Capitalism, fake news, the environment, is there a game more important next year? A few months old but good article.
I forgot how incredible this game was, need to mentally prepare myself again by listening to the soundtrack.
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Why Final Fantasy VII is the most important game of 2020 and why its story is more meaningful today than in 1997
- Thread starter Segafreak
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Capitalism, fake news, the environment, is there a game more important next year? A few months old but good article.
I forgot how incredible this game was, need to mentally prepare myself again by listening to the soundtrack.
well for me it is the most important game but mainly due to the fact that it is my favourite game to date.
The game is great, the story is great, but trying to paint it as the gold standard of class divide and environmental crisis, even within the Final Fantasy series, is absurd.
We also don't even know how it will work in the remake. Reminder that they made Zack Fair a war criminal who cut foreigners to pieces just to get a promotion for his job, and then we were supposed to feel sad that the fascist company turned on him after they turned on everyone. You're asking too much of current Square-Enix to have an ounce of class consciousness.
We also don't even know how it will work in the remake. Reminder that they made Zack Fair a war criminal who cut foreigners to pieces just to get a promotion for his job, and then we were supposed to feel sad that the fascist company turned on him after they turned on everyone. You're asking too much of current Square-Enix to have an ounce of class consciousness.
Nothing that has been released so far focuses on those issues. In fact, I do think some themes will be toned down compared to the original.
Not really. I think TLOU2 and Cyberpunk will also have some strong message.
Most important game of 2020 might be Half Life Alyx becuae it will show the full potential of current VR technology.
Most important game of 2020 might be Half Life Alyx becuae it will show the full potential of current VR technology.
Agree with the article, I remember reading it. I think it's important that it's not setting out to do these things though, they're just contained within the story. The fact that these heavy themes were in the original, and that I was a young child when I played it, probably influenced my perception of those subjects as a child. I remember being so mad at Shinra and the Turks. "But these guys didn't do it! You can't say that!" - the realisation that this kind of thing was not confined to video games was a moment of growth for me.
More meaningful? Climate change and class divide were old news by 1997, not something on the horizon.
If anything it's kind of annoying that we have done fuck all about these issues in the past 20 years, and I don't know if a remake of a videogame is going to help.
If anything it's kind of annoying that we have done fuck all about these issues in the past 20 years, and I don't know if a remake of a videogame is going to help.
Is just a videogame my dude
Is not gonna change anyone's mind and isn't more important because you try really hard to make it "socially responsible" lol.
Is not gonna change anyone's mind and isn't more important because you try really hard to make it "socially responsible" lol.
It is the most important to me, i don't care about other games as much except maybe for Elden Ring.
I don't think what it offers is comparable to academical literature on the subjects it explores but I think we're demanding too much from a game with such a wide reach.
More importantly I think FF7 messages, do penetrate in most cases. I sincerely think I'd be a somewhat different person were it not for FF7. Not saying it formed my whole personality but it for sure informed it, and very early on might I add.
It's not exploring these subjects deeply but it's coming at it from the right direction and I think that's important enough. Not being a treatise on modern states and capitalism does not invalidate that the game does indeed tackle these.
That said, there's no "most important" game of 2020.
More importantly I think FF7 messages, do penetrate in most cases. I sincerely think I'd be a somewhat different person were it not for FF7. Not saying it formed my whole personality but it for sure informed it, and very early on might I add.
It's not exploring these subjects deeply but it's coming at it from the right direction and I think that's important enough. Not being a treatise on modern states and capitalism does not invalidate that the game does indeed tackle these.
That said, there's no "most important" game of 2020.
Yeah, it has got a pretty relevant story. It is my most anticipated game anyway...well Cyberpunk 2077 is the other - that looks incredible as well.
Climate change was barely in mainstream consciousness in 1997....I mean even now there sure is a lot of talk, but action is pretty low level.
Climate change was barely in mainstream consciousness in 1997....I mean even now there sure is a lot of talk, but action is pretty low level.
From what I can remember of ff vii it didn't really have a deep take or provide tangible approaches to the modern issues of today. It really comes off as more of a setting or thematic element than deep political discourse. In this way, ff vii fails to be impactful in the same way someone like Greta Thunberg is for example.
Yes, if they play it well and in a sensible manner it can still feel very relevant.
Not as much as you think, but still a lot.
They can also turn up the "Shinra is a totalitarian classist government" up to 11, with drones (like the ones seen at TGS), fake news (Pres. Shinra accusing Avalanche of working with Wutai) and propaganda (the fake promotional video that played at the E3 booth) and so on.
The one thing i fear is that they'll lean in too much into the Sephirot storyline which will make the Shinra one feel a lot weaker, which would be a shame considering that in the original game you tought that the company would be the villain for the entire game.
Not as much as you think, but still a lot.
They can also turn up the "Shinra is a totalitarian classist government" up to 11, with drones (like the ones seen at TGS), fake news (Pres. Shinra accusing Avalanche of working with Wutai) and propaganda (the fake promotional video that played at the E3 booth) and so on.
The one thing i fear is that they'll lean in too much into the Sephirot storyline which will make the Shinra one feel a lot weaker, which would be a shame considering that in the original game you tought that the company would be the villain for the entire game.
Climate change and class divide are just as important topics today as they were in 1997. It's not like climate activists weren't a thing back then. Only difference is that the message reaches more ears today because of the urgency caused by humankind's absolute, total inaction for the cause.
As for class divide, the problem is exactly the same and still heavily ignored by, of course, the upper class who doesn't want to lose a cent from their pockets to help the needful ones.
As for class divide, the problem is exactly the same and still heavily ignored by, of course, the upper class who doesn't want to lose a cent from their pockets to help the needful ones.
i mean, the original dumps any kind of real-world action to become jrpg/anime god killing pretty quickly and i'd argue it cares more about cloud than it does any environmental message.
I don't agree, the whole plot, while yeah it involves JRPG tropes, is about the planet crying and fighting to survive. It's about everyone fighting to suck out as much energy from it as they can. The weapons themselves are considered the planet's last line of defense.
Heck, it's the lifestream (planet) that stops Meteor after all.
I think Square is a bit too conservative with how women are treated in XV or DQ's composer to take this games message to heart, it's pretty much the generic heroes journey against the big bad corp that is destroying something.
It's a nice message though & aged very well, something like Marines fighting Aliens or Demons has as much substance as a puddle, FF7 at least has some depth.
It's a nice message though & aged very well, something like Marines fighting Aliens or Demons has as much substance as a puddle, FF7 at least has some depth.
Not my favorite game, but the soundtrack might very well be my #1. It's so good.
Those issues are important and while i appreciate how ff7 discusses them, they were relevant in 1997 as well. Its likely that most people who played it then were on average much younger than those who are playing it now so i suspect it will just seem more relevant because those are issues adults pay much more attention to.
I doubt other games discussed such as tlou2 or cyberpunk will have messages as meaningful however, as they have already bungled their attempts at lgbt representation before release (tlou2 bury your gays and cyberpunk with the weird trans fetishism)
I doubt other games discussed such as tlou2 or cyberpunk will have messages as meaningful however, as they have already bungled their attempts at lgbt representation before release (tlou2 bury your gays and cyberpunk with the weird trans fetishism)
aye but that's a weird message to give if you're hoping people get up off their ass and do something.
i mean it's very very true the planet will survive and flourish without us but it's our activism that will save us, not magic jrpg mumbo jumbo.
"FFVII Remake is a game that could only be made in the Trump era"How many derivative articles like this are going to be written I wonder.
This feels like an essential quote I'd expect to see in a post release analysis. Well done. I do agree with all points.
Holding FF7 up as a game that speaks to our current climate in every sense is not such a good idea.
FFVII Remake looks great and I do appreciate that its story elements are urgently relateable, but it's way too invested in being a stylish entertainment product to really make a mark on larger culture, I think...
What I'm trying to say is that maybe the game dips its hands in a few too many shonen tropes to be taken completely seriously?
What I'm trying to say is that maybe the game dips its hands in a few too many shonen tropes to be taken completely seriously?
Honestly, this.
Does the game have relevant themes that parallel the real world? Sure. Are most players going to be absorbing those themes instead of focusing on the anime, waifus, and swords? Absolutely not.
The original game didn't explore these themes as much as it should have, so here's hoping the Remake does.
I think the issues that FF7 tackles are relevant now, moreso than when the game was released but 2020 is still a ways away and there are a lot of promising titles coming that year so in my opinion the jury is still out if it will be goat. I just hope it's not an 18 hour linear trek through Midgar because if it is, I might skip it or just wait for the eventual "collection".
I expect pretty much all aspects of the story to be expanded upon. And the tone of the game to slightly more mature.
zack was not a war criminal, but i agree that chapter was horrible in crisis core they treated the war as just a mission with even fun moments its bizarre, you even fight more monsters than soldiers to not feel bad, and zack doesnt start to question shinra after it. If they explore this in the remake i hope its not portrayed like that. The story of zack has lots of potential, because he sees and learns what shinra does and rebels from the inside, but i think you will not see many ff7 fans that defends crisis core story mistakes.
I also agree that the original has 1 inconsistency with the way they treat coal energy. FF7 is a very popular game that portraited enviromnental and class struggle and revolutionary action i cant think about many games that talk about that, i also question if square will handle the topics in a good way today, but the remake looks fantastic so far and they are taking a deeper look at avalanche, midgar and shinra and this is the center of those points in the original game, they also say there's avalanche cells globaly then those topics will not be restricted only in part 1. Lets wait and see, but about the original i think its a fantastics game even if they dont dive to deep in those points.