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The remaining members of AVALANCHE infiltrate Shinra corporate headquarters to rescue Aeris. After freeing her and Red XIII, they escape because most of the personnel in the building, including the president, are killed by Sephiroth, a man presumed to be dead, who stated that he would never allow Shinra to claim the Promised Land.<ref>'''Cloud:''' Did you see him? Did you see Sephiroth? / '''Palmer:''' Yeah, I saw him!! I saw him with my own eyes! / '''Cloud:''' You really saw him? / '''Palmer:''' Uh! Would I lie to you at a time like this!? And I heard his voice too! Um, he was saying something about not letting us have the Promised Land. {{cite video game|title=Final Fantasy VII |developer=Square Co |publisher=SCE America |date=September 7, 1997 |platform=PlayStation}}</ref> The party also learns that during Sephiroth's attack on Shinra, the headless body of a creature named "Jenova" disappeared from the building's research facility.<ref>'''Cloud:''' ...Did it get away? Jenova...? / '''Red XIII:''' Jenova Specimen... Looks like it went to the upper floor using that elevator for the specimens. {{cite video game|title=Final Fantasy VII |developer=Square Co |publisher=SCE America |date=September 7, 1997 |platform=PlayStation}}</ref> While the president's son, Rufus Shinra, assumes control of the company, AVALANCHE pursues Sephiroth across the planet, fearing his intentions for the Promised Land may be more destructive than Shinra's. The party is joined by Cait Sith and Cid Highwind, and optionally by Vincent and Yuffie. The full scope of Sephiroth's plan is eventually revealed: if the world is significantly damaged, the Lifestream will gather in an attempt to heal the wound. Sephiroth intends to use a powerful spell called "Meteor" to cause this injury, and then merge with the planet's energy, allowing him to be reborn as a god and rule over the planet.<ref>'''Aeris:''' How do you intend to become one with the Planet? / '''Sephiroth:''' It's simple. Once the Planet is hurt, it gathers Spirit Energy to heal the injury. The amount of energy gathered depends on the size of the injury. ...What would happen if there was an injury that threatened the very life of the Planet? Think how much energy would be gathered! Ha ha ha. And at the center of that injury, will be me. All that boundless energy will be mine. By merging with all the energy of the Planet, I will become a new life form, a new existence. Melding with the Planet... I will cease to exist as I am now. Only to be reborn as a 'God' to rule over every soul. / '''Aeris:''' An injury powerful enough to destroy the Planet? Injure... the Planet? / '''Sephiroth:''' Behold that mural. The Ultimate Destructive Magic... Meteor. {{cite video game|title=Final Fantasy VII |developer=Square Co |publisher=SCE America |date=September 7, 1997 |platform=PlayStation}}</ref> Aeris sets off to stop Sephiroth on her own. AVALANCHE follow her to the northern continent, where they enter an ancient Cetra city. After finding Aeris praying to the planet for aid, Sephiroth impales Aeris with his sword.<ref name="development3"/>
The remaining members of AVALANCHE infiltrate Shinra corporate headquarters to rescue Aeris. After freeing her and Red XIII, they escape because most of the personnel in the building, including the president, are killed by Sephiroth, a man presumed to be dead, who stated that he would never allow Shinra to claim the Promised Land.<ref>'''Cloud:''' Did you see him? Did you see Sephiroth? / '''Palmer:''' Yeah, I saw him!! I saw him with my own eyes! / '''Cloud:''' You really saw him? / '''Palmer:''' Uh! Would I lie to you at a time like this!? And I heard his voice too! Um, he was saying something about not letting us have the Promised Land. {{cite video game|title=Final Fantasy VII |developer=Square Co |publisher=SCE America |date=September 7, 1997 |platform=PlayStation}}</ref> The party also learns that during Sephiroth's attack on Shinra, the headless body of a creature named "Jenova" disappeared from the building's research facility.<ref>'''Cloud:''' ...Did it get away? Jenova...? / '''Red XIII:''' Jenova Specimen... Looks like it went to the upper floor using that elevator for the specimens. {{cite video game|title=Final Fantasy VII |developer=Square Co |publisher=SCE America |date=September 7, 1997 |platform=PlayStation}}</ref> While the president's son, Rufus Shinra, assumes control of the company, AVALANCHE pursues Sephiroth across the planet, fearing his intentions for the Promised Land may be more destructive than Shinra's. The party is joined by Cait Sith and Cid Highwind, and optionally by Vincent and Yuffie. The full scope of Sephiroth's plan is eventually revealed: if the world is significantly damaged, the Lifestream will gather in an attempt to heal the wound. Sephiroth intends to use a powerful spell called "Meteor" to cause this injury, and then merge with the planet's energy, allowing him to be reborn as a god and rule over the planet.<ref>'''Aeris:''' How do you intend to become one with the Planet? / '''Sephiroth:''' It's simple. Once the Planet is hurt, it gathers Spirit Energy to heal the injury. The amount of energy gathered depends on the size of the injury. ...What would happen if there was an injury that threatened the very life of the Planet? Think how much energy would be gathered! Ha ha ha. And at the center of that injury, will be me. All that boundless energy will be mine. By merging with all the energy of the Planet, I will become a new life form, a new existence. Melding with the Planet... I will cease to exist as I am now. Only to be reborn as a 'God' to rule over every soul. / '''Aeris:''' An injury powerful enough to destroy the Planet? Injure... the Planet? / '''Sephiroth:''' Behold that mural. The Ultimate Destructive Magic... Meteor. {{cite video game|title=Final Fantasy VII |developer=Square Co |publisher=SCE America |date=September 7, 1997 |platform=PlayStation}}</ref> Aeris sets off to stop Sephiroth on her own. AVALANCHE follow her to the northern continent, where they enter an ancient Cetra city. After finding Aeris praying to the planet for aid, Sephiroth impales Aeris with his sword.<ref name="development3"/>


[[File:FFVIIsephirothkillsaeris.png|thumb|left|Sephiroth kills Aeris in a scene which has been referred to as "the most shocking moment in video games".<ref name="death"/>]]
Influenced by Sephiroth, Cloud becomes suspicious of his memories and insists he is not a real human, but instead a specimen created from Jenova's genetic material by [[Characters of the Final Fantasy VII series#Professor Hojo|Professor Hojo]]. Jenova was an interstellar creature who crash landed on the planet roughly 2,000 years prior to the game's events. Jenova had intended to infect all living organisms on the planet with a virus inducing insanity and monstrous transformations;<ref name="jenova">{{cite book | year=2005 | editor=Studio BentStuff | title=Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω | pages=210–215 | language=Japanese|publisher=Square Enix|isbn=4-7575-1520-0}}</ref> among its victims were most of the Cetra. Attempting to defend itself, the planet created giant monsters called "WEAPON". The majority of humans fled rather than fight Jenova; however, a small group of Cetra survivors managed to defeat and confine Jenova.<ref>'''Ifalna:''' A small number of the surviving Cetra defeated Jenova, and confined it. {{cite video game|title=Final Fantasy VII |developer=Square Co |publisher=SCE America |date=September 7, 1997 |platform=PlayStation}}</ref> Eventually, the remains of Jenova were unearthed by Professor Gast, a researcher for the Shinra Company. Mistaking the creature for a Cetra, Gast was given authorization to conduct an experiment to artificially produce a Cetra by combining cells from Jenova with the fetus of an unborn child.<ref name="jenova"/> Sephiroth learned that he was the product of this experiment while on a Shinra mission in Cloud and Tifa's hometown, Nibelheim. He concluded that he was a Cetra who had been produced solely from Jenova's genetic material. He burned down Nibelheim, intending to kill all descendants of those he believed had abandoned his ancestors in the defense of the planet. Cloud confronted Sephiroth during this massacre, after which Sephiroth vanished under unknown circumstances and was presumed dead until his reappearance in the Shinra building. When AVALANCHE travels to the Northern Crater to confront Sephiroth, he tells Cloud that he was not in Nibelheim, showing him images of a SOLDIER with dark hair who occupies Cloud's place in his memories.<ref>'''Cloud:''' Sephiroth! I know you're listening! I know what you want to say! That I wasn't in Nibelheim five years ago. That's it, isn't it? / '''Sephiroth:''' I see you finally understand. / '''Cloud:''' But, I want to ask you one thing. Why... why are you doing this? / '''Sephiroth:''' Ha, ha, ha...... I want to take you back to your real self. The one who gave me the Black Materia that day... Who would have ever thought a failed experiment would prove so useful? Hojo would die if he knew. / '''Cloud:''' Hojo!? What does he have to do with me!? / '''Sephiroth:''' Five years ago you were... ...constructed by Hojo, piece by piece, right after Nibelheim was burnt. A puppet made up of vibrant Jenova cells, her knowledge, and the power of Mako. {{cite video game|title=Final Fantasy VII |developer=Square Co |publisher=SCE America |date=September 7, 1997 |platform=PlayStation}}</ref> Tifa is unable to refute Sephiroth's claims, and Sephiroth casts the Meteor spell, causing the planet to awaken the WEAPONs in response. During the earthquake that follows, Cloud is separated from his companions and falls into the Lifestream.
Influenced by Sephiroth, Cloud becomes suspicious of his memories and insists he is not a real human, but instead a specimen created from Jenova's genetic material by [[Characters of the Final Fantasy VII series#Professor Hojo|Professor Hojo]]. Jenova was an interstellar creature who crash landed on the planet roughly 2,000 years prior to the game's events. Jenova had intended to infect all living organisms on the planet with a virus inducing insanity and monstrous transformations;<ref name="jenova">{{cite book | year=2005 | editor=Studio BentStuff | title=Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω | pages=210–215 | language=Japanese|publisher=Square Enix|isbn=4-7575-1520-0}}</ref> among its victims were most of the Cetra. Attempting to defend itself, the planet created giant monsters called "WEAPON". The majority of humans fled rather than fight Jenova; however, a small group of Cetra survivors managed to defeat and confine Jenova.<ref>'''Ifalna:''' A small number of the surviving Cetra defeated Jenova, and confined it. {{cite video game|title=Final Fantasy VII |developer=Square Co |publisher=SCE America |date=September 7, 1997 |platform=PlayStation}}</ref> Eventually, the remains of Jenova were unearthed by Professor Gast, a researcher for the Shinra Company. Mistaking the creature for a Cetra, Gast was given authorization to conduct an experiment to artificially produce a Cetra by combining cells from Jenova with the fetus of an unborn child.<ref name="jenova"/> Sephiroth learned that he was the product of this experiment while on a Shinra mission in Cloud and Tifa's hometown, Nibelheim. He concluded that he was a Cetra who had been produced solely from Jenova's genetic material. He burned down Nibelheim, intending to kill all descendants of those he believed had abandoned his ancestors in the defense of the planet. Cloud confronted Sephiroth during this massacre, after which Sephiroth vanished under unknown circumstances and was presumed dead until his reappearance in the Shinra building. When AVALANCHE travels to the Northern Crater to confront Sephiroth, he tells Cloud that he was not in Nibelheim, showing him images of a SOLDIER with dark hair who occupies Cloud's place in his memories.<ref>'''Cloud:''' Sephiroth! I know you're listening! I know what you want to say! That I wasn't in Nibelheim five years ago. That's it, isn't it? / '''Sephiroth:''' I see you finally understand. / '''Cloud:''' But, I want to ask you one thing. Why... why are you doing this? / '''Sephiroth:''' Ha, ha, ha...... I want to take you back to your real self. The one who gave me the Black Materia that day... Who would have ever thought a failed experiment would prove so useful? Hojo would die if he knew. / '''Cloud:''' Hojo!? What does he have to do with me!? / '''Sephiroth:''' Five years ago you were... ...constructed by Hojo, piece by piece, right after Nibelheim was burnt. A puppet made up of vibrant Jenova cells, her knowledge, and the power of Mako. {{cite video game|title=Final Fantasy VII |developer=Square Co |publisher=SCE America |date=September 7, 1997 |platform=PlayStation}}</ref> Tifa is unable to refute Sephiroth's claims, and Sephiroth casts the Meteor spell, causing the planet to awaken the WEAPONs in response. During the earthquake that follows, Cloud is separated from his companions and falls into the Lifestream.


Revision as of 10:03, 20 August 2010

Final Fantasy VII
North American box art depicting the main character Cloud
Developer(s)Square Product Development Dept. #1[2]
Publisher(s)
Square
Director(s)Yoshinori Kitase
Producer(s)Hironobu Sakaguchi
Artist(s)Tetsuya Nomura
Writer(s)Kazushige Nojima
Yoshinori Kitase
Hironobu Sakaguchi
Tetsuya Nomura
Composer(s)Nobuo Uematsu
SeriesFinal Fantasy
Platform(s)PlayStation, Windows, PlayStation Network
Release
January 31, 1997
  • PlayStation
    Windows
    PlayStation Network
Genre(s)Role-playing game
Mode(s)Single-player

Template:Nihongo title is a role-playing video game developed by Square (now Square Enix) and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation. It was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009 on the PlayStation Network. The game is the first in the series to use 3D computer graphics, featuring fully rendered characters on pre-rendered backgrounds, and was the first game in the series to be released in Europe.

Development of Final Fantasy VII began in 1994 and the game was originally intended for release on the SNES, but it was later moved to the Nintendo 64. As the system's cartridges lacked the required storage capacity, Square decided to release the game for the PlayStation instead. The music was scored by Final Fantasy veteran Nobuo Uematsu, while the series' long-time character designer, Yoshitaka Amano, was replaced by Tetsuya Nomura.

Set in a dystopian world, Final Fantasy VII's story centers on mercenary Cloud Strife who joins with several others to stop the megacorporation Shinra, which is draining the life of the planet to use as an energy source. As the story progresses, the situation escalates and Cloud and his allies face Sephiroth, the game's main antagonist.

Helped by a large promotional campaign in the months prior to its release, Final Fantasy VII became an immediate critical and commercial success. In the years following, it has continued to sell solidly—the game has sold 9.8 million copies worldwide as of December 2005, making it the best-selling title in the series. Final Fantasy VII received significant praise upon its release for its graphics, gameplay, music and story as well as criticism pertaining to its English localization. It has retrospectively been acknowledged as the game that popularized the console role-playing game genre outside of the Japanese market, and has frequently ranked highly on numerous professional and fan-made "greatest games of all time" lists. The popularity of the title led Square Enix to produce a series of prequels and sequels for different platforms under the collective title Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. An enhanced remake for the PlayStation 3 has been rumored since 2005, though Square Enix have formally stated that no such product is in development at the time;[3] however, in March 2010, Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada told the media that the company would explore the possibility of a remake.[4]

Gameplay

Like previous installments of the Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy VII consists of three modes: an overworld map, field maps, and a battle screen. The overworld map is a 3D model, featuring a scaled-down version of the game's fictional world which the player navigates to travel between the game's locations.[5] As with preceding games in the series, the world map can be traversed by foot, on chocobos, airship, or sea vessel (in this case, a submarine and a plane used as a boat), but it also includes an additional means of transportation—a buggy.[5] On field maps, characters are directed across realistically scaled environments, consisting of 2D pre-rendered backgrounds which represent locations such as towns or forests.[6] The battle screen is a 3D representation of an area, such as a building's interior or an open grassland, in which the player commands the characters in battles against CPU-controlled enemies.[7] While characters are super deformed on maps, the character models are more realistic and normal-scaled in combat.[8] Final Fantasy VII is the first game in the series to have character models with fully-rendered polygons, rather than 2D sprites.

Initially, the player is restricted to the city of Midgar, but as the game progresses the entire world becomes accessible.[5] Progression through the game's storyline is largely developed by way of scripted sequences, although pre-rendered cinematic cut scenes are also used often.[8]

Combat

A battle in Final Fantasy VII

During battle sequences, the game uses the Active Time Battle (ATB) system designed by Hiroyuki Ito, first featured in Final Fantasy IV. Unlike previous games in the series, which allow 4-5 playable characters to participate in battle, Final Fantasy VII only allows three characters to be in the party at any time.[9]

Final Fantasy VII's skill system is built around the use of materia (which any character can use)—magical orbs that are placed in special slots on weapons and armor, allowing players to customize their party's ability to use magic, summons, and special abilities. However, most magic-based materia also lowers an equipped character's physical attributes. In addition, certain types of materia can be combined in a fixed number of ways to enhance their effects or produce other abilities.[10] Summon spells feature in the game, equippable as materia, with elaborately animated attacks.

A modified form of Final Fantasy VI's "Desperation Attacks" appears in Final Fantasy VII as the "Limit Break". Every playable character has a bar that gradually fills up as they suffer damage in battle. When the bar is completely filled, the character is able to unleash his or her Limit Break, a special attack which generally inflicts significantly more damage on enemies than normal attacks, or otherwise aids the party in battle.[8] Unlike materia, each character has their own unique set of Limit Breaks, which are divided into four levels of strength.[11]

Plot

Setting

Main article: Gaia (Final Fantasy VII)

The game's setting follows in the footsteps of Final Fantasy VI by presenting a world with considerably more advanced technology than the first five games in the series. Overall, the game's technology and society approximates that of an industrial or post-industrial science fiction.[12] The world of Final Fantasy VII, referred to in the game as "The Planet", but retroactively named "Gaia", is composed of three main land masses. The eastern continent features the city of Midgar, an industrial metropolis that serves as the capital city of the world as it hosts headquarters of the Shinra, who operate as the de facto world government. Other locations on the continent are Junon, Shinra's major military base; Fort Condor, a fort with a huge condor covering up a Mako reactor on top of it; a chocobo ranch; and Kalm, a small town inspired by medieval Europe.

The western continent features most of the accessible areas, which include the Gold Saucer, an amusement park with Corel Prison below; Costa Del Sol, a seaside resort; Gongaga, a small town containing the remains of a destroyed Mako reactor; Nibelheim, a town residing at the base of Mt. Nibel; Rocket Town, the location of Shinra's failed rocket launch; and a settlement called Cosmo Canyon. Wutai, a village inspired by pre-modern Japan and China, is located on a large island off the western continent. The tribe inhabiting Cosmo Canyon emphasize living in harmony with nature and dedicating causes to the planet's well-being.[13] Their settlement features an observatory and serves as a research facility for those who wish to participate in a philosophy known as the "Study of Planet Life", a lifestyle that encourages deference for nature and teaches that the planet has a life of its own.[13] The northernmost continent is a heavily glaciated landmass, and its few settlements include an excavation site; a ski resort; the mythical "City of the Ancients"; and the Northern Crater, where the game's climax takes place. There are also underwater locations accessible via submarine, such as a sunken plane transporter.

Characters

Main article: Characters of the Final Fantasy VII series
Tetsuya Nomura's designs of the main playable characters in Final Fantasy VII. Clockwise from top right: Cait Sith, Tifa, Barret, Cloud, Aeris, Yuffie, Red XIII, Vincent, Cid.

The nine main playable characters in Final Fantasy VII are Cloud Strife, an unsociable mercenary who claims to be a former 1st Class member of Shinra's SOLDIER unit;[14] Barret Wallace, the leader of the anti-Shinra rebel group AVALANCHE; Tifa Lockhart, a martial artist and childhood friend of Cloud's; Aeris Gainsborough[15], a flower merchant who has been pursued by Shinra's special operations unit Turks since childhood;[16] Red XIII, a wise lion-like creature who was experimented on by Shinra scientists; Cait Sith, a fortune-telling robotic cat who rides an animated moogle doll;[17] Cid Highwind, a pilot whose dreams of being the first man in outer space were crushed;[18] Yuffie Kisaragi, a young thief and a skillful ninja; and Vincent Valentine, a former member of Shinra's Turks unit who was killed and brought back to life as an immortal.[19] The game's main antagonist is Sephiroth, a former member of SOLDIER who reappears several years after disappearing in a battle in which he was concluded to have died.[20]

The game's character designer, Tetsuya Nomura, has expressed that Final Fantasy VII was hindered by graphical limitations, and as such his designs were very plain in comparison to his real style. Cloud's original design of slicked back black hair with no spikes was intended to serve as a contrast to Sephiroth's long, flowing silver hair. Nomura feared that such masculinity could prove to be unpopular with fans, and therefore he changed Cloud's design to feature a shock of spiky, bright blond hair. Tifa's outfit with her dark miniskirt was designed to contrast Aeris's long, pink dress. Vincent's character developed from horror researcher to detective, then to chemist, and finally to the figure of a former Turk with a tragic past. Nomura has indicated that Cid Highwind's fighting style resembles that of a Dragoon Knight, a character class which was chosen because his last name is the same as that of two previous Dragoon Knights featured in the Final Fantasy series, Ricard Highwind of Final Fantasy II and Kain Highwind of Final Fantasy IV.[8]

Several characters from Final Fantasy VII have made cameo appearances in other Square Enix titles, most notably the fighting game Ehrgeiz and the popular Final Fantasy-Disney crossover series Kingdom Hearts. Dissidia: Final Fantasy is the newest game to include Final Fantasy VII characters such as Cloud and Sephiroth and lets players battle it out with characters from other Final Fantasy games. Aeris' death in the game has often been referred as one of the most emotional moments from any video game.[21][22] Sephiroth remains one of the most popular villains in video game history, unanimously voted #1 by the staff of gaming publication Electronic Gaming Monthly in their "Top 10 Video Game Bosses" list in October 2005,[23] and winning GameFAQs' best villain contest in spring of the same year.[24]

Story

Final Fantasy VII begins with Cloud joining AVALANCHE in a series of raids against the Mako reactors surrounding the city of Midgar. Although the first mission is successful, AVALANCHE is trapped at another reactor during a subsequent raid. The reactor explodes, launching Cloud from the upper levels of Midgar into the slums below. He lands on a flower bed, where he is formally introduced to Aeris.[25] Prompted by the arrival of Shinra's Turks operatives sent to capture Aeris, Cloud agrees to be Aeris' bodyguard and defends her from the Turks.[26] After the Shinra discover the location of AVALANCHE's hideout,[27] they destroy it by demolishing the entirety of Sector 7, killing its population and three members of AVALANCHE. The Turks also capture Aeris, who is revealed to be the last surviving "Cetra",[28] a race closely attuned with the planet and previously thought extinct. President Shinra believes Aeris can lead him to the "Promised Land", a mythical land of fertility, where he expects to find Mako energy.[29]

The remaining members of AVALANCHE infiltrate Shinra corporate headquarters to rescue Aeris. After freeing her and Red XIII, they escape because most of the personnel in the building, including the president, are killed by Sephiroth, a man presumed to be dead, who stated that he would never allow Shinra to claim the Promised Land.[30] The party also learns that during Sephiroth's attack on Shinra, the headless body of a creature named "Jenova" disappeared from the building's research facility.[31] While the president's son, Rufus Shinra, assumes control of the company, AVALANCHE pursues Sephiroth across the planet, fearing his intentions for the Promised Land may be more destructive than Shinra's. The party is joined by Cait Sith and Cid Highwind, and optionally by Vincent and Yuffie. The full scope of Sephiroth's plan is eventually revealed: if the world is significantly damaged, the Lifestream will gather in an attempt to heal the wound. Sephiroth intends to use a powerful spell called "Meteor" to cause this injury, and then merge with the planet's energy, allowing him to be reborn as a god and rule over the planet.[32] Aeris sets off to stop Sephiroth on her own. AVALANCHE follow her to the northern continent, where they enter an ancient Cetra city. After finding Aeris praying to the planet for aid, Sephiroth impales Aeris with his sword.[33]

Influenced by Sephiroth, Cloud becomes suspicious of his memories and insists he is not a real human, but instead a specimen created from Jenova's genetic material by Professor Hojo. Jenova was an interstellar creature who crash landed on the planet roughly 2,000 years prior to the game's events. Jenova had intended to infect all living organisms on the planet with a virus inducing insanity and monstrous transformations;[34] among its victims were most of the Cetra. Attempting to defend itself, the planet created giant monsters called "WEAPON". The majority of humans fled rather than fight Jenova; however, a small group of Cetra survivors managed to defeat and confine Jenova.[35] Eventually, the remains of Jenova were unearthed by Professor Gast, a researcher for the Shinra Company. Mistaking the creature for a Cetra, Gast was given authorization to conduct an experiment to artificially produce a Cetra by combining cells from Jenova with the fetus of an unborn child.[34] Sephiroth learned that he was the product of this experiment while on a Shinra mission in Cloud and Tifa's hometown, Nibelheim. He concluded that he was a Cetra who had been produced solely from Jenova's genetic material. He burned down Nibelheim, intending to kill all descendants of those he believed had abandoned his ancestors in the defense of the planet. Cloud confronted Sephiroth during this massacre, after which Sephiroth vanished under unknown circumstances and was presumed dead until his reappearance in the Shinra building. When AVALANCHE travels to the Northern Crater to confront Sephiroth, he tells Cloud that he was not in Nibelheim, showing him images of a SOLDIER with dark hair who occupies Cloud's place in his memories.[36] Tifa is unable to refute Sephiroth's claims, and Sephiroth casts the Meteor spell, causing the planet to awaken the WEAPONs in response. During the earthquake that follows, Cloud is separated from his companions and falls into the Lifestream.

As the meteor summoned by Sephiroth slowly approaches the planet, the Shinra Company focuses its efforts on protecting humanity from the WEAPONs, as well as defeating Sephiroth, in the hopes that this will dismiss Meteor itself.[37] Meanwhile, the members of AVALANCHE find Cloud in a catatonic state on a tropical resort where he washed up following the casting of Meteor. The WEAPONs' destructive activity causes the island to split open, and Cloud and Tifa fall into the Lifestream, where she reconstructs Cloud's memories and learns the truth about his past. It is revealed that Cloud never succeeded in joining SOLDIER, and that the dark-haired SOLDIER from his memories was actually Aeris's first love and Cloud's best friend, Zack Fair. Zack, Tifa, and Cloud had fought Sepiroth during the burning of Nibelheim. Although Tifa and Zack were defeated, Cloud and Sephiroth severely wounded one another. After decapitating Jenova, Sephiroth was thrown into the Lifestream by Cloud, taking the creature's head with him. Rather than dying, his body and consciousness were crystallized in Mako inside Jenova's crater.

Cloud and Zack were among the wounded survivors who were apprehended by Shinra as part of a cover-up of Sephiroth's massacre. Professor Hojo subjected these survivors to an experiment, performing the same enhancements given to SOLDIER members—a procedure which included Mako showers and the injection of Jenova cells. All but Zack entered a comatose state, and nearly five years later, Zack broke free from his confinement and took Cloud with him. However, the alien Jenova cells in Cloud's body still allowed Sephiroth to modulate his behavior. Moreover, the cells' ability to duplicate information allowed Cloud's mind to construct a false persona built around Zack's behavior. This was prompted by Zack himself, who was killed outside Midgar by Shinra soldiers during the escape; he urged Cloud to live both their lives before passing on. Afterward, Tifa discovered Cloud, who was wearing a SOLDIER 1st Class uniform, and offered him a job with AVALANCHE.[34]

After Cloud awakens, it is revealed that Aeris, in her final moments, was casting the spell "Holy" with the White Materia, the only means of opposing Meteor. Although she succeeded, Sephiroth had since prevented the spell from taking effect. Deciding to protect humanity from the WEAPONs before approaching Sephiroth, Shinra and AVALANCHE destroy the WEAPONs, although nearly all of Shinra's executives are killed in the process. Among the few survivors are Reeve Tuesti, who is revealed to be the repentant controller of Cait Sith,[38] and Professor Hojo, who is revealed to be Sephiroth's biological father. He explains that he and his wife were assistants to Professor Gast, and offered up their unborn child as a test subject to research involving Jenova.[39] After finding out that Hojo is trying to help Sephiroth gain mastery over the Lifestream, AVALANCHE kills him. In their final assault against Sephiroth, the group travels through the Northern Crater to the planet's core. They defeat Sephiroth and free Holy, but the spell is unable to destroy Meteor alone. Selected as Meteor's target, Midgar is almost completely destroyed. However, the Lifestream rises from the planet to aid Holy in destroying the Meteor.[40] During the epilogue, taking place 500 years after the game's events, Red XIII runs through a canyon with two cubs at his side. He proceeds up a cliff-face, which reveals a lush land of greenery where Midgar had once been.

Development

Planning sessions for Final Fantasy VII began in 1994 after the release of Final Fantasy VI. At the time, the game was planned to be another 2D project for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.[41] Series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi intended the story to take place in modern New York City in the year 1999. Several of the staff members were working in parallel on Chrono Trigger, and development for Final Fantasy VII was interrupted when the other project became significant enough to require the help of Yoshinori Kitase and other designers. Some of the ideas originally considered for Final Fantasy VII ended up in Chrono Trigger instead. Other ideas, such as the New York setting and the sorceress character Edea, were kept unused until the later projects Parasite Eve and Final Fantasy VIII respectively.[42] The original script of Final Fantasy VII, which was written by Sakaguchi, was completely different from the finished product. Tetsuya Nomura recalled how Sakaguchi "wanted to do something like a detective story". The first part of the story involved a "hot blooded" character named "Detective Joe" who was in pursuit of the main characters. The main characters managed to blow up the city of Midgar, which had already been developed for the story.[43] The final scenario was written by Kazushige Nojima and Kitase, based on the story idea by Sakaguchi and Nomura.[2]

Development of Final Fantasy VII resumed in late 1995,[33] and required the efforts of approximately 120 artists and programmers, using PowerAnimator and Softimage|3D software and a budget of more than US$30 million.[44] Final Fantasy VI's co-director and scenario writer, Kitase, returned to direct and co-write Final Fantasy VII and was concerned the franchise might be left behind if it did not catch up to the 3D computer graphics used in other games at the time.[45] Production began after the making of a short, experimental tech demo called "Final Fantasy SGI" for Silicon Graphics, Inc. Onyx workstations. The demo featured polygon-based 3D renderings of characters from Final Fantasy VI in a real time battle.[46] This experiment led the development team to integrate these design mechanics into Final Fantasy VII. However, as a result of the high quantity of memory storage required to implement the motion data, only the CD-ROM format would be able to suit the project's needs.[33] Nintendo, for which Square had developed all previous titles in the Final Fantasy series, had decided to continue to use cartridges for its upcoming Nintendo 64 console. This eventually led to a dispute that resulted in Square ending its long, tumultuous relationship with Nintendo, and Square announced on January 12, 1996 it would be developing Final Fantasy VII for Sony's PlayStation platform.[47]

The transition from 2D computer graphics to 3D environments overlaid on pre-rendered backgrounds was accompanied by a focus on a more realistic presentation. While the extra storage capacity and computer graphics gave the team the means to implement more than 40 minutes of full motion video movies, this innovation brought with it the added difficulty of ensuring that the inferiority of the in-game graphics in comparison to the full motion video sequences was not too obvious. Kitase has described the process of making the in-game environments as detailed as possible to be "a daunting task".[33] The series' long-time character designer, Yoshitaka Amano, was busy opening art workshops and exhibitions in France and New York, which limited his involvement in the game. This issue was addressed by assigning Tetsuya Nomura as the project's main artist, while Amano aided in the design of the game's world map.[8]

In early August 1996, a demonstration disc called "Square's Preview Extra" was released in Japan as a bonus pack-in with the PlayStation game Tobal No. 1. The disc contained the earliest playable demo of Final Fantasy VII and previews of other upcoming games such as Bushido Blade and SaGa Frontier. The demo allowed players to play through the first part of Midgar. However, there were some noticeable differences from the final version, namely that Aeris was featured in the initial party and that the ability to use Summons had not yet been implemented.[48]

The game's release in North America was preceded by a massive three-month marketing campaign, which consisted of three 30-second television commercials on major networks, a one minute long theatrical commercial, a holiday promotion with Pepsi, and printed ads in publications such as Rolling Stone, Details, Spin, Playboy and comic books published by Marvel and DC.[49] Several additions to gameplay and story were made for the game's North American release, such as easier exchange of materia, arrows highlighting exits on field screens,[6] and an extra cutscene, prompting a re-release in Japan under the title "Final Fantasy VII International".[50] In 1998, Final Fantasy VII was ported to Windows-based PCs. This re-release featured smoother graphics and fixed translation and spelling errors, as well as gameplay-related glitches. However, the PC version also suffered from its own bugs, including errors in the display of some full motion videos when rendering in hardware mode on certain graphics chipsets.[51]

Music

Main article: Music of the Final Fantasy VII series

The music for Final Fantasy VII was composed by Nobuo Uematsu. Instead of recorded music and sound effects for the game, Uematsu opted for MIDIs, using the PlayStation's internal sound chip.[8] Final Fantasy VII was the first game in the series to include a track with digitized vocals, "One-Winged Angel", which has been described as Uematsu's "most recognizable contribution" to the music of the Final Fantasy series.[52] Uematsu has said that the soundtrack has a feel of "realism", which prevented him from using "exorbitant, crazy music".[53]

The game's soundtrack was released on four Compact Discs.[54] One of the most notable pieces from the soundtrack is "Aeris's Theme" (or otherwise known as "Aerith's Theme"), which is most noticeably played after Aeris is killed by Sephiroth. It has become popular among fans, and has inspired several arrangements.[55] A single-disc album of selected tracks from the Original Soundtrack and three arranged tracks, entitled Final Fantasy VII Reunion Tracks, was released separately.[56] Piano Collections Final Fantasy VII, a piano arrangement of selected tracks, was released in 2003.[57] Several tracks from the game have been remixed in subsequent Square productions, including Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy VII Advent Children[58] and Kingdom Hearts.[59]

Reception

Final Fantasy VII was both a critical and commercial success, and set several sales records. Within three days of its release in Japan, the game had sold 2.3 million copies.[8] This popularity inspired thousands of retailers in North America to break street dates in September to meet public demand for the title.[60] In the game's debut weekend in North America, it sold 330,000 copies,[61] and had reached sales of 500,000 units in less than three weeks.[62] The momentum built in the game's opening weeks continued for several months; Sony announced the game had sold one million copies on the continent by early December,[63] prompting business analyst Edward Williams from Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co. to comment, "Sony redefined the role-playing game (RPG) category and expanded the conventional audience with the launch of Final Fantasy VII".[63] Final Fantasy VII had sold over 9.8 million copies worldwide including Final Fantasy VII International as of December 2005,[64] making it the highest-selling Final Fantasy title.[65] Although Square's announcement that Final Fantasy VII would be produced for Sony rather than Nintendo and that it would not be based on the Final Fantasy SGI demo was initially met with discontent among gamers,[46][47] the game continues to maintain a strong following.

Upon release, the game received near universal acclaim from critics. GameSpot commented that "never before have technology, playability, and narrative combined as well as in Final Fantasy VII", expressing particular favor toward the game's graphics, audio, and story.[6] IGN's Jay Boor insisted the game's graphics were "light years beyond anything ever seen on the PlayStation", and regarded its battle system as its strongest point.[9] RPGamer praised the game's soundtrack both in variety and sheer volume, stating that "Uematsu has done his work exceptionally well" and "is perhaps at his best here".[80]

Since 1997, Final Fantasy VII has been selected by many game magazines—including Electronic Gaming Monthly,[81] IGN[82] and Gamespot[21]—as one of the best and most important video games of all time, and has placed at or near the top in many reader polls of all-time best games. Upon its release in 1997, it was referred to by Gamefan as "quite possibly the greatest game ever made...," a quote which continues to feature prominently on the back cover of the game's jewel case.[83] In January 2005, it was selected by Electronic Gaming Monthly as sixth on their list of "the 10 most important games ... that helped redefine the industry since ... 1989". Citing its "beautiful cut-scenes and a deep, introspective narrative", they claimed that "Square’s game was ... the first RPG to surpass, instead of copy, movie-like storytelling." In late 2007, Dengeki PlayStation named Final Fantasy VII as the "best story", "best RPG", and "best overall game" in their retrospective awards feature about the original PlayStation.[84] GamePro named it the fourteenth most important and most innovative video game of all-time,[85][86] as well as the best RPG title of all time.[87] Final Fantasy VII placed second in the "Top 100 Favorite Games of All Time" poll by Japanese magazine Famitsu during March 2006,[88] while users of the video game website GameFAQs voted Final Fantasy VII as the "Best Game Ever"[89] in November 2005 and in 2004,[90] and placed second in 2009.[91]

Final Fantasy VII has received negative criticism as well. GameSpy rated it seventh on their "25 Most Overrated Games" list in September 2003.[92] Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (OPM) and GameSpot questioned the game's highly linear progression.[6][71] OPM considered the game's translation "a bit muddy" and felt the summon animations were "tedious".[71] RPGamer said "[the game] is far from perfect", citing its translation as "packed with typos and other errors which further obscure what is already a very confusing plot".[93] GamePro also considered the Japanese-to-English translation a significant weakness in the game,[51] and IGN regarded the option to use only three characters at a time as "the game's only shortcoming".

Reviewers praised the game's Windows conversion, but criticized it for its lower-quality pre-rendered visuals and audio, and for its framerate and installation problems;[73][74][94] Computer Games Magazine said that "[no] game in recent memory" had its "tendency to fail to work in any capacity on multiple [computers]".[75] Computer Gaming World complained that the "music, while beautifully composed, is butchered by being dependent on [a] sound card",[74] and Next Generation Magazine found the game's pre-rendered backgrounds significantly less impressive than those of the PlayStation version.[94] However, the latter magazine found the higher-resolution battle visuals "absolutely stunning",[94] and Computer Games Magazine said that they "[show] off the power of [a] PC equipped with a 3D card".[75] All three magazines concluded by praising the game despite its technical flaws,[74][75][94] and PC Gamer US summarized that, while "Square apparently did only what was required to get its PlayStation game running under Windows", Final Fantasy VII is "still a winner on the PC".

Legacy

Final Fantasy VII is credited as "the game that sold the PlayStation", as well as allowing console role-playing games to find a place in markets outside Japan, and (as measured in copies sold) remains the most popular title in the series.[95][96][97][98] The game's popularity and open-ended nature also led director Kitase and scenario writer Nojima to establish a plot-related connection between Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X-2. The character Shinra from Final Fantasy X-2 proposes the concept of extracting the life energy from within the planet Spira. Nojima has stated that Shinra and his proposal are a deliberate nod to the Shinra Company, and that he envisioned the events of Final Fantasy X-2 as a prequel to those in Final Fantasy VII.[99] In addition to the PlayStation and PC releases, the game was released onto the PlayStation Network in Japan on April 10, 2009, in America on June 2, 2009 and in Europe and Australia on June 4, 2009. The game has also inspired an unofficial version of Final Fantasy VII for the Nintendo Entertainment System by Chinese company Shenzhen Nanjing Technology.[100] This port features the Final Fantasy VII game scaled back to 2D, with some of the side quests removed.[100]

The full motion video sequences and computer graphics presented in Final Fantasy VII would allow Sakaguchi to begin production of the first Final Fantasy film, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.[101] The game also introduced settings dominantly suffused with modern-to-advanced technology into the Final Fantasy series, a theme continued by Final Fantasy VIII and The Spirits Within.[102][103] Re-releases of Square games in Japan with bonus features would occur frequently after the release of Final Fantasy VII International. Later titles that would be re-released as international versions include Final Fantasy X (as "International"),[104] Final Fantasy X-2 (as "International + Last Mission"),[105] Kingdom Hearts (as "Final Mix"),[106] Kingdom Hearts II (as "Final Mix"),[107] and Final Fantasy XII (as "International Zodiac Job System").[108]

Further information: [[:Compilation of Final Fantasy VII]]

Compilation of Final Fantasy VII is the formal title for a series of games and animated features and short stories based in the world and story of Final Fantasy VII. The series consists of several titles across various platforms, all of which are extensions of the original story.[109] The first title in the Compilation is the mobile game Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, which is a prequel focusing on the Turks six years preceding the original game.[110] The CGI film sequel Final Fantasy VII Advent Children was the first title announced in the series, but it was the second to be released. It is set two years after the conclusion of Final Fantasy VII. Special editions of the film included Last Order: Final Fantasy VII, an original video animation that recounts the destruction of Nibelheim.[111] Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII and its mobile phone counterpart, Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode: Final Fantasy VII, are third-person shooters.[112] Dirge of Cerberus is set three years after the events of Final Fantasy VII. The most recent title in the Compilation is the PlayStation Portable game Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, an action role-playing game that revolves around Zack's past.[113] Also included in the compilation is On the Way to a Smile, a collection of seven short stories written by Kazushige Nojima based on the events that immediately followed the end of the game, leading up to Advent Children. Originally only three short stories were released: "Case of Barret", "Case of Tifa" and "Case of Denzel". With the release of Advent Children Complete, "Case of Nanaki", "Case of Yuffie", "Case of ShinRa" and "Case of Lifestream -- White & Black" were added.

Releases not under the Compilation label include, Maiden who Travels the Planet, which follows Aeris' journey in the Lifestream after her death at the hands of Sephiroth, taking place concurrently with the second half of Final Fantasy VII.[114] Final Fantasy VII Snowboarding is a mobile port of the snowboard minigame featured in Final Fantasy VII.[115] It contains different tracks than the original minigame.[116] The game is downloadable on V CAST-compatible mobile phones, and was first made available in 2005 in Japan and North America.[117]

Possible remake

It was speculated that the Final Fantasy VII Compilation would include an enhanced remake of the original Final Fantasy VII for the PlayStation 3. This speculation was sparked at the 2005 E3 by the release of a tech demo featuring the opening sequence of Final Fantasy VII recreated using PlayStation 3's graphical capabilities,[118] and fueled further by thank-you notes to "the Final Fantasy VII PS3 testing team" in the credits of both Advent Children and Crisis Core; however, it is quite possible the note was aimed at the testers for the PSN release of Final Fantasy VII, or that either game used graphical assets from that demo.[119][120] Square Enix president Yoichi Wada has explained that the presentation was intended only for technological demonstration purposes,[118] and an official statement from the company said that they had not announced such a project.[121] In June 2009 Final Fantasy VII was released on the PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable.[122]

Yoshinori Kitase, producer of Final Fantasy XIII, said at Games Convention "As for a VII remake, all I can advise right now is to play the PSN release that just came out for the time being. Maybe, perhaps we'll have some news for you at a later time. I'm actually working on multiple projects right now, I don't know exactly what new projects I'll be taking on after XIII, but I am working on Final Fantasy Agito XIII as well, so maybe I'll be able to focus a little bit more on that project once XIII is complete."[123] In February 2010, Kitase stated that creating a Final Fantasy VII for the PlayStation 3 in order to give it a similar quality to the one from Final Fantasy XIII "would take as much as three or four times longer than the three and a half years it has taken to put this Final Fantasy together! So it's looking pretty unrealistic to happen!" Additionally, Kitase commented that making games with the same style of Final Fantasy VII for the PlayStation 3 is very difficult as it would take the staff too much time to make the graphics; due to this, Final Fantasy XIII is "more linear" than previous titles.[124] In a March 2010 interview, however, Final Fantasy XIII director Motomu Toriyama stated, "If we had the manpower and the time to work on a project, if we were to remake Final Fantasy VII with the quality of Final Fantasy XIII it would become a tremendous project. If we can get the number of people we need by all means that would be the one I would really want to remake."[125] Also in March 2010, CEO Yoichi Wada revealed that they are exploring the possibility of a remake, following the high demand.[4]

Due to the number of questions the site GamesRadar received about the game's remake they featured it in their article "5 reasons to hate Final Fantasy", stating "If the company can pump out Crisis Core, Dirge of Cerberus, Dissidia Final Fantasy, Advent Children and all the rest of its endless spinoffs and unrelated games, it can damn well make an acceptably pretty Final Fantasy VII for the current-gen market", yet they wished it could be released so that fans would stop asking them about it.[126] GamesRadar later published an article called "The truth about the Final Fantasy VII remake", stating that despite the staff's comments that they will not make a remake, recent interviews from mid-2009 onwards gave gamers hope that it is still possible that a remake will be released.[127]

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