I don't think anything needed changing style wise. I would have been happy with 2d pre-rendered from 3d complete update with new upgraded models (like we do here at Qhimm, but they'd do it better). I know I'm repeating myself, but I can't be the only one who is gonna be disappointed when this remake, supposedly aimed at the long time fans, turns out to be aimed at a completely different audience and sticks two fingers up at me for being a "dinosaur".
I'm not sure I'd been completely happy with the 3D models on a 2D pre-rendered set-up, when the new systems a remake would run on now have the capability of delivering a complete 3D experience with the same style as the original if they just took the time and effort.
I wouldn't be dissatisfied necessarily, as it would still be better than the original - but I'd consider it a bit on the lazy side, and a missed opportunity to do something more with the game.
Can someone please explain to this person that FF8 and 9 are totally different in style to FF7, AND TO EACH OTHER; they all had the SAME limitations. The FMV are also not limited the same way and were STILL stylistically different. What is not to get here? Why are people over there so separated from reality? It's like some kind of crazy bubble.
This is not entirely true. FF7 came out so early in the PSX life-cycle that it's naturally to assume that the devs would have had less experience developing for it, and therefore be much worse off when it comes to optimalizing the structure of the game for the system.
It's probably the case that their lack of experience made it difficult or impossible for them to deliver the same quality as we see in later Squaresoft titles.
However, this argument doesn't really work for the style of the game for several reasons -
- Resident Evil one was a game with pre-rendered backgrounds, realistically styled models and voice-acting, released an entire year before FF7. If they could do this, Squaresoft certainly could, and since Squaresoft ended up doing just this with FF8, it's more reasonable to assume that SS did a conscious style to make FF7 in a specific style for artistic reasons. The lack of things like the sound of footsteps, higher polygon-count models with more detailed design, and higher quality music are some things that probably didn't make it because it was their first-time PSX project.
However, to presume that they would have ditched the anime style if they just had more experience is silly. It's more reasonable to assume the models would instead look, graphically speaking, like what you see in the final encounter of the game.
- The FF7 battle models are clearly made to mimic Nomura's art-work. While the chibi-models might have been made to clear up system power, the chibi models are clearly abstractions for how the characters are suppose to look given the look of the battle-models.
- To pretend as if the entire style of FF7 was due to limitations opposed on the devs, when the devs clearly could have opted for a different visual style in either case, is just absurd. There is nothing inherent to the graphical set-up (low polygon count and blocky, smaller field models) that rules out a more realistic character design (smaller eyes, less gravity defying hair, more subdued colors).
The FF6 characters, despite the even bigger graphical limitations of the SNES, based on the character portraits, clearly aimed for a more realistic style. Their faces are drawn with normal proportions.
My personal theory is that they went with the chibi figures as a stylistic homage to earlier titles in order to make older fans feel more at home with the game. After all, every game before it had featured chibi characters.
I disagree with you on Holy, though, Hian. The original game says that humanity will be judged. Red XIII is not a human. The implication at the end of FF7 is either that Midgar is abandoned or that humanity has been taken out. It's left up to our imagination 
Where does it say that though? I thought that information was just presented as conjecture on Bugenhagen's part - A maybe.
My point was primarily that it would be rather bad writing if humanity had been wiped out.
If Holy can distinguish between human's and Nanaki's breed, then it begs the question what standard Holy judges by.
If it judges by what the species as a whole is doing to the planet at the moment, then that completely breaks with the concept just judgement.
Why would humans in Cosmo Canyon living in peace and harmony with nature be killed off together with the people of Midgar?
If it judges on princple - that is to say what a species is capable of doing to the planet - then I would suppose that any conscious creature with potential for destructive behavior (Nanaki included) would get killed off.
But it's pointless to focus on that - I think it's pretty clear for various reasons that Holy doesn't kill off anyone.
1.) Holy wasn't able to even stop meteor by itself. Life-stream stopped meteor. I find it extremely unlikely that Holy, which by any standard, would fizzle out trying to stop the meteor by itself, would somehow have enough energy left in it after having stopped meteor with the help of life-stream, to then start flowing across the entirety of the world to kill of all the humans.
2.) Holy was clearly local. The spell erupted out of North Crater, headed straight for Midgar, and and hardly covered the ground the meteor was supposed to hit. It didn't cover the world like life-stream did. If people were making the argument that the world sucked up all the life of the living things to add to the power of the life-stream for the sake of stopping the meteor, that's something I could be on board with, but Holy? Nah.
3.) Holy breaks out of North Crater, passes directly by Cloud and Co in Highwind, and while it nearly tears Highwind apart, it doesn't actually kill them, which I would suppose it would do if it was also directed to kill humans.
4.) The fact that life-stream breaks out to save the world, and by extension, humanity, seems to imply forgiveness, which would be consistent with the themes of the game in total.
I really don't think FF7 left this ambiguous.
I only think it felt that way to a lot of young and impressionable gamers who weren't used to open endings, nor had enough experience to pick up on narrative clues like the one above that are common in literature and movies etc. but up until that point (FF7) had not really been normal or popular in video-games.
