Ah yes, I remember the great tension of Sazh big scene right after he looked so happy in his kart.
XIII has a false sense of tension, I can't remember a scene where you actually need to rush, always felt like walking was enough. Other time, simply felt like there was no danger.
Cyberpunk wasn't a great game, but the story and character writing was good. It has flaws, character writing ain't one.
FF7R IS a good game that I recommend, while I do agree Nomura really made a massive mistake that ruined the finale, it doesn't invalidate the rest of the game.