how well has final fantasy 7 aged?

Semiskimmed · 5 Feb 2012 at 12:39

i see the final fantasy games are on offer on psn atm, and after missing out on ff7 years ago when i had a ps1 and its reputation, i'm wondering if it still plays as well today?

Does anyone have it from psn? How well does it run and would i be better off buying a different ff game instead?

ColEx · 5 Feb 2012 at 12:44

If you can look past the ageing graphics, there is a great game with a very good story!

Streeteh · 5 Feb 2012 at 12:47

For me, the graphics are the only part that have aged. The gameplay, being a turn based menu affair, is timeless in the sense that developing and implementing tactics will always be entertaining. The storyline was very well planned and executed, outdoing a large portion of the best developers have to offer today. The game world is also amongst some of the most developed, particularly for a JRPG where this is often lacking.

exhashdotdot · 5 Feb 2012 at 12:53

As everyone else has said, the graphics have aged to a degree - I still really like them though.

Everything else is great

HeadlessChicken · 5 Feb 2012 at 13:00

The 3D has indeed aged a bit, I still think the rendered backdrops are great though. Sound is still great.

Risk it, it's a masterpiece.

Semiskimmed · 5 Feb 2012 at 13:25

thanks for the replies, i just need to find out how well it runs from the psn as some games have slight lag with the controls input but i guess as up not really a button mashing affair it should be ok?

Semiskimmed · 5 Feb 2012 at 13:44

also, would anyone say any of the other ff games are better? I'm led to believe vii is the best?

orderoftheflame · 5 Feb 2012 at 14:25

Semiskimmed said:
also, would anyone say any of the other ff games are better? I'm led to believe vii is the best?

Best imo. Followed by 8.

Everyone had their own opinion though.

Old@Heart · 5 Feb 2012 at 14:36

Up until Final Fantasy XII I had found the series to be excellent (XII and XIII have confirmed that Square Enix have no plans on making any great games ever again, unfortunately.)

How has Final Fantasy VII aged? Pretty well. The graphics don't bother me, even today. It's like playing some Mario game. Do those graphics bother you? I'd be surprised.

The story was solid (nothing spectacular but certainly interesting for me), the characters had depth, I actually gave a toss about them (which helps) and Sephiroth was one of the best villains the company ever created. So you would expect it to age well. At least for people who enjoy a good JRPG.

Not my favourite of the series though. For some reason despite it's obvious flaws I've always put Final Fantasy X as the best they've ever produced, for the overall package.

exhashdotdot · 5 Feb 2012 at 14:48

Semiskimmed said:
also, would anyone say any of the other ff games are better? I'm led to believe vii is the best?

Of the playstation era games, I think IX is my favourite. But they're all pretty damn good up till XII.

Semiskimmed · 5 Feb 2012 at 15:16

some mixed opinions now then. But ff7 is a safe bet then as a ff newbie?

exhashdotdot · 5 Feb 2012 at 15:20

Semiskimmed said:
some mixed opinions now then. But ff7 is a safe bet then as a ff newbie?

That's how most Europeans were introduced to Final Fantasy so yes

Begbie · 5 Feb 2012 at 15:33

Still wish they would make a re-make, the tech demo for the PS3 looked fantastic.

They would literally blow the gaming world up if they had to re-make it.

Old@Heart · 5 Feb 2012 at 15:37

Begbie said:
Still wish they would make a re-make, the tech demo for the PS3 looked fantastic.

They would literally blow the gaming world up if they had to re-make it.

The idea is fantastic but unless I'm missing something they'd have to change a lot of things about the original game to make it work on the PS3 format.

Wouldn't be the same game.

Streeteh · 5 Feb 2012 at 15:39

Semiskimmed said:
some mixed opinions now then. But ff7 is a safe bet then as a ff newbie?

It's the game that made JRPGs mainstream so yeah, it's pretty much how the majority of people discovered the series.

HAz · 5 Feb 2012 at 16:05

Got it on my ps3 and runs very well but graphics aren't upto much. I did have this running on a ps1 emulator and rom ages ago and it was possible to make it look a lot better than Sony have managed which is a shame.

Begbie · 5 Feb 2012 at 16:19

Old@Heart said:
The idea is fantastic but unless I'm missing something they'd have to change a lot of things about the original game to make it work on the PS3 format.

Wouldn't be the same game.

Why would they have to change anything execpt the graphics?

Old@Heart · 5 Feb 2012 at 16:53

Begbie said:
Why would they have to change anything execpt the graphics?

My apologies, when I said "they'd have to", I meant in terms of the purpose of the re-release. I can't see them leaving the rest of the game un-touched.

And before people bring up Final Fantasy X being made in HD, I don't think that's a fair comparison considering the major difference between FFX and FFVII.

Strife212 · 5 Feb 2012 at 17:02

Some bits would be so strange in HD... like the cross dressing part.

Phatjayunoi · 5 Feb 2012 at 17:20

Old@Heart said:
My apologies, when I said "they'd have to", I meant in terms of the purpose of the re-release. I can't see them leaving the rest of the game un-touched.

And before people bring up Final Fantasy X being made in HD, I don't think that's a fair comparison considering the major difference between FFX and FFVII.

Remember that there's a difference between a remaster and a remake.

FFX remastered in HD will just be the same PS2 game as you remember it, just in a higher resolution.

Now if FFVII was ever remade, then yes, a lot of things will have to obviously change. Especially knowing now that it is part of the Compiliation of Final Fantasy VII series.

Certain plot elements will either have to be updated to incorporate things from the other games in the universe. Project G for example is something that was newly created in Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus, never mentioned and featured in the original game, and has become quite an important part.

Off-Topic, look at Resident Evil Remake on the GameCube, now that is a true remake of an original game in order to update certain things. Code Veronica and Resident Evil 4's recent re-releases are just shoddy HD updates with nothing too special about them.

I should also have mentioned Final Fantasy III and IV for the Nintendo DS. Now these would classify as remakes. 3D graphics, and certain parts of the game have been updated since their old originals.