I finished Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade three months ago. I’ve been hesitant to write about it. Is it good? If you played the original, yes. The game covers the contents of the first quarter of the original game. It’s all in for Midgar this time around. The combat system is vastly different from the original. I get that, gaming has changed. I don’t really like or hate it. The graphics are stunning. The music is amazing. Seeing Midgar fleshed out was something I didn’t think would affect me the way it did. The soundtrack is scored brilliantly and is a tribute to the original in ways difficult to describe. A brief word on nostalgia and why Square has gotten me to buy ff7 at least three times: **I bought Final Fantasy 7 at launch in 1997. It was the first game that moved me to tears. The end of that first disc, that shocking death, was jarring and incredibly tragic. I cried when I finished the game. It would be no understatement to say that this game left an impression on me. The remake hasn’t done any of those things to me. It does stir emotions when certain songs kick in, when you are approaching the ill-fated mako reactor, when you get a flower from Aerith, and so on.** **There is just one problem: I’ll never be 16 again. No remake of a game can ever evoke the experience of playing the original at that point in time. I accepted this years ago, and many others who played this remake do not acknowledge this truth.** I don’t understand the hate that these remakes of ff7 are getting. I enjoyed my time with FF7:RI. Does the game respect your time? No. But when has a Final Fantasy game ever respected your time? Did it feel like more of a tech demo in places? Yes. Would I ever replay it? Perhaps, I intend on finishing this remake trilogy, and depending on the release date of the third installment, I may need a refresher.