If Only Materia Were Real...
Ah, yes. It’s that time. Time to tell you all about one of the biggest things to hit my life and one of the things that shaped who I am today. If ever you’ve wondered about my dreams of escapism, my need for adventure and that particular sense of pride and hero’s complex that I harbor, you have this to thank, and you’re all going to say “wow, Andy, how sad your life is.” Yes, friends, one of the biggest influences in my life…was a video game.
But it is no ordinary video game, it is Final Fantasy VII. The story of a boy who, at age 14, leaves home to join SOLDIER, an elite group of…well, soldiers. The story takes place seven years after Cloud Strife left home for SOLDIER and is now a mercenary working for the militant group AVALANCHE in which they attempt to bring down the evil corporation Shinra who are destroying the world from the inside. Cloud’s childhood friend, Tifa, and AVALANCHE leader, Barrett, get mixed up in all sorts of adventures and fight to save the impoverished and the world. Sephiroth, main villain, creepy guy with a sword, jerk, bad ass, keeps the story intense as the rivalry between he and Cloud gets very heated. I know that whatever I can type up will never do the game justice, but it’s not a game that you play for the sake of playing, you play because of the intricate story and the constantly evolving plot. Originally released for Playstation in 1997, I didn’t get a hold of it until I was in the 7th grade. But of all the books that I’ve read, of all the movies I’ve seen, of all the stories I’ve heard, none of them compare to the bond and the development of emotion that I gained for each and every character in this game. I’d become so involved with Cloud and his rag-tag gang that at one point in the game I actually cried. Yes, I’m a bit embarrassed to say that, yes I know it’s a video game, no, I was not boo hoo hooing loudly. Although it was difficult for me to see commercials of the game as I’d tear up when they showed the particular cut scene. I shed silent tears and vowed that I would get revenge on that dirty, no good Sephiroth if it was the last thing I did.
I logged in over 92 hours playing FF7 when I first had it and since the 7th grade I’ve never played it again. The story was too perfect; I felt that I could no longer relive that experience as it had pretty much been my experience. I grew along with the characters and all that stuff and I felt that if I did play it again, it would be ruined. But eight years later I find myself drawn to it once again. I started a new game last week and the character development, my investment in them and all of the feelings still remain. I even went online to see the infamous make-Andy-tear-up-like-a-little-girl scene and it was still difficult to get through. I got all choked up and angry. The reason I bring this up is because I hear that they may be remaking the game for PS3. It doesn’t really mean much except for better graphics and cut scenes, maybe a new battle system to go along with it, but it also means a chance to relive my childhood memories once again and to see it all as though I were watching a movie. The original was text with the cut-scenes containing no dialogue whatsoever. If they do remake it (which wouldn’t be for a while) then there will be voice acting, lots of action and lots of really beautifully rendered CGI.
As I said, I probably haven’t done this game justice. It probably sounds really crappy and lame, but as that game was my first dance with the RPG world and the first story that I really got involved with, it shaped a lot of what little Andy thought about. I remember when I was still into cartooning I drew most of the characters from the game and hung them on my wall. In fact, I gave Sam a copy of my favorite one (it’s lost now, thankfully). If ever anyone wants to sit down and spend 70 hours minimum (it goes faster now that I know what to do most of the time) to see just how cool the game is, let me know and I’d be happy to relive those days, but I highly recommend finding a copy for yourselves and playing through it on your own. Below I’ve posted the redone introductory cut-scene that was designed to show the PS3’s strength in graphics, yadda yadda. It’s exactly the same as the original but shorter and again, with better graphics. If anyone would like a more in depth conversation as to the game’s other details or would like to share their own FF7 experience, you know where to reach me.