'm guessing the former, but it's a little unclear (and if it were the latter, pretty much all emotional impact from his "self-sacrifice" in the Temple of the Ancients is gone)
I'm sure there are others, but these were the big ones that kinda bugged me - still, I'm sure on repeated playthroughs I'll be able to far more appreciate all the game and story's strengths, mainly once I know what to expect.
Also, there's this weird sorta "doing"-y drum that I hear coming in every now and then (there's one at 0:46). FF7 covers are always awesome though! 
