What order should a newcomer go through the compilation?

[Odysseus]

Since we have a new friend on the forum playing the original for the first time, it got me thinking about how they might approach the compilation and Remake afterwards. Kinda like those "what order to watch Star Wars" discussions.

My first order was CC -> OTWTAS -> AC:C -> TKAA -> DoC -> Remake.

I figured since crisis core was the most closely tied with the original, it made the most sense to go first. Now I think it should actually be before the remake and after Dirge, because Dirge's secret ending is supposed to hint at CC and CC's ending scene was a tease at a remake, even if the version of FF7'S intro it shows doesn't line up with the Remake's. Having Dirge's scene with Genesis be the last thing before the remake would also lend Genesis an undue air of significance going into the remake.

I think On the way to a smile is basically required reading for advent children since the film itself does a terrible job explaining what's going on, though it's a little sad you lose that transition from the end of the OG to the beginning of AC with the 500 years later scene. I guess it could go either way.

Before Crisis isn't real it can't hurt me.

 

[Makoeyes987]

Like I said before, release order gives the best coherency and flow in terms of relevant plot hooks and resolutions to all the stories. Going out of order just sorta leaves the stories throwing lore at you that may or may not be relevant to the actual interest one would naturally have based on context.

ACC brings the gang back together post OG FFVII. That interest and hook to see what happened post-Meteorfall is the impetus to see the movie. DC shows us what happens after ACC.


The DC secret ending reveals a mysterious lost 1st Class SOLDIER who's existence was hidden from the world and was indirectly the source of the numerous freaks we fought against in DC. That leads to Crisis Core.

Crisis Core's final ending scene is a Remake of FFVII's... Which coincidentally leads to the actual Remake of FFVII.

It basically comes full circle

The novellas depend on how interested in reading a person is. They're really good and I think some of best stories of the Compilation, in terms of unique perspectives, world building, slice of life, and glimpses towards the motivations of secondary characters who don't get the focus in the main entries. OTWTAS works either before or after AC, I really don't think it's required since plenty of others to this day got everything without it. It's simply great supplemental that elucidates what may be left unclear by the base release of AC. It's more a window into what happens to the other main characters who aren't Cloud, Tifa and the kids.

The Turks Side Story is heavily connected to AC and I think best read after it. From there, one will naturally be curious about the Turks and I guess watching BC on youtube is the natural course of action lol since.... That's the only place it exists.

.....Then you can watch all of DC's lost multiplayer mode story and get sucked into the minutiae of what was the lost and unrealized potential of that game and see all the hidden things tucked away in that game which we never got.

It's a rabbit hole that's going to suck you in almost as much as the FFVII House!

 

[Odysseus]

It helps that I just like OTWTAS better than AC anyway. Read books, kids, it's good for your brains.

 

[Makoeyes987]

Read books, kids, it's good for your brains.

 

[cold_spirit]

I agree that Crisis Core should be played after Dirge but before Remake for the reasons @Odysseus posted. One minor note though. Advent Children Complete is kind of difficult to place since it's a direct follow-up to the OG, yet features multiple shout outs to Crisis Core. The lines "I am your living legacy" and "This is where a hero began their journey" aren't going to have the same impact without seeing Crisis Core's ending first. Not saying it's a deal breaker, just something I think about. I could be ridiculous and recommend watching the original AC after the OG, then ACC after CC... I mean Advent Children is fun enough to be watched twice lol

Here's my order, which is like the previous list but with a few additions:

On the Way to a Smile
Advent Children Complete
The Kids Are Alright
Dirge of Cerberus
Last Order
Crisis Core
Picturing the Past
Remake

"But cold_spirit, Last Order was specifically stated to be outside the Compilation." Don't care. Got three reasons why. First, Last Order is an aesthetic stand-in for Before Crisis. Madhouse, the animation studio behind Last Order, were selected to produce it partly due to their success with this Before Crisis trailer. Second, Last Order is basically a beta Crisis Core. At least three songs from Last Order's soundtrack are repurposed for Crisis Core. It's also amusing that Crisis Core's first trailer is made up almost entirely of scenes from Last Order. Furthermore, due to negative feedback from fans on the changes in Last Order, the devs were very careful with how they presented the Nibelheim Incident in Crisis Core. Third, Last Order ends with Zack coming under fire by the Shinra army as he and Cloud approach Midgar. This is the perfect cliffhanger that'll be followed up on in Crisis Core.

Bonus fourth reason: it's free on YouTube and takes 25 minutes to watch. Why not check it out?

 

[ForceStealer]

OTWTAS makes ACC so much better, I definitely agree that it would be best to read that after VII and before AC. That said, a book is obviously a bit more investment than a movie so it depends how intensely the person wants to dive into more stuff after the game. The movie might be an easier sell and so in that case I'd just go with that.
But if the person is pining for the full experience, OTWTAS first. Particularly the Cases of Tifa, Barret, and Shinra (and I guess Denzel).

After that, yeah I'd probably go with release order.

 

[Odysseus]

One minor note though. Advent Children Complete is kind of difficult to place since it's a direct follow-up to the OG, yet features multiple shout outs to Crisis Core. The lines "I am your living legacy" and "This is where a hero began their journey" aren't going to have the same impact without seeing Crisis Core's ending first.

This is one of the reasons I had CC first originally

 

[Roundhouse]

I feel bad saying this, but I would tell the person not to go into the compilation at all, aside from maybe Advent Children.

(Unless they are big 'lore' nerds and love knowing more and more about the world of a story.)

 

[cold_spirit]

Not saying I recommend this, but here's the release order if we use Last Order as a stand-in for Before Crisis and split up Advent Children. Note that Episode Denzel first released on the official Japanese website for Advent Children and Episode Tifa released in V Jump's Advent Children Prologue book.

Last Order
OtWtaS: Episode Denzel
OtWtaS: Episode Tifa
Advent Children
Dirge of Cerberus
Crisis Core
OtWtaS: Episode Barret
OtWtaS: Episode Nanaki
OtWtaS: Episode Yuffie
OtWtaS: Episode Shinra
OtWtaS: Episode Lifestream
Advent Children Complete
The Kids Are Alright
Picturing the Past
Remake

It's ridiculous, but kinda works??? Interesting that The Kids Are Alright is now positioned almost immediately before Remake. Fitting since it's the title whose characters are used the most.

 

[cold_spirit]

Just had another ridiculous idea. If it's a bit too jarring to go from Crisis Core to OtWtaS: Episode Barret, you could insert Reminiscence of Final Fantasy VII between the two. It might work because Crisis Core ends with "To be continued in Final Fantasy VII", Reminiscence sets the stage once again for Advent Children Complete, and Reminiscence has its own short story integrated into the recap. I mean why not at this point.

Spoiler: Complete nonsense release order

Last Order
OtWtaS: Episode Denzel
OtWtaS: Episode Tifa
Advent Children
Dirge of Cerberus
Crisis Core
Reminiscence of Final Fantasy VII
OtWtaS: Episode Barret
OtWtaS: Episode Nanaki
OtWtaS: Episode Yuffie
OtWtaS: Episode Shinra
OtWtaS: Episode Lifestream
Advent Children Complete
The Kids Are Alright
Picturing the Past
Remake

 

[Odysseus]

Can someone remind me what "picturing the past" is?

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

I was wondering that, too.

 

[cold_spirit]

It's the short story featured in the FFVIIR World Preview book. I figured if the On the Way to a Smile episodes get a spot then maybe Picturing the Past should be included too.

 

[Odysseus]

It's the short story featured in the FFVIIR World Preview book. I figured if On the Way to a Smile episodes get a spot then maybe Picturing the Past should be included too.

Oooh, I forgot what that was called. Yes that definitely should be read either just before or right after the Remake.

 

[Makoeyes987]

It definitely should get a spot, that was another awesome short story. It answers just what kind of childhood Aerith had, and revealed just what was going on with the Black Cloaked Sephiroth Copies, before Sephiroth went insane.

 

[Ite]

Perfunctory “play through FF7 and call it a day” post

 

[Makoeyes987]

Actually, someone should watch this before watching Advent Children to get that full 2002-2005 experience.

Then, feel obligated to play Kingdom Hearts to see what the actual fuck that's all about. Then go back to FFVII ACC because it's now actually released

 

[Clement Rage]

Release Order.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Release Order.

The oft-overlooked prequel to Last Order.

That said, a book is obviously a bit more investment than a movie so it depends how intensely the person wants to dive into more stuff after the game. The movie might be an easier sell and so in that case I'd just go with that.

If the person in question is that loath to reading what little text-only content there is that requires it, I doubt if I would have ever recommended the original game to them.

 

[Torrie]

So do we all agree that the OG comes first by default? I actually have one living example of a friend who started with AC, fell in love with Kadaj, figured two years later that there was a PSP game, fell in love with Zack, and refused to play or watch anything else. She said the OG felt too outdated and time-consuming by comparison, so it was a definite no-no. So it's quite possible to skip more than 2/3 of the Compilation entirely and still be happy, but this is not what we're aiming at, lol.

My own experience after the OG was a mess. I also didn't read the OTWTAS novellas until last spring. And I still haven't read The Kids Are Alright and Picturing the Past... My idea is that the perfect order doesn't have to be chronological, and one doesn't have to actually play the games, because watching the cutscenes may just as well be enough to capture the essence of the game.

OG -> CC -> ACC -> OTWTAS -> DC -> BC -> Remake

LO can be easily inserted anywhere, so at first I was inclined to agree with @cold_spirit on putting it right after the OG. Ideally, CC is worth replaying right before the Remake to intensify the feels I know, I know, I just love it too much despite all its issues, but I know that not everyone would be ready to do that; perhaps this is where LO truly belongs, so the circle is complete. I'm still unsure where to put the novellas that I haven't read myself though.

 

[Odysseus]

If the person in question is that loath to reading what little text-only content there is that requires it, I doubt if I would have ever recommended the original game to them.

This is... a great point.

You know, if someone is so against reading a book anyway, there's always TLS's Audio Books .

In the past I've seen people say Crisis Core is an acceptable place to get in to FF7, I wonder what you guys thing of that? It'd probably make them like Crisis Core more than people who played the OG first, anyway.

 

[Makoeyes987]

There's nothing wrong with entering FFVII from any point. A lot of people have gotten into FFVII from Crisis Core because it's so popular and is the prequel to the OG. It was more accessible for awhile given its hype and one of the PSPs greatest hits.

I personally think going through CC sort of kills one of the big punches of the OG and like you said, puts a lot of unnecessary emphasis on Genesis than he's warranted. However, in the end, it's not like it ruins anything since people enter "FFVII" from all sorts of directions. And they end up loving it anyways. It just gives them a different perspective.

 

[Odysseus]

I think Crisis Core works well enough just because it doesn't have the baggage stuff like AC or DC have by way of being sequels, though I know plenty of people saw Advent Children first too (even I did actually, I had no idea what was going on though.) I wonder if anyone played Dirge first and actually decided to stick with it lol.