Final Fantasy VII has become such a special game for me. I played it when I was younger and of course back then I loved it too, but it hit harder now that I'm older. It's sort of strange in retrospect really. Just one day in September I decided to replay it on a whim and I don't regret it at all.

I've seen people say that this game is dated and to be quite frank I don't see it all. That was made clear to me during the opening sequence of the game when you see Cloud jumping off the train and fighting Shinra soldiers for the first time. As well as blowing up the reactor with the members of AVALANCHE and escaping via the trains. This game just feels so ambitious and cinematic in spites of hardware limitations. There were several little moments throughout the game that moved me dearly due to its cinematic feel.

Midgar was the perfect setting to start the game with. How I see it is that Midgar is the natural progression from kingdom settings in previous JRPG's. Midgar is a Capitalist nightmare where Shinra HQ feels like a corrupt government, hell its even stated they ARE above the officials of Midgar. You see the effects of Shinra through the towns you visit throughout the game. How its ruined both the environment and the lives of the people living there. The feeling of defeating the evil modern empire of Shinra is an entirely fulfilling one. So if anyone tries to tell you that the game isn't politcal, don't listen.

The main selling point as to why FF7 is one of my favorite games and has had a profound impact on me is how much humanity it has. FF7 has the perfect cast of characters. I hate how narrow minded readings of Clouds character can be dismissing him as an "emo edgelord" when that really isn't the case at all. Cloud is a very human character and is the victim of trauma and suffers from PTSD. For spoiler reasons I won't delve into, we see the person Cloud truly is. If he's a little moody then that's fine, thats part of being human. Cloud proves that you don't have to have a stoic badass for your video games.

All of the other characters are incredible too, given their own depth and emotional arcs throughout the game. Tifa figuring out her relationship with Cloud, Barret confronting his past and trying to become a better man, Red XIII confronting his lineage and becoming a hero, Yuffie wanting to reclaim the honor of her village by destroying Shinra, the grand yet hopeless ambitions of Cid, Vincent wanting revenge on Hojo, Cait Sith's strive for redemption, and then there's Aerith. Aerith is one of the most attachable characters ever. There's this sense of pure good within her and when you see her you'll always be glad to see Aerith. Aerith isn't the kind of perfect where she's boring, thankfully. She has so much life, often acting mischievous even. Constantly wanting to have a good time which leads to some of the best parts of the game, most notably if you take her to a date at Gold Saucer. All of those factors still make THAT scene still feel incredibly tragic, even if its been referenced and joked about so many times.

I really am grateful that I've replayed this game because its become one of my absolute favorites. Everything about it from the music to the storytelling will always leave an impact on me. I will treasure this game now and forever.

Throughout the entire last act of Sons of Liberty I was constantly thinking that I am willing to call this the most essential video game of the century so far. This may be a bold claim in the eyes of some, but this was what MGS2 was able to make me feel. Hideo Kojima tests and challenges the medium of video games in a way I feel hasn't been replicated since. The fact that this game came out in 2001, a mere few months after 9/11, quite frankly blows my mind. It was ahead of its time back then and its ahead of our time now. Its themes of our governments relation to digital information, individuality, free will, truth, and our relation to video games. These themes are already daring on their own, but the way Sons of Liberty is able to cohesively piece them together is nothing short of masterful. However even in the situation, there were brief moments of tranquility and beauty that will still be cherished. Such as climbing down the ladder with Emma with the sunset in focus and the final minutes of the game. Kojima believes in a better future, and we all should too.

What greatly elevates Silent Hill 2 from its predecessor is that the game is an incredibly heartbreaking experience. While I consider 1 to be a great and revolutionary horror game, 2 is something that is so much more. Silent Hill 2 perfectly combines emotional storytelling and terrifying horror imagery. When I wasn't feeling tense because of the set pieces and sound design, I was feeling overwhelmed by the story of James trying to find Mary. Exploring Silent Hill this time felt more fulfilling and as time went on you learn more about the history of the town. As well as crimes that went on there. The atmosphere of SH2 is also enhanced by the incredible soundtrack. One of the greatest soundtracks I've heard in a video game full stop. That and the sound design were crucial to my fear of areas in the game. The way that you would hear monsters breathing and running towards you, but never actually coming was a brilliant way to fill the players with paranoia.

At the end of the day though Silent Hill 2 is a story about a man processing and grieving over the death of his wife. As James traverses through Silent Hill more and more details about Marys death are revealed to us. James guilt and frustration are manifested in the monsters and residents of Silent Hill. Even the most iconic monster of the series, Pyramid Head, is a manifestation of the sexual frustration of James. As James goes through his nightmare that feels never-ending he learns to come to terms with Marys death. With the ending I got leaving me in a strong feeling of catharsis. I don't think horror games will ever get better than this.

"I can't tell you to remember me, but I can't bear for you to forget me."

Live A Live is a very sincere and a celebratory game. What I mean basically is that this is one of those pieces of media that believes in the power of humanity and its power to be able to conquer evil. Initially you have these 7 chapters of different eras in human history that are only loosely connected by a villain being some version of "Odeo". Live A Live uses this structure of different eras to show off heroism in each said era. What won me over at the beginning of the game is how its influences are utilized and how much love was put into them. The variety, not just in setting, but in gameplay and overall atmosphere is absolutely breathtaking. With Prehistory being reminiscent of early 80s JRPGs, Imperial China taking influence from Martial Arts films, Edo Japan having this really cool pacifist or killer pathway, the Wild West calling back to Old Western tropes, the Present Day being such an awesome homage to Street Fighter 2, the Near Future reminding me of mecha anime, and the Distant Future taking influence from Alien and 2001 A Space Odyssey.

What truly is transcendent about Live A Live is that even though these 7 people don't know each other and are separated by the barriers of time. The good in people allowed them to come together making the last hours of the game a cathartic experience. This remake is the most based thing Square has done in about a decade. It's allowed current generations of JRPG fans to discover a revolutionary SNES title that never left Japan. Forever cementing itself even further into the genres history.

The slaying of the first batches of Colossi are nothing short of jaw dropping and get your adrenaline rushing throughout your body. You see that the team behind SotC perfected the concept of boss battles and how gratifying it can be to figure out their weakness and take down a mighty foe. The world of the game is quite wonderful to explore as well, ideally minimalist while being incredibly vast and distinct.

Now I specified the first batches of Colossi because around after the sixth or so boss battle. I noticed something different about Wander; his appearance was progressively changing. He looked more tired and more beaten up. The narrative of SotC creeps on you slowly throughout the game and it's when you notice things like that it's when the genius of SotC's storytelling really clicks with you. While it is still exhilarating to take down big motherfuckers; there is a far more heavier weight to it the more and more you are dedicated to your quest of taking down these giants. With Colossal Phalanx being borderline harmless and we still have to take it down. Both for it being a video game and for the sake of the main characters personal mission.

One of the greatest games I've experienced yet.

“In those dreams…
I loved one woman
No matter the day
No matter the era…
That did not change…

Nor did her name”...

Xenogears is everything that art should strive to be and goes beyond any piece of work I’ve experienced. It’s everything I could ever truly want. Ever since first finishing the game in August of last year I’ve thought about Xenogears at least once everyday. All its moments have etched themselves into my subconscious. All those painful, passionate, and loving moments that make all of Xenogears become one whole. My revisit here was not me playing, but a dear friend of mine playing while I sat on the sideline and gave advice. It was an incredible time to both re-experience these moments and to share them with another person. We laughed, cheered, cried, and all the other emotions you could possibly think of. It made me fully realize that Xenogears is an important part of the person who I am now. It inspires me to keep on living and making the most out of an imperfect existence.

It also made me realize that this is also the most life affirming work of art ever created. Throughout the entirety of Xenogears there’s a strong emphasis on the power of the human connection. We follow Fei build on himself and his life experiences through the people that he meets. He has these moments with people that neither he or the player could ever forget. You could argue that characters don’t get enough time in their own spotlight, but it doesn’t really bother me too much personally. Mainly because of the moments and how they impact Fei makes it all the more worth it to me by the end. We humans aren’t meant to be alone and Xenogears reinforces this belief. This is represented beautifully by the one winged angel statues introduced in the Nisan cathedral. To me those angel statues are the personification of the emotional core of Xenogears. Those angels correspond with each other and they need each other to fly. I’ll have moments in life where I am bitter towards humanity and am frustrated to be amongst the horrible people that are out there. However there are also the people I know who are kind and caring, and have helped me become the person that I am today. Humanity is worth preserving because of people like them. The people who are embracing the ideas of love and coming together. That is the human experience, even in spite of everything we have each other, and that’s the most important thing of them all.

A whole lot of the cast in Xenogears come from broken and unfortunate circumstances. The game portrays these characters and their lives with a careful, complex, and tender understanding of circumstances. There is that coming together I mentioned earlier that creates the beating heart emotional storytelling of this game. These people are able to comfort each other in the help that they provide in their companionship. Bart gave Fei a home after the destruction of his village, the party were able to help Billy cope with what happened to The Ethos, they helped Maria confront her “father”, and then there’s everything with Elly.

Fei and Elly is the greatest romance ever written without a shred of doubt in mind. It’s a relationship that so perfectly shows what love is and how it transcends everything else. From their first interaction in the forest you can tell something special is there, especially when Fei was able to guess her name in an instant. Which hit me incredibly hard on this revisit, those who’ve played this game will understand why. Same with the scene in the Nisan cathedral where Fei says that Sophia reminds him of Elly. As we get deeper and deeper into the game we see their relationship get richer and richer. Showcasing that these two will do anything to help each other. At first they turned to each other because they had similar situations and that they could run away from them by being with each other. However they realized that they need each other out of true and earnest love, not solely because they are sanctuaries for their own problems. They are separate pieces that become whole when they are with each other. It’s that sort of loving connection that can topple any kind of cycle of tragedy that our universe can present us with. Fei was always told to “Live!” in spite of everything that had happened. No matter the day and the era that message never changed. However now both Fei and Elly have a home to return to. Love is the greatest power in the universe.

You don't owe forgiveness to the people who wronged you in your life, but you still are able to move forward and start anew. The cycle of hatred and tragedy will ultimately benefit no one the further and further it goes on. It's not easy to do all of this alone however, especially if you were mistreated by many people in your life. One day though you will find someone who will sympathize and give you the empathy you've needed for years. They can help and reach out their hand to pull you out of the darkness you've been swallowed up by. The people who did do you wrong and their actions can never be excused and it's understandable if they aren't, but knowing the whole truth and the different perspectives can put everything together. The point is to release, not to destroy anymore.