SPOILERS FFVII Remake Frustration Expression Thread (*Open Spoilers*)

oty

oty

Pro Adventurer
AKA
ex-soldier boy
To me, it feels like a other form of artistic expression. I'd say visually, the only really interesting shot is the Mako Reactor turned starfield moment. That whole moment felt great. Specially because of the music, that it's really great in the whole portion. Moukala gave a very insightful analysis of how they managed to create tension and mystery with this music and I completely agree. Once again, Square dont miss on them soundtracks.
 
Makoeyes987

Makoeyes987

Listen closely, there is meaning in my words.
AKA
Smooth Criminal
It honestly feels like a debate between art styles of the time, and which is more effective.

Romanticism versus Realism versus Modernism, in a sense. It goes without saying that each iteration of FFVII will be a product of the time, technology and aesthetic that they are created in.

The 90s simplicity that allowed one's subjective interpretation and immersion to flesh out the narrative. Versus the modern technological ascension of the Remake that allows more visual effort, deliberation, and authorial expansion to tell a similar yet directionally different story.

Some people don't like ambiguity. Others thrive on it.
 
LNK

LNK

Pro Adventurer
AKA
Nate
Obsidian Fire said:
Like I said... on an intellectual level, I get what they are trying to do with the new opening. From an emotional level, I don't think it works.

Too many "set the stage" type cut-scenes use a long pan into the city where the story takes place to introduce the setting. It emotionally does nothing for me because it's generic and I've seen similar cut-scenes a million times before. It's not "special" except on a meta level because I already know what the ending cut-scene if the game is.

That is a far cry from why the opening of the OG felt "special". The OG's opening is memorable because it is not a standard opening cut-scene. Most movies and games do not start out with starfileds resolving into a person's face! It also immediately put attention on Aerith so that the next time we saw her, we knew she was important.Now she's just one more person in Midgar.

In short, the new opening gives up being interesting from an artistic perspective to being interesting from a meta perspective. It makes the opening of the Remake feel less like a Final Fantasy opening and more like any other average action movie/game opening. And I find that very disappointing.
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I actually think the new opening was more interesting. Showing the sick/dirty bird flying around. Dying greenery inside Midgar. The construction going on. Etc.
Just because Aerith was shown in the beginning of the OG, didn't make me believe she was important the next time I saw her. I just thought she was a regular person at first.
And, we know what the end scene for the OG is. None of us know what the end scene for the remake will be.

I'm glad they did more for the remake opening. Is it similar to other introductory openings? Sure. Any less meaningful? Not to me. One of my favorite quotes is, "No idea's original, it's not what you do, but how it's done."
 
Theozilla

Theozilla

Kaiju Member
I also think what one was a introduced to first makes a huge difference. I was introduced to FFVII through an Advent Children DVD rental at a friend's house, and I didn't even get into the franchise proper until 2011. When I first played the OG the very first image just reminded me of a PS2 start-up imagery. I associated the landscapes/canyons far more with FFVII than the starscape. So for me this new intro doesn't bother me a bit, also the mako reactor particles as the transition is also really cool IMO.
 
Odysseus

Odysseus

Ninja Potato
AKA
Ody
I've been waiting for these sorts of arguments to start cropping up. We really are in the end game now. Personally I don't care about the change. I think its cool that you get these various shots of around the city without seeing the full thing, only to then go to the iconic pan-out and see how truly massive the city actually is. I'm also one of the saps who saw Advent Children before playing the game though, so maybe that really does make a difference.
 
Obsidian Fire

Obsidian Fire

Ahk Morn!
AKA
The Engineer
I mean... I saw ACC before I ever played the game... And like... one of the worst changes ACC made to the Compilation from an art standpoint was making everything very bland to the point of being monochrome. It... dumbed down a lot of the way the OG visually "popped" in a general sense. Mainly because computers were really bad at processing lots of bright light and color back then! But the Compilation never really recovered visually.

The Remake is at least getting that bit partially back on track. But the opening just feels like more of bland ACC-style cinematics. It's like they don't know what to do with a camera when they don't have something in the OG to go off of.
 
Cannon_Fodder

Cannon_Fodder

Pro Adventurer
Odysseus said:
I've been waiting for these sorts of arguments to start cropping up. We really are in the end game now. Personally I don't care about the change. I think its cool that you get these various shots of around the city without seeing the full thing, only to then go to the iconic pan-out and see how truly massive the city actually is. I'm also one of the saps who saw Advent Children before playing the game though, so maybe that really does make a difference.
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It is kinda nice to have pedantic (but civilized!) disagreements about VII again.
 
Odysseus

Odysseus

Ninja Potato
AKA
Ody
Obsidian Fire said:
one of the worst changes ACC made to the Compilation from an art standpoint was making everything very bland to the point of being monochrome.
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Oh no don't get me wrong, I absolutely hate how advent children looks, and how that look mostly stuck with the rest of the compilation. Maybe I just don't mind the additions because I always wanted to see more of the upper plate. Its a little refreshing to see a Midgar "day to day" sort of thing.
 
Makoeyes987

Makoeyes987

Listen closely, there is meaning in my words.
AKA
Smooth Criminal
I dunno why but a lot of games from the early 2000s had a darkish coloration to them. That was a thing in terms design. Like, I'm reminded of RE5's random as fuck greyish-green tint that just inexplicably filters the entire lightning of the game.
 
FFShinra

FFShinra

Sharp Shinra Shill
I didn't have a problem with the new opening, mostly because of the music. I also liked how it was a sort of evil twist on Civ III's cinematic of starting at dirt and then ending at the towering result of man's endeavors (thematically speaking, I'm not among those who say its a quick history of Midgar's creation).

Bland as the cityscape may be (I disagree, at least with that first clear shot of the upper plate), it does show the character of Midgar well, and thats important. They've all but said that Midgar itself is the star of this portion of the remake, and they want to showcase it whenever possible.

As to the subject of iconicness, for those of us who grew up with the original, they've recognized its impossible to top it for us. But they want to introduce this game to a new generation and I'd be very curious what they think of the opening once the game comes out.

I do have some gripes though, and thats with the camera sweep down from the logo to the train station. It's not as smooth as could be, particularly in the last train flash when the camera skips ahead several hundred feet. It should not bother me, yet it does....
 
Wol

Wol

None Shall Remember Those Who Do Not Fight
AKA
Rosarian Shield
I personally think the new opening is more efficient in presenting the game's setting.

the original was simply a girl walking around a dark city, camera goes up, logo, and the next thing you see is a band of marginals invading a reactor.

the new one tells a lot more imo (subtly); environment around Midgar is screwed because humans abuse of technology and also indifference, also simbolized by a random guy stepping on Aeriths flower.

you can already sympathize better with Avalanche's crazy goal and understand their urgency from the get-go.
 
LNK

LNK

Pro Adventurer
AKA
Nate
FFShinra said:
I didn't have a problem with the new opening, mostly because of the music. I also liked how it was a sort of evil twist on Civ III's cinematic of starting at dirt and then ending at the towering result of man's endeavors (thematically speaking, I'm not among those who say its a quick history of Midgar's creation).

Bland as the cityscape may be (I disagree, at least with that first clear shot of the upper plate), it does show the character of Midgar well, and thats important. They've all but said that Midgar itself is the star of this portion of the remake, and they want to showcase it whenever possible.

As to the subject of iconicness, for those of us who grew up with the original, they've recognized its impossible to top it for us. But they want to introduce this game to a new generation and I'd be very curious what they think of the opening once the game comes out.

I do have some gripes though, and thats with the camera sweep down from the logo to the train station. It's not as smooth as could be, particularly in the last train flash when the camera skips ahead several hundred feet. It should not bother me, yet it does....
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I grew up with the OG first, but I disagree that the opening couldn't be topped. I think the new one does that
 
Riruka

Riruka

Rookie Adventurer
Another person who grew up with the OG chiming in. I personally love the new opening. It works for me because I've played the OG who knows how many times at this point, and I'm really itching for something new. Finally getting to see the upper plate, and to see regular humans living their lives in the shadow of the mako reactor gives me a whole other level of immersion. I also love how we get to see the environmental devastation from the get go, from the wastelands, to the bird, to the dog, to the wilted flower. We don't need to just take Barret's word for it.

I love the music too, which is foreboding af, and it gives the opening moments of the game a level of tension that I think wasn't quite there in the original. The best part about the music is it works even if you don't know the significance of the lyrics; it's just so ominous and at odds with the seemingly idyllic scenes of kids playing and people going about their daily business. So I would argue that the new opening isn't just for returning fans. It's for new players, too. Something is not right in this city, and we feel it more than ever.

I agree that the buildup the Aerith's appearance changes the dynamic of the opening. She is no longer the first person we see, and that's a little disappointing. But I'm willing to accept the tradeoff for what we get.

I guess I should probably gripe about something, since I'm in this thread. So here we go: Chocobo Chick is an abomination. Just. Why?
 
LNK

LNK

Pro Adventurer
AKA
Nate
Riruka said:
Another person who grew up with the OG chiming in. I personally love the new opening. It works for me because I've played the OG who knows how many times at this point, and I'm really itching for something new. Finally getting to see the upper plate, and to see regular humans living their lives in the shadow of the mako reactor gives me a whole other level of immersion. I also love how we get to see the environmental devastation from the get go, from the wastelands, to the bird, to the dog, to the wilted flower. We don't need to just take Barret's word for it.

I love the music too, which is foreboding af, and it gives the opening moments of the game a level of tension that I think wasn't quite there in the original. The best part about the music is it works even if you don't know the significance of the lyrics; it's just so ominous and at odds with the seemingly idyllic scenes of kids playing and people going about their daily business. So I would argue that the new opening isn't just for returning fans. It's for new players, too. Something is not right in this city, and we feel it more than ever.

I agree that the buildup the Aerith's appearance changes the dynamic of the opening. She is no longer the first person we see, and that's a little disappointing. But I'm willing to accept the tradeoff for what we get.

I guess I should probably gripe about something, since I'm in this thread. So here we go: Chocobo Chick is an abomination. Just. Why?
Click to expand...
I agree with everything you said! I love the new opening.

Yes on Chocobo Chick. I get what they were going for, but it missed the mark. Carbuncle too lol. Those would've been better left out imo.
 
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