After the time I spent with this game, I cannot decide if I was thoroughly underwhelmed or wholly impressed. FF7 is and always will be the black sheep of my interests in video games. I love everything about the setting of 7, and I love everything about the gameplay of both the original and this remake; yet I cannot say I love these games. The issues for me lie in a couple of different areas.
First, I want to just come out and say that the combat in this remake feels both more refined than 15 as if they really honed in on what they wanted with that game; but it's also worse than 15. Having had access to the 15 demo, I really thoroughly enjoyed the way that game felt before final release. It was everything I loved about Kingdom Hearts as a kid without nearly as much float. 7 definitely is a better game combat wise due to less float and more determinable ground action, but there are times when I felt almost a little too in control or focused on one aspect of ground based combat. I don't know that I can even verbally express what I want to criticize here without spending more time discussing combat than is required in a literature essay for a college class, but I do know that this game falls short for the same output of quality as 15 though for completely opposite reasons.
Second, the game is too damn slow. I get it; we all love the setting. We want to remember why we were wowed back in our childhood. I just do not give a shit to take 5 minutes out of my day to look at the pretty graphics that I cannot interact with. If the scene I am supposed to admire is in the horizon then move the fuck on.
Third, the game doesn't even have Yuffie. This point isn't even important because Yuffie was a few hours after Midgar anyway, but I don't care because Aerith is shit and Tifa is just "look at the boobs" tier nonsense for high school incels. At least we got to see my boy Cait Sith in a cutscene but what the goddamn fuck where is Yuffie?
Four, I am so happy beyond belief they included a chapter specific replay option in the game; but am I insane for disliking that I still need to replay through all the stop and go nonsense just to get to one fucking part of the chapter? All I want is a quicker skip feature for cutscenes and scripted sequences, but I am really asking for checkpoints that I can directly jump to in a chapter. Stuff like jumping directly to the point of the chapter when you are in the town or directly to the point after the side quests. You don't need much; you just need like one or two quick jump points per chapter.
Five, I still love JRPGs and anime nonsense; but the older I get I find that my tolerance for both is becoming a little more selective. FF7Remake Part 1 takes a little too much of the atmosphere from post-Midgar for the story beats. See my point about not being able to adequately describe my frustration without extending writing in the combat point on this, but I am, needless to say, mad.
All this said, I rather enjoyed my time with this game. I am collecting what few trophies I have the patience to sit down and get are, and I will gladly check out the second outing when it arrives - I am not skipping a game with my girl Yuffie in it. And honestly, I may even check out the PS5 port when it drops just because. But to say this is a good game would make my blood boil.
FF8 is and always will be the best mainline FF as of the time in which I wrote this - 16 is looking kind of tight if it turns out to be anything like that teaser.
First, I want to just come out and say that the combat in this remake feels both more refined than 15 as if they really honed in on what they wanted with that game; but it's also worse than 15. Having had access to the 15 demo, I really thoroughly enjoyed the way that game felt before final release. It was everything I loved about Kingdom Hearts as a kid without nearly as much float. 7 definitely is a better game combat wise due to less float and more determinable ground action, but there are times when I felt almost a little too in control or focused on one aspect of ground based combat. I don't know that I can even verbally express what I want to criticize here without spending more time discussing combat than is required in a literature essay for a college class, but I do know that this game falls short for the same output of quality as 15 though for completely opposite reasons.
Second, the game is too damn slow. I get it; we all love the setting. We want to remember why we were wowed back in our childhood. I just do not give a shit to take 5 minutes out of my day to look at the pretty graphics that I cannot interact with. If the scene I am supposed to admire is in the horizon then move the fuck on.
Third, the game doesn't even have Yuffie. This point isn't even important because Yuffie was a few hours after Midgar anyway, but I don't care because Aerith is shit and Tifa is just "look at the boobs" tier nonsense for high school incels. At least we got to see my boy Cait Sith in a cutscene but what the goddamn fuck where is Yuffie?
Four, I am so happy beyond belief they included a chapter specific replay option in the game; but am I insane for disliking that I still need to replay through all the stop and go nonsense just to get to one fucking part of the chapter? All I want is a quicker skip feature for cutscenes and scripted sequences, but I am really asking for checkpoints that I can directly jump to in a chapter. Stuff like jumping directly to the point of the chapter when you are in the town or directly to the point after the side quests. You don't need much; you just need like one or two quick jump points per chapter.
Five, I still love JRPGs and anime nonsense; but the older I get I find that my tolerance for both is becoming a little more selective. FF7Remake Part 1 takes a little too much of the atmosphere from post-Midgar for the story beats. See my point about not being able to adequately describe my frustration without extending writing in the combat point on this, but I am, needless to say, mad.
All this said, I rather enjoyed my time with this game. I am collecting what few trophies I have the patience to sit down and get are, and I will gladly check out the second outing when it arrives - I am not skipping a game with my girl Yuffie in it. And honestly, I may even check out the PS5 port when it drops just because. But to say this is a good game would make my blood boil.
FF8 is and always will be the best mainline FF as of the time in which I wrote this - 16 is looking kind of tight if it turns out to be anything like that teaser.