Final Fantasy VII Remake - OFFICIALLY RELEASED!! (No Spoilers)

[Emperoreddy]

In crisis core it’s clearly under the plate. You can see the plate ceiling. Idk if that’s still canon.

apparently in the Turks prequel part of the plate is destroyed, but I don’t know if that’s canon either and I doubt it would look like that.

 

[Shareefruck]

You can see the kids biking down the street towards it in an earlier shot. It’s connected to this nice part of town with the cafes and stuff and you can see the open sky in all those shots including when they look up at the reactor.

so there is no plate above this part of town so they either have to be on top of the plate in a different park, it’s the past, or they retconned that some of the pizza slices don’t have an upper plate and a slum.

Oh I see. I didn't notice the distance shot of the playground.

Hmm... I guess that means they're replacing the upper plate idea with just bridges and roads? In the part of the last trailer where you see the plate coming down, it doesn't necessarily look like a literal plate either, nor do you ever really notice anything resembling one in previous trailers.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Oh I see. I didn't notice the distance shot of the playground.

Hmm... I guess that means they're replacing the upper plate idea with just bridges and roads? In the part of the last trailer where you see the plate coming down, it doesn't necessarily look like a literal plate either, nor do you ever really notice anything resembling it one in previous trailers.

I see what you mean, but rewinding a few times I think you actually see the outline of the pizza slice coming down right after the shot of the president looking down at the explosion. I think anyway, it’s really hard to tell and in other shots of them escaping it doesn’t seem like there is a full plate above them.

Someone on Reddit also said the little girl in the playground is looking at Reactor 5 so that whole opening sequence would be in Sector 5.

My guess is it’s simply a different playground on top of the plate. Which is kind of a weird choice, but then the whole new part is weird because as you mentioned we are never on top of the plates in the original. At least not until they parachute in during disk 3.

So why extend the intro by like five minutes with all new footage to show us some place we will never visit? So I assume like you did we will indeed be spending time above the plates during the day, so it’s just a question how they justify the party going up there for story reasons.

 

[Emperoreddy]

The side quest screen and the talk about Chocobo breeding has got me thinking just how much the RPG scene has changed since 7 came out.

Those earlier FF games always had good side content. 6 was absolutely loaded with it. 7 was no exception, they really put a lot of optional side content. Extra dungeons, super bosses, all the mini games, chocobo breeding, two extra characters (Yuffie and Vincent were technically optional) Wutai in general. Hell even most of the cross dressing stuff was purely optional side content.

And you had no quest logs or anything like that. It was all fairly meaty, never repetitive (even the breeding honestly).

Some of it was definitely Guide Dang It levels like the Ancient Forest. I am literally not sure how they expected you to get a Gold Chocobo without a guide, and I think the translation actually got some of the hints wrong too.

Today it’s all big quest logs with those smaller fetchy quests, not as much substance or unique gameplay elements or settings. It’s a lot more how Western RPGs and MMOs have been doing questing. Not that that can’t be done well. Witcher 3 and Elder Scrolls comes to mind.

it’s just interesting to see how much has changed. Also makes me really want to replay the original FF7. It’s not my favorite Final Fantasy or JRPG (FF6 and Chrono Trigger say hi), but I have to say 7 is one of the better flowing RPGs ever made.

Things moved at a good pace. It was never too grindy. The encounter rates were not out of control. They introduced new settings and gimmicks at a good clip to keep things fresh. The plot and music always kept you engaged and you were never bogged down in some of the really over the top nonsense a lot of more modern JRPGs get into.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

 

[Shareefruck]

The side quest screen and the talk about Chocobo breeding has got me thinking just how much the RPG scene has changed since 7 came out.

Those earlier FF games always had good side content. 6 was absolutely loaded with it. 7 was no exception, they really put a lot of optional side content. Extra dungeons, super bosses, all the mini games, chocobo breeding, two extra characters (Yuffie and Vincent were technically optional) Wutai in general. Hell even most of the cross dressing stuff was purely optional side content.

And you had no quest logs or anything like that. It was all fairly meaty, never repetitive (even the breeding honestly).

Some of it was definitely Guide Dang It levels like the Ancient Forest. I am literally not sure how they expected you to get a Gold Chocobo without a guide, and I think the translation actually got some of the hints wrong too.

Today it’s all big quest logs with those smaller fetchy quests, not as much substance or unique gameplay elements or settings. It’s a lot more how Western RPGs and MMOs have been doing questing. Not that that can’t be done well. Witcher 3 and Elder Scrolls comes to mind.

it’s just interesting to see how much has changed. Also makes me really want to replay the original FF7. It’s not my favorite Final Fantasy or JRPG (FF6 and Chrono Trigger say hi), but I have to say 7 is one of the better flowing RPGs ever made.

Things moved at a good pace. It was never too grindy. The encounter rates were not out of control. They introduced new settings and gimmicks at a good clip to keep things fresh. The plot and music always kept you engaged and you were never bogged down in some of the really over the top nonsense a lot of more modern JRPGs get into.

Obviously playability, intuitive design, and quality of life things have improved with gaming over time, but I'll never understand why people want or expect that to carry over to optional/hidden side content and easter eggs as well and get annoyed by their obtuseness (especially to the extent that they want everything to be neatly outlined in a quest log).

I find that a lot is added to a game's mystique when these things are treated more like vaguely alluded secrets that aren't obvious or clear-cut. It gives a game an intangible aura of mystery that I think can make its world feel more alive and magical-- It sort of creates the illusion that it's a bottomless universe (without adding the unnecessary bloat of ACTUAL expansiveness), rather than some finite product. I've always found that dynamic super cool, and admirable from the perspective of the developers throwing these things in there. The fact that you would never know that getting a gold chocobo or entering the Ancient Forest is even possible unless you use a guide or somehow decipher all of these impossibly vague clues is a very good thing that games should do more of, IMO. In fact, I think it would hypothetically be even cooler without guides being a thing (which only happens when clues are obtuse/hidden enough that there's a delay before they're discovered).

That unfortunately seems to be a dying philosophy that feels like it's getting killed by this weird growing notion that people are somehow entitled to everything a game can potentially have to offer (almost as if not having immediate and easy access as a consumer is treated like some twisted form of discrimination/disrespect or something). I mean, it's not like anybody's holding a gun to anyone's head forcing them to jump through hoops to see everything in a game-- Just knowing that weird bonus things exist in the fringes that are there but that you may never get to can be valuable enough on its own.

 

[Nemesis Prime]

I wonder if they realize the 10th is Good Friday, and since it's a stat holiday we won't be playing it day one.

 

[Jovavic]

Would just be our luck if the coronavirus impacts the launch in some way

 

[The Crypto Guy]

I wonder if they realize the 10th is Good Friday, and since it's a stat holiday we won't be playing it day one.

Pretty sure most people will still be playing it.

 

[Gardner McKay]

I wonder if they realize the 10th is Good Friday, and since it's a stat holiday we won't be playing it day one.

I doubt it, which to me is fine. My company usually closes early for Good Friday and I wouldn't expect a Japanese company to know what Good Friday is anyway. It isn't like they are releasing the game on Easter Sunday.

 

[Shareefruck]

Are people actually pre-occupied with stuff on Good Friday? I would have assumed it was just extra free time for most people.

 

[KingBran]

As someone who has been a gamer since the 1980's but just never got into FF (JRPGs just arent my thing.) I don't get the hype for th game. But I wonder if its worth playing this late in the game.

I DID play X and X-2. Also FF Tactics Advance, which I lov - but for JRPGs I was more of a Tales of / Eternal Sonata fan.

 

[Nemesis Prime]

Pretty sure most people will still be playing it.

Oh right, I forgot digital was a thing.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Oh right, I forgot digital was a thing.

All stores are open on Good Friday.

 

[Shareefruck]

So everyone seems to be expecting the demo and a bunch of hands on previews/reviews to go up either tomorrow or sometime this week.

 

[syz]

Demo's out.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

AHHHHHHHH

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Well that blows. But can’t say i’m surprised, their games always get delayed.

They probably release the demo on March 3rd now.

Only off by a day

 

[Gardner McKay]

Anyone play the demo yet?

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Anyone play the demo yet?

At work so I haven't been able to yet but the reviews have been pretty glowing so far by what I've read from people who have. Combat is getting huge positive marks. Apparently the demo is anywhere from 30-60 min long.

 

[Gardner McKay]

At work so I haven't been able to yet but the reviews have been pretty glowing so far by what I've read from people who have. Combat is getting huge positive marks. Apparently the demo is anywhere from 30-60 min long.

That is good to hear and also not surprising. Most youtubers who were able to play the demo at either E3, PAX East, etc. all said that the demo only served to heighten their expectations.

 

[Shareefruck]

A lot of what I'm seeing and hearing from these previews look and sound fantastic and very re-assuring. Nothing seems too cheesy yet or raise any red flags yet (although that one-year old line was cringey). There were even a few cutscenes that weren't in the original that I thought were very well done and seemed tasteful. The way that Cloud's flashbacks are in first-person in particular is a really cool touch and adds to the eeriness, IMO-- I wonder if it's feasible to go all the way with that with the big flashback (probably not)-- it makes a ton of sense if possible because of where everything goes story-wise.

The challenge level is very re-assuring as well. From what we saw earlier, I was worried they would make it too easy and as if what you did between turns were just for show and didn't actually matter.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

I'm about 75-25 on if I want to play the demo. Given the great reviews I'm led to believe it's going to be excellent, so I don't have to try it out for myself. I kind of want to keep the initial experience for when the full game drops.

 

[Gentle Man]

Someone get me out of work!

 

[romba]

Obviously playability, intuitive design, and quality of life things have improved with gaming over time, but I'll never understand why people want or expect that to carry over to optional/hidden side content and easter eggs as well and get annoyed by their obtuseness (especially to the extent that they want everything to be neatly outlined in a quest log).

I find that a lot is added to a game's mystique when these things are treated more like vaguely alluded secrets that aren't obvious or clear-cut. It gives a game an intangible aura of mystery that I think can make its world feel more alive and magical-- It sort of creates the illusion that it's a bottomless universe (without adding the unnecessary bloat of ACTUAL expansiveness), rather than some finite product. I've always found that dynamic super cool, and admirable from the perspective of the developers throwing these things in there. The fact that you would never know that getting a gold chocobo or entering the Ancient Forest is even possible unless you use a guide or somehow decipher all of these impossibly vague clues is a very good thing that games should do more of, IMO. In fact, I think it would hypothetically be even cooler without guides being a thing (which only happens when clues are obtuse/hidden enough that there's a delay before they're discovered).

That unfortunately seems to be a dying philosophy that feels like it's getting killed by this weird growing notion that people are somehow entitled to everything a game can potentially have to offer (almost as if not having immediate and easy access as a consumer is treated like some twisted form of discrimination/disrespect or something). I mean, it's not like anybody's holding a gun to anyone's head forcing them to jump through hoops to see everything in a game-- Just knowing that weird bonus things exist in the fringes that are there but that you may never get to can be valuable enough on its own.

This is exactly what drew me into these RPGs in the 90's- the impressiveness in the world. Now as soon as there's the slightest hint of something optional it is auto added to your quest list with the next steps outlined. They don't want even the weakest gamer left out and it ruins the experience imo. I used to love exploring the world searching for the small nuance that was mentioned vaguely in passing by a NPC. Even if the search ended with nothing 9/10 times, the 1 time you stumbled on something unique and cool made it all worth it.

Your post is spot on has made me sadly nostalgic for the good ol days lol