Remember when Cloud Strife's great love died?

Oct 9, 2007 07:40 GMT  ·  By

No matter if you call her Aeris or Aerith (depending on the game's version), the young Ancient is still one of the best characters in Final Fantasy VII. You might recall that moving cutscene, featuring the beautiful green-eyed girl dying by Sephiroth's sword.

Now, that special FF-branded moment was turned into a beautiful statue, available for pre-order before its February 2008 official release. The pre-order is available through Entertainment Earth, but the statue is rather costly, its retail price being $239.99.

It seems that Square-Enix and various other companies have turned Final Fantasy VII into a money-making machine, first releasing a motion picture called Advent Children, following by an anime, a mobile game, a PS2 title (Dirge of Cerberus) and finally a PSP title (Crisis Core). Let's not forget the FF VII Anniversary Edition plus those soda cans featuring all the famous characters from the original game on their label.

It might seem that one of the best RPGs ever is turning into a sellout, but profit is inevitable when there's a gigantic fanbase ready to swallow every bit of content and collectibles you provide.

Just look at Halo 3 and all of its sales, the association with the Mountain Dew brand, the Master Chief collectibles... Square-Enix are not the ones to blame, as their initial intention was pure and innocent, but now it's gone "ka-ching!"...

At least the title's sequels are decent, plus the PSP prequel, so the fans can be content with the developer's games, forgetting about the whole "sellout" issue. As for the statue, it's probably the reminder of one of the most emotional moments in a video game ever.

I know at least ten other gamers who burst into tears when Aeris died and "returned to the Planet".