'Final Fantasy 16' Review: The legendary series at its best

https://www.npr.org/2023/06/21/ [login to see] /final-fantasy-xvi-16-review
"It's 1993 and I'm standing in front of a gigantic wall of video games at my local video rental store. I scored a perfect four stars on my weekly writing test, which meant that my parents would let me rent a game and buy me a Happy Meal.

My eye caught titles that looked appealing — Smartball, Rocky Rodent, Contra 3, F-Zero — but before I could make a decision, my sister pulled something off the shelves. The cover was red and plain, its only distinguishing feature a shiny sword replacing the letter "t" in its title. That game was Final Fantasy IV (released as Final Fantasy II in North America), and it would introduce me to my favorite series of all time.

It's 2023 and I'm downloading a pre-release copy of Final Fantasy XVI in a hotel room. Someone thinks it's an okay idea to let me review it. The more I play, the more my heart fills with a childlike joy. I tell my wife, "Sweetheart, I can't believe I'm playing this game right now.""