@zombiepie:

Normally I'd suggest to just keep playing but not saving Corel does have some consequences.

(Here's some info on what you miss out on: http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/130791-final-fantasy-vii/faqs/71240?page=5#Quest%20for%20the%20Huge%20Materia,%20Part%20I)

As for the PC controls and doing it right I think for you it will be alternating between pressing up + MENU(△) & down + CANCEL(X).

I remember having to redo it a few times to get it right as well.

@zombiepie: There's no concept of multiple endings or anything in FFVII. Yes, there will be the concept of Corel being destroyed, but the ending itself will be untouched. Any of the optional stuff you get is purely for the sake of making things easier later on. The only two optional things that really add anything substantial plot wise is Vincent and Yuffie, which you already have. Considering you're playing the PC version, if you get in a severe bind difficulty-wise, you can always cheat using their own built-in thing they did for that port, so I say pulling out of the minigame isn't that big of a deal.

Based off what the guide says: the first time you control the levers, just alternate. The second time(as in your screenshot), move both levers up at the same time, then down at the same time, then up at the same time. I don't really remember this scene even existing, so don't know how much I can help, but good luck.

@zombiepie: You'll miss out on one or two powerful materia if you don't complete it, but there won't be severe consequences beyond that and the immediate aftermath. Unfortunately by this point in the game I was one-shotting everything and I don't recall having any trouble with the minigame, so I've got no idea what advice to give.

@quarters: My first playthrough I used zero guides and totally missed Yuffie and Vincent. The game is not at all good about communicating how to get them, and iirc you lose the ability to pick them up once you pass disc one. I remember getting so far into the game assuming they were mid to late additions to your team only to find I straight fucked myself. Even worse, SIGNIFICANT details about the story are locked behind Vincent's character progression.

@atomicoldman: Yeah, getting them is absolute garbage. They shouldn't be optional, period. Like I said in a previous post, there is some really terrible archaic design in FFVII.

Stopping the train get you the huge materia, free Ultimate materia, and opportunity to get Barret's level 4 limit.

Alternate both up and both down a few times (three I think), So

Up + Menu

Down + Cancel

Up + Menu

I think these controls mirror the console version with triangle as menu and X as cancel.

Battles should be easy by now, if it isn't maybe it is time to consider grinding, also consider stealing from enemies :/ The reactor that you pass by plays a role in the story afterall ;p

Airship controls doesn't seem too bad, you rarely have to deal with altitude. Just forward, left and right, you do seem to miss out on easy access to do tight turns with shoulder buttons. Oh you might want to fly around to other towns, Junon and Costa Del Sol, and see if they have new weapons in stock. There might new treasure also...Inside one of the house/shop in Rocket town look for a false wall

Try stealing from unique battles ahead.

Another great installment, keep it up Zombiepie. Looking forward to listening to the deep listen.

@atomicoldman: @mechamarshmallow: @quarters: @hassun: @soimadeanaccount: @dudeglove: We are all good!

The choo choo train of doom didn't bring death and destruction to Corel; Barret isn't a depressed husk of a man; the children are alive and playing; but most importantly I finally got through that rough patch! With that in mind I feel as if I have to share a token of my gratitude for all of you helping me during my time of duress. So here's my plan:

I'm going to die for your sins.

Wait no...okay so that's a bit too dramatic. So uhh...how about this? How about I complete the Chocobo Racing sidequest that every single one of you told me isn't worth the time and effort! It's going to certainly kill me, but hey you all helped me so I feel as though I have to do something stupid for your entertainment.

@zombiepie: Well...sure, that's one way to go about torturing yourself. Have fun!

It's a deep dark hole of PEDs and selective breeding. Good luck!

So you know the only reason to complete that is to get Knights of the Round which is mostly so you can face the two really difficult optional bosses, and mostly the harder of the two. Otherwise it's really not worth the time.

I'm just saying you could fully dive deep down that rabbit hole... Please don't die, k?

@zombiepie: This is a dark path you're walking down.

@zombiepie: Your funeral, buddy!

I played FF7 when it was new and my friends all thought the Aeris/Aerith death scene was the most emotional and poignant moment in the game. I however thought it was a later scene, a very very cool character moment for Cloud that was tops. I'm looking forward to you getting to that point as it still to this day is one of my favorite and most epic moments in gaming history.

As for FF9..... yeah you are going to be disappointed in that game if you believe the hype around it. It is a very good FF game, but really is little more than just good at what it does. It has one very very very good character arc for a secondary character, and a pretty blandly forgettable main plot. It is the first super safe game in the series and to me where it started to go wrong. I do not like FF8 much at all but you can not say it was playing it safe, it fails because of its ridiculous ambitions and inability to make them work. FF7 and FF6 succeed because of those ambitions often coming together to create something that resonates very strongly with the player. When they got away from that attitude of "going for it" is when it the series has slowly sunk into safe mediocrity.

Also can we all agree that Cid's Theme is one of the most inspiring "we are going to go do this shit" pieces of music ever?

OH GAWD no, not chocobo breeding. It is the worse, and quite frankly the timing trade off between breeding chocobo vs just straight up grinding you might be better off grinding, especially so if you have morph. I wonder if you can save scum to avoid racing...as much. Getting the green bird might let you do Vincent's quest ever so slightly earlier and visit the Ancient Forest earlier if you want, but you might be past that point already.

If you really want a gold one just cheese Ruby with paralyze.

Or just cheat engine it, I definitely won't judge.

Cait Sith is just the worst. I frequently forget the character even exists when I start reading these blogs, but when you mention him I immediately react with "Ugh, that one."

That is some Devil's bargain you just entered yourself into.

The ending of Crisis Core is probably the most emotionally resonate thing of anything Final Fantasy 7 related than the death of Aeris. Actually Crisis Core is the only thing FF7 related I like.

@zombiepie: So I'm like 2/3 of the way through all these FFVII blogs and haven't touched any of the FFVIII ones. See, I know next to nothing about FFVIII. I know about gunblades, I hear it gets weird at the end of the first disc, and I know the main character is named Squall. That's it. I've been considering picking it up off Steam, because it's always seemed to me like a game everyone should give a shot at least once, and unlike my playthrough of FFVII, I'd be able to go into it fairly fresh, not knowing what to expect.

But you've already done that, twice. Is this a good idea or am I really just considering whether or not to submit myself to abject misery? If it's the latter, would it at least be misery that's interesting?

BROTHER, YOU SHOULD PLAY Final Fantasy VIII!

I think I can speak for @thatpinguino in that it is one of the craziest roller-coasters you will ever experience in a video game. It's so memorable...in ways I cannot even begin to describe in words.

@zombiepie: Well that settles it, then. I'm flat broke for a month, and have too many games I need to finish, but I'm putting it at the top of my list for things to pick up in August.

May God have mercy on my soul.

@zombiepie "Did someone watch Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, and thought that could work as a Final Fantasy game?"

No sir, they watched Neon Genesis Evangelion and had to get on that gravy train as fast as humanly possible.

I just had to chime in about FF13. I loved FF13, because of how focused it was. It always made me feel like I was making progress and moving the plot and characters forward, as well as going to new locations, which are quite diverse and look great. It's one of the main reasons that I can't get into a lot of open world games like Elder Scrolls. The pacing is just shit in those games, because there's just too much aimless wandering that feels like the game is wasting my time. For example: "I have to save the world, but first let's find this guy's magic tomato. Why? Simple. As a reward, he gives me a shitload of experience and some ridiculously powerful sword that a god would have trouble wielding. Not me though, because I is hero." This leads me to my next issue. I know people are going to say to just follow the story in all cases, but the problem with that is that the side missions generally give experience as well as gear that will help you on your way, like the example I just provided. That being the case, it's difficult to just ignore them when the game is essentially telling you that you need to do them to make reasonable progression. Also, you don't know which side missions are going to yield the most tangible rewards, like the one in my example, so you're often compelled to simply do them all.