Gaming

Can FFVII Rebirth be your first Final Fantasy game?

The game’s director says yes

Published

October 22, 2023

It’s never easy to recommend which Final Fantasy game to start with to anyone interested in the franchise. Truth be told, there’s no easy answer. But Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Director Naoki Hamaguchi believes the upcoming game can be one of the top-of-mind options.

At face value, that seems like an odd suggestion. Especially since Rebirth is a sequel to Remake. But Hamaguchi, speaking to GadgetMatch at the Thailand Game Show 2023, said that’s even the primary reason why they decided to remake Final Fantasy VII (FFVII).

Hamaguchi said there’s for sure many players who have never played any Final Fantasy game before. But they might have heard the names “Cloud” and “Sephiroth” somewhere. If that piqued their interest, it wouldn’t make sense to direct them to the original game given the state of gaming today.

It’s this general thought that led them to pursue the Final Fantasy Vii Remake Project. It’s to bring these really popular characters to a gaming experience that makes sense for today’s standards.

“We understand that FF7 is a difficult title to get into today. But the game [FFVII Rebirth] is developed very meticulously so it won’t feel unnatural when you start playing. All the tutorials will be there,” said Hamaguchi.

“We have created everything carefully so that even a new player can enjoy the game,” he added.

And based on the latest trailer released as of writing, there does seem to be a lot going on in this game.

Side content and mini games

One of the biggest criticisms for FFVII Remake is that the side quests felt so detached from the story as a whole. So much so that it feels like these killed the pacing of the game.

Speaking still in relation to FFVII Rebirth’s approachability as a game, Hamaguchi said “everything has been improved.”

Talking specifically about the side content, the game director said the side content was made to fit the larger world map they built for the game. There’s so much to explore that he says playing through everything will take over 100 hours.

He estimates the main story will take 40 hours to complete, in case you’re curious.

Hamaguchi was also asked about the mini games in Gold Saucer. He said every mini game from that particular location was brought from the original game to Rebirth.

But it doesn’t end there. He said the reaction they hope to get is players enjoying not just the mini games in Gold Saucer but all of the mini games sprinkled in Rebirth.

What’s new and will there be a twist?

Barrett and Tufie Synergy Ability

We asked Hamaguchi which game mechanic he’s most excited for players to experience. He said it’s definitely the Synergy Abilities which is something that wasn’t present in the FFVII Remake. A version of it, however, is present in INTERGrade.

The Synergy Ability is a team-up move of one character with another. This varies widely depending on the characters you have in your party. He noted that you have to keep using the abilities to gain even better ones.

He said the mechanic also encourages playing with all the characters. The many combinations yield many different abilities that can help you in combat.

We played the game briefly and got to try the Synergy Abilities. Apart from helping deal massive damage, the abilities are also a visual spectacle.

We only had 30 minutes to play so we can’t speak on it that much. During our gameplay, it almost felt like it’s a secondary Limit Break attack that you can unleash on your opponent.

Unlike the Limit Break though, it doesn’t recharge by simply attacking and/or taking damage. You’re required to use ATB charges to trigger the Synergy Abilities. For instance, you have to build up and spend two (2) ATB charges for both Cloud and Tifa before you can use their Synergy Ability.

Look at it as another trump card you can use in battle. Whether that’s to give you some breathing room against an opponent that’s giving you a hard time or deal even more damage to a staggered enemy.

Aerith’s fate?

It’s been previously revealed that it will cover the story that happens until Southern Captial. That means the infamous Aerith scene that scarred gamers worldwide. Asked if there will be a twist for Rebirth, Hamaguchi only said, “There will be a surprise in this version as well.”

Gaming

Street Fighter 6’s first Filipina fighter arrives August 3

Yasmine arrives in August.

Published

July 17, 2026

GadgetMatch

Capcom is celebrating the arrival of Yasmine, the first-ever Filipina character in the Street Fighter series, with an official community event in the Philippines this August.

The Official Street Fighter 6 ‘Yasmine’ Community Event takes place on August 9, 2026 at Salud! by Primera Bar & Restaurant in Palanan, Makati. Doors open at 2:00 PM, with tournament matches, community activities, giveaways, and free play sessions scheduled throughout the day.

Meet Yasmine, Street Fighter 6’s first Filipina fighter

Yasmine joins Street Fighter 6 as the first playable character in the game’s Year 4 roster.

According to Capcom, she learned to fight alongside her older brother under the guidance of her grandfather. After her brother’s disappearance, she returns to combat using high-speed Eskrima techniques while wielding a Karambit knife.

She is joined in the Year 4 lineup by Arjun, Tifa from the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, and Bosch. Her release also coincides with balance updates for the entire Street Fighter 6 roster.

Yasmine becomes available on August 3, 2026 for players who own the Year 4 Character Pass or Year 4 Ultimate Pass.

Community tournament and exclusive merchandise

The Makati event will feature a double-elimination tournament, beginning with Best-of-3 matches before switching to Best-of-5 during the Top 8 Finals.

The schedule includes:

2:00 PM: Doors Open, Player Check-in, Controller Button Checks, and Free Play Warmups
3:00 PM – 3:15 PM: Welcome Speech & Official Street Fighter 6 Yasmine Gameplay Showcase
3:15 PM – 5:00 PM: Tournament Pools
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM: Top 8 Finals (Main Stage Broadcast) & Prize Presentation Ceremony for Champion, 2nd and 3rd Placements.
6:30 PM – 7:00 PM: Premium Community Giveaways, Group Photo Ops, and Closing Remarks
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Free Play and Community Networking

Attendees can also receive exclusive event merchandise while supplies last, including a Yasmine-themed T-shirt, lanyard, keychains, and themed food and refreshments.

Capcom says admission is subject to venue capacity and will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Watch the event online

Fans who cannot attend in person can watch the tournament live through the Capcom Asia Official YouTube Channeland the Enduins Games Official YouTube Channel.

Capcom also teased additional announcements, including appearances from cosplay personalities, fighting game veterans, and content creators, which will be revealed closer to the event.

Street Fighter 6 Yasmine community event details

Date: August 9, 2026
Time: 2:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Venue: Salud! by Primera Bar & Restaurant, Palanan, Makati City
Tournament: Double-elimination (FT2, Top 8 FT3)
Livestream: Capcom Asia Official YouTube Channel and Enduins Games Official YouTube Channel

Gaming

Most of the world’s PlayStations will be officially useless by 2028

PlayStation’s disastrous no-disc policy is now a lot worse than you thought.

Published

July 16, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Last week, we lamented the loss of the PlayStation disc. As we described, the loss isn’t just a major blow to nostalgia for aging gamers, but it also puts a huge question mark on game ownership. Well, there’s another wrinkle that the world is slowly realizing. By deleting physical discs, PlayStation has effectively blockaded their entire service from countries without an official online store.

If you haven’t heard, PlayStation is ceasing the production of physical discs for new games starting 2028. The console will become an all-digital platform. Now, we can blather on and on about how this sucks for ownership, but all gamers will still have access to games online at the very least. Right?

Wrong.

Not every country has an official PlayStation Store or the ability to create a PSN account. In fact, a staggering amount don’t; 121 countries (or 62 percent of the entire world) don’t have official access to the online storefront.

If you live in any of these countries, you’re likely familiar with some unofficial solutions: that is, setting your country elsewhere where the store exists. But, because it’s an unofficial solution, doing this is technically against PlayStation’s policies and can result in bans.

That being said, as noted by users on Reddit, this means that, on a very technical and legal level, these 121 countries will no longer be able to buy physical or digital games starting 2028. Because of a clarified policy, you can still play older games, but if you want to play the latest Call of Duty or NBA 2K, you are out of luck.

There’s no official list of affected countries, other than those collated by others manually. But if you’ve never been able to set your own country on the PlayStation Network, you’re a part of it.

Gaming

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced comes to life at Skypark Macau

Themed event lets fans experience the game in real life from July 17 to 26

Published

July 13, 2026

GadgetMatch

Assassin’s Creed fans are invited to celebrate the launch of Black Flag Resynced through a limited-time themed experience at the Skypark Macau Tower.

The experience will run from July 17 to 26, and will feature elements from the title brought into a real-world setting. There’s themed installations, photo opportunities, and exclusive event rewards.

Aside from that, there is a concept art gallery and replica props inspired by the action-adventure.

The experience opens to the public from 11:00 A.M. on Friday, and will remain available until the last Sunday of the month.

It will be more fulfilling to come on the first day, as there will be exclusive merchandise sold only on July 17.

Guests who purchase the game on-site, or present proof of purchase of the game at the event will be eligible to redeem an exclusive item, available only until supplies last.

Moreover, those who complete an eligible activity during the Assassin’s Creed event period at Skypark Macau will receive a paper scroll replica of the “Letter for Duncan Walpole”, while supplies last.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a faithful remake of 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag. Rebuilt from the ground up and powered by the latest Anvil engine, the game features updated visuals, enriched gameplay, and new narrative content.

Set during the Golden Age of Piracy, the game invites players to sail the Caribbean as Edward Kenway. The rebellious pirate captain is drawn into the centuries-old conflict between Assassins and Templars.

As the protagonist pursues glory and fortune, he crosses paths with legendary figures such as Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, and Calico Jack. All this while the fate of everything the pirates have built hangs in the balance.

The game is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.