Is Sephiroth Really Overated As People Say He Is

[Skan]

I use GameFaqs. Nothing tops GameFaqs.

Praise be to Alex.

 

[Jason Tandro]

Did it have pictures? I had an unofficial ff7 guide that included amano and nomura artwork. About a4 size.

I also had a tiny pocket guide that was all text, and must have been for import because loss of the characters names and materia names were mistranslated.

Tbh I think lots of game mags published their own unofficial guides on the side, chances are thats what you had.

It was like I say magazine size (like 8.5 X 11 inches) and it was full color with interlaced screenshots. It was 3 columns per page too, highly condensed guide. Had the whole game guide in about 30 pages or so.

Odds of finding it again are, sadly, not very high.

The weird thing is, for me, that guide set up expectations of what I thought the game could be and based on what I read in that guide I started to form my own opinion of how the game would feel and, frankly, the two games are night and day. Somewhere in the depths of my brain that alternate version of Final Fantasy VIII still exists as a game I want to play someday.

I know, I sound like a weirdo.

 

[jazzflower92]

It was like I say magazine size (like 8.5 X 11 inches) and it was full color with interlaced screenshots. It was 3 columns per page too, highly condensed guide. Had the whole game guide in about 30 pages or so.

Odds of finding it again are, sadly, not very high.

The weird thing is, for me, that guide set up expectations of what I thought the game could be and based on what I read in that guide I started to form my own opinion of how the game would feel and, frankly, the two games are night and day. Somewhere in the depths of my brain that alternate version of Final Fantasy VIII still exists as a game I want to play someday.

I know, I sound like a weirdo.

Nope sounds like a good fan fiction scenario.

 

[Unlucky]

The thing is, I never rated him highly to begin with. So its impossible for me to overrate him.

^This. He's as deep as kiddie pool, but I like him that way.

But people do tend to overrate him, like how some think that he and Cloud have equal reason to hate each other. No. Cloud lost everything and his hatred is downright personal. Sephiroth's was more of a 'fuck you for defeating me', as flippant as that. It's really funny that Cloud is the one getting exasperated.

 

[Roger]

^This. He's as deep as kiddie pool, but I like him that way.

But people do tend to overrate him, like how some think that he and Cloud have equal reason to hate each other. No. Cloud lost everything and his hatred is downright personal. Sephiroth's was more of a 'fuck you for defeating me', as flippant as that. It's really funny that Cloud is the one getting exasperated.

If only the Nibelheim incident went a little bit differently and instead of chopping his long lost mothers head off, he just set Jenova free after which Cloud comes in and kills her.

 

[jazzflower92]

If only the Nibelheim incident went a little bit differently and instead of chopping his long lost mothers head off, he just set Jenova free after which Cloud comes in and kills her.

That actually would give an even deeper reason to hate Cloud instead of just he beat him. From the sound of your scenario Jenova would also have some form of mobility.

 

[Yuri Lowell]

The premise to his character is great. It's the execution that spaghettis it. He had the potential to be a great rival in the vein of Delita, Id or Griffith, a guy with thoroughly emphasized and well founded motivations. My main issue is that his connection to Cloud is mainly a collateral one, the hatred that consumed Cloud's life came from a minute tantrum Sephiroth threw. There's no thematic parallel besides the fact revenge has made them both lose control on several occasions. That's a minus. If there are more, maybe someone could tell me about them?

I wish it wasn't confirmed that he overtook Jenova's influence because if it was her controlling him all along there'd be a lot of irony in calling Cloud a puppet, but maybe he is, in a figurative sense. His revenge controlled his actions.

I like that his sense of self is dissolved in what I presume is godlike enlightenment. There's so much philosophy you can pull from that. I prefer OG but in AC he's portrayed as cut and dry evil rather than someone acting on a natural urge to assimilate all life.

I think he's terrifying.

I also wish you fought him in his default human state at some point. I like his voice and I have nightmares pondering how he'd have sounded if they kept Lance Bass after kh1.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

I can definitely see more parallels/contrasts between Cloud and Seph. You've got the superficial stuff (ridiculous, oversized swords), then the revelation that both are from Nibelheim, both are far more mentally weak than either wants to believe despite growing up convincing themselves they more special than other people, the ironies in that both actually were special in ways they would have never guessed, the need to belong while always being on the outside, the absent parent stuff, and probably mofe that's not immediately coming to mind.

 

[Yuri Lowell]

interesting. You believe Sephiroth overestimates his mental resilience?

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Well, he was definitely psychologically unsound before Nibelheim, but even after, when he is officially described as having the most potent will of anyone, he creates these situations where he's going to lose by overestimating himself too much. To me, that seems a weakness.

I think it's meant to be thematic irony. Cloud was weak and lied to himself about it, then becomes genuinely strong after admitting hia weakness to himself and his comrades. Sephiroth was already strong, then becomes weak because he lies to himself about how strong he is.

With FFVII being so much about identity and such, I think this thematic interplay is a metaphor for accepting oneself for who they are.

 

[xxx_geostigma_xxx]

I honestly don't think hes overrated. I mean if you look at every popular movie, game, character then there will always be people who does not like a certain character and or movie or game and they will have a opinion that it is overrated. Overrated to me is just a opinion made by someone to try and prove a point or opinion about why he/she does not like it. Example: I think pokemon or halo is extremely overrated and both are extremely popular but I personally do not like either for various reasons so of course I believe they are overrated but the fans of that show and game do not believe it is overrated and probably think more things should be made for them.

 

[Gym Leader Devil]

Example: I think pokemon or halo is extremely overrated

I don't even know you and yet you are dead to me Totally with ya on Halo though...

But more seriously, this one here speaks sense folks. Overrated is as subjective a concept as beauty. I love Sephiroth for being one of the first video game villains to really motivate me to want the fucker dead But other people need more than he is, or more than he has become (which is admittedly even more flat than his OG character). Then some folks probably like even flatter, more dumbed down villains. This is just one of the things that breeds broken bases.

 

[Lord Kesharq]

I personally love Sephiroth, he was the first video game bad guy i generally really liked (went off him a bit when he killed a certain someone!) and at the age i was when i started playing he generally wanted to be him xD (i wanted to grow my hair long and everything but at that age my mother still had a large say in what i could or couldnt do xD)

However i would say he has become overratted over the years, maybe not back when the game first came out, after all he was the biggest badass video game badguy around at that time but he has defo become overratted now.

(Posting late again..5.17 am! forgive any spelling mistakes ect)