Jessie for me. Yeah she's still pretty one-note (her entire personality is wanting to get in Cloud's pants) but I liked her expanded backstory. Everyone else is mostly the same, except for Sephiroth who has regressed even further, which I didn't think was possible.
As has been pointed out, throwing herself at Cloud may just be a false persona. If he actually acted genuinely interested in her,she'd probably just shrug him off. Same as if she thought he might actually go all the way with her. In this regard, she's more of a tease than a slut.
It's gotta be either Cloud or Barret. Not to say they're the best characters, but just to say that their various other incarnations are significantly worse.
I guess maybe Barret is most improved. He actually seems like a real person in this, who just puts on the slightly silly 'tough guy' persona as a cover, whereas in previous incarnations, that tough guy persona felt like it was supposed to be his full personality. Like he's a complete cartoon character.
I'd say Barret easily. I've gained a soft spot for the bloke over the years, but the remake certainly made him the most personable of the cast. He's much more multi-faceted in this version being both a better leader, being easy going enough to drop jokes on occasion, and his interactions with Marlene are great as well.
Part of me wants to also say Aerith, but in her case I feel it's less of being improved and more of finally playing something that remembers how she really was, as opposed to every other media we've seen her in where she either feels out of character or is a really watered down experience. I'm just happy they didn't go with her "Woe is me, I'm just a poor girl who can't do anything unless a big strong man comes to rescue me" characterization from Crisis Core.
To be fair, as much as I think Crisis Core is stupid from conception, it does take place 5 years earlier, right? It makes sense that Aerith would grow from the time she was a teenager.
My issue is that the scenes of her childhood show that she always had a bit of that spunkiness players knew from the OG, whereas CC tries too hard to give the impression that spunk came as a direct influence from Zack. Aerith just has too much self-doubt in CC whereas her defining character trait in my mind is her self-confidence. You don't just turn around like that, even with five years time gap, from self doubt to full self confidence.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Golbez
Just another reason to hate Zack. Zack is the worst. He was only a plot device in FF7 and he should have been left that way.
I honestly like Zack and didn't mind his characterization in CC, it was what they did to all the other OG cast members that bugged me more.
I thought Zack was the best thing about Crisis Core really. The rest was just average.
He was essentially just a less annoying version of Tidus.
More like a less annoying version of Namingway.
Jessie, Wedge and Biggs got the most additional stuff of the original cast for me. Biggs was my favourite of those as in the original I can't remember a thing about him as a personality. In this, he's really nice, the kind of guy I'd like to hang out with.
I'm surprised to say that Barret probably developed the best of the playable cast. Surprised because I thought I'd hate him in the remake after hearing him talk in the trailers, but although I thought his voice would grate on me and he annoy me really quickly, it never really happened. Glad for that.
Not really keen on the changes in Cloud, but not against them either. Happy enough, I suppose?
Tifa and Aerith were pretty much what I expected, just more detailed versions of their existing self, and I'm happy enough with that. I liked them both decently. Still prefer Tifa. No change of opinion really but happy to get more lore and 'feeling' for both of the two of them in their respective ways. Good good.
Villains were all generally awful, but at least Scarlet was funny. The rest were fairly generic. Sephiroth did not need that much attention and screentime at all, but I understand why they did it.
Jessie by a mile. Her story arc is a significant part of the first quarter of the game. And, despite what some may think, she's not one-note. Her interest in Cloud (which is definitely genuine, as I'll get into later) is only a part of her character. There's also the fact that she gave up her dream to join Avalanche and try to find a way to save her dad, and her guilt over what she thinks she did with her bomb. She's also the only one who reaches out to Cloud after the others (even Tifa) turn him out following the Reactor 1 mission.
And if you pay attention, you'll see that there are times, entire scenes even, where she doesn't make a single pass at Cloud. When she's alone in his room with him, for example, she's all business even though it would've been easy for her to make some flirty remark about being there. But she didn't. So she's not as obsessed as some people think. It's that her flirty moments stick out more in the mind so it can seem like that's all there was. But it wasn't. She's more than that.
Now, on to her interest in him. I say it's genuine, and here's why. First, her reaction to him saying he'll think about coming over to see her the next night (if you choose no promises) is too happy and excited to have been an act. The expression on her face says it all. Also, and this is key - if you talk to her twice before leaving for Reactor 5 after choosing "no promises" the night before, Jessie reminds you about the date, telling you to hurry back so her home-cooked pizza doesn't get cold. That proves that her offer and interest were completely genuine.
As for what Wedge said, keep in mind that he also said guys weren't allowed at Jessie's place. But because she invites Cloud over, it shows that there are times when they are. This means that Wedge was wrong. And if he was wrong about that, he can also have been wrong about it being just a game for her. It's his opinion, not necessarily fact. And also, actors and actresses are known to become affected by the roles they play. So even if it started out as a game, that doesn't mean her interest couldn't have developed so that by the time of her invite, it was completely genuine.
Now, on to Cloud. On the surface, he looks uninterested, but is that really the case? Not necessarily. First, you should know that Nojima (one of FF7R's main writers) explicitly said that Cloud's harsh demeanor is nothing more than a front. It's a way of looking cool and getting attention. That's all. This means that he doesn't actually mean the rude things he says, including to Jessie. He just doesn't know how else to express himself at first or relate to others.
Jessie is actually the first to start to change that. She sees right through his front, and that's why she keeps flirting and messing with him. Because she knows she can. She's interested in him, but she also wants to help draw him out of his shell (according to her VA Erica Lindbeck). And by the end of Chapter 4, she succeeds. According to Nojima, Cloud is initially confused around her because of how she is. But confusion is not necessarily the same thing as disinterest. It's just that he doesn't know how to express it yet.
At the start of the bike chase, when Jessie asks him if he's going to take her breath away with his skills, he tells her not to blame him if she gets sick. This is not a denial. He never said no. And he's definitely trying to impress her. When they exit the tunnel, he does a wheelie even though he could've just kept driving normally. He had to have known that Jessie would like it, going by her obvious excitement during the chase, and she did, yelling and grabbing onto him with a big smile. Cloud did that little stunt to impress her and make her happy, even though he didn't have a clue as to how to say it or show it.
Their dialogue on the bike is more banter than anything else, and his remarks come off more as smart-aleck wiseguy comebacks than actual annoyance. Jessie knows that, which is why she laughs them off. For example, at one point he tells her to get off, but as they were speeding down the tunnel at the time, he had to know she couldn't do it. Which means he didn't really mean it. He was just trying to be a funny smart-aleck in his own oddball way. Same with him saying "Nope" to her jokingly asking if she's thawing his heart. It was more a witty comeback than an actual expression of how he felt. Also, notice that as much as Jessie holds onto him and hugs on him, he never once tells her to stop. He doesn't have a problem telling people when they're not wanted, so the fact that he never told Jessie to quit hanging on him means he didn't actually mind her doing it. Even that he could've liked it, though he might not have realized it himself at that point and didn't know how to respond to it.
When she kissed Cloud, he wasn't uncomfortable. He was surprised and probably overwhelmed, and like with the rest of her affection, he just didn't know how to respond to it. So he just chose the option he was most comfortable with and stayed quiet. He never answered her question about the cold shoulder, and the fact that he never told her that's what he was doing leaves it open that he wasn't.
When Jessie hugs him and makes her invitation later, Cloud seemingly tries to get her off him. But, as strong as he clearly is, he could've done it easily. That he didn't succeed shows that his attempt was only half-hearted at best. If he had really wanted her off, she'd have been off right from the start. But he simply gave up instead. And if you watch carefully, you'll see that when she first hugs him and he lifts his arms, he starts to move them toward her at first as if to hug her back but then catches himself and stops. It's like he started to show more than he meant to but caught himself and slipped back into his shell. Just like when she caught him laughing on the plate and he panicked and slipped back into his shell when she called him on it. A subtle hint as to what he might really have been feeling or been thinking at that moment.
Cloud smiles at her more than once, even in the midst of his supposed stoicism. When he holds the materia she gave him in Sector 8, he gives her a little smile as he looks at her. And he does it again just before he picks her up to carry her into the bar in Chapter 4. They've formed a friendship by then, at the very least, and it's possible he could've felt at least a little attraction for her. He's much more tender to her in Japanese, as these lines show:
English
Cloud: Are you seriously that desperate?
Japanese
Cloud: Is this how it's gonna be?
English
Jessie: My hero... so gentle...
Cloud: Just try to hold on.
Japanese
Jessie: You saved me again...
Cloud: I'll save you as many times as you need.
That last exchange especially has some romantic undertones to it. So in short, Cloud and Jessie's romantic arc might not be as one-sided as some people think. It's just easy to miss because it's not hammer-over-your-head obvious like some romances tend to be. But I think if they'd had more time together, something could've really developed between them eventually - think of Squall and Rinoa from FF8. Bubbly girl slowly thaws out stoic guy, who ends up falling for her. Jessie did begin the thawing process for Cloud, and I hope that if she returns for Part 2 and beyond (which is a definite possibility) that we'll get more fun and interaction between the two, especially given the friendship they clearly had by the end of their time in Part 1. Maybe even the possibility of her being a viable third romance option. She was the Princess of the Gold Saucer, after all. I don't see SE passing up the chance to give Cloud the opportunity to go on a Gold Saucer date with the girl who was the star of the very play that's central to that event. If the player chooses that path, of course. And possibly including in that date the pizza dinner they were never able to have together in Part 1.
It was all pretty good. What did y'all think of Nanaki? I feel like we got to know him a little better than in OG at this point. He's almost completely silent until you get to Cosmo Canyon originally. At first I didn't really like the split party portion of Shinra HQ but the teamwork aspect of it really gave him chemistry with the rest of the party in a short amount of time.
It was Aerith 100%. I am only on chapter 9? and she's made me laugh at least 3 times. I really appreciate that she's much more fleshed out this time around - I feel like I actually get a better feel for her personality.
I'd say Aeris if it wasn't for her godawful English VA. What were they thinking?
I don't really think it's fair to list Avalanche, since they all had like 3 lines in the original game. Of course they're better! But I do love me some Jessie Rasberry.
For me, it's actually Cloud. Can't stand him in the OG, but I actually really like him in this game. My favorite part definitely has to be when they rescued Tifa and he's just like "killing it, I know".