Ben’s most anticipated game for 2024 – Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

I think we all have to accept that 2024 probably won’t be as busy in terms of games as 2023. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be a series of truly compelling titles making their debut this calendar year. From a new Prince of Persia to a new big-budget Star Wars adventure, The Wolf Among Us returning, Stalker making a comeback, Senua back on the scene, Mario and Co. with multiple planned outings, Team Ninja debuting with a new IP, Rocksteady back at it again, Ryu Ga Gotoku with more Yakuza (or Like a Dragon as we know it now), and more, 2024 promises to be an exciting year. But which game am I looking forward to the most? That’s a simple answer.

I grew up in a strange period of Final Fantasy. By the time I really started gaming, the remarkable Final Fantasy VII and VIII were long gone, and instead my first experiences with the series came with titles like Final Fantasy XII. Don’t get me wrong, it was an excellent game, but no one looks at FFXII in the same light as some of the games that preceded it. And this is very important to know, because Final Fantasy VII: Remake served as a bit of a renaissance in the series for me, a title that reminded me why Final Fantasy has stood the test of time and why so many people love it. So when it was announced a few months ago that Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth would debut in February, I noted that day in my calendar almost immediately.

I have been fortunate enough to have already had the chance to play part of Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, the second part of Square Enix ‘s big-budget remake of FFVII, and it has confirmed my anticipation for this game. Rebirth takes the already great and fantastic platform that Remake laid out and looks at how it can be further enhanced and improved with broader and more liberating exploration, deeper and more rewarding combat and a story that finally begins to answer some of the title’s biggest questions. It looks to be the sequel we all wanted, and to me there is very little that can top that.

However, it’s not just the promising features, content and quality that make me put Rebirth at the top of my anticipation list, it’s also the competition. As I mentioned above, there are a huge number of exciting games planned for 2024, but how many of them really want to compete on the level of Rebirth ? I can only think of a few so far, with the likes ofStar Wars Outlaws, Hades 2, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, and of course the titan of the bunch, and undoubtedly the most anticipated of many, Grand Theft Auto VI. I’m sure a few more games will be added to this list over the months, but with Rebirth debuting on the rarest day of all, February 29, there is no more exciting and promising day in the entire 2024 calendar as of now in my eyes, and hence Square Enix’s upcoming sequel leads the pack.

The moment we start talking about Game of the Year for 2024, Rockstar’s highly anticipated sequel will undoubtedly lead the pack, but as it stands, at the beginning of the new year, for me the title I’m most looking forward to getting my hands on is Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, and believe me when I say I’m counting down the days and weeks until it arrives on PS5.