What made this game mainstream?

[Del Murder]

Whether or not you like Final Fantasy VII, you can't deny the impact it had on the FF series and on RPGs as a genre. So what was it about this game in particular that put FF on the map and brought in so many new fans? Was it the use of 3D visuals? Simply the timing of it being released for the upstart Playstation system? Or was it something in particular about the game itself (because it was so awesome)?

So do you think if, say, FFVIII came out before VII the series would still had become as popular? Was the world just waiting for the next-gen RPG to hit or was it FFVII in particular that made FF mainstream?

[BlackAsBlood00]

Whether or not you like Final Fantasy VII, you can't deny the impact it had on the FF series and on RPGs as a genre. So what was it about this game in particular that put FF on the map and brought in so many new fans? Was it the use of 3D visuals? Simply the timing of it being released for the upstart Playstation system? Or was it something in particular about the game itself (because it was so awesome)?

So do you think if, say, FFVIII came out before VII the series would still had become as popular? Was the world just waiting for the next-gen RPG to hit or was it FFVII in particular that made FF mainstream?

I think...ff7 kicks arse and ff8 would have turned alot of people away from the series...the drawing thing was really annoying along with its linking or whatever u did to make ur stats better...and ff7s story was amazing

[Jiro]

FFVII just hit the nail on the head. It had everything the market was after. 3D visuals, as dodgy as they are compared to now, looked awesome and the (clichéd) storyline hooked everyone. Kids leapt onto it because it was colourful and interesting and gave you some typical "cool" characters to work with.

We could also bring up the links to Star Wars that might have had an impact.

[Vermachtnis]

Sephiroth

Also the music was really good.

[Saber]

I think that the timing was what made it so big. Playstation was new and before that the graphics in other games weren't so great. Like most gamers I grew up playing everything I could but when I seen the preview for Final Fantasy VII (the opening) I jumped up and got my mother to buy me not only a playstation but the game as well. From there I knew in the first few moments that the game was greater then any I've played before (simply cause of the new graphics).

Then later in the game you not only got a feel for the characters but you noticed that the music was right on with the scenery. Well for me at least. When I play the game I like to think everything fits in well with the music.

Now that I look back on it though, it was just the major change from everything I grew up playing. I think that if I seen a different game hit mainstream that appealed to me, I would have grown to love it more. Example, Metal Gear Solid.

Wasn't Final Fantasy VII really close to the release of playstations? In that case you could kind of say the success of playstation and final fantasy carried each other.

[BG-57]

I bought a PSX just so I could play FFVII. But it was released about a year later. I remember being stuck with no RPGs to play except Beyond the Beyond. :p

For me it was the next installment of the FF series, since I'd already played and loved FFIV and FFVI. I think for a lot of people the graphics was the initial hook, but the story combined with that to create positive buzz for the game.

[Rostum]

Being in Australia I had pretty much zero idea what the hell Final Fantasy was. I even had a PlayStation for awhile and it wasn't until I went on holidays with my family and some family friends that I found out about this. We went and hired some games and I used to pick games up based on their cover - the only reason I picked up Final Fantasy VII was because I was curious that it was just plain white with a logo.

My friend and I were utterly confused at what the hell was going on. But we eventually made it to Tifa's bar before we wanted to do something else (had no memory card either) and he hated it, but I loved it.

So I'm not sure the fact it was 3D really sold it to me at least. I mean, wasn't this game a first RPG for a lot of people? Maybe it was the first widely accessible RPG worldwide? Because I don't really remember many RPG's while growing up from '87 - '97 in Australia.

[Depression Moon]

Actually I'm not quite so sure. I thought I had knew at one point, but I'm not sure about that now. I never saw the graphics as great, but I didn't play the game until after the PS2 had already came out.

[Dreddz]

FFVII was one of the first RPG's to have a fully realised world. Its scope in art direction was unmatched at the time. These were the things that made a strong impression on me at least.

[Levian]

What got me hooked was the TV commercial for FFVII. I was amazed by the graphics, amazed! I got the game for christmas, played it for 20 minutes, then threw it away because I didn't understand it. (Norwegian 11 year olds suck major ass at English, and life. Mostly life, though.)

Then I picked it up half a year later!

Anyway, commercials and advertising maybe? I don't know. I don't remember many other games being as heavily advertised as this one. Maybe just Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64.

[Flying Arrow]

FFVII was one of the first RPG's to have a fully realised world. Its scope in art direction was unmatched at the time. These were the things that made a strong impression on me at least.

I wouldn't say the first, but it was easily the best world ever conceived for a console RPG.

As for popularity, the game was marketed well. More than that, though, is that it's just a damn good game - most of its weaknesses are overshadowed by some resounding strengths. Thing is, I usually don't put too much stock into the opinion of the majority, but FFVII is still played today and still a favourite of most people. If it wasn't a good game in some way, this wouldn't be the case. Nostalgia exists for a reason.

[Christmas]

The unique weapons and story. As for characters, I think Cloud's story is pretty outstanding for that time. I mean, Loser turn hero? :bigsmile:

[Laddy]

It was, at the time, just better than everything else. It had better gameplay, graphics, music, and plot than everything else out there. I think the plot is what did it though.

[Rostum]

I think the game would have been infinitely cooler if you could play as Cloudia throughout the entire story and the love interest turned to Barret.

[Vyk]

I think it was a lot of great timing and passion behind everything it needed. Playstation was the new best system, and it wasn't just for kids. It seemed to reach a broader audience itself. And Sony did a pretty good marketing campaign for the system itself. And the marketing for FF7 was undeniably good. Using the FMV scenes in the commercials, instead of in-game graphics certainly helped fool people enough to give it a chance. It looked stellar to them. Plus it was one of the darkest games of its time. I think the world was ready for a darker moodier game. Everything was just in place to convince everyone to at least give it a try. And once they did they liked it

[Forsaken Lover]

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k207/mynameisjillvalentine_2006/tifa-aerith-800x600.jpg




I dunno, probably the foul-mouthed black man.

[qwertysaur]

The fact that it had 3D graphics and was released all around the world. (First FF in Europe and Australia) :p

[Rase]

The timing (the RPG audience had been growing in places other than Japan steadily), the advertising (every ad I remember and can think of for this game was 90%+ CGI sequences and made it look like an action movie), and the environment (anime and Japanese pop culture as a whole was slowly building steam abroad). Those are the main things I think. I guess the story was part not so much because it was any good, but because it played the the audience that was going to be interested in the game.

[Heath]

I must admit, I can't entirely remember if there was much advertising for the game in the UK. I have a sneaking suspicion there was and I vaguely recall an advert for it, but I honestly couldn't say. I imagine it's critical acclaim would have played a large part in it though; RPGs of its type weren't really that widespread at the time and gaming magazines were much more popular then than now.

In terms of what about the game itself made it so popular, I think I'll echo what other people have said. I think the graphics played a major part of it. Growing up on Mega Drive and SNES games, this game looked incredibly good, ludicrous as it might sound now.

I honestly can't remember how I came across it. I could certainly tell you where it would have been bought from. I suspect that my Dad just bought it for me, but no idea why. I don't think I would've asked for it.

[WhiteStorm]

I think it was due to RPG's slowly gaining popularity through the years. FFVII came out at the right time.

The game had good graphics, especially during the battles (which were countless) and though it was developed in a new platform, it wasn't that different from its predecesors, so it combined the new elements (such as Limit Breaks) with the old ones, creating a wonderful, classic and at the same time innovative game which was highly recommended among players and that, I think, is the best publicity a game can have.