FF7 Remake Beaten in Hard Mode:

It took 117 hours, but I finally beat all 18 chapters of FF 7 Remake in hard mode.  Hard mode is serious about being hard.  Even the random monsters generally kill you until you learn the fights through slow trial and error.  The bosses can be day long roadblocks.  Especially Hell House.  Jesus.

Usually I beat the bosses without any particular strategy, just by muddling through somehow or other.  The best trick I could find was to equip Elemental on the armor piece so I could absorb the enemy bosses' elemental attacks, which is far more important than elemental weapon which just does more damage.  If you're alive you can always do more damage slowly but surely, but if you're dead it's  all over.

The heart and soul of this game is chapters 3-9, where you get to know Tifa and Aerith.  They're such wonderful girls.  I had to do those chapters over and over to secure all the dresses and all the chapter 14 resolutions, but because the chapters were so good it turned out fun all the same.

I'm still not done with the game.  I haven't beaten the Cactaur VR mission.  It's the true last boss.  But before then I'll need to improve my materia by grinding a lot, which sounds kind of tiresome.  I don't have to do this extra content any time soon.  Beating hard mode proves my caliber already.

I've gotten all 56 manuscripts and mastered all the weapons in the game.  This game really does have a ton of content when you bore down into it.  I still want part 2 as soon as possible, the plot has only begun even if my power leveling is over.  And it's the plot, with full voice acting, realistic HD CG, and orchestral music that I'm really here for.  Keiji Fujiwara's Reno was one of the best voice acted roles in the game, I'm so, so sad he's dead.  It means Parts 2+ will never feel right.  There will always be something missing when Reno is onscreen.

FF7 Remake has an incredible voice cast of infinitely deep talent covering even the minor roles.  Junichi Suwabe for Tseng, who gets like 5 lines?  That's a deep talent pool right there.  I want Part 2 to come out so I can listen to these voices cover even more of the wonderful and emotional story of FF 7.  Tifa confronting Sephiroth in the fire.  Aerith dying in front of Cloud's eyes.  All of these things will have voice acting now -- and by the finest voice actors in history.  It's going to be the best game ever made. . .if it's ever actually made!

Meanwhile, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear is slated to air this October.  I can't wait to update my anime rankings once Fall comes around.  Remember, Fall also has Kamitachi ni Hirowareta Otoko, Kamisama ni Natta hi, Tatoeba Last Dungeon Mae, Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibouken, and Tonikaku Kawaii.  The season is bursting with potential.

Summer has well known franchises like SAO and Railgun, but I'm almost looking forward to Fall more.  These series aren't well known yet, but they might end up being!

Anything would be better than this awful month of June.  FF 7 Remake on Hard Mode was a project I'd rather have waited a year to do so that I didn't remember all the cut scenes so well already.  I had to do it now because there's nothing else happening in any field.  And now I don't even have that.