It started with the one of the greatest teases in gaming history. The " Technical Demo for PS3 " that debuted during Sony's E3 press conference in 2005 instilled the RPG community with an insatiable yearning for a Final Fantasy VII remake. A remake that Square-Enix never prioritized, nor officially confirmed.

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While this remake still exists in the realm of possibility, thank goodness, it only clings to the fringes of said realm; it trembles and teeters, supported by the hope of loving geeks the world over. In the interest of preserving its existence, however ghostly, let's outline some design points if Final Fantasy VII: SOLDIER Once More (our own working title) received a green light from the Square-Enix higher ups.To enhance the entertainment value of our pitch, let's assume we have complete creative control -- no matter how controversial our decisions -- and unlimited resources. We reign as the god of this project, and we will make our vision glorious.Before continuing, let's establish one main theme: preserve the design and spirit of the original at all costs, and only use current technology where the developers' previous tech failed.If Final Fantasy fans have proven anything over the years, it's their tolerance -- and general enjoyment of -- the cutscene. Square-Enix does have a knack for the medium, of course, which makes all those boss fights so rewarding when you settle in for a visual symphony after landing the finishing blow.In SOLDIER Once More, we'll create a shot-for-shot replica of the original cutscenes in Final Fantasy VII, re-rendered using Square-Enix's current platforms. Every shot, every musical cue, must be preserved when translated to the new graphical package. And along those same lines, we arrive at the first controversial directive of the day: keep the cutscenes voiceless.The original cutscenes of Final Fantasy VII played out more like silent film than anything else, which contributed to the charm. Keeping the cutscenes voiceless will invoke that classic style while keeping the entire experience consistent with the next design directive.No spoken dialogue. Whatsoever. Only in our ideal world would this ever come to pass, considering Square-Enix's love of spoken dialogue. But maintaining the spirit of the original Final Fantasy VII is the priority with this project, and keeping the cast's voices left to the imagination works inaudible miracles in the creation of meaningful characters. Our mental interpretations play an important role in bringing books to life; a fact forgotten by many gamers eager for a sensory-complete experience.From a practical standpoint, Square-Enix has had mixed success with voice acting in the past, so forgoing it altogether saves the project from vocal low points. For example, Final Fantasy XII had a generally rock-solid lineup, but Final Fantasy XIII had a few surprising weak points -- one of which carried a finishing rod as a weapon.The original cutscenes in Final Fantasy VII -- along with the enhanced models used in battle -- demonstrated the developer's interest in realistic characters. But the technological limitations of the first PlayStation prevented anything more detailed, and the polygonal models used in between battles detracted from the end product.SOLDIER Once More will unite all the 3D elements of Final Fantasy VII, pushing the character models, items, enemies, and more onto the modern stage of digital fidelity. Square-Enix has exhibited its acute skill with character models and visual effects in its recent projects. Even Final Fantasy XIII, now more than two years old, looks sharper than many games on the market today.Let's put the team's coding prowess to good use. Cloud deserves it.Onto an even more controversial design directive than the aforementioned ban on voice acting: the backdrops. While the original pre-rendered, 2D environments may have been selected out of necessity, they were wielded with skill. The backdrops -- elaborate paintings with a startling attention to detail -- often played with perspective to shape the scope of the world.Considering this, our remake will continue to use 2D environments. These backdrops will be redrawn at a more suitable resolution for modern displays but will otherwise replicate every scene from the original down to the last flickering wisp of Mako energy.Outrageous? Certainly. But this directive serves both artistic and practical purposes. From the view of the artist, it allows for the remake's continued preservation of spirit and style. And from a practical viewpoint, it takes up far less room, making SOLDIER Once More much more viable as a downloadable product.Stripping the visuals and audio away from a game leaves the most important part: how it plays. No matter how well our dream project executes the above directives, the most important piece of the puzzle is replicating the fun and engaging qualities of the original Final Fantasy VII.To that end, modifications to play components are only allowed to address a glitch or imbalance in the original. Otherwise most improvements will focus on performance, UI enhancements, and other bright, shiny bits that elicit smiles and rainbows from the most sour of pusses.While gaming tastes have changed over the years, many Final Fantasy fans point to Final Fantasy VII as the member of the series most deserving of a remake. And with the right pricing, Square-Enix could generate a tremendous profit from this venture. Especially if the company distributes SOLDIER Once More digitally across multiple platforms.But the above directives only reflect the author's opinions on this non-existent product. Jump to the next page to see what other folks from the IGN network wanted in their return visit to Midgar.