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I.C.Y.M.I.: 'Final Fantasy VII Remake' Releases Playable Demo

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Greetings, fellow pop culture aficionados, and welcome to week four of our I.C.Y.M.I. (In Case You Missed It) blog series where we recap a handful of trending tidbits from the past week in popular culture, in case you missed them.

Last Friday, we recapped a somber scene in sports, sharing emotional moments from the celebration of life for Kobe and Gianna Bryant. This week, we turn our attention to the gaming world, where Final Fantasy fans were finally rewarded for their patience.

The Wait is Almost Over: Final Fantasy VII Remake Releases Playable Demo

It's been more than 20 years since Final Fantasy VII's release in 1997, when the role-playing game for the original PlayStation console garnered support from gamers around the globe. Now, because of the initial title's success, Square Enix is releasing a remake aptly named Final Fantasy VII Remake.

The recreation was first announced in 2015 at E3, so it's safe to say fans of the title have been hungry for updates on its progress. Earlier this year, the game was given a release date of April 10, 2020, and this past week, a playable demo was made available on PlayStation 4. 

The demo, available for download on the PlayStation Store, allows players to experience Final Fantasy VII Remake's opening chapter, beginning with Barret, Cloud, and the AVALANCHE group planting a bomb on Mako Reactor 1.  

The PlayStation blog spent three hours with the game's trial run and had plenty of positive feedback.

"By the time our session wrapped up, I was eager to find new Materia, experiment with battles, and further see just how much content Square Enix has added to the original experience," writes Brett Elston, Manager of Content Communications. "Almost any moment I could recall from the past – President Shinra’s encounter with the trio near one of the reactors, or a simple button-pressing minigame, for instance – has been totally reimagined and dramatized in a way that makes even familiar moments feel new again. Love what I’ve seen so far and can’t wait to see the rest of what Midgar has to offer."

Download the demo before May 11 and you'll receive an exclusive PlayStation 4 theme when the full Fantasy Fantasy VII Remake is released next month.

"That's What She Said"

This month marks 15 years since The Office debuted in the U.S. To celebrate, TODAY caught up with seven of the sitcom's fan-favorite characters. One of several highlights from the interview series comes from Creed Bratton, who plays a fictional version of himself on the NBC show.

IN HIS OWN WORDS: “I would describe Creed as an enigma to himself. He is in a limbo by trying to be worker. Basically, for a couple of years at that show, I thought I was actually working at a paper company. I didn't know I was on a TV show. I thought I was getting paid pretty well. I just didn't want to rock the boat, as it were. The funniest quality about the Creed character, I believe, is his cluelessness to how scared everyone was of him, because he was a frightening guy. When you come into the office with blood on you, you're stealing from people and then he found out how good he was at chess … he stole from everybody. If I was really that character, I'd be in jail, folks, that's the deal.”

Ozark Unveils Trailer For Season 3

Jason Bateman and Laura Linney are back for season 3 of Ozark, which dropped a new trailer this week promoting the drama series' March 27 return. Ozark, directed by Bateman, is coming off an Emmy win (and in Bateman's case, a surprise Emmy win) for Outstanding Direction of a Drama Series.

If you haven't seen the first two seasons, we highly recommended playing catch up before the third installment hits. Each of the first two seasons has 10 episodes each, so 20 in total. And with roughly 20 days to go until season three undoubtedly hits your Netflix Top Picks list, that gives you a chance to stream about one episode per day until March 27 (but let's be honest, you'll probably binge-watch them all this weekend). Ready? Go!

What Else To Watch This Weekend

Thrillest has a couple of handy resources to keep your eyes occupied this weekend and beyond. The entertainment news platform provides its take on the 100 best movies on Netflix right now, plus offers an always-up-to-date look at the most underrated movies of 2020 so far (you'll want to bookmark this one). 

What'd We Miss?

Now that we've filled you in on a few things, what do you feel we failed to mention? Let us know in the comments, or hit us up with a suggestion on Twitter @MoPOPSeattle. We'll look to include your ideas in our next edition of 'I.C.Y.M.I.' 

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I.C.Y.M.I., Pop Culture, Video Games

About the author

Tony Drovetto is MoPOP's Content Marketing Manager.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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