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

God of War Laufey puts Faye in the spotlight

Faye leads the adventure

Published

June 3, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

Santa Monica Studio has officially revealed God of War Laufey. It’s the next mainline entry in the franchise and the first game to put Faye at the center of the story. The announcement came during PlayStation’s State of Play presentation and showed an unusually large look at the opening of the game.

The story begins after Faye’s funeral. She awakens in a mysterious realm called the Everywhen and quickly discovers that the plans she set in motion to protect Kratos and Atreus are now at risk. To save the people she loves, she must fight her way through an afterlife where gods from different mythologies compete for power.

Santa Monica Studio says the game builds on the foundations established by 2018’s God of War and the Norse saga while taking the series in a new direction. The team combines the speed and movement of the Greek-era games with the world-building and character-driven storytelling of the modern entries.

Exploring the afterlife of the gods

One of the game’s biggest mysteries centers on a question raised during God of War Ragnarök: what happens to gods when they die?

The answer is the Everywhen. Santa Monica Studio describes it as the birthplace and final destination of all magic. The realm exists beyond the worlds players have visited before and serves as a meeting point for gods, creatures, and mythologies from across existence.

The reveal trailer offered a first look at Sekhmet and Begtse, two powerful gods Faye encounters during her journey. Neither appears eager to welcome a newcomer into their domain.

Faye also finds allies along the way. Phranque, a cosmic cube voiced by Jack Quaid, joins her adventure alongside Rue, an enchanted ribbon guardian voiced by Perlina Lau. Together, they venture deeper into the Everywhen while uncovering its secrets and searching for a way home.

Faster combat built around Faye

Faye may not wield the Blades of Chaos, but Santa Monica Studio says she is every bit the warrior fans expect from a God of War protagonist. As the Golden Hand of the Jötnar, she fights with speed, mobility, and precision.

The studio redesigned combat around her strengths. Players can move seamlessly between ground and aerial attacks while maintaining momentum. Faye can dodge, reposition, and launch extended combos without slowing the pace of battle. The result looks noticeably faster than Kratos’ combat style while retaining the weight and impact that define the series.

Her abilities also draw heavily from Giant magic. Faye can strike enemies with enough force to separate their souls from their bodies. Once exposed, those souls become weapons. Players can attack them directly, launch them into other enemies, and create new combo opportunities.

The reveal also showcased a legendary sword that becomes Faye’s primary weapon in the Everywhen. Combined with her soul-based powers, it forms the core of a combat system that Santa Monica Studio says still has plenty of surprises left to reveal.

Deborah Ann Woll reprises her role as Faye after appearing in God of War Ragnarök. Santa Monica Studio has not announced a release date, but players can wishlist God of War Laufey now.

Gaming

Marvel’s Wolverine showcases brutal combat, confirms Jean Grey

Jean Grey joins Logan

Published

June 3, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

Marvel’s Wolverine shows out in the latest PlayStation State of Play trailer. But beyond the brutal combat and motorcycle chases, the game’s latest trailer also confirms a major character reveal: Jean Grey.

Shown prominently throughout the new gameplay presentation, Jean Grey teams up with Logan against the Reavers, a cybernetic mercenary group hunting mutants. The trailer gives fans their first real look at her telekinetic powers in action and hints at a bigger role in Wolverine’s story.

Insomniac Games debuted the extended gameplay trailer during State of Play, offering a deeper look at its upcoming single-player action adventure. The game follows James “Logan” Howlett as he tracks down mutants captured by the Reavers, who plan to deliver them to industrialist Bolivar Trask. Jean Grey emerges as one of the captured mutants and a key ally in the fight against Trask’s forces.

Wolverine looks every bit as savage as fans hoped

The new footage highlights Wolverine’s fast-paced and violent combat system. Players can stalk enemies, launch ambush attacks, and unleash brutal claw combos against heavily armed Reavers.

Logan can also use special combat abilities called Techniques, including moves such as Tornado Spin and Bull Rush. Successful attacks build up Rage, which powers stronger abilities and activates Wolverine’s Healing Factor. Push Rage far enough and Logan enters Rage Tier 3. It’s a heightened combat state inspired by Marvel’s Black, White, and Blood comic series.

Jean Grey isn’t just along for the ride. The trailer shows her fighting alongside Logan with powerful telekinetic attacks that can set up devastating Critical Strikes and team-based finishers.

One of the trailer’s standout moments features Wolverine battling Reavers across a highway convoy. Logan races through traffic on a motorcycle. He slashes tires, jumps between vehicles, and takes on powerful enemies while speeding down the road.

Release date, editions, and pre-order bonuses

Marvel’s Wolverine launches exclusively on PlayStation 5 on September 15, 2026.

The standard edition costs US$69.99, while the Digital Deluxe Edition is priced at US$79.99. Pre-orders are available starting today.

Pre-order bonuses include:

Early unlock for the Classic Brown Suit
Early unlock for Reflective Claws
One additional Technique Point
Four PlayStation avatars featuring Logan, Jean Grey, Mystique, and Sabretooth

The Digital Deluxe Edition adds five exclusive suits, five exclusive claw designs, and three additional Technique Points. Insomniac notes that the suits and claws are cosmetic items.

The trailer also teases several future reveals, including additional enemy factions, more suits, and what appears to be a brief look at Sabretooth.

With Jean Grey now officially in the spotlight and Wolverine looking as brutal as ever, Insomniac’s long-awaited Marvel adaptation finally feels within striking distance.

Computex 2026

ASUS ROG XBOX Ally X20 debuts at COMPUTEX 2026

Powerful gaming handheld

Published

June 1, 2026

GadgetMatch

ASUS has announced the ROG XBOX Ally X20 bundle at COMPUTEX 2026, just in time to celebrate the gaming brand’s 20th anniversary.

Featuring a translucent black chassis with vibrant gold internal structure, the machine is both a throwback to gaming two decades ago and a vision of the future.

The translucence offers a peek under the hood to the high-performance cooling system and handheld silicon from AMD.

Premium hardware

The ROG XBOX Ally X20 brings a new Nebula HDR Display to the handheld for the first time, with a 7.4-inch OLED panel and Corning DXC glass and anti-reflective coating.

This slightly larger panel increases immersion and visibility. It has up to 120Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium of support, and 1,400 nits of peak brightness.

Furthermore, it has a VESA DisplayHDR 1000 rating, Dolby Vision, and 0.2ms response time.

Powering the portable device is the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor with ample gaming horsepower and the latest tools like Auto SR upscaling, as well as XBOX for seamless navigation and gaming.

It supports 24GB of DDR5 RAM and 1TB of PCIe 4.0 storage to accommodate a large library of titles.

Better ergonomics, controls

Inspired by iconic XBOX controller designs, the ROG XBOX Ally X20 has a transforming D-Pad. It’s designed with the standard four-way movement, but can easily be converted to eight-way control for fighting games.

The improved face buttons have also been adjusted, now sitting flush against the chassis to enable smooth and uninterrupted thumb sliding. On the rear of the handgrips is a rubberized coating.

Speaking of controls, the next-gen handheld levels up with a new TMR joystick technology, delivering pinpoint precision, smoother tracking, and longer-lasting performance.

Bundled with ROG XREAL R1 Edition 20 Gaming AR Glasses

The bundle also features the ROG XREAL R1 Edition 20 Gaming AR Glasses, making the set an absolute collector’s must-have.

The AR glasses feature a 171-inch virtual screen at four meters, 240Hz display that covers 95% of the field of view, and a 0.01ms response time, thanks to micro-OLED. These glasses plug directly into the Ally via USB-C.