Summary
I tend to play video games in very intense bursts. None of this ‘spend five months playingBaldur’s Gate 3’ nonsense. In and out like a safecracker, that’s me. I still logged over 100 hours inLarian’sRPG, and am satisfied that I saw everything one could reasonably see in a single playthrough, while letting the game unfold naturally instead of following a walkthrough to the minute. I just did it with a laser focus. This way works for me, and I hate dragging games out too much. Butthe start of 2024 has been far too quick, and that has underlined how much I loveFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
I wasn’t part of TheGamer’s excellentpre-launch coverage team for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but that didn’t bother me much as we had some great editors on the task and it gave me time to not only finishLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, but to also have a brief yet passionate affair withBalatro. However, that meant it was a race against time to finish it beforeDragon’s Dogma 2, a race I ultimately lost. Now, as we near the launch ofStellar Blade, I know I cannot finish FF7R and DD2 in time. I also know that whichever one I don’t pick, I will struggle to go back to. And for me, the choice of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is an easy one.
It’s almost likeI don’t know why I’m playing Dragon’s Dogma 2. Don’t get me wrong, I’m having a great time with it, and expect it to be in the lower reaches of my GOTY list come December. But what is actually keeping me playing? I can write about it for work, I suppose, but actual in-game motivation? There areexciting incidents to be found walking around the world, but for the most part, I don’t care what happens in the story, andit feels like the game doesn’t either. This is in stark contrast to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
I left the game in Chapter 11, close enough to the finish line that I can smell it now that I don’t have the thick, choking scent of Dragon’s Dogma 2’s smoky breath on my neck. I was overconfident in my ability to finish Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, taking my time to do all the side quests andfully explore the first few maps. But as these maps grew larger and Dragon’s Dogma 2 drew closer, I pressed the accelerator. I still want to reach the finish line, but I’d rather see everything I can than race to the end before speeding to Dragon’s Dogma 2’s ending too.
It has signalled to me that while Dragon’s Dogma 2 is an enjoyable jaunt with some intense battles, I need to feel like it’s for something, and I don’t get that as the Arisen. But as Cloud, plot and purpose take centre stage. Time away has seen my affection grow, no longer irritated at a dragging cutscene or inconveniently placed side activity that threatens my pacing. Now I just want to dive in deep and forget anything else exists.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth And Dragon’s Dogma 2 Were Helped And Hindered By Releasing Close Together
Maybe the two don’t need to be compared. Sure, both are well-reviewed Japanese RPGs that were released in the early months of 2024, but neither are even my favourite Japanese RPG to release in the early months of 2024 (Like a Dragon takes that gong). But even without the added complications of turning your hobby into work and monetising your free time in a spiral of stress that saps the joy from that which you once loved and will send you to an early grave, a lot of people will be bouncing from Final Fantasy to Dragon’s Dogma and then into Stellar Blade. When we’re up against time pressure, the choices we make can say a lot about where our priorities really lie.
While the first half of 2024 is crammed with bigger games, the second half could be set to run out of gas.PlayStationhas said it won’t haveany major franchise titles hitting shelves until 2025, the Nintendo Switch 2 isrumoured to have been delayed out of this year, and that leavesXboxalone toseize the moment. But with nebulous release dates for the likes ofIndiana JonesandAvowed, it remains to be seen if the green team can get a slam dunk in this open goal and score a hole in one. I love baseball.
That might give me time to round off both and fall back in love with Balatro, so maybe whatever I choose doesn’t really matter. But it signals the vast difference between enjoying playing a game and loving a game. I have enjoyed Dragon’s Dogma 2. But I love Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. And this time, I’m going to see every inch of it.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
WHERE TO PLAY
Final Fantasy Rebirth is the second part of the FF7 Remake project. It continues the story of Cloud Strife, a former SOLDIER turned mercenary who joins Avalanche, a group of eco-terrorists seeking to save the planet from the malevolent Sephiroth. As the party pushes out of Midgar, leaving the Shinra Corporation devastated, where will their paths take them?
