i thought the convoluted, obtuse way the story was written was due to plain marketability and cowardliness. Nothing is set in stone, and every posible actual consequences are dodge by never committing… thus you can keep dragging all the character to the final game and sell more t-shirts
Very good point. I doubt the creative team for this trilogy planned out the story for all three games ahead of time. People didn’t like the whispers in the first game, so the whispers have a reduced presence in Rebirth. Doubtless they’re gauging fan feedback to the ending to see how to handle Aerith in part 3.
@@RushHourWeekend maybe we will see some actual steaks in the third one… cause is da finale? i don’t think they’ll actually kill anyone, cause they will all have happy endings… but maybe they’ll expand even more in their personalities. pls pls pls do not make ma boi Cid dirty and sanitize him. He’s a fowl mouth sky pirate and the way i like him :(
I agree that they're being non-committal. Although I wouldn't call them complete charlatans. Kitase has been dealing with this existential stuff for a long time, and Rebirth presents some fully-formed metaphysical concepts.
Certainly felt that way in the back half with the white whispers guiding Tifa once she was swallowed by the weapon. Really wish they’d put these things to rest instead of doubling down on them.
That’s a great question. So the most common complaints I’ve seen are that Vaan sucks as a protagonist (my perspective is that he’s not great but I think he’s a good player insert into the world), that Basch should’ve been the main character, and that combat is too automated with the gambits system. I think most complaints stem from the umbrella, blanket reason that the game is different. With Final Fantasy, up through 10, you could reasonably predict what each experience would be like. There was an established formula each one adhered to. Tactics was a hit with fans because it wasn’t a numbered entry, and the genre was written right there in the title: tactics. If you don’t like tactics games, you skip it. Easy. But really, if you consider the political backdrop of the storyline, and the tactical elements of combat, FF12 really isn’t all that different from Tactics. Starting with 11, people started to turn on the series because the formula was changed. You’ve got this traditionally single player series with open environments and turn-based gameplay and now there’s an mmo (11), now there’s real-time combat with AI programming (12), now there’s a linear world with no direct party member control (13). This was the era where people turned on the series for not sticking to what made Final Fantasy popular. Then, with 14, we entered a new era where modern fans have come to appreciate these entries for being different. We saw the release of Zodiac Age, and a ton of players came to realize what they were missing out on. If FF12 were released for the first time today, it would be celebrated. It came out during a time where fans wanted a traditional game, especially after 11, and that negative reception kinda stuck with some players for a long time. I’m not speaking for everyone, and I’m sure someone’s gonna say they hate 12 because of XYZ reasons, but from what I’ve seen from the fanbase over the years, I genuinely think the poor reception at the time was because it was different. If it were called Final Fantasy: Ivalice, I think fans would’ve been more forgiving. If Lost Odyssey was titled Final Fantasy XII, it would’ve been a smash hit instead of the cult classic that it is. Fans place too much power in words.
Sakaguchi and Nomura came up with the original story for VII. Also Nojima said he studied Jung and Yogacara Buddhism to make the story for rebirth. Hope this helps.
I knew I read before that Sakaguchi came up with the original story concept for FF7. For all his recognition as a great director and producer, I think Sakaguchi’s biggest strength is storytelling, at least to my tastes. And his departure left a giant hole in Square’s writing department, which remains unfilled. At least his work at Mistwalker has been consistently good.
I didn’t understand ff16. Seemed like alot was going on with the fast forwarding of time and what not. Ff7 remake and rebirth are good, but I can see why people who never played OG ff7 may be confused as to the endings of remake and rebirth.
I think there are two time skips in FF16. I was enjoying the story up until the second time skip. Before that point, the story had a lot of great political intrigue going on. Then the devs remembered that it needed to have a more Final Fantasy-esque story, so they tossed out all of that effort. If FF16 didn’t make concessions to fit within the Final Fantasy mold, it would’ve been much better.
13:57 that is not gonna get cut out at all. It’s going to “properly” get resolved in the third part. and will probably balloon into probably the ultimate mind blow overly complicated weirdness because the next part is the most story that it could actually be
Honestly, I don’t think even the third game is going to resolve all of the plot points introduced here. Square set up the story so that they can make endless sequels because now there are multiple dimensions, which they can use to justify everything as being canon.
@@RushHourWeekend I don’t think it’s gonna go beyond three parts even if there’s like oh 20 more things that we need to resolve it’s not gonna be profitable this game kind of performs pretty below expectations and imagine them putting like the exact same amount of effort that they did for this game like it had 100s of mini games every character was they also had unique animations very high-quality attack animations and it’s still performs at least below 5 million units sold. I can only see this going on for at least just one more game.
Rebirth is a great game with some frustrating flaws so I'm looking forward to see if they can really iron out the funny stuff and put together a truly cohesive game for the final part
If Square can make Cid and Vincent as fun to fight with as Tifa and Yuffie, I think I’ll be satisfied with the game no matter which direction they take the story in. I’m in it for the combat, minigames, and fun character interactions.
Rebirth is so bloated and filled with maximalist game design. 50+ markers on the map that just feel like im going through a checklist. As a result, running through the world feels like a chore, and there isnt much inherent desire to progress besides seeing the next pretty cutscene and fighting a cool enemy. The story is a whole other mess as well.
The way exploration was handled feels very formulaic. I’ve never been a fan of climbing towers, lighting up objectives on the map, running to the new points of interest and partaking in the same 4-5 activities. It’s played out and safe. I’d like to see some innovation here. Kinda the same deal with Tears of the Kingdom, which I think many people were disappointed to see. But for me, the gameplay in both Rebirth and Zelda is engaging enough that the exploration activities don’t really bother me. They’re for the first-time playthrough when you want to do everything, but you can still have fun on a replay by ignoring them. That was my experience with hard mode in Rebirth. Don’t get me wrong, I want exploration to be fun. It is a problem in Rebirth, no doubt. If I viewed Rebirth as an adventure game first and foremost, it wouldn’t be a good game. But as an action rpg with a side of Mario Party, I really like it.
Rebirth actually helped me to understand padding a bit better because, like you said, it can be entertaining. It really depends on your tastes. I like minigames, so finding a new one every hour in Rebirth was an enjoyable experience.
Glenn is from First Soldier. But First Soldier got cancelled so the only way to know anything about it is if you are playing/watching the FF7 Gatcha game.
Ah, that explains it. I figured he must’ve been from a gacha or manga or something that’s not a mainline game, because Rebirth treats this character as someone we should already be familiar with.
I love the points made about 16. The worst part about the game to me that makes it impossible to replay is that there is no progression at all. You have a single moveset that you unlock and you never change your base moveset again. Then there’s no elements affinity and basically 3 enemy types. And don’t even get me started on the disappointing story. Too many people were in the honeymoon stage and took 0 criticisms about the game.
FF16 has the right action game fundamentals (attack cancels, parry, dodge i-frames) but never incentivizes you to make the most of that skillset because the challenge is nonexistent. Just dodge through everything because your i-frame window is enormous. The “Final Fantasy” mode is a joke that never encourages you to switch up your strategies like a proper hard mode should. Why bother with having this eikon skill tree when you can refund all of your points at will, for free? (Same exact issue with Rebirth’s skill tree) There’s no commitment to a build. Imagine if you played Demon’s Souls but you can refund your levels for free whenever you want. Having to commit to build would encourage replay value. But of course, the eikon distribution is so terrible that they couldn’t incorporate any build permanency because you don’t get two of the eikons until the very end. Why have a crafting system for weapons when there’s no elemental affinities, no attack type properties, no eikon scaling, nothing? Just equip the highest damage sword at all times. And to have most accessories just modify specific ability damage or specific cooldown reduction feels so boring. FF12’s accessories grant you skills. FF9’s equipment teaches you abilities. FF10’s weapons come with specific properties. FF7 Rebirth’s accessories function as maxed-out materia. The RPG elements are the flimsiest they’ve ever been in this series, and the pacing and balance are completely inappropriate for a proper action game.
I appreciate you making a video and making your opinion known and the effort you put into this video but I heard so many dogwater takes in the first 20 minutes I can't possibly take it seriously. Good luck in the future.
I know my thoughts about Square Enix go against the grain at times, and I’m gonna lose people that really enjoy games like FF14 or Kingdom Hearts, but that’s just how my tastes align. Thanks for watching.
Oh wow, I didn’t know that. Looked it up just now. Teruki Endo, he was a game designer for RE5 and lead game designer for Monster Hunter World. That guy knows his shit, those are great games. Man, Capcom lost a lot of talent. Itsuno left this year, and Ryota Suzuki left to work on FF16, so whoever takes the reins for Devil May Cry has their work cut out for them.
4 years later and we’re still hearing the same tired old arguments? Come on. We got to spend so much more time getting to know Midgar than we did in og. Why is this a bad thing? Criticize the game for the occasional jarring dialogue and stilted delivery, or make a rational argument if you’re gonna criticize it.
For all the time spent in Midgar in Remake, we didn’t really see a whole lot that was new. Sure, you go to the upper plate to visit Jessie’s parents (with a ton of forced walking), and some new characters were introduced like Roche and Kyrie (whose arcs didn’t go anywhere in Remake), but most of the game consists of the same locations as the original, just stretched out. I wanted to explore more sectors, explore a better vertical slice of the city, see and do new things. Learning more about the doomed Avalanche members’ backstories doesn’t really interest me when I know these characters don’t matter much in the grand scheme of things. It’s a matter of pacing, and Remake just feels very slow. The Remake couldn’t decide between having a new experience or retelling the same story. Instead, it settled on a middle ground, so it is neither faithful to the original, nor is it a wholly fresh experience. It’s a compromise that tries to please as wide a group as possible, but doesn’t really excel at anything in terms of storytelling. Gameplay wise, the combat and boss fights are great.
Yeh the story and world build is just Kingdomtrash7 now. Bet Nomura ego reach skyhigh in this game. I disagree 16 is more fun in actions for me story is also hold it own, Atleast it not childish stupid multiverse. But yeh Im not hardcore A rpg fan maybe Im not understand their dept. But i love it more than trash FF7R, Atleast it try something new. 7R and ATB that you said about CD is also boring old to me. Nomura wrote some part of FF7 original. barret scene with Dyne are good here???? Seriously? Original Dyne are 10000000* better.
16 did start off with a really great story. I was hesitant to buy the game until I tried the demo, where the story in the intro really hooked me. It’s too bad once the second time skip happens the story completely falls apart, but the tone of the story certainly feels more mature - and not just because of the swearing and killing. The Dyne scene in Rebirth, I mentioned this in another comment, but I think both versions are great. The original is simple, quiet, and brief, and that lends the scene a more solemn and haunting feel, especially with the wind sounds blowing the entire time. Rebirth goes completely over-the-top with melodramatic theatrics, and I think it’s a powerful scene in a different way. The expression on Dyne’s face when he sees the picture of Marlene, Barret tossing his gun on the floor saying go ahead and shoot, these images stuck with me. But yeah, completely understand why fans wouldn’t like the change.
What is a problem with this game is the absurd padding. The best aspect, the combat, if often ignored for hours. The story is garbage, I agree, but the worst is the ambiguity in the air "after all this shit, will they have the balls to change it?". They surely haven't responded this question and anything they'll do in part 3 will upset fans, I'm sure. If you don't have the balls to do a faithful remake like the golden standard for a remake, the first Resident Evil, at least have the balls to decide if you want to change everything and make a cohesive game. This indecisiveness is the ultimate crap and it's just poor marketing for the final part which the story will suck anyway. I don't think they'll change anything in the end, the writers are just gonna sound like confusing cowards.
Interesting that you bring up REmake, because for a while I attributed its success to the same director of the original (Mikami) being involved with it. Usually remakes have different directors and that results in a misguided game. But with 7 Remake, Kitase, Nomura, and Nojima all had a hand with the original game. So I’m kind of at a loss for words as to why they are intent on changing the story so much.
@@RushHourWeekendMe too, but now I see that it's all a question of time and sincerity. Mikami and the team saw what they did in 1996, the success, but didn't like the result 100% because they knew the hardware was limited and they had to cut several ideas. He really wanted to make a Remake that looked like he implemented some of those ideas, improved the atmosphere but stayed faithful to the original, because it was a milestone anyway, and did it after 6 years in 2002. These new Remakes, even when they have the caution to make it look like a work that won't thrash the original, are done in a sanitized, monetized and problematic era where these guys are old boomers ashamed of their former works and forced by higher ups to adapt these games to "modern audiences" and the way the money goes.
I genuinely don't know if I'm a hypocrite but for me I played more FF16 that Remake. Remke I gave up after the infamous weaponized cringe- Roche who came after like a terribly poor level- the factory. FF16 even tho the action combat isn't difficult or developed enough, tho it's not an RPG at all, moment to moment it's fun...BUT I almost also gave up bcuz of the cuscuses. They are soooo long that, I kid you not, at one point I realized I could start doing workouts while watching the 'movies'. I did everything- warmups ,pushup, crunch, dumbbells, yoga, qi gong full sets. I got soo excited to get rolling only for it to get iced for an hour. Rebirth I've hear form critics and reliable people that it's better, that they were tying to correct form last time. But I just still have flashback of Roche monologues and Wedge's ASS. You are kinda turning me over tho.
The thing about FF16’s story is that I didn’t mind the cutscenes and pacing for a while because I was genuinely invested in the story… up until the true villain was revealed. Game fell off a cliff at that point and never recovered, so yeah, when you lose interest in the story the lengthy cutscenes become agonizing. As for Rebirth, everything bad about Remake is still bad in Rebirth, but the gameplay is much more entertaining, and the world is more fun to explore.
More doesn't equal better, in my eyes it's worse because there's too many games out there as it is. The way I see it, Rebirth is everything wrong with modern gaming, too much bloat, a combat system that has really questional design choices like Stagger gauges and enemies that feel like HP sponges, a game that is reliant on a classic to garner the attention of the masses so they can cash in on nostalgia, a game that has lots of stuff to attract mass appeal at the expense of fleshing out the core experience. I find it crazy how you can say that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has a better combat system than Kingdom Hearts, sure it may have a better combat system than KH 1, BBS and 3 but saying that it's a better combat than Kingdom Hearts II is a pretty hot take if you ask me. KH2 might have its problems but there's a lot going on with that combat system than most people give it credit for and is without a doubt Square-Enix's best attempt at an action game by far since it features so many nuances that makes it stand out which are particularly noticable in Final Mix (because the stuff that version of the game adds is more demanding).
So, stagger is something that I've seen people rag on in recent years. A properly-implemented stagger system (like what you see in Nioh 2, Stranger in Paradise, and 7 Rebirth) makes combat more dynamic. There are phases when the advantage shifts between you and the enemy. When the enemy isn't staggered, you need to play more cautiously. When they are nearing their stagger limit you can exhaust your more powerful options as a burst to break that threshold. A more advanced player can time a stagger to interrupt an enemy's more dangerous attacks. Enemies having vulnerable states isn't anything new. The stagger bar is a visual aid. Kingdom Hearts 2 uses a similar mechanic with "revenge values," but in that case the bar is invisible. There's a threshold when the enemy will break free from your combo, at which point you need to lay off the extreme offense. This back and forth is just one part of what makes action games so satisfying. You need to learn when to push forward and pull back. I am by no means a Kingdom Hearts expert (or fan) and have only played the games once through. It's been many years since I've touched KH2 so getting into a more in-depth discussion about its mechanics is beyond me, but my major gripe with that game has to do with its context sensitive reaction commands. I much prefer having access to my full suite of skills at any given time, rather than the options changing dependent on the circumstances.
@@RushHourWeekend The reaction commands are there for casuals who just want to button mash, they are by no means required to engage with. If you want to explore the entire combat system, you'll probably never use them because there are better ways to play the game, the reaction commands just make things a little easier for those who don't want to engage with the whole system. It's more efficient to utilize magic and your abilities. I never cared for the stagger gauge mainly for the fact that It just feels unnatural compared to the usual back and forth that your typical action game has. The back and forth is supposed to feel natural, it makes you feel like you are in an actual fight. Stuff like the Cerberus fight in DMC3 where hitting its paws enough will force him into a vulnerable state feels natural, you're not filling up a gauge, you're focusing in on an area of an enemy, plus you don't actually have to do it either, it's an option. While Stagger gauges aren't an inherent dealbreaker for me as they do show up in games like YS VIII, the thing is that I find the FF7 remake and rebirth rely on them so much due to how the enemies and bosses are extremely spongey with their hit points unless you stagger them, then you can actually deal some decent damage.
The stagger system is there to prevent you from spamming bread n butter moves over and over again. You cant simply add pressure on enemies (and build stagger bar) by spamming moves. Each enemy has their own mechanic. Thats why some fights like Rufus are hella frustrating for those who dont pay attention to the mechanics. The main problem is you treat FF7r like an action game, when in fact it plays much more like the original FF7 ATB system. The auto atk in this game is borderline useless, blocking only reduce the dmg, and the dodge doesnt even have an . The game (including the stagger system) revolves on how to spend the ATB bar strategically, than the actual action gameplay.
I think party members can be good in action RPGs if they have specific roles to fill. So like the Ys series, characters specialize in an affinity (slash, blunt, pierce) and you swap quickly between them in real time to strike enemy weaknesses, plus each character can have 4 abilities equipped at a time. It’s an efficient way to switch between different movesets without entering/exiting menus. For a pure action game like Ninja Gaiden, I think party members are not the way to go. Your core moveset has more than enough depth to carry the game. But for RPGs, a genre where flexibility and customization are the highlights? Having passive party members just feels wasteful.
@@RushHourWeekend for something like Monster Hunter, party member is pretty annoying for me since the game revolves around reading enemy behavior. Monsters switching targets can easily ruin your well planned attack.
I think the sweet spot for Monster Hunter is playing with one friend. A party of four is too chaotic for my liking. Unless you’re talking about the ai companions like the felynes and shakalakas, or the ai human companions in Rise, in which case… yeah, they can trip you up sometimes, but I think they certainly make the fights easier overall. In Rise they lay traps, fire flashbangs, and heal you like crazy.
@@RushHourWeekend well my best experience with multiplayer in Monster Hunter is when I fought this Ukanlos quest 4u. I tried it multiple times with 4 people and I ended up failing the hunt for many many tries. One day I somehow finished it with only me and one random person. He isnt really the best player(and so am I) and we managed to beat this annoying ukanlos quest without dying. Proving your point is that 4 people is just too chaotic.
I don’t think I said this explicitly in the video, but I’ve come to accept that the story for this series will never be good, and disconnecting my experience from the story is what let me enjoy the game. I can still enjoy the character interactions, and of course the gameplay is great, but because I have zero interest in the storyline at this point, I don’t really care about the direction it’s being steered in. Although I still hope they give Cid some grit back in part 3. At least give the man a damn cigarette.
@@RushHourWeekend That's fair. Though for me, disconnecting the story from Final Fantasy is like having a hot dog without a sausage. It becomes something else wholly unsatisfying. And when it comes to characters... what they did to Red XIII is... I don't have any words for it that RUclips would not censor. Or Dyne, who had an extremely talented Japanese voice actor, but got the story dumbed down to two words that define the entirety of this games story. "Shinra Bad" The one good thing I will say is that they made Cait Sith fit in to the setting much better than I would have imagined. It isn't exactly an easy character to translate over cohesively from the old cartoony style into this new, more realistic, style.
@@RushHourWeekend Oh, and don't sell yourself short. You did say "The main plot of this game is so bad." ;) (As in, you did say how bad it is, and deserve credit for doing so.)
The whole Dyne arc, I understand why people prefer the original. In the original, his death is a lot more solemn. There’s no music playing, you just hear the wind, and you get this calm, brief exchange with a man that’s given up on the world. Rebirth, by comparison, is a lot more melodramatic, but the acting is good, and I like the intensity of the scene. It’s different, and you’re meant to feel more sympathy for this character. Doesn’t replace the original, nothing in Remake/Rebirth does, but on its own merits it’s an effective, emotional scene. I think you can draw parallels to Aerith’s death, with the original being brief and solemn and Rebirth making it over the top. Rebirth tries too hard to make a spectacle out of every scene, not realizing that the simple, quiet moments are sometimes the most powerful.
@@RushHourWeekend Precisely. The remakes have all the subtlety of a bazooka to the face. Remember that one guy with a roman numeral tattoo in the sector 6 slums that you could easily miss because he was in a dilapidated pipe, well now he has his own mandatory cut scene. Remember Eligor, the secret mini-boss in the train graveyard, now he has a mandatory dungeon and boss battle. The Midgar Zolom was practically unbeatable, and you were intended to avoid it once you learned your lesson, but now its mandatory, and for some ret@rded reason Sephiroth saves the day. Remember finding Hojo at Costa Del Sol that you could completely ignore or miss. Now there is a questline, cutscenes, fights, and anything but dangling keys to keep the player interested. For crying out loud, Vincent and Yuffie were secret characters that you could miss. And just about every instance of this can be explained away with the developers following the moronic principles of either "Sephiroth = Cool" or "Shinra = Bad." These new games truly do not understand what made the original so great. They even managed to F'd up the music. Example, Vincent's theme "The Nightmare's Beginning" originally had a strange instrument playing the core melody. Something like a music box which gave it a certain level or mystique and somberness. Now it's just a guitar. Arguably the most common and overused instrument in the entire western world. How!? How does one F things up so badly. Don't get me wrong though. I'm not arguing against you here. I'm just venting my frustration with this piece of... as Barret would say "$%&$#"
I loved the story and ending
i thought the convoluted, obtuse way the story was written was due to plain marketability and cowardliness. Nothing is set in stone, and every posible actual consequences are dodge by never committing… thus you can keep dragging all the character to the final game and sell more t-shirts
Very good point. I doubt the creative team for this trilogy planned out the story for all three games ahead of time. People didn’t like the whispers in the first game, so the whispers have a reduced presence in Rebirth. Doubtless they’re gauging fan feedback to the ending to see how to handle Aerith in part 3.
@@RushHourWeekend maybe we will see some actual steaks in the third one… cause is da finale? i don’t think they’ll actually kill anyone, cause they will all have happy endings… but maybe they’ll expand even more in their personalities.
pls pls pls do not make ma boi Cid dirty and sanitize him. He’s a fowl mouth sky pirate and the way i like him :(
I agree that they're being non-committal. Although I wouldn't call them complete charlatans. Kitase has been dealing with this existential stuff for a long time, and Rebirth presents some fully-formed metaphysical concepts.
@@RushHourWeekendhonestly I almost feel we had MORE Whispers in Rebirth versus Remake
Certainly felt that way in the back half with the white whispers guiding Tifa once she was swallowed by the weapon. Really wish they’d put these things to rest instead of doubling down on them.
Good video and good job!! I disagree with a few points but overall great work. I subscribed so looking forward to more game analysis
They gave moogles the Sonic the Hedgehog treatment (before they redesigned him)
Great comparison. I still think FF9 has the best moogle designs.
Finally someone recognizes the greatness that is FFXII
Not just my favorite Final Fantasy, but one of my favorite pieces of media ever.
@@RushHourWeekend I haven't watched your review yet saved in my watch later..but why was fan reception so negative?
That’s a great question. So the most common complaints I’ve seen are that Vaan sucks as a protagonist (my perspective is that he’s not great but I think he’s a good player insert into the world), that Basch should’ve been the main character, and that combat is too automated with the gambits system.
I think most complaints stem from the umbrella, blanket reason that the game is different. With Final Fantasy, up through 10, you could reasonably predict what each experience would be like. There was an established formula each one adhered to. Tactics was a hit with fans because it wasn’t a numbered entry, and the genre was written right there in the title: tactics. If you don’t like tactics games, you skip it. Easy. But really, if you consider the political backdrop of the storyline, and the tactical elements of combat, FF12 really isn’t all that different from Tactics.
Starting with 11, people started to turn on the series because the formula was changed. You’ve got this traditionally single player series with open environments and turn-based gameplay and now there’s an mmo (11), now there’s real-time combat with AI programming (12), now there’s a linear world with no direct party member control (13). This was the era where people turned on the series for not sticking to what made Final Fantasy popular.
Then, with 14, we entered a new era where modern fans have come to appreciate these entries for being different. We saw the release of Zodiac Age, and a ton of players came to realize what they were missing out on. If FF12 were released for the first time today, it would be celebrated. It came out during a time where fans wanted a traditional game, especially after 11, and that negative reception kinda stuck with some players for a long time.
I’m not speaking for everyone, and I’m sure someone’s gonna say they hate 12 because of XYZ reasons, but from what I’ve seen from the fanbase over the years, I genuinely think the poor reception at the time was because it was different. If it were called Final Fantasy: Ivalice, I think fans would’ve been more forgiving. If Lost Odyssey was titled Final Fantasy XII, it would’ve been a smash hit instead of the cult classic that it is. Fans place too much power in words.
Sakaguchi and Nomura came up with the original story for VII.
Also Nojima said he studied Jung and Yogacara Buddhism to make the story for rebirth. Hope this helps.
I knew I read before that Sakaguchi came up with the original story concept for FF7. For all his recognition as a great director and producer, I think Sakaguchi’s biggest strength is storytelling, at least to my tastes. And his departure left a giant hole in Square’s writing department, which remains unfilled.
At least his work at Mistwalker has been consistently good.
I didn’t understand ff16. Seemed like alot was going on with the fast forwarding of time and what not. Ff7 remake and rebirth are good, but I can see why people who never played OG ff7 may be confused as to the endings of remake and rebirth.
I think there are two time skips in FF16. I was enjoying the story up until the second time skip. Before that point, the story had a lot of great political intrigue going on. Then the devs remembered that it needed to have a more Final Fantasy-esque story, so they tossed out all of that effort. If FF16 didn’t make concessions to fit within the Final Fantasy mold, it would’ve been much better.
13:57 that is not gonna get cut out at all. It’s going to “properly” get resolved in the third part. and will probably balloon into probably the ultimate mind blow overly complicated weirdness because the next part is the most story that it could actually be
Honestly, I don’t think even the third game is going to resolve all of the plot points introduced here. Square set up the story so that they can make endless sequels because now there are multiple dimensions, which they can use to justify everything as being canon.
@@RushHourWeekend I don’t think it’s gonna go beyond three parts even if there’s like oh 20 more things that we need to resolve it’s not gonna be profitable this game kind of performs pretty below expectations and imagine them putting like the exact same amount of effort that they did for this game like it had 100s of mini games every character was they also had unique animations very high-quality attack animations and it’s still performs at least below 5 million units sold. I can only see this going on for at least just one more game.
tactics soundtrack is so memorable
Rebirth is a great game with some frustrating flaws so I'm looking forward to see if they can really iron out the funny stuff and put together a truly cohesive game for the final part
If Square can make Cid and Vincent as fun to fight with as Tifa and Yuffie, I think I’ll be satisfied with the game no matter which direction they take the story in. I’m in it for the combat, minigames, and fun character interactions.
Rebirth is so bloated and filled with maximalist game design. 50+ markers on the map that just feel like im going through a checklist. As a result, running through the world feels like a chore, and there isnt much inherent desire to progress besides seeing the next pretty cutscene and fighting a cool enemy. The story is a whole other mess as well.
The way exploration was handled feels very formulaic. I’ve never been a fan of climbing towers, lighting up objectives on the map, running to the new points of interest and partaking in the same 4-5 activities. It’s played out and safe. I’d like to see some innovation here.
Kinda the same deal with Tears of the Kingdom, which I think many people were disappointed to see. But for me, the gameplay in both Rebirth and Zelda is engaging enough that the exploration activities don’t really bother me. They’re for the first-time playthrough when you want to do everything, but you can still have fun on a replay by ignoring them. That was my experience with hard mode in Rebirth.
Don’t get me wrong, I want exploration to be fun. It is a problem in Rebirth, no doubt. If I viewed Rebirth as an adventure game first and foremost, it wouldn’t be a good game. But as an action rpg with a side of Mario Party, I really like it.
My favorite part of ff rebirh is the padding . Padding is not always a bad thing if it keeps you entertained
Rebirth actually helped me to understand padding a bit better because, like you said, it can be entertaining. It really depends on your tastes. I like minigames, so finding a new one every hour in Rebirth was an enjoyable experience.
Well said
Glenn is from First Soldier. But First Soldier got cancelled so the only way to know anything about it is if you are playing/watching the FF7 Gatcha game.
Ah, that explains it. I figured he must’ve been from a gacha or manga or something that’s not a mainline game, because Rebirth treats this character as someone we should already be familiar with.
I love the points made about 16. The worst part about the game to me that makes it impossible to replay is that there is no progression at all. You have a single moveset that you unlock and you never change your base moveset again. Then there’s no elements affinity and basically 3 enemy types. And don’t even get me started on the disappointing story. Too many people were in the honeymoon stage and took 0 criticisms about the game.
FF16 has the right action game fundamentals (attack cancels, parry, dodge i-frames) but never incentivizes you to make the most of that skillset because the challenge is nonexistent. Just dodge through everything because your i-frame window is enormous. The “Final Fantasy” mode is a joke that never encourages you to switch up your strategies like a proper hard mode should.
Why bother with having this eikon skill tree when you can refund all of your points at will, for free? (Same exact issue with Rebirth’s skill tree) There’s no commitment to a build. Imagine if you played Demon’s Souls but you can refund your levels for free whenever you want. Having to commit to build would encourage replay value. But of course, the eikon distribution is so terrible that they couldn’t incorporate any build permanency because you don’t get two of the eikons until the very end.
Why have a crafting system for weapons when there’s no elemental affinities, no attack type properties, no eikon scaling, nothing? Just equip the highest damage sword at all times. And to have most accessories just modify specific ability damage or specific cooldown reduction feels so boring. FF12’s accessories grant you skills. FF9’s equipment teaches you abilities. FF10’s weapons come with specific properties. FF7 Rebirth’s accessories function as maxed-out materia.
The RPG elements are the flimsiest they’ve ever been in this series, and the pacing and balance are completely inappropriate for a proper action game.
I appreciate you making a video and making your opinion known and the effort you put into this video but I heard so many dogwater takes in the first 20 minutes I can't possibly take it seriously. Good luck in the future.
I know my thoughts about Square Enix go against the grain at times, and I’m gonna lose people that really enjoy games like FF14 or Kingdom Hearts, but that’s just how my tastes align. Thanks for watching.
You can't forget about Endo as well ha ues to work at Capcom the same guy that did Resident Evil 5 it's a making Final Fantasy 7 remake
Oh wow, I didn’t know that. Looked it up just now. Teruki Endo, he was a game designer for RE5 and lead game designer for Monster Hunter World. That guy knows his shit, those are great games.
Man, Capcom lost a lot of talent. Itsuno left this year, and Ryota Suzuki left to work on FF16, so whoever takes the reins for Devil May Cry has their work cut out for them.
@@RushHourWeekend we can't forget about Hideki kamiya the director of dmc 1
Gears and Gambits is too polarizing to be a tentpole minigame like Queen's Blood.
4 years later and we’re still hearing the same tired old arguments? Come on. We got to spend so much more time getting to know Midgar than we did in og. Why is this a bad thing?
Criticize the game for the occasional jarring dialogue and stilted delivery, or make a rational argument if you’re gonna criticize it.
For all the time spent in Midgar in Remake, we didn’t really see a whole lot that was new. Sure, you go to the upper plate to visit Jessie’s parents (with a ton of forced walking), and some new characters were introduced like Roche and Kyrie (whose arcs didn’t go anywhere in Remake), but most of the game consists of the same locations as the original, just stretched out. I wanted to explore more sectors, explore a better vertical slice of the city, see and do new things. Learning more about the doomed Avalanche members’ backstories doesn’t really interest me when I know these characters don’t matter much in the grand scheme of things. It’s a matter of pacing, and Remake just feels very slow.
The Remake couldn’t decide between having a new experience or retelling the same story. Instead, it settled on a middle ground, so it is neither faithful to the original, nor is it a wholly fresh experience. It’s a compromise that tries to please as wide a group as possible, but doesn’t really excel at anything in terms of storytelling. Gameplay wise, the combat and boss fights are great.
Yeh the story and world build is just Kingdomtrash7 now.
Bet Nomura ego reach skyhigh in this game.
I disagree 16 is more fun in actions for me story is also hold it own, Atleast it not childish stupid multiverse.
But yeh Im not hardcore A rpg fan maybe Im not understand their dept. But i love it more than trash FF7R, Atleast it try something new.
7R and ATB that you said about CD is also boring old to me.
Nomura wrote some part of FF7 original.
barret scene with Dyne are good here???? Seriously? Original Dyne are 10000000* better.
16 did start off with a really great story. I was hesitant to buy the game until I tried the demo, where the story in the intro really hooked me. It’s too bad once the second time skip happens the story completely falls apart, but the tone of the story certainly feels more mature - and not just because of the swearing and killing.
The Dyne scene in Rebirth, I mentioned this in another comment, but I think both versions are great. The original is simple, quiet, and brief, and that lends the scene a more solemn and haunting feel, especially with the wind sounds blowing the entire time. Rebirth goes completely over-the-top with melodramatic theatrics, and I think it’s a powerful scene in a different way. The expression on Dyne’s face when he sees the picture of Marlene, Barret tossing his gun on the floor saying go ahead and shoot, these images stuck with me. But yeah, completely understand why fans wouldn’t like the change.
What is a problem with this game is the absurd padding. The best aspect, the combat, if often ignored for hours. The story is garbage, I agree, but the worst is the ambiguity in the air "after all this shit, will they have the balls to change it?". They surely haven't responded this question and anything they'll do in part 3 will upset fans, I'm sure. If you don't have the balls to do a faithful remake like the golden standard for a remake, the first Resident Evil, at least have the balls to decide if you want to change everything and make a cohesive game. This indecisiveness is the ultimate crap and it's just poor marketing for the final part which the story will suck anyway. I don't think they'll change anything in the end, the writers are just gonna sound like confusing cowards.
Interesting that you bring up REmake, because for a while I attributed its success to the same director of the original (Mikami) being involved with it. Usually remakes have different directors and that results in a misguided game. But with 7 Remake, Kitase, Nomura, and Nojima all had a hand with the original game. So I’m kind of at a loss for words as to why they are intent on changing the story so much.
@@RushHourWeekendMe too, but now I see that it's all a question of time and sincerity. Mikami and the team saw what they did in 1996, the success, but didn't like the result 100% because they knew the hardware was limited and they had to cut several ideas. He really wanted to make a Remake that looked like he implemented some of those ideas, improved the atmosphere but stayed faithful to the original, because it was a milestone anyway, and did it after 6 years in 2002. These new Remakes, even when they have the caution to make it look like a work that won't thrash the original, are done in a sanitized, monetized and problematic era where these guys are old boomers ashamed of their former works and forced by higher ups to adapt these games to "modern audiences" and the way the money goes.
I genuinely don't know if I'm a hypocrite but for me I played more FF16 that Remake.
Remke I gave up after the infamous weaponized cringe- Roche who came after like a terribly poor level- the factory.
FF16 even tho the action combat isn't difficult or developed enough, tho it's not an RPG at all, moment to moment it's fun...BUT I almost also gave up bcuz of the cuscuses. They are soooo long that, I kid you not, at one point I realized I could start doing workouts while watching the 'movies'. I did everything- warmups ,pushup, crunch, dumbbells, yoga, qi gong full sets. I got soo excited to get rolling only for it to get iced for an hour.
Rebirth I've hear form critics and reliable people that it's better, that they were tying to correct form last time. But I just still have flashback of Roche monologues and Wedge's ASS. You are kinda turning me over tho.
The thing about FF16’s story is that I didn’t mind the cutscenes and pacing for a while because I was genuinely invested in the story… up until the true villain was revealed. Game fell off a cliff at that point and never recovered, so yeah, when you lose interest in the story the lengthy cutscenes become agonizing.
As for Rebirth, everything bad about Remake is still bad in Rebirth, but the gameplay is much more entertaining, and the world is more fun to explore.
More doesn't equal better, in my eyes it's worse because there's too many games out there as it is. The way I see it, Rebirth is everything wrong with modern gaming, too much bloat, a combat system that has really questional design choices like Stagger gauges and enemies that feel like HP sponges, a game that is reliant on a classic to garner the attention of the masses so they can cash in on nostalgia, a game that has lots of stuff to attract mass appeal at the expense of fleshing out the core experience.
I find it crazy how you can say that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has a better combat system than Kingdom Hearts, sure it may have a better combat system than KH 1, BBS and 3 but saying that it's a better combat than Kingdom Hearts II is a pretty hot take if you ask me. KH2 might have its problems but there's a lot going on with that combat system than most people give it credit for and is without a doubt Square-Enix's best attempt at an action game by far since it features so many nuances that makes it stand out which are particularly noticable in Final Mix (because the stuff that version of the game adds is more demanding).
So, stagger is something that I've seen people rag on in recent years. A properly-implemented stagger system (like what you see in Nioh 2, Stranger in Paradise, and 7 Rebirth) makes combat more dynamic. There are phases when the advantage shifts between you and the enemy. When the enemy isn't staggered, you need to play more cautiously. When they are nearing their stagger limit you can exhaust your more powerful options as a burst to break that threshold. A more advanced player can time a stagger to interrupt an enemy's more dangerous attacks.
Enemies having vulnerable states isn't anything new. The stagger bar is a visual aid. Kingdom Hearts 2 uses a similar mechanic with "revenge values," but in that case the bar is invisible. There's a threshold when the enemy will break free from your combo, at which point you need to lay off the extreme offense. This back and forth is just one part of what makes action games so satisfying. You need to learn when to push forward and pull back.
I am by no means a Kingdom Hearts expert (or fan) and have only played the games once through. It's been many years since I've touched KH2 so getting into a more in-depth discussion about its mechanics is beyond me, but my major gripe with that game has to do with its context sensitive reaction commands. I much prefer having access to my full suite of skills at any given time, rather than the options changing dependent on the circumstances.
@@RushHourWeekend The reaction commands are there for casuals who just want to button mash, they are by no means required to engage with. If you want to explore the entire combat system, you'll probably never use them because there are better ways to play the game, the reaction commands just make things a little easier for those who don't want to engage with the whole system. It's more efficient to utilize magic and your abilities.
I never cared for the stagger gauge mainly for the fact that It just feels unnatural compared to the usual back and forth that your typical action game has. The back and forth is supposed to feel natural, it makes you feel like you are in an actual fight. Stuff like the Cerberus fight in DMC3 where hitting its paws enough will force him into a vulnerable state feels natural, you're not filling up a gauge, you're focusing in on an area of an enemy, plus you don't actually have to do it either, it's an option. While Stagger gauges aren't an inherent dealbreaker for me as they do show up in games like YS VIII, the thing is that I find the FF7 remake and rebirth rely on them so much due to how the enemies and bosses are extremely spongey with their hit points unless you stagger them, then you can actually deal some decent damage.
The stagger system is there to prevent you from spamming bread n butter moves over and over again. You cant simply add pressure on enemies (and build stagger bar) by spamming moves. Each enemy has their own mechanic. Thats why some fights like Rufus are hella frustrating for those who dont pay attention to the mechanics.
The main problem is you treat FF7r like an action game, when in fact it plays much more like the original FF7 ATB system. The auto atk in this game is borderline useless, blocking only reduce the dmg, and the dodge doesnt even have an . The game (including the stagger system) revolves on how to spend the ATB bar strategically, than the actual action gameplay.
3:42 hot take. Party member is a big turn off for me in any kind of action game. Its the most fun when you got full aggro.
I think party members can be good in action RPGs if they have specific roles to fill. So like the Ys series, characters specialize in an affinity (slash, blunt, pierce) and you swap quickly between them in real time to strike enemy weaknesses, plus each character can have 4 abilities equipped at a time. It’s an efficient way to switch between different movesets without entering/exiting menus.
For a pure action game like Ninja Gaiden, I think party members are not the way to go. Your core moveset has more than enough depth to carry the game. But for RPGs, a genre where flexibility and customization are the highlights? Having passive party members just feels wasteful.
@@RushHourWeekend for something like Monster Hunter, party member is pretty annoying for me since the game revolves around reading enemy behavior. Monsters switching targets can easily ruin your well planned attack.
I think the sweet spot for Monster Hunter is playing with one friend. A party of four is too chaotic for my liking. Unless you’re talking about the ai companions like the felynes and shakalakas, or the ai human companions in Rise, in which case… yeah, they can trip you up sometimes, but I think they certainly make the fights easier overall. In Rise they lay traps, fire flashbangs, and heal you like crazy.
@@RushHourWeekend well my best experience with multiplayer in Monster Hunter is when I fought this Ukanlos quest 4u. I tried it multiple times with 4 people and I ended up failing the hunt for many many tries. One day I somehow finished it with only me and one random person. He isnt really the best player(and so am I) and we managed to beat this annoying ukanlos quest without dying. Proving your point is that 4 people is just too chaotic.
I absolutely love the original Final Fantasy VII.
I absolutely can not forgive the new remakes because they mutilate the story and the characters.
I don’t think I said this explicitly in the video, but I’ve come to accept that the story for this series will never be good, and disconnecting my experience from the story is what let me enjoy the game. I can still enjoy the character interactions, and of course the gameplay is great, but because I have zero interest in the storyline at this point, I don’t really care about the direction it’s being steered in.
Although I still hope they give Cid some grit back in part 3. At least give the man a damn cigarette.
@@RushHourWeekend That's fair. Though for me, disconnecting the story from Final Fantasy is like having a hot dog without a sausage. It becomes something else wholly unsatisfying.
And when it comes to characters... what they did to Red XIII is... I don't have any words for it that RUclips would not censor.
Or Dyne, who had an extremely talented Japanese voice actor, but got the story dumbed down to two words that define the entirety of this games story. "Shinra Bad"
The one good thing I will say is that they made Cait Sith fit in to the setting much better than I would have imagined. It isn't exactly an easy character to translate over cohesively from the old cartoony style into this new, more realistic, style.
@@RushHourWeekend Oh, and don't sell yourself short. You did say "The main plot of this game is so bad." ;)
(As in, you did say how bad it is, and deserve credit for doing so.)
The whole Dyne arc, I understand why people prefer the original. In the original, his death is a lot more solemn. There’s no music playing, you just hear the wind, and you get this calm, brief exchange with a man that’s given up on the world. Rebirth, by comparison, is a lot more melodramatic, but the acting is good, and I like the intensity of the scene. It’s different, and you’re meant to feel more sympathy for this character. Doesn’t replace the original, nothing in Remake/Rebirth does, but on its own merits it’s an effective, emotional scene.
I think you can draw parallels to Aerith’s death, with the original being brief and solemn and Rebirth making it over the top. Rebirth tries too hard to make a spectacle out of every scene, not realizing that the simple, quiet moments are sometimes the most powerful.
@@RushHourWeekend Precisely. The remakes have all the subtlety of a bazooka to the face.
Remember that one guy with a roman numeral tattoo in the sector 6 slums that you could easily miss because he was in a dilapidated pipe, well now he has his own mandatory cut scene.
Remember Eligor, the secret mini-boss in the train graveyard, now he has a mandatory dungeon and boss battle.
The Midgar Zolom was practically unbeatable, and you were intended to avoid it once you learned your lesson, but now its mandatory, and for some ret@rded reason Sephiroth saves the day.
Remember finding Hojo at Costa Del Sol that you could completely ignore or miss. Now there is a questline, cutscenes, fights, and anything but dangling keys to keep the player interested.
For crying out loud, Vincent and Yuffie were secret characters that you could miss.
And just about every instance of this can be explained away with the developers following the moronic principles of either "Sephiroth = Cool" or "Shinra = Bad."
These new games truly do not understand what made the original so great.
They even managed to F'd up the music. Example, Vincent's theme "The Nightmare's Beginning" originally had a strange instrument playing the core melody. Something like a music box which gave it a certain level or mystique and somberness. Now it's just a guitar. Arguably the most common and overused instrument in the entire western world. How!? How does one F things up so badly.
Don't get me wrong though. I'm not arguing against you here. I'm just venting my frustration with this piece of... as Barret would say "$%&$#"
Sir... you're a connoisseur