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Over the last year, both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One have been home to various remakes of previously released games. Some of them were remastered into HD. Some of them were "definitive" or "ultimate" collections. But despite the vast number of these titles getting pushed out by developers recently, there's been one game that many fans thought would never get the remake treatment, no matter how much they begged: Final Fantasy 7
It's been 18 years since the game released on the original PlayStation, and sure, the title has been ported to just about every other system and console under the sun. But during Sony's Monday night E3 Media Briefing, Square Enix announced that the full HD remake that fans have pestered them about for years is finally on the way.
It didn't take much for the crowd at Sony's press conference to take the hint either. Fans started cheering even before the trailer started playing.
The trailer features modern graphics and what looks like Midgar in all its HD glory. The game will be produced by Yoshinori Kitase, with scenario by Kazushige Nojima.
A narrator talks over most of the nearly two minute long clip, and at times, it seems like he's speaking directly to longtime fans of Final Fantasy and not just setting up the story for the game.
"Long ago we looked upon a forboding sky. The memory of the star that threatened all, burns eternal in our hearts. In its wake, came an age of silence. Yet with each fond remembrance we do, those encountered were not forgotten. That someday we would see them again. Perhaps it was no more than wishful thinking. But after the long calm, are now the beginnings of a stir. The reunion at hand may bring joy, it may bring fear. But let us embrace whatever it brings. For they are coming back. At last, the promise has been met."
As those final words of dialogue are spoken, the trailer shows images of flowers on the ground, no doubt a reference to flower girl Aerith, and then finally, just a bit of the game's main protagonist Cloud is revealed, complete with his trusty Buster Sword.
There's no release date for the game yet, but Sony did say that it is coming to PlayStation 4 "first", presumably meaning that it will also be coming to Xbox One after the exclusivity deal expires.
As far as huge announcements go, this is arguably one of the biggest of E3 2015 so far. Fans have had to deal with rumors about an FF7 remake for years, so there were plenty of skeptics when those same rumors cropped up last week. To have it finally come to fruition tonight almost feels a little surreal.
To say that any one company or developer is going to "win" E3 seems a bit silly and fanboy-ish these days, but it's honestly safe to say that gamers everywhere will be talking about this moment at Sony's press conference in the months and possibly years to come.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
