Before diving into FF7 Remake and Rebirth, I went back to the 1997 original, and it made both games infinitely richer. Here's how I structured the experience. 

Shaun White Skateboarding turned Stride gum ads into unlockable achievements in 2010. Now, Fortnite makes you pay to become the ad yourself. How in-game advertising got worse.

My friend shouted across the frisbee golf field: "You have to play Persona 3 Reload on hard!" Here's why difficulty settings make some games feel completely different.

During COVID, my family played board games every Friday - usually Hotels or Monopoly. Those game nights proved what I already knew: in-person board gaming offers something video games can't replicate.

I was surprised to discover Bloodborne hides its lore in item descriptions - from Skyrim's 820 books to Baldur's Gate 3, proving players love reading, text enhances gaming more than you think.

My son bashed Call of Duty so I popped Modern Warfare 2 in my PS3 - the 7th gen memories came flooding back, and it got me thinking about which games got violence design right.

Enemy leveling systems can make or break an RPG. Oblivion proved what happens when you get it wrong. Final Fantasy XII's T. rex shows what getting it right looks like.

I sunk 120 hours into Elden Ring. Felt like eating too much junk food after. But after 30 years of gaming, I still say video games are not a waste of time.

Metroid revealed Samus was a woman at the end, not as the game's focus, but just as a fact. The Last of Us did the same with Ellie in the Left Behind DLC. Both got it right.