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Advent Children Director Wants To Redo FFVII
1up.com has an interview with director Tetsuya Nomura, one of the men behind Advent Children and Kingdom Hearts. In it, he talks about several aspects of Square-Enixs' gaming library, and admits he'd like to expand the PS3 tech demo into a full revamp of Final Fantasy VII. From the article: "The PS3 tech demo was actually not the perfect forum that he wanted to have. It was just timing that we had to submit something in time for E3, for the press conference. So, again, it was not perfect forum. And the 7 remake idea was always, always in conversation, just because it's so popular. And then just because of that tech demo here in the PS3 conference, that probably based more expectations of fans, obviously."
Hold on now.
"Don't listen to this guy. If you go and download Mystic Quest, you will be forever turned off of FF games."
Good advice so far. It's the game that was created and released for Americans in order to get them up to speed with then-current JRPG culture. It was called Final Fantasy USA when eventually released in Japan, and it had a stupid American flag on the box as if to say to the Japanese gamers, "this is what we had to do to make Americans 'get it.'" As an American JRPGer whose friends at the time knew nothing about JRPGs, I thought the whole affair was pretty hilarious when I saw the box at the import shops.
"You need to play FF5, and then FF4. Then, maybe, FF6."
The guy wants to make choices that will affect the game, but you suggest playing FF4 and not necessarily FF6? FF5 is a fair nomination because of the job system, but FF4, even if it is the second best game in the series in my opinion, is an example of exactly the opposite of what he's looking for - a strict narrative where your choices have zero bearing on the way you play the game or its outcome. In FF6, the way you play determines the fate of one character and therefore the revelation of one of the major secrets in the game, and there are many many optional actions to take, including the revelation of a secret character. Even FF7 borrowed this latter concept.
"Also, don't play the original three games for the Nintendo."
Well, only the first two have been released in English (FF on the NES, PS, and GBA and FF2 on the GBA), and the English version of FF3 on the Nintendo DS isn't out yet, nor is FF4 for the GBA (which has been announced). But FF2 and FF3 wouldn't be bad choices at all. FF1 is my fourth favorite, just because it was the first that I played and was therefore my primer for the universal concepts that apply to the rest of the series.
"And just forget about those lame-ass GB games."
If you're referring to Final Fantasy Legends and Final Fantasy Adventure, these are not even really Final Fantasy games - they are renamed SaGa and Seiken Densetsu games. But if you're talking about Final Fantasy I&II Dawn of Souls and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance for GBA (not to mention the forthcoming FF3 for DS and FF4 for GBA), yes, these are really Final Fantasy games, and the ones released have been very good. Even FFTA, the follow-up to the PS-only FFT, was a good play through, and that's the one that's gotten it hardest from the critics.
"Otherwise, the series is pretty good."
I don't trust most of your recommendations, and I doubt you've played enough of these games to have an informed opinion about the series as a whole. The series _is_ only pretty good, but there are some amazing games in the roster, the best of which, in my opinion, is FF6, by far and away.