Final Fantasy VII

If there’s one thing nerds love to do, it’s argue about our favorite things and which one is better. SNES or Genesis? Batman or Superman? Mike or Joel? Amongst the myriad of geeky topics than can spur internet flamewars, there’s a particularly contentious one: which Final Fantasy game is the best?

Anyone who has attempted to engage in such a debate has discovered something: your favorite FF game is somebody else’s least favorite FF game – and oftentimes for the very same exact reasons that you love it. With that in mind, we’ve set out to settle the debate once and for all. We’ve taken a long, hard look at all the mainline, numbered FF games – no spinoffs, no direct sequels ala X-2 – and have decided to end all arguments once and for all by describing why each and every one is simultaneously both the best and the worst Final Fantasy game ever. In the face of such irrefutable evidence, all arguments are certain to cease now and forevermore… right?

Today, we celebrate Cait Sith, one of the strangest Final Fantasy characters of all time…

How often do you examine videogame logos? Not regularly, we’d suspect, as there’s not a lot to look at beyond letters and possibly an emblem. But in the case of Final Fantasy, each logo has a distinct message to convey, and with XIII fresh in our minds and XIV on the horizon, we figured it was time to go through all the info tucked away in each game’s logo...

No matter how good something is, there’s always a part of us that wants to make it better. If Final Fantasy VII was amazing when it released in 1997, imagine how fun it would be to play a modern remake on a next-gen system today. The mere thought of a proper Final Fantasy VII sends us into fangasmic fits, filling our heads with fleeting visions of taking down Shinra and saving the world from Sephiroth once more. Only this time, it’ll all be in 1080p.

It’s no secret that fans (ourselves included) would love to see Final Fantasy VII remade, but rumors of an official remake have been circulating for nearly a decade. The first rumblings surfaced in the spring of 2000. According to the rumors, Square Enix wanted to capitalize on the graphical power of the PlayStation 2 to remake Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, and Final Fantasy IX. That rumor may have died since then, but there are still reasons for fans to keep hope alive for the Final Fantasy remake we’ve all been waiting for…

There are few videogame franchises that have as rabid a fanbase as Final Fantasy. Stretching all the way back to the series’ NES debut, the intense love FF fans have shown the series has made its title increasingly oxymoronic over the years. But you know what? We’re not here to love your favorite game. No, we're here to hate.

If you were to look at the PlayStation Network a few years ago and compare it to its competitors, there wouldn't be very much to say. “It's free” was usually the best argument you could offer. With time, however, Sony's online gaming network has come into its own, adding in features and content that have helped to make it – if not exactly a match for the likes of Xbox Live – at least a worthy contender.

What better way to celebrate Halloweek than with a Photoshop frenzy of brains and bile as we zombify some of gaming's best loved characters. Be warned, however, some of these images are a tad graphic, full of weeping sores, rotting flesh and exposed rib cages, so don't go getting disturbed for life over these. Promise? Good.

 Keyboard Cat makes his videogame debut this week in Scribblenauts on DS. To celebrate, we’ve pitted the feisty feline against clips from some of our favorite games. Play them off, Keyboard Cat!

Shark Week on GR is about sharks and games (and not at all about riding on the caudal fin of the Discovery Channel’s popularity). So what the hell could be a better way to celebrate sharks and games than by featuring the GAMESHARK. Just look at it, it has both words right there.

When talking about the idea of videogames as art, it’s become increasingly popular to lament that the medium doesn’t yet have its “Citizen Kane.” Seemingly everyone, from industry luminary Ian Bogost to film director Guillermo del Toro, has sounded off about how games either need, don’t need, or will soon receive the masterpiece that will force the medium to “grow up” and be accepted as an art form by the mainstream.