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[jon bones]

In the thread where people were discussing their desire for a FFVII remake, lots of people posted that the game wasn't as good as we remember and that rose tinted glasses had made the game a classic. I decided to boot it up on my Vita and see for myself - it's been about 10 years since I last played it.

The game is far better than I expected it to be:

-custom zooming in so the screen fills the height of my Vita's OLED really makes the pre-rendered backgrounds pop. their designs are still very good, even if the character models are low-poly

-the music is as brilliant as it's ever been

-materia is still one of the better FF game systems, allowing for a lot of depth and customization

-mapping dpad to Vita's stick makes it control much better

-the combat was where i thought the game would falter but it's even better than i remember. i set vita's fast loading on, all battle/message speeds to fast, set the combat to active, set the battle camera to fixed and the game just flies. it's super snappy going in & out of combat.

all that plus vitas sleep mode really makes me glad i picked this up & started replaying it

 

[Seanspeed]

Graphics have undoubtedly not aged well, but everything is still definitely as solid as can be.

 

[Meccanical]

Agreed, but we're in the minority on this issue.

 

[Gamefreaks221]

Umm I can't play it because it looks so bad. So rose tinted glasses my friend.

 

[Acquiescence]

The only aspect of it that has aged (or rather, never looked good in the first place) are the lego block character models outside of combat. Pretty much everything else about it is still brilliant. The pre-rendered environments are gorgeous at times.

 

[davepoobond]

Analog stick not working is yucky

 

[TetraGenesis]

In the thread where people were discussing their desire for a FFVII remake, lots of people posted that the game wasn't as good as we remember and that rose tinted glasses had made the game a classic. I decided to boot it up on my Vita and see for myself - it's been about 10 years since I last played it.

The game is far better than I expected it to be:

-custom zooming in so the screen fills the height of my Vita's OLED really makes the pre-rendered backgrounds pop. their designs are still very good, even if the character models are low-poly

-the music is as brilliant as it's ever been

-materia is still one of the better FF game systems, allowing for a lot of depth and customization

-the combat was where i thought the game would falter but it's even better than i remember. i set vita's fast loading on, all battle/message speeds to fast, set the combat to active, set the battle camera to fixed and the game just flies. it's super snappy going in & out of combat.

all that plus vitas sleep mode really makes me glad i picked this up & started replaying it

I've replayed it multiple times as an adult and still think it's fantastic. It's not just nostalgia.

I think there's a certain bitterness in some over it being the most popular Final Fantasy. I'm not even positing that it's the best, but it shouldn't be cast off just because you like VI or IX better. VII is an exceptional game.

 

[potam]

Such emotion.

I haven't played it since it first came out, but looking at screens, the character models aren't that bad. I was always a FF7 character model apologist, though.

And yeah, the materia system was the greatest thing ever.

 

[Jawmuncher]

Umm I can't play it because it looks so bad. So rose tinted glasses my friend.

I can already tell this thread is going to go well.

 

[Atomsky]

It's a world with history, background and current events; every character has their own background stories.

JRPGs nowadays suck at building a world with so much depth - including the new FFs. I'm sad.

 

[RPGCrazied]

The character models sure haven't. I'm one of the ones that want a remake/remaster at some point. But I want that for all the PSX Final Fantasies.

 

[LiK]

Popeye Cloud looked weird back then already. But I do agree that the music is still great.

 

[Gamefreaks221]

I can already tell this thread is going to go well.

I won't deny the gameplay was enjoyable but as someone who knows the twist and nnever played it back in the day I feel differently is all. Might as well have opinions from both sides of the spectrum.

 

[MomoPufflet]

Analog stick not working is yucky

This. Game would be so much more pleasant to navigate with the analog stick. Honestly I'm fine with every other aspect of the game. It's still my favorite FF. But ugh, frustrating.

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

This game's atmosphere, especially during the early parts, is so good. I'm itching to do another playthrough sometime next year...

 

[Basileus777]

The battle system hasn't aged well. The game's combat is boring and easy.

 

[SolsticeZero]

Materia is definitely one of my favorite FF systems ever. So much customization. And that music. Nobuo was on the fucking ball with that game.

 

[Ishida]

What a coincidence to see a thread like this. I just started a new game of Final Fantasy VII a few days back and I thought the same exact thing.

I mean yes, character models look like Legos, and backgrounds are blurry and low-res (Only if you play it on an HDTV, otherwise they look great), but everything else is fantastic to this day! Still loving the music, the funny dialogs and the interactions between the characters. Battle system still holds up to this day and I'm having no problems with it after so many years.

Basically, only the visual stuff seems outdated, and still looking at the backgrounds makes me appreciate the level of art and detail they put into them. Midgar is, to this day, an impressive sight to behold.

What a fantastic game, and truly a diamond for the ages. A real classic.

 

[Kyoufu]

Not sure if serious.

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

I think there's a certain bitterness in some over it being the most popular Final Fantasy.

Wait. You think there are some people who would hate on something just because it's popular? I don't know, that sounds pretty unbelievable to me. Especially on the internet.

Umm I can't play it because it looks so bad.

I find this an odd comment from someone with a Doom avatar.

 

[CrackPebbles]

This. Game would be so much more pleasant to navigate with the analog stick. Honestly I'm fine with every other aspect of the game. It's still my favorite FF. But ugh, frustrating.

What the fuck...I get the feeling that im the only dpad warrior alive sometimes.

 

[Sami+]

It's still a good game, but the presentation and script really hold it back from being perfect in this day and age.

I'd love a remake

 

[Bundy]

Best gamer ever made!

Spoiler

FF7 and The Last of Us

 

[Knurek]

Did Squeenix ever fix the atrocious english translation?

 

[jon bones]

i'm guessing the people complaining about the graphics outside of the non-combat character models aren't playing on a Vita. the game looks great.

 

[vagabondarts]

I think it is playable for people who played it before. It really works on a portable screen.

The save point system would have to change radically to keep up with modern checkpoints and stuff.

I replayed it last year on my PSP and had a lot of fun with it.
The first 1/3 of the game seems like a real chore to me now that I've replayed it so many times.

If they are going to do a remake, doing it in the FF4 remake style is the only way I see it working.

 

[Hexa]

I feel it needs to be smoothed out a bit in relation to controls, text, menus, etc. and character models need major improvement. Other than that, I think it's great.

 

[Yoshichan]

Was the best game of all time 1997.

Still is the best game of all time 2013.

 

[soxinthebox]

i'm guessing the people complaining about the graphics outside of the non-combat character models aren't playing on a Vita. the game looks great.

It looked fine on the PSP too

 

[Forkball]

It's one of the best games ever for a reason. The graphics get a lot of hate, but I think the blocky characters are endearing and you never really see that design in other games (possibly for good reasons). The backgrounds of this game are absolutely incredible.

 

[Vorg]

Having finished the game for the first time earlier this year, I agree. I really liked it, but found the story kind of confusing to be honest.

 

[Raynes]

The graphics render the game barely playable. Many times I didn't see where to go because of the absolutely awful graphics. The way to play this is using the latest PC mods.

 

[Lovely Salsa]

Was the best game of all time 1997.

Still is the best game of all time 2013.

Its not even the best FF game

FFVI is the best in the series

 

[MomoPufflet]

What the fuck...I get the feeling that im the only dpad warrior alive sometimes.

Well I'm not against dpads altogether. But holding down the circle to run and grinding my thumb on the dpad just isn't comfortable to me anymore. It's really my only hangup on the game now, and I wish it didn't bug me that much. 2D games I'm fine with a dpad, but for a polygonal FF I don't like it.

 

[TetraGenesis]

Analog stick not working is yucky

This. Game would be so much more pleasant to navigate with the analog stick. Honestly I'm fine with every other aspect of the game. It's still my favorite FF. But ugh, frustrating.

Remap the dpad to the analog stick on Vita! Problem solved!

Don't have a Vita? Well, there's your problem!


ProTip: Make the corners of the touch screen register as the action button and just rest your finger on the screen when you want to blaze through battle.

 

[LiK]

Having finished the game for the first time earlier this year, I agree. I really liked it, but found the story kind of confusing to be honest.

i enjoyed it until the abrupt shitty ending that they tried to fix with Advent Children.

 

[ExFalsoQuodlibet]

Replayed it via PSN. Graphics are bad but mechanics and story (for a jrpg) still look good.

 

[Aeriscloud]

This game sounds fun.

 

[CrackPebbles]

It looked fine on ps3 as well! but then again I hardly give a fuck about things like that, no nostalgia either, played it for the first time almost exactly a year ago.

 

[NIN90]

Are we finally back at that point in the cycle where we accept FF7 as the great game it is?

 

[MomoPufflet]

Remap the dpad to the analog stick on Vita! Problem solved!

Don't have a Vita? Well, there's your problem!


ProTip: Make the corners of the touch screen register as the action button and just rest your finger on the screen when you want to blaze through battle.

You can do that?! Amazing. I'd only played on the PSP and OG PSX before :X

Now I need to play it on my new Vita.

 

[shimrra]

I'd rather not ruin the memories I have for this game.

 

[potam]

I just remembered: in my freshman year at college, my roommate was doing a FF7 playthrough. We decided we should see if it were at all possible to beat Emerald Weapon with a shit party (not maxxed out, not even sure if everyone had their ultimate weapons). So, we spent a good 30 minutes or so swapping out materia and figuring out how to get someone with the right amount of HP to trigger lucky 7s after a potion, which we figured was a guaranteed win.

Nope. That motherfucker had too much HP and didn't go down after lucky 7s

 

[Pinko Marx]

Agree with everything but the material system. It's a good system, don't get me wrong, it allows for a large amount of tactics and some cheese (which is a mark of a good customization system imo) but the top 3 for FF go to V, IX, and X.

 

[Jawmuncher]

I won't deny the gameplay was enjoyable but as someone who knows the twist and nnever played it back in the day I feel differently is all. Might as well have opinions from both sides of the spectrum.

Oh I agree. Not everyone is going to like the same thing. Just wanted some more clarification which you just provided.

I've replayed it multiple times as an adult and still think it's fantastic. It's not just nostalgia.

I think there's a certain bitterness in some over it being the most popular Final Fantasy. I'm not even positing that it's the best, but it shouldn't be cast off just because you like VI or IX better. VII is an exceptional game.

I definitely agree. Some people's reactions towards the game is simply because it's the most well known FF.

 

[Ishida]

The graphics render the game barely playable. Many times I didn't see where to go because of the absolutely awful graphics. The way to play this is using the latest PC mods.

You would have to be blind in order to not know where to go. Besides, if you press Select you get a lot of arrows and stuff showing where the exits and paths are.

 

[Frillen]

Was the best game of all time 1997.

Still is the best game of all time 2013.

It's not even the best FF game.

 

[Unknown One]

It aged better than FF8 to me.

 

[Magicpaint]

It hasn't aged as well as FFVI and the presentation is confused at best today, but I generally agree. The atmosphere is still fantastic and the ATB and materia system still works.

 

[wakajawaka]

I started replaying it just yesterday. Thought I'd play 45 mins and get tired, but played it for 4 hours. The English translation is godly compared to the Spanish one, and the Don Corneo part was hilarious. Didn't remember the game had all those tongue in cheek moments, to be honest remembered these as just weird.

The only downside for me is the resolution, doesn't even fill my laptop's screen vertically at 1280x800. Is that normal?

For me if they have the original backgrounds at a good resolutions the should just add some polygons to some models, fix some bugs and add some content, like they did with FFVI GBA. I would be happy with that.