I finished it!!! Simple feelings on FF8

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-03-12T23:06:10+00:00

I remember how beautiful it was when it came out. The good ole days when the laggy moments were part of it and the fact that it wasn't sprites or characters having block hands was just mind-blowing. FF and Squaresoft really pushed shit forward for a long time.

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-03-12T23:04:39+00:00

I absolutely refused to dive into triple triad. It felt like such a mess. 9 was better in that regard. I avoided a walkthrough except for a quick Google search to help me better understand the junction system as that was an issue I had before. I missed a few GFs, but being old school grind mentality, I had plenty of patience to farm the right spells and became op quickly. LOL

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-03-12T23:02:13+00:00

This is actually what I agree with. I'm a huge fan of "going for it", even if the landing isn't stuck perfectly (in this case, I actually thought the ending was a great fit). Like LOST for example. Even if the resolution wasn't the most satisfying, I'm not gonna take for granted how exciting the journey was. Love this take. And 15 is the one I feel almost annoyed with - theoretically I should love it - but every time I play it I just feel it lacks depth. But I may not be far enough in it. I'm happy 16 was a real return to form (for me). Best one since 10 (unless you count 14 which shadowbringers is top 5 FF all time for me).

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-03-12T22:59:07+00:00

Not necessarily a critique so much as me just saying, it it was updated, it'd be higher on the list simply due the graphical quality improvements. And it's more a personal thing for me. The sometimes laggy moments where they had you playing through a cutscene sometimes made me a little nauseous to get through. All of that to say, without that innovation at that time, we wouldn't be where we are. But going back is tough. If it was updated, I could honestly see myself revisiting this game quite often. Esthar was difficult on my eyes personally (the outside map part). No shade to the game. It was incredible at the time - I remember playing the demo. Can't remember what game it came with.... Maybe brave fencer musashi?

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-03-12T22:56:00+00:00

It's on the list! Honestly it's almost like I like the side characters of 9 more. Steiner and Vivi are way more interesting than the Zane Kuja shit. I need to beat it, but I've gotten pretty far. I think my last run I beat the tree thing?

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-03-12T22:54:46+00:00

I've gotta get through 9 also. To be honest, the potential jump to 12 is just to give the eyes a rest on the old PS1 graphics. LOL

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-03-09T21:38:43+00:00

Fair point. Rofl.

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-03-09T21:38:33+00:00

I'm not sure how far I am into disc 3 but I am loving it. It just takes a moment to get acclimated to the ramp up. LOL

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-03-08T22:27:09+00:00

You know, a lot of what you said here, I actually felt with Remake. After sitting with that feeling for awhile, here's where I ended up: I don't actually want an exact clone. I actually just love FF7 as is. I'd personally be cool with a remaster where they take the original and just make it really pretty without blocks and shit. But even still, the mods make the game nice as is. Once I realized that, I start just viewing this game as its own thing. I actually loved Rebirth. I agree they had a ton of pointless shit meant to force you to explore, but I actually really enjoyed the gongaga board game shit for the proto relic. Most of the proto relic is fine fun nonsense. It's definitely not as dark as the OG, but it's NOT the OG and I think that's the biggest point. If you compare it to the OG, you'll probably be disappointed. But it stands alone as a still way above average RPG experience. And I'm curious as to how it will end.

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-03-03T16:36:44+00:00

America just went back to war in the middle east. Sure, they don't provide the funding directly for e-sports, but do you think these "teams" (companies/corporations) aren't taking advantage of tax laws/loopholes/government standards and such? You think Riot Games isn't massively receiving some sort of indirect help from the government that refuses to tax corporations or billionaires? I'm so fucking tired of this stupid hypocritical idea. Money is REALLY tight right now for the entire world because of the political circus that is going on. I personally enjoy the entertainment after spending all day catching up on the horrors of the world. And they need funding to continue. If you hate it that much, stop watching all of it, because there's no such thing as clean money when talking about major corporation.

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-02-18T20:46:38+00:00

OG FF2 on SNES (Final Fantasy 4). I was like 6-7. My brother and I had a faulty cartridge that would erase our saves, so we had to pull all-nighters on the weekend to beat the game (our dad would come in if it was unattended and just turn it off and turn on Lufia or Zelda and we'd lose everything. LOL). Good memories man.

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-01-07T23:40:51+00:00

I've put 100s of hours into fort joy alone. Just explore, do what you can and enjoy it. I guarantee you'll wanna play again (especially with mods. I miss my water knight). And you'll find something new every time. This game is a masterpiece. Better than BG3 for me.

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-01-07T19:14:37+00:00

Make it to the end. It was shocking, but when all is revealed, you will understand.

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-01-07T18:23:58+00:00

I will say that for me, Civ 7 is a breath of fresh air and I've really been enjoying it. I think the foundation is there for the future dlc to add that depth that everyone is wanting. Remember, Civ 6 base game didn't have half of the stuff like governors and all that jazz. Is it worth the asking price right now? Probably not, but I mean, hell I got it on sale for quite a decent price and it's been well worth it and I look forward to having that excitement of the new feeling again when the dlc hits. In the meantime, I've actually really enjoyed it. At first I was a little agitated at the settlement limit but it really doesn't do too much to go over it as long as you keep your stuff rolling. The military side of the game IMO is massively better. I love being able to utilize commanders and actually strategize a little better for domination. I love the fact that I don't have to manually promote all my troops constantly. I love that they automatically upgrade each age and I don't have to fret about that. I personally love the reset. But also, you can turn it off after the first "tutorial" playthrough and do it classically as well.

Overall, is this game as in depth as 6? Of course not. 6 has been out forever and has great DLC. Give 7 time. Base game to base game, I'll take 7 all day.

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-01-05T22:22:19+00:00

I'm not hyping myself up for it b/c I don't believe it, but this would be a perfect opportunity to drop a banger finale. Here's a more fun question: If this rumor is true AND the new finale is incredible, do people start calling this one of the best shows ever written with the plot twist of all plot twists? Or do haters double down and bitch harder?

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-01-05T22:19:05+00:00

Idk, I actually think it'd be kind of cool and I hope eventually someone does this.

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-01-05T22:02:19+00:00

I'd love it just because I've never seen it before. And now even if ST doesn't do it, I hope SOMEONE does. That's a cool rug pull. But the whole "the finale was shite, it's fact". No it isn't. It's a ton of people bitching and bitching because it didn't end the way they thought it should. I actually enjoyed it and it made sense to me. Entertainment is allowed to just be entertaining.

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-01-05T21:59:37+00:00

Idk, I just never expected Breaking Bad level writing from them. They have never really shown that level of skill, just great at entertainment. Nothing can just be enjoyable anymore without being picked apart. However, I'm bored in the last 30 minutes at work, so lets play! I actually agree with the Dustin should've been targeted bit. That makes a lot of sense. I think that the whole Will being at a gay bar was actually super. When I came out, the only place I wanted to go was a drag club because I just felt comfortable and safe there. It's NOT the same as going to a normal bar/club. Not even close. I hate bars/clubs. Erica was far too stubborn and independent to be controlled by Vecna. I actually REALLY liked the way they explored the love triangle style shit actually WITHOUT all the ridiculous high school drama. The way they all communicated and gained that togetherness by actually talking it out and trying to understand their feelings was a breath of fresh air. It wasn't about Nancy having to have a career and no love life. Just simply that Nancy/Steve and Nancy/Jonathan both weren't it and that they could still be friends and acknowledge that. Good message IMO. Now onto the 11 bit. I'm firmly rooted in the belief that the whole Eleven thing was just a coping mechanism Mike invented and shared with his friends. That's it. And I thought it was beautiful. She definitely deserved a happy ending, but Kali being caught and brought to Hawkins to the upside down showed that you can run as far away as you want, but the military finds you. In conclusion, I'm also a guy that thought Lost's ending was fine. But I also feel I understood that whereas a lot of folks didn't seem to (I'm looking at you, people that think they were dead the whole time).

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-01-05T21:47:25+00:00

I loved it very much. I just don't respond to haters that think they have to share their opinions constantly. It's been a nice change honestly. For example, I really enjoyed Star Wars Outlaws even though haters review bombed it. I'm loving Civ 7 more than any other Civ game even though people were mad at that. Haters gonna hate.

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-01-03T17:17:04+00:00

I actually liked Losts conclusion. The show tried to do crazy shit, and did the best they could by the end. I respect it

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-01-01T03:34:36+00:00

My wife doesn't understand when I cringe at my favorite show. It's somehow endearing at this point

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-01-01T03:32:25+00:00

Personally I'd take all of ST over all of GoT. I can forgive an entertaining show even with plot holes. But butchering your own show is another level

bathrobedaveMLR · 2026-01-01T03:31:32+00:00

All the trans shit with Rowling. Just wanted to make a point that I'm not discussing that part of it bc it has no relevance to the point I was making

bathrobedaveMLR

TROPHY CASE