The Final Fantasy Compilation Experience

[Palom Porom]

Now most people on this site will have most likely played all of these spin-offs of FF VII. With the exception of Before Crisis. Now if you think of this, we all know the chronological order of these games and books bu what if someone hasn't played any of them. Think of how you experienced it, but what if someone was to play them in an odd number? What would be more satisfyng? Say someone first plays CC VII, then Advent children, then the Original VII. Or even say some people start with the novels or something.

Anyway, this is the first time posting something like this so go easy one me, if this is a dumb idea, i'll contently delete the thread.

What I'm going to ask is what order have you experienced the FF VII Compilation
and what would you recommend to someone who wants to start fresh into VII.

My Order of Experience - Original VII, AC+C, CC, OTWTAS + The Maiden, DoC, LO, DoC LE, BC.

Now it's just interesting to find things out different ways. How odd would it have been is someone played them all in chronological order. What order would you tell a person to play them all in? Mine would be...

Original Final Fantasy VII
Crisis Core
On The Way To a Smile novels
The Maiden
Advent Children+Complete
Last Order
Dirge of Cerberus+Lost Episode
Before Crisis ( You can watch the movie version on youtube just to get the story)

Let's see what you think.

[Gamblet]

I actually got to Final Fantasy when I watched Spirits Within, then I watched Advent Children, but could not understand a thing.
Then after a few years I played the original FF VII. After I finished the game I watched the movie again and I understood everything in the movie.

[Formalhaut]

If you have never ever played anything from VII, then I guess you should go according to the ingame ordering of events. For me, I guess it makes no sense playing anachronistically but then I'm a stickler for keeping things to the time period so I might be completely wrong.

Using my (possibly wrong) ordering, then it would go down something like:

Crisis Core ~Final Fantasy VII~
Before Crisis ~Final Fantasy VII~
Final Fantasy VII
On The Way To A Smile
Final Fantasy: Advent Children
Dirge of Cerberus ~Final Fantasy VII~

This is the game's true chronology, but whether or not it's worth playing/reading/watching in that order is debatable. I would, but then as stated earlier, that's just me.

[Jinx]

Only ever have them play the original game.

[Palom Porom]

Well, Miss Boobs, you got a point. Some people just hate all the spin-offs(I don't like anything from DoC :S )But to get all the content from the series of VII. I can imagine FFVII being way too predictable from playing Crisis Core first. In fact, I think people will have a better connection with CC if they played the original first, like I did. But hey, this is a pointless thread anyway. I think if we could erase our minds and play different orders over and over again, and keep all our experiences, maybe this would be a good thread.

[Formalhaut]

The problem is that we all know the story so debating the ordering of games is just semantics really. Still, I do see your point about Crisis Core after Final Fantasy VII. The whole Cloud / Zack delusion is quite obviously foreshadowed in Crisis Core so I guess it makes sense to play it afterwards.

And don't be harsh on yourself, it is a good thread! Actually, here's a question. Do you think all of the spin-offs to be unnecessary and just "cash cowing" on the success of VII?

[Palom Porom]

here's a question. Do you think all of the spin-offs to be unnecessary and just "cash cowing" on the success of VII?

Yes and no. I feel if people didn't want a remake, they wouldn't have made so many spin-offs. I think more or less, they are afraid of wrecking what made them skyrocket in popularity and success. If I'm correct, when dirge of cerberus came out, Crisis Core wasn't even spoken of yet, but then Genesis is at the end of it..And even though Genesis was never even known they are expanding on him and Weiss. It seems they are all expanding on irelevent things and people. I think Crisis Core wasn't bad at all, but the whole thing took a different twist. Honestly, now that there are so many of these spin-offs, it makes people have questions, then Square just answers them with new characters and cinerios. It;s a snow ball effect. But yes, I'm sure they are in love with the money they make off of them.

[Jiro]

I think the original game should definitely be the first point. Everything else is built from that. To understand the nuances and references of the compilation you need to have FFVII down first. From there it doesn't really matter how you play then, I don't think, although I probably suggest covering prequels first and then moving onto sequels so there's some kind of logical progression.

[Mercen-X]

If anyone's seen my Retcon Rivalry, you'll see I think Crisis Core should be remade and DoC should... focus on Genesis as an enemy.

People think Crisis Core ruined the story because 1) Zack seemed to beat Sephiroth and 2) Zack defeated Genesis who appeared to be apparently more powerful than Sephiroth and then he was revived in DoC. You can't forget that Zack didn't actually beat Sephiroth and you have to remember Cloud only originally got the edge on him by stabbing him in the smurfing back, so he isn't special in any way either. Then there is the fact that Genesis required a sample of Sephiroth's memetic legacy in order to counteract his own degradation, in essence making him the next stage of Sephiroth's existence.
The third reason people don't like Crisis Core is for disliking Genesis as a villain altogether with his constant spouting of poetry. Frankly, I'd rather hear that than Sephiroth's constant whining about his mother. Y'll remind me of how my uncle hated Leonardo DiCaprio because he was Canadian.

But who actually needs good reasons for despising things, right? This is the 21st century.