Early in Chapter 18 now so possibly the game could be done tonight. I'm not fresh enough in mind to recall how the story alligns with the original version anymore but one thing that feels notable is the reuse of areas in this. you basically work your way through Sectors 5,6 and 7 and then the story comes up with reasons to repeat all those areas which can make it feel a little like padding. There are some stunning looking moments too but the scaffolding section is let down badly by the use of incredibly low clarity 2D backdrops.
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I'm not sure it is that short you know. I've been really enjoying it, doing as much as I can find without a guide on my playthrough and I think I am at 36 hours just approaching the end game. I might do some longer impressions because it is uneven in places but it is good. Really good. Particularly the combat which I didn't think I'd enjoy as much as I am doing...Originally posted by Hirst View PostComment
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In a way Final Fantasy VII Remake is like seeing FF slowly become a Yakuza game at the same time that Yakuza 7 see's that franchise slowly becoming a Final Fantasy game. Would probably explain why it's the FF I've enjoyed most since probably Final Fantasy XComment
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*wipes brow*
Just finished it, not much to add to previous posts but I definitely enjoyed it a lot and I hope Part II is more of the same and Square doesn't faff with the mechanics between each part. It really should end with all parts feeling like a consistent whole.Comment
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Finished my first playthrough. Around 40 hours so it isn't short. Bearing in mind I got at least 30 hours out of Resident Evil 3 (which is not an apples v apples comparison but demonstrates an approach to replayability that is there if you look for it) I'll have some comments to make on content and how it is structured later.
First impressions are incredibly strong, you could ask anyone who has played the demo about that because it is almost identical. What is missing from the demo is anything that gives event the slightest clue that the game is not a beat for beat remake.
I don't think it is a spoiler to say that, everyone knows by now that this is not the same experience from 1997 but how could it be? The weight of expectation for the graphical parts of the remake were way too much to make a profitable venture from, if you followed all the same scenes as the three disc PS1 original.
Back on point, the introduction is intense, perhaps one of the best opening scenes from the 90s and one of the best from this generation. This is like how the 1997 game played out in your head, when you were younger. Initially everything is amazing, the graphics are brilliant, the music is nostalgic but fresh and the battle systems are, for me, improved beyond belief.
And the more you get to play the more that feeling continues but it crosses over to being something else, almost the best game and the worst game, at the same time. Everything it gives you with a beautiful rendering of a cotton weave on a jacket it takes away with a PS2 door texture or a janky low res NPC (not an important one I should add). Everything it gives you with a fully remade, dynamic soundtrack makes you appreciate how good the music was in the original. Everything about the battle system that is fantastic is marred by some poor camera controls and a depth that is not obvious at all, unless you choose to dig in deep. At first, all I wanted to do was fight, I was enjoying it so much but most fights in the story element of the game are over too soon, with the exception of a handful of boss encounters. I never thought that about the original.
The dialogue flips between touching and brilliant to ****ing atrocious and the pacing is, lets say well suited to a quarantine lockdown. Much has been made of the linearity of the game and that is true, it is a single path interspersed with side missions that could have been lifted directly from a MMORPG. For better or worse, I appreciated them because they gave me more time to spend with the characters, who have been fleshed out to complete, interesting people by the end of the game although Cloud does not get to his maturity for story related reasons that will be obvious to anyone who has played it through.
This is a reset. It is almost nothing like the original in many respects and the story does deal with that. It is expensively made, improved, worse, different, better, unfinished, ridiculous and still complete in what it sets out to achieve. I didn't expect to fall in love with the world again but I clearly did. I have seen past the short comings and can appreciate it for what it is, a return to Midgar.
So that's the spoiler free impressions. I'll keep it that way for the time being on story aspects except to say that I enjoyed it. On the content though, there is a lot more in there than one playthrough, if you want to work for it. A lot of it is tied to specific fights that are dotted around various places that really up the ante on how you need to approach them. The trophy system is quite helpful at pointing you in the right direction for these like
but the combat really is good. It is also challenging. Normal mode might well be like playing Tweens of Rage but the
is hard as nails.
That, along with hard mode, which is tough, requires a completely different approach to the materia system. It expects you to have maxed out characters and gear but that is not enough by far. Strategy, timing and a much deeper understanding of the materia system is needed to get the most out of it. I'll leave this final thought on this thread -
In conclusion, I really did love it. It isn't perfect, but nothing is. I'm doing some trophy related stuff at the moment and will try a hard mode run at some point. 9 chocobos out of 10 from me.Comment
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Didn't want to do a double post but never mind.
Just got the Platinum. The experience reinforced my feelings about the strengths of the game, the combat really is king.
You need to seek out first the means to beat the hardest challenges in the game, which is pretty much a playthrough on hard mode (which in itself is not easy) but then go to the additional challenges.
Only there do you get to the depth of the materia balancing system. I didn't care so much for the story the second time around, it obviously loses its impact but there are some genuinely spectacular scenes that are worth a re-watch. The fights though, without access to items, become something far greater than they first appear. I said it earlier but I really didn't expect to like the system as much as I do.
This is my third Platinum of Lockdown (when else am I going to have the time to do this?) and maybe the most satisfying. At the same time, the most frustrating. Final Fantasy 7: Remake. Brilliant and terrible at the same time. Roll on the sequel.Comment
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Grats on the platinum! I felt the combat shined on only a few encounters. Mostly Hard mode Chariot, Hellhouse and the hard mode exclusive VR fight series at the end. Genuinly enjoyed figuring them out, felt like doing endgame fights on FF14 but without other people messing up, just me
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About 15 or so hours in I think. Just beaten
I've been sitting on this for a while (I think I got it from PS Plus sometime ago?) and due to the FFXVI hype at the moment and the trailer for the 2nd part of the remake I thought I'd give this a bash.
Wow GFX are pretty amazing, the almost seamless transition from cutscene to gameplay is chefs kiss.
I'm not entirely sold on the combat, I find it very hard to track off screen enemies attacking me so I can either dodge or block. It also doesn't help that I am also playing Yakuza 3 so block is L1 so my muscle memory is making this horrible.
I'm pretty sure the story is very similar to the OG so far. I need to load up my PSP save to see. Anyway despite my reservations around the combat I'm having a blast, cannot wait to see how this plays out and even more hyped for part 2 when we get out into the open world. Cannot wait to do chocobo farming for my gold chocobo
Oh and I really hope they have the weapons in part 3 (or however many parts they need) and I hope they keep Knights of the Round
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This is NOT the same as og VII. It’s basically a fleshed out version of Midgar from og VII. There’s no world map to explore. Apparently that’s all coming in the next ones. It’s also not the same story, this is basically alternate universe FFVII.Comment
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It’s really disheartening that the combat designer for Bayonetta/Transformers provided what should have been a universal solution to this back in 2009, maybe even earlier looking at his portfolio (VJ/Resi 4), and no one (not even Platinum Games) took any notice at all.Originally posted by Finsbury Girl View Post
Enemies off-screen shouldn’t attack. If they have to, then they give audible cues. It makes 3D games infinitely more enjoyable/better, and directly binds camera control as another form of crowd control.Comment
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Finished my first playthrough last night. I really enjoyed the game though my criticism of the combat stands. I am not very good at the combat so that is probably more my issue than the games but it certainly doesn't help itself. Thankfully it wasn't too hard, I only died a dozen or so times, mostly when I wasn't tracking the health of the party.
I will now attempt to level my party and materia to tackle hard mode - even though I suspect progress won't carry over into the next game (a massive mistake in my view after all it IS the same game albeit released piecemeal) I am hoping you get a boost and bonuses at least.
I still have zero clue about the story it is even more convoluted than the OG.
Overall I think this is a really great game, not perfect by any stretch but one I am having a lot of fun playing and I am super hyped for the next instalment.Comment
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Damn, hard mode is no joke. Just managed to beat Hell House on chapter 9, took me well over an hour, but I admit I am pretty useless at the combat in this game
I shudder to think how I am going to get through some of the later bosses.....and I haven't tried the secret boss yet either
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I think the trick to hell house is elemental switching. I definitely took the wrong approach to it as it took me a few tries when I was playing on normal mode. Rebirth will probably see me finally purchase that PS5...
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might have to wait for the pro version!
Trust me the PS5 (or Pro
) will be worth every penny, this plays and looks like a dream on PS5, Rebirth should be even better
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Managed to platinum this somehow, after levelling up bucket loads of materia and watching some strategy guides, the hard mode wasn't too bad but 17 and 18 stage bosses were a challenge. As long as you had optimal materia fit out you were generally ok.
Almost finished my first playthrough of the Yuffie DLC. So far it's great. The humour is fantastic and the two characters really play off each other nicely. Bumping into Roche again was hilarious. I also think this segues into the main story really well. Yuffie is a such a great character. Can't wait to see her fleshed out in the next instalment.
I believe this is PS5 exclusive and I can see why, there is a clear step up in resolution and fidelity. It looks bloody amazing.Comment
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