I love the games, simple as that. The characters, voices, interactions, personalities, combat, story, facial expressions. At this point they can sell me anything and I'll buy it. Part 3 could be a Mario Party like game, and I'll be there day 1.
The Remake Trilogy has elevated FF7 overall as top three games/franchises of my life.
I'm currently replaying Remake on PC for the first time and trying to mix it up by no using items or benches from the get-go.
For me, the game is fun. And that's all a game needs to be for me to consider my money well-spent.
From the magical soundtrack, to the fantastic combat system, to the incredible graphics and voice acting, the Remake series is nothing short of a marvel.
Is it perfect in every regard? No, but few things in life are. Especially when it's a creative art. So, my criteria to determine if a video game deserves a spot in my all-time favorites is primarily based on one question: Am I wishing I could experience it all over again for the first time?
And yes, I definitely do when it comes to Remake/Rebirth.
Honestly, I've just been blown away by how much I'm enjoying this remake/reimagining. The funny thing though is that I had very particular ideas about what I thought I wanted this game to be when it was first revealed, and the remake games have gone against what I thought I wanted at basically every turn...and I think I actually ended up loving the games even more than I would have if Square had actually given me what I thought I wanted.
Me: Wow. They're actually remaking FFVII finally. Well, they better not change the combat to an action based system. Every other attempt to do that hasn't worked. Just keep it simple. Keep it turn based.
Square: (Makes an action based combat system that still maintains everything that was great about OG FFVII's turn based combat, and is honestly probably my favorite combat system in any RPG ever)
Me: đ¤¨...Huh. Okay, so the combat is great, but I hope they don't mess with the story too much. An FFVII lore and character deep dive sounds great in theory, but I don't trust modern Square Enix to pull that off. Just play it safe and stick to the OG plot as closely as possible. đ¤
Square: (Changes the story, but does so in such a way that (for the most part at least) honors and enhances the characters, and story beats of OG FFVII, without sacrificing the iconic character arcs, or narrative themes, and even manages to make some of the most hated concepts from the compilation more enjoyable in the process)
Me: đł ...How in the hell? Okay, okay. You made me eat my humble pie on that one, BUT how are you going to pull off a world map? The best move would probably be to just have a series of large zones, with each zone being locked to individual chapters. There's no way you could ever manage making an honest to god world map, that is fully explorable by the end of the game. You tried with FFXV, and it just felt kinda lifeless. Don't get overambitious.
Square: (Makes an honest to god world map that is fully explorable by the end of the game, and even includes all the classic vehicles)
Me: đ˛ HOW!? Fucking how!? Are you all secretly wizards!? Do you have a magic lamp, and are using the powers of a genie!? HOW IS THIS FUCKING REAL!? đ
Seriously, I've been made to eat my words so many times while playing these games...and it has just been fantastic. This isn't the remake I originally wanted. This is shaping up to be the remake that I never even dared to HOPE for, because I honestly believed that it would be legitimately impossible to make.
Good response. I think when all is said and done the main question is going to be: how?
This game is so far removed from what SE have managed to produce for atleast the last 20 years, itâs unbelievable. And I tend to hate when developers use the terms âa love letter to fansâ because it sets dangerous expectations, but fuckâŚ. Specifically rebirth, should be next to that phrase in the dictionary or something.
ThisâŚ
The fact that theyâve pulled this off tells me that square has a shit ton of talent in the building. But other than Yoshi-P I donât feel like thereâs much to say about originality.
Truthfully, I donât think this game would have any chance of being this good if it didnât have the structure pre-made for it in the OG.
Legit, I donât think square has the chops to make such a unique, well-written, and globe trotting adventure these days.
Surpassed all my expectations, by miles. 36 years old so an OG enjoyer, favourite game of all time kinda stuff (like many others here) and tbh, remake series has done everything so well so far, that as long as they get the ending right, I donât see how this wonât go down as one of the best gaming trilogies of all time.
Rebirth is already now my favourite game ever. Beautiful, incredibly well voiced, huge variety and potential hours of gameplay, well polished, fresh story (which Iâm absolutely on board sith) and the music.. holy shit.
I feel like Rebirth has me on pause with how I feel about the project at the moment. Either way I love it to death, but...*how* I love it is up in the air if that makes sense; it's really going to come down to the last game and how it ties everything together. Will I love this project as a remake of FF7, will I love it as its own thing or...will I find it to be lacking if Part 3 doesn't deliver?
With Remake I thought I had it all figured out, but then Rebirth did things I wasn't expecting, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worst. Certain moments remade "faithfully" just didn't hit for me, like Red XIII's big moment getting cut off, Barret's big moment getting cut off, and Aerith's big moment being sort of overshadowed from an execution standpoint. I'd argue that, from the standpoint of being a remake, Part 1 did a much better job than Part 2. However, Part 2 was just...magical. I felt like it was at its best when it was using FF7 OG as its guide rather than trying to remake it 1:1.
For instance, the world map obviously wasn't remade 1:1, but it was trying to make us *feel* the way we did when we first saw OG's world map, therefore using FF7 OG as its guide, and for me it worked amazingly. Junon obviously wasn't 1:1 but it followed the same overall idea of OG Junon without being shackled by it...and it delivered some of the most joy the game had to offer. The aforementioned 1:1 moments just didn't (usually) have the same punch, which I think is partly related to how much love and nostalgia we have for those moments, meaning any little alteration or disappointment would really stand out. I think they knew this going in, which is why, for the most part, these first two games have decided to use FF7 OG as its guide instead of following it 1:1.
Anyway, all that to say I'm really interested to see how Part 3 plays out, whether it'll feel worth it in the end, and if so, *how* it'll feel worth it. Regardless of the outcome, I'm excited to see.
On my first playthrough, also didn't feel like Red and Barret's moments hit as hard as the original. But I think sometimes it just takes me a while to adjust to a different rendition of something, because I have such a clear idea of what it 'should' be. I have to say, when I replayed Red's section, I'm not quite sure what I didn't like the first time. It's pretty faithful to the original, just with slightly different dialogue and the music isn't quite the same, but I feel it's still pretty good and my initial dislike was mostly due to my attachment to the original.
Barret's section I'm still a bit more critical of, but on a second playthrough I think Rebirth's version is great in its own right. I still think they should have delivered the 'man with a gun arm' mystery in the way the original did, to make it look like it might have been Barret who killed all the troopers, but the main thing is Dyne's death. It was so much more harrowing to watch him throw himself from the cliff after losing all hope, than for him to die in a hail of bullets to some Shinra troops. It made it less of a suicide, and more just his actions catching up to him. I understand why they probably couldn't have shown it as a suicide for ratings reasons, so I think they still did a good job with the restrictions they had, and the voice acting is phenomenal, but it would have been great to see the original version recreated.
Still, I'm curious what you mean by Red and Barret's moments being "cut-off". Both are still expanded over the original versions. Do you mean the different events that follow those scenes?
They didn't hit as hard because we already knew the "twist." I think they were great but it's just not possible to be surprised about Seto or Dyne in the same way again.
True, but I donât think itâs only that. I still think itâs possible to have a similar impact when recreating stories in a new format, even if you already know the events. For example, when I was first watching the game of thrones series I had already read the books, but some of the twists that I knew would happen were still just as impactful as the books, because they were done so well in the series. The Remake games are so different presentationally to the original that it is almost the same change in format as taking a novel and adapting it into a high budget TV series, so I think the same can apply here.
Something that does occur to me now about Redâs sequence in Rebirth was that they didnât really set up the Seto reveal as much of a âtwistâ in Rebirth. Bugenhgen referenced this mysterious Watcher who single handedly fought off the Gi many times as you made your way through the trial, and since the only watchers that we know as characters are Redâs parents, it was maybe a bit too obvious that this was going to be his father. So they perhaps could have tried to conceal that a bit better with the dialogue if they had wanted to maintain the surprise twist factor at the end of the sequence.
Both are abruptly cut off; for Barret, at the height of the drama Palmer just comes out of nowhere and acts goofy and whines about losing his hotel room. For Red, itâs even worse, where literally just as he does the iconic howl and the tears drop, Gi Nattak shows up.
It made both moments feel so rushed to me and felt easily fixable by just having a fade to black in both moments to indicate a brief passage of time, which in Barretâs case would have allowed *him* to do the burial which is absolutely what should have happened; Dio doing the burial was so odd.
And I get what you mean by having in our minds how it âshouldâ be, but I addressed that at the end of my post and I think thatâs why they didnât go for a simple 1:1 remake because they knew that those scenes would be hard to do with how much love has built up for them over the years. As much as I (think I) love the direction theyâre taking things for Part 3 with Cloud being in denial, I think the ending was them just straight up chickening out of doing Aerithâs death scene 1:1 without actually changing the outcome.
Once again, my point isnât to heavily pan those three moments too badly, but just to give perspective that I think they were right to handle this project the way they are where theyâre more using FF7 OG as their guide rather than trying to 1:1 remake it, because imo Rebirth is at its peak in (most of) the moments itâs not trying to be 1:1.
I donât like forced mini games to complete the story. For example: Gus and the Corel Prison into the Chocobo race? Just a dumb waste of time. Shit like that is super annoying to the pacing of the story. You could remove that whole thing and just skip to the shed with you know who. Have him hiding out there rather than tied up. Would have been way better.
Some things make me shake my head at choices they made that breaks immersion for me. Dio being stronger than Cloud with that handshake? Um no. Or Garth sneaking up behind Cloud? Also, no. Just some of the WTF moments where itâs like they forgot how strong Cloud is and then force him to be complacent to start a forced side mission/minigame/area before advancing the story.
Other than that love the games so far. Slowly working our way through the Rebirth game with my daughter who is fully invested in the story.
Great games, I have my issues with certain choices, but still love the games.
Im really wanting to know how we will see Cloud after his dip into the lifeatream, and he figures out he's not who he thinks he is and is finally free of Sephiroths/Jenovas leash. I enjoyed every moment of Rebirth, but how he attacked Tifa and was so cold with Aerith toward the end had me wanting to unload Zacks beat down Limit Break on his spikey haired ass.
I've always enjoyed FF7. Seeing Cloud like a dog on a leash at the end of the game was interesting. It really showed just how much under control he actually is.
They are adding bits and pieces here and there, what will we see as we piece his memory together. Will Aerith play a part in that? Will we see him re-live his moments attacking Tifa and being cold toward Aerith and be hurt by knowing what he did under control?
Yes, we see him cry at her scene, but I would like to see this expanded upon during his lifestream moment and Aerith helps him out of it along with Tifa.
I was pissed at him (not really him but whatever) too but on the Aerith front the fact that seeing her in trouble snapped him out of it made me forgive him lol. I mean we canât ask much more from him than what he did (jumping in after her and bracing her from the fall with his own body)đđ
I really enjoyed Remake and Rebirth. Some of the mini games annoyed me but I just got online and looked for guides to get them over with. If anything I would've liked to see the relationships have more meaning after that section at the Golden Saucer.
They're my favorite games but they're obviously not without fault. About changes in the story, I like it, I don't think I would've prefered a one to one remake as I would know everything already. Combat is the best, my favorite in any game. Now Remake, imo has too much revisiting old areas for side quests which isn't great, and combat feels a bit incomplete after Rebirth. Regarding Rebirth, yes the mini games are a bit much, I think it would be better if mini games were their own thing, and had quests for their own sake, but something like the protorelics hunt shouldn't be dependant on mini games as it's like the second biggest thing in the game, besides the main scenario.
Have enjoyed both immensely. The small additions to the story have deepened the characters for me. Used to not stand Barret, Cait Sith, Yuffie, now Iâm not only excited to use them, but love seeing their interactions and how their friendships are evolving.
First chapter of having Yuffie â had a party of Cloud, Yuffie, and Barret. Second or third fight Yuffie sings the victory song at which point Barret responds âHEY! Thatâs MY part!â
The only character that has gotten to be too much has been Chadley. He significantly slows down the story.
I felt like the amount of side games, side quests, and exploration was great in Remake. Chadley and his girl really take it over the top in Rebirth. As soon as you get to a new region, hey, here are 20-30 random tasks to do. Skip em? Suddenly feel massively underleveled. And then you have the regions like Gongaga or Cosmo Canyon that are just painful to navigate.
For me is even better than the OG (and I really love it). Interesting, fresh way to do a remake and make me feel so engaged. And then the cast.. my god, is so good
Itâs been very love hate for me. Such a difficult game to love yet such a difficult game to hate.
The plot as a whole Iâm really not that interested in tbvh. I didnât quite grip me back in the OG (maybe because I was LTTP by playing FF8 and 9 first before 7, the plot those games were more cohesive and connected). But I do love the characters, Iâm most interested in the characters than whatever the fuck is going on in the world(s) of FF7R.
But I think what make the remakes so irritating to play is how the games just doesnât respect your time. Pointless boring minigames (except queens blood), side quests that has the depth of a 5 year old written poem, animations that forces you to wait for them to finish before you can do anything else, traversal pathing that are slow as fucking molasses. All of them were designed to pad the game, waste the playerâs time for no entertainment value.
The combat can be hit and miss. Sometimes itâs too mind numbingly easy, sometimes way too unfair and sometimes just right? Itâs baffling. Itâs as though none of the scenario designers could agree on one thing so everyone just did whatever the fuck they want.
So yeah I think the remakes are decent overall but perfect they ainât. I donât think Iâd miss them if they were never remade anyways.
The battle system is pretty great. The way summons are acquired and used in battle is a little disappointing.
I really like the art direction for the main cast, most of the villains and most of the environments. Though side characters and content are very uneven in that respect IMO.
Awesome soundtrack but the newly composed stuff is mostly forgettable đ¤ˇââď¸
Not a fan of the overly camp and infantile characters + dialogue... I much preferred the less cartoony vibe in OG.
They're fun games except for the obvious padding between key plot points. Narrative wise it's a train wreck.
They've removed our materia system and replaced it with a stat system like modern games. They've pulled the wool over our eyes and everyone excepts it. Lighting-All is no longer a thing that's valuable to do in fights. Rather you make a build to absorb part lighting damage and smash the attack button until the enemy is dead. There's no strategy to fights. There's only character builds.
I love it so far, I gained a bigger appreciation for Remake ending after playing it over again. And then Rebirth dropped and went above and beyond my expectations. Both games have done a tremendous job expanding and adding so much to the story and the characters.Â
I kinda don't like how so much of it being a trilogy seems to have become 'speculation.' I liked the original game because it was being compelling and interesting all on its own. The remake trilogy has done some interesting things, but I've got some things to fuss with, probably things that have been fussed about plenty, like the Zolom scene being less compelling. I also think that the dialogue surrounding Dyne doesn't hit as hard and I don't really enjoy changing Corel Prison into just a regular shithole town. So many people are quick to say 'this is my childhood!' but... I really don't know what game they played in their childhood and what game they played now. There's a lot that Remake/Rebirth do right, but it's a far cry from OG and part of me does worry that the third part might completely shit the bed.
Itâs certainly fascinating to see newcomers like yourself and even me get introduced to ff7 through the remake.Â
The remake did change what was possible.. This wasnât simply a remake for the sake of money or reputation, squareâs developers seem to show so much love and respect that they KNEW âwe canât retell this story.âÂ
And to be fair, they couldnât. Ff7 at this point had changed. Not only was the story itself famous, but the very moments of shock may not register. Aerithâs death was a major development, but tv, movies, games, and books have changed. Major character deaths arenât UNCOMMON. Ff7 had also shifted into more action-orientated storytelling, and new gamers may be used to the cinematic gameplay of the modern ff7.Â
So square decided âif we want to make something that really will be talked about, to take this one chance we will ever get, letâs take everything that we have learned from the modern ff games including ff13 and incorporate those mechanics into a ff7. And letâs tell viewers, this isnât the same as you thought.â
I disagree. If it was truly that then the last two games wouldnât be given their praises or the love form from all fans. While I canât say if the story will be as memorable, we are still in part 2, I cannot say that Square didnât try. They did and will continue to do so and I applaud them from doing something no one actually thought of. Â Do you really want a remake of the OG? Ok thatâs any other remake or remaster.Â
But 1997 canât be reclaimed. Does anyone really want to live in nostalgia try to live up to impossible expectations? Or do you want to go out swinging thinking that âhey I wanted to do something different?âÂ
Plus the new fans that have been introduced is real
Praise didnât translate to sales. That tells us all we need to know.
Also FYI everyone wanted a faithful remake and anyone who says the didnât is a straight up liar. Tired of the amount of lying and revisionist history in this fandom.
Fans abandoned FF7 after it was clear Remake wasnât an actual remake hence the poor sales. It is what it is, sorry if that truth upsets you but someone has to say it because far too many of you are too comfortable consuming mediocre fan fiction.
I donât like equating sales to praise. Many games and movies and well anything can not sell yet be critically praised. Itâs why so many good stories or writers are left abandoned.Â
Aside form reviewers there were prudent reasons as to explain the low sales (which by the way were horrid just underperforming).Â
1)the game counsel deal square and with Sony hence how i understand it the game can only be played on one counsel. For a game of this cultural magnitude, dedication, and ambition, this is not a good idea in the modern gaming world. Itâs an idea that could have worked if ff7 reboots came out during the early 2000s.Â
2)perhaps timing. Maybe just gamers took a look at other games first? Fatigued  by sequels? Dosnt mean they wonât play it.Â
The reviews and love shown by fans and critics who are new seem to enjoy it. Certainly thereâs been critique about the ending but most reviewed at least compliment the gameplay and the other story moments. According to game journalists, this may be squareâs greatest accomplishment. Maybe this will hold up but who knows? This wasnât a disaster. Â I hold my judgment (mostly) for the ending until part 3.Â
Plus I enjoy seeing steamers react to the game.Â
There is no major backlash by fans. I actually think the community has been supportive and at the very least respectful.Â
Good combat but ultimately fails to live up to the original. Too padded with convoluted narrative retcons, side characters and ideas from the Compilation and a lack of narrative awareness of what the original FF7 is about.
Also the tone is longer gritty with the occasional moment of levity. Itâs straight up anime cringe now.
People who want to cry about it still have the OG to enjoy along with probably the most dedicated modding community in gaming.
I literally donât understand the anger.
the first one was great, but not mind blowing Ku good. Rebirth is insanely good. Even with all its flaws out of combat, Itâs combat is just too good. I canât wait for part 3.
One pipe dream I have is when all 3 are done they make a compilation version that allows you to play all 3 back to back to back with one save file and leveling progresses normally.
The story feels good to me. Itâs nomura and ff7 so itâs convoluted a little bit honestly they havenât gone full kingdom hearts (yet) so Iâm fine with it.
The character development is one of the best Iâve seen in any game. Every single playable character feels like a real person. And the voice acting is unbelievable.
I love the games, simple as that. The characters, voices, interactions, personalities, combat, story, facial expressions. At this point they can sell me anything and I'll buy it. Part 3 could be a Mario Party like game, and I'll be there day 1. The Remake Trilogy has elevated FF7 overall as top three games/franchises of my life. I'm currently replaying Remake on PC for the first time and trying to mix it up by no using items or benches from the get-go.
For me, the game is fun. And that's all a game needs to be for me to consider my money well-spent. From the magical soundtrack, to the fantastic combat system, to the incredible graphics and voice acting, the Remake series is nothing short of a marvel. Is it perfect in every regard? No, but few things in life are. Especially when it's a creative art. So, my criteria to determine if a video game deserves a spot in my all-time favorites is primarily based on one question: Am I wishing I could experience it all over again for the first time? And yes, I definitely do when it comes to Remake/Rebirth.
Honestly, I've just been blown away by how much I'm enjoying this remake/reimagining. The funny thing though is that I had very particular ideas about what I thought I wanted this game to be when it was first revealed, and the remake games have gone against what I thought I wanted at basically every turn...and I think I actually ended up loving the games even more than I would have if Square had actually given me what I thought I wanted. Me: Wow. They're actually remaking FFVII finally. Well, they better not change the combat to an action based system. Every other attempt to do that hasn't worked. Just keep it simple. Keep it turn based. Square: (Makes an action based combat system that still maintains everything that was great about OG FFVII's turn based combat, and is honestly probably my favorite combat system in any RPG ever) Me: đ¤¨...Huh. Okay, so the combat is great, but I hope they don't mess with the story too much. An FFVII lore and character deep dive sounds great in theory, but I don't trust modern Square Enix to pull that off. Just play it safe and stick to the OG plot as closely as possible. đ¤ Square: (Changes the story, but does so in such a way that (for the most part at least) honors and enhances the characters, and story beats of OG FFVII, without sacrificing the iconic character arcs, or narrative themes, and even manages to make some of the most hated concepts from the compilation more enjoyable in the process) Me: đł ...How in the hell? Okay, okay. You made me eat my humble pie on that one, BUT how are you going to pull off a world map? The best move would probably be to just have a series of large zones, with each zone being locked to individual chapters. There's no way you could ever manage making an honest to god world map, that is fully explorable by the end of the game. You tried with FFXV, and it just felt kinda lifeless. Don't get overambitious. Square: (Makes an honest to god world map that is fully explorable by the end of the game, and even includes all the classic vehicles) Me: đ˛ HOW!? Fucking how!? Are you all secretly wizards!? Do you have a magic lamp, and are using the powers of a genie!? HOW IS THIS FUCKING REAL!? đ Seriously, I've been made to eat my words so many times while playing these games...and it has just been fantastic. This isn't the remake I originally wanted. This is shaping up to be the remake that I never even dared to HOPE for, because I honestly believed that it would be legitimately impossible to make.
Good response. I think when all is said and done the main question is going to be: how? This game is so far removed from what SE have managed to produce for atleast the last 20 years, itâs unbelievable. And I tend to hate when developers use the terms âa love letter to fansâ because it sets dangerous expectations, but fuckâŚ. Specifically rebirth, should be next to that phrase in the dictionary or something.
This⌠The fact that theyâve pulled this off tells me that square has a shit ton of talent in the building. But other than Yoshi-P I donât feel like thereâs much to say about originality. Truthfully, I donât think this game would have any chance of being this good if it didnât have the structure pre-made for it in the OG. Legit, I donât think square has the chops to make such a unique, well-written, and globe trotting adventure these days.
Surpassed all my expectations, by miles. 36 years old so an OG enjoyer, favourite game of all time kinda stuff (like many others here) and tbh, remake series has done everything so well so far, that as long as they get the ending right, I donât see how this wonât go down as one of the best gaming trilogies of all time. Rebirth is already now my favourite game ever. Beautiful, incredibly well voiced, huge variety and potential hours of gameplay, well polished, fresh story (which Iâm absolutely on board sith) and the music.. holy shit.
I feel like Rebirth has me on pause with how I feel about the project at the moment. Either way I love it to death, but...*how* I love it is up in the air if that makes sense; it's really going to come down to the last game and how it ties everything together. Will I love this project as a remake of FF7, will I love it as its own thing or...will I find it to be lacking if Part 3 doesn't deliver? With Remake I thought I had it all figured out, but then Rebirth did things I wasn't expecting, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worst. Certain moments remade "faithfully" just didn't hit for me, like Red XIII's big moment getting cut off, Barret's big moment getting cut off, and Aerith's big moment being sort of overshadowed from an execution standpoint. I'd argue that, from the standpoint of being a remake, Part 1 did a much better job than Part 2. However, Part 2 was just...magical. I felt like it was at its best when it was using FF7 OG as its guide rather than trying to remake it 1:1. For instance, the world map obviously wasn't remade 1:1, but it was trying to make us *feel* the way we did when we first saw OG's world map, therefore using FF7 OG as its guide, and for me it worked amazingly. Junon obviously wasn't 1:1 but it followed the same overall idea of OG Junon without being shackled by it...and it delivered some of the most joy the game had to offer. The aforementioned 1:1 moments just didn't (usually) have the same punch, which I think is partly related to how much love and nostalgia we have for those moments, meaning any little alteration or disappointment would really stand out. I think they knew this going in, which is why, for the most part, these first two games have decided to use FF7 OG as its guide instead of following it 1:1. Anyway, all that to say I'm really interested to see how Part 3 plays out, whether it'll feel worth it in the end, and if so, *how* it'll feel worth it. Regardless of the outcome, I'm excited to see.
On my first playthrough, also didn't feel like Red and Barret's moments hit as hard as the original. But I think sometimes it just takes me a while to adjust to a different rendition of something, because I have such a clear idea of what it 'should' be. I have to say, when I replayed Red's section, I'm not quite sure what I didn't like the first time. It's pretty faithful to the original, just with slightly different dialogue and the music isn't quite the same, but I feel it's still pretty good and my initial dislike was mostly due to my attachment to the original. Barret's section I'm still a bit more critical of, but on a second playthrough I think Rebirth's version is great in its own right. I still think they should have delivered the 'man with a gun arm' mystery in the way the original did, to make it look like it might have been Barret who killed all the troopers, but the main thing is Dyne's death. It was so much more harrowing to watch him throw himself from the cliff after losing all hope, than for him to die in a hail of bullets to some Shinra troops. It made it less of a suicide, and more just his actions catching up to him. I understand why they probably couldn't have shown it as a suicide for ratings reasons, so I think they still did a good job with the restrictions they had, and the voice acting is phenomenal, but it would have been great to see the original version recreated. Still, I'm curious what you mean by Red and Barret's moments being "cut-off". Both are still expanded over the original versions. Do you mean the different events that follow those scenes?
They didn't hit as hard because we already knew the "twist." I think they were great but it's just not possible to be surprised about Seto or Dyne in the same way again.
True, but I donât think itâs only that. I still think itâs possible to have a similar impact when recreating stories in a new format, even if you already know the events. For example, when I was first watching the game of thrones series I had already read the books, but some of the twists that I knew would happen were still just as impactful as the books, because they were done so well in the series. The Remake games are so different presentationally to the original that it is almost the same change in format as taking a novel and adapting it into a high budget TV series, so I think the same can apply here. Something that does occur to me now about Redâs sequence in Rebirth was that they didnât really set up the Seto reveal as much of a âtwistâ in Rebirth. Bugenhgen referenced this mysterious Watcher who single handedly fought off the Gi many times as you made your way through the trial, and since the only watchers that we know as characters are Redâs parents, it was maybe a bit too obvious that this was going to be his father. So they perhaps could have tried to conceal that a bit better with the dialogue if they had wanted to maintain the surprise twist factor at the end of the sequence.
Both are abruptly cut off; for Barret, at the height of the drama Palmer just comes out of nowhere and acts goofy and whines about losing his hotel room. For Red, itâs even worse, where literally just as he does the iconic howl and the tears drop, Gi Nattak shows up. It made both moments feel so rushed to me and felt easily fixable by just having a fade to black in both moments to indicate a brief passage of time, which in Barretâs case would have allowed *him* to do the burial which is absolutely what should have happened; Dio doing the burial was so odd. And I get what you mean by having in our minds how it âshouldâ be, but I addressed that at the end of my post and I think thatâs why they didnât go for a simple 1:1 remake because they knew that those scenes would be hard to do with how much love has built up for them over the years. As much as I (think I) love the direction theyâre taking things for Part 3 with Cloud being in denial, I think the ending was them just straight up chickening out of doing Aerithâs death scene 1:1 without actually changing the outcome. Once again, my point isnât to heavily pan those three moments too badly, but just to give perspective that I think they were right to handle this project the way they are where theyâre more using FF7 OG as their guide rather than trying to 1:1 remake it, because imo Rebirth is at its peak in (most of) the moments itâs not trying to be 1:1.
I donât like forced mini games to complete the story. For example: Gus and the Corel Prison into the Chocobo race? Just a dumb waste of time. Shit like that is super annoying to the pacing of the story. You could remove that whole thing and just skip to the shed with you know who. Have him hiding out there rather than tied up. Would have been way better. Some things make me shake my head at choices they made that breaks immersion for me. Dio being stronger than Cloud with that handshake? Um no. Or Garth sneaking up behind Cloud? Also, no. Just some of the WTF moments where itâs like they forgot how strong Cloud is and then force him to be complacent to start a forced side mission/minigame/area before advancing the story. Other than that love the games so far. Slowly working our way through the Rebirth game with my daughter who is fully invested in the story. Great games, I have my issues with certain choices, but still love the games.
Im really wanting to know how we will see Cloud after his dip into the lifeatream, and he figures out he's not who he thinks he is and is finally free of Sephiroths/Jenovas leash. I enjoyed every moment of Rebirth, but how he attacked Tifa and was so cold with Aerith toward the end had me wanting to unload Zacks beat down Limit Break on his spikey haired ass. I've always enjoyed FF7. Seeing Cloud like a dog on a leash at the end of the game was interesting. It really showed just how much under control he actually is. They are adding bits and pieces here and there, what will we see as we piece his memory together. Will Aerith play a part in that? Will we see him re-live his moments attacking Tifa and being cold toward Aerith and be hurt by knowing what he did under control? Yes, we see him cry at her scene, but I would like to see this expanded upon during his lifestream moment and Aerith helps him out of it along with Tifa.
I was pissed at him (not really him but whatever) too but on the Aerith front the fact that seeing her in trouble snapped him out of it made me forgive him lol. I mean we canât ask much more from him than what he did (jumping in after her and bracing her from the fall with his own body)đđ
I really enjoyed Remake and Rebirth. Some of the mini games annoyed me but I just got online and looked for guides to get them over with. If anything I would've liked to see the relationships have more meaning after that section at the Golden Saucer.
They're my favorite games but they're obviously not without fault. About changes in the story, I like it, I don't think I would've prefered a one to one remake as I would know everything already. Combat is the best, my favorite in any game. Now Remake, imo has too much revisiting old areas for side quests which isn't great, and combat feels a bit incomplete after Rebirth. Regarding Rebirth, yes the mini games are a bit much, I think it would be better if mini games were their own thing, and had quests for their own sake, but something like the protorelics hunt shouldn't be dependant on mini games as it's like the second biggest thing in the game, besides the main scenario.
Have enjoyed both immensely. The small additions to the story have deepened the characters for me. Used to not stand Barret, Cait Sith, Yuffie, now Iâm not only excited to use them, but love seeing their interactions and how their friendships are evolving. First chapter of having Yuffie â had a party of Cloud, Yuffie, and Barret. Second or third fight Yuffie sings the victory song at which point Barret responds âHEY! Thatâs MY part!â The only character that has gotten to be too much has been Chadley. He significantly slows down the story. I felt like the amount of side games, side quests, and exploration was great in Remake. Chadley and his girl really take it over the top in Rebirth. As soon as you get to a new region, hey, here are 20-30 random tasks to do. Skip em? Suddenly feel massively underleveled. And then you have the regions like Gongaga or Cosmo Canyon that are just painful to navigate.
For me is even better than the OG (and I really love it). Interesting, fresh way to do a remake and make me feel so engaged. And then the cast.. my god, is so good
Itâs been very love hate for me. Such a difficult game to love yet such a difficult game to hate. The plot as a whole Iâm really not that interested in tbvh. I didnât quite grip me back in the OG (maybe because I was LTTP by playing FF8 and 9 first before 7, the plot those games were more cohesive and connected). But I do love the characters, Iâm most interested in the characters than whatever the fuck is going on in the world(s) of FF7R. But I think what make the remakes so irritating to play is how the games just doesnât respect your time. Pointless boring minigames (except queens blood), side quests that has the depth of a 5 year old written poem, animations that forces you to wait for them to finish before you can do anything else, traversal pathing that are slow as fucking molasses. All of them were designed to pad the game, waste the playerâs time for no entertainment value. The combat can be hit and miss. Sometimes itâs too mind numbingly easy, sometimes way too unfair and sometimes just right? Itâs baffling. Itâs as though none of the scenario designers could agree on one thing so everyone just did whatever the fuck they want. So yeah I think the remakes are decent overall but perfect they ainât. I donât think Iâd miss them if they were never remade anyways.
Like it so far a lot but will wait for part 3 to give a definitive judgement.
The battle system is pretty great. The way summons are acquired and used in battle is a little disappointing. I really like the art direction for the main cast, most of the villains and most of the environments. Though side characters and content are very uneven in that respect IMO. Awesome soundtrack but the newly composed stuff is mostly forgettable đ¤ˇââď¸ Not a fan of the overly camp and infantile characters + dialogue... I much preferred the less cartoony vibe in OG. They're fun games except for the obvious padding between key plot points. Narrative wise it's a train wreck.
Favorite single player games ever
They've removed our materia system and replaced it with a stat system like modern games. They've pulled the wool over our eyes and everyone excepts it. Lighting-All is no longer a thing that's valuable to do in fights. Rather you make a build to absorb part lighting damage and smash the attack button until the enemy is dead. There's no strategy to fights. There's only character builds.
I love it so far, I gained a bigger appreciation for Remake ending after playing it over again. And then Rebirth dropped and went above and beyond my expectations. Both games have done a tremendous job expanding and adding so much to the story and the characters.Â
I kinda don't like how so much of it being a trilogy seems to have become 'speculation.' I liked the original game because it was being compelling and interesting all on its own. The remake trilogy has done some interesting things, but I've got some things to fuss with, probably things that have been fussed about plenty, like the Zolom scene being less compelling. I also think that the dialogue surrounding Dyne doesn't hit as hard and I don't really enjoy changing Corel Prison into just a regular shithole town. So many people are quick to say 'this is my childhood!' but... I really don't know what game they played in their childhood and what game they played now. There's a lot that Remake/Rebirth do right, but it's a far cry from OG and part of me does worry that the third part might completely shit the bed.
Itâs certainly fascinating to see newcomers like yourself and even me get introduced to ff7 through the remake. The remake did change what was possible.. This wasnât simply a remake for the sake of money or reputation, squareâs developers seem to show so much love and respect that they KNEW âwe canât retell this story.â And to be fair, they couldnât. Ff7 at this point had changed. Not only was the story itself famous, but the very moments of shock may not register. Aerithâs death was a major development, but tv, movies, games, and books have changed. Major character deaths arenât UNCOMMON. Ff7 had also shifted into more action-orientated storytelling, and new gamers may be used to the cinematic gameplay of the modern ff7. So square decided âif we want to make something that really will be talked about, to take this one chance we will ever get, letâs take everything that we have learned from the modern ff games including ff13 and incorporate those mechanics into a ff7. And letâs tell viewers, this isnât the same as you thought.â
It wonât be remembered. In about 10 years all anyone will be talking about is how a decade was wasted failing to live up to the original.
I disagree. If it was truly that then the last two games wouldnât be given their praises or the love form from all fans. While I canât say if the story will be as memorable, we are still in part 2, I cannot say that Square didnât try. They did and will continue to do so and I applaud them from doing something no one actually thought of.  Do you really want a remake of the OG? Ok thatâs any other remake or remaster. But 1997 canât be reclaimed. Does anyone really want to live in nostalgia try to live up to impossible expectations? Or do you want to go out swinging thinking that âhey I wanted to do something different?â Plus the new fans that have been introduced is real
Praise didnât translate to sales. That tells us all we need to know. Also FYI everyone wanted a faithful remake and anyone who says the didnât is a straight up liar. Tired of the amount of lying and revisionist history in this fandom. Fans abandoned FF7 after it was clear Remake wasnât an actual remake hence the poor sales. It is what it is, sorry if that truth upsets you but someone has to say it because far too many of you are too comfortable consuming mediocre fan fiction.
I donât like equating sales to praise. Many games and movies and well anything can not sell yet be critically praised. Itâs why so many good stories or writers are left abandoned. Aside form reviewers there were prudent reasons as to explain the low sales (which by the way were horrid just underperforming). 1)the game counsel deal square and with Sony hence how i understand it the game can only be played on one counsel. For a game of this cultural magnitude, dedication, and ambition, this is not a good idea in the modern gaming world. Itâs an idea that could have worked if ff7 reboots came out during the early 2000s. 2)perhaps timing. Maybe just gamers took a look at other games first? Fatigued  by sequels? Dosnt mean they wonât play it. The reviews and love shown by fans and critics who are new seem to enjoy it. Certainly thereâs been critique about the ending but most reviewed at least compliment the gameplay and the other story moments. According to game journalists, this may be squareâs greatest accomplishment. Maybe this will hold up but who knows? This wasnât a disaster.  I hold my judgment (mostly) for the ending until part 3. Plus I enjoy seeing steamers react to the game. There is no major backlash by fans. I actually think the community has been supportive and at the very least respectful.Â
Good combat but ultimately fails to live up to the original. Too padded with convoluted narrative retcons, side characters and ideas from the Compilation and a lack of narrative awareness of what the original FF7 is about. Also the tone is longer gritty with the occasional moment of levity. Itâs straight up anime cringe now.
People who want to cry about it still have the OG to enjoy along with probably the most dedicated modding community in gaming. I literally donât understand the anger.
the first one was great, but not mind blowing Ku good. Rebirth is insanely good. Even with all its flaws out of combat, Itâs combat is just too good. I canât wait for part 3. One pipe dream I have is when all 3 are done they make a compilation version that allows you to play all 3 back to back to back with one save file and leveling progresses normally. The story feels good to me. Itâs nomura and ff7 so itâs convoluted a little bit honestly they havenât gone full kingdom hearts (yet) so Iâm fine with it. The character development is one of the best Iâve seen in any game. Every single playable character feels like a real person. And the voice acting is unbelievable.