Final Fantasy VII PC re-release goes on sale by mistake, taken down because of broken DRM

By Anthony John Agnello August 6, 2012

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Square-Enix made some fans happy and others deeply frustrated when it confirmed earlier this summer that it would re-release the PC edition of Final Fantasy VII. Achievements are a nice bonus and cloud-saving is helpful as well as thematically appropriate but those perks are hardly replacements for a full high-definition overhaul for the 15-year-old game.

PC players anxious to hop into the game got a treat over the weekend when Square-Enix started selling the game for just $12.70 after tax. There was a problem though: The game wasn’t supposed to be on sale yet.

Posters over at Square-Enix’s official forums noted that the game was up for purchase but those that put down their hard earned cash found that they couldn’t run the game yet. The SecuROM digital rights management license attached to the game failed when the game was started up, and entering each copy’s serial number didn’t alleviate the matter.

Square promptly took the game down and while they haven’t offered those early accidental purchasers an update on when they can legally play the game, it should be soon. The upcoming Gamecom convention in Germany is a likely arena for that news since Square will be showing off the game there.

Editors' Recommendations

Anthony John Agnello

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Anthony John Agnello is a writer living in New York. He works as the Community Manager of Joystiq.com and his writing has…

Gaming

All Driftwood locations in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Cloud from FFVII

As you make your way through Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, you're sure to discover that there are a wide variety of sidequests to undertake. One of these in the Junon region tasks you with tracking down and eventually working with a Wainright. This fellow asks you to fetch him some materials to aid in a job — Driftwood to be specific — and then sends you off with a map that may or may not look a bit confusing. Don't worry, though — you won't need his shoddy map when you use our guide below.
All Driftwood locations
To obtain the piece of Driftwood at each spot on the map, wait until your chocobo has a question mark above its head, then hold Up on the D-pad until the location is revealed. Ride your chocobo over to the revealed location and press Down on the D-Pad to dig up the Driftwood.

There are three pieces of Driftwood you need to find if you'd like to get a 3-star rating in the quest, which is worth doing since it will earn you extra rewards. When you're ready to track down all three pieces, you can take a look at the photos below for the exact locations.
Driftwood No. 1
The first piece of Driftwood can be found in the northernmost area of the region.

Gaming

How to pressure Thunderclaw in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Cloud and Aerith charging up an attack.

Chadly has a lot of tasks lined up for you in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Now that the world is far more open and explorable, you'll have a ton of extra activities to take if you wish, but the first few are a bit more required. Aside from the usual tower climbing and item gathering, one task is to fight specific enemies with a series of requirements. The first one, which asks you to pressure a Thunderclaw, is more troublesome than it should be, even if you understand the system. Not to worry, because we've used the Assess skill to gather all the data on this foe to make pressuring it a breeze.
How to pressure Thunderclaw

Pressuring and eventually staggering enemies all comes down to exploiting their weakness(s). Normal attacks build a little stagger, and some abilities deal good stagger too, but if you don't hit an enemy's weakness at least a couple of times then you're likely just to kill them before they become pressured.

Gaming

How to make the best parade formation in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Cloud standing before a troop of soldiers in FINAL FANTASY 7: REBIRTH.

Junon is dangerous territory for Cloud and his friends in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. The city is already one of Shinra's major hubs, but matters are made even worse when the president himself is set to arrive to host a parade. This presents a perfect opportunity to don some disguises and hide in plain sight among the ranks, though things get a little out of control when you are recruited to lead a team of troops to perform in a rhythm minigame. You could brush this off and just get by, but where's the honor in that? Show the president your stuff by making the best parade formation possible.
How to make the best parade formation

Your parade formation is determined by which type of troopers you have and in what order. There are 10 groups you can find to add to your ranks, but you only need five to make a formation and start the minigame. These four types are Security Officers, Riot Troopers, Flametroopers, and Grenadiers.