View Full Version : Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Released! Finally!
Gemini-Phoenix
27-04-2006, 8:00 AM
Finally! We get a Dvd / UMD release of Advent Children here in the UK! From what I have seen, there are currently four different releases to choose from:
Standard 1 Disc release
Special Edition 2 Disc release
UMD release
Dvd & UMD Box Set release
I was wondering if anyone has any more info on the Dvd / UMD box set release ~ What version of the Dvd is included (One disc or two disc), and is it perhaps a digi-pak box set? Or is it just a Dvd and UMD case bundled together inside a cardboard slip case? Anyone have any pictures of it, as the HMV / Amazon sites do not have pictures up yet.
nwgarratt
27-04-2006, 2:06 PM
I have seen the trailer and it looks good and the animation looks impressive. I thought I watch it as I liked FF: The Spirits Within.
Does it require playing the FF VII game prior to watching the FF VII film?
Tejstar
27-04-2006, 2:19 PM
Does it require playing the FF VII game prior to watching the FF VII film?
I'd like to know the same. I never played the game, but don't want to spoil it for myself if I eventually get round to it (especially if it's remade for the PS3, maybe).
artois
27-04-2006, 2:53 PM
There is a reminissance extra of final fantasy 7 which is made up of scenes from the japanese game and fmv. This loosley gives the background story of the game but there was so much too the game that it would be rather confusing at points for those who didnt play through to the end.
With that said. It does fill you in enough to allow you to enjoy the movie altough this is movie is all about the style and fighting sequences. They are awesome.
The story is only really there to link together these great scenes so I wouldnt worry to much about it. I played FF7 through to the end when it was relased and forgot alot of the story since. The game clips that fill you in do leave a lot out and I was left trying to remember things for the whole thing to make sense.
Overall. It does the trick in giving non fans enough background info so they arent completely lost but if you have played the game you will definatly get more from this as a film.
I loved it, even with the story being perhaps a little weak, it offers a great platform for this wonderful setting and its good to see these characters in action again.
Technically this film is magnificent and it is worth purchasing purely on its looks and fighting scenes.
At the least, give it a rental.
Enjoy it, I have watched it with Japenese talk and English susbtitles. Is this pure English talk now right?
It isn't the best film though.
Russell_Piper
27-04-2006, 9:21 PM
but it is by far the best picture I have ever seen.
thekingbeyond
28-04-2006, 10:25 AM
Good movie, brilliant picture quality, watched the english dubbed version
Matt Horne
28-04-2006, 10:56 AM
DVD and UMD pack for £17.99 free del on hmv :)
Gemini-Phoenix
28-04-2006, 12:05 PM
DVD and UMD pack for £17.99 free del on hmv :)
Thing is, which version of the Dvd comes with it, and is it a nice package digi-pak affair, or is it simply the Dvd and the UMD bundled together inside a cheapo cardboard slip case?
artois
28-04-2006, 2:55 PM
On the hmv website it says "number of discs:1"
Who knows if this is in relation to the dvd element though. Obiously both DVD and UMD are considered discs so it probably means nothing.
useless28
28-04-2006, 4:57 PM
aminmation fantastic, detail awesome , ( sky's cardigan top wow), fight scenes so fast you have to concentrate really hard to see whats going on, story well i haven't played the games so i was a bit lost but got it in the end. overall for an animated film 8 out of 10
nwgarratt
29-04-2006, 12:47 PM
I decided to rent it from the local Blockbusters as I got a rent one and rent another one free card.
I will watch it later on.
YunSeongMina
29-04-2006, 3:26 PM
I thought it was a huge let down. It looks nice but that's about all it's got going for it.
The fight scenes are edited too fast in order to grasp what's going on and this totally ruins them. In between the action, it's all so boring that I just ended waiting for the fights.
The sounds effects throughout the film are awful too. I think it made my sub rumble once. There's no crunch or crack to any of the explosions and the whole thing never seems to take off in terms of sound, not even during the final moments.
Poor effort Square, stick to making games please.
Games Guru
29-04-2006, 7:45 PM
Totally agree with that TBH.
Great visually, but nothing else.
A shame really.
I just hope the xbox 720 can produce graphics like that! :grin:
Eye candy in the extreme. :grin:
Really enjoyed the visuals but the story wasnt upto much. Still great viewing though.
Games Guru - I was thinking the same that one day we will be playing games that look like this or better. A happy thought. :)
Gary D
30-04-2006, 9:04 AM
didn't have clue what was going one most of the time but it did look fab. the only problem is i've watched some much HD stuff lately that DVD is beginning to look a bit soft :eek:
Gary
YunSeongMina
30-04-2006, 10:30 AM
I kind of hope games never look like this film. In terms of smoothness and animation, perhaps but where's the damn colour?
Games need to be 60FPS too but as this is a flim I'll let it off...
slackbladder
30-04-2006, 5:38 PM
Better than "Spirits Within" which I found slow and uninteresting. But to get the most out of FFVII: Advent Children you need to really like the original game (and I mean REALLY like it) and to feel a little nostalgia. It also helps if you're a bit sentimental (as I am). Either you give a damn for the characters or you don't. I liked it a lot, but I can see why others would'nt. It's a fans film at the end of the day.
It could have done with a DTS mix as it didn't really make the most of the audio. But the picture quality is fautless. Undoubtedly this will be coming to Blue-ray. Not sure if I'd buy it twice, but I am a sucker for eye-candy.
didn't have clue what was going one most of the time but it did look fab. the only problem is i've watched some much HD stuff lately that DVD is beginning to look a bit soft :eek:
Gary
Thought it looked real good myself. Im not being funny Gary but the dvd aint really gonna look any diff in your tv. Ive read the specs for your plasma and it will not display HD at HD resolution so really you have no idea what HD looks like. Just cause your stuffing a 720p or 1080i feed into your tv doesnt make it HD Ready, all the HD you'll have seen will have been at 480p which isnt really HD. Your tv is having to downscale everything your feeding into it, you'd be just as well setting your pc and xbox 360 to 480p and minimize the amount of scaling going on. I think theres a placebo effect going on here.
Matt Horne
01-05-2006, 4:32 PM
Not entirely true... HD on a SD panel can look better than a DVD. I have A/B tested for example True Lies DVD with the DVHS tape. The Hidef is better defined, its has a sharper look with more depth. The same can be said for irobot dvd vs DVHS.
I have the fifth element 1080i version and it looks amazing over the dvd. I am running a PWD8 with a Lumagen DVI. Everything is fed 720p into the panel (Sky/DVd/DVHS/Hidef) . That said some hidef looks no different to the DVD.. its really does come down to a film by film basis and how they were mastered in the first place.
Regards
Matt
captaineyecatch
01-05-2006, 5:51 PM
Also of note is the fact for some reason(being cheap b******s) Sony have used a NTSC to PAL standards conversion which results in lots of ghosting and soft picture.
If you want the best quality version it would be best to go with the R1.
conkerman
02-05-2006, 10:06 PM
I just hope there will be no bloody chickens in it :)
I played FFVII far too much I was mr hard from hardville. :)
Knights of the round materia was a work of genius...
Gaz
Matt Horne
03-05-2006, 9:55 AM
Oh for anyone that cares the dual UMD/DVD set is the 2 disc dvd with the UMD shrinkwrapped in a cardboard cover. So you do not miss out on anything with this release if you can find it cheap enough.
Gemini-Phoenix
04-05-2006, 11:49 AM
Oh for anyone that cares the dual UMD/DVD set is the 2 disc dvd with the UMD shrinkwrapped in a cardboard cover. So you do not miss out on anything with this release if you can find it cheap enough.
Ok. Do you have any pictures? So I take it the UMD is almost like an afterthought, as if they had too many UMD's lying around and not enough cases for them, so bundled it with the Dvd instead? Lol
Matt Horne
04-05-2006, 1:31 PM
No the UMD and dvd are properly packaged as you would buy them seperately but the 2 are shrinkwrapped together
Lord Midas
04-05-2006, 3:42 PM
I've got it on UMD. Haven't watched it all though. Was trying to watch it in an airport and on the plane and it was a wick. Too bright and reflecty on the screen. What I could make out was really impresive.
Did try playing the game on the old PS1. Yawn or what. I also hated the moments where you'd run along then start fighting a baddy that wasn't there. And the turn based battles were rather crap.
The film is better.
Gemini-Phoenix
04-05-2006, 8:26 PM
No the UMD and dvd are properly packaged as you would buy them seperately but the 2 are shrinkwrapped together
I get it now. So not exactly a package then? That's a bit shabby in that case then, don't you think? You'd think they'd at least devise some sort of a cardboard outer, unless it's just HMV trying to get shot of it's stock of UMD's as fast as they can?