Poll: Final Fantasy VII - Worth playing for the first time now?

[ReservoirAngel]

Seeing the Final Fantasy VII remake at E3, coupled with Square also announcing a remaster/release of Final Fantasy VIII on modern consoles, has made me remember than on my 'watch list' on Switch I have the port of Final Fantasy VII in its original presentation.

I'm just wondering in regards to that if it's still worth playing it in this day and age?

Bearing in mind that I won't have nostalgia to carry me through it given I never played it back in the day. So I'd be playing it totally fresh without any hint of rose-tinted glasses about the game's quality in any way whatsoever.

Would peeps here who have played it (basically everyone but me it seems) still recommend finally giving it a playthrough since I can and it'll cost me like 5 quid to buy it on Switch store?

 

[CaitSeith]

It depends on which other FF games you have played and liked; but for that low price, it's worth the try.

 

[ReservoirAngel]

I've played but not finished Final Fantasy VI and loved it. I've played but not finished (but seen my brother finish) Final Fantasy VIII. I've seen my brother finish Final Fantasy IX. And I've played and hated Final Fantasy XIII.

 

[stroopwafel]

I'd say definitely, yes. Obviously it's now a 22-year old game so you have to set your expectations accordingly but I think it's still an easy game to get into even for new players. That you can speed up the action in the newer version helps a lot too. The terrific story, awesome characters and incredible sense of adventure is all still here. Even after all these years it's still in my top 5 favorite games. Granted I'm somewhat biased as I was hyped beyond belief in the weeks and months leading up to the original's release drooling over ads in magazines but it delivered on all my expectations and then some. So it's difficult to view the game without the fond attachment I have to it but it's still a legendary game for a reason. That we now get a remake with the production values it has is unreal.

 

[meiam]

Keep in mind, the version that's coming out will probably only cover the first 1/4 of the game and SE like to take there time releasing games so you're looking at probably over a decade before they finish the whole thing. It's also very likely that the amount of content in the entire thing will be less than the original since there almost certainly won't be a world map to walk around and the game will probably be a lot more linear. They're also probably going to significantly change the personality of a lot of the character. Cloud the main character was a pretty big jerk with a real dark sense of humor in the original, but it seems like there making him into a stoic boring guy. The main love interest was this ditzy girl who didn't take anything seriously but they seem to be making her into more of a saintly character. There also greatly changing the way the main antagonist was portrayed, in the entire portion of the game that is going to be available first, you never see him, only hear about him second handed and see the after effect of his passage. Cloud talks a lot about him but it's clear he has is own share of issue with him so the picture you get is quite distorted. This is why the bad guys is so fondly remembered, he's actually quite boring as a character but was extremely well introduced and presented in the game, all of that seems to almost certainly be lost in the remake.

The original as it's issue, character model when you're walking around are ugly as sin, but background are pretty nice (although there 2D) and cutscene aren't that bad all thing considered. It's turn based combat (another very important departure), so it can be a bit slow, it's about customizing your character in between battle, but tbh you won't have access to a lot of material (what you use to customize your character) for a long time, so combat can be a bit uninteresting at first, it's also very easy once you understand the basic. I can't really comment on story/character, this game is my childhood and I could never give an honest review of that. I will say it does a lot of stuff that would never be done in a modern game, you start out literally as terrorist who blow up large part of a city, quite a lot of character dies too.

 

[Dalisclock]

I will say it does a lot of stuff that would never be done in a modern game, you start out literally as terrorist who blow up large part of a city, quite a lot of character dies too.

Er, both Saints Row 3 and Red Faction Guerrilla essentially had you playing as terrorists. You're not supposed to think of it that way but it's not hard to see your character as one. Especially in Saints Row 3, where you quite literally have the option to blow up a building just because you can at one point and you spend like half the game fighting the US military.

SR3 is so tonally all over the place that it doesn't really stand out as much as it should.

As for the OP,

FF7 is one of the better games in the series and honestly, I'd go ahead and play that while waiting for the remake to drop. We're only getting episode 1 next year, with no concrete info on how many more episodes and how long between each one. If you're waiting to play the remake first, you're gonna be waiting a while.

 

[meiam]

I will say it does a lot of stuff that would never be done in a modern game, you start out literally as terrorist who blow up large part of a city, quite a lot of character dies too.

Er, both Saints Row 3 and Red Faction Guerrilla essentially had you playing as terrorists. You're not supposed to think of it that way but it's not hard to see your character as one. Especially in Saints Row 3, where you quite literally have the option to blow up a building just because you can at one point and you spend like half the game fighting the US military.

Saints row is practically a comedy game, so I don't think it's a fair comparison, red faction guerrilla is more about civil war. FF7 is straight up terrorism, a small group of people who aren't fighting for an oppressed people but rather for an ideology. There's never any sign that avalanche is even popular among people and they don't help everyday joe.

 

[stroopwafel]

FF7 is straight up terrorism, a small group of people who aren't fighting for an oppressed people but rather for an ideology.

Ehmmm.. I wouldn't exactly say the people in the slums of Midgar aren't oppressed by the Shinra, it's just that Avalanche is reckless in it's ambition to rid the world of Mako energy even indirectly hurting the ones they are supposed to protect. But that is also b/c Avalanche itself is just a band of imperfect renegades whose end justifies the means fighting the Shinra. That is until Sephiroth comes along.

Terrorism has the intent to make as many civilian casualties as possible, which was never the case with Avalanche. Quite the opposite it's just that the consequences of their actions were never really thought through. A term that would suit them better would probably be radical environmentalists, which in the context of FF7's world has a bit more of an urgent meaning. Atleast, in 1997.

 

[CaitSeith]

I will say it does a lot of stuff that would never be done in a modern game, you start out literally as terrorist who blow up large part of a city, quite a lot of character dies too.

To be fair, they intended to destroy only the reactor; the collateral damage to the rest of city wasn't planned.

Spoiler: And later that comes back to bit them on the butt...

And later that comes back to bit them on the butt, as Shinra destroys a big chunk of the upper city to obliterate the Slums and blames Avalanche for it; leaving the citizens none the wiser.

 

[CaitSeith]

FF7 is straight up terrorism, a small group of people who aren't fighting for an oppressed people but rather for an ideology.

Ehmmm.. I wouldn't exactly say the people in the slums of Midgar aren't oppressed by the Shinra, it's just that Avalanche is reckless in it's ambition to rid the world of Mako energy even indirectly hurting the ones they are supposed to protect. But that is also b/c Avalanche itself is just a band of imperfect renegades whose end justifies the means fighting the Shinra. That is until Sephiroth comes along.

Terrorism has the intent to make as many civilian casualties as possible, which was never the case with Avalanche. Quite the opposite it's just that the consequences of their actions were never really thought through. A term that would suit them better would probably be radical environmentalists, which in the context of FF7's world has a bit more of an urgent meaning. Atleast, in 1997.

Pretty much. Back then it wasn't unheard of radical environmentalists sabotaging or confronting corporations to bring to public knowledge the damage that the latter was making to the environment.

Also, Avalanche was fighting for the people at the Slums.

 

[meiam]

FF7 is straight up terrorism, a small group of people who aren't fighting for an oppressed people but rather for an ideology.

Ehmmm.. I wouldn't exactly say the people in the slums of Midgar aren't oppressed by the Shinra, it's just that Avalanche is reckless in it's ambition to rid the world of Mako energy even indirectly hurting the ones they are supposed to protect. But that is also b/c Avalanche itself is just a band of imperfect renegades whose end justifies the means fighting the Shinra. That is until Sephiroth comes along.

Terrorism has the intent to make as many civilian casualties as possible, which was never the case with Avalanche. Quite the opposite it's just that the consequences of their actions were never really thought through. A term that would suit them better would probably be radical environmentalists, which in the context of FF7's world has a bit more of an urgent meaning. Atleast, in 1997.

But avalanche aren't fighting for the people of the slum at all, if anything there goal will only make the slum people worse off since they won't have electricity anymore if avalanche gets there way. Terrorist is about using act of terror/destruction to force a change in some entity, here avalanche is trying to force Shinra to abandon mako reactor by destroying them, it's about the monetary aspect rather than civilian casualty (failling changing Shinra direction they'd probably settle for just destroying all the reactors).

 

[bluegate]

Sure it's worth it, just don't turn into one of those annoying people that can't deal with the fact that the Remake isn't going to be a 1:1 copy of the original.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

I've always wondered if this game was actually good, or if it was a console wars thing it became so popular

 

[CaitSeith]

I've always wondered if this game was actually good, or if it was a console wars thing it became so popular

The former. I played it on PC back in the 90's, and it was good.

 

[Drathnoxis]

Yes, probably more so than the remake will be.

 

[ReservoirAngel]

If you have the time and patience, might as well play the original. That way you?ll have played one of the great classics, and if nothing else gain a greater perspective (and hopefully appreciation) in terms of how the REmake will ultimately stack up to it.