There's a lot of rumour and speculation floating around about the Final Fantasy VII Remake and it's only been garnering higher and higher levels of criticism since it's announcement at E3 this year. However, things only truly got whipped up by some more information pulled from the recent Playstation Experience where actual gameplay footage was shown. I'm going to attempt to order my thoughts here as a previously frothing-at-the-mouth, Squaresoft-praising, Nobuo Uematsu worshipping fanboy and how I've fallen out of love with both the Remake and the series as a whole.
So let's start with FF7. I enjoyed 7, but it's not my favourite. I appreciate it for what it is but I feel that a large slice of nostalgia for the majority of people. The thing I liken it most to, especially in it's fervour, is Star Wars, with nostalgia goggles firmly pressed on and lenses at least an inch thick, looking back on the reasonably OK and seeing it as amazing. Yes, at the time, they were pretty neat and a stride forward, but that doesn't mean that they don't start to show their age and look worn around the edges over the time. It also doesn't mean that they're some form of unconquerable fortress of quality that newer contenders can only scratch at the walls of, hoping desperately for entry.
With that level of reasonably pessimistic background being set, let's deal with some of the rumours floating around about this new remake. Firstly, that it seems certain that the game will be split into parts according to an interview over at Gematsu. Yes, this is annoying but realistically speaking, could the game be handled in any other way? Not really. When you consider that a 'reasonably complete' run of the original game is 50+ hours, without going to get all the weird and wonderful secrets hidden in various corners of the globe, it makes sense. Would you rather a fully fleshed out universe, not skipping any detail or a vague rehash of your childhood experience with a couple new shiny graphics? Square-Enix have the option of presenting a low quality compromise no-one will like or trying to improve the game that some will appreciate. What would you choose?
But, there is a very strong argument that this will result in story-telling somewhat similar to XIII being spread across 3 separate games that all come with a lovely retail price. This does suck, meaning you could be paying upwards of £150 to get your new 7 experience. This is a pretty rough experience if it does hold true but nothing is truly set in stone around this. There's nothing to suggest that this will happen at this point in time but it does seem like a likely set of circumstances given history and cost of development.
However, it could be argued that we've already seen this pattern with the original game. We had the original game, Advent Children, Crisis Core, Dirge Of Cerberus... It's not like this is the first time people have shelled out for multiple parts of the same universe. Now, admittedly those extra games (and movie) were all somewhat weakly tacked on additions and cash-ins on the original game's fame, but they were still there. It also stands to reason that if VII were made today, it likely would be pushed out in this fashion. Remember, all those shiny graphics are going to take up a whole bunch of storage on that shiny new console and not everyone has stumped for the 1TB storage option or are willing to uninstall Call Of Halo: Battlefront Dota Wars 17 to make room for it.
In summary, it'll likely be annoying but if you think it could really be done in any other way, you're a bad person and should feel bad.
The new battle system is likely to be a sticking point for me. I will never understand the move to Action RPG and the whole 'push X/A to kill' mindset that RPGs as a whole have picked up in recent years. Gone are the glory days of strategising your attack, managing your HP well, keeping your buffs up and planning out your line of attack rounds in advance. While I'm sure many will disagree, one thing that Final Fantasy 12 & 13 demonstrated for me is that I hate in-game auto-pilot. Being able to control a battle via a thumbstick or the odd button press is weak at best. Yes, if you're fighting an exceptionally hard boss you may need to use a little more strategy but that completely ignores the other 49 hours of the game where you've been coasting on minimal effort.
That being said, again it unfortunately makes all too much sense. It's OK, I'll be the next in a long line of people to say it, games are being relatively dumbed down from a AAA developer perspective. Auto-battle, auto-aim, auto-loot, auto-play-the-game-for-you-while-you-make-a-cup-of-tea, it all simplifies the game down to it's story and a modicum of skill. In the same breath though, I admit that if I were to make a game today, I'd probably make it exactly the same way. You catch more fish with a wider net and the widest net you can cast is one that makes it easier to get into the game and enjoy what's at it's heart. Is that a terrible thing? Sort of...
To an older gamer like myself who grew up on wrangling with awkward battle systems and a slightly slower pace, it's hell. I miss being able to twiddle and tweak things mid-battle to perfect my battle and attempting to beat that boss on the 54th run through. However, taking a step back, I can see the value of being able to get your teeth into the story without being bogged down by grinding up levels and making sure your character's accessories perfectly compliment their sword. It opens up accessibility to all and lets everyone share in that experience. It's a wonderful thing but it does come at a cost to the difficulty curve and the application of game mechanics.
This is just another case of the nostalgia goggles being screwed on too tightly for many unfortunately. Why isn't Star Wars the exact same as the first film? This is awful? Why is Simon Pegg playing Scotty in the new Star Trek film, he's all wrong for it. What? Some kind of jetpack in my Call Of Duty? Get out of here. Everyone has a firmly cemented view of their favourite series. Get over it. Final Fantasy isn't 8 bit any more, it isn't strictly turn-based and you will probably hate the voice actors because that's 'not how Barret sounds'. The sooner you realise a lot of your distaste is based on your own preconceptions, the sooner you'll be able to find changes and improvements you like.
This is probably the part where I should admit I haven't really enjoyed any Final Fantasy game since X and even then, there were little parts that irked and annoyed. But, again, this is merely the side effect of what I, and many of you, view as 'the glory years' of gaming being behind us. What we know and love has ultimately gone and been replaced with what gaming is now. You can either embrace the changes or become ever more bitter about 'the state of games' while never enjoying anything ever again due to your shuttered view. I'll readily admit I'm more in the latter camp than the former but that's a work in progress.
So, let's sum this all up. If you were gaming in the 90s, you will probably think the remake is going to be a horrible betrayal of the series and have already decided you hate X, Y & Z about it. That's fine. Don't pick the game up and play the original on any number of platforms. PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4, Vita, PSP, Steam, take your pick. Don't mourn what 'could have been' because that game would only be your perfect version, not anyone else's.
For the newer crowd, you'll probably love this remake. It gives you a chance to experience one of the most expansive stories, fully fleshed out, updated massively with great new visuals for either the first time or the first time in the way that you're used to seeing things. The old Playstation graphics haven't aged gracefully and maybe the turn-based fighting us miserable older lot enjoy feels dry to you. Hold on and check out the remake, I'm sure it'll be just fine.
I guess ultimately, we're all going to bitch and moan. it's inevitable, we're all passionate about what we love. But the most important thing to take from this is that it's OK for you to feel that way. However, there are others out there that are coming to this fresh-faced and shiny-eyed and no amount of tearing of hair or gnashing of teeth on your part is going to stop them seeing it how they do. Calm down and remember your wallet is not being held to ransom, you can choose not to pick it up. But this game is going to be made in the way that suits the majority, not the loudest minority.
As for me, will I buy it? Yes. Will I enjoy it? Probably not. Will I keep buying Final Fantasy games anyway? Yes. Will I complain about it nearly constantly? Yeah, most likely. But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the new lease of life being given to the series.