Final Fantasy XIII

[BHvrd]

Uh, and how are you playing a role in this game, since clearly Square wants you to be always on auto battle, some role you are playing then. Also what role, you can't even explore lol, and what world in the multi verse, would ever be nothing more then a line? You need to stretch the meaning of RPG a lot to fit FF 13 in it.

Wow wtf?!

You say "autobattle" like the game is easy or something. Have you even played the fucking thing?? Odds are you can't even beat it. It's a different type of battle system, not PURE autobattle lol, just the partners are which their roles must be changed to be successful.

Also a map does not make an RPG an RPG LMFAO. It's not called an RPMG, Role Playing Map Game.

Everything you go on about is your "preference", get over yourself. There are people who are going to like this game for its purity and straight forward gameplay. While I can agree that I don't want games that "play themselves" that is not the case here, obviously you haven't experienced a deep RPG combat engine where everything matters and is useful and takes strategy, not where you have a thousand useless items that must be sold to Pierre the shopkeeper.

This is a game focused on gameplay and story, with limited shopping and open exploration "though there is an open area to grind". Quit letting your "opinion" get in the way of facts.

[Zoltor]

Wow wtf?!

You say "autobattle" like the game is easy or something. Have you even played the fucking thing?? Odds are you can't even beat it. It's a different type of battle system, not PURE autobattle lol, just the partners are which their roles must be changed to be successful.

Also a map does not make an RPG an RPG LMFAO. It's not called an RPMG, Role Playing Map Game.

Everything you go on about is your "preference", get over yourself. There are people who are going to like this game for its purity and straight forward gameplay. While I can agree that I don't want games that "play themselves" that is not the case here, obviously you haven't experienced a deep RPG combat engine where everything matters and is useful and takes strategy, not where you have a thousand useless items that must be sold to Pierre the shopkeeper.

This is a game focused on gameplay and story, with limited shopping and open exploration "though there is an open area to grind". Quit letting your "opinion" get in the way of facts.



Square sucks, Square sucks, bad maps, even worse systems will "always" = a crappy RPG. It's so bad now, the reviewers aren't even trying to pretend It's a good game. Really, shops via save point, wtf, where is the RP in that.

Hell, FPS are more of an RPG these days, then FF 13 could ever hope to be. Again, not being able to control your char(including party members), is one of the worse concept in gaming history. I rather play Pong then that POS, atleast Pong would offer some enjoyment.

Also just so you know, while maps don't equal RPG, having crappy maps, is a good way to make a crappy game, the onlything worse, would be having a crappy battle system... oh wait, FF 13 has a crappy battle system as well, you can't even control your party members. This game Isn't even worth renting, let alone buying(hell if someone offered it to me for "free", I wouldn't even take it).

When games are this poorly designed, you don't need to play it, to tell it sucks(not a single system, and basically no aspect of it in general, that is known so far, were even done remotely ok, everything known about this game, are key ingredients to making a complete POS).

PS. While maps may not, systems do = RPG by the way, and all the key systems suck in this game.

[kupomogli]

Ingredients to make a complete POS.

This ingrediet isn't always needed. A toilet.
http://prayerandprophecy.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/toilet-new.jpg

Food.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_UZCeUDMh1X4/SUVDTScTTWI/AAAAAAAABCY/SRdaWvIclBg/s400/Mexican+Food.jpg

Butt. Here is Jennifer Lopez's.
http://purgatorio.com/images/jennifer-lopez-butt.jpg

Courtesy of Google.

[Aussie2B]

And if you blame the music for making it a shitty game, then you sir have the most pointless standards in video games. Did Nobuo Umetsu make the music? If so, then it's probably going to fantastic in one way or another like usual.

Hey, don't undervalue the importance of music in games. Honestly, I think it's just as dumb to play a game just for the story, as is the case with many RPG players, as it would be to call a game shitty just because of its music, but even though I put gameplay first, those other elements can definitely heighten, or lessen, the overall experience. I've played plenty of games where the music really takes a game to the next level, boosting the whole range of emotions that a game can make you feel (and I don't just mean making story scenes happier/sadder but also making a challenging battle in an action game all the more tense or what have you). Similarly, a really weak soundtrack, whether in composition or the sounds themselves being wimpy, can really deaden a game, or even make it come off completely opposite from how it should.

By the way, Uematsu has no involvement in FFXIII's music and hasn't had a significant role in the music of the series since FFIX. Honestly I think the series is better off with Hamauzu and Sakimoto and such. Uematsu can write some nice, catchy music now and then, but he isn't some god among game composers. A lot of his music is way too simplistic and repetitive to the point of becoming grating, and at times he's used really low quality samples that sound terrible.

[ScourDX]

I'll wait unit it hits bargain bin price. Too bad CE only exist in Europe & Japan.

[Lothars]

OK, what do people other than Zoltor think of the game (I suspect he is just trolling and hasn't actually played the game)?

It seems like your right, I doubt he has played it and he's just trolling the game for no reason.

[c0ldb33r]

I think the whole game sounds weird, but I'm still getting it.

I hated FF12 at first but then really grew to like the MMORPG style battle system. I'm sure the same thing will happen with this.

If you want something classic, get the new FFIV sequel for the Wii.

[Jimmy Yakapucci]

I may grab a copy at Target this week. Just checked their sale paper and they will be giving a $10 gift card with purchase. The one major thing that I like about the game, (based on what I have read), is that it is not an on-line thing like FFXI. I don't do online gaming so the single-player aspect appeals to me. The linearity I can live with since I hate spending tons of time trying to figure out where I left off if I have to leave a game sit for a while. On a side note, if you hate the linearity and lack of exploration, then by all means, avoid Shining Force CD. When I first got it, I was thinking that it would be really neat since there was more room for data and it would be a bigger game. Didn't realize that it was just a port of a couple Game Gear titles. Incidentally, that game is now called my "herpes" game. No matter what I do, I can't get rid of it. I have had a number of deals in the works for it over the years, but for some reason they never go through.

JY

[maxlords]

wow...Zoltar and kupomogli.....

http://www.strangepolitics.com/images/content/7700.jpg

[monkeychemist]

Square sucks, Square sucks, bad maps, even worse systems will "always" = a crappy RPG. It's so bad now, the reviewers aren't even trying to pretend It's a good game. Really, shops via save point, wtf, where is the RP in that.

Hell, FPS are more of an RPG these days, then FF 13 could ever hope to be. Again, not being able to control your char(including party members), is one of the worse concept in gaming history. I rather play Pong then that POS, atleast Pong would offer some enjoyment.

Also just so you know, while maps don't equal RPG, having crappy maps, is a good way to make a crappy game, the onlything worse, would be having a crappy battle system... oh wait, FF 13 has a crappy battle system as well, you can't even control your party members. This game Isn't even worth renting, let alone buying(hell if someone offered it to me for "free", I wouldn't even take it).

When games are this poorly designed, you don't need to play it, to tell it sucks(not a single system, and basically no aspect of it in general, that is known so far, were even done remotely ok, everything known about this game, are key ingredients to making a complete POS).

PS. While maps may not, systems do = RPG by the way, and all the key systems suck in this game.

OK, we get it, you hate this game and square... It's time for you to go troll another thread now. Some of us are excited about FFXIII and we don't want to hear you stupid endless rants, THANKYOU!!!

[NayusDante]

Just got back from the midnight launch at GameStop...

The one I had preordered at was the Babbages in the big inside mall, but they weren't doing a midnight release. Went with a friend to hang out at the outside mall, and stopped in the GameStop there to grab a Monster Hunter demo. Of course, I ask if they're doing a midnight, and if I could move my preorder. They had enough that I could just preorder there, so I did. Lots of fun hanging out with a big crowd of nerds.

Now I'm home and I've got it sitting on my desk. If I had just stuck with the other store, I might not have gotten a Monster Hunter demo if I had waited until tomorrow, let alone met an interesting girl and got her number... Good omens for FFXIII so far!

[Poofta!]

Just got back from the midnight launch at GameStop...

The one I had preordered at was the Babbages in the big inside mall, but they weren't doing a midnight release. Went with a friend to hang out at the outside mall, and stopped in the GameStop there to grab a Monster Hunter demo. Of course, I ask if they're doing a midnight, and if I could move my preorder. They had enough that I could just preorder there, so I did. Lots of fun hanging out with a big crowd of nerds.

Now I'm home and I've got it sitting on my desk. If I had just stuck with the other store, I might not have gotten a Monster Hunter demo if I had waited until tomorrow, let alone met an interesting girl and got her number... Good omens for FFXIII so far!

how freaking old are you??

[c0ldb33r]

I'm heading out this morning to pick up mine. Both me and my wife took the day off.

No stores here did a midnight launch.

[Zoltor]

I may grab a copy at Target this week. Just checked their sale paper and they will be giving a $10 gift card with purchase. The one major thing that I like about the game, (based on what I have read), is that it is not an on-line thing like FFXI. I don't do online gaming so the single-player aspect appeals to me. The linearity I can live with since I hate spending tons of time trying to figure out where I left off if I have to leave a game sit for a while. On a side note, if you hate the linearity and lack of exploration, then by all means, avoid Shining Force CD. When I first got it, I was thinking that it would be really neat since there was more room for data and it would be a bigger game. Didn't realize that it was just a port of a couple Game Gear titles. Incidentally, that game is now called my "herpes" game. No matter what I do, I can't get rid of it. I have had a number of deals in the works for it over the years, but for some reason they never go through.

JY



I'm assuming that is dirrected at me, due to my Sega CD thread. Well there's a differance, Shinning Force CD is a Tactic/RPG, which is alot fifferent then a RPG or Action RPG. I never played the Game Gear Shining Force games, but if It's anything like the Genesis Shining Force games, there is actually some exploration(alot more infact, then most games that are called Tactic/RPGs).

Also like I said, there's a big differance between a straight forward/linear game, and "literally" straight forward game. The maps in FF13 are nothing more then if you drew a single line on a piece of paper, and turned it into a three dimentional space, there that's your FF13 map.

That gives new meaning to, a linear game.

[NayusDante]

While the maps are really linear, there's still hidden items and stuff. It doesn't change the fact that you're "exploring" a straight line, but it's not quite the "run forward forever" that I was expecting.

The battle system is definitely an odd one, but it's not terrible. Well, at least not as terrible as people are making it seem. At least it's better than XII where you didn't have to do much of anything during the fights. I can see it getting interesting later on.

[NayusDante]

So the game's been a pushover so far, but the Shiva sisters are a confusing fight. I don't think I'm doing this right...

[Tempest]

I was going to pick this up today but I got a 10% coupon in the mail yesterday for BB and it starts on Friday. I'm willing to wait a few days to save $6.

Tempest

[NayusDante]

Toys R Us has a deal where you get a $15 gift card (today only) when you buy it, and they also discount the (regular) strategy guide. Didn't see mention of the hardcover in the ad.

I'm working my way through chapter four... I'm five hours in and there's still tutorials on the battle system. It's just now getting to where you have all the abilities and stuff that make the battle system complete. Honestly, I really like the battle system. It's by no means anything like Final Fantasy, but it's good in its own right.

The story so far is decent, and I like how it has the encyclopedia system for characters, locations, events, etc. That was one of my favorite elements in FF8, and it's nice to see it done again here, without needing to find magazines to fill the pages.

The character development systems are actually pretty decent this time around. It's like they combined the Job System and the Sphere Grid, and added weapon modification, then actually balanced it out! I can't help but feel that everything's a little gimped and meant to funnel you into certain character stats early on, but I can see this working out nicely later on. I wish I had a lightning spell for those robots early on, but just fighting everything seems to max you out everywhere else so far, so it does start out really easy.

Visually, it's excellent. It's nice to see it running at 1080p with a smooth framerate, and it seems to pull that off better than most games I've played this gen. I haven't really appreciated Nomura's character designs for a while, but they're a step back in the right direction here. Lots of great art design overall, and everything flows well.

Who did the music? It's actually really good! It doesn't have that synth-rock sound that Uematsu was using in his later years at Square, but it fits the new direction very well.

Everything I didn't like about 12 seems to be fixed here. Yes, it's rather linear so far, but that doesn't hurt my impression of it.

Just curious, could someone who's not keeping their strategy guide sealed say how many chapters there are?

[c0ldb33r]

The strat guide has 13 chapters for the walkthrough section.

So, how'd the 360 version turn out? Or did everyone get the ps3 version?

[The 1 2 P]

So, how'd the 360 version turn out? Or did everyone get the ps3 version?

I'm guessing they all got the PS3 version. Hell, I'd get the PS3 version and I don't even have a PS3.

Btw, OXM gave FF13 a 9.0.

[NayusDante]

I got the PS3 version, but a LOT of people were getting it on 360 last night. I asked about how the stock was divided, and they told me it wasn't all that different. They did get a few more copies on PS3, but it wasn't a wide margin. I really didn't think that the 360 version would sell very well, but 360 has been the console with the most JRPGs this gen.

13 chapters, eh? I'm on ch5 now, 7:37 in. Is this only going to be a 25-hour game?

[jdc]

I play Final Fantasy games to experience the fantastic worlds that Square gives us to explore. Some FFs are better than others. That's just the way it goes. Halo games are great fun to play, but Bungie doesn't exactly hit a home run with every game either.

[heybtbm]

Received my PS3 version today from Amazon. I got a chance to play about 2 hours tonight and am very impressed. Probably the best looking game on the PS3/360 released to date. Gameplay-wise, I haven't even scratched the surface of the combat system, but what I've played so far is a lot of fun.

I've loved every Final Fantasy game I've played, and have finished almost all of them except 9, 10 and 10-2. FF12 was my favorite (if you remove the nostalgia factor of the older ones), so yeah...13 seems right up my alley so far.

[DuckTalesNES]

Why is it that people are all saying to get the PS3 version instead of the XBOX 360 one?

[c0ldb33r]

Disc swapping? I dunno, cause I think the 3 DVDs vs 1 Blu-ray is the only difference.

I read online that the FMV and textures aren't as crisp because of compression, but I doubt it'd be something most people would notice.

The weird thing is that my EB Games didn't even ask me what version I wanted. I went in last week and said "I want to preorder FF13". They said "Sure, give me $5" and printed a receipt. There was no mention of which console.

When I picked it up yesterday, there was no question. They just handed me the ps3 version. It was odd.

I don't pre-order games very often - can they read minds or something?

[NayusDante]

360 runs at 720p, upscaled to 1080p. The PS3 version runs at 1080p natively. At the midnight thing, they popped a copy into each demo kiosk and we could compare them. As always, the 360 version looked a little darker than the PS3, but it's not terrible. It looks excellent on both, so 360 users aren't really missing anything.

[The 1 2 P]

When I picked it up yesterday, there was no question. They just handed me the ps3 version. It was odd.

I don't pre-order games very often - can they read minds or something?

It probably had something to do with your "PS3 Rulz" t-shirt you were wearing that day.

[mezrabad]

Played it for about an hour last night. It's a Final Fantasy alright.

Regardless, it's very pretty and that's really all I'm asking of it.

[NayusDante]

I find it odd that everyone think's it's definitely Final Fantasy, because I feel very differently. It's a wonderful game, but I don't feel like it's a successor to the FF line. It seems to stand on its own more than it rests on the previous titles. There's chocobos, there's a guy named Cid, and there's a familar set of summons, but really that's all that defines Final Fantasy anymore.

[unwinddesign]

Disc swapping? I dunno, cause I think the 3 DVDs vs 1 Blu-ray is the only difference.

I read online that the FMV and textures aren't as crisp because of compression, but I doubt it'd be something most people would notice.



Oh, it's noticeable. The FMV is compressed as hell. The underlying rendering is nice (really wonderful animation), but there's this slight snow all over the screen and the edges of objects aren't that crisp.

I'm not a videophile or anything remotely close to it, although I'm probably more discerning about visual quality than the average gamer. Most people probably wouldn't be bothered by it.

It's slightly disappointing to me, but it's an occupational hazard with the 360 and pretty much expected.

The main problem I have with the game is that it feels like the first 30 minutes of every FF title for Playstation 1/2 -- you know, where the game leads you on a set path and then afterwards lets you loose in a town to run around semi-freely (and then the game opens up completely about 15 - 20 hours in). Yeah, well I'm on CH. 3 and I'm still being herded, herded, herded along with nothing to break it up. And I know there's basically no side-quests, no towns et al. Which really sucks. I can't help but feel that they left that stuff out due to budget more than anything else -- leaving it out doesn't make it "better" by any stretch of the imagination.

I mean, fuck, at least Grandia II -- which was linear -- had towns to break it up, where you could talk to NPCs and do your own thing for a little bit.

[c0ldb33r]

I've always found towns and talking with NPCs to be tedious, so I quite like the lack of both.

[BHvrd]

I've always found towns and talking with NPCs to be tedious, so I quite like the lack of both.

I agree. Over populated towns have always been a buzz kill for me. Better if the town has townsfolk who actually either pertain to the story at hand or give you something. I get extremely frustrated by an over abundance of people who just talk about their day or how their life sucks, at least give me a potion or something for talking to you!

Actually the major percentage of Rpg's i've never completed was cause i'm a completest and in some Rpg's talking to every npc is just such a boring choir.

[grolt]

Actually the major percentage of Rpg's i've never completed was cause i'm a completest and in some Rpg's talking to every npc is just such a boring choir.

I agree on this (on being a chore, not a choir), so the prospect of not having to deal with it in this game is certainly a weight lifted. Yet, at the same time, I can't help but feel something is missing. A lot of what gave the earlier FF games like FFVIII or FFIV their charm were the melange of quirky, interesting and sometimes tragic NPCs. I liked how the cities felt organic, like they just exist aside from whatever story you're trying to accomplish. You can just go there and hang out. Thus far in FFXIII, I've encountered a decent amount of NPCs just weeping about in the rubble, but it's not the same as being able to talk to them in a separate non-linear location.

Right now, though, the story and main characters are engaging enough that I'm more than willing to live without all the tried and true FF tropes. I'm really liking this cast, and I think the voice acting is a lot better than in FFX. The story is more sophisticated, too, the way it's weaving in all these parallel narratives together. Good shit. Still, a little mini-game here and there wouldn't hurt, though...

[c0ldb33r]

I never liked the mini games either. A Final Fantasy without jabbering NPCs, mini games and fetch quests sounds good to me. I just want a good story.

[grolt]

I never liked the mini games either. A Final Fantasy without jabbering NPCs, mini games and fetch quests sounds good to me. I just want a good story.

For me it's not so much about "enjoying" the mini-games as much as it is just the feeling of life they bring to the games. People are hanging out at the Golden Saucer, kids are trading Triad cards, while you're out there doing your business saving the world. It just helps create the illusion that you're not just on rails in some arbitrary video game quest.

[Therealqtip]

Well its almost 5 years later...

[unwinddesign]

I'm surprised that so many find it tedious; always found that it fleshed out the backstory and immersion a little bit more.

After 5 hours of pressing the A button to kill creatures without much strategy, interspersed with cutscenes, it would be nice to have anything to do that was unrelated. I feel like I'm just playing a semi-interactive anime or something at this point. And the story better pick up soon, or I might put it down.

[mezrabad]

I know what Square Enix is saying, and I do recognize that this is a bit of a departure from previous Final Fantasy titles. What I think has made the series accessible over the years has been the fact that if you are only playing for the story, you can get through the game by using very simple tactics. Really not much more complex than "have everyone use their strongest attacks/summons/spells and heal a lot using potions and status cures". I think that that's been the essence of the series for the last 10 years. If you want to think, you can do that, if you're just there for the eye candy, well, that's fine, you'll get through.

Since that's what Final Fantasy has seemed to be to me for a decade, then FF XIII, to me is quintessential Final Fantasy: Here's one button. One character to control, one button to heal everyone - all you have to do is decide in what order to pick off the enemies and to keep people healed. In between? Lots of pretty visuals and movies.

I like the idea of making the FF games something that -everyone- can finish, regardless of their ability to fight efficiently. I'll be slightly annoyed if I keep getting rewarded with five stars for just choosing auto-battle and potions the whole game - though most of me is there for the pretty visuals.

It is apparent to me, more than ever with this FFXIII, that Square has more or less admitted: "Psst, you hardcore gamers out there? Yeah, we didn't really make this for you, please don't take it personally, but we're going after Moms... Moms are tough (but we want to sell them our games)"

[NayusDante]

Moms are tough, but they'll probably drop out pretty early on. :P

Does the battle system remind anyone else of Rockman EXE, if only a slight resemblance? For years, I denied the influence of that series in modern gaming, but I'm starting to see a lot of similar elements showing up.

[Eternal Tune]

Five hours in now, so I can form an honest opinion. Phantasy Star XIII is what I've been dubbing it, since it reminds me so much of Phantasy Star Online/Universe, visually that is. The combat is like XII, which I won't complain about, but I long for the days of turn based combat. I want to be a gentleman/woman and play fair, taking my turn. I'm also very weirded out by not leveling up and having MP to worry about. I'm indifferent to this.

Main character is Squall in drag and with pink hair. I'm tired of angry/emo/pissy main characters. Snow looks a lot like Seifer, but a swell guy. He's such a stud muffin. Resident black character is actually very likable. Vanille is the character I like the most. Upbeat and happy...this can only lead to her being a cunt later on. Hope is a cutie, but a rather gay name for a male.

The main theme/song "My Hands" has been playing in winamp all day today. How long until I go insane, the world may never know. Maybe I already have....maybe that's why I like this game....

Overall I do like it, it's just so different. Different is good in FFXIII case. I wish XIV wasn't online. God I hate online MMORPGs

Also, I wish I would have got it on the PS3, I notice compression and it bugs me. I'll still get it once it gets cheaper. I was so pissed at Sony though.

[kupomogli]

I watched a friend who just got it yesterday play through a little bit of it.

The only thing I have to say about it. The battle music is generic, annoying, boring, grating, etc, personified. In short, it sucks.

I'm wondering if anyone from Square Enix actually listened to the music and told the composer he should throw that crap out. I remember listening to it on the demo and hating the music then as well. Considering that the battles are going to take most of the playtime could they have made the music not suck? FF10 was a pretty bad game but had a great battle theme which softened the blow on finishing that one off.

[Overbite]

The music is really good I think. They even put words on the FF7 chocobo theme and play that during the Chocobo Park attraction at the theme park.

this game gets really hard later. At the start you get 5 stars for just auto attacking but pretty soon you have to work for it. I just got to Gran Pulse and I'm getting 3-4 and barely scraping by. You need to switch paradigms almost non-stop during some of these fights.

[NayusDante]

I'm on chapter 7 now. Phantasy Star is indeed a good comparison for the design and monsters, but I keep wanting to call it Xenosaga. Run forward, fight, cutscene. Run forward, fight, cutscene. Run forward, treasure box, fight, cutscene, boss fight, cutscene, "Would you like to save?", cutscene...

If Snow were more like Seifer, I wouldn't mind him as much. As it stands, Snow isn't fun to listen to. After such a long absence, I kinda enjoyed him not being around, but he had to come back in and bring his lame-o skillset with him. I swear, the guy's popping happy pills or something. Even when he's mad, he's got that surfer-dude happy air about him.

Lightning does bring Squall to mind, but without the mental issues, so I actually really like her. She's a more interesting character than anything I've seen from Squenix in the last decade, which isn't saying much, but it's a noteworthy improvement.

I'm holding off any serious criticism for Vanille. She's gotta have some kind of traumatic past that made her like that.

Hope isn't bad, but he's not good either. They should have named him Vanilla, and the peppy girl Hope. I hope she stops talking.

Sazh and Lightning seem to have incredibly honest personalities, which I want to see more of in JRPGs. That one trait gives them both enough depth to stand out as good characters, which is surprising for Square. A lot of what we've seen in previous games has been rather two-dimensional, and at worst paper-thin (FFXII).

[c0ldb33r]

There seems to be plenty of Vanille porn on the net, so she's clearly good for something.

I really like Sazh (I always call him Shaz in my head). He's a decent character and I just dig his attitude. Although, would someone PLEASE explain to me why he's got a chocobo living in his hair! If this was ever explained in the game, I missed it.

[Therealqtip]

There seems to be plenty of Vanille porn on the net, so she's clearly good for something.

I really like Sazh (I always call him Shaz in my head). He's a decent character and I just dig his attitude. Although, would someone PLEASE explain to me why he's got a chocobo living in his hair! If this was ever explained in the game, I missed it.

Cause he has an afro /shrug

[NayusDante]

Ugh, I would probably rank Vanille as the least attractive female in the game. Even Hope's mom is hotter. Maybe that's just me.

Sazh explains the chocobo in a flashback, around chapter 6. He bought it for his son, but things happened. I'm sure that the real story is something more like "Tetsuya Nomura drew a black guy with an afro big enough to hold a chocobo chick, so they ran with it." Some of Sazh's dialog does point to Japan's lack of sensitivity toward the portrayl of characters of African descent.


Does anyone have a map of the game with story markers? I'm having a hard time visualizing where all of these places are. Is Boddham on Pulse, or did they somehow fit a beach and an ocean into that big moon they call Cocoon? Pulse is the whole planet, right? They keep talking about how bad it is, but there's definitely cities there. I have a horrible sense of direction, so I could be wrong about all this...

[monkeychemist]

but I keep wanting to call it Xenosaga. Run forward, fight, cutscene. Run forward, fight, cutscene. Run forward, treasure box, fight, cutscene, boss fight, cutscene, "Would you like to save?", cutscene...

You comment really scares me. I had heard so much praise about those games, I bought one. To me it was unplayable! That styles really annoyed me because it did not make me feel in control. I felt like every step was a chore and because of it I could not play it. I've loved all the FF games, even XII's radical new battle system after giving it a chance...but if this turns out to be a pretty Xenosaga I'm going to be very disappointed! I will anxiously watch all your updates, thank you so much for giving a real opinion, it is very helpful!

[Therealqtip]

Ugh, I would probably rank Vanille as the least attractive female in the game. Even Hope's mom is hotter. Maybe that's just me.



dissin' on the gingerz yo?

[BHvrd]

dissin' on the gingerz yo?

http://h1.ripway.com/BsheaH/wtfgingeryo.JPG

[kupomogli]

The last post is too off topic. I'm not going to go to this thread again until page 6 is available.

[monkeychemist]

The last post is too off topic. I'm not going to go to this thread again until page 6 is available.

you should wait until page 36 :)

[NayusDante]

Is FFXIII going to have any replay value whatsoever? Playing through again would just mean fighting the exact same monsters, the exact same way. There's really no alternate methods of doing anything until later...

Anybody finish yet? What was your clear time?

[FantasiaWHT]

Somebody wake me up when I can get it for $20.

[Voliko]

I may grab a copy at Target this week. Just checked their sale paper and they will be giving a $10 gift card with purchase. The one major thing that I like about the game, (based on what I have read), is that it is not an on-line thing like FFXI. I don't do online gaming so the single-player aspect appeals to me. The linearity I can live with since I hate spending tons of time trying to figure out where I left off if I have to leave a game sit for a while. On a side note, if you hate the linearity and lack of exploration, then by all means, avoid Shining Force CD. When I first got it, I was thinking that it would be really neat since there was more room for data and it would be a bigger game. Didn't realize that it was just a port of a couple Game Gear titles. Incidentally, that game is now called my "herpes" game. No matter what I do, I can't get rid of it. I have had a number of deals in the works for it over the years, but for some reason they never go through.

JY

If Shining Force CD is herpes, then I enjoy herpes. I can cure that herpes for you, if you know what I mean.

[NayusDante]

I'm another hour or so into chapter 7 (it's long, lots of long battles). Lightning seems to enjoy hitting people. A lot.

This is where the battle system starts getting annoying. Remember how in FFX, they kept throwing you the same battles over and over, and the characters said annoying things until you played them just right? That's how this feels. I've fought the two yellow guards and the one commander who knows how many times, and it feels repetitive after the first three sets.

I could really go for a three-member party right about now. Since about chapter 2, you're just controlling two people at a time. It's like they decided "hey, you need some practice using Hope and Vanille. Oh wait, we're gonna mix it up and now you're using Sazh and Vanille! Don't get too used to that though, because in two fights you're gonna have to use Hope and Lightning!" At this rate, I'm expecting to get the PHS tutorial when I'm done with the final dungeon.

I'm still seeing tutorial screens in chapter 7. There's 13 chapters, and I'm still being taught how to play at the 60% mark. As much as I'm digging the story and overall experience, FFXIII has some seriously weird issues.

Now my crystarium is all out of whack. Snow is maxed out, but Hope has half of his grid open. Hope's grid is 3x as expanded as Snow's at this point, so Snow feels seriously under-developed. Oddly, he seems to be more effective in combat. Character progression isn't what it used to be...

[maxlords]

I'm about an hour in and LOVING this one. It's sucking me right in. Hope I still feel that way 20 or 30 hours in :D

[HappehLemons]

I'm about 15 hours in, I can't stand this game anymore. So.... linear....

[c0ldb33r]

I'm about 10 or 11 hours in and stll really like it. I'm happy that a lot of the boring BS which typically distracts me.

[NayusDante]

I finished chapter 7 this afternoon. That chapter was maybe, three hours long! The others are all short...

I'm not going to say if it's "good" yet, but it's definitely the most interesting game I've played in a long time.

[Nico87]

Err, do you guys equip the new weapons you get along the way, or do you just keep upgrading the old ones? I've spent so many components on upgrading the older weapons, but these new ones I've been getting have amazing effects, like 'Maintain Stagger' for these guns I found for Sazh. I was hoping I could get a refund of all the items I've spent on upgrading his Vega guns by dismantling them, but all I got was two components that gave me about 30 xp in total.

So, is equipping new weapons and upgrading them worth it?

[NayusDante]

I'm *hoping* that there's somewhere to grind for weapon upgrades later on. Just hold on to your weapons and accessories...

[c0ldb33r]

I've changes to Sazhs guns with maintain stagger but man... I wish I could get all the accessories that I've used back.

[Octopod]

Skipping this shit yo.

[crangle]

The game is good just that its not that good for the first 10 to 15 hours (its 60 hours long). i found the story beginning to turn

extremely good at about 15 hours later and the battle getting mindblowing at about 10 hours later.

[c0ldb33r]

I'm still enjoying it. I didnt get a chance to play it this week, so I'm catching up a bit this weekend. I am getting BORED of two player teams though. That part sucks.

Spoiler (highlight to read):

I bet that it was Fang's focus to give Vanille a massage. At least that's what I'm hoping. :D

[Therealqtip]

The game is good just that its not that good for the first 10 to 15 hours (its 60 hours long). i found the story beginning to turn

extremely good at about 15 hours later and the battle getting mindblowing at about 10 hours later.

A game thats 60 bucks and requires 15 hours to finally get it good? Yuck.

[mezrabad]

I went back to playing FFVII and getting my bottom beat in Demon's Souls. It's not that I didn't like FFXIII, I just have a limited attenti.....ooo squirrel!!!

[Therealqtip]

I went back to playing FFVII and getting my bottom beat in Demon's Souls. It's not that I didn't like FFXIII, I just have a limited attenti.....ooo squirrel!!!

Heh I just torrented that game and tbh its pretty overrated. Maybe it was godly back in...95? but its outdated imo.

/end trolling FF13 thread\

EDIT:

The music still kicks ass to this day.

[mezrabad]

Heh I just torrented that game and tbh its pretty overrated. Maybe it was godly back in...95? but its outdated imo.

/end trolling FF13 thread

I hear you! FFVII would've been godly in 95! It didn't come out until '97, but I understand what you're saying. I played it in 2000 or so and I became very fond of the characters I spent something like 50 hours with. But yeah, it's pretty (for then) and it's fun (for then), and it's awesome that it's available for $10 on PSN, but I can't take it for more than a half hour or so a night, because, honestly, I keep falling asleep while playing it! (And this is from someone who looooves it. :D )

[NayusDante]

Heh I just torrented that game and tbh its pretty overrated. Maybe it was godly back in...95? but its outdated imo.

/end trolling FF13 thread

Dare I say that FF7 was outdated at release... Yes it had the CG elements and the FMV, but the presentation was all disjointed between the SD map characters and the realistic battle and cutscene models. That level of messy design seems inexcusable for a series that far along. Square was developing for a new platform that was very different from what they were used to. There could easily have been a transition game between FFVI and FFVII, but they jumped from sprites to 3D before they had the proper experience.

FFX was handled a lot better, and it's aged very well. There's not as much technical gap between FFIX and FFX than there is between FFVI and FFVII. Aside from visuals, there's really nothing in FFXIII that wasn't achieved technically in FFXII, so I think that Square has finally figured out the console transition process. In FFXVI, I don't think the technical gap will be noticeable at all.

FFVII was released at the wrong time. They should have done FFIX first, or something more traditional before the vastly different concept that was FFVII. FFXIII has shown us that Square is finally good at "different."

[badinsults]

I finally was able to get a copy of Final Fantasy 13 yesterday. I just started the third chapter, and am really enjoying it so far. The battles are actually far more intense than what a lot of people were saying.

The store I went to only had a handful of copies of the Xbox 360 version, but about 30 copies of the PS3 version. Does this mean that the 360 version is vastly outselling the PS3 version, or that they anticipated that the PS3 version to sell far more? The first time I tried to buy the game (two weeks ago), they were sold out of the 360 version.

[kupomogli]

Does this mean that the 360 version is vastly outselling the PS3 version

The PS3 version is outselling the 360 version by 200,000+ in the US and 300,000+ in PAL regions. In Japan they're outselling them by about two million(sarcasm as I am aware it has no 360 version in Japan.) First week for both versions has been extremely high. Second week has dropped quite a bit. I'm just waiting for it to drop to the extremely low weekly sales because everyone has the game and once it hits that 19.99 price, then I'll pick it up.

[mastamuzz]

Any RPG are like pancakes get them while they are hot cause after some time they seem outdated, that is if you played the game when it came out you will carry the game in your memories and like it, but if you waited like 4 years that means is 3 generations old (videogamewise) so you will say what is all the fuss about this game? and that also applies to other video games that are revolutionary on their field cause other games take bits and pieces of the great hit that one had and incorporate mechanics or ideas from that master piece and then you feel you there is nothing new if you waited to play that game 4 years, chrono cross FF7 and 8 were revolutionary on their time not only FMV but in ff7 the materia and linking system IMHO hasn't been matched by any game up to this day and was something that made that game awesome , a clean battle screen and and the gunswords was also revolutionary on FF8 time, chrono cross just being the sequel of chrono trigger is enough and great side quests to gather all the characters, but if you play any of those oldies today well you can say they are outdated! FFXIII haves it's own charm and solid characters what I don't like is the chrystarium or cristarium or whatever the name feels like the sphere grid from FFX and sucks big time IMO but the game play is somewhat fresh cause differs from FFXII, also lame characters on FFXII IMO FFXII was more like Vagrant Story 2040 or something like that!

[pseudonym]

Any RPG are like pancakes get them while they are hot cause after some time they seem outdated, that is if you played the game when it came out you will carry the game in your memories and like it, but if you waited like 4 years that means is 3 generations old (videogamewise) so you will say what is all the fuss about this game? and that also applies to other video games that are revolutionary on their field cause other games take bits and pieces of the great hit that one had and incorporate mechanics or ideas from that master piece and then you feel you there is nothing new if you waited to play that game 4 years, chrono cross FF7 and 8 were revolutionary on their time not only FMV but in ff7 the materia and linking system IMHO hasn't been matched by any game up to this day and was something that made that game awesome , a clean battle screen and and the gunswords was also revolutionary on FF8 time, chrono cross just being the sequel of chrono trigger is enough and great side quests to gather all the characters, but if you play any of those oldies today well you can say they are outdated! FFXIII haves it's own charm and solid characters what I don't like is the chrystarium or cristarium or whatever the name feels like the sphere grid from FFX and sucks big time IMO but the game play is somewhat fresh cause differs from FFXII, also lame characters on FFXII IMO FFXII was more like Vagrant Story 2040 or something like that!

Uh, what? You kind of ramble on about a bunch of stuff in one giant block of text.

I like the Sphere grid and the Crystarium system in FFX and XIII. They seem fairly flexible without being as prone to abuse like the Materia and the Draw/Junction systems in FF7 and FF8.

I like FF13 so far, it starts off slow but it's starting to pick up now.

[c0ldb33r]

I'm in chapter 11 now. I think that I've died more times in this game than any other final fantasy to date.

I'm still enjoying the game, but some of the battles are a little frustrating.

I'm never using the summons. Is anyone else?