brockf15
This review contains spoilers
Holy shit, just completed a playthrough of just the story, world intel, and sidequests than ran me over 90 hours on Dynamic. This game is a remarkable feat and the open world on this scale with so many JRPG elements like encounters and ships and hidden treasures is unlike anything I’ve experienced in the HD era of RPGs save for parts of Lost Odyssey or Ni No Kuni on the 360 and PS3. If anyone has recs for more open world jrpgs like this please send them my way. The environments in this game feel like they shouldnt be possible, and the cartoony art style with a mix of realism and nomura-isms is really nailed down in this from the characters to the landscapes to the enemies.
With all that said. This is no way anyone should experience FF7 for the first time. This one is strictly for the fans it seems, with meta-narrative piled on(which is unsurprising but not less groan-inducing than it was when Remake introduced it in the ending). I’m withholding all the judgement I can for the finale, especially cause I kind of like the darker and darker tone they seem to be hinting at with all that’s going on with Cloud’s psyche. Since they already gave away so many of the reveals that the original has about Cloud’s path in the original, I’m curious to see where they’ll diverge with that. Regardless, I’m pleasantly surprised that they still went through with Aerith’s murder despite hinting to the contrary, though the way it’s directed as with everything in this game’s direction lacks all subtlety and weight of consequence. I did come to really care for Aerith more than I thought I would with her characterization, but had she not woken up about three times and continued on as a Lifestream ghost I think her death would have still had quite an impact. Once again, I’m still curious what they’ll do with it but it made me roll my eyes a little.
As a fan, and for what it is, there’s so much I was curious to see and happy to see and enjoy. On the otherhand, there are way too many minigames that demolish the pace of this game. (My two roommates both said they saw me playing way more minigames than any actual combat or exploration, and I felt it too). Dyne’s death scene is butchered, Cid’s character is gutted(maybe they had a hard time updating the plot with his wife, but still, this alternative Cid is so nothing). And really, you spliced up a 30 minute Zack scene throughout the entire game to make it feel like a plotline? But there are great additions to Yuffie, Cait Sith, and Vincent that I mostly enjoy.
It’s hard not to feel like they really game this IP the “Hobbit” treatment when it comes to adaptation. They probably shouldn’t have expanded a midpart into a game THIS long and expansive, but it still remains a technical wonder that they pulled it off. Combat is still great, and Gilgamesh is peak, but no way in hell will I invest in hard mode or mastering the piano game to beat this till completion. If you love these specific characters and this world to death and just want to spend time in it, there’s SO MUCH GAME here for you. I would still recommend any friend or young teen to get past the prejudice of turn based combat and play the original via emulation or ports with all the quality of life updates. That atmosphere and pacing can’t be matched.
With all that said. This is no way anyone should experience FF7 for the first time. This one is strictly for the fans it seems, with meta-narrative piled on(which is unsurprising but not less groan-inducing than it was when Remake introduced it in the ending). I’m withholding all the judgement I can for the finale, especially cause I kind of like the darker and darker tone they seem to be hinting at with all that’s going on with Cloud’s psyche. Since they already gave away so many of the reveals that the original has about Cloud’s path in the original, I’m curious to see where they’ll diverge with that. Regardless, I’m pleasantly surprised that they still went through with Aerith’s murder despite hinting to the contrary, though the way it’s directed as with everything in this game’s direction lacks all subtlety and weight of consequence. I did come to really care for Aerith more than I thought I would with her characterization, but had she not woken up about three times and continued on as a Lifestream ghost I think her death would have still had quite an impact. Once again, I’m still curious what they’ll do with it but it made me roll my eyes a little.
As a fan, and for what it is, there’s so much I was curious to see and happy to see and enjoy. On the otherhand, there are way too many minigames that demolish the pace of this game. (My two roommates both said they saw me playing way more minigames than any actual combat or exploration, and I felt it too). Dyne’s death scene is butchered, Cid’s character is gutted(maybe they had a hard time updating the plot with his wife, but still, this alternative Cid is so nothing). And really, you spliced up a 30 minute Zack scene throughout the entire game to make it feel like a plotline? But there are great additions to Yuffie, Cait Sith, and Vincent that I mostly enjoy.
It’s hard not to feel like they really game this IP the “Hobbit” treatment when it comes to adaptation. They probably shouldn’t have expanded a midpart into a game THIS long and expansive, but it still remains a technical wonder that they pulled it off. Combat is still great, and Gilgamesh is peak, but no way in hell will I invest in hard mode or mastering the piano game to beat this till completion. If you love these specific characters and this world to death and just want to spend time in it, there’s SO MUCH GAME here for you. I would still recommend any friend or young teen to get past the prejudice of turn based combat and play the original via emulation or ports with all the quality of life updates. That atmosphere and pacing can’t be matched.
I used to hit a wall with this game ALL THE TIME when I was like 15. Early on I think I just didnt get the advantage or chemist over knights and spent my money on equipment vs potions only to end up getting my ass handed to me by every set of mages.
Thankfully, I am no longer a teenager and was able to beat a lot of this game between subway rides and quickly began to enjoy the rich story and mechanics. I did do a really dumb thing tho and tried to grind for the dark mage class towards the end on my ps1 emulator without realizing it was a War of the Lions exclusive. Spent way too much time grinding and killing enemies to much confusion. But it did make the deep dungeon and final boss pretty easy breezy, and I got to see all of Cloud’s limits by the end. Another classic squaresoft I now fully get the reputation of.
Thankfully, I am no longer a teenager and was able to beat a lot of this game between subway rides and quickly began to enjoy the rich story and mechanics. I did do a really dumb thing tho and tried to grind for the dark mage class towards the end on my ps1 emulator without realizing it was a War of the Lions exclusive. Spent way too much time grinding and killing enemies to much confusion. But it did make the deep dungeon and final boss pretty easy breezy, and I got to see all of Cloud’s limits by the end. Another classic squaresoft I now fully get the reputation of.
Took me a while for this one, started multiple times on a couple devices. Gotta say I love the beginning half of this game a lot. The art style is enchanting, everyone is so expressive, it’s an original feeling take on the characters, and the expansive sea does evoke such a sense of adventure. The dungeons however… just not my favorite. The escort mission ones really do suck, and at that point in the game travel really does grind to a terribly tedious halt. You quickly tire of playing the ocarina every single time you merely want to change direction, and wish you were soaring or galloping across a huge hyrule map again. Love this game for being a unique experience and it’s cool to see just how many elements Breath of the Wild would later callback to, but it’s just not a too-tier Zelda for me personally.
Finally beat it for good after messing around and exploring and getting-so-far-and-then-losing-the-save so many times since it came out. This play-through had a good run not doing any of the divine beats, completing the whole map by just flying everywhere I want, getting enough hearts for the master sword, grabbing the hylian shield and then rawdogging Gannon. It’s a fun experience fighting all his forms in a boss rush and then getting my ass handed to me in his final form after they wore me down. With the right prep and foods it probably could have been done but I decided to go back and get the full experience. This is an incredible Zelda game and beautiful game in general, and it was very fun this time around to spot all the Wind Waker-isms after playing that one for a bit. I don’t think it’s my personal all-time Zelda, but it’s a damn good game nontheless with a sandbox feel that I’m sure is even greater now in Tears of the Kingdom.
2023
As a longtime fan of the series who has finished every mainline title and a majority of spinoffs, I’m so glad I can finally say this is a Final Fantasy I’ve been waiting for since I pretty much started following the series. I have been enamored with the classic turn-based games seemingly forever, but nary a good one has been released in my lifetime. I had a lot of fun with FF7 Remake despite some direction issues, but it didn’t feel like the groundbreaking scope and genre defining game that THIS one is. While following many trends paved in the industry recently by character action games and western RPGs, it marries these influences with outside influential works of fantasy and anime and of course the heart of what makes Final Fantasy truly special.
I could go on to gush about the characters, the music, the plot, the DMC style combat with God Hand special moves, the hideaway, and everything else I loved about this entry in the series but I’ll just leave it at this is the best mainline entry I’ve played since 10 and also the only one since Sakaguchi left that doesn’t feel half-baked or misguided in some way. I really recommend this one to everybody because y’all deserve to experience it, and I’m glad it’s receiving the acclaim it has. Creative Business Unit 3 really set forth and stuck to values that just felt absent from 12, 13, and 15. They did high fantasy with high stakes better than 12, the people rebelling against fate story better than 13, and a protagonist-centric destiny discovery journey tighter than 15. It really feels like a Final Fantasy they’ve been trying to nail for a LONG time that’s finally arrived.
Some complaints I see but don’t totally get:
Not enough rpg mechanics - the series has been action-slanted since Lightning Returns almost a decade ago. It certainly has more rpg mechanics than FFXV which was also completely an action game. I loved the battle system of ff7r, but this gameplay makes way more sense for the game’s content and is extremely polished and fun in it’s own right.
Too many fetchquest sidequests- not any more boring than the ones in ff15 or other recent entries. It’s almost like people forget that other ff games had pacing slogs too ahem ff10 cloister puzzles cough. They got on my nerves once about halfway through the game where it sends you to a second desert town that looks unremarkable where you have to talk to a bunch of people, but that was the only point where I REALLY wanted a break from them. Most sidequests in this game are story-rich or pretty interesting, some pretty essential to the development of these characters, and they feel worth doing even if the tasks are the same.
Jill being underwritten - I totally agree with this one actually. She has moments they just could have been stronger or more consistent throughout. But props to this game for really fleshing out so many other characters who would have been forgettable in the hands of lesser writers.
One thing I noticed that bumped for me a little was just that something that this game did that was REALLY awesome with the music direction didnt continue throughout the duration of the game. The first few hours there are battle themes that are SEAMLESS renditions of the field music that transitions in/out of combat. It was really noticeable and a really nice touch so I was confused when it came to a halt after the first few areas of the game. Soken’s soundtrack is glorious regardless but I wonder why that was only in the beginning when it made a huge impact on experience.
Final Fantasy is finally back at last. No DLC, expansions, or sequels needed. Tho I’d still shell out for a Leviathan fight fast.
I could go on to gush about the characters, the music, the plot, the DMC style combat with God Hand special moves, the hideaway, and everything else I loved about this entry in the series but I’ll just leave it at this is the best mainline entry I’ve played since 10 and also the only one since Sakaguchi left that doesn’t feel half-baked or misguided in some way. I really recommend this one to everybody because y’all deserve to experience it, and I’m glad it’s receiving the acclaim it has. Creative Business Unit 3 really set forth and stuck to values that just felt absent from 12, 13, and 15. They did high fantasy with high stakes better than 12, the people rebelling against fate story better than 13, and a protagonist-centric destiny discovery journey tighter than 15. It really feels like a Final Fantasy they’ve been trying to nail for a LONG time that’s finally arrived.
Some complaints I see but don’t totally get:
Not enough rpg mechanics - the series has been action-slanted since Lightning Returns almost a decade ago. It certainly has more rpg mechanics than FFXV which was also completely an action game. I loved the battle system of ff7r, but this gameplay makes way more sense for the game’s content and is extremely polished and fun in it’s own right.
Too many fetchquest sidequests- not any more boring than the ones in ff15 or other recent entries. It’s almost like people forget that other ff games had pacing slogs too ahem ff10 cloister puzzles cough. They got on my nerves once about halfway through the game where it sends you to a second desert town that looks unremarkable where you have to talk to a bunch of people, but that was the only point where I REALLY wanted a break from them. Most sidequests in this game are story-rich or pretty interesting, some pretty essential to the development of these characters, and they feel worth doing even if the tasks are the same.
Jill being underwritten - I totally agree with this one actually. She has moments they just could have been stronger or more consistent throughout. But props to this game for really fleshing out so many other characters who would have been forgettable in the hands of lesser writers.
One thing I noticed that bumped for me a little was just that something that this game did that was REALLY awesome with the music direction didnt continue throughout the duration of the game. The first few hours there are battle themes that are SEAMLESS renditions of the field music that transitions in/out of combat. It was really noticeable and a really nice touch so I was confused when it came to a halt after the first few areas of the game. Soken’s soundtrack is glorious regardless but I wonder why that was only in the beginning when it made a huge impact on experience.
Final Fantasy is finally back at last. No DLC, expansions, or sequels needed. Tho I’d still shell out for a Leviathan fight fast.
Had a great time revisiting this and using the emu edition hack in an attempt to complete a Pokedex for the first time. Unfortunately I fell just short because late into my playthrough I accidentally glitched a PC box overwrite and copied over my only eevee and my togepi I had yet to evolve. That was quite frustrating so watch over the bugs in this game, some can be used to your advantage and some can really hurt your playthrough. Still, the aesthetics of this game are extremely nostalgic to me as this was the first ever pokemon cart I picked up as a kid! I still remember a friend let me borrow it and it blew my mind even from the moment that big blue cartridge awkwardly stuck out the top of my gameboy advanced. Gen 2 will always be my favorite just barely over Gen 3, and it really comes full circle for me because the gen 4 remakes of these were the last ones I played or really had any interest in. Was very satisfying to return and crush Red with a team full of legendaries, Typlosion will always be my main man, if you can win him a fire blast he absolutely crushes.
2020
As someone who wasn’t anticipating this release since 2012, and as a massive fan of everything they pulled from in the genre from Strange Days to Akira, I actually quite enjoyed my time cruising around Night City with this memorable cast of characters. That’s not to say twists in this weren’t predictable most of the time or that aspects of this game aren’t still janky as fuck. What sticks out like a sore thumb really foes BECAUSE the rest of this world breathes with such life and vibrancy and seediness.
An aesthetic masterclass on top of an ok shooter. I much preferred playing with quick hacks most of the time, and as someone who sucks at most FPS games I was happy sticking to the shotguns and light machine guns that tore through enemies like butter. You get exponentially stronger very early on if you just explore and do any of the side content, that I found most of the main game to be pretty easy breezy. The opening missions however I did find heavier enemies pretty threatening, but as you unlock skill trees that vulnerable feeling vanishes entirely. When I can double-jump over enemies to chop their limbs off from behind or dismantle their team with all the hacking skills I wanted out of a Watch Dogs game, I’m not particularly challenged but it feels cool as hell.
Still, the story managed to get me invested enough to really care when it came to the climax and I really felt the relationships I had built up between the characters, while somewhat shallow, paid off in a way I found really satisfying. Loved how you can’t really get an ending that’s not bittersweet in some way. V’s male voice actor kinda sounds like an east coast caricature and that never really changes, but the rest of the voice cast is pretty great. I didn’t max out any build completely because I felt more than equipped to beat the game, and I’m not sure if I’ll return to night city because, much like the V I ended the game with, it’s like I already got all the city had to offer me. Maybe I’ll return there someday down the road…
An aesthetic masterclass on top of an ok shooter. I much preferred playing with quick hacks most of the time, and as someone who sucks at most FPS games I was happy sticking to the shotguns and light machine guns that tore through enemies like butter. You get exponentially stronger very early on if you just explore and do any of the side content, that I found most of the main game to be pretty easy breezy. The opening missions however I did find heavier enemies pretty threatening, but as you unlock skill trees that vulnerable feeling vanishes entirely. When I can double-jump over enemies to chop their limbs off from behind or dismantle their team with all the hacking skills I wanted out of a Watch Dogs game, I’m not particularly challenged but it feels cool as hell.
Still, the story managed to get me invested enough to really care when it came to the climax and I really felt the relationships I had built up between the characters, while somewhat shallow, paid off in a way I found really satisfying. Loved how you can’t really get an ending that’s not bittersweet in some way. V’s male voice actor kinda sounds like an east coast caricature and that never really changes, but the rest of the voice cast is pretty great. I didn’t max out any build completely because I felt more than equipped to beat the game, and I’m not sure if I’ll return to night city because, much like the V I ended the game with, it’s like I already got all the city had to offer me. Maybe I’ll return there someday down the road…
1995
Having so many ways to balance your party is really impressive for an RPG of this era, especially when that choice affects the story and villains involved. I really appreciate this era of Squaresoft crafting really tight RPGs with unique approaches to make them as replayable as they could, and glad both this game and Live a Live got some love in the form of remasters. I still played the old fan translation on my SNES classic and it was a great experience.
2007
I don't know if this will be a straight 10 for anybody, but the aesthetics and themes of this game appealed perfectly to my tastes. When an auteur like Sakaguchi throws his passions in with the talents of Takehiko Inoue and Kiyoshi Shigematsu, whatever that blender churns out is bound to be fascinating. And this is pretty fascinating for a JRPG. If you've heard anyone talk about this game you know what the basic premise is, and the short stories scattered throughout the game really hone in on those themes of immortality and the importance of life's transcience. I've seen a critique often that this game has interesting setup but ultimately falls into usual JRPG trope, which it totally does. But as someone who's used to that drama I will say that for a JRPG it's still massively solid and the backdrop of the stories is not only welcome but carves out some necessary depth to the characters, even Ming's story towards the end does a great job of this. The game still has a memorable antagonist with always clear and dire stakes, great expansion and alteration of the world as you progress, it hits all those JRPG story beats as masterfully as Sakaguchi and the team have been doing them since Final Fantasy 4.
The visuals being a sort of steampunk-Greece spin on the graphical style of Final Fantasy X, and they also lifted that game's punchy and strategic battle system. Rings and enemy types add another layer to think about, and the formation of the party actually matters for once. The game is littered with treasures and collectibles, I only missed about 3 of the Seeds but other than that I felt pretty maxed out on equipment and abilities by the end of my 60-hour run. Includes beating the superboss that feels unfair until you counter with your own game-breaking magic, which feels so rewarding when you've just been playing the game thoroughly. There's no grinding here, just an extremely tight and satisfying experience I'm glad I finally got to play after years of missing out because of my lack of xbox. Mistwalker doesn't miss no matter what budget they're working with.
The visuals being a sort of steampunk-Greece spin on the graphical style of Final Fantasy X, and they also lifted that game's punchy and strategic battle system. Rings and enemy types add another layer to think about, and the formation of the party actually matters for once. The game is littered with treasures and collectibles, I only missed about 3 of the Seeds but other than that I felt pretty maxed out on equipment and abilities by the end of my 60-hour run. Includes beating the superboss that feels unfair until you counter with your own game-breaking magic, which feels so rewarding when you've just been playing the game thoroughly. There's no grinding here, just an extremely tight and satisfying experience I'm glad I finally got to play after years of missing out because of my lack of xbox. Mistwalker doesn't miss no matter what budget they're working with.
2019
Actually really enjoyed Toy Story, Big Hero 6, and Pirates worlds. Particularly Toy Story the characters all behaved as they should, if only Nomura was clever and self aware enough to leave Verum Rex a parody and not try and make the freaking thing lmao. Return to Olympus was a rough start even if graphically impressive, just a slow start enough to make me put the game down on initial release. Way too many mechanics crammed into this game, though I do love the move sets of some of the keyblades, particularly the Tangled and Monsters Inc ones. Not enough story between worlds, rough conclusion that’s basically unfinished bc of the 30 dollar DLC which I will not sink low enough to buy, even if I do want the Final Fantast fan service. No Sephiroth battle? What are we doing. Finished the game and all post game in around 43 hours :( still excited for 4 tho.
2023
Yeah, we can blame Joss Whedonism for the writing in this yadayadayada… but this brand of quippy banter that doesnt make sense half the time has been par for the course with SquareEnix major release for a while now and especially with FFXV and Stranger of Paradise so like… why are you people surprised? Because of the project Athia hype? There’s also literally an option to turn off the banter in this game which I havent seen anyone talk about, so just do that if you can’t stand the writing. Tbh havent played much of this game, half the reviews I’ve seen are how it feels unfinished which is unsurprising for this project, but the other half of the negative reviews I’ve seen are just straight up racist or misogynistic so… yeah fuk u nerds I hope to get into this soon.
Gotta give it to Square for their commitment to mega dark angsty depictions of New York between this and Parasite Eve
Gotta give it to Square for their commitment to mega dark angsty depictions of New York between this and Parasite Eve
Platinumed the game this time around. My opinion this time around is that the combat system is absolutely great, the superbosses towards the end proved an infuriating challenge but beating them rewards you with some equipment that almost feels essential for Hard mode which is quite the challenge. The action is engaging, all the elemental exploits and area strategy that this series is known for is present and revamped to fit the fast-paced style the series has been leaning towards while bringing in classic control of an entire party wielding unique abilities. The series ought to carry this signature style forward in the rest of these and hopefully through 16 and (MAYBE 17 IN THIS GENERATION??). With that said, almost everything with how this game is directed is wrong. The presentation is phenomenal. The environments and characters look on-point. But everything about direction and tone and presenting information is dysfunctional compared to the '97 classic. I can't imagine how this is gonna play out moving forward.
I'm probably not going to play the new Crisis Core because it is a 1:1
I'm probably not going to play the new Crisis Core because it is a 1:1
2018
Very fun experience but I always find myself compulsively gathering every single collectible and completing every side-mission token-getting event available to me before continuing the story. Doing so paced the game nicely, but perhaps I didn't have to track down EVERY single backpack in new york right at the very start... nah, who am I kidding, I had a BLAST doing that.
2022
HELLO AGAIN BACKLOGGD!! I have returned after finishing this game months ago. I had never previously beaten a Souls-like and this was a very accessible entry with tons of exploration and adventure-game like fucking around that I like to do rather than solely crawl through the dungeons. But after living in this world for so long and learning to enjoy the combat I'm ready to give another a try soon! I got decently along in Bloodborn and the first Dark Souls, but this was the first I was able to complete. I pretty much used the Bloodhound's Fang for my whole playthrough and using other curved greatswords to two-hand for that ridiculous damage, and this strategy got me through pretty much every boss in the game. I had fun using other weapons too, but a mimic and myself both getting massive bleed and using that bloodhound step?? Pretty good to feel that destructive in a game this punishing. Melania's katanas are pretty awesome too.
A classic of classics. I beat this pretty much exclusively while riding the subway.