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1. Final Fantasy VII Remake I put a massive post about this in the Final Fantasy General thread. I'll just put the summary intro/outro posts here. I'm just going to say right now that all around, this game was fantastic. If I want to get nitpicky, which I certainly did at points in the game, I could pull out some flaws that bothered me which I'll cover here. Almost all of these are down things to do with the music or plot changes. But overall, I could understand or appreciate most of the changes because it facilitates the my main judgment of this game: it pays massive homage and respect to the original while forging its own path that is satisfying on its own. Overall, I'll withhold an official opinion on the future of the series until I see it play out. But on its own, the Final Fantasy VII Remake was damn near a masterpiece. It had me deep deep deeeeeeep in the feels with all sorts of nostalgia and appreciation for the new context. The battle system was incredibly handled and loads of fun to experiment with. The music was superb. And regardless of complaints about differences, the story was told so well and incredibly compelling, with some of the best character work I've had the pleasure to experience in a video game. Whether as an old fan or someone new to it, I highly recommend this, and can't wait to start digging into the replay content just so I can experience it all over again.

I'm just going to say right now that all around, this game was fantastic. If I want to get nitpicky, which I certainly did at points in the game, I could pull out some flaws that bothered me which I'll cover here. Almost all of these are down things to do with the music or plot changes. But overall, I could understand or appreciate most of the changes because it facilitates the my main judgment of this game: it pays massive homage and respect to the original while forging its own path that is satisfying on its own. Atmosphere/Aesthetic: One of the things this game just nailed perfectly is the atmosphere. Despite the incredible graphics that are far beyond anything seen in the Final Fantasy games, let alone VII, it doesn't sacrifice the aesthetic of the original. Color palettes, distinct, at time blocky shapes, familiar landmarks just rush you with nostalgia in a way that makes you feel like you've been transported into the FFVII world, seeing what it would look like if it was your real life. It's basically like seeing a polished version of the original's concept art and the cutscenes. So many times throughout, I found myself just taking the time to soak in the environment and fawn over every little detail. I said it before, but there is nothing like being able to just look up at the oppressive plate towering above you. This is enhanced by details like being able to see the materia slotted into your weapon, and even reflecting the linked slots and specific placement. There's also a remarkably accurate re-mapping of the locales. Knowing things would be different by nature of expanding, I felt the geographic layout of everything mostly mirrored the maps of the original. Let's also not forget the many conversations of the basic civilians and deeper exploration of the impact on the common person in Midgar that shine a whole new light on the actions of the original. Music: The music was handled 90% wonderfully. Unlike Mera'din, I loved most of the new arrangements for the classic pieces. It probably helps that I've been getting into the idea of leitmotifs lately, but this is something the Final Fantasy series and many video games have been doing for years. They take a basic theme, melody, or rhythmic idea, and contextualize it differently through new instrumentation, style, or key, to convey the connection to a character or overarching theme while reflecting how it's significant in different scenarios. Aerith's theme and the FFVII theme were some wonderful example of this use. The key thing for me is that I think what makes these new arrangements acceptable is the fact that for every new variation, the game mostly pairs that with a version identical to the original with modern sound technology. For example, the Mako Reactor theme. I felt this was one of the stronger arrangements in the whole game, and coupling that with a battle edit version felt like such an immersive new way to explore a classic. Whenever all the teases of Sephiroth or JENOVA's theme kept getting spliced increasingly throughout the game, it sent chills down my spine. And for what it's worth, I liked all the brand new pieces that were included, and ultimately and happy they weren't afraid to bring in new musical elements. I also actually really enjoyed the contemporary remixes you heard through the music discs. While not all of them were perfect, considering most of these themes were based on tracks that aren't normally in this portion of the story, I think it was a nice way to squeak in a bit of nostalgia while having fun. When I heard the jazz blues version of Barret's theme the first time, I was just smiling from ear to ear hearing how they transformed it. That said, the other side to all this is there are some themes that never get a proper arrangement that sounds right, and that bothered me. The Turks theme is an example, as without the snaps and minimalist percussion with heavy bass hits, it just felt flat and non-descript. But the most egregious example is the fucking Wall Market theme, or "Oppressed People" There's a more faithful version that plays for a minute before it transitions into the weird, dub-style battle edit version that permeates the Sector 6 area. This hits for me because this was one of my favorite themes from the original. To be saddled with one of the most bleh remixes as an alternative and spend the entire Wall Market experience listening to "A Whole New World ~Vegas Remix~" while going through one of the most retconned stages of the whole game - it's just salt in the wound. That's not to say I don't like the new Wall Market aesthetic and really pushing the idea of it as a tourist attraction, but it definitely loses some of its seediness by virtue of the new theme. While that did sour me a little, the overall aural experience was a treat, and some of the new tracks, like Avalanche's theme, found a way into my heart. Gameplay: This is the cream of the crop, here. The one saving grace that will always override any other complaint about this game. They really nailed this. I know mostly everyone was skeptical about the new battle system. I was included in those that were supremely bummed there would be no traditional turn-based system. But what they created not only perfects the Action RPG style they've geared towards the last few iterations, it incorporates the ATB system in a unique and meaningful way. While you can mostly get away with a hack-and-slash mentality early on, the game starts pushing you into a corner to think more strategically by the time you get to Reactor 5. It's basically turn-based in the sense that your most effective actions come from the ATB-dependent abilities, but you have to control the battle in the meantime with your basic attack and defense. This becomes even more poignant once you have a full party. Certain enemies are handled better with Barret, whereas Tifa is great for staggering enemies and building up quick ATB slots to support the party. It starts becoming a matter of swapping between characters to build them up to an ATB gauge, and choosing how you want them to interact or approach the enemy from different angles. And by the end of the game, I found myself wanting to play as all characters pretty equally, with a huge bias for Tifa. The challenge is high in this game. I played on Normal difficulty, and while I only died maybe two times, achieving victory was a cathartic sigh of relief for every boss, and even some of the random battles. It is easy to stock up on items, and the game's generosity in healing your party after big moments makes it rarely feel like the, "Need to get to a save point and use my tent" vibe, which is probably a good thing for some. But that said, it only really helps in between each battle when your massive stockpile of potions are locked behind an ATB bar. It keeps you on your toes, and makes you have to think like a JRPG in an action setting: I found myself making great use of spells like Haste and Regen much like I would in the original. And the optional quests are a blast. While some of the NPCs are unimpressive, and there's sort of a formula of "Go to this area for a quest, then come later for an stronger monster," it never feels recycled or too fetch-quest like. Part of that is the way the characters interact and each sidequest having some kind of plot attached to it that's fully acted. The other is that they don't load you with so many sidequests that they have to repeat their selves. They don't wear out their welcome, and some of the rewards are pretty satisfying. Peppering these with some great mini-games that are both new and nostalgic both keeps the game feeling fresh and caters to the spirit of the original. Story: I'm kinda lumping both plot elements and the handling of locations here, but I think this is easily the most divisive aspect of the game. The ending is going to piss a lot of people off, and my opinion can drastically change depending on how they handle the sequels. But before I get to the ending… What the game does well for most of the story is that it fills in the blanks between the major plot points of the original. Up until Wall Market, it mostly stays this course. Small moments and aspects of dialogue remain, without being placed out of order for the most part. Meanwhile, the new content serves both as an excuse to get 40+ hours out of Midgar and, more importantly, to characterize everyone better. We get more of the socially awkward Cloud that belies his Ex-SOLDIER badass exterior. We feel more of Barrett's passion for the planet, and Tifa's desire to get to know and understand Cloud more than they did as kids. And of course, we get much more attachment and sympathy for the members of Avalanche. Knowing what comes next, some of the moments between Cloud and Jessie can be so heartbreakingly bittersweet. Spoilers, particularly those who haven't played the original: However, upon arriving at Wall Market, the story starts making some notable departures, and the gap only grows wider through the rest of the game. I want to say upfront that I'm ultimately thrilled with what they did with Wall Market, and all musical complaints are rectified upon entering Corneo's mansion. Now I'll have to get in to specifics, so the following are both spoilers on the original and the new game: The Ending: Speculation and potential concerns aside, this ending was a wild fucking ride. I'm including pretty much the entirety of the final chapter, because it's non-stop throughout. The final clash is on an incredibly epic scale, and it definitely has shades of the Bizarro Sephiroth fight(no, it's not Bizarro Sephiroth). This is all spliced with some wonderful character work, voice-acting, and musical cues and swells that just bring the whole package together. Enough so that I think it makes for a highly satisfying conclusion for both the new and old fans, even if the old fans aren't a fan of the proposed direction they're taking. MAJOR SPOILERS FOR BOTH GAMES AHEAD: Overall, I'll withhold an official opinion on the future of the series until I see it play out. But on its own, the Final Fantasy VII Remake was damn near a masterpiece. It had me deep deep deeeeeeep in the feels with all sorts of nostalgia and appreciation for the new context. The battle system was incredibly handled and loads of fun to experiment with. The music was superb. And regardless of complaints about differences, the story was told so well and incredibly compelling, with some of the best character work I've had the pleasure to experience in a video game. Whether as an old fan or someone new to it, I highly recommend this, and can't wait to start digging into the replay content just so I can experience it all over again.

I know someone who stays in China (not Wuhan, but...) He had a hardcore month-long lockdown, much harder than UK. Stay at home. If you want outside, go in your garden for five minutes then back. Open your window for ten minutes. Stay indoors. After a month of that, pubs etc are back open. Everyone has to wear a mask and everyone gets their temperature tested going in and out of any public building, but otherwise life inside the city is back to normal. Costs you thousands to get a permit to leave the city. Racism is rampant. No foreigners allowed in or out.