Random Video Game Review - Final Fantasy VII Remake

 

Lots of you may be wondering why I have only reviewed a handful of Final Fantasy games and never done a full on series review. Well to start with, there are too many video games in the series with most being spin-offs or continuations of the main numbered entries so doing a series review of all of them would be a big deal and too much for me to do in just one post. But as I learned more about the series and played the games I had access to over Steam and other means, I realized that it is an anthology series. With that realization, I was relieved and felt I could do several series reviews if I focus on each numbered entry and its spin-offs and continuations. But because I'm not able to play any of the spin-offs or continuations to come from VII now due to new technologies and those games now being collectors items at expensive prices, I decided to review the remake. Now you might be thinking why I'm not also reviewing the original game. Well that's because I reviewed it already in my Top 100 All-Time Favourite Video Games (which admittedly may have been a cop out from doing a more in depth review) so I felt I didn't need to review it here. Its the remake we all wanted from what is arguably one of the best games of the series and one of the greatest video games of all time. So let's see if the remake lives up to expectations:

So in case you need a refresher of the story, your main playable character is Cloud Strife (voiced this time by Cody Christian), a former member of SOLDIER who are elite warriors of the Shinra Electric Power Company. They are using various resources from the planet to help run the metropolis of Midgar and to create cutting edge technology. He joins up with childhood friend Tifa Lockhart (voiced this time by Britt Baron) and eco-terrorist Barret Wallace (voiced this time by John Eric Bentley) to stop Shinra from causing further harm to the planet and to also deal with the dangerous former SOLDIER member Sephiroth (voiced this time by Tyler Hoechlin). From the get go, you notice that the remake is very different to the original game. Some plot elements have been expanded, and you also notice that it's not the complete story, but rather 30% of it with plans to continue the story this way in the future. The graphics are of course different and make the characters feel more real than their polygon states in the original game. Exploration and battles take place in real time with all characters having their own set of weapons, skills and powers. But if you're used to playing newer JRPGs, then you will no doubt fit right in to this one.

A bit disappointing that it's not the complete game, but I'm fine with that. The point of all or most remakes is to expand on elements and to make the game the best it can be as a means to improve upon what was good and what wasn't so good the first time round. I got to say, I am impressed. The last JRPG I played from Square Enix was Kingdom Hearts III which itself was the first game of that series to feel like a next gen game after years of looking like a sixth gen game. This game is not the first Final Fantasy game that looks like it was made for this generation. But it's one that I hope will continue to get better as each game comes out. But for the first instalment (and it's a big one I might add as it required two discs to get going), I like it. 9/10