Final Fantasy VII REMAKE Catch All

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Looks like the demo dropped today. The day the game was supposed to drop on. So I figured, why not go ahead and make an official thread for the game.

Really looking forward to playing it when the kids have gone to bed. Word is, it's pretty excellent.

Damn.....i need to download this asap

Final Fantasy VII Remake Gameplay - Playable Demo Bombing Mission Full Walkthrough

Just finished, I'll spoiler the rough length just in case someone cares:

Spoiler:

It's pretty much just the bombing mission.

I enjoyed it a lot, and am quite excited to play the rest...of the segment of the story they are doing this time.

And that's the demo in the bag. I almost died a lot to Guard Scorpion.

Well, no more playing it for me. I'd rather continue on than rehash the same area fifty times. I might pick it back up if I get overly curious about Classic mode. One thing that might bother me is that Classic seems stuck on Easy. It might be nice to have Classic mode with harder difficulties. Not a deal breaker, though.

I really enjoyed the demo. I was feeling a bit of doubt about picking it up at launch prior to this, but no more.

Just finished the FF7 demo. Wow yeah, I really liked it. From the moments the opening bars of music started it was nostalgia overload. Combat great, looks nice (although possibly if I'm being harsh not actually looking like a 2020 game), sound is great. I deliberately skipped every cut scene just to concentrate on gameplay and I'd rather wait for the full release, but I'm impressed.

Man, that boss fight was hard!! I only just made it through after using all my phoenix downs!

I played a tiny bit of the demo. From what I sampled and a preview that went into the group combat system I thing I might be in on this game.

Not sure what’s going on with Tim in that thumbnail.

Played through this last night. I don't think I'll ever be a fan of real-time (ish) multi-character combat models, but the game sure is pretty.

I'd hoped classic mode would be more like a fixed position turn-based style, rather than the weird hybrid that it seems to be, but it's nice they made the concession. I didn't die to the last boss, but I never really felt like I was in control of that fight.

I don't *think* I'm gonna preorder, but I do have some PSN wallet funds not current earmarked for anything.

17 Amazing New Details in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake - Final Fantasy 7 Remake New Gameplay

You guys need to get your heads out of the Cloud. This isn't a porn site.

Alright, replayed the demo, and I did a lot better that time around.

Using Cloud's Force Thrust or whatever inappropriate lewd name they gave it is really good for building that pressure into staggering, but typically you need the enemy to be pressured before it's really useful. Guard dogs? Doesn't matter, swap to Punisher mode, hold R1 to counter them with a melee, slash enough to build ATB and then unleash the Force Thrust. Or Focus Thrust. Whatever it was. That'll stagger the Guard Dogs. Another handful of slashes and finish 'em with Braver.

But the Sweeper and Scorpion Tank? Those are a bit more complicated, and I feel like the verbal hints aren't super helpful. I think once you cast magic on the Sweeper he enters "Pressured" status (that's what Cloud says you ought to do to "create an opening"), which is when you want Cloud to use Inappropriate Thrust on the enemy and crank that stagger gauge up. Maybe hit with Barrett's Overdrive and a bit more, and you've got yourself a Staggered sweeper taking a ton of damage. Hit him with Thunder, Braver, whatever heavy damage stuff you got.

The Scorpion Tank, on the other hand, is a bit of a different story. The middle portion of the fight feels the most random and chaotic. Cloud will talk about "learning the pattern of its attacks", but from what I can gather there is no pattern. It's also difficult to build its pressure during that phase. However, I did finally notice that an enemy's attacks appear above its name and health bar. So you can figure out your best response based on what it's about to use. EMP? Dodge backward out of its range. Gun attacks? Block. Tail swipe? Well, I didn't get in proper position for it this playthrough, but I'm wondering if that would be when you swap out to Punisher and prep an R1 counter attack. Don't stay in Punisher, though, because most of the attacks are ranged and Punisher can't block those.

I played on Normal both times, using a ton of potions my first time. I didn't use all that many this time. I died neither attempt. I did briefly try Classic, which according to the menu is also set to the Easy difficulty. Classic felt weird. You can still control your own guy, but he'll otherwise fight, dodge, and block on his own... but it's... it feels like a very inefficient way of fighting. The A.I. in this game doesn't seem great, and basically unless it's a regular attack, the player needs to keep swapping to the partner in order to make sure they use their abilities.

The combat kind of feels cluttered. I feel like, were this not a remake of Final Fantasy VII, it could have made for a better, slimmer combat system. Cleaner.

That said, there's enough going on that I like it. I like playing it, and I was surprised how much better I was at it this time through. I might show it to my sister at some point since FFVII was one of the few games she played, and when I posted a trailer on her Facebook she freaked out. Then I told her it was just Midgar and that it'd be action combat and she was confused.

She hasn't played a video game in about ten years when she finally beat FFIV, she only had a PS2 to play on, and wanted to try a newer Final Fantasy. I tried to recommend X to her. She insisted on XII because it was newer. She did not heed my warnings that I couldn't help her because I never played it at the time. She still complained to me that the sticks are weird and why couldn't it just be turn-based like the old games using the D-Pad.

She has no hope with this game, which makes some of Square's nostalgia-bait funny. There are people both in America or Japan that haven't really played games for twenty years and are in for a rough one if FFVII Remake coaxes them back.

FFX had D-pad movement and was turn based. Maybe she complained about something else? O:

Anyway, Two enthusiastic thumbs up for the demo. I think the only “silly” this is Barrett, but that’s just exactly the same as the original.

I was pretty impressed by the battle system in particular. I’m super anxious to see how they fit the other party members into it. I don’t see the comparisons out there to XIII. Seems more like they borrowed from Nier Automata to me, though I haven’t played a ton of Nier.

I read the below impression piece from Kotaku, and the main thrust is: what is present is excellent, but will fans be happy with 1/20thof the original game?

https://kotaku.com/3-hours-with-fina...

To which I say: there is a loooot or fat to trim from the original game. Midgar would be a lot bigger than 1/20th if they cut out a bunch of unnecessary stuff, like I think they will. Things like Fort Condor, Costa del Sol, the snowy area at the end of disc 1, and a bunch of other stuff can conceivably be cut or just relegated to cutscenes.

Speaking of rejiggering, Midgar is obviously the part of the game that lends itself to this type of expansion. Forgive me for repeating because I’ve said this in the FF thread, but I wouldn’t be shocked if there’s this game, then the second game that gets you all the way to the end of, say Wutai.. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think they’re looking at deep diving in Kalm the way they are Midgar in this game. Spreading this level of detail across the entire game would result in a practically endless series.

...a Final Fantasy? *mindblown*

Blind_Evil wrote:

FFX had D-pad movement and was turn based. Maybe she complained about something else? O:

FFX is what I recommended, but FFXII is what she insisted on and purchased, despite my warning her that X would be more her speed. She inevitably asked me for help, and all I could do is look at the screen as she explained her problem and shrug. "I dunno, I never played this one" was all I could offer her.

Speaking of rejiggering, Midgar is obviously the part of the game that lends itself to this type of expansion. Forgive me for repeating because I’ve said this in the FF thread, but I wouldn’t be shocked if there’s this game, then the second game that gets you all the way to the end of, say Wutai.. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think they’re looking at deep diving in Kalm the way they are Midgar in this game. Spreading this level of detail across the entire game would result in a practically endless series.

...a Final Fantasy? *mindblown*

Future areas definitely won't be as in-depth, but I'm curious how the "overworld map" stuff will be handled since they can't afford to make any of the continents so open-world. My guess is we'll be dealing with a rather linear series of games, but we'll have to see what they've done to Midgar first. They're focusing on showcasing a lot of familiar stuff, but haven't really honed in on where newer content fits in (like riding away from SOLDIER man on bikes with Jesse, Biggs, and Wedge still very much alive).

The largest zone of the next game is most likely going to be Junon, but to what extent? Just as you barely see any of Midgar in the original game (comparatively), you barely see more than a single street or two of Junon, in addition to the original hamlet that now sits beneath the city and the helipad/airport. Then there's the Gold Saucer, which could similarly be a pretty huge zone.

The question is just how much they plan on expanding other areas, and what story moments they plan on hitting (there's also the question of how involved Wutai will be. Unless I'm mistaken, everything at Wutai is optional. The Turks and Don Corneo show up, but I don't recall it being a mandatory quest to progress through the story. Wutai is technically a key piece of the game's backstory, what with the war Shinra fought long ago and how it left the country relatively crippled, but is that really anything fans have latched onto as important to the game compared to so many of the elements being exaggerated in this remake?).

At minimum we're getting FF7 remade in three games. I think remaking it in more than four would be a mistake and possibly a disaster. The question is how you then separate everything else out, and I think we're clearly only getting a big expansive Midgar in the first game while everything else will be "condensed" while simultaneously expanded. That only makes this first game all the more strange, stretching a handful of hours to something so massive. Actually, now that I think about it, the second time I played the demo the "full game" trailer concluded with a different scene than the first time I had. It showed the iconic "Sephiroth surrounded by fire" sequence, so it's possible they'll be shifting story elements from Kalm into this Remake. If you did that, then the next game could begin with the characters arriving at Junon, and you'd shift around some of the Turk reveals in the Mithril Mine and such.

............hrm. Wonder how they're gonna handle recruitment of Yuffie.

I played through the demo last night. I'm still not sold on the combat, although I did feel like I was getting the hang of it by the end of the playthrough. Like FFXV I feel like everything felt too un-respoisive to work well as an action game, but too fast paced/chaotic to allow for the strategy a turn based system does.

Outside of the combat I had a good time, the nostalgia hits very hard.

Blind_Evil wrote:

I was pretty impressed by the battle system in particular. I’m super anxious to see how they fit the other party members into it. I don’t see the comparisons out there to XIII. Seems more like they borrowed from Nier Automata to me, though I haven’t played a ton of Nier.

It's the stagger meter aspect that is super similar to 13. They add an extra layer with the pressure aspect. I think it'll be a pretty satisfying battle system once you put a few hours in and get comfortable with it. It seems like it'll keep you switching between party members and types of attacks to exploit weaknesses to pressure, stagger, and then big damage.

I played a little last night... and this game back in the day was what got me back into gaming, so it holds a special place in my heart. Playing this game with this graphics is somewhat like a dream come true. Anyways, played a little and I felt I dont quit get the combat system. I had no idea how to properly switch from Barrett to Cloud etc, but I am sure that will come with time. I will finish the demo today and see what I think then. But I DO think this game will be awesome

So I played it again on Classic and while it was easier, it was still fun to me. This time around, I noticed a few things that weren't related to just gameplay and my nostalgia.

This version really take the time to show, not tell, why Cloud was brought along. In the original, he's just the main character so of course he's in the group. Here, it's almost comical how much AVALANCHE is depending on him just to be a bruiser that deals with the guards. They are definitely getting their money's worth.

The personality difference between Barrett and Cloud are on full display, but there's also hints at something deeper. He seems to act different around Cloud when the other members aren't around. He's all about shouting and speechifying until they are alone and then he's almost downright hostile towards him. And there's a little moment in the elevator when the reactor is exploding where Barrett is kind of pacing and urging the elevator to move faster, but then looks at Cloud who's just leaning against the wall with his eyes closed and then he suddenly stops freaking out. It's a little story touch that's done well that, I think, hints towards Barrett eventually giving up any notions of leading the group.

Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie are a delight to be around. Their banter is fun and believable. I can learn things about their personalities just by how Biggs reacts to Jessie flirting with Cloud. If that's how they treat the side characters, I can't wait to get more in depth with the likes of Tifa and Red XIII. I'm personally ok with the idea that Pres. Shinra ordered the destruction of his own reactor. He's obviously got some endgame in mind and I think he'll be much more fleshed out in this game along with the rest of Shinra HQ and the Turks. We can still have Jessie torn up over the death count of her bomb because if she had built it too big or even just right, she was still BLOWING UP A REACTOR which isn't a safe thing at all. She's obviously never seen Chernobyl.

And with that playthrough done I'm on media blackout until the game is in my hands. I'll be playing lots of other stuff to keep my mind preoccupied for the next 36 days.

PS Also, what's the consensus on making this a spoiler filled or spoiler free thread? I know the game is almost two decades old and the mean age around here is higher than most sites, but there's some people who haven't played it and there's going to be new stuff we haven't seen yet. Which do you folks prefer?

I suppose there has to be another thread for spoilers.

I mean 20 years is a long time so there are probably a lot of people who don't know Cloud is actually Cait Sith's brother...oh crap I have said to much....anyway we probably should have a different thread for spoilers because there are actually some rather big surprises.

Grenn wrote:

So I played it again on Classic and while it was easier, it was still fun to me. This time around, I noticed a few things that weren't related to just gameplay and my nostalgia.

This version really take the time to show, not tell, why Cloud was brought along. In the original, he's just the main character so of course he's in the group. Here, it's almost comical how much AVALANCHE is depending on him just to be a bruiser that deals with the guards. They are definitely getting their money's worth.

The personality difference between Barrett and Cloud are on full display, but there's also hints at something deeper. He seems to act different around Cloud when the other members aren't around. He's all about shouting and speechifying until they are alone and then he's almost downright hostile towards him. And there's a little moment in the elevator when the reactor is exploding where Barrett is kind of pacing and urging the elevator to move faster, but then looks at Cloud who's just leaning against the wall with his eyes closed and then he suddenly stops freaking out. It's a little story touch that's done well that, I think, hints towards Barrett eventually giving up any notions of leading the group.

Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie are a delight to be around. Their banter is fun and believable. I can learn things about their personalities just by how Biggs reacts to Jessie flirting with Cloud. If that's how they treat the side characters, I can't wait to get more in depth with the likes of Tifa and Red XIII. I'm personally ok with the idea that Pres. Shinra ordered the destruction of his own reactor. He's obviously got some endgame in mind and I think he'll be much more fleshed out in this game along with the rest of Shinra HQ and the Turks. We can still have Jessie torn up over the death count of her bomb because if she had built it too big or even just right, she was still BLOWING UP A REACTOR which isn't a safe thing at all. She's obviously never seen Chernobyl.

And with that playthrough done I'm on media blackout until the game is in my hands. I'll be playing lots of other stuff to keep my mind preoccupied for the next 36 days.

PS Also, what's the consensus on making this a spoiler filled or spoiler free thread? I know the game is almost two decades old and the mean age around here is higher than most sites, but there's some people who haven't played it and there's going to be new stuff we haven't seen yet. Which do you folks prefer?

Wow... you post describes exactly how i feel. This game is special and in certain ways.. will tell a much more complete story.

I struggle to believe we need a separate spoiler thread, when people could use spoiler tags here. And yeah, it's a 20+ year old game. Hard to believe anyone cares about spoilers for such a classic at this point.

farley3k wrote:

I suppose there has to be another thread for spoilers.

I mean 20 years is a long time so there are probably a lot of people who don't know Cloud is actually Cait Sith's brother...oh crap I have said to much....anyway we probably should have a different thread for spoilers because there are actually some rather big surprises.

On a lark, I think starting a bunch of internet rumors about false spoilers for the game would be pretty funny. I wonder how much traction this would gain, though... Making fake screenshots of the original with false scenes that would upend the actual plot... Hmmm...

I don't know what happens in the game having never played the original. Spoiler tags would be good but no problem if I'm in a minority. Just give me a warning before openly launching into big spoilers.

This version really take the time to show, not tell, why Cloud was brought along.

I dunno man, they literally say that Cloud was specifically hired to handle the combat.

And there's a little moment in the elevator when the reactor is exploding where Barrett is kind of pacing and urging the elevator to move faster, but then looks at Cloud who's just leaning against the wall with his eyes closed and then he suddenly stops freaking out. It's a little story touch that's done well that, I think, hints towards Barrett eventually giving up any notions of leading the group.

This is the one addition I do like. The contrast between Barrett and Cloud is a pretty big part of the characters, and that moment I think is a really good, subdued manner of delivering on that. How Cloud's calmer, more professional attitude causes Barrett to reflect for a small moment.

PS Also, what's the consensus on making this a spoiler filled or spoiler free thread? I know the game is almost two decades old and the mean age around here is higher than most sites, but there's some people who haven't played it and there's going to be new stuff we haven't seen yet. Which do you folks prefer?
Higgledy wrote:

I don't know what happens in the game having never played the original. Spoiler tags would be good but no problem if I'm in a minority. Just give me a warning before openly launching into big spoilers.

Hrm. I was going to recommend story elements new to the remake be kept in a spoiler tag, but I didn't think we'd have folks not knowing some of the bigger spoiler territory.

I think spoiler tags shall be fine, and shall try to be careful from here on. Though it poses a question of what seemingly minor spoilers occur in the first 3-5 hours of the original game which is now 50-60 hours here.

I think I know one spoiler ( don't know what events happen in which FF game but if it's the big one everyone talks about I'm guessing this is the game.) It sounds like there is more than just that one thing which gave me pause.

If we can go spoiler tags it'd be good but I'm not going to get upset if minor stuff gets spoilt or even if there is a slip up and big stuff gets outed. I just enjoy stories when I don't know what's going to happen.

Higgledy wrote:

I think I know one spoiler ( don't know what events happen in which FF game but if it's the big one everyone talks about I'm guessing this is the game.)

If you're thinking of the cliche gaming spoiler (the gaming equivalent of Citizen Kane's "rosebud") then that wouldn't even happen in this game.

Oh. Well, I don’t know what happens then.

Higgledy wrote:

Oh. Well, I don’t know what happens then.

I'm not sure I do, either, and I'm currently playing the PSOne release. This remake only covers a small part of the beginning of the original Final Fantasy 7, and it's honestly not a part that's super eventful. Most of the game's iconic moments happen after the section covered by the remake.

I took my dear sweet time playing through that part of the game on PSOne; it took about six hours and felt like there was a lot of fluff. How they're going to inflate that section of game into a full-length, standalone game for the remake is an open question. They're going to need to insert a lot of extra story material, and no one really knows what it's going to be.

I've been trying to think of what an equivalent slice of another game would be. It's like doing a remake of Witcher 3 that's just White Orchard, or a remake of The Last of Us that stops before Bill's Town, or if the remake of Shadow of the Colossus had just been the first two colossi.

Point is, I don't think even people who know the original game and its spin-offs well could really tell you everything that's going to be in this game because there's either going to be a lot of new material by necessity, or it's going to be a much shorter game than people are anticipating.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

I'm not sure I do, either, and I'm currently playing the PSOne release. This remake only covers a small part of the beginning of the original Final Fantasy 7, and it's honestly not a part that's super eventful. Most of the game's iconic moments happen after the section covered by the remake.

I took my dear sweet time playing through that part of the game on PSOne; it took about six hours and felt like there was a lot of fluff. How they're going to inflate that section of game into a full-length, standalone game for the remake is an open question. They're going to need to insert a lot of extra story material, and no one really knows what it's going to be.

I've been trying to think of what an equivalent slice of another game would be. It's like doing a remake of Witcher 3 that's just White Orchard, or a remake of The Last of Us that stops before Bill's Town, or if the remake of Shadow of the Colossus had just been the first two colossi.

Point is, I don't think even people who know the original game and its spin-offs well could really tell you everything that's going to be in this game because there's either going to be a lot of new material by necessity, or it's going to be a much shorter game than people are anticipating.

From various interviews over time, what I've gathered is that, while there will certainly be completely new elements, part of it is also the inclusion of side stories and content from the various parallel spin-offs - as you mentioned -, like the mobile Japan-only Turks game (Before Crisis, was it?). What all that material is, effectively, I don't know, but not all of it is going to be brand new - just mostly new to some of us.

What the Midgar section of the game encompasses isn't, in its original form, all that much, but the very promise of what it could be on its own and by seeing glimpses of how they're expanding on what was orignally there based on the demo, I'm feeling like it's going to be a good mix of old-but-expanded, old-but-new and brand new.

What's good about that is that there plenty of content to draw from without just having to come up with stuff out of thin air, in a manner of speaking.

Blind_Evil wrote:

I read the below impression piece from Kotaku, and the main thrust is: what is present is excellent, but will fans be happy with 1/20thof the original game?

https://kotaku.com/3-hours-with-fina...

To which I say: there is a loooot or fat to trim from the original game. Midgar would be a lot bigger than 1/20th if they cut out a bunch of unnecessary stuff, like I think they will. Things like Fort Condor, Costa del Sol, the snowy area at the end of disc 1, and a bunch of other stuff can conceivably be cut or just relegated to cutscenes.

Speaking of rejiggering, Midgar is obviously the part of the game that lends itself to this type of expansion. Forgive me for repeating because I’ve said this in the FF thread, but I wouldn’t be shocked if there’s this game, then the second game that gets you all the way to the end of, say Wutai.. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think they’re looking at deep diving in Kalm the way they are Midgar in this game. Spreading this level of detail across the entire game would result in a practically endless series.

...a Final Fantasy? *mindblown*

Schreier has been beating that drum since the game was announced. I guess I empathize for a certain kind of FF7 diehard fan, but I just don't share the negative outlook. I have that story available to me on three different platforms if I want it. An expanded version of the Midgar arc sounds much more appealing than prettied up version of the original story. That "1/20th of the original game" angle completely discounts fleshed out existing characters, brand new side stories, modifications on the original storyline, and likely all kinds of other new sh*t that is going to be included. It also falsely equates 1/20th of the original story to 1/20th of a game. That's not how that works. Even if you do believe that, not every part of the original story needs to be given equal weight. Like you said, the original game has a ton of fat that can be cut out.

This whole thing is is very reminiscent of the misplaced Starcraft 2 split campaign outrage. Each of those three releases contained inventive, bombastic campaigns well worth the price of entry, but there was still a sizable portion of the audience that wrote them off sight unseen because 'Blizzard tried to sell one game three times'. Those same complaints will continue to be directed at FFVII Remake, regardless of the quality of the game. And just like with Starcraft 2, I will happily ignore those complaints and continue to enjoy a (hopefully) great game, at least based on my experience with the demo.

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