Final Fantasy VII Version Comparison
By Jeffrey | November 1, 2007
After writing up a couple of guides describing how to set up “Restored” editions of Final Fantasy VII for both the PC and for emulating the Playstation, I figured it was fitting to do a comparison between each version of the game.
So, without rambling too much, here’s a quick look at…
…the PC, the PSX, and the emulated versions of Final Fantasy 7.
The Setup
The Playstation version was running on an actual Playstation.
The emulated version was set up according to this Restored guide.
The PC version was set up according to this Restored guide.
All versions were captured directly to video using the TV Wonder Pro and WinVDR Pro.
Pros & Cons
Overall, getting the Playstation version to run on the PC is about as complex as running the actual PC edition.
The nice thing is that with the emulator you can save at any point in the game through the use of Save States, which can be an advantage in a large RPG like Final Fantasy VII. Also, running the game this way does not require any installation, patches, or updates to get the game to run as it should.
Also, the sound plugin for ePSXe is not fully accurate to the original Playstation sound, and can sometimes sound tinny or high pitched. It is fairly close, however, and definitely does not overly detract from the gameplay.
However, there is one major advantage that the emulated version has over its PC brother: the full-motion videos. On the PC, the videos are actual 320×240 video files that get stretched up to whatever resolution the game is running at - in the Restored case: 1280×960 - and so they end up looking very pixelated and ugly.
Because of the way ePSXe works, on the other hand, the movies are actually rendered by the emulator instead of being files that are played. This allows for the movies to look far better than the PC’s counterpart.
The game running on an actual Playstation console is not really worth comparing with these features, as it can’t be upscaled, and does not have any compatibility or speed problems as it is running on the actual system.
Its biggest flaw, however, is that it just looks like garbage on today’s high-resolution monitors and televisions, so it is only worth pulling out if an older, non-HD, set is available.
Still, it does win big on nostalgia points.
Video Comparison
I’ve put together this compilation video of each version of the game running after following each of their respective guides.
The videos are all recorded from the moment the game is open to the end of the first battle, with half of the first movie skipped to save time.
It seems that the Playstation has the best sound overall, and both the Playstation and emulated versions have the best quality movies, while the PC has the best in-game graphics.
Although, graphically speaking, they were all pretty equal when all were running at 640×480.
But that’s not where the comparison ends, so let’s up the ante a bit.
Image Comparison
The Playstation version is being dropped out at this point, as 640×480 is the best it can get - and even that is really 320×240 graphics being stretched by the system.
So, that leaves us with the Restored PC version against the emulated version. Both resolutions were set at 1280×960, and in-game captures were taken of every aspect of the game’s graphics, including menus and movies.
Emulator
PC
And The Winner Is…
I was actually very surprised by the graphics comparison. Although things like text and images were much better looking in the PC version, the emulator more than held its own as far as in-game rendering was concerned.
In fact, leaving aside the text and images, I think one would be hard pressed to see major differences in those graphics.
The emulated edition also looks far better with the movies. The PC’s upscaled file playback just could not keep up with the emulator’s actual rendering of the full-motion videos.
However, the sound is definitely better on the PC, almost reaching the same level of quality as the original Playstation.
Overall, I give the PC version the edge, as it allows for future modifications, save editing, and better sound. But the emulated version comes really close, and has the advantage by far with the movies.
If you have both editions, then knock yourself out. But if you only have one, there is little reason to try to track down the other.
A Thought
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Topics: Guides |
Can’t tell the difference between PC and Emulated? Are you kidding? There’s a very big difference between all of them. All in all, the emulated rendering is far better. As you said, the dimensions of the PS version are pitiful by comparison. The emulator can render that at any size on any display. The pc has the same advantage except, like you said, FMV’s are stretched. But for some reason, the texture maps on the PC version are far smaller (and not as antialiased or rather, use a different kind of antialiasing that the emulator excels at). Of course, getting the ePSXe to properly setup can be a bit of a nightmare…
You’re spot on about everything else though. Good job.
Posted by: Surfer on November 1st, 2007 at 1:38 pmDude this guide is amazing!
Posted by: thejanman on November 1st, 2007 at 8:37 pmThe emulator is the clear winner in my opinion , you can just look at the pics and tell which one looks better…sound and mods won’t make me choose the pc version
Posted by: here on November 29th, 2007 at 1:33 pmI must have missed something here…? What about the translation?! As I understand it the PSX version suffers from a famously bad translation. The fan response was so strong that they re-did it for the PC version and have, since then, done decent translations for all subsequent games.
Surely that’s also a big edge? The fact that you can follow the story better and that it’s closer to the original Japanese?
Posted by: JohnnyW on December 9th, 2007 at 12:26 pmI must have missed something here…? What about the translation?! As I understand it the PSX version suffers from a famously bad translation. The fan response was so strong that they re-did it for the PC version and have, since then, done decent translations for all subsequent games.
Surely that’s also a big edge? The fact that you can follow the story better and that it’s closer to the original Japanese?
SUPERB guides, though. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them, thanks!
Posted by: JohnnyW on December 9th, 2007 at 12:27 pmHey, I Got The Framebuffer Error, And I Did What You Said…But Now I Get A “No Buffer Available” Message…Any Ideas?
Posted by: Brandon E on April 15th, 2008 at 7:05 pm