Ranking each entry of Darksiders, even for most dedicated fans, presents an immense task: it requires considering both personal preference and objective merits when ranking these installments but also an understanding of the context (the time when the game was released and what other games where around at that time). Each installment may be considered alone, as its own chapter within this cosmic epic, with unique strengths and shortcomings, but also as being a part of the series. So the task is not as simple as it sounds, if we want to be objective in our ranking (that will be somewhat biased by our preferences anyway).

Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition

Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition has long been one of the premiere titles. With its vast landscape and Death's mysterious charm, its exhilarating combination of exploration and combat creates an amazing experience; not everyone may appreciate RPG elements as much, yet these add depth to character development. It is one of the greatest open-world experiences available today, boasting Gothic grandeur in an immersive open-world environment infused with Death's protagonist persona as grim reaper a stark contrast to Darksiders' postapocalyptic backdrop and featuring RPG elements that add depth to combat and character progression.

Darksiders

Darksiders serves as the cornerstone of this series. Thanks to its linear structure and focused gameplay experience, Darksiders makes itself more accessible; war is an epic force; puzzles cleverly integrated into its narrative ensure an unforgettable gameplay experience. Fury's magic-infused combat style provided an interesting change of pace; however, its open world felt less cohesive than before and sometimes faltered too rapidly for our liking.

Darksiders III

Darksiders III takes an unexpectedly bold step by featuring Fury as its protagonist and her distinctive whip-based combat system as part of its verticality; some critics found this aspect disjoint from previous Darksiders games and found its world less captivating than earlier installments of this franchise. A raw and unfiltered experience that introduced us to the Four Horsemen world. While its linear format might feel outdated today, its impact cannot be overstated.

Darksiders Genesis

Darksiders Genesis offers an enjoyable break, offering top-down perspectives with co-op as its central element. While different from what fans of Darksiders may expect, Darksiders Genesis remains an exciting and fast-paced experience! War and Strife provide dynamic contrast in gameplay styles; though Darksiders Genesis may not delve as deeply into its series' lore it remains an enjoyable and captivating spinoff experience.

Conclusion

At its core, selecting the "best" Darksiders game is highly subjective. Each installment offers something distinct to satisfy different playstyles - whether it is linear intensity in Darksiders' initial release, an expansive world in its sequel, acrobatic prowess in the third entry, or a chaotic co-op of Genesis: there will always be one out there to capture your interest! Ranking Darksiders games are subjective in nature; each installment presents its own special experience that caters to various play styles and preferences. If brutal simplicity, open-world exploration, magic-infused combat, or co-op mayhem are your cup of tea, then there's sure to be one in Darksiders waiting to capture your interest - find one today and you may just discover your passion!

While Black Myth: Wukong may not be a traditional Souls-like, it shares enough challenging elements—such as its demanding difficulty level—that choosing your early stats and talents wisely is crucial for a smoother experience.

If you need a little guidance on which stats to take starting out, here's everything you need to know about early game stats and talents in Black Myth Wukong.

Best Early Game Talents in Black Myth: Wukong

There are many interesting abilities and talents you can invest in early in Black Myth: Wukong, and you might be interested in doing so because of that. However, Black Myth: Wukong is a fairly difficult game and it really doesn't pull its punches the further you progress. To that end, the most important stats you should take are the ones that boost your survivability and ability to evade enemy attacks. Health, stamina, and evasion are what your early points should be focused upon, not damage.

With your first six points, I highly recommend investing in the Robust Constitution talent under the Foundation-Survivial tree. That talent boosts your health by a decent margin and will allow you more room for error. More room for error means more options to adapt.

After that, I recommend going for Deft Evasion in the Foundation-Stamina tree. This talent considerably improves your ability to avoid enemy attacks, allowing you to cancel your early Light attack combo into a seamless dodge. This is important because, later on, you won't be able to just sit there and Light attack enemies to death.

Under the same tree, you should invest at least one point into Simian Agility, Endurance, and Everlasting Vigor. These talents enhance your mobility, but the primary reason to invest in them is that they are prerequisites for unlocking Composure. This talent allows you to continue your Light attack combo string even if you dodge during it. You can be far more aggressive when attacking because you no longer need to be concerned about breaking your attack chain.

The last early-game Talent you should consider taking is Exhilaration, under the Staff Stances tree. This talent improves your Health recovery when consuming a Focus Point, which makes it a great way to heal without using a charge of your Gourd. This doubles as a benefit, as taking at least three points in this tree earns you a second Focus Point.

While many of these Talents are not the most interesting and are largely passive, it's important to get the survivability concerns out of the way so that you can actively take the more 'fun' Talents and stats without concern of dying all the time. Hopefully, this helps your adventure in Black Myth: Wukong.

The post Best early game stats in Black Myth: Wukong appeared first on Destructoid.

Elden Ring has been a long time coming, but who would have thought that the hype would be this big?

It’s official: it’s in the papers. Elden Ring is FromSoft’s biggest and most hyped launch to date. The latest game from the iconic studio that brought us the Soulslike, Soulsborne, Soulbornkiro, whatever you’d like to call it, genre has attracted over 750,000 concurrent Steam players. There’s been a spate of negative user reviews generating thanks to its inconsistent PC performance; this success can be even seen in gaming marketplaces that specialize in selling game accounts and other types of services. Publisher Bandai Namco has yet to announce the game’s official launch sales, but we’ve seen massive success just from Steam alone, so it’s easy to assume that the numbers are above 1,000,000 at launch if the PC numbers alone are anything to go by.

Comparing Elden Dark to Other Dark Souls Games

On launch day, Elden Ring hit a peak concurrent player count on Steam of 764,835 players. When you compare that to Dark Souls 3 which had 129,975 players and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice which had an all-time peak of 125,315 players, you can see just how huge these numbers are on PC. If we crunch the numbers, we can see that Elden Ring had nearly six times more concurrent players than Dark Souls 3’s highest ever peak. The player numbers will constantly change on Steam – no game sits at the top forever, after all.

Performance is A Big Issue

It’s not all good news for Elden Ring despite hitting such high numbers. The game has attracted a swathe of negative reviews on Steam thanks to its dubious performance on PC. Digital Foundry’s statement of Elden Ring’s performance being a mixed bag right now is putting it lightly, to say the least. Even with the 1.02 available to download now, PC users can see stutters of up to 250 milliseconds in length when new areas, effects, and enemies appear on the screen. At its worst, Elden Ring players experience “tumbling frame-time issues” that drop the frame rate from 60 to 40. A look at the Steam reviews shows that over 7,000 of them consist of negatives shows that these performance issues are not lost on PC players despite the patch update.

What’s All the Hype About Anyway?

A big part of the hype surrounding Elden Ring is the great track record that Hidetaka Miyazaki (the game’s director) and FromSoftware have had over the best decade. This has built a trusting relationship between fans of the games and the developers, as each new mechanic added to the game before its official launch was received positively.

Another reason why fans are hyped about Elden Ring even after its release is that it’s the spiritual successor to the Dark Souls series due to its graphics, story, and overall medieval setting being the perfect fit for the franchise. Especially since the last FromSoftware title, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, was set in Sengoku Era Japan, players were itching for a more Gothic experience featuring magic and greatswords than samurais and katanas.

Lastly, the story is more intricate this time around, as fans will experience a mythos built from the ground up by George R. R. Martin, writer of the novels that the Game of Thrones series was based on.

Final Thoughts

Due to FromSoftware’s attempt at making the game accessible to as many computers as possible, they’ve essentially taken on a situation more difficult than if they were to just leave these PC players behind. Elden Ring is facing serious performance issues on PC to the point that they aren’t just minor inconveniences anymore, leading to a lot of players from that platform selling their game accounts on gaming marketplaces. Almost all GPUs – yes, even the super expensive ones – struggle when going outside into the beautiful horizon but run fine indoors. This is likely due to the game using DirectX 12, a software developed by Microsoft that has been known to produce fluctuations and aggressive stutters in modern games since it takes a different approach to memory management. Variable refresh rate technologies like FreeSync and G-Sync alleviate the issues to some degree, but that’s now how it should be as not everyone has access to those.

It remains to be seen what Bandai Namco does about this situation as the day-one patch didn’t address these issues one bit. This is even more strange if you consider that FromSoftware’s last two games, Sekiro and Dark Souls 3, had no problems across all platforms. In the meantime, there are still a lot of players actively grinding through Elden Ring, even if it currently faces a lot of problems.

Shadow of the Erdtree continues FromSoftware's tradition of intricate narratives with its DLC offering. While Shadow of the Erdtree remains grounded in Elden Ring's world, there are tantalizing connections to FromSoftware's rich legacy that may surprise players of Elden Ring and Soulsborne alike. You might spot subtle references, familiar themes, and possibly even returning elements that will send chills down any experienced Soulsborne veteran's spine - these nods to the past are handled subtly so as not to give away too much and reward players who pay close attention with moments of profound recognition from FromSoftware!

Shadow of the Erdtree: Delve Deeper into the Lands Between

Shadow of the Erdtree has been received with resounding acclaim and fan enthusiasm and with good reason, so if you're looking to buy PS5 games that are worthy of your time and money (and I have to say that this DLC is also carefully placed and packed with the game or available alone for a discounted price), you must buy this one.

The Question of New Content

The expansion has successfully delivered on its promise of new weapons, armor, and spells for Tarnished characters to use; their arsenal has significantly been expanded and can meet a range of playstyles. Yet there remains something familiar in their design, which creates an atmosphere of progression while leaving room for truly groundbreaking innovations to arrive in future updates. FromSoftware has long delivered substantial endgame DLCs such as The Old Hunters for Bloodborne; expectations were, therefore, high when Shadow of the Erdtree arrived.

What Players and Critics Think about Shadow of the Erdtree?

ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree was met with widespread praise both from critics and players, so here are a few quotes that reflect that sentiment:

• "Shadow of the Erdtree is an impressive expansion design effort from FromSoftware that should please fans of Soulsborne-related games," IGN calls Shadow of the Erdtree an impressive expansion and Game Informer states:
• "Shadow of the Erdtree stands as a testament to FromSoftware's dedication to quality and craftsmanship" - PC Gamer

Fans have also expressed their enthusiasm and shared it across various forms of media; with social media posts and message forums being particularly telling examples.

• "This DLC was everything and more! I feel as if a whole new game has opened up!"
• "The boss fight was incredible - I'm still recovering!"
• "Shadow of the Erdtree is truly breathtaking work from FromSoftware that exceeds their previous work."
• "Skylanders fans everywhere agree: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is pure addiction!"

Contrasting It With Other DLCs

Shadow of the Erdtree stands apart from FromSoftware's previous DLC offerings as something special; while its scale certainly outshines Ashes of Ariandel or The Old Hunters expansions, Shadow's horizontal nature means more expansion is happening within Elden Ring rather than focused lore exploration; which adds another aspect that feels incomplete yet ambitiously executed by FromSoftware's Shadow. Ultimately, its ultimate measure will depend on how it shapes future Elden Ring communities as well as whether FromSoftware pursues additional DLC releases after this one has taken hold and transformed FromSoftware's approach toward them.

Conclusion: Echoes from the Past

Shadow of the Erdtree DLC offers an engaging challenge that promises a rewarding outcome: among the expected rewards is a treasure chest of weapons and armor sets with spells that expand build options and gameplay strategies! You will miss a great game if you do not buy Shadow of the Erdtree, and you do not want that, especially if you have Elden Ring (but if you have Elden Ring... you are probably a fan who does not need convincing!) Shadow of the Erdtree has quickly established Elden Ring as one of the greatest games of this generation.

With the release of Honkai: Star Rail version 2.4, March 7th's transition into her new path gives players a brand new Hunt character to mess around with. It's an extraordinarily unique kit for the path, and perhaps worth checking out even if she's not your usual cup of tea.

If you're eager to build March 7th in Honkai's 2.4 update, here's everything you need to know to put together the best build for March 7th's Hunt path.

Strongest March 7th Hunt Build in Honkai: Star Rail

March 7th's Hunt path has many typical characteristics of your typical Hunt character, but, thanks to her kit, she can also play similarly to a Harmony character, though admittedly not quite as strong. The strange mesh lands her squarely in the Main DPS Support role, thanks to how her Basic Attack, Skill, Talent, and Ultimate function. Compared to five-star limited characters, March 7th is a little complex, so I need to talk more about her kit in detail for clarity.

The core of March 7th's Hunt gameplay revolves around using her skill, Master, It's Tea Time! This turns one of the members of her team into her 'Shifu' and rewards them with a decent speed buff. More importantly, depending on the typing of the character March makes her Shifu, she gains one of two potential extra effects:

• If Shifu is Erudition, Destruction, or The Hunt - March deals additional damage that matches the character's element.
• If Shifu is Harmony, Nihility, Preservation, or Abundance - March deals 100% more Toughness Reduction.

On top of these effects, when March 7th makes a target her Shifu, she gains their Element on top of her own, making March 7th a universal unit. If the Shifu is Topaz, March 7th becomes Imaginary and Fire simultaneously.

When her Shifu launches an attack, March gains one charge out of seven. At seven charges (her Talent), she immediately takes action regardless of turn order and can launch an Enhanced Basic Attack. March 7th damage budget is entirely in this Enhanced Basic Attack, and it also rewards her Shifu with 60% CRIT DMG, after it is activated.

March 7th Hunt gains all of her Eidolons for free just by playing her event. Her second Eidolon has a considerable effect on her gameplay, allowing her to launch a Follow-up attack after her Shifu launches an attack. This Follow-up does not deal much damage, but it does provide her with an additional charge for her talent. This is extremely important to be aware of when talking about team composition with March 7th. More on that later.

Finally, March 7th's Ultimate deals moderate damage to one target, but greatly improves the effectiveness of her next Enhanced Basic Attack. Generally, you want to ensure she uses her Ultimate before every Enhanced Basic Attack.

Best Relics for March 7th Hunt

March 7th focuses on Basic Attacks for damage, so she only has a few select options in terms of Relics. Her best-in-slot (BiS) is an old favorite, the Musketeer of Wild Wheat set. This set provides additional ATK%, SPD, and, most importantly, Basic ATK damage — the best stats for March 7th in all situations.

If you don't have that set ready to go, March 7th cares a lot about ATK% in general due to the nature of her kit, so any two sets that provide ATK% for their two-piece bonus are worth considering. You can also use two-piece Wasterlander of Banditry Desert for the additional Imaginary damage bonus.

For her Sphere and Rope set, I highly recommend you run with Rutilant Arena, as it provides March with additional CRIT RATE and a large 20% damage boost to her Basic Attacks as long as she is above 70% CRIT RATE. If you can't get a 70% CRIT RATE, then the universal Inert Salsotto set is always a competitive choice.

Best Team Comp March 7th Hunt

March 7th's Hunt kit is extremely versatile, and it allows her to be run with practically any team comp and be somewhat successful. However, thanks to her second Eidolon, March 7th gets a considerable amount of leverage out of supporting a DPS that can attack very often. With that in mind, the best targets for her Shifu are Topaz, Clara, Yunli, Robin, and Aventurine, all thanks to the frequency of their attacks. Any combination of these characters will make up the Follow-up team comp, her best team.

Topaz is likely March 7th's best teammate because of how her Follow-up attack interacts with Numby. Every time Topaz OR Numby attacks, March 7th gains a Talent charge. March also gains a charge every time she launches a Follow-up attack following Topaz's attack. All of this results in many Enhanced Basic Attacks for March, and a massive 60% CRIT DMG buff for Topaz and Numby.

Clara is also an extremely potent teammate for March thanks to the infinite number of attacks Clara can make, limited only by the number of attacks the enemy can land on her. Every single time Clara uses her Follow-up, March gains a charge.

Yunli is in the same boat as Clara for March, providing the same rewards and limitations on attacks.

Robin is a universal support, but buffs Follow-up attack comps more than others thanks to their attack frequencies. With Robin's Ultimate active, all of March 7th's attacks become threatening to the enemy, allowing her (and everyone else on her team) to dish out considerably more damage than normal. Also, 100% Advance Forward is a godsent for March.

Aventurine is highly versatile and can be included in any team composition, thanks to his powerful shielding, which significantly benefits March 7th. In teams that don't focus on Follow-up attacks, Aventurine becomes the optimal target for March's Shifu. Since Aventurine frequently uses Basic and Follow-up attacks, March continues to benefit from her Talent's Follow-up effect, while Aventurine gains a charge from her Follow-up attack. This synergy pairs March and Aventurine in virtually any team without sacrificing their effectiveness

Best Lightcone for March 7th Hunt in Honkai: Star Rail

March 7th has a few strong options in terms of Lightcone choice. Her best Lightcone is In the Night, which is Seele's signature. It provides her with a massive boost to CRIT Rate, and further provides DMG scaling for her Basic Attacks via SPD (Speed).

Another solid option for March 7th is Worrisome, Blissful, which is Topaz's signature cone. It provides March with an equally large boost to CRIT Rate, while also considerably boosting the DMG of her Follow-up attack. Most importantly, when March uses her Follow-up with this Lightcone equip, she will apply the Tame debuff on targets hit, allowing her allies to deal more CRIT DMG to targets afflicted.

The post Best March 7th Hunt build in Honkai: Star Rail appeared first on Destructoid.

Even longtime fans of the franchise can find themselves a little stumped about how to throw grenades in Fallout 4, because it’s not entirely obvious. Bethesda changed up the mechanics from previous games a bit and then didn’t provide clear guidance on the new way to do it.

Throwing grenades in Fallout 4 on console

Players will of course first want to equip a grenade, which can be accomplished by pressing B on the controller to open the Pip-Boy. Under the Weapons section of the Inventory (INV) tab, select the type of grenade you want to wreak havoc with, and then press A to equip it.

That arduous task done, exit the Pip-Boy. It won’t appear as if you’ve got a grenade equipped, but a grenade icon should now be visible on the right side of the HUD, above the ammo indicator. This will also tell you how many grenades you have left. Hold down the right bumper (RB) and you’ll hear a clicking sound. Aim with the reticle dot in the center of your screen, release RB, and you’ll throw the grenade.

Throwing grenades in Fallout 4 on PC

For PC gamers playing Fallout 4 with a mouse and keyboard, the method is pretty much the same. Instead of RB, you’ll want to press and hold the Left Alt key. Again, you’ll hear a click to replicate removing the pin. Pick your target with the reticle and release the Left Alt key to let fly.

In case you ever forget how to throw a grenade in Fallout 4, the Help section provides a handy reminder. The “grenades” entry summarizes this information for both console and PC users, including how to even equip a grenade or mine in the first place. There’s also no need to rush to throw the grenade because there is no timer, so it won’t explode in your hand.

Few things are more satisfying than tossing a grenade into a group of ghouls and watching them go flying in all directions. Now, for players preparing to jump into Fallout 4’s long-awaited next-gen update, it won’t be a challenge just figuring out how to throw the darn things.

The post How to throw grenades in Fallout 4 (PC and console) appeared first on Destructoid.

Sazza is one of the first goblins you meet in Baldur’s Gate 3, and from the moment you're introduced, her fate is in your hands. Like most characters, there's no strict rules for whether Sazza lives or dies in any playthrough, but keeping the goblin safe is a multi-act challenge. If you're working to escort the goblin to the end, we'll explain how to save Sazza in BG3.

Act 1 - Find Sazza in the Emerald Grove

At the beginning of the game, Sazza is captive in the Makeshift Prison in the back of the Emerald Grove. She’s locked inside a cage, being threatened by a young tiefling named Arka. Arka wants revenge because Sazza and the other goblins killed her brother. Here you’ve got an opportunity to intervene. You can either stand between Arka and Sazza, or you can pass an Intimidation or Persuasion check to talk Arka down. 

To save Sazza:

• Stand between Arka and Sazza
• Pass the Intimidation or Persuasion checks to talk Arka down

Once Sazza’s life has been spared, she’ll ask you to escort her out of the Emerald Grove. Some companions won’t be thrilled if you help her, but Sazza will easily get you past the goblin checkpoints on the way to the Shattered Sanctum. After arriving at the Sanctum, Sazza introduces you to Minthara, unwittingly putting her life on the line once again. 

Protect Sazza from Minthara

Sazza lies to Minthara about her brief imprisonment at the Emerald Grove and tries to pretend that she captured you and your party. Minthara susses out the lie immediately, and unless you try and persuade her otherwise, she sentences Sazza to death on the spot. If you once again save Sazza’s life, you’ll complete the “Save the Goblin Sazza” quest, but depending on how you play out the rest of Act 1, you might see Sazza one more time later in the game. 

She Cannot Be Caged! Achievement

It’s not easy to get Sazza to survive through the entirety of Act 1. She turns hostile if you attack the Goblin Camp, and she’s scripted to just drop dead if you kill all three goblin leaders while defending the Grove. I was only able to get Sazza to survive by siding with the goblins in my evil playthrough, but it does seem worth mentioning some players on Reddit have reported being able to keep her alive by knocking her out, killing all the goblin leaders, then long resting to get her to move on to Act 2. 

Meet Sazza again in Act 2

Either way, anyone who manages to move into Act 2 before Sazza dies can run into her again at Moonrise Towers. The little goblin isn’t the nicest creature in the world, but you do have to feel sorry for her bad luck streak. At Moonrise, Sazza’s life is once again on the line.

When you enter the Throne Room, a cutscene will show Sazza and a handful of other goblins being judged for failing to retrieve Shadowheart’s Artifact. Decide her fate yet again, and your options are to let her get killed, offer to fight and kill her yourself, or demand her freedom. If you spare her life this third and final time, you’ll unlock the secret achievement “She Cannot Be Caged!”.

The post How to Save the Goblin Sazza in Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3 quest guide) appeared first on Destructoid.

While no live-action film of Final Fantasy VII has been announced, it's not hard to imagine Hollywood doesn't at least have an overly eager eye on it. Depending on perspective, that's either a threat or delight to muse over, especially when you consider Square Enix isn't too shy to flirt with the big screen — looking at you, Spirits Within and Advent Children.

For better or for worse, I often find myself musing over ideal actors for the inevitable, like Zelda or Shadow. So, in case Hollywood goes for it, I'm shouting out my choices now. In honor of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's launch, here are my picks for a live-action FF7 cast that I think, if made now, would be worthy of such a classic legacy.

Cloud Strife - Cody Christian, Darren Barnet

As one of Final Fantasy’s best protagonists, Cloud deserves someone who can understand him and his complexities. So who better than Cody Christian, Cloud’s current VA? The transition wouldn’t be too jarring, as his resume’s mainly live-action, being in Teen Wolf and All-American. Plus, he's proven himself to play the ex-SOLDIER quite well. 

If Hollywood wants more stardom, I offer up Darren Barnet. Striking success with shows like Never Have I Ever and Blue Eye Samurai, he’s done video games and adaptations, including Immortals of Aveum and Gran Turismo. He can grow into the role, much like Cody has been. It’s a tough role but I'm confident Darren could carry the Buster Sword and rock spiky yellow hair.

Tifa Lockhart - Britt Baron, Jessica Henwick

Who doesn't like Tifa? She has a heart of gold and kicks (and punches) some serious ass. You’ll need someone skilled in combat and not afraid to get their hands dirty. Britt Baron, Tifa’s VA, stars in many live-action projects including the wrestling-oriented show GLOW.

On the other hand, there's Jessica Henwick. She's portrayed many badasses on-screen in projects like The Matrix Resurrections, Game of Thrones, and Iron Fist. Whoever they go with, Tifa will be in good hands (or fists in this case).

Barret Wallace - Colman Domingo

The gun-armed Barret strikes fear into the hearts of Shinra yet has a heart of gold. You want an actor who can balance it with finesse and poise. That's where Colman Domingo comes in. His award-winning work in Euphoria and Rustin and his badassery in Fear the Walking Dead prove he has the chops. It's the perfect duo that I can't help wanting to see come to fruition.

Aerith Gainsborough - Hailee Steinfeld

As the last living Ancient, Aerith is a key figure in FFVII’s narrative beloved for her carefree and brash personality. I'd go with Hailee Steinfeld to deliver on all fronts. While she's done action-oriented roles, projects like Arcane, Dickinson, and True Grit show her versatility as an actor to handle those sincere moments with wit and ease. If anything, it proves she can blossom as the beloved flower girl.

Zack Fair - Xolo Maridueña

Being Cloud's mentor and the protagonist of Crisis Core, Zack is as charming as he is audacious. For the role, you need someone who exudes infectious energy and fierce determination. Enter Xolo Maridueña. His starring roles in Cobra Kai and Blue Beetle nail Zack’s qualities with precision aim, with the latter even letting him conjure a Buster Sword to use. It's practically asking for Xolo to become the SOLDIER we all know and love.

Yuffie Kisaragi - Karen Fukuhara, Stephanie Hsu

Energetic and vivacious, Yuffie brings more than her Materia and ninja moves to the party. The character requires someone not afraid to embarrass themselves and step out of their comfort zone. Enter rising stars Karen Fukuhara and Stephanie Hsu.

The Boys’ Karen Fukuhara’s very much capable of taking on the Wutai warrior with comedic finesse (as well as kicking ass). The same can be said for Everything Everywhere, All at Once's Stephanie Hsu, as her background in musicals and comedies fits the lovable ninja precisely. Either of these actresses can make Yuffie just as fun as she is in-game.

Red XIII - Max Mittelman, Regé-Jean Page

An experiment of Hojo's, Red XIII aids AVALANCHE on their quest to stop Sephiroth. Like others, I’ll throw in current VA Max Mittelman for the role. His performance is extremely impressive for someone who knows him as Ryuji from Persona 5. I also nominate Regé-Jean Page. Known for his roles in Bridgerton and Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, his voice and range is pretty close to Red's tone now.

Cait Sith - Ewan McGregor

It's a magical Scottish cat. Need I say more to justify Ewan McGregor? Despite being a respected actor (and Obi-Wan Kenobi), he's not afraid to experiment with genres. Cait would be fun for him to do outside of Star Wars and various ventures. If anything, it'd showcase Ewan's versatility as a voice actor, something he hasn't done much of.

Vincent Valentine - Hayden Christensen

Many characters claim to be edgy but none come close to the immortal gunslinger Vincent Valentine. So, of course, I picked Hayden Christensen to play him. Known for Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels, he's due for a vengeful comeback. Vincent would be a great character for Hayden to strut his stuff.

Cid Highwind - Bradley Cooper

Chain-smoking mechanic Cid deserves someone who knows their way around things. Luckily, there's one fit for the job: Maestro's Bradley Cooper. Sure, given his resume, it’s a rich pick, but I don't think anyone could do the role justice like he would. His charisma and nailing of a Southern twang is a major draw (or drawl) for me. While a surefire blockbuster, Cid is right up his alley.

Rufus Shinra - Taz Skylar

Nepo baby Rufus Shinra needs someone who can nail his cockiness. I vouch for Taz Skylar. His role as Sanji in Netflix’s One Piece radiates a sort of charm that makes him enjoyable to watch. Plus, given his recent foray into Hollywood, this would be a great way to make an even bigger name for himself.

Tseng - Andrew Koji

As the leader of the Turks, Tseng is intimidating and precise, so it requires someone who can command a room and kick ass. So, I turned to Andrew Koji. He's wrecked people in Warrior and wants to play Jin Sakai in the live-action Ghost of Tsushima. While he hasn't had many dramatic performances, Tseng may provide a good character for Andrew to spread his wings with.

Rude- Kelvin Harrison Jr.

Rude is a tight-laced Turk of few words, opting for results rather than reason. An actor I think would knock it out of the park is Kelvin Harrison Jr. Starting from 12 Years a Slave, he's gained traction in Hollywood, leading films like Waves and Chevalier. Rude, while not as musical, is a role that can shine if done right. Kelvin may be the actor to do just that.

Reno - Brandon Perea

The funny man against Rude, Reno is quick to crack both a joke and your bones. While he's seen as comedic relief, he's pretty ruthless given his hot-headedness. With this, I chose Brandon Perea. He's new to acting, but his performance in Nope convinced me to choose him. He's witty, brash, and prime for another scene-stealing role. He's just the type of actor that'd make Reno as fun a character as he is.

Sephiroth - Robert Pattison

Sephiroth needs to be played by someone menacing and fierce. May I present to you Robert Pattison. Yes, I think the Twilight and The Batman actor would be a good Sephiroth. He's got insane range and can bring in lots of newcomers. Also, Robert’s a huge FFVII fan, calling it one of his favorite games. His portrayal as the perfect SOLDIER can strike plenty of chords with audiences. Also, he hasn't done many villain roles, so Sephiroth would be the best character to take a stab at.

The post If FF7 ever sees the live-action treatment, here’s who we would cast as Cloud and the gang appeared first on Destructoid.