Stevo985 Posted February 9, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted February 9, 2012 Hard to explain. The backgrounds look like they've been drawn So they're quite dull (in terms of brightness) whereas the characters stand out vividly. Sort of like an old cartoon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginko Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I know what he means, the background art is really good but the actual character is very pixely and they stick out like a sore thumb, which is probably a good thing in ways. It was the same on the playstation but back then it was 1997 and graphics in games weren't what they are now remember. If graphics are important to you then it may well taint the experience, also if you're playing on a HDTV the graphics will be worse than how they were back in the day since it's a standard definition game. If you want better graphics then by all means go for FFXIII, the graphics are stunning, just the core gameplay isn't as good in my opinion. It also doesn't 'feel' like a Final Fantasy game, but maybe that's just me being a tad fanboyish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hogso Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 I tried running FFVII PC on my desktop once - nightmare! Couldnt manage it, gave up in the end. Have it on emu though. It runs and looks fantastic on PSP btw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted February 9, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted February 9, 2012 Hard to explain. The backgrounds look like they've been drawn So they're quite dull (in terms of brightness) whereas the characters stand out vividly. Sort of like an old cartoon Ah, yeah. That's caused by the way they made the game, essentially. The backgrounds are what is known as pre-rendered - they're effectively 'pictures' pasted onto the background (which is why they use fixed camera angles too, because obviously everything is flat as it's just a picture in the background). Because it's effectively a picture as well, it isn't 'lit' by the game engine, the lighting on it was done by whoever drew it. And then because Square were still finding their feet with polygonal models, they made what would today be considered really, really basic polygonal models for the characters in the overworld with next to no texture work. Couple that to the fact the models are lit by the game engine (incredibly basically - to the point some might say they're not really 'lit' at all as we'd know it today with complex lighting engines) which won't match up with the lighting the pre-rendered backgrounds have. They got a fuckload better with all that stuff by VIII, which is far better looking game (though still as flawed at it's heart - they didn't move on seriously until... FFX I think) It's not helped playing on a HDTV either - it has the effect of showing up all the graphical flaws/basic-ness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted February 10, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted February 10, 2012 Yeah that sounds about right. I wasn't complaining at all by the way. Just observations. I wasn't expecting it to look good 15 years on. It pains me to think this is 15 years old. Came out same time as OOT right? And I played that to death. Are these games "retro" now?! Anyway, I've still only played about an hour and a half, but the combat system is already becoming second nature, I "get it" now. I already feel hooked Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted February 10, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted February 10, 2012 It's a year older than OOT. 2 of the best games, ever, some argue the only 2 candidates for the best game ever, released in a year of each other. I guess they technically are retro, now, though it feels a little wrong to say so. They're games from...2 generations back, soon to be 3 generations back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethRDR Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 I tried running FFVII PC on my desktop once - nightmare! Couldnt manage it, gave up in the end. Have it on emu though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginko Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 I've had a few games on Emu too over the years. It's a pain in the ass running after them through the fields when you're in the middle of a boss battle, but it keeps you fit at least. Take THAT Wii. 1997 was a great year for games. Ocarina is one of my all time favourites too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hogso Posted February 10, 2012 Author Share Posted February 10, 2012 I tried running FFVII PC on my desktop once - nightmare! Couldnt manage it, gave up in the end. Have it on emu though. HEY someone in this thread is playing it for the first time, that emu has got SPOILERS ON IT! Stevo is at somewhat of an advantage having bought it off PSN though, as he won't get the case, which has ENORMOUS SPOILERS PLASTERED ALL OVER THE BACK OF IT. All the way through the game I was waiting for it to happen, by the time it actually did I was quite relieved, which I don't think is quite what the developers intended for one of the most iconic scenes in video gaming history Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethRDR Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Pah, you can't deduce anything from that emu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted February 10, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted February 10, 2012 I'm now scared to look at the emu. Is this going to give me a phobia of emus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethRDR Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted February 15, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted February 15, 2012 I've played about 6 hours of FF7. It's getting good! I wasn't too taken at first, there didn't seem to be much gameplay. I was just walking from A to B, reading some text, then repeating, with the odd battle here and there (which I'm still not too enamoured with). But happy to say the gameplay has improved. I'm currently in the Shinra tower on about floor 63 I think. The battles still annoy me a bit, how they pop up out of nohere, but this is really only in certain areas, so I guess that's the point to an extent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eames Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 You need the battles Stevo. As the game progresses you will need to level like a mutha so battle away. The best is yet to come........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted February 15, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted February 15, 2012 Yeah, I'm guessing the importance of levels and all that crap will hit me all of a sudden at some point. Because I don't really care about it at the moment. And I don't really understand Materia. I've done the tutorial, but it baffles me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethRDR Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 It'll all click soon enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eames Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Yeah youll get it. Tip, get as much of the stuff as you can! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethRDR Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 And don't use all your elixirs. Save at least one of 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted February 15, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted February 15, 2012 I don't even know what an elixir is, but thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethRDR Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 It's a potion that fully restores HP and MP for a single character (surprised you haven't found one already if you're as far as the Shinra tower, mind you I could be remembering it wrong). They pop up in chests and the like throughout the world and there's only a finite number of them in the game but they can be duplicated ad infinitum through materia you'll pick up much later. Now, the reason I say hold one back as opposed to use them all (after all, fully restoring HP/MP is pretty damn useful in it's own right) is that very late in the game you'll have the opportunity to level up quickly by "giving" one of them to an enemy you can encounter in a specific area. Said enemy will actually address you at the start of the fight by saying "Gimme Elixir!"; you shouldn't attack them until they say this or else they'll run away, but once they do say it you can use an elixir on them, then kill them as per any other fight for a massive EXP/AP haul (thus taking a bit of the grind out of levelling up your characters once they reach those higher levels). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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