Final Fantasy VII has aged extremely well
- Thread starter jon bones
- Start date
Press and hold the PS button : )
You are not alone in this. In fact, the whole concept of "aging badly" does not exist for me and I cannot understand it. If a game was once great, it remains great for me. If a game was bad or mediocre, it stays that way. And it has nothing to do with nostalgia, as I can easily now play old games that I never played before, and enjoy them if they are actually good.
I agree that the gameplay is fine and the backgrounds are nice. I can always go back and play ff7 just fine. It's just the blocky 3d that makes me wish it was remade. Even the battle graphics I'm pretty okay with. But outside of battle, those pop-eye/handless/cow arms and blank faces, always make me yearn for just a graphical upgrade.
Hold on! DooM isn't supposed to look pretty, and it does looks good, for my eyes, that is.
This. Doom is supposed to look like a metal album cover.
Both games are still very playable, but Doom has aged much better than FFVII. Sure it's pixellated but the dated graphics don't really undermine the experience at all, which they do in FFVII IMO.
The CG cutscenes which were meant to be impressive are only laughable now, and the 'chibi' versions of the character models didn't even look good when it came out.
Rickenslacker
Banned
I distinctly remember the Popeye character models in the world view weirding me out back then as well so it's not something that just got gradually worse over time, it was always strange to look at. It was my first FF but I still don't look back at it too favourably, soundtrack has some high highs but really low lows, plot and characters go all over the place, and what I was ignorant to at the time was that the battle system was a big step down from the games that came before it and it introduced those monotonous summon animations because the tech allowed it. World design is still top notch as far as I'm concerned, but I have absolutely no urge to ever touch the game again.
Poor comparison don'tcha think? Regardless of what side of the fence you sit under on visual preferences those are full FF7 environments at their native resolution, while the FF6 shots are in-game and blown up. I was looking for a place to fetch some FF7 shots to blow up in a similar fashion but the only quality ones I could find had terrible colour banding, so that wouldn't do either. 7 has some great environmental design though so I wouldn't take that away from it.
I see this thread has already turned into a "My FF can beat up your FF" contest.
I know it was fixed in the disc-based PC release way back in the day because I happen to have that, but I don't know if that was Square or Eidos who did so.
I know it was fixed in the disc-based PC release way back in the day because I happen to have that, but I don't know if that was Square or Eidos who did so.
The PC version has a fixed translation?! Huh I might actually buy it then.
I would never want every RPG to be like FF12. I do love FF12, but I can also appreciate a turn-based system. FF7's is very basic, but it's quick and has a lot of variety in many of the boss battles. Also, Materia. <3
revolverjgw
Member
The gameplay is still solid. The backgrounds still look good, enough detail to paint a very vivid world. The models are the sore spot but I can overlook them, you typically don't see them up close too much.
The gameplay is exactly why I think this game is terrible.
God damnit.
APZonerunner
Member
I don't think it's aged badly, I just think FF8 and FF9 have both aged better in a visual sense, and that leads a lot of people to apply that thought generally. FF8 has some serious problems with balance and never had as strong a story, though. FF9 is better to me and always was, but I know I'm in the minority.
Just to temper your expectations, we're really only talking about the more egregious grammar errors ("You're a turks," "This guy are sick," etc.). The translation was never redone, as far as I know.
MomoPufflet
Member
Ahhhh that did it, thanks! Got the analog stick directions mapped. Soooo nice, I'm psyched now.
It matters because it makes the game nauseating to look at. 15 fps is barely enough to convince your brain that you're looking at a moving image, rather than a collection of still pictures.
revolverjgw
Member
Why? It's too basic and quick (by JRPG standards) to ruin anything. It's just kind of there, not extremely engaging but not broken either. I don't hold it in high regard but it never gets in the way of the real enjoyment of this game, which is the world and the presentation.
Agreed. Something about PS1 graphics isn't timeless. I can play a SNES game but not PS1.
Oh
Well it's better than nothing I suppose, but I was really hoping that VII had gotten a proper re-translation. It can really use one, we missed out on quite a bit of plot details from what I've heard.
Got progressively better as the gen progressed, IMO. Absolutely wonderful art directors/background designers.
FFVIII has my favorite pre-rendered backgrounds.
FFIX's were stunning, too.
FFVII's are unique, though. Each town has its own charm and so much went into tiny details. Just a joy to explore and look around.
I wouldn't be opposed to a next gen FF with world-maps and HD pre-rendered backgrounds.I wonder if it would be cheaper than what they have been doing with FFXIII and XV?
I don't even really like FFVIII but I think it has some of the best use of pre-rendered backgrounds in games. Second only to Chrono Cross.
For me games are like movies, a good game is forever a good game. Battleship Potemkin is an amazing movie just like it was in 1925.
The Praiseworthy
Member
Everything about FFVII is timeless, I can keep replaying the game over and over and over again for decades and I still would be amazed and blown away in each time.
The best game ever made in the history.
The best game ever made in the history.
I agree with you, OP. Actually played it for the first time last year and it's still very good. Simple mechanics (in a good way!), great soundtrack and ok story. However, FF7 is also overrated. I guess that to many people in the west (especially in Europe) it was the first JRPG they ever played... so as they say: rest is history. As a video game, it's not better than SNES FFs, for instance. Atleast FF6 is probably better thb, imo. I'd rate it 9/10. Playing Chrono Cross atm and it is even better. Can't understand the hate.
What is seen....?
NeoGAF in a nutshell.
When I first played the game I was SO thinking "oh man, this battle system comprised of barely moving still images is great. You can almost believe they're moving!"
Hyperbole really is NeoGAF's language.
TheJollyCorner
Member
It's a good thing FFVIII turned out to be my favorite FF.
Enjoyment all the way around for me.
It's an FF thread. Unfortunately it's inevitable. :/
Wasn't sure given how many people acted like raziel post proved something, but seems like my memory isn't that bad after all.
And yeah : http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=551612 we shall never forget that the biggest mistake ever made by square is to not have kept all their original assets.
Given how crazy talented some fan are as artist etc.. I'm actually surprised we still don't have a good fan made remake.
crimzonflame
Member
Imagine FF7 with FF12's battle system.
Posted about this in the "Will the FFVII remake happen this generation?" thread... If you're playing on the PS1/2/3, there are a few controllers that let you use the stick instead of the D-pad to play the game. I got one recently: Pelican AfterGlow PRO:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000669BJ4/?tag=neogaf0e-20
I've been playing around with it this week, and it makes playing the game so much better (for me, at least).
MoGamesXNA
Unconfirmed Member
.
Thanks for my future nightmares!
FF12 has interesting battle system on paper, but it's about as fun to play as to watch traffic.
More like the internet at large really...
The gameplay holds up for pretty much any of the flagship PS1 era Final Fantasies. Graphically it's all over the fucking board though. I enjoy the charms of older era PS1 games, but it looks pretty rough on 1080p screens or above.
Sorry, you misspelled FFIX. Common mistake.
VII was certainly a good game, but from a graphical standpoint, time hasn't been very good to it (as is the case with a lot of the early polygonal games). The gameplay is still pretty solid, though.
However, FFIX and FFVI are still the best pre-PS2 titles in the series. Disclaimer: I'm a huge fan of XII also, so feel free to disregard my opinion accordingly...
HerbertBirdsfoot
Member
I've never played a Final Fantasy game. Starting to get interested in JRPG's after playing some Pokemon and Fire Emblem: Awakening. I downloaded FF VII a while back from PSN. For now I just have a PS3, hooked up to an HDTV. I'd like to play an FF game at some point here. Also I plan to get a Vita sometime in 2014.
Should I:
1) Play VII on my PS3?
2) Play VII on my Vita when I get it?
3) Play a different FF as my first. Maybe the X/X-2 remaster? I also have a 3DS so I could play one of the DS remakes.
Should I:
1) Play VII on my PS3?
2) Play VII on my Vita when I get it?
3) Play a different FF as my first. Maybe the X/X-2 remaster? I also have a 3DS so I could play one of the DS remakes.
Lumpy Onion
Member
I might be alone on this, but I LOVE the way gouraud shaded polygon characters and monsters look. There is something crisp about them that really makes them pop. Currently playing it on the Steam release and am taken back at how crisp they look compared to PS1.
Ugh, and why do these threads always turn into FF ranking battles? It's kinda dumb.
Ugh, and why do these threads always turn into FF ranking battles? It's kinda dumb.
Kotetsu534
Member
I've never understood the concept of ageing re. media anyway. When you get used to watching films from several decades ago, and reading novels from over a century ago, it becomes natural to accept the conventions and limitations the creators were working within. FFVII is exactly the same today as it was in 1997 (if anything, I think the conventions of our time have done nothing but help its standing, since 60 hour sprawling adventure epics with numerous important/developed characters, complex progression and battle systems, and an emphasis on setting and soundtrack, are not exactly common).
Thank you for that post, Raziel.
Thank you for that post, Raziel.
MomoPufflet
Member
No, they definitely don't look that pristine in game. They are much more pixelated. Unless the PC version is drastically sharper (I haven't played it). I think he made a good point about the art direction but it's also a bit misleading as it doesn't account for how they look when you are actually playing the game.