Listen, I’m so tired of being a contrarian forever. Yeah Fallout 2 is the worst thing since South Park, because that’s fun. And it’s the same for JRPGs, I don’t wanna have to battle people over whether or not Dragon Quest V is an abusive father, or Final Fantasy IV is mid but III is the real good shit.

But VII kinda rocks. Yes the Wall Market section is troubling in various ways, the game almost fails to pass the Bechdel test (nobody has ever been done dirtier than Tifa imo) and this Cid might be the worst yet, but it’s such a big step up–in enviroment detail and storytelling, in the battle system, in stinky little triangles–over Final Fantasy VI, and it’s yaoibait with an antagonist seme who actually has some sort of a motive and gives everyone else a reason to do stuff. Also capitalists get got which is pretty funny. The game tries to pull punches with Barrett’s ‘I was just doing it cuz I was mad’ but nah, How To Blow Up A Mako Reactor, actually.

After six games straight that desperately tried and failed to be adequate visualisers to their Nobuo Ooematsu soundtracks, VII actually did it. I can totally see why people flipped about FFVII and it made a huge impact, actually. Three minute long summon animations and SGI workstations was the secret sauce.

  • doublepepperoni [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
    13·
    15 days ago

    The seedy and edgy stuff that makes the game feel like a 90s anime is a big part of why I like FF7 so much along with the more grounded setting. It makes it stand out among other games in the series because they never went anywhere near that kind of tone again

  • Carl [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    7·
    15 days ago

    I’m replaying FF7 right now (with some mods tbh) and it holds up so well. The worst thing about it has always been the gameplay being repetitive, but the story and the secrets and the themes are nailed so well that it doesn’t matter. FF7 isn’t on the level of one of the greats of all time in terms of its writing IMO, it’s more like a season or two of TV that set a really high bar throughout and is a really enjoyable universe to return to, and being that puts it light years ahead of the average game and even the average writing-first game.

    It’s a shame about the remake. They nailed it with the gameplay - I don’t think I’ve enjoyed any RPG gameplay as much I enjoyed the Yuffie section in Intergrade - but every single story addition feels inferior to just doing a straight recreation of the original. I don’t care about Jessie’s family, I don’t care about “other AVALANCHE cells” or whoever those guys are that got added to the canon in some spin-off I never played, I don’t care about Zack or a multiverse or reunion ghosts or any of that shit. Either go whole hog with the idea of a deconstruction by having Cloud realize that he’s been “groundhog day’d” in an early scene, or don’t do it at all.

    My theory about square/squeenix is that they either make a great story with meh gameplay, or a great game with a meh story, but due to an ancient curse it is impossible for them to do both.

    • LaGG_3 [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
      4·
      15 days ago

      The Remake games are definitely a product of the Compilation of FF7, so it’s intentionally full of random shit no one cares about.

      Using the part of my brain that can enjoy Advent Children helped with getting over that lol

      • whisp [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
        4·
        15 days ago

        Using the part of my brain that can enjoy Advent Children

        I enjoy Advent Children unironically but it’s the last time I have engaged with the 7 spin offs.

        • LaGG_3 [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
          3·
          15 days ago

          I keep telling myself I will eventually play Dirge of Cerberus. Haven’t done it to date though lol.

          I also played a bit of Crisis Core, but found it kinda boring. Wasn’t Gackt a character in it? A product of it’s time lmao.

          • whisp [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
            4·
            15 days ago

            Dirge I have seen a few vids on but couldn’t bring myself to play it lol.

            Gackt

            I also played a tiny bit of Crisis Core on psp and couldn’t vibe with it. Gackt plays Genesis Rhapsodos iirc.

    • whisp [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
      4·
      15 days ago

      They nailed it with the gameplay

      I’ve played every game in the series up to 15 and it’s the move away from turn based gameplay that I no longer have interest in the series.

      • Carl [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
        2·
        15 days ago

        yeah that’s fair it’s a pretty big change, personally I I have always felt that the turn-based gameplay has been like an albatross hanging around the series his neck. the best iteration of the old style of gameplay in my opinion is the ATB system in final fantasy 10-2.

  • LaGG_3 [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
    3·
    15 days ago

    Cloud’s character arc is one that has stuck with me for quite a while. The aloof tough guy JRPG protagonist persona being a mask for his own trauma and insecurities that later gets shattered is pretty fun to think about.

    I also think about Cecil’s character turn in Final Fantasy 4 a lot. The stupid fight against himself where you as the player have to guard instead of attacking. Ludonarrative “be kind to yourself” for dumb boys like me i-love-not-thinking

    • ashinadash [she/her]@hexbear.netOPEnglish
      3·
      15 days ago

      But Tifa never tries forcefemming him again… alas poor Cloud…

      I never really got that from FFIV but I do sincerely think it’s cool that people get more out of it than I do.