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Final Fantasy VII and its huge success and popularity
- Thread starter SolVanderlyn
- Start date
KyanMehwulfe
Member
There was an 'awe' about FF VII... It was an 'event', but I think opposite of what the cynicism toward an event like COD. An event as FF VII was saw was more... innocent yet because gaming hype, media, journalism and medium (magazines) were still yet young and naive. And the notion of what FF VII represented was also... interesting, curious, fascinating...
Final Fantasy VII remains the most grand Japanese RPG and the pinnacle of scale in genre. That isn't a statement about which game is best or most creative or most fun or my personal favorite -- it's none of those. What I'm referring to is scale, and how it was perceived. What Squaresoft tried to create was on a greater scale than anything before and is still unrivaled. Not only did they aim for an epic with the story, they aimed for a blockbuster with the story. And I don't just mean a blockbuster game. It was that, too. The story was grander than anything else, and probably still as grand as any game since. The world, quests, minigames? I mean, I don't think any JRPG rivals VII's side-quests and mini-games. Even yet today, those pre-rendered backdrops are incredible. But it was beyond just a blockbuster game. It was a blockbuster event. Everything about the game was grand. The only game that came close was VIII (the series has been on the decline of relevancy and remarkableness ever since), and that was equal parts because of VII and because of production values. There wasn't the same mystique about VIII because it was replaced with expectations. VII had no expectations, just curiosity and unexpected awe.
FF VII was everywhere when it released. It transcended from gamers to non-gamers as no other console RPG has. There were two-page advertisements everywhere. Read through a stack of gaming or entertainment magazine from the year before release up until a couple months ever.
It was one of the 'strongest' (and I mean feeling and response) marketing campaigns we'll likely ever see because of the timing of platform drama and publication evolution. A sort of 'perfect storm.'
Gaming hype today can never be the same because of the internet and marketing is very unlike when Final Fantasy VII released.
The game had a certain level of intrigue and mystique because of the marketing and platform shift, and it's likely something we will never see in the same form ever again because of the internet. FF VII released at what must be close to the peak of gaming magazines, too, and 'hype' back then was a very different -- much less cynical and more magical. The ads garnered curiosity from the casual and from the hardcore it received awe.
The story was much the same. If I had to use one word to describe the story, it would be atmosphere. Because of the hype going into the game, a lot of people entered the game with much more mystique and much less cynicism than any console RPG before and likely any other video game since. And the story, for whatever strengths or faults it had, did everything it could use scale and mystery to fuel that atmosphere to make for a brooding and tense mood.
If Final Fantasy VII was one thing in its entirety of development, marketing, and release, it was a curious or enthralling, and it's greatest success in all those respects was its grand or ominous atmosphere.
Final Fantasy VII remains the most grand Japanese RPG and the pinnacle of scale in genre. That isn't a statement about which game is best or most creative or most fun or my personal favorite -- it's none of those. What I'm referring to is scale, and how it was perceived. What Squaresoft tried to create was on a greater scale than anything before and is still unrivaled. Not only did they aim for an epic with the story, they aimed for a blockbuster with the story. And I don't just mean a blockbuster game. It was that, too. The story was grander than anything else, and probably still as grand as any game since. The world, quests, minigames? I mean, I don't think any JRPG rivals VII's side-quests and mini-games. Even yet today, those pre-rendered backdrops are incredible. But it was beyond just a blockbuster game. It was a blockbuster event. Everything about the game was grand. The only game that came close was VIII (the series has been on the decline of relevancy and remarkableness ever since), and that was equal parts because of VII and because of production values. There wasn't the same mystique about VIII because it was replaced with expectations. VII had no expectations, just curiosity and unexpected awe.
FF VII was everywhere when it released. It transcended from gamers to non-gamers as no other console RPG has. There were two-page advertisements everywhere. Read through a stack of gaming or entertainment magazine from the year before release up until a couple months ever.
It was one of the 'strongest' (and I mean feeling and response) marketing campaigns we'll likely ever see because of the timing of platform drama and publication evolution. A sort of 'perfect storm.'
Gaming hype today can never be the same because of the internet and marketing is very unlike when Final Fantasy VII released.
The game had a certain level of intrigue and mystique because of the marketing and platform shift, and it's likely something we will never see in the same form ever again because of the internet. FF VII released at what must be close to the peak of gaming magazines, too, and 'hype' back then was a very different -- much less cynical and more magical. The ads garnered curiosity from the casual and from the hardcore it received awe.
The story was much the same. If I had to use one word to describe the story, it would be atmosphere. Because of the hype going into the game, a lot of people entered the game with much more mystique and much less cynicism than any console RPG before and likely any other video game since. And the story, for whatever strengths or faults it had, did everything it could use scale and mystery to fuel that atmosphere to make for a brooding and tense mood.
If Final Fantasy VII was one thing in its entirety of development, marketing, and release, it was a curious or enthralling, and it's greatest success in all those respects was its grand or ominous atmosphere.
bananafactory
Banned
It was the first RPG I ever played, and is still my favourite.
DoktorEvil
Banned
FF 7 was the killer app for the PS1.
Huge budget, 3D characters and pre-renders settings. An engaging story with a plot twist that no one saw coming.
It hit the trifecta when it came to video games. It was the TLOU of its time.
FF8 and 9 couldn't match the hype that FF7 had going for it.
Huge budget, 3D characters and pre-renders settings. An engaging story with a plot twist that no one saw coming.
It hit the trifecta when it came to video games. It was the TLOU of its time.
FF8 and 9 couldn't match the hype that FF7 had going for it.
At the time FF7 was THE GAME. You could hear about it everywhere, friends, tv, magazines.It was even on my ps1 case, i think it was a screenshot of Vincent with a cool pose ,just that made me want to get the game although I never could at the time( got it much later around 1999-2000)
JordanN
Banned
In my defense, the game was rated Teen.
An E rated FFVII would replace Barret's gun with a supersoaker.
OsirisBlack
Banned
Speaking as someone who has played just about every Squaresoft/SE game from NES on up VII has always in my opinion been one of if not the most overrated games in the series. The characters range from dull to stereotypical and the story and soundtrack are two of the weakest out of all of the final fantasy games. This game has always been very polarizing either you absolutely love it or it was just ok.
On Topic: Final Fantasy VII in my opinion was the gateway drug to RPG's which is why it was/is so popular, it was a lot of peoples first time and you always remember your first time.
Ninety per cent of this thread apparently doesn't think so, hence my frustration.
DoktorEvil
Banned
Because it was a pile of shit? Marketing can only do so much!
The localization was bad which made the story suck, but the fight gameplay wasn't bad.
It was more lackluster than outright sucking.
One reason.
I miss when Cid looked like this, and not an escaped member of N-Sync.
"Over 2 years in the making!"
Somehow I don't think that's a good thing to brag about anymore.
bananafactory
Banned
Agree with everything you said but it was WAY bigger than TLOU, which is really saying something.
I think for the majority of people who went into the game wanting "the next FFVII", it certainly sucked. The designs are worse, the world isn't as interesting, there weren't as many FMVs, the FMVs weren't that well directed, the battle system was too slow, it was just... a poor attempt at doing something similar. In contrast I think stuff like Wild Arms got a much better reception because it wasn't trying to copy FFVII.
qualitydisc
Member
Probably would have been difficult in 1997 since three of those six had not released in the US and by American numbering, IV through VI were complete unknowns.
XANDER CAGE
Member
As well as the game just not being as good, I think there might be an even simpler answer here: Legend of Dragoon is a way more esoteric sounding title than Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy might not actually make any sense but it's alliterative, punchy, and vague enough to not sound like a total turbo nerd saga.
IMO a lot of FFVII's success can be traced back to FFVI, which was revolutionary for cinematic gameplay at the time. FFVII took the formula and added "realistic" graphics and a modern/cyberpunk aesthetic which was more palatable for mass appeal
since then every FF has strayed from that formula in one way or another, which is why its success was never truly repeated
then there's obvious reasons about it being a flagship game on a hugely successful console, the advertising campaign, FMV, ect... but i think one thing glossed over is Cloud ... not only does he "look cool" but his story remains the most in depth of any FF main protagonist. his character isn't necessarily "deep" but his backstory is and it reveals him to be sort of a pathetic fuck up, and i think that resonated with a lot of teens. it was tangible and something you could relate to in some way
lastly, it was a labor of love. it was probably the last FF where Square handed over the resources to development and said "here, do what you want" (with the exception of FFIX, which didn't have the same mass appeal)
since then every FF has strayed from that formula in one way or another, which is why its success was never truly repeated
then there's obvious reasons about it being a flagship game on a hugely successful console, the advertising campaign, FMV, ect... but i think one thing glossed over is Cloud ... not only does he "look cool" but his story remains the most in depth of any FF main protagonist. his character isn't necessarily "deep" but his backstory is and it reveals him to be sort of a pathetic fuck up, and i think that resonated with a lot of teens. it was tangible and something you could relate to in some way
lastly, it was a labor of love. it was probably the last FF where Square handed over the resources to development and said "here, do what you want" (with the exception of FFIX, which didn't have the same mass appeal)
PseudoViper
Member
I'm still trying to figure this one out myself.
It is rather curious that none of those trailers contain a snippet of actual gameplay footage. Still, they are rather pulse-pounding for 1997, aren't they?
I remember my brother getting this instead of FFVIII (which was the one he wanted) because it was cheaper, but we both ended up liking VII more. I have so many fond childhood memories with this series.
There was an amazing thread on /v/ late last night where everyone was talking about FFVII (and DQVIII). Like, everyone was stating their reasons why they loved the game and I totally agreed with everything that was said there.
One thing I realized is that not having voice acting in the game is basically what made it as great as it is. I'm playing through FFX for the first time right now and it's clear to me how voice acting for RPGs is usually a big no-no, be it good or bad.
You can read the thread here. /v/ can be great when all the trolls go to sleep. It's a lot better on the bottom-half of the thread.
One thing I realized is that not having voice acting in the game is basically what made it as great as it is. I'm playing through FFX for the first time right now and it's clear to me how voice acting for RPGs is usually a big no-no, be it good or bad.
You can read the thread here. /v/ can be great when all the trolls go to sleep. It's a lot better on the bottom-half of the thread.
Bananajama
Banned
I remember getting it for Christmas and not having a memory card.
Must have played the first two hours several times over before I finally got one.
Must have played the first two hours several times over before I finally got one.
vagabondarts
Member
I agree that Voice Acting pulls you out of the experience and places you as an observer rather than a participant in many cases, but this is not what basically made this game great.
What made this game great was huge 3D summon spells and magic and for the first time, a world of immense depth that seemed real.
Also, a lot of people bought it on hype and learned that they hated random battles, since it was their first RPG.
I love FFVII but I think VIII and IX have aged so much better (understandably).
Replaying VII on the vita currently and it's good with some bad sections that are unavoidable.
NeoTankallex
Banned
I think the fact that it was not only the first Final Fantasy game to go 3d, as well as many peoples first RPG has a lot to do with it.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I think I've spent half my life vexed by the mainstream popularity of FF after VII (I was into it before it was cool, man)....
...and then I spend the other half vexed that FF's mainstream popularity had declined.
...and then I spend the other half vexed that FF's mainstream popularity had declined.
It's probably been mentioned but it was the first real FF to be released in EU if I remember correctly.
That combined with good reviews, for the time, great production values and the first JRPG for many made it a hit.
Plus anime was quite new and beginning to get popular at the time so that might have contributed too.
That combined with good reviews, for the time, great production values and the first JRPG for many made it a hit.
Plus anime was quite new and beginning to get popular at the time so that might have contributed too.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I think Final Fantasy 1 did come to PAL regions, courtesy of Nintendo.
But yeah, it blows my mind that Europe missed out on games like FFIV and VI.... In general EU got the short end of the stick during the golden age of 16-bit RPGs (Terranigma aside)
I do think you have a good point about anime becoming popular at the time. In the late 90s, it was this rising star in the west, and yeah, VII came out in the midst of it.
FF7 was the first final fantasy to be released in Australia. For years my friends and I would get gaming mags and get teasers about all the big RPG's like FF and Chrono but never get to play them because they'd never get released here. When FF7 came about, the ads were in friggin movie theatres, nobody could escape it. It was a gigantic step ahead in every respect from anything we had experienced prior (Terranigma only got released a year earlier ffs, my friends and I were still in awe of that RPG at the time). Coming from that its not hard to see why Final Fantasy 7 was such a phenomenon.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I had an FF7 website on the internet in the months leading up to its release.
The day it came out, my hit counter (haha, it was the 90s) shot up from a few thousand to like 1.5 million views.
I so wish I had advertising on my site back then ><
The day it came out, my hit counter (haha, it was the 90s) shot up from a few thousand to like 1.5 million views.
I so wish I had advertising on my site back then ><
BradleyLove
Member
This is so true. Take FF9 as an example, Vivi is a truly endearing character. Now imagine Vivi with Vanille's voice actress... Not pretty, is it!
Back on topic, FFVII was the first released in Europe so that's a big factor in the increased popularity.
Because it was an awesome game and people love the characters.
Sephiroth was a badass villain, the soundtrack was amazing, the story (haters gonna hate), atmosphere, etc. etc.
Still the best game for me, ever, together with TLOU.
Acquiescence
Member
It's a combination of two things really. Squaresoft making a masterpiece, and Squaresoft knowing they made a masterpiece, to the extent where they spent millions upon millions of marketing dollars in order to let everyone else in the world know that they made a masterpiece.
Adopting a more serious tone, I suppose it didn't hurt that it happened to serve as an introduction to the series for a lot of people. Correct me if I'm wrong, but in the UK it was the first Final Fantasy game to even make it to these shores, so it's not like we went out of our way to miss out on previous installments. And of course, it made two very important transitions in going from 2D to 3D, and from Nintendo consoles to the hot new piece of property that was the Playstation. The hype was palpable. Between classes at school, if we weren't playing football, we were most likely talking about the impending release of FFVII, and how excited we all were for it. I guess a mass advertising campaign will have that effect, but it doesn't hurt when every once in a while, the stars align, and you can feel in the air that something very special is on the horizon.
Adopting a more serious tone, I suppose it didn't hurt that it happened to serve as an introduction to the series for a lot of people. Correct me if I'm wrong, but in the UK it was the first Final Fantasy game to even make it to these shores, so it's not like we went out of our way to miss out on previous installments. And of course, it made two very important transitions in going from 2D to 3D, and from Nintendo consoles to the hot new piece of property that was the Playstation. The hype was palpable. Between classes at school, if we weren't playing football, we were most likely talking about the impending release of FFVII, and how excited we all were for it. I guess a mass advertising campaign will have that effect, but it doesn't hurt when every once in a while, the stars align, and you can feel in the air that something very special is on the horizon.
Great post! Reading it, I feel like the hype is still real.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
kamikazekoala
Member
Are you me? Because this happened to me too.
Mate of me had bought the game, I asked him what it was about cause I never heard of it and decided I could give it a try. Well, never went to a store that quickly as that day.
Fattony12000
Member
My Giant Bomb blog from nearly two years ago where I talk about this thing...Festive Final Fantasy VII
My YouTube playlist where I spend seven hours talking about Final Fantasy Seven and...Christmas
The trailer below is one of the best I have ever seen for anything. It's right up there with Kubrick's trailers for Dr. Strangelove and Eyes Wide Shut. No stupid voice over, displays a mix of cinematics and battle scenes that are actually edited properly. And that fucking music. God-fucking-damn that music.
Final Fantasy 7 Trailer Ps1 HQ*
It was the first Final Fantasy video game to be in 3D. That was a big deal.
It was the first Final Fantasy video game not to be released on a Nintendo platform. That was a big deal.
It was the first Final Fantasy video game that came out in the UK (as well as many other countries around the world). That's a decade of hearing about the series without being able to play it. That was a big deal.
It took the setting and atmosphere and tone of Final Fantasy in a radically different direction, one that was more appealing to/better marketed towards the growing mainstream audience in the West. That was a big deal.
It had a 100 million dollar marketing budget in the US. That was a big deal.
It was a damn fine video game. That was a big deal.
It was all these things, and more, that made it the best selling Final Fantasy video game of all time, to date. Still.
It took 14 years for Chrono Trigger to come out here.
It took 16 years for Final Fantasy I to come out here.
GOGOheadray
Member
lls; I see alot of the final fantasy 6 fanboys have come out of the woodworks for this one. 7 was popular because it was and still is a great game. I didn't play ff7 until it came out on the PS3 as a psone downloadable classic; I was so engrossed in the game that I didn't care about the graphics or anything else I wanted to keep the story going and seeing what "happens" next. The feeling of exploration; golden saucer; trying to beat all the weapons; etc. Are things that help to make this a timeless classic.
I think I've spent half my life vexed by the mainstream popularity of FF after VII (I was into it before it was cool, man)....
...and then I spend the other half vexed that FF's mainstream popularity had declined.
Yeah, me too. I had been playing the FF series since the first one was released for NES.
FFVII was somewhat disappointing to me after the epicness of FFVI. I remember being excited about FFVII before it released, because I was hoping for another story and characters as great as VI. But I was really let down when I started playing it, right from it being set in a modern/steampunk world.
I was more emotionally moved by Celes in FFVI than I was with Aeris in VII. And I thought Kefka was a much better villain than Sephiroth.
For me, FFVII was the start of the series' downfall, as I enjoyed FF less and less with each new game(IX might be an exception, I did enjoy that one).
Thankfully, my other favorite jrpg series, Dragon Quest (Warrior), had remained faithful to its formula when DQVII released on the PS1.
Joei
Member
I never downloaded any ps1 classics before, how does the picture look? I recently downloaded Metroid on WiiU and was surprised at how clean the picture looked, yeah it was 8 bit, but it wasn't all jaggy or crappy looking. I've put ps1 discs in my ps3 before and they looked kind of crappy though.
Huh, well you learn something new every day I guess
Yeah, we Europeans certainly got the short end of the stick when it came to 16 bit (and 32 bit) games getting a release over here.
But it got better, I like to think that that is the reason we get better treatment nowadays with eshop releases and whatnot
I saw commercials for this video game.
COMMERCIALS.
FOR A VIDEO GAME.
Outside of the marketing, the game is absolutely spectacular. I still hold it high as one of the best games of all time. It's a complete package: characters, story, music, art direction, graphics, battle system, pacing, amount of content etc. You could play it today for the first time and still be amazed.
From a 1997 perspective, there was nothing like it. The urban sci fi aesthetic was a huge departure from other Final Fantasy titles. The FMVs were leagues ahead of anything else at the time. Compare the absurd early Tekken FMVs with one from Final Fantasy. It was being hailed as a movie come to life, and convincingly so.
People still clamor for a FFVII remake or FFVII-2. It's not simply nostalgia, but because it STILL stands out today as a unique and fulfilling experience.
COMMERCIALS.
FOR A VIDEO GAME.
Outside of the marketing, the game is absolutely spectacular. I still hold it high as one of the best games of all time. It's a complete package: characters, story, music, art direction, graphics, battle system, pacing, amount of content etc. You could play it today for the first time and still be amazed.
From a 1997 perspective, there was nothing like it. The urban sci fi aesthetic was a huge departure from other Final Fantasy titles. The FMVs were leagues ahead of anything else at the time. Compare the absurd early Tekken FMVs with one from Final Fantasy. It was being hailed as a movie come to life, and convincingly so.
People still clamor for a FFVII remake or FFVII-2. It's not simply nostalgia, but because it STILL stands out today as a unique and fulfilling experience.