Final Fantasy VII (PC 2012)

[Nz17]

Did anyone else here buy the 2012 Windows re-release of Final Fantasy VII?

I bought it, and I have to say it is pretty good... with a few caveats. First, you can only buy it from the Square Enix Web site. Thankfully I got Final Fantasy VII while it was on sale this past weekend for $7 instead of the usual $12. Second, it is DRM'd all up (my sandboxing software counted something like a dozen different pieces of DRM). Third, you have to use your Web browser to download and then use a dedicated downloader to get the game's installer files before you can install it. Fourth, you must authenticate the software with both your proof-of-purchase key *and* with your Square Enix Member account credentials.

And fifth, while the additions and enhancements are nice, it is annoying to wait for the game to synchronize its "cloud saves" for your save games _before_ you are allowed to save your progress. Sometimes this happens instantly, other times it takes only a few seconds, but once (during the mako reactor escape sequence) it never actually lit up white - the indication that you can save - meaning that I had to just make haste and save after the event was over. That's right, your ability to save depends on your network connectivity. Thankfully FF7 will still run and you can still save without Internet access, but there is no option in the settings to just say, "Never connect to the Internet." A bit vexing.

But other than that it is good old Final Fantasy VII with an enhance resolution, achievements, cloud saves, reconfigurable controls (including USB controller support), and a "power toggle" to temporarily boost your characters to max level and max money for as long as you want... which in my case is 0% of the time except for perhaps to defeat those dang optional Weapons. Plus if nothing else it is worthwhile to purchase this port due to having all of the Final Fantasy 7 movies as 1280x896 VP8 video files and all the music tracks as Ogg Vorbis files. However the irony of having so much DRM applied to software which uses open formats for its in-game media is not lost on me.

[Graham Mitchell]

I'm definitely going to look into this. Final Fantasy VII on a PS3 and an HD TV looks like poo--particularly the video.

How's the frame rate?

[xelement5x]

Hehe, I read your synopsis and was oddly amused by the fact that this new release of FFVII supports "Cloud" saves.

....maybe it's just me.

[NayusDante]

I've played FF7PC (1997) enough, thank you.

[Nz17]

I've played FF7PC (1997) enough, thank you.

Thankfully many, perhaps all of the problems which plagued the first PC release have been resolved. I have not noticed any driver issues, graphical problems, or any of the other concerns from the old release.

How's the frame rate?

Nary a problem - it looks as great as a 1997-era game can be expected to look! The graphics are up-rezzed, there's anti-aliasing (toggle-able), and I've never noticed the frame rate dropping. It definitely looks good whether anti-aliasing is enabled or not.

Hehe, I read your synopsis and was oddly amused by the fact that this new release of FFVII supports "Cloud" saves.....maybe it's just me.

It's definitely not you - I think you're the third person who has shared this sentiment that I know of!

[Edmond Dantes]

It's definitely not you - I think you're the third person who has shared this sentiment that I know of!

And I am the fourth

Unfortunately I refuse to play anything that is DRMed up, so I'll stick to my three PS1 discs.

[aingevt]

I too own the 1997 PC version. On my version, when you play a mini game (Chocobo racing, skiing, etc...) it's ludicrously fast/unplayable. Did they fix that issue with the rerelease?

[kainemaxwell]

found a video to show the enhancements and such:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lRyMHkeMZI

[JSoup]

found a video to show the enhancements and such:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lRyMHkeMZI

Aside from the achievement popup, I don't really see how it's any different than the PS1 copy I've got sitting in a drawer across the room.

[Jorpho]

If you missed it before, http://www.finalfantasy7pc.com/ has a whole bunch of nice mods for the 1997 version, including bugfixes, a new graphics driver, and a way of integrating the original PSF-format soundtrack (not that I think it necessarily sounds all that different from the PC MIDI). Kind of makes the updated version seem a little redundant.

But other than that it is good old Final Fantasy VII with an enhance resolution, achievements, cloud saves, reconfigurable controls (including USB controller support)

How are the buttons referred to in the text? I recall during the rocket escape sequence, for instance, that there were awkward references to "[ASSIST]" in the 1997 version.

[Nz17]

...a way of integrating the original PSF-format soundtrack (not that I think it necessarily sounds all that different from the PC MIDI).

This re-release actually has Ogg Vorbis conversions of the original PlayStation music so it sounds exactly the same as the PS version.

How are the buttons referred to in the text? I recall during the rocket escape sequence, for instance, that there were awkward references to "[ASSIST]" in the 1997 version.

It is well-integrated and refers to the button according to what it is mapped as. So if F is the key for Accept, the game will tell you to press F instead of [ACCEPT]. FFVII2012 asks the player to press a gamepad button or keyboard key to indicate whether s/he wants to play with the gamepad or keyboard and then from there on out the in-game text will refer to the right device (e.g. press the Z key or press Button 1).

Another thing I noticed are changes and additions to the "Beginners' Arena" (tutorial building) outside of Tifa's bar. The characters there make mention of the new stuff including that the "Turbo stat booster" isn't available until you leave Midgar.

By the way, does anyone have any ideas on why Tifa's bar in the slums is decorated with signs containing the word "Texas"? After all, her bar's name is 7th Heaven.

My theory is that it has to do with her last name of Lockhart, what with that being the "barbecue capital of Texas" and all, and her original design incorporating a cowgirl motif.

[JSoup]

By the way, does anyone have any ideas on why Tifa's bar in the slums is decorated with signs containing the word "Texas"? After all, her bar's name is 7th Heaven.

My theory is that it has to do with her last name of Lockhart, what with that being the "barbecue capital of Texas" and all, and her original design incorporating a cowgirl motif.

All that and I'd imagine the name 7th Heaven is trademarked by WarnerBrothers.

[Tanooki]

I have it. For what I have had time to out into it, they fixed a lot of the old of versions problems. The movies and high res solid images lost the grain and low quality issues. The 3d feels unchanged, and the audio depending in your tastes are improved because the old pc version used a Yamaha sound synthesizer and with the right samples it was great but for many it was terrible midi files without the right hardware. I really do like the enhancements but it is infuriating having to log in just to play the game at all.

There a way to hack out the login bit for this game?

[Nz17]

There a way to hack out the login bit for this game?

I wish!

By the way Jorpho, thinking about it I'm not sure that 100% of the game refers to the buttons by their names/numbers instead of by [bracketed descriptors]. So far I haven't really noticed any, but that is no guarantee. If I see something definite one way or another, I'll let you know.

EDIT: I've been playing a diverse array of games lately, and I confused Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams with FFVII2012. In GS:TD you are asked to press a button on the controller or keyboard to select which one you wish to use - not in Final Fantasy VII. Sorry about that.

[Graham Mitchell]

I got this today. The high res textures are nice, and the frame rate when in the field is a bit better than than the ps1 version's. however, the frame rates in the fights is just as choppy as the ol' ps1 version, and the music...kinda...sucks. It sounds less organic/more synthie than the console version, and it's mixed in an odd way. The ps1 version has one of the greatest soundtracks ever. Why didn't they just use that?

[NayusDante]

I grew up playing the PC version, switching between the Yamaha software driver and the SoundFont versions of the soundtrack. When I finally played the PSX version, I found that I almost preferred the Yamaha version. Now, my ears lean toward the PSX version, but I still hear little things that sound "off" compared to how I remember it.

When I saw videos of the recent release, the audio was distinctively flat. Tracker music loses a lot of character when it's played in recorded form, and looping/effects don't work as well as they originally would have.

[Jorpho]

Well, word is that this is 50% off at the moment.
http://store.na.square-enix.com/DRHM...0#.UNqQI2-ulgq

I'm still inclined to pass, as I have not seen any compelling reason to believe this is superior to the older PC release with the various aforementioned mods installed. (By the way, there's another OGG music pack floating around out there meant to replace the remake's OGG music; among other things, it restores the chorus in One Winged Angel.)