Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Discussion and Speculation)

After much deliberation, I feel this subject deserves its own thread. I know plenty of people are rolling their eyes, convinced an FFVII remake shouldn't come to life, while just as many people are hoping such a project does happen.

But either way it doesn't matter, because it's bound to happen. There are far too many signs, including blatant near-confirmations from SE's top brass, along with the recent rumors about Nomura's next project surfacing in E3. While early signs point to FFXIII, recent rumblings hint that the mystery project may be an FFVII remake.

But mark my words, I'm definetely certain one of these two projects is going to be unveiled very soon, so in order to cover my bases, I'm devoting a thread to the other possible unveiling. Even if it does prove to be FFXIII (or something else entirely), I still feel like discussing what I would like to see in a remake of FFVII, and I'm sure other members have some ideas worth sharing as well.

I only ask not to turn this into a debate on whether the remake is a good idea or not, because as I said, it's inevitable. Sick of FFVII's popularity and spin-offs? Go elsewhere then. The rest of you, speculate away.

One feature I'd like to see in the remake is a soundtrack that changes along with the location. Let's use the standard battle theme for example. When you're in Midgar, fighting in a Shinra Reactor or escorting Aerith to her house, you get a techno type mix of the regular battle theme, to match with the urban setting. But once you step outside and start fighting in a more FF-natural setting, the battle theme changes to a more contemporary, orchestral-style mix. Considering the multiple locations, I would love a diverse soundtrack that plays on each setting.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

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[01:39] <@Miles|work> I wish SOLDIER would play a non-Square Enix game for once

http://www.gamingforce.com/forums/mu...iscussion.html

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[01:53] <@Miles|work> Hey CS. I also like how SOLDIER compliments OBVIOUS flaws in Square-Enix games.

Such as....?

Well like I said, there's bound to be people against the idea in general (and anyone who supports it). But like someone else mentioned, if I didn't make this thread, someone else would eventually.

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I know I said I didn't want a debate on whether a remake should happen or not, but I guess there's no way to avoid the conversation.

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Oh come on. These "rumblings" are just fanboys saying that they heard about it from bla bla bla.

It's a little bit deeper than that. Square's president stated that the chances of a remake were "likely", as well as confirming that SE was "examining the possibility" of a remake. Unless you think he counts as a fanboy (and I kind of hope he would be).

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If they are going to remake it, they'll remake it for PSP because.. well everything is being ported or remade for the PSP. But PS3 remake, no.

Not very likely, since they already have Crisis Core for the PSP.

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First of all, people will want voice acting, which is an awful idea right there. One of the reasons FFVII's atmosphere worked so well was because despite the heavily cinematic cut-scenes, it felt like following an engaging book instead of a badly acted movie. Adding voice acting will immediately make it a badly acted movie.

Lines like "This guy are sick" and "Off course" don't exactly make for an engaging book. Voice acting is and always will be a matter of preference, but as it stands I've yet to hear a bad dub from SE. KH2's is fantastic, Suvari aside, and I've heard AC follows the same kind of quality.

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Secondly, no one supporting a remake seems to acknowledge how old FFVII is. Old meaning old designs, conventions and compromises. Clumsy dialogue, clumsy story exposition, clumsy gameplay (in parts). This was entirely forgivable on the PS1 because the game was simply so enjoyable, but that won't work on PS3.

And that's exactly why a remake feels so necessary now. In my opinion, FFVII is currently the ugliest FF title currently available. The previous FF's were all sprite-based (and FFI-II have been given makeovers, with FFIII getting a full 3D makeover), which have a timeless quality to it, but when you compare FFVII to the later 3D incarnations like FFVIII and IX, the game sticks out like a sore thumb. Lego models, crappy FMV, midi tunes, badly translated dialogue, and a story that could've been more coherently narrated make up the flaws. Make no mistake, FFVII was fantastic and ground-breaking at the time, but with the increasing standards in graphics and presentation (especially from Square themselves), it doesn't look so hot nowadays.

The short of it is that FFVII is currently hot again. All these spinoffs are bound to draw in newbies to experience the original game. That's why a fresh new remake is so necessary.

Actually, the fact of whether it's necessary or not isn't even the point; it would just be cool, and that should be enough incentive as any. Was that MGS remake for GC necessary? Of course not. Was it still cool? Absolutely.

Another feature I want to see is a bit of an update on the old outfits and designs. I could do without Barret resembling Mr T this time, and I especially can't imagine Tifa in her old outfit. Not unless they wanted to incorporate a bunch of panty shots and bounce physics. I don't want a complete overhaual, just a few subtle touches to help modernize the old designs, just like the Cloud in the PS3 demo (a darker top, and a more AC-quality face and hairstyle).

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

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However I think they wanted to milk it for it's worth with all these spin offs and the movie before they hit us with the grand finale: FFVII remake for the PS3.

Nah, the grand finale would be FFVII-2, or whatever they want to call the final chapter of the spin-offs. In the end, I'd probably prefer that to a remake, but I don't think the last chapter will be made for quite a while (not just to milk the series, but also because it would be like creating a whole new FF RPG, and they're already busy with FFXIII).

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I don't know if anyone recalls but at some point they even announced their own made up term for milking franchises like this. It was polysomething... (I don't exactly remember).

Polymorphic Content. And I think the term is referring to other venues of distributing their franchises, including movies, books, and so on.

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Here's one story alteration I'd like to see. In the first flashback with Sephiroth, it establishes that Sephiroth discovers that he is a Cetra, and how he will liberate the planet from the humans in the name of his Cetra mother.

However, later in the story, they then establish that Jenova wasn't a Cetra, but the enemy of them. This of course means Sephiroth isn't a Cetra either, but he still carries on his plans, fully aware he isn't a Cetra.

The whole thing felt like a pointless plot point that only served to confuse people. It didn't matter whether Sephiroth was a Cetra or not, since his plans remained the same. What's more, we aren't even told how he finds out that he wasn't one to begin with.

I say erase the whole Cetra bit from the flashback and just have Sephiroth learn that he's a child of Jenova, and destined to rule the planet.

How ya doing, buddy?

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Waitaminute...You're shitting me. Why did FF7's characters look so different from the more recent zipper-laden KH and FFX/X-2/XII characters then?

Nomura was instructed to keep the designs simple, since it was Square's first 3D effort. He even had to keep them semi-superdeformed. It wasn't until FFVIII when Square got a handle in rendering 3D characters, and Nomura was able to use his "true style".

The only FFVII design that came out the way he intended was Yuffie, since he had the most time to tinker with her look, adding the usual acessories that's become his trademark.

And for god's sake, stop whining about Setzer.

How ya doing, buddy?

Nomura was the one who designed Setzer in the first place. I'm glad he doesn't look like a Sephiroth lookalike now. Yes, he came first, but Seph is far more recognizable, so a compromise had to be made.

How ya doing, buddy?

I don't really think the minigames need that much tweaking, like you state. In the end, what are they? Simple button-mashing events that barely take up a minute of your time. I think the options are pretty simple; either modify them somewhat so they won't be as tedious, or just remove them entirely (not like anyone would miss that CPR bit, and I could do without the "press the three consoles at the same time" bit. Hated that shit).

As for whether Nomura still has a grasp on what makes FFVII great, well that's really a matter of opinion. I haven't played the later spin-offs yet (DoC), but judging from what I've seen in KH2 and AC, I'd say he still has an accurate portrayal of his characters. Square has said many times that they wouldn't do a remake unless Nomura was in charge, so it's not like they want to just market it in a hurry.

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He designed Setzer and then Amano reworked him entirely. The original designs looked almost nothing alike.

Have you even seen Setzer's concept design? Is it even available for viewing?

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Also, Seph is more recognizeable? Setzer is a Seph look-a-like? God, SOLDIER. You really are simple.

I played FFVI back when it was still FFIII in the US. I loved Setzer and every other character, and I still hold the game close to my heart even now. But I'm also fully aware that guys like Sephiroth are far more recognizable to the general public than Setzer. That's why anyone who began with FFVII would classify Setzer as a Seph look-a-like, and not vice versa. This isn't a matter of preference, it's just the way it is. Deal with it, for god's sake.

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-Interesting menu. The FFVII menu was horrible, gradients are shitty.

I thought you could change the colors? On the other hand, I don't think that made things much better. Yeah, the menu's colors were piss-poor.

EDIT: I never gave Amano's FFVII illustrations much viewing. Amano-Aerith looks pretty neat, the pink doesn't stick out as much.

Amano-Squall and Rinoa suck very hard though.

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Enough. Let's try this again if/when this actually happens.

How ya doing, buddy?