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With its recent changes in development strategy, it seems like Halo Studios is gearing up for the next steps of the Halo franchise, and turning away from 2021’s Halo Infinite. Although this entry in the franchise was received well, it’s still filled with controversies, which puts a lot of pressure on Halo 7.

At this point, we have no clear idea of what Halo 7 will look like or even if it’s in development. Halo Studios has remained silent on the franchise’s future. However, if the game avoids repeating Halo Infinite‘s missteps and drops these disliked features, it could be a major success no matter its direction.

Halo 7 must abandon these features, or it’s a flop

343 Industries’ takeover of the Halo IP hasn’t produced the results Microsoft hoped for. However, in October 2024, it was revealed that the studio will have a complete rebrand to Halo Studios...

The Sailor Moon fanchise has various villains that the Sailor Guardians face off against, and the Boule Brothers are some of the unique. The brothers are servants of the Black Moon clan and mostly work under Esmeraude. They dutifully serve her and Prince Demande in their quest to conquer present-day Tokyo. Much like the other members of the clan, Chiral and Achiral's powers trap their victims in illusions.

The depiction of their abilities differs between the anime and manga of Sailor Moon. Sometimes their powers will receive more attention, like in the 90s anime. But in the manga and Crystal, these abilities are used for a specific reason and don't become relevant afterward. But for fans who still want clarification on how Chiral and Achiral's powers work, it might be simpler to understand than many believe.

Chiral and Achiral's Abilities Bend the Sailor Moon Crystals to Their Whim The Brothers...

Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth are impressive reimaginings of the original game, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have some problems. One of the biggest problems in both games is how the original Final Fantasy 7 was divided. While this has allowed Remake and Rebirth to explore their characters and locations more deeply, it has also created a unique narrative issue surrounding each game's endings.

[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Final Fantasy 7 Remake & Rebirth.]

The endings for both Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth take place at major turning points in the original game’s story. While these are natural stopping points, they also didn’t feature one thing that most RPGs end on: a major boss battle against the game’s main antagonist. Because of this, Remake and Rebirth both added new battles against Sephiroth that didn’t exist in the original narrative. Although these fights give the games a more traditional RPG ending,...

Looking back on the video games of 2024 it's easy to see how so many of us invested hundreds of hours in gaming. From Jrpg titans to indie game darlings, we here at Crunchyroll News have spent a lot of time gaming between anime marathons. Check out our favorite video games of 2024 and justify the 100+ hour save files we have on some of these titles. Related: The 10 Best JRPGs of 2024 Worth Playing Overview Favorite Video Games of 2024 Favorite Video Game Moments of 2024 More Honorable Mentions Crunchyroll News Favorite Video Games of 2024 1000xResist Related: 1000xResist's Remy Siu on the Power of Performance “2024 might be one of the best years for independent games in the history of the medium. I think anybody could pick a game in any genre and be correct. That said, I'd like to personally shout out 1000xResist as a game that, while it doesn't necessarily do anything 'new' from a story or gameplay perspective,...

As announced at The Game Awards, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second game in a trilogy that's re-imagining the original Final Fantasy VII, will be making its way to PC on January 23, 2025, ending the game's PlayStation exclusivity. Besides being playable on a new platform, however, a PC release for Rebirth will also mean the birth of a modding scene for the game on platforms like NexusMods, giving PC players access to additional, player-made content.

As the PC release date approaches, however, director Naoki Hamaguchi has, in an interview with Aidan Moher of Epic Games Store News, commented on the potential of mods for FF7 Rebirth, saying that "the team has no plans for official in-game mod support," and requesting that modders show some restraint, asking them "not to create or install anything offensive or inappropriate." In addition to this statement, Hamaguchi also stated that the PC release of Rebirth won't include any extra features,...

Red doors are everywhere in Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, but you need to find a special item called the Thief's Key to open them. Those with the key to every red door can unlock various treasures, including rare gear and plenty of Gold. This elusive tool should be one of the first things your party tracks down when you start your adventure.

The Thief's Key is not just an exploration item, as it is also needed to progress the changed story of DQ3 Remake. When you arrive in the town of Reeve, you will be tasked with tracking down this item, but not given many clues about where it might be. By talking to the right people, you can gain some clues that will help you discover the Thief's Key's location.

Do not mistake the Thief's Key with the Magic Key, as the first opens red doors around the...

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth sets the stage for an explosive finale to the FF7 Remake trilogy, but there's one element of the game's design that should be left in the past for FF7 Remake Part 3 to be as great as it could be. So far, the team behind the FF7 remakes hasn't been too afraid to embrace evolution, changing key story elements from the original game and making plenty of tweaks between Remake and Rebirth. Although there's still a strong sense of continuity to the whole affair, the fluidity of the formula is a big part of the appeal.

The biggest change from FF7 Remake to Rebirth is the embrace of a huge map to explore, a natural consequence of moving from a focused plot within the city of Midgar to the sprawling midsection of the story that stretches out across the world of Gaia. It's not technically a traditional open world,...

Despite being one of the most critically acclaimed games to release in 2024, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's sales numbers seem to have missed the mark for developer Square Enix. The second game in a planned trilogy re-imagining the classic Final Fantasy 7, Rebirth continues where the previous game, Remake, left off, taking players through an expanded version of the original game's middle sections. Despite Remake having launched on the PS4, however, Rebirth is, at the moment, entirely exclusive to the PS5, and has not been ported to any other platforms.

As reported by Eurogamer, Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu has stated that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, along with other games recently released by Square Enix, have all underperformed relative to the company's expectations. The statement was made in a recently publicized results meeting held in May, with Kiryu saying that for FF7 Rebirth and Final Fantasy 16, "profits unfortunately did not meet our expectations,...

Stray will be available on Nintendo Switch November 19, offering a unique cat exploration experience. The game's appeal lies in detailed cat movements and interactions, along with a rich cyberpunk narrative. Stray is a nice option for those who don't want to commit to a long Switch game this holiday season.

The Nintendo Switch has an exceptional library of video games, but a lot of great titles that are available on platforms like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S haven't made it onto the system. With comparatively limited hardware capabilities and a different focus in the market, the Switch tends to thrive thanks to fantastic first-party games and the draw of playing both at home and on the go. There are some great resourceful ports that make the most of its hardware, though, and it's always exciting when something great makes it over to the platform.

The 2022 hit Stray will...

FF7 Rebirth seemed like it would address all of my issues with its predecessor, but fell short with tedious open-world filler. Despite a strong main story and satisfying combat, the game's side content is too much of a slog. FF7 Rebirth relies heavily on open-world design principles that have long grown tired.

Coming into 2024, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was by far my most anticipated game, but it has ultimately become the year's biggest disappointment. Five months ago, around FF7 Rebirth's release, I would have considered myself a burgeoning Final Fantasy fan. Aside from the odd brush with Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Crystal Chronicles as a kid, I never really got into the series. The original FF7 is something of a gaming cornerstone, though, so I felt 2020's FF7 Remake was a good place to dip my toes in, albeit a few years later when it was available via the PlayStation Plus Extra catalog.

Episode 19 of Crunchyroll Presents: The Anime Effect is now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere else you listen to your podcasts! If you're waiting to watch the video episode, it'll be live on Crunchyroll and YouTube at 7 p.m. Et. Listen or Watch on: Episode 19 Summary Nick, LeAlec, and guest host Haley Whisennand talk news of the week and answer your burning questions before Nick and Leah welcome Black Butler 's Brina Palencia and Michael Tatum to discuss their return to the series after a decade. All that and more, only on The Anime Effect . Topics Discussed in Episode 19 Nintendo Direct The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Super Mario Party Jamboree Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Mario & Luigi: Brothership Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Fairy Tail 2 Farmagia Ace Attorney Investigations Collection Marvel vs. Capcom Collection DJ Hero Elite Beat Agents Anime Expo Tower of God Season 2 Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!

Briana White would be lying if she said that sometimes carrying the weight of playing the iconic flower girl, Aerith Gainsborough, didn’t affect her at all. But miraculously, after metaphorically stepping into the character’s well-traveled leather boots these last four years from Final Fantasy VII Remake to its recent predecessor Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, she’s gained the strength to manage. “[It’s] really hard sometimes for me as an actor to let go of all the expectation and let go of what everyone might be thinking about or perceiving about a specific scene,” said White. “It’s one of the biggest challenges, but something that’s so crucial to the performance is being able to let go of everything outside the booth. I consider myself to be very resilient…I think that’s something Aerith [and I] have in common.”

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, which serves as the second game in...

When Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was first announced, many Xbox users were disappointed, knowing it would be a PlayStation exclusive. Considering it’s developed by Square Enix, many would have thought there would be no issue with launching it on all platforms available. After all, previous Final Fantasy titles are on the platform, as are other Square Enix games.

One outspoken Xbox diehard, Parris Lilly, offered his two cents on the matter. But it seems he’s contradicting his previous statements, a fact that many fans and followers are not willing to simply gloss over.

Parris Lilly Comments on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Exclusivity and Gets Shown His Hypocrisy

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth‘s exclusivity rubbed Parris Lilly the wrong way.

The critique comes from X user BlackMaskGR, who posted three pictures directed at Parris. That’s a pretty mean-spirited accusation, but it is not entirely misplaced when one looks at the pictures in the post.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has been a long time coming, with it being the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy. It’s truly amazing how big the scope is. Rebirth takes everything that Remake introduced and made it even bigger, now adding a fully explorable open world. While the real-time combat doesn’t get much of an overhaul, what makes Rebirth stand out from its predecessor is the sheer amount of content. With an excellent story, tons of side quests, and a whole world to explore, Rebirth is one of the best games of 2024 so far. Rebirth takes place right after the events of Remake when the party leaves Midgar. Here, the party seeks to stop both the megacorporation, Shinra, and Sephiroth from destroying the planet. Rebirth ’s gigantic scope is a double-edged sword for its story. Spread across 14 chapters, sometimes the story’s momentum slows down...

After Final Fantasy VII Remake shattered almost every expectation of what a remake could be, it feels like a deliberate act of comfort that the first chapter of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is so very familiar: the flashback to Cloud’s last mission with Sephiroth.

It begins with a long truck ride, where we find a young, doe-eyed Cloud doing stretches ahead of helping his hometown of Nibelheim with its monster problem while his team leader, Sephiroth, watches on with detached amusement. The same niceties that resulted in a more detailed Midgar in Remake help paint an even more detailed one of the flashback scene in Rebirth compared to the original Final Fantasy VII. Walking into Nibelheim, Sephiroth is almost a warm, doting presence, genuinely curious about the idea of having a hometown to return to. Cloud himself gets to wander the city, including its alleyways full of stray cats,...

FF7 Rebirth expands on its predecessor with customizable party formations, offering a depth that was lacking in FF16. The sequel has a more meaningful progression with clearer direction and potential for greater revelations in the story. Rebirth's open-world design allows for more gameplay opportunities, exploration, and variety, making it a smart follow-up to Remake's confined Midgar setting.

My cardinal gaming sin is that I’ve never played the original Final Fantasy 7, one of the medium’s most revered titles, but only a brief foray into Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has me convinced that the remake trilogy has the potential to reestablish the iconic story as a bona fide modern classic. I wasn’t quite two years old when FF7 was released in 1997, and I was mainly a Nintendo child. 2020’s FF7 Remake, however, began to show me the light.

For Screen Rant, I was recently given the chance...

Fresh off directing Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which is headed to theaters in September, Deadline reports that Tim Burton is attached to direct a new take on Attack of the 50 Foot Woman.

Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) will be writing the screenplay for the Warner Bros. project.

The original Attack of the 50 Foot Woman was directed by Nathan Hertz and released in 1958. The low-budget movie was remade by HBO in 1993, with Daryl Hannah in the title role.

Allison Hayes starred in the original as a socialite who grows to giant size because of an alien encounter and an aborted murder attempt. She then goes after her cheating husband.

Deadline notes, “Burton has delivered reimagined ’50s sci-fi movies before for a mass audience, that being 1996’s Mars Attacks (which was based on the Topps trading cards).”

Tim Burton is producing Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman for Warner Bros. with Andrew Mittman and Tommy Harper.

Despite having great expectations, Disney's Haunted Mansion's opening weekend result caused many to wonder about the film's future as a box office success. Based on a renowned Disneyland attraction, the humorous horror movie underperformed in terms of ticket sales. It only made about $33.3 million globally at the box office on opening weekend, which is disappointing given the large budget required for production — at least $150 million (via Forbes). The film's domestic total was a disappointing $67 million, with a worldwide total of $116 million.

2023 has been a difficult year for Disney, that have seen many high-profile films like The Little Mermaid, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania underperform. So far, the only smash hit Disney has had is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, although Elemental did recover a lot in the following weekends and became a slow-burn hit. Was Haunted Mansion a flop for Disney,...

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will arrive early next year, continuing the three-part reimagining of the original 1997 game. The Square Enix project began in 2020 with the release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which offered a modernized and expanded take on the first part of the overall storyline. Rebirth picks up where its predecessor left off, with Cloud and his party leaving Midgar for the Forgotten City.

The scope of Rebirth is much larger than that of Remake, with a huge open world filled with side content for players to explore. Changes include new playable FF7 characters like Sephiroth, a deepening of the Synergy system, and significantly larger map. Though the retelling of the original story still won't be complete after Rebirth, it's clear that there will be a lot more for fans to do this time around even more than in the already-expanded Remake that will provide a greater depth to the...

FF7 Rebirth will bring changes to the FF7 Remake formula, including a more open setting and possible changes to the story, potentially leading to a happier ending. Despite the changes, FF7 Rebirth is unlikely to be a total departure from Remake, as it will still maintain a linear structure and similar battle system. Adding changeable outfits to FF7 Rebirth would be a simple yet effective way to add depth to the world, increase player choice, and pay homage to Final Fantasy's history and fashion influence.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will make many changes to the Remake formula, but the best change would have absolutely nothing to do with gameplay or story. It's already well known that FF7 Rebirth is taking the remake trilogy into new territory, with a more open setting and larger environments for players to explore. That lines up perfectly with the part of the original FF7 during...

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth recently announced a surprising tidbit of information about its release: the game will come on two discs. The reveal came at the tail end of a new story trailer that premiered on the first night of Summer Game Fest, with a title card officially announcing FF7 Rebirth's updated release window and its two-disc format. The FF7 Remake trilogy has aimed to surprise players from the very beginning with new additions and story changes, but this may be its biggest head-scratcher yet.

Two-disc games aren't totally unheard of, but they're certainly not the norm, either. Dual disc formats are a common strategy for Rockstar Games, whose original releases of both Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 both came on two discs - one to install each game, and one to play it. However, it's not something that Square Enix is in the habit of doing - at least not in recent years.

Screambox has revealed the new films that are joining the horror streaming service in April, including the 1982 classic Creepshow, Child’s Play doc Living with Chucky, the brand new Japanese remake of Cube, Stephen King masterpiece Needful Things, Aussie-set wild boar horror Razorback, found footage favorite Hell House LLC, and Night of the Living Dead-inspired Screambox Original Shifted.

From the masters of the macabre, George A. Romero and Stephen King’s preeminent horror anthology Creepshow is now streaming on Screambox! After enjoying five jolting tales of terror, viewers can go behind the scenes with the Screambox Exclusive documentary Just Desserts: The Making of Creepshow.

Also joining Screambox today are Needful Things, the 1991 Stephen King adaptation starring Ed Harris (The Abyss) and Max von Sydow (The Exorcist); The Borrower, a sci-fi horror hybrid from Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer director John McNaughton; and Razorback, an ’80s killer boar movie directed by Russell Mulcahy.

Jane Fonda is getting honest about her relationships with women.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 85-year-old “80 for Brady” star opens up about not having any women friends until her 30s.

Read More: Jane Fonda Admits She Was ‘Completely Starstruck’ Meeting Tom Brady

“I saw women as weak,” Fonda said. “From a very early age, I always thought, ‘I’ve got to hitch my wagon to a man.’”

It was during her time as an anti-Vietnam War activist that she me other women who were very different from the types she’d met at her girls schools.

“By opening myself to feminism and to women’s friendships, I’ve become a much healthier person,” she said. “It’s taught me to not be afraid of vulnerability, not be afraid to ask for help, even though it’s really hard for me to do that.”

Read More: Jane...

Tony Sokol Feb 13, 2020

Last summer's Aladdin made Disney rich enough to impress a princess. Studio stands by its oath loyalty to a sequel or three.

There's still a lot of gray area, but after the billion-dollar success of last summer’s reboot, Disney is developing a sequel to Aladdin, according to Variety. Director Guy Ritchie is scheduled to return to the helm. Aladdin starred Will Smith as Genie, Mena Massoud as Aladdin and Naomi Scott as Jasmine, who are expected to take another ride on the carpet.

Aladdin 2 will be an original story and not follow the sequels to 1992's Aladdin, 1994's The Return of Jafar or Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996), which went straight-to-dvd. The Aladdin 2 screenplay will be written by John Gatins, who was nominated for an Academy Award for writing the Denzel Washington film Flight, and Andrea Berloff, who was nominated for an Oscar...

Square-Enix has released a new, extended trailer for Final Fantasy VII Remake. Although the marketing is hiding that this is really just the first episode in the Remake series (hence why you're not seeing anything past Midgar in these trailers), what they're showing off still looks incredible. Final Fantasy VII is one of my all-time favorite video games and seeing scenes from that game realized in today's graphics is a thrill. For example, this trailer shows what's going to happen when Cloud has to cross-dress in order to sneak his way into a …...

I’m a big fan of horror movies, comic books and pro-wrestling, and I’m not alone. There’s a cross-over there. A friend of mine in the Us also has those same loves, and he’s been busy putting his passion to work, creating a brand new comic book, working on numerous weekly podcasts and, in the past, releasing horror novellas and shorts. Richard Ewell resides in Tennessee and this independent writer and podcaster has been on a real tear of late, hosting live pro-wrestling shows, delivering top-notch podcast content on a weekly basis and releasing, along with artist Jason Wulf, Nerdy Laser & The Fighting Preceptors, a mini-comic that saw the launch of a new universe mixing pro-wrestling with 1980s cartoons. I had a chance to sit down and talk with Richard about his work, his passions in life and the future plans he has. Here it is…

Hi Rich,...