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 Post subject: Final Fantasy VII's Remake. Let's talk about it.
PostPosted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 3:48 pm 
Crumpet
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So, for you crazies who don't use the Internet. They released an updated trailer for Final Fantasy VII. It shows off Midgar, AVALANCHE, and some gameplay. Here it is:



As long as you weren't hoping for FF7:R to be a port with the same old slow ATB system and flashy graphics, you'll probably be happy.

Characters

Barret looks weird with shades. However, he does look good. They've gotten rid of his huge built-like-a-meat-tank build and replaced it with something more realistic. I know they've always been eager to get rid of his stereotypical and rather racist "Mr. T." persona.

Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie all look pretty much exactly as I'd have expected. Great.

I've heard a lot of people say they think cloud looks too skinny. I think he looks fine.

But what other changes can we expect? Are they ballsy enough to change much? What about cutting content that no longer gel's with today's market? I know a lot of people are worried about the entire Don Corneo section being cut from the game. That said, I did read somewhere that they weren't considering removing it.

Battle System

It's an action fighter! We think?!

In some interviews they've been saying that the ATB still takes part in the game somehow. It sure LOOKS like what FF15 and Kingdom Hearts, but how do we know they're not being controlled by gambits, or that the action isn't just automatic and flashy but you still control it with the menu at the bottom?

I have to agree that we couldn't keep the same one attack at a time ATB system. At the very least they'd have to have gone with something similar to FFXIII.

Multi-Part Story!?

We don't know a whole lot about the new remake yet, but they did reveal one important little tidbit: Square have stated that they don't think it's feasible to remake the entirety of FF7 as one game.

If they had to try and remake the game all at once, they'd probably have to cut content and they know that will destroy their reputation. You have to consider that Final Fantasy VII is easily one of the largest RPGs of all time, created in an era where additional content was relatively cheap to create, and so FF7 has a shit ton of side areas, minigames, optional content, all on top of being a game where Disc 1 alone usually takes about 40 hours on your first playthrough.

Instead, they're considering releasing it in "parts" or "volumes". I hate to use the word "episode", but people might be more familiar with the term. It's not ideal, nobody really wants the game to be split up, but nobody wants SE to start dropping all the additional and side content either. Word is that they're already contracting out parts of the game just to stand a chance of getting all the content together.

So let's consider: If you had to split up Final Fantasy VII into Part 1 and Part 2, or even part 3. How would you do it in a way that does not ruin the pacing?

Before you even suggest it: No. Don't split it up to match the original Disc 1, 2 and 3. Disc 1 had way more content than either of the other two discs. The discs were mostly split up for the FMV sequences. The entirety of Disc 3 exists for the huge ass ending FMV.

So, where would you break FF7 up? Where are good stopping points in the story that won't piss people off with crazy cliffhangers, and won't stop at lulls in the story where people will feel unfulfilled. When I sit and think about it, there aren't many parts of FF7 that feel like a good victorious stopping point.

For those who have forgotten, here is a rough outline of the story path in FF7:
  • Midgar (Introduction, AVALANCHE, Don Corneo)
  • Shinra HQ (Sephirith, Hojo, Jenova, Rufus)
  • Kalm (World Map, Sephiroth Backstory)
  • Junon (Shinra Story)
  • Costa Del Sol (Short, Side Area, Jenova)
  • Corel (Barret Backstory)
  • Gold Saucer (Theme Park, Cait Sith, Desert Prison)
  • Gongaga (Very little happens here in original, but it would be the perfect time to add a bit more backstory about Zack.)
  • Cosmo Canyon (Establish Story, Lifestream, Motivation, etc.)
  • Nibelheim (Burned Down, Some Foreshadowing in Basement, Vincent.)
  • Rocket Town (Shinra Sucks. Cid. Drink your goddamn tea.)
  • Wutai (Was optional, probably not in remake. Pretty sure this is the earliest you can go, once you have Cid's Tiny Bronco.)
  • Temple of the Ancients (Cloud Crazy, Aeris Leaves.)
  • Forgotten City (Spoilers?)
  • Icicle Inn (Ancients Backstory, Snowboarding)
  • Gaea's Cliff/Crater (Cloud Crazy #2, Black Materia)
  • Junon (Prison, Execution, Breakout, Bitch-slap Fight. Obtain Airship.)
  • Mideel (Find Cloud. Introduce "WEAPON". Tifa Leaves.)
  • "Huge Materia" Hunt (Return to Corel, Fort Condor, Rocket Town, Underwater Reactor.)
  • Gelnika (Optional underwater wreckage now that you have the sub. Final battle with Turks usually here.)
  • Mideel (Solve backstory mysteries. Re-obtain Cloud and Tifa.)
  • Return to Midgar (Defeat Hojo)
  • Northern Crater (Sephiroth)

We have to assume that breaking FF7 into more than 3 parts is overkill. Last thing we need is an 8 part series where it ends every time you get into the flow of things. So if we were to break into two or three parts, we're probably going to want stopping points at...

3 Parts: Before Cosmo Canyon; After Black Materia/Before Junon Prison?
2 Parts: Forgotten City?

Will Square Fuck It Up?

Probably.

But FF7 is just too important to fuck up. It essentially defined the "AAA"-video game era, but it has also aged terribly compared to most games that came after it, Final Fantasy or otherwise. The likes of FF8 and FF9 still look decent thanks to their art style and texturing, while FF7 was stuck with only shaded polygons, no textures, and a weird out of battle low poly "chibi" art style (meant to emulate how these games transitioned between field and battle sprites on the SNES) that just plain does not look good anymore.

It means a whole lot to everybody for them to not mess this one up. Square have been a LOT more open to feedback recently; ever since they got that new CEO in charge. It started with A Realm Reborn (XIV 2.0) but it has since moved into FF15, where they also have "Live Producer Letters" and are constantly releasing new demos for feedback.

Living up to everybody's expectations is something that will never happen. No chance, not possible. Even if the game turns out awesome, you'll never please everybody.

But there's still a chance that the game still turns out good, because it's FF7.


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 Post subject: Re: Final Fantasy VII's Remake. Let's talk about it.
PostPosted: Wed Dec 09, 2015 9:28 am 
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I'm pretty excited , the opening scene in Midgar reminds me a lot of the beginning of FFXIII, even with the giant scorpion robot jumping on the train as the Avalanche team is trying to escape.

I too wondered if they will make the battle system similar to FFXII with a similar gambit system...I really liked that. It seems like people are really split about whether they like or hate the new system. I will remain cautiostly optimistic. I hope they don't fuck it up.

I didn't even think about them splitting the game up into 2 or 3 parts. I won't be mad at all if they do that...however I would really like if they could stick to the FFVII storyline, exploration, and sidequests as much as possible. I would love to have an environment that I could freely fly from town to town in an airship for example...although I worry that can't happen. It will likely be split into "zones" with some sort of "fast travel" available via airship...I don't know how they could pull it off otherwise. Perhaps the airship can fly between the zones lol.

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 Post subject: Re: Final Fantasy VII's Remake. Let's talk about it.
PostPosted: Wed Dec 09, 2015 9:52 am 
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I was pretty excited to hear about this. I think the whole house was, to be honest. But like your last section is titled, we weren't sure exactly how S-E was going to screw it up. I really hope they don't. I'd love to play 7 again.

I really don't want to pay 59.99 x3 to play it, however. I'm not sure what all they can add to the game that could get me to fork out that kind of money. I may cave and buy it anywhere, I don't really know. It all depends on how it plays out.

I haven't touched that game since the 90's. I remembered a lot of the locations and events you mentioned *once* you mentioned them. haha. So I really don't know where they'd decide to break it up. Split the game in half after the events of the Forgotten City, if that leaves enough for a second half. That seems like the most logical cliffhanger, so to speak. Or heck, cut out after the Temple of the Ancients for the epic cliffhanger and then "season 2" would have quite the crazy first episode. From a show standpoint. :P

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 Post subject: Re: Final Fantasy VII's Remake. Let's talk about it.
PostPosted: Thu Dec 10, 2015 8:38 am 
Honey Muffin
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If there's a long gap in the releases I think it'll kill a lot of the buzz of playing the game. Or maybe not, who knows. Also, I hope they dont do three breaks, but they probably will.

The best breaking point I can think of is just after Aerith is shived by Sephiroth. No one will be shocked by it this time around, but it was also the point in the story wherein their plan falls apart so it feels right that the next arc start in a new game. Honestly, I cant feel a place where a third break could happen, and really if it were 3 games long, that feels like... too much.

If the battle system is like ff 13 or 12 i'd be happy with it. Not so much KH though.


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 Post subject: Re: Final Fantasy VII's Remake. Let's talk about it.
PostPosted: Thu Dec 10, 2015 9:32 am 
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KH seemed like an interesting game. Never played it. But Fado recently tried to restart it. Got pretty far, but I think she mothballed it, most likely do to similar feelings. Not sure why keyblades were so important, when they could have instead just gone around stomping on everything with their big ol' feet :P

But yah. I really don't want this to be a 3-part saga. Two games I could forgive, especially if they cut out nothing and add in other stuff.

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 Post subject: Re: Final Fantasy VII's Remake. Let's talk about it.
PostPosted: Sat Feb 06, 2016 10:17 pm 
DL Hughley
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The game is pretty sprawling at most points. Selecting an area to break the thing up into chapters is hard because of that. It seems like very few points urgently say "Go forward" without having other stuff to do in the meanwhile. The few that exist are right around the time of the 19 year old spoiler alert. That still seems like the right time for a break. Cutting it after the Temple or Gold Saucer seems too early, cutting it after Midgar is definitely too early, but as you said, cutting it up just like the original discs leaves the third section pretty bare. You either go into the crater or breed chocobos.

The most major points for possible cuts to me seem to be leaving midgar, temple of the ancients, forgotten city, crater/weapons awaken, huge materia hunt, return to midgar, crater again. Then again it's been a while since I've played it.

Also fuck the action combat.

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