Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

About the Compilation

A series of titles expanding on the most recognised game of the Final Fantasy franchise

In September 2004, Yoshinori Kitase (long standing worker at Square Enix and formerly Squaresoft) was given the chance by Square Enix to spearhead a compilation of games based on any Final Fantasy game of his choosing. It is said that Kitase immediately chose Final Fantasy VII, the first game where he was sole director, as he felt that "The ending of FFVII seemed to ... open up so many possibilities with its characters, more so than other games" (~Electronic Gaming Monthly: October 2005). Being the co-writer (alongside Kazuhige Nojima) of the game's storyline would help Kitase in unifying all the plots to the different titles, and so he also recruited character designer (and conceptual storyline writer for Final Fantasy VII) Tetsuya Nomura to help him lead the project.

The first two titles of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII that were announced were Final Fantasy VII Advent Children - a movie designed entirely in CGI set 2 years after the end of Final Fantasy VII, and created to resolve Cloud's story - and Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII- - a mobile phone game set within the 6 years leading up to the beginning of Final Fantasy VII played as unnamed members of the Turks - and soon the next two major titles would be added to the list; Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- - a game for the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) set within the 7 years leading up to Final Fantasy VII where you play as Zack -, and Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- - a game for the Sony PlayStation 2 (PS2) set 3 years after Final Fantasy VII where you play as mysterious Vincent Valentine in a story designed to finish off his arc.

Since its conception, the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII has developed into a huge series including a feature-length CGI movie, 3 "major" games, 2 "minor" spinoff games, a 25 minute anime special, and a series of mini-novellas, all designed to embellish and further the story originally created, and to fulfill the vision of an immersive account on the world of Gaia. 10 years have now passed since the release of Final Fantasy VII, and with the promise that the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII will remain an active franchise until the game's 20th anniversary leaves us to wonder what the company still has up their sleeves.

Compilation Titles

Official Compilation titles

The following table charts the official titles in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, as well as the format they were released on, and the year of their original release. I've also included a value for how many years in comparison to Final Fantasy VII the title is set. Despite not officially being a part of the compilation, I've also included Final Fantasy VII as it is the starting point of the series.

Title	Format	Released	Timeline
Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-	PSP	2007	-7 to 0
Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-	Mobile	2004 to 2006	-6 to 0
Last Order -Final Fantasy VII-	Anime	2005	-5 and -1 to 0
Final Fantasy VII	PS1	1997	0
Final Fantasy VII Advent Children	DVD/UMD	2005	+2
Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-	PS2	2006	+3

Unofficial Compilation titles

The following table charts the unofficial titles in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, as well as the format they were released on, and the year of their original release. I've also included a value for how many years in comparison to Final Fantasy VII the title is set. These titles are linked to the story of Final Fantasy VII, but are not technically a part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, either serving as extensions to those titles that are a part of it, or being re-releases of compilation titles.

Title	Format	Released	Timeline
Final Fantasy VII International	PS1	1997	0
Final Fantasy VII Snowboarding	Mobile	2005	0
Maiden who Travels the Planet	Novella	2005	0
On the Way to a Smile	Novella	2005	0 to +2
Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete	Blu-Ray	2009	+2
Dirge of Cerberus: Lost Episode -Final Fantasy VII-	Mobile	2006	+3