Final Fantasy VII

Last updated

Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII Box Art.jpg
North American cover art, featuring the game's protagonist, Cloud Strife
Developer(s) Square
Publisher(s)
Director(s) Yoshinori Kitase
Producer(s) Hironobu Sakaguchi
Programmer(s) Ken Narita
Artist(s)
Writer(s) Yoshinori Kitase
Kazushige Nojima
Composer(s) Nobuo Uematsu
Series Final Fantasy
Platform(s)
Release
January 31, 1997
  • PlayStation
    • JP: January 31, 1997
    • NA: September 7, 1997
    • PAL: November 17, 1997
    International
    • JP: October 2, 1997
    Windows
    Remaster
    • NA/PAL: August 14, 2012
    • JP: May 16, 2013
    • WW: July 4, 2013 (Steam)
    • WW: August 13, 2020 (Microsoft Store)
    iOS
    • WW: August 19, 2015
    PlayStation 4
    • WW: December 5, 2015
    Android
    • WW: July 7, 2016
    Switch, Xbox One
    • WW: March 26, 2019
Genre(s) Role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player

Final Fantasy VII [lower-alpha 1] is a 1997 role-playing video game developed by Square for the PlayStation console and the seventh main installment in the Final Fantasy series. Square published the game in Japan, and it was released in other regions by Sony Computer Entertainment, becoming the first game in the main series to have a PAL release. The game's story follows Cloud Strife, a mercenary who joins an eco-terrorist organization to stop a world-controlling megacorporation from using the planet's life essence as an energy source. Events send Cloud and his allies in pursuit of Sephiroth, a superhuman who seeks to wound the planet and harness its healing power to be reborn as a god. During their journey, Cloud bonds with his party members, including Aerith Gainsborough, who holds the secret to saving their world.

Contents

Development began in 1994, originally for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. After delays and technical difficulties from experimenting with several platforms, most notably the Nintendo 64, Square moved production to the PlayStation, largely due to the advantages of the CD-ROM format. Veteran Final Fantasy staff returned, including series creator and producer Hironobu Sakaguchi, director Yoshinori Kitase, and composer Nobuo Uematsu. The title was the first in the series to use full motion video and 3D computer graphics, featuring 3D character models superimposed over 2D pre-rendered backgrounds. Although the gameplay remained mostly unchanged from previous entries, Final Fantasy VII introduced more widespread science fiction elements and a more realistic presentation. The combined development and marketing budget cost around US$80 million.

Final Fantasy VII received widespread commercial and critical success and remains widely regarded as a landmark title, and it is regarded as one of the most influential and greatest video games ever made. The title won numerous Game of the Year awards and was acknowledged for boosting the sales of the PlayStation and popularizing Japanese role-playing games worldwide. Critics praised its graphics, gameplay, story, and music, which is considered to be one of the best video game soundtracks of all time. Although some criticism was directed towards the original English localization, its success has led to enhanced ports on various platforms, a multimedia subseries called the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII , and a high-definition remake trilogy currently comprising Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020), and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024).

Gameplay

The gameplay of Final Fantasy VII is similar to earlier Final Fantasy titles and Japanese role-playing games. [1] The game features three modes of play: the world map, the field, and the battle screen. [2] [3] :15,20 At its grandest scale, players explore the world of Final Fantasy VII on a 3D world map. [4] The world map contains representations of areas for the player to enter, including towns, environments, and ruins. [5] Natural barriers—such as mountains, deserts, and bodies of water—block access by foot to some areas; as the game progresses, the player receives vehicles that help traverse these obstacles. [3] :44 Chocobos can be found in certain spots on the map, and if caught, can be ridden to areas inaccessible on foot or by vehicle. [3] :46 In field mode, the player navigates fully scaled versions of the areas represented on the world map. [4] VII marks the first time in the series that the mode is represented in a three-dimensional space. In this mode, the player can explore the environment, talk with characters, advance the story, and initiate event games. [3] :15 Event games are short minigames that use special control functions and are often tied to the story. [3] :18 While in field mode, the player can also find shops and inns. Shops allow the player to buy and sell items that can aid Cloud and his party, such as weapons, armor, and accessories. Inns restore the hit points and mana points of characters who rest at them and cure abnormalities contracted during battles. [3] :17

A battle scene with Cloud, Barret, and Tifa facing a dragon. In this given moment, the player must choose a command for Cloud to perform. FFVIIbattlexample.jpg
A battle scene with Cloud, Barret, and Tifa facing a dragon. In this given moment, the player must choose a command for Cloud to perform.

At random intervals on the world map and in field mode, and at specific moments in the story, the game will enter the battle screen, which places the player characters on one side and the enemies on the other. It employs an "Active Time Battle" (ATB) system, in which the characters exchange moves until one side is defeated. [1] [2] The damage or healing dealt by either side is quantified on screen. Characters have several statistics that determine their effectiveness in battle; for example, hit points determine how much damage they can take, and magic determines how much damage they can inflict with spells. Each character on the screen has a time gauge; when a character's gauge is full, the player can input a command for them. The commands change as the game progresses, and are dependent on the characters in the player's party and their equipment. Commands include attacking with a weapon, casting magic, using items, summoning monsters, and other actions that either damage the enemy or aid the player characters. Final Fantasy VII also features powerful, character-specific commands called Limit Breaks, which can be used only after a special gauge is charged by taking enemy attacks. After being attacked, characters can be afflicted by one or more abnormal "statuses", such as poison or paralysis. These statuses and their adverse effects can be removed by special items or abilities or by resting at an inn. Once all enemies are defeated, the battle ends and the player is rewarded with money, items, and experience points. If the player is defeated, it is game over and the game must be loaded to the last save point. [3] :20–27

When not in battle, the player can use the menu screen, where they can review each character's status and statistics, use items and abilities, change equipment, save the game when on the world map or at a save point, and manage orbs called Materia. Materia are the main method of customizing characters in Final Fantasy VII, and can be added to equipment to provide characters with new magic spells, monsters to summon, commands, statistical upgrades, and other benefits. [6] Materia level up through their own experience point system and can be combined to create different effects. [3] :30–42

Synopsis

Setting and characters

Final Fantasy VII takes place on a world referred to in-game as the "Planet" and retroactively named "Gaia". [7] [8] The planet's lifeforce, called the Lifestream, is a flow of spiritual energy that gives life to everything on the Planet; its processed form is known as "Mako". [9] On a societal and technological level, the game has been defined as an industrial or post-industrial science fiction setting. [10] During Final Fantasy VII, the Shinra Electric Power Company, a world-dominating megacorporation headquartered in the city of Midgar, is draining the Planet's Lifestream for energy, weakening the Planet and threatening its existence and all life. [11] Significant factions within the game include AVALANCHE, an eco-terrorist group seeking Shinra's downfall so the Planet can recover; [8] the Turks, a covert branch of Shinra's security forces; [12] SOLDIER, an elite Shinra fighting force created by enhancing humans with Mako; [13] and the Cetra, a near-extinct human tribe which maintains a strong connection to the Planet and the Lifestream. [14]

The main protagonist is Cloud Strife, an aloof mercenary who claims to be a former 1st Class SOLDIER. Early on, he works with two members of AVALANCHE: Barret Wallace, its brazen but fatherly leader; and Tifa Lockhart, a shy yet nurturing martial artist and his childhood friend. During their journey, they meet Aerith Gainsborough, a carefree flower merchant and one of the last surviving Cetra; [14] [15] Red XIII, an intelligent quadruped from a tribe that protects the planet; [16] Cait Sith, a fortune-telling robotic cat controlled by repentant Shinra staff member Reeve; [3] [17] and Cid Highwind, a pilot whose dream of being the first human in outer space was unrealized. [18] The group can also recruit Yuffie Kisaragi, a young ninja and skilled Materia thief; and Vincent Valentine, a former Turk and victim of Shinra's experiments. [19] The game's main antagonists are Rufus Shinra, the son of President Shinra and the later leader of the Shinra Corporation; [20] Sephiroth, a former SOLDIER who reappears several years after being presumed dead; [3] and Jenova, a hostile extraterrestrial life-form who the Cetra imprisoned 2,000 years ago and who Sephiroth was created from. [21] [22] [23] A key character in Cloud's backstory is Zack Fair, a member of SOLDIER and Aerith's first love. [24]

Plot

AVALANCHE destroys a Shinra Mako reactor in Midgar, but an attack on another reactor goes wrong and Cloud falls into the city's slums. There, he meets Aerith and protects her from Shinra. [25] [26] Meanwhile, Shinra finds AVALANCHE's base of operations and intentionally collapses part of the upper city level in retaliation for the Mako reactor being destroyed, killing many AVALANCHE members and innocent bystanders as collateral damage. [27] Aerith is also captured since Shinra believes that as a Cetra, she can potentially reveal the "Promised Land", which they believe is overflowing with Lifestream energy they can exploit. [28] [29] Cloud, Barret, and Tifa rescue Aerith, and during their escape from Midgar, discover that Sephiroth murdered President Shinra despite being presumed dead five years earlier. [30] The party pursues Sephiroth across the Planet, with now-President Rufus on their trail; they are soon joined by the rest of the playable characters.

At a Cetra temple, Sephiroth reveals he intends to use a powerful magical artifact known as "Black Materia" to cast the spell "Meteor", which would have a devastating impact on the Planet. Sephiroth claims he will absorb the Lifestream as it attempts to heal the wound caused by Meteor, and become a god-like being in the process. [31] The party retrieves the Black Materia, but Sephiroth manipulates Cloud into surrendering it. Aerith departs alone to stop Sephiroth and follows him to an abandoned Cetra city. While Aerith prays to the Planet for help, Sephiroth attempts to force Cloud to kill her; after this fails, he kills her himself before fleeing, leaving the Black Materia behind. [32] The party then learns of Jenova, a hostile alien lifeform who landed on the Planet two thousand years prior to the game's events. Upon arrival on the Planet, Jenova began infecting the Cetra with a virus, and they were nearly wiped out. However, a small group managed to seal away Jenova in a tomb, which Shinra later unearthed. At Nibelheim, Jenova's cells were used in experiments which led to the creation of Sephiroth. [21] [32] Five years before the game's events, Sephiroth and Cloud visited Nibelheim, where Sephiroth learned of his origins and was driven insane as a result. He murdered the townspeople, and then vanished after Cloud confronted him.

At the Northern Crater, the party learns that the "Sephiroths" they have encountered are Jenova clones who the insane Shinra scientist Hojo created. Cloud confronts the real Sephiroth as he is killing his clones to reunite Jenova's cells, but is again manipulated into giving him the Black Materia. Sephiroth then taunts Cloud by showing another SOLDIER in his place in his memories of Nibelheim, suggesting that Cloud is a failed clone of Sephiroth. [33] Sephiroth summons Meteor and seals the Crater as Cloud falls into the Lifestream and Rufus captures the party.

After escaping Shinra, the party discovers Cloud at an island hospital in a catatonic state from Mako poisoning, and Tifa decides to stay as his caretaker. When a planetary defense force called Weapon attacks the island, the two fall into the Lifestream, [34] where Tifa helps Cloud reconstruct his memories. Cloud was a mere infantryman who was never accepted into SOLDIER; the SOLDIER in his memories was his friend Zack. At Nibelheim, Cloud ambushed and wounded Sephiroth after the latter's mental breakdown, but Jenova preserved Sephiroth's life. Hojo experimented on Cloud and Zack for four years, injecting them with Jenova's cells and Mako. They managed to escape, but Zack was killed in the process. The trauma of these events triggered an identity crisis in Cloud, and he constructed a false persona based around Zack's stories and his own fantasies. [32] [35] Cloud accepts his past and reunites with the party, who learn that Aerith's prayer to the Planet had been successful: the Planet had attempted to summon Holy to prevent Meteor's impact, but Sephiroth prevented it from having any effect.

Shinra fails to destroy Meteor, but manages to defeat a Weapon and puncture the Northern Crater, seemingly killing Rufus and several other personnel. After killing Hojo, who is revealed to be Sephiroth's biological father, [21] the party descends to the Planet's core through the opening in the Northern Crater and defeats both Jenova and Sephiroth. The party escapes and Holy is summoned once again, destroying Meteor with help from the Lifestream. [36] Five hundred years later, Red XIII is seen with two cubs looking out over the ruins of Midgar, which are now covered in greenery, showing that the planet has healed.

Development

Hironobu Sakaguchi - Tokyo Game Show 2006.jpg
Square-enix dissidia yoshinori-kitase.jpg
Producer Hironobu Sakaguchi and director Yoshinori Kitase, who together helped create the story and gameplay concepts for Final Fantasy VII.

Initial concept talks for Final Fantasy VII began in 1994 at Square studio, following the completion of Final Fantasy VI . As with the previous installment, series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi reduced his role to producer and granted others a more active role in development: these included Yoshinori Kitase, one of the directors of FFVI. The next installment was planned as a 2D game for Nintendo's Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super NES). After creating an early 2D prototype of it, the team postponed development to help finish Chrono Trigger . [37] Once Chrono Trigger was completed, the team resumed discussions for Final Fantasy VII in 1995. [37] [38]

The team discussed continuing the 2D strategy, which would have been the safe and immediate path just prior to the imminent industry shift toward 3D gaming; such a change would require radical new development models. [37] The team decided to take the riskier option and make a 3D game on new generation hardware but had yet to choose between the cartridge-based Nintendo 64 or the CD-ROM-based PlayStation from Sony Computer Entertainment. [37] The team also considered the Sega Saturn console and Microsoft Windows. [39] Their decision was influenced by two factors: a highly successful tech demo based on Final Fantasy VI using the new Softimage 3D software, and the escalating price of cartridge-based games, which was limiting Square's audience. [37] [40] [41] Tests were made for a Nintendo 64 version, which would use the planned 64DD peripheral despite the lack of 64DD development kits and the prototype device's changing hardware specifications. This version was discarded during early testing, as the 2000 polygons needed to render the Behemoth monster placed excessive strain on the Nintendo 64 hardware, causing a low frame rate. [37] It would have required an estimated thirty 64DD discs to run Final Fantasy VII properly with the data compression methods of the day. [42] Faced with both technical and economic issues on Nintendo's current hardware, and impressed by the increased storage capacity of CD-ROM when compared to the Nintendo 64 cartridge, Square shifted development of Final Fantasy VII, and all other planned projects, onto the PlayStation. [37] The decision stunned the Japanese videogame industry; Square had been so close to Nintendo that when an executive joined Square in 1995, he was told that working for the company was the same as working for Nintendo. Nintendo sold its substantial ownership stake in Square and cut off communications for five years. [43]

In contrast to the visuals and audio, the overall gameplay system remained mostly unchanged from Final Fantasy V and VI, but with an emphasis on player control. [44] The initial decision was for battles to feature shifting camera angles. Battle arenas had a lower polygon count than field areas, which made creating distinctive features more difficult. [40] The summon sequences benefited strongly from the switch to the cinematic style, as the team had struggled to portray their scale using 2D graphics. [45] In his role as producer, Sakaguchi placed much of his effort into developing the battle system. [24] He proposed the Materia system as a way to provide more character customization than previous Final Fantasy games: battles no longer revolved around characters with innate skills and roles in battle, as Materia could be reconfigured between battles. [40] Artist Tetsuya Nomura also contributed to the gameplay; he designed the Limit Break system as an evolution of the Desperation Attacks used in Final Fantasy VI. The Limit Breaks served a purpose in gameplay while also evoking each character's personality in battle. [24] [40]

Square retained the passion-based game development approach from their earlier projects, but now had the resources and ambition to create the game they wanted. This was because they had extensive capital from their earlier commercial successes, which meant they could focus on quality and scale rather than obsessing over and working around their budget. [37] Final Fantasy VII was at the time one of the most expensive video game projects ever, costing an estimated US$40 million, which adjusted for inflation came to $61 million in 2017. [37] [46] [47] Development of the final version took a staff of between 100 and 150 people just over a year to complete. As video game development teams were usually only 20 people, the game had what was described as the largest development team of any game up to that point. [37] [45] The development team was split between both Square's Japanese offices and its new American office in Los Angeles; the American team worked primarily on city backgrounds. [42]

Art design

Promotional artwork of the main cast. The main characters were designed by Tetsuya Nomura; Final Fantasy VII was his first role as character designer. FFVIInomuracastdesigns.JPG
Promotional artwork of the main cast. The main characters were designed by Tetsuya Nomura; Final Fantasy VII was his first role as character designer.

The game's art director was Yusuke Naora, who had previously worked as a designer for Final Fantasy VI. With the switch into 3D, Naora realized that he needed to relearn drawing, as 3D visuals require a very different approach than 2D. With the massive scale and scope of the project, Naora was granted a team devoted entirely to the game's visual design. The department's duties included illustration, modeling of 3D characters, texturing, the creation of environments, visual effects, and animation. [48] Naora later defined the art style of Final Fantasy VII as "dark" and "weird". [49] The Shinra logo, which incorporated a kanji symbol, was drawn by Naora personally. [50] Promotional artwork, in addition to the logo artwork, was created by Yoshitaka Amano, an artist whose association with the series went back to its inception. [51] While he had taken a prominent role in earlier entries, Amano was unable to do so for Final Fantasy VII, due to commitments at overseas exhibitions. [8] [51] His logo artwork was based on Meteor: when he saw images of Meteor, he was not sure how to turn it into suitable artwork. In the end, he created multiple variations of the image and asked staff to choose which they preferred. [52] The green coloring represents the predominant lighting in Midgar and the color of the Lifestream, while the blue reflected the ecological themes present in the story. Its coloring directly influenced the general coloring of the game's environments. [48]

Another prominent artist was Nomura. Having impressed Sakaguchi with his proposed ideas, which were handwritten and illustrated rather than simply typed on a PC, Nomura was brought on as main character designer. [24] Nomura stated that when he was brought on, the main scenario had not been completed, but he "went along like, 'I guess first off you need a hero and a heroine', and from there drew the designs while thinking up details about the characters. After [he'd] done the hero and heroine, [he] carried on drawing by thinking what kind of characters would be interesting to have. When [he] handed over the designs [he'd] tell people the character details [he'd] thought up, or write them down on a separate sheet of paper". [53] Something that could not be carried over from earlier titles was the chibi sprite art, as that would not fit with the new graphical direction. Naora, in his role as an assistant character designer and art director, helped adjust each character's appearance so the actions they performed were believable. When designing Cloud and Sephiroth, Nomura was influenced by his view of their rivalry mirroring the legendary animosity between Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojirō, with Cloud and Sephiroth being Musashi and Kojirō respectively. Sephiroth's look was defined as "kakkoii", a Japanese term combining good looks with coolness. [40] Several of Nomura's designs evolved substantially during development. Cloud's original design of slicked-back black hair with no spikes was intended to save polygons and contrast with Sephiroth's long, flowing silver hair. However, Nomura feared that such masculinity could prove unpopular with fans, so he redesigned Cloud to feature a shock of spiky, bright blond hair. Vincent's occupation changed from researcher to detective to chemist, and finally to a former Turk with a tragic past. [8] [24]

Scenario

Sakaguchi was responsible for writing the initial plot, which was quite different from the final version. [54] In this draft for the planned SNES version, the game's setting was envisioned as New York City in 1999. Similar to the final story, the main characters were part of an organization trying to destroy Mako reactors, but they were pursued by a hot-blooded detective named Joe. The main characters would eventually blow up the city. An early version of the Lifestream concept was present at this stage. [37] [41] [54] According to Sakaguchi, his mother had died while Final Fantasy III was being developed, and choosing life as a theme helped him cope with her passing in a rational and analytical manner. [45] Square eventually used the New York setting in Parasite Eve (1998). [41] While the planned concept was dropped, Final Fantasy VII still marked a drastic shift in setting from previous entries, dropping the Medieval fantasy elements in favor of a world that was "ambiguously futuristic". [55]

The cutscene of Sephiroth killing Aerith Gainsborough. This key story sequence has been called one of the most "shocking", "cinematic", and "genre-defining" moments in video games. FFVIIsephirothkillsaeris.png
The cutscene of Sephiroth killing Aerith Gainsborough. This key story sequence has been called one of the most "shocking", "cinematic", and "genre-defining" moments in video games.

When Kitase was put in charge of Final Fantasy VII, he and Nomura reworked the entire initial plot. Scenario writer Kazushige Nojima joined the team after finishing work on Bahamut Lagoon . [24] While Final Fantasy VI featured an ensemble cast of numerous playable characters that were equally important, the team soon decided to develop a central protagonist for FFVII. [40] The pursuit of Sephiroth that formed most of the main narrative was suggested by Nomura, as nothing similar had been done in the series before. [24] Kitase and Nojima conceived AVALANCHE and Shinra as opposing organizations and created Cloud's backstory as well as his relationship to Sephiroth. [54] Among Nojima's biggest contributions to the plot were Cloud's memories and split personality; this included the eventual conclusion involving his newly created character of Zack. [24] The crew helped Kitase adjust the specifics of Sakaguchi's original Lifestream concept. [54]

Regarding the overall theme of the game, Sakaguchi said it was "not enough to make 'life' the theme, you need to depict living and dying. In any event, you need to portray death". [59] Consequently, Nomura proposed killing off the heroine. [24] [59] Aerith had been the only heroine, but the death of a female protagonist would necessitate a second; this led to the creation of Tifa. [60] The developers decided to kill Aerith, as her death would be the most devastating and consequential. [24] [59] Kitase wanted to depict it as very sudden and unexpected, leaving "not a dramatic feeling but great emptiness", "feelings of reality and not Hollywood". [38] The script for the scene was written by Nojima. Kitase and Nojima then planned that most of the main cast would die shortly before the final battle; Nomura vetoed the idea because he felt it would undermine the impact of Aerith's death. [37] Several character relations and statuses underwent changes during development. Aerith was to be Sephiroth's sister, which influenced the design of her hair. The team then made Sephiroth a previous love interest of hers to deepen her backstory, but later swapped him with Zack. [53] [61] Vincent and Yuffie were to be part of the main narrative, but due to time constraints, they were nearly cut and eventually relegated to being optional characters. [53]

Nojima was charged with writing the scenario and unifying the team's ideas into a cohesive narrative, as Kitase was impressed with his earlier work on the mystery-like Heracles no Eikō III: Kamigami no Chinmoku, an entry in the Glory of Heracles series. [24] To make the characters more realistic, Nojima wrote scenes in which they would occasionally argue and raise objections: while this inevitably slowed down the pace of the story, it added depth to the characters. The graphical improvements allowed even relatively bland lines of dialogue to be enhanced with reactions and poses from the 3D character models. [45] Voice acting would have led to significant load times, so it was omitted. [62] Masato Kato wrote several late-game scenes, including the Lifestream sequence and Cloud and Tifa's conversation before the final battle. Initially unaffiliated with the project, Kato was called on to help flesh out less important story scenes. He wrote his scenes to his own tastes without outside consultation, something he later regretted. [63]

Graphics

With the shift from the SNES to the next generation consoles, Final Fantasy VII became the first project in the series to use 3D computer graphics. [38] Developers initially considered overlaying 2D sprites on 3D backgrounds but decided to forgo pixel art entirely in favor of polygonal models. [64] Aside from the story, Final Fantasy VI had many details undecided when development began; most design elements were hashed out along the way. In contrast, with Final Fantasy VII, the developers knew from the outset it was going to be "a real 3D game", so from the earliest planning stage, detailed designs were in existence. The script was also finalized, and the image for the graphics had been fleshed out. This meant that when actual development work began, storyboards for the game were already in place. [40] The shift from cartridge ROM to CD-ROM posed some problems: according to lead programmer Ken Narita, the CD-ROM had a slower access speed, delaying some actions during the game, so the team needed to overcome this issue. [45] Certain tricks were used to conceal load times, such as offering animations to keep players from getting bored. [38] When it was decided to use 3D graphics, there was a discussion among the staff whether to use sprite-based character models or 3D polygonal models. While sprites proved more popular with the staff, the polygon models were chosen as they could better express emotion. This decision was influenced by the team's exposure to the 3D character models used in Alone in the Dark . Sakaguchi decided to use deformed models for field navigation and real-time event scenes, for better expression of emotion, while realistically proportioned models would be used in battles. [61] The team purchased Silicon Graphics Onyx supercomputers and related workstations, and accompanying software including Softimage 3D, PowerAnimator, and N-World for an estimated total of $21 million. Many team members had never seen the technology before. [37]

The pre-rendered backgrounds, such as this scene in Midgar, provided the developers with a choice of camera angle, giving a more cinematic experience. FF7 background.gif
The pre-rendered backgrounds, such as this scene in Midgar, provided the developers with a choice of camera angle, giving a more cinematic experience.

The transition from 2D graphics to 3D environments overlaid on pre-rendered backgrounds was accompanied by a focus on a more realistic presentation. [38] In previous entries, the sizes for characters and environments were fixed, and the player saw things from a scrolling perspective. This changed with Final Fantasy VII; environments shifted with camera angles, and character model sizes shifted depending on both their place in the environment and their distance from the camera, giving a sense of scale. [40] [45] The choice of this highly cinematic style of storytelling, contrasting directly with Square's previous games, was attributed to Kitase, who was a fan of films and had an interest in the parallels between film and video game narrative. [37] Character movement during in-game events was done by the character designers in the planning group. While designers normally cooperate with a motion specialist for such animations, the designers taught themselves motion work, resulting in each character's movements differing depending on their creators—some designers liked exaggerated movements, while others went for subtlety. Much of the time was spent on each character's day-to-day, routine animations. Motion specialists were brought in for the game's battle animations. The first characters the team worked with were Cloud and Barret. [40] Some of the real-time effects, such as an explosion near the opening, were hand-drawn rather than computer-animated. [48]

The main creative force behind the overall 3D presentation was Kazuyuki Hashimoto, the general supervisor for these sequences. Being experienced in the new technology the team had brought on board, he accepted the post at Square as the team aligned with his own creative spirit. One of the major events in development was when the real-time graphics were synchronized to computer-generated full motion video (FMV) cutscenes for some story sequences, notably an early sequence where a real-time model of Cloud jumps onto an FMV-rendered moving train. [37] The backgrounds were created by overlaying two 2D graphic layers and changing the motion speed of each to simulate depth perception. While this was not a new technique, the increased power of the PlayStation enabled a more elaborate version of this effect. [45] The biggest issue with the 3D graphics was the large memory storage gap between the development hardware and the console: while the early 3D tech demo had been developed on a machine with over 400 megabytes of total memory, the PlayStation only had two megabytes of system memory and 500 kilobytes for texture memory. The team needed to figure out how to shrink the amount of data while preserving the desired effects. This was aided with reluctant help from Sony, who had hoped to keep Square's direct involvement limited to a standard API package, but they eventually relented and allowed the team direct access to the hardware specifications. [37]

Final Fantasy VII features two types of cutscenes: real-time cutscenes featuring polygon models on pre-rendered backgrounds, and FMV cutscenes. [45] The game's computer-generated imagery (CGI) FMVs were produced by Visual Works, a then-new subsidiary of Square that specialized in computer graphics and FMVs creation. Visual Works had created the initial movie concept for a 3D game project. [8] The FMVs were created by an international team, covering both Japan and North America and involving talent from the gaming and film industry; Western contributors included artists and staff who had worked on the Star Wars film series, Jurassic Park , Terminator 2: Judgment Day , and True Lies . [65] The team tried to create additional optional CGI content which would bring optional characters Vincent and Yuffie into the ending. As this would have further increased the number of discs the game needed, the idea was discarded. [66] Kazuyuki Ikumori, a future key figure at Visual Works, helped with the creation of the CGI cutscenes, in addition to general background design. [67] The CGI FMV sequences total around 40 minutes of footage, something only possible with the PlayStation's extra memory space and graphical power. This innovation brought with it the added difficulty of ensuring that the inferiority of the in-game graphics in comparison to the FMV 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". [38]

Music

Nobuo Uematsu composed, arranged, and produced the entire soundtrack for Final Fantasy VII. Nobuo Uematsu.jpg
Nobuo Uematsu composed, arranged, and produced the entire soundtrack for Final Fantasy VII.

The musical score of Final Fantasy VII was composed, arranged, and produced by Nobuo Uematsu, who had served as the sole composer for the six previous Final Fantasy games. Originally, Uematsu had planned to use CD quality music with vocal performances to take advantage of the console's audio capabilities but found that it resulted in the game having much longer loading times for each area. Uematsu then decided that the higher-quality audio was not worth the trade-off with performance, and opted instead to use MIDI-like sounds produced by the console's internal sound sequencer, similar to how his soundtracks for the previous games in the series on the Super NES were implemented. [68] [69] While the Super NES only had eight sound channels to work with, the PlayStation had twenty-four. Eight were reserved for sound effects, leaving sixteen available for the music. [44] Uematsu's approach to composing the game's music was to treat it like a film soundtrack and compose music that reflected the mood of the scenes, rather than trying to make strong melodies to "define the game", as he felt that approach would come across too strong when placed alongside the game's new 3D visuals. As an example, he composed the track intended for the scene in the game where Aerith Gainsborough is killed to be "sad but beautiful", rather than more overtly emotional, creating what he felt was a more understated feeling. [37] Uematsu additionally said that the soundtrack had a feel of "realism", which also prevented him from using "exorbitant, crazy music". [70]

The first piece that Uematsu composed for the game was the opening theme; game director Yoshinori Kitase showed him the opening cinematic and asked him to begin the project there. The track was well received in the company, which gave Uematsu "a sense that it was going to be a really good project". Final Fantasy VII was the first game in the series to include a track with high-quality digitized vocals, "One-Winged Angel", which accompanies a section of the final battle of the game. The track has been called Uematsu's "most recognizable contribution" to the music of the Final Fantasy series, which Uematsu agrees with. [37] [71] Inspired by The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky to make a more "classical" track, and by rock and roll music from the late 1960s and early 1970s to make an orchestral track with a "destructive impact", he spent two weeks composing short unconnected musical phrases, and then arranged them together into "One-Winged Angel", an approach he had never used before. [37]

Music from the game has been released in several albums. Square released the main soundtrack album, Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack, on four Compact Discs through its DigiCube subsidiary in 1997. A limited edition release was also produced, containing illustrated liner notes. [69] The regular edition of the album reached third on the Japan Oricon charts, while the limited edition reached #19. [72] [73] Overall, the album had sold nearly 150,000 copies by January 2010. [74] A single-disc album of selected tracks from the original soundtrack, along with three arranged pieces, titled Final Fantasy VII Reunion Tracks, was also released by DigiCube in 1997, [75] reaching #20 on the Japan Oricon charts. [76] A third album, Piano Collections Final Fantasy VII, was released by DigiCube in 2003, and contains one disc of piano arrangements of tracks from the game. It was arranged by Shirō Hamaguchi and performed by Seiji Honda, and reached #228 on the Oricon charts. [77] [78]

Release

Final Fantasy VII was announced in February 1996. [79] Square president and chief executive officer Tomoyuki Takechi were fairly confident about Japanese players making the game a commercial success despite it being on a new platform. [37] A playable demo was included on a disc giveaway at the 1996 Tokyo Game Show, dubbed Square's Preview Extra: Final Fantasy VII & Siggraph '95 Works. The disc also included the early test footage Square created using characters from Final Fantasy VI. [37] [80] The initial release date was at some point in 1996, but to properly realize their vision, Square postponed the release date almost a full year. [55] Final Fantasy VII was released on January 31, 1997. [81] It was published in Japan by Square. [82] A re-release of the game based on its Western version, titled Final Fantasy VII International, was released on October 2 the same year. [83] This improved International version would kickstart the trend for Square to create an updated version for the Japanese release, based on the enhanced Western versions. [84] The International version was re-released as a physical disc as part of the Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Ultimate Box Japanese package on December 18, 2012. [85]

While its success in Japan had been taken for granted by Square executives, North America and Europe were another matter, as up to that time the Japanese role-playing genre was still a niche market in Western territories. Sony, due to the PlayStation's struggles against Nintendo and Sega's home consoles, lobbied for the publishing rights in North America and Europe following Final Fantasy VII's transfer to PlayStation—to further persuade Square, Sony offered a lucrative royalties deal with profits potentially equaling those Square would get by self-publishing the game. Square accepted Sony's offer as Square itself lacked Western publishing experience. Square was uncertain about the game's success, as other JRPGs including Final Fantasy VI had met with poor sales outside Japan. To help with promoting the title overseas, Square dissolved their original Washington offices and hired new staff for fresh offices in Costa Mesa. [37] It was first exhibited to the Western public at Electronic Entertainment Expo 1996 (E3). [86]

To promote the game overseas, Square and Sony launched a widespread three-month advertising campaign in August 1997. Beginning with a television commercial that ran alongside popular shows such as Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons by TBWA\Chiat\Day, the campaign included numerous articles in both gaming and general interest magazines, advertisements in comics from publishers such as DC Comics and Marvel Comics, a special collaboration with Pepsi, media events, sample discs, and merchandise. [87] According to estimations by Takechi, the total worldwide marketing budget came to US$40 million; $10 million had been spent in Japan, $10 million in Europe, and $20 million in North America. [37] Unlike its predecessors, Final Fantasy VII did not have its numeral adjusted to account for the lack of a Western release for Final Fantasy II , III , and V — while only the fourth Final Fantasy released outside Japan, its Japanese title was retained. [88] It was released in North America on September 7, 1997. [89] The game was released in Europe on November 17, becoming the first Final Fantasy game to be released in Europe. [90] [91] The Western version included additional elements and alterations, such as streamlining of the menu and Materia system, reducing the health of enemies, new visual cues to help with navigation across the world map, and additional cutscenes relating to Cloud's past. [84] [92]

PC version

A version for PC was developed by Square's Costa Mesa offices. Square invested in a PC version to reach as wide a player base as possible; many Western consumers did not own a PlayStation, and Square's deal with Sony did not prohibit such a port. Having never released a title for PC, Square decided to treat the port as a sales experiment. The port was handled by a team of 15 to 20 people, mostly from Costa Mesa but with help from Tokyo. [37] Square did not begin the port until the console version was finished. [93] The team needed to rewrite an estimated 80% of the game's code, due to the need to unify what had been a custom build for a console written by multiple staff members. Consequently, programmers faced problems such as having to unify the original PlayStation version's five different game engines, leading to delays. [37] The PC version came with a license for Yamaha Corporation's software synthesizer S-YXG70, allowing high-quality sequenced music despite varying sound hardware setups on different user computers. The conversion of the nearly 100 original musical pieces to XG format files was done by Yamaha. [94]

To maximize their chances of success, Square searched for a Western company to assist with releasing the PC version. Eidos Interactive, whose release of Tomb Raider had turned them into a publishing giant, agreed to market and publish the port. [37] The port was announced in December 1997, along with Eidos' exclusivity deal for North America and Europe at the time, [95] though the port was rumored to happen as early as December 1996, prior to the PlayStation version's release. [96] To help the product stand out in stores, Eidos chose a trapezoidal shape for the cover and box. They agreed on a contract price of $1.8 million, making initial sales forecasts of 100,000 units based on that outlay. [37] The PC version was released in North America and Europe on June 25, 1998; the port was not released in Japan. [94] Within one month, sales of the port exceeded the initial forecasts. [37] The PC version would end up providing the source code for subsequent ports. [37]

Localization

Localization of Final Fantasy VII was handled internally by Square. The English localization, led by Seth Luisi, was completed by a team of about fifty people and faced a variety of problems. According to Luisi, the biggest hurdle was making "the direct Japanese-to-English text translation read correctly in English. The sentence structure and grammar rules for the Japanese language is very different from English", making it difficult for the translation to read like native English without distorting the meaning. [97] Michael Basket was the sole translator for the project, though he received the help of native Japanese speakers from the Tokyo office. The localization was taxing for the team due to their inexperience, lack of professional editors, and poor communication between the North American and Japanese offices. A result of this disconnect was the original localization of Aerith's name—which was intended as a conflation of "air" and "earth"—as "Aeris" due to a lack of communication between localization staff and the QA team. [98]

The team also faced several technical issues due to programming practices which took little account of subsequent localization, such as dealing with a fixed-width font and having to insert kanji through language input keys to add special characters (for example, vowels with diacritics) to keep the code working. Consequently, the text was still read as Japanese by the word processor; the computer's spellcheck could not be used, and mistakes had to be caught manually. The code used obscure kanji to refer to main character's names, which made unintuitive for the translators to identify characters. [98] Translated text usually takes up more space than the Japanese text, though still had to fit to the screen appropriately without overusing page breaks (for example, item names, which are written in kanji in Japanese language, could overflow message windows in translated text); to mitigate this problem, a proportional typeface was implemented into the source code to fit more text into the screen. Swear words were used frequently in the localization to help convey the original Japanese meaning, though most profanities were censored in a manner described by Square employee Richard Honeywood as the "old comic book '@#$%!'-type replacement". [84] The European release was described as being in a worse condition, as the translations into multiple European languages were outsourced by Sony to another company, further hindering communication. For the PC port, Square attempted to fix translation and grammar mistakes for the North American and European versions but did not have the time and budget to retranslate all the text. [98] According to Honeywood, the success of Final Fantasy VII in the West encouraged Square to focus more on localization quality; on future games, Square hired additional translators and editors, while also streamlining communication between the development and localization teams. [84]

Some months prior to the game's North American release, Sony publicly stated that it was considering cutting the scene at the Honey Bee Inn due to the salacious content, prompting numerous online petitions and letters of protest from RPG fans. Square subsequently stated that it would never allow Sony to localize the game in any way. [99] In addition to translating the text, the North American localization team made tweaks to the gameplay, including reducing the enemy encounter rate, simplifying the Materia menu, and adding new boss fights. [100]

Later releases

The International version of Final Fantasy VII was released on PlayStation Network (PSN) as a PSOne Classic in Japan on April 10, 2009. This version was compatible with both PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable with support for PlayStation Vita and PlayStation TV coming later. [92] Final Fantasy VII was later released as a PSOne Classic in North America, Europe, and Australia on June 2. [101] The PC version was updated by DotEmu for use on modern operating systems and released via Square Enix's North American and European online stores on August 14, 2012. [102] [103] It included high-resolution support, cloud saves, achievements and a character booster. It would later be released via Steam on July 4, 2013, [104] [105] replacing the version available on Square Enix's North American and European online stores. [106] [107] The PC version would be released in Japan for the first time on May 16, 2013, exclusively via Square Enix's Japanese online store with the International version title. It has features unavailable in the western version including high-speed mode, no random encounters mode, and a max stats command. [108] A release for iOS, based on the PC version and adjusted for mobile devices by D4 Enterprise, was released on August 19, 2015, with an auto-save feature. [109] The PC version was released for PlayStation 4 on December 5, 2015. DotEmu developed the PS4 version. [110] [111] [112] [113] The game was also released for Android on July 7, 2016, [114] for the PlayStation Classic on December 3, 2018, [115] and for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One worldwide on March 26, 2019. [116]

Reception and sales

Within three days of its release in Japan, Final Fantasy VII sold over two million copies. [68] [145] [146] This popularity inspired thousands of retailers in North America to break street dates in September to meet public demand for the title. [147] In the game's debut weekend in North America, it sold 330,000 copies, [148] and had reached sales of 500,000 copies in less than three weeks. [149] The momentum established in the game's opening weeks continued for several months; Sony announced the game had sold one million copies in North America by early December, [150] prompting business analyst Edward Williams from Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co. to comment that "Sony redefined the role-playing game (RPG) category and expanded the conventional audience with the launch of Final Fantasy VII". [150] According to Weekly Famitsu, Final Fantasy VII sold 3.27 million units in Japan by the end of 1997. [151] By the end of 2005, the PlayStation version had sold 9.8 million copies including 4 million sales in Japan, [152] making it the highest-selling game in the Final Fantasy series. [153] By the end of 2006, The Best, the bargain reissue of the game, had sold over 158,000 copies in Japan. [154] By May 2010, it had sold over 10 million copies worldwide, [155] making it the most popular title in the series in terms of units sold. [156] [157] [158] The original PC version surpassed Eidos' expectations: while initially forecast to sell 100,000 units, it quickly exceeded sales of one million units, garnering royalties of over $2 million for Square. [37] By August 2015, the PlayStation and PC versions had sold over 11 million units worldwide. [159] [160] Steam Spy estimated the game to have sold over 1.2 million downloads on Steam as of April 2018, [161] with a later Steam leak estimating it had 1.14 million players on the platform as of July 2018. [162] As of June 2020, the game has sold more than 13.3 million units worldwide. [163] [164] As of September 2023, the original version of FF7 has sold over 14.4 million units worldwide. [165]

The game received widespread acclaim from critics upon release. It was referred to by GameFan as "quite possibly the greatest game ever made", [166] a quote selected for the back cover of the game's jewel case. 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. [1] The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly unanimously gave it a 9.5 out of 10 and their "Game of the Month" award, lauding its rendered backgrounds, use of FMV, battles, and especially the story line, though they expressed disappointment that the ending didn't resolve all of the loose ends. They also considered the North American localization a dramatic improvement over the original Japanese version. [126] GamePro gave it a perfect 5.0 out of 5 in all four categories (graphics, sound, control, and fun factor), calling the storytelling "dramatic, sentimental, and touching in a way that draws you into the characters", who "come alive thanks to sweetly subtle body movements". [167] Both GamePro and Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (OPM) said the ATB system gives battles a tension and urgency not usually seen in RPGs. [138] [167] 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. [4]

Computer and Video Games 's Alex C praised the dramatic story and well-developed characters. [122] In addition to calling the graphics "bar none the best the PlayStation has ever seen", Next Generation said of the story that "while FFVII may take a bit to get going, as in every entry in the series, moments of high melodrama are blended with scenes of sheer poetry and vision". [136] Edge noted that Final Fantasy VII had come close to being an interactive movie in playable form, praising its combination of a complex story that went against Western graphic adventures trends and "excellently orchestrated chip music". [124] RPGamer praised the game's soundtrack, both in variety and sheer volume, stating that "Uematsu has done his work exceptionally well" and saying that it was potentially his best work. [168] Final Fantasy VII has received some negative criticism. OPM and GameSpot questioned the game's linear progression. [1] [138] OPM considered the game's translation "a bit muddy" and felt the summon animations were "absolutely awe-inspiring". [138] RPGamer cited its translation as "packed with typos and other errors which further obscure what is already a very confusing plot". [169] GamePro also considered the Japanese-to-English translation a significant weakness in the game, [131] and IGN regarded the ability to use only three characters at a time as "the game's only shortcoming". [4]

Reviewers gave similar praise to the PC version but criticized its various technical faults. [121] [140] [170] Computer Games Magazine said that no other recent game had the same "tendency to fail to work in any capacity on multiple [computers]". [171] Computer Gaming World complained that the music quality suffered on PC sound cards, [121] and Next Generation Magazine found the game's pre-rendered backgrounds significantly less impressive than those of the PlayStation version. [170] However, the latter magazine found the higher-resolution battle visuals "absolutely stunning", [170] and Computer Games Magazine said that they showed off the potential graphical power of PCs. [171] All three magazines concluded by praising the game despite its technical flaws, [121] [170] [171] and PC Gamer 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". [140]

Awards

Final Fantasy VII was given numerous Game of the Year awards in 1997. At the second CESA Awards, it won the Grand Prize, Scenario Award and Sound Award. [172] During the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' inaugural Interactive Achievement Awards, Final Fantasy VII won in the categories of "Console Adventure Game of the Year" and "Console Role-Playing Game of the Year"; it also received nominations for "Interactive Title of the Year", "Outstanding Achievement in Art/Graphics", and "Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Design". [173] [174] In the Origins Awards, it won in the category "Best Roleplaying Computer Game of 1997". [175] Final Fantasy VII was awarded Game of the Year by magazines including Game Informer , [176] GamePro , [177] and Hyper . [178] It was also awarded the "Readers' Choice All Systems Game of the Year", "Readers' Choice PlayStation Game of the Year" and "Readers' Choice Role-Playing Game of the Year" by Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM), [179] which gave it Editors' Choice Awards for "Role-Playing Game of the Year" and "Best Graphics" (plus a runner-up slot for "Game of the Year"), [180] and also gave it awards for "Hottest Video Game Babe" (for Tifa Lockhart), "Most Hype for a Game", "Best Ending", and "Best Print Ad". [181]

Since 1997, it has been selected by many game magazines as one of the top video games of all time, listed as 91st in EGM's 2001 "100 Best Games of All Time", [182] and as fourth in Retro Gamer 's "Top 100 Games" in 2004. [183] In 2018, it was ranked 99th in IGN's "Top 100 Games of All Time" [184] and as third in PALGN's "The Greatest 100 Games Ever". [185] Final Fantasy VII was included in "The Greatest Games of All Time" list by GameSpot in 2006, [56] and ranked as second in Empire's 2006 "100 Greatest Games of All Time", [186] as third in Stuff 's "100 Greatest Games" in 2008 [187] and as 15th in Game Informer 's 2009 "Top 200 Games of All Time" (down five places from its previous best games of all-time list [188] ). [189] GameSpot placed it as the second most influential game ever made in 2002; [190] in 2007, GamePro ranked it 14th on the list of the most important games of all time, and in 2009 it finished in the same place on their list of the most innovative games of all time. [191] [192] In 2012, Time named it one of their "All-Time 100 Video Games". [193] In March 2018, Game Informers "Readers Choice Top 300 Games of All Time", Final Fantasy VII ranked in 7th place. [194] In March 2018, GamesRadar+ rated "The 25 best PS1 games of all time", Final Fantasy VII was ranked in 12th place. [195]

It has also appeared in numerous other greatest game lists. In 2007, Dengeki PlayStation gave it the "Best Story", "Best RPG" and "Best Overall Game" retrospective awards for games on the original PlayStation. [196] GamePro named it the best RPG title of all time in 2008, [197] and featured it in their 2010 article "The 30 Best PSN Games". [198] In 2012, GamesRadar also ranked it as the sixth saddest game ever. [199] On the other hand, GameSpy ranked it seventh on their 2003 list of the most overrated games. [200]

Final Fantasy VII has often placed at or near the top of many reader polls of all-time best games. It was voted the "Reader's Choice Game of the Century" in an IGN poll in 2000, [201] and placed second in the "Top 100 Favorite Games of All Time" by Japanese magazine Famitsu in 2006 (it was also voted as ninth in Famitsu's 2011 poll of most tear-inducing games of all time). [202] [203] Users of GameFAQs voted it the "Best Game Ever" in 2004 and in 2005, [204] [205] and placed it second in 2009. [206] In 2008, readers of Dengeki magazine voted it the best game ever made, [207] as well as the ninth most tear-inducing game of all time. [208]

Legacy

Music from the game's soundtrack is often performed live in symphonic concerts, such as the Video Games Live event in 2009. Video Games Live 2009 FFVII.jpg
Music from the game's soundtrack is often performed live in symphonic concerts, such as the Video Games Live event in 2009.

The game inspired an unofficial version for the NES by Chinese company Shenzhen Nanjing Technology. This port features the Final Fantasy VII game scaled back to 2D, with some of the side quests removed. [209] 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 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 VII. [210] The advances in technology used to create the FMV sequences and computer graphics for Final Fantasy VII allowed Sakaguchi to begin production on the first Final Fantasy film, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within . [211] The game introduced a particular aesthetic to the series—fantasy suffused with modern-to-advanced technology—that was explored further in Final Fantasy VIII, The Spirits Within, and XV . [212] [213] [214] 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 and other follow-ups from the franchise, [215] [216] [217] as well as the Kingdom Hearts series. [218] [219]

Final Fantasy VII is credited as having the largest impact of the Final Fantasy series, [220] and with allowing console role-playing games to gain mass-market appeal outside of Japan. [221] Aerith's death in the game has often been referred to as one of the most significant moments from any video game. [56] [57] [58] In addition, Final Fantasy VII is also noted for its use of the unreliable narrator literary concept, drawing comparisons to films such as Fight Club (1999), The Sixth Sense (1999), American Psycho (2000) and Memento (2000). Patrick Holleman and Jeremy Parish argue that the game takes the unreliable narrator concept a step further, with its interactivity establishing a connection between the player and the protagonist Cloud, setting Final Fantasy VII apart from films as well as other video games. [222] [223] According to Holleman, "no RPG has ever deliberately betrayed the connection between protagonist and player like FFVII does". [224] Harry Mackin writing for Paste Magazine called the game "a subversion that deconstructs and comments meaningfully on how we think about heroism, masculinity and identity in videogame storytelling". [225] Ric Manning of The Courier-Journal noted elements of psychoanalysis in the game. [226] The game is also noted for its cyberpunk themes; GamesRadar+ called it one of the best games of the genre, [227] and Paste Magazine compared its cyberpunk city of Midgar to Akira and Blade Runner . [225] According to Comic Book Resources , the game's climate change theme is more meaningful in 2019 than it was in 1997. [228]

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-to-Disney crossover series Kingdom Hearts . Additionally, fighting video game Dissidia Final Fantasy includes Final Fantasy VII characters such as Cloud and Sephiroth, and allows players to fight with characters from throughout the Final Fantasy series, and its follow-up, Dissidia 012 , included Tifa as well. [229] Cloud is also a playable character in Final Fantasy Tactics . [230] In December 2015, Cloud was released as a downloadable content character for the Nintendo crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U , along with a stage based on Midgar. [231] He returned in the 2018 sequel, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate , with Sephiroth being added as downloadable content in December 2020.

The world of Final Fantasy VII is explored further in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, a series of games, animated features, and short stories. [232] The first title in the Compilation is the mobile game Before Crisis , a prequel focusing on the Turks' activities six years before the original game. [233] The CGI film sequel Advent Children , set two years after the game, was the first title announced but the second to be released. Special DVD editions of the film included Last Order , an original video animation that recounts the destruction of Nibelheim. [234] Dirge of Cerberus and its mobile phone counterpart, Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode: Final Fantasy VII , are third-person shooters [235] set one year after Advent Children. Dirge focuses on the backstory of Vincent Valentine, whose history was left mostly untold in Final Fantasy VII. The most recent title is the PlayStation Portable game Crisis Core , an action role-playing game that centers on Zack's past. [236]

Releases not under the Compilation label include Maiden Who Travels the Planet, which follows Aerith's journey in the Lifestream after her death, taking place concurrently with the second half of the original game. [237] In 1998, the Official Final Fantasy VII Strategy Guide was licensed by Square Soft and published by Brady Games. [238] Final Fantasy VII Snowboarding is a mobile port of the snowboard minigame featured in the original game, [239] featuring different courses for the player to tackle. [240] The game is downloadable on V Cast-compatible mobile phones and was first made available in 2005 in Japan and North America. [241]

Final Fantasy VII G-Bike is a mobile game released for iOS and Android in December 2014, based on the motorbike minigame featured in the original game. [242] In September 2007, Square Enix published Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania. This book is an in-depth compilation of FFVII story-line and artwork. [243] The Universal Studios Theme Park in Japan is developing a Final Fantasy VII themed virtual reality attraction. [244]

Remake

With the announcement and development of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, speculation spread that a remake of the original Final Fantasy VII would be released for the PlayStation 3. This conjecture was sparked by the release of a video featuring the opening sequence of FFVII recreated using the PlayStation 3's graphical capabilities at E3 2005. [245] After a decade of speculation, a remake was announced at E3 2015. The game saw changes made to its story and combat system. [246] The game is planned to be released over three installments, with the first part being released for the PlayStation 4 in 2020. [247] [248] The follow-up, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth , was released for PlayStation 5 in February 2024. [248] Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion , a remaster of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, which was released in December 2022, is also considered a prequel to the larger Final Fantasy VII Remake project. [249] [250]

Notes

  1. Japanese: ファイナルファンタジーVII, Hepburn: Fainaru Fantajī Sebun

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cloud Strife</span> Protagonist in Final Fantasy VII

Cloud Strife is the protagonist of Square's 1997 role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII, its high-definition remake, and several of its sequels and spinoffs. In Final Fantasy VII, Cloud is a mercenary who wields a large broadsword and claims to have formerly been part of SOLDIER, a group of elite supersoldiers employed by the Shinra Electric Power Company, a megacorporation responsible for draining life from the planet. He later defected from SOLDIER after becoming disillusioned with Shinra, and in an attempt to get paid, he joins the resistance group AVALANCHE in the fight against Shinra and his former superior, the primary antagonist Sephiroth, who aims to annihilate the world. Over the course of the story, it is eventually revealed that Cloud is a mentally-scarred individual who adopted the skill and personality of an actual SOLDIER, the deceased Zack Fair, and is actually little more than a Shinra foot soldier, but learns to accept his troubled past and his own identity in order to defeat Sephiroth and save the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midgar</span> Fictional city in Final Fantasy VII

Midgar is a fictional city from the Final Fantasy media franchise. It first appears in the 1997 video game Final Fantasy VII, and is depicted as a bustling metropolis built, occupied, and controlled by the megacorporation Shinra Electric Power Company. The city is powered by electricity drawn from reactors which run on Mako, the processed form of spiritual energy extracted by Shinra from beneath the surface of the planet on which the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII takes place. Shinra's activities drain the world of its life force, the "Lifestream", threatening the existence of all life as the planet weakens. In spin-offs of the game, the city spanned a town named Edge.

Sephiroth (<i>Final Fantasy</i>) Fictional character from Final Fantasy VII

Sephiroth is a character in the Final Fantasy series and the main antagonist of the video game Final Fantasy VII developed by Square. A former soldier of the megacorporation Shinra and the coworker of Zack Fair as well as the superior of main protagonist Cloud Strife, he possesses superhuman physiology as a result of an experiment in which Shinra injected him with cells from the extraterrestrial lifeform Jenova when he was still a fetus. Upon discovering this, Sephiroth becomes consumed by rage and decides to take control of the Planet by harnessing its life force and annihilating all life on it in order to become a god amidst the destruction. Sephiroth's background and role in the story are expanded upon in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. Additionally, he appears as a guest character in other video games and media, such as a recurring boss in the Kingdom Hearts series and as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

<i>Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children</i> 2005 film by Tetsuya Nomura

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is a 2005 Japanese computer-animated science fantasy action film directed by Tetsuya Nomura, written by Kazushige Nojima, and produced by Yoshinori Kitase and Shinji Hashimoto. Developed by Visual Works and Square Enix, Advent Children is part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series of media, which is based in the world and continuity of the 1997 role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children was released on DVD and Universal Media Discs with Japanese voice acting in Japan on September 14, 2005, and on April 25, 2006 with English voice acting in North America and the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent Valentine</span> Final Fantasy VII Character

Vincent Valentine is a character in Square's 1997 role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII. He is designed by Tetsuya Nomura, and also appears in various titles from the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, a metaseries set in the Final Fantasy VII continuity. He is the protagonist of the 2006 third-person shooter Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII and its mobile phone tie-in Dirge of Cerberus: Lost Episode. Vincent is voiced in Japanese by Shōgo Suzuki and in English by Steven Blum and Matthew Mercer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barret Wallace</span> Fictional character

Barret Wallace is a character in Square Enix's role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII. He was created by character designer Tetsuya Nomura, and has since appeared in the CGI film sequel, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children as well as other games and media in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series. As of Advent Children, Barret is voiced by Masahiro Kobayashi in Japanese and Beau Billingslea in English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tifa Lockhart</span> Video game character

Tifa Lockhart is a character who debuted in Square's 1997 role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII. She was created as a foil to her teammate Aerith Gainsborough by members of the development team, including director Yoshinori Kitase and writers Kazushige Nojima and Tetsuya Nomura, who also contributed to her visual design. She has since appeared as a playable fighter in Ehrgeiz and the Dissidia Final Fantasy series and made cameo appearances in several other titles, such as Kingdom Hearts II and Itadaki Street. Beginning in 2005, she has been featured in sequels and spin-offs as part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series, including the animated film Advent Children and Final Fantasy VII Remake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuffie Kisaragi</span> Character in Final Fantasy

Yuffie Kisaragi is a character from Square Enix's Final Fantasy series. She is designed by Tetsuya Nomura, and was first introduced in the 1997 role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII as a young female ninja princess and thief. She is an optional party member, and can be recruited through a sidequest. Yuffie reappears in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series, which expands on her background and shows her after the events of the original game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerith Gainsborough</span> Character in Final Fantasy VII

Aerith Gainsborough, transliterated as Aeris Gainsborough in the English releases of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy Tactics, is a character in Square's role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII. She was designed by Tetsuya Nomura with influence from Yoshinori Kitase, Hironobu Sakaguchi and Yoshitaka Amano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zack Fair</span> Character in Final Fantasy

Zack Fair is a character in the Final Fantasy role-playing video game series by Square Enix. He is first introduced as a non-player character in Final Fantasy VII (1997) and later appears in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII works Before Crisis, Last Order, Advent Children and, most prominently, Crisis Core, a prequel to the original game which focuses on him and expands on his backstory.

<i>Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII</i> 2006 video game

Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII is a 2006 action role-playing third-person shooter video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. It is part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII metaseries, a multimedia collection set within the universe of Final Fantasy VII. The game is set three years after the events of the original game and focuses on one of the game's playable characters, Vincent Valentine. In the story, Vincent is targeted by Deepground, a mysterious organization that plans to awaken a creature known as Omega, with the ability to destroy the Planet.

<i>Compilation of Final Fantasy VII</i> Metaseries produced by Square Enix

The Compilation of Final Fantasy VII is a metaseries produced by Square Enix. A subseries stemming from the main Final Fantasy franchise, it is a collection of video games, animated features and short stories set in the world and continuity of Final Fantasy VII (1997). Officially announced in 2003 with the reveal of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, the series' core products are three video games and one film release. Alongside these are tie-in products and spin-offs including books, mobile games, and an original video animation. Advent Children and the mobile title Before Crisis are a sequel and prequel to VII, respectively focusing on Cloud Strife, the original game's main protagonist, and covert operatives known as the Turks. Crisis Core follows Zack Fair, a minor character in VII, while Dirge of Cerberus, a sequel to Advent Children, follows Vincent Valentine, one of the original's optional characters. The series has since been expanded to include more products, most notably a planned trilogy of games remaking the 1997 original; the first installment in this trilogy, Final Fantasy VII Remake, was released in 2020, while the second installment, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, was released in 2024.

<i>Last Order: Final Fantasy VII</i> 2005 anime film by Morio Asaka

Last Order: Final Fantasy VII, also abbreviated as Last Order or LO, is a 2005 Japanese anime original video animation produced by Madhouse and released by Square Enix. It was directed by Morio Asaka, and produced by Masao Maruyama, Jungo Maruta and Akio Ofuji. Tetsuya Nomura served as supervising director. The OVA is an alternate rendition of two flashbacks used for the video game Final Fantasy VII. Last Order was released in Japan with Advent Pieces: Limited, a special edition release of the film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and as a bonus feature in the North American "Limited Edition Collector's Set" release.

Characters of the <i>Final Fantasy VII</i> series

Final Fantasy VII, a role-playing video game developed by Square, now Square Enix, and originally released in 1997, features many fictional characters in both major and minor roles. VII has been followed by multiple sequels and prequels, grouped into the multimedia series Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. These include the 2004 mobile game prequel Before Crisis, the 2005 movie sequel Advent Children, the 2006 shooter spin-off sequel Dirge of Cerberus, and the 2007 action game prequel Crisis Core. Other media include spin-off books and the original video animation Last Order. The setting of Final Fantasy VII has been described as industrial or post-industrial science fiction. It is referred to as "the Planet" in most games, and was retroactively named "Gaia" in some Square Enix promotional material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoshinori Kitase</span> Japanese game director (born 1966)

Yoshinori Kitase is a Japanese game director and producer working for Square Enix. He is known as the director of Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy X, and the producer of the Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XIII series.

<i>Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII</i> 2007 video game

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable. The game was first released in 2007, and serves as a prequel to the 1997 video game Final Fantasy VII. It is part of the metaseries Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, which includes other products related to the original game.

<i>Final Fantasy VII Remake</i> 2020 video game

Final Fantasy VII Remake is an action role-playing game by Square Enix and released for PlayStation 4 in April 2020. An enhanced version, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, was released for PlayStation 5 and Windows in 2021.

Tetsuya Nomura is a Japanese video game artist, designer, producer, and director working for Square Enix. He was hired by Square initially as a monster designer for Final Fantasy V (1992), before being shifted towards secondary character designer alongside Yoshitaka Amano for Final Fantasy VI (1994). Final Fantasy VII (1997) had him working in the original story alongside Hironobu Sakaguchi, and marked his debut as the lead character designer, a capacity he would retain for several future installments of the series, as well as other Square Enix titles such as The Bouncer and The World Ends with You.

<i>Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis</i> 2023 video game

Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis is a role-playing video game developed by Applibot and Square Enix, who also publishes it for Android, iOS and Windows. It forms part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, a series of media spin-offs from the 1997 video game Final Fantasy VII.

<i>Final Fantasy VII Rebirth</i> 2024 video game

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a 2024 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix. The game is a sequel to Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020) and the second in a planned trilogy of games remaking the 1997 PlayStation game Final Fantasy VII.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Kasavin, Greg (September 29, 1997). "Final Fantasy VII Review". GameSpot . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "Final Fantasy VII (Greatest Hits)". Allgame. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Square Co. Ltd. (1997). Final Fantasy VII North American instruction manual. Sony Computer Entertainment. SCUS-94163.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Boor, Jay (September 3, 1997). "Final Fantasy VII Review". IGN . News Corporation. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  5. 1 2 1UP Staff (January 1, 2000). "Final Fantasy VII Review". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on May 30, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. "Final Fantasy VII: The Materia System". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 93. Ziff Davis. April 1997. p. 69.
  7. "Interview: Kosei Ito Q&A" (in Japanese). ITmedia. 2004. Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 McLaughlin, Rus (April 30, 2008). "IGN Presents: The History of Final Fantasy VII". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 11, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
  9. Studio BentStuff, ed. (2005). Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω (in Japanese). Square Enix. pp. 216–217. ISBN   978-4-7575-1520-8.
  10. "Final Fantasy". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine . No. 47. Ziff Davis. August 2001. p. 16.
  11. FFVIIスクウエアPSに参入. Dengeki PlayStation (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works (17): 14–15. February 14, 1996.
  12. Dun, Teresa (February 2008). "Complete Final Fantasy VII Character Guide". PlayStation: The Official Magazine . No. 60.
  13. Studio BentStuff, ed. (2005). Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω (in Japanese). Square Enix. p. 217. ISBN   978-4-7575-1520-8.
  14. 1 2 Studio BentStuff, ed. (2005). Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω (in Japanese). Square Enix. p. 59. ISBN   978-4-7575-1520-8.
  15. Studio BentStuff, ed. (2005). Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω (in Japanese). Square Enix. p. 30. ISBN   978-4-7575-1520-8.
  16. SoftBank, ed. (2006). Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Reunion Files (in Japanese and English). Square Enix. pp. 52–53. ISBN   978-4-7973-3498-2.
  17. Studio BentStuff, ed. (2005). Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω (in Japanese). Square Enix. p. 57. ISBN   978-4-7575-1520-8.
  18. Square Co (September 7, 1997). Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation). SCE America. Shera: He pushed the Emergency Engine Shut Down switch, aborting the mission, to save my life. After that, the Space Program was cut back and the launch was canceled.
  19. Studio BentStuff, ed. (2005). Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω (in Japanese). Square Enix. p. 46. ISBN   978-4-7575-1520-8.
  20. Studio BentStuff, ed. (2005). Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω (in Japanese). Square Enix. pp. 56, 58. ISBN   978-4-7575-1520-8.
  21. 1 2 3 Studio BentStuff, ed. (2005). Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω (in Japanese). Square Enix. p. 198. ISBN   978-4-7575-1520-8.
  22. Studio BentStuff, ed. (2005). Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω (in Japanese). Square Enix. pp. 210–215. ISBN   978-4-7575-1520-8.
  23. Square (September 7, 1997). Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation). SCE America. Ifalna: A small number of the surviving Cetra defeated Jenova, and confined it.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 「ファイナルファンタジー」25周年 — ファイナルファンタジーVII. Famitsu . No. 1224. Enterbrain. May 10, 2012.
  25. Square Co (September 7, 1997). Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation). SCE America. Aerith: You okay? This is a church in the Sector 5 slums. [You] suddenly fell on top of me. You really gave me quite a scare. / Cloud: ......I came crashing down? / Aerith: The roof and the flower bed must have broken your fall. You're lucky.
  26. Square Co (September 7, 1997). Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation). SCE America. Aerith: Say, Cloud. Have you ever been a bodyguard? You DO do everything, right? / Cloud: Yeah, that's right. / Aerith: Then, get me out of here.
  27. Square Co (September 7, 1997). Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation). SCE America. Don Corneo: Shinra's trying to crush a small rebel group called AVALANCHE, and want to infiltrate their hideout. And they're really going to crush them...literally. By breaking the support holding up the plate above them. / Tifa: Break the support!? / Don Corneo: You know what's going to happen? The plate'll go PING and everything's gonna go BAMMM!! I heard their hideout's in the Sector 7 Slums...
  28. Square Co (September 7, 1997). Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation). SCE America. Cloud: Why is Shinra after Aerith? / Elmyra: Aerith is an Ancient Cetra. The sole survivor.
  29. Square Co (September 7, 1997). Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation). SCE America. President Shinra: She's the last surviving Ancient... Don't you know? They called themselves the Cetra and lived thousands of years ago. Now they are just a forgotten page in history. / Red XIII: Cetra... That girl, is she a survivor of the Cetra? / President Shinra: Cetra, or the Ancients will show us the way to the 'Promised Land'. I'm expecting a lot out of her. / Red XIII: The Promised Land? Isn't that just a legend? / President Shinra: Even so, it's just too appealing to not to pursue. It's been said the Promised Land is very fertile. ...If the land is fertile... / Barret: Then there's gotta be Mako! / President Shinra: Exactly. That is why our money-sucking Mako Reactor is a necessity. The abundant Mako will just come out on its own.
  30. Square Co (September 7, 1997). Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation). SCE America. Cloud: ...Did it get away? Jenova...? / Red XIII: Jenova Specimen... Looks like it went to the upper floor using that elevator for the specimens.
  31. Square Co (September 7, 1997). Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation). SCE America. Aerith: 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. / Aerith: An injury powerful enough to destroy the Planet? Injure... the Planet? / Sephiroth: Behold that mural. The Ultimate Destructive Magic... Meteor.
  32. 1 2 3 Studio BentStuff, ed. (2005). Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω (in Japanese). Square Enix. pp. 210–215. ISBN   978-4-7575-1520-8.
  33. Square Co (September 7, 1997). Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation). SCE America. 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.
  34. Studio BentStuff, ed. (2005). Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω (in Japanese). Square Enix. p. 58. ISBN   978-4-7575-1520-8.
  35. Square (September 7, 1997). Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation). SCE America. Cloud: I never was in SOLDIER. I made up the stories about what happened to me five years ago, about being in SOLDIER. I left my village looking for glory, but never made it in to SOLDIER...... I was so ashamed of being so weak; then I heard this story from my friend Zack... And I created an illusion of myself made up of what I had seen in my life..... And I continued to play the charade as if it were true.
  36. Studio BentStuff, ed. (2005). Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω (in Japanese). Square Enix. p. 591. ISBN   978-4-7575-1520-8.
  37. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Leone, Matt (January 9, 2017). "Final Fantasy 7: An oral history". Polygon . Vox Media. Archived from the original on January 9, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  38. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Making Of: Final Fantasy VII". Edge . No. 123. Future plc. May 2003. pp. 108–113. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012.
  39. "Final Fantasy VII". Computer and Video Games. No. 174. Future plc. May 1996. pp. 106–111.
  40. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 blackoak. "Final Fantasy VII – 1997 Developer Interviews". Shmuplations. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  41. 1 2 3 "Yoshinori Kitase interview". LEVEL (in Swedish). Reset Media (25). May 2008.
  42. 1 2 "Exclusive Preview! Final Fantasy VII". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 82. Ziff Davis. May 1996. pp. 78–79.
  43. Maher, Jimmy (December 8, 2023). "Putting the "J" in the RPG, Part 2: PlayStation for the Win The Digital Antiquarian". The Digital Antiquarian. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  44. 1 2 Square Enix (1997). SquareSoft on PlayStation Collector's Video (VHS) (in Japanese). Square Enix. ASIN   B004FD5BLQ.
  45. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Final Fantasy VII: An Interview With Squaresoft". Computer and Video Games . Future plc (191): 53–59. October 1997. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016.
  46. "Essential 50: Final Fantasy VII". 1UP.com . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
  47. Stanton, Rick (June 2, 2013). "Final Fantasy 7 retrospective – The game that killed Squaresoft". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  48. 1 2 3 Naora, Yusuke (February 26, 2015). SMU Guildhall: The Visual Evolution of Final Fantasy (Twitch) (Video). Square Enix. Archived from the original on October 31, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2015. Transcript in French Archived January 18, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
  49. "Final Fantasy VIII Kitase, Nojima, Naora and Nomura Interview". Official UK PlayStation Magazine (71). February 2001. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
  50. Gantayat, Anoop (January 31, 2011). "Latest on Final Fantasy Type-0". Andriasang.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  51. 1 2 Parish, Jeremy (May 14, 2016). "The Final Fantasist: A Conversation With Yoshitaka Amano". USGamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on May 12, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  52. Juba, Joe (April 27, 2016). "The Art That Shaped Final Fantasy: Thoughts From Famed Artist Yoshitaka Amano". Game Informer . GameStop. Archived from the original on April 29, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  53. 1 2 3 Studio BentStuff, ed. (2007). Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary (in Japanese). Square Enix. pp. 8–13. ISBN   978-4-7575-2560-3.
  54. 1 2 3 4 "FFVII Not Being Remade – Nomura". IGN . Ziff Davis. June 4, 2007. Archived from the original on March 28, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  55. 1 2 GameTrailers (August 13, 2007). Final Fantasy Retrospective – Part V (Video). YouTube. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  56. 1 2 3 Gouskos, Carrie. "Lucky Seven". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2008.
  57. 1 2 Kuo, Li C. (June 25, 2007). "Readers' Choice Top 10 Most Cinematic Moments in Gaming". GameSpy. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved October 16, 2007.
  58. 1 2 "#1 – Aerith's Death". Top 100 Video Game Moments. IGN. December 2011. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  59. 1 2 3 ゲーム・マエストロ Vol.4 デザイナー/イラストレーター編[Game Maestro Vol. 4: Designer/Illustrator Volume] (in Japanese). Mainichi Communications. May 18, 2001. ISBN   978-4839903879.
  60. ファイナルファンタジーVII 解体真書 ザ・コンプリート[Final Fantasy VII: Book of Deconstructions – The Complete] (in Japanese). Aspect. July 31, 2000. p. 33. ISBN   978-4-7577-0098-7.
  61. 1 2 Gantayat, Anoop (May 16, 2012). "Nomura, Kitase and Nojima Discuss Final Fantasy VII's Development". Andriasang.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  62. "An Interview with Hironobu Sakguchi". Next Generation . No. 22. Imagine Media. October 1996. p. 84.
  63. Mitsuda, Yasunori (November 1999). "My Friends: Masato Kato". Our Millennial Fair. Procyon Studio. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  64. Schreier, Jason (September 2, 2014). "Things Are Very Different For The Creator Of Final Fantasy". Kotaku . Gakwer Media. Archived from the original on August 24, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  65. "You Should Know This Game: Final Fantasy VII". Computer and Video Games. No. 185. Future plc. April 1994. p. 88. Archived from the original on March 17, 2016.
  66. ファイナルファンタジーVII 解体真書 ザ・コンプリート[Final Fantasy VII: Book of Deconstructions – The Complete] (in Japanese). Aspect. July 31, 2000. p. 215. ISBN   978-4-7577-0098-7.
  67. Ikumori, Kazuyuki (March 20, 2015). SMU Guildhall: The Cinematic Evolution of Final Fantasy (Twitch) (Video). Square Enix. Archived from the original on October 11, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2015. Transcript in French Archived January 18, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
  68. 1 2 McLaughlin, Rus (April 30, 2008). "IGN Presents: The History of Final Fantasy VII". IGN . News Corporation. p. 1. Archived from the original on January 28, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  69. 1 2 Schweitzer, Ben; Gann, Patrick (June 17, 2006). "Final Fantasy VII OST". RPGFan. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
  70. "Nobuo Uematsu Interview". RPGamer. July 8, 2000. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2008.
  71. Mielke, James (February 15, 2008). "A Day in the Life of Final Fantasy's Nobuo Uematsu". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012.
  72. Final Fantasy VII Original Sound Track (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  73. Final Fantasy VII Original Sound Track (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  74. "『FF XIII』サウンドトラックが初日TOP3入り" (in Japanese). Oricon. January 28, 2010. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
  75. Gann, Patrick (June 23, 2000). "Final Fantasy VII Reunion Tracks". RPGFan. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
  76. ファイナルファンタジーVII/リユニオン・トラックス (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  77. Gann, Patrick (February 25, 2004). "Piano Collections Final Fantasy VII". RPGFan. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
  78. Piano Collections Final Fantasy VII (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  79. 【電撃PS 20周年】スクウェアが『FFVII』を引っ提げてPSに参入。業界が騒然となったあの時——【1995年10月~1996年3月】. Dengeki Online (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. June 18, 2014. Archived from the original on November 23, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  80. Nelson, David D. (September 6, 2013). "A Final Fantasy VI Remake Was Once A Reality". PSExtreme. Archived from the original on October 21, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  81. ファイナルファンタジーVII / Square Enix. Square Enix (in Japanese). Square Enix. Archived from the original on December 17, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  82. 大賞/シナリオ部門賞/サウンド部門賞 – ファイナルファンタジーVII. Japan Game Awards . Japan Game Awards. 1997. Archived from the original on March 20, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  83. ファイナルファンタジーVII インターナショナル. Square Enix (in Japanese). Square Enix. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  84. 1 2 3 4 "Q&A – Square Enix's Richard Honeywood". Edge Online. February 2006. Archived from the original on May 17, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  85. Gantayat, Anoop (August 31, 2012). "Full Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Ultimate Box Game List". Andriasang.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  86. "PlayStation at E3: 1996". PlayStation Blog . Sony Interactive Entertainment. June 3, 2010. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  87. "PlayStation's Final Fantasy VII Marketing Blitz Continues". Business Wire . The Free Library. August 27, 1997. Archived from the original on November 26, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  88. Parish, Jeremy (November 26, 2014). "Where Final Fantasy Went Wrong, and How Square Enix is Putting It Right". USGamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on May 10, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  89. "Square Enix Announces Release Date of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children". Square Enix. May 15, 2005. Archived from the original on March 28, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  90. "SCEE 1997 – Key facts and figures". Sony Computer Entertainment. 1997. Archived from the original on March 26, 2006. Retrieved November 25, 2006.
  91. Langsaw, Mark; Martin, Liam (December 8, 2015). "Everything you need to know about Final Fantasy VII Remake, including news, trailers and release dates". Digital Spy . Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on December 11, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  92. 1 2 Alexander, Leigh (April 10, 2009). "Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII Hits Japanese PSN". Gamasutra . UBM TechWeb. Archived from the original on November 14, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  93. "Final Fantasy VIII Interview". IGN . Ziff Davis. October 2, 1999. Archived from the original on January 14, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  94. 1 2 "Yamaha Corporation licenses its XG Soft Synthesizer to Square Soft". Yamaha Corporation. April 21, 1998. Archived from the original on February 2, 2008. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  95. "Eidos Interactive Acquires Exclusive PC Rights to Epic Role-Playing Game Final Fantasy VII". Coming Soon Magazine. December 5, 1997. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  96. Staff (December 20, 1996). "Final Fantasy VII Coming to the PC". PC Gamer . Future plc. Archived from the original on February 18, 1998. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  97. "Finalizing the Fantasy". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 94. Ziff Davis. May 1997. pp. 91–94. Archived from the original on February 3, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2020 via Retromags.
  98. 1 2 3 Fenlon, Wesley (April 15, 2012). "GameSpite Quarterly Interview: Richard Honeywood on The Rise of Square Localization". Wesley Fenlon Blog. Archived from the original on December 26, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  99. Campbell, Colin (May 1997). "Final Fantasy Mania". Next Generation . No. 29. Imagine Media. p. 30.
  100. Bro Buzz (August 1997). "Final Fantasy VII Update!". GamePro . No. 107. IDG. p. 86.
  101. Majeb, Athab (June 2, 2009). "Final Fantasy VII hitting PSN today". Joystiq . AOL. Archived from the original on June 11, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  102. "Final Fantasy VII For PC Out Now". Official Square Enix NA Blog. August 14, 2012. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017.
  103. "Final Fantasy VII For PC Out Now". Official Square Enix EU Blog. August 14, 2012. Archived from the original on August 16, 2012.
  104. Elliot, Phil (July 4, 2013). "Final Fantasy VII launches on Steam!". Official Square Enix NA Blog. Square Enix. Archived from the original on June 18, 2017.
  105. Elliot, Phil (July 4, 2013). "Final Fantasy VII launches on Steam!". Official Square Enix EU Blog. Square Enix. Archived from the original on July 7, 2013.
  106. "Final Fantasy VII [PC Download] (Steam)". Square Enix NA Online Store. Archived from the original on July 28, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  107. "Final Fantasy VII [PC Download] (Steam)". Square Enix EU Online Store. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  108. 『FFVII インターナショナル for PC』本日発売、PC版『FFVIII』の発売も決定!. Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. May 16, 2013. Archived from the original on May 22, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  109. Kamen, Matt (August 19, 2015). "Final Fantasy VII iOS is finally here". Wired UK . Condé Nast Publications. Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  110. Conditt, Jessica (December 5, 2015). "'Final Fantasy VII' is out today on PlayStation 4". Engadget . AOL. Archived from the original on December 6, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  111. McWhertor, Michael (December 6, 2014). "Final Fantasy 7 is coming to PlayStation 4 next year". Polygon . Vox Media. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  112. "DotEmu – August 14, 2012". DotEmu . Facebook. August 14, 2012. Archived from the original on January 2, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  113. Allen, Jennifer (June 30, 2016). "DotEmu's bid to port Titan Quest to smartphones". Gamasutra . UBM TechWeb. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  114. Lazarides, Tasos (July 7, 2016). "After Almost a Year on iOS, 'Final Fantasy VII' Is Out on Android". Touch Arcade. Archived from the original on December 13, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  115. "Announcing PlayStation Classic's Full Lineup of 20 Games". PlayStation.Blog. October 29, 2018. Archived from the original on October 29, 2018. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  116. Madan, Asher (February 13, 2019). "Final Fantasy VII lands on Xbox One in late March". Windows Central. Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  117. "Final Fantasy VII for PC". GameRankings . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  118. "Final Fantasy VII for PlayStation". GameRankings . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  119. "Final Fantasy VII for PlayStation Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 29, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
  120. "Final Fantasy VII (PC)". Allgame. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  121. 1 2 3 4 Nguyen, Thierry (September 25, 1998). "Final Fantasy VII". Computer Gaming World. Archived from the original on October 1, 2000. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
  122. 1 2 Alex C (August 14, 2001). "Final Fantasy VII: The game that made RPGs cool". Computer and Video Games . Future plc. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014.
  123. "Computer and Video Games – Issue 192 (1997–11)(EMAP Images)(GB)". archive.org. November 1997. Archived from the original on July 17, 2013.
  124. 1 2 Edge Staff (October 8, 1997). "Final Fantasy VII Review". Edge . Future plc. Archived from the original on June 28, 2012.
  125. Electronic Gaming Monthly , 1998 Video Game Buyer's Guide, p. 72
  126. 1 2 "Review Crew: Final Fantasy VII". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 99. Ziff Davis. October 1997. p. 50.
  127. "Final Fantasy – famitsu Scores Archive". Famitsu Scores Archive. Archived from the original on July 14, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  128. Andy; Paul; Reiner, Andrew (September 1997). "Final Fantasy VII: Better Than All the Rest". Game Informer . Archived from the original on September 13, 1999.
  129. GameFan, volume 5, issue 9 (September 1997), pp. 26 & 67–70
  130. Nomali, Nicola (March 30, 2009). Parish, Jeremy (ed.). "Final Fantasy VII: The Voice of the Planet". GameSpite Quarterly (13). Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  131. 1 2 Olafson, Peter (November 24, 2000). "Review: Final Fantasy VII". GamePro . Archived from the original on October 23, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  132. "Final Fantasy VII – PlayStation Review". Game Revolution . June 4, 1998. Archived from the original on March 9, 2001. Retrieved March 9, 2001.
  133. Griffiths, Daniel (Christmas 1997). "Final Fantasy VII". GamesMaster (63): 34–37.
  134. Dulin, Ron (July 7, 1998). "Final Fantasy VII (PC)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
  135. Ward, Trent (June 24, 1998). "Final Fantasy VII review (PC)". IGN. News Corporation. Archived from the original on February 21, 2002. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
  136. 1 2 "Grand Finale". Next Generation . No. 34. Imagine Media. October 1997. p. 170.
  137. Bertram, Adrian (December 1997). "Official Australian PSX Review of FFVII". PlayStation Official Magazine – Australia . Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  138. 1 2 3 4 Rybicki, Joe, ed. (October 1997). "Final Fantasy VII". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. No. 1. Ziff Davis. pp. 86–87.
  139. "The biggest selling game of all time: Final Fantasy VII". PC Zone (66): 2–3. August 1998. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  140. 1 2 3 Wolf, Michael (September 1998). "Final Fantasy VII". PC Gamer US. Archived from the original on February 29, 2000. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
  141. "Reviews: Final Fantasy VII". PC PowerPlay (27): 78–79. August 1998. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  142. "Reviews: Final Fantasy VII". PC Zone (66): 92–95. August 1998. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  143. "Final Fantasy VII Reviews and Articles for PlayStation". GameRankings . Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  144. Frost, Stephen, ed. (September 1997). "Final Fantasy VII". PlayStation: The Official Magazine. No. 1. Imagine Media. p. 18.
  145. "Final Fantasy VII Quiz". VideoGame Spot. February 4, 1997. Quoted in "Final Fantasy VII Enthusiast Coverage" (PDF). Polygon (Part of a collection of internal SCEA documents compiled by former Sony senior product manager David Bamberger for "Final Fantasy 7: An oral history"). Vox Media. January 9, 2017 [First published c. March 1997]. p. 18. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  146. "Gaming Gossip". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 93. Ziff Davis. April 1997. p. 28. ... more than 2 million copies were sold the first two days ...
  147. "Retailers Nationwide Break Official Release Date of PlayStation's "Final Fantasy VII" Videogame". Find Articles. Business Wire. September 1997.
  148. "PlayStation's "Final Fantasy VII" Breaks Industry Records in Debut Weekend". Find Articles. Business Wire. September 1997.
  149. "PlayStation's Final Fantasy VII Has Sold More Than Half a Million Copies to Date". Find Articles. Business Wire. September 1997.
  150. 1 2 "Final Fantasy VII For PlayStation Hits Million-Unit Mark; Latest Sell-Through Numbers Make Square's Final Fantasy VII Worldwide Best Seller". Find Articles. Business Wire. December 4, 1997.
  151. Ohbuchi, Yutaka (February 5, 1998). "Japan's Top Ten of '97". GameSpot . Archived from the original on March 1, 2000.
  152. "Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-". Square Enix. 2006. Archived from the original on August 1, 2008. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  153. McCarthy, Dave (April 28, 2008). "Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII UK Interview". IGN. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
  154. "2006年ゲームソフト年間売上TOP500" [2006 Game Software Annual Sales Top 500]. Famitsū Gēmu Hakusho 2007ファミ通ゲーム白書2007[Famitsu Game Whitebook 2007] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Enterbrain. 2007. p. 387. ISBN   978-4-7577-3577-4. JPNO   21240454. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015.
  155. Webster, Andrew (May 2010). "Masterpiece: Final Fantasy VII". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on January 30, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  156. Final Fantasy Retrospective Part V (GameTrailers.com feature). GameTrailers. August 13, 2007. Archived from the original on April 15, 2009. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  157. Kraus, Alex (August 29, 2006). "'Dirge of Cerberus' defies expectations, for better and worse". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  158. GameSpot Editorial Team. "The Greatest Games of All Time". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  159. "Final Fantasy VII". App Store . January 26, 2016. Archived from the original on August 4, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  160. Yip, Spencer (August 19, 2015). "Final Fantasy VII Has Sold Over 11 Million Units Worldwide". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  161. "Final Fantasy VII". Steam Spy . Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  162. Orland, Kyle (July 6, 2018). "Valve leaks Steam game player counts; we have the numbers". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  163. "Ateam Co-Developing Smart Device Game "Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier" with Square Enix". Ateam Inc. Square Enix, Ateam Inc. February 25, 2021. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  164. "エイチーム---ストップ高、スマホゲームをスクエニと共同開発" [Ateam --- Collaborative development of smartphone game with Square Enix]. Reuters (in Japanese). February 26, 2021. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  165. "川崎の工場夜景は魔晄都市ミッドガルだった! 「FF VII REMAKE」をテーマにしたクルーズイベント「MIDGAR Night Cruise FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE」を11月開催". Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  166. "Final Fantasy VII Review". GameFan. Metropolis Media. 5 (9): 68–69. September 1997.
  167. 1 2 Slo Mo, ed. (October 1997). "Final Fantasy VII". GamePro . No. 109. IDG. pp. 46–47.
  168. Castomel. "Final Fantasy VII—Review". RPGamer. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  169. Long, Andrew. "Final Fantasy VII—Review". RPGamer. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  170. 1 2 3 4 "Final Fantasy VII". Next Generation Magazine. June 24, 1998. Archived from the original on December 5, 1998. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
  171. 1 2 3 Bauman, Steve (July 27, 1998). "The console's greatest RPG has a difficult PC birth". Computer Games Magazine. Archived from the original on February 25, 2002. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
  172. 大賞/シナリオ部門賞/サウンド部門賞 – ファイナルファンタジーVII. Japan Game Awards . Japan Game Awards. 1997. Archived from the original on March 20, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  173. "The Award - Updates". Interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  174. "The Award - Winners". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  175. "Origins Awards winners". Origins Awards, RPGnet. July 6, 1998. Archived from the original on December 13, 2014. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  176. "25 Years Of Game Informer's GOTY Awards". GameInformer.com. January 2, 2017. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  177. "You Have Spoken!". GamePro . No. 118. July 1998. pp. 38–9.
  178. "The Hyper Reader Awards 97-98". Hyper . No. 63. January 1999. pp. 38–41.
  179. "Readers' Choice Awards". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 104. March 1998. p. 100.
  180. "Editors' Choice Awards". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 104. Ziff Davis. March 1998. pp. 86–96.
  181. Electronic Gaming Monthly , 1998 Video Game Buyer's Guide, pp. 16–36
  182. EGM staff (2001). "Electronic Gaming Monthly's 100 Best Games of All Time". Archived from the original on June 20, 2003. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  183. Retro Gamer issue 9, p. 61
  184. "IGN's Top 100 Games of All Time". IGN. 2018. Archived from the original on October 18, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  185. Chris Leigh (November 14, 2005). "The Greatest 100 Games Ever: 5–1". PALGN. Archived from the original on June 17, 2014.
  186. 2: Final Fantasy VII, Empire , accessed February 25, 2011
  187. Stuff, September 2008, p. 125
  188. Cork, Jeff (November 16, 2009). "Game Informer's Top 100 Games of All Time (Circa Issue 100)". Game Informer . Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  189. The Game Informer staff (December 2009). "The Top 200 Games of All Time". Game Informer. No. 200. pp. 44–79. ISSN   1067-6392. OCLC   27315596.
  190. Satterfield, Shane; Fielder, Lauren (2001). "15 Most Influential Games of All Time". GameSpot . CNET. Archived from the original on May 20, 2007.
  191. Boba Fatt; the GamePros. "Feature: The 52 Most Important Video Games of All Time (page 4 of 8)". GamePro. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2007.
  192. GamePro Staff (June 24, 2009). "20 Games That Changed Gaming Forever". GamePro . PC World. Archived from the original on March 14, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  193. "All-Time 100 Video Games". Time. Time Inc. November 15, 2012. Archived from the original on November 16, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  194. "Reader's Choice Top 300 Games Of All Time". Game Informer. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  195. "The 25 best PS1 games of all time". gamesradar. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  196. Gantayat, Anoop (November 22, 2007). "Nomura Talks FFXIII". IGN. Archived from the original on November 23, 2007. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  197. GamePro Staff (November 5, 2008). "The 26 Best RPGs of All Time". GamePro. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  198. Noble, McKinley (May 18, 2010). "The 30 Best PSN Games". GamePro. Archived from the original on September 24, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  199. Hollander, Cooper (March 12, 2012). "The Top 7... Saddest video games that will make you cry". GamesRadar . Future plc. Archived from the original on October 29, 2012.
  200. GameSpy Staff. "Top 25 Most Overrated Games". GameSpy. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  201. IGN Staff (January 12, 2000). "Reader's Choice Game of the Century". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on April 9, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  202. Edge Staff (March 3, 2006). "Japan Votes on All Time Top 100". Edge . Future plc. Archived from the original on August 6, 2011. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  203. Romano, Sal (December 29, 2011). "Famitsu's top 20 list of tear-inducing games". Gematsu. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  204. "Spring 2004: Best. Game. Ever". GameFAQs. Archived from the original on February 9, 2009. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  205. "Fall 2005: 10-Year Anniversary Contest—The 10 Best Games Ever". GameFAQs. Archived from the original on July 16, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  206. "Spring 2009: Best. Game. Ever". GameFAQs. Archived from the original on June 10, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
  207. Ashcraft, Brian (March 6, 2008). "Dengeki Readers Say Fav 2007 Game, Fav of All Time". Kotaku. Archived from the original on March 28, 2008. Retrieved March 29, 2008.
  208. 【アンケート結果発表】感動して泣いてしまったゲームはありますか? [(Survey results) Are There Emotional Games That Made You Cry?] (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. October 15, 2008. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  209. Orland, Kyle (February 22, 2008). "Final Fantasy VII ported to the Famicom. Finally!". Joystiq . AOL. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  210. Studio BentStuff, ed. (2001). Final Fantasy X Ultimania Ω (in Japanese). DigiCube/Square Enix. p. 191. ISBN   978-4-88787-021-5.
  211. Kennedy, Sam; Steinman, Gary, eds. (2001). Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine August 2001; issue 47. Ziff Davis. p. 90.
  212. "Behind The Game The Creators". Square Enix North America. Archived from the original on April 16, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  213. Oliver, Glen (July 11, 2001). "Review of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within". IGN. Archived from the original on September 26, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  214. インタビュー"ファイナルファンタジーXIII". Dengeki Online (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. June 2, 2006. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  215. Witham, Joseph. "Final Fantasy X International Europe Bound". RPGamer. Archived from the original on January 4, 2009. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  216. Dunham, Jeremy (November 24, 2003). "Final Fantasy X-2 Developer Interview". IGN. News Corporation. Archived from the original on August 10, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  217. "Square Enix Party Press Conference Announcement". Square Enix. May 14, 2007. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved July 14, 2007.
  218. IGN Staff (November 21, 2002). "Kingdom Hearts Final Mix Images". IGN. News Corporation. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  219. "『キングダム ハーツII ファイナル ミックス』に新要素が!!". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. March 24, 2007. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  220. "Final Fantasy Retrospective Part V". GameTrailers. August 13, 2007. Archived from the original on June 11, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  221. Kraus, Alex (August 30, 2006). "'Dirge of Cerberus' defies expectations, for better and worse". USA Today . Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  222. Holleman, Patrick (2018). Reverse Design: Final Fantasy VII. CRC Press. pp. 36–38. ISBN   9780429834523. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  223. Parish, Jeremy (March 23, 2017). "Final Fantasy VII Deep Dive, Part 5: An RPG Gets Existential With Its Central Question: "Who Am I?"". USgamer . Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  224. Holleman, Patrick (2018). Reverse Design: Final Fantasy VII. CRC Press. p. 38. ISBN   9780429834523. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  225. 1 2 "Final Fantasy VII's Legacy Gets Everything About Final Fantasy VII Wrong". Paste Magazine . April 13, 2016. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  226. Manning, Ric (July 25, 1998). "Wile away the summer with two intriguing new games". The Courier-Journal . p. 2. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  227. Roberts, David; Sheridan, Connor (March 12, 2018). "The best cyberpunk games you should be playing right now". GamesRadar+ . Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  228. "Final Fantasy VII's Story Is More Meaningful Today Than in 1997". Comic Book Resources . June 22, 2019. Archived from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  229. Gantayat, Anoop (September 14, 2010). "This Week's Pre-TGS Flying Get". Andriasang. Archived from the original on September 16, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
  230. Hollinger, Elizabeth (1997). Prima's Official Strategy Guide Final Fantasy Tactics. United States of America: Prima Publishing. p. 82. ISBN   978-0-7615-1246-2.
  231. Goldfarb, Andrew (November 12, 2015). "Final Fantasy 7's Cloud Coming to Super Smash Bros Wii U, 3DS". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on November 13, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  232. Gantayat, Anoop (October 27, 2004). "New Final Fantasy VII For PSP". IGN. News Corporation. Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
  233. Gantayat, Anoop (May 27, 2004). "Before Crisis FF7 Details". IGN. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  234. Watanabe, Yukari, ed. (2006). Final Fantasy VII Advent Children – Reunion Files (in Japanese). SoftBank. p. 95. ISBN   978-4-7973-3498-2.
  235. Dunham, Jeremy (August 11, 2006). "Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII Review". IGN . News Corporation. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  236. IGN Staff (May 17, 2006). "Crisis Core FFVII Update". IGN . News Corporation. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  237. Studio BentStuff, ed. (2005). Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω (in Japanese). Square Enix. p. 572. ISBN   978-4-7575-1520-8.
  238. Cassady, David; Games, Brady (June 1, 1998). Final Fantasy VII: Official Strategy Guide. Brady. ISBN   978-1566867825.
  239. Buchanan, Levi (March 10, 2005). "Final Fantasy VII Snowboarding". IGN . News Corporation. Archived from the original on January 18, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  240. Palley, Steve (April 5, 2005). "Final Fantasy VII Snowboarding Review". GameSpot . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 30, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
  241. "Square Enix Brings Final Fantasy VII Snowboarding and Musashi Mobile Samurai 3D Titles to V CAST from Verizon Wireless". Square Enix. March 14, 2005. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
  242. Ishaan (December 19, 2014). "Cloud And Reno Engage In A Bike Duel In Final Fantasy VII G-Bike Trailer". Siliconera. Archived from the original on August 23, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  243. "The Compilation of Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Translations – The Lifestream". thelifestream.net. November 17, 2008. Archived from the original on April 20, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  244. "Final Fantasy VII VR Coaster Coming To Universal Studios In Japan – VR News, Games, And Reviews". www.vrandfun.com. January 6, 2018. Archived from the original on April 22, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  245. Allen, Jason (May 16, 2005). "E3 2005: Eyes-on the Final Fantasy VII Tech Demo". IGN. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  246. Sato (June 23, 2015). "Final Fantasy VII Remake Will Be More Realistic, But Won't Have New Characters". Siliconera. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  247. "Get Ready for Launch – Final Fantasy VII Remake Digital Pre-Load Starts Today On Playstation 4". Square Enix North America Press Hub. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  248. 1 2 "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Revealed As Name Of Remake Part 2, Part Of A Trilogy". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  249. "Crisis Core Reunion can be considered part of the FF7 Remake project, producer says". Destructoid. July 18, 2022. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  250. "Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion Team Discusses Changes Coming To Game And If Zack Or Cloud Is The Better Character". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.