I know, I know, we’ve beat this horse to death, but hear me out.
When it comes to remaking Final Fantasy VII, one of the most beloved RPGs ever, people are split into two main camps. One group doesn’t understand why it hasn’t happened yet. It’s arguably one of the greatest games of all time, and definitely one of the titles you hear most when people bring up remakes. Square Enix isn’t exactly a stranger to optimizing Final Fantasy games for new systems, and hasn’t been shy about returning time and time again to the FFVII universe, with multiple spin-offs and cameos. Surely, if it was remade and released, it would make all the money.
All of it.
The other camp believes a Final Fantasy VII remake would never work. Now, there are valid reasons for this argument, but I tend to agree with the first group. I would buy it, I know a lot of people who would buy it, and I imagine there is a group of developers that would love to make it. Whether or not it would actually work out well for everybody…there’s no way to know right now. Obviously, Square has their reasons for the decision, even if they have pushed me to the edge of patience with the number of times they have teased it.
All that said, I think the time is perfect for a HD Final Fantasy VII, for a number of reasons. And, just to save Square a bit of time in the matter, I have previously worked out an achievement list for the game. I’ll expect my check in the mail, guys.
New generation, perfect timing. Why not, right? I know Square Enix will have to devote a large amount of resources to their next gen games, and there is never enough money to go around. Frankly, that’s fine with me; I’m excited about Final Fantasy XV, and I want it to be as polished as possible. I think most people’s expectations are tempered when it comes to a FFVII remake, though. While I would obviously take a full-blown next-gen adventure with Cloud and the gang, I would be perfectly happy with an optimized version of the game I know and love. Spruce up the graphics, throw in an extra sidequest or two and make any changes you deem necessary. Releasing it as a downloadable title early on in a consoles lifespan means there are fewer titles to compete with. Good RPGs in particular don’t tend to show up until after a console has been out for a bit. Now is a prime time to take on a risky project, why not this one?
You know you want it.
Closure. This doesn’t really matter to Square, and maybe I’m the only one that feels this way, but I just don’t feel done with the Final Fantasy VII universe. I can still play the original PS1 version of the game no problem, but I wasn’t entirely satisfied with Dirge of Cerberus or Advent Children (although I was a fan of both). I want one more go at Sephiroth, and I would really like to do it in high definition. If Final Fantasy X can get a HD remake and a direct sequel, surely FFVII deserves one.
The signs are there. Final Fantasy VII has been in the news of late. Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns is getting a nifty pre-order bonus in the form of a Cloud Strife costume for Lightning, complete with Buster Sword and victory pose. Even more telling, Final Fantasy VII was just released on Steam recently. It was already available on PC of course, but this would be a good chance for Square Enix to gauge the interest in the game. It will be interesting to see how well it sells.
What do you think? Will a Final Fantasy VII remake ever come to fruition? Should it? I would like to hear your thoughts on the matter.