Much like many of you after playing the Remake I was left with many questions. I scoured the internet for answers. I felt unsatisfied with what I found. So then I turned to the source material and decided to play, watch, read everything I could find. I even bought a PSP so I can play Crisis Core. In doing this I found that most of these new additions to the game storyline were actually things that had come from the compilation and were not new story added to create new timelines. Most if not all things found in the remake can be found inside of the compilation.

From the phone app Before Crisis. All of the changes to Avalanche's structure as well as the changes to Rufus Shinra and we will probably see more changes about the turks as the game goes on.

From Crisis Core, we already saw a Banora dumb apple ad. I think we will see more of the Genesis story line as the game progresses. As well as Minerva being woven into the story.

From the books, Kyrie and Leslie as well some other characters from around the slums. I assume we will also find Even's mother in Nibelhiem where she is caring for the tattooed clones. Most of the book's material though effects the movie not the game.

From Dirge of Cerberus, we get the deep ground lab from under the slums. Maybe as the game moves forward we'll see more of Hojo's plan early on.

Now there are two Sephiroth in this game.

The first Sephiroth, is the one we always knew. He appears to Cloud in visions as well as through the tattooed clones. It might seem like he is appearing more than he did in OG but I believe that every time Cloud had one of those freak outs he was having these visions. But due to hardware limitations they couldn't cut that many FMV into the game.

The second Sephiroth, only appears at the end of the game. In the Japanese version this Sephiroth is said to have used a different pronoun for himself than he had the rest of the game. Admittedly this cannot be inferred from the English version because English doesn't work that way but I digress. They say that he hasn't used that pronoun to refer to himself since before he met Jenova and went crazy.

If you read "on the way to a smile" it says in the Lifestream: black II chapter.

"When the lifestream erupted from the earth, he let the planet have all those memories that no longer held any meaning. Memories of his boyhood, of his few-and-far-between friends, of battles he fought before knowing his true self, of his life in those bygone days--he let them join the rushing torrent and dash themselves against Meteor."

So after reading that I have come to the conclusion that this second Sephiroth is actually the Life Stream and not Jenova or a future Sephiroth. The planet has those memories of him. The reason Sephiroth is so strong is because the planet is trying to scare them showing them what they are up against. The planet is scared for its life. It is about to summon the weapons to waste all life not just the evil. This last section is the planet trying it's best to keep them in line. Crisis Core added Minerva to the mix and I believe this is her will. Just like how she tried to use Genesis and Zack before.

Now we make it to the Edge of creation. Cloud lands. Then begins to have a head ache from his Jenova cells. Sephiroth touches him and it stops. If that was Jenova or Sephiroth with Jenova cells in him he wouldn't have fixed the ache. The only thing known to fix geostigma or Mako poisoning or any of the sicknesses related to Jenova is the Life Stream.

He then turns to the galaxy in the distance and says, "our world will become a part of it. One day. But I will not end. Nor will I have you end." I believe this is the planet saying eventually all life on the planet will return to the universal Life Stream. But not now on Jenova's terms. Not early. Not using the Omega materia. Not while it is corrupted still. Once the Life Stream is pure it can move on in the cycle of rebirth and no one will end. If Jenova wins all will end. Both the planet and cloud.

After Cloud refuses to help, much like Zack did at the end of crisis core, he is sent back to the party.

Before this last scene. I want to bring up one of the last conversations Zack and Aerith had in Crisis Core.

Z: You can't see the sky.

A: Who wants to see the sky? I don't, that's for sure.

Z: Wouldn't you normally miss the sky if you lived under a plate all year round?

A: I guess I'm not normal.

Z: You want to talk about it?

A: The sky frightens me. I feel like it's sucking me in... Weird huh?

Z: Normal is overrated.

A: Think so?

Z: I have an idea. One day I'll take you to see a beautiful sky, the real sky.

A: ...

Z: It's not frightening at all. I know you're going to love it.

Aerith nods in agreement.

Zack then leaves on a mission which if you play the game without getting all the extra stuff could be the last time you see her.

So there they are standing in the same place Zack died. It starts to rain, which is the way we see the Life Stream communicate to people. It uses water in general. She sees zack taking Cloud towards midgar. Showing her she is on the right path following Cloud.

Then she says, "I miss it. My steal sky."

Ending the game.

With all that in mind I don't believe zack is alive. I think shortly after we see him at the end of remake he makes it to the cliff edge and just like in OG flash backs and in crisis core he is killed by a few deep ground members who were not part of the main fighting force we see him defeat in both games. He is shown being shot by like 3 or 4 people later.

And as far as the change in Stamp on the bag of chips. The bag is marked Original which implies there are more flavors. Maybe the Stamp that Avalanche uses is from the BBQ bag.

The game itself is about life and death. One of the creator's mother passed on a few years before development. The struggle of loss and getting past it is a major point in the game.

The bad guys like Sephiroth never get over a death. Even after hsi own death his soul yearns for his mother.

Vincent devastated by Lucretia's death and his guilt caused by not stopping has kept him trapped for decades in the Shinra Mansion basement.

Cloud can't get over the guilt of Aerith's death and is miserable until the end of Advent Children when he finally forgives himself for not saving her.

These are just some examples of these struggles in the game.

Zack is dead. We have to learn to deal with it. We have to move on. To save ourselves.