Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2003-09-25 09:45am

Not sure where to put this since we don't know yet that it is a game (all indications thus far are that it is a movie), but check this out:

http://www.the-magicbox.com/game092503a.htm

Trogdor · Post by **Trogdor** » 2003-09-25 12:28pm

All I can say is that I hope this doesn't happen, or at least doesn't come to America. Don't get me wrong, I loved FF7, but I just don't trust these people to make a movie sequel. Cloud looks really dumb in those pictures, and if they bring back Sephiroth, you know they're going to bring back Aeris, something I really don't want to see.

Vendetta · Post by **Vendetta** » 2003-09-25 02:46pm

Looks something like Legend of the Crystals.

ie a vague followup to the game, with little canon relevance..

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2003-09-25 04:58pm

Vendetta wrote:Looks something like Legend of the Crystals.

ie a vague followup to the game, with little canon relevance..

I think it looks more like the Animatrix perhaps? It deals with the same characters after all.

Anyways, I guess Square USA (the guys who did FF: TSW) are still in business. Looks like Square might be shooting a little lower this time with an OVA, but it still might have some potential.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-09-25 05:04pm

I'm replaying FFVII right now (forgot how damn good it was) before finishing FFVIII and starting FFIX. All I can say is, I'm uncertain about this being a good idea.

I'd like a remake of the game with updated graphics and effects, but any sequel or anything will likely screw up my perception of the game.

Captain Cyran · Post by **Captain Cyran** » 2003-09-25 05:36pm

Admiral Valdemar wrote:I'm replaying FFVII right now (forgot how damn good it was) before finishing FFVIII and starting FFIX. All I can say is, I'm uncertain about this being a good idea.

I'd like a remake of the game with updated graphics and effects, but any sequel or anything will likely screw up my perception of the game.

*Twitches and falls over* Updated...graphics...and effects...heart just stopped...

I would SO love that.

Hamel · Post by **Hamel** » 2003-09-25 05:45pm

Square is going to do exactly that

FFVII-2 will be released eventually

2000AD · Post by **2000AD** » 2003-09-25 05:46pm

Thing is, how much would you pay for a game that is exactly the same as a previous one but with up-to date graphics?

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-09-25 05:50pm

2000AD wrote:Thing is, how much would you pay for a game that is exactly the same as a previous one but with up-to date graphics?

Ask those of us (myself included) who will get MGS: The Twin Snakes for GC which is an updated graphics version of the original MGS for PSX.

Does anyone else find it eery that Sephiroth is supposedly alive in this sequel movie/game? I mean, I hope these are only flashbacks and not something royally fucking the game story up.

All they'd need to do then is get Meteor back and replace Aeris with Bruce Willis to help save the day.

Captain Cyran · Post by **Captain Cyran** » 2003-09-25 05:53pm

Admiral Valdemar wrote:
2000AD wrote:Thing is, how much would you pay for a game that is exactly the same as a previous one but with up-to date graphics?
Ask those of us (myself included) who will get MGS: The Twin Snakes for GC which is an updated graphics version of the original MGS for PSX.

Does anyone else find it eery that Sephiroth is supposedly alive in this sequel movie/game? I mean, I hope these are only flashbacks and not something royally fucking the game story up.

All they'd need to do then is get Meteor back and replace Aeris with Bruce Willis to help save the day.

I know I'd pay for a revised FFVII. And yes, I hope that it's only flashbacks...or we will know that it is a dark day at Square...

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-09-25 06:01pm

Indeed, especially when it's a new company in ways.

I can get why they did FFX-2, even though I never got FFX because I never liked the style (didn't think much if FFIX either, but I'm going to play it properly this time after completing VII and VIII) because it had an open ending I believe. But a sequel to FFVII, arguably the best FF of at least recent times sounds too much like a money grabbing idea with little effort.

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2003-09-25 06:43pm

Admiral Valdemar wrote:Indeed, especially when it's a new company in ways.

I can get why they did FFX-2, even though I never got FFX because I never liked the style (didn't think much if FFIX either, but I'm going to play it properly this time after completing VII and VIII) because it had an open ending I believe. But a sequel to FFVII, arguably the best FF of at least recent times sounds too much like a money grabbing idea with little effort.

I'd give Square the benefit of the doubt as far as a true videogame sequel to FFVII goes. So far Square seems to have done well on the sequel front (Chrono Cross and FFX-2) so I think they could make it work.

The thing is that in videogames, sequel can often be better then their predecessors. So I won't get too worked up until I see some screenshots

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2003-09-25 08:28pm

I'm not sure, but it could be a full movie, not just a game.

It looks like they're using Japanese actors (one shot looks very live action). Now while I do understand that a Japanese movie would of course have Japanese actors, some of the FF7 characters are decidedly non-Japanese, like Barret(?), Tifa, etc. How will they do those?

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2003-09-25 08:43pm

Shinova wrote:I'm not sure, but it could be a full movie, not just a game.

It looks like they're using Japanese actors (one shot looks very live action). Now while I do understand that a Japanese movie would of course have Japanese actors, some of the FF7 characters are decidedly non-Japanese, like Barret(?), Tifa, etc. How will they do those?

Huh? This is a CG movie buddy! Didn't you look at the pics? If you mean voice actors, of course they can use Japanese actors. They do for everything else don't they?

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2003-09-25 08:48pm

The Kernel wrote: Huh? This is a CG movie buddy! Didn't you look at the pics? If you mean voice actors, of course they can use Japanese actors. They do for everything else don't they?

Are you sure it's a CG movie?

Anyway, if it is CG, do you think there's any particular reason why they made the characters so far look Japanese when the people and the universe seem predominantly non-Japanese?

Cthulhu-chan · Post by **Cthulhu-chan** » 2003-09-25 09:23pm

Um, did you see Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within, or the Animatrix short they produced? Square has the technology to make very realistic CGs. They are pretty much the top in the biz right now.

Hamel · Post by **Hamel** » 2003-09-25 09:53pm

Square said they would never ever get in to the movie business again

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2003-09-25 11:14pm

Hamel wrote:Square said they would never ever get in to the movie business again

Yet Square USA employees still have an office and a job. Strange isn't it?

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2003-09-25 11:15pm

The Kernel wrote:
Hamel wrote:Square said they would never ever get in to the movie business again
Yet Square USA employees still have an office and a job. Strange isn't it?

Edit: I should mention the Square USA is Square's failed CG studio in Honolulu.

LordShaithis · Post by **LordShaithis** » 2003-09-25 11:52pm

Phew, that first Final Fantasy movie blew major ass. It was a primer on how not to turn a successful gaming franchise into a movie.

#1 - Make sure the plot has nothing to do with any game in the series from which the movie takes its name.

#2 - Don't advertise your (surprisingly strong) voice cast at all. Just fill the commercials with pretty graphics.

#3 - Fill the story with weird quasi-pagan fantasy shit about Gaia, even though the movie is straight-up science fiction.

#4 - Make it extra depressing by killing off virtually all of the characters.

Post by **LadyTevar** » 2003-09-26 12:29am

GrandAdmiralPrawn wrote:Phew, that first Final Fantasy movie blew major ass. It was a primer on how not to turn a successful gaming franchise into a movie.

#1 - Make sure the plot has nothing to do with any game in the series from which the movie takes its name.

#2 - Don't advertise your (surprisingly strong) voice cast at all. Just fill the commercials with pretty graphics.

#3 - Fill the story with weird quasi-pagan fantasy shit about Gaia, even though the movie is straight-up science fiction.

#4 - Make it extra depressing by killing off virtually all of the characters.

Yet I still liked the movie.

Smiling Bandit · Post by **Smiling Bandit** » 2003-09-26 08:29am

Phew, that first Final Fantasy movie blew major ass. It was a primer on how not to turn a successful gaming franchise into a movie.

AGREED!

#1 - Make sure the plot has nothing to do with any game in the series from which the movie takes its name.

What I wonder is, why didn't they make it actual fantasy? Even though the FF's are often technological realsm, there is always a core of fantasy seperated form the sci-fi. And i think the bets games are the fantasy ones, because Square tends to make the sci-fi elements detract from the fantasy adventure.

#3 - Fill the story with weird quasi-pagan fantasy shit about Gaia, even though the movie is straight-up science fiction.

AGREED! This part of it made no sense whatsoever. Its even a little silly by Japanese standards. And they never really explained why the alien spirits felt compelled to tear our spirits out of our bodies. This is in the worst anime tradition - totally unexplained and insane plots.

The movie started out OK, but just got wierder and wierder as it went along.

Other Flaws:

Evil Nazi General: (I'm serious. He's wearing a German Eagle pin, similar to the ones they game the Luftwaffe.) Look, this guy was the only one thinking with his head on straight. There were huge, awful, dangerous monsters out thre who enjoy ripping our souls from our bodies (although they don't seem to do anything with them thereafter). And the politicians are listening to some nut who wants to perform dangerous experiments, without even really knowing what the results might be.

There's a point at which faith in yourself turns into lunacy.

The silly thing was the idea that he'd turn off their defenses and invite an alient horde inside. I find this incredibly unrealistic. As far as I'm concerned, he was quite correct, and was "proved wrong" because the scriptwriters felt a need to show that militarism is wrong.

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2003-09-26 11:09am

Final Fantasy: TSW would have been a much better movie if they had simply gotten a Hollywood regular to co-direct it. I think Sakaguchi did a pretty amazing job considering the was his first movie--he just needed some guidance on how to condence 30-hrs. of plot into a two hour movie.

Let's look at some of the films strengths shall we?

1) The animation: this is a given

2) The setting: post-Apocalyptic Earth has been a staple of this kind of anime entertainment for decades and with good reason.

3) Themes: There was nothing wrong with the idea of "Gaia" or the "Phantoms", it's just that they were expressed in an ass backwards way. Given that this story was similar to FF VII which many consider to be one of Square's best works, its obvious that the ideas were good, just the implementation was flawed.

I actually rather enjoyed most of the movie, although the dialogue started to grate at me after awhile. One thing that really ruined it for me was the use of know actors for most of the roles. Ming-na was fine, but hearing people like Alec Baldwin and James Woods killed a great deal of the suspension of disbelief for me.

I'd say that if only they had gotten Ridley Scott to direct this, things would have turned out much better.

Smiling Bandit · Post by **Smiling Bandit** » 2003-09-26 12:07pm

Themes: There was nothing wrong with the idea of "Gaia" or the "Phantoms", it's just that they were expressed in an ass backwards way. Given that this story was similar to FF VII which many consider to be one of Square's best works, its obvious that the ideas were good, just the implementation was flawed.

In a movie, presentation is everything. The Phastoms themselves worked pretty well, but as the movie went on the writers seemed to dig themselves deeper and deeper into a big, slimy hole.

but hearing people like Alec Baldwin and James Woods killed a great deal of the suspension of disbelief for me.

I don' think many poepe had this problem any more than they did for Shrek. Then again, Shrek was made with a wink-wink nudge-nudge.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-09-26 07:10pm

I didn't mind FF: TSW, even have the DVD. As a standalone, it's good, but as a FF movie, it's crap. It only really seems similar to FFVII in ways, but other than that, no other relation to the series.