Lurker > YoBlazer

I attached my Elementals to AP Up to get them to 2 stars ASAP, but then I started actually using them. The 7500 AP grind to hit 3 stars was just too daunting before NG+. Speaking of which, is there a known Chadley challenge that allows for easy AP farming? One of the best things about Interlude is that it offered just such a challenge, allowing you to level up most Materia in minutes.

BK_Sheikah00 posted...

Cus I agree Wall Market is the peak of both games.

Wall Market is peak gaming, one of the best sequences in any game imo

Anyway, I'm gonna need to find the spoiler topic and gather my thoughts because BOY HOWDY do I want to discuss that ending. My immediate reaction to the 120 hours I just plowed in would be something along the lines of

"Michael Jordan just had one of the greatest regular seasons in history, winning a unanimous MVP and carrying the Bulls to an easy 1-seed in the playoffs. They dominated on their way to the finals, a sure lock to win it all. They are up 3-0 in the finals, looking to sweep and end the season as one of the most dominant teams in history. Jordan then inexplicably quits to try his hand at Nascar, the Bulls lose the next four games and the series, and fans around the world are wondering what IN THE FUCK WAS THAT."

Wow, I can't recall a case of a masterpiece falling apart at the end quite that much. What a disappointing final chapter.

Sure thing, I know how awful this feels and am always bummed out when someone tells me they're going through it too (which is becoming more common as we grow older).

I've considered surgery but have gotten wildly different opinions from different people. The specialist I consultes obviously pushed for it and said that it was minimally invasive and usually a cure-all. On the other hand, I've had friends and family (who are medical professionals) beg me NOT to get back surgery unless the pain is so agonizing that I'm essentially crawling to the hospital. I continue to leave surgery as a last-ditch option in favor of more holistic approaches.

I've also been told that this is often hereditary. My dad had such severe sciatica when he was around my age that he was largely bedridden for months.

I feel for you, my friend. I've been struggling with on-and-off sciatic nerve pain for over eight years.

The initial injury happened while I was jogging on a treadmill in a crappy hotel gym. I felt a completely foreign pain go down my right glute and leg. I flew home in extreme discomfort, and my dad - who is a doctor and has also dealt with this same thing - immediately diagnosed me. He told me that unfortunately, this might be something I need to live with for life, and that the best thing to do is take healthy steps to mitigate it.

I hate to tell you that it may be the same deal for you, as I'm sure most people recover from sciatica completely, but that sadly has not been the case for me. I'll often go pain-free for weeks or months and think I'm in the clear only to re-aggravate it via weightlifting or just randomly. In my experience, the best thing to mitigate sciatica has inarguably been weight loss. I've never been massively overweight, but there are times I've packed on maybe 35 pounds more than my ideal weight, and that's when my pain has been its most unbearable. The lighter I get, the less of an issue it becomes.

The other advice I can give you (and I'm being hypocritical here because this is advice I often ignore myself) is to be disciplined about strengthening your core. Anytime you strengthen your abs and obliques, you are helping your back, improving your posture, and lowering the risk and intensity of sciatica.

I reinjured my back most recently a couple months ago and decided to try yoga classes at my local gym. I've only been going for a month and already feel significant improvements in my core strength, range of motion, and pain management. I'd recommend a good yoga class, or at least a core strenthening routine.

Best of luck, and I hope you beat this!

I'm in the middle of the final boss rush and it feels like they're absolutely shitting themselves across the finish line here.

I'm still in my initial playthrough and had a "oh shit" moment when I realized Synergy could be paired with Comet, wondering if I just found the code to nuke the game. However, it's such a slow spell that I'm not sure if it's any better than something like Thunder.

I reached Chapter 13, which I presume is the endgame. I was determined to accomplish EVERYTHING leading up to any points of no return, but some of the late-game goals are clearly meant for a second playthrough. Regardless, I completed all the Normal VR missions and all the Chocobo races, so I'm content with that.

Also, I probably missed it, but did we have any discussions about the Gold Saucer date? I'm not sure how the end differs depending on Cloud's date, but I got Tifa, and I have to admit getting misty eyed at the end. Just one of the most genuinely sweet and heartwarming cutscenes I've ever seen.

Loved the Gongaga music too.

Honestly, the reports about disappointing sales make me feel sad. This game is beautiful and really deserves success.

Playthrough update: I'm at like 105 hours and am doing the new side quest cleanup in Chapter 12. I let the game sit idle quite a bit, but I know I've got at least 95 hours of legit time invested so far.

The PSN Trophies site estimates 200 hours for the Plat, and I feel like their estimated are often speedy. 250 hours is probably a more accurate estimate. They really outdid themselves with content.

I still think the worst minigame I've seen so far has been the sit-ups. It would have been difficult enough on its own, but changing the inputs from face buttons to shoulder buttons was cruel.

I'm convinced Square's top question for play testers was "do you think someone trying to Platinum this game will hate the world?"

I'm not sure how long I have to go until the QB endgame, but I'm in Chapter 11 now and the last match (against a Shinra soldier) needed a few restarts. I'm just running the basic "synergy buffs" type of deck and haven't experimented with destroy/replace cards.

ctesjbuvf posted...

Unironically enjoyed that lol.

Same, that was probably one of my favorites thus far. This Cosmo Canyon Protorelic quest, on the other hand...

Ever since my dad got laid off and retired early at the start of the pandemic, I've been studying up on retirement planning to help my parents strategize for it. The one thing I advocate for vigorously is an expansion of Medicare to at least 62 (obviously I'd prefer Medicare for all, but I'm picking my battles here) so that it aligns with the earliest possible social security age. We'd see an explosion of 60-62 year old retirees, which would finally give Millennials and Gen Z a crack at meaningful career opportunities that still manage to evade them.

And it's not like the move would hurt businesses THAT much. A 60-year-old employee who's counting down the months to retirement is just someone who's gobbling up a fat paycheck and not contributing any innovation. Let them retire and bring in a 30-year-old (who might actually have some new ideas) to replace them.

The culture of lifelong corporate servitude really is the point.

Obellisk posted...

Are people actually retiring at 65 anymore though? I mean other than State / Municipal / Military?

While the average retirement age has risen in the past few decades, I'm pretty sure the most common retirement age is still 62, which is the youngest that someone can start claiming social security (at a reduced monthly amount, obviously). Most people barely tolerate their jobs and will take the first reasonable opportunity to exit the rat race, even if it means reduced social security and permanently making do with less.

Keep in mind that seniors can only get Medicare at 65, so all those people retiring at 62 are doing so knowing that they'll need to spend three years figuring health insurance out on their own. And they still do it because they just wanna exit the workforce.

wg64Z posted...

This is WAY more fun.

Yeah, it might not be as "natural" as some top VA work, but I think fun is the right word for it. FFVII stands proud as a JRPG, and I think any attempt to mimic the drama and nuance found in some of its western contemporaries would have worked against it. Oddball, over the top, and slightly awkward work amazingly well here. I wouldn't have liked the characters nearly as much if we got God of War VA or something.

I feel like the focus on traditional RPG combat elements (casting, resource management for multiple characters) often causes me to forget that there's a very powerful parry mechanic with perfect blocks. There are battles where I'll make it a point to hit just one perfect block at the start, and the difference is night and day for the rest of the fight.

After exploring much of Cosmo Canyon (the funnest region in the game thus far), I have something new to which I need to lavish praise: the game creates two completely different desert regions. I feel like deserts are a hard ONE AND DONE rule in most games because they're not as pretty as forests or beaches, but FFVII once again doubles down on the things that make it unique.

Cosmo Canyon is majestic Utah desert with the soul of Sedona, Arizona. Corel and the Dust Bowl is trash ass Vegas (especially with The Gold Saucer/The Vegas Strip smack dab in the middle). Beatifully done.

MartinFF7 posted...

Got way too excited any time a location said "new QB players in your area" - it's like everything's put on hold, minimap pulled up and beeline to nearest opponent, lol

This is the most appropriate response to new QB.

Did you play Easy, Normal, or Dynamic?

wg64Z posted...

I'd say probably about 18-20 hours left if you treat it like I did and just run straight to every Blue story marker.

Again, holy shit @ the size of this game. How'd some of y'all beat it in 50 hours? It's probably gonna feel like a different game with how quickly I whiz through on the second playthrough.

Omg @ this chicken clanging bullshit

This is unquestionably, undoubtedly a deliberate attempt to make the worst possible mini game just to piss off neurotics like me.

I feel like every character has incredible potential, but I'm not sure I'll have it in me to truly explore everyone's playstyle unless I'm required to do so with high-level trials.

Just dropping in to say that Cait Sith's voice is perfect.

MoogleKupo141 posted...

if you just got to the Gold Saucer the answer is probably longer than youve already spent playing it.

obviously dependent on how much side stuff youre doing

Bro, what. I just met the doctor who helped young Tifa, and my play clock reads 43 HOURS. I know I want to savor this game, but fuck a duck, this might wind up being a 120 hour first playthrough.

I'm very happy with any public appearances that make Biden look good. He and Trump probably won't have any debates, so hopefully Biden's team keep him in a bubble and as shielded as possible from disastrous moments.

AriaOfBolo posted...

neither I but we are the minority in my circles apparently

What seems to be the general consensus?

foolm0r0n posted...

ZOLOMY RUINED wtf, sormormy doesn't roll off the tounge nearly as well

I was right salty at that too.

I just put Cha La on my phone and now I'm tearing up at the damn gym. This one hurts.

Don't do this to us

It still feels like we just lost Miura, and now this.

RIP to a legend who had a significant role in shaping my childhood.

Bowser
Sephiroth
Ganondorf
Pyramid Head

I really wanted a reason to boot Ganondorf (he's not in the same league as Bowser or Sephy imo), but in the end, he's got a 40 year history and has been a part of too many goated games. The final choice was between Pyramid Head and Wesker, and I sided with the one who made the much larger immediate impact on me.

UshiromiyaEva posted...

Sittup minigame wouldn't be the worst thing in the game if it didn't take a full 10 seconds to reset attempts.

I almost have to applaud them for tripling down on the number of minigames and making them considerably more challenging than last time. Taking an already tough one (pull-ups) and then amping up the difficulty by assigning the prompts to the shoulder buttons AND adding force-sensitive button presses is... actually it's fucked up. Fuck you Square.

LordoftheMorons posted...

https://x.com/lxeagle17/status/1765485866787418301?s=46

I remember voting against this idiot. He came within 3% of beating Democrat Susie Lee and going to Congress.

I also remember when he got slammed by Big Show on WWE TV.

swordz9 posted...

Looking further this guy is just plain evil. He thinks African Americans OWE white people reparations as thanks for bringing them over as slaves.

Lmao no wonder he's the GOP candidate

Yeah, I feel like there's not really a good reason to have Cloud locked in this much. The entire party is together during most exploration segments, so even in a cutscene where Cloud is required... everyone's right there.

I did not expect the fucking card game to be such an absolute standout. Like, the more I think about it, the more impressed I am with its perfect balance of simplicity and strategic options. Whoever took the lead in designing Queen's Blood is very, very skilled at what they do.

35+ hours in and I've only begun exploring the Corel region. Good thing there are no other games I really planned on playing this year, because the burnout after this one is gonna last a while.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


What if someone has a simple, inexpensive diet? $300 a month can easily cover my diet, and there are some people who make do on a lot less. If I take the $75,000 and put it into a conservative portfolio that pays 5% a year on average, I'd be getting approximately $300 a month, enough to cover my food budget. And I'd still get to keep the $75k.

Of course, I can take the free food and totally change my lifestyle, but that idea isn't too appealing to me, especially since I'll very likely wind up less healthy. The only thing stopping me from getting AYCE sushi or pizza twice a week will be my own self-discipline. Could wind up being a curse at that point.

KamikazePotato posted...

Bro she stole your materia and barely apologized for it

I remember that not bothering me because it didn't actually make the combat in the area tougher or more annoying. But it's been 15 years since I played the og, so my memory could just be whack.

I'm still cleaning up shop in Junon, so very early in the game, but I've Platinum'd the original and the Interlude DLC, and my opinion on the characters is that I like or love pretty much everyone

EXCEPT YUFFIE. I remember liking her in the original FFVII, but they missed the mark with her shitty attitude in this one. She's just a jerk. There's no way she had this same personality in 97, right?

My biggest issue is a carryover from Remake: the lock-on camera. I can't believe that it's tied to a simple push of the right trigger... the same thing that most players move around constantly during exploration to adjust the camera. I probably push the right trigger more than any other input on the controller, but learning to never touch the damn thing at all during combat, lest my character's attention frantically bounces around between enemies, is awful. It's like an inexplicably bad design decision, and it's been that way for two games now. Is there an easy fix to this that I'm unaware of? I looked at the control options, and the one "fix" appears to also swap the enemy lock-on selection with the PARTY selection. WHY?

I'm only three attempts in, so this is reactionary and may get me rightly roasted, but

the piano game is one of the most aggravating minigames I've ever seen for a major release. The score requirements are absolute bullshit, and assuming there's gotta be at least one trophy tied to this crap makes it worse. Fuck this Stan Lee wannabe Dorian.

It's taken me over 14 hours to 100% the first open-world area. This is gonna be like a 70 hour first run.

Also, I'm still not 100% sure what Dynamic difficulty is, but I'm enjoying bosses not being total pushovers. I was worried Normal wouldn't be quite enough for veterans of the first game, and this appears to have solved that.

I can't deny that these characters charm the hell out of me. Playing this feels like coming home again.

Bro Cloud can swim

Nevermind, my TV is a 4K lol. Forgot that I actually got this from my parents' house when they upgraded a couple years ago.

STILL LOOKS GREAT is all I'm sayin

I'm on 1080p and immediately switched to Performance. Looks and feels amazing.

Wal-Mart pulled through

God bless those employees for dealing with weirdos like me.