Messages

1

Gaming / Re: 2022 The Backloggening

« on: June 23, 2022, 08:54:44 PM »

13. Shantae and the Seven Sirens



Yeah...umm, I beat all the Shantae games in a week...more or less. Uhh...I really can't beleive I did this, but the more I played, I kinda just kept having fun, so I seen no reason to stop.

This game is the most ITS A FREKAN METROIDVANIA of all of em. It has a real map this time...pirates curse did too, but this one takes the cake. Fantastic 2d art, pretty varied and good music, transformations feel more "metroidey" this time round. Pretty traditional game for it's genre, only in Shantae form. All the stuff about art/story applies here, very much has it's own identity. I would go out of my way to call this one my favorite out of the 5, not just because it's the most recent, because my second favorite is probably Pirates Curse, but more in that I really enjoy a good metroid or castlevania, and this scratches all the itches for me. Would I say it's better than a metroid dread, or even a bloodstained? No...but yknow, for what it is, it's still a very fun game, and a very good time.

None of these games are very long, and most of them aren't that hard, so it isn't really out of the question to binge these, so I did, and here I am talking about it. Now that I have caught up on this series I have always known about but never played, I do look forward to the next one whenever that comes out. Do you enjoy various levels of metroidvania, with a cute cast of characters in a silly not so serious adventure? Give these a shot.

2

Gaming / Re: 2022 The Backloggening

« on: June 23, 2022, 08:45:06 PM »

12. Shantae Half Genie Hero



I said I bought all...ALL of the games didn't I? I didn't expect to play..all...of...them...

So this is the 4th Shantae game, and it's got a few differences between the rest of em. First is the art is no longer pixel art, it's like HD animated 2d stuff with 3d backgrounds. The art is REALLY REALLY good, really big fan of all of the art in this game.

Biggest change however is it's not really a "metroidvania" style game...but also has those elements...

This game is like 6...not super long? Levels, like iunno og snes level based action game levels like a castlevania 4 or a contra or whatever, but with shantae gameplay. Though these levels have a lot of "metroidvania" stuff in them, like the first time you go through level 1 you don't have the upgrades to get all the stuff, so you'll have to re play the level again later with the correct upgrade to get the collectables. It's very different, you got a hub town which is the same as in the rest of the games, and you just go to level select from there and mostly replay levels to find all the hidden stuff.

It is pretty fun, but at a point the backtracking is a majority of the game, and does get old after a while. Game isn't super long, so it isn't a huge deal, but could get annoying. Core game is fun, and there's a ton of extra modes, like a ton of unique ways to play the game, so there's no shortage of things to do if the main game isn't enough for you. Would recommend, still quite fun, but art aside, I think this one takes a step back from the last entry.

3

Gaming / Re: 2022 The Backloggening

« on: June 23, 2022, 08:36:15 PM »

11. Shantae and the Pirates Curse



This is rare, very rare for me. I am playing yet another game in the same series, in this case the third of five Shantae games. Of any to play in order I believe Riskys Revenge leads into Pirates Curse which is a direct sequel, besides that, you can play the other games in any order far as I am aware. So if you intend to play this game, it is recommended to play Riskys Revenge first...it's ~5 hours long, so not a big time investment.

So the first game was hard mostly because it was unfair, the second game was more or less fairly easy, this one starts off kinda hard, but overall isn't too bad. It does have some "kaizo mario" moments, but those aren't the majority of the game, no where near metroid dread levels of difficulty, but has some challenge. Speaking of metroid, this game I feel is more metroid than the past 2. It's structure is a bit different, you have different islands you visit, each island is like iunno, a brinstar from a norfair if we're speaking metroid. Due to story reasons you also don't have genie transformations in this game, so it's more "metroid" feeling in the upgrades in that this game feels like it has more traditional "metroid" style upgrades, like there's metroid style dash boots in this game.

Probably got the best story out of the bunch, very tongue in cheek, starting to see running gags, has some disgaea feels. It's light, cute, mostly fun. You don't play the game for story, but it's there, and worth not skipping. I kinda like that every game starts out in the same town, and the outskirts is the same...but since they are different games, they are different. In this game the town does change as you progress, and it's a cool touch.

This is the game where I am starting to feel what makes Shantae different from the games it would be compared to. I would go as far as to say if you've been looking at the series, maybe give one of these a shot...you'll see why more in the next post...

4

Gaming / Re: 2022 The Backloggening

« on: June 19, 2022, 01:24:24 PM »

10. Shantae: Risky's Revenge



Pretty easy to chew through these when they're under 6 hours long.

This one is a bit more polished than the original, feels a bit shorter more compact because I think it was originally a DSi title. Controls feel better, enemies a lot less "bullet spongey", the original game I'd run past most everything because short range main attack and too many attacks to kill regular enemies. This game feels a bit more balanced, more save points, less frustrating to play.

Still has the same charm the original had, with really good pixel art at that. Biggest problem is while the game isn't huge, and it "technically" has a map, it's not a good one, and, cmon a real map would be great. Still, I got this on sale for like $5, and I'd say it was well spent. Fun little snack of a game.

5

Gaming / Re: 2022 The Backloggening

« on: June 17, 2022, 09:26:19 PM »

9. Shantae



So...there was a sale for all the Shantae games...so...I...bought all of them.

Knowing nothing other than the first game on the gbc was a cult classic, released too late for the gbc after the gba was out. Years later they made a sequel, then another...now there's like 5 or something.

Either way, cute character + metroid? vibes, I'll give it a shot.

For an older game it's a bit rough around the edges, save points aren't very common, no save points at all in dunegons, instant kill megaman style spikes are pretty common, and enemies can spawn on you doing damage with no way to avoid it. That said, it's got Metroid 2 vibes of it's in that proto "metroidvania" feel, where it's like an old platformer in a non linear world...and no...map. I used a guide and after the second dungeon I resorted to the ingame savestate feature the switch port has. If savestates are the difference between playing the game to the end, and not, I guess it's an evil I'll dip my toes into. It isn't the hardest game ever, but the instant kill spikes and unfair lack of save points would make it more frustrating than fun in my opinion.

With that out of the way, it's a pretty damn charming game. I do see where the overall positive reception of the game comes from. It plays well for the most part, and oozes charm. It was a good enough time where I may be posting here with a sequel in the not so distant future.

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Gaming / Re: 2022 The Backloggening

« on: May 30, 2022, 10:52:33 PM »

So...physical ps4 copy, put in ps5, insert a $10 bill to make it into the updated "directors cut" version, could import old save...decide to play around on a new file and see the changes...fifty...five hours later...

I can't stop playing. This game is my minecraft or simcity or whatever, it somehow fills that "build stuff but make actual progress through a game" vibe that those other games don't do. It's such a unique game, I've heard people citing that it evokes the feeling of factorio, I've told people it's like euro truck simulator mixed with simcity with a dash of metal gear, it's just so weird. The GAME both is NOTHING like the first 3-10 hours tries to tell you it is, while being exactly what people say it is. You are a delivery man, you deliver stuff...that's 95% the game, yet...the way it's executed makes it hard to put down.

On the specifics of the Directors Cut itself, worth paying full price if you already beat the game? No. It's mostly the same game, but most of the additions are very welcome additions. Performance on ps4 was great, but ps5 comes with the better load times, and the dual sense specific features (mic, haptics, triggers) all really add to the immersion. Sam takes a step with his left foot, the left part of the controller will make a vibration, walking in snow makes audio of the sound it makes when you walk in snow, the triggers help you feel the weight sam has to carry, really adds that little "extra" helping of immersion.

Not to do a second review of the game, but spending a bunch of time on the original game on ps4, beating it. Going back to the game to put in another 15 hours postgame. Getting this updated version (again only $10 on my end), and putting 55 + hours into a new file...

This game is NOT for everyone, but I think it got shat on a bit too hard by even content creators I tend to respect which is always sad. I think a lot of people try to bee line the story ignoring building stuff...it's a way to play the game, but it is the wrong way to play the game. I think that's part of why the game got some flak, people ignoring 60% of the game mechanics. Or crazy people who want to play offline for the "pure" experience, that is also the wrong way to play. The entire game, the themes, the whole "keep on keepin on", the fact the character is called sam porter BRIDGES, you are supposed to connect with others. It's dark souls styled, but if I had a nickle for every time there was a rope on the right ledge when I didn't have one, or a motorcycle in the middle of the ass end of nowhere, or a bridge across that one spot, all by other players of this game, I'd have paid this game off already. It's literally a game entirely 100% about connecting with other people(the "exp" system is "Likes"  ffs), and to ignore that is silly.

Either way I'm basically a fanboy now. I got my hat. Keep on keepin on. I literally got Elden Ring on ps5, and I took out the disc to play Death Stranding again for 55 hours, that game only got 30 minutes of my time so far...

Norman Reedus accidentally admitted to working on a sequel...



Well that was Kojima's response, we getting a sequel baby. Day one purchase whenever that sucker hits shelves.

*edit*

Beat it a second time, may do a few other things, but I think im more or less done. Not a perfect game, chapter 13 is a whole nother load of up it's ass, just lemme skip please! But besides that, might be a top 20 game of all time for me. Easily one of the best games I have played in the past 5 years. I do not replay games lightly, and I especially do not replay LONG (50+ hour long) games lightly. I'm glad original AAA titles can still exist.

*edit*

66 hours played, all contacts 5 starred. Not going for platinum, to me that's basically doing 100%. I am satisfied.

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Computing / Re: The Keeb Thread

« on: May 26, 2022, 11:37:08 PM »

I love trying out new switches, but I hate swapping them, haha. Definitely invest in a good switch puller if you're going to do that. The weird, stiff metal ring ones are kinda awkward (and if you slip, the hooks at the end are very good at slicing through skin. Don't ask how I know).

I could see a 60% keyboard easy to replace switches in being a good testbench for switches. I wouldn't want to daily drive anything smaller than a TKL but as a testbench type of thing...im interested in searching for one.

I think it would be fun to have a platform to try switches, even something really small like buying in batches of 10. In all honesty it's more of a "toy", I don't need another expensive "hobby" right now tbh...

Cool for the people who are into it, but some people just want a nice "premium" keyboard without any of the bullshit. Which there seems to be plenty of options now a days, so, something for everyone. My analogue is knives, so when someone asks me about wanting a pocket knife, I need to ask a few questions. Not everybody needs or WANTS a $200+ pocket knife, and I think that's the same thing for anything really. I mostly blame youtube, because that's where I look for things, and people who make their living off one SPECIFIC thing, gotta go hard on that one thing, and I think it unintentionally breeds elitism. This is for a lot of things, not just keyboards, but specifically what I encountered on the youtube/reddit in my search for a keyboard. Again this is in my other interests, like beer, knives, warhammer, bikes, everything. Just makes it a little harder as a consumer.

/softrant?

Curious, do you just go ham and make 100 keyboards to try new switches? Or do you buy small batches of 10 and plug em in somewhere before you take a bigger plunge? I really don't know how people can know so much about switches without having a proper typing experience with them. Like with liquor, you can try 2oz at a bar or something, switches...iunno.

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Song of the Day / [chillwave?]Toro y Moi- Goes By So Fast

« on: May 20, 2022, 11:49:52 PM »

So like I'm drinking again, and iunno when I drink I partake in music more than I do when I don't. But like this track...ohh boy ohh boy.

It's like modern, but like 60's? But like not vaporwave, but kinda? BUT ALL FUKIN GOOD jeeeeeezzzzzzzzz

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Gaming / Re: FFVII Remake

« on: May 20, 2022, 09:18:48 PM »

The PS5/XBS, on the other hand, are actually fantastic PC alternatives. Zen 2 paired with a solid GPU, NVMe SSDs, tons of RAM and cores…it's basically the perfect blend of components for a living room box.

I mean right now my ps5 loads games faster than my pc does on my samsung m.2 ssd...like from the ps5 dashboard I can be LOADED IN GAME in death stranding OR ff7r by the time you can count to 10. So booting up the game, skipping to the title screen, selecting your file to load, loading the game and being loaded ready to play, 10 seconds. It's a novelty I am still impressed with and I applaud. Load times last generation seemed to be the worst they've been yet, and seeing it do a 180 is very satisfying.

Honestly, if Microsoft ever partnered up with Valve to bring Steam to the Xbox Series X I'd spend a lot more time in the living room. That thing would make a solid Steam Machine.

I really hope not. Any reason for windows OS to have a gaming focused competitor is a good thing. I await the day valve has a proper OS that you can game on without using windows. 

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Computing / Re: The Keeb Thread

« on: May 20, 2022, 09:10:52 PM »

So like, I decided while I went crazy on the steering wheel...the further I go down keyboards the more I don't really want to "build" one.

Wanted to try new switches, in a hotswapable keyboard, in something that isn't going to give me double inputs like my corsair keyboard.

Ducky One 3 tkl with cherry mx brown switches

I've used this thing less than 20 minutes as of this post so this is just initial impressions.

So the main 3 types of switches are clicky, tactile, and linear. From what I see online nobody likes clicky switches, so it's whether you want tactile or linear switches. My last keyboard had cherry reds, so I've heard good things about browns and not so much about clears so that was my decision made for me.

Pressing a single key it's very hard to feel the tactile "bump", but typing on it feels quite different than with the linear keys. And this gets to why I am kind of happy I didn't dump $400 on a new keyboard, pretty much all of this stuff (as what seems to me) is totally subjective. I like keyboards and I think the different switches are cool, but I'm not "into it" into it, yknow? I just want a premium feeling thing that feels and looks nice, and from what I can see with this board, it's the single nicest feeling keyboard I have personally experienced. I can't say browns > reds, they both feel nice to me to be totally honest. However this thing looks/feels/sounds good to me, and my first impressions is pretty positive.

It looks a lot nicer in person than it does in the pictures/videos I've seen, and feels a lot more hefty/solid than my last board.

Kinda reminds me of a knife I bought.



Benchmade Bugout in carbon fiber and s90v steel. Looks pretty nice in the pictures, then you get it...and the real carbon fiber pattern has this cool 3d effect that doesn't show unless you're handling it in person. And it's sharp as heck, and STAYS sharp as heck. You can read about s90v having insane edge retention, it's one thing to read that. However seeing your knife feeling as sharp as the day you got it with months of casual use, that's another thing entirely. Mine is still one of the sharpest knives I own, and I have a lot of newer stuff with less use. Now sharpening s90v is neigh impossible for an amateur so there's that...but this is a keyboard topic so back to that...

Seeing and using this keyboard feels like that, it looks nice, but it's a lot nicer than the videos/pictures portray.

AT LEAST FOR SOME SIMPLETON WHO'S ONLY USED 2 MECH KEYBOARDS, take my opinions with that giant grain of salt.

Now maybe in the future I'll see how easy or not so easy yanking out switches is on this sucker so I can play with other switches. Currently eyeing gateron milky yellow, and ink black...but I'm kinda content enough with these normal cherry mx browns where I think I'll be content for a little while. Feels pretty damn good to me, and could be placebo effect, but I swear my typing is 20% faster on this thing too.

11

Random Chat / Re: Weight Loss

« on: May 12, 2022, 01:32:39 PM »

...will try to keep this up.

So like all the other times, I didn't. In fact with my hiatus from work and taking it easy in general this year...I have reached my heaviest weight ever, 225lbs.

Always told myself if I started to get fat, I was going to do something about it, so I guess this is an attempt at that. Normally when I go without food for a while my torso gets somewhat thin, but this time it's like I feel bloaty all the time, even with a nearly day long fast. Think my body is telling me that I am no longer young enough to get away with eating trash all day, low activity level, and beers beers beers.

...and with my last relationship recently ended(mutual, we're still on good terms, yay for being adults I guess), I need a positive goal to work on right now. Pretty much what sparked my weight loss journey the last time, so may as well make the best out of an unfortunate situation.

GOAL WEIGHT 185lbs. Updating when I can motivate myself to make any progress.

12

Gaming / Re: FFVII Remake

« on: May 12, 2022, 01:22:53 PM »

Oh jeez, I thought Interwhatever was just a PS5 port with moar graffix and a few little things added. I didn't realize it had DLC with that much extra content. Definitely something to look forward to if I manage to get my hands on a console.

It comes with the ps5 version, but you have to buy a dlc if you're upgrading from a ps4 version. Considering ps5 games cost more money...seems fair enough to me.

Character development in general has been one of the best parts of FF7R so far, though I do kinda think they blew their Sephiroth load a bit too quickly and too often. As you mentioned, the way they handled Aerith is significantly better than classic FF7, so I'm looking forward to their treatment of Yuffie. It's been a while since I did a full play through of the OG version, but I remember being more annoyed than enamored by the spontaneous diversion to Wutai, so hopefully that part is handled a bit more gracefully if they decide to migrate that over.

I recall replaying the ps4 port of the original ff7 and not even doing wutai until late game, didn't even know it was optional for the most part.

I kinda feel that if I do wind up winning the console lottery I may hold off on this until part 2 is on the horizon. Kinda seems appropriate to refresh myself on the FF7R lore before jumping into the next title, eh?

I mean you can, but who's to say when the next part releases, on the ps7? I think giving the original a playthrough up to the end of whichever part is a fun idea so you can see all the little things you thought they just made up, but ended up being in the original. Like Johnny, I didn't even remember he was in the original.

Also, speaking of the PS5: is there any reason to hang onto my PS4 Pro if I get a PS5? Have you noticed any compatibility issues so far?

Honestly, aside from transferring your saves and whatnot over...I don't think so? I've been able to throw in various ps4 discs like mgsv ground zeros, the wipeout collection, ff7r (obviously), no issues. Going digital however...same thing, stuff on your psn seems to work fine. Like the ps4 ff7 original port, burnout paradise, ff8 remaster, downloads/works fine.

I'm not a fan of throwing out old consoles, but in my case it seems to do all what the ps4 can, only better.

13

Gaming / Re: wut specturr'z playing

« on: May 04, 2022, 02:30:40 PM »

That game to me I consumed from this old old old let's play. So I am surprised when I see it brought up in more recent times, because that thing ain't new at all. Though due to this, seeing how the game is played, it seems like you can get most of the experience not playing the game then as you could playing it. Entertaining 45 minutes nonetheless.

The concept for that game would make for an interesting movie.

14

Gaming / Re: FFVII Remake

« on: May 04, 2022, 02:15:54 PM »

At least Squeenix has been dipping their toes back into that well with stuff like Bravely Default (traditional FF-style) and Triangle Strategy (FFT-style).

Yeah I picked up Triangle Strategy, and the only bad part about that game is that it came out the same day Gran Turismo 7 did...so...in the 7 hours I played that game, it is quite good.

Apparently Intergrade allows you to use turn-based controls for FF7:R's Normal difficulty. Have you tried messing around with that at all?

Not at all, being as I assume "Normal" difficulty is the way the game was intended to be played, I didn't see much point in fighting it. The combat does get better the more acclimated you get to it though, in my case it took about half the game...but I don't hate it anymore.

It's going to be interesting to see what part 2 looks like, seeing as it's going to be exclusively on current gen consoles. The screenshots of part 1 on PS5/PC look noticeably better, but designing it from the ground up for newer hardware can make a pretty substantial difference.

I just JUST came off finishing INTERmission, which is ps5 only, so I'd guess the game'll look more or less the same as the base game on ps5. I couldn't tell any difference, it all looked the same "very very good" to me.

Speaking of INTERmission, lemme summarize it without spoiling it.

It's anywhere between 4.5 and 6 hours depending on how fast you want to smoke through it. I took my time and came in at just over 6, but I could see doing it in 4 or less.

Iunno what's up with Square on THIS project making characters so damn likable, because usually they don't. They turned Yuffie from a worthless skipable character in the original to a very likable character with very meaningful story hooks to get her to join the main party in the next part.

I felt playing as cloud in combat was kind of "meh", Barret, Tifa, and Aeris were all a lot more fun in comparison. My preference towards Barret. Yuffie is really cool, she goes melee, but can throw her giant shuriken and mash square to do non elemental ranged magic attacks. She can burn an ATB to change that non elemental to whatever of the 4 elements you want, and it lasts until the battle ends or you change it. She can also block at the last moment to negate all damage it seems, but I never got good at it. They do motivate you to try with certain weapon upgrades that do things like "gain regen if you block an attack at the last moment" which is a really good idea, makes the average player want to engage with the mechanic over ignoring it.

Being a ninja, she is quite nimble. Climbing around the environment and going over balance beams and whatnot with her is a lot quicker/more effortless compared to Cloud and co. So even outside of combat she's got her own flare. Plenty of ranged things you can hit with her shuriken for puzzles and traversal, well implemented.

She has access to one party member in the 2 chapters of this DLC, and he is non controllable. You ONLY control Yuffie in this DLC. This is really nice because he actually builds up ATB on his own. Being only two characters the controls make a lot more sense. You can hit the right trigger to access his spell/ability list with ease. You can hit left trigger to do a "synchronize" which allows you to fight in tandem, and use special powered up abilities that use ATB with both characters, at the expense of building less ATB. You can freely toggle between the two modes in combat, it feels really good. He can be fully equipped like any other party member, items, materia, upgrades, limit breaks, the whole kit and kebang.

They figured out a way to get Fort Condor into the game. Remember that psuedo rts strategy minigame in the original? Well it's like a psuedo card game/strategy board game with some collectable elements...it's really fun. It's like the old card games in 8 and 9, except it's not a card game...but it has card game elements sorta. It's unique and pretty neat. I hope they put more time into it and reintroduce it into part 2, it would be cool to play randos in matches to get rewards. Also the graphics for the units evoke the rough look of the ps1 units, it's charming.

Story pulls a Half-Life in which takes place during several chapters of the main game, and you do play the "Blue Shift" or "Opposing Force" eye view of a few scenes, if you are familiar with the original Half-Life. Pretty neat, places Yuffie into being actually relevant to the story, and doesn't feel "tacked on".

Music is great..like..wanna listen to in my free time great. If you like Jazz at all...ohh boy do they have a segment of the game with a phenomenal series of jazzy tunes.

The ending was...really good. They recommend playing this DLC AFTER finishing the main game for a reason. Out of left field you are hit with a good few cutscenes that tease part 2, introduce a cameo/"ohh hey that's coming back", and also some...surprises...ohh boy. I beat the original game 2-3 times, and some of the thing's I'm seeing make me know where the game is going, but also...not. More than I could have asked for, plenty of surprises to come.

Besides wanting more, I can't really think of anything to complain about. This is a good time, made my time waiting to get a ps5 worth it. Now if only Square could make their other Final Fantasy games half as good as this...I ain't even touch FF15 if you paid me to play it

15

Gaming / Re: 2022 The Backloggening

« on: May 03, 2022, 12:14:11 AM »

8. Final Fantasy VII Remake



Ohh boy how to summarize this game. SPOILERS will be talked about sorta probably.

~44 hours played, INTERmission DLC not played yet (but doesn't count for game completion so making this post while it's fresh)

This game, besides the combat, feels like the ultimate love letter for fans of the original ff7. What they ended up shipping feels to me like one of the best produced games ever made. In terms of characters, voice acting, music, graphics, there ain't many games that can take all of those things to THAT level. I played up to the second time you visit wall market on the original game before finishing this to get a gist of where this game is. They add a lot, A LOT.

Midgar is like 3-6 hours in the original game, and this game is like 40. Chapter 1-2, and the first little bit of 3 are in the original, then it's all original content up to...chapter 7? They'll take something insignificant like that Johnny character and make him into a full fledged side comedic relief character. I thought he was original to the remake, but he is indeed in the original outside the honeybee inn as a random NPC. Small scenes like the sewers, or climbing to shinra tower in the original end up as over an hour long fully produced levels.

There's easter eggs everywhere. From the save point icon being on the rest benches, to the "PH System" being what you use in hojo's lab to communicate between parties.

The music is without a doubt the best they have produced. To the point where I low key want "remake" treatment done with the ost for 8 and 9 as well. I don't even want to link any in particular because the whole damn package is so good.

The characters are probably the single best part of this game. They steal the show. Everyone is awesome, but in particular Aeri"th". They did a fan freaking tastic job with her. I didn't care about her at all in the original and didn't care when...she was no longer a playable character. They did a 180, I think she may be one of my favorite characters in videogames period. She's almost like a Yuna type roll in this game, where she is the important mcguffin character, but the way she's acted puts Yuna to shame. I could gush all day, so I'll stop, but to say they exceeded expectations is understated. I had no expectations or care for the character, and they made her a favorite.

Odds and ends, positives.

-Nice job showing off Reeve as a good guy, they do in the original but you can easily forget he's an important character.
-Red XIII + voice acting = muy muy muy bueno
-I love Barret, and they did him justice in this game.
-Do play Crisis Core FF7 on psp, the first Zach scene at the end of the game IS the end cutscene of Crisis Core...and either they go beyond, or retcon some stuff. Won't know until the next part.

Odds and ends, negatives.

-Combat...went from a 2/10 to a 6/10. Enjoyed it a bit more, but near the end of the game with all the bosses that wouldn't die...wished the combat was turn based jrpg.
-The end. Can't really knock this game because A LOT of games do this, but why did they have to add like 3 more bosses AFTER the original ended? Just gimmie the credits already. At least it wasn't a 4 hour cutscene like in Death Stranding...
-Hard Mode? I haven't played it, but I thought about it up till...the end of the game with all the bosses. Thinking about doing that without items, and with benches not replenishing MP. GONNA PASS, NOPE!
-Ghosts/time stuff. It sorta feels like the original game happened and exists, and the remake also exists but in a seperate timeline? And the ghosts exist to make sure the OG game timeline happens instead of any "new" events the remake may add? Again a part 2 will need to explain this, but I could have done without it. We also didn't need to fight Sephiroth or have that dumb ghost bayonetta boss fight at the end.

Besides that, I think I went a full 180 on this game. Once I got past Chapter 3, I had a hard time not playing it. I can say having finished it, DESPITE THE COMBAT I STILL DON'T CARE FOR, I REALLY REALLY enjoyed this one, to my surprise.

Will post in the game specific thread when I finish INTERmission.

*edit*

F it, Turks theme. My favorite track? No. Great? YES!