After five years, the Final Fantasy VII Remake has finally appeared. Sam Brooks reviews the highly anticipated remake, looking back while leaping forward. Remakes have been around so long as we’ve been making art. We’re used to them, whether they’re new retellings of old myths, covers of old songs, or complete reimaginings of old films. … Read more
A few weeks ago, Final Fantasy VII superfan Sam Brooks got to play five hours of the new remake. He interviews the game’s director, Yoshinori Kitase, and reports back on why the game isn’t just a remake, but so much more. The opening moments of Final Fantasy VII are hard to forget. We pan across … Read more
The new trailer for the much anticipated, oft-delayed Final Fantasy 7 remake is finally here! Optimist and superfan Sam Brooks breaks it down, moment by moment. Final Fantasy 7 is, indisputably, the most popular RPG of all time. It’s one of the biggest selling video games of all time, too. When the remake was announced, Obama was … Read more
How time flies – Final Fantasy 6 was released 25 years ago this month. Sam Brooks remembers its brilliant antagonist, an evil clown who actually succeeded in destroying the world. The internet was once a simpler place. Rather than people digging into their trenches on video game difficulty or whatever issue is threatening to burn … Read more
It’s one of the most controversial entries in the long-running series, but on its 20th anniversary Sam Brooks is standing behind Final Fantasy 8 as the best one of them all. I have two lingering memories of Final Fantasy 8. The first is being stuck right at the end of the first disc. I’d just … Read more
What started as a simple Disney and Final Fantasy crossover 17 years ago is now a labyrinthine juggernaut. Sam Brooks reviews the one, the only, Kingdom Hearts 3. At Kotaku, Tim Rogers called Kingdom Hearts 3 an unreviewable game. Brian David Gilbert tried to apply the hero’s journey to the series and instead twisted a simple 12-point … Read more
Another year, another twelve months full of video games that seem to exist only to drain your bank account – but which ones should you be hanging out for? Sam Brooks rounds up the most anticipated games of 2019. Anthem (February, PS4/Xbox One/PC) After the quiet failure of Mass Effect: Andromeda, Anthem is BioWare’s attempt to go … Read more
Last night, Sony announced the PlayStation Classic – a console that looks like a PlayStation One and plays those games too. Is that all it is, though? So what is the PlayStation Classic, exactly? It’s a console that looks a lot like a PlayStation 1, PSX or PSOne (Jesus, that console had too many monikers ) … Read more
Is the much maligned Final Fantasy VII sequel/spinoff Dirge of Cerberus really as bad as everyone says? I was 17 when Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII came out. As a longtime Final Fantasy nerd at the height of my obligatory emo phase, the idea of a new game focused on Vincent Valentine, everyone’s favourite … Read more
2018 is set to be another big year in gaming. Sam Brooks sets down his most anticipated games of the year, including one game he hopes to a higher power actually comes out this year. It’s the start of a new year, and time to put aside the games we spent too many hours on … Read more
There have been 15 numbered titles, it has sold 130 million copies worldwide, and it’s spawned countless spinoffs. On its 30th birthday, Sam Brooks reflects on Final Fantasy and what the series means to him. The series that made me realise that video games were more than just a silly pastime was the Final Fantasy series. The … Read more
The Stormblood expansion is finally open to travelers – get in before the trustafarians with our exclusive guided tour by Eugenia Woo. For the uninitiated, Final Fantasy XIV is Square Enix’s answer to the flood of MMORPGs out there. It had a bit of a rocky beginning; it was panned by critics and players alike … Read more
Orchestras around the world are desperately seeking new audiences. They’ve tried shorter concerts and even half-arse t-shirts, but one of the initiatives most successful at luring new concert goers is a series of shows with orchestras playing music from video games. Final Symphony, featuring the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and the music of the Final Fantasy series, played recently … Read more