February 25, 2024 |
Good morning. We’re covering one of this year’s biggest video games, plus the South Carolina primary, Sudan’s civil war and the SAG Awards.
Rethinking the remake
For years, video game fans clamored for a remake of the beloved 1997 game Final Fantasy VII. After all, we are in an era of sequels, reboots and remakes, with three different live-action versions of Spider-Man in theaters in the last 20 years. Why not do the same with one of the most acclaimed games of all time?
The original Final Fantasy VII broke new ground for the franchise, as this Times video shows. It was the series’s first leap into 3-D graphics. It ditched Final Fantasy’s typical swords-and-magic setting for a more futuristic, science-fictional one. It simplified some of the gameplay to attract newcomers. And it told a story about eco-terrorism and corporate greed destroying the planet — themes that resonated with gamers and nongamers alike.
Fans wanted to see how Square Enix, the company that makes Final Fantasy games, would revisit and update all of that with today’s technology.
Square Enix listened. It announced that it would remake the game. It is coming in three parts: The first installment, Final Fantasy VII Remake, came out in 2020. The second, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, is coming out this week. (Read The Times’s review.) The final part is expected in the next few years.
But the company did something weird. While it improved the graphics and gameplay to match modern standards, as expected, it also made changes to the story. And they are big changes.
In the original game, for example, the player does not fight the main villain, Sephiroth, until the very end. In the remake, you fight him in the first installment.
And the changes go even further. The remakes hint that Sephiroth is aware of what happened in the original Final Fantasy VII. In other words, he might know that he lost in the 1997 version, and be trying to change things to make sure he wins this time around. The game itself seems to be a metacommentary on fans’ expectations regarding remakes, and on developers’ desires to create something new.
This possibility of change has sparked a sense of wonder among players that is not typically associated with remakes. In the original game’s most shocking moment, Sephiroth killed a major character, Aerith. Now, fans are debating whether that moment will occur at all in the remakes: Could Aerith survive?
Gamers are largely embracing these changes. Remake, the first part, was a critical and financial success. And Rebirth is already one of the most anticipated games of the year.
Continue reading the main story
NEWS |
South Carolina Primary
 |
| Donald Trump Travis Dove for The New York Times |
- Donald Trump easily defeated Nikki Haley in her home state, South Carolina. See the results.
- Haley pledged to continue her campaign and said the results — she won around 39 percent of the vote — demonstrated that “huge numbers of voters” want an alternative to Trump and President Biden.
- Trump’s victory makes clear that the Republican primary contest isn’t a competition so much as a coronation, Lisa Lerer writes.
- Trump won nearly all the delegates in South Carolina, taking 60 percent of the vote. Delegate math helps explain why the Republican race might end quickly, Nate Cohn writes.
- Read more takeaways from the primary.
Middle East
 |
| Cabins in the West Bank settlement of Homesh. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times |
- Right-wing ministers in the Israeli government are agitating to settle more land in the occupied West Bank. Homesh, a re-established settlement, symbolizes their resolve.
- The U.S. and Britain conducted large-scale military strikes against multiple Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen.
- Biden’s support of Israel’s war in Gaza has caught him in a political bind.
War in Ukraine
 |
| Kamianske, Ukraine. Lynsey Addario for The New York Times |
- Independent polls found that a majority of Ukrainians — while weary of war — were optimistic about the future.
- More than a decade ago, the U.S. began nurturing a secret intelligence relationship with Ukraine. It is now key for both nations to counter Russia.
- Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed Western leaders in Kyiv to mark two years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, The A.P. reports.
- A Russian soldier died in a strike in eastern Ukraine, but his remains were not found. A year later, his mother holds out a shred of hope for a miracle. Read her story.
More International News
 |
| Renk, South Sudan. Joao Silva/The New York Times |
- Rape, killing, torture: A U.N. report detailed abuses during the civil war in Sudan.
- A giant fire that raged through a high-rise apartment complex in Valencia, Spain, killed at least 10 people.
- Toronto is experiencing an epidemic of car thefts. Some residents are turning to creative deterrence methods.
Culture
- Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” took home three SAG Awards, including for best ensemble. See the full list of winners.
- The comedian Shane Gillis hosted “Saturday Night Live.” In 2019, he was fired before he ever appeared on the show. During his monologue, he asked viewers not to look up why.
Other Big Stories
 |
| Wayne LaPierre Mark Abramson for The New York Times |
- The trial of the former N.R.A. leader Wayne LaPierre underscored how the organization became as much about money as about guns during his tenure.
- The end of a pandemic-era policy that barred states from pushing people off Medicaid is threatening the American safety net.
- A South Carolina man was found guilty in the killing of a transgender woman. The authorities said it was the first federal murder trial of someone charged with a hate crime based on gender identity.
FROM OPINION |
When advocating for body positivity, remember to support women showing signs of aging, too, Alexandra D’Amour writes.
People with post-traumatic stress relive trauma that’s behind them. Doctors are researching a different traumatic stress in Gaza, where the fear of bombs never ends, Yara Asi writes.
Here are columns by Ross Douthat on “woke A.I.” and Maureen Dowd on Biden’s love life.
The Sunday question: Did Russia’s anti-Putin movement die with Aleksei Navalny?
The anticorruption activist and opposition leader’s sudden death “represents the extinguishing of all hope for Russia’s turnaround,” Sasha Vasilyuk writes for CNN. But if Navalny taught activists anything, it’s to not be afraid: “The courage he demonstrated will be required in abundance to carry on the mission,” Bloomberg’s editorial board writes.
Discover more of the insight you value in The Morning.
The Times is filled with information and inspiration every day. So gain unlimited access to everything we offer — and save with this introductory offer.
MORNING READS |
 |
| Drevon Alston manages the dish pit at a Brooklyn restaurant. Amanda Choy/The New York Times |
On the job: See a day in the life of a New York City restaurant dishwasher.
Two heroes, two cities: On a snowy trip to Rochester and Auburn, a writer explores the towns that Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman called home.
Internet beef: For over two decades, the South Pacific island of Niue has been fighting for ownership of the lucrative .nu domain.
Vows: Danni Liu embraced the joys and challenges of her relationship with David Choi, who has muscular dystrophy.
Lives Lived: Henry Rono was a Kenyan distance runner who overcame a gruesome childhood leg injury to break four world records in just 81 days. He died at 72.
Continue reading the main story
TALK | FROM THE TIMES MAGAZINE |
 |
| Patric Gagne Bráulio Amado |
I spoke with the author Patric Gagne, whose coming memoir, “Sociopath,” details her experiences living with sociopathy, which is a mental health condition associated with a disregard for right and wrong and a lack of empathy.
When I hear the word “sociopath,” I think of an antisocial, uncaring person who is interested only in satisfying his or her own desires. What’s a clearer or fuller picture?
Sociopathy is a perilous mental disorder; the traits associated with sociopathy aren’t great. But that only tells part of the story. The part that’s missing is you can be a sociopath and have a healthy relationship. That’s a very uncomfortable reality for some people. People want to believe that all sociopaths are monsters and that all monsters are easy to spot.
Are you able to describe how you’ve built a sense of morality?
Just because I don’t care about someone else’s pain, so to speak, doesn’t mean I want to cause more of it. I enjoy living in this society. I understand that there are rules. I choose to follow those rules because I understand the benefits of this world. That is different from people who follow the rules because they have to, they should, they want to be a good person.
Do you see your sociopathy as beneficial to you?
I think my sociopathy is entirely beneficial to me. I see my friends struggling with guilt. On an almost daily basis I think, I’m glad I don’t have that. The psychological characteristics of sociopathy are not inherently bad. Lack of remorse and shame and guilt has been misappropriated to mean this horrible thing, but again, just because I don’t care about you doesn’t mean I want to cause you more pain. I like that I don’t have guilt because I’m making my decisions based on logic, based on truth, as opposed to ought or should.
Read more of the interview here.
More from the magazine
- As NASA prepares for a Mars mission, it’s conducting tests on what might be the effort’s greatest challenge: the trauma of isolation.
- Gorgeous, abundant onscreen visuals are pale imitations of what kids used to have: actual subcultures, with an actual scene.
- Read the full issue.
BOOKS |
 |
| The first edition of Alasdair Gray’s “Poor Things.” |
Adaptation: “Poor Things,” starring Emma Stone and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, is a weird movie. It was a weird book first.
A love song to his roots: “Remembering Peasants” presents a stirring elegy for a vanishing culture that bound us, relentlessly, to our agrarian origins.
Our editors’ picks: “Cocktails with George and Martha,” about the making of the movie “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” and eight other books.
Times best sellers: Marissa Meyer’s “With a Little Luck” finds good fortune on the young adult hardcover best-seller list.
THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … |
Listen to these podcasts if you’re a foodie.
Sleep bundled up in an adult swaddle.
Wake up with the help of a calming sunrise alarm clock.
THE WEEK AHEAD |
What to Watch For
- Belarusian parliamentary elections are today, the first since Russia’s war in Ukraine.
- Michigan primaries are Tuesday.
- Thursday is Leap Day.
- The deadline for Congress to avert a partial government shutdown is Friday.
- Iranian parliamentary elections are Friday.
- Idaho, Missouri and Michigan are holding Republican caucuses Saturday.
What to Cook This Week
 |
| Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. |
Making soup is often about playing the long game, Krysten Chambrot writes in this week’s Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter. For those who don’t have time to wait, though, Krysten offers quick recipes: a red lentil soup that’s ready in 45 minutes, a twist on a classic Italian wedding soup and a vegetable soup featuring tortilla chips.
NOW TIME TO PLAY |
Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was unconvincing.
Can you put eight historical events — including the first alphabets, the first I.V.F. baby, and the terra-cotta warriors — in chronological order? Take this week’s Flashback quiz.
And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections.
Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times.
Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com.
Continue reading the main story