Mechanically reinforces the brutality of MMA within the context of RGG's thematic sensibilities. Flawed combat that utilizes its difficulty curve to make Tatsuya's struggle just that much more worth it. Brushstroke stylization paints a beautiful narrative that places a violence-prone teen through a thorough character arc a lot of people can relate to. Even with some rushed segments in the recent translation, the script's intrigue and emotion are still present. Like Judgment, it's a fundamental understanding of what makes this series tick that allows Black Panther to feel at home with the other Yakuza games.

There's no way I'm gonna lose.

I think a term commonly associated with romance/sol animanga and games is “wish fulfillment.” Now, from my experience, it's a term usually met with some level of disdain or condescension. “Wow what a loser, they need this thing to feel good about themselves.” And, sure, I can understand where that attitude comes from, in fact I'm like that sometimes too. But I feel it's not that simple. People come from different backgrounds, places, and circumstances. Sometimes what we need is comfort from something, even if it isn't real.
Clannad, among many, many other beloved visual novels is boiled down to the common “your friends and family are important, your life is worth living” morals, but is it a bad thing to be so commonly communicated? I would assume that Maeda and the many other writers at Key are trying to convey this, and even if they were or not, intention does not always align with found purpose. Tomoya Okazaki, our protagonist, is a great stand in for players like me to some degree. He's still his own character, but I think him being a loner to align with the usual “wish fulfillment” protagonist role really works to its benefit. No matter your background or role, there is worth in finding friends and family, whether it be genetic or found. It finally gives us purpose to those who feel so aimless in life. Clannad is not simply “wish fulfillment” at play. It's inspiring us to fulfill those wishes ourselves, and fulfill the wishes of others.
I’ve seen complaints about Clannad’s core structure before, as for some people the routes are “not interconnected enough”. But is that a problem? In my opinion, anyway, Clannad is an anthology of the multiple “what if” scenarios surrounding Okazaki’s journey in life. While Nagisa’s route is what leads to the true ending of the story, it doesn’t make the other routes pointless. Regardless of what is the “true” outcome of the story, your experiences and how you see these characters develop will always live on with the player. You get to see Okazaki give these people true happiness in life, and by the true ending, he is repaid for everything he’s done. While in gameplay the route system is a little rough around the edges with much needed polish, I think playing with a guide allows for a very smooth experience.
Playing this after my most prior Key visual novel experience, that being AIR, really opened my eyes to how well thought out and executed much of Clannad is. While AIR suffers from an overly ambitious but ultimately meaningless structure, Clannad takes a safer approach and cuts out any filler. Jun Maeda and his team really wanted to make up for the mistakes of AIR, and you can really tell from how much more polish is applied to this game. Despite this being one of the longest games I’ve ever played, Clannad rarely falls victim to artificial padding. The game gives you and makes proper use of the “skip already read text” feature, which makes hopping into your next route a very quick and easy experience. It helps that the game is split into 10+ routes that all vary in length, meaning I don’t think the game can ever burn you out from a scenario. Each route (with two exceptions, one being entirely optional) is very different overall so nothing is samey either. I’d also like to make note of the amount of content on offer, Clannad is not only long from the main game but has TONS of little secrets and extra blurbs of dialogue to discover, it really feels like the team wanted to put as much as they could onto the disc.
And that’s the overall thing I love about Clannad: it’s very polished. Not perfect, but very damn close. Clannad may seem safe or tropey, but it uses those aspects and pushes them to a wonderful and engaging extent. The current top review tries to make fun of fans of this game and I’d have to say that this person probably has never experienced joy in their life. None of the huge visual novels I’ve played so far have been flops, and Clannad is no exception either. In fact, out of the three (Higurashi, Tsukihime, Clannad) I would say this is my new favorite, and knowing that Key still has some fantastic games in their catalog for me to still try out (Kanon, Little Busters!, and Rewrite) has me so immensely excited. But none of those games, or any visual novels in the future will take away what a special experience Clannad was for me. I had taken a long break from reviews and I needed to get out of that slump, and this game was what inspired me to write a little something again, especially seeing how none of the longer reviews about this game on this site are in good faith. I wanted to fix that. Thank you for reading, and if this review manages to get even one person to fully play through this game, I’ll be happy.

Title: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: A Masterful Continuation of an Iconic Legacy

As a lifelong fan of the Final Fantasy series, experiencing the magnificence of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was an emotional journey unlike any other. Serving as a direct sequel to the acclaimed Final Fantasy VII Remake, this installment not only honors the beloved classic but also charts a bold new course, expanding upon its rich lore and characters in ways that are both awe-inspiring and deeply resonant.

From the moment I stepped back into the dystopian city of Midgar, I was enveloped in a world brimming with wonder and danger. The attention to detail in the environment design is nothing short of breathtaking, with each location meticulously crafted to evoke a sense of nostalgia while introducing fresh elements that keep the experience feeling vibrant and alive. Whether I was navigating the labyrinthine streets of Sector 7 or scaling the towering plateaus of the Shinra Headquarters, every corner of the world felt meticulously realized and ripe for exploration.

One of the most striking aspects of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is its narrative depth and complexity. Building upon the foundation laid by its predecessor, the sequel delves deeper into the intricate web of politics, spirituality, and personal vendettas that define the world of Gaia. The story unfolds with a sense of urgency and gravitas, weaving together the destinies of its diverse cast of characters in a tapestry of epic proportions. Moments of heart-wrenching tragedy are juxtaposed with scenes of triumphant heroism, creating a narrative arc that is as emotionally resonant as it is captivating.

Moreover, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth introduces a host of new gameplay mechanics and features that elevate the experience to new heights. The revamped combat system seamlessly blends real-time action with strategic decision-making, allowing for dynamic battles that are as exhilarating as they are tactical. The inclusion of new playable characters and summonable allies adds depth to the party dynamics, offering players a wealth of options for customizing their playstyle and overcoming formidable foes.

In addition to its engrossing single-player campaign, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth also delivers an immersive multiplayer experience that allows players to join forces with friends and strangers alike in epic battles against powerful adversaries. Whether teaming up to tackle challenging dungeons or competing in intense PvP matches, the multiplayer component adds a new layer of social interaction and replayability to the game, ensuring that the adventure never truly ends.

Overall, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of one of gaming's most iconic franchises. With its breathtaking visuals, emotionally resonant storytelling, and engaging gameplay, it represents the pinnacle of what a modern RPG can achieve. Whether you're a longtime fan of the series or a newcomer eager to embark on an unforgettable journey, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is an absolute triumph that demands to be experienced.

really wanna try and like these games and i appreciate the concept of wrapping the entire compilation together but i just dont like it. these efforts result in scenes with cool references at best, and making strange contradictions at worst
this continuity sets up massive changes to these characters, I feel like aerith was resolved well but I just do not understand why these changes were made in the first place.
zack however was not at all resolved, im trying not to call it a fanfiction but i just hate this direction for him. why is he a fucking dimension traveler fixing up worlds, its the corniest shit i've ever seen
anyway this game has stunning but sometimes inconsistent visuals, but it’s got great voice acting that brings a lot of life to certain scenes.
however there’s just way too much content here, i think there’s certainly issues with the speedy presentation of the original ff7 but this continuity has just been overkill, i’m burnt the hell out after this game and i don’t feel satisfied doing everything because i don’t feel like it added very much. this is usually my problem with open world video games but i feel it tenfold here with all the minigames. I dont see myself returning to this ever.

"Why are you wasting your lives!?" "We’re just planning for the future. Right, Ken?"

Writing reviews for these huge games always seems like a daunting task, not even because I'm lazy but just because there is so much to talk about and it's hard to balance talking about everything, so I'll attempt to keep it condensed because this was an experience (in a positive light).

It took me around 6 times of playing this game's intro and dropping it because of various reasons to finally get hooked which I think is a testament to retrying games that don't initially click with you. This time though It really sunk its teeth into me and It kept me coming back despite sometimes the game doing everything in its power to discourage me. It may come as a surprise to those who were in VC with me as I fought some of those early Tartarus bosses but I have to say I think in many aspects I think this game is so well-designed to serve its story and themes that it actually made me revise why some of this stuff transferred over to p4 and p5.

The story of this game had me very interested once we hit a certain point and I can respect those first couple of months for being a bit more relaxed and letting you spend time with the characters but I will say it is the part I probably dread the most when I replay it for portable later this year but once it gets going I think it's really well-paced and keeps you invested with twists and turns and allowing enough time for characters to have mini-arcs with how the presence of death/Tartarus affects them and It's really enjoyable I loved Junpei and Yukari especially I loved them and how human they felt with Junpei apologizing and Yukari redirecting her anger of her father's death. This game tackles the subject matter in such an interesting way and It even had me consider how I live my life. The phrase "Memento Mori" has really stuck with me throughout. it permeated into my motivations and how I thought about playing the game I think. The weaving of the themes of the game into player choice and actually making it matter seeing the people you 10 ranked at the end is so cool, especially in this game.

I'll keep it brief about this game's combat but I am actually a fan of how it became a game of mitigating mistakes made by party members and coming up with solutions with the tactics to not get them to do dumb shit but the spikes in difficulty caused me so much frustration. I gotta say though it gives Tartarus this unique kind of character, it's unforgiving and adds to the oppressive atmosphere, it's funny though because in a call I was babying at intrepid knight but the rest of the game I feel like I had no huge problems with.

I already broke my promise about keeping it condensed but this game all in all is a smartly designed experience when it comes to injecting its themes and story into gameplay and player choice and it felt so good when the story was kicking, but between the slow couple of first months and some other issues with balancing it made me lose a bit of love throughout. I loved this game by the end but these are things I dread when replaying portable and maybe reload this year, I truly see why people say it is the best one I might even think that later on it is something I'll be thinking about.

Definitely glad I stuck through with this one that ending made me cry. I'm actually so tempted to start portable now.

Enjoyable when viewed as a holistic product and as simply a gameplay loop. Frustratingly, I never got the impression of the game being particularly "punk". Night City's fleshed out just fine, but the commentary on late-stage-capitalism didn't hit as hard as I wanted. Unfortunately I'm the kind of person that primarily plays RPGs for their storylines and I wasn't too impressed with this one. Will probably replay and revisit, especially the Phantom Liberty DLC.

I do appreciate the lack of DRM. Getting the game off GOG was a seamless experience.