Game Explanation

I am going to do this in chronological order from Crisis Core to Dirge of Cerberus because chronologically speaking that is how the events took place. It's just a quick summary of the events in question.

Crisis Core is Zack Fair’s journey to becoming a hero. He joined SOLDIER in hopes of becoming a hero like the great Sephiroth but unfortunately by the time he joined the war was just about over. Zack felt there wasn’t enough time to prove himself and so he took mission after mission to try and make a name for himself. While playing the game, Zack accompanies Angeal (his mentor and friend) to Wutai to finish up the war. However Zack is just a 2nd class SOLDIER and gets in over his head - Angeal bails him out of trouble. Once the war is over, still little is known about Zack. The player continues to go through playing as Zack getting him up to be a 1st Class SOLDIER like Angeal, Sephiroth, and Genesis. While on this path you learn that Shinra, more like certain members, have a few screws loose and Zack has to stop them. This is what details the G-Project and later the S/JENOVA project.

Following the chapters that the game has set Zack makes many friends including Cloud, Aerith, and Tseng who later appear in Final Fantasy VII. During Zack’s quest of heroism it later takes a turn for the worst and becomes a battle for freedom ending with heartbreak. Although I believe that Zack did achieve his dream of becoming a hero and in the end he did get his freedom.

Final Fantasy VII, takes places right after Crisis Core ends only as Cloud as the lead. This time Cloud is a mercenary and an ex-SOLDIER member who temporarily joins a terrorist group AVALANCHE. His sole reason for joining them is for the money. AVALANCHE goes around destroying Mako Reactors in Midgar for the sake of the planet. Of course they don’t sound much better than ShinRa who is sucking the life from the planet. Both ways people are dying and suffering – differing opinions lead to conflict and conflict to battle. Now, after a couple of trips to the reactors Cloud meets Aerith the same way Zack did, he nearly fell on her (more like fell through the church roof then asked for a date). Later she gets kidnapped by the Turks and Cloud decides to save her. It spirals down from there. On your chase to save Aerith and stop Sephiroth, you wind up having to face off with the greatest SOLDIER in history. Sephiroth’s warped mind and Cloud’s past intertwine into a struggle for the planet. You get to save the planet from a meteor that a psychopath has summoned. Battling not only for the planet but his mind Cloud finds strength in his friends, although a little shaky from coming face to face with his past he realizes he is the only one who can stop Sephiroth. This event is later known as the Meteor Crisis.

Dirge of Cerberus takes place three years after Final Fantasy VII and you control Vincent, another ex-member of ShinRa. Reeve has asked Vincent to meet him in Kalm. Of course Vincent being the nice guy that he is went. During the Kalm restoration party they are attacked by Deep ground while I am sure Vincent probably would have said “It doesn’t concern me.” He still helped. They attacked his hotel room, so he attacked them back. Once you gain control of Vincent, he decides to go find Reeve and of course Reeve wants a favor. They always want something. Vincent accepts but not necessarily because he wants too. While jumping around and shooting the enemies to bits you learn a great deal about Vincent’s past and the man he used to be. The Tsviets have a plan for Vincent and the proto-materia he carries with him, so they send Rosso the Crimson after him. Once she is finished with him at the Shinra Mansion, she leaves him. They try to awaken Omega but Vincent isn’t going to have any of that (again not quite because he wants too). Much like Cloud he has to face his past to ultimately save the world. And much like Cloud he trudges through the journey with little enthusiasm. The main point of this one is to stop the Tsviets and Omega.