VHS | Famitsu PlayStation 1st Issue Commemorative Special Video | ファミ通PS 創刊記念 スペシャルビデオ

A promotional tape given to readers of the Famitsu PS Magazine sometime in 1996. It features some amazing footage from the floor of E3 1996 in Los Angeles, where the PS1, Saturn and brand new N64 were the main attractions. There are also previews of Popolocrois, Wild ARMs, Arc the Lad II, Persona, and Jikuu Tantei DD (Dracula Detective). After that are some mini interviews with the magazine staff about what games they're looking forward to/interested in.

The most important and interesting part of this tape is its spotlight on Final Fantasy VII, which includes a January 30th, 1996 interview with the father of Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakuguchi, some early gameplay footage and one of the first, if not THE first Final Fantasy VII commercial. It's a rather epic showcase of the making of the game, which was a groundbreaking project in its technical and artistic scope. Really, in the mid-90s, it was such an anticipated title and the hype surrounding it...unreal. I'm not sure if that feeling has ever been replicated, and it's hard to convey just how much of a game changer Final Fantasy VII was back then unless you lived through the period and had some sort of sentience.

Going back to the staff interviews, I think I'm in love with Takiko, who is not a "baba" (old lady/hag) as she claims in the video, as she's about to turn 28. More like a babe...but now, nearly 30 years after the filming and distribution of this tape, she is indeed a baba.

English Title: Service for All Our Readers: Famitsu PlayStation 1st Issue Commemorative Special Video
Japanese Title: 読者全員サービス ファミ通PS 創刊記念 スペシャルビデオ
Release Date: 1996
Official Runtime: N/A
Publisher: ASCII
Retail Price: Not for sale

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This video was recorded on a Sharp VC-ES20B S-VHS deck using Sony S-Video cables upscaled to 1080p 60fps via the Framemeister, captured using an Elgato HD60 S+.

#PS1 #FinalFantasyVII #ImportGamingFTW