Final Fantasy 7 Remake - Trailers, story & gameplay insights and additional information about the Compilation of Final Fantasy 7

[brink-of-time]

I think its a misstep. Now I like the ideas they have and what they are trying to do to make it different from FF7, especially as you go on. However! The execution of those ideas, well, it is very poor. The voice acting is terrible. A big portion of the dialog seems cliche, and it hurts to listen to, even in Japanese w/subs. There are several scenes that are awkward, characters that act awkward. I really want to like this. I like the idea of seeing Midgar fleshed out. But everything is so hollow. I'm getting serious FFXV vibes from it and Square is going down a road I don't think they can come back from.

[Master Mi]

I'm kinda the aficionado and slow player who tends to enjoy the atmosphere a little longer.

So I'm still hanging around at around chapter 4 with my real "exploration save file" where I also listen to all the NPCs and their little stories they tell or at which I try to impress Jessie with my rad motorbike driving 'n' highway fighting skills (I guess it 's also some kind of an achievement) and put Wedge on the second place at the dart mini game...

...but couldn't wait to get a bit more into the further story line with another save file where I have been arrived at Sector 5.
And already in this early point of the remake I radically like it how they converted or rather transcended the original masterpiece Final Fantasy 7 into the next generation console gaming experience.

Besides the very interesting story telling and whole atmosphere, I really enjoy the new active battle system which is quite always fun, always a little bit different or at times even something like a big challenge.
The dynamic battles remind me a lot of playing the Battle Arena Toshinden and Soul Blade or Soul Calibur games in the times back then.

At the moment, I only have 2 little points to criticize or things that could be improved.

1) I miss some scenes from the original - for example where Barret gradically goes on fire at the punching bag in the Avalanche hideout and blows Biggs (maybe accidentally) through the air by his anger coming from the Shin-Ra news and Clouds cold behaviour.

2) The summon materia could be so much more than just an isolated 1-star materia.
It could be a mix between the original (in which you could grow a summon materia up to 5 stars, before it got divided like most of the other materia, and combine them with all the other materia in the connected slots), the FF 6 esper system (where you could also learn new magic spells from espers) and a new system where also the summons can evolve like the characters (similar like in Final Fantasy 8, with new attacks and abilities or where they could slightly transform like in Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals like the capsule monsters).

Maybe something like this is planned in the future parts of the remake - but I really think that the summons should play a much greater part in the battle system and in the whole story.


But besides those kinda smaller things that could be improved, I'm radically digging this awesome masterpiece of a remake.

-----------------

And, yeah - please try not to spoiler anything important of the remake storyline or something like that.
I already clicked on a video that unfortunately spoilered some parts of the ending or maybe parts of the game - and I really don't like that.

The original of Final Fantasy 7 back then was a still game I started playing without having a clue of the game - in kinda blessed times without online tutorials, spoilers and walkthroughs coming right after the release of the game - really blessed times, where you really had to play the game to get right into the game, its story and secrets.

And - despite all the opportunities of the modern times - I still try to keep it this way. ))

Edited May 1, 2020 by Master Mi

[Master Mi]

Time for a few new official trailer updates concerning the Final Fantasy 7 remake & compilation.

1) Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis
(obviously a straight and faithful remake of the whole Final Fantasy 7 compilation with a more original graphics style, including the original game Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children, Before Crisis: Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy 7 - unfortunately only announced as a mobile game for iOS/Android by now)
 

2) Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Intergrade
(the coming enhanced Playstation 5 version of Final Fantasy 7 Remake containing a whole new episode with Yuffie and a few other dudes in Midgar who are obviously working together with a special unit from Avalanche)
 

I already love the funny scene where the super secret ninja girl gets discovered and radically trolled by curious pigeons (o^_v_^o) and I was also pretty amazed to see a scene with Weiss and the Deepground soldiers in that new episode in reference to the later Dirge of Cerberus content within the FF7 compilation.

[Daylectorbr]

Now we really need PS5 to enjoy this DLC. ?

[Daylectorbr]

Digital Deluxe, Digital and Physical Editions of Intergrade. Btw, no physical release for the Deluxe Edtion of Intergrade? *sigh*

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1377637124673957894
 

[Master Mi]

I'm sure there will be some kind of an FF7 Remake Ultimate Complete Collection for PS7 or so (would be iconic --->> FF7 Remake - 7 Blu-ray discs full of content - after 7 years of development - kept as a company-internal secret for further 7 years - finally announced for PS 7 ;D).

But they seem to work on several FF7 spin-offs these days - unfortunately announced for mobile devicesin many cases.
This one here called "Final Fantasy 7 The First Soldier" doesn't seem to be received that well.

But in my opinion the story behind the beginning of the Shinra empire has great potential and I really want to hear this story.
The gameplay reminds me a lot of "Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy 7" - which is still a pretty interesting FF7 spin-off in my opinion.

Edited May 4, 2021 by Master Mi

[Admiral_C]

I saw the words "Battle Royale" and immediately checked out mentally. I don't associate any Battle Royale games with a great story. I agree, it would be neat to see that era fleshed out, but I don't think this format is the way to do it.

[Daylectorbr]

On 5/5/2021 at 1:05 AM, Master Mi said:

I'm sure there will be some kind of an FF7 Remake Ultimate Complete Collection for PS7 or so (would be iconic --->> FF7 Remake - 7 Blu-ray discs full of content - after 7 years of development - kept as a company-internal secret for further 7 years - finally announced for PS 7 ;D).

But they seem to work on several FF7 spin-offs these days - unfortunately announced for mobile devicesin many cases.
This one here called "Final Fantasy 7 The First Soldier" doesn't seem to be received that well.

But in my opinion the story behind the beginning of the Shinra empire has great potential and I really want to hear this story.
The gameplay reminds me a lot of "Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy 7" - which is still a pretty interesting FF7 spin-off in my opinion.

I'm actually interested to see how this goes. With a title of First Soldier I was kinda expecting a prequel game where you play as Sephiroth and learn more about his story. Wasn’t expecting this at all lol

[Master Mi]

Here is the youngest trailer of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade:
 

I really love the Dirge of Cerberus vibes and the Wutai rebellion background in there.
The new PS5 game seems to contain also the pretty famous Fort Condor battle mini-game from the original Final Fantasy 7.

Edited May 11, 2021 by Master Mi

[Master Mi]

There is some new trailer content for two next-generation game titles of the Final Fantasy 7 compilation...

1) "Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth" for PS5 (obviously the coming second part of the Final Fantasy 7 remake):
 

2) "Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion" for PS5 (a coming remaster or maybe even a little remake of the famous PSP game "Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7")
 

Enjoy. ))

[H36T]

Honestly FFVII Remake would have been perfect to me without the uhh changes. But...they are here and here I am once again afraid of what the next game will be. It's so tough because the first game I was afraid it was gonna be bad and honestly it was one of the best things I had ever played. It was gorgeous, well loved, and just everything I could have asked for in a remake sans a massive open world midgar. But I think that would have been too much for square or any company to pull off and do well. But once the...stuff came through I was like man...I didn't want this Square. I don't think anyone did. You somehow managed to do everything perfect and still bring us to a crossroads of potential stupidity in the end. I'm baffled and wonder how they will keep this next game together without really setting themselves up for absolute failure. 

[Master Mi]

There are a few news for the coming Crisis Core Version for PS5 and PS4.

No matter how much more than just a remaster the game will be in the end, the new arrangements made by the original composer Takeharu Ishimoto already kinda got me straight into stellar listening mode (though, I hope they'll leave the players the option to choose between the original soundtracks from Crisis Core for PSP and the new arrangements in the option menu within the game).
 

If they don't mess up the voices and animations of the characters (which would deeply affect the game's atmosphere) and bring in some further extras, it might become a serious title once again.

...

For all Final Fantasy 7 fans who might have missed out Crisis Core on the PSP:
Definitely play this game!

It has a really interesting and deeply touching story with some funny, but also lots of serious, sad, heroic, tragic and magic moments - similar like in Final Fantasy 7 for the first Playstation console.

Edited November 27, 2022 by Master Mi

[Master Mi]

There are already a few Let's Play videos of the new Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion out there.

Since I know the story and don't want to spoiler too much of the story of Crisis Core, here is a nice video that gives some impressions of the first 20 minutes of the Crisis Core remaster:
 

Here are some of my personal first thoughts on the PS5 remaster compared to the PSP original of Crisis Core:

1) I'm not entirely sure I'll like the new voices (at least they're not extremely different) and the slightly more adult, realistic character animations in the PS5 remaster as much as the damn well fitting and very passionate voicesl and the more anime-like character animations from the PSP original.

Perhaps these points are just a matter of getting used to.

2) But really outstanding improvements in the remaster can be found especially in the much higher graphics resolution with much more detail, the visual special effects, the really powerful sound effects, the newly arranged soundtracks, the motion animations and the even more dynamic and rousing combat action - which doesn't even have to hide from a Final Fantasy 7 remake.

3) As it seems, they have adopted the FMV cutscenes of the PSP original almost 1:1 (just added the new voices and probably a higher graphics resolution) - which might have been a very good choice.

4) Another very nice feature is the public dubbing of all conversations and all speaking characters in the game - whereas in the PSP original the side dialogs were only presented in text form.


I'm really curious if there will be some interesting extras for players of the PSP original in the coming PS5 remaster - like small story expansions (maybe with segues to the FF7 remake), new SOLDAT side missions, more (of the already extremely many) Materia fusion options, DMW-based Limit Breaks, Summons, etc. ...

But I'm sure we'll soon find out.

[H36T]

Hmm I never played the original and I'm not so sure I wanna play this crisis core either. I dunno, just haven't been a big fan of the extended FFVII content really. I'll just wait for the next remake ☺️

[Master Mi]

On 12/2/2022 at 9:22 PM, HarlemHeat360 said:

Hmm I never played the original and I'm not so sure I wanna play this crisis core either. I dunno, just haven't been a big fan of the extended FFVII content really. I'll just wait for the next remake ☺️

Crisis Core is the spin-off of the Final Fantasy 7 compilation which is the closest one to the original Final Fantasy 7.

If you like the original Final Fantasy 7, you will love Crisis Core because:
- of an excellent storytelling.
- you will get a lot more background information about some important characters and organisations like Zack Fair, Aerith, Cloud, Tifa, the Turks, the Shinra company, the 1st class soldiers Angeal Hewley (Zack's mentor), Genesis Rhapsodos (a kind of poetic guy who, driven by the famous epic "Loveless", also seeks to be a great hero in the world - knowing also the story of Dirge of Cerberus, I'm sure he will play a bigger role in the future of Final Fantasy 7) and Sephiroth (especially about his former strong friendship with Angeal and Genesis and his incisive - maybe kinda accidental - shift from a rather mindful and caring man into a cruel monster seeking vengeance and leaving a trail of destruction and death).
- lots of optional side quests and Soldier missions, which may keep you busy for around hundred hours aside from the main story and which become really hard challenges as you progress.
- because of really beautiful soundtrack compositions - new ones as well as well-done arrangements of beloved original Final Fantasy 7 soundtracks (just the awesome soundtracks are worth playing the game!).

Let me show you a new track within the game which describes the atmosphere of Crisis Core really well:

... and an old track you might know because it has been beaten into your head when you played the original Final Fantasy 7:
 

Not convinced yet?
No problem - I'm staying tough like a heroic golden retriever in full persistent mode.

...

In this game here are also famous scenes and places many of you might already experienced in the original game - but with much more background information and details.

I want to show you a famous scene in Crisis Core (PSP version), which also appears in the original Final Fantasy 7 (so... no big spoilers), but which also contains some new information about the deeper backgrounds in the FF7 universe...

If you don't want to be inundated with information beyond the original Final Fantasy 7, just stop the video at exactly 4:50.
 

And there's lot more interesting stuff going on in the story of Crisis Core. ))

Edited December 3, 2022 by Master Mi

[yangfeili]

Some day I want to see an alternate take/parody of the "super soldier finds out his origins" trope, where the Sephiroth analogue doesn't have any sort of angsty mental breakdown and his reaction to the big reveal is instead just "Oh, cool, I'm like a weird alien-monster-human hybrid! That's kind of neat. Anyway, back to work."

[Master Mi]

On 12/8/2022 at 6:06 PM, yangfeili said:

Some day I want to see an alternate take/parody of the "super soldier finds out his origins" trope, where the Sephiroth analogue doesn't have any sort of angsty mental breakdown and his reaction to the big reveal is instead just "Oh, cool, I'm like a weird alien-monster-human hybrid! That's kind of neat. Anyway, back to work."

Yeah, I've seen some pretty funny parodies of the FF7 universe too.

Another parodic side story just popped into my head.
It goes like this:

-------------------

After several months of dooming and conquering the world, Sephiroth wanted to visit his hometown with his supposed mother Jenova to take a nice picture for the family album with the help of a professional photographer.

When he posed for the photo with his - somehow different looking - "mom", a small urban legend was created by the incredulous looking people around him.

The legend tells of an apple that fell quite far from the tree, rolled down a long hill and splashed into a raging river, where the apple was swept along through several countries and realms, but then one day was eaten by a fluffy horse on the riverbank and pooped out several thousand miles away on a haunted graveyard.
 

Sephiroth - still brainwashed by the Shinra corporation's secret files and believing that Jenova is his biological mother - tries to defend his mother to the crowd, telling them:

"What would your mothers look like if they were several thousand years old?

It's...
It's just my special shampoo combination that keeps me young, fresh and beautiful - one whole bottle per shower should already be enough."

(based on a really serious Crisis Core background story >>> https://www.thegamer.com/crisis-core-reunion-sephiroth-hair-care-routine/ )
 

The crowd: "Ahhhh - we want that shampoo too."

...

And so, the evil Sephiroth turned into a capitalistic salesman and started a huge business with his still-favorite mother Jenova.
His goal was to build even a more powerful and influential megacorporation than the Shinra company - to destroy Shinra economically by returning natural beauty to the mako-infested people....

... and dominate the world with love, joy and natural beauty to fully counter Shinra's policy. ))


(just some thoughts that came into my mind during the night time when eating one of my famous seven-course meals and preparing for the kinda annoying snow-plowing service)

Edited December 12, 2022 by Master Mi

[Master Mi]

I just saw a new interesting trailer for the upcoming Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis (EC as probably the last and final part of the FF7 spin-offs after AC, BC, CC, DC - you probably know which titles are meant if you are familiar with the FF7 universe) and want to share it with you:
 

It really seems that Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis will be a game title that retells the entire Final Fantasy 7 universe through all the currently known main parts and spin-off titles of the series, but in a similar (just improved) graphic style to the original game with the big head mode in the overworld or dungeon view and more realistic graphics in the battle mode or in the FMV sequences.

There also seems to be a huge (side) mission-based mode like in Crisis Core for the players.

And as it seems, you might also get some more information about the Final Fantasy 7 universe and characters like Sephiroth.

Does anyone have any idea who the guy with the materia-enhanced axe might be, forcing Sephiroth into battle and claiming to be a hero (maybe Angeal or a genetic copy of him, or an early high-level Avalanche member with a similar leader position like Elfe, who could stand a fight against the legendary Shinra soldier)?

Edited June 8, 2023 by Master Mi

[Master Mi]

And here, in addition to the FF7: Ever Crisis trailer, finally comes the big one - a new trailer for the highly anticipated second part of the big remake of Final Fantasy 7 (Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth):
 

The open world looks really amazing and makes a more realistic impression with the huge Mako lines around the Midgar region, which gradually drain the life energy for the Shinra cities.

The combat system seems to be even more elaborate this time.
There are also team special moves like in the enhanced Intergrade version of the first remake part, a new battle display element below the ATB bars, and you can fight in really uneven terrain with hills etc. for the first time - seems to be a really complex and way more interactive thing.

Almost had to laugh heartily at the last statement "On 2 discs."
So, the 2nd part seems to become at least already violently large in itself.

I'm not quite sure where the storyline of the second part of the remake might end, but I already have one or two silent ideas about it.

...

I guess I'm really going to have to work some overtime this year away from my auspicious and really compelling 4-day work week to acquire a soon-to-be-released PS5 Pro next year alongside my long-awaited Yamaha Pacifica 212 electric guitar for this year. ))

 

 

Edited June 10, 2023 by Master Mi

[crustcate]

I'm not preordering it, but i'm certainly willing to pay full price after it's out if the reviews aren't a mess.

[Master Mi]

@crustcate Because the first part of the FF7 remake is already a really deep and interesting gaming experience, I'm sure that the FF7 staff at Square Enix won't screw up the following parts of the remake either.
Since this is a really huge and passionate project, I'm sure they'll even try to step things up in a big way.

...

Besides, there 's a new trailer for Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis that shows some impressions of the younger Sephiroth and his early ambitions.
 

If you have played "Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 (Reunion)", you might know that he wasn't always the cruel villain and maniacal madman.
He rather had more of a caring attitude towards people he liked or even respected for various reasons.

I'm not sure who the kind people are that he talks about and seems to worry about - maybe just an inexperienced Shnra unit, maybe some good-natured villagers.
But the samurai-like or mentor-like woman he's talking to seems to be another important figure in the Final Fantasy 7 universe.
It might even be someone from whom he received his legendary Masamune sword.

[Master Mi]

Two more interesting news about the Compilation of Final Fantasy 7 - one smaller and one bigger.

First, the smaller one.
It's a short in-game scene with an FMV sequence from Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis, where the younger Sephiroth shows up in a fight to help 3 Shinra soldiers (maybe those are the guys he was just worried about in the FF7: Ever Crisis trailer above) and shows his incredible destructive power even at that young age.

This could be one of many reasons why he is referred to as the "golden child" in this game.
 

 

[Master Mi]

And secondly, the bigger news with highly anticipated FF7 remake content.

Of course, I'm talking about the latest trailer for Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, the second part of Square Enix's huge FF7 remake project.

Since this trailer shows quite a lot of familiar stuff from the original game in a pretty impressive next-gen look, I'll just summarize the trailer's content with the following bullet points:
- military parade in Junon
- the Cosmo Canyon area
- a region with shipwrecks and a lighthouse (could be a location from Before Crisis and Crisis Core, where the Turk Cissney tries to stop Zack at a beach area with a lighthouse)
- a more tropical region (could be the area around Mideel where Cloud and Tifa fell into the Lifestream)
- riding the famous buggy (after the incident in the Corel prison)
- riding special Chocobos (climbing mountains with a brown/black one and flying with a blue one)
- new means of transportation like a Segway personal transporter
- Sephiroth clones
- introduction of more characters (besides the already known Yuffie from the FF7 Remake Intergade version, there are also some first impressions of Cait Sith and Vincent Valentine)
- the huge (and quite deadly looking) snake Midgar Zolom
- Cloud and Sephiroth fight together and start some kind of team special move against a boss-like creature that should probably be the Materia Keeper (must be during the Nibelheim scene from Cloud's Soldier memories when he was sent to his hometown with Zack, Sephiroth and another Soldier infantryman to inspect the Mako reactor in the Mt. Nibel region due to an outbreak of violent creatures)
- summons like Alexander and Odin (the bull-like creature could be the summon Kujata/Kjata).
- Gold Saucer with some familiar games and challenges to complete there (including the Chocobo race, the virtual fighting game with the rock-paper-scissors system, and the motorcycle mini-game)
- first look at the "Weapons", the giant guardian creatures that protect the planet from great dangers and harmful creatures like Jenova, some of which were among the most powerful (optional) bosses in the original game
 

 

It is said that this second remake installment alone will have an estimated gameplay time of a hundred hours (the first part of the remake was around 40 hours) and that it will go up to a point in the story with a very tragic incident in the Forgotten City.

From the very beginning, I had a bit of a feeling that with the FF7 remake project, the game developers intend to set similarly massive new standards and superlatives in video game history, as they did back in the day with the original game for the Playstation.

It's really exciting to see what kind of a milestone-like video game grenade will be dropped here. ))

Edited September 19, 2023 by Master Mi

[Master Mi]

There are also some really interesting gameplay demos of the upcoming Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, where you can see how some of the new gameplay elements work.
And you get a small glimpse of the excellent graphics and visual effects, the convincing sound effects and the phenomenal soundtracks.

The video footage contains only a few story spoilers, but they should be somewhere at the beginning of this pretty exciting-looking game:
 

(I really had to laugh when Aerith and Tifa said they saw similarities between Cloud and a Chocobo.)
 

(Controlling Sephiroth on the battlefield or fighting alongside him during Cloud's Nibelheim flashback in Kalm is quite a feature, I'd say.)

...
 

In the meantime, I'm going to play Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion  (which is just as well done and, in contrast to the original for the PSP, has a few more small features to offer besides even more groovy gameplay, many revised, well-done soundtracks and graphical excesses) together with a good ol' friend.

I'm also working on a major update of my Crisis Core remix "Wings Of Freedom", mainly to show what my (in the last years) newly developed dynamic mixing concept and my Yamaha MSP studio monitors are capable of in terms of sound quality and spatiality of the mix.

So, I'm really looking forward to pulling out all the stops and showing off radically as soon as the mix is ready. ))

Edited November 3, 2023 by Master Mi

[Master Mi]

A new, very interesting trailer for the second Final Fantasy 7 remake project - Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth - has surfaced from the depths of the internet.

Among other things, It contains:
- a new theme song for the second part of the remake
- the introduction of further characters like Dio (the owner of the Gold Saucer amusement park), the good ol' Bugenhagen, Dyne (Barret's best friend, worker buddy and the biological father of Martlene) Vincent Valentine and Cid Highwind
- the reintroduction of a few famous Avalanche members who were thought to be dead - maybe they still are and just wandering through the lifestream, as hinted at in the novel "The Maiden who Travels the Planet" by Benny Matsuyama published in the ultimate Final Fantasy 7 game guide "Final Fantasy 7: Ultimania Omega" - who wants to listen to an audiobook version of this novel, check out this link for a complete and good quality version originally provided by thelifestream.net: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm3pymQPaU8
- some further summons like Titan, Phoenix and maybe some kind of a smaller Bahamut
- the introduction of the sometimes really weird and humorous theater performance in the Gold Saucer, which will probably be staged a little more seriously, bigger and more professionally in the remake, plus a few more romantic moments between Cloud and Aerith

So, have fun and enjoy the newest trailer material:
 

...

Beyond that, there was also an official TGS presentation of Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, where some familiar and new mini-games for the upcoming remake were presented, e.g:
- an improved version of the fluffy Mog House game (around 1:01:20)
- a new card game, which is apparently called "Queen's Blood" (around 1:02:06)
- and - for all the ambitious composers here - an enhanced version of the piano mini-game from the original Final Fantasy 7 (at 1:03:32 and even more around 1:06:34)

Here's the big TGS presentation video: