EDIT: The Advent Children Bonus Video is now available for $5+ patrons: www.patreon.com/posts/105707395?pr=true The Advent Children patreon video has been delayed to later this week. Gotta decompress a little bit after going scrimblo on this edit in only 3 weeks. Thanks for your understanding.
Something I have to say about Barrett is that while he does match some stereotypes, he also refreshingly breaks the stereotype of the deadbeat black father. Here we have a black man who's a dedicated, loving father. A single father even. Who makes sure his daughter is always cared for even if he can't be there with her at all times. I think that's a wonderful thing that's rarely depicted in gaming.
I just wanted to give you a thumbs up for having the decency to provide actual captions that were formatted by a human being. This effort doesn't go unnoticed-it takes me several hours to properly time and caption a thirty minute video. So seeing them done properly in a four-plus hour video deserves some commendation. Thank you for having Kaylyn Saucedo provide real, human readable captions.
I can barely find the mental patience to sit through a standard 2 hour movie. But give me a 5 hour Andrew Bluett Final Fantasy retrospective and I'm watching it at least once a week.
I bought this game in 1997 when I was 18. Aerith's death shook me so hard, I couldn't see through my tears in the following Jenova battle, and I got a game over.. I had to come back days later, and go through it again. To this day, this is my favorite game ever made, and this was a brilliant documentary. Thank you
I was 11 and latched onto Aerith as a big sis role model. This game was my first big confrontation with the reality of Death, of what it means for someone to no longer be a part of the world in the same way; when all that is left are memories. I am very happy that she still influences the kind of person I want to be to this day, and this game, this story, remains a core part of who I am and who I choose to be going forward.
@@Zman82Setos reveal is heart rending to say the least. The soundtrack is so stellar in this game that when that Great Warrior track comes on it’ just hits hard. Love that scene
I played FFVII in the immediate wake of the 2 worst things that ever happened to me. Without going into detail, I was in a very powerless state of mind and being. I was not doing great, and I just bought it on PC on a whim in 2016, when I was 19. I was feeling the magic, even all those years later. It's my favorite game of all time. It gave me hope and a sense of power at a time where I felt like I had none. It's a game about broken people learning to trust each other, and take back their broken world together. I think it's beautiful.
@@AirshipOverWater Part of his backstory is that he’s a detective who’s asked to investigate Hojo’s research, the reason being that every other investigator would decline because of the horrifying screams coming from Hojo’s lab. The screams turn out to be the animals Hojo experiments on in their dying throes. In Rebirth, there’s a sidequest where there’s a rumored “ghost haunting the manor’s basement because of it sounds like a woman’s singing. When Cloud and co. (and Vincent) investigate, it turns out that it’s actually just an experiment whose voice is implied to mimic whoever that experiment used to be. And so she’s put to rest.
The part around 1:47:00 about Cid's apology to Shera (or lack thereof) reminds me of a video by Aini called "Why Asian Parents Never Say I Love You." It's an interesting discussion of the differences between western and eastern expressions of love and apologies, especially in older generations. I think it would be a good watch to maybe get a better understanding of why Cid's apology is so understated compared to how we as westerners might expect it to be.
Final Fantasy VII is one of my favorite games of all time, even though I played it only 3 years ago, without the nostalgia goggles. I didn't expect to love it so much, but here we are.
Thank You. Final Fantasy VII is one of my Favorite Video Games and i Played it over and over Again. On some Points of Your Video i got Tears in my eyes. I could an still can Relate to some of the Character und you explaind them very well. I love all of your Final Fantasy Videos but this one is personal for me. Thank You. ❤🔥
This is the most well researched, pace, structered and most thorough FF7 retrospective I've ever seen. I have spent an embaressingly amount of time watching FF7 retrospectives.
While I haven't really got into ff7, this video made me cry because of your exploration of the themes of the game. It's emotionally strong game. So thanks for this video.
I bet he just went ohhhh son of a bitch here i go again, but he really needs to restream the original with his better setup though like after the final remake when he’s mid 40’s.
I feel happy knowing I originally suggested him to watch the FF6 retrospective, will try to notify him about this one on his Sunday stream! (If others don’t first)
Ive only seen the first half hour, but your section on the developmental background and cukutral context was phenomenal. I watch a lot of video essays and that was one of the best paced sections like it I've ever seen. Not a sentence wasted.
This whole video, as every one you make, is fantastic. Specifically though, the analysis of Aerith's death was truly beautiful. In a world post FF7, with the compilation and remakes, hearing someone talk about the end of disc 1 in the context it existed in 1997, with all the weight and intent, is so cathartic and resonant. You kill it every single time, easily one of the best to ever do it.
I learned so much about the final score One Winged Angel, thank you for that. Man, FF would never have reached its epic heights without Uematsu. Man's a modern Bach.
These videos are fckn greatm.i've watched hundreds of FFVII covering all sort of opinions, and yet, here i am watching a 4 hour long video. Good job. I personally appreciate the time you take to make content of the upmost quality.
I never noticed Cloud’s personality change, great video. My friend at the time of its release took a week off school to play it. It wasn’t supposed to be a week, but it became an extended absence due to a required mourning period for Aeris (This was in the U.S, we didn’t know about the Aerith name then).
I remember there was a VHS that was sent out in the mail that had cloud in the box along with some other PSX game characters as well. A couple other kids at school got it in the mail as well and it got us even more hyped for the release. So many memories of playing the game over at different childhood friends house as well that this video brought back as well
Wow, it's amazing how I just discovered this channel through the Kingdom Hearts Retrospective, and now the FF7 retrospective is ready to watch, too. Thanks for making this! 🙏
My attention span is really bad, especially now that I'm a bit older. But whenever I play FF7, I can't stop. There's something "immediate" about this game that is hard to express in words, but you managed to do a great job. Thanks!!!
Entered this fully ready, learned about Nojima taking a bit of inspo from the girl who leapt through time from the 80s, went to watch it, and then came back here Great video
Considering you say you've never lost a close friend, your grasp of the gravity of it is pretty powerful. As someone who has suddenly lost their best friend, as well as several other close friends, sometimes violently, consider yourself extremely lucky. Great video(s). Keep up the good work.
This is the first game you've covered that I haven't played it really inspired me to download and finally try it after being hesitant for years great video can't wait for more
You are truly at the best at these kinds of videos and it's not even close. Trust me when I say that everyone you are making these for absolutely loves them. Thank you 🙏
Nice retrospective as usual Andrew! As far as I believe, I do think you added so much to conversation when it comes to covering this game. I'm actually watching it again because it was amazing! Your section on Cloud's revelation also hit the point on why I love Cloud so much, because his story of accepting and being yourself is something so relatable that it likely resonated with so many people. Actually, you pointed out some stuff in here that made me realize that some stuff from the development of the original was used in Rebirth a bit. Yuffie's chasing for the bounty and the inn stuff was somewhat retooled for her introduction in Junon. Also, the original reason for Vincent going to Shinra Manor (the screams coming from manor) was actually used for in the "Lament of the Damned" side quest in the Nibel region, which includes Vincent as a NPC companion. Correct me if I misunderstand during the localization portion, but it seems you mentioned that Barret's name may have been mistranslated in the localization. While Barret's name in Japanese is spelled the same as Bullet (バレット), it is still an alternative way to spell Barret in katakana, which is his name in official Japanese material. My original JPN version copy even uses Barett in the manual. The name was likely picked by the team for the play on words with the katakana. An excellent example is actually done in FFVI with one of Setzer's attacks, Prismatic Flash, which is Seven Flash/Flush (セブンフラッシュ), referring to the attack's rainbow flashing light and Setzer's Gambler job. So yeah, it's not a mistranslation, but it is a common thought by many not familiar with the alternate spellings used in katakana.
Astonishing work as always. I'm frankly shocked how you are able to push out these extremely detailed, well construced and narrarated, borderline documentary-level videos in a relatively short timeframe, but you deserve all the respect and a million+ subs. Keep 'em coming.
Wonderful video. Ive tried to play the game twice, once when i was 12 over 11 years ago and again when the remaster was released for ps4. Its just dawning on me that in both games, what i thought was the halfway point of the game was only 1/4 of the game. Its dawning on me just how much i missed, but damn... im hungry to bust out my old ps2 and try the original copy and see if it still works. Thanks for reminding me of this amazing game and franchise.
I love that I am old enough to have got this when it first came out and experience it new. Hate that enough time as passed that I am watching a retrospective on it...
Yeah, I’m sitting here having some crazy memories of playing the game over at friends houses, and freaking out a bit of how it feels like such a different world now
Holy shit, this retrospective is legitimately my favorite series on RUclips. The thought of you applying your detailed, thought-provoking analysis to the remake trilogy is incredibly enticing. Hope you hit 50k soon, and I love your work!
These videos are so freaking good. Seriously thank you so much for making them. Like you even go the extra mile and include subtitles that aren't auto generated. That helps me a lot with retaining all of the information you're giving.
This game changed everything for me, my 1st rpg, the first time I realized games can be more than just a game. Also I know how harsh being a gamer was in the late 90 to early 00s.
In regards to mods, one of the best things is for those of us that's played the game nearly 30 years now, it adds a fresh coat of paint, helping renew our love for the original. But I'm with you on loving the blocky characters. They ooze charm.
One thing I find thats a constant with your videos is that despite how much I may feel I know about each entry already, I will still learn even more from your tireless research. Excellent job!
10/10 video! Thank you so much! This is my favorite game of all time and I enjoyed every second of this. Excited for 8 and hopefully, one day, Xenogears
Only 65k views in 3 weeks is absolutely CRIMINAL You made a fucking *amazing* video, I cannot begin to imagine the amount of hours it took just to meticulously research its development, let alone playing and writing and editing this behemoth This video and the kh videos (haven’t seen the rest YET!) are premium RUclips and you deserve so much more than you’ve gotten thus far As soon as my money’s good I’ll be hitting up your patreon, never done that before but you well and truly deserve it, please keep up the phenomenal work I sincerely hope it remains viable to do so.
Great work. I'm also glad someone FINALLY pointed out how the opening to One Winged Angel is similar to the score from Psycho. This alone was totally worth the Patreon donation and am looking forward to all the rest!
For years I wondered how come everyone joked about "this guy are sick" but I didn't remember the line. Turns out, it was absent from the PC version! Now everything makes sense. Good luck on the climb to 50k!
Excellent video as always, Andrew. Your retrospective of this series has been nothing short of a breath of fresh air to me. Don't over exert yourself now like most other content creators or RUclipsrs would tend to do. Rest is important after all. That being said, keep up the good work, and have a good day.
Very well done , Andrew , in giving your considered analysis amongst all the Remake and Rebirth (and Reunion to come) fervor to concentrate on the original - after the excellent 4,5 & 6 vids. Defo one for the playlist 🎉
I’ve really enjoyed this series. I was born in ‘95, and was a Nintendo kid so my only exposure to a mainline FF game was my friend letting me play her copy of FFXII once (and I did have FF 4 Heroes of Light on the DS but could never beat it.) Even as an adult I had never felt a desire to play any of the games in the series. But then last year I bought my first PC and started playing FFXIV and I’ve wanted to know more about the other games so I could understand the origins of the names and terminology in FFXIV. That’s how I stumbled on your series. I wasn’t expecting to learn more than just the basic stories of each game, but the fact that you’ve gone into detail about the people who made the games, the cultural context, and the state of the games industry in each video has given me a major appreciation that a series like Final Fantasy exists. I probably won’t play most of them even now, but a couple have stuck out as games I would like to experience for myself at some point. And I can’t wait to watch future videos in this series!!
there's a fan artist of primarily Red XIII/Nanaki, "artOfKurzweil" on Twt, who also often draws Cait Sith in a hybrid form between the cat itself & Reeve - and the artist refers to him as such, "Reeve." Perfectly valid to call him that, imho
The original concept of Vincent being a detective/reporter that investigated things that go bump in the night made me think of Kolchak: The Night Stalker, a series that Chris Carter has said inspired The X-Files. It looks like the series was released in Japan on laserdisc, but my limited research couldn't find a release date.
We really are lucky to have you doing this series, thank you for your work dude. FF VII is the most important game in the world to me, being the one I grew up with, I learned how to read, how to appreciate stories because of this game as a child. The entire reason I love video games as an interactive story telling medium is because of this game. Your video on this, and the others before it, have been nothing short of outstanding. I can't think of anyone that's made better paced, more informative looks into these games, and the way you so expertly describe just what makes each one special, especially this one, really makes me happy dude. Thank you, your work is super appreciated, and I hope more and more people catch on to just how great your work is.
I really appreciate the level of detail in your video. Insane work. I never knew these details about the PlayStations development! The back story around terror attacks and it relation to the inspiration of plot. 20 mins in this is the best video on FF7 I've seen. Can't give you enough praise!
Never thought I'd see you reach this point. Now begins the PS1 era of Final Fantasy. Also funny enough, the success of Final Fantasy VII would also mark a departure for Tetsuya Takahashi. After Xenogears, he saw the writing on the wall and realized that Square would focus more on Final Fantasy. So as a result, he left to form his own company, Monolith Soft. And that would have his own tribulations but that's a topic for another time. As for Dragon Quest, well... Enix was having their own problems. In Sep 1995, Enix shut down their US branch and DQ was dead in the West. It remained exclusive to Japan until 2000 with DQ7. But yeah, Final Fantasy & Dragon Quest would head into two different directions. FF would get worldwide appeal while DQ would just flounder. Not helped was Enix, who had to contract another company after Chunsoft & it's director Koichi Nakamura wanted to move on. After FF7, Enix wanted to try again with the West but they were hesitant. Very hesitant. They didn't want to go all in so instead they would work with other publishers. It would be like this until the merger because let's just say that Enix was heading to hell and by 2001, they ended up wounded. Hell had the PS1 version of DQ4 came over in 2002, they would have went bankrupt and the merger wouldn't have happened. And yeah, Final Fantasy VII was a big deal. A big deal since it was not only one of the greatest RPGs ever made, it also saved the JRPG in the West. I say this because I remember what Bernie Stolar said, "There is no market for RPGs in North America." He was somewhat right... but then FF7 dropped and that reasoning aged like milk. RPGs would be very popular and the PS1 would be home to them. The N64 didn't had any and neither did the Saturn. I also know about the fallout between Square and Nintendo. To be honest, I blame this more on Yamauchi. He was a hardass but his penchant for being stubborn was what cause Square to split off. So much so that in 1999, Yamauchi stated that RPGs were made for depressed gamers who liked to be holed up in their rooms for hours at a time. It shows how bad the fallout was but that act alone also brought Nintendo into a dark age for almost a decade. Square wouldn't work with Nintendo again until 2003 and that was more due to the late Satoru Iwata. Yamauchi stepped down in 2002, when he should have stepped down years before. Also fun fact. FF7 almost never came Westward had it not been for Sony firing Bernie Stolar. Stolar would end up heading to SEGA and the less said, the better. He was that bad. See you for when you do Final Fantasy VIII. This is going to be interesting.
@@tigmil8116 Panzer Dragoon was an on-rails shooter. Lunar was an RPG as was Mystaria. N64 only had one but it's a clear sign that both Nintendo and SEGA wouldn't have RPGs on their respective consoles. The N64 focused more on platformers and collect-a-thons while SEGA, idfk.
I listened to this at my job, and it totally works just with audio. Amazing video! The hours passed like nothing! I hope that your videos on VIII and IX etc will be atleast as long as this one.
Great work on this! And yes, I agree with the huge materia quest commentary. The only part of the plot I never quite understood the motivation for. But other than that. I love this game so much.
Final Fantasy VII while not the first Final Fantasy I had experience with, was the first one I beat (and completed even before my older brother through who I experienced 2 and 3 [EN]) when I was around 8 or 9). I have friends who shrug at or outright resent VII for the "hype poisoning" around it and much prefer VI and/or IX (even though their experience with the franchise was later than mine was). They're so quick to write it off, but it's a genuinely remarkable game, from inception to the final product, the story and the depths it explores that no other game til that point had fully committed to. Yeah, the localization and mistranslations made following some of the story beats somewhat confusing, but the impact was real and understood. The reflections of self-identity weren't lost to someone young like me. Being a middle child 5 years apart from both my older and younger siblings, I resonated well with Cloud's childhood. I was never cool enough for my older brother which in turn meant I unfairly subjected my younger brother to the same attitude. I didn't get along well with my peers in elementary school, never willing to back down on my convictions to a fault, but never letting people in thinking they were being shallow. I always wanted to be a part of the "cool kids" but was too quirky to be allowed to participate in games unless they needed an extra person. Video games were my escape, and FFVII had everything a kid like me wanted. While VI has a great story, it feels a lot more operatic whereas VII is much more personal in its story-telling. Looking at VII (aside from the barrage of supplemental material afterwards which are controversial in their own right), this game really was something incredibly special to me. I've seen other retrospectives about VII, but this one manages to stand out on its own despite it being "overdone" as it were. Thanks for the video! I look forward to future content
Great video- I just came across your channel by chance. You have gained a subscriber for life. One note though: in FF 6 you also need to have Edgar besides Terra and Setzer to finish the WOR.
56:00 I also saw the parallels between Mako and fossil fuels. Took me a little while to piece it together, I was only 9 when I first played FF7. But that just made me love the game even more when I did. Going through it later in life felt like rediscovering some new story bits I had missed in my younger years. And it also made me hate Nomura even more because, in Advent Children, he has Barret absolutely giddy at the discovering of oil and using it as an alternative to Mako. The fact that so many projects under him stalled completely, from Versus 13 to Remake 7, or were bungled like the story in the Kingdom Hearts series only further proves to me that the dude is a hack who just managed to get lucky by being attached to titles that ended up being absolutely fantastic.
This was a great retrospective and I gained a lot of knowledge, not only on the history and themes of the game, but on the lore and characters as well. I really appreciate you sticking to the original game and the facts found within it.
I remember playing this game as a kid in the late 90s and being completely blown away by the visuals. I was too young to fully appreciate it but it makes me remember better times. A lot of games back then just had this sort of magic feeling about them rarely experienced in todays world of gaming :/ Been playing FF7 recently and it’s just a brilliant game for its time. Even today the story feels relevant and the combat is fun and suspenseful, holds up better than I thought it would.
I was 11 years old when the game came out and I got it, that part in the crumbling highway going to Wall Market stumped me for 2 or 3 days until I made a new friend at the local game shop who happened to be my neighbor, so he came over and showed me how to get through. Fast forward almost 27 years and we're still friends.
I subbed last week after discovering your channel and binged most of your FF/your KH video while cooking and then grinding in XIII-2 and now this drops… we WON
I've seen a lot of FFVII retrospectives/documentaries/video essays in my day, but I gotta say. This is one I've enjoyed the most. Instant-sub and I've been going through and watching your other retrospectives on the channel! So much quality and so in-depth.
I was 13 when this game came out and it blew our young minds. Me and all my friends were all in on this and I’ve loved it ever since. Really glad that overall the remakes have done it justice, it’s been a hell of a ride to play through it again with a fleshed out world, it’s awesome
Hey man, amazing video! I'm a huge fan of yours; your content is really important. Video games are an art form, and your videos take the time necessary to fully absorb the impact of the interactive medium. Keep it up 💯
The death of Sakaguchi's mother had a much larger impact on the franchise than I ever could've imagined but makes a lot of sense in retrospect. I first played and beat FF7 (and 8) when I was under a horrible severe depression and the arc Cloud goes through in the second half of the game really inspired me. Metaphorically I seen Sephiroth as the inner demon Cloud has that kept him from growing as a person and he ends the game coming to terms with it on an even level and overcoming it. And while most people speculate over whether or not humanity completely vanished after the meteor is destroyed, I'm wondering how the hell Red XIII reproduced if he was the last of his race. I'm super looking forward for the FF8 retrospective, it's my favorite Final Fantasy and up there as one of my favorite RPGs in general.
@@joshshrum2764 My guess is if anything people were struggling to adjust to having higher production value standards as well as fit all the ideas they had together into a coherent product more than trying to top FF7
EDIT: The Advent Children Bonus Video is now available for $5+ patrons: www.patreon.com/posts/105707395?pr=true
The Advent Children patreon video has been delayed to later this week. Gotta decompress a little bit after going scrimblo on this edit in only 3 weeks. Thanks for your understanding.
You’ve earned it! Have a good rest 😌
Take a good long rest!
It only took you three weeks to edit four and a half hours?! Decompress no doubt! Wow.
omg....
Did you know Xenoblade series villains are inspired by Sepiroth and are closer remnant to him.
Something I have to say about Barrett is that while he does match some stereotypes, he also refreshingly breaks the stereotype of the deadbeat black father. Here we have a black man who's a dedicated, loving father. A single father even. Who makes sure his daughter is always cared for even if he can't be there with her at all times. I think that's a wonderful thing that's rarely depicted in gaming.
Yea most games meow a days go for realism
He was one of the characters I loved. People are crazy.
I just wanted to give you a thumbs up for having the decency to provide actual captions that were formatted by a human being. This effort doesn't go unnoticed-it takes me several hours to properly time and caption a thirty minute video. So seeing them done properly in a four-plus hour video deserves some commendation. Thank you for having Kaylyn Saucedo provide real, human readable captions.
seconding this! i was ready to have to sit through auto-generated captions and got so immediately happy seeing there were actual ones ready
thirding!!
I really appreciate it being hard of hearing and all thanks
I can barely find the mental patience to sit through a standard 2 hour movie. But give me a 5 hour Andrew Bluett Final Fantasy retrospective and I'm watching it at least once a week.
Plus you can pace it.
Or 5 times a day 👌
Martin Scorsese can go kick rocks if he thinks I’m sitting down to watch this Irishman BS. But I’ll listen to these retrospectives all day.
😅😅 brilliant comment 😅
This is legitimately my favorite RUclips series of all time I think
Same
I bought this game in 1997 when I was 18. Aerith's death shook me so hard, I couldn't see through my tears in the following Jenova battle, and I got a game over.. I had to come back days later, and go through it again. To this day, this is my favorite game ever made, and this was a brilliant documentary. Thank you
I'm doing a play through at this moment and I literally cried at Cosmo Canyon just over Red 13s story. Lol
I was 11 and latched onto Aerith as a big sis role model.
This game was my first big confrontation with the reality of Death, of what it means for someone to no longer be a part of the world in the same way; when all that is left are memories.
I am very happy that she still influences the kind of person I want to be to this day, and this game, this story, remains a core part of who I am and who I choose to be going forward.
@@Zman82Setos reveal is heart rending to say the least. The soundtrack is so stellar in this game that when that Great Warrior track comes on it’ just hits hard. Love that scene
I played FFVII in the immediate wake of the 2 worst things that ever happened to me. Without going into detail, I was in a very powerless state of mind and being. I was not doing great, and I just bought it on PC on a whim in 2016, when I was 19.
I was feeling the magic, even all those years later. It's my favorite game of all time. It gave me hope and a sense of power at a time where I felt like I had none. It's a game about broken people learning to trust each other, and take back their broken world together. I think it's beautiful.
Seems like Vincent’s scrapped backstory was reimagined as a side quest in Rebirth once you meet him towards the end of the game.
I just beat Rebirth and completely missed this. Do you happen to remember the name of the quest?
@@AirshipOverWater Part of his backstory is that he’s a detective who’s asked to investigate Hojo’s research, the reason being that every other investigator would decline because of the horrifying screams coming from Hojo’s lab. The screams turn out to be the animals Hojo experiments on in their dying throes.
In Rebirth, there’s a sidequest where there’s a rumored “ghost haunting the manor’s basement because of it sounds like a woman’s singing. When Cloud and co. (and Vincent) investigate, it turns out that it’s actually just an experiment whose voice is implied to mimic whoever that experiment used to be. And so she’s put to rest.
The part around 1:47:00 about Cid's apology to Shera (or lack thereof) reminds me of a video by Aini called "Why Asian Parents Never Say I Love You." It's an interesting discussion of the differences between western and eastern expressions of love and apologies, especially in older generations. I think it would be a good watch to maybe get a better understanding of why Cid's apology is so understated compared to how we as westerners might expect it to be.
Final Fantasy VII is one of my favorite games of all time, even though I played it only 3 years ago, without the nostalgia goggles. I didn't expect to love it so much, but here we are.
Just beat it myself yesterday, had a whole month to indulge in the game and lore. Loved the 70 hrs I put in. Now going to remake rn
The Celes theme - Aerith theme link is CRAZY. Never hace i ever thought about it
One step closer to IX. Gonna get a nice drink and settle in for this one.
For me it one step closer to 16 which is currently my favorite. I had played other final fantasy games besides 16
Lemme guess, steak dinner for IX?
Potatoes and pumpkin bombs! Don’t put the oglop in!
I'm looking forward to FF Tactics. I KNOW it's gonna be good!
@@kamenriderravager7667 ACCEPT THE TRUTH
EVERYONE NEEDS TO SUPPORT TIMBLEY. We should all be asking where is Timbley when he isn't on screen. He is a cool little dude and needs our support
Thank You.
Final Fantasy VII is one of my Favorite Video Games and i Played it over and over Again.
On some Points of Your Video i got Tears in my eyes.
I could an still can Relate to some of the Character und you explaind them very well.
I love all of your Final Fantasy Videos but this one is personal for me.
Thank You. ❤🔥
This is the most well researched, pace, structered and most thorough FF7 retrospective I've ever seen.
I have spent an embaressingly amount of time watching FF7 retrospectives.
Between you and Majulaar, I feel like I've stumbled upon a retrospective gold mine. Absolutely loving this series thus far, fantastic work.
this is the best channel on youtube for ff retrospectives by far far far far far
dont forget ludiscere, but he posts mad slow tho
👏
While I haven't really got into ff7, this video made me cry because of your exploration of the themes of the game. It's emotionally strong game. So thanks for this video.
New fall-asleep-to vid for Vinny
I bet he just went ohhhh son of a bitch here i go again, but he really needs to restream the original with his better setup though like after the final remake when he’s mid 40’s.
I feel happy knowing I originally suggested him to watch the FF6 retrospective, will try to notify him about this one on his Sunday stream! (If others don’t first)
Ive only seen the first half hour, but your section on the developmental background and cukutral context was phenomenal. I watch a lot of video essays and that was one of the best paced sections like it I've ever seen. Not a sentence wasted.
Dude if you actually do complete the entire mainline series you will become a FF Retrospective God.
Ultima Andrew
He's already there.
This whole video, as every one you make, is fantastic. Specifically though, the analysis of Aerith's death was truly beautiful. In a world post FF7, with the compilation and remakes, hearing someone talk about the end of disc 1 in the context it existed in 1997, with all the weight and intent, is so cathartic and resonant. You kill it every single time, easily one of the best to ever do it.
You really articulated a lot of what makes this series of retrospectives so brilliant, especially this one.
I learned so much about the final score One Winged Angel, thank you for that. Man, FF would never have reached its epic heights without Uematsu. Man's a modern Bach.
Amazing video. How you handled the death of Aerith section was exceptionally well made. You really have some insane talent
The game dev history and contemporaneous game industry context is my favorite part of these vids. I could watch that stuff all day honestly
These videos are fckn greatm.i've watched hundreds of FFVII covering all sort of opinions, and yet, here i am watching a 4 hour long video. Good job. I personally appreciate the time you take to make content of the upmost quality.
I never noticed Cloud’s personality change, great video. My friend at the time of its release took a week off school to play it. It wasn’t supposed to be a week, but it became an extended absence due to a required mourning period for Aeris (This was in the U.S, we didn’t know about the Aerith name then).
I remember there was a VHS that was sent out in the mail that had cloud in the box along with some other PSX game characters as well. A couple other kids at school got it in the mail as well and it got us even more hyped for the release.
So many memories of playing the game over at different childhood friends house as well that this video brought back as well
Two four hour retrospectives of FF7 in less than two weeks? Hell yeah! I recommend watching the Candle Type 1a video too.
I like both videos but candle’s is more of a gameplay analysis / reiteration whereas I think Andrews work has more color
A 4 hour commentary on my favourite game/story ever. Thank you for your service 👍🏽
Wow, it's amazing how I just discovered this channel through the Kingdom Hearts Retrospective, and now the FF7 retrospective is ready to watch, too. Thanks for making this! 🙏
This is excellent. Thank-you for making my 12 hour work day great. I'm definitely replaying this game
My attention span is really bad, especially now that I'm a bit older. But whenever I play FF7, I can't stop.
There's something "immediate" about this game that is hard to express in words, but you managed to do a great job. Thanks!!!
So excited for the 8 retrospective! One of the best in the franchise.
You presented Aerith's death scene beautifully, with all the reverence it deserved.
Entered this fully ready, learned about Nojima taking a bit of inspo from the girl who leapt through time from the 80s, went to watch it, and then came back here
Great video
Considering you say you've never lost a close friend, your grasp of the gravity of it is pretty powerful. As someone who has suddenly lost their best friend, as well as several other close friends, sometimes violently, consider yourself extremely lucky. Great video(s). Keep up the good work.
This is the first game you've covered that I haven't played it really inspired me to download and finally try it after being hesitant for years great video can't wait for more
You are truly at the best at these kinds of videos and it's not even close. Trust me when I say that everyone you are making these for absolutely loves them. Thank you 🙏
Nice retrospective as usual Andrew! As far as I believe, I do think you added so much to conversation when it comes to covering this game. I'm actually watching it again because it was amazing! Your section on Cloud's revelation also hit the point on why I love Cloud so much, because his story of accepting and being yourself is something so relatable that it likely resonated with so many people.
Actually, you pointed out some stuff in here that made me realize that some stuff from the development of the original was used in Rebirth a bit. Yuffie's chasing for the bounty and the inn stuff was somewhat retooled for her introduction in Junon. Also, the original reason for Vincent going to Shinra Manor (the screams coming from manor) was actually used for in the "Lament of the Damned" side quest in the Nibel region, which includes Vincent as a NPC companion.
Correct me if I misunderstand during the localization portion, but it seems you mentioned that Barret's name may have been mistranslated in the localization. While Barret's name in Japanese is spelled the same as Bullet (バレット), it is still an alternative way to spell Barret in katakana, which is his name in official Japanese material. My original JPN version copy even uses Barett in the manual. The name was likely picked by the team for the play on words with the katakana. An excellent example is actually done in FFVI with one of Setzer's attacks, Prismatic Flash, which is Seven Flash/Flush (セブンフラッシュ), referring to the attack's rainbow flashing light and Setzer's Gambler job. So yeah, it's not a mistranslation, but it is a common thought by many not familiar with the alternate spellings used in katakana.
Astonishing work as always. I'm frankly shocked how you are able to push out these extremely detailed, well construced and narrarated, borderline documentary-level videos in a relatively short timeframe, but you deserve all the respect and a million+ subs. Keep 'em coming.
i was so looking forward to this video after binging the rest of your retrospective series. Thank you for making this.
Wonderful video.
Ive tried to play the game twice, once when i was 12 over 11 years ago and again when the remaster was released for ps4.
Its just dawning on me that in both games, what i thought was the halfway point of the game was only 1/4 of the game.
Its dawning on me just how much i missed, but damn... im hungry to bust out my old ps2 and try the original copy and see if it still works.
Thanks for reminding me of this amazing game and franchise.
I love that I am old enough to have got this when it first came out and experience it new. Hate that enough time as passed that I am watching a retrospective on it...
Yeah, I’m sitting here having some crazy memories of playing the game over at friends houses, and freaking out a bit of how it feels like such a different world now
Holy shit, this retrospective is legitimately my favorite series on RUclips. The thought of you applying your detailed, thought-provoking analysis to the remake trilogy is incredibly enticing. Hope you hit 50k soon, and I love your work!
These videos are so freaking good. Seriously thank you so much for making them. Like you even go the extra mile and include subtitles that aren't auto generated. That helps me a lot with retaining all of the information you're giving.
This game changed everything for me, my 1st rpg, the first time I realized games can be more than just a game. Also I know how harsh being a gamer was in the late 90 to early 00s.
In regards to mods, one of the best things is for those of us that's played the game nearly 30 years now, it adds a fresh coat of paint, helping renew our love for the original. But I'm with you on loving the blocky characters. They ooze charm.
He said June 1st and he delivered! Praise be the Bluett!
One thing I find thats a constant with your videos is that despite how much I may feel I know about each entry already, I will still learn even more from your tireless research.
Excellent job!
Same, I had no idea about the alternate Yuffie concept of her being a cold blooded killer and the dynasty in-fighting etc.
10/10 video! Thank you so much! This is my favorite game of all time and I enjoyed every second of this. Excited for 8 and hopefully, one day, Xenogears
Only 65k views in 3 weeks is absolutely CRIMINAL
You made a fucking *amazing* video, I cannot begin to imagine the amount of hours it took just to meticulously research its development, let alone playing and writing and editing this behemoth
This video and the kh videos (haven’t seen the rest YET!) are premium RUclips and you deserve so much more than you’ve gotten thus far
As soon as my money’s good I’ll be hitting up your patreon, never done that before but you well and truly deserve it, please keep up the phenomenal work I sincerely hope it remains viable to do so.
Great work. I'm also glad someone FINALLY pointed out how the opening to One Winged Angel is similar to the score from Psycho. This alone was totally worth the Patreon donation and am looking forward to all the rest!
Yes, the whole section with all the musical inspirations was amazing! I feel silly having not recognized them.
For years I wondered how come everyone joked about "this guy are sick" but I didn't remember the line. Turns out, it was absent from the PC version! Now everything makes sense.
Good luck on the climb to 50k!
BABE WAKE UP ANDREW BLUETT DROPPED ANOTHER BANGER
🫨🫨
Excellent video as always, Andrew. Your retrospective of this series has been nothing short of a breath of fresh air to me. Don't over exert yourself now like most other content creators or RUclipsrs would tend to do. Rest is important after all. That being said, keep up the good work, and have a good day.
Very well done , Andrew , in giving your considered analysis amongst all the Remake and Rebirth (and Reunion to come) fervor to concentrate on the original - after the excellent 4,5 & 6 vids. Defo one for the playlist 🎉
I’ve really enjoyed this series. I was born in ‘95, and was a Nintendo kid so my only exposure to a mainline FF game was my friend letting me play her copy of FFXII once (and I did have FF 4 Heroes of Light on the DS but could never beat it.) Even as an adult I had never felt a desire to play any of the games in the series. But then last year I bought my first PC and started playing FFXIV and I’ve wanted to know more about the other games so I could understand the origins of the names and terminology in FFXIV. That’s how I stumbled on your series.
I wasn’t expecting to learn more than just the basic stories of each game, but the fact that you’ve gone into detail about the people who made the games, the cultural context, and the state of the games industry in each video has given me a major appreciation that a series like Final Fantasy exists.
I probably won’t play most of them even now, but a couple have stuck out as games I would like to experience for myself at some point. And I can’t wait to watch future videos in this series!!
A criminally underrated channel! Thank you for all the work you put into these videos.
This was an amazing video covering one of my favourite games of all time. All I can say is well done, you did this masterpiece justice
3:38:50 this fucking section made me cry. thank you
This is foreboding.
Idk why this got recommended to me, but you're going to blow up if you keep up this quality. Great video and please keep grinding!
there's a fan artist of primarily Red XIII/Nanaki, "artOfKurzweil" on Twt, who also often draws Cait Sith in a hybrid form between the cat itself & Reeve - and the artist refers to him as such, "Reeve." Perfectly valid to call him that, imho
Agree 100% with the comments about mods. I just can never really enjoy modders ideas about what visual "improvement" looks like for these older games.
The original concept of Vincent being a detective/reporter that investigated things that go bump in the night made me think of Kolchak: The Night Stalker, a series that Chris Carter has said inspired The X-Files. It looks like the series was released in Japan on laserdisc, but my limited research couldn't find a release date.
We really are lucky to have you doing this series, thank you for your work dude. FF VII is the most important game in the world to me, being the one I grew up with, I learned how to read, how to appreciate stories because of this game as a child. The entire reason I love video games as an interactive story telling medium is because of this game.
Your video on this, and the others before it, have been nothing short of outstanding. I can't think of anyone that's made better paced, more informative looks into these games, and the way you so expertly describe just what makes each one special, especially this one, really makes me happy dude.
Thank you, your work is super appreciated, and I hope more and more people catch on to just how great your work is.
I really appreciate the level of detail in your video. Insane work. I never knew these details about the PlayStations development! The back story around terror attacks and it relation to the inspiration of plot. 20 mins in this is the best video on FF7 I've seen. Can't give you enough praise!
It’s actually just lore i know because of did you know gaming, and the like.
What a wonderful thing to wake up to. I know what I'm doing after work today.
Never thought I'd see you reach this point. Now begins the PS1 era of Final Fantasy.
Also funny enough, the success of Final Fantasy VII would also mark a departure for Tetsuya Takahashi. After Xenogears, he saw the writing on the wall and realized that Square would focus more on Final Fantasy. So as a result, he left to form his own company, Monolith Soft. And that would have his own tribulations but that's a topic for another time.
As for Dragon Quest, well... Enix was having their own problems. In Sep 1995, Enix shut down their US branch and DQ was dead in the West. It remained exclusive to Japan until 2000 with DQ7. But yeah, Final Fantasy & Dragon Quest would head into two different directions. FF would get worldwide appeal while DQ would just flounder. Not helped was Enix, who had to contract another company after Chunsoft & it's director Koichi Nakamura wanted to move on. After FF7, Enix wanted to try again with the West but they were hesitant. Very hesitant. They didn't want to go all in so instead they would work with other publishers. It would be like this until the merger because let's just say that Enix was heading to hell and by 2001, they ended up wounded. Hell had the PS1 version of DQ4 came over in 2002, they would have went bankrupt and the merger wouldn't have happened.
And yeah, Final Fantasy VII was a big deal. A big deal since it was not only one of the greatest RPGs ever made, it also saved the JRPG in the West. I say this because I remember what Bernie Stolar said, "There is no market for RPGs in North America." He was somewhat right... but then FF7 dropped and that reasoning aged like milk. RPGs would be very popular and the PS1 would be home to them. The N64 didn't had any and neither did the Saturn. I also know about the fallout between Square and Nintendo. To be honest, I blame this more on Yamauchi. He was a hardass but his penchant for being stubborn was what cause Square to split off. So much so that in 1999, Yamauchi stated that RPGs were made for depressed gamers who liked to be holed up in their rooms for hours at a time. It shows how bad the fallout was but that act alone also brought Nintendo into a dark age for almost a decade. Square wouldn't work with Nintendo again until 2003 and that was more due to the late Satoru Iwata. Yamauchi stepped down in 2002, when he should have stepped down years before. Also fun fact. FF7 almost never came Westward had it not been for Sony firing Bernie Stolar. Stolar would end up heading to SEGA and the less said, the better. He was that bad.
See you for when you do Final Fantasy VIII. This is going to be interesting.
Nintendo 64 had quest 64, and Saturn had panzer dragoon and lunar
@@tigmil8116 Panzer Dragoon was an on-rails shooter. Lunar was an RPG as was Mystaria. N64 only had one but it's a clear sign that both Nintendo and SEGA wouldn't have RPGs on their respective consoles. The N64 focused more on platformers and collect-a-thons while SEGA, idfk.
@MegamanNG yes panzer was a rail shooter, but also had rpg elements. Like Zelda 2 is a platformer, but also an rpg. Ya know what I mean?
@@tigmil8116 I get you.
I listened to this at my job, and it totally works just with audio. Amazing video! The hours passed like nothing! I hope that your videos on VIII and IX etc will be atleast as long as this one.
Thanks for continuously pumping out the best FF retrospectives on RUclips
Great work on this! And yes, I agree with the huge materia quest commentary. The only part of the plot I never quite understood the motivation for. But other than that. I love this game so much.
Final Fantasy VII while not the first Final Fantasy I had experience with, was the first one I beat (and completed even before my older brother through who I experienced 2 and 3 [EN]) when I was around 8 or 9). I have friends who shrug at or outright resent VII for the "hype poisoning" around it and much prefer VI and/or IX (even though their experience with the franchise was later than mine was). They're so quick to write it off, but it's a genuinely remarkable game, from inception to the final product, the story and the depths it explores that no other game til that point had fully committed to. Yeah, the localization and mistranslations made following some of the story beats somewhat confusing, but the impact was real and understood. The reflections of self-identity weren't lost to someone young like me. Being a middle child 5 years apart from both my older and younger siblings, I resonated well with Cloud's childhood. I was never cool enough for my older brother which in turn meant I unfairly subjected my younger brother to the same attitude. I didn't get along well with my peers in elementary school, never willing to back down on my convictions to a fault, but never letting people in thinking they were being shallow. I always wanted to be a part of the "cool kids" but was too quirky to be allowed to participate in games unless they needed an extra person. Video games were my escape, and FFVII had everything a kid like me wanted.
While VI has a great story, it feels a lot more operatic whereas VII is much more personal in its story-telling. Looking at VII (aside from the barrage of supplemental material afterwards which are controversial in their own right), this game really was something incredibly special to me.
I've seen other retrospectives about VII, but this one manages to stand out on its own despite it being "overdone" as it were. Thanks for the video! I look forward to future content
It's like you knew I was in dire need of a 4+ hour video for my workday
The gold standard for retrospective videos IMO, love the detail spent on the development of the game and the release. Will watch this soon!
Great video- I just came across your channel by chance. You have gained a subscriber for life.
One note though: in FF 6 you also need to have Edgar besides Terra and Setzer to finish the WOR.
56:00
I also saw the parallels between Mako and fossil fuels. Took me a little while to piece it together, I was only 9 when I first played FF7. But that just made me love the game even more when I did. Going through it later in life felt like rediscovering some new story bits I had missed in my younger years.
And it also made me hate Nomura even more because, in Advent Children, he has Barret absolutely giddy at the discovering of oil and using it as an alternative to Mako. The fact that so many projects under him stalled completely, from Versus 13 to Remake 7, or were bungled like the story in the Kingdom Hearts series only further proves to me that the dude is a hack who just managed to get lucky by being attached to titles that ended up being absolutely fantastic.
This was a great retrospective and I gained a lot of knowledge, not only on the history and themes of the game, but on the lore and characters as well. I really appreciate you sticking to the original game and the facts found within it.
I remember playing this game as a kid in the late 90s and being completely blown away by the visuals. I was too young to fully appreciate it but it makes me remember better times. A lot of games back then just had this sort of magic feeling about them rarely experienced in todays world of gaming :/ Been playing FF7 recently and it’s just a brilliant game for its time. Even today the story feels relevant and the combat is fun and suspenseful, holds up better than I thought it would.
Back with another one!
You definitely have the best FF retrospective videos on RUclips,
Salute to you dude
I watch every FF7 retrospective that gets uploaded to RUclips. Thank you for making another one for all of us.
Idk how you crank these out so regularly man but it’s greatly appreciated
Andrew your takes on these retrospectives are always superb.
How lucky that I've just started watching your whole series the other day and you happened to drop this meanwhile :)
Loving these so far!
for the love of the Ancient, Your Retrospective is finally here
I was 11 years old when the game came out and I got it, that part in the crumbling highway going to Wall Market stumped me for 2 or 3 days until I made a new friend at the local game shop who happened to be my neighbor, so he came over and showed me how to get through. Fast forward almost 27 years and we're still friends.
I subbed last week after discovering your channel and binged most of your FF/your KH video while cooking and then grinding in XIII-2 and now this drops… we WON
I've seen a lot of FFVII retrospectives/documentaries/video essays in my day, but I gotta say. This is one I've enjoyed the most. Instant-sub and I've been going through and watching your other retrospectives on the channel! So much quality and so in-depth.
I really appreciate how you approached this.
Every Andrew upload is a holiday, this'll be a great one!
So excited for this, i've absolutely adored every video in this series so far!
I was 13 when this game came out and it blew our young minds. Me and all my friends were all in on this and I’ve loved it ever since. Really glad that overall the remakes have done it justice, it’s been a hell of a ride to play through it again with a fleshed out world, it’s awesome
Wait honey! There's a new Andrew Bluett FF video out!! Start the popcorn, I'll make the drinks!
I have been looking forward to this so hard. I’m so stoked man. Thank you!
Excellent work! Love the dev history as always
Oh perfect a 4 hour bluett video, I have material for my lunch breaks for a few days now
I have been waiting for this day, you sir are a legend among legends with these retrospectives.
Hey man, amazing video!
I'm a huge fan of yours; your content is really important. Video games are an art form, and your videos take the time necessary to fully absorb the impact of the interactive medium.
Keep it up 💯
Aaaaand there goes my night! Couldn't be happier!
Criminally under viewed for the amount of work you do. Another excellent video. Thank you, please keep going.
The death of Sakaguchi's mother had a much larger impact on the franchise than I ever could've imagined but makes a lot of sense in retrospect. I first played and beat FF7 (and 8) when I was under a horrible severe depression and the arc Cloud goes through in the second half of the game really inspired me. Metaphorically I seen Sephiroth as the inner demon Cloud has that kept him from growing as a person and he ends the game coming to terms with it on an even level and overcoming it. And while most people speculate over whether or not humanity completely vanished after the meteor is destroyed, I'm wondering how the hell Red XIII reproduced if he was the last of his race. I'm super looking forward for the FF8 retrospective, it's my favorite Final Fantasy and up there as one of my favorite RPGs in general.
I don’t know much about the development of eight it must have been nerve racking to try to make something comparable to FF7.
@@joshshrum2764 My guess is if anything people were struggling to adjust to having higher production value standards as well as fit all the ideas they had together into a coherent product more than trying to top FF7