Franchise Player
Final Fantasy VII is a misleading title. In fact, the game is about as final as a midterm, and though its title labels it the seventh game in one series, it also marks the first entry in a growing series of its own, known as the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. The latest addition to this ever growing library is Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, the story of a SOLDIER mission to the rustic town of Nibelheim.
This should sound somewhat familiar because the original Final Fantasy VII's most mind-bending plot twist centered on Cloud's shattered memories of this event. But if the details are hazy, fret not, for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII picks up the pieces to tell the story of an unknown soldier named Zack, while shedding new firelight on the downfall of Sephiroth. Unfortunately, the original came out so long ago that you may not remember what any of this had to do with the price of Mako in Midgar. Cue Franchise Player!
The Cast
The Final Fantasy VII series is full of awesome characters. The following folks play the largest roles, but that doesn't mean they are necessarily the best, coolest, or most important to the Crisis Core storyline. Well, except for Zack. Though several of the series' most colorful heroes and villains aren't listed here, we thought you might prefer to rediscover them in the course of your own fantastic voyage. And so, without further ado...
Weapon: The Buster Sword Role: Stoic Hero
Bed Head: Much
With spiky hair and a sword so big it would make Ron Jeremy jealous, Cloud Strife is one of the most iconic video game characters of all time, rivaling mustachioed Mario or birthmarked Kratos for instant recognition. But who really knows this enigmatic hero? Certainly not Cloud himself. In fact, his own recollection of events is proven to be an illusion late in Final Fantasy VII. Was he really one of Shinra's elite warriors, a first class SOLDIER? Or was he something else entirely?
Job: Flower GirlRole: Tragic Heroine
Random Fact: Aerith was voiced by Mandy Moore in the original Kingdom Hearts, as well as Mena Suvari in Kingdom Hearts II and Final Fantasy VII Advent Children.
The girl you thought you knew as Aeris is actually named Aerith. Evidently, the designers of Final Fantasy VII intended to name her after the English term Earth, but something got mixed up in the double translation from English to Japanese then back again and she wound up as Aeris in Final Fantasy VII.
But a rose by any other name smells just as sweetly, and since you paid for the fantasy, you can call her whatever you want. Just don't call her mean, petty, or shallow because Aerith was a virtuous, pure hero and the last of a noble race, the Cetra. This being a Japanese role-playing game, you just knew something bad and vaguely sexual was going to happen to her. And if you didn't, you probably cried real tears when your awesome healer got impaled on Sephiroth's wimpy sword in Final Fantasy VII. Though she never came back to life as nerds worldwide hoped she would, her spirit swims on in the lifestream. Who knows what she does in there...possibly the butterfly stroke?
Job: Bartender Role: The Girl Next Door
Skirt: Mini
Tifa is the opposite of Aeris. Instead of a dress, she wears a miniskirt. Instead of flowers, she sells booze. And she isn't the last descendant of a holy race fated to save the planet with a dying prayer. Tifa is Cloud's former next door neighbor, a pedestrian village girl who kicks a** with her plain old boots. But in a series where the taint of a space alien queen threatens to pollute the metaphysical lifestream, her down-to-earth presence provides a refreshing breath of stale air. She'll never save the world, but she'll make it worth saving.
Likes: Hair conditionerDislikes: Everything else
One Bad: Mother
In the kabbalah (an ancient Hebrew text), the Sephiroth are God's identifying features. They generally include such noble things as wisdom, symmetry, and good table manners. In Final Fantasy VII, Sephiroth has all the identifying features of villainy. He has long white hair. He wears a trench coat. He's androgynous. He has a cool name. He stabs nice girls. He wants to be God. And he doesn't just want to destroy the world, he wants to possess its soul. He was literally born to be bad, and that isn't just another careless use of the word "literally." Sephiroth is the biological son of the mad scientist Dr. Hojo and was treated with Jenova cells (think Gamma radiation, but evil) in utero. He puts the Crisis in Crisis Core.
Job: SOLDIER First ClassRole: Unknown SOLDIER
Girlfriend: Aerith
Who is Zack Fair? For starters, he's the main character in Crisis Core and a SOLDIER first class who joins Sephiroth on the Nibelheim mission. Remember the SOLDIER Aeris said she dated in Final Fantasy VII? No? He was also this guy. Remember the previous owner of Cloud's buster sword? Yeah, that's him too. We'd tell you more, but that would spoil half the fun of Crisis Core.
The Terms
Jenova
She's an intergalactic zombie hell queen bent on the corruption of all life and kept in a secret tank like the world's scariest gold fish by a company known as...
Shinra
Shinra is just your average everyday world-conquering energy company. It isn't evil, just greedy, and so it isn't destroying the planet on purpose, but rather, by accident. Its power source is mako, which is kind of like uranium, except instead of making cancer happen, it makes magic happen. Shinra is so crazy about mako that it unearths Jenova thinking she'll lead them to more. Hey, crazier things have been done for lower prices at the pump.
AVALANCHE
Like violent hippies with guns, swords, and magic, the members of AVALANCHE stand up for the little guys and gals Shinra is willing to walk all over on its way to more mako. But when the AVALANCHE gets wrapped up in the cosmic struggle between the spawn of Jenova and the lifestream, its political struggles become existential.
Lifestream
Lifestream looks like green vermicelli, and it can explain everything. Seriously, if you're ever on a video game quiz show and a hard question comes up about Final Fantasy VII, the answer is lifestream. It's like essence of miracle combined with the soul of the planet--plus pesto.
The Compilation
Once you finish Crisis Core, we're sure you'll be in the mood for more Final Fantasy, if only to see how the revelations contained within it color your understanding of the other entries in the Compilation. Don't forget to visit:
Final Fantasy VII didn't just start a series, it arguably started the PlayStation system. It also started with Cloud Strife joining a group known as AVALANCHE to stop the corrupt and wicked Shinra Corporation from ruining the planet. Then, things got weird. There were talking cats, giant chickens, houses with legs, an unexpected demise, and one of the craziest evil plots of all time. Sephiroth was going to call a meteor down to hit the planet and, then, when lifestream (if the opposite of entropy existed as water) poured into the gash like blood, he'd be waiting to fuse with it, taking over the soul of the planet. Why did we stop this again?
A third-person shooter/RPG, Dirge of Cerberus takes place after the events of Final Fantasy VII and chronicles the attempt of an organization known as Deepground to damage the earth, as well as summon a big weapon, which will then wreak even further havoc. The only man in its way is the enigmatic Vincent Valentine, the pseudovampire gunslinger. With the help of the rest of the Final Fantasy VII cast, he battles Deepground while unearthing new details about Sephiroth's mother and Doctor Hojo.
This awesome CGI action flick covers the period after AVALANCHE stopped the meteor from wrecking the planet. It also includes a trio of new villains, a ridiculously fun fight with Bahamut in the city of Midgar, and appearances by the Final Fantasy VII cast. Most of the film follows Cloud as he attempts to rescue himself and the city's children from a mysterious disease, but the best part is a major battle with a certain white-haired villain you simply have to see if you consider yourself a Final fan in the slightest.
There's much more to Final Fantasy VII, including the short story collection On the Way to a Smile, the animated film Last Order: Final Fantasy VII (which chronicles many of the same events as Crisis Core), and an episodic mobile phone game called Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII. Some of these are easy to find, while others nearly impossible, but whether or not your Japanese is good enough to plumb the most exotic corners of Final Fantasy lore, you'll have plenty to chew on with the release of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. And after that, you may not have long to wait for more.
454 Comments
Well, FFVII is a legend, very well-done and nicely continued!
but what about the other FF legends? remember that FFX has got a sequel (bad sequel!) ... FF8 and FF9 are amazing as nothing else! so why do we all worship FFVII and only like the other ones? i think VII is more charismatic, maybe even a little longer than the other ones, it included the destruction of earth (woHooo!), i'd like to see a new FF instead of remaking and living on the legacy of VII ...
(FFXIII and FF Versus XIII) ... Just wait ! 
I am getting PS3 only for the FFXIII (and maybe KH3, SH5, RE5) hehehehe
I believe that FFXIII will just do the trick
Peace
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Square were the sole reason the SNES became popular and then FFVII just converted all the RPG fans to sony, it broke so many boundaries, square (enix) have always bin ahead of the curve in what they do, FFVII is my favourite game of all time, then VI then X then IX...Sony should pay SE to remake FFVII on the PS3, the original caused sales to skyrocket for the PS1, its 11 years old and still considered a must have, if it was remade on the PS3 they would make a killing but i suppose we've got FFXIII series, Dissidia, Valkyrie Profile II and the Last Remnant to look forward to first...
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I'd like an FF7 remake somewhere, preferrably the PSP (only because I own one).
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love this game
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Well i'm pretty sure VII started something
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and ever and ever and ever ....
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Final fantasy 7 forever
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asum
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I agree with nadzero about remaking FFVII on the PS3. I saw the tech demo & I got the same feeling I had when I first played FFVII. Dirge of Cerberus was kind of weak & Crisis Core though I wasn't to fond of the gameplay, the story is what everyone really bought it for. If FFVII gets remade, Square - enix will make millions, The PS3 will be sold out everywhere & FFVII will probably out sell GTA 4 & Metal Gear cause of the huge fan base it started back in the 90s & its Final Fantasy fans from before VII.
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to tell you the Truth.. im not a big fan off FF.. iv never liked the new ones.. there not the same as the old games.. to tell you the turth i still have FF7 .. and my ps1 =p.. one of the best games ever made.. FF7 .. the new ones are just . not fun like FF7.. luv it . they need to make a remake for the PS3...
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i can't believe people saying ffvii started the series. sorry for those who said that but you are not real ff fans because if you are, then you would clearly know the history of ff before this game. i recommend you people go and watch ff retrospective, can find it in you tube. ffvii truly was something else, but not started the series. im sure we will see an amazing ff game again in the ps3.
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Dirge of cerberus was blowful, but everything else in the FF7 universe is awesome man oh man do I hope they make the FF7 series for the PS3 that would blow the lid off of all the lip about the system.
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vii was truly amazing so was x xii was quite frankly poo
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Dawn_Fang gamespot didn't said FFVII started the FF series they meant thast it started the FFVII series (i know it sound kinda weird) XD
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While I wouldn't say that Final Fantasy VII started the series I would say it was the start of the truly phenominal Final Fantasies. I - VI were all solid games with decent stories but VII was where the truly amazing stories began. This is of course, my own personal opinion.
P.S. SPOILERS Comic Releif, just to let you know, Jenova was not actually Sephiroth's mother. Sephiroth thought this because that's what Shin-ra had always told him. This portion was not detailed in the game because it was assumed that anyone playing already knew of the events of FFVII itself.
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Dirk13: "But Final Fantasy VII DIDNT start a series, period."
Sorry to break it to you, but it did start a series. VII spawned two more games (not to mention the mobile one) and it's own movie. I don't know what your definition of "series" is, but this seems like it to me.
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Judging by the comments there is clearly massive interest in FF VII. So please SquareEnix, remake this game!!!!
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Another Trivia on Zack Fair is that he appeared in a Namco/SquareSoft/Enix game called Ehrgiez. For cross oveer RPG's Aries and Cloud are the partners except for KH2 which seems Tifa is also involved. At Fighting games like Ehrgiez it's the tandem of Cloud and Tifa along with Vincent and Yuffie. Another fun triva for Zack is that his original hair was as long sa Super Saiyanjin3 Gouko's only black in the PSX.
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probably final fantasy is has the best story line. .
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crisis core is more like a movie then a game
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WARNING spoiler alert!!!! I am a relative newcomer to FF. I am an adult who loves to play video games, but I do not enjoy the traditional FF games - like the ones on GBA,-and now PSP, the battle action, character appearance and leveling up is just a big snooze fest for me. That said, I LOVED Crisis Core!!! I do have one opinion/observation: I did not see Sephiroth as a villain. I saw him as extremely torn and conflicted. In Crisis Core,he is still torn between his commitment to Soldier and his friends Genesis and Angeal. Genesis has turned away from his obligation to Soldier and is trying to find his place in the "lifestream". Angeal has the same genetic deterioration (the wing) of his friend, is questioning his committed to Soldier, but does not question his loyalty or commitment to to Zak. The idea that Sephiroth has a desire to rule the world appears near the end of the story. The conflict is apparent. He is trying to understand that his Mother: Jenova, is a "monster". He is angry. Until I read your outline (above) I did not know that he would become a villain in the adventures that follow. Since I am new to the whole story line I am not influenced by the stories or the characters that follow. Perhaps that is why I did not see Sephiroth as a pure villain. Just a thought! The FF characters are dynamic, multi-layered and complicated. A "good guy" is not entirely good, nor is a bad guy totally bad. Genesis is a perfect example of that ! Although clearly the nemesis of Soldier he is still trying to understand his place in the world and his journey to "bliss". He is the source of Zak's and therefore Cloud's education: that Soldier may be a less than honorable organization. Which itself leads to the rest of the FF story line. I enjoyed the story and felt like I was immersed in a great book for the entire time that I played. I certainly hope that they bring back more of the FF story in a similar style to the action/adventure style of Crisis Core. I would really love to enjoy the entire story - just like others have - but if they come back like the PSP versions of II & III I won't be able to enjoy it and will miss the whole experience.
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Anyone hate FFXII as much as me?
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"Final Fantasy VII didn't just start a series, it arguably started the PlayStation system. "
But Final Fantasy VII DIDNT start a series, period. Final Fantasy was well popular before Final Fantasy VII, many would say some of the changes it introduced where even for the worse in the end.
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hahaha i agree sephiroth is androgynous, and stabs nice girls hahahahaah
all ff and kingdom hearts main characters have spiky hair, and their enemies are always styled in straight long hair.. aerith backstrokes in lifestream hahahah...
and cloud dont have bed hair
and besides that everyone else is kool................ besides Yuffie
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Not as proffetional as in GT. The vampire Vincent?! looks like he doesn't know much about FFVII more than we do! then again calling Vincent a vampire does sound kind of cool, got a nice ring to it..."The vampire Vincent Valentine"...hmmm
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5/5! d greatest game and movie i ever played and watched!
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i would tap a remake =p
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FF7 is the most overrated FF in the series.
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Man I loves me some Final Fantasy VII! This brings back a lot of memories, love the nostalgia.
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Love this site! Brings back good old fun memories 10 years ago! I miss those Limit Attacks and the excellent summons. Everything about this game kicked @ss back in the day when it pushed the PS platform to its to 6th gear with not one, not two but 3 jam packed CD's! It sure was an epic that openned the minds and hearts of fans to great possibilities in gaming. I think it did to video games what the original Star Wars did for the movies back in its day.
Question: Where's Barret, Cid, Red XIII, Vincent and Cait Sith from the rest of the cast? Cheers!
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Very interesting luckily I remember most of this.
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Just by the amount of responses to this topic shows the massive interest in this game. Come on Square-Enix and please remake it (final fantasy VII) for the next gen consoles.
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Like the info know a bit of it but its been a while sense I've played, may end up coming back to it now
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If you're a fan, most of this is common knowledge. Still, nice analysis/summary.
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Great Summary
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Why would I need to "Copy" what you said? I've known this information for ages, just thought I'd try to post it in a simpler manner.
Admittedly, after correcting the "Soldier" mistake, i went pretty much overboard, but I like to try and help those who perhaps don't understand the story
Well, Sorry if you think I'm trying to steal your ideas at all, Feel free to take all the credit, I'm not here for recognition, just helping clear things up
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Joe Dodson is a funny guy. And hes right, most of FF7 didnt make any sence. Though i havent played it since '98 and would like a remake so that i can go back to it and try to make sence of it all. Like seriously, what the hell is SquareEnix doing? A remake of FF7 would sell a LOT more then any of the PS2 FFs. And i know they like money so i dont see a reason why not to do it.
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DarkPrince1113
******i dont think it really made sense that his eyes glowed with mako before he was a "specimen"...
Were they? I though Cloud from nature had blue eyes and in Crisis Core, before Nibelheim, his eyes are absolutely normal blue colour.*goes to check*
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Hey indestinedx
All you did was restate everything i said. Apparently i made the mistake of thinking that Cloud was a member of soldier, but probably on the lower end of the totem pole in soldier, but that was it. Everything else i said was spot on, and you just said it again in different words.
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Overall for game play (at its time) and the story it was one of the best rpg's(if you want to call it that because it did have a set path) i have ever played. For just game play star ocean: second story was absolutely fantastic and xenogears
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*quote* IndestedX - There maybe be some facts I said wrong, been a while since I played FF7 and watched Last Order Watch "Last Order" btw, Clears a lot of things up
*end quote* i just watched it for the first time... it only really cleared up, at least for me, when and where Cloud got infused with mako even though he was never in SOLDIER. although i dont think it really made sense that his eyes glowed with mako before he was a "specimen"...
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I would agree that this is one of the, if not THE, greatest game of all time. If there's a remake, and I really hope there is, I hope they don't add or take away anything.
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Gawd dayumm it's refreshing to see an analysis of Final Fantasy VII from the perspective of a Western dude who is not also an anime loser who was first in line at gencon, or Sakuracon, or whatever it is.
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ff7 is the best game i'v ever played in my life i would call it the worlds best game ever
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I'm a fan of Final Fantasy VII and a remake of it to me will be welcome because while enjoying the original FF VII, it was a long drawn out story line and adding some additional stuff to the game would be great. Honestly if you are a true fan of FF VII than you should want to hear the whole story.
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Ryukai is right, if they make a remake they probably would include all the characters from Crisis Core, and too me that wouldn't seem right. Genesis, Weiss, they were never original characters, just characters from the spin offs, and should stay in the spin offs. But Final Fantasy VII is the best and if a remake was made, should stay exactly the same, just updated graphics and voice acting
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Its a remake!! Since when has a remake of anything been 100% the same as the origonal game? Look at the remake of RE1 had more stuff added. And at the end of the day its FFVII.
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Basically the compilation of FFVII has started to annoy me as they felt compelled to add new characters into the story who, if they remake the game now, would need to be put in (Genesis for example). That will mean it won't be a proper re-make that FFVII fans want, it'll be the messed up version that the people at Square-Enix want.
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