Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII
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| Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII | |
| Missing image Final_fantasy_vii_before_crisis_logo.PNG | |
| Developer(s) | Square-Enix |
| Publisher(s) | Square-Enix |
| Release date(s) | September 29, 2004 |
| Genre | Action RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Not Applicable (NA) |
| Platform(s) | NTT DoCoMo FOMA 900i Series |
Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII is a Japanese action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in 2004. It was the first original (i.e. not an enhanced remake) game to be produced by Square Enix for mobile phones, and was released on NTT DoCoMo's FOMA 900i line of phones on a monthly subscription basis. Because of its dependency on the FOMA wireless network, it is unlikely that the game will see commercial release in North America. The game utilises Japan's I-MODE Network to play the game as well as the Phone's camera ability, to create Materia by detecting the major colours in the picture. A release outside of Japan is unlikely, due to technological restraints.
Before Crisis is a prequel to the 1997 Sony PlayStation video game Final Fantasy VII, taking 5-6 years prior to the game. It involves the adventures of the Turks and the events years prior to Final Fantasy VII. It was the second installment in the "Compilation of Final Fantasy VII" series, which also includes the games Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, as well as the CG movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.
The game is currently being updated by the form of "Chapters". Periodically, Square-Enix will release new chapters, where players of the game can download it and play further in the game. As of 17th June 2005, there have been a total of 14 chapters released so far.
| Contents |
Story
Before Crisis's story begins immediately following the war between the Shin-Ra Electric Power Company and the Wutai tribe, a conflict described in passing in Final Fantasy VII. With the Wutai crushed, Shin-Ra finds itself the dominant economic, military, and political power in the world. But there are those who remain dedicated to the destruction of Shin-Ra, chief among them the newly emerged insurgent movement known as AVALANCHE. Before Crisis concerns the earliest conflicts between Shin-Ra, represented by the Turks, and AVALANCHE. In contrast to Final Fantasy VII, which was told from the point of view of AVALANCHE, Before Crisis centers on the Turks. AVALANCHE is generally portrayed as the enemy.
The game unfolds through a series of "missions." Because of the subscription-based nature of the game, more missions are added on a fairly regular basis, each developing the story more fully.
Characters
- President Shinra: The man with the most power in the Shin-Ra Company. Founder and President of the Shin-Ra Electric Power Company, his ways of controlling the world are by controlling the media and claiming that he is doing all he can to help the people. He is the also the father of Rufus Shinra.
- Rufus Shinra: Son of President Shinra and Vice President of Shin-Ra, Rufus had different views on how to control people. He did not not have much influence over Shin-Ra at this time due to an extended business trip.
- Reeve: Shin-Ra's minister for housing and urban development. He was Midgar's architect, and designed the Mako reactors.
- Hojo: Shin-Ra's head of science, and Professor Gast's successor. Despite his brilliance, he's a bit of a maverick, and a bit of a hack. Takes a childlike delight in developing all kinds of genetic monsters, as well as experimenting on humans.
- Verudo: The newly introduced character is in charge of the Turks, organising their missions etc. He is a man who is very particular when it comes to mission success and very unforgiving when it comes to failure. He is feared by all of his colleagues.
- Tseng: Despite being quite young, he is extremely loyal and respectable of his superiors. He admires Verudo's sense of professionalism and plans to emulate it one day.
- Reno: A young turk who enjoyed doing things his own way. Depsite the fun, outgoing nature, when it comes to missions, he strives for success whilst still doing it in a very cool manner.
- Rude: A large build man who has suffered from hair loss. He is often very quiet and does not socialize much, but is very caring to his colleagues. Despite his quiet and shy attitude, he is a very fierce and powerful fighter and often wears sunglasses.
- Unknown Male A: One of the playable males. An ex-gang leader from Junon, he enjoyed fighting other gangs and stealing bikes, riding around causing havoc. Highly skilled in hand-to-hang combat as well as the ability to ride motorbikes and fixing them. He was rather unfamiliar with failure and with his ever growing confidence, decided to raid to Shin-Ra to steal some bikes, but was arrested by Reno. Realizing his skills could be used to achieve fame and fortune, he decided to offer his services to the Turks. He enjoys using the weapon "Electro Rod", a metallic rod that emits electrical shocks of sorts.
- Unknown Female A: Her father being a teacher at the Shin-Ra Militia Academy, she decided to enrol to the Academy. Graduating with outstanding results, her forte was marksmenship. Her excellent handling of firearms impressed the leader of the Turks, Tseng and he decided to recruit her to the force, with great confidence in her. She is a very serious female who rarely jokes around, and is due to this, is often very strict. Her weaponry is generally guns.
- Unknown Male B: A former bodyguard of Don Corneo, his specialty is his rapid fire of guns with outstanding accuracy, much like Female A. Spending most of his time in the slums, he became fed up with the politics that had over-run the underworld society and he was offered a role in the Turks. He took up the role, knowing that it would put his skills to the test. His ruthless and "undergound" style of achieving his missions often resulted in him failing. His weaponry is mainly firearms.
- Unknown Female B: A female hunter who often did things in a flashy manner. Always dressed as a person who came from a wealthy family, she had familiarized herself with the art of hunting ever since she was a mere child, specifically handling a shotgun. With a personality that liked to show off, she always wanted to better herself by accepting almost any job and when she was offered a place in the Turks, she immediately accepted. Her weaponery is a range of shotguns.
- Unknown Male C:
- Unknown Female C:
- Sephiroth: A successful 1st-Class SOLDIER who came from Nibelhiem, Sephiroth showed fighting capabilities far superior than that of other SOLDIERs. He was often looked up to as being a strong and determined hero by his inferiors. Weilded a long, thin sword known as the Masamune.
- Zack: Another successful 1st-Class SOLDIER. His strength accelerated him to the top ranks of Sephiroth and the two became close companions. He has a positive attitude to everything, and while at first glance he seems to have a carefree personality, he's considerate to his allies and has a strong sense of duty.
- Cloud: A young Nibelheim boy who aspired to become a 1st-Class SOLDIER in order to prove himself a man to his family and friends - especially Tifa. He failed, and to hide his shame, he became a grunt in the regular army. He's a little shy, reluctant and withdrawn, and often walks in the shadow of Zack and Sephiroth on different missions. The lower part of his face is often hidden by his cloak, or he wears a helmet. He's developed a friendship with Zack.
- Aeris: The last of the Cetra, or the 'Ancients'. Her mother, Ifalna Gast, brought her to Midgar when she was very young. A woman named Elmyra found them at the Sector Seven Slums train station while waiting for her husband to come home from Wutai. Ifalna died there, but Elmyra took Aeris as her own daughter. Since then, the Turks have been assigned to keep a lookout for her. They have tried to kidnap her many times, but have thus far failed.
- Tifa: A strong young girl who lives in Nibelheim. Cloud is her childhood sweetheart. She was taught martial arts by the great master, Zangan. She became a tour guide for visitors who come to Nibelheim and go rock climbing in the mountains that loom over the town.
- Elfe: A women who was recruited to AVALANCE at a young age for her sword handling capabilities. After having sworn to destroy Shin-Ra, her charisma and fighting capabilities ear . Played a vital role in development and running of AVALANCHE.
- Shears: The strongest member of AVALANCHE. He had excellent hand-to-hand combat skills and often took charge of executing strategies.
- Fuhito: The brain of AVALANCHE, he was highly skilled in terms of strategizing and tactical warfare. Armed to the teeth in Machiavellism, he played a rather modest role in helping out the leader in terms ofcoming up with tactical solutions and providing support from a strategic vantage.
Gameplay
At the start of the game, the player is given four characters to choose from, two males and three females, each of whom specializes in a different type of weapon and has different statistical attributes. The male characters use melee weapons, while the female characters use range weapons (specifically guns). Square Enix has announced that future updates will make more characters available. As in Final Fantasy VII, magic abilities and skills are gained through Materia. To obtain Materia, the game utilizes the mobile phone's camera. You must take a picture, and the game distinguishes the main colours and turns it into Materia. Exact details on how this works is unclear.
 |  | Missing image Yuffiebc.jpg A Young Yuffie in Wutai talking to the male lead |
References
- "Before Crisis information from Gamefaqs.com (http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/mobile/game/920658.html)." GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com/). September 24, 2004. Accessed on January 20, 2005.
External links
- Official Square Enix web site (http://www.square-enix.co.jp/mobile/bcff7.html)