Helldivers 2 Advice And Our Hottest Final Fantasy VII Takes Of The Week

Screenshot: Arrowhead Games / Kotaku

Over the last two weeks, Helldivers 2—an online co-op, sci-fi third-person shooter—has exploded in popularity and quickly become one of 2024’s biggest and best games. Its mix of hard-but-satisfying combat, intense action, silly moments, and satirical tone has hooked me and many other players. However, some players have decided to farm and optimize Helldivers 2 instead of enjoying it, and they’re ruining the game for others. - Zack Zwiezen Read More

Screenshot: Square Enix

Final Fantasy VII has always been an extremely weird game, from the impromptu snowboarding excursion to fighting a Triceratops fused with a truck. That sense of weirdness seeps into every aspect of the game and often rears its head as a strange—and, more often than not, janky—minigame. The 1997 game takes a “throw everything at the wall” approach and, remarkably, most of it works. Better still, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth manages to perfectly recapture that abrasive, shotgun-blast approach to its side content. Rebirth is massive and often a little messy, but that’s exactly what gives it so much personality. - Hayes Madsen Read More

*Puts finger to ear* I’m being told that Final Fantasy fans call this women the goat, not a goat.Image: Square Enix

Let me be clear: I have never played a Final Fantasy game. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth may be out very soon, and the series may be one of the most influential in the history of video games, but I have never touched one. Aside from tangential knowledge gleaned against my will via the internet and coworkers, and what I’ve learned after editing stories like one describing how to get FF7 Rebirth’s bonus materia from an old save, or another lauding a new fan blog whose entire raison d’etre is arguing that FF8 is the best, I am the Jon Snow of Final Fantasy. I know nothing. - Alyssa Mercante Read More

Screenshot: Square Enix / Kotaku

My toxic trait is that I am a colossal simp for Final Fantasy VII’s foul-mouthed, chain-smoking, dragoon pilot Cid. My love for this man spans decades, from when he was a series of blobs stacked on top of each other in the original PlayStation game to when he was a voiceless shopkeeper in the first Kingdom Hearts. As such, I was eager to see him in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, even if he doesn’t get promoted to playable party member this time around. After going back and reacquainting myself with the original game, I’m pretty happy with how Square Enix approached the character nearly 30 years later. - Kenneth Shepard Read More

Image: Square Enix

I have always been a staunch defender of Final Fantasy VIII. I love its broken junction system, the exceptional card game Triple Triad, and the central story of Squall and Rinoa. Not everybody is as enlightened as I am, though. Ever since its release in 1999, the game has been overlooked and underappreciated, often because it faced the impossible challenge of following Final Fantasy VII. But one site is here to set the record straight and shout the praises of the oft-derided eight entry. It is the aptly titled Final Fantasy VIII is the Best and it is the best. - Willa Rowe Read More

Image: Rawpixel.com (Shutterstock)

As someone whose commute to and from the office every day is under half an hour, I am always looking for something short and sweet to do while riding the subway. Sure, there’s the New York Times Games app and its offerings like Wordle and the more recent Connections. But as of February 26, there is a new addition to the usual rotation of games—and it might just be my favorite one yet. Let me introduce you to Cinematrix. - Willa Rowe Read More

Screenshot: Square Enix / Kotaku

There’s a whole lotta world out there to see. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth reimagines the map of the original 1997 game on a massive scale, breathing new life into iconic locations. While the world itself has plenty to offer, the real highlight of the journey is the towns, with each one given thoughtful care and detail. In other words, Rebirth’s towns now have some extra strong vibes, and that’s left us to ponder—where would you want to live in the world of Final Fantasy 7? Here’s our ranked rundown of all the cities featured in Rebirth. - Hayes Madsen Read More

Image: Square Enix

Choosing which party members to take into combat is always an important part of a Final Fantasy game, and that’s especially true in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. The just-released RPG offers intense, action-packed combat and gives every character their own signature fighting style. While you may have old favorites from the original, or want to keep the Avalanche crew from Remake together, that isn’t always feasible here. But one thing remains true in Rebirth— Yuffie is simply the best party member. - Willa Rowe Read More

Image: Square Enix

Most of the Kotaku staff is spending their time playing, replaying, and just constantly thinking about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth right now in the wake of its release. For those of us who are avid fans of Square Enix’s long-running franchise, it’s a great time. But there is one particular staffer who is not having a good time. Senior Editor Alyssa Mercante has never played a Final Fantasy game, and has even gone on the record about her long-held belief that Aerith from Final Fantasy VII was a goat woman with big ears (It’s a bow, obviously). But this all could be changing in the near future, as Alyssa is ready to undertake the adventure of playing her first Final Fantasy game. Which brings us to the important question. What is the best Final Fantasy game for newcomers? - Willa Rowe Read More

Screenshot: Square Enix / Kotaku

There is a woman in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s opening town of Kalm that I cannot stop thinking about. She isn’t particularly special. She doesn’t sell weapons. She doesn’t have a side quest for you to undertake. You can’t even play the amazing minigame Queen’s Blood against her. She is simply an NPC who populates the world and makes it feel more alive. She has a single job. Sell chocobo ice cream. And ever since I encountered her, I have not known peace, because her job has bizarre anatomical implications for the franchise’s iconic big birds. - Willa Rowe Read More