Why hasn't FFVII been remade?

Is there a single valid reason out there? Gamers have been pleading and begging Square/Enix for ages for a sequel. It is a guaranteed cash cow, no question whatsoever. You'd think Sony would be pressurizing Square/Enix hard. What is the hold up? We get all these spin offs, yet nothing is ever revealed about what most gamers really want to see: a remake of FFVII on the PS3. It would sell systems, that's for sure.

Square/Enix may claim that they wish to move forward with their creative focus, but since when has that trumped the almighty dollar? What is going on?

They should remake it but change the battle system a bit, add new materias, new side quests, bigger gold saucer, more cities to do stuff not related to the story etc... Then, they would get good ratings and it would be a huge success. I would certainly like to see that more than any new final fantasy. Even if it was the same old game with improved graphics, I would still buy it.

I don't think they need a new FF7 to make more money since any new FF title they'll make will sell very well.

Because video games remakes are anolgous to film remakes. they're often subpar, poorly produced, and/or devalue the franchise or original product as a whole. One of the few acceptable remakes that I can think of is FFIII, and one of the major reasons for this was the fact that to play the original, you had to resort to what some would consider unscrupulous means. One of it's glaring issues was the job system. Though the job system of FFIII is more outmoded than the gameplay of FFVII, this stands as a good example. Obviously, it's not going to be Frogger or Spy Hunter, because it's Square-Enix, but it is still entirely unneccesary. I feel like a broken record, but play the original, and enjoy it. I don't mean to sound critical, because it's human nature for an individual to assess the past from his/her subjective perspective in the present. It's even harder when said person wasn't old enough to get into the PSX, or at least JRPG/Strategy games, when FFVII was released.

This does NOT refer to revitalizing old franchises - though sometimes that can go sour as well. Remember Toejam and Earl for the XBOX?

Also....pressurized?

Because o Remake never outsells a Original.Not even Dragon Quest in Japan (which is the most successful RPG series in Japan by far).

It´s much cheaper to produce a new one,because they can simply make more money with it.Games today are a lot more expensive.Nobody really cared about a Remake until the Tech-Demo came out with S-E´s comment "It won´t come".So just stop it already and play the original.I whould like a Remake too,but I can live without it,since the series gotten a lot worse and if the same guy do FF7 they could destroy it.

I'm gonna assume the only reason Square Enix hasn't released any information on the remake they once mentioned in a conversation, is because if they trully wanna bring back FF7, they wanna bring it back in the most beautiful and jaw-dropping remake of a smash-hit ever made. Hey, I'm anxious. I want the game out. But, It's obvious they intend on expanding the FF7 universe before bringing the big boy out of the safe. As for now, we can wait, and enjoy Dirge of Cerberus, Advent Children, and Crisis Core.

(fingers crossed for PSP version :P)

Honestly I think the vocal minority crying for a FF7 remake are the only ones who would get it. JRPG's have moved on since then and a straight remake wouldn't stand up against modern iterations gameplay-wise. This would only serve to tarnish the nostalgic prestige FF7 holds and I'm gonna say that THAT is the reason we'll never see a straight up remake with a graphics upgrade.Uberbadassmufuh

That's mostly true. Final Fantasy 7 was fun and all, but I feel no need to play through it again on my Playstation or any other platform ever again. It isn't the timeless game most of those crazy fans think it is either. Playing through Metal Gear Solid has made one thing very obvious to me- games more focused on presentation tend to age worse.

Either way, Square would be dumb not to. This is the fanbase that made Dirge of Cerebus a success, so think how much a remake would pull in.

why does everyone want a ff7 remake?

Whether a remake comes out or not, Square will be criticized both ways. If they do remake it, most likely it will destroy the nostalgia that we all had when playing it for the first time way back when, and the dated gameplay will become painfully obvious. If they dont remake it, everyone will say Square is ignoring their fans. Think about it. Id rather just keep my grand old original copy then have Square remake it as an obvious cash cow and destroy everything i loved so much about it. Id rather have them focus on new games, instead of have them rush out a remake with the only intention of making money, not a new experience.MLBknights58

True,but do you really think Square cares about nostalgia?After FFX-2,Dirge of Ceberus and all other titles that came out on PS2 like the horrrible Mana-Part,not much better Musashi and stuff like that?

I say it´s Money.Since a Remake never outsells a Original (not even the DQ-Renakes in Japan which are far better sold),it´s just a waste for them and get more money out of a new one.I doesn´t have to be good,just new.Look at FFX-2.The game is awful,but gone classic faster then you could look.People still trust them,so they can do what they want.If now a half hearted FF7-remake whould come they can really make some damage to their name and the francise.And if they do it right...it´s just too expensive and they can´t take any risks.

What SE could do. Split Materia into it owns catergory and characters have there own JA (Job Abilities) as of the likes of FFT and FFXI:Online. That would bring the Turn Based gameplay into this generation alone. Enhanced visuals which push the PS3. Longer story with added mini plots, New Towns, New Materia, New playable characters.

Not all remakes have sucked. Everyone tends to forget what remakes are capable of.... RE1:Remake! Best RE game in the series followed by the 1st installment which is better than all the RE after its incarnation.

Wait untill E3! I'm sure if there is anything on FFVII:Remake that the information will be released here.

I think I'm one of the few who don't wan't it remade.

Leave it alone, don't desecrate a classic.

I think I'm one of the few who don't wan't it remade.

Leave it alone, don't desecrate a classic.

KG86

Ditto to that.

It hasn't been remade yet because Square is still contemplating the best way to milk it. Sell it as an XBLA or PSN exclusive? Offer it as a stand-alone title? Make it part of an anniversary collection?nopalversion

So true. A remake or rerelease will happen, barring any kind of apocolyptic scenario. However, seeing how the fans reward them regardless of how the end product turns out, don't expect them to do anything in a way that makes sense.

Classics be damned. I say give it a shot Square if only to put this constantly asked question to rest. Or at least give the fans a definitive yes or no answer. This keeping folks in limbo with the fuzzy and hazy not quite no but not quite yes answers to the question is becoming quite tiresome. It's as if Square is enjoying toying around with the affections of the fans who hang precariously on the edge of every veiled comment.

If FF7 is truly the classic that thousands upon thousands of gamers claim it to be, it should be able to survive a direct translation. All true classics whether video game, art, music, film, ect. have that unique ability to remain relevant decades after their release, without the need for a new shiny coat of paint. They are a rare breed, and it would be interesting (at least for me) to see if FF7 can pass this test. And if there's any question on Square's part, release a disc containing the original along with the "enhanced" version. That would go along way to alleviate the fears presented by both sides of the issue.

why does everyone want a ff7 remake?

ethngames

Why DOES everyone want a remake? I also don't understand all these people that say "Final Fantasy couldn't live up to today's games", ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? Have you played Final Fantasy XII?

All the psone final fantasies stand high above other games, their stories and graphics (pain stakingly hand drawn pre-rendered backgrounds are ageless) don't need to be tarnished with a remake that might just ruin them.

Besides, I am interested in Final Fantasies for the stories so a remake would just be ludicrous and pointless.

[QUOTE="ethngames"]

why does everyone want a ff7 remake?

Memberino

Why DOES everyone want a remake? I also don't understand all these people that say "Final Fantasy couldn't live up to today's games", ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? Have you played Final Fantasy XII?

All the psone final fantasies stand high above other games, their stories and graphics (pain stakingly hand drawn pre-rendered backgrounds are ageless) don't need to be tarnished with a remake that might just ruin them.

Besides, I am interested in Final Fantasies for the stories so a remake would just be ludicrous and pointless.

I think most of the people who say that Final Fantasy 7 won't stand out today are commenting on the story aspects though. It is assumed that it won't have awesome graphics, and yes, even the COMPUTER GENERATED pre-rendered stuff seems out-of-date considering modern games can look better than that in real-time.

FF7 fits into the category of storytelling that believes the more complex you make something, the better it becomes. They are not aiming for a story to be deep, but instead to have dozens of characters with their own stories that all somehow connect in some convuluted way. It's not like I didn't have fun playing the game, but to say it is timeless because of a deep story isn't true. It is timeless because of the nostalgia people have.

[QUOTE="Memberino"][QUOTE="ethngames"]

why does everyone want a ff7 remake?

AtomicTangerine

I honestly don't think that games can look as good as pre-rendered graphics in real time yet. Its apples and oranges at the moment. The fact that you can tell the differences shows how special the pre-rendered graphics are.

As for story, I'll go for VII's over XII's "story" anyday...

Why DOES everyone want a remake? I also don't understand all these people that say "Final Fantasy couldn't live up to today's games", ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? Have you played Final Fantasy XII?

All the psone final fantasies stand high above other games, their stories and graphics (pain stakingly hand drawn pre-rendered backgrounds are ageless) don't need to be tarnished with a remake that might just ruin them.

Besides, I am interested in Final Fantasies for the stories so a remake would just be ludicrous and pointless.

I think most of the people who say that Final Fantasy 7 won't stand out today are commenting on the story aspects though. It is assumed that it won't have awesome graphics, and yes, even the COMPUTER GENERATED pre-rendered stuff seems out-of-date considering modern games can look better than that in real-time.

FF7 fits into the category of storytelling that believes the more complex you make something, the better it becomes. They are not aiming for a story to be deep, but instead to have dozens of characters with their own stories that all somehow connect in some convuluted way. It's not like I didn't have fun playing the game, but to say it is timeless because of a deep story isn't true. It is timeless because of the nostalgia people have.

I still prefer the pre-rendered backgrounds, I don't believe games are quite up to that realistic standard. The fact there is a difference shows it. As for story, I would prefer VII's story over XII's "story" anyday.

Because it's not necessary to be remade. The vocal minority who are crying out for it will be sure to purchase it, but when you take into account the leaps and bounds the genre has made since, not to mention the huge cost in remaking the entire game involved, and you can see why Square Enix have decided against such a measure.

I wouldn't ever rule it out completely, but it is highly unlikely. Besides which, most gamers would want to see the next iteration of Final Fantasy before a previous one was remade. Perhaps you'll see the game come out on Playstation Store.

Im hoping to see Crystal Chronicles on PS2 as well. If it doesn't sell enough on PSP, it might jump to PS2, and I'm interested enough in a PSP, but not enough for one game that may make the jump.

Because o Remake never outsells a Original.Not even Dragon Quest in Japan (which is the most successful RPG series in Japan by far).

It´s much cheaper to produce a new one,because they can simply make more money with it.Games today are a lot more expensive.Nobody really cared about a Remake until the Tech-Demo came out with S-E´s comment "It won´t come".So just stop it already and play the original.I whould like a Remake too,but I can live without it,since the series gotten a lot worse and if the same guy do FF7 they could destroy it.

Ash2X

The original is just shy of completely unplayable. It's far too early a PSone game to have had the chance to age as gracefully as the two games that followed after it. It's also very difficult to find due to SE's stubborn and backwards view of digital downloads. I don't think a full console remake is feasible without significant alterations to gameplay, but a graphically enhanced version of the game as it was is absolutely feasible on the PSP, or hell, the PS2, a heckuva lot of people still have one of those, ya know.

They CAN do this if they want too, but lately SE has been drastically out of touch with their own fanbase. For instance, a recent interview had a SE guy working on the DS remake of Final Fantasy 4 say they would consider a similar Chrono Trigger port/remake if the demand was large enough. IF? Do they have functioning ears? Do they have a connection to the internet anywhere in the SE offices? That was a serious "HELLO McFLY!!!!" moment. (and who the hell asked for FF4? Why no demand threshold? Because I'm pretty sure nobody demanded it) Take all the money they spent on garbage spin offs, and either my PSP or PS2 idea could have been done. They knew from day one of the compilation what people really wanted, and those people will not be satisfied until it is delivered in some form or another.

In the meantime, as crude as the PSone version now is, it would be a great gesture to make it available on PSN as a part of the PSone classics lineup to at least make a financially reasonable alternative to ebay scammers.

Because it's not necessary to be remade. The vocal minority who are crying out for it will be sure to purchase it, but when you take into account the leaps and bounds the genre has made since, not to mention the huge cost in remaking the entire game involved, and you can see why Square Enix have decided against such a measure.Sagacious_Tien

I fail to see it as a vocal "minority" for one thing, and I have yet to actually see the supposed leaps forward the genre made, considering I did not play to completion even one JRPG after Final Fantasy X until Lost Odyssey came out and reminded me what all the other games in between, including Vagrant Story 2... sorry, "Final Fantasy" 12, were missing.

[QUOTE="Sagacious_Tien"]Because it's not necessary to be remade. The vocal minority who are crying out for it will be sure to purchase it, but when you take into account the leaps and bounds the genre has made since, not to mention the huge cost in remaking the entire game involved, and you can see why Square Enix have decided against such a measure.VegetaJr

I fail to see it as a vocal "minority" for one thing, and I have yet to actually see the supposed leaps forward the genre made, considering I did not play to completion even one JRPG after Final Fantasy X until Lost Odyssey came out and reminded me what all the other games in between, including Vagrant Story 2... sorry, "Final Fantasy" 12, were missing.

Where are you getting your stats from?BuryMe

Same place you got your own. :)

Because it's not necessary to be remade. The vocal minority who are crying out for it will be sure to purchase it, but when you take into account the leaps and bounds the genre has made since, not to mention the huge cost in remaking the entire game involved, and you can see why Square Enix have decided against such a measure.

I wouldn't ever rule it out completely, but it is highly unlikely. Besides which, most gamers would want to see the next iteration of Final Fantasy before a previous one was remade. Perhaps you'll see the game come out on Playstation Store.

Im hoping to see Crystal Chronicles on PS2 as well. If it doesn't sell enough on PSP, it might jump to PS2, and I'm interested enough in a PSP, but not enough for one game that may make the jump.

Sagacious_Tien

Crappy spin offs like Crystal Chronicles are ruining the franchise, what a load of crap.

As for the person who said that FFVII was nigh on unplayable now, I completely disagree and fail to see the problem with playing it. Why are people so disturbed by FFVII's sprites!? They are bad but they can hardly make the game unplayable.

They're not bad, they're terrible. I cannot in this day and age have emotion and drama expressed to me by seeing a lego character grab his head with his stubs that pass for hands flailing around. FF8 aged much better, and a PSP port of FF7 with FF8 sprites and backgrounds resized to be right for them would help make it more playable to me, not to mention a framerate higher than 15 to 20 in battle sequences. Even if Square Enix stops being a stick in the mud bunch of geezers about online and decides they actually like to make money, and releases it on PSN and other avenues, I'd just see it as a nice gesture, and would get it just for nostalgia, but I doubt it would be as riveting as I remember it, and entirely based on the presentation, which is vital to the experience in that game. (I know I would still like the characters and gameworld, because Advent Children is a favorite movie of mine)

FF7 is a game where no matter how hard anyone tries, they cannot hope to seperate the gameplay and graphics as if they are two different things, they are interwoven tightly with each other, and one being broken hampers the other significantly.

I Disagree,Ive been playing FFVII For the first time ever,And I find the short and stubby characters to be charming,And the story is actually pretty good.

And gameplay wise its my second favourite JRPG battle system after Grandia II,I love how fast paced and simple it is,For the first time Im not bothered by random encounters in a Final Fantasy.

P.S.

Ive also been playing MGS for the first time and its even better than MGS2 and 3,Really I find "Its just nostalgia" just an excuse to downplay a games greatness.

Really I find "Its just nostalgia" just an excuse to downplay a games greatness.

ArabianKnight14

I wholeheartedly agree! It really annoys me. You can't slap nostalgia as an excuse all the time especially in a case where someone has played the game multiple times and loves it the same each time.

Just wait... it'll come ;)-Phaz-

I agree. We'll see it eventually