(SPOILERS UNMARKED) Chapter 14 - Garden scene, your choices

[Mercen-X]

1) You can't "pick" anyone unless you're playing with foreknowledge of what choices to make to get that character. Which all comes down to how many sidequests you complete in each section.

2) My first playthrough, I got Aerith, having done all of the sidequests. My second playthrough I did all Sector 7 sidequests before I realized it wasn't important to the story and decided to skip all subsequent sidequests (how I got Cloud into rags at Wall Market). This time, I got Tifa. On my third playthrough, I did no sidequests, not even Sector 7. This was Barret's time to shine.

It confused me at first to see Tifa. I thought it was a scene I had forgotten because I was expecting to see Aerith and I didn't realize it was a "decision" scene. I really thought the Aerith scene was "the" scene because it played out like Cloud's dream sequence after the Temple of the Ancients.

3) I don't think decisions will carry over from Part 1 to Part 2. There's already so much "advanced" crap that they are implementing, I doubt they'll even consider it.

EDIT: So, I think who you choose to wake in the sewers does affect the scene ONLY if you've done all of the sidequests. If you've done Tifa's but not Aerith's, I believe it's Tifa and vice versa. Still, doing no sidequests results in Barret regardless.

Best way to test this on a playthrough where you've already done all sidequests. Go back to 10 and choose the girl you want and complete the chapter. Then go to 14 for the result. Since the scene is the opening you don't have to go through the rest before restarting the test. Getting Barret is slightly more complicated as you have to complete two chapters (3 and 8) then go back to 14. Or you could go back to chapter 3, complete it with no sidequests, go back to 14 to see if you get Aerith. Go to chapter 8 and complete with no sidequests and back to 14 to see if you get Barret. Then back to 3 to complete the sidequests and back to 14 to see if it's Tifa. It's COMPLICATED.