I wanted to wait to review this game until I got the platinum trophy and lo and behold here we are.

Rebirth is for me the perfect sequel to the already fantastic FF VII Remake, but better, a lot better.

Rebirth builds upon the already solid foundation laid by Remake in a multitude of ways. While Remake was very focused on plot and world-building, Rebirth instead focused on bonds between you and the party. The side quests in Remake are there to expand on Midgar, while here, they're there to allow you to engage with your party members, and get to know them better. A lot of the character moments are in these side quests, and the writing shines. From collecting flowers with Aerith, to helping a dog cross a region with Barret, these quests flesh out both characters and the world. Heck, these side quests even explain why Cloud always charges 2000 Gil for each job. Clever stuff.

The main story itself prides itself on being an adventure. The team did a great job of making the world feel extremely large, even though from a gameplay perspective, it isn't that big. Just like in the original game, this part of the game is mostly focused on character moments, and mark my words, when the remake project is done, this game will be the one people like the most.

The combat is better than ever. Fast action merged with strategic command inputs. They even added a perfect parry system, and it just works. The Materia system is also better than we've seen in Remake, with loads of ways to mix and match (and break) it.

My only minor complaint is in the brutal challenges you can do during the endgame, and these are insanely difficult. Way over tuned, and not really "fun".

Remake part 3 can't get here fast enough for me. As a die hard FF VII fan, I might have to admit to myself that Rebirth dethrones every other FF game I've played to date. Masterpiece through and through.

I replayed in preparation for REBIRTH in a few weeks.

Just a masterpiece through and through. Music, gameplay, story... Insane they made this back 1997. I can't wait for the remake trilogy to end so we can have the definite version of this epic.

Obviously some gameplay elements haven't aged perfectly, but it's still such a fantastic experience.

I got all the Steam achievements, so I guess I can review it now.

Tekken 8 is a masterful fighting game. The gameplay is super welcoming to anyone, and the arcade quest mode works as the perfect tutorial for the game's many many systems. I haven't played Tekken since 5, so arcade quest was a huge help in getting my footing back. Tornados, heat rushes, and power crushes all make sense to me now, and that makes playing online so much more fun - I am actually winning a lot!

The game looks great, the music is great, and the main story mode is super fun and has the appropriate length. The story itself is kinda nonsensical but also builds on the foundation laid in every single game before it.

I could gush on forever so let's end this here. 2024 is going to be a fantastic games year!