Inside FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Video Series

[Suzaku]

Episode 1: Introduction

Episode 2: Story and Characters

Episode 3: Combat and Gameplay

Episode 4: Music and Sound Effects

I know there's already a thread for posting videos and trailers, but I figured this series warrants special attention and a singular place to collect and discuss the episodes.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

There is a ton of new and fantastic stuff here. Even just the momentary peeks at things like the NPCs and Slums just had me giddy with excitement. Also, I really love getting to see everyone talking about the game like this, and I'm looking forward to any time we get more of these for the Remake, and the sequels — especially with that hint of saying that fans might think they know what happens next.





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[Elisa Maza]

Spoiler: Nomura: since they don't let me make Noctis, I will BECOME Noctis!

In all seriousness, this looks amazing. The shot at 3:55 made my jaw drop. They thought hard about everything. I feel even more excited.

 

[oty]

I think the comment on how Midgar isnt fully explorable resonated with what Nomura previously said in an interview: "Quality over quantity".

At first, I was put off against that statement, because I felt that the Remake was very much content driven, but I think now I got a better idea. Very much looking forward to this game!

 

[Makoeyes987]

In all seriousness regarding Nomura, I dunno if it's just him portraying an image for the camera, but in this particular interview, he comes off very thoughtful and serious in his discussion and outline of what he did for FFVII R. In his KH interviews or discussions on that franchise, he feels more loose and relaxed. But this? I dunno, it just seems his approach to VII comes off a lot more serious, as if he's coming back to defend a thesis.

It's just really interesting listening how the creators talk over this. This is probably the most serious and focused I've seen the FFVII crew since Advent Children. And this appears even heavier than that.

 

[Odysseus]

Square stop doing this to me! Every time I see something new from this game a lot of childish glee wells up inside me! The next 24 days are going to be suffering, even setting aside that little global pandemic going on. Also,

Spoiler

IT'S MOTHER FUCKIN JOHNNY!

Holy shit, he's amazing! I love him!

 

[Elisa Maza]

This is a completely irrelevant observation to @Odysseus' post, but I noticed that there are a LOT of bare-chested men in the remake.

 

[Odysseus]

I mean, there were a lot of bare chested men in the original! Barret, Johnny, Mukki, , and plenty more. Just look at the main villain!

Spoiler: Cefiros

 

[Lex]

Wat

Spoiler: not really a spoiler, just a large image

 

[Odysseus]

Does that mean it took 30 years for Midgar to be constructed? Does that have ramifications with the timeline?

 

[Lex]

It tallies with established canon, it's just odd he'd point it out.

I also genuinely thought they'd go for a new build timeline given that some of the buildings are Georgian/ Victorian in design. I'm buzzing for more Midgar lore.

 

[Elisa Maza]

The expression made me think that they did it gradually, adding more and more with time.

 

[Ite]

“They’re focusing more on world building and making sure everything makes sense.”

*Square digs heels in, insists that 16 town-sized settlements and the motherfuckin Plate were constructed in the time it takes to build three skyscrapers in an irl city.*

Oh god, does this mean we’re going to be having the Inspire trait come back??

 

[X-SOLDIER]

I really loved how they looked at things like, the idea of a Remake meaning there would be opportunity to explore more of Midgar and it feeling like there's so much unused opportunity with it in the original that they were free to expand on. Little things like that are really exciting, and make me look forward to places like Junon and whatnot in the future.

Also, the bits about watching the playthroughs was really interesting. I love that the little things that fans do like that are things that you never really know who sees them, but that people are always watching the things they make that they love.

But really: Those Advent Children comparison shots, man... I still remember when that stuff looked utterly MINDBLOWING. It's crazy to think that we're getting a playable version of this that honestly looks better in a lot of ways. Like... having basically singularly started my online presence back in December of 2003 around the AC announcement stuff, it's absolutely just staggering to really wrap my brain around all of it.






X

 

[Jimmy XH]

Someone's posted just a version with the new cutscenes and a musical overlay and wow there's some goodies in there. That shot of the slums and the plate from what looks like the Sector 7 Train Station is unbelievable.

Seeing little snippets like Tifa outside 7th Heaven and some of the NPCs (is that the Shinra Manager in there?) makes me pinch myself to realise that this is real. Honestly I feel like I'm gonna have to spend most of my time picking my jaw up off the floor when I play this.

 

[Shademp]

FFVII timeline as told in the FFVII 10th Anniverary Ultimania

[ μ ] – εуλ 1968
1/9
· Construction begins in Nibelheim on the first in a series of power generation facilities, “mako reactors” for the purpose of extracting mako. After beginning construction of the Nibelheim mako reactor, Shin-Ra begins establishing reactors in many other places

[ μ ] – εуλ 1976
6/24
· Construction of the mako city, Midgar, begins. The Shin-Ra company relocates its headquarters to Midgar

[ ν ] – εуλ 0007

12/9
· The reborn AVALANCHE blows up mako reactor no. 1

I suppose we have to assume that Midgar, as a mako-powered city, was built in 30 years. There may have been some infrastructure there beforehand, but even with that in mind I think we just have to accept that people in the FFVII world are REALLY great builders. Just look at how massive Edge became in only two years time. ...That or Reeve just used Inspire (as @Mr. Ite said) which is why he's the head of Urban Development yet mysteriously not a test subject of Hojo's.

 

[Odysseus]

You know, Nibelheim was a really weird place to build the first reactor. Outside of a small basement lab in the Shinra Manor, Shinra really doen't have much going on in that area. What is it powering? Just a few houses?

 

[FFShinra]

It was probably like a real life Research Reactor. Used for testing concepts. I bet the very idea of a Mako Reactor was using the Nibel location as a testbed.

 

[Shademp]

For anyone wondering, the "Inside FFVIIR - Part 1" video on the Japanese Square Enix channel is the exact same as the one on the English channel. Yes, even right down to the English gameplay. Surprised that they didn't make a specifically JP version of this behind the scenes video.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Also, it's worth remembering that they have an ability to fairly easily construct autonomous robots, which means that any sort of construction that requires automation of labor tasks can be accomplished in a vastly decreased time scale, even without the use of magic. You add on to that the way that Shinra essentially has a monopoly on all of the resources and means of production when it comes to technology and enforcement, and I think that it's not too unreasonable for Midgar to've been created on a 30 year timescale.




X

 

[Misterbadguy]

The level of detail and polish in this game is honestly on a completely different level.

 

[Kratos]

Depending on how quickly Shinra gained an authoritarian stranglehold on the city, that may have played a role as well. Regimes like that tend to be efficient, if nothing else.

 

[LNK]

The level of detail and polish in this game is honestly on a completely different level.

I hope we can get remakes of 8 and 9 as well (doubt it would happen, but hey, I can still wish). I'd rather them do 6, but remaking "the holy trinity" of Final Fantasy would be really cool.

 

[Shademp]

You know, Nibelheim was a really weird place to build the first reactor.

Spoiler: You know what they say...

 

[Makoeyes987]

If there's one thing VIIR is going to drive home, its the fact that Shinra is far more technologically advanced and futuristic than fans give them credit for.

The world of FFVII is one of the most technologically advanced in the FF series. Shinra is below Cocoon and it's Antimatter Manipulation Principle, and maybe FFVIII's Ester and it's super techno-utopia city.

But Shinra has advanced AI controlled robotics, battle mechs, genetically modified monsters for security and surveillance and bioengineering that would make Umbrella Corp blush.

The only issue is that the society is heavily stratified with the poor and middle class living in the dirt like it's the mid 20th Century.

But Shinra and the upper plate? That's where the future tech lies. Midgar being built in 30 years is not unbelievable. With the power of Mako, mechs and money anything is possible.