ScuzzBlog: Diaries April 2022
Entry 12th April 2022: Post 2: The remake of old gaming classics.
The remake of old gaming classics.
If you can't come up with a new idea then just recycle some of
your old stuff. Seems to be the trend of late. My guess is that
developers of films and games assume those that loved the original
will flock to see a remake. And those fresh to the classic will
enjoy the product for the first time. For me I am not a fan.
I recently purchased Final Fantasy VII Remake and Resident Evil 2
Remake for the PS4. I played both these titles in their original
format back in the late nineties on the PlayStation 1. I always
loved the titles and have the various guides, manuals, magazine
walk thro's and even action figures. For me the games fit suits
the original design and style whilst recognising with the obvious
graphical limitations of the platform.
So my heart was in my mouth when I fired up Final Fantasy VII in
its revised state. Sadly I was not impressed. Sure the story was
rock solid and the main thread was still true to its origins. But
in over describing the content with a way more powerful engine
it managed to destroy my own preconception and descriptive of the
game. The characters were not as I imagined, particularly Aerith.
Specific issues relate to combat triggers which if you have played
Final Fantasy are core to the game and keep you guessing as to
when combat is initiated. In the new game, mobs are simply visible
on the ground and there are no triggers that randomly spawn.
Next up is the problem with the combat system which simply just
doesn't work. You can't have a turn based system running within
a real time action event. I am forever being collapsed on by the
character menus for them to interact when my main character is
just about to inflict a critical blow. Better would have been
an ATB filler cycling system as with Lightning Returns.
Final Fantasy VII is not the whole story and they have broken it
down in parts. This first part takes us up to the falling of the
Plate and the rescue of Aerith. Consequently there is a mass of
padding and the introduction of mind numbing boring quests.
Whilst the graphics were excellent and the descriptive content
simply breathtaking they have failed to capture the mood and feel
of the original game. What is worse is that some of the characters
have become a little annoying and irritating. For me Aerith has
none of the calming strengths of the original and it ruins the
magic of the game for me.
I played the whole game and have rerun many of the chapters. I
did so much want this to work, but it has not. The developers
would have been better served by creating a new later version of
the game focussing all their resources into a modern new game with
a new story. As for Final Fantasy VII just make a film like as
with Advent Children. I'd watch that.
I started to play Resident Evil and immediately ran into the
same issues. I have placed that game on pause.
I spent way too much time playing Nier Automata and thoroughly
enjoyed my time with 2B and 9S. That is a truly original piece of
work and should be applauded. I really do hope they never like
ever try to make an upgraded version. Just a newer one.
Anyhoo I was reading up on what number of games the average gamer
buys these days for a given platform and discovered the figure to
be as low as nine. If you take the number of games sold and divide
by the number of consoles sold you can generate a figure. I have
had the PS4 for a little over a month and now have four games.
Only a handful more to go ... That may be a struggle finding a
fistful that I will play. Probably, Detroit, Hitman, FIFA, Lara,
FF15 and maybe GTA or Uncharted. Dunno yet.
My fingers and thumbs are all numb and in need of a rest. I swear
I will get back to the retro soon. Or not. We'll see.
Happy days.
The remake of old gaming classics.
If you can only see this CONTENT window
then click the image above for the full site
Last updated 12th April 2022
Chandraise Kingdom
Keep the Faith
scuzzscink 2022