Final Fantasy VII Remake |OT| The Unknown Journey Will Continue

[HardcoreRetro]

Some guy/gal on ResetEra thread said it took 37 hours for him/her to beat it.

Time to check some budgetgaming sites.

[Svejk]

 

[Don Rumata]

Hardcore, were you expecting some Persona 5 abomination, dragging on for 150 hours? To me even something like Yakuza is way too long.
Keep in mind that it's supposed to be a "part 1" of a game that wasn't all that long to begin with.

That said, i think it's smarter to wait for a sale, we don't even know if they'll ever finish the whole thing, better not to invest too much into it.

[Ghoul]

Hardcore, were you expecting some Persona 5 abomination, dragging on for 150 hours? To me even something like Yakuza is way too long.
Keep in mind that it's supposed to be a "part 1" of a game that wasn't all that long to begin with.

That said, i think it's smarter to wait for a sale, we don't even know if they'll ever finish the whole thing, better not to invest too much into it.

Part two is a kickstarter and turns out like shenmue 3

[Svejk]

Hardcore, were you expecting some Persona 5 abomination, dragging on for 150 hours? To me even something like Yakuza is way too long.
Keep in mind that it's supposed to be a "part 1" of a game that wasn't all that long to begin with.

That said, i think it's smarter to wait for a sale, we don't even know if they'll ever finish the whole thing, better not to invest too much into it.

Part two is a kickstarter and turns out like shenmue 3

[HardcoreRetro]

Hardcore, were you expecting some Persona 5 abomination, dragging on for 150 hours?

I was expecting it to be 15 hours at most. (since they're covering like 6 hours of gameplay from the original.) So I didn't plan on picking it up at all at first. If I can find a decent deal I'll get it day one now.

[tiesto]

I heard there's a lot of shitty collectathon quests to pad the game length. 

[HardcoreRetro]

I got the platinum trophy in FF15. I can probably deal with this.

(The one skill that you need to max out by walking. I literally just put a rubberband on the two sticks so the character kept walking in circles and left the console running for a night.)

[MMaRsu]

I heard there's a lot of shitty collectathon quests to pad the game length. 

Lol u dont say 

[I'm a Puppy!]

Question is, is it 37 hours truly? Or 10 hours of quest and 27 hours of bullshit?

[Himu]

I heard there's a lot of shitty collectathon quests to pad the game length. 

Some guy/gal on ResetEra thread said it took 37 hours for him/her to beat it.

Time to check some budgetgaming sites.

What'd they think

[Don Rumata]

Question is, is it 37 hours truly? Or 10 hours of quest and 27 hours of bullshit?

TBF what constitutes "bullshit" is kind of subjective.

[HardcoreRetro]

What'd they think

Read like 10 pages of the thread and barely anyone is talking about the actual quality of the game. They only dropped the length and said there's a bunch of endgame stuff.

[Mr. Gundam]

My Amazon copy's delivery date got changed to "who the fuck knows", but I can live with that since I can't go out to an actual store.

[Himu]

What'd they think

Read like 10 pages of the thread and barely anyone is talking about the actual quality of the game. They only dropped the length and said there's a bunch of endgame stuff.

I'm not sure if this is good ("of course it's amazing, impressions aren't actually needed") or bad ("it's so bad I don't wanna talk about it").

Either way, to beat the most anticipated game of recent times and not write impressions is pretty glaring.

[Svejk]

Read a few folks say the first 2 chapters a pretty good, but chapter 3 is a boring slog, but chapter 4 and beyond goes balls to the wall awesome.. 

[HardcoreRetro]

I'll find out for myself on saturday.

[BlueTsunami]

Read a few folks say the first 2 chapters a pretty good, but chapter 3 is a boring slog, but chapter 4 and beyond goes balls to the wall awesome.. 

Sounds about right. Perfect pacing feels like a big ask for what was initially the opening portion of this world.

[Svejk]

My pre-load should to start tomorrow... but it will have to sit there for a week just pointing and laughing at me.

[Svejk]

[Himu]

Hm, might get this after all for the story. It's the best thing FFVII has going for it and the only thing from the remake that excites me: seeing old scenes redone. That Aerith playground scene always hits the feels. Gameplay is whatever. Even FFVII og has crap gameplay and is a complete inferior backslide from the SNES trilogy. So might as well live it up, play it on easy, and enjoy nostalgia. Original FFVII is already boring af. If they didn't improve the gameplay that's on them. Dungeons are more pressing than battle system honestly. FFVII's one-two screen dungeons are booty cheeks even if I give them credit for making a pre rendered rpg with emerging tech which obviously limited them. If the dungeons are at least on par FFXII (highly doubtful), they limit resources (make ethers rare, expensive weapons), the gameplay may be salvaged.

One obvious improvement could be the chapel escape. The church could be an actual dungeon now.

Will pick it up on sale this summer and talk to my irl friend about it who was my FF bestie as a kid.

[Himu]

Hell, they dungeons don't even have to be on par with FFXII's. They have to be on par with FFVIII or even IV's. Make Shinra Tower the Tower of Zot

If the gameplay padding is actual rpg dungeon design I'll gladly take it.

The sewers and the ghost trainyard should, if they have sense, be noticeably be improved.

Old school rpg players who are getting this be on look out for the dungeon design and resource management for me while you play. If battle system is wack but everything else is well designed...

Tiesto you getting it?

Edit:

Ways to make the gameplay engaging:

Probably limit Gill. Materia should be expensive. I'm talking 3000 for a basic fire materia. Then again materia is already expensive in it FFVII. Probably the best thing about it in the gameplay sense. No way can you afford a 3000 Gill Quake materia while upgrading everyone's gear at Kalm. Party should be POOR ASF if they go down the whole "role play" route. Make potions affordable, ethers either rare or expensive as fuck. You can't even buy ethers in OG VII for a long time and when you can they cost 1500. Good, don't sell ethers in midgar. Keep it that way and limit resources. Make it a choice between gear upgrades and materia. If the kiddies want to grind, let them. But the adults should have a classic game of risk-reward. If they manage to do this, I'll probably buy the game immediately.

I need reports on the gameplay from old jrpg heads. Keep your head up for me

[Positive Touch]

  expecting complex dungeons and hardcore gameplay from a final fantasy title in 2020. this is what we call "setting yourself up for failure"

[I'm a Puppy!]

  thinking that FFXII's dungeons are a bar to hit. God those last few dungeons were totally phoned in.

FFXII's dungeons are just like it's music. Forgettable.

[Himu]

thinking that FFXII's dungeons are a bar to hit. God those last few dungeons were totally phoned in.

FFXII's dungeons are just like it's music. Forgettable.

Pharos? Phoned in? Are you on drugs?

Stillshrine of Miriam?

*backs away*

I see we have a phillistine.

[I'm a Puppy!]

oh my bad you're right.

This is the apex of dungeon design right here:

[BlueTsunami]

Playing this on easy and mashing x

Just as God intended

[Himu]

oh my bad you're right.

This is the apex of dungeon design right here:

(Image removed from quote.)

Giruvegan?

Either way, Barheim Passage, the dungeon with all the flans. FFXII has the best dungeons in the series.

I even replayed FF7 recently on my phone, and reading some posts around the web I swear to god we played a different game.

I mean, I even play my games on the hardest difficulty possible, but most Final Fantasy games are not hard and are very cheesecake.

I don't understand why this game needs an extreme level of level design/gameplay scarcity/whatever bs for this game to be "salvagable"

Extreme? That's standard jrpg game design. Jrpg design is built on scarcity. It's a genre about resource management. That is the game.

The original FFVII is I didn't say to make the game hard. I said to make the game engaging because what I wrote is the bare essentials.

[Pissy F Benny]

hyped to play the game

even more hyped for all of the sperging over it

[Svejk]

Pre-load just started!    Now to play the waiting game.... 

[Himu]

Extreme? That's standard jrpg game design. Jrpg design is built on scarcity. It's a genre about resource management. That is the game.

Really...? Not to Rhax my way into an argument, but can you name more than one JRPG released in the last decade and a half that was actually hard and required resource management?

JRPGs are, imo, cheesecake as hell games that I turn to. Persona 5, for example, is this easy ass game on its hardest difficulty and I hang out with my bros for useless stat boosts just to see the character interactions (of which, in the OG, there were almost none). Dragon Quest & most Final Fantasy games are just about introducing a bunch of variety into your mash X games, same goes for all other JRPGs I've played.

The only JRPGs I go to for difficulty and resource management are SMT games up until the release of Persona 4.

So many years have passed that I can't honestly think you believe that you think JRPGs are hallmarks of level design/difficulty/resource management. There are vastly more years/games that point to the contrary.

I mean, even old JRPGs are only hard because of savepoints and jank encounter rates.

What I described is the classic DQ formula.

Decade and a half? That means quite a lot of rpgs.

Off the top of my head:

Valkyrie Profile 2
Final Fantasy XII
Souls series
SMT games (DDS1&2, Persona 3, Strange Journey, SMT4)
Bravely Default
Ys games
Etrian franchise
The Last Remnant
Resonance of Fate
Monster Hunter games
Radiant Historia
Infinite Space
Dragon Quest IX
Devil Survivor
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume
Final Fantasy Tactics A2
Knights in the Nightmare
Shiren the Wanderer (granted ds port of sfam game)
The Dark Spire
etc. etc.

Haven't played it but Labyrinth Refrain is a recent game that interests me.

You also can't mash X in Dragon Quest unless you grind. DQ isn't hard, but it ain't mindless either.

This is a really bad take. Jrpg are my former squeeze.

Thinking jrpgs are a cheesecake genre and I hope you're not offended by this, shows a fairly limited exposure to them. Also thinking the old ones are challenging just because of lack of save points is also funny given in FF1 NES you can save by using a tent. It's all about resources and choices.

Again reminding me that just because someone is an FF fan doesn't make them a jrpg fan.

Finally, I never said make the game hard. Just engaging. I'm not even saying every rpg has to be hard. Playing through Super Mario RPG right now.

PS: I find the whole "why limit resources?!!?" thing extra comical when the original FFVII already made some resources, such as ethers, scarce.

[Himu]

expecting complex dungeons and hardcore gameplay from a final fantasy title in 2020. this is what we call "setting yourself up for failure"

I don't want complex dungeons nor do I expect it. I'd like it, but don't expect it.

But they should definitely be more elaborate than what's in the original and I'm curious by how much.

Remember, as I said, FFVII has one and two screen dungeons. Take the sewers and train graveyard. They're two screens max.






If the remake can extrapolate these areas and make them into actual dungeons... I'd be satisfied.

[MMaRsu]

expecting complex dungeons and hardcore gameplay from a final fantasy title in 2020. this is what we call "setting yourself up for failure"

I don't want complex dungeons nor do I expect it. I'd like it, but don't expect it.

But they should definitely be more elaborate than what's in the original and I'm curious by how much.

Remember, as I said, FFVII has one and two screen dungeons. Take the sewers and train graveyard. They're two screens max.

(Image removed from quote.)
(Image removed from quote.)
(Image removed from quote.)
(Image removed from quote.)

If the remake can extrapolate these areas and make them into actual dungeons... I'd be satisfied.

Before all the streams got shutdown I saw a guy playing in that trainyard area, it looked like shit and he was fighting lame ass dogs.

I dunno, didnt look like much of a dungeon to me

[Coffee Dog]

There's a big difference between a game that has undertuned combat that can be beaten with grinding vs a game that doesnt even try to have enemies and combat be threatening as part of the game design. FFVII has a fairly basic JRPG skeleton, but it still exists, and when you were fighting you did have to pay attention to things like mana and HP or you'd eat shit. It's grindable enough that nobody can really get stuck, but at the very least if you're a child or just spamming X you'll get slapped down a few times over the course of the game.

The fact that you have to pass your turn in order to block for incoming damage in the original game is more of an engaging risk/reward than any of this unga bunga mash square bullshit in the new one. If you arent playing the new one on story mode and opting out of the combat I dont really see the appeal

[mormapope]

I'm reading the spoiler thread and the story direction is..... something else. There is some weird....meta stuff going on. And that meta stuff might change the direction of where this story goes, literally.


Huge spoiler

spoiler (click to show/hide)

New character or ghost characters introduced, called the Arbiters of Fate. They acknowledge the events of the original FF VII,  and how they weren't satisfied with how everything unfolded. This means they're either just new characters, or that they're going to attempt to change the rest of the plot for FFVII Remake. Then again, fate might be unchangeable? This is the ending of FFVII. 

[close]

[Coffee Dog]

I'm reading the spoiler thread and the story direction is..... something else. There is some weird....meta stuff going on. And that meta stuff might change the direction of where this story goes, literally.


Huge spoiler

spoiler (click to show/hide)

New character or ghost characters introduced, called the Arbiters of Fate. They acknowledge the events of the original FF VII,  and how they weren't satisfied with how everything unfolded. This means they're either just new characters, or that they're going to attempt to change the rest of the plot for FFVII Remake. Then again, fate might be unchangeable? This is the ending of FFVII. 

[close]

It sounds like the game is pointlessly jerking off to itself. The forshadowing for aerith's death in these remakes is going to be fucking unbearable

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I just cant see any benefit from having a cult of "Expectation Subverters" making minor, cosmetic changes to the narrative. Its not like they wont kill aerith. Theyre just going to hype up the original sequence to the point of annoyance, then switch the location. Appeasing only people who are interested in the game as compared to the original rather than those who are hoping these new games stand on their own.

[close]

[HardcoreRetro]

Read the spoiler if you want to have a laugh Cindi.

[mormapope]

I'm reading the spoiler thread and the story direction is..... something else. There is some weird....meta stuff going on. And that meta stuff might change the direction of where this story goes, literally.


Huge spoiler

spoiler (click to show/hide)

New character or ghost characters introduced, called the Arbiters of Fate. They acknowledge the events of the original FF VII,  and how they weren't satisfied with how everything unfolded. This means they're either just new characters, or that they're going to attempt to change the rest of the plot for FFVII Remake. Then again, fate might be unchangeable? This is the ending of FFVII. 

[close]

It sounds like the game is pointlessly jerking off to itself. The forshadowing for aerith's death in these remakes is going to be fucking unbearable

That and

spoiler (click to show/hide)

This is justification why the entire game couldn't have been in this one remake. If they decide to do entirely different story beats, the locales and world trotting could be different. Rather than the rest of the game missing, this would be justified as act 1 in a story altogether.

[close]

[mormapope]

Read the spoiler if you want to have a laugh Cindi.

I'm going to steal a post that explains it even better, my interpretation is correct, but it isn't the best.

Shout out to EatChildren for understanding this stuff.

Huge spoiler

spoiler (click to show/hide)

this is not a conventional remake at all. Instead it's like...a meta remake. In that while it is indeed a remake, the narrative has been written to be self aware of a "Final Fantasy 7" having existed and made up of a chain of events that most people would expect (hence it being a remake), and the plot has been restructured around this. Effectively sewing the seeds of this being an alternate universe or attempt to circumnavigate the fate of Final Fantasy 7 as an actual narrative beat and change in direction for the characters.

So it's not a strict remake, in that it just carbon copies the original and brings it up to modern standards. Nor is it a loose remake, that takes a handful of creative liberties but still tells fundamentally the same story with the same narrative beats. It's also not a reimagining, in the sense of being a totally different take on the same game. Instead it's like...a combo of all of these, deliberately self aware of this, to the point of making it part of the plot itself?

[close]

[HardcoreRetro]

What the fuck were they thinking!?

This shit sounds about as dumb as good guy Pyramid Head in the second Silent Hill movie.

[Rufus]

Apparently

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Crisis Core isn't canon even without the arbiters of fate, Zack carries Cloud to Midgar?

[close]

Thank fuck. Gackt sucked.

[mormapope]

What the fuck were they thinking!?

This shit sounds about as dumb as good guy Pyramid Head in the second Silent Hill movie.

ENDING SPOIKERS

spoiler (click to show/hide)

the events of VII and AC have already happened in another timeline

• the ghost things are Whispers of Fate that try to keep the characters in line with the original game
• Biggs and Wedge live. Jessie still dies.
• After the highway chase Cloud and co. fight the Whispers of Fate and beat them, making it so they're no longer bound by the original FFVII's storyline.
• During the battle the party is shown the clip of an old Nanaki with his cubs running towards a destroyed Midgar, Red XIII guesses it's a vision of the future that awaits them if they fail
• Sephiroth shows up after beating them. Fight is basically AC-tier, Sephiroth gets a black wing mid-fight.
• While this happens we flashback to Zack surviving his last stand in an alternate timeline
• After beating Sephiroth he teleports Cloud to the "edge of creation" and asks for his help in "defying destiny... together".
• He refuses and fight similar to their final omnislash duel ensues
• the party escapes Midgar.
• We continue Zack's scene with him walking to Midgar with a comatose Cloud holding on to him.
• Remake Aeris and Alt! Zack sense each other
• fade to black

[close]

I have changed my mind, this remake is dope as fuck. 

[Rufus]

Apparently

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Crisis Core isn't canon even without the arbiters of fate, Zack carries Cloud to Midgar?

[close]

Thank fuck. Gackt sucked.

FACT CHECK:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Banora Whites are hinted at in the demo, and the initial demo leak files point towards Gackt's character existing along with a Crisis Core era chapter w/ Zack.

[close]

[tiesto]

Tiesto you getting it?

Yeah, I ordered the deluxe edition from Amazon, but probably won't start till after DQB2. (Maybe I'll attempt juggling the two)

[paprikastaude]

Is this plot even going to make sense for people that aren't FF7 stans with the original story memorized?

[Coffee Dog]

I cant imagine anything more worthless than

spoiler (click to show/hide)

remaking a game and saving all the biggest remake changes as sequel bait.

[close]

What the fuck was the point of part 1 if we're throwing everything out to start with? To take your $60 and wait for this series of remakes to really start with the next $60 title?

[Himu]

I'm really enjoying these reactions.

[HardcoreRetro]

How are these even remakes? It sounds like a sequel. Fucking Final Fantasy VII-2.

Nomura thinking his games are Bioshock.

[Himu]

How are these even remakes? It sounds like a sequel. Fucking Final Fantasy VII-2.

Nomura thinking his games are Bioshock.

Nomura was always one of the last people you'd want helming a remake of this.

[Coffee Dog]

I cant imagine anything more worthless than

spoiler (click to show/hide)

remaking a game and saving all the biggest remake changes as sequel bait.

[close]

What the fuck was the point of part 1 if we're throwing everything out to start with? To take your $60 and wait for this series of remakes to really start with the next $60 title?

That's the best possible scenario?

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Conceal the bait and switch with a full game that gives us tons of familiar events and summons, and continue on with a roadmap that can go anywhere.

[close]

I just dont see the point of giving a us

spoiler (click to show/hide)

a whole $60 game full of familiar events if the narrative proudly goes in a totally different direction anyway.

[close]

It seems like the first game is relagated to a bunch of wheel spinning bullshit in light of this.

I get that they probably want to ease people into the setting, but you can get someone introduced to the universe in a couple hours, it shouldnt be a 30 hour buildup to "lol jk"

[Himu]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

The ending of FF7 itself has always been lackluster imo and I'm interested in seeing that part fleshed out as an actual narrative ending.

[close]

Fuck no. Its vagueness carried on its legacy.

[Himu]

FFVII has a fairly basic JRPG skeleton, but it still exists, and when you were fighting you did have to pay attention to things like mana and HP or you'd eat shit.

[Tasty]

Hollow is my J-game song of 2020 so far like Devil Trigger was for 2018 and Don't Think Twice was for 2019.

That's the only comment I have on this game rn 👀

[Tasty]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

The ending of FF7 itself has always been lackluster imo and I'm interested in seeing that part fleshed out as an actual narrative ending.

[close]

Fuck no. Its vagueness carried on its legacy.

Yeah but Advent Children tho

[Himu]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

The ending of FF7 itself has always been lackluster imo and I'm interested in seeing that part fleshed out as an actual narrative ending.

[close]

Fuck no. Its vagueness carried on its legacy.

Yeah but Advent Children tho

Advent Children ruins the ending.

The beauty of FFVII's ending is that it is a Rorschach test of half empty-half full.

Advent Children is the equivalent of revealing whether or not Deckard is actually a Replicant or not. It is a cynical cash grab that went to stain a games name and reputation while adding literally nothing to the mythos.

[paprikastaude]

Are we experiencing the modern day MGS2 switcheroo?

[Tasty]

This remake trilogy could literally end with a Live-Action Cloud heading a 747 into the Twin Towers to prevent Aeris from dying and I wouldn't care.

Newsfeed.

[Himu]

Are we experiencing the modern day MGS2 switcheroo?

I'm not reading anymore spoilers because I want to witness the fuckery first hand

[Tasty]

Also 3 games were confirmed?

[Tasty]

This remake trilogy could literally end with a Live-Action Cloud heading a 747 into the Twin Towers to prevent Aeris from dying and I wouldn't care.

Newsfeed.

Also this reminded me of how Twin Peaks: The Return ended...