I hate to do this. I really do. But it's just one of those logical trains of thought that give a man hope, despite the fact that said train could be a runaway.
So Final Fantasy VII is now available to download in digital form from the PlayStation Store. It went up during the week of E3 and since that time – in only about three weeks, mind you – it has been purchased over 100,000 times. At $9.99 a pop, that's some decent money for the people behind the scenes and it proves something else, beyond any shadow of a doubt: FFVII is still huge. For my part, I have always considered FFVII to be the best RPG I've ever played, but…well, that was 12 years ago. I'm well aware of how gamers tend to deify certain games over long spans of time (thanks, nostalgia), but given the gigantic technology gap and this whole new generation of gamers who never even had a PS1, I would've expected to see FFVII's popularity fade. Granted, all those people downloading FFVII may be long-time fans who just want to play it again, but I get the feeling that at least some of the purchasers are new adopters. You know, those who have always heard about it but never got the chance to play it.
This gives me hope. Because if there's one thing Square-Enix responds to, it's the potential for big profit. Perhaps they too believed that FFVII had lost some of its luster, especially outside of Japan. And yes, they're clearly more interested in catering to the worldwide demographic these days. But what if the world just proved that they want a remake? Up until this point, I understood Square-Enix's reluctance; it would take time and resources that are probably better spent on the future. But now, it almost seems silly not to do that which is bound to be huge… Obviously, it still seems incredibly unlikely, as S-E has their hands full with many projects; FFXIII, FF Versus XIII, FFXIV, FF Agito XIII, etc. I seriously doubt they can "squeeze in" a FFVII remake project, which they've already said would have to be huge (in terms of time and manpower). But even so, this re-release of FFVII is verifiable proof that this game is, and remains , legendary. We never had such proof before.
Yeah, I want Kingdom Hearts 3 , too. But I think it's very clear now that an immense number of people would respond to a FFVII remake and in the end, it may be the only game that actually steps across all time boundaries. A remake would not only cater to the original fans of the game, but due to its continued legacy, it would also appeal to members of the new generation who would love to see what all the fuss is about…provided it comes to them in a next-gen format. Hell, some have already wanted to see it with the original graphics, so what does that tell you? Furthermore, you've got "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children" out there, keeping the spirit of the game alive, and keeping the name in the public eye. Look, I know it'll probably never happen, but when we have empirical evidence like this, it gets me thinking…
*Facepalm* And now my hopes are existant again.
Seriously ALL OF US want this. Give the fanboys what they want!
No, we don't all want it
Anyone that doesn't want this should realize it benefits those that want it more than it negatively effects those that don't want it.
How can this NOT happen, eventually? When you've got a potential market THAT huge… when you have this many people BEGGING for a product… how do you not jump on that?
-Arvis
They will, eventually it will happen. Just be patient and let the process run its course.
I have a bad feeling about this game being remade. If it's not a Sony exclusive the internet will explode with people saying "coulda been better on Blu-ray" or "have fun switching disks"… And god forbid SE makes this a 360 exclusive, which is not out of the realm of possibility.
If this game gets remade, it will be reduced to console war ammunition among fanboys who don't understand what a game is. Leave it as it is, a great game from a great developer.
I bet when Square-Enix responds that they are going to do a FFVII remake its going to be like the shot heard around the world. I'm all for a Remake 😀 have been and I played FFVII originally on the PC lol darn number pad!!
Ok, Ben no need to write anymore articles about it. As a loyal fan and a self proclaimed gaming activist, I say we come together and sign a petition for a FFVII remake and bring it to Square Enix's doorstep with @ least 100k fans chanting RAGNAROK!!!…Only then will they get the point
ive said it once and ill say it again if FF7 remake comes back…ill slam 200 dollors on the table just for the standard edtion
JUST FOR THE FUCKING DEMO!!! lol ff7 is badass and of course it was annoying running thru the winter paths to get to alexzandria material…but it was fucking fun and worth it
plus tifa is sexy 😀
I think they got the wrong message. Earlier today i read the Japan PSN got the original final fantasy(which isnt too bad). I dont think they want to do a FF7 remake, possibly theyre allergic to money , who knows.
@OverlordZero,
Yup, the 1st Final Fantasy came out last night, (it's size is 60MB).
And if anyone want's the info on FF-1….
Final Fantasy Coming to Japanese PlayStation Store
http://scrawlfx.com/2009/06/final-fantasy-coming-to-japanese-playstation-store
Id like a remake but I'm worried with Squares sudden hunger for multiplatform money this would go to xbox not be made to exploit all the PS3's abilities and features. Also my love for the classic makes think it should just be left alone. I don't know why but the blocky models and jaggy design gives this game such a unique feel and look.
From what Ben told me couple days ago Sony has a big portion of FF7 or something. So if they think they're going to put FF7 on the 360 they can think again because i'm sure Sony will have something to say about that.
Guess that makes sense. Sony did publish Advent Children.
I thats true then we are never going to see FFVII remake…that thing would kill the 360 and we all know how now squarenix is the new microsoft whore.
When the FFVII that almost everyone played sells 100000, outsells the game that no one played yet, FXIII demo. It is telling SE something. That there's potential profit in this game.
I understand that its expensive to make games these days. I can see how they rather spend the time and effort to make a fresh game instead. At least make an FFVII-2 instead of a cheap spinoff, just keep the same gameplay.
Squeenix keeps hoping the next one in the series is as popular as FFVII was. For some reason it never quite reaches the legacy… And it's because of the main character! Cloud was an awesome character surrounded by awesome characters! The guy with the bird in his hair makes me queezy. Why can't they bring the series back to being cool?
FFVII also had characters like Cait Sith, you know. Not everything in that game was a home run. For my money, I'd say VIII and X had the strongest character ensembles. But the FFVII cast is right there behind those two, tied with VI and XII, imo.
-Arvis
lol @ Cait Sith. I hear yah. For PSOne VIII, and PS2 X. For sure. But tied with XII? Nah, they had a great thing going there but the characters failed.
I also agree that FFVIII had one of the best characters ensembles. Honestly I think I would just like to keep the games I played when I was younger the way they are. I do however love that they are being re-released in digital format. Although I've only played FFVII for a handful of hours and can't seem to really get back into it (probably cuz I've been through it oh so many times, although not in at least 7 years) I think I would rather go through FFVIII or IX again, take it anywhere with my PSP.
I bought FFXII when it was first released, the collectors edition even. Umm …well, I honestly did not like the game at all 😛 Which was sad, cuz now the last FF I played that I liked was FFX (I'm not including FFXI in this because I played it for years, but it's not the usual FF) 😛 I dunno if I just grew out of it or what, but I tried to like FFXII. Just did not enjoy much of it at all… not going to get into all the things I didn't like, but I've tried to get through it twice now since buying it. Stopping at about 30 hours both times.
Last edited by Zemus101 on 6/25/2009 2:53:51 PM
It's because it doesn't GO anywhere and the main character is a dweeb. I mean honestly … I thought the battle system was decent, the exploration and enemies were good enough. But who wants to play as a dweeb who ends the game still as a dweeb?
The only things XII did wrong was make the Player Character the weakest one in the game, and they made the story too subtle for most gamers. I'm playing through the game a 2nd time with the subtitles ON and I'm understanding the weight of it much more and really appreciating it's depth and complexity.
But seriously, think about FFXII's characters:
Ashe – a total b-word at times, but COMPLETELY breaks away from the "helpless princess" motif. A very refreshing female lead, full of strength. 🙂
Balthier – the coolest character to come out of Final Fantasy since Auron. No one in VIII or IX came close to this guy's awesomeness.
Basch – the man who SHOULD have been the Player Character, by all accounts. Great backstory with plenty of twists. A character you can really root for.
Fran – the sexiest character to come out of Final Fantasy since Tifa. Don't get me wrong, I love Quistis and Lulu, but everything about Fran is appealing. Exotic looks and skin tone, gorgeous white hair, and a voice I could listen to all day every day for all eternity.
Penelo – an absolutely lovable, adorable sidekick with a cute and caring personality. The perfect "Everyman" to go with the ensemble. If she were a real person, I would probably be madly in love with her.
Vaan – a dweeb. The sole reason so many people gave up on the game.
I've never played FFVII, and I didnt buy it on the PSN, because I doubt with all the time that's gone on between when it was released and now that I would enjoy it as much as people did when it first came out. and I love RPG's but since I never owned a PS2 or PS1 I've never played a Final Fantasy game at all actually.
That being said, if they DID remake it, it'd finally make me feel like it'd actually be worth it to pick it up.
Just play it now. It's worth it.
You love RPGs but never owned a PS1 or PS2??
What on earth have you been playing for the last ten years? 😀
-Arvis
@ Zest – don't leave us hanging like that! What rpgs have you played?
Well take into consideration that this guy might be like 13 or something. Not saying you are! But, that seems likely if you love RPGs but never owned a PS1 or 2. Umm ..and yes, it's only $10 and if you have a PSP it looks wonderful (Although It's froze on me twice now :P) so pick up FFVII cuz it's a pretty good game even today. Especially once you hit that world map 😀
yes, I've had a bad run as far as buying the right systems goes. last 10 years I havent been hardly playing anything, constantly WISHING I would have gone with a Playstation system instead.
my love of RPG's is from the SNES, now that I have a PS3 I'm finally getting back into them.
I think the biggest problem for Square Enix is to find the time to do it, and get the original team back together – I think they are scattered all of different companies in Japan now.
Only the original FFVII crew should remake this.
Why? The story is done. The scenes are done. Any clown can get artists to redraw the game and get some people together for the voice overs. Heck use the same voices as those in Advent. You don't need no 'original team,' you need 'motivation.' Selling 100k of the original again should be just that.
You're right Ben. I am one of those new adopters. I had a PSone but I was very young and didn't know what good games were. Now I am enjoying this masterpeice on my PS3 and PSP. 🙂
@ midris7 – SNAP!
i too am a new adopter and finally downloaded FFVII onto my ps3 last night. I've been playing it on the psp ever since and…to be honest… it is friggin amazing!!
i can see now wat all the fuss was about. 12 years on and this game still has me more pumped than any of the next gen games this year!!
i am officially an FFVII fanboy. Deal with it 🙂
Welcome to the big show, I still have my 12 year old copy, scratch free, I should set up a friggin shrine to it.
I wholeheartedly disagree
This game does not need a remake imo
FF needs to move on, it's been so many years since FFXII came out
And FFXIII looks like crap
They should just move on to FFXV
Y'know. You can hate FFVII all you want, but it isn't healthy now, is it =P
I have the game since 2000
And I'm not hating, I'm stating that it doesn't need a remake.
It's a grand game as it is.
I even mentioned how some of my favorite SNES/ps1 games don't need remakes either.
I've seen your dislike for that game through every FFVII-related article Ben brings up =P
Well. Ok. You at least dislike the fact the majority prefer it over FFs that you believe are better.
Though, I kind of agree. A remake could kill the perception of this game, and there are so many chances to screw it up and spoil it, just like the entire milking of the installment did.
FFVII isn't overrated btw =P
Im one of the ones that was playing FF VII back in the day when it first came out. I lover the crap out of that game along with FF VIII and FF IX. If they do a remake, it will be freakin' huge. I like to look at the recent pattern Square has been doing with the FF remakes. FF I and FF II were remade for the PSP. FF III, FF IV, and FF V were on the DS. So, that means once they redo FF VI, they have no choice but to remake FF VII, FF VIII, and FF IX. Well, Im not sure about FF VIII, and FF IX, but FF VII would be a given. That is, if they keep going. Hey, we can all dream cant we? Hell, a remake for VII, VIII, and IX would be more like a wet dream! lol
Hmm, imagine an MGS remake utilizing the MGS4's engine. That'd be sweet too!
Even better Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 with the MGS4 engine.
As much as I love MGS1 and 2 I'd rather see MGS5
Having not ever played a FF I am a little tempted to try VII.I don't know thought if I need to play the other FF's before VII to understand what's going on.
No need to play earlier games. Each final fantasy is it's own game. None of them have relation to eachother except Moogles and Chocobos and some of the monsters you battle and spells and summons you aquire. each final fantasy brings new worlds, new story, new characters, new universe etc. There's no need to play any of the previous titles. Play VII. Is worth it.
Last edited by Jawknee on 6/25/2009 1:48:25 PM
And Cid!
Is gaming really ALL about the graphics?
The game's fine as is.
I'd rather see a sequel to Thousand Arms(probably my favorite rpg of all time) than a remake.
sometimes yeah!! I'm playin FFIV on my Ds and dude its sooo good! it really feels refreshing .
Capcom make some good remakes with megaman power up and Maverick Hunter X…damn I would love to see Maverick Hunter X-3 and X-2…I dont care for the other X games they sucked after X-3.
I wish I could find my thousand arms game 🙁 its stored in a box somewhere in the black hole I call Storage :/
An FFVII remake excites me for FAR more than just graphics. Upgraded character animations (in-battle and out), movie-quality cutscenes, voice-overs… I mean, can you imagine being able to HEAR some of those legendary cutscene conversations out loud? The thought makes me want to weep with joy.
-Arvis
Or, to be honest, I'd rather see a PS3 remake of FF III (Japan's VI). I loved VII, but it was already a jump ahead of its predecessors. Remake either one and I'll be all over them. I'm just saying..