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News / 2005 / May / 17

E3: Playstation 3 demo of Final Fantasy VII intro sequence raises eyebrows

  • Published at 00:37:32 PT
  • Reported by Rahul Choudhury
  • Read 21,582 times
  • Karma:  29 
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During the Playstation 3 unveiling at E3, Square Enix showed a realtime demo of a remade Final Fantasy VII intro sequence (with the overview of Midgar and Cloud somersaulting off the train) running in-game (supposedly), and visually styled like Advent Children. This obviously leads to speculation that there may be a Final Fantasy VII remake in the works for PS3, as fans have eagerly demanded for the past several years. Don't expect any confirmation at this point though.

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Forums / News / E3: Playstation 3 demo of Final Fantasy VII intro sequence raises eyebrows

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Oh dear lord, that's one PS3 SOOOOLD. Ahem.
vip
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Dear Square-Enix,
What the hell is wrong with you? People beg for a Final Fantasy VII remake, then you go ahead and tell us there won't be a remake. then you start making sequels, and announce that their wont be a remake to go WITH the sequels, and now this tech demo gets us all exited about a remake. Why not use FFVIII for a tech demo? Nope, you've gotta go and use FFVII and get our hopes up, just to crush those hopes into dust...WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU ASSHOLES!?!??!

Sincerely,
LC

P.S - It looked nice though...
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btw, wada confirmed that this tech demo is by no means confirmation that a remake is in the works. haHA!
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Wada can say whatever he wants. If they don't see that a simple tech demo was the most popular item on major gaming sites, more popular than actual games, then they are the dumbest company in the world.
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Ahh, nothing like E3 to invite supposedly professional journalists (oh wait, Andrew hasn't written shit in months) to make sweeping, biased generalisations!
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Oh, sorry. Didn't realize I can't make comments. Bad me.
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Well he has a point, if said video is more popular than other things they should be looking at it more seriously.

Aside from that, did I mention the PS3 was sold? Because it is, and how! Was quite the nice rub to Sony given their recent affair with Microsoft...
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Yeah, I'm looking forward to the PS3. Definately going to preorder it when I get a chance. And a PS3 remake would be a great finale to Compiliation. :D
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No, they shouldn't. The FFVII fanbase may want a remake, but the general audience won't buy something they already played. Only once the demographic proves that there are enough new players to push the content to, does remaking FFVII (because creating such a remake would cost in the 7 figures) become a relevant undertaking. Just because you think the demo looks awesmoe is no grounds for them to waste their resources on something neither the mainstream audience wants, needs, or the developers themselves would particularly enjoy creating (imagine having a job where your entire task is just to remake something that was already done before, but now in more meticulous, drawn-out detail). I say good for them that they endeavour to bring us new FFVII content, because at least that's something creatively different and not just a high-tech re-rendering of an experience many of us already had.
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If it was just me who wanted it, I wouldn't go that far, but it's obviously not just me. When a simple tech demo is beating out full game trailers and games themselves as the most popular aspect of E3 at the time, obviously there is a huge fanbase for it. And for so many other games that get remakes, what is the problem with a remake of FFVII. With all the new content coming out based on the story, it only seems natural they would redo it. There are a lot of people who have never played the original, and would like to play it. My guess is, if they have the choice between a remake on the PS3 or the original on PS1 that's becoming hard to come by, they will go with the PS3 one. It's like releasing a bunch of books continuing the story of an old book, but not re-releasing the original so people can know where these stories are coming from.
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Regardless Rahul, staff have expressed interest in a remake before, and now resident naysayer Dragmire has changed his mind, things are moving now. If the reception is as good as Andrew says it is, then they have to at least look at it. And his other point about showing the story to the audience that will get into the compilation is also valid.

Frankly I'll be happy either way, but surely it'll be in the back of S-E's mind. The majority of the staff are still there, and key figure of Nomura is competent at directing now, the only thing stopping them is the market.

This may not be a fair comparison, but Metal Gear Solid got remade, and at least in this country the remake certainly was not popular. The title was very fancy, I loved it. That game was not amazingly well recieved from people that weren't fans, it was still made and was still good.
vip
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LC! it's called brilliant marketing... keeping fans interested to the point of drool over a game that is getting close to 10 years old (it was '96... right?)
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'97, actually...but who's counting?
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'tis true that FF7 has a truely huge fanbase. Put any combination of things that stand for the game, and you'll get thousands-maybe millions of pages that are relevent. A FF7 remake would not mean remaking it to the last pixel-indeed,-they might be able to put many things in there that they couldn't before. They would also be able to not just get FF7 and old guard fans to buy it, but new fans hooked by the PS2 titles. There are so many possibilities-such as improve the battle engine so that characters are truely distinguishable besides Limit Breaks and sprites/sprite animations. Even hard core fans like myself will find things to gripe about. Hopefully, they will include more battle music. It got to be very tedious. The attention it got at E3 should put a pretty picture of profits in their heads.
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Yes, but if you're going to change FFVII to the point that it's not really FFVII anymore, why waste your time doing it? Make a new FF game altogether. What exactly defines "remake of FFVII" for you people? You're all just predisposed by a nostalgic obsession -- you want to experience the same things you did when you played FFVII again, refreshed. That won't happen. You want the same story to play out in better graphics?

The only kind of remake of FFVII I would consider interesting is one done by an entirely different director. For instance, consider the original Batman movie by Tim Burton. The movie was interesting not because it was about Batman, but because it was an original and totally different take on a comic hero than what the original authors had intended. If Square Enix were to get someone unexpected to produce and direct a remake of a Final Fantasy game (in fact, I'd apply this interest to any remakes of older games), then I could potentially see that as interesting. But as it is, having the Kitase/Nomura duo handle a remake of FFVII seems like an entirely bland proposition that neither rears enough return on investment for Square Enix, nor enough unique appeal for those that aren't hardcore FFVII fans. It would be a waste of everyone's time and I'm glad they spent their energy developing 4 other FFVII titles that complement the original rather than just regurgitate a prior effort.
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Ooo! Final Fantasy VII, as told by Rockstar Games. Cloud's back, and he's gonna pop a cap in yo' ass.
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I mean an individual director, like Kojima, Miyamoto, Igarashi, Okamoto... etc. Someone who is known for their unique game design and could translate that vision into FFVII to make it something different than the original. I think that's an interesting idea.
vip
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As Andrew mentioned, FFVII is becoming increasingly harder to find. My copy stopped working ages ago, and with the coming of Advent Children I thought it was about time for me to get a new one. It took me about 3 weeks to find a copy and the last copy I found available was at Sam Goody (in the same mall as an EBgames and EBX no less). This game is still wanted and there are a LOT of people who haven't played it. Advent Children has sparked interest in the original game from my MOTHER of all people (but admitedly, she likes better graphics, and while FFVII is state of the art for it's time, it looks like shit now and she frowns upon it). Not to mention the tons of Nintendo Faithful who wouldn't play the original because they bought N64 or GCN thinking a decent FF might be made for those systems. Even though they can pick up a PSX for 20 bucks now, the game is hard to find, so they missed out altogether and may want to play the game eveyone is bringing up nowadays with shiny tech demos and pretty sequels. Throw in the millions of fans of the original remade and BAM! You've got a best-seller before the remake is even made.

In any case, I think square-Enix going to gauge how well Advent Children does worldwide to see how large the interest in FFVII really is before they dive into planning a remake. If we should be doing anything to get a remake made, it's to complain to sony to stop making their systems backwards compatible, THEN bitch to Square-Enix....Then it'll get made for SURE!
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I see Rahul's point though, about the director issue. At the end of the day the same game would have been created. And frankly I don't want to hear bitching about FFVII not being available, at least not in the U.S. EB Games sells it online for $14.99 (USD) and it ships quick smart. Here in Australia you haven't been able to buy it new for a loooong time, so that's not the problem here.

This is why I'm kind of sitting on the fence, if they never create a remake I'll be happy with the game. If they do, I'll give the new one a shot. Rahul's more recent point about originality must be thought about though, do you just want the same game with better graphics & sound?
vip
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yes, as a matter of fact I do :)
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Which just proves my original point "vapid buttmunches do not represent the grand public mainstream". It's just a matter of tunnel vision and objectivity. You'll get over it.
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It's true, but don't be suprised if a few years down the track they DO make a re-release. I don't know about over there, but the re-releases of FF here sold VERY little, and in my opinion were for fans only. Then again they weren't a complete remake either. At the end of the day I appreciate the cross-media presentation they are currently doing, it serves to extend the original story into new areas, which is kinda cool and won't ruin the original. (Hopefully)
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EVERYTHING sells very little in Australia. There aren't any people!
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True, but it's easy to gauge what does and doesn't. If a game is still on the shelves the next week, it's doing alright. Remakes such as those mentioned were not on the shelves for long at all, much like ZOE 2. I would swear I have collector's items in this country because of the lack of shipment. Though I'll have you know I saw FFVIII brand spanking new the other day, so that's saying something.
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Rahul:

Metal Gear: Twin Snakes. Need I say more on remakes? Hell, Metal Gear (God BLESS the series) does not have nearly the fanbase that Final Fantasy VII, or the entire series for that matter, has gained over the years. You have to remember that the game was released back in 1997, that's almost a decade ago. Aside from the loyal fanbase that will always remember FFVII as the greatest game ever made, there is now a new generation that will enjoy the remake just as much, having never played the original.
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You will note that Twin Snakes hardly sold much. Secondly, it was produced for the Gamecube with, as I remember, a purpose that was even put forward in marketing: that the audience that traditionally played Nintendo games on Nintendo consoles would have a chance to experience the Metal Gear Solid franchise.

I will take the argument that there is a new generation for Final Fantasy VII only so far -- for one, after FFXII is released, the gameplay system (ATB) used by incarnations of the Final Fantasy series before it will be dated. It would be like trying to release Dragon Quest VIII to the mainstream without making the changes that they have, or attempting to successfully market a remake of Final Fantasy IV. The titles are niche, much like a remake of FFVII would be, if it were a remake as you all suggest (merely a graphic/sound upgrade with the same story progression, direction, and gameplay).

Should there be significant modifications made to the gameplay system, story development, execution, and other critical aspects of the game, I ask you this: why waste resources doing that when you might as well actually do something productive and expand the universe? This is what Square Enix is currently doing with the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. They could have wasted their time creating a game that would sell only to those interested in dated gameplay or regurgitated nostalgia, but instead they're more forward-thinking than that. This is the difference between fanboy dreams and business strategy.
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Well I'll stick with my on the fence, but leaning towards 'no' position. I'm happy to just move on, and if one comes out so be it.
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The sequels are indeed expanding the universe, and indeed it need originality if it were to be remade so it isn't just a re-release. Think about it: If the intro sequence and the expansion games are getting so much attention, why not? Sequels tend to be not as good as the original unless it's Star Wars. It seems to be a rehash much of the time. The sequels to FF7 don't seem that way to me, however. They expand and add to the story that a remake never could. You get all this back story, and you get curiousity on what the original was, and demand increases. If they do plan or are considering, they are using a very, very clever way to create interest in both the old guard fans of FF7 and the noobs. Mention FF to any RPG gamer, and they are sure to have heard of it. Mention FF& and you will as likely hear a tirade on how either they loved it, or how the final two disks were not as good. Love the idea or it, it is a definent posibilities. This is the very first time where demand is so high, a company creates several prequals and sequels just to shut the fanbase up. I can imagine it now-
Square-Enix rep: We got you new stuff. let us live in peace and quit calling us at home!
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"Sequels tend to be not as good as the original unless it's Star Wars"

THAT IS THE MOST ASININE, FREDICULOUS, VAPID PIECE OF INANE GARBAGE ANYONE HAS EVER SAID IN THE HISTORY OF COMMUNICATION.
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I'm going to go with Matt on this one.

*bitchslaps anthiena with a wet fish*
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