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Warning: this review contains full spoilers for Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Season 7, Episode 8. If you need a refresher on where we left off, here’s our review for Season 7, Episode 7.

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Has there even been a Clone Wars story arc that’s seesawed in quality as much as this one? Ahsoka’s return hasn’t exactly been the runaway storytelling success fans were probably hoping for. But the good news, at least, is that this arc does end on a relatively strong note, with a lot of direct setup to the epic finale that is the Siege of Mandalore. Even so, “Together Again” raises the question of why the series needed so much room to get from there to here.

Unsurprisingly, you could easily skip from Episode 6 to Episode 8 without missing a beat. Last week’s circular narrative ensured that Ahsoka and the Martez sisters ended exactly where they began, with only small bits of character development and a Mandalorian cameo to create any sense of plot progression at all. That’s not an issue this week, as all three characters are given much more to do and more room to grow.

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The decision to split them up and send the Martez sisters on their own mission definitely helps. It allows Trace and Rafa an opportunity to stand on their own feet rather than just playing off of Ahsoka. Their ill-advised return to Kessel also adds a welcome dose of slapstick humor to the conflict. Along the way, Rafa is given a little more depth. As her insistence on rescuing Ahsoka proves, she’s not necessarily the polar opposite of her sister she was made out to be in previous episodes. While in some ways I was hoping for a more dramatic ideological standoff between the two before the end, at least there’s a sense that both siblings have been changed by their encounter with Ahsoka. And given the open-ended way their story wraps up here, there’s a definite sense there are more Ahsoka/Trace/Rafa stories to be told somewhere down the road.

Poorly paced though this arc has been, it does ultimately provide a satisfying look at Ahsoka’s uncertain place in the galaxy post-Jedi Order. This episode in particular is great about forcing Ahsoka to confront the Jedi’s checkered legacy and tendency of screwing over the little people in the interest of the greater good. There’s a huge gap to fill in between the Season 5 finale and the era of Star Wars Rebels. And while obviously this final season can only do so much to chronicle that journey, it’s doing its part. It’s important to point out how crucial Ashley Eckstein is to that process. She’s done a great job of finding that uneasy middle ground in her vocal performance. Ahsoka sounds tangibly more weary and jaded than she was in earlier seasons, but she hasn’t developed that sense of confidence and purpose that comes with age.

This episode manages to connect some other major dots in the course of 22 minutes. Not just in terms of setting the stage for the Siege of Mandalore, but also to one of the great unresolved plot threads of the Disney Star Wars era. This episode establishes a really neat link to Solo: A Star Wars Story with the reveal that Maul is the power behind the Pyke Syndicate. Not the most surprising reveal, mind you, but a welcome one nonetheless. Maul’s reference to Crimson Dawn is a fun bit of connective tissue to the Original Trilogy era. And I like to think this is the show’s ways of telling viewers that, yes, we will get some closure to that loose end from Solo. Maybe not right away, and not in the form of the direct Solo sequel Lucasfilm may have been planning back in 2018, but eventually.

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This episode does suffer from its own pacing issues, mainly because it’s left to cover way too much ground in the wake of the sluggish buildup in previous chapters.It would have been nice to see the farewell between Ahsoka and the Martez sisters given more breathing room before Bo-Katan and her crew show up to hijack the spotlight. But even so, “Together Again” provides a strong finish to a story arc that had been anything but strong.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake may seem straightforward at first, but it’s actually a vast, mechanically-dense game that can prove overwhelming to both newcomers and returning fans of the original. To help you properly take on the role of former SOLDIER turned mercenary, Cloud Strife, we’ve created a ton of guides to help you on your journey to liberate Midgar from the evil grasp of the Shinra Electric Power Company.

Below you can find links to every chapter we have up so far of our walkthrough, as well as some tips guides to aid in further refining your skills. We’ve got a lot, so look to the Table of Contents to find what you’re looking for.

Be sure to check back often as we update this roundup with even more guides in the coming days! Otherwise, read our FF7 Remake review for our full thoughts about Square Enix’s highly-anticipated RPG.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Spoiler-Free Walkthrough

**More Chapters Coming Soon**

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Tips & Guides

Important Tips To Know Before Playing

FF7 Remake is quite a different beast from the original. Despite following similar beats, it changes up how the story progresses and how the game plays. Fortunately, we’ve put together a brief visitor’s guide detailing seven tips to help make the best use of your time in Midgar.

Essential Things The Game Doesn’t Tell You Straight Away

FF7 Remake has a lot of moving parts and, as such, carefully dishes out information as and when it’s necessary. But if you’re familiar with the franchise, or RPGs as a whole, there may be specific things you’re looking for from the outset. As a result, you’ll probably be asking a lot of questions long before the game is ready to give you answers. We don’t want you sweating the small stuff instead of enjoying the game, so here’s a bunch of spoiler-free heads-ups that’ll save you a bit of stress.

Materia Loadout Guide

Materia is an integral part of FF7’s combat system. Providing spells, abilities, and summons that you can equip to your characters, these colored orbs beef up each character’s base attack skills. You should equip as many Materia orbs as you can early on, especially the spell and attack ability ones. But your Materia choices have consequences, since the ones you use most will become even stronger–so you might be wondering which ones are worth equipping and investing into. There are a lot of choices, so we’ve created a guide to give you some clarity to what’s worth pursuing.

Weapon Upgrade Guide: How To Best Spec Each Character

In FF7 Remake, you can customize your party’s stats and further specialize their roles in battle via the Weapon Upgrade system. This series of weapon-specific skill trees expands the more you level up your characters and increase their max SP (skill points), which eventually increases their weapon level and allows you additional skill tree nodes to further strengthen the weapons they’re using. To help you specialize your party properly early on, we’ve outlined some background on Weapon Upgrades, as well as a reliable approach to upgrading your party’s weapons during the game’s first handful of chapters.

Boss Guide: How To Defeat Every Boss (So Far)

FF7’s Remake’s complex battle system leads to a variety of exciting encounters against Shinra’s military and wild Fiends–which are demanding on occasion. But the game’s biggest challenges are its lengthy, involved boss fights, which put your understanding of its battle mechanics to the test. To ensure you’re ready to tackle every fight, we’ve compiled a walkthrough detailing how to fight many of the game’s bosses.

Moogle Medals Explainer

As you play the early hours of FF7, you’ll likely start to rack up a decent stock of Moogle Medals as you explore the streets and slums of Midgar. You might be wondering what they do. Fortunately, we’ve got answers! Here’s everything you need to know about this weird currency.

Mini-Games Guide: All the Rewards You Get

After years and years of waiting for FF7 Remake, did you think after all this time you’d have just as much fun playing a game of Darts as shutting down Shinra? Neither did we! If you’re wondering what to expect, or more specifically, are curious about the rewards you get from FF7’s various mini-games, then look no further! We’ve got all the info you need.

How to Find The Keycard During That Chapter 3 Side-Mission

When you jump into FF7’s first semi-open area, you’re likely to become confused by an early side mission called Just Flew In From The Graveyard. This relatively simple quest requires you to venture back into an abandoned factory you visited during a previous side mission. Your objective is to exterminate a single flying Drake, but the catch is you need a keycard to open a locked door leading to where it’s located. Unfrotunately, finding that key isn’t as easy as you might think, so we’ve explained how to find it, as well as how to complete the side mission.

Don’t Skip The Side Missions, And Here’s Why

So you’ve been waiting 15 years for the remake of Final Fantasy 7, and you can’t wait to speed through the whole thing to satisfy that insatiable nostalgia of yours, but take a deep breath because you’re going to want to experience everything the game has to offer. Well, slow down! You shouldn’t pass up even some of the more menial side missions, and here’s why!

Keep working your way through Final Fantasy 7 Remake with our spoiler-free walkthrough, taking you back up to the plate with Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge to execute a new mission. Chapter 4 puts Cloud on a motorcycle, recalling one of the more intense minigames of the original, and includes a couple of tough boss fights that will test both your driving skills and your swordplay. We’ve got everything you need to know to get through the mission below.

Chapter 4: Mad Dash Walkthrough

The fourth chapter kicks right into gear with a motorcycle ride down a long tunnel. Unfortunately, it’s not so much a scenic ride through Midgar, as you’ll be met with some unwanted baddies on bikes soon enough. Pay attention to the attack controls on the top left and make sure you’re slashing the Shinra Troopers and drones in the right directions, while guarding whenever you think you can’t avoid damage from the incoming gunfire or grenade explosions. If things get heated, be sure to use the Spinning Slash, too. Keep your fight on, and you should be safe–until an unwanted guest crashes onto the scene.

Bossfight: Roche (Motorcycle Chase)

The final portion of your motorcycle ride pits you against Roche, AKA “Speed Demon.” This adrenaline-pumped maniac is a bit of a pain to deal with. First, use Guard and dodge around to avoid the ranged sword slices he sends your way. If you swerve from right to left, you can easily steer clear of them in time. Pay attention to the pattern, and you can mostly zip past unscathed. When he’s not up close, use L1+Triangle to fire off your own ranged attacks when they’re charged, in order to keep your damage output up.

When Roche drives up on the side of the tunnel, it means he’s going to start sending lightning your way. Don’t worry about attacking; instead, watch for the attacks to come down and dodge them before they can strike. If there’s an opportunity to charge your ranged attack, shoot it his way, but remember that defense is your primary concern.

Roche will eventually jump off the side of the tunnel to smash down right next to you, so dodge hard to one side to avoid taking damage. He’ll usually stick up close for a while, so keep slashing at him and unleashing your spin attack when you get the chance before he repeats his cycle. Keep consistent on dodging and damage dealing, and you’ll end this bozo’s high-speed reign in no time–at least, for now.

The Jessie Job — Jessie’s House

Once back in control, follow the Avalanche crew until you reach Jessie’s House. Once the cutscenes are over, head through the back door and into Jessie’s parents room and grab her father’s Shinra keycard. Before you leave, you’re welcome to investigate the letter on the floor near the drawers, or listen in on the conversation the folks in the other room are having.

Sector 7-6 Infiltration– Shinra Warehouse

Proceed forward and start your push through the Sector 7-6 warehouse. Talk to Wedge and Biggs,and you’ll be given a moment to grab some supplies or warm up in the nearby training facility. Head over to forklift in the area to find a dead end with a chest containing two hi-potions. Give the boys the okay, and then head through the unauthorized access gate.

Wipe the floor with the Shinra Officers until you’re put up against some Elite Security Officers. Deal with them while dodging incoming fire from the Missle Launchers placed above. After you kill each Elite Security Officer, Biggs will knock over the Launchers. A pack of Guard Dogs will show up after that, so beat them down like all the rest.

Bossfight: Roche (Shinra Warehouse)

Roche will start off the battle fighting you conservatively, letting you get quite a few hits in before retaliating with his own sword combo. If he starts up a flurry, dodge to the side before he lands the final spinning attack. He’ll also occasionally cast Materia spells, so make sure you’re paying attention to his casting animation to evade in time. Stick to defense with the Punisher Mode’s counter-attacks, which is a great way to circumvent Roche’s speed and keep the damage output high.

Deal enough damage and you’ll eventually trigger the second phase of the fight. Roche is far more aggressive and agile here, capable of easily dodging your strikes and stunning you with powerful dash attacks. Maintain a defensive posture with Punisher Mode and keep wailing on Roche with that trusty counter. But once again, dodge away when you see him about to unleash a spell. Also, avoid using ATB abilities until he’s staggered. Rinse and repeat until he’s down for the count.

Return to the Slums

With Roche out of the picture for now and your friends all safe and sound, follow the objective back to the Sector 7 Plate Edge. Just before the first right turn, grab the Revival materia lying on the ground to your left just before the walkway. Enjoy the wonderful character bonding, follow Wedge through the Slums, and then go visit Jesse’s apartment for a Barrier Materia. Return to your apartment and check in for the night.

Sudden Attack

Uh-oh, it looks like the Sector 7 Slums have an Apparition problem. You and Tifa have to fight off a few waves of Apparitions to progress the story. They’re susceptible to magic, so unleash some spells to drastically increase their Stagger gauge. Since there’s several Apparitions flying about, the Triple Slash ability from Cloud’s Iron Blade is a great maneuver to quickly whittle away their numbers. Once you’re in front of the Seventh Heaven, a more powerful Enigmatic Apparition will appear, but don’t worry, the same combat strategies apply.

Once that’s done, beat Wedge’s score in darts before you leave Seventh Heaven, and he’ll give you the Luck Up Materia. Head to the train station, but make sure to stop by the Item Shop to buy the Barret’s Theme Music Disc. Then talk to Barret and end the chapter!

Continue with our spoiler-free walkthrough in Chapter 5: Dogged Pursuit.

CD Projekt Red has confirmed that, though Cyberpunk 2077 will get an updated version for Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 at some point, players shouldn’t expect to see these next-gen versions of the game at the launch of both consoles. Those will “come later.”

“In terms of Microsoft’s console, like I said, we have officially confirmed both the update and the cross-gen availability, meaning that you’ll be able to play the game from the get-go on the next-gen,” CD Projekt SVP of business development Michal Nowakowski said, according to Video Games Chronicle. “However, when it comes to a proper, full-blown next-gen version, that’s going to come later, we haven’t announced when and I don’t have a new comment here on that.”

Nowakowski also reiterated that Sony hasn’t said whether PS5 will support enhanced PS4 games (like Microsoft already has for Xbox Series X and Xbox One) so there’s no official word for whether PS5 will be able to play an enhanced PS4 version of Cyberpunk 2077. CD Projekt Red has already confirmed that an update for Cyberpunk 2077 will allow Xbox One users to upgrade to an Xbox Series X enhanced version for free, but the same can’t be said for PS4 and PS5 (for now).

“There’s no official announcement coming from PlayStation so we really can’t confirm or deny anything,” Nowakowski said. “It’s PlayStation that first needs to address these issues and then we’re happy to make a comment, but we can’t jump the gun ahead of them.”

Nowakowski also confirmed that Cyberpunk 2077 is still on track for release in September on Xbox One, PS4, and PC. There are currently no plans to delay the release of the game.

As the spread of Covid-19 continues, many game developers across the world have had to scale back development and acclimate to social distancing. Due to this sudden change, the developers of Amazon Games’ upcoming MMO, New World, have revealed that its release has been pushed back to August 25, 2020.

New World was originally set to release in May of this year, which was revealed during The Game Awards last December. In the dev’s blog post, game director Scot Lane stated that due to the current circumstances regarding the pandemic, development on the game had been scaled back for health and safety concerns.

“We know you are eagerly anticipating the launch of New World, and we’re excited to share it with you,” Lane stated in the blog post. “However, the health and safety of our team is our first priority. We hope you understand our decision to protect our team during these uncertain times while we re-focus on a timeline that will ensure New World is the best possible game it can be.”

This statement was continued in an accompanying video message from Lane, explaining that at the current pace, the game would release in a state that the team wasn’t comfortable with. Currently, New World is in closed alpha, and the developers stressed that the game would still be playable for current users.

New World is poised to be the largest game that Amazon has published to date, featuring a massive open world to explore with other players online. Set in the land of Aeternum, a high-fantasy take on early colonial North America, you’ll play as explorers uncovering the mysteries of the new world, and what happened to its previous inhabitants. In addition to open-world exploration, leveling, and loot to acquire, the MMO also features robust PvP modes, allowing you to take part in large-scale battles with up to 100 players.

New World is one of many games, along with other gaming events, that have seen delays due to the spread of Covid-19. Most recently, Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II has been delayed from its May 2020 release to an unspecified date later this year.