There's not a lot I can say about The Last of Us that hasn't already been said. This game very nearly has it all.
The visual presentation in The Last of Us is truly second to none. Not only are the core graphics so incredibly high fidelity, with a truly cinematic lighting system, but its unique art direction and wide array of colour deliver through every frame of the game. It beggars belief that it's being rendered in real-time.
The narrative is superbly executed. There's no ambiguity here, no complex overlapping narrative threads. Brought to life by incredible voice acting, the characters execute and deliver a brilliantly-paced story that delivers on the cinematic nature of the video game.
What keeps it from the top shelf of my video game experiences is the combat. It's not bad by any means, but when the game so strongly executes the rest of its aspects, its the relatively rudimentary gunplay and encounter stages that are left behind.

There's not a lot I can say about The Last of Us that hasn't already been said. This game very nearly has it all.
The visual presentation in The Last of Us is truly second to none. Not only are the core graphics so incredibly high fidelity, with a truly cinematic lighting system, but its unique art direction and wide array of colour deliver through every frame of the game. It beggars belief that it's being rendered in real-time.
The narrative is superbly executed. There's no ambiguity here, no complex overlapping narrative threads. Brought to life by incredible voice acting, the characters execute and deliver a brilliantly-paced story that delivers on the cinematic nature of the video game.
What keeps it from the top shelf of my video game experiences is the combat. It's not bad by any means, but when the game so strongly executes the rest of its aspects, its the relatively rudimentary gunplay and encounter stages that are left behind.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is an incredible video game. It was tough to collect my thoughts about it, as there's a lot to process in a narrative-driven game that took me 80 hours to beat. I haven't ever been more hyped for a video game than this, and my strong expectations were met with one of the best products I've ever interacted with in this medium. Let's get into it.

One of the strongest features of this game is the writing. Each member of the party feels like a tangible individual, replete with their own characteristics, motivations and experiences. Whilst definitely apparent in the original incarnation of Final Fantasy VII, the contemporary writing and fantastic localisation of Rebirth are both marked improvements. Complementing this is the high quality of voice acting, present in both English and Japanese, that really brings the cast to life.
Another great strength of the game is the battle system, building from Remake's already robust execution. Each character feels truly unique to use, and makes changing up the party and experimenting with different formations a peerlessly rewarding experience. The addition of synergy attacks, which play into the characters' narrative-affecting friendship stat, add an extra layer of complexity and dynamism to the game's strong combat design.
The soundtrack is once again a particular highlight here, comprised of remixes of original tracks as well as top-shelf new tracks. I found myself stopping in-game at many, many different locations to simply listen to the themes and pan around the environments.
On that, the world design in the game is leaps and bounds above what was on display in Remake. Being large-scale open areas, there was a demand for change from Remake's good-looking corridors, and the call was answered with resounding finesse. Whilst not as graphically superior as the Final Fantasy franchise historically aims for, the environments are very enjoyable to explore.
The enjoyability of exploration in Rebirth is fueled by World Intel, which never feels stale or too long in the tooth. There is just enough content in each area to not feel burned out, and it all contributes to a measurable and worthy end goal. Whether that's historic lore for each region, powering up a summon or defeating enemies with particular objectives, Rebirth answers the question of how to make large open areas enjoyable to interact with.
Obviously, the main driving factor behind the player's motivations in Rebirth is the narrative, and this game delivers strongly in that regard. Not without the pacing issues that were prevalent in Remake, Rebirth successfully brings the story of Final Fantasy VII into the 2020s with a degree of success that seemed impossible, based on the company's efforts during the Compilation titles. Certain decisions made proved divisive for new and longtime fans of VII, and I certainly have opinions too, but ultimately it stands testament to how attached to the world and characters the fanbase is.

-(Light-ish) SPOILERS AHEAD-
So, why haven't I ranked it above the original game? The answer once again comes back to the narrative. Final Fantasy VII is a complete video game, an incredible narrative told from start to finish that organically paces itself across the 30 hours it will take the average player to beat it. Each location is present and accounted for, proving its worth in the world and story of the game, no matter how optional or 'weird' they can be. It's primarily this factor that holds Rebirth back; it's the middle chapter of a trilogy. That alone isn't necessarily a point against it on principle, but it does leave critical character arcs and questions unresolved. Whilst it is an ask, I believe a player's experience with Rebirth, as with Remake, is greatly improved by previous experience of the original Final Fantasy VII. I'd even go as far as to say it's enhanced by interaction with the Compilation as well.
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Nitpicking at this point, Rebirth's graphical presentation is another aspect that detracts from the overall product. Unreal Engine 4 is being pushed to its limits here, and it's evident through starkly contrasting environmental detail in open areas and particularly lighting. This is not to take away from the game's finer graphical setpieces however. The towns and character models feature some of the best looking assets I've ever seen in a real-time video game.

All told, Rebirth is one of the greatest experiences I've had with a video game. Every facet of the game feels deeply constructed and strongly executed, and I look forward with confidence to what they can produce for the conclusion of the Remake trilogy.