Quote Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno View Post
I disagree and agree to a point. VII is definitely a mix between Diselpunk (the majority of the visual design) and cyberpunk (the themes of the game) but the war is actually a prominent background element in the plot, at least in the beginning. Once you get to Cosmo Canyon, it's largely dropped except for Cid making a reference to it when he's recruited and Wutai; but the War is mentioned a lot in Aerith and Sephiroth's back stories and it's explained how Shin-Ra even came to power as both a merchant of death and the war being so devastating that people easily chose to put their faith in Shin-Ra over standard governments. It's definitely a major background element but loses it's focus on the cyberpunk and standard RPG shenanigans.
Disagree entirely. The war is a minor nebulous concept that is occasionally used as a plot explanation. We don't even know who it was fought between until we visit Wutai, and we don't know any of the major battles or leaders, the causes or the outcome. I like that you yourself described it as being "mentioned" in Aerith and Sephiroth's back stories - exactly! Mentioned! The war is used as a minor plot device in Aerith's backstory to explain why Elmyra took her in - the focus of that piece was firmly Aerith's special abilities and Shinra's attempts to recruit her. As for Sephiroth, we have no idea what he did or saw in the war other than him being a hero. His backstory firmly focuses on the events of Nibelheim.

What is the effect of the war on the people of Midgar? Do we see propaganda posters and statues? Do we see injured veterans? Do we even see any widows besides Elmyra? Compare that to the AVALANCHE vs Shinra conflict, the one that is on everyone's lips. We know the reasons, the battles, the victims, how the people of Midgar feel about it and are affected by it - from irritance at their commute being interrupted to having their homes and lives destroyed. All people in Midgar want to talk about is the modern conflict (AVALANCHE vs Shinra), poverty and mako energy. And that last one brings me firmly onto my final rebuttal. Shinra's power doesn't come from the war. Shinra's power comes from, well, its power! That concept is repeatedly and wholeheartedly mentioned at every turn. The convenience, the impact on the planet, materia, mako eyes, mako poisoning, pollution, it all comes down to Mako. And that is how a major element is handled. Anything that gets less airtime than Johnny or Don Corneo is not a major element.