OK, I've played through this game a myriad of times and ways. Randomly decided to play through it again doing some stuff I hadn't (like getting Great Gospel and using it or going on the date with Barrett) and now I am at the "Cloud is absent" portion of the story. I have managed to acquire a Gold Chocobo through use of the "No Race Required" method courtesy of gmorris7897 (GameFAQs: Final Fantasy VII (PS) Chocobo Breeding Guide by gmo7897 (http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps/197341-final-fantasy-vii/faqs/58077)) and am now attempting to enter the Ancient Forest near Cosmo Canyon. My disc makes a the sounds of eternal befuddlement and the screen goes black.

Now, I am playing this on a decade-old PS2 which refuses to play DVDs or PS2 games, but will generally play PSX/PS1 titles. The game I'm using is a 13-year-old well-used copy of the PSX Greatest Hits version (Disc 2) which, on this play-through, skipped badly in the City of the Ancients at the very beginning of the Disc but hasn't since.

I wish to know whether it is my hardware which is preventing the game from loading the Ancient Forest, or whether it is fundamentally impossible to enter the Ancient Forest without Cloud in the party. Answer me, internet. For Science!

Welcome!

All I can think of is that your PS2 is malfunctioning (my own one is probably a similar age/model to yours and has similar problems) - it might also be the disc that is causing the issue if it's scratched or marked with residue/grease which will cause errors/disc skipping. As far as I was aware you weren't able to breed a chocobo til Cloud returned which was my first possible cause for your problem (trying to access a section of the game that wasn't coded for that particular character often causes glitches/bugs/crashes - like hacking Aeris back into the party in discs 2/3), but that guide seems to suggest otherwise.

But the more I think of it now it seems just a hardware issue. Try cleaning the disc with a soft, dry cloth and see if that helps. Otherwise you might need to replace your PS2 I'm sorry to say.

Hi, thanks for the response. I am simply surprised I found a question about this particular game for which I could find no answer to on the internet. I actually think that, without Cloud, it might not be possible to enter the specifically coded section of the game that is the Ancient Forest, I'd just like confirmation from a source more reliable than my own.


Welcome!

All I can think of is that your PS2 is malfunctioning (my own one is probably a similar age/model to yours and has similar problems) - it might also be the disc that is causing the issue if it's scratched or marked with residue/grease which will cause errors/disc skipping. As far as I was aware you weren't able to breed a chocobo til Cloud returned which was my first possible cause for your problem (trying to access a section of the game that wasn't coded for that particular character often causes glitches/bugs/crashes - like hacking Aeris back into the party in discs 2/3), but that guide seems to suggest otherwise.

But the more I think of it now it seems just a hardware issue. Try cleaning the disc with a soft, dry cloth and see if that helps. Otherwise you might need to replace your PS2 I'm sorry to say.

Update:

So, I got Cloud back in my party and attempted to enter the Ancient Forest...still to no luck. Turns out it certainly is my hardware now, but that still doesn't answer my original conundrum. Is it possible to enter the Ancient Forest without Cloud in the party? Come on now, you lot of self-proclaimed Final Fantasy completionists out there! Leaving stones unturned is not what the internet is about!

Is it possible to enter the Ancient Forest without Cloud in the party? Come on now, you lot of self-proclaimed Final Fantasy completionists out there! Leaving stones unturned is not what the internet is about!
Yes, it is. Done personally on the original PlayStation and more recently on a PlayStation 3. You can't break anything, game-wise, unless you fuck up by doing stuff like having Aeris and Sephiroth in the team... again... or use some GameShark codes. As long as you've got yourself a Gold Chocobo, or taught Ultima Weapon a lesson... You are "allowed" to enter that location and be done with it, regardless of the Disc you're on, I'd suppose... But I've entered it on Disc 2, so I may be mistaken.

I'm sorry to hear about your hardware problem, going through something similar with FFVII myself... Can't use the Knights of the Round Summon anymore, it 'lags' a lot and sometimes actually freezes, though mine is a CD problem.

Good to know. It happens. I can wait until I get to Disc 3 for Typoon, et al. I just wanted the knowledge and I couldn't find it elsewhere. Thanks.