Final Fantasy VII Remake @ E3 2019: Breaking it down

 

   Well, of course this was coming! You'd be naive not to expect it coming from me with all the information that's been coming out regarding this 22-year-old masterpiece that was one of the first games I ever played and the first title that really showed me the true art of combining an intricate story with great game play. This is something that I (along with tens of millions of others around the world that were also mesmerized by the original) thought could only exist within the sphere of my own imagination. We asked for it, yet somewhere deep down, thought it couldn't be done due to the limitations of modern technology. 
   Well, those barriers have been broken and today we can be happy and excited that we will get to experience this story as it was meant to be told. This year's greatest gaming show E3 gave us a ton of information regarding the Remake of Final Fantasy VII and we are here to break down all of it to the last detail. So let's dive in.

   - The story will be told across multiple games. This was something already known to us, yet some people made the mistake of using the word 'episodic'. That's not true. Each and every part of this project will be the size of a full scale game, with a beginning and an ending. Simply because it won't take players all the way to the Northern Crater, that doesn't somehow make it half a game. All of them will be complete, plus doing it this way will probably allow the developers to expand further on certain aspects and tell stories that they  weren't able to do so originally. The perfect example of this would be the AVALANCHE crew, who I'm sure will make more of an impact this time around, rather than them just coming and going within the first few hours of the original.

   - The battle system is a hybrid of old and new. While it remains action-oriented, there's a large element of strategy to it as well. You can control up to three party members (just as the original) and you have an Active Time Battle gauge (again, just like the original). So those who were worried that this might be too much like FFXV can put their minds at ease. The difference here is that you don't have to wait around doing nothing as your ATB gauge fills up and you're allowed to take action. Attacking enemies with your base attack deals little damage, yet it helps speed up the ATB gauge and that's when things get interesting. Once you've filled up a bar, you can decide how you're gonna go. 

   Time slows down around you and you can choose your action. You can either cast Magic (provided you have the right Materia equipped), use an item, perform a Limit Break (if you've taken enough damage you will be signified by the familiar rainbow-flashing bar) or switch characters (which you can do on the fly). You can also assign orders to your other characters to perform while you're not controlling them and have shortcuts on your actions for those who prefer faster pacing to their battles, similar to Kingdom Hearts. There's a lot of unfamiliar terminology flying around here, especially for the uninitiated, but it really is quite easy to wrap your head around and, most importantly, it's faithful to the original. It won't alienate fans while also allowing for newcomers to feel like this is something fresh and fun.

   - The story is just as engaging, yet now it goes further beyond. Just from the few short trailers and game play footage we've seen, it appears like this is a complete re-imagining of Final Fantasy VII. As if this is how the creators intended to make it, yet they just couldn't at the time. It's the same with the story. Players will begin from that same, familiar place, explore that same reactor, talk to the same people, see the same things happen, fall from the same place, crash the same roof and meet that same girl... 

   It's just that now, it might take them more time to do it, due to the larger volume of people they'll be able to talk to, the more areas they might be able to explore or things they'll be able to do. This is the city of Midgar after all and we'll really be able to see the juxtaposition between the people living comfortably at the top of the plate at the cost of those barely making ends meet in the slums. That's what it was meant to be about in the first place. But we'll still get to do all the other things too.

   - The designs of the main characters remain faithful to the originals. Those who were afraid due to how the characters appeared in the film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children can now lay their fears to rest. Starting from Cloud, but even going all the way to secondary characters such as Jessie, Wedge or Marlene, there's been an obsessive attention to detail on how these characters look. From the colors of their outfits, to their accessories and anything else in between, it's obvious that the developers don't want to add anything if they don't feel like it belongs there or if it might be off-putting. It's incredible how everyone immediately recognized a secondary character such as Heidegger in the trailer, without Square Enix ever even confirming it was actually him. This just creates even more excitement for the eventual reveal of fan-favorites such as Reno, Vincent or Red XIII.

   - Tifa is simply mind-blowing. She deserves special mention. There was a lot of speculation regarding how they would handle her design (I won't go into specifics because it's just embarrassing, there's no limit to how low some people are willing to go), yet they made her even better than the original dare I say. Her outfit is quite similar (with a pair of metal gloves that could punch the lights out of a fire-breathing dragon), yet she retains the caring smile that could even brighten up the day of someone as gloomy as Cloud. That says it all. They even went out of their way to make her eyes more red when compared to Advent Children, that's the level of detail that's been paid to her.

   - Sephiroth is also here. It was really difficult for the main villain of the game to not make an appearance. And yet somehow, it feels out of place. What was truly intimidating about Sephiroth was his... total absence. The one-winged angel never needed to be there in order to scare the sh*t out of you, especially after all the rumors and stories you heard about him. Yet no one actually even mentions his name until the end of the Midgar section. However now we've already seen him in two separate trailers. Even if he only exists in Cloud's mind, that still makes no sense. Cloud only thought of, well, spoilers, but Zack. I might be overthinking this but I really hope they don't overuse Sephiroth in the remake. Just let him be a rumor. A shadow. That's how he works best.

   - Nobuo Uematsu is back. Of course one of the things that made Final Fantasy VII the behemoth that it is was its amazing soundtrack. And that too is making a comeback, only better. From the tidbits that we were able to hear, the "Opening: Bombing Mission" has been redone and so has "Aerith's Theme". The battle music plays on and off as you go into fights (I won't call them "random encounters" anymore) and that too seems to have been touched up here and there. It's going to be glorious listening to other tracks like "JENOVA" or "One-Winged Angel" redone. And as we already know, the legendary composer is heavily involved in this project.

   - Ride on the Hardy Daytona. As witnessed in one of the trailers, there's a scene where Cloud is riding on a bike with Jessie, slashing at enemies with his Buster Sword left and right. There's no such scene in the original, yet it is fairly reminiscent of the escape from Shinra HQ, where Cloud is riding the Hardy Daytona and trying to ward off the soldiers who are attacking his fellow party members as they make their way out of the city on a mini-truck. So it makes sense that we can expect a similar re-imagining of that particular mini game near the end of the first game of this project.

   - It just looks astonishing. There's no way of putting it into words and the greatest example of this is when the camera does that traditional zooming out of Aerith to show the entire technopolis of Midgar. It was already good back then (which is why it gained such renowned fame), but looking at it today just blows your freaking head off! How did they do that?!

   - The (first) game is coming out sooner than expected. Director of the Remake (and character designer of the original) Tetsuya Nomura had dubbed this the year of "7". Square Enix held a memorable concert at Los Angeles specifically for Final Fantasy VII. As it concluded, a short trailer was shown only to those in attendance. And at the end of that trailer, the release date was made known: 3.3.2020! Less than one year away for our return to Midgar! That is quite remarkable, considering the project began back in 2014, yet needed to be scrapped and started over from scratch one year later. Square Enix made the decision to remove then co-developers CyberConnect2 from the team as they didn't agree with the way they were handling the title. Looking at it now, I'm glad they made that decision!

   - You can already get it! There are three (five, if you add the digital) editions out there in the wild just waiting to be collected. The normal (which if pre-ordered on the PlayStation Network gives you a neat Sephiroth theme), the deluxe (that comes with an artwork, a mini soundtrack, a steelbook case and two summon Materia) and the SOLDIER 1st Class (with all those things the deluxe edition has, plus a Play-Arts Kai figure of Cloud and the Hardy Daytona). 

   - All first impressions were positive. Sometimes when you're all hyped up, it's difficult not to be subjective towards something that you really like. Yet during all of E3, I have not seen anyone say something bad about how Final Fantasy VII Remake plays or feels. If it betrays the essence of the original, if the battle system is flawed, if the soundtrack is terrible and they should bring back the old one... Nothing. Not a single peep. 

   And it's very easy for gamers to go off the reels, I believe we are one of the most spoiled and self-entitled audiences that exist across the entertainment industry, so I was prepared to take all criticism with a grain of salt. I mean, I'm ready to love this game no matter what just as long as the story remains faithful to the original, I don't need much. But nothing ever came. Everyone who was at E3 and tried the demo (did I mention there's a demo?) had nothing but great things to say about it. And it's hard not to take their words seriously. I mean, the lighting, the feeling in every single scene, it all screams Final Fantasy VII. How could I not believe them... The proof is in the pudding!

   - In conclusion: We got Tifa. We got Sephiroth. We got game play. We got a new hybrid battle system to appease the old and the new. We got enough footage to hold us off until Gamescom (or Tokyo Game Show, whatever). We got a release date. We got updated tracks. We got awesome editions. We got developers who (as Producer Yoshinori Kitase said) "will not betray our expectations". We got Final Fantasy VII Remake... it's alive and well, and will be here soon. Our Reunion is at hand!

E3 2019: Greatest hits

   With most conferences (besides Nintendo) having taken place, these are the titles that stood out the most and should be marked on everyone's calendar

   Although the show opens its doors tomorrow to those actually in Los Angeles, it has basically come and gone for us that are hundreds of miles away and are only able to catch a glimpse of the action through the live-streams. Despite Sony's absence this year, Japanese publisher Square Enix proved more than capable to pick up the slack for them, putting on a spectacular show that included something for fans of most genres. Everyone (with the exception of Ubisoft perhaps) had a stellar showing even though it was apparent that we're standing on the precipice of a new console generation.

   These are the titles that caught our attention:

- CYBERPUNK 2077. The first-person MMO RPG developed by The Witcher III publisher CD PROJECT RED is going all out. As it was shown at Microsft's briefing, it will not only give players the ability to walk around a futuristic dystopia and create their own individual stories, but it will also feature Hollywood heavyweight Keanu Reeves. The moment The Matrix star walked on to the stage of the LA Convention center was certainly... breathtaking, as many would attest. The game also got an official release date at the show (April 16, 2020.)

- ELDEN RING. Just the idea of a video game by FROM SOFTWARE is tantalizing enough on its own, as they were the ones behind the highly demanding Dark Souls series. But if you add to that the story-telling genius of George R. R. Martin (writer of A Song Of Ice And Fire), then you're on to something huge. Next to nothing is known regarding this Bandai Namco title, yet it's still got the entire gaming community waiting to get their hands on it.

- DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT. After its revival a few years back with its movie Battle Of Gods, it seems the Dragon Ball franchise is unwilling to settle down. This time it'll be a brand new action-RPG title that will follow and expand upon the story of Dragon Ball Z (no Super folks, sorry), allowing players to traverse the world, follow different quests or just stick to the main scenario. It'll be developed by CYBERCONNECT2, the people responsible for the Naruto Ninja Storm series, so we already know it's in good hands.

- TALES OF ARISE. Many people had been waiting for a new title in the Tales Of series and their requests have now been answered. The series dates as back as 1995 and this will be yet another installment featuring an entirely different world and different setting (in the same fashion as Final Fantasy), with the story taking place on a world called Dahna.

- GHOSTWIRE: TOKYO. A brand new IP revealed during Bethesda's press conference, this is a title created by the developer of The Evil Within, Shinji Mikami and is not a horror game. The setting is, as the title suggests, the city of Tokyo, where people have begun randomly disappearing and in their place a whole bunch of mythological creatures and buildings have started showing up. The trailer looked highly promising!

- DEATHLOOP. Yet another brand new title by Bethesda, this shows two people, a man and a woman, who seem to be at odds with each other. Yet every time one of them happens to die they just return to life as if nothing had happened, continuing the cycle of violence. Interesting title.

- FIFA 20. It's FIFA, what more do you want? You either like it or you don't.

- STAR WARS JEDI: FALLEN ORDER. Shown during EA Play, this new game by Respawn appears to have captured the essence of what makes the Star Wars franchise truly stand out. Set during the time Order 66 was issued (meaning most Jedi were taken out yet Luke and Leia were just infants), players take up the role of lone Padawan Cal Kestis who is on the run from the Empire. The campaign sounds and looks pretty solid but we'll have to wait until November 15 when the game releases to find out if they actually made good on their third effort.

- FINAL FANTASY VIII REMASTER. People have been asking for this for quite a while, now they've finally got it. The only Final Fantasy mainline title that hadn't received the remaster treatment will soon be released on all major platforms (yes, including Google Stadia), giving players a chance to return to the Garden and fight the Sorceress. Just keep an eye on them hot dogs, I hear the cafeteria runs out fast.

- MARVEL AVENGERS. A game developed in association by Square Enix, Marvel Studios and Crystal Dynamics, that includes the acting talents of Troy Baker, Nolan North and Laura Bailey and that features some of the most acclaimed heroes across the cinematic universe could be nothing but highly anticipated! It is visually stunning, there's nothing else to say about it. Other than its release date (May 15, 2020) of course.

- FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE. This is the big one. We got Tifa. We got Sephiroth. We got a breakdown of the (incredible, dare I say!) battle system. We have a release date (March 3, 2020). We have a Deluxe and Collector's (dubbed SOLDIER 1st Class) editions. We have two sparkling new trailers, highly reminiscent of the ones we were treated to back in 1997 when the game originally launched for the first PlayStation. We have the info that this will be coming in two separate Blu-Ray discs and that it will conclude at the end of Midgar, meaning the game is still episodic. We have tears, we have nostalgia, we have all of it. We just need the time to go by so we can finally play it. Just like we did when we were kids.

   And that's about it! Sure, there are titles that flew under my radar (like Gears 5 or Halo Infinite), but it always serves to take into consideration that this is a personal list. Plus if we add to it the fact that there are some other already announced games such as Death Stranding or The Last Of Us Part II that we already know or should know pretty soon when they're going to release, then it's easy to understand that this generation is going out with a real bang! And we can't wait to dive in!

E3 2019: What to expect

 

   Just taking a simple look at my previous entries makes me nostalgic. How many E3's have I covered ever since I started this humble little blog..? Must be at least over five now. And yet, every year I look forward to it even more. It just goes to show the effect of this industry and how much we as gamers love what we follow. We can't get enough of it. Every year, from months before E3 even begins there are rumors, "leaks", searches for anything that might be related to what we'll actually get at the show from people who are simply too impatient to wait. I know what it's like, time literally doesn't go by when we talk about E3 or the release of our favorite titles. And yet, I've come to learn that it's the wait that makes it all so rewarding. Because in the end, once a title is released, that's it. You hardly hear of it anymore unless a big DLC is to be released for it or if it is mentioned by some website in a "top-10" kind of article. Otherwise, it's like all that waiting didn't even matter. We're so quick to consume everything nowadays...
   But I digress. Here we are at the forefront of yet another E3 and anticipation is once again soaring through the roof. Of course, this year feels a bit off compared to others since there have been some significant changes and there is one huge absence that will however be filled by a surprise re-entry. More specifically, Sony have decided to sit it out in 2019, citing that they just don't have enough material for an entire showcase. An understandable decision, considering they have already done everything they needed to do to ensure they will remain successful up until the end of the PlayStation 4's (PS4) life cycle, with the recent announcement of the release date of Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding (November 8th) and strong speculation that The Last Of Us Part II will also be released at the start of the new year. Also let's not forget that Final Fantasy VII Remake is still scheduled to be a timed exclusive.

   Speaking of FFVIIR, it is that game's developer that will be called to fill in for Sony this season. After many years of disappointments and calls on deaf ears, it appears the people at Square Enix have finally decided to listen to what their fans want and are coming to E3 2019 with all the big guns in their arsenal. Besides the aforementioned FFVIIR, that is scheduled to release more information "in June" (although that could mean the specific "Final Fantasy VII" concert that will take place in California on June 9th, with the game skipping out on E3 altogether, going down a similar route as Kingdom Hearts III last year), the Japanese company in association with Crystal Dynamics have also confirmed that they will be releasing information regarding their long-awaited Avengers project (tentatively titled Marvel's Avengers), while also bringing to their show the sequel to Dying Light (thanks to their partnership with the game's developer Techland). Of course, they will also be showing Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, the latest expansion of the popular MMORPG title and there are rumors going around of a Kingdom Hearts III presence (the DLC episodes are scheduled for release sometime before the end of the year, as stated by the game's director, Tetsuya Nomura.) So, with all this in store (and more?), it's easy to see how Square is really "bringing it" this year. It's quite possible that by the end of it, no one will even remember that Sony wasn't even there, especially if they finish it with a bang (*cough*, Final Fantasy XVI announcement, *cough*).

   But apart from that, there are many other great things to look forward to at this year's E3, most notably from Microsoft, Bethesda, Ubisoft and Nintendo, who will all have their own showcases in one way or another.
   The American giant plans to host a two-hour briefing on its usual schedule, where it will show off many of its own exclusive titles. According to a recent tweet by the Head of Xbox Phil Spencer, there are over 14 of their in-house studios waiting to reveal what they've been working on. So it should be a focus mainly on games, rather than hardware as we may have been used to. We can expect more info on Gears Of War 5, something new on Halo Infinite of course and a lot of third-party titles, but apart from that it's really anyone's guess what we're going to see here. Maybe something new from Hellblade studio Ninja Theory, who knows..?
   Same can pretty much be said about Nintendo. The company has gone all out on Pokemon even before E3 rises its curtains, after the recent announcement of Pokemon Home, Pokemon Sleep and Pokemon Masters and another specific live stream for the franchise scheduled for June 5th, where the focus will be on the two new mainline entries, Sword and Shield. Apart from all that, it really is worth wondering what else they might have hidden for the actual E3 Nintendo Direct? New Mario title? Maybe more info on Metroid Prime 4 or Bayonetta 3? New characters for Smash Bros Ultimate? New Yoshi, DK or Kirby titles? It really is anybody's guess what we might get yet it is worth noting that these shows go for at least an hour. So they should have quite a lot under their sleeve if they felt they needed to get Pokemon out of the way.

   What about Bethesda and Ubisoft..? Well, let's just say they've already left everyone with a sour taste in their mouths before the show even commenced. On the one hand, Bethesda already confirmed that neither The Elder Scrolls VI nor new franchise Starfield will be making an appearance, asking their fans to be "a bit more patient", while Ubi will be discussing their own highly anticipated title Beyond Good And Evil 2, but only during a short live stream before the show in order to "update fans about its development". No actual footage will be shown.
   As to what we can expect from the two, well, thanks to a certain leak we already kinda know what's coming from the French studio. There will be three unannounced titles showcased -with hopes that among them will be the new Assassin's Creed, South Park and Watch Dog entries-, while they will also be discussing their new subscription service, the Ubi Pass. Bethesda, meanwhile, will of course be showing off Doom Eternal, but other than that not much else is known (new Wolfenstein or Evil Within maybe..?)

   And then there are titles who aren't actually associated with anything, but are confirmed to be at E3 2019. Most notable among them is CD Project Red's Cyberpunk 2077. It's safe to assume that, with Sony absent, Microsoft will be more than happy to show off this marvel to the gaming industry. Additionally, there are other developers such as Bandai Namco (new Dragon Ball Z action-adventure title info could be released), Capcom (Dino Crysis remake?), Quantic Dream, Take-Two, XSEED and Activision, who could all potentially have their own unique titles to show off. Again, the place to look for them would be the Microsoft showcase, as the company has made a solid effort to bring in more third-party studios to their team.
   Finally, EA is also going to be at E3 with their usual sports bonanza. They will also be showing Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order. Hopefully this time, the game won't be hidden behind a paywall...
   And that's pretty much all we can expect from this year's E3, which kicks off in less than 10 days now! Unreal how time flies. The games we got in between the two conferences were nothing to scoff at either (my personal favorites being Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Kingdom Hearts III.) It's interesting to think about what the experiences we'll have between this conference and E3 2020. Time to get blown away again!

How one small word can condemn an entire industry

   Just a few short hours a go, it was announced by the World Health Organization that as of January 1st, 2020 gaming will be recognized a "disorder". As the announcement points out, this refers to the "excessive use of video games that would make people avoid their professional obligations and personal relationships". Or, in layman's terms, when you game so hard that you block out everything else.
  Of course, as a gamer (although more of a "casual"), I find it extremely difficult to understand the logic behind this. People need to be able to take responsibility for their own actions. And (unless someone is already suffering from some type of disease, like epilepsy), gaming, unlike drugs or alcohol, is not something that can endanger a life. So it really is nobody's business how long a person wants to game. It's not like if you play a game 8 hours straight and then get behind a steering wheel, you'll be a threat to someone else.
   This feels like another "boogeyman" situation, where people constantly need to be told by someone who's in a more "official" position how much fun it's okay for them to have. "You can only drink this much", "you shouldn't do drugs", "don't eat meat or carbs or gluten", "try to exercise", etc. Yet more often than not, this only seems to have a reverse effect. A percentage of the population sees this as a method of control through fear or attempt at manipulation and usually responds by doing the opposite or completely ignoring it.

   Yet, contrary to all other examples, gaming, as mentioned earlier, really doesn't have any dangerous influences to a person's life. So this truly looks like someone is coming in and telling you "okay, you can play, but only for so long". Which begs the question: what if people don't want to have a social life? What if they can afford to not go to work and just stay home and play video games literally all day long? On what basis does the WHO come out and baptize them as "disorderly"?
   And if they do decide to officially go down this path, are they truly willing to accept the ramifications? For example, should someone be medically recognized as a "gaming addict" (it's really difficult to type that in without laughing), will they receive medical attention? Rehabilitation? Will doctors receive special training in order to be able to treat it? Will it be specialized depending on the genre of games the patient is addicted to? Will they receive benefits up until they are officially 'cured' of their 'illness'? If someone is diagnosed with a "gaming addiction", will they be able to take paid leave off work in order to seek medical treatment? These are all questions that will need to be answered eventually, if we are to officially recognize gaming as an "addiction".
   See, you can't just randomly throw a word out there and then just try and sugarcoat it. That's the thing. With this decision, the WHO has now officially declared "hunting season" for a wide net of people who were already waiting at the corner to go full force on ostracizing the industry. At the same time, gaming offers various incredible (and quite often, educational) experiences to millions of others around the world, actually helping them get through some of the most difficult situations of their lives. Does it make them a bit more secluded and isolated? Perhaps, but gaming also has some of the biggest, most vocal and most active communities you will ever find (the annual E3 show that begins in a couple of weeks is the best example of this.)

   Most of these people might buy a new game that they've been expecting to come out for a good 4-5 years and then spend over 10 hours a day playing it. They might be gone for weeks. Does that make them "addicts"? No. And even if the WHO's report doesn't center around those people, it has now made it "okay" for them to come under scrutiny or for parents to become unnecessarily worried if they see their child demonstrate a siilar behavior.
   Even if someone spends most of their time play COD, WOW, Fortnite, or whatever the latest fashion in gaming is, who gave the right to the WHO to call them out as "addicts"? So they don't want to deal with the real world and they like to isolate themselves. That's their own personal issue. And nobody should get a say in it. Opening up a Pandora's Box like this can only lead to more trouble between the gaming community and the health industry. And right now, nobody needs another turf war.
   It's just completely absurd that with all the issues going on in the world today (hundreds of thousands of drug and alcohol addicts the world over, poverty, climate crisis, gambling addiction -a real addiction by the way-, illness and so on), this is what the WHO choose to focus on. Deciding on if your great aunt calls you and you tell her that you're too busy to see her because you'd rather spend your weekend playing video games, that somehow makes you an "addict". Give me a break...

The worst kind of strength

   In life, we may come across all different kinds of people. We give somethings to them and take from them in response. I'm not speaking of physical items; experiences, life lessons, emotions. That sort of thing. We learn and grow from all of our various past and present relationships and bonds and based on them we're able to make better decisions in our future ones. That's what it truly means to become wise.
   Of course, just as all other skills, some people are better at this than others. Due to their natural affinity or their individual circumstances, they attain the skills to be able to "read" people and situations much earlier on in life. Thus they are able to turn certain situations to their favor. And the more they need to practice at this, the better they become.
   Others find they don't need these skills, so they don't "flex" their social "muscles" as much as necessary. This however leaves them in a vulnerable state, as they are never able to figure out how it is they are always placed in a certain situation that leaves them feeling victimized or as if they are being used.
   Abuse comes in various shapes and sizes in this day and age. It doesn't need to be physical. In fact, more often than not, it is emotional. And it is practiced by the aforementioned people that have a better hold of how to control certain situations in order to turn them in their favor. Maintaining the balance of people in their lives, being able to climb up in the corporate ladder, learning how much information is convenient to share and how much could prove detrimental towards their goals (even crossing the boundary of dishonesty), these are the things that social manipulators learn how to do from early on in their lives. 
   We're talking about people who may have needed to nurture these skills in order to survive. It is a "dog-eat-dog" world out there after all, and it's each person for themselves. If you're not tough, then you're just not. You can only go so far on kindness and decency and whoever claims the opposite is simply living within their own utopia.
   But what of the victims of this abuse? What becomes of the ones that never had to develop any social skills due to being overprotected, incapable, or, sometimes, even both? Well, the news is not good for them. They could very easily have their money taken or their items stolen or just, as they say, get taken "for a ride." In the best case scenario, they will be strung along by someone more adept than them at reading social situations and left as a "back-up" of sorts should things go awry.
   Regarding that last case, people don't realize that they've been taken advantage of until they're in way too deep. And by then, they've invested too much to be able to do anything about it. It requires a certain amount of emotional strength to be able to cut off someone who has done nothing but keep you on the sidelines of their own life, just in case they feel they might need you for a "rainy day". Especially when you have spent months or even years living within the delusion that they will always be by your side or that they are someone special to you and you mean as much to them.
   And not many people have this certain strength to end things right then and there once they've realized what they've gotten themselves caught into and who this person really is. So they just let the situation deteriorate even further, wasting their time in pitiful attempts to find any slither of space in the life of a social manipulator that they know they should break away from and would be better off without.
   Others, of course, do possess that strength. The strength to say "enough's enough" and to stand up for themselves. To end the cycle of emotional abuse once and for all and move on with their lives. Sure, it may take a certain amount of time, but once it's over, then it's over for good. These are the types of people that may not understand much about social interactions, but they don't really need to, since they stand with their own two feet firmly rooted to the ground. These people don't allow many to walk beside them, so on the one hand they take their few bonds very seriously, but on the other, if their trust is broken, it can not be repaired.
   There are many kinds of people in this life. What kind are you?

The Reunion draws nearer

  Final Fantasy VII Remake. Just those four words across the screen, partnered by the sound of the opening notes of Nobuo Uematsu's "Opening Mission" theme for the game, are enough to send shivers down the back of literally millions of fans. Both those who played the original in their childhood, forming ever-lasting bonds with the game's main characters Cloud, Tifa, Barrett, Aerith, Cid, Vincent, Yuffie, Caid Sith, Red XIII, or even the antagonist Sephiroth, and the ones who weren't around during the game's initial release in 1997 yet, impressed by all that they've seen from it so far and the excitement surrounding it, can't wait to see what all the fuss is about.
   The truth is, the developer of this highly-anticipated project, Square Enix, have had quite a rocky past when it comes to these types of titles, which has left the trust of their faithful followers in tatters. Many issues across the -formerly known as- Fabula Nova Crystallis series, the initial launch of Final Fantasy XIV and the lengthy wait for Kingdom Hearts III don't really allow for much optimism.
   Recently though it appears as if the big-wigs at the company are beginning to show signs of changing their way of thinking. Whereas in the past they would opt to show off a title until there was nothing left of it to show, now there are statements of regret and choosing a different path. For example, recently during the results of the current financial year, their CEO Yosuke Matsuda explained that they feel they "...need to reduce the time between announcement and launch of triple-A titles."

   That in itself is a reason to be optimistic. It means they understand that fans aren't willing to wait around forever for a new game, no matter what it may be called. They may have had a rude awakening from their experience with Kingdom Hearts III, which even though sold admirably, surpassing 5 million copies within its first month of release, wasn't able to turn in a profit for the company since it was too heavily marketed.
   This isn't the first time that Square Enix set the bar way too high with their sales expectations either. I'm afraid I don't recall what year it was, but they were aiming to sell close to ten million physical copies of Rise Of The Tomb Raider, which despite being quite a great game and the franchise having its own following, but there was never any chance it was going to make it that far. Of course, due to exceedingly high expectations, the title was inevitably deemed a failure (although it actually is one of the greatest hits in this generation).
   Going back to Final Fantasy VII Remake, one would hope that all of these experiences have taught the higher-ups at Square Enix to curb their enthusiasm a bit and maintain a low profile. This title does indeed have the potential of breaking records, just as the initial title did, but this is a whole other playing field and one measly little thing is enough to set the entire fan base against you.

   Speaking of which, the recent one-minute and twenty-second teaser trailer that was given during PlayStation's StateOfPlay showing was already enough to set them off. After the initial excitement that lead to over 2 million views on YouTube in less than a week(!), several online outlets or individual fans began their... reactions: "Barrett's voice not a proper representation of the African-American community", an article on Kotaku reads. "Fans in Japan are outraged over Aerith's long face", @RedMakuzawa posted on Twitter... and this is just the beginning. We haven't even seen the infamous Honey Bee Inn scene, where players are tasked with going around looking for items to help Cloud dress up like a woman in order to gain access to a brothel and help his fellow team member Tifa. 
   It feels a bit pointless to keep saying this, but people need to understand that this game is a faithful remake of a game that was launched in 1997, when the world was a different place. If the scene is changed too dramatically, then the purists will complain about it and if it is shown in its full extent, then the developers will be blamed for being insensitive towards the LGBTI+ communities. Everyone is literally waiting at the corner for them. Is there even a point to all of this?
   This was just one example of how high in regard people hold this title. It's like a work of art for them, it needs to be delivered perfectly. All the themes of life, all the funny parts, all the areas of exploration need to be displayed perfectly, otherwise it just won't be worth it. How easy of a task that'll prove to be for Square Enix remains to be seen, yet so far, they seem to be doing a pretty good job at it.
   We were promised more information at this year's E3, which is just three short weeks away. Right now, the internet has gone into overdrive with new rumors regarding release date, leaks, trailers and other things that might be shown being talked about almost on a daily basis. The most recent debate on Twitter is on whether or not the game should be political (a game that talks about how large corporations can destroy planets and where you're part of a terrorist group, I don't know how it can get any more political than that, anyway.) We'll probably get so much more in the days up until the Square Enix E3 Conference (Tuesday 11 June, just in case) that in the end it'll be hard to say which one was real and which were lies just to attract some attention.

   But all of this is just part of the excitement. Hopefully we won't need to wait much longer for the first part of this remake (it has already been announced that a project this large cannot be delivered in one disc so they needed to divide the work) and like the info says, we can play it by the start of the new year. However it'll be a good idea for them to keep it under wraps for a while, let it go AWOL and then begin to advertise it again when it's really close to release. There's really no point in showing off a game today that is meant to be released in September 2020. That's almost harmful to its image. Five-three months before release is a good time in my opinion.
   From all we've read and heard, it seems this will be Square Enix's flagship title (kinda like their main attraction, if you will) at this year's show. They don't have much else going on, other than the expansion of Final Fantasy XIV, Shadowbringers and the episodic releases of Life Is Strange 2. So it would be a little self-destructive if they were to bring it back next year as well. Public interest would wane. If they're shifting into full-on promotion of Final Fantasy VII Remake, then it needs to come out by the end of the fiscal year (March 2020.) Plain and simple.
   Almost five years into production, surely it's enough for just the first of many parts of a single title..? Guess we'll have to wait and see. Till June 11.

At the doorstep of the next generation...

  During the last few weeks it has become public knowledge that the current era of gaming consoles will soon be coming to an end and that we're at the doorstep of a brand new generation. There had been whispers going around for a while now regarding a new Sony console, but these became concrete knowledge thanks to a tweet by the PlayStation account that linked to a Mark Cerny interview on wired.com, where he discussed in full detail what this new piece of hardware hopes to achieve over its predecessor, the PS4.
   This feels like a rather normal evolution of things, considering the PS4 has had its time in the limelight yet things are now beginning to quiet down when it comes to development of new titles. Even lots of third-party studios have gone radio-silent for a while now and there isn't much to anticipate as most games have already been released or are on the cusp of being pushed out the door. So not a lot remains after that.
   At this point, all PS4 fans have to look forward to are Final Fantasy VII Remake, The Last Of Us II and Death Stranding. Oh, and maybe Shenmue III, depending on what it looks like. That's it. 3-4 games to support the life of the console. Hopefully it'll prove enough to push it into breaking that unreachable 100 million sales barrier that is currently held by the PS2.

   But other than that, there isn't really much else to look forward to when it comes to the PS4, so anyone could easily tell that the people at Sony Worldwide Studios had already begun to plan their next move for a while now. They strategically chose to sacrifice this year's E3 (and perhaps even last year's PlayStation Xperience) in order to plan for something much bigger in the long run. Cerny's interview is only laying the foundation for greater things to come in the near future.
   Yet at this point, with the PS4 already pushing the boundaries between graphical fidelity and what the human eye can see in real life so close together (and the PS4 Pro going even one step further with its 4K resolutions), what else can this new machine hope to achieve? Well, according to Cerny, it seems this time around, their main concern is not really all about graphics but how they can maintain the feeling of player immersion by greatly reducing loading times.
   (Going into more specifics here so don't worry if you get lost in the terminology...) By creating a more powerful CPU that can read more information in a shorter amount of time, the game won't need to drag out loading times as much as the PS4 does. Which means players will no longer be left feeling like they've forgotten what they just saw or start playing with their phones and going on social media until they can actually move on to the game. It'll all be one seamless experience. Non-stop action.
   That isn't to say that there won't be a graphical upgrade at all, with the term "8K" now coming into the picture. But that only stands for anyone who can actually afford a TV with an 8K display, which, to be honest, right now seems unreachable for a medium income household.
   All this is fine and well, but just as with the previous generation (and the one before that), there is still a ton of information that people need to think about before actually investing in this new piece of equipment, as fancy as it already sounds. Number one, of course, is pricing. Sony seemed to learn a lot from their experience with the launch of the PS3, that was retailed with a $500 opening price tag and have since become more flexible, launching the PS4 at just $400. This could be credited as one of the major factors that lead the to great success over Microsoft in November 2013 when both machines (PS4 and Xbox One) were given out to the public, but also to the long-term sustainability in sales of the console. It's at an approachable price. I myself have bought three PS4s.

   Yet another issue to think about is if it'll even be worth buying this new machine at all. As we have witnessed more than once, no matter how powerful a piece of hardware is and how many other things it can do, if it doesn't serve its main function, then there's no real purpose in buying it. This is supposed to be a gaming console, ergo it needs to have great games. Now to their credit, Sony did have the best games (bar Super Mario Odyssey and Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild) during this current generation, but it's still important to see whether there'll be anything of value during launch.
  I still remember a lot of people purchasing the PS4 in its early days, only to play... Knack or Killzone: Shadow Fall. Is that really why you just wasted $400? Just give it a bit of breathing space and wait for the good stuff to come out. And wait to see if it'll actually be good stuff, because you never know. The sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn (which we all know will be coming out on Sony's next console) might end up being awful. Why would you want to take that risk?
   Finally, and this is something I am really worried about, is the emphasis on VR (virtual reality). It seems like it practically came out of nowhere, like some CEO began shouting in a board meeting one day "okay, we're going with this. This is going to be the thing of the future and we need to get everyone on board with it." I never recall anybody asking for VR, yet for some odd reason, Sony (among others) are heavily marketing toward it, like they someday hope to get everyone to forget about gaming in the way it is today and just wear those goggles. I dread to think of a dystopian future where all everyone does for entertainment is just hide inside those things... Get them out!
  All in all, as we slowly begin to write the final chapters on what was an amazing eighth generation of gaming, we look towards the future with a cautious optimism, yet maintain a bit of skepticism for how things will progress. How much further can gaming be pushed? What other great experiences can we look forward to? What will these new consoles even be called? Guess we'll just have to wait and see!