The Final Fantasy VII Remake is a Fantasy

[MaltesePigeon]

I don't understand this at all. The arguments against a remake all seem to revolve around current gen graphics being too expensive. FF13 was the best game that they could make with those graphics, and how did it turn out? I didn't particularly like it, and I don't see anyone here calling it their favorite. So the logical conclusion I get from this is that fans would rather have substance over style.

I don't necessarily need a remake of FF7, but this is how I think Squenix should make all it's games from now on.
First, they need to pick a level of graphics that won't inhibit the gameplay of FF7. FF10, 12, and Dragon Quest 8 (without Goku) I'm looking at you. Hell, I'm just gonna talk about DQ8. That game played just like Dragon Quest 1, with better graphics and a few new things thrown in. And they're gonna make DQ10 for the Wii. Yeah there's one part of Squenix that's still saying, "&%^$ HD graphics, we want to make a game!" Sorry I channeled Barret there for a second.
Second, they need to pick a level of voice acting that won't inhibit the gameplay of FF7. All the fans of FF4 here, did Kain the Dragoon sound like a snake to you? He did to me. FF6 fans, who sounded more ladylike, Terra or Celes? Did you think it was funny when Celes, a general, tried to sing opera? Someone here mentioned just having voice action for the battles, just to get an idea of what the characters sound like, and I immediately though of Skies of Arcadia for the Sega Dreamcast. The developers of that game wanted full voice acting, but when it wasn't feasible they just left the battle "quips" in. Basically they could not do the best so they did the best that they could. It worked for me.

I just don't understand, everyone thinks the fanboys will riot if it's not next gen perfect. But if Squenix remade it and said, "This is what we can do to update it without changing what it is," I think most of the fanboys would understand.

 

[Dr. Danger]

Is the Final Fantasy VII fanbase so shallow as to crave more expensive graphics when they can just plug in their bloody Playstation 1?

Good on Square Enix for not milking a franchise just to appease the masses! Oh wait, they did make Before Crisis, Dirge of Cerberus, Crisis Core, Last Order, and Avent Children. Phew -- and I was worried they might not have been on Nintendo's level when it comes to beating a dead horse.

 

[ZehGeek]

Huge swipe

I know that all $60 does not go to them, but then again, we live in an age of "Collectors edition" which you could sell the same game with a few extras and different case for a good $100.

And not to be rude, but you sound particularly pessimistic over the whole thing. And besides, I also brought up that are they not already making a new one as it is? Do they not need to spend the money to make that for a next gen and all that? Even in the Shamus explanation, they would need to pretty much restart. So, it isn't so much a port as it is a new game.

That, and the formula for the combat and all the other things is laid out. There is a general idea there, not a strict formula that needs to be followed. But then again, perhaps I am being strangely optimistic.

Eah, I'm sorry if I seemed kinda bleh, I personaly hate FFVII, and it's storyline n stuff. Cept for Zack, Zack's cool. It's mainly all the unnecarry hype.

Atleast to me, they'd still have alot of stuff to do, which would take time away from other stuff they could be doing to make money, since there a buissness, and the risk of FFVII failing miserably, even though they'd get a decent amount of money from the first night of sales n stuff; and just it seems like it wouldn't balance out.

 

[UnusualStranger]

No worries

I really didn't think much of it myself really. The characters were nice, I thought. But I'm much more of a VI guy myself. So I definitely agree with the over-hype of the thing.

However, I do recognize the risks you are pointing out. Though I have seen a couple people here have pointed out some very technical details which I was not aware of before which would make your assumptions much more valid.

Though, recently I have begun to think that perhaps Square is a bit behind in the times. New paint doesn't exactly make everything great.

 

[PokeMog]

Excellent Points

And to that I could also add that they already have part of the work done; They had to redo all of the character models and some of the places for Advent Children, which could be used for the game itself.

 

[Jaebird]

Despite the wise message in this article, fanboys are still going to complain that their favorite game isn't being remade. I'm currently replaying FFVII for the second time after so many years (plus I felt like throwing $10 into my new PS3), and I'm fine with it as it is.

 

[mxfox408]

well a remake would be nice but the excuses square is making are stupid, if square was so worried about ffvii being hard to make why not use the FFXIII Engine even mass effect conquered large enviroments, so It can be do but they say it would be hard but then they make a FF MMO which the world is huger than fuck, not to mention FF XI sucked ass. FFXIV looks good but still cant use the excuse of it being hard, isnt that called business?

 

[Jandau]

Experienced Points: The Final Fantasy VII Remake is a Fantasy

Square-Enix isn't lying when it says a Final Fantasy VII remake is practically infeasible.

Read Full Article

Nice article, but lacks a conclusion of any kind. You see, I understand that modern graphics are expensive. However, they DID make FFXIII. So what's preventing them from making a FFVII remake? Yes, it's expensive, but they've shown they CAN do expensive if they want.

Why would FFVII be so much harder to make than FFXIII?

The only thing that springs to my mind is that FFVII is simply a bigger, better game. It's one thing to make a CGI movie occasionally interrupted by fight sequences. It's another matter to make an actual game.

The impression I got from the declaration that FFVII can't be remade was not about how lazy Squeenix was, but rather how simplified and dumbed down games are getting. We ARE sacrificing gameplay and variety for the sake of shiny graphics.

It is a lot like your recent article about the limitations of fully voiced RPGs, only apply the same principle to graphics...

 

[Shakura Jolithion]

I've always felt like the period which FFVII comes from, mostly thinking of other games, but now that I notice, FFVII, too, were defined in part by their graphics. There's something about they way those older games felt, even with their blockiness- it seemed like a style. For me, the uncanny valley was hit a while ago, especially in FPSes. It came shortly after we moved from Deus-Ex and Goldeneye graphics into the age of bloom and 20000 shades of brown.

So what I'm wondering is, why can't they just re-release FFVII on a modern console? I only got to play the game last year, when I also wound up getting rushed near the end, because someone I knew had it since childhood. Part of what kept FFVII good for me, despite all the years of spoilers and knowing people who had done this or that, was the graphics didn't feel like the uncanny valley- they have their own style, even if it means being "outdated" by today's standards. What's the difficulty in re-releasing the coding and graphics for a modern engine, especially on things so standardized as consoles? Just get some beta testers to explore every nook & cranny to make sure the graphics and game still works right. No need to polish something that's already good in it's own right- sometimes graphical 'upgrades' are quality downgrades.

 

[Zeromaeus]

Whatever. I don't care if they re-make FF VII. It was a good game, but it doesn't NEED to be remade. What NEEDS to happen is that SE needs to get up off their asses and either make a good game with their sparkly graphics or tone down the graphics enough that they can make a good game.

 

[Rayansaki]

Experienced Points: The Final Fantasy VII Remake is a Fantasy

Square-Enix isn't lying when it says a Final Fantasy VII remake is practically infeasible.

Read Full Article

Everything you mentioned is kind of a miss. If they can make FFXIII versus in 3 years for 50 million dollars, they should be able to do FFVII in 3 years for 50 million dollars (values aside).

They just have to postpone one project to work on the remake. it won't take 5 years if they can make another game in 3, and it certainly won't take 40 years. And this is a game with guaranteed return. Even if they need to go slightly overboard to meet expectations, it won't be more than a 25% increase in time/money compared to another game of the same dimension from the same studio, which will NOT have the same guaranteed return as FFVII.

The only possible reason for them to not want to make the remake is to hold on to it for a future development when they feel they have an edge to other developer's because of some new technology or something like that, so they can release an uncontested masterpiece. Or because they don't like money.

And I'm not saying it's a good game, I never played the original, I'm just saying that the article is mostly bullshit. If they can make another game in a realistic budget, they can make FFVII remake in a similar realistic budget.

 

[Burnhardt]

I've never really understood peoples desires for re-makes, expecially when the game already had a release.

The only time a re-make should happen is if at all is when it was never relased outside of Japan orginally. Europe never even got a PAL version of Chrono Trigger until the DS port last year.

FFVII, in my mind is an amazing game, even today. Yes, the graphics are incredibly dated but that the way I played it and remember it. If you're the type of gamer that requires HD/photorealistic graphics before a game can be good then you're not mature enough to appreciate it. Stick to what you know.

 

[Cornish]

Experienced Points: The Final Fantasy VII Remake is a Fantasy

Square-Enix isn't lying when it says a Final Fantasy VII remake is practically infeasible.

Read Full Article

Everything you mentioned is kind of a miss. If they can make FFXIII versus in 3 years for 50 million dollars, they should be able to do FFVII in 3 years for 50 million dollars (values aside).

They just have to postpone one project to work on the remake. it won't take 5 years if they can make another game in 3, and it certainly won't take 40 years. And this is a game with guaranteed return. Even if they need to go slightly overboard to meet expectations, it won't be more than a 25% increase in time/money compared to another game of the same dimension from the same studio, which will NOT have the same guaranteed return as FFVII.

The only possible reason for them to not want to make the remake is to hold on to it for a future development when they feel they have an edge to other developer's because of some new technology or something like that, so they can release an uncontested masterpiece. Or because they don't like money.

And I'm not saying it's a good game, I never played the original, I'm just saying that the article is mostly bullshit. If they can make another game in a realistic budget, they can make FFVII remake in a similar realistic budget.

Statement Y is incorrect for factual reason X.

Which one is missing in your post; Y or X?

The build up of XIII and XIII versus is to my knowledge very different from VII. Re-making VII in a XIII or XIII versus way may only take said amount of time and funds; however we're talking about re-making VII as VII in build up and freedom and with the visual level of detail as seen in XIII. In short a VII in the Crystal Tools engine.

Stating it won't take Y (time) because X (subject) takes Y is simply put foolish, one project will take longer or shorter depending on the ambitions of said project. And re-making VII in the Crystal Tools engine is a lot more ambitious than making XIII.

 

[yoshilinks]

you know your right, but here's things I don't get
1 The graphics in Advent children are more than expectable in cgi up to this day and thats roughly 2 hours worth of almost hi def graphics and being a hardcore fan of all final fantasy's (didn't like 11 much but eh)I think square is killing themselves with to many cutscenes, We (if reading this) all have most likely played ff7 and enjoyed it. What's wrong with text. Make cutscenes for key story points only. Also if they don't want to spend so much on graphics, stick a remake on psp. No one really complained about Crisis Core and the graphics on that during *key* cutscenes were nothing to sniff at even compared to most xbox 360 games graphics. Yeah its not what people are expecting but surely that would be easier, less expensive and more doable?

 

[Rayansaki]

Experienced Points: The Final Fantasy VII Remake is a Fantasy

Square-Enix isn't lying when it says a Final Fantasy VII remake is practically infeasible.

Read Full Article

Everything you mentioned is kind of a miss. If they can make FFXIII versus in 3 years for 50 million dollars, they should be able to do FFVII in 3 years for 50 million dollars (values aside).

They just have to postpone one project to work on the remake. it won't take 5 years if they can make another game in 3, and it certainly won't take 40 years. And this is a game with guaranteed return. Even if they need to go slightly overboard to meet expectations, it won't be more than a 25% increase in time/money compared to another game of the same dimension from the same studio, which will NOT have the same guaranteed return as FFVII.

The only possible reason for them to not want to make the remake is to hold on to it for a future development when they feel they have an edge to other developer's because of some new technology or something like that, so they can release an uncontested masterpiece. Or because they don't like money.

And I'm not saying it's a good game, I never played the original, I'm just saying that the article is mostly bullshit. If they can make another game in a realistic budget, they can make FFVII remake in a similar realistic budget.

Statement Y is incorrect for factual reason X.

Which one is missing in your post; Y or X?

The build up of XIII and XIII versus is to my knowledge very different from VII. Re-making VII in a XIII or XIII versus way may only take said amount of time and funds; however we're talking about re-making VII as VII in build up and freedom and with the visual level of detail as seen in XIII. In short a VII in the Crystal Tools engine.

Stating it won't take Y (time) because X (subject) takes Y is simply put foolish, one project will take longer or shorter depending on the ambitions of said project. And re-making VII in the Crystal Tools engine is a lot more ambitious than making XIII.

If SE is to be believed, XIII versus will have the same levels of freedom you're used to from previous final fantasy games. But it doesn't even matter. If Crytek can make a completelly new engine and a massive sandbox game in 3 years, with levels of detail well above what someone would expect from a FFVII remake, why can't FF devs make one in a realistic ammount of time, specially if they use the already existing engine from XIII/XIIIv?

I know 40 years is an hiperbole, but they use it to imply an unrealistic amount of time. No game has ever taken that kind of time to make before, so why should the FFVII remake?

 

[Helba1984]

I think it's less that people specifically want VII remade, and more a combination of things.

Older games had limitations, but in some ways those limitations gave the creators more freedom to sculpt captivating worlds and stories. Once you have to start rendering every blade of grass, it's a lot harder to convince your bosses that the giant meadow is absolutely necessary because it'll cost 2 million bucks in assets and time.

What we as fans want is that same level of effort and freedom but with the benefit of the new graphics package, and unfortunately by and large that's not what happens; we end up with XIII and excuses like "we can't figure out how to render towns! waah!".

Enough said why we're upset.

 

[Helba1984]

you know your right, but here's things I don't get
1 The graphics in Advent children are more than expectable in cgi up to this day and thats roughly 2 hours worth of almost hi def graphics and being a hardcore fan of all final fantasy's (didn't like 11 much but eh)I think square is killing themselves with to many cutscenes, We (if reading this) all have most likely played ff7 and enjoyed it. What's wrong with text. Make cutscenes for key story points only. Also if they don't want to spend so much on graphics, stick a remake on psp. No one really complained about Crisis Core and the graphics on that during *key* cutscenes were nothing to sniff at even compared to most xbox 360 games graphics. Yeah its not what people are expecting but surely that would be easier, less expensive and more doable?

Proximately, there was plenty wrong with VII. I'm not trying to start a flamewar or anything here, but honestly VII is pretty much played out. I'm sick of hearing about it, seeing it, and it needs to rest in peace.

If any world could be done more with, it's X.

 

[Nyrad01]

I'm still convinced that their beating about the bush for this when they should just come out and say "Look, we ain't making it, deal with it kay?" The more they talk about it and say how long it'll take just creates arguments like this that give us more reason to hope for a re-release than not.

 

[ZephrC]

Hmm... you know, this article was supposed to convince me that a FFVII remake is a bad idea, but instead it made me realize why I don't like JRPGs anymore, and now I want a FFVII remake even more.

So... screw you Shamus! Why would you do this to me???

 

[Nihilism_Is_Bliss]

aaah! don't give them excuses! don't support them! GIVE US A REMAKE!!! D'X