Excellent time to be a FF fan

[Samias]

For the FFXIV fans out there, we're also getting a major content patch on February 23rd. Sephirot battle HYPE

[ChibiCommander]

the final fantasy VII thing thats being made is not a remake, its a re-imagining but yes there is alot of great final fantasy stuff coming out soon

This is what I am sort of worried about. Me being a classic gamer, I enjoy the original game a lot, and from what I know the gameplay of FF VII remake is going to be like XV, not saying XV is bad, but I have yet to try it. Also the fact it's going to be released in "episodes", makes me think of it being released in sections like the .//Hack games, which means it may or may not be hard to get each section of the game. Also I hope they don't deviate too much from the original plot. Adding some things would be nice, but hey, the original is best. A remake of the original with just enhanced new graphics and some new things like a Bestiary would be enough to make me squeel. But yah...we'll see how it goes.

[Life]

This is what I am sort of worried about. Me being a classic gamer, I enjoy the original game a lot, and from what I know the gameplay of FF VII remake is going to be like XV, not saying XV is bad, but I have yet to try it. Also the fact it's going to be released in "episodes", makes me think of it being released in sections like the .//Hack games, which means it may or may not be hard to get each section of the game. Also I hope they don't deviate too much from the original plot. Adding some things would be nice, but hey, the original is best. A remake of the original with just enhanced new graphics and some new things like a Bestiary would be enough to make me squeel. But yah...we'll see how it goes.

I support the entire removal of Aeris from the plot.

[eclipse]

They'd have to completely redo the game to remove Aeris. I'm fond of her, but I'd much rather have her as a straight-up NPC.

[Life]

They'd have to completely redo the game to remove Aeris. I'm fond of her, but I'd much rather have her as a straight-up NPC.

Not really. GJ put forth an excellent explanation of how you can get rid of Aeris but here's a post of mine from 3.5 years ago on this forum detailing the issue with both Aeris and Sephiroth. These are issue that I hope are changed because if they're not, this remake/reimagining will not be very good storywise.

The real problem with Aeris is that she suffers from "forgotten character syndrome". She's important for some time (Midgar), is completely forgotten about for the rest of the game until you get to that weird temple with Cait Sith does his shit (the "I'm a robot and I'm sorry for selling you out" scene). Then she's magically important again until she dies. Of course, that's what happens when you have 7+2 questors in your party but can only use 3 to fight with.

Now, this wouldn't be a problem if she had a personality. But she's really made of cardboard. She truly has nothing to add to the party at any given moment (on a storyline view). Go play the game over and pay close attention from Kalm onwards. Aeris just isn't that terribly interesting or important.

The problem with FFVII is that they do this with a lot of their characters through the first disc (couldn't be assed to play through the second and onwards). Red XIII and Cait Sith suffer the same problem (minus the lack of personality) because they're basically not speaking unless spoken to or Cait Sith's betraying you. They're all forgotten characters essentially. In fact, if we substituted Cait Sith (Reeve to be honest) or Red XIII into the death scene instead of Aeris, people would be acting the same. Why? Because GJ already said it best. It's a shock death. It's not profound because it's Aeris (I actually was happy that the bitch died but that's me) but because SOMEONE died.

Unfortunately for the series, the forgotten character syndrome happens a lot from this point on. FF8 with Irvine and Quistis (I'm tempted to throw in Zell and Selphie but that would be lying), FF9 with Freya, FF10 with Lulu and Kimahri... these are characters who just aren't important unless spoken to. FF7 just set that trend.

My personal opinion on 7? Eh... story is a bitch to get through in my opinion. The game just personally bores me and I feel like I go places for no absolute reason. I prefer 5/6/9 over it in that respect. Every place that I go in one of those games has a purpose. Especially 6 (the ultimate "let's fuck around" game) because after Darill's Tomb, the game actually tells you to go fuck around until you want to pound Kefka's face in.

Also, on the case of villains, I will say that Seph doesn't even hit top 5 FF villains. Yes, it's true. Kefka, Kuja, Exdeath (only because he actually succeeds), Seymour and Jecht are above him. Exdeath is the only one that Seph might be cooler than but that being said, Exdeath did destroy the world complete and sorta killed your party.

As for the rest, pretty simple to explain.

Kefka - The only villain that 100% succeeds with his plan. Not to mention that Kefka is just straight up awesome and has the single greatest final boss music ever.

Jecht - His personality is really well done and keeps FF10 from being a snoozefest with the Tidus/Yuna relationship.

Seymour - That bug that just doesn't go away. Forget Shinra, this guy is the mother of all conspirators.

Kuja - The only villain who actually manages to kill your party 100% dead. That fight with Necron? Yeah, Zidane and co. are actually not living for it.

EDIT: I FOUND IT! Over 5 years old and I managed to find it. I'll spoiler this shit for easy reading.

[spoiler=GJ's rant about Aeris and how to eliminate her from the plot]

Galuf's death was 10 times more meaningful than this, and yet Aeris's death is the one everyone remembers. Why? Aeris was just some random flower girl who lived in a run down church that the "hero" happened to have a crush on. "We went on a date, now the world's over with her dead". That is, if that event actually happened that way.

Then we have Galuf, who's not only been with the group for the start of this crazy adventure, not only traveled to another different friggin' planet with, not only saved the group from a sorcerer so powerful (despite how stupid easy his fortress was to break into and escape from) that he could merge 2 worlds together AND open up AND manipulate The Void to his discresion, but he saves the group from dying directly from the hands of said sorcerer, sacrificing himself in the process. He was so dead that the group even TRIED to revive him, and nothing would work.

Galuf also had that uhh, what's the word I'm looking for, a personality. He was a king, yet only really by name as the guy preferred going out on an adventure that warrented going for (such as riding a meteor to...Whatever the first world of FF5 was called, the Dawn Warrior thing, etc.), knowing to answer the call when duty calls, and even despite memory loss knew he had a great responsibility to uphold for many reasons. Goofy guy in his own right, he was well-humored and easy to get along with. Let's look at Aeris. Innocent...Uhhh...Comes from nowhere...Barely has anything actually tying her to the plot, until a plot point drops a bomb on us that makes her suddenly very important...Hero seems to like her a lot, despite not having much reason to actually be attracted to her since she doesn't seem to do much, and there being reason to prefer others/be a bit disturbed by her (having Cloud cross dress to rescue Tifa, despite A. Tifa actually was able to help herself as she says when you rescue her, if you weren't the one chosen it's more apparent since she just bursts into Don's room, and B. It's not like Cloud couldn't have just burst in with Aeris's aid, since even alone Cloud was able to take on...Every single one of them. There's also the fact he's not only known Tifa basically forever, but Tifa even looks out for the guy (even going so far as to restore sense in his head during that weird...mako part), while Aeris is just...A giggling smile of innocence he happens to run into. We can't even say Cloud went the shallow route and went with Aeris for looks, cause let's face it Tifa's smokin').

I would have preferred if Aeris was not in the game. What have we lost? Spoilers because the bit is long, AND perhaps covers points later in the game not yet shown by the player.

-What reason would they have had to go up the Shinra Tower?

What, is the president having part of the upper disk crushing their long had home not enough? I'm sure Barret would have been pissed as hell, thinking screw bombing hte rest of the reactors and go straight for the president.

-What about the Zack plot point?

Zack had bearing on the plot? He was just some dude Cloud thought was himself, the end. Without Aeris, all we miss was Aeris having a hissy-fit when Cloud confronted her about it.

-How would they have understood what was going on in the Temple of the Ancients?

Well, Sephy did say Cloud had Jenova Cells in him, which seem like a completely bullshit plot point just introduced for simplicity (much like Blood Contracts). IF they perhaps hinted that Cloud had some strange connection witht he Ancients themselves (such as through bits of Jenova in him), he could have perhaps "heard voices".

-Hurrdurr, what about the hero's love interest?

Well, it could be basically whoever aside from Red, Cait, Cid or Vincent, but why not Tifa? There's like...No reason it shouldn't be, if there has to be a "default" one.

-What about the Holy Materia

Ahh yes, the entire reason Aeris is even in this game. That's a toughie, because...Holy is important. Perhaps they'd have to find it, where materia is naturally made (like in Mt. Nibel). It would be used differently, since at first they'd have no idea on how to use it, since like how it was with Aeris using it, it would be useless. As they try to find how to use it, all hell breaks loose as they know, they finally learn how when Tia and Cloud go into the lifestream, and to do that they must go to the heart of the planet where all mako originates. Thus, where the final battle takes place, where Sephiroth is planning to absorb all the mako as it "heals the planet's wounds".

I have effectively found a way around including Aeris in, and we have lost little. Man I have a lot of time on my hands.

So yeah, end of rant. Though while I'm being so stuck on the subject, I think it's time to do some shameless self-advertising. I should be getting a PS3 reletively soon, how many of you would enjoy a playthrough from me trying to efficiently play through FF7, 8 and 9? Yes, I'm including 8, due to a bit of a childhood connection since in retrospect I don't actually think it's a good game.

Edited February 14, 2016 by John Barrowman