Crisis Core - Final Fantasy 7 - Reunion

[Tactics]

Originally Posted by Shadow5YA

Most of Genesis' lines were already voiced in the PSP version and he mostly appears in cutscenes, so there's no reason to get him to voice even more lines if they're not changing the story.

You don't even know if Square Enix wanted to use Gackt in other spinoffs so jumping to the conclusion that they wanted to but couldn't is hardly logical.

And I already mentioned, its because I experienced this unique case in one of their FF side-games, a mobile games.
This game is voiced (not fully-voiced, just some expression, good amount of reusing older voice), collecting various FF characters. CC characters already datamined, but somehow there's no Genesis entry despite fact he is final boss and main antagonist of CC. This is weird because in other side-games without voice act, Genesis always present as both playable and bosses fight through CC event. Of course, there's also VII lore itself that put him as "that MIA guy" despite his connection with Lifestream and Tsviets.

That's why Nomura statement, for me, made it clearer. They cannot get the deal with Gackt for works other than CC without renewing the deal.
Voice-related limitation explained this reused of library and how First Soldier (the FF VII PUBG) able to attain Genesis costume and hair style as well as Genesis lack of presence on other games where voice needed.

Square Enix usually planned for long time, such as the recent FF Tactics Remake rumors that rise because a mobile games confirmed they're not allowed by SE to do FFT story event until 'the right time'; allowed information was Agrias voiced by Sawashiro Miyuki (fixed, unlike XIV Stormblood where she's voiced by Rina Sato). Reflecting on that, is it normal if planner like that only be able to reusing Genesis voice library and have to omitted him from a voiced mobile game with other CC characters even after 13+ years? I can understand reusing Ardyn voice library because Fujiwara Keiji passed away but this have no better explanation other than agreement between both sides.

People related it with 3D model because there were case game have to change / omit some characters because person that became the model expressed dislike, better not be used or something like that. Good thing Nomura redirection ended up hinting the issue is, at best, related to his voice.

[Mad Pierrot]

I really hope the Japanese audio cos Kenichi Suzumura sounds like a better actor than the new guy.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Mad Pierrot

I really hope the Japanese audio cos Kenichi Suzumura sounds like a better actor than the new guy.

I'm 99% certain that it's dual-audio.

[Mad Pierrot]

The new English dub is making me glad to hear a bit of Shinn Asuka in Japanese.... There goes how the English dude feels.

The it's kinda funny how FFVII and D.Gray-man shared Sakurai and Suzumura as partners.

[Tactics]

The experience so far:

Combat: 8/10

SE live up to their promise they will make the combat faster and it is faster. Faster animation, quick summon, nicer DMW flow. I can see they polished it based on VIIR.
Unfortunately the change felt like only applied to Zack, the enemies are stuck in PSP era. Melee enemies are slow due to direct translation, while casters may keep up (probably because shared animation for magic attack); all made players being overleveled easily noticeable compare to PSP ones. I got bad feeling about the final fight.

Videos: 7/10

An improvement for cutscenes ... but 4K AI upscaled, as a result graphic inconsistencies spread across cutscenes.
Open Youtube, check for same PSP cutscenes and well, PSP easily much more consistent. Doesn't help that you will noticed at some point the background music is SD while the dubbed voice and combat effect are HD. I can understand SE tried to keep the cost low but Crisis Core is their best bet for efforts worth the price, especially with VIIR ongoing, it unfortunate.

Oh yeah, Midgar doesn't look dirty, its clean slum of VIIR now instead of OG ones.



Voice: 5/10 for NA

When it comes to NA, it Zack, Sephiroth, Genesis and Hojo (so far).

Zack is fine but he seems missed the mark of conversation multiple times compare to his VIIR Intergrade appearance. Feels like the sound director insisted "He's idealistic young man!" rather than "Young man dealing with biological madness around him". Sephiroth sounds flat, I get he's Shinra lapdog prior to his mindbreak but OG voice got the charisma that made people avoid him. Genesis sounds sane compare to original which might be a plus to some people. Hojo felt lackluster; can't help to think this is sound director issue rather than voice actor.

Should you buy it? Better wait for discount IMO unless you wanted it ASAP; PC owners can just install the mods (voice, graphics) later.
I think the most notable positive difference here is combat pacing and monologue, they improved the delivery it looks more significant than being zoom out, flashback sequences.

[Kanon]

Thanks for the review. I was planning on waiting until we have at least a release date for Rebirth before getting into Reunion, so my plans will remain the same. May play it earlier if it gets a huge discount.

Depending on how it turns out, may play Ever Crisis right after it (the FFVII real remake part anyway), if it ever comes out. Otherwise will just replay through the original.

[Tactics]

By the end ... Difference Between Media / 10

Combat:

As expected, final boss became easier because of how quick late game Zack became.
Sephiroth boss fight on Nibelheim Reactor seems touched to make Sephiroth looks like significant future threat (well, he is), I don't remember he still managed to get close to 1K damage even with Barrier in OG. Dislike the new visual choice though, while it nice looking Sephiroth actually looks frustrated instead of full confidence, Nibelheim Reactor became bright, while in OG it dark and gloomy more fitting inhuman research done secretly there; not even looking dim.

Videos:

Censorship strikes. No blood but black fogs. Jenova is not woman torso with cable attached but a disjointed mess with helmet.
Some scenes also changed to facilitate voice lines. I noticed some of Tifa lines got cut because it voiced in Reunion. I'd say Genesis is the winner here because all his renewed cutscenes made him come out as better person compare to OG. Not a chuuni Red Mage but telling he's man who live with mindset of theater superstar, more fitting concept as Gackt adaptation.

They also gave distinction to sprite used for Weiss and Nero cameo instead of reusing regular SOLDIER sprite.

Voices:

Yup, the problem is sound director. There were moments when Zack sounds as good as his Intergrade appearance, then we back to "young knight" again. Sephiroth too, in DMW cutscenes he sounds good as mentor to Zack then he involved and back to sounds flat again; both only need to upped the charisma throughout second half of games and its all good.

[Mad Pierrot]

Something that kinda bugs about this game is that we are working for Shinra despite all the mess they cause the in original game. Already the first chapters involve the war against Wutai but rather than showing the mess we cause, we have a comical cutscene with Yuffie. Then the "villains" are actually people who used to work for Shinra yet in the end they come across as victims even if they are kind of jerks. Angeal seems to have two different moods when he disappears from SOLDIER considering he goes from beating up Zack to assist him to force him to kill him. Sephiroth's backstory and actions make him a more credible villain than Genesis but it really goes to show that Zack is not the hero considering Cloud is the one who defeats him in the after the city is burned.

And then the final slap to the face. Zack is killed for being considered a traitor to Shinra. It's weird. It's like if the writer wanted to use a black and white philosophy and take Zack's character as a possible bad guy. In FF7 and even the Remake, the characters feel the consequences of their actions already in the first chapter and when the Turks blow up a sector from Midgar. While many complain that Cloud is a bit moody, this characterization makes a lot of sense when considering his actions and the fact that his fake persona "also abandoned Shinra" to live his own way of life with the remake expanding on his promise to Tifa.

[Tactics]

Originally Posted by Mad Pierrot

Something that kinda bugs about this game is that we are working for Shinra despite all the mess they cause the in original game. Already the first chapters involve the war against Wutai but rather than showing the mess we cause, we have a comical cutscene with Yuffie. Then the "villains" are actually people who used to work for Shinra yet in the end they come across as victims even if they are kind of jerks. Angeal seems to have two different moods when he disappears from SOLDIER considering he goes from beating up Zack to assist him to force him to kill him. Sephiroth's backstory and actions make him a more credible villain than Genesis but it really goes to show that Zack is not the hero considering Cloud is the one who defeats him in the after the city is burned.

Which aligned with OG pretty well.

Wutai is said to be easily decimated by Sephiroth so Zack is an extra to the event.

In OG countries hate Shinra for their monopoly in technology and strong focus on military, while villagers hailed Shinra as savior due to technological advance help business. There were those like Barret and Bugenhagen but it because they got first-hand experience with Shinra way of doing things behind it success.

Zack in OG is said to be idealist young man; Angeal and Genesis revealed to be country boys from viillage of Banora easily explained their fixation to be a hero, also frustration as they learned that Shinra will left every failure rot to death, at best hunt and kill them, definitely an outcome not worthy to be proud of. This is story of defining "hero" that Cloud adopted as identity.

[Shadow5YA]

Originally Posted by Mad Pierrot

Something that kinda bugs about this game is that we are working for Shinra despite all the mess they cause the in original game. Already the first chapters involve the war against Wutai but rather than showing the mess we cause, we have a comical cutscene with Yuffie. Then the "villains" are actually people who used to work for Shinra yet in the end they come across as victims even if they are kind of jerks. Angeal seems to have two different moods when he disappears from SOLDIER considering he goes from beating up Zack to assist him to force him to kill him. Sephiroth's backstory and actions make him a more credible villain than Genesis but it really goes to show that Zack is not the hero considering Cloud is the one who defeats him in the after the city is burned.

And then the final slap to the face. Zack is killed for being considered a traitor to Shinra. It's weird. It's like if the writer wanted to use a black and white philosophy and take Zack's character as a possible bad guy. In FF7 and even the Remake, the characters feel the consequences of their actions already in the first chapter and when the Turks blow up a sector from Midgar. While many complain that Cloud is a bit moody, this characterization makes a lot of sense when considering his actions and the fact that his fake persona "also abandoned Shinra" to live his own way of life with the remake expanding on his promise to Tifa.

The point is that Shinra had a monopoly and joining the equivalent of the army was their only window of opportunity for people from the countryside like Zack and Cloud.
Obviously they learned that it's nothing like what they were hoping for (that and all of the "heroes" Zack looked up to were gone), so they tried to leave.

Not everyone joins a company knowing or agreeing with what the executives think.