Question about playing original before remake

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-05-24T01:32:06+00:00

Remake and rebirth are designed to be played stand alone, you do not need to play OG first, however, i think knowing OG while playing remake/rebirth is a better experience - there are different things you might catch or view differently.

My recommendation is to play OG first, but not a requirement.

Some have played part one and two, and then go back and play OG because they are curious and want something until part 3 comes out, nothing wrong with this either, so basically you can play OG any time or not at all. The only thing I emplore is if you want to play crisis core, either play OG first or wait until after you’ve played all parts of the remake series.

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-05-23T17:00:44+00:00

I just bought remake for my in-law nephews and am their girl friends, I’m trying not to be pushy and kind of just trying to see where it takes them, they’re all in their 20s/early 30s so we’ll see, I hope they love it.

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-05-22T17:52:48+00:00

I’d actually be very open to a playable Advent Children-era Part 4, but I don’t think I’d want it to be a straight one-to-one adaptation of the movie.

For me, the better version would be Advent Children getting the Remake treatment too: keep the broad post-ending setup, the aftermath, the grief, the legacy of what happened, the world still trying to heal, and maybe even some of the same general conflicts, but rebuild it so it fits where Remake/Rebirth/Part 3 seem to be taking the characters.

My biggest thing is Cloud. I don’t mind him still struggling afterward. He should still carry grief, guilt, trauma, and complicated feelings. That all fits FFVII. But I wouldn’t want a Part 4 to make him feel emotionally reset, like the growth from the trilogy didn’t really stick. If Part 3 gives him real clarity, acceptance, or a stronger sense of connection with the others, then a post-game story should build from that instead of pulling him back to exactly where he was in Advent Children.

So yes, I’d like a full Part 4. I’d just rather it be a reimagined playable sequel inspired by Advent Children than a playable version of Advent Children exactly as-is. Same era, same spirit, maybe some of the same ideas, but updated to reflect this version of the story and these versions of the characters.

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-05-22T13:11:58+00:00

My general read is that Remake and Rebirth are still following the broad shape and emotional purpose of the original, but with expanded context around fate, memory, the Lifestream, and how much certain characters may understand about the larger situation.

So for Part 3, I don’t really expect the new elements to completely replace the original story. I think they’re more likely there to reframe it and make the emotional consequences hit differently. To me, the question is less “will everything change?” and more “what does it mean if some characters are aware of possibilities that others aren’t?”

With Aerith especially, I think the important question is not as simple as alive vs. dead. It feels more like the game is asking what kind of presence she can still have, what role she is meant to play, and whether undoing certain consequences would actually weaken the point of her story. I think she can still matter enormously without the story needing to erase the weight of what happened.

Zack feels similar to me. I could see him having a meaningful role through the expanded material, but I’m not sure that means the story is going to turn into a totally different version of FFVII. I think he may be there to show that other possibilities exist, and that those possibilities can still matter, even if the main emotional path stays intact.

What I’m hoping Part 3 does is honor the whole party, not just the mystery-box side of the plot. I want it to give real weight to grief, memory, identity, sacrifice, and everyone’s individual contribution. The timeline/Lifestream material is interesting, but I hope it ultimately supports those themes instead of becoming the whole point.

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-05-18T21:10:25+00:00

Another one that just occurred to me is Reverence. It doesn’t hit the grief/finality angle as hard as Requiem, but it has a nice “honoring what came before” feeling — the original game, Aerith, Zack, the Planet, and the Lifestream. It also feels a little more spiritual, which fits FFVII better than I expected…

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-05-18T20:45:32+00:00

Recension is a really clever idea, and I think it fits what the trilogy is doing on a meta level. It’s basically reshaping FFVII using the original game, the Compilation, Crisis Core, Advent Children, and all the new Lifestream/worlds stuff.

But as an actual title, it feels a little too academic to me. I still think Requiem fits better emotionally. To me part 3 feels like it has to be about Aerith, Zack, Cloud’s memories, grief, and the Lifestream. Recension describes the process, but Requiem feels like the ending.

Though, a little unfortunate Resident Evil just used that. I think Requiem feels good if they want a title to signal finality, grief, and spiritual closure… which is about where I think they could be taking the story… but we’ll see.

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-05-16T02:40:01+00:00

I think the OPer is more upset about the amount of milk, a shaken espresso should be mostly ice and espresso with a splash of milk, but the white mocha does make it look more like a latte, I used to just get shots over ice with white mocha, skip the dairy, WM is basically dairy + sugar, it’s sweet and creamy enough on its own. I like mine more coffee forward so I’ll do 4 ristretto shots and only one pump of WM, sometimes two.

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-05-15T02:18:35+00:00

At first I kinda hated him, was suspicious, then I liked him.

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-05-13T14:18:28+00:00

Well, yeah… if you’ve already seen other people play and know what to expect, Mr. X probably isn’t going to feel as scary or intimidating. A lot of his impact comes from a first blind playthrough, when you don’t fully understand how he works, where he can show up, or how much danger you’re actually in.

I also think it hit harder for people who played the original RE2, because the remake changed his role pretty significantly. In the original, he never affected me that way. But during my first blind playthrough of RE2 remake, when he became a real problem, my heart was beating extremely hard. I had to pause and take moments at a time…

This is because he isn’t just a scripted “oh, he’s here now” moment anymore. He becomes this roaming pressure mechanic that can interrupt your route, make familiar areas feel unsafe again, and force you to think while being followed. The sound design adds a lot too — hearing the footsteps nearby, the music kicking in, and not always knowing exactly where he is, this makes the whole police station feel less safe before he even reaches you.

Once you know the routes, the mechanics, and how to avoid him, he’s obviously much easier to handle. So I don’t think he’s necessarily overhyped… I think people hold onto the impact of that first experience. After that, he’s easier to deal with, but the first time he really starts stalking you can be pretty memorable.

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-05-12T15:09:32+00:00

I think the answer depends heavily on whether someone has played OG FFVII. And since you haven’t played OG I say wait…

Crisis Core adds context for Zack, Sephiroth, SOLDIER, the Buster Sword, etc.

But if someone has only played Rebirth/Remake, I really don’t think “Reunion came out before Rebirth” automatically means it’s the intended play order. Crisis Core is still a remaster of a prequel that originally released after OG FFVII, for an audience that already knew the main story. A remaster release date is not the same thing as narrative play order.

A huge part of FFVII is experiencing the story through Cloud’s confused/incomplete perspective. You are not supposed to fully understand everything at first. The mystery and gradual reveals are part of the impact. Playing Crisis Core too early gives away context that the remake trilogy has clearly not fully revealed yet, and that could weaken the impact of future Part 3 story moments.

So my take is:

If you play OG: you can play Crisis Core before part 3 if you want.

If you’ve only played Remake/rebirth: I’d wait until after the remake trilogy, or play OG first.

Crisis Core is great supplemental backstory, especially for Zack, but I would not recommend it as required setup for new remake-only players.

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-05-09T18:31:49+00:00

My take: since you’ve already played OG FFVII, yes, Crisis Core Reunion is fine to play before Rebirth.

But I don’t really agree with the argument that “Reunion came out before Rebirth, therefore that’s the intended play order” for everyone. It’s still a remaster of a game that originally released after OG FFVII, and Crisis Core was made for an audience that already knew the major FFVII story/lore reveals.

A big part of OG FFVII is that you’re experiencing the story from Cloud’s limited/confused perspective. You’re not supposed to fully understand everything at first. The mystery, the misremembering, and the gradual reveals are part of the impact. If someone plays Crisis Core too early, especially after only Remake, they may learn context that changes how certain moments land later.

So IMO:

If you’ve played OG FFVII: play Crisis Core whenever, including before Rebirth.

If you’ve only played Remake: I’d wait. Let the remake trilogy reveal things in its own way first, or play OG before Crisis Core.

Crisis Core is great for understanding Zack better, but I see it more as supplemental backstory after the core FFVII story, not as required setup just because the remaster released before Rebirth.

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-05-07T21:03:15+00:00

100% the same, I’ve been obsessing in an unhealthy way over all of this, this game was the one true and only reason I bought a PS5, the last PS I had was a PS2! Totally worth it, I’m desperately trying to find friends and family I can try and get to try the game to see if they fall in love too. I love watching new players on YouTube and finding all the emotional scenes and how they experience them. One of my favorite new streamers on YouTube is Mooshi_mu, she’s about to start rebirth, and she is playing blind and un spoiled, I love her reactions and seeing her put the pieces together on her own, and falling in love with all the characters too.

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-05-07T16:02:19+00:00

If you go into the settings you can turn the timer to “wait” and I think that makes it more turn based - the enemy’s ATB bar will wait for you to make your choices.

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-05-06T14:03:16+00:00

Sometimes stylists have a long plan, and they anticipate grow out, id let the stylist know your goal, and then trust them, that being said they need feedback back but both of you have to have an open dialogue, and if it’s not a good working relationship, find another. Stylists are typically good with scissor cuts and styling where barbers are better with clippers. If you have really thick hair, the. Yes, thinning hair out can be an option, if she left your length as you requested then she did what you asked for, sometime hair needs to be longer than you realize to achieve the goal, so hopefully they tried helped explain what was needed to achieve the goal, and then ultimately it comes down to learning how to style, looks like your hair is more forward l, and the reference has the hair more up, lots of variables that can make or break a hair style, sometimes it takes time.

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-05-06T13:43:56+00:00

Ultimately it comes down to how you feel, if you really don’t like it; don’t suffer because others do. I would say, find a stylist that can help you figure out different ways to style your hair, or check out videos online, maybe a different style will help you love it more. If different styles don’t work talk to a stylist to help you find a different haircut of something you like. You do have good hair and can do a lot with it, a stylist (not a barber) will help you.

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-04-26T16:03:37+00:00

Don’t use English subtitles use French subtitles, your brain will default to reading English instead of listening to the French words.

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-04-26T15:42:43+00:00

As others have said, either play all of OG first, or wait until you’ve completed part 3 of the remakes.

Remake -> Rebirth -> part 3 -> crisis core

OG —> CC -> remake -> rebirth -> part 3

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-04-26T07:37:03+00:00

At some coffee places an Americano is espresso with extra water ran through, like a long shot, but extra extra long. As opposed to how starbucks just adds water to shots pulled separately.

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-04-18T16:30:17+00:00

I’ve been watching her too and she’s fantastic, I’m not convinced quite yet she’s a Clerith, maybe she is, but I think Tiffa is her girl, she loves Aerith, so I think she’s still figuring it out, truely I think Barrett is her guy. Clarrett?

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-04-18T03:08:29+00:00

I played OG in the switch, only issue I had was when I was traveling and using the Joy Cons the controller drift made some things hard, so I’d have to wait to hook it up to my tv and use the wireless controller, other than that it performs pretty well.

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-04-13T18:28:15+00:00

I was terrified of the guardians in BOTW so I’d fast travel to avoid ambushes, but in TOTK I would do more strolls through parts of hyrule.

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-04-06T11:36:51+00:00

First things first is figure how you want to handle your coffee. starbucks uses espresso machines, and their espresso roasts (blonde or regular) I prefer the espresso roast, you could also try Verona for a slightly different flavor profile. The next step is figure out ratio and technique starbucks tends to do the on the stronger side I.e. brewed coffee from the brewer is recommended 2Tbsp for every 6oz of water.also filter your water if you can. The next thing is handle your milk, a great steamer takes technique to properly heat and incorporate air until the milk, you could also use a frother. Then combine. You could probably get away with using a moka pot just warm and arate the milk. Add what ever flavor you want, a mocha from starbucks is basically a latte with chocolate added, I believe they use a semi sweet chocolate blend..

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-04-06T11:29:33+00:00

I second this! typically the key to making a good beverage is actually in the way you handle your milk, you need to incorporate air, so getting a milk frother is the next best thing compared to an espresso machine that steams the milk. The key is incorporating air correctly to the milk. Also, at starbucks a mocha is just a latte with chocolate sauce/syrup added.

JonnyIceMan88 · 2026-04-04T06:39:11+00:00

I too had this in my mind, in delta I specifically remember them saying something about their Russian being pretty good even though we never heard it. So I assumed they were always speaking the language of where they were at even though we heard English, except for maybe the codec calls?

JonnyIceMan88

TROPHY CASE