Final Fantasy XIII LVL 1-3 Map ... I hope you like Linear

[Zoltor]

dude you're kind of stupid

name a good 3D strategy rpg? Valkirya Chronicles.

good 3D rpg? Tales of Symphonia, Abyss, and Vesperia. Wild Arms 5. Dragon Age Origins. Final Fantasy XII. Dragon Quest 8!

Saying that an RPG has to be 2D to be any good is just stupid. It's one of the genres that can go from 2D to 3D and still play the same.

Lol, dragon Age an RPG, that's funny, just like how companies try passing off Diablo clones as if they were RPGs, sorry but the are not. Most aer Action/Adventure, and there maybe 1-2 that are atleast action/RPGs(not pure RPG). I played that tales game ages ago(it wasn't POS perse, but it sure doesn't live up to the praise people give it), and if I recall wasn't pure 3D either DQ 8 was pretty bad(not as bad as other games made that gen, but bad neverless, and horribly worse then any other DQ game ever made.

FF 12 was not only a complete POS, but it wasn't an RPG either, at best it was an action/RPG(and even that is a bit of a stretch in termonology).

Just wow, with people that think such games are good, no wonder the industry is in such bad shape, I'm sure you think DQM:Joker was a good game as well. If your standards are so low that you think those are good, I pitty you, because the odds are you never played a actual good game before.

[Zoltor]

Hey smart guy, while in TO and FFT the graphics may not true 3D as you say, but the game is played in 3D. You have 3 dimensions of movement, so you, my friend have no idea what you're talking about...and explain to me your incredible logic that FF destroyed the gaming industry??? hahahhaha

You have no idea how coding actually works do you? just because the are levels, doesn't mean It's 3D(hell you can walk on walls if someone coded it to be allowed. there's a BIG(see the ******** word "Big") differance between a 2D drawing made to look 3D(and clearly the maps in TO/FFT games aren't in 3 dimensions, It's a simple trick probally thousands of years old), and a game that is actually 3D.

PS. I wish I was at one of my friend's house, so I can use his art program to draw a step by step diagram of how It's done. It's done in 2D(one single drawn picture).

[NayusDante]

I'm beginning to think that the Final Fantasy name should be reserved for traditional JRPGs that follow the expected formula. All of these "neat ideas" are fine and good, but they really ought to be different games from the FF series. It would appear that Final Fantasy ended on PlayStation, and they've since just reused the moogles, chocobos, and the FF name in new, completely different games.

I'm looking forward to FFXIII because it's a well-developed JRPG that pushes the PS3 and also sounds halfway interesting. NOT because it's "Final Fantasy," because it isn't. It's time to start naming these games independently, because Squenix has failed to preserve any definition of the name Final Fantasy beyond a common set of creatures and the name Cid.

[Zoltor]

I'm beginning to think that the Final Fantasy name should be reserved for traditional JRPGs that follow the expected formula. All of these "neat ideas" are fine and good, but they really ought to be different games from the FF series. It would appear that Final Fantasy ended on PlayStation, and they've since just reused the moogles, chocobos, and the FF name in new, completely different games.

I'm looking forward to FFXIII because it's a well-developed JRPG that pushes the PS3 and also sounds halfway interesting. NOT because it's "Final Fantasy," because it isn't. It's time to start naming these games independently, because Squenix has failed to preserve any definition of the name Final Fantasy beyond a common set of creatures and the name Cid.

Lol I agree with most of your post, It's getting really stupid calling these games FFs.

However if you want to play a JRPG, FF 13 probally Isn't the type of game you want, from what I hear, It's not even gonna be an action/RPG let alone JRPG, It's gonna be an action/adventure.

[NayusDante]

The battle system still bears enough similarity to what we're used to in "FF," so I'm still classifying it as a JRPG. It's menu-driven combat, and that's my main criteria. Even FFXII (barely) manages to squeeze in by that point, but FFXIII looks squarely within.

[backguard]

If you haven't played Wild Arms 4, then I strongly suggest it.

Thanks - I will give that a shot. You also reminded me to play the 2nd an 3rd Shadow Hearts games. Loved the first but never got around to the others.

[monkeychemist]

You have no idea how coding actually works do you? just because the are levels, doesn't mean It's 3D(hell you can walk on walls if someone coded it to be allowed. there's a BIG(see the ******** word "Big") differance between a 2D drawing made to look 3D(and clearly the maps in TO/FFT games aren't in 3 dimensions, It's a simple trick probally thousands of years old), and a game that is actually 3D.

PS. I wish I was at one of my friend's house, so I can use his art program to draw a step by step diagram of how It's done. It's done in 2D(one single drawn picture).

We're talking about different things here. I'm saying the gameplay is 3D. You're saying the coding isn't 3D. The graphics however, are NOT 3D no matter how you code them. Unless they are a holographic projected image, it's always going to be a 2D illusion of 3D. So who cares how it's programmed?

Back to the topic, I would invite the skeptics to just give this one some time, maybe even a chance. You're jumping to conclusion not having played the game, that's pretty closed-minded. I think Square will *once again* blow everyone away.

[backguard]

Back to the topic, I would invite the skeptics to just give this one some time, maybe even a chance. You're jumping to conclusion not having played the game, that's pretty closed-minded. I think Square will *once again* blow everyone away.

What are the Japanese reviewers saying?

[Kid Fenris]

Everyone, please keep arguing with Zoltor. He's hilarious.

Zoltor hated Dragon Quest 8.

Stopped clocks, twice a day, etc.

[Raedon]

What are the Japanese reviewers saying?

they love it / they hate it. Most of the gamers are complaining about how the death of one character causes the End Game. I'm not sure if they were talking about the girl? or some main character? No idea really.

You can always read the only full scale import review online right now at Electronic Theatre. They say the game is fantastic.





In the videos above you'll see "Optima Change." In the English release that will be "Paradigm Shift" whatever that means.

[NayusDante]

Most of the gamers are complaining about how the death of one character causes the End Game.

This has been done before, you had to keep Bannon alive in FF6, so I don't see how it's a big deal. Unless it's something stupid like not being able to phoenix down one of your regular party members...

[monkeychemist]

You can always read the only full scale import review online right now at Electronic Theatre. They say the game is fantastic.

Awesome review, thanks so much! It covered a lot of points that I was hoping for. For example a return to the ATB-style fighting, but with a twist. I loved the battle system of FFX because you could switch people in and out, this one, you can change "roles" to make things interesting.

Also, and as a main rebuttal to the OP's pictures, there seems to be quite a bit of exploration. So maybe the game, while having a straight map, has ways of making that map more interesting.... *OR* perhaps, as stated in the review, Square made some things easy for newcomers. Since those are the first 3 maps, they made them really simple as to not put off someone who's never played an RPG. Then as the game progresses, maps get more intricate, exploration becomes possible and even necessary.

Like I said before, it's a little too premature to slam this game, let's give it a chance!

[NayusDante]

You know, you could make a map like that for any RPG. That doesn't look any more linear than FFX, and it's clear that they exaggerated the scope of it. Even still, there could be tons of interactivity in those linear sections for all we know.

[Wraith Storm]

I loved the battle system of FFX because you could switch people in and out...

It's an excellent idea when when its executed properly, unfortunately in FFX it wasn't.

Take a look at Shining the Holy Arc on the Saturn. In mid battle you could switch characters in and out for other preferred characters and in FFX you could do the same thing. But FFX screwed it all up because any character that wanted XP had to perform an action!!! WTF!?!?! In STHA and like almost any other RPG, when you win the battle all your characters get XP divided amongst them.

In FFX there were plenty of enemies that I could kill in one hit. But then I would only have that ONE character gaining levels. So to make sure no one fell behind in levels I had to constantly use weak attacks to make sure EVERYONE got their turn and performed an action so they could get their share of the XP. It was needlessly time consuming. It slowed down the pace of an already slow game. It felt like cheap tactics to artificially lengthen the game.