‘Final Fantasy 7’ Set For Re-Release on Playstation 4

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia President Hiroshi Kawano speaks during a news conference in Tokyo September 9, 2013. Reuters/Toru Hanai

After setting up the stage for a few moments when the "Final Fantasy 7" logo was onscreen at the PlayStation Experience, fans thought they were finally going to get what they had been waiting for all these years. But instead of an all-out remake with brand new graphics and gameplay, the PS4 will only get polished version of the Steam port.

The announcement was made during the keynote of the event in Las Vegas, but already, reports are coming in as to how the fans have reacted to the re-release. Gamezone highlighted the anticipation that the announcement brought, especially when Square Enix's Shinji Hashimoto came and stayed onstage.

This does not come as a surprise, since "Final Fantasy 7" has been rumoured for a remake for years now. There has even been a short CGI tribute for the Playstation 3 that added fuel to the speculation. The original creator has since stated that planning a remake would be extremely difficult, as they would have to remove various features and are worried about alienating fans. Nevertheless fans have been begging for a remake for years.

Often abbreviated as "FF7," the popularity of the wanted installment has been in an all-time high since its original release in 1997 on the original Sony PlayStation. "Final Fantasy" as a franchise features interesting world settings, dynamic characters and dramatic storyline. Since then, there have been numerous spin offs for the popular game, from the PSP exclusive "Final Fanatsy 7: Crisis Core" starring a different protagonist named Zack to the full-blown movie sequel titled "Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children" set years after the original.

The characters from the game - most notably lead character Cloud Strife and antagonist Sephiroth - have also appeared in other games like the fighting game series "Final Fantasy: Dissidiya," its sequel "Final Fantasy Dissidiya 2" and the popular crossover game with Disney "Kingdom Hearts."

Still, the news of the slightly high-definition re-release has been mixed. Kotaku has called Square Enix the ultimate troll for what it brought fans. On the other hand, Cinemablend expressed disappointment in the announcement. If that weren't bad enough the YouTube video has 18,076 dislikes with only 2,423 likes supporting it.

The PS4 is not just expecting the "Final Fantasy 7" as the only port coming next year. The PlayStation Experience also announced that "Grim Fandango" and "Hyper Street Fighter 4" are also coming in high-definition re-release.