What is at stake with the FFVII remake? (part 2 - conclusion)
Part 1 is here.
Spoilers are ahead, so if you haven't touched FFVII before, you might want to pass on reading this.
In our last article, we talked about how FFVII will show how a game's graphics impact its success, but it left a few other points untouched.
In this article, we'll be covering how FFVII's remake will address the following:
- How much do battle systems matter?
- What's the impact of voice actors and cut scenes?
- Will episodic content enhance or harm a franchise?
- Is Squaresoft better than Square Enix?
So, without further adieu, let's hit it.
How much do battle systems matter?
FF7 will put to rest how much the battle system weighs on the reception of a game. The original FF7 had a turn based, time-bar style system. Limit breaks and materia usage were staples of the system's flow.
Later Final Fantasy games changed the system up, introducing more active combat. Maybe this was good, or maybe this was bad (don't get me started on dress spheres), but the bottom line was that it worked for the entry in the series that the combat system was made for.
The FF7 remake has a different system than the original (more Kingdom Hearts style, in my opinion). As a result, we'll be able to see if the same game, when paired with a different battle system, will be more or less fun. I tend to drop games if their battle system doesn't resonate with me, even if the story is alright (I'll just YouTube it later), so I'm interested to se this.
What's the impact of voice actors and cut scenes?
I touched on voice acting in my Downfall of RPGs article, but the same point holds here: the original FF7 had text based conversation. FMVs didn't have voice acting, either.
A shift from reading to hearing dialogue will result in more time being spent without clicking buttons. Some people don't play these games to watch a movie, but on the flip side, some people don't like reading novels when they play a game either.
I personally am not a fan of voice acting, so I'm going to be interested in seeing how voice acting causes me to view the characters. If old-time fans find that the voices don't match what they had in their head, they're going to be a bit let down.
Will episodic content enhance or harm a franchise?
The original FFVII was sold in one package. Sure, it was on multiple disks, but what does that matter? One purchase, one game. The videogame industry has become saturated in useless DLC and other cash grabs. Episodic content could be a cash grab. I have no clue how they could pull off episodic content without making it seem this way.
If the episodic content is well received, I bet we'll see it taking over the RPG genre. This scares me for a few reasons:
- We might be playing an unfinished story (doesn't apply to FF7, since it's story is already fleshed out).
- Makes it easier for developers to get lazy about their game dynamics.
- The development team may change between the 1st and last episode, which may change the feel of the games.
I'm eager to see how RPG fans ingest it.
Is Squaresoft better than Square Enix?
This is the question that I'm really looking forward to. I'm a big Square/Squaresoft fan. Once they partnered with Enix, I found that I didn't dig their games as much. Perhaps it's because I aged out of the games, or perhaps it's because they took on a different style (staff members change their style or transfer teams over time, which could lead to a different feel for any game).
We'll now be able to see which team was better. They're making the same game. They have more advanced resources than they did in the past. If they screw it up (at least, according to the old fans), then to me it's a sign that they don't have the same heart they did back when FFVII came out in the late 90s. This might not be a bad thing for them (hey, money is money and you need to keep the books out of the red), but its still worth watching.
If Square Enix aces the remake, then I might start buying Final Fantasy games again.
Conclusion
FFVII was a game that brought a lot of people into the RPG genre, helped the PSX get on the map, and caused Square/Squaresoft/Square Enix to develop a more loyal overseas fanbase. A lot of people (now much older than they were when the game was originally released) associate FFVII with a special part in their lives.
Whether it was leaving Midgar for the first time, watching one of your party members die permanently, or bringing down a mega corporation that pretty much ruled the world, there's a LOT riding on this remake for the fans.
What are your thoughts?
Don't like my writing? Disagree with something I've said? Let me know in the comments below!
Sources:
All images click to their source. Some have some pretty interesting easter eggs inside of them.