Playthrough thoughts thread

[tony123]

I'm still only in the starting points of the game, but I find myself frustrated that they don't seem to have done much, if anything, about the antiquated portrayals of women in the game. That's just based on first impressions though.

Other than that I'm liking all the added detail so far. Not super fond of the filler missions.

Yeah that is definitely an issue with this game. They are still making 90's style of video game characters for a game that was released in 2020. That was one of the things that made it difficult for me to get into the story. My deal is that if the characters are going to be looking more realistic I want them to act more realistic as well. I think though that is just a JRPG type of thing though. JRPG characters aren't meant to be realistic. They are more or less just fantasy characters. With the original FF7 you could still use your imagination and were still able to turn the characters into the types that you wanted them to be. With this game you can't really use your imagination and just have to take what the JRPG developers gave you.

The characterization in FF7 has always been problematic, even in 1997. But I disagree with you. I think, as much as I dislike the remake, that depth was added to some characters, especially Tifa. Her conflict with the nature of Avalanche's actions is one such example.

It is true that some good depth was added to a few of the characters. For me a lot of that depth was offset because for the first ten hours of the game it seemed the characters were just as focused on their desire to bang each other as they were in completing any of their missions. Their actions didn't seem to fit the portrayal of an underground terrorist group. They would have fit in better with a game that was meant to take place during a spring break vacation.

[Jiro]

I'm still only in the starting points of the game, but I find myself frustrated that they don't seem to have done much, if anything, about the antiquated portrayals of women in the game. That's just based on first impressions though.

Other than that I'm liking all the added detail so far. Not super fond of the filler missions.

Yeah that is definitely an issue with this game. They are still making 90's style of video game characters for a game that was released in 2020. That was one of the things that made it difficult for me to get into the story. My deal is that if the characters are going to be looking more realistic I want them to act more realistic as well. I think though that is just a JRPG type of thing though. JRPG characters aren't meant to be realistic. They are more or less just fantasy characters. With the original FF7 you could still use your imagination and were still able to turn the characters into the types that you wanted them to be. With this game you can't really use your imagination and just have to take what the JRPG developers gave you.

The characterization in FF7 has always been problematic, even in 1997. But I disagree with you. I think, as much as I dislike the remake, that depth was added to some characters, especially Tifa. Her conflict with the nature of Avalanche's actions is one such example.

It is true that some good depth was added to a few of the characters. For me a lot of that depth was offset because for the first ten hours of the game it seemed the characters were just as focused on their desire to bang each other as they were in completing any of their missions. Their actions didn't seem to fit the portrayal of an underground terrorist group. They would have fit in better with a game that was meant to take place during a spring break vacation.

I think the existence of Avalanche HQ undermines their portrayal, tbh. In the OG it felt a lot more like AVALANCHE was the equivalent of Final Fantasy VIII's Forest Owls: well-intentioned but disastrously under-prepared and ill-equipped for the reality of the situation. That's still kind of the case—each of the characters is basically moonlighting as a terrorist out of a sense of moral obligation—but it makes less sense that these three lovable bozos would be part of the Blow trout Up™ branch and not Avalanche HQ.

[tony123]

I'm still only in the starting points of the game, but I find myself frustrated that they don't seem to have done much, if anything, about the antiquated portrayals of women in the game. That's just based on first impressions though.

Other than that I'm liking all the added detail so far. Not super fond of the filler missions.

Yeah that is definitely an issue with this game. They are still making 90's style of video game characters for a game that was released in 2020. That was one of the things that made it difficult for me to get into the story. My deal is that if the characters are going to be looking more realistic I want them to act more realistic as well. I think though that is just a JRPG type of thing though. JRPG characters aren't meant to be realistic. They are more or less just fantasy characters. With the original FF7 you could still use your imagination and were still able to turn the characters into the types that you wanted them to be. With this game you can't really use your imagination and just have to take what the JRPG developers gave you.

The characterization in FF7 has always been problematic, even in 1997. But I disagree with you. I think, as much as I dislike the remake, that depth was added to some characters, especially Tifa. Her conflict with the nature of Avalanche's actions is one such example.

It is true that some good depth was added to a few of the characters. For me a lot of that depth was offset because for the first ten hours of the game it seemed the characters were just as focused on their desire to bang each other as they were in completing any of their missions. Their actions didn't seem to fit the portrayal of an underground terrorist group. They would have fit in better with a game that was meant to take place during a spring break vacation.

I think the existence of Avalanche HQ undermines their portrayal, tbh. In the OG it felt a lot more like AVALANCHE was the equivalent of Final Fantasy VIII'sForest Owls: well-intentioned but disastrously under-prepared and ill-equipped for the reality of the situation. That's still kind of the case—each of the characters is basically moonlighting as a terrorist out of a sense of moral obligation—but it makes less sense that these three lovable bozos would be part of the Blow trout Up™ branch and not Avalanche HQ.

That is one thing they could have done to really improve the narrative of this game is to spend time developing the other cells of Avalanche and their relationships with each other. But instead of being developed the game pretty much just name drops them and takes us on another side quest to go find cats or help out a little kid.

[Psychotic]

So I've started Chapter 11 which is the Train Graveyard.

Chapter 4/5ish: (SPOILER)Man, it kind of broke my heart a little when Cloud was Out Of The Gang and they were all celebrating together and I just stood there like a lemon and slowly left.
Chapter 6: (SPOILER)I wasn't a big fan of the train tunnels or Reactor puzzle dungeon, it felt a little bit of a drag and slowed the pace right down. Could've been half the length. The best thing I can say is that the sun lamps were some interesting lore.
Chapter 7: (SPOILER)I really enjoyed the Airbuster set up and subsequent fight, that was pretty cool and inventive. More of this please!
Chapter 8: (SPOILER)smurfing beautiful. The church and Aerith's house. Both, just, wow. I also really like Aerith which might make me one of the few that does and that's fine. I wasn't a huge fan of her in the original but I've warmed to her in this. She's fun, she's passionate, she doesn't take any crap. The perfect foil to Cloud, and it's nice to see the ice start to melt. The whole "Save me Mr. Bodyguard" is a little eeeh at first pass, but it's not so jarring when you realise that actually it's Cloud who is being saved. I ship it, sorry Zack and Tifa.

The section in Aerith's garden with the flowers was a genuinely sweet moment.

THE GIANT CLAW HANDS ARE CUTE hahaha Aerith yes! Yes they are! I like how random things like that from the original have been reused. I always wondered what that thing was.

The scene in the playground where she actually said Zack's name was touching.
Chapter 9: (SPOILER)Wall Market is good clean fun. And by clean I mean sleazy. I never got all that much of a skeeviness vibe from the original, outside of the Honeybee in and The Don's place, but they really captured that grody dive atmosphere well. I liked the sidequest that ripped off all the steps you needed to take to get the best step in the original too, that was a good reimagining. I also liked the reimagined Honeybee Inn song and seeing Palmer.

I've always found battle arenas in games to be kind of trite and unimaginative. My mind hasn't changed. I was psyched for the return of the Hell House! ...less psyched when I realised it was the Sperimorph from FFX and I didn't have a lot of elemental materia equipped. It soon became a real grind.

And... oh dear. The dancing. Jesus Cloud what the smurf hahahaha. I love it but well that came out of nowhere!

I have nothing to say about Chapter 10, it was another dungeon crawl. A little bit better than the one in Chapter 6 though. Chapter 11 looks like it'll be the same but a bit more interesting.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

So Psy, what did you think about Don Corneo’s (SPOILER) belly jiggle physics ?

[Psychotic]

So Psy, what did you think about Don Corneo’s (SPOILER) belly jiggle physics ?

Oh gosh yes! I meant to talk about him and how much I loved him, and I loved that! Genius. The only thing that upset me is (SPOILER)that you can't flirt with him when he picks Cloud like you can in the original! Come on little kitten and give daddy some sugar!

[tony123]

So Psy, what did you think about Don Corneo’s (SPOILER) belly jiggle physics ?

Oh gosh yes! I meant to talk about him and how much I loved him, and I loved that! Genius. The only thing that upset me is (SPOILER)that you can't flirt with him when he picks Cloud like you can in the original! Come on little kitten and give daddy some sugar!

Lol, there was too much flirting going on in the game already.

[Psychotic]

So Psy, what did you think about Don Corneo’s (SPOILER) belly jiggle physics ?

Oh gosh yes! I meant to talk about him and how much I loved him, and I loved that! Genius. The only thing that upset me is (SPOILER)that you can't flirt with him when he picks Cloud like you can in the original! Come on little kitten and give daddy some sugar!

Lol, there was too much flirting going on in the game already.

True, but it would've been funny that after everyone throws themselves at Cloud he only has eyes for the Don!

[Aulayna]

I must admit, I liked:

a) That when Andrea was throwing Cloud around, at the end when he says perfection, Clouds usually stiff bottom lip quivers and drops slightly. Cloud's totally secretly into it.

b) When Cloud's getting changed back into his SOLDIER gear in front of the Don, the Don isn't all that outraged and is almost like - ehhh, I can roll with it.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

I wished we could have gotten some more of the silly choices like in the original like flirting with the Don, calling Aerith the slum drunk, etc. I was also hoping to see Mukki even if only in the background of Honeybee Inn. But oh well.

I also had a dream last night that I was playing the game, and there was a scene where you go back to 7th Heaven and see Marlene at the bar counter, drawing with crayons. You had the option to go pick up the drawing, and it was a drawing of Barret, except he was all blocky looking like how he looks on PS1. I now wish that was actually in the game.

[tony123]

I also had a dream last night that I was playing the game, and there was a scene where you go back to 7th Heaven and see Marlene at the bar counter, drawing with crayons. You had the option to go pick up the drawing, and it was a drawing of Barret, except he was all blocky looking like how he looks on PS1. I now wish that was actually in the game.

Lol, just be thankful you didn't have a dream about Jessie hitting on you. Trying to tell her no wouldn't work, lol.

[Psychotic]

Thought of the day: Keep those gloves up

[Aulayna]

Thought of the day: Keep those gloves up

Sure thing coach.

[Psychotic]

Thought of the day: Keep those gloves up

Sure thing coach.

Would kill for a shower.

[Psychotic]

Actually jokes aside I've got something that's kind of irked me about Chapter 10/11.

(SPOILER)So, you're in the sewers right after the Don reveals Shinra's big plan to collapse the pillar in Sector 7. Holy smurfing trout! How many people will die! We gotta get there. Now. And Tifa's very worried about this throughout the sewer, wondering if they can believe the Don. The sewer drags on a little but okay we're Ahead On Our Way.

Oh wait we're in the Train Graveyard... and the tone just suddenly shifts. Ah no, it's spoooooky! MY bodyguard will protect us! Ahh child ghosts! Like, don't get me wrong, in and of itself the Train Graveyard is a nice improvement on the original and has an interesting little substory but it's at the wrong time in the wrong place.

It frustrates me as I play because I'm desperate to make it to the pillar but there's no end in sight. As a result I'm not really as into this ghost story as I would be ordinarily. And then when the ghost story comes to an end they re-introduce Shinra and the pillar but the urgency that I feel still isn't there with the characters because you're now smurfing around with trains and turntables.

There's a couple of other examples of this too. "We gotta go help Biggs in the reactor!" which was first said about three hours before you actually finally get to him, and then Chapter 13 (SPOILER)I just found Wedge in the wreckage, oh good, I'll help him OH NO HERE'S A RESEARCH LAB! it happens again.

This is the biggest consequence to the fleshing out of various sections from the original - the pacing of the game is just completely thrown off balance. I get what they were going for, and I've used the term fleshed out instead of padded out because much of it is fun and interesting, but I'm not sure it's really gelled with the story as it was.