Quote Originally Posted by silentenigma View Post
I really don't think the reason that Square gave Aeris 20 extra points was because they were expecting most of their audience to prefer Tifa and were compensating for it. Rather, they probably did so because they wanted the player to most likely get Aeris for the gold saucer date. I'm not saying that this this alone would make Aeris the primary love interest of the game, because it's just one date, and we all know that there's another good 20 hours left in the game after the first disk.
They gave her a 20 point lead because otherwise Tifa would have led by 23 before you even met Aerith, to say nothing of Tifa's AV loop in ShinRa tower.
And again, the AV are irrelevant to Cloud. If they are anything but a game mechanic, they represent the opinion of the person towards Cloud, in a very limited sense.

Quote Originally Posted by Ryushikaze View Post
Ah, I guess it most likely is then.. But it seems like you probably didn't read my first post... it's on page one and pretty much explains that I'm not going to try and argue that cloudxaeris is canon. After all, as I have also said, the newer interviews and Compilation installments give a ton of evidence in favor of a romantic cloudxtifa relationship of some sort. So yeah, I'm really not just spamming cloudxaeris.
I can completely ignore the compilation and still cogently argue the C/T case. I did so before there was a compilation. Only thing the compilation has done is give me specific facts. And you do misunderstand, this was not an interview or a compilation entry. It was the 20th Anniversay Ultimania, an overview of all the FF games of the past 20 years and their important characters and story elements. None of the additional compilation entries were included in the scenario section- though they were in the character section.

I really do believe that there are, and I do believe that the compilation has ruined the integrity of the original game. (But like I said, getting into specifics would be for a different discussion, though there's no way I'm going to start that thread.) Therefore when I judge pretty much anything about FFVII, I do so based solely on what we had in 1998 - the original game. This includes who I consider to be Cloud's main love interest, among other things. Now I know most people here disagree with this approach to FFVII...I remember how you guys tore some user named Charcoal to shreds a couple years ago for "living in the past" like I do. But I just would like to offer an alternative perspective on things.
... Outside of Nibelheim, WHAT RETCONS?
And again, I can, and have, argued using MERELY the original game and materials released around that time, to elucidate the C/T conclusion.
Lifestream sequence and Cloud's tender/precious and secret memories. Hearts calling out to each other. Cloud's 'So much to say/ no clue what to/ Nothing's changed' and Tifa's 'words aren't the only way' in response. Cloud fighting for a very personal memory, in reference back to the lifestream sequence. The butt touch and the general closeness to each other during the ending. The fact that the Promise is a key aspect of Cloud's personality, that falling and failing to catch someone is a repeated theme from nearly the beginning of the game and truly from the start of his tale when he fails to catch Tifa and this arc is closed by him saving Tifa from falling.
I can go on.

And I say that in a general sense; there's not to my knowledge any retcons in the compilation that completely 'undo' the cloudxaeris moments of the game.
Which are?
It is undeniable that there are both cloudxaeris moments and cloudxtifa moments in FFVII. I just said that mostly because I didn't want to seem like I am against the compilation just because it specifically retcons the cloudxaeris moments in the game, which it does not.
Evasion noted.
Concession will be accepted in three additional posts where you do not provide examples.

By the way, is there anyone up for debating what the game's ending indicates about Cloud's feelings? I'm certainly not in the mood to, but I would like to see someone address it at some point.
It indicates that he considers Aerith a dear friend, and he is sure Tifa would like to see her again, which is why Cloud comforts her with the plan to meet Aerith again in case the world goes tits up.

Addendum Re: AV starting numbers: Aerith 50, Tifa 30, Yuffie 10, Barret 0, to start. Are we to believe that Cloud likes Aerith and Yuffie before he even knows them? Are we to believe he 'likes Barret more' because he gives Marlene a flower?
Or does it make more sense for these values to reflect the attitudes of Tifa, Aerith, Yuffie, and Barret?