Just beaten the game, and came here to talk about the spoilers. After flipping through ten pages of bitching about the changes, I'll just post my opinion now.
I consider this an amazing improvement over the original, which is no small feat. At this point, I'm not entirely sure if the haters hate it because it made bad changes, or because it simply made changes, good or bad.
Most of the characters had amazing development and I especially loved the sense of comradery between the main characters. I loved how they teamed up, both in-game as well in cutscenes to do epic shit. I loved the synergy of it all. The point in Hojo's lab where Red runs to go under the door before it closes and Cloud throws a large chunk of metal to hold it in place - all happening in three seconds - or when Tifa, Aerith, Barret and Cloud would do their part for the team, each would get a killing blow scene against a boss, one saving another from death … that was some good shit, and what I love about stories with team members who become family.
The characters themselves are amazing, with much more care and personality into them. Themes like friendship, duty, guilt and love are much more stronger in this one and makes you ache for their troubles and laugh at their awkwardness. There is a separate chemistry between every character and I loved how they interacted. There are some translation issues and a couple of cringy lines, but most of it was awesomesauce for me.
The battle system is amazing, and I can't wait to replay the game to perfect my materia and gain Bahamut. The most enjoyable FF battle system I've ever played. It's like Devil May Cry and Baldur's Gate I had sex in a motel and had a beautiful, hyper-active baby. I love it.
Now, for the changes in the story. First of all, I completely missed the fact that this is a reboot storyline ala MK9, with the old game being the past and this being a separate timeline (not entirely sold on this theory, but if it's true, I 99% expect Aerith to survive or be resurrected - and wouldn't THAT piss off a lot of old fans …). If this makes a better story, I'm ok with it. I mean, Sephiroth being an angry boy with mommy issues is kinda lame today, and him being someone willing to recraft/defy Fate itself (because this is how much of a badass he is) is more acceptable to me.
However, I have two-three parts of the game where I believe Nomura jumped the gun and made a mistake.
1. Cait Sith appearing on the plate crashing and hitting his fists in the ground. This immediately makes him look as a good guy which lessens the WTF is this guy? WHY IS HE ON MY PARTY!?!? feel you had in the original. However, Given the reason he joins you in the original, I guess they HAVE to do something better with him. That excuse won't make any sense in today's storytelling.
2. Sephiroth's early appearance. While it was epic and amazing, I always look at remakes as both a veteran and someone who goes to this game out of the blue. For a guy who comes here uninitiated, the final battle with Sephiroth lacks OOMF and impact. The player doesn't know who he is, doesn't know his connection with Cloud, doesn't know why there is such deep animosity, and the final battle will feel like, "Yeah, I'm fighting this guy and I'm supposed to feel an intense hatred for him, but … eh, I don't really know what happened …" I understand that Nomura had to make an epic final battle for a game whose story never ended at this point so it needs a form of epic closure, but we just had like, six boss encounters in the past two hours. There was no need to throw in Sephiroth as well. The ending was purely intended for veterans, and it shows.
3. Zack's appearance. Terribly unnecessary, and it ruins one of the biggest surprises in the original. Now the player KNOWS there's this guy, and the fact that Cloud doesn't mention him will definitely clue in smart players (Zack having Cloud's weapon, Reno laughing at Cloud's claim that's he's 1st Class, a mere grunt talking to Cloud as if they're pals) that Cloud isn't nearly the person he claims to be, and he most likely did something to Zack. Actually, the scene with the soldier recognizing Cloud at Shinra's headquarters and Reno's mocking was enough; now they did too much and it ruins the YOURWHOLELIFEISALIE moment in the original.
All in all, I consider this game amazing and I'm very happy I pre-ordered it. Definitely getting the other parts too.
I wonder if the latter parts will be Chapters 19 and so on (and digital only), making FFVII not take the FFVII-2, FFVII-3 route, and just be FFVII-Remake.
EDIT: One last thing I wanted to add: When Aerith told Cloud "You can't fall in love with me," my jaw hit the fucking floor. In the original, it was never stated that Cloud loved Tifa, or Aerith, or the girls loving him. It was implied, as if it was a fairytale for kids, with undertones for the adults to catch up. Even in Advent Children, there was no mention of those three being in love. There was a bond, but it was never stated. Here, cards are off. Chips have fallen. Aerith talks to Cloud about him falling in love with her. I can't wait for the scene where Cloud and Tifa are sitting in the canyon, Tifa looking at him and telling him, "I'm in love with you." My heart will skip about ten beats. This was something that always annoyed me in JRPGs, why the characters wouldn't flat out say it - which was one of the reasons I adored the love triangle between Ryudo, Milennia, and Elena in Grandia II.
Fun fact: My brother never finished FFVII because when he saw in my playthrough that Aerith dies, he didn't want to finish it, because she was his favorite, as mine was Tifa. He told me, "I don't want her to die and leave my party forever. I'm stopping my playthrough." That's some major dedication to fave characters, right there.