death in Final Fantasy VII has received a great deal of attention. According to GamesTM, her death helped establish the popularity of Final Fantasy VII. Players commented on message boards and blogs about the emotional impact the scene held. Fans submitted a petition to Yoshinori Kitase requesting her return. GameSpy numbers her demise as the 10th greatest cinematic moment in video game history, while its readers voted it the second most cinematic moment. GamePro considers her death sequence to be the greatest of all gaming moments. Tom's Games called the scene "one of the most powerful and memorable scenes of the Final Fantasy series—or any other game, for that matter." Edge called her death the "dramatic highpoint" of Final Fantasy VII, and suggested that reintroducing her through the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII titles "arguably undermines this great moment." In 2005, Electronic Gaming Monthly listed Final Fantasy VII number six in their list of ten most important games, stating that without this game, "Aeris wouldn't have died, and gamers wouldn't have learned how to cry." In 2011, IGN ranked her death scene at No. 1 in its list of top video game moments. In 2012, PlayStation Magazine included it among the ten most emotional PlayStation moments. Said death has also been cited as the defining moment of a star-crossed love story, between her and main character Cloud Strife. Brian Taylor, writing for Kill Screen, described a cottage industry of fan theories for how to return Aerith to life or prevent her death. He compared these efforts to the letter-writing campaign to convince Charles Dickens not to let Nell, the endearing protagonist of The Old Curiosity Shop, die at the end of the book. Taylor affirmed that the acts of discussing these fan theories and dissecting the game code to test them comprise a valid and important part of the experience of the game. Analysis The Escapist noted that while the player primarily controls Cloud, Aerith remains as the actual hero of the game. Despite being seen as a damsel in distress at first, Aerith proves herself to be capable of showing notable strength which made a massive impact in the gamer when Sephiroth kills her. As a result, when the Remake was released, gamers wondered if in this game it was possible to save her. In The World of Final Fantasy VII: Essays on the Game and Its Legacy, Aerith's