Name: An old man's take on something new.
Item: Final Fantasy VII Remake
Rating: 8
Author: Philip Tauschek

Oh man. Final Fantasy 7.

The game that pretty much ignited my love for console JRPGs.

FF7 is IMO one of the most important games in the Role-Playing genre.

However, modern JRPGs have been kind of hit-and-miss to me.
Shitty writing, cringe dialogue, horrible controls on PC ports etc etc...

After hearing about a remake on this gem back in 2015, I had mixed feelings.
Why on earth would you do a remake? Why not have your resources be put on a new FF game (that is turn-based) and have better writers (most FF game storylines are dogshit)?

So, after seeing the latest trailer it had out (back in 2019 I guess...kinda forgot), I was horrified by the combat system. Why did it have to be a DMC rip-off? Why not turn-based? Cause youngsters today cant think?
Are they like: "mE bRAin tOo sMol be jUst pResS buTton HuRR DuRr DeRp"

So, I decided to completely forget about it and just move on. Then I heard a part two of the FF remake has released, so I then surrendered to curiosity and decided to give it a go.

Is it good? It is. It is a great game. But I am so puzzled with the perfect scores fanboys have jizzed over this game. This game definitely has flaws.

Lets start with the PROS:

1. The game has excellent graphics. When I first saw Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Jessie, Biggs and Wedge after all these years, I got a warm feeling of nostalgia. Like a memory reboot kinda moment. 
2. The music and soundtrack. With so many iconic music and soundtrack remastered and remixed, I couldn't help but smile when I first heard them again after many years. The Golden Saucer theme is the GOAT!!!
3. The combat system. Alright, so hear me out. I do not like the action style combat. I would have preferred turn-based. But why is this on the PROS list? Cause it is RESPONSIVE. And with the materia system, you can definitely have some experimentations going on. 
4. Summon can now join and fight alongside you before doing their signature move. I think that is amazing and can be a game change during a difficult boss fight.

Now for the CONS.

1. Lets start with the voice work. I hate anime-style dialogue. You know the moment when character have to sound a grunt or sigh during moments of surprise or discomfort. A character would be like "Hey Cloud." and Cloud would belt out a sound like "Huh?" It's like 30% of the written dialogue. They just go "huh" "wha" ugh" "uh.." its fuckin annoying. To top it all off, Cloud stands out like a festering sore thumb in this issue. 
2. Too many slow moments. What I mean is, there's too many moments where you character has to crouch move in a crawl space or squeeze through a narrow path to reach from one place to another. And you move extremely...exxxtreeeemmmmeelllyyy slow. Add that with a optional quest system that requires back travelling and...you get the picture.
3. The "ACTION" based combat. Yes. That's right. I am one of the geezers who hate this change. And before you say "FF gAmEs aRe aLL aBoUt cHaNge!!" I would like to tell you that you are absolutely right. Yes. You can say that for every other IPs out there. But, just because it is, doesn't mean I have to accept and like it. And the stagger system is all but horrible. 
4. Shitty PC port controls. During the motorbike sections, who in god's green earth decided to put the boost command in the X key in the keyboard? W,A,S,D is the standard commands for moving in all four directions. But having to press Z with your thumb really makes you think if the people who programmed the PC port have smoked a couple of stones during work.

And yeah. That's pretty much it.

I think adding some changes to the storyline would be listed under CONS, but it is a Remake after all. So, I can let it slide.

I'll probably get into FF7 Rebirth when (and if) it hits PC.

So as an old man who loved the original, do I recommend that you play FF7 remake? Yes. Definitely.

Even if you haven't played the original and want to dive in to the world of FF7, this game is for you.

I just think the original is far better.
Perhaps nostalgia got the best of my judgement.

Final Fantasy VII Remake

An old man's take on something new.

Player Score

Philip Tauschek