Final Fantasy VII: PSN Release versus PS3 Remake
Filed under: Feature,Game Reviews and Opinion 46 Responses
An April Fool’s Day post (and oft repeated rumour) has recently worked the Internet circles about Squaresoft’s Final Fantasy VII coming to the Playstation Network (and possibly Xbox LIVE Arcade). Reading the numerous comments about the joke post provoked analysis of a different order. However, on a base level, it’s not so different from various opinions that a remake (or even a possible sequel) of Final Fantasy VII should/will hit the PS3 in the near future. Or is it?
Final Fantasy VII has seen numerous prequels (Before Crisis and Crisis Core), sequels (the CG film Advent Children) and side-stories (Dirge of Cerberus). But the wish for a re-release of Final Fantasy VII in any form is stronger than ever. What exactly would satiate the desire for Squaresoft’s multi-million, award-selling and in some books, highly over-rated, Japanese role playing game? Instant gratification and faithful reproduction of the original classic or a High Def extravaganza of the seventh generation order? What would be the benefits of having a Playstation Network release of Final Fantasy VII versus a PS3 remake? Finally, which would redeem Square-Enix from it’s recent critical and commercial slump?
Development
If Square-Enix wanted FFVII on the PS3, it’d have to expend a large amount of resources – resources which aren’t easily available, given the amount of strain the company is enduring to develop Final Fantasy XIII and FF Versus XIII these days (not to mention numerous PSP, DS and Wii titles). Fans got excited over the PS3 tech demo SE showcased several years ago featuring Final Fantasy VII characters. It’s only natural they’d want the same quality, if not better, to justify a Blu-ray release. The resources problem extends to that of time as well, since releasing it on PSN would take far less time than developing it for the PS3 from the ground up. Nonetheless, the former could never graphically compare to the latter if Square-Enix fully gets behind it (and doesn’t screw it up).
Gameplay
With a PSN release, the developer could implement compression techniques, maybe clean up the graphics and implement a few new features. A PS3 remake on the other hand will carry more weight. The character development could be expanded. Voice acting and realistic facial expressions would give the story a whole new dimension and make some scenes as memorable as others were tragic. There’s also a better chance Square-Enix would implement all new gameplay features concurrent with the advances Final Fantasy has made in recent times with it’s shift towards real-time combat and action-oriented gameplay. More bang for your buck, as they say.
Revenue
A full-blown commercial PS3 release could probaly net Square-Enix more revenue from Japan alone than the remake would worldwide on both PSN and XBLA. If it were released three years ago when the PS3 first launched. These days, PSN and Xbox LIVE Arcade have developed remarkably and digital distribution has quickly become a source of additional revenue for many companies. For example Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and the Damned exceeded more than 1 million downloads from XBLA alone. There’s definitely a strong market for titles sold exclusively online, even if they’re re-releases (but once again, this is FFVII we’re talking about).
Reputation
Here’s the issue: Square-Enix could easily use Final Fantasy as a trump card to dig themselves out of any financial pit they may be stuck in. It’s well-known that if the company needed a surefire hit, a Final Fantasy VII with lots of fan service (and not of the T&A variety) would be it. It creates a strange quagmire though: I’d applaud the company for releasing and slightly revamping FFVII for PSN but they wouldn’t get much credit for putting out a PS3 remake. It’s not just the case against remakes. I like to believe that SE can both cater to their fans and bring out new, exciting and fun IPs as well. But at this point in time, a PS3 remake will only confirm how desperate the company is. Maybe even doubtful if their other series’ entries can match up.
I would personally prefer seeing the game on PSN, but as some one recently stated, “different strokes for different folks”. Which would you prefer?
46 Responses to “Final Fantasy VII: PSN Release versus PS3 Remake”
Why not just release the PS1 version, unaltered for the PSN?
Truthfully, I don’t know if I would play it again. I played it once on PS1 and once on PS2… I don’t know if I need to sink another 100 hours into that game…
Im not the biggest final Fantasy 7 fan but i enjooye dit a lot FFX is my favourite but regardless if they released FF7 on PSN or a PS3 Remake regardles sil buy it day one and so will the world! look at how fast the Final Fantasy 7 PS3 sold which in my opinion looked shit Square enix would make a hell of a lot of money
A ps3 remake would be preferable after all they started all this hype for the remake themselves by releasing the updated opening traiIer but an retouched version would be cool too
I don’t think anyone would cry “Desperation!” if SE remade FFVII. The more likely anthem would be “Finally!” In fact, Square could release FFVII for $10 on the PSN as a PS1 Classic title to shut the fans up for a few months, then announce a full remake. I’d buy both in a heartbeat. Is that pathetic? Probably. But it’s also a case of everybody wins. The only people who would be annoyed are people who don’t like FFVII or RPGs to begin with.
Why not make both to please all strokes?
just port it over to psn and arcade clean it up a little maybe 6 months woth of work then release it.
then with that money remake FFVII for a even greater profit.
it’s simple, give ‘em a bite of the cake, then shove the rest in their mouth.
everyone will love it.
both…. just like jamie dalgetty said just release the ps1 version and at the same time or a little later release the remake…. but they better finish off versus xiii b4 they do anything else…. probably going to be my 3rd favorite besides vii and x.
they need to do the remake because if you take the best story they have ever come up with and bring it into nowaday standards then it will be the one and only game everyone will want. Not to mention making it the newest classic. As far as i am concerned FF7 is still the best game of all time!!!!!!
I have sunk innumerable hours into FFVII ( this is literally true, all my saves have maxed out game clocks at 99:59:59), and I am too much of a tool to not buy it again, disc, download or remake, ad naseum. The most logical thing to do would be a PS1 classics release. A PS1 classics release of a few Final Fantasies and Tomb Raiders could make square a HUGE amount of money. Dare I say, it would keep them fiscally viable and sell as many digital copies as FF13 would, at a minute fraction of the cost and manpower.
Chances are if they just release it on PSN it wouldn’t sell as well as if they made a remake for PS3. This is mainly due to the fact that A LOT of people already own the game so buying it again would only be redundant. However, if they remade it, more people would buy it if they spruced it up a bit (not just graphically). But thats just my opinion.
I have been waiting for a remake of FFVII for a long time, it is a good reason I bought the PS3, and would really help Square in these desperate times. If the made the graphics better along with the materia options with some additional mini games the game would dominate the PS3 sales and retail of the game itself especially if the square released it as a PS3/FFVII combo.
I dunno, I play mine every few years, while im wating for the next FF.. and i would definantly buy it on psn for the simple fact i can keep my precious disc’s away from harm. BUT, even my gal, who isnt into video games at all was watchin me play and out of the blue ” They should remake this for that thing (ps3) ” So.. no doubt.. remake, re release. Im ready n waiting.
i dont see how a remake for ff7 makes them look desperate if they remade it sony would sell alot more ps3s and there are so much people that want it to be remade including me
somehow, i think that if there was a remake of the game. If would sell by the bucket load……
SE didn’t release FFVII on the PSN yet because the greedy bastards are waiting and trying to find a compression method they can use to bypass the size limit of games in Xbox marketplace.I bet on that.
Screw 7, remake 6.
Screw VII, remake IX. No one really liked it to begin with. Therefore, it would be something completely new for all those losers who didn’t play the best RPG in the series.
the best was VI, IX was somewhere around 2nd or third IMO. My point istnt that VII was a bad game, but that it’s only been 10 years. I’d rather see them go back further to do a remake. I’ve seen what the did with III and IV on the DS, do that with VI on a home console. Besides watching the world get destroyed in HD would be bad ass, ad you don’t get that with VII or IX.
Even if they did “remake it” unless they make a completely different game of it, it would still have the same bad graphics. It might have been cool 10 years ago but we’ve come a long way since then. Just release FF XIII already!!
a remake of final fantasty VII would be a financial savior to Square Enix and to SE SE would sell alot more PS3s and Square Enix already has a huge FFVII fan base when i saw the video for FFVII on PS3 that is the whole reason i bought it i was anticipating a re-release in state of the art graphics REMAKE FFVII for the ps3 and it will not be ignored regardless of how they release it
look i’m a big final fantasy 7 fan and the game was great for ps1 hell still is but a remake for the ps3 will roll in alot of money for square enix and it will also bring alot fans back into loving the final fantasy series well c’mon lets be real here i mean they messed up with 2 final fantasy’s: final fantasy IX and final fantasy XII well i didn’t like 12 that much cos i thought final fantasy X was still better and 9 well the story is kinda weird in the first place but final fantasy 7 has been rated the best story line even with 10 in the rankings and think of it this way why would the final fantasy series release an album of final fantasy VII voices of the lifestream and not do any of the other ones like final fantasy VIII there has got to be a remake cos i have contacts and i know there is going to be one!!!
A remake of FF7 would be amazing. I’ve played FF7 more than 5 times, but I would be more than willing to buy a ps3 for a FF7 remake alone. FF7 was the perfect game (in my opinion) and it raked in a lot of money for squaresoft, so I don’t see how they can’t remake it.
I really hope they do remake FF7!
yeah i think the same as you i played final fantasy 7 loads of times and i completed it over 10 times!! and i never get tired of it it is such a good game and yeah i did rake in over 14 million pounds and i think of they remake it they will get double their money back and more because everyone bought it when it first come out because of the new age graphix and this time they won’t just buy it because of the new age graphix this they will also buy it for it’s incredible story line also when it does comee out i heard it will be coming out in 2012 for either ps3 or ps4 if they make a ps4 or ps4 is out then lol but i know for certain a remake is in the making for the classic game
i got a reply for the guy who said screw final fantasy 7 and remake 9, dude you need to think bout what your saying in rankings more fans have voted final fantasy 7 for it’s storyline and to be honest you can’t get better than that and final fantasy x is second because of the graphix and sroyline for that and final fantasy 9 is some where near bottom because everyone bought it once and then played it and then they thought that the storyline was rubbish and i don’t get anything about it there is no sense to final fantasy 9 what so ever and that is my huge point of why square should never remake final fantasy 9 or 12 because they are rubbish
Lets get it straight… FF7 has the best storyline in the whole series, FFX follows, but with better graphics… Can you imagine the demand for a HD remake of FF7? Gaming is moving on, and i think the Classic FF7 should be given a second shot with current technology, it would certainly snare me and im sure many others. SE should release a PSN revamp before FF13 to boost FF13 sales, then maybe if FF13 proves as successful as hoped release a full ps3 remake of FF7, no major storyline alterations though please!
i reckon they should go ahead with final fantasy 13 and if the sales don’t go which i have a good feeling they will lol but jus in case they don’t then they should remake final fantasy 7 for the ps3 but if sales go good then they should bring out something like they did with grand turismo 5 bring out a prologue version and then some where down the line about a year or so bring out the full version of the final fantasy 7 remake for the ps3 well that would be my way of doing i dunno if square will do the same or do it different but this is my opinion
i think that it should be released on both a ps3 game and psn for those who dont have internet at their house can play
good point dude yh thas whatt i say to
OK first of all the first final fantasy game i ever played was X….. and i fell in love with it….. then i tried VII but couldn’t get past the graphics …. i know the storyline and know just how much of a mega hit it is …. if it had voice over and better graphics then it would definitely be my fav… i mean crisis core was fun albeit a little short ( compared to other FF titles)… There should definitely be a remake… first, so people, like me, who cannot stand out of date graphics can expierence the game that acuired this cult of fans….. the people who argue online about its remake lol.. jk, secondly, SE and Square need money…… as we all do in such hard times… but this is the sure fire way to collect that revenue…… third, they should remake it because of that HUGE FUC**** tease those jerks gave us at the damn E3 ( or whatever it was) all im saying is major titles that get remade ( such as Metal Gear Solid, and its remake MGS: The Twin Snakes ) do wonderfully well …. people love a revamped model of the old days….. however i am going to say that they should wait for XIII to be released and for KHIII to be released.. they are both major titles and if they take on VII they could bite off more than they can chew and no more Square … and we don’t want that do we… that’s like Konami going bankrupt… it would suck…. they will remake it but it wont come out for a few years…. probably Q4 2011 – Q2 2012… soooooo just wait and you will get it!!!!!! all good things come in time!!!!!
to the guy who says remake IX…. IX had the potential to be extremely great but it lacked to storyline … graphics were good and fighting system was great but no storyline so im going to have to defend VII and if VII is remade then the next one’s should be VIII and X… both would be over ten years old by the time they were released and those are the three largest fan based ff titles…. and fan base is where to money is….. $$$$$$
man….
Remake of FFVII would be so sweet. I already have a ps3… and if they said they’ll make a remake on PS4 for sure… i’ll buy that even if it costs me more than a thousand bucks
i mean….
they can make a remake including “Before Crisis” (haven’t played it) “Crisis Core” (wow.. what a game.. what a protagonist… what a soundtrack… what a storry….)leading to FFVII (no need to commend on that game i guess) ending with Advent Children (for those who haven’t seen it yet.. get it! watch it! love it!). It’d be possible for a Blu Ray to carry that… and if not, they can split it on two… and still have enough space for some extras… like making of, interviews, movies and others
i guess FFVII remake alone wouldn’t satisfy anyone i guess…. and will be torn apart by critics…it’d be boring for those who already played FFVII…although i’d still buy it
but if they combine all FFVII relevant games/movies/what ever(no…. Dirge of cerberus was cool… but didn’t contribute anything to FFVII) they’d make a bad ass game.
Just thinking about Cloud’s Swords (Advent Children) in an actual game brings a smile upon my face.
I mean… a fluent storyline from the beginning to the end would just be the right thing to satisfy a FFVII fan like me.
and it’d bring all pieces together for those who didn’t gather all pieces.
yeah remake vii but the thing is who knows when they started to remake it when they brought out the teaser trailer who knows whether they started to make the game then and then decided to bring the game out at a later date well that’s my opinion who knows whether they have or haven’t
My fear with a remake is that the characters are going to look to human and not anime enough, Add some terrible American voice overs and we will have nothing more then a current Final Fantasy. For this to succeed it needs to be kept more in the anime style, Japanese voice actors and no change to the story!!! Just improve on the graphics, allow full 360 views both in a 1st and 3rd person perspective and amazing fight scene graphics. This is all that is needed
After reading these comments, I’m not sure if anyone is truly a fan like I was/am. First of all, you can’t say FF7 was the best. Its a coin-toss between FF7 and FF3-chrono trigger. Gameplay was very different, but chrono trigger was the shiet. Anyways, if they remade FF7 it would be better, due to the new gameplay style and graphics. Everyone would like to see it in better graphics, because you have to admin a lot of ppl like the game for the story.
Final Fantasy VII is the one of the greatest games of all time. I love the story line, the mini games, the chocobos, just the whole game. If they remade it I would buy it instantly, but I would expect them not to change hardly anything besides the graphics.
I forgot to mention that this game would bring in so much money to lift square enix’s financial problems. I love final fantssy. I will be buy XIII just like I will buy any other final fantasy that will comes out. I bought a PS3 just for Final Fantasy and that how much I love that game. So I hope these games coming out for the PS3 are as good as I hope.
I agree with the masses. Remake Final Fantasy VII. people say it was the story line that made it great. i agree, it did have a great story. But, aside from that the little comedy bits also gave it the edge. like the first time barret cusses you out. or when you are supposed to fall in line while disguised as a shinra soldier on television. making a fool of yourself or blending in. the first time you accidentally stumble upon the flashback of zack and cloud. or when you think all is lost in beneath the gold saucer, or when you first encounter the emerald weapon underwater by mistake. those were great points in the game. people are on here saying ffX was great. i cant fully accept that. basically you hook up with yuna. get a bunch of summons, realize you hate daddy then kick his ass. END. that is nothing in comparison to the plot points in 7. like meeting zacks parents or when you enter the underground cavern where you meet sephiroth and he controls your body to get the black materia. In closing i would hope that if they remade it, they would add to anything that was left undone(i heard some time ago that there were things removed from the original release and thus were stairs leading nowhere and things of that nature.) maybe bonus footage of your encounter with sephiroths mother (not jenova). or more details on how the soldiers were made. Now, go get started square-enix.
What i like the most in FF7 is the story, characters backgrounds, and pretty much everything the game has to offer. i thing it would be great even if they did movies like advent children of the full story all the way from the beginning.
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The best part is how well you get to know the characters in this huge adventure. and all the small details only true fans would discover and share with other fans on forums.
i think some of the missing pieces of the game is what makes it really intresting. the reason why you play the game over and over again and keep doing things different everytime. what you chose to say to some of the characters that result in different outcome. All these choices and things to discover, secret places not marked on the map n all that other stuf… Well! what can i say? When FF7 is out on ps3 i will without doubt buy a ps3 and the game. Hey! You never wondered what it would be like if the world of FF7 was real and you were in Soldier? But ofcourse things were really bad in that world. But there you atleast had a purpose. after playing FF8 and XI online i went straight back to FF7. So there you have it. Remake it and i´ll buy it! ( Long post eh?
ff7 is the best rpg of all time i think they should remake it the store line was grippin and the playabilty was adictiv to say the least . the levelin sistim was ace not had better . played the game on ps1, ps2 snd ps3 and would still play it on the ps4 the graphics arnt as good but the remake would wet any bodes apite
remake it and IX and a few more of the older ones
They should create the whole saga into one game… We are talking blue ray
I believe realesing it for the PS3 would be a better move simply because it would allow them to develope the story more……..It would bring whole new level of reality to the game
When it comes down to it I have to agree with SneakySolidSnake…..this is a great chance for square-enix to fill in the wholes that where in the first game
I think they should release it for the ps3.
I’ve spend hours and hours enjoying the original FFVII.
And i loved the movie Advent children.
And i would buy the new version the minute it’s in stores.
FFVII is the best ,and FFX is on second place.
And i think FFXIII will also be awesome.
Totally do a PS3 Remake!
The graphics now days with some new features into the old game and it would be sick.
They could even combine the original with some of the side stories and Advent Children as ONE game combining most into the most epic game ever! There are still surprisingly some ppl confused about things in that series of FF so i think an overall compilation of the FF VII series in one sickly graphic game would be the most insane ever. I would play it even if it took more then 500 hours to complete.
A huge arsenal of spells, techniques, summonings, and specials/limits and no game could compare
I agree with you, Zack Noctis Cloud, I have really not looked forward to any FF game in this much anticipation since FFVII. I am hyped as heck for my dude Noctis to show up on my screen. With that being said, although I am really looking forward to the FF Versus XIII, nothing could ever beat a PS3 release of FFVII. It would simply be something outstanding. Excellent. Marvellous. Insanely intense. Untouchable. Unequalled. You get the point.
Having a remake of FFVII is one of the top reasons why I bought my PS3. It could very much potentially be the best thing Square-Enix will ever do.
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