I Will Buy Final Fantasy 7 on PS4 – So Should You

Opinion – Final Fantasy VII on PS4

Final Fantasy VII is coming to PS4, and although it isn’t the shiny remake many of us would have wanted, it’s still an incredibly tempting offer. 

The graphics are only slightly improved over the original release, and the additional features that will undoubtedly make the jump from the PC version add very little to the overall experience, but Final Fantasy VII will still be worth playing.

This is partly because it remains, whatever naysayers might claim, one of the best games ever made. The story is flawed in places, but the journey is almost unsurpassed. There’s no clunky world building or overly complex dungeons to get between you and the plot.

But that’s not why the PlayStation 4 edition is so attractive. Final Fantasy VII has always been a fantastic game – on Vita, PC, PSP, PS2 and PS1 – and it always will be, no matter what other systems it jumps to. No, the reason Final Fantasy VII on PC is worth the purchase is because it may just open the door to other upgraded ports in the future.

It’s important to clarify that it’s not likely that PS1 classics will suddenly start appearing on your next-gen consoles. The reason Final Fantasy VII is getting a port is because it was recently released on PC, and it’s that from which Square Enix are making a conversion. Should Final Fantasy VII do well, it’s probably true that we’ll see Final Fantasy VIII, complete with chocobo minigame and trophy support. That’s just because of ease of use.

But it does create a market. If Final Fantasy VII sells well, despite the fact that it’s not a remake (it’s barely even a remaster), there’s no reason to think that other popular titles could make the jump. Trophies could be implemented fairly easily, using the patent registered several years ago. While originally expected to be used with PS1/PS2 Classics, and then with PS Now, nothing has ever been done with it and Sony have never mentioned any interest in adding their network rewards to older titles.

Without adding a PS1 emulator to their service, this would largely be limited to titles that have over the years received PC ports, but that doesn’t necessarily limit things a huge amount. While it’s unlikely Crash Bandicoot HD will ever appear on the service – not only because it’d be difficult to do, but I’m sure that plays a role – the likes of Metal Gear Solid and the Legacy of Kain could very well make their way to new-gen machines, and they could easily be loaded with new features, slightly upgraded visuals and, best of all, trophy support.

This is all a flight of fancy, a small idea based on something that probably won’t ever happen. But consider this: if you buy Final Fantasy VII again, all you’ll be getting is a really good game. Fans can thank Square(soft) financially once again for providing such an excellent example of storytelling in the medium, and newcomers can see what all the fuss is about. The very worst that can happen is that maybe you have a bad time and get a fresh take on one of the most talked about games of all time.

The other possibility bears thinking about though, and I for one support the chance for older games to return, with modern features, in the very near future.