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Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Preview

Posted by Zonk on from the high-def-spiky-blonde-hair dept.

Daemon writes "Daeya.org has put up the first part of a preview of the new Final Fantasy movie. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children will be released in DVD format. The story takes place two years after Earth was saved from Meteor at the end of Final Fantasy VII." Great report, but it's very spoiler heavy. Be warned.

36 of 153 comments (clear)

  1. Huh... by catbertscousin · · Score: 4, Funny

    Maybe it's just me, but I still think it sounds strange to have a Final Fantasy VII - I guess the first one wasn't so final after all.

    --
    No good deed goes unpunished. - Avon, Blake's 7
    1. Re:Huh... by yamcha666 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I've always been fascinated over why Square Soft chose Final Fantasy as the name of the series back in the late-80's when they developed Final Fantasy 1 for the NES.

      Back then, Square Soft wasn't doing too good financially, and the idea of closing up shop was being floated around. So, Hironobu Sakaguchi, godfather of FF, decided to go out with a bang, and create a wild, adventurous role playing game, and dubbed it "Final Fantasy" as in Square Soft's Final game if you will.

      And who would have known that Final Fantasy 1 would resurrect Square Soft and the entire series would turn Square Soft into a legend in the field of console role playing games.

      *drooling* Final Fantasy 6 .... mmmmmm

    2. Re:Huh... by michaelnz · · Score: 2, Informative

      I was at the a game show in Tokyo last friday and there were a few other sneak peaks that we got a look at. There is going to be a new Final Fantasy 7 universe game, but it's not Advent Children. Instead it's based around the character Vincent. It has a definite gothic flavor to it and seems like it may not be turn based.

      The second is the Final Fantasy 7 mobile phone game which looks awesome and fun. It takes place before the original and seems to really flesh out some of the side characters.

      I'm a little surprised that SquareEnix has chosen to refocus on Final Fantasy 7 but that may have to do with the appeal of the game to the Japanese market.

  2. Am I the only one... by kmmatthews · · Score: 3, Funny

    That will buy this for the hot chicks in it? :)

    --
    feh. stuff.
  3. Weird numbering system by uvsc_wolverine · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Is it just me, or does the numbering system for the Final Fantasy games/movies seem completely random now?

    --
    This space for rent...
    1. Re:Weird numbering system by VvScythevV · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The numbering system was originally confusing because of the Japanese releases that never made it to America and Squaresoft's attempt to cover this up. Now that Square-Enix is throwing out actual sequels they can't just bump the number up, they have to append additional junk to the title like in X-2.

      My feeling is that the franchise is getting out of hand these days and is becoming diluted, there will still be tons of fanboys out there but Square-Enix is losing some because of the growing ridiculousness of what's been happening in recent years.

      --
      -- Reality is for people who lack imagination.
    2. Re:Weird numbering system by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 3, Funny

      Well, at least it's better than something like
      "Street Fighter the movie", or "Street Fighter the Movie the Game" or -heaven forbid- "Street Fighter the Movie the Game the Movie".

    3. Re:Weird numbering system by Erik+Hollensbe · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I disagree - FF7 was the last one that I enjoyed, but it was really not one of my favorites... And besides, FF7 was more or less the same as the last 6 with a better engine for tiles and an occasional FMV.

      Above that, I really think it was voice acting that did it. Graphics wise for their time in the games industry, Square has always been ahead of the curve. I remember the awe looking at graphics in FF6 that nowadays people put on t-shirts to look "retro". Of course, back then these people were more interested in a pair of guess jeans than playing nintendo.

      Voice acting took a large element of my imagination, stomped on it and declared it was pointless. I see the same problem with so many other video RPG's today.

  4. hmm by ImTheDarkcyde · · Score: 3, Insightful

    this is one movie im really looking forward to, i just hope I don't have to wait for PSP to come out and get it on a little UMD...

  5. Re:no way.. by Lao-Tzu · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's a movie, not a sequel to the video game.

  6. Too late by News+for+nerds · · Score: 3, Funny

    >All Content are Copyrighted to Daeya.org and
    >Square-Enix and may not be duplicated anywhere
    > else without written consent of Daeya.org.

    I bet this Daeya.org would be burnt down by a lawyer's megaflare summoned by SquareEnix in a few days.

  7. average 0 hour of sleep by Reaper9889 · · Score: 4, Funny
    The team had an average 0 hour of sleep in the last 2 days.
    Why do they call it an average? Its not as if they could reach 0 hour if one of them slept anyway...
    1. Re:average 0 hour of sleep by harvardian · · Score: 2, Funny

      How come everybody's always gotta be hatin' on mode?

    2. Re:average 0 hour of sleep by stratjakt · · Score: 2, Informative

      Need we remember fourth grade math?

      What three types of averages are there? Which one is appropriate for a statement such as this?

      Mean, median, mode. Mode is appropriate for a statement about a small group of people over a short period of time. If there are 7 people, and 4 of them slept 0 hours, the average is - indeed - 0 hours.

      --
      I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
  8. Halo: The Movie by Gogela · · Score: 2, Interesting
    With the convergence of the film and game industries, isn't it only a matter of time? I certainly hope so. Maybe we'll see Halo the movie come out in tandem with Halo 3! If they can get Milla Jovovich play Cortana, it'll be a box office smash.

    --
    A hungry man will tell you anything if you give him a cookie.
    1. Re:Halo: The Movie by Lemmy+Caution · · Score: 3, Insightful

      No, the stories aren't *that* good. The thing is that the FF games are *character* driven, and much of the richness of the games is created by side characters and NPCs, not just the main characters. FF7 works as much because of Barrett and Red 13 and Yuffie and Cid as it does because of Cloud, Aeris, Tifa and Sephiroth. And all those characters work well together because we spent hundreds of hours with them, building them up, nuancing their personalities with skills and materia and jobs and some choices (at one point, the exchange between Barrett and Cloud is based on who you form a party with.)

      A film has 2 hours to do all that. It can't. Character, in film, is created more by appearence, gesture and style than by dialogue.

      Most good films are not *that* character driven - the characters, when compelling, are more story-driven. Final Fantasy and other epic RPGs have more in common with literary epics than with cinematic ones, in terms of how we get pulled into caring about them.

      I've repeated this enough that it's gotten tiresome, but I'll say it again: the best videogame that was ever made into a movie was never a videogame per se: it was Run Lola Run.

    2. Re:Halo: The Movie by HaloZero · · Score: 3, Funny

      Don't forget about Wing Commander. Ho-ly shite...

      --
      Informatus Technologicus
    3. Re:Halo: The Movie by Naffer · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I know you're talking about something else, but you bring up a very important issue about the limitation of current "charachter-driven" RPGs. That issue is the illusion of control. The games give you time to build up personalities, but they don't allow for any deviation on the part of the main charachter. In FF7 you could change a single scene based on how you'd been using your party, and that single scene made me feel so much more a part of the story. The emphasis on the "interactive movie" style of RPG creation is great if you enjoy and can relate to the main charachter, but somehow they always manage to include a few scenes where your charachter makes some of the stupidest decisions imaginable.
      Fable tried to be let your charachter be who you wanted him to be, but failed in a number of other respects. Love stories have been used extensively in recent FF games to add to the story (not many things elicit so much emotion, even in dorky guys) but love-story-related scenes are usually the most guilty of stupid ass characther decisions.

      So in the process of ranting about charachter development, control, and limitations, I've described exactly why games can never substitue for real life and have backed myself into a corner as to regards of what I want out of a video game.
      So I'm going to try again... I want major story arcs. I want at least the semblance of control.

  9. Re:Huh? by bobgoatcheese · · Score: 3, Informative

    Yes, and 10, and 11, and soon to be 12...

    Firstly, Advent Children is a film, not a game. Secondly, the Final Fantasy series has no continuity; FF2 was sequal of FF, FF3 is not a sequal of FF2, etc. (with the exception of FFX-2, a direct sequal to FF10). This movie takes place after the events in FF7, but is in no way tied to the other games.

    --
    How's my typing? Call 1-800-eta-shut
  10. Re:no way.. by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 4, Funny

    He can't tell the difference, he's mad, he just said so himself...

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  11. Spoiler Review by Pheonix5000 · · Score: 4, Informative

    This isn't just a spoiler, it's someone retelling the entire movie!

    Why? Doesn't anyone think that this place will have their arse sued off for giving all this away? :shrug:

  12. It is hard to tell anyway by baywulf · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've recently started playing FF X and it is hard to tell if it is a game or a movie. And no I am not talking about the quality of the graphics but rather the interactivity. I've played to 1/3 of the way from my guess and it is way too linear. Every map literally has an arrow pointing this way to the next challenge. My guess is some of the battles are rigged to move the plot along as they planned. With a little more automation it could have been made into a movie.

  13. Is it just me...... by Conspiracy_Of_Doves · · Score: 2, Funny

    or did anyone else feel a sharp agonizing pain in thier side when they read the words "Final Fantasy movie"?

    --

    Technoli
  14. Probably will flop in America by ShatteredDream · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Mainstream American audiences don't like anything that is really heavy on fantasy or sci fi, generally speaking, unless it has one of two things: spectacular visuals or has a plot that might as well be a fantasy/sci-fi take on modern day issues. LOTR and SW e 4-6 had the former, old Star Trek had the latter.

    Don't get me wrong, I am salivating at the thought of getting my grubby mits on this after looking at the shots taken from it, and I was there opening night for Final Fantasy the movie. Just don't be surprised if this never gets anywhere in America. Imagination and the average American tend to be something akin to mortal enemies.

    --
    Click here or a puppy gets stomped!
    1. Re:Probably will flop in America by Erik+Hollensbe · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You ever think some people just don't like it?

      That said, I hope this will make it my way.

  15. Why can't they make... by LanMan04 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    a movie version of Final Fantasy II? IMHO FFII had the best plot of all the FFs, and it doesn't have all the anime-esque/techno stuff tossed into it (I'm sorry, I could never get very into FFVII VIII or X). Seriously, Cecil and his battle with his inner demons (and emerging as a paladin), Rydia the summoner, great quest, airships, dwarves, elemental demons, the death of Palum and Porum early on in the flick (shocker!), it would be awesome!! Hell, I was so into that game when I was 12/13 I was depressed for a week after finishing it.

    And PLEASE PLEASE, no long, weird, poorly translated speeches about the nature of the human soul or philosophy, a-la Ghost in the Shell.

    --
    With the first link, the chain is forged.
  16. Troll? What? by JNighthawk · · Score: 2, Funny

    I agree with him. I'd never pay for a movie just because of a hot chick. I have a girl friend who obsesses over Brad Pitt movies because he's so hot but gets pissed if I talk about porn stars. What's the difference?!

    --
    Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'.
  17. I still..... by Vash_066 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I still curse the name Sephiroth to this day!! Damn him for what he did to Aeris!! I spent all that time getting her levels up...then wham! Sword thru the gut....the fire of a thousand suns doesn't begin to descirbe my anger.

  18. Advent Children? by rbb · · Score: 4, Informative
    A suggestion would've been to include some links to more information about the movie:
    There's also www.adventchildren.net, but that one's not entirely working for me at the moment.
    --
    In God We Trust, Others We Monitor
  19. Re:WTF don't they hire English Script writers? by CRCulver · · Score: 3, Interesting

    WTF don't they hire English Script writers?

    Maybe because this was produced primarily for a Japanese market by a Japanese company and only then translated to English for export?

    Why does a script have to be originally written in English? Is English superior to all other languages? Is Japanese deficient and worth avoiding? Of course not, linguists tell us that all languages are essentially equal. Instead, what matters is the quality of the translation. Some Square-Enix things have been translated quite well, others have not.

  20. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  21. games that try to be movies by Noraa · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Can the recent Final Fantasy games really be classified as Role Playing games anymore? Ever since FF7 the series has been reduced to just fighting monsters inbetween CG cutscenes. Too many games gave been trying to bridge the gap between the movie and the game. It may seem like a good idea, but IMHO it just makes a really boring game. Metal Gear Solid 2 suffered from this. Snake opens door-watch 10 minute movie. Snake walks down hallway-watch 15 minute movie. The entire game was just walking Snake from one cuscene to the next. If I want to watch a movie, I'll go to the video store and rent one. If I want to play a game, then I want to PLAY, not sit through 20 minutes of cutscenes.

  22. Squrare Enix is really milking this property... by echocharlie · · Score: 4, Informative
    ...and that's a good thing!

    Between Advent Children and all the other Final Fantasy VII sequels that have been announced, it's good to see Square Enix acknowledging their most popular FF to date. Before Crisis - Final Fantasy VII is their entry into Mobile phone gaming. And then you also have Final Fantasy: Dirge of Cerberus, their PS2 sequel which focuses on one of the supporting characters in the game, Vincent Valentine.

    For those of you who haven't played the original game yet, you should go out and get a copy. It's available for $20 under the classics banner, and boasts one of the most unique battle systems in an RPG. The "materia"-system offers so much flexibility, and let's you really customize your game. I love the materia-combos that can be created.

    --
    AnimeNEXT anime convention
  23. Final Fantasy for that world by Osty · · Score: 2, Informative

    Historically, the Final Fantasy games have always been set in different worlds (carrying over constants like a character named Sid/Cid, chocobos, airships, sometimes light/element crystals, Bahamut, etc). The world in FF2j is not the same as FF1, nor is the world in FF3e/6j the same as in FF2e/4j or FF5j. The plot is fairly formulaic -- something has/will happen to the world, and it's up to a scrappy band of heroes to save the day. In the end, the world is changed, evil is banished forever, and everybody lives happily ever after. That's why I don't like Square's new emphasis on sequels (FF X-2, the new FF VII-related games, the FF VII movie, FF XI's attempt to cash in on the MMOG craze). The previous games were not sequels, regardless of how they were named. These new sequels now ruin the whole plot by continuing the story after what was supposedly the ultimate end. It seems to me that Square is in trouble if they can't come up with "new" story lines and characters, but instead have to rehash their old games.

    Besides, if they're going to give us a sequel/prequel/extension of the story, why not do it with the best Final Fantasy game ever, FF 3e/6j? Then again, FF6 has the same "problem" as FF7 with respect to a sequel, in that the game had a very definite ending. Nothing really remains open to sequelize without reinterpreting events that happened in the original games.

  24. Re:Firefox Right-Click by sbszine · · Score: 2, Informative

    Replying to myself after trying it out on the site. In Firefox, the right click javascript is handled first (in this case, popping up a dialogue box that says nyah nyah no downloads for you), then Firefox goes ahead an opens the right click context menu anyway. I heart Firefox.

    --

    Vino, gyno, and techno -Bruce Sterling

  25. Was at the screening, awesome but JUST 30 mins :( by LockeOne · · Score: 3, Informative

    Was at the screening as well, best 10 bucks spent in a while, though still kinda crappy that it was only a piece of the movie. They said it was work in progress and that it'll end up being about 60-80 minutes long when complete. They actually had guests from Sqaure-Enix to talk about the movie, and that the whole thing was using bleeding-edge digital technology (even the projector and screen was new just for the screening).

    The detail was amazing -- you could even see the freckles on some characters' faces. You can't really tell at all that it's CG and not real actors. Almost all the main FF7 cast was in the preview, and some really cool action scenes. Makes you wish they remade the game based on the movie. Vincent moves extremely quick and swiftly, almost like a vampire. Barret's gun arm transforms into other things like liquid metal. Aeris is in the film, but you barely see her face (at least in the preview). Red XIII actually does have a tail on fire. Cid has his polearm and is quite good at swift at keeping enemies at bay. Tifa seems to be in charge of the Strife Delivery service, and she gets her 10 seconds of fighting fame before getting overpowered by the crazy antagonist. They also had a flashback with Cloud's friend from SOLDIER in that flashback in the game. The Turks are also in the movie.

    BTW, the 30 minutes included the opening and end credits, so in reality, it was only like 20 minutes.