As some know, I've shared a bit of my enthusiasm for FF7 in the past few days after Square's strong E3 showing of the Remake (I have yet to see anyone who's actually played the demo say anything remotely negative about it).
Hype for FF7R is, for better or for worse, through the roof.
So what did I do? I decided to fire up FF7 after 20-plus years since finishing it as a kid. Now back in the ye olde days, my first experience with FF7 was through a PC demo that took an absurdly long time to download (overnight on a dialup--and then some!!) and on the original PlayStation. FF7 was my first real JRPG, as I had a Sega growing up and thus had no proper exposure to the Final Fantasies of the prior generation, including the vaunted FF6. This time around I decided to grab it on PS4. I played a bit of it via PS4's remote play feature until the truth of our streaming future reared its ugly head and I ultimately grabbed a Nintendo Switch and bought FF7 on there.
(I will get it on Steam, I just think if I buy it thrice in a week that such a transaction is likely bad luck and a portend of doom and damnation.)
Right now I'm about at the end of "Disc 1" and it's absolutely absurd how well it's held up, chunky character models and blurry pre-rendered backgrounds aside. The story is as affecting as I remember, the sheer amount of depth and stuff to do is as awesome as I remember, the battle system is one of the best of its kind, and the soundtrack is, well, in the running for greatest of all time. I was a bit worried about playing through this knowing how everything ends, but coming back to it some 20 odd years later has given me not only a fresh perspective on certain bits of dialogue and story, but a different, more mature understanding of the politics, the emotions, and the general themes and beats throughout the narrative. For instance, I understand the underlying violent and corrosive nature of corporations way more now than I ever could as a kid. Same thing with love and relationships; I simply did not--nor could not--grasp what that was and what it meant when I was in middle school. Perhaps most significantly, I did not know loss as a kid, at least not in the sense that it's portrayed throughout the story. I do now, and that has given me a very different and emotionally rewarding experience. That, of course, will truly come to a head later with Aerith.
I often don't include FF7 in my favorite games list mainly because there are games I simply remember better (Morrowind, Shenmue and the bloody forklifts, Jedi Outcast, Doom and Wolf 3D, etc.), but in hindsight, I think that's likely a massive oversight on my part. Now, I'm not sure if it's number 1 or anything like that, but it's certainly a strong, strong contender for the spot--at least for today.
I can't be alone in that regard, can I? Has this past week or so given anyone strong pangs of nostalgia and a desire to go back to FF7? Have you?
Hype for FF7R is, for better or for worse, through the roof.
So what did I do? I decided to fire up FF7 after 20-plus years since finishing it as a kid. Now back in the ye olde days, my first experience with FF7 was through a PC demo that took an absurdly long time to download (overnight on a dialup--and then some!!) and on the original PlayStation. FF7 was my first real JRPG, as I had a Sega growing up and thus had no proper exposure to the Final Fantasies of the prior generation, including the vaunted FF6. This time around I decided to grab it on PS4. I played a bit of it via PS4's remote play feature until the truth of our streaming future reared its ugly head and I ultimately grabbed a Nintendo Switch and bought FF7 on there.
(I will get it on Steam, I just think if I buy it thrice in a week that such a transaction is likely bad luck and a portend of doom and damnation.)
Right now I'm about at the end of "Disc 1" and it's absolutely absurd how well it's held up, chunky character models and blurry pre-rendered backgrounds aside. The story is as affecting as I remember, the sheer amount of depth and stuff to do is as awesome as I remember, the battle system is one of the best of its kind, and the soundtrack is, well, in the running for greatest of all time. I was a bit worried about playing through this knowing how everything ends, but coming back to it some 20 odd years later has given me not only a fresh perspective on certain bits of dialogue and story, but a different, more mature understanding of the politics, the emotions, and the general themes and beats throughout the narrative. For instance, I understand the underlying violent and corrosive nature of corporations way more now than I ever could as a kid. Same thing with love and relationships; I simply did not--nor could not--grasp what that was and what it meant when I was in middle school. Perhaps most significantly, I did not know loss as a kid, at least not in the sense that it's portrayed throughout the story. I do now, and that has given me a very different and emotionally rewarding experience. That, of course, will truly come to a head later with Aerith.
I often don't include FF7 in my favorite games list mainly because there are games I simply remember better (Morrowind, Shenmue and the bloody forklifts, Jedi Outcast, Doom and Wolf 3D, etc.), but in hindsight, I think that's likely a massive oversight on my part. Now, I'm not sure if it's number 1 or anything like that, but it's certainly a strong, strong contender for the spot--at least for today.
I can't be alone in that regard, can I? Has this past week or so given anyone strong pangs of nostalgia and a desire to go back to FF7? Have you?
