Final Fantasy 7 Remake Demo - It's here! This is not a Drill!!!!! Also Impressions

[CritialGaming]

What the heck was with Shinra blowing up their own reactor? That did not happen in the original. It makes AVALANCHE look inept, and it makes Shinra look dumb.

Wait what? Why would they change that? Maybe they don't like the idea of main character being terrorist so they tried to change it to shinra being responsible... That's not a good news... It'd be pretty dumb to try and use that turn public opinion against avalanche since they're such a small outfit, it's not like they got follower or anything. Plus it's not like shinra ever needed public opinion on their side... Even if they really needed to create bad publicity for avanlanche, why not disable the reactor and create back out, would still piss off people and they would still have the reactor, those things can't be cheap and if shinra is really all about "the evil of money" they wouldn't blow up their own asset.

Please read Post #33

Yeahhhh no, not at all.

In the original, Shinra is so worried about avanlanche destroying their reactor that they decide that it's worth leveling an entire sector just to stop them from destroying even one more reactor. This establish clearly that shinra power is backed by the reactor and that it value those above anything.

In the remake, shinra are so worried about avalanche (an outfit that has yet to do anything) destroying a reactor that they... destroy a reactor? And this worries them so much that they'll evnetually decide their only recourse to prevent themself from destroying any more reactor is to level the sector? So in the remake shinra doesn't value reactor at all? So what do they value? They're already the dominant military and political power so it's not like they have anything to gain from blowing up their own reactor. It just make them seems callously stupid, evil for the sake of being evil.

Shinra in the original game is actively trying to increase public opinion AGAINST Avalanche in order to foster support for the Neo-Midgar project. Which is basically building a new Midgar in the promise land because there is starting to be Mako problems in the original Midgar.

This is why Shinra is also willing to destroy an ENTIRE section of the city in order to drop the massive Sector 7 plate down upon AVALANCHE'S head.

Why would they blow up 1/8th of the whole city, and no be willing to sacrifice a reactor? Shinra is after the promised land and uses AVALANCHE as a spring board towards that, because public opinion of the company has been an issue. Terriorist attacks are great leverage for political gain (see Bush ala 2001).

So it makes sense that when Jesse's bomb doesn't do much more than disable the reactor, Shinra decides to make it more catastrophic in order to build public panic.

 

[CritialGaming]

I think a few trailers suggest that Shinra is using Avalanche as a pretext to attack the Wu Tai. Basically false flag attacks on their own facilities to further a narrative for further expansion. The Wu Tai are probably going to be heavily reworked for the next game to justify the invasion mini-game which I'm sure will be revamped. I dunno it could work.

Technically Wu Tai is all expanded stuff which might not be cannon here. Though WuTai is mentioned in the trailers. So it is also possible that they take the story in that direction.

 

[meiam]

But shinra is all powerful, why do they need public support? Who's going to oppose them from building a new midgard? They're a combination of company/absolute dictatorship. At no point does anyone ever prevent shinra from doing anything they want, iirc they don't even have shareholder (and if they did, having a reactor blow up is a surefire way to get the CEO replace).

This require Shinra to be all powerful to the point where losing a reactor is trivial, but also incredibly weak so that they need to rally public behind their cause.

Yeah terrorism is a great way to sway public opinion, but in America the government has to content with congress, the senate, public opinion, private company/lobby. In FF7, Shinra has none of those things to worry about. And how does building up avalanche as a threat make the public more likely to support a new midgard? Would people really have supported Bush if after 9/11 he had decided to build a new New York in the antarctic because of Osama? Those two things are entirely unrelated. Building up avalanche as a threat would make sense if Shinra was trying to make a move toward a police state where they have more power, but they're already a police state and already have full power...

 

[CritialGaming]

But shinra is all powerful, why do they need public support? Who's going to oppose them from building a new midgard? They're a combination of company/absolute dictatorship. At no point does anyone ever prevent shinra from doing anything they want, iirc they don't even have shareholder (and if they did, having a reactor blow up is a surefire way to get the CEO replace).

This require Shinra to be all powerful to the point where losing a reactor is trivial, but also incredibly weak so that they need to rally public behind their cause.

If people don't move to the new city, people wont give Shinra money. They need to be viewed as the heroes in the public eye.

I mean if you don't like the story there is nothing I can say. But i've explained the story reasons for why the events happened in the way they did.

 

[CaitSeith]

But shinra is all powerful, why do they need public support? Who's going to oppose them from building a new midgard? They're a combination of company/absolute dictatorship. At no point does anyone ever prevent shinra from doing anything they want, iirc they don't even have shareholder (and if they did, having a reactor blow up is a surefire way to get the CEO replace).

This require Shinra to be all powerful to the point where losing a reactor is trivial, but also incredibly weak so that they need to rally public behind their cause.

Spoiler: Final Fantasy 7 spoilers

The old president liked to keep the appearances (even if they were thin as paper) probably just for his own ego; that changed with Rufus, who was more inclined to flex Shinra's dictatorial muscles without reserve and use fear to control the public.

 

[meiam]

But shinra is all powerful, why do they need public support? Who's going to oppose them from building a new midgard? They're a combination of company/absolute dictatorship. At no point does anyone ever prevent shinra from doing anything they want, iirc they don't even have shareholder (and if they did, having a reactor blow up is a surefire way to get the CEO replace).

This require Shinra to be all powerful to the point where losing a reactor is trivial, but also incredibly weak so that they need to rally public behind their cause.

If people don't move to the new city, people wont give Shinra money. They need to be viewed as the heroes in the public eye.

I mean if you don't like the story there is nothing I can say. But i've explained the story reasons for why the events happened in the way they did.

But... you just said they had to build the new city because the mako was running out, if that's the case peoples won't have a choice but to move, why blow up you're own city? And how will ramping up terrorism help that, "hey guys, we can't protect you from terrorist in this city so you should all move to this new city in the middle of nowhere where we can totally protect you (don't think about the fact that the terrorist will just move to the new city)" is a terrible sales pitch.

Yeah I guess it's just me, I have things for story that "make sense" and feature characters with self consistent logic instead of cartoonish character who fall apart when you spend 3 second thinking on them I'm weird like that. It's just even weirder when this change was completely unnecessary, nobody was asking for Shinra to be portrayed as more evil or avalanche as less competent. Square in the day had plenty of decent story around the time FF7 came out, but now they haven't written a decent story in well over a decade, they should realize that the less they modify the story, the better.

 

[Fappy]

I know some are skipping the demo because they are getting the game regardless, but I think it's still worth playing for the combat alone. At a surface level it seems real button mash-y, but if you experiment a little you will quickly find there is some depth to it that the tutorials fail to address. I'll probably play it a couple more times before release just to get a good handle on the mechanics. If I can mitigate some of the growing pains when picking up a new game I usually try to do so. Learning fundamental mechanics of a new game (usually the first 1-2 hours) is usually the worst part of picking up new games for me personally.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

But... you just said they had to build the new city because the mako was running out, if that's the case peoples won't have a choice but to move, why blow up you're own city? And how will ramping up terrorism help that, "hey guys, we can't protect you from terrorist in this city so you should all move to this new city in the middle of nowhere where we can totally protect you (don't think about the fact that the terrorist will just move to the new city)" is a terrible sales pitch.

Yeah I guess it's just me, I have things for story that "make sense" and feature characters with self consistent logic instead of cartoonish character who fall apart when you spend 3 second thinking on them I'm weird like that. It's just even weirder when this change was completely unnecessary, nobody was asking for Shinra to be portrayed as more evil or avalanche as less competent. Square in the day had plenty of decent story around the time FF7 came out, but now they haven't written a decent story in well over a decade, they should realize that the less they modify the story, the better.

But the new city will have a wall that keeps out all the terrorists (and rapists and criminals)...

 

[CaitSeith]

I know some are skipping the demo because they are getting the game regardless, but I think it's still worth playing for the combat alone. At a surface level it seems real button mash-y, but if you experiment a little you will quickly find there is some depth to it that the tutorials fail to address. I'll probably play it a couple more times before release just to get a good handle on the mechanics. If I can mitigate some of the growing pains when picking up a new game I usually try to do so. Learning fundamental mechanics of a new game (usually the first 1-2 hours) is usually the worst part of picking up new games for me personally.

I want to mention that Final Fantasy sometimes demos don't reflect the final mechanics. Final Fantasy XV Platinum Demo might as well had been a spin-off.

 

[Zeraki]

Anyone else kind of get a Mass Effect/Dragon Age vibe from the combat? Like the whole pausing the combat to make decisions, select abilities and switch between characters?

The combat definitely feels a hell of a lot more intuitive than XV's and actually is really fun.

When they initially announced they were ditching turn based to go the action route I was worried, but this system is a nice fit. Kind of looking forward to see how much depth the combat has and what crazy things people will do with it.

Also, they literally gave Cloud a Stinger akin to Dante's from Devil May Cry.

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

Anyone else kind of get a Mass Effect/Dragon Age vibe from the combat? Like the whole pausing the combat to make decisions, select abilities and switch between characters?

The combat definitely feels a hell of a lot more intuitive than XV's and actually is really fun.

When they initially announced they were ditching turn based to go the action route I was worried, but this system is a nice fit. Kind of looking forward to see how much depth the combat has and what crazy things people will do with it.

Also, they literally gave Cloud a Stinger akin to Dante's from Devil May Cry.

My immediate reaction was "Final Fantasy meets Kingdom Hearts" for the combat system. Personally, I dig it. Looking forward to the full game, especially after the Scorpion robot fight that tested my use of the combat system.

 

[CritialGaming]

Finally tried the demo and rather enjoyed it. Normal was still pretty easy in terms of not dying, although I wasn?t fully grasping how to efficiently use the abilities and limit breaks. Cloud?s health got to red once and that was heading up after the Scorpion fight with a group of those bug things. There were plenty of potions scattered around in crates which helped while I fumbled through the Scorpion fight. Barrett?s thunder move and charge shot are slightly confusing as to when to hit triangle for maximum damage. It didn?t always work like the initial tutorial example but I was too distracted with keeping the fight going to really understand how it works, especially on an initial play through.

The lock on and cursor highlight works ok. Basically the former fixes the camera and zones in on that opponent, while the latter allows more free viewing when attacking. I like how fast meter fills, which encourages ability usage. The different ways to pressure or stagger opponents will really make things interesting once more abilities and limit breakers are available in the main game.

It looks great, although not quite like the best AAA efforts we?ve seen the last few years. The voice overs are very deliberate sounding, but oddly kinda fitting to the game?s style. I?m really going to have to play a couple more times to have any meaningful impressions with the combat system though. It definitely has me intrigued as far as figuring out the best way to use one tactic or another. The game really seems like it?ll encourage using a variety of abilities depending on enemy type, and it?s fun laying into downed enemies when you exploit a weakness. For an update to a classic title, SE appears to have done a good job blending the old with the new.

On another note, the elevator scene is clearly scripted to be interrupted. I think that was commented on earlier. The full game will probably rearrange several story elements so it?s kind of a moot point in a demo.

 

[dscross]

I love how excited you get over FF7. Despite initial reservations, I am keen to try it - I haven't had a chance yet but I will think a week and give you some impressions. Glad it was everything you hoped for.

 

[Fappy]

I know some are skipping the demo because they are getting the game regardless, but I think it's still worth playing for the combat alone. At a surface level it seems real button mash-y, but if you experiment a little you will quickly find there is some depth to it that the tutorials fail to address. I'll probably play it a couple more times before release just to get a good handle on the mechanics. If I can mitigate some of the growing pains when picking up a new game I usually try to do so. Learning fundamental mechanics of a new game (usually the first 1-2 hours) is usually the worst part of picking up new games for me personally.

I want to mention that Final Fantasy sometimes demos don't reflect the final mechanics. Final Fantasy XV Platinum Demo might as well had been a spin-off.

Based on what content creators/journalists have been saying after visiting the SE offices and previewing something resembling a final build of the game it sounds like the demo is pretty accurate combat mechanics-wise.

 

[CritialGaming]

I know some are skipping the demo because they are getting the game regardless, but I think it's still worth playing for the combat alone. At a surface level it seems real button mash-y, but if you experiment a little you will quickly find there is some depth to it that the tutorials fail to address. I'll probably play it a couple more times before release just to get a good handle on the mechanics. If I can mitigate some of the growing pains when picking up a new game I usually try to do so. Learning fundamental mechanics of a new game (usually the first 1-2 hours) is usually the worst part of picking up new games for me personally.

I want to mention that Final Fantasy sometimes demos don't reflect the final mechanics. Final Fantasy XV Platinum Demo might as well had been a spin-off.

Based on what content creators/journalists have been saying after visiting the SE offices and previewing something resembling a final build of the game it sounds like the demo is pretty accurate combat mechanics-wise.

Yeah, but there are notible story elements cut out of the demo so that replaying the first section on the full game will still hold surprises on the story side. Which I think is a good approach to a demo.

 

[Fappy]

Anyone else kind of get a Mass Effect/Dragon Age vibe from the combat? Like the whole pausing the combat to make decisions, select abilities and switch between characters?

The combat definitely feels a hell of a lot more intuitive than XV's and actually is really fun.

When they initially announced they were ditching turn based to go the action route I was worried, but this system is a nice fit. Kind of looking forward to see how much depth the combat has and what crazy things people will do with it.

Also, they literally gave Cloud a Stinger akin to Dante's from Devil May Cry.

I also get very strong Bioware RPG vibes from the general gameplay. The way you explore environments, interact with NPCs, and transition to combat. The actual combat itself kinda resembles it on a surface level too. It's actually got me nostalgic for games I didn't imagine it could lol.

 

[Fappy]

I know some are skipping the demo because they are getting the game regardless, but I think it's still worth playing for the combat alone. At a surface level it seems real button mash-y, but if you experiment a little you will quickly find there is some depth to it that the tutorials fail to address. I'll probably play it a couple more times before release just to get a good handle on the mechanics. If I can mitigate some of the growing pains when picking up a new game I usually try to do so. Learning fundamental mechanics of a new game (usually the first 1-2 hours) is usually the worst part of picking up new games for me personally.

I want to mention that Final Fantasy sometimes demos don't reflect the final mechanics. Final Fantasy XV Platinum Demo might as well had been a spin-off.

Based on what content creators/journalists have been saying after visiting the SE offices and previewing something resembling a final build of the game it sounds like the demo is pretty accurate combat mechanics-wise.

Yeah, but there are notible story elements cut out of the demo so that replaying the first section on the full game will still hold surprises on the story side. Which I think is a good approach to a demo.

For sure, the scene that immediately springs to mind triggers when Jesse asks you about Tifa. Looking forward to seeing what else they have hidden from the demo build.

 

[CritialGaming]

For sure, the scene that immediately springs to mind triggers when Jesse asks you about Tifa. Looking forward to seeing what else they have hidden from the demo build.

I am excited for the entire game. I can NOT wait for this thing. Luckily, next Friday Nioh 2 comes out, and Persona 5 Royal and/or RE3 come out the week before to make the final days leading up to FF7 Remake more bareable.

Though interestingly enough, the first two months of this year have been exceptionally void of game releases. Usually there is a decent drop mid-January or at the latest early Feb.

2020 is the year of delays. It's lame.

 

[CritialGaming]

For sure, the scene that immediately springs to mind triggers when Jesse asks you about Tifa. Looking forward to seeing what else they have hidden from the demo build.

I am excited for the entire game. I can NOT wait for this thing. Luckily, next Friday Nioh 2 comes out, and Persona 5 Royal and/or RE3 come out the week before to make the final days leading up to FF7 Remake more bareable.

Though interestingly enough, the first two months of this year have been exceptionally void of game releases. Usually there is a decent drop mid-January or at the latest early Feb.

2020 is the year of delays. It's lame.

If they lead to better games it?s a worthy compromise. FF7R has gone gold, so aside from possible patches it should be locked in but yeah they?re clearly leaving story stuff out for good reason.

 

[Zeraki]

I also get very strong Bioware RPG vibes from the general gameplay. The way you explore environments, interact with NPCs, and transition to combat. The actual combat itself kinda resembles it on a surface level too. It's actually got me nostalgic for games I didn't imagine it could lol.

It legitimately caught me off guard how much it felt like a BioWare game when I was playing it. Then I looked at Aerith's combat in the promotional material and she basically fights like a mage from Dragon Age 2.