8 Video Game Tech Demos Which LIED To You

4. PlayStation 3 Final Fantasy VII Remake

Zelda SpaceWorld 2000 2001
Square-Enix

E3 2005 saw Square-Enix play the cruellest of practical jokes on Final Fantasy VII fans, who even then, a mere eight years after its initial release, yearned with all their heart and soul for a modern remake of the PS1 classic.

To showcase the spangly new PlayStation 3 technology, the company recreated the 1997 RPG's iconic opening sequence in lush real-time, plus some additional shots of a gloriously rendered Cloud swinging his oversized sword for added droolage. This was two full years before sequel movie Advent Children, with super-slick CGI renditions of FFVII's beloved cast and an unfathomable plot, would astound and confound in equal measure. The fervour for such a high-fidelity Final Fantasy VII promptly hit fever pitch.

It'd never happen on the PS3, and as if actively taking the p*ss, the console was instead home to the trilogy of FFXIII - a set of games which intentionally echoed the series' most popular title, but fell short of its quality by about a billion miles. Quite why the company thought it'd be a good idea to implicitly promise the moon is anyone's guess. The resulting blue balls meant that, from that point forward, the demand for not just a, but the Final Fantasy VII Remake became a dead chocobo around Square-Enix's neck.

It wouldn't be until 2020 - some fifteen years later - that they finally, finally answered the desire, and could move on to making that long-overdue third Chrono game. What's that? They split it into a billion parts? It never ends.

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.