I was never a big of fan of FF7 even though I grew up in that era. While everyone else raved about the blond SOLDIER with the big sword, I was all about the gunblade and blitzball in my teenage years. But I won't deny the impact Final Fantasy VII made on the gaming industry and the JRPG genre back then. The game was, is, and will forever be a masterpiece to the Final Fantasy fan.

The Remake, however, is a different story. This... nostalgia-driven piss-poor written reboot is NOT a masterpiece. It preys on the idea that FFVII is a beloved game from the past and SE apparently thought that as long as it has the same characters, same setting, and same aura, they can do whatever the hell they want with it. Seriously, why couldn't they just take exactly what the original was and make it new-gen? Is it that hard? Old fans like myself would love it simply for the fact that we can replay the masterpiece we know and love in next-gen graphics with fresh, high-paced combat. New fans would come to know the masterpiece we grew up with and realize how far the gaming industry has come. WHY DO THEY NEED TO REHASH THE STORY?

Note: As a achievement hunter, I've completed FF7:R and working on completing Intermission. But that doesn't mean I enjoyed it every step of the way.

Combat
- As I mentioned above, the combat is fresh and a mixture of what we saw in FFXV and FFVII: Crisis Core; and I love it. It's not a perfect system, but it definitely has you engaged at all times and doesn't spoonfeed you. Mistakes can be made, health bars can be drained, and bosses can provide a challenge even on normal mode. All in all, the combat is a solid addition to the franchise and look forward to seeing it (or an improved variation) in future remakes. I'm looking at you FF8!

Graphics
- Cliche but obvious pro. For better or worse, the graphics is top-notch. I say worse because I strongly believe the game is overrated because of its graphics. A lot of people were fooled by what the game has to offer and hopped on the bandwagon quite early with the "FF7 with next-gen graphics? Take my money" mindset.

Story
- Everything feels like a chore. 8 hours of FFVII expanded into 40 hours. Unnecessary dialogue and backstories followed by stupid sequences that are disguised as immersion. And what's with Sephiroth, who was supposed to be the villain that gets built up to midgame until we get the reveal that mindblows us into oblivion? In this game, Sephiroth shows up every 30 minutes because he has no life. Also, mild spoilers, but even bringing back a favorite character of mine from the dead in the future isn't gonna force me to praise their re-imagining of what should have remained a perfect story.

Voice Acting
- I know voice acting is always a sensitive topic nowadays since the people who defend even the worst performances will say "cut them some slack" or "they did their best." But ngl FFVII voice acting was CRINGY AF. Add that to the already unnecessary and long-winded dialogue that serves no purpose to the overarching story progress and we get weak, underwhelming, & bland characters who have no real sense of urgency in any action they take.

Final Verdict: C+ 7.5/10
I'm a purist who believes that they should have just introduced a new combat system and next-gen graphics to a already perfect game. Square Enix had no reason to change anything else. The original FFVII is a testament to the statement "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." All they had to do was REMAKE it as is. Instead, we got this woke, cater-to-the-new-fan-generation nonsense.

Every gamer who grew up with NFS Underground or Midnight Racing will come to appreciate what this game is trying to do. I don't usually bother with demos, but NIGHT-RUNNERS PROLOGUE makes me yearn for more. The AI isn't perfect, but every race feels just right in the thrill factor thus far. Just as every franchise and genre of gaming around is rotting to its core and losing its "base" foundation as we move forward in time, we as a community need to run full throttle back to the golden age of gaming and experience what racing games were like in the 90s/early 2000s.

The old-school VHS vibe, waging money, and meeting up at the shady streets to go 1:1 against other racers bring me back to when owning a car MEANT something. Once online comes into play, this game will be a godsend.

Current Verdict: A+
Need the full game ASAP. Once polished, I'll be logging 200+ hours instantly. NIGHT-RUNNERS has the potential to be the next NFS Underground: every racing gamer's dream.