Luke: So, what did we all think of FF7 Remake?
Bobby: It’s beautiful!
Everything about it is quelling my fears, it hits home on so many fronts.
Luke: Agreed on it being beautiful. Square Enix is always so good at world-building.
Steve: Final Fantasy has never been for me. I’m stoked that other people are getting exactly what they’re looking for though.
Luke: I really loved the ability to pause time and strategize. It felt weird for a moment, and then it felt necessary.
Bobby: Midgar is going to be exciting to explore. We only got a small taste in Crisis Core, with Remake, I’m hoping we explore each sector in some capacity. And we’re going to see Midgar during the day! What isn’t to love about that?
Bobby: Combat is extremely smart. I wasn’t exactly sure how Square would pull off keeping classical elements but modernize the gameplay, but they did it. I’m impressed and eager to dive in.
Bobby: I like how each Charge is a part of the ATB Gauge and how you build the meter to stagger enemies like in Final Fantasy XIII, this allows for some crazy combat scenarios if you plan correctly.
Luke: Yeah, I was really happy to see the stager implementation. Over the later FFs, it’s become one of my favourite mechanics.
Bobby: My one gripe is the attack command. There doesn’t seem to be much input from the player. It only allows you to attack in one direction. However, using either Punisher or Operator change up his attack slightly.
Luke: I would like to see characters who have more range. Someone like Vincent or Yuffie.
Bobby: I think Vincent is going to be a blast to use. Same with Red XIII. I want to see how Materia works too, and whether we’ll see the same summons. I’m also eager to see how they handle everyone’s personalities in the game.
Luke: The way they talk seemed to be spot on, but I did like how the personalities played out in the voice acting.
Bobby: They seem true to their character, but Barrett still needs some work. Shame they retired the other voice actors as I really liked them. But so far, I agree this is a good place for their personalities to shine.
Luke: I really think that is going to improve the game because FF7 is notoriously a sub-par script localization. I think that vocalization will add a new layer to the game.
Bobby: Yeah. The original translation was rough. Kotaku’s Tim Rogers released a video series on it and was insightful on how different the languages were. It’s crazy how far we’ve come. It’s going to be a different side of the same story but I’m for it.
Luke: As am I. I thought about FF7 recently, and about why exactly it’s been the one in the series to get the most games, a movie and attention and I think it’s because of how much of an impactful game it’s been. What other single game has had so much sustained momentum for nearly 20 years for just one instalment?
Bobby: Well, Final Fantasy VII made the series popular. Back in the day, owning a PlayStation and Final Fantasy VII was really cool. The wave of popularity never seemed to die down when you compare it to other entries.
Luke: Agreed!
Bobby: The other games never hit that same level of love, the conditions in which we got Final Fantasy VII lined up in such a way, it never happened again.
Luke: Who knows if it ever will again.
Bobby: One can hope, for now though, I’m excited for next year. I haven’t been this excited to play a game since God of War. I’m eager to learn what they expand on and who we’ll meet. Other than that, it really is a waiting game until March 3, 2020.
Luke: Waiting game indeed. I feel like I’m at the deli and I pulled a really bad number.
Bobby: I need a pastrami sandwich with all the fixings. We have six months to go. Until then, I’ll keep watching the trailers, demos, and news coming our way. I feel like this is worth the wait.
Luke: I’m interested to see what comes of tomorrow. It’ll be good if we release with hype around it.
Bobby: We know SHINRA is the focus, but will we see the Turks? Rufus seems like a sure thing. Who knows at this point? I’m just anxious for tomorrow.
Luke: I’d be down for some Turks! Crisis Core did so much for them!
Bobby: Agreed. If Square shadow drops some remastered version of Crisis Core, or integrates plot points into Remake, I’m a happy camper. Either way, Crisis Core was fantastic and was easily the best part of the expanded universe.
Luke: I played the shit out of Crisis Core. It’s the hardest cry I’ve ever had in a game other than the true ending of Persona 3.
Bobby: Good acting, a decent script and one hell of a finale. We need more Zack Fair.
Luke: Yup! I’d even just be here for an HD remake of the ending scene. Seeing as it was an Easter Egg in the original.
Bobby: With Red XIII? I can’t remember how long after the game that scene took place. It’s iconic.
Luke: Yeah, so iconic!
Bobby: All this talk makes me want to revisit the original, but I’d rather wait. If anything, I’ll watch Advent Children again. I’m going to watch some more gameplay demos to help in the meantime.
Luke: I need to get my Advent Child Blu-Ray back.
Bobby: I have the DVD and Blu Ray. The extra scenes made the story so much better.
Luke: Agreed!
Bobby: I think the best thing to do is breathe and wait until 10 AM tomorrow when we get the new trailer. I’m beyond ecstatic!
