In 2005, Cloud never looked better. In Advent Children, one of Square Enix's so-so computer animated films, he looked like he was fresh off a spa trip. His skin was practically glowing, even as he mourned his dead friends and isolated himself from his still-alive ones. Before Advent Children though, there was a different "HD" look at the world of Final Fantasy 7: A shiny tech demo at E3 2005 that recreated the iconic intro of the game itself in splendid, PlayStation 3-capable glory.
The tech demo, even by today's standards, looks solid. Cloud's face that's seen at the end is sharper than his appearance in Advent Children, where he generally looks softer. The music itself is evocative of the original. It's easy to see why it riled up the masses in such a big way—they hadn't seen a Final Fantasy game look this good in theoretical action before