Playing the 2013 release of FFVII, any tips for a mostly modern JRPG fan?

I consider myself a big fan of JRPGs, but it occured to me that I'm mostly a modern JRPG fan. I have little to no experience in old school JRPGs from the 90s/early 00s. Do you guys have any tips for a modern JRPG fan starting his first "classic" JPRG? Any and all replies are greatly appreciated.