Ever 17 And Always Suikoden

Welcome to “Siliconera Speaks Up,” our newsletter for the site! This’ll be a summary of the past week’s anime or gaming news, a little reminder of things to come, and our insight on what games you should pick up next. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

Speak Up Sesh

Welcome to yet another week of Siliconera Speaks Up! It’s been a hectic week on the remaster side, with a whopping four games that are making a grand return in the 21st century: Suikoden I, II, Ever 17, and Never 7.

Suikoden fans are absolutely winning this year. Not only are the remasters of the first two games killing it with fans and critics, but it’s also seen a slew of new announcements. The thing that fans seem most excited about is the Suikoden II anime adaptation, with more details on that coming soon. There will also be a new mobile game (Star Leap, which will also appear in manga format), a stage adaptation, and an orchestra concert. It’s the best time ever to be a Suikoden fan, apparently!

On the flipside, the Ever 17 and Never 7 fans are not faring so well. While news of the remaster is undoubtedly great for people who want to relive the legendary visual novels on modern consoles, as well as for people who never played them before and now have the chance to, reviews have been quite mixed. The decision to remaster the rewritten script rather than the original seems to have rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.

Though our review of the games haven’t gone live yet (my apologies for that…) some of the rougher edges I expected to have been smoothed out in a remaster in 2025 lowered the score quite a bit. Some reviewers share this opinion, while others enjoy the games for the story without worrying too much about anything else. Makes sense, considering everyone has different standards, expectations, and preferences.

This is my first time playing the games, and I think the hype surrounding it gave me unrealistic expectations. Don’t get me wrong, the story is great. The time it takes to actually get there was just not what I expected. Experiencing these retro titles for the first time was really interesting, though. It felt like peeking into a time capsule of sort. Nowadays, life is so hectic that I wonder how the games’ reputation would be if they had come out today considering the slow pacing. The humor, too, reads like something from a 1990s manga, which makes sense considering when they originally came out.

Advances in graphics are an easy way to see how far we’ve come in terms of games. It’s crazy to think back to our childhood, when the GBA or PS were the pinnacles of technology. But in Ever 17 and Never 7, differences in art style and writing/translation conventions stuck out to me as well. I wonder what games will look like in 2050. Hopefully we’ll all still be around then to reminisce on games that came out in 2025.

Top 10 Stories From the Past Week

1. New NieR Game Series Showcase Announced - There will also be a post-stream concert on NicoNico if you have a Premium account on that site. It’s an interesting choice for sure, considering how NicoNico isn’t exactly the video juggernaut it used to be, even in its native Japan.

2. New Metaphor: ReFantazio The Exhibition Details Shared - The Will and Louis key visual slaps.

3. Cinnamoroll Becomes Sushi in New Merchandise - He is trapped, but do not free him! He is happy.

4. Iron-Blooded Orphans Gundam Barbatos Lupus Model Kit Announced - Quite frankly, the Barbatos Lupus Gundam is one of the hottest mobile suits in the entire franchise. The heels were a great design choice and Mika is an absolute beast in it.

5. My Melody Being Paired Up With Strawberry Shortcake - Modern Strawberry Shortcake lacks the charm of the original so I’m glad they used her old design.

6. Review: Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. is Solid But Needs Something More - “The best version of this legendary game.”

7. Review: Suikoden 1 and 2 HD Remaster Mark a Return of Extraordinary JRPGs - The QoL adjustments make these classic masterpieces even better.

8. Fate/Grand Order CBC 2025 Servant is Dante Alighieri - He’s probably one of the most well-received Servants I’ve seen in a long time. Great visuals, creative twist to the character while remaining faithful to the source, and hilarious personality. 11/10.

9. Sony Fired Folks at PlayStation Developer Visual Arts - Awful news as problems persist in the games industry.

10. Masahiro Sakurai Wins Agency for Cultural Affairs Award - Deserved.

Upcoming Releases

• Wanderstop - PC (March 11)

• Assassin’s Creed Shadows - PS5, Xbox Series X, PC (March 20)

• Xenoblade Chronicles X - Switch (March 20)

• Atelier Yumia - PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC (March 21)

• Bleach: Rebirth of Souls - PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, PC (March 21)