Random on June 30, 2012 at 02:07 am

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Final Fantasy VII was famously called "Quite possibly the greatest game ever made" by GameFan magazine. The quote was featured on the back of the game's jewel case, as well as on one of the print ads, and probably elsewhere. In 1997, when the game was released, it was the biggest game ever for the Sony PlayStation. Spanning 3 discs and featuring CG cutscenes that intertwined with gameplay almost seamlessly of unprecedented quality. This was a time when the Sony PlayStation and Nintendo 64 were duking it out for the number one spot, a battle eventually won by Sony. They have Final Fantasy VII, at least in part, to thank for that. 

Looking back, in 1997 magazines were still the dominant format for getting new video game news. A friend of mine introduced me to Final Fantasy VII by showing me the screenshots in an issue of Game Pro, and I was floored. There was no YouTube, no internet video to see of the game in action. There was print mag screenshots and they were glorious. After that I remember picking up the very first issue of PSM at the grocery store because it featured original artwork of Cloud Strife on the cover. Inside I would also find the first print ad for the game.

The ad campaign for FF7 was huge. Sony knew this was their big exclusive hit, and best of all, it would be impossible to release the game on the cartridges the Nintendo 64 used due to their smaller capacity. N64 carts could hold a maximum of 64 MB of data. Final Fantasy VII spanned three 640 MB CD-ROM discs, a huge difference. So when it came time to market the game, there was no punches pulled. The most famous two page magazine spread for the game, which some of you might even remember, features just a still frame of one of the game's CG cutscenes, and a line of text above it:

"Someone please get the guys who make cartridge games a cigarette and a blindfold"

Bold to say the least. This was a time when the console wars were a bit more cut throat than what we see today. After all, there was no internet for any kind of fallout from such an ad. The bottom of the ad in smaller text reads:

"Possibly the greatest game ever made is available only on PlayStation. Good thing, if it were available on cartridge, it'd retail for around $1,200"

Man, I miss seeing stuff that that in game marketing. Remember the Sega commercials? Those had some balls. I had this ad, as well as the second one below cut out of the magazine and hanging on my bedroom wall when I was about 14 years old. Final Fantasy VII would go on to be one of the most beloved RPGs of all time. To this day, it tops many people's lists. 

Here's the other print ad for the game, which is a bit more simple, but also quite direct.

"You can actually hear your pupils dilate."

The marketing campaign must have worked, in combination with strong reviews. Final Fantasy VII went on to sell more than 9.5 million copies world wide and forever changed the landscape of console role playing games, and gaming in general. 

Do you remember these ads? Have a favorite ad campaign? Let us know in the comments.

14 COMMENTS

FF7, Final Fantasy, Game Ads,

Damien on 28-09-2011 03:57

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I remember seeing that EGM quote. I also remember wing impressed at billboard posters for Midgar over here in England. It was very rare to have posters for games back then, and still is today (big street posters at least).

BokkenMonkey on 28-09-2011 04:26

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I still have the FFVII preview issue of EGM.  It’s still awesome.

Random on 28-09-2011 04:44

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If you can give me some cool scans, I’ll add them to the story.

Vale on 28-09-2011 05:36

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This video is everything to me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ-toUi9jDc It was a trailer on one of those official PlayStation magazine demo discs, just lurking there. No actual demo like whatever crappy-ass games were there, just a video for something I’d never heard of it. So I watched it, and I HAD to have it. I’d never been so confused, captivated and intrigued by something I’d seen on the PlayStation. ... good thing I found it so easily on Yoo-toob too. I’d been wanting to rewatch it for years.

Vale on 28-09-2011 05:40

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My god I love the internet. I’m on a frackin’ roll. I’ve.Found.The.Demo.Disc.Itself. http://snesorama.us/board/showthread.php?t=60588 Tomb Raider 2! Broken Sword 2! I NEVER finished that until years later and it all seems so simply now. Me and a mate spent HOURS trying to finish that BSII demo.

Damien on 28-09-2011 06:02

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Lol Yuka. I’ve got that demo disc at my parents’ place.

Vale on 28-09-2011 06:05

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While I’m usually pretty anti-nostalgia, I’m just far too tempted to download it, whack it on the PSP and NOSTALGIAHARD. ... I can’t remember if Machine Hunter was crap or not… :p

Random on 28-09-2011 06:13

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Machine Hunter was passable if I recall. I like how that trailer has the biggest spoiler ever for FF7.

Cybernetic Empire on 28-09-2011 06:33

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I still have all my gaming magazines and all those demo disks.  I even have some memory card stickers and lid stickers for the PS1.  The video that Vale posted is freaking amazing.  They don’t make FF trailers like that anymore.  Now we have to listen to a crappy j pop song translated to English accompanied by annoying voice over work. I seem to remember a lot of awesome gaming trailers on those demo disks.  Xenogears is another that really stuck out to me.  Here’s the trailer from a Playstation Magazine demo disk.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTx8iG52Ruo&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLD3C6BDB3C7DC9056

Damien on 28-09-2011 06:41

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I have 20 or more OPSM demo discs, if anybody wants them? Was thinking of eBaying lasty ear, but it wasn’t worth the effort.

Vale on 28-09-2011 07:31

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“I like how that trailer has the biggest spoiler ever for FF7” Weirdly, the VERY first time I actually saw said spoiler moment, I didn’t connect the two at all. Mainly because the trailer flicked from CGI to gameplay and back so quickly I never took it all in. Fun fact: Since I was only a wee nipper when I first watched the trailer (Well, is ten years old a wee nipper?) the scene where Aeris sinks and her hair spreads out… I thought was some sort of alien ship descending from space It moved too fast for me to work it out!

Arthellinus on 28-09-2011 07:39

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Halo has great ads. Probably the most notable case of overselling the shit out of a game.

Damien on 28-09-2011 07:52

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I got a VHS tape with a magazine about 3 months before FFVII came out here. It had pretty much the entire end of disc 1 scene on it ^^;

BokkenMonkey on 28-09-2011 09:59

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I just have to find a scanner and you’re on…