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[Famassu]

I take it you've never heard the VI, IX or X soundtracks, then... Either that or you're just one of those people who get so attached to a product that everything about it is their pinnacle of achievement...

IX soundtrack is very lacking in comparison to VII. X & VI are better, though.

 

[Ghost_Protocol]

I loved FF7 in 1997 for the same reasons I love it today:

- I love the cyberpunk genre. I have a natural affinity for sci-fi storylines that revolve around evil tech corporations lording over the people, rag-tag resistance movements fighting for a cause, evil apocalyptic forces threatening humanity, secret organizations with morally ambiguous motives, etc. Those elements are common in a lot of other things I like (Akira, The Matrix, Blade Runner) and FF7 has a lot of it.

- Artistically, it’s my favorite Final Fantasy. I love the setting. I like post-apocalyptic worlds, dilapidated cityscapes, stylishly “grungy” weapons, vehicles, & clothing, and I like the atmosphere of melancholy and mystery that usually comes along with that kind of approach. It’s excellent.

- The cast of characters appeal to me in kind of a strange way. I’m not overly impressed with any one of them singularly, and I don’t believe any of them could stand particularly strong outside of FF7, but I feel like they perfectly compliment the world in which they live and the story that they’re a part of. What I mean by that is…… characters like Balthier or Zidane don’t necessarily need the narratives of FFXII or FFIX, respectively, to validate their “character” or amplify those qualities that make them interesting /likeable. They can stand alone and still be considered great. Much of FF7’s cast does not have that kind of impact (which to some people makes them weak I suppose) but for me, the mark they leave in their world, in their story makes them both likable and iconic.

- I love the soundtrack. Pieces like Anxious Heart and Shinra Corporation have that great dark and depressing cyberpunk flow that I’ve come to love about the genre. Area themes like Secret of the Deep Sea, Listen to the Cry of the Planet, and In Search of the Man in Black work extremely well in emphasizing the mystique and essence of the world. And then you have the very powerful emotional tracks like Aeris Theme, Words Extinguished by Fireworks, and On that Day, 5 Years Ago that highlight some of the great storytelling moments in the game. Also, you have some fun, awesome character/boss themes like Cid’s Theme, Jenova Absolute, and Birth of a God that let you know you’re dealing with a badass. There’s just a ton of great stuff from beginning to end

-And finally, you have the amazingly fun and addictive gameplay. To this day, I haven’t played a single JRPG that’s come close to giving me the kind of satisfaction that discovering a new limit break, a new piece of summon materia, or finding a new way to traverse the world did in FF7. I think people are seriously delusional when they talk about the game getting more credit than it deserves. If they think moments like seeing Bahamut Zero, Knights of Round, or Cloud’s level 4 limit break for the first time, busting out of Shinra HQ, or taking off in Highwind are some how “overrated” experiences that only could have been enjoyed because I was 13 at the time, I just have nothing to say to them.


I think the game is an outstanding achievement and has the legacy that it does for a reason. That reason is not because of nostalgia.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

Related to FFVII, are there any games with villains like Rufus? He was pretty great in being able to pull off being a total bastard to the characters while still having redeeming/admirable qualities.

 

[Mesoian]

You don't understand shit about game development, do you?

I know that everytime Square says remaking FF7 would be too difficult, it's because they keep this stupid idea in their head that it has to look like FF13 or no one will buy it, which is asinine.

I also know Square's Japanese branch is plagued with mismanagement and a general misunderstanding of what their fanbase the rest of the industry wants, which leads them to chase unreasonable dragons like building their own game engines that they use once, then never again because it was too difficult to develop for.

Square could outsource an FF7 remake and have something that would sell 10 million in a year. But they won't. Because current day Square apparently doesn't like money and is RELIANT on their partners to dig them out of the terrible terrible holes they put themselves in.

Related to FFVII, are there any games with villains like Rufus? He was pretty great in being able to pull off being a total bastard to the characters while still having redeeming/admirable qualities.

Grandia 2 has some rufus-like villains. They don't get enough screen time though since that game treats villages like levels and they are inherently bosses.

 

[Nags]

Just for the record I loved FFVII, it was my first JRPG, like so many others. But just because it was my first didn't make it the best in my eyes.

The game imo is still worth playing today, but so many better JRPGs came out before and since. If I had to place my vote on the best FF it would be XI (yes the online one). So I might be in the minority here.

 

[Muffdraul]

Related to FFVII, are there any games with villains like Rufus? He was pretty great in being able to pull off being a total bastard to the characters while still having redeeming/admirable qualities.

Xenogears, Ramsus. He was kinda like a cross between Rufus and Sephiroth.

 

[legacyzero]

hideous, unremarkable trash, right?

I miss pre-rendered backgrounds so much.

 

[KojiKnight]

I miss pre-rendered backgrounds so much.

I don't... I more miss people bringing creativity to big title games and their settings.

 

[Mesoian]

Xenogears, Ramsus. He was kinda like a cross between Rufus and Sephiroth.

Yup. Mysterious, but still in your face enough to make you want to take him down.

Similarly, Albiedo in Xenosaga. A villain you love to hate. More of a cross between Rufus and the Joker though.

I don't... I more miss people bringing creativity to big title games and their settings.

Yup. Spend more time building worlds than trying to tell stories.

 

[Anteater]

cloud has a bigger dick on the right though

 

[chaosblade]

- Interesting cyberpunk design.
- A strong female protagonist with Aeris.
- Great pacing e.g all the action on the way to Shinra HQ.
- Fantastic secrets including fighting the Weapons/ getitng Knights of the realm/breeding a flying gold chcocobo.
- Some nice mystery with that ambiguous ending, Jenova's origins and characters like Vincent.
- Loads of variety in the setting, for example the difference between Midgar, the Gold Saucer and Junon.
- Limit breaks are just 'cool'
- The materia system was a nice fresh approach to boasting your characters.

It's just a phenomenal game.

I agree with most of these points, and it makes for a fairly strong game overall.

Unfortunately, I feel like half or more of the game really falls flat. Basically everything having to do with Sephiroth. When the story is dealing with Shinra, it's interesting and generally paced better. The more the story starts to focus on Sephiroth, the less interested I always am. Replayed it recently, and getting through most of disc 2 and then the ending on disc 3 was just a drag, while most of disc 1 is pretty great.

 

[Skilletor]

I'll admit I didn't follow Cloud's story past FFVII. But I didn't really care to. Besides, confidence is sexy.

I agree.

But Dissidia isn't canon. The heroes in that game keep fighting a battle over and over and over and over, and they're losing. Cloud is tired of it.

Besides, it's not like he looks like that in game:

 

[H_Prestige]

Related to FFVII, are there any games with villains like Rufus? He was pretty great in being able to pull off being a total bastard to the characters while still having redeeming/admirable qualities.

Also had a kickass design, along with the rest of the turks

 

[DukeTogo1300]

I get so tired of the 'nostalgia' accusations. The only thing that really feels outdated when I play it now is that I have to use the d-pad to walk Cloud around, but I tend to notice antiquated controls/mechanics more than graphical issues in games.

Otherwise it holds up just fine, with a great collection of characters, good humor, and plenty of fun scenarios. VIII lost some of this personality IMO, and IX topped it, but the entire series of PSX Final Fantasy games are still very playable when I go back to them. I can't really say that about a lot of other jrpgs from the era, these games just have a spark to them.

 

[Nags]

I agree.

But Dissidia isn't canon. The heroes in that game keep fighting a battle over and over and over and over, and they're losing. Cloud is tired of it.

Besides, it's not like he looks like that in game:

I try my best to ignore canonical sequels in FF games but
shit... I guess I need to play Dissidia...

 

[Mesoian]

I try my best to ignore canonical sequels in FF games but
shit... I guess I need to play Dissidia...

Naw, you don't.

 

[pantsmith]

Final Fantasy VII is magic.

I'd like to start by pointing out that what you consider "flaws" are a matter of taste, and that I doubt many people in this thread can agree on what the failures of the game really are, beyond the shoddy translation (which VI had, too). For example:

literally the only game ever to make me cringe at it's graphics and be actively distracted by how bad they are

I have no problem with the graphics. The artistry is still there, and to hold a game from 1997 to the standards of today, or even years later, is not fair. They were beautiful when they came out, and the backgrounds in particular still manage to set an incredible sense of place and atmosphere that I will continue to consider nothing short of brilliant.

Final Fantasy VII is a great RPG, story-wise and mechanically speaking, that also happens to have an incredible soundtrack, varied and interesting cast, exceptional worldbuilding, and thematic elements that turn genre conventions on their head while also touching on the human experience.

Nostalgia only amplifies the game thats there, a game that can still stand on its own. Final Fantasy VII was considered amazing when it came out because it was amazing. Here is a wonderful retrospective on the game worth browsing through if you love the game, or can't figure out why others love the game: Final Fantasy VII as compared to the rest of the series.

Final Fantasy VII is basically the "World of Ruin" section of Final Fantasy VI as an entire game.

For me, the game touches on something human that the rest of the series (barring VI and IX) only really dances around. It is a game about inheriting a planet full of blights and "baggage", full of screwed up and screwed over people, and learning to cope with the person you are versus the person you wanted to be.

It's about healing, and saving a planet that will still die down the road, only because life is beautiful and worth living.

 

[rataven]

It has got to be the worst game I've ever completed, in my opinion!

Why did you finish it then?

The only thing about the game which I even remotely enjoyed was the soundtrack, and even then it's not THAT good.

This actually makes me feel a little sad for you. There are Final Fantasies that I don't think much of, but can still recognize the good in. You didn't find the story of Red XIII's father touching? You didn't find Cloud's journey of self-discovery compelling? You didn't find the strength he gained from his friends insipiring? You didn't find any of the villains -- Don Corneo, Hojo, JENOVA, The Turks, Sephy -- to be wicked fun? You didn't find the themes of environmental exploitation and destruction relevant and thought-provoking? You didn't find the world design and lore of materia and the lifestream intriguing? You didn't find any enjoyment in what is arguably one of the most customizable character progression systems in the series? I could go on and on. The only thing you remotely enjoyed, the only thing, was the not-that-good soundtrack (according to you)? Really? I genuinely feel sad for you.

As for me and why I love Final Fantasy VII, and to this day still count it as my favorite game of all time, I can answer yes to every one of those questions. And those are only a few elements I enjoy among many, many more. Every single one of those points are still effective today, and have nothing to do with 'nostaglia googles' or other not-aging-well nonsense.

Now, I don't want this to turn into a hate-thread, so what I'm basically asking is... WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU PEOPLE LIKE ABOUT IT AND WHY?

You say you don't want this to be a hate thread, yet you start off with saying you're tired of VII getting the credit and praise it (rightly) deserves?

 

[Camp Lo]

It was a lot, and I mean a lot, of people's first RPG.

That's a pretty fucked up way to be introduced to RPGs. Good lord.

 

[Rinoa]

Fight On
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsLnioY3FVY

JENOVA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6GrZYE2il0

Tifa's Theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbOqcR-BORo

Cosmo Canyon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T3srk8Dkuo

The Great Warrior
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrI8bHs6Qvk

Birth of a God
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQwQnEfbh0U

Only 3 good songs, huh?

Yes I love those but it's still sparse.

I love *more* songs from the other games, and love those songs more than these. You can't deny that other OSTs, esp FF6 or 8 or X are still far more popular, get more arranged versions, and how rarely FF7 songs get any play in the FFDW concerts.

Also, things like Tifa's theme simply sound awful in the original psx midi whatevers. Real poop right der. And I loves me Tifa.

 

[Skilletor]

That's a pretty fucked up way to be introduced to RPGs. Good lord.

It wasn't my first, but it was the first that made me want to try others, and I'd think fans of RPGs would be happy that a game opened a gateway to the genre, no matter the opinion one might have of the game that started the flood.

 

[Rolf NB]

Good, fast, combat. Simple but polished and flexible customization and growth systems. Excellent story pacing. Excellent introduction and establishing of themes early on. Awesome music. Lots of optional high-end shit to do. Good difficulty balance, adequate rewards. Entirely acceptable load times.

That's what.

 

[Acquiescence]

I miss pre-rendered backgrounds so much.

Me too. That's the beauty of the PS1 Final Fantasy games - the environments were always exquisite to look at and crammed with detail, to the point where it really enhanced the atmosphere of each individual locale.

 

[Americanmushroom]

Here's my opinion.

Many factors:

- First RPG for a lot of people
- Best graphics ever when it came out
- Cool story with fun and charismatic characters
- Aerith's death was shocking
- Sephiroth looks badass
- the Materia collecting
- the Chocobo breeding and collecting
- Golden Saucer
- Awesome soundtrack
- FREEDOM, one of the first 3D freedom moments

 

[topplehat]

I get tired of people saying every PSX-era game hasn't "aged well" and that people only like them because of nostalgia.

 

[Famassu]

I know that everytime Square says remaking FF7 would be too difficult, it's because they keep this stupid idea in their head that it has to look like FF13 or no one will buy it, which is asinine.

Every time Square Enix has talked about remaking FFVII, it's been when they've been asked WHEN ARE YOU MAKING THAT PS3 TECH DEMO A REALITY? People WANT that.

And even remaking the game like you described would be a huge ordeal, one that would be more of a mismanagement of their resources than anything they've done so far.

I also know Square's Japanese branch is plagued with mismanagement and a general misunderstanding of what their fanbase the rest of the industry wants, which leads them to chase unreasonable dragons like building their own game engines that they use once, then never again because it was too difficult to develop for.

Them deciding to do an engine of their own was a good decision, yet simply one that turned out to be an unsuccessful one at that given that they didn't have any past experience with such things.

Still, what ignorant people like you fail to understand is that it would've been even worse of them to do things like they had always done (since that had already proven to be inefficient during the PS2 generation when they first started having development issues due to their dated development methods) and using outside tech wasn't that much better an alternative given stuff like Unreal Engine 3 had absolutely, utterly horseshittastic support for non-English speaking developers (in the beginning, of course it's better now). It was a clumsy first step to updating their development pipelines/methods to meet the needs of current game development, but looking at the positive side they now have the extremely promising Luminous Studios ready early on, which is basically a result of all the things they learned from the failures of Crystal Tools.

In much the same way Sony stumbled early this gen and have been getting back on their feet since then and have proven to have learned a lot about PS3's shortcomings with how they are approaching everything with PS4. It's kind of unfortunate that both Sony & Square Enix had to go through this kind of phase, but it was pretty much a necessary one (given where both companies were headed) which has already helped both companies take their first steps to lead them to a better future. Square Enix simply STILL has the excess package of the failed FFXIV 1.0 launch and a couple of other old projects still haunting them that they need to get out of the way before they can fully move on from this generation's failures. Once XIV 2.0, Lightning Returns and Versus XIII are out, I'm sure we'll not see such blunders (Versus having to make way for other projects all the time and still not being out, XIII getting such a backslash that they spend two games trying to fix all the shit that it got, XIV1.0 being the shit that it was) from them in a little while. Note: I'm not saying all their future games will be the greatest things ever, just that I don't think we'll see similar epic failures as XIV & XIII were.

Square could outsource an FF7 remake and have something that would sell 10 million in a year.

They could outsource it but FFVII is too important to just outsource to any 3rd party developer, especially if they want to do it properly (just like FFX HD uses outside help but is still largely managed with internal teams). Anyway, a FFVII remake that isn't like the PS3 tech demo would never ever sell even near 5 million copies, let alone 10, just like no other remakes have. They aren't as surefire guaranteed sellers as you falsely claim.

But they won't. Because current day Square apparently doesn't like money and is RELIANT on their partners to dig them out of the terrible terrible holes they put themselves in.

Of course they like money. A FFVII remake would just be a huge ordeal, one that would cost them a lot AND take resources away from NEW GAMES, which are infinitely more important than clinging to the past.

 

[Magnus]

Saying it was ridiculously inferior to its predecessor doesn't mean a whole lot in the EU. FFVII was the first game in the series to be released over here and was the first RPG to properly catch the attention of the mainstream to the point where it was the first one for millions of people. It did for RPGs what Star Wars did for Sci-Fi/Fantasy, introduced millions of people to the medium and defined a lot of people's younger years, hitting a resonant zeitgeist that people still talk about now. What it did for bringing the genre in to the CD space, with its cinemas and production values was unprecedented and felt ahead of it's time. And yet at its heart, it didn't betray the roots of the series and took the genre crashing into a new age of 3D battle scenes, CD music and tons of minigames. It helped that the story was one of the most powerful, memorable and sombre narratives experienced in the medium at that time. These are no small feats, OP.

This, a thousand times this.

Landmark game (not just RPG) with a fixed high position in all gaming history.

Sure, it's aged. But so has MGS. No one takes a dump on that.

It's playability factor over IX alone is staggering; the latter's battles press on at the speed of prehistoric molasses.

 

[SpoonyBard]

FF7 is very well balanced in terms of plot, interesting locations, moods and characters. I still prefer FF6 and FF8 overall, but 7 does a lot of things right, and fully deserves its status as a classic.

 

[anaron]

I get tired of people saying every PSX-era game hasn't "aged well" and that people only like them because of nostalgia.

It's just the worst argument. It's almost like implying that every game released in that era was just blindly enjoyed by everyone regardless of its quality. Terrible games existed then just like do now. VII isn't one of them.

 

[3phemeral]

I started on FF4 and still love FF7. FF6 was my favorite (and still is), but I remember being hyped for FF7 when I saw printed media on it with all the CG renderings of the characters and environments. When it finally came out, I was incredibly stoked to have my hands on it and played it practically non-stop for weeks, no sleep and locked myself in the room. It must have been a combination of that, the memories of sneaking it out of the Christmas wrapping without my parents knowing (then sneaking it back in), the atmosphere that I thought the game produced very well, and being huddled with a blanket and some hot tea while it was storming outside.

Even after that cheap non-Sony memory card crapped out on me on the third disc, I still played through the entire game again with a new memory card until I finished it.

I still really love the music, which is a big part of building any attachment to the world for me. I never really had any complaints about the game play or the materia system. I used to spend days farming the stuff because I was so bent on maxing out everything, I actually enjoyed it.

I'm sure now there might be something I could pick a part, but it provided an outlet for me at the time that I greatly appreciate.

 

[Muffdraul]

I get tired of people saying every PSX-era game hasn't "aged well" and that people only like them because of nostalgia.

Strictly in terms of graphics, the PSX and the Saturn are both in this sort of "anti-sweet spot" where they've aged worse than any other generation. Even ancient Atari 2600 and Intellivision games just aren't as downright fugly as the worst 32-bit offenders. All those hyper aliased polygons and seams with gaps big enough to fly a 747 through. Early 3D engines were pretty rough.

 

[Taruranto]

I'm not a fan, but it's a good game. Kinda over-hype and spawned multiple horrendous sequels/prequels, but a it's good game.

 

[polyh3dron]

It managed to nail the oppressive environment feeling like no other game before it.

.

 

[The Boat]

You say you don't want this to be a hate thread, yet you start off with saying you're tired of VII getting the credit and praise it (rightly) deserves?

That's the thing, he doesn't think it rightly deserves that praise. Neither do I.

 

[Oxigen_Waste]

Sure, it's aged. But so has MGS. No one takes a dump on that.

I do. I love Twin Snakes, but the original is an unplayable mess. And this is an opinion I already had at the time. I remember playing MGS and thinking it was the biggest waste of potential ever. And I was right, in my opinion the NGC remake was just much much better and the true definitive version of MGS.

I'm gonna go ahead and make that an even broader generalization, 99% of 3D games on the PSX were premature and should've been made either on the N64 or the 128-bit gen. The PSX wasn't ready for 3D... stuff like SotN, Xenogears, DQVII, FFT, are what should've been coming out on the PS1, not MGS. There were some good 3D games that played well like FFIX, Chrono Cross, Vagrant Story or the Crash Bandicoot games, but for the most part, the 3D games being released on the PSX didn't feel right, imo.

That's the thing, he doesn't think it rightly deserves that praise. Neither do I.

Olhó gajo!

 

[Mesoian]

Every time Square Enix has talked about remaking FFVII, it's been when they've been asked WHEN ARE YOU MAKING THAT PS3 TECH DEMO A REALITY? People WANT that.

Of course people want it, but that doesn't have to be this. Save the new tech for something new that you can actually build a franchise on, let someone else handle the muscle in taking old assets and new models and making it work in the same way it worked back in the day. You can't have a game look like that tech demo and have the same scale of FF7, you just can't. So don't try and make a faithful remake using the same methods they used 15 years ago. It's a sound plan that would generate an amazing amount of revenue.

Them deciding to do an engine of their own was a good decision, yet simply one that turned out to be an unsuccessful one at that given that they didn't have any past experience with such things.

And yet, they're doing it AGAIN. It's a bad plan and they should be trying to work with the middleware that already exists unless they are planning to sell this thing they've spent 3 years making, instead of working on easy profit layup games.

Still, what ignorant people like you fail to understand is that it would've been even worse of them to do things like they had always done (since that had already proven to be inefficient during the PS2 generation when they first started having development issues due to their dated development methods) and using outside tech wasn't that much better an alternative given stuff like Unreal Engine 3 had absolutely, utterly horseshittastic support for non-English speaking developers (in the beginning, of course it's better now). It was a clumsy first step to updating their development pipelines/methods to meet the needs of current game development, but looking at the positive side they now have the extremely promising Luminous Studios ready early on, which is basically a result of all the things they learned from the failures of Crystal Tools.

And that's great but has nothing to do with how they're running the show NOW. Sure, the first few years of PS2 development were rocky. They nailed that down by creating tools that work for the hardware available and keeping an open dialogue with Sony who wanted square around because, at the time, square games printed money. They didn't replicate that with current gen consoles, they were left blowing in the wind because they decided that PSP and DS development would be easier and more lucrative and they could make up the different for the money and time lost by prodominately catering to one demographic on a handheld that was failing pretty much everywhere except japan, AND ALL THE WHILE have spent what must be more money than god has even known on future products that still won't be able to even begin to make up lost funding until 2015 at earliest. You cannot sit there and say that Square has done anything right this generation. The 1 smart move they've made was buying Eidos and that is the ONLY thing that has kept them alive.

In much the same way Sony stumbled early this gen and have been getting back on their feet since then and have proven to have learned a lot about PS3's shortcomings with how they are approaching everything with PS4. It's kind of unfortunate that both Sony & Square Enix had to go through this kind of phase, but it was pretty much a necessary one (given where both companies were headed) which has already helped both companies take their first steps to lead them to a better future. Square Enix simply STILL has the excess package of the failed FFXIV 1.0 launch and a couple of other old projects still haunting them that they need to get out of the way before they can fully move on from this generation's failures. Once XIV 2.0, Lightning Returns and Versus XIII are out, I'm sure we'll not see such blunders (Versus having to make way for other projects all the time and still not being out, XIII getting such a backslash that they spend two games trying to fix all the shit that it got, XIV1.0 being the shit that it was) from them in a little while. Note: I'm not saying all their future games will be the greatest things ever, just that I don't think we'll see similar epic failures as XIV & XIII were.

And that's a whole lot of faith to put in a developer that has made such vivid glaring obvious mistakes. You can put your faith in them if you want, I sure as hell ain't.

They could outsource it but FFVII is too important to just outsource to any 3rd party developer, especially if they want to do it properly (just like FFX HD uses outside help but is still largely managed with internal teams). Anyway, a FFVII remake that isn't like the PS3 tech demo would never ever sell even near 5 million copies, let alone 10, just like no other remakes have. They aren't as surefire guaranteed sellers as you falsely claim.

If they are doing nothing with the brand, then why is it "too important" to let other people handle it? That doesn't make sense. And of course a remake would sell out the nose, FF4 sells at least 500k everytime it's re-released, and other than the DS 3D remake, which sold MILLIONS in japan alone, that's basically a quick emulator job. An FF7 remake that simply take the existing formula and makes it palletable for today's visuals would be easy. It doesn't have to look like FF13, it could look like Bastion or the Orge Tactics remake, and it would be one of the best sellers of the year, hands down. Release it on XBLA and PSN, no hard distribution fees, probably 5 million to make and the returns would be damn near limitless.

It's getting to the point where it's almost irresponsible for Square to not remake FF7, or better, hire someone else to do it for them.

 

[Mzo]

If you went from VI to VII the change in presentation was overwhelming. At the time of its release it was a pretty amazing game.

It has an interesting (if poorly translated) story, strong and likable characters, a simple and fun combat system with just a bit of wiggle room. Not too linear, no too open, a persistent, strong villain...

There are tons of reasons. IMO IX and XII are better, but it's not hard to see the good in VII.

 

[H_Prestige]

I've said this before, but FFVII's low poly "toon" style graphics hold up far better than FFVIII or IX. Everything was so pixelated in those games, and the animations were SO slow. VII has a definite speed advantage which makes it still playable today.

 

[DukeTogo1300]

I truly don't want a FFVII remake if it means voiced dialog, which it will. The game is fine as is.

 

[Skilletor]

I do. I love Twin Snakes, but the original is an unplayable mess. And this is an opinion I already had at the time. I remember playing MGS and thinking it was the biggest waste of potential ever. And I was right, in my opinion the NGC remake was just much much better and the true definitive version of MGS.

I'm gonna go ahead and make that an even broader generalization, 99% of 3D games on the PSX were premature and should've been made either on the N64 or the 128-bit gen. The PSX wasn't ready for 3D... stuff like SotN, Xenogears, DQVII, FFT, are what should've been coming out on the PS1, not MGS. There were some good 3D games that played well like FFIX, Chrono Cross, Vagrant Story or the Crash Bandicoot games, but for the most part, the 3D games being released on the PSX didn't feel right, imo.



Olhó gajo!

I couldn't disagree more. Finished a replay when the MGS collection came out. Started up MGS1 when 5 announcement was made, and I still think it's a great game.

Haven't played twin snakes. I'd probably enjoy it, but MGS1 is still great, especially on the Vita.

 

[Muffdraul]

I truly don't want a FFVII remake if it means voiced dialog, which it will. The game is fine as is.

Only thing I've ever mildly wanted is a re-localization. Just to bring it up to standards.

 

[Mesoian]

I truly don't want a FFVII remake if it means voiced dialog, which it will. The game is fine as is.

Agreed, but you don't need that either. You just need a producer who actually knows what the score is.

I mean, shit dude. Get Dave Lang on the motherfucking phone.

 

[SOLDIER]

- A strong female protagonist with Aeris.

You misspelled Tifa.

Spoiler

and Aerith

 

[Mzo]

I do. I love Twin Snakes, but the original is an unplayable mess. And this is an opinion I already had at the time. I remember playing MGS and thinking it was the biggest waste of potential ever. And I was right, in my opinion the NGC remake was just much much better and the true definitive version of MGS.

Stating that an above-average game is unplayable isn't an opinion. It's a grossly exaggerated bias.

 

[anaron]

I do. I love Twin Snakes, but the original is an unplayable mess. And this is an opinion I already had at the time. I remember playing MGS and thinking it was the biggest waste of potential ever. And I was right, in my opinion the NGC remake was just much much better and the true definitive version of MGS.

- A strong female protagonist with Aeris.
You misspelled Tifa.

if that standard is for physical strength, absolutely.

 

[Oxigen_Waste]

I couldn't disagree more. Finished a replay when the MGS collection came out. Started up MGS1 when 5 announcement was made, and I still think it's a great game.

Haven't played twin snakes. I'd probably enjoy it, but MGS1 is still great, especially on the Vita.

It's different with MGS than it is with FFVII. I like the ideas and concepts behind the game on the PSX, I just don't think it plays that well. Especially when compared to Twin Snakes. In other words, I think MGS was a good game released too soon/on the wrong hardware. It truly comes alive in Twin Snakes (again, this is just my opinion).

FFVII, however, is just a mediocre game all around and being remade or revamped wouldn't change anything. It is most definitely the worst FF game I've played (though I have yet to finish V and XII), and that includes Crystal Chronicles and 2 FFT games as well! Finishing FFIX for the first time last week just made me realize how much a of an overrated mess VII really is. I love that GAF prefers IX to VII but it saddens me to see the rest of the world think the other way around. IX is like the DQVIII of it's gen, a perfect encapsulation of it's genre done tastefully and filled to the brim with charm. FFVII looks, plays and feels like an amateur game.

 

[djtiesto]

It was a lot, and I mean a lot, of people's first RPG.

Definitely wasn't mine (after playing through 1-6 before I did 7) but I still love it. The whole "only way someone likes FF7 is because it was their first RPG" holds no water. It's the amazing setting, variety, high-concept storyline, coupled to the usual ATB battle system and a unique (at the time) progression system with Materia, that does it for me. It and IX are still probably the best post-SNES FF games.

 

[Oxigen_Waste]

Stating that an above-average game is unplayable isn't an opinion. It's a grossly exaggerated bias.

I didn't think it was unplayable then. That's how I feel when I try to revisit the PSX MGS nowdays... it has been completely outdone by Twin Snakes and there's not a single reason to ever revisit the original, imo. In it's own time, it was a relevant and refreshing take on a genre that was finally starting to bloom, but in my opinion, it felt a bit misplaced. Twin Snakes makes the original obsolete, if you ask me.

 

[Muffdraul]

I didn't think it was unplayable then. That's how I feel when I try to revisit the PSX MGS nowdays... it has been completely outdone by Twin Snakes and there's not a single reason to ever revisit the original, imo. In it's own time, it was a relevant and refreshing take on a genre that was finally starting to bloom, but in my opinion, it felt a bit misplaced. Twin Snakes makes the original obsolete, if you ask me.

I think I've replayed the original MGS about six times since Twin Snakes came out, which I played once and never wanted to play again. I didn't think it was awful or anything, it just felt totally wrong to me and it wasn't worth the effort to keep playing it until I was used to it.

 

[SOLDIER]

if that standard is for physical strength, absolutely.

There's an entire sequence where she has to bust out of a flooded gas chamber, crawl hand and foot down the outside of a giant tower, get chased down by hundreds of armed soldiers and make a huge leap to barely grab the dangling rope of a speeding airship.

Just something to consider any time someone complains that Tifa is a weak female lead. Just because she has romantic aspirations about Cloud saving her doesn't mean she can't take care of herself.