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Culture Feature

The 9 Best JRPGs of the PS4 Era

The modern boom of JRPGs

Final Fantasy 7 Remake

Square Enix

They don't make JRPGs like they used to, but maybe that's a good thing.

While classic JRPGs thrived during the PlayStation 1 era and saw major innovations during the PlayStation 2 era, the PlayStation 3 era marked a major fall from grace for the genre. Save for a few major titles like Dark Souls and Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, fresh JRPG releases had grown increasingly scarce, and even the more major titles like Final Fantasy XIII were plagued by mixed reviews.

But with the PlayStation 4, JRPGs have seen a return to prominence. Sure, there may not be as many individual releases of bizarre, unheard of IPs like there were during the PS1 era, but PS4 era JRPGs have more than made up for quantity with quality. These are the best-of-the-best:

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gaming
Culture Feature

4 Underrated Video Games That Deserve a Remake

It's time to remake "The Legend of Dragoon."

Sony

Technology has finally reached a point where the greatest old school video games can be properly updated for the modern era.

Many of our favorite games from the '90s and early 2000s feature amazing stories, concepts, and gameplay, albeit with graphics that no longer shine. Updating, remastering, or in the case of Final Fantasy VII: Remake, entirely remaking from the ground up, can bring a beloved game right back into the pop culture limelight. But just because a game doesn't boast the massive fanfare surrounding powerhouse titles like Final Fantasy VII and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, that doesn't mean it's not worthy of an update, too. In fact, underrated titles might benefit even more from a 2020 polish.

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video games
Culture Feature

How "Final Fantasy VII: Remake" Redefines What a "Remake" Can Be

Final Fantasy VII: Remake is mindblowingly meta.

Square Enix

Between the constant revivals of classic franchises and the endless sequels to anything and everything we've ever loved, pop culture of the modern era reeks of soulless cash grabs perfumed in cheap nostalgia.

But amidst an endless sea of crap, Final Fantasy VII: Remake is a different beast entirely. Despite Final Fantasy VII's status as one of the most beloved video games to ever exist, FFVII: Remake isn't content with simply leeching off its title. Rather, this is a rare remake that aims to add metatextual value to the original and, at the same time, justify its own existence. In doing so, FFVII: Remake doesn't just redefine the original FFVII; it redefines what a remakecan be.

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CULTURE

Nintendo Switch Games to Play in Quarantine While You Wait for the Next Day in "Animal Crossing"

There are Switch games other than Animal Crossing, you know?

Nintendo Switch

Yasi Hasan/Unsplash

With Animal Crossing functioning as a substitute for pretty much every aspect of real life during quarantine, chances are that you're already living on your own virtual island.

Considering the massive Nintendo Switch shortage (that's still going on months into quarantine!), there's also a decent chance that you bought the console specifically to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons. But as anyone who has logged 300 plus hours into the game already knows, you eventually reach a point where you've done practically everything you can possibly do on your island...at least until the next day.

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animal crossing
CULTURE

The "Final Fantasy VII Remake" Demo Is Pure Joy

With fresh gameplay, Final Fantasy VII Remake looks great and plays great.

Final Fantasy VII Remake - Final Trailer | PS4
www.youtube.com

There's a certain surrealism inherent to playing the demo of a game that you've been doggedly following for five years.

Going into the demo for Final Fantasy VII Remake, I knew exactly what to expect—After all, the demo was first playable at E3 2019, and videos of second-hand playthroughs have been on YouTube ever since. I knew that the demo covered Cloud's first mission alongside Barret and the eco-terrorist group, Avalanche. I knew that I'd get to slash the sh!t out of some Shinra goons. I knew that a giant metal scorpion waited for me at the Mako reactor's core.

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