Hey guys and girls. For the longest time one of the hottest topics on the web is the hope of a Final Fantasy 7 re-make. I admit I saw that infamous tech demo years back and it blew my mind. Of course people got confused and branded it as a trailer which pretty much resulted in a bunch of fanboys running wild when they realised it was simply a tech demo and Square-Enix had no intentions of a remake. The predictable complaints of a developer not listening to their fans popped up and it is a complaint that is synonymous with Square-Enix as of recent years (give us versus 13, god dammit!).
Now lets dive in to the opinion of a Final Fantasy lover who has been playing the series since before he hit is teens and a person who's first Final Fantasy game was Final Fantasy 7.
I have 3 strong images of how a Final Fantasy re-make would be accomplished. One of them is to keep the somewhat "cute" character models, the exact same layout for each area in the game and improve the dialogue. You will essentially have Final Fantasy 7 how it is now with its cute style whilst exploring and nice realistic looking character models and environments whilst engaged in battle. If they are going to remake the game THIS is a personal favourite option and is the only way to essentially keep Final Fantasy 7 feeling like Final Fantasy 7. The problem is that the gameplay doesn't seem to cut it by today's industry standards. The constant bombardment of mini games that are present in Final Fantasy 7 are not needed. The simplicity of the Motorbike combat on the way out of Midgar is a good example of proving my point. Whilst brilliant and simple back in the 90's it will just lack depth and seem like pointless filler in the modern gaming world. Final Fantasy 7 is PACKED with these mini games. If they update them then it isn't true to the original and if they keep it the same then basically it won't appeal to a majority of gamers and will unfortunately just suck.
Another option is to totally re-imagine the whole game. Fresh new 3D layouts, realistic character models both in the game world AND in the battle screen. Re-vamped mini games and the removal of some of the pointless ones (do we really have to perform mouth to mouth as a mini-game?). Now this is the version which on paper sounds most appealing since it could actually work. If it doesn't live up to the original then it will be the most disappointing release of my life. It won't even be Final Fantasy 7 any more which is the biggest problem. Plus, I don't trust Square-Enix to essentially make a Final Fantasy 7 game from scratch and just follow the general story.
Lastly I envision the game as a hybrid of the 2. A total re-imaging and the pointless mini games intact. I for one do NOT want to see a great looking character model of cloud taking part in stupid activities such as dressing up like a woman and squatting in a gym for key items that progress the story. The hybrid option will not mix in a way that will compliment BOTH eras of gaming.
Final Fantasy 7 should be left as it is so you can appreciate it for what it was. It does not need a re-make! With Square-Enix they will probably DLC new rooms for Golden Saucer, Costumes, Enemies, Weapons and the list goes on. It will never be the perfect game that it is hyped up to be, but the general FF7 fanboys just fail to see that.
If one day I get proven wrong and it comes out then I will just have to eat my words, but I'm currently enjoying my play-through of FF7 to give a damn about a remake since I am happy with what I have.
So in conclusion I think Final Fantasy 7's gameplay mechanics as far as stuff you do in the overworld has no place in modern gaming (as in FF7's specific mini games... in general they are nice to break up the action). I think an updated visual style would affect the games charming scenes (Cloud on Barrets shoulders whilst swinging from the plate in Sector 7). A total re-make and re-imaging would make it a totally different experience. Hardcore fanboys will cry, but I would accept it if it was done well and proven me wrong. Finally I just don't think current Square-Enix is capable of pulling any sort of re-make off ESPECIALLY a total re-imaging where we can be milked for DLC.
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I'm sorry but I have to totally disagree and cite Final Fantasy XIII as the "modern gaming" example. The reason SE are in the hell they are in as far as fan perception is concerned is precisely because they moved away from what made games like FF7 great. FF7 is my 3rd least favorite FF game, but it's still a great game and it's because of all of its parts. People want the stupid mini-games, the over-the-top a$$ hard optional bosses, the exploration and the "life" that towns and NPC's bring. They don't want this crap that "modern gaming" would call FFXIII.
The motorcycle mini-game adds an air of urgency in escaping what should be an inescapable situation. The CPR mini-game (which isn't really a mini-game since it takes like 1 minute. I'd say it's a micro-game, lol) had its own emotions attached to it. It's the little things that breathe life into the game that made it great. Things that FFXIII completely lacked and that's the "modern" FF game you kind of eluded to as being what people want.
People really aren't asking for too much from the remake if you really look at it. They want a graphical update from the blocky character designs, maybe some new content added in, and an update to dialogue in areas that need it. I doubt that even SE could screw that up as long as they stuck to that and keep it simple. People just want FFVII to look as cool as they imagine it would look if it had released all those years ago looking like the tech demo SE showed us when the PS3 was launching.
"Final Fantasy XIII as the "modern gaming" example."
No. I think when looking at Final Fantasy 10 rather than Final Fantasy 13 then you realise that FFX is actually pretty much the perfect blend between Old and New and should be the bench mark in which modern Final Fantasy games should aspire to be. Heck, Final Fantasy 13 wasn't even "that" bad, but not the greatest FF game.
People may want mini games in their experience, but the ones that FF7 have provided have not aged well. Sure the bike mini game was good back then, but do you really honestly think it has aged well? Yes it does add urgency, but the actual mini game itself (the gameplay) just doesn't hold up to todays standards. There are plenty more just like it which if copied directly (control scheme etc) just won't be fun to play. Oh and just for the fact that the CPR mini game lasts a minute doesn't matter. It is still not necessary, could have been skipped altogether and the actual interaction is not fun at all.
Optional Bosses are great, exploration is great and so is the overall world of FF7, but the complete gameplay experience just isn't suited for today as well as FFX is. Square-Enix obviously know this as they are releasing FFX again in HD which in all honesty is the correct move to make.
And you say that people don't want much from a remake? If they ask for basically FF7 re-skinned then the gaming industry as a whole is in for a disappointment. The game basically isn't as good as it was in the 90's. Nostalgia plays a big part in peoples opinion of this game. A better example of a PS1 FF game that has not aged terribly is Final Fantasy 9. At the time I loved 7 more than 9 and still do, but if a newcomer was to play both games there is no doubt that FF9 would probably be their fave out of the 2. It cut down on the aspects that made FF7 an experiment and the mini games (even the small ones like skipping) are actually fun.
Final Fantasy 10 HD was the correct decision to make, in my opinion.
I think it should be left alone, although it would be awesome to see an updated version
I want a remaster, not a remake.
lol this again xD
ff7 remake is a popular subject because the game is popular we cant deny that it really doesnt matter if it isnt the best FF at all.
Square Enix will make this remake because money that is all.
If SE actually does the remake ill be tempted to play it but obviously it wont replace the original FF7.