Look, yes they are sometimes shit, but to over generalise that much is just going to far. Matt is entirely correct, that WAS inane. I mean I say stupid things all the time and now I'm bowing in awe, that's sad. Shame on you.

So, I'm going to give my quick two cents here... I'd be thrilled to see a remake of FFVII, but don't need to get one to enjoy the sequels, assuming I buy them at all. In fact, I've gotten a greatest hits copy of FFVII (just 'cuz he had this copy and his original and owed me a game) and have begun playing it again... 'bad graphics' and all...

I don't have an issue with graphics, hell, I've picked up the three compilations before, played thru them, bought the Megaman collection, the Sonic Collection, and even the Namcomuseum games.... That's why I enjoy the older games, 'cuz I don't have an issue with them if the game's good.

Oh, and What about all the interest that was bubbling up regarding that Chrono Trigger (fan) remake? Sounds a lot like this chatter we're hearing now about FFVII... Although this would be an 'official' remake... Assuming Squenix makes it that is...

Just my two cents...

I was talking about the original trilogy, not the PREQUELS, which are boring. On topic- It is indeed my opinion that if S-E DOES plan aremake, they are going it in a way to make the most money possible. This makes me think of Tenchi Muyo!.... hopefully they won't be disapointing like TM! OVA 3 and the Star Wars prequels. All evidence seems to point in the other way. They promise to be at least _enjoyable_. Hopefully, they are. S-E is taking a big gamble, but I honestly believe it will pay off in a big way.

First, let me just say that I strongly support the idea of a new spin on an old concept, as Rahul stated. That being said, I don't understand the argument that the only major demographic would be comprised of old FFVII veterans. At the time of it's release, RPGs were, to the mainstream, a relatively obscure genre. What's more, videogames at that time weren't nearly as huge as they are today. Did you see dozens of gaming magazines? What about a television channel entirely dedicated to games and the gaming culture? Before I sink into an inescapable digression of vapidity, the point I'm trying to make is this.

How many people got into RPGs after FFVII went to the old gamer's home? Or even by the time VIII was released? Because Joe Schmoe Gamer is going to most likely pick the more current iteration of the series rather than an out-of-date one. Especially this example. The sheer majority of gamers have a bizarre fixation on graphics. If you'd never heard of VII or VIII before, had them both in your hands at your local EBX, which one would look better? As much as I adore VII, VIII beats the living vapidity out of it's graphics. And if you're looking at a purchase, odds are you can't test the mechanics, you don't get anything but graphics and random reviews that most gamers don't read.

This means that a pretty significant amount of folks out there haven't played FFVII. How many fresh RPGers out there would want to play the legend, but either consider the graphics too outdated, or can't easily enough find the game? As anathema as it sounds for such vapid reasoning to mean the difference in buying the game or not, Joe Schmoe Gamer and his ilk tend to be a capricious bunch and you've gotta keep their attention. While this argument is certainly a shallow one, what about in a few years, when FFVII goes the way of the Chrono Trigger and becomes a very rare item?

FFVII brought RPGs to the mainstream, but more lackluster (FFIX) or less popular (FFT) editions of the series cooled things down a bit, except for diehards like us. KOTOR reinvigorated the RPG, and brought with it a nice fat new slice of population into the fold.

Do I think that FFVII should be remade? It's a nice dream. But whether or not it is locked in the realm or dreams, nobody knows. Would a remake manage to preserve the spark of the original's embodying spirit? Would it fall flat on it's face, a pustule on the rhino's butt that is gaming low moments? There's a lot of risk for the second. I believe that's a significant portion of why SE has taken so long with Advent Children, because they know that if they don't get it right, rampaging hordes of FFVII fan-boys will crucify them. A remake under a new director would be very cool, something about the concept strikes me as very Tarantinian. But part of the magic of FFVII, an aspect that I've never really seen in any other game, is that it makes the gamer fill in the blanks. Relationships, for instance. Why did Lucrecia choose Hojo over Vincent? Does Cloud love Aeris, Tifa, or neither? Is Vincent Sephiroth's father? There are all sorts of blanks in the game. Unlike other games, where this is seen as a flaw, it actually turns into a game unlike anything we've ever seen; one that not only captures our imagination, but harnesses it so that we create a unique perspective on the story. The point I'm trying to make is that this is an insanely difficult thing to do, the developers probably didn't even intend it when they made the game. Would a remake sport the same effect? If not, I don't think that I'd enjoy it that much.

So, flip a damned coin or something. Both sides have something to it. But if one comes out, I can't see you not playing it, Rahul. Would it be the same thing that you've already played? Maybe. But don't you ever start new files on games that you've already beaten? If not, then I guess I'm just a vapid butt-munch after all.

Christ, that was too much writing. I need to find a hobby, like model planes or something. Yeesh

Well, since you're going off on such a tirade (which is, I'll add, good), why not take it to the forums, where we can really use your input?

"S-E is taking a big gamble" -- No they aren't; a big gamble was releasing The Spirits Within to theatres and hoping it would make a return on investment. Polymorphing Final Fantasy VII is guaranteed money, whether it's successful or not. Look at Fullmetal Alchemist: a franchise set up specifically for a polymorphic presence and as such milked the moment it was unleashed. That's franchise management.

Ramza231: "an inescapable digression of vapidity" -- Are you related to Matt, per chance?

As for playing a remade FFVII, I don't think I'd have the time. I don't have time to actually play games as it is - only talk about them. Spending my time on something I've already experienced is hardly my top priority in the face of Okami, Wanda and the Colossus, Twilight Princess, Resident Evil 4, etc... It would have to be a significantly different experience, and like I said before, if it were that much changed, it wouldn't be FFVII anymore.

Although I'm a FF Fan, don't forget we are not all the one concerned. I'm 26, and I'll love to play a FFVII (old or new!).
But it's definitively children (from 6 to 20) that boost the market (even it's really OUR money, though WE gave it to them)...
So, try to be a teen ? ^_^ ? And now, come to think of an old copy of a game... hum ... result ?
Does S-E have ever remake some game by playing the emotional-neo-nostalgia syndrom ?
I think you know the answer : Marketting !
This way, we had a FF chronicles, a FF Collection and so many other...

IMH, they would rather definitively make a FFVII-2...and everybody will just jump on !

(PS:Excuse my bad english, I'm French and fresh new to Squarehaven)

At least you haven an excuse for your English, most people just have no idea what's going on.

I say no more FFVII, let what's coming out be played and watched, and go from there. I think that's probably enough, I love and cherish Final Fantasy VII like no other game, and if it's ruined for me at any point I will just snap. I will always love the original game though, nothing can ruin that now.

I'll say this-No one can possibly know how well the sequels will do. I'm sure quite a few fans wet their pants when they found out about AC. So what about these other games? What kind of guarantee do they have on these other games? Or on AC, if you think about it? You have a core dedicated group, but who ELSE will watch this movie? FFSW was a decent movie, but did rather poorly. It might be that AC falls apart storywise.

You have to keep in mind: What do we know about these games REALLY? On this, we are as knowing as Joe Shmoe gamer. We are really blindfolded on this. I'm sure all the rabid fans will try it.

We have to keep in mind-we have come to expect things from the game storywise that may or may not be true. Some get angry about it. We can only say "it looks like it would at least be interesting to watch" and fall asleep thirty minutes into the film, or start playing something else.

Tompej-You speak really good English. In my area, most AMERICANS don't speak half as good as you. :)

Well if you're going to say that, why not simply say how do we know how well FFXII will sell? We don't really know, but we have good reason to realise it will sell, and well.

Look at Fullmetal Alchemist, a product designed to go on multiple platforms, and has since sold a disgustingly large amount of manga, magazines, DVDs, broadcasting rights and games. Square-Enix know how to do their job, let them do it.

Considering the brand value of Final Fantasy VII, I'm pretty sure everyone can reasonably predict how well it will sell. People I know who have seen Advent Children already say it is good, and that's only the 25 minute version that was shown at the Venice film festival.

The question of "quality" may be raised towards games like Dirge of Cerberus and Crisis Core, as both of them stray from the RPG formula and are decidedly not complete enough yet for reviewers to be able to draw any kind of solid impressions.

Okay my opinion on this is will probably sound like a lot of others. I am not much of a video game player so any game that can get me has to be really good. Of course FFVII is one of them. I probably didnt get to this game as soon as most of u did but i have still played it and loved it more than life. When I heard the word about a remake i instantly registered so i could post my comment. However I too think I should sit on the fence with this one as well. I remake would be great I could play the game with great grapjics and video scenes and and music. Plus the characters might even be able to talk. It would be an awsome game, but it would pretty much be out there just to suit the people like me and all those old lovers of the game. If they were to make a remake it would also have to the suit the new generation. They would have to change the style of gameplay and a lot of other things. Personally, I could never see it with a differnt type of gameplay besides the regular take turn wacking the shit out of the scary looking monster type. I dont consider myself part of the new generation exactly (even though im 13). I loved that game crappy graphics and all. It had a really good story that got me totally engrossed in the game to the point where I would come home, pretend I lost my homework or do it in class 5 minutes before it was due, get on my computer(I have the pc edition), and play till i was ready to go to bed. But now I'm starting to rethink the whole re-make and/or sequal thing. Like I said before I loved the game even with its crappy graphics that were sometimes laughable, the characters, the gameplay, and most of all the story. The story to that game would sometimes leave me wondering about as i was doing a good job not paying attention during my math class. The story was great because it leaves you wondering about so many things. Anyway, mabye they shouldnt make a sequal or remake for it. If they did there would be something wrong with it. Like the gameplay wouldnt be how u like it, or the music would be a little different. Making a sequal could be too risky as well if you look at all the other ones that failed ( take jaws for example). And making a new spin off would be also just as risky. What if it all sucked? The name Final Fantasy VII would be ruined. This game is so delicate to fans that it just be better to release the movie and leave it at that. Now granted the graphics will still be dated and so will the gameplay and probably over all style of the game but mabye it should be that way. Mabye thats how we like it.

As for the whole marketing look of things. Screw it. You dont have to worry about the market, they do. All you need to do is get what you want from them and buy it.

holy shit that is long! i that thing is longer than me english papers i hav to write

And they haven't taught you anything about the importance of paragraphs either have they?

Hey fuck you, Jaws II was awesome!

Jaws II was pretty entertaining. :D

I really can't say the same about The Exorcist's sequels, though. Or that remake someone (Gus van Sant, I reckon) made for Hitchcock's Psycho.

What the hell is a paragraph?

Oh wait. Forget I asked that question. Im sorry.

...

I'm sensing a connection here... "What the hell is the Xbox 360?"...."What the hell is a paragraph?"....

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm............

VAGINA

don't worry cid53, you won't need to worry about that because I doubt you'll ever know

How to speak San Franciscan, Vagina! (See, you guys aren't the only people watching stereotypes from films and television!)

So far, the times that they have tried to expand on the individual Final Fantasy games have been less than satisfactory for me. Personally, I like to experience a whole new world with each addition to the series. That's what puts the "Fantasy" in Final Fantasy to me and is one of the things that has kept me so interested in the series.

If they can make all these spinoffs exceptional, then I say go for it. But otherwise I would prefer that they spent all that time and effort on new installments in the series. I still have no freakin' clue when to expect FFXII :(

I would have thought maybe 'final' would have made more sense than fantasy, but that's just me. How many times have they actually expanded on the individual games? I mean there isn't a real selection...