Compilation of Final Fantasy VIIStorytelling Across MediaCase Study by Sid Motaghi

2/21/2013

What is Final Fantasy VII?Final Fantasy VII is a 1997 roleplaying game from the company Squaresoft and published by Sony Computer Entertainment America for the PlayStation console.

The protagonist of the game is Cloud Strife, who joins the terrorist rebel organization AVALANCHE to stop the world-controlling mega-corporation, Shinra, who are draining the life of the planet for use as an energy

source. As the story progresses, Cloud and his allies become involved in a larger world-threatening conflict,

facing off against Sephiroth, the game’s main antagonist. The game was a critical and commercial success selling

10 million copies by 2010.

Why is Final Fantasy VII so special?

It was the first game in the series to use 3-D graphics.

The main theme with all the Final Fantasy games is that it has a rich story following a very in-depth world of fantasy and technology that has some sort of pending crisis or disaster where usually a band of misfits or outcasts come together to save the world from whatever evil is threatening it. What made FFVII different from all the previous ones was that it was the first game to use a more sci-fi/technological world and had an intriguing story throughout the game that kept players in wonder what was the true back-stories of some of the major characters in the game were. Among these characters were Cloud and Sephiroth since their stories were presented in such a blurry fashion throughout most of the game. FFVII is also famous for being one of the pioneer games to kill off one of the characters on your team early on in the story, sending an emotional shock to fans of the game.

What type of Transmedia is Final Fantsasy VII?

The Complilation of Final Fantasy VII is the official collection of games, animated features/videos, and short stories developed by Square Enix based in the world and continuity of Final Fantasy VII.

This kind of transmedia would be defined as Organic Transmedia- a single narrative originally launched on a limited number of platforms, but which gradually expands across online and offline media to reach the maximum available audience. FFVII was of course chosen for its milestone status in the series.

CGI Movie Final Fantasy VII Advent Children was

the first of the compilation to be announced although it was the second to be released, which was in 2005. The first 25 minutes of the film was screened at the Venice Film Festival where it received a lot of praise. Later when the DVD and Blu Ray of Advent Children was released, an OVA (Original Video Animation) of Last Order was released alongside the movie that showed another telling of the destruction of Nibelheim. Some short stories released as novelas bridged the gap between FFVII and Advent Children.

The movie served as a nostalgic return to the world of FFVII for its fans but sadly alienated all other audiences unfamiliar with the story. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvkhALO49X0

Mobile Game The mobile game, Before Crisis:

Final Fantasy VII, is a prequel to the original game. It is set six years before the events of that story, and focuses on the Turks, the bad guys, with their first encounter with Avalanche. It was released in Japan by a subscription service in twenty-four chapters. The service began in September 2004. Sadly, a U.S. release was never seen. As a substitute, cut-scenes of the entire game were released on the U.S. Blu Ray of Advent Children, part of its extra features.

PS2 Game The next title to be released was

Dirge of Cerberus for the PS2 in 2006 and later on its mobile phone counterpart, Dirge of Cerberus: Lost Episode. Both of these were third-person/first person shooting games unlike FFVII the RPG. This game took place right after the events of Advent Children. Also unlike the original game, Vincent Valentine, a fan favorite from FFVII, was the main protagonist instead of Cloud. The game received mixed reviews.

PSP GameThe final game to be released in the compilation was Crisis Core in 2007 for the PlayStation Portable or PSP, which was an action RPG. It’s a prequel to the original FFVII chronicling the

seven years before the events of that game. The game focuses on Zack Fair who ultimately turns Cloud into the warrior he becomes.

Blu Ray Director’s Cut

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In 2009, a Director’s Cut of Advent Children was released known as Advent Children Complete on Blu Ray which added 30 minutes of new scenes not seen in the original movie. Additionally, 4 new short stories were released alongside

the original 3 stories that bridged the gap between the 2 years between the game and the movie.

Novel Most recently, a novel was released in Japan

in 2011 titled, Final Fantasy VII Lateral Biography: Turks~ The Kids Are Alright.

Websites http://finalfantasyviipc.com/en - digital download for purchase of FFVII game on PC

http://na.square-enix.com/ff7psn/ - Square Enix’s advertisement site for FFVII on PSN

http://www.crisiscore.com/ - Official website for Crisis Core PSP Game

http://finalfantasy7.freewebsites.com/resurrectaeris.html - Unofficial website for FFVII made by a fan

http://www.ign.com/games/final-fantasy-vii/ps-494 - IGN review of the original game

http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Final_Fantasy_VII_Locations, http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_VII:_Advent_Children, http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_VII - wikia pages for FFVII

http://na.square-enix.com/dcff7/ - Official website for Dirge of Cerberus PS2 game

http://thelifestream.net/ - website aiming to be highest news source for FFVII

http://www.angelfire.com/ne/ultimatefinalfantasy/frames.html - another fan site

Rumored FFVII Remake

For years fans have been hanging on to the dream of a rumored remake of their beloved game FFVII with refined HD graphics for the current generation consoles, which as of now is the PlayStation 3. A 2005 technical demo of the PS3 demonstrated the PS3’s graphics engine using a newly polished, remastered scene from the opening of the FFVII game featuring Cloud in the demo. The demo caused fans to get excited for a future HD remake of the game but ever since then, corporates of Square Enix have shunned any sort of hope or announcement for the dreamed remake.