FF7 Rebirth is a behemoth of a sequel that improves on Remake's formula in almost every way. I had really high hopes for this game since Remake is one of my all-time favorites, and Rebirth managed to meet and surpass almost all of those expectations. It isn't without its faults, but its strengths are remarkable compared to its weaknesses.

This game's strongest asset is its gameplay - there's just SO much to do in this game. Although I did get a bit fatigued at the open world map marker design after a bit, I found that there was always something to do to switch things up. Between the mini-games, combat simulator missions and exploration I always felt like I had something to do and always had something to switch to whenever I was getting bored. The combat is just as good as Remake, and the addition of the synergy abilities are a great touch that makes combat feel even more fluid and cinematic.

The performances are, once again, amazing. Getting the gang back together from Remake was a joy, and the addition of new characters to the party made the experience that much better. I really love the voice cast for these games - I feel like they capture the essence of the characters perfectly and there wasn't a bad performance among them.

I think something that I have more mixed opinions on is the story, although my feelings lean more positive. I just found the plot to be needlessly complicated at times - I'm sure watching some Final Fantasy Union story videos will help clear things up, but I feel like it unnecessarily bogged down what was already an amazing story. I think the story is very strong overall with some incredibly poignant and emotional moments, but it also felt like it went off the rails after a certain point. I also wasn't super thrilled with how it ended - I know the remake trilogy is taking some liberties with the story to try and create a new experience, but I just wished the ending resonated with me a bit more. I'm hoping on a repeat play-through I'll be able to fully enjoy the narrative a bit more.

It seems like Rebirth was well worth the wait. It doubles down on all the things that made Remake great while adding its own flourishes here and there with the inclusion of an absolutely massive open world that more often than not was a blast to explore. Although I wish the narrative had done a bit more for me, the incredibly fun gameplay, stellar performances/graphics and beautiful soundtrack make Rebirth an amazing gaming experience overall. I know it'll be a while before we get the last game, but I'm already counting down the days.

"If you lose sight of one dream, replace it with another."

Skies of Arcadia is all about how no suffering lasts forever and how we all have the strength to adapt and overcome anything as long as we're capable of finding it within ourselves - and it is so real for it.

It's rare for a game to focus so heavily on realizing there's more to life than being stuck in your old ways, but the amount of perspectives it uses to make that hit home combined with Vyse's optimism makes for such an uplifting journey.

Of course, it's not perfect - being a relatively old school JRPG means it has the issues you'd come to expect from them, in this case mainly a ludicrous encounter rate and some incredibly slow combat pacing due to it's wide variety of special move animations that can last pretty long.
The combat's relatively barebones and a bit confusing to get into, but despite turns taking a while it's relatively fast-paced in how long battles last once you've got the hang of it, so it's nothing too bad in my opinion. Random encounters last two turns at best, and bosses are creative enough to keep you on your toes so there's still a lot of fun to be had there.

But the cast is what really makes this game, as I've mentioned - beyond Vyse just being a fantastic protagonist, the main trio as a whole is a blast and the other party members that tag along during different parts of the game are all real fun too.

And not only that, the setting is one of a kind. There's this genuine childlike joy at sailing through the clouds with the crew and discovering all there is to its world, and I'm amazed I've never seen anything like it since.

All in all, just an incredibly whimsical and unique experience if you're capable of putting up with the usual classic JRPG struggles. Trust me, it's absolutely worth it.

After a week of grinding, i am officially done with xenogears

Xenogears most definitely has my favourite story/narrative in gaming. Seamlessly being able to juggle a multitude of themes/topics such as: What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to truly live? Importance of free will, how our connections with others shape our identities, overcoming one's own destiny, accepting our bleak reality and moving on from it e.t.c

For one thing, the gameplay is REALLY GOOD! Infact too good for something from its time. I really love how they integrated combos into its mechanics to make turn based gameplay that much more interesting and worthwhile in the longrun. Actually making the player experiment with the casts movesets to pull off some cool ass chains of attacks.

Xenogears shows an absolute masterclass in how to write a compelling and heartfelt romance. Effortlessly intertwining the fates of Fei and Elly (Wont go into specifics) together to provide some heart warming, organic, saddening but also hopeful moments between themselves. I love both of them ALOT!

I 100% get the hype about fei and i was incredibly surprised. He is definitely the most well written and fleshed out character in gaming. I was completely blown away by his character conflict and how it tied a huge amount of the narrative together. The Dreams Section in DISC 2 is the best thing gears could have done for his character. The revelations forcing him to accept the truth, the harsh and cold reality he chose to escape from and showing his immense character growth in the process was masterful writing. As a person who didn't necessarily turn to games to expect GOAT level characters, xenogears proved me wrong.
YOU CAN'T TAKE HIM OUT. HE’S DIFFERENT. HE'S NOT THE SAME! YOU ARE YOU BUT HE IS HIM!!!!

The cast is filled with a lottery of charismatic characters who mesh and coexist with each other pretty well. Citan is an obvious favourite of mine off rip (HE IS HIM!).

The music is immaculate, id say my clear cut favourites are Bonds of sea and fire, june mermaid, tears of the stars hearts of the people. Just to name a few, but the entire soundtrack is picture perfect for the dichotomy of lighthearted content to the dark and bleak filled stretches in the game

My goodness there are some HARD/Maybe BS bosses tho lmao. If i had to go by difficulty it would be:
Deus
Ramsus/Opiomorph
Shakhan
The adrenaline rush i got when i beat these bosses felt great

That last portion of the game after beating DEUS till the ending is one of the best stretches in media for me. An emphatic way to close out Feis/Lacans Character Journey and put a neat bow on the game.

Enough Said, GREATEST GAME OF ALL TIME!

i have often dreamt that i was dreaming. and sometimes, i wonder if even within those dreams, i am dreaming again, unaware of the transience of the world around me. life, to me, is about those moments when we realize that we are dreaming. life is also about all the things we do to fool ourselves into thinking that there is such a thing as true wakefulness in the face of annihilation. terranigma, for all its problems, has taught me more about the transience of life and happiness than anything else, and it all comes down to the ending.

terranigma's ending defines the game. i won't outright spoil it, but it is the ultimate experience, so it must be discussed. it's the one point where i don't run. i walk slowly everywhere, because i want to make the most of the time i have. i'm afraid. not because i don't know what will come afterwards, but because i do. i know that on the other side of this pleasant dream is nothingness. but honestly, i wouldn't have it any other way.

we cling to happiness because it is fleeting, but we often forget that it is the ending of happiness that gives it its value. it is the moments where we acknowledge that we are in happiness that we must treat it like a visiting friend who has grown tired. terranigma has taught me how to say goodbye to happiness, and maybe even to listen when it says, "see you later."

terranigma is the true ending of video games. it has foreshadowed the ending of games, and perhaps even the ending of life itself. i imagine that when the last video game in the world is made, it will know that it is the last game, and its ending will mirror terranigma's in some way, deliberately or not. likewise, it's almost inevitable that at the end of my life, whether i'm on my death bed or at the bottom of the ocean, the last thing i'll hear before i die is the jingle terranigma plays for you when you go to sleep. and i'll sink deep into a dream that will be remembered by no one, least of all me.

A very high budget production: whether in terms of CGs animation (Takeuchi chara-designs + Koyama art style + Tsukuri Monoji innovative techniques = enchanting aesthetic), syncronization between them, or even the sublime compositions of Fukasawa, everything is here to create an extraordinary level of immersion. The only technical weak spot would be the lack of voice acting.

The plot is quite similar to Kara no Kyoukai's, that is to say, an urban conflict between magi. The latter are more inhuman and frightening than ever. And yet... Where Mahoyo truly shines is during its more relaxed moments. Through the atypical everyday life of Soujuurou, Nasu tackles topics such as the second phase of (urban) modernization that Japan went through in the 20th century, the individualization of men in modern cities, the financial struggles of young students in precarious situations, but also more abstract themes such as facing your destiny, up to which point you should "submit" yourself (to betray your identity, to give up what defines you) in order to correctly integrate into the world of adults, of work…

The confrontations are of course not lacking in intensity since the animation and the music know how to make them lively and exciting (which unfortunately happened much too rarely in the previous vns I read).

All in all, a deeply inspiring and comforting work. The characters will live on in me for a long time. NOW RELEASE THE SEQUEL NASU ENFLURE