Midgar Is Now Too Big To Fit On One Disc (FFVII Remake news)

The Final Fantasy 7 Remake got another trailer at PSX, back on December 5th! The game looks stellar so far and, I'm excited!!

Back when it was announced at E3, my opinions on the FF7 Remake were more like "holy crap? they're actually doing it???" than legitimate excitement for the game. But when I watched this trailer, my attitude shifted quite drastically. This trailer managed to remind me how much I cared about FF7, and how excited I was to see it retold in better graphics and in full voice acting. (No lie: I had to pause the trailer the first time I watched it when Jessie said her opening line because I was too overwhelmed.)


I'm excited for a lot of things shown in this trailer!! The graphics look gorgeous, and the gameplay looks like it's gonna be a lot of fun.

The trailer showed Cloud, while navigating what I assume is Sector 7's dilapidated Mako Reactor, ducking through a hole in the wall, and squeezing between a small gap, which, are little things, but seeing that sort of stuff on a more frequent scale could be pretty interesting, in my opinion! A Midgar that's fully capable of being interacted with? Awesome.

Not to mention, Midgar itself. It's HUGE. The streets are fully rendered, completely with city lights (that reflect off of Cloud's sword!?) and an atmosphere that feels really good. There were only a few sections shown in the trailer, and not for very long, either, but it feels really big. It feels like there's a lot to explore, and, that's one of the things that excites me the most about this trailer. I can't wait to walk around this Midgar. I can't wait to see the buildings around me, rather than looking down on them. I can't wait to move through these streets, especially now that there won't be any preset camera angles to deal with. I can't wait to explore Midgar as if I'm really there. It looks.... It looks wonderful. It looks fantastic. I really, really can't wait.


Another thing that caught my attention about the trailer was at roughly 1:10, when Cloud is surrounded by Shinra troops. This is an effect any fan who's watched the Advent Children movie will be familiar with. The image glitches, flashing, blurring, accompanied by a high-pitch whine and static.

In Advent Children, it was meant to portray the effects of geostigma. Or, basically, portray that something is wrong. 

Here, I figure it is meant to signify Cloud's not-quite-stable memories and mental state. This happens plenty of times within the original game itself, just with different effects. (The latest I saw: a red overlay, that high-pitched whine, while Cloud's model distorts for a second.)

I'm really excited to see this play out, to see how they carry out this plotline with the technology and graphical capabilities they have today. I have high hopes.

(Also, did anyone else find it interesting this happened when he was surrounded by Shinra troops? I mean, considering....)

Slightly on this subject, here's something a lot of people have pointed out, including tumblr user princessmatsuoka and Nomura himself:

Cloud looks sick.

He's thin, he's pale, he's got bags under his eyes---sure, he's got muscles, but his skin is still sticking to them, and he's hunched over most of the time. It's a good reflection of all the trauma he's been through before getting to Midgar: locked in a test tube for four years, Mako poisoning, on top of his emotional / mental state.

To quote tumblr user leonheartleon, Cloud doesn't look like pretty. He looks "like a young adult who suffers from multiple traumas and mental disorders". And that's real good.


(The thing I'm obviously most excited about when it comes to this remake? The things they can do to portray this story with the technology they have today.)

Anyway, I should probably talk about the battle system, too.

As shown in the trailer, the game is going to have an action-based battle system. Or, more action-based than the original, anyway.

Kitase says they're aiming for a "seamless active battle". 

Nomura adds: 

"There won’t be any actions that require a technique. By using the new system, we want to do action battles while also being able to fight while thinking strategically.”

A couple of people are mad about this decision, and would prefer it stuck to more traditional-RPG roots. While I agree revamping the original FF7's RPG battle system to make it more interactive might not have been a bad idea, I honestly couldn't care less. 

I started replaying the original FF7 a few nights ago, because I wasn't sure how else to vent my hype for the Remake, and found myself quitting within the hour because I kept getting really pissed off at random encounters. Sitting around and waiting for your attack bar to fill is boring, the encounters felt like they happened too frequently---you walk three steps, and then, oops! Another random encounter. It was really frustrating, and how slow they were paced played no small part in that.

Honestly, I'll be glad to see any battle system in the Remake, so long as it's not the exact same as the original's. Besides, it's reportedly going to be a little like Kingdom Hearts, and, I love Kingdom Hearts. So, I'm alright with that.

Finally: the FF7 Remake is going to be a multi-part series. Kitase says they knew it wouldn't fit into a single release from the beginning.

Here's the full section of that interview:

Final Fantasy VII Remake is a multi-part series. Please tell us more about this decision. 

Kitase: “The idea that a remake of Final Fantasy VII would not fit into a single release was there from the very beginning. We still can’t share more information about its multiple parts, but please look forward to future announcements.” 

Nomura: “If we dedicated our time to a single release, parts of it would become summarized. We’d have to cut some parts, and additional parts would come in few, so rather than remake the game as a full volume, we decided to do multiple parts. 

Kitase: “As you can see in the trailer, we showed Sector 1 and Sector 8, but in those areas alone, I think you can see a lot of density. When you’re remaking the entirety of the original version in that quality, it’s not possible to fit it all in one release.”

The world has been made so big that they can't fit it on a single disc.

But, hey, in my opinion? I'd rather have the giant world to explore. I'd rather have all the story there. I don't want anything to be unnecessarily cut from this, and if this is how they have to ensure nothing from the original is lost, then so be it.

This multi-part approach means that they can explore each episode, each section of the game more deeply, too. And, they can even expand on parts of the story. Nomura says this about it:

“In addition to delving into these episodes more deeply, we’re preparing a number of mechanisms and such. To those who played the original version will know the important parts and understand the story from the beginning to the end. Also for these people, I hope that they can be surprised once again.”

I'm looking forward to see where this is going.

All in all, I think it looks like the FF7 Remake is gonna be really great.

SPECIAL POST: KH NEWS?!!? / KAIRI IS REAL

apparently I started doing updates every other Tuesday BUT THIS IS AN EXCEPTION BC KH NEWS. Technically this is Late but.... I WAS EXPECTING A TRAILER, and we didn't get the trailer, so now I gotta!! Give the news!! without!! the trailer!!

It's fine.

A little backstory though, first!!

For the past year, I've been heading a movement on tumblr and twitter (but largely tumblr) known as #KairiNeedsLove2k15 - it's got an official tumblr here, and an official twitter here! (both run by me)


It started back in February, while I was replaying KH2. I started getting really worked up about Kairi and her subsequent lack in any KH game made after KH2 (I mean, alright, she was still in BBS, but that's only 1 of the 4 games released since 2006, while the other 3 had very heavy emphasis on Sora and Riku and their relationship).

You can see my initial posts about the matter here.

And if you want a good portion of the original posts I made for the movement, you can find them here!

I got really invested in this movement, blogging aggressively about Kairi, reblogging art, and other people's posts (if you want proof other people besides me want Kairi to have a larger role, check out this tag in particular). I made fanmixes, photosets, wrote a fic, (three, technically) along with hosted two major events and boy, I got this ball really rolling. 



Kairi E3 Fest 

This event was held around E3 of 2015, the basic concept being "E3 is when social media goes wild over video games, let's make some noise about Kairi during that time!"

You can find details about it here, along with see everyone's submissions for it! (We had somewhere around 70 posts made for this event.)

The E3 Fest was even mentioned in an article by Game Skinny! Pretty awesome.


Kairi Week

I'd seen other appreciation weeks on tumblr where you'd dedicate a whole week to making content about a character (or game, or series, or ship, whatever) and I decided to do one for Kairi! It didn't go quite as planned, but it was still a huuuuge success! It lasted July 6th - 11th, and had somewhere over 150 submissions. 

You can see the details / everyone's posts here!


SO, as you have probably got the gist of by now, I've spent the past year running a largely successful Kairi movement!


Here's one of the Kairi mixes I made for it:

Today's your day from rarmaster on 8tracks Radio.

Art's by ramflega on tumblr - check her out, she's got some real good Kairi / KH art!


The biggest fic I wrote for the movement was Dream, Drop, Don't Leave me Behind! - a retelling of KHDDD where Kairi actually tagged along to watch Sora and Riku's Mark of Mastery exam, becuase Kairi's lack in KHDDD is probably the biggest sore spot for me.

You can read it here!

I also wrote a smaller set of Namine-centric Kairi fics for Kairi Week, exploring the ways I would really really like their relationship to pan out. You can read all three of them here!


The crowning moment -- or, the moment that really sets the stage for my reaction to the news we received on November 3rd, is a post I made the literal day before, about why I really hate KHDDD, followed by a post further detailing its shortcomings regarding Kairi. (In sum: I'm really bitter about the fact we don't have an explanation at all why she isn't in KHDDD, we're just supposed to be okay with the fact she isn't there.)

So, there's that post, and then kind of churning bitterness for a whole year about how "Yeah Kairi's PROBABLY gonna have a role in KH3 but that's only a PROBABILITY, not a definite thing I can count on, and she's been treated so awfully by the games for the past five years and I don't have my hopes high at all".

I wasn't expecting it, and I'm pretty sure, well, no one was.

When we heard there would be KH news at the D23 in Japan, basically everyone expected it to be a lot like America's D23 - a new world reveal, and that's it, no Kairi. No Kairi.


The clock hits 1 AM my time, where I have waited four hours for the embargo on information to be lifted, hoping to get a glimmer of news as to what happened at the panel (because there were no livestreams and no one was allowed to post any information about it.)

The first post I see when loading twitter up is this:

Kairi is real.

It's one picture and that's all we got because the trailer revealed at the showing has not be released online but, it's, Kairi.

Kairi is there.

Kairi is there.

Kairi is there.


I didn't cry like others reportedly did, but I was shaking so hard, and my heart was pounding, and then you get a string of incoherent tweets from me which largely consist of "HO LY FRIK, KAIRI" becuase!!! Oh my god!!!!

I'm getting pumped thinking about it even now!! Kairi is real!! Kairi is here!!!


I've spent the whole year working up to this moment and it's just one image and confirmation she'll be in the KH2.8 game - in the section called 0.2 which is about Aqua, reportedly she and Riku are learning about Aqua and the 7 Guardians of Light, etc - BUT ANYWAY, it's just one confirmation, but it is proof. They haven't forgotten her. Her chances for a Big Role in KH3 are even higher than ever, and I'm just!!

I'm hooting!! I'm hollering!! I'm so!!! excited!!!!


I mean, chances of this actually having to do with my efforts and continuous #Kairi4KH3 yelling are pretty slim but!! BUT!! THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT!! KAIRI IS HERE!!! AND REAL!!!

I'M SOOOO!! HAPPY!!!

KAIRI CONFIRMED FOR KH0.2 AND PROBABLY FOR KH3!!!


THIS IS SO GOOD.

It's so good.


Anyway if you want other coverage of the D23 event, KH13 has a masterlist of all the info they have here!

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS JUST, KAIRI, THOUGH.

Kairi is real.

Final Fantasy 八 / 8 / VIII

Just a month ago, I had the chance (and, uh, desire to) play Final Fantasy 8. Just a few days ago, I finished it.

So, here's how I feel about FF8.

Final Fantasy 8 is the 8th in the Final Fantasy series, though like every other installment in the series, it has nothing to do with previous or future titles. (If they have anything to do with each other, they have the same number slapped on them, hence 10-2 and 13-3, along with FF7: Crisis Core.) BUT, regardless of that, I'm not here to do a history lesson on Final Fantasy, or on FF8 either.

I'm just here to talk about why enjoyed playing it.


I started playing it for research purposes, actually. FtPverse, being a Kingdom Hearts fanfic (KH is a crossover between Final Fantasy and Disney, in case, you weren't aware of that either), already features the main character of FF8, Squall. Er, Leon. Y'know, this guy:

And I decided I'd really like to include Rinoa, too. So, I sat myself down to play FF8.


This was not my first time playing FF8, actually. My older sister (magik) had played FF8 shortly after I'd finished FF7, and I'd watched her play it from start to finish. I'd started to play it myself, but got as far as the part where a giant robot spider chases you through Dollet. I got interrupted for a phonecall, and by the time I was done on the phone, I decided "I never want to deal with that spider again", turned the system off, and didn't touch the game once after that.

That was four years ago.

This time around, between wanting to go through it for research purposes, flat out still owning a copy and why watch a walkthrough when you own the game, and knowing that stopping because of a giant spider at the beginning of the game was kind of dumb, I picked it back up again.

And it was a lot of fun!!! Having my sister (a huge FF8 fan) watch over my shoulder for half of it, and then tweeting about it to friends (one of whom is also a huge FF8 fan) definitely made it twice as enjoyable.


It's also, the first Final Fantasy game I've beaten since FF7 (well, and Crisis Core, but that counts as FF7). I started 10 and 12 and 13, and though I got halfway through the latter two, I just!! Lost interest. I don't know if the fact FF8's the only Final Fantasy that's been able to keep my attention since FF7 should tell you anything, but, I'm just, tossing it out there.

Anyway!! The actual "how I felt about this game" section!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a lot of fun. The battle style was definitely a huge plus for me, actually. "Oh, I should attack and take 5 turns of battle? Well, why do that when I CAN SUMMON SHIVA!" "Oh, I have to fight this boss battle and worry about their elemental defense? Why do that when I CAN SUMMON EDEN!!"

Definitely a lot of fun, and by the time we were at the end of disc 3, thanks to Encounter-None, I could decide "I don't want to face any more enemies, I just want to muscle through the plot"  and, I could. It was great.

I know the magic system isn't considered "the best" but I didn't find it too much of a chore, and I was having too much fun with the "summon things repeatedly with absolutely no repercussions" to really care.

Story wise, it's great, it's interesting, and while it gets a little Convoluted at points, well, so does.... every other.... Final Fantasy. (And Kingdom Hearts.) I was a huge fan of the sorceresses, and I think the whole cast of characters was really interesting? Sure, it's a Literal Soap Opera at times, but, it's fun. It's good. It's well written. Is it perfect? Nah! But nothing is.

And, here I'm gonna get into spoilers, so, stop reading if you don't want those.

The games been out for like, 16 years now.

But still. Spoilers. Watch out.


I think it's really cool and interesting how real of a character Rinoa is, how human she is. She makes mistakes, she's childish, she's flawed. But she's likeable. She's loveable. And I'm also just a huge fan of girls with Literally Infinite Power in their veins. Ha.

But Rinoa felt real well written, and so did Squall, and I can't fully articulate how I feel about their narratives, but man, it felt good. And I'm not a huge fan of Romance Plots lately, but, Squall/Rinoa felt good. It didn't feel too rushed. There was never a point where Squall stopped being extremely awkward because Wow, He's In Love! Even after it became clear to him and the players what he felt for Rinoa he was still sooooo bad at interacting in any sort of ~romantic~ way and it was really good. It was really refreshing.

Also, there's this:

So, yeah!!! I really enjoyed FF8.

I loved it's gameplay, I loved it's story, I loved it's characters, and most of all I loved joking about it with my sister / friends. It was a lot of fun.