General Gaming Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Remake Part 2) - "An Excellent But Inconsistent Experience" (Digital Foundry Technical Review)

[Greatoneshere]

30 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

I don’t feel the need to weigh individual weaknesses against strengths when it comes to the lager picture.  As I said in my review, its a flawed game I still feel very positive about, all said and done.  This is a game worth playing in my book.

 

I'm not even saying it's not a game worth playing, it is, but with major caveats. I'm just saying it wasn't a very good Final Fantasy RPG to me. It's clear that despite seeing it as a flawed game you liked it more than I did anyway, which is all good. If you really liked all the things you listed in this game (many of the same things that I didn't like), I feel like you could enjoy almost anything, more power to ya. I won't say more just so as not to derail this thread about FF7R any further , another game I'm hyped before release which I hope doesn't shit the story bed once it drops. 

[crispy4000]

23 minutes ago, Greatoneshere said:

 

I'm not even saying it's not a game worth playing, it is, but with major caveats. I'm just saying it wasn't a very good Final Fantasy RPG to me. It's clear that despite seeing it as a flawed game you liked it more than I did anyway. If you really liked all the things you listed in this game (many of the same things that I didn't like), I feel like you could enjoy almost anything, more power to ya. I won't say more just so as not to derail this thread about FF7R any further , another game I'm hyped before release which I hope doesn't shit the story bed once it drops. 

 

This idea that me enjoying it means I don't have discerning tastes, and could like any crap game, is a thinly veiled insult.  If anything, going there points to how dislodged the criticism of FXVI has become.

 

Perhaps its because this was a Final Fantasy and not something else.  The expectations people have around this franchise are a bit silly IMO.  Each new numbered entry takes a new approach that doesn't build on the prior one.  And modern FF has built a reputation on contentious releases.  Letting expectations go is probably the best approach with FF.

 

... as I think about how much I'm looking forward to Rebirth, lol.  I suppose going in dark is my best way to not get swept up.  I didn't watch most of the pre-release stuff about FFXVI either.

[Greatoneshere]

13 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

 

This idea that me enjoying it means I don't have discerning tastes and could like any crap game is an insult.  If anything, stooping to that points to how dislodged the criticism of FXVI has become.

 

Perhaps its the fact that this was a Final Fantasy and not something else.  The expectations people have around this franchise are a bit silly IMO.  Each game already takes a new approach that doesn't build on the prior entry.  And modern FF has built a reputation on contentious releases.  Letting expectations go is probably the best approach with this franchise.

 

... as I think about how much I'm looking foward to Rebirth, lol.  I suppose going in dark is my best way to not get swept up.  I didn't watch most of the pre-release stuff about FFXVI either.

 

I didn't mean it as an insult, that's how it comes off to me is all. You said you enjoyed all the villains (as an example), who I found pretty one note for the most part, so yes, they were so one note to me that for someone to say they enjoyed them tells me I don't know what that person's floor is then. If you enjoyed it, great. If I can't possibly understand how you enjoyed the parts you enjoyed so much, that's fine, but it is the case.

 

My expectations for FF16 were incredibly low. I like when FF gets different and weird with each iteration and I'm pretty open to that. I'm a rare FF15 stan, but at least that game felt like an FF and an RPG, whether good or bad. An essentially corridor, on rails, very RPG-lite game with few party interactions, no inventory/weapon/item management to really speak of, and incredibly easy to boot was not something I wanted nor expected. I don't like that sort of game as a baseline, which is why I said had it been called anything else, like Forspoken, I would have simply avoided it and not played it. But being a mainline, numbered FF game meant to me that some baseline things would be met, and they were not. It's not crazy to expect something with a franchise, even a little, and get essentially Devil May Cry for beginners, FF edition. Even FF7R bothered to remember it's an RPG even if it wants to become more and more an action game.

 

Also, I rarely watch trailers for anything and go into anything (movies, games, TV) mostly cold. My worries about FF7Rebirth are entirely story and character based just on what I think could happen, I'm obviously hoping for my worries to be unfounded as I haven't seen anything really. I expect the rest of the game to be great, like the first was. I just hope Tetsuya Nomura doesn't get stupid and too timey-wimey with his story and does the meta twist he introduced in the first game well instead of poorly, which is very easy to do for any writer to do poorly in this spot, much less Nomura. I hope to be pleasantly surprised.

[HardAct]

   Really need to play the part one remake lol! I installed it when it launched so probably couldve saved a lot of money if I'd just stop buying when launched! Probably much to old now and to late, I mean its just money!! Lol 😂 

[crispy4000]

13 minutes ago, Greatoneshere said:

 

I didn't mean it as an insult, that's how it comes off to me is all. You said you enjoyed all the villains (as an example), who I found pretty one note for the most part, so yes, they were so one note to me that for someone to say they enjoyed them tells me I don't know what that person's floor is then. If you enjoyed it, great. If I can't possibly understand how you enjoyed the parts you enjoyed so much, that's fine, but it is the case.

 

I can think of lots of games, movies, series, etc, with fun one-note villains.  I don't slight you for wanting more, but might question why you think it's such a bad thing.  Some of the best liked FF villains, like Kefka, make these guys look multi-faceted.

 

 

[Greatoneshere]

6 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

I can think of lots of games, movies, series, etc, with fun one-note villains.  I don't slight you for wanting more, but might question why you think it's such a bad thing.  Some of the greatest FF villains, like Kefka, are one-note.

 

I should have elaborated in that I meant one-note is fine/good when the villain is also fun/interesting/etc. (you could argue Joker is one note but he's so unpredictable that you're entertained). Nearly every character in this felt stilted, stoic, or bland to me, not so much fun or interesting (except Kupka, but he was such a dumb brute that anything fun or interesting about him was sapped away). It just felt like a series of typical medieval fantasy villains that were very dry in terms of interaction and development. An example of a fun/interesting version of a rotating cast of villains would be Metal Gear Solid 1, just as an old example. One-note is not necessarily bad, but it is when there's nothing else to it, which is why it's usually used as a criticism. I know others enjoyed the game too, not just you, I don't think you're crazy or anything, but yes, my surprise is so great that I am confused.  

[crispy4000]

Kupka as an archetype isn't that interesting.  But what Clive did to him was savage, and made his entire arc worth it.

 

The whole summons setup was an excuse to make them feel larger than life, like flawed gods that don't belong in a medieval fantasy.  Which let's be frank, its going to go there anyways as a FF game.

[crispy4000]

A trailer I can actually watch:

 

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Sony just let slip a Final Fantasy VII Rebirth playable demo is imminent - The Verge

WWW.THEVERGE.COM

---

Play as Cloud... or Sephiroth.

 

Quote

 

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is nearly here. It’s coming February 29th, and yes, we will find out what happens to Aerith unless the game’s producer was playing us. But we won’t have to wait that long to get a taste, because Sony will release a playable demo as soon as tomorrow, February 6th.

 

That’s the word from Wario64, who spotted a trailer for the demo on PlayStation Network, one you can watch below — and the news that the demo will let you “step into the shoes of either Cloud or Sephiroth during the Nibelheim episode.”

 

 

[best3444]

A demo tomorrow would be great for me. I need to see what this is all about before I'd buy it. 

[crispy4000]

Won’t touch the demo until after finishing Crisis Core and the Yuffie chapter for Intergrade.  But I think I can still do both before the release.

[best3444]

When's the show? I want this demo. 

[Keyser_Soze]

1 hour ago, best3444 said:

When's the show? I want this demo. 

 

 

[best3444]

50 minutes ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

 

 

Ok so maybe in 4 hours a demo will be out. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

 

 

[Remarkableriots]

21 hours ago, crispy4000 said:

Won’t touch the demo until after finishing Crisis Core and the Yuffie chapter for Intergrade.  But I think I can still do both before the release.

I haven't gotten Crisis Core yet.

[Firewithin]

this looks absolutely massive

[skillzdadirecta]

This is a continuation of the first remake correct?

[MarSolo]

3 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said:

This is a continuation of the first remake correct?

Yes sir.

 

Just started it. Already took like 70 screenshots because I’m a psycho.

[Paperclyp]

31 minutes ago, Firewithin said:

this looks absolutely massive

It looks literally like 10 times more ambitious than the first one. 
 

And reminds me that this game is my favorite goddamned game ever. 

[gamer.tv]

Based on how much time I spend playing game on my TV, be how big his looks, if I buy his at release I may finish it by the end of 2025? 

[Mr.Vic20]

Looks fantastic! Sadly, PSN was a nightmare for me last night and I was not able to start successfully downloading the demo until this morning. I'll hopefully have time to give it a shot this evening, though I have little doubt it will be great. I thoroughly enjoyed Part one of FFVII:R and this looks to better that presentation and set of mechanics in numerous meaningful ways. Its nice to play a final fantasy that doesn't disappoint! 

[eventide11]

This is the entire second half of the game right?

[MarSolo]

3 minutes ago, eventide11 said:

This is the entire second half of the game right?

Based on the trailers, this covers up to the end of the first disc, in addition to the changes that occurred from the first game.

 

Me, taking screenshots every ten seconds:

[Biggie]

8 minutes ago, eventide11 said:

This is the entire second half of the game right?

Doubtful. They gonna milk this for all it’s worth. 

[Paperclyp]

23 minutes ago, eventide11 said:

This is the entire second half of the game right?

It’s absolutely not, they’ve said very specifically where it ends if you care to look it up. 
 

(also this implies the first game was the first half of the game and it also was not).

[Keyser_Soze]

They already announced this game will be in three parts. The first game (Remake) covered like the first 5 hours of the original game but padded it with a bunch of content to make it 30 hours. Rebirth will be a pretty hefty chunk of the game and I haven't personally looked into where it ends but there are theories out there of good places to end this game.

[Mr.Vic20]

I'm not sad in the least that they have opted to break this game up. The first Remake game was worth my time and my money. If the second installment came improve upon the first, even better! There is a lot of quality content, effort, and love put into these games and I feel the value is there. 

[legend]

Haven't had a chance to play the demo but I'm so hyped for this.

 

It's been confirmed that the series will be three parts, and while where this one ends isn't the traditional end of the second disc, but they've already said elsewhere they've reordered things so it's not really the same.

[Spork3245]

1 hour ago, eventide11 said:

This is the entire second half of the game right?

 

Probably number 2 of 3, but they could milk this for 4 games, so who knows  

[best3444]

Downloading the demo now. Let's fuckin go!

[eventide11]

3 hours ago, Paperclyp said:

It’s absolutely not, they’ve said very specifically where it ends if you care to look it up. 
 

(also this implies the first game was the first half of the game and it also was not).

No, the first one ended pretty early on. I don't even think it made it to the world map which is where I guess this one starts. But I could see them pushing this to 2 more installments

[Greatoneshere]

I mean, this is a metafictional sequel, not a remake, so presumably the way this game's story plays out will be different enough that saying anything like: "it'll end at this point from the original game" seems pretty useless. I mean, just based on the one trailer I saw ages ago, you have all sorts of characters alive and together doing things that they were never alive or together for in the original game. I mean, the ending of the first part blew the whole "remake" idea out of the water.

[Mr.Vic20]

3 minutes ago, Greatoneshere said:

I mean, this is a metafictional sequel, not a remake, so presumably the way this game's story plays out will be different enough that saying anything like: "it'll end at this point from the original game" seems pretty useless. I mean, just based on the one trailer I saw ages ago, you have all sorts of characters alive and together doing things that they were never alive or together for in the original game. I mean, the ending of the first part blew the whole "remake" idea out of the water.

True, true! As long as the quality remains high though, I suppose I don't really care where they head with this alt universe rendition of FF7. Remake certainly is a cut above any recent mainline FF outing. Its so very nice to not be disappointed by a new FF game!