Not really the biggest fan of the Live A Live remake, but that's almost solely due to the localization, the rest of the game is fine, even if the difficulty has been weirdly neutered (the game wasn't even hard to begin with). I can understand if someone else likes it over the superfami original, but I'll stick with the old fan translation.
I think it started off really well and quite intense and atmospheric.
For the life of me I won’t ever understand why they ditched the entire second half of the game for a generic laboratory setting then. There was no recovery from that.
I'm quite fine with it, really. On the one hand, they made some big changes that make it feel more like Kingdom Hearts or something like that. On the other hand, FFVII doesn't hold as strong of a place in my heart as the earlier FF games. The original was always a flawed game IMO, from the technically low quality music (PS1 midi was pretty meh) to the inconsistent and blocky graphics (which I considered a downgrade from FFVI), to the smaller and less varied cast.
The story was interesting, but I never thought it was as mind-blowing as everyone hyped it to be. Granted, for a lot of people, it was their first FF and their first RPG (let alone JRPG), so for them, it was pretty mind-blowing. But for me, it wasn't even close to the first that I had played. It was just an okay game that felt a bit rushed (which it technically was).
I haven't played the remakes, but I've watched some videos here and there and heard from others what the plot is like. It's not quite the same, and I get that the ending of Rebirth might as well have added Mickey Mouse as a team member. But the games look and sound better than the original, and the story is serviceable enough for what it replaces.
Now being charged ~$180 for the entirety of a remake of an old game, that is a crime.
I'm quite fine with it, really. On the one hand, they made some big changes that make it feel more like Kingdom Hearts or something like that. On the other hand, FFVII doesn't hold as strong of a place in my heart as the earlier FF games. The original was always a flawed game IMO, from the technically low quality music (PS1 midi was pretty meh) to the inconsistent and blocky graphics (which I considered a downgrade from FFVI), to the smaller and less varied cast.
The story was interesting, but I never thought it was as mind-blowing as everyone hyped it to be. Granted, for a lot of people, it was their first FF and their first RPG (let alone JRPG), so for them, it was pretty mind-blowing. But for me, it wasn't even close to the first. It was just an okay game that felt a bit rushed (which it technically was).
I haven't played the remakes, but I've watched some videos here and there and heard from others what the plot is like. It's not quite the same, and I get that the ending of Rebirth might as well have added Mickey Mouse as a team member. But the games look and sound better than the original, and the story is serviceable enough for what it replaces.
Now being charged ~$180 for the entirety of a remake of an old game, that is a crime.
Like it or not, Remake/Rebirth is as close to FF7 as Ghostbusters 2016 to the original Ghostbusters. Feels like they failed at the "Remake" part of their task. Its fine if you don't consider story to be important but many feel differently about that. And its not like they replaced it with something better.
Like it or not, Remake/Rebirth is as close to FF7 as Ghostbusters 2016 to the original Ghostbusters. Feels like they failed at the "Remake" part of their task. Its fine if you don't consider story to be important but many feel differently about that. And its not like they replaced it with something better.
I think that's an exaggeration. It's still the same story at its core. It's not a perfect remake of it, but they got a lot right. Really, the only thing I noticed that was a bit much in Remake was the end (particularly the part with perfect-hair mommy boy), and in Rebirth it was everything foreshadowing the ending plus the ending itself. Other than those, I didn't feel they were that off. I even liked the fact that they tried to make up for the of-its-time treatment of LGBT people in the original by updating the scene to be more inclusive instead of hurtful.
Either way, you still have the original available on multiple platforms to play. It's not a total replacement or anything. It's not like Ghostbusters, where there's no way to get more of the original again.
I was planning on playing the sfc translation for some time already (since it released actually, I don't really have much free time...), I don't like that hd-2d stuff that's real popular these days so the remake is a no-go for me
I’ve only played the first part of the remake so I’ll reserve judgment but I thought it was alright, maybe even good. It’s shockingly uneven though.
Whenever it’s good it’s absolutely fantastic and whenever it’s bad it makes you scratch your head so hard you’re in danger of scraping away your scalp. The ending especially was so terrible it made me think I was playing a kingdom hearts sequel. So all in all kind of a harebrained project with major issues that I don’t think ruin the game but do distract from enjoying it.
The changes to the story and the introduction of sephiroth right at the beginning of the game are such distractions. Sure, by now everyone knows sephiroth and he’s not a surprise anymore but the way the original very slowly introduced him was just so much more impactful. For significant parts of the game you just see the aftermath of his actions instead of him. I don’t know, I think that’s just better storytelling. In the remake they basically spoiled the whole plot including cloud‘s character development in just the first game. Even if you haven’t played the original there isn’t really much left of the story to be revealed, no mystery to unravel.
I do genuinely appreciate it though how they made the game even more queer-coded than it already was, especially but not exclusively in the crossdressing subplot. I just wish there was a way to wear Cloud‘s dress in battle. E could totally save that kid.
I’ve only played the first part of the remake so I’ll reserve judgment but I thought it was alright, maybe even good. It’s shockingly uneven though.
Whenever it’s good it’s absolutely fantastic and whenever it’s bad it makes you scratch your head so hard you’re in danger of scraping away your scalp. The ending especially was so terrible it made me think I was playing a kingdom hearts sequel. So all in all kind of a harebrained project with major issues that I don’t think ruin the game but do distract from enjoying it.
The changes to the story and the introduction of sephiroth right at the beginning of the game are such distractions. Sure, by now everyone knows sephiroth and he’s not a surprise anymore but the way the original very slowly introduced him was just so much more impactful. For significant parts of the game you just see the aftermath of his actions instead of him. I don’t know, I think that’s just better storytelling. In the remake they basically spoiled the whole plot including cloud‘s character development in just the first game. Even if you haven’t played the original there isn’t really much left of the story to be revealed, no mystery to unravel.
At least someone gets where I'm coming from. To me the story is the most important aspect of an RPG. Gotta nail it to call yourself a successful one. I feel like a lot of the people who enjoy Remake/Rebirth are either not fans of the original or not fans of RPGs. And that's fine but when they start saying that it is better than the original they lose me.
I do genuinely appreciate it though how they made the game even more queer-coded than it already was, especially but not exclusively in the crossdressing subplot. I just wish there was a way to wear Cloud‘s dress in battle. E could totally save that kid.
Eh, I think that scene is emblematic of the problems with this Remake project. What was a small throw away gag in the original was morphed into a huge subplot filled with musical numbers and mini games. It stops being funny if you lean into these things too hard. But subtlety is not something that is appreciated in the gaming sphere, I guess.
I was researching into Final Fantasy VI recently for my article and this quote from Kitase feels emblematic of the problems with modern Final Fantasy:
“It’s maybe strange to say [this], but I miss the limitations of making games in those days,” Kitase admits. “The cartridge capacity was so much smaller, of course, and therefore the challenges were that much greater. But nowadays you can do almost anything in a game. It’s a paradox, but this can be more creatively limiting than having hard technical limitations to work within. There is a certain freedom to be found in working within strict boundaries, one clearly evident in Final Fantasy VI.”
I’ve only played the first part of the remake so I’ll reserve judgment but I thought it was alright, maybe even good. It’s shockingly uneven though.
Whenever it’s good it’s absolutely fantastic and whenever it’s bad it makes you scratch your head so hard you’re in danger of scraping away your scalp. The ending especially was so terrible it made me think I was playing a kingdom hearts sequel. So all in all kind of a harebrained project with major issues that I don’t think ruin the game but do distract from enjoying it.
The changes to the story and the introduction of sephiroth right at the beginning of the game are such distractions. Sure, by now everyone knows sephiroth and he’s not a surprise anymore but the way the original very slowly introduced him was just so much more impactful. For significant parts of the game you just see the aftermath of his actions instead of him. I don’t know, I think that’s just better storytelling. In the remake they basically spoiled the whole plot including cloud‘s character development in just the first game. Even if you haven’t played the original there isn’t really much left of the story to be revealed, no mystery to unravel.
I do genuinely appreciate it though how they made the game even more queer-coded than it already was, especially but not exclusively in the crossdressing subplot. I just wish there was a way to wear Cloud‘s dress in battle. E could totally save that kid.
Allowing Nomura to write video games was clearly a mistake. But he's so good at character designs and so entrenched in the Final Fantasy identity that they can't demote or fire him. It is up to Kitase to not be Nomura's lackey and work hard to improve the storytelling in the series.
Allowing Nomura to write video games was clearly a mistake. But he's so good at character designs and so entrenched in the Final Fantasy identity that they can't demote or fire him. It is up to Kitase to not be Nomura's lackey and work hard to improve the storytelling in the series.
I'd like to add that, as much as I despise these games, I actually like how they are strange sequels to Advent Children rather than the usual, creatively bankrupt, rehashes.
They should really stop remaking good games, too bad no one cares about bad games enough to re-do those
I'd like to add that, as much as I despise these games, I actually like how they are strange sequels to Advent Children rather than the usual, creatively bankrupt, rehashes.
They should really stop remaking good games, too bad no one cares about bad games enough to re-do those
Its the remake paradox, the games that need the remakes aren't popular enough to justify them from a sales perspective and the games that get the remakes don't need them.
Its the remake paradox, the games that need the remakes aren't popular enough to justify them from a sales perspective and the games that get the remakes don't need them.
What was a small throw away gag in the original was morphed into a huge subplot filled with musical numbers and mini games. It stops being funny if you lean into these things too hard. But subtlety is not something that is appreciated in the gaming sphere, I guess.
Well, the crossdressing saga was also a sizeable subplot with mini games in the original and subtlety has never been the strong suit of the Final Fantasy series.
I think leaning more into the deliberate queerness of the crossdressing subplot was done to finally clarify how it was originally meant, because for decades it was never entirely clear if it was supposed to be humorous or a mockery of gender-nonconformity. I think that was a big step for a Japanese developer. Queer-coding is as far as they’re willing to go as of now, but baby steps.
Nomura‘s legacy within Square is a complicated one. He was responsible for some iconic work in the past but it’s become abundantly clear that he lacks creativity and vision.
Well, the crossdressing saga was also a sizeable subplot with mini games in the original and subtlety has never been the strong suit of the Final Fantasy series.
I think leaning more into the deliberate queerness of the crossdressing subplot was done to finally clarify how it was originally meant, because for decades it was never entirely clear if it was supposed to be humorous or a mockery of gender-nonconformity. I think that was a big step for a Japanese developer. Queer-coding is as far as they’re willing to go as of now, but baby steps.
I doubt it was that. It was clearly a homophobic joke, as casual homophobia was rampant during the 90's. I didn't like those types of jokes back then but I'm not a huge fan of politically correcting video games for modern sensibilities. Feels too close to censorship/erasure of history. The more and more I think about it, the more I am artistically (I was going to say morally, but that seems too strong when talking about commercial video games) opposed to remakes in general. Feels like someone scribbling over the Mona Lisa with graffiti because graffiti is cool now.
Eh, I think that scene is emblematic of the problems with this Remake project. What was a small throw away gag in the original was morphed into a huge subplot filled with musical numbers and mini games. It stops being funny if you lean into these things too hard. But subtlety is not something that is appreciated in the gaming sphere, I guess.
The whole Wall-Market lasted 10 minutes in the original, It's funny for what it is but that's it;
But to be honest, I really didn't need to play dress-up and be an errand boy for a whole chapter in the Remake.
While we're on the subject, I mostly enjoy actually playing the FF7 remakes. The combat is honestly a good time, particularly in the second game. There's *too* many mini-games, but that was a problem with the original and I did find a bunch that were genuinely fun. It's gorgeous, the music is unsurprisingly wonderful, and it still has the underlying plot and characters.
It's the additions, the twists that are trying too hard to be mysterious when it isn't *that* deep. The first one is a metaphor for the challenges of re-making the game at all, with a kind of imposed fate on the cast and setting. The additional acting afforded by the technology - like the facial movements, cinematography, and voice acting - aren't always used well. They draw out parts of the game to the point of silliness, like Cloud's frequent static effect "filter" (I'm going to try to keep this spoiler-free) being used so often that you just can't imagine why the other characters aren't telling him to lay down and take an aspirin.
The real disappointment to me, though, is that they aren't actually taking chances. The first game eludes to the constraints, but ends with the declaration that Things Will Be Different, This Time.
....but they aren't? The second game still went through the same plot, they haven't taken any real chances. The ending is just another cliffhanger, and No Really The Next One *Might* Be Different.
I'm not saying it should be drastically different, but considering....hm, I'll put this in spoiler tags.
Considering that the games are going the route of Star Trek (2009) and invoking time-travel, like the original game materially happened (or will, I guess it might not be time-travel so much as someone can see the future that will be and is working to change it) and the remakes are more of a sequel than an actual re-telling. It's clear that they're having their cake and eating it too, though. It *is* still a remake, with few diversions; made to show off the leap in technology more than putting a twist on the material.
Personally, I wish they had more guts, but I can't pretend I didn't have fun playing Queen's Blood and the Battle Square.
The whole Wall-Market lasted 10 minutes in the original, It's funny for what it is but that's it;
But to be honest, I really didn't need to play dress-up for a whole chapter in the Remake.
Yeah, to be fair, I didn't like that scene in the original. It felt like it went waaay too long and it was clearly homophobic, but it was an optional thing. Now they leaned into it hard and made it into a sex positive thing, which is cool, but its not what was in Final Fantasy VII. This game shouldn't have been called Final Fantasy VII Remake because it isn't trying to be that. Its trying to rewrite history and pretend to be something it wasn't while also commenting on a bunch of stuff that wasn't present in the original.
Honestly, its more of a philosophical thing for me. If it were up to me, 99% of the remake projects would cease to exist and would be replaced with original projects with real artistic ambition. I don't see the value in regurgitating the past but making it safer for modern audiences to engage with it while improving the graphics. That isn't value to me. I'm clearly not the audience for these things.
I wouldn't go that far. But they are clearly at a crisis point with Nomura at the helm. The series will continue to bank on nostalgia and self references until people stop caring about chocobos and moogles.
Yoshida I'm kind of ambivalent about. He seems to get the tone of Final Fantasy, but hasn't really nailed the gameplay side of things from my perspective.
The real talent is Tomoya Asano, the director of games such as DQ3 Remake, Triangle Strategy and Octopath Traveler. But I'm not sure they will let him touch Final Fantasy.
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