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    Final Fantasy VII Remake Review — Old Friends And New Life

    in Game Reviews

    Posted

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    Publisher: Square Enix
    Developer: Square Enix
    Release: March 3, 2020
    Reviewed on: PlayStation 4

    The original Final Fantasy VII is one of the most influential and adored games of all time, representing the best storytelling, gameplay, and technology its era had to offer. Its monumental impact on the role-playing genre is hard to overstate – but even harder to replicate in today’s landscape. That struggle between history and innovation is the engine that drives Final Fantasy VII Remake; the legend of the original looms large over it like the metal plates above the slums of Midgar, but this new version refuses to simply exist under a shadow. With smart (and surprising) additions to a classic world and its inhabitants, Final Fantasy VII Remake artfully appeals to nostalgia without being bound by it.

    The story follows Cloud and a small band of mercenaries as they fight back against Shinra, a huge company with its hands in everything from experimental weapons to space travel. If you played the original, you will recognize many locations, people, and plot points. But Square Enix has also liberally reimagined and reinterpreted many elements – but not so much that anything is unrecognizable. This is Final Fantasy Remake’s biggest asset, because it lets old fans relive their memories while welcoming new players with its iconic characters and unique setting. 

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    Cloud and his companions are still the heroes, but the city of Midgar is the real star now. This game is entirely focused on the portion of Final Fantasy VII’s story that unfolds in this industrial, corporate-controlled metropolis. Midgar’s political conspiracies, everyday desperation, and quiet hope shine through as you explore the different neighborhoods and see the consequences of Shinra’s greed. People live in grimy shacks, huge reactors drain the planet’s life force, and ruins stand as reminders of past tragedies. The maps aren’t as freeform or dynamic as an open-world RPG, but I still appreciate the opportunity to linger in an area and get to know its citizens – if only through a selection of basic side quests involving item retrieval and monster killing. 

    If you’re comparing versions of this world, the remake offers a dramatic expansion of many areas. A whole settlement replaces the few static screens that once represented the sector 7 slums. Wall Market is now a lawless den of sin rather than a few sketchy tents. These areas feel like natural extensions of the world, building the lore and adding context to characters’ interactions. However, a few new zones feel like overcomplicated padding, such as a prolonged and uneventful journey under the sector 5 plate. But even if the experience doesn’t maximize every minute, my thorough 50-hour playthrough (plus some post-game content) provided plenty of memorable moments.

    Many of those moments are thanks to Final Fantasy VII Remake’s battle system, which is a compelling fusion of stylish action and conventional turn-based mechanics. You control the characters’ basic movement and attacks directly, but can select specific spells and special moves through a menu. This gives fights a kinetic, cinematic flair without sacrificing the need to carefully assess the evolving situation. Every party member controls differently, and you can swap among them on the fly; you might weaken an enemy from afar with Barret’s arm cannon, but then go in with Tifa’s powerful melee strikes once the foe is staggered. This approach is an immensely entertaining way to let each character shine, and fantastic animation and creature design makes the encounters look spectacular. They don’t require pinpoint precision, but they also don’t reward button-mashing, so a majority of battles find the perfect balance between strategy and style.

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    The battles that don’t hit that sweet spot are aggravating, since they feel unfair rather than challenging. One downside to the action-heavy combat is that a lot is happening at any given moment, so important information can get lost in the shuffle, like what spells enemies are casting, or when offscreen foes are about to attack. The cheap hits rarely mean the difference between victory and defeat because combat is generally forgiving, but a handful of important boss fights demand more than this system can accommodate. These encounters can devolve into a tedious mess of second-by-second micromanagement, since the bosses have too much health and your control over your allies’ behavior is extremely limited when you aren’t controlling them directly. Even your small selection of powerful and beautiful summoned beasts (which are cool but unpredictable in their implementation here) can’t do much to turn the tide in situations like this. I don’t mind failure when my strategy is flawed; I gladly restarted battles when I needed to optimize my setup to exploit weaknesses. But in these rare fights, Final Fantasy VII Remake loses sight of what makes its combat fun.

    When battles are at their best, clever supporting mechanics encourage you to stray out of your comfort zone and explore new strategies. For example, each weapon has a special ability its wielder can use in combat, like the Blade Burst on Cloud’s Mythril Saber. After activating the ability several times, the character learns how to use it without the weapon, which is an interesting way to build a repertoire of powerful techniques while also experimenting with new gear. The materia system is as cool as ever, providing lots of flexibility to try out different playstyles and obtain powerful spells. Other challenges help you dive deeper into the combat, like staggering a certain number of enemies or defeating difficult foes in simulators. Side objectives provide worthwhile rewards, and they are good diversions when you need a break from the main story.

    Though the plot follows the same outline as the original Midgar section, that narrative doesn’t always have the momentum to support a full game. The individual character moments are satisfying, and I enjoyed getting to know Tifa and the other members of Avalanche better. But when you zoom out, Cloud and his friends are usually just responding to what happens to them, like rescuing a kidnapped friend or escaping after falling into a trap. Shinra is undoubtedly evil, but you don’t get a clear sense of a master plan from either the good or bad guys, which makes the big picture blurry. This becomes even more jarring during the surprising (even if you think you know what’s coming) ending scenes. They are mildly disappointing as a resolution to this game, but much more disappointing in what they imply for any installments that lie ahead.

    Regardless of what the future holds, Final Fantasy VII Remake finds an impressive equilibrium between its past and its present. Square Enix nods to the original without depending on that familiarity, crafting a distinctive world and exciting combat system that feel modern. The new approach still has rough edges, but that doesn’t stop Final Fantasy VII Remake from carving out its own legacy.

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    Score: 8.75

    Summary: This remake of a legendary RPG finds an impressive equilibrium between its past and its present, crafting a distinctive world and exciting combat system that feel modern.

    Concept: Recreate one of the most popular RPGs ever, including exciting new twists on the combat and setting

    Graphics: The main characters, monsters, and cinematics are all gorgeous. Some of the environments have bland designs and textures popping in, but the issues aren’t pervasive

    Sound: New music blends well with the revised versions of old favorites, making this an amazing soundtrack. When the dialogue sounds awkward, it’s usually a problem with the writing rather than the voice performance

    Playability: Combat and exploration usually feel great, but some overly busy battles make it difficult to parse all of the important information

    Entertainment: Final Fantasy VII Remake finds a satisfying balance between innovation and tradition, delivering flashy battles and fun systems mixed with nods for old-school fans

    Replay: Moderately High

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    Treachery In Beatdown City Review – Breaking Down The Action

    in Game Reviews

    Posted

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    Publisher: Nuchallenger
    Developer: Nuchallenger
    Release: 2019
    Reviewed on: Switch
    Also on: PC

    Treachery in Beatdown City is a runner that starts strong, but loses steam with each leg of the race. The innovative twist on beat-em-ups had me intrigued and exited. In pixelated city stages, you maneuver your hero into place in front of a combatant before pausing and selecting from a variety of moves like you might in an RPG, and then unpausing the action to see how it all plays out – similar in some respects to modern Fallout games and their V.A.T.S. system. And in those early minutes, the narrative suggests an incisive and satirical snipe at societal ills. But narrative and gameplay fail to meaningfully evolve, and both core elements begin to show their flaws with each passing combat.

    President Blake Orama has been kidnapped by ninjas, and it’s up to a scrappy group of street fighters from the inner city to save him. Along the way, they’re confronted by irate motorcycle club members, rude private security, and pushy grifters. Each fiery dialogue exchange exposes the absurdity and unfairness of some aspect of modern life, with a particular focus on gentrification and casual racism. Unfortunately, the satire is so heavy-handed and sophomoric that the humor falls flat, and what aims to be sharp social commentary loses its edge when the heroes are almost as problematic as their foes, ready to issue a beatdown to passing runners or people on the sidewalk for the barest of slights. 

    Players should also be aware, since it’s not clear in the naming conventions, that the game is incomplete and episodic, and barely touches on the core kidnapping plot described at the outset. The multi-hour offering that makes up this purchase includes an opening two chapters that together feel meandering and almost without connection to the initial conflict. A future update promises new chapters, but the current playthrough already overstays its welcome.

    That’s because the real-time/turn-based hybrid simply doesn’t hold up to extended scrutiny, and the successful nuances it does offer up are not adequately explained or highlighted over the course of the game. Three distinct characters each have their own combat styles, but after an initial explanation, you never get clear guidance on how to play them successfully, and the pause menus don’t help much, beyond brief descriptions of individual moves. I had to start a separate playthrough and replay the first hour, just to figure out how the different actions, meters, and enemies are meant to be understood, and even then, elements of how it all fits together remained opaque.

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    Low-risk strikes and high-risk grapples are both options, but it’s difficult to know which actions are called for in a given exchange, or recall which enemies are vulnerable to what. It’s too easy to face the wrong direction in a fight simply because you’re trying to reposition – an option to back off without turning one’s back would be welcome. Building combos relies on keeping a flow of ever-replenishing fight points, but it’s challenging to wrap your head around how those are refilled. Even once you do grasp how all those ideas fit together, I often found that simple, low-risk attacks had a higher chance of winning the fight, invalidating the value of the flashier moves that unlock as you level up. Weapons and revenge attacks attempt to add new layers later in the game, but neither give the boost needed to elevate the experience.

    Brawlers also tend to have a satisfying sense of momentum as you push forward through a level. Here, that pacing is stunted, as each fight takes place on a static screen, and you depart to a Super Mario World-style map in between, usually to take one step forward and witness another angry exchange of dialogue to precede the next fight. I never got into any sense of rhythm or aggressive catharsis the way a classic brawler might engender. Additionally, the repetitive nature of the background art and the overuse of just a few (admittedly high-quality) musical tracks sapped excitement with each subsequent fight.

    Treachery in Beatdown City didn’t work for me, but it’s a far more creative and ambitious project than many of its contemporaries. Its subject matter is timely, and I enjoyed the attempt to reinterpret some of city life’s biggest problems through the lens of old-school games like Double Dragon. The idea of RPG-style menu-selected moves in a beat-em-up is very clever, even if the implementation here didn’t hit the mark. As it is, even with a lot of creativity on display, it’s just not a city I recommend visiting.

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    Score: 6.25

    Summary: This is a fascinating hybrid of real time brawler and turn-based combat, but the flaws become increasingly apparent the longer you play.

    Concept: Confront gentrification and casual racism with a punch to the face in this hybrid beat-em-up that juggles real-time and turn-based combat

    Graphics: The 8-bit pixel graphics style recalls the earliest roots of urban brawlers

    Sound: A few excellent chiptunes set the mood, but too much repetition threatens to break the spell

    Playability: The unusual pause-to-menu combat system is initially explained well, but many of its nuances can get lost without clearer ways to review concepts later in the game

    Entertainment: Innovative mechanics make a strong first impression, but the action, music, and bombastic tone of the narrative all wear thin after a few hours

    Replay: Low

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    Follow Bloodhound’s trail in the Old Ways Lore Event

    in Apex Legends

    Posted

     

     

    Take on the new Bloodhound Town Takeover and unlock exclusive rewards in The Old Ways Event, April 7-21.

     

     

    Hey all, SaladGuy-RSPN here with an overview of the Old Ways Lore Event, which runs April 7 - April 21 but before I jump into those details I wanted to share some exciting news with you.

     

    Starting on April 7, Duos will be added to the game alongside Trios, as well a permanent map rotation that gives players the ability to play Duos or Trios on Kings Canyon and Worlds Edge.

     

    In addition to Duos and Kings Canyon coming on April 7, we also have a brand-new limited-time event - The Old Ways Lore Event, which features:

    • New Town Takeover - Bloodhound’s Trials
    • Exclusive Event Prize Track
    • Direct Purchase Shop
      • New Event Limited Cosmetics
      • Return of Legendary Hunt Skins

     

    New Town Takeover - Bloodhound’s Trials

    When the Apex Games came to World’s Edge, large predators vacated the area, leading to an explosion in the prowler population. Most were traced to a nest in the northwest portion of the arena, and here, Bloodhound saw an opportunity: maintain the ecosystem by pitting humans against beasts.

    Dive into Bloodhound’s Trials, where you and your squad battle against a hoard of prowlers and claim high-tier loot as your reward. But beware the most dangerous game: fellow Legends who want to scavenge those goods for themselves. In moments of quiet, don’t forget to explore the enclosure, especially with a certain hunter at your side.

     

    The Old Ways Exclusive Event Prize Track

    As part of the Old Ways Event, you’ll have the chance to complete daily challenges and earn exclusive cosmetics inspired by the latest Stories from the Outlands: The Old Ways digital short. We've been seeing a lot of positive feedback from players in regards to the prize track we introduced with Grand Soiree and continued with System Override, and with The Old Ways event we're delivering an all-new prize track with the following rewards:

     

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    As with the System Override Event, you’ll be able to earn up to 1000 points per challenge set and the challenge set will refresh at a daily rate. Plus, you’ll still be able to complete your battle pass challenges at the same time too.

     

    Direct Purchase Shop

    We're adding new, exclusive skins that tie-in to The Old Ways digital short, similar to the Wraith skin from last September's Voidwalker event. There’s also a mix of legendary and rare skins inspired by the aesthetics and themes of the short. The full schedule for these items is below:

     

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    Finally, The Old Ways Event marks the return of the Legendary Hunt Skins. All 8 of the original Legendary Hunt Skins will be on offer for direct purchase in addition to 2 recolored variants of the Wraith and R-301 skins that were exclusive to battle pass owners. As with before, these are still event exclusive so they won’t be available outside special occasions.

     

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    To celebrate this event, we invite you to join young Bloodhound on the hunt in the latest installment of our Stories from the Outlands series,  titled “The Old Ways.” In a village that has learned to fear machines, a child is sent on a hunt in a final rite of passage. But when confronted with a monstrous threat, they must decide whether to reject the teachings of their elders. Follow Bloodhound’s trail and see how a Legend was created.

    SaladGuy-RSPN

     

     

    Let us know what you think here!

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    In Other Waters Review – The Pursuit Of Knowledge

    in Game Reviews

    Posted

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    Publisher: Fellow Traveller Games
    Developer: Jump Over The Age
    Release: 2020
    Rating: Everyone
    Reviewed on: PC
    Also on: Switch, Mac

    Searching for answers is a fundamental part of our being and a core motivator for video games. It provides the impetus to push forward to hopefully achieve a satisfactory end. In Other Waters it is not that straightforward, however. The title’s exploration gameplay can lull, and the end of the story itself – while forming a resolute conclusion – dangles a more intriguing possibility than the one that is actually presented.  The journey contains absorbing elements, but is ultimately unfulfilling.

    In Other Waters puts you in control of Ellery Vas, who is searching for her missing mentor in the waters of alien planet Gliese 677Cc. Exploration of the depths happens via your suit’s top-down HUD, which shows your panel of controls and the surrounding waters. Like sonar, a manually pinged signal highlights nodes that represent where you can travel, creatures, and samples you can collect with your suit. The HUD is easy to use, and its color changes nicely to convey the different moods of situations and the map’s areas. Moreover, the HUD’s topographical representation of the world’s features – including its life – is artful and appealing.

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    Actually exploring Gliese 677Cc, which is the vast bulk of the title’s simple point-and-click gameplay, however, wears thin. You can only travel to specific nodes, which dulls the game’s attempt at fostering wondrous discovery on an alien world. Pointing and clicking on the screen is normal for the adventure genre, but since In Other Waters only contains a few puzzles (based on using samples you’ve gathered in specific ways), there’s not much actual gameplay breaking up the routine and rewarding your curiosity.

    The story, which expands into investigating the planet’s secrets, is adequate. Its mysteries keep things ticking along, but its actual conclusion errors by hinting at more exciting, unexplored possibilities than what it actually presents. 

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    In Other Waters’ traditional puzzles and other gameplay hooks are scant. In comparison, its more expressed driving force – knowledge itself – is actually endearing. Almost every node you travel to features descriptive text that not only tells you what’s happening, but which paints a picture of the planet and its indomitable life. Exploration rewards you with an understanding of the symbiosis among the organisms and the jewel of knowledge. I dove into the information data banks to put the pieces together more than I have for other games, even if most of it wasn’t immediately applicable to a specific gameplay task.

    In Other Waters’ gameplay and story aren’t enough to fuel the exploration it demands, but its world building is commendable. Unfortunately, this makes it suited more towards amateur biologists and cartographers than those looking for a gripping adventure.

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    Score: 6.25

    Summary: In Other Waters succeeds more as an exercise in world building than as an exciting adventure game.

    Concept: Uncover the ancient secrets of new alien world Gliese 677Cc as you search for your missing colleague

    Graphics: The gameplay HUD is both effective in its simple-looking design as well as capable of representing the wonders of the world

    Sound: The chill soundtrack underplays rather than dominates the mood, which is the better choice

    Playability: Not being able to see your position on the larger map except for when you’re at a base can cause you to lose your bearings

    Entertainment: In Other Waters succeeds more as an exercise in world building than as an exciting adventure game

    Replay: Moderately Low

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    Bleeding Edge Review – Exchanging Weak Punches

    in Game Reviews

    Posted

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    Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
    Developer: Ninja Theory
    Reviewed on: Xbox One
    Also on: PC

    Bleeding Edge is a unique 4v4 competitive experience that shows a little flash in its third-person approach, but doesn’t deliver much of a punch in combat or enough variation in its match types and maps. Developer Ninja Theory draws clear inspiration from Blizzard’s Overwatch, delivering similar hero-focused play, with each teammate playing a critical role as a tank, support, or damage dealer. While some of the Overwatch nods are a little too obvious, like a hip, headphone-wearing healer who just happens to be from Rio De Janeiro, or a tank who can take off in a sprint to slam an opponent into a wall, Ninja Theory brings its own brand of creativity to the heroes. However, that style only goes so far, and the fun they generate flatlines after just a few hours.

    Launching out of a safe zone on hoverboards towards the enemy is a fun way to kick off a match, and the introductory clash that takes place gives a good read of the strategies being deployed by both sides. Your team’s healer could be targeted by a ninja named Daemon who can turn invisible to sneak onto your backline. His stealth threat will need to be countered or he'll create chaos for your healer all match long. If you are overly aggressive in your push, you may even be lured into a zone filled with turrets by the gun-wielding Gizmo, or the witch Maeve could subdue your tank in a magical cage for an easy team assault.

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    The character abilities are well thought out, are nicely balanced in terms of cooldowns, and their strategies can be figured out quickly and used effectively. Ninja Theory did a nice job with the introductory 11 fighters; each approach combat in different ways, and they look amazing. One character has a snake for an arm, another rides around on a gas-filled balloon. Ninja Theory also makes sure that their unique looks are reflected in play and put to good use.

    Given the third-person viewpoint, melee strikes and combos are a big part of the experience, but so are medium-range attacks – you can’t snipe in these battles, you need to be relatively close to deal any damage. Since players are twitchy in movement, a handy lock-on system keeps you glued to your target, meaning if you are close, you’re going to hit them unless they time an evasive move or parry you – both of these abilities are handled well and feel great when executed properly. The melee attacks, as powerful as they look, don’t deliver that satisfying weight of contact, and all opponents have plenty of health, so you need to hack at or shoot at them a bunch. What usually happens, if you don’t have the help of other teammates, is your opponent runs away, and you chase them, and they run more, and you chase more, picking at them slowly or disengaging entirely. The slowness of the base movements and the massive amounts of open space to maneuver steal away the intensity of the one-on-one battles. Most of the kills I achieved weren't satisfying and were either oddly played out wars of attrition or getting a lucky last shot on a running foe.

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    At launch, Bleeding Edge offers two match types: Power Collection, the better of the two, sees teams collecting canisters that appear on the map and turning them in to zones for points, and Objective Control, where players capture and hold zones to score points. Power Collection has a nice risk/reward mechanic in that if you grab a canister, the opponent can kill you and take it. If you are sitting on nine canisters, you become a target and your teammates will hopefully try to protect you. While the maps deliver different hazards like moving trains, missile strikes, and electrical fences, there are only five at launch and the feeling of being in the same place again sinks in quickly.

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    Longevity also isn’t found in the unlockable content for each fighter. Most of the skins are just color swaps, and the decals on the hoverboards can’t really be seen while playing. Additionally, the mods you earn for leveling up, while giving small bumps to abilities, are a lackluster reward overall. The best unlockables are taunts, which are humorous, yet you'll likely use them most in the pre-match lobby.

    Bleeding Edge has plenty of potential and I had fun with it in my first couple of hours, yet lost interest in it quickly, as the battles alone weren’t enough of an allure to keep going. Like most living competitive games, there’s a chance Ninja Theory could greatly enhance the experience over time. For the time being, however, it’s entertaining for a bit and then it fades fast.

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    Score: 6.75

    Summary: Ninja Theory's hero-based fighter has a lot going for it, but the thrills don't last long.

    Concept: A 4v4 online battler that is a little slow and light on content, yet can deliver intensity when teams are strategizing

    Graphics: The cartoonish fighter designs are excellently crafted and the worlds are filled with color and plenty of detail

    Sound: Much like Overwatch, the fighters call out their special attacks. The sounds tied to the abilities are quite good, and the announcer calling out capture point changes is helpful

    Playability: The fighter classes and abilities are nicely balanced, but most attacks just pick away at enemies and don’t make you feel that powerful

    Entertainment: Bleeding Edge is engaging for a few hours and then heavy repetition sinks in

    Replay: Moderate

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