Simondear2000
1 review liked by Simondear2000
I wanna preface this by giving some context. I'm a huge Mass Effect fan and while 2 isn't in my personal favorite, I can see why it's hardly regarded. Not only is it a textbook definition of what a sequel should be but set the standard of what a AAA game should offer and was somewhat hopeful in the future for what's to come....
Unfortunately, the game industry did not learn anything from this and went on another direction. While other acclaimed RPG's came by like CDPR's Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, they simply could not fix the itch I had like a Bioware RPG.
I've heard the "try indies and AA games" shouts but even as i try and appreciate what they offer, i just couldn't help but have the feeling that it wasn't the same. It feels terrible to admit it but you can tell where the devs had to cut corners which is unfortunate but the feeling still lingered on.
Every now and then I wish for a studio to just say "fuck it" and create an epic that spams multiple titles and see how it goes. But knowing how cutthroat the industry is, what Bioware did with Mass Effect is an merit on it's own right and should be celebrated but also acknowledging that what they created may never be replicated again...
Until FF7 Remake come along.
Look. I know FF7 Remake is far from an Bioware RPG but the presentation and scale is what made me feel that way in the first place. I'd argue that they have alot of common from it's beautiful writing and memorable characters. While FF7 Remake is a remake of one of the most iconic games of all time, one can see why this would be a safe bet so the risk is as minimum as possible, but on the other hand I take what I can get.
The story of the original game is pretty long even by the standards of the past so envisioning a trilogy of the remake was a good call in the end. I also wanna preface that I will be judging this game on its own merit and not if it's a 1:1 of the original game for the fact that i haven't played the original yet.
With all that out the way I wanna say this game is so phenomenal. One of the things I was wary about if I were to like the gameplay but luckily it became my favorite part of the game. Every encounter felt so exciting cuz I finally get to fight and see what works or not. One critique I have though is that I felt Cloud's attacks felt a bit too spongey or weaker than my party's even with weaker monsters. I know Cloud's supposed to be a super soldier but i feel like I should be able to finish off a Gregon or Warerat in 1 to 2 hits especially in later in the game. Things like that takes me out the immersion but still nothing bothersome.
The story was well paced and was impressed with how many characters they introduced that were memorable. Getting introduced to Cloud as being a mercenary as a way to introduce side quests was clever and honestly were pretty solid which is rare for a JRPG to do. Going around helping little Betty find the cats and going out to the factory to clear out monsters was pretty fun. I forgot to mention but it seems like the devs as well were confident of their combat that you can do virtual simulations and even compete in a colosseum. With clocked in at 40 hours there's plenty of activities that will have you coming back and secrets that I may have missed out on that will get me another playthrough i bet.
The city of Midgar was such a wonderful place be in that leaving made me upset based on the games ending we won't be there for a while. On the other hand there's more to this world that I can't wait to enter once I get my hands on Rebirth. I'm just glad I got to enjoy the ride.
Unfortunately, the game industry did not learn anything from this and went on another direction. While other acclaimed RPG's came by like CDPR's Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, they simply could not fix the itch I had like a Bioware RPG.
I've heard the "try indies and AA games" shouts but even as i try and appreciate what they offer, i just couldn't help but have the feeling that it wasn't the same. It feels terrible to admit it but you can tell where the devs had to cut corners which is unfortunate but the feeling still lingered on.
Every now and then I wish for a studio to just say "fuck it" and create an epic that spams multiple titles and see how it goes. But knowing how cutthroat the industry is, what Bioware did with Mass Effect is an merit on it's own right and should be celebrated but also acknowledging that what they created may never be replicated again...
Until FF7 Remake come along.
Look. I know FF7 Remake is far from an Bioware RPG but the presentation and scale is what made me feel that way in the first place. I'd argue that they have alot of common from it's beautiful writing and memorable characters. While FF7 Remake is a remake of one of the most iconic games of all time, one can see why this would be a safe bet so the risk is as minimum as possible, but on the other hand I take what I can get.
The story of the original game is pretty long even by the standards of the past so envisioning a trilogy of the remake was a good call in the end. I also wanna preface that I will be judging this game on its own merit and not if it's a 1:1 of the original game for the fact that i haven't played the original yet.
With all that out the way I wanna say this game is so phenomenal. One of the things I was wary about if I were to like the gameplay but luckily it became my favorite part of the game. Every encounter felt so exciting cuz I finally get to fight and see what works or not. One critique I have though is that I felt Cloud's attacks felt a bit too spongey or weaker than my party's even with weaker monsters. I know Cloud's supposed to be a super soldier but i feel like I should be able to finish off a Gregon or Warerat in 1 to 2 hits especially in later in the game. Things like that takes me out the immersion but still nothing bothersome.
The story was well paced and was impressed with how many characters they introduced that were memorable. Getting introduced to Cloud as being a mercenary as a way to introduce side quests was clever and honestly were pretty solid which is rare for a JRPG to do. Going around helping little Betty find the cats and going out to the factory to clear out monsters was pretty fun. I forgot to mention but it seems like the devs as well were confident of their combat that you can do virtual simulations and even compete in a colosseum. With clocked in at 40 hours there's plenty of activities that will have you coming back and secrets that I may have missed out on that will get me another playthrough i bet.
The city of Midgar was such a wonderful place be in that leaving made me upset based on the games ending we won't be there for a while. On the other hand there's more to this world that I can't wait to enter once I get my hands on Rebirth. I'm just glad I got to enjoy the ride.