Final Fantasy XIII

[schild]

Spoiler thread from here on out for the folks with the game: http://forums.f13.net/index.php?topic=18904.0

[stray]

Ooookay. Maybe I should take the above back. I've died like 3 times in an hour now.


The good thing about it is that they're all tactical mistakes. Not lack of gear or grinding "mistakes".

[Velorath]

So in becoming the greatest JRPG FFXIII has become a glorified movie. Likewise in becoming the greatest Western RPG Mass Effect 2 has become a glorified movie.

What?  Mass Effect 2 is no more a glorified movie than the first game.  If anything, a greater emphasis was put on the 3rd person shooter aspects.

Anyway, I caved and picked up FFXIII before work.  Just played it for an hour and a half after I got home and I'm liking it so far.  The bizarre debate going on in this thread as to whether or not this game is one of the greatest JRPG's ever seems to be a lot of meaningless crap since JRPG is a pretty nebulous term, but whatever. 

The streamlining doesn't bother me at all, but then I haven't been a huge fan of JRPG's in the last several years anyway so it wasn't really hard to win me over in that respect.  Doubt there's any way I'm going to finish this before God of War 3 comes out though, and at that point GoW3 takes priority.

[stray]

I'm not debating anything. I think Rendakor digs Persona 3/4 a lot and just wants to know how this stacks up. "Good enough", I'd say. But different.

And besides that, well worth playing anyways considering they aren't many JRPGs out these days. Or games with color, for that matter!  

[Cyrrex]

Or games with color, for that matter!  

If by this statement you are referring to the fact that they've used more than 27 shades of green, gray and brown, then hell yeah.  This game is gorgeous to look at.  I'm still trying to figure out if I'm having fun (only a couple hours in).

[Khaldun]

One of the strange gaps in my gaming resume is that I've never played any FF. Judging from the reviews, this isn't the one to start with, though.

[Rasix]

One of the strange gaps in my gaming resume is that I've never played any FF. Judging from the reviews, this isn't the one to start with, though.

An 82 combined at metacritic isn't bad (Gamespot gave Deus Ex an 82).  A game shouldn't need a 90+ to get the go ahead.  What I'd consider the best the JRPG genre has to offer has an 85 at metacritic.  

The game is very linear.  It's trimmed away a lot of the illusion of exploration that other JRPGs offer.  It has abstracted towns into a remote vendor and removed the need to run up to some random NPC and push X.  A decent amount of the JRPG trappings have been sacrificed in order to maintain the focus on moving the plot forward.

There's nothing really preventing anyone from starting the FF series at any point.  What may be considered a staple of the series is easily cast off or turned on its head in others.  They all generally have chocobos (first one didn't); a strong, moody central character (6 kind of focused on Terra, but not really); summoning spells (some don't); fight/magic/item/run; and some overarching plot to save the world from a diabolical madman that eventually turns into some sort of gigantic screen scrolling baddie.   You fight, you get stronger, you advance the plot.  

But if  JRPGs and/or FF doesn't interest you, this one shouldn't change that.  It's no reinvention of the genre or an attempt to make it more accessible.  

[Falconeer]

It looks incredible, it plays smoothly and characters are awesome if you are into anime stuff. The plot starts out prety cool if you ask me and I wasn't really expecting something that heartbreaking in the first 20 minutes or so. Promising.

I don't see how a PS3 owner can possibly skip this.

[Draegan]

I wish I had a PS3 for this.  Maybe I'll turn in my 360 and all it's games to get a ps3 and this (and demon souls and heavy rain, and mag and....)

[Rasix]

I wish I had a PS3 for this.  Maybe I'll turn in my 360 and all it's games to get a ps3 and this (and demon souls and heavy rain, and mag and....)

That's kind of what I did when I got a PS2.  Traded in the XBrick and everything I had for it.  Did rather well.

[Draegan]

Hmm yeah it's got me thinking.  I have a ton of older games too for Xbox (old one) and PS2.  I might be able to get a dollar or so for them heh.  Maybe I can sell my Wii that I've never even had in my house and is still sitting in my parent's house.

[stray]

Is it inferior on the 360 or something?

[NiX]

Is it inferior on the 360 or something?

Yeah, I can't quite figure out why you would go through all that trouble when you could just buy it for the console you own.

Maybe Draegan doesn't know it's out for 360. Let's not tell him.

[Rasix]

Is it inferior on the 360 or something?

Gamespot review mentioned that the PS3 version looks much better.

[stray]

Lower rez, and 3 discs apparently as well... but I'm not sure I'd ditch a 360 for the PS3 solely because of it. ALTHOUGH the PS3 IS a better console for other games.....  

[edit] Oh, but anyways, I think this would actually be the perfect game to start off FF with. For all of it's lack of JRPG staples, it plays to the genre's (and the series' specifically) core strengths. I'd rather recommend this to a new player than something laden with features that may very well turn them off. It also lacks some of the clear negative features of FF that would definitely turn them off... like random encounters.

Also it's a better cast and story since... Actually, I don't know. Best characters since 8 or 9 at least.

[Cyrrex]

I would probably second the recommendation that this would be one to start with, because it seems...simpler...on many levels, and does cut out some of the unnecessary shit.  Of course the problem will be that it's such a technical marvel that the others will suffer pretty hard in comparison.

I'm far enough along now that I'm being forced to put Paradigm shifts to use, and it's about time.  The early combat is just too easy boring.

[stray]

It starts to get legitimately challenging. I'm just getting a taste of it now, but I've finally read reviews, and they all seem to say ithe difficulty keeps escalatating. IGN review says it may even turn off some people. I'll gladly welcome it.. but it's kind of a weird transition...and you'd never guess just starting out. The game holds your hand for a good 5 or 6 hrs, I think. Maybe longer.

[Lounge]

So just out of curiosity, how many of you are actively filling your ATB queue vs how many are using the auto battle option?

I have been shooting for auto battle the yard trash, then manually input the boss fights.  That said I am thinking about slowing down the ATB gauge so i have a reasonable amount of time to pull off some kind of strategy during a boss fight.  As it is right now its jut WAY too fast for me.

[Cyrrex]

I'm not using manual commands.  The auto commands seem to generally be the best choices anyway.  Switching paradigms at certain times seems to be where the real tactical combat is in this game....in more than one case it has saved my ass (or conversely, a switch at the wrong time has even killed me).  It's an interesting departure for this series.

[stray]

Mostly just auto queue for minions. I've at least had to rely on paradigm shifting (but still auto queuing) with some newer minions... so it's not all straight up auto-atack.

Not sure if I'll use the slower feature anytime soon for bosses.

[stray]

Jesus, Edge gave this game a 50.

[Merusk]

Actually, I don't know. Best characters since 8 or 9 at least.

... This is not how you sell someone on picking this up.  Of those two games only Vivi and Seifer piqued my interest.  10 had a superior cast in every way, even the guys I hated.

[stray]

I really like most of X and X-2's characters as well.

Perhaps I should just say that Lightning is the best protagonist in awhile. Maybe ever.

Then again, I like bitches.

[schild]

Jesus, Edge gave this game a 50.

360 version?

[Simond]

An 82 combined at metacritic isn't bad (Gamespot gave Deus Ex an 82).  A game shouldn't need a 90+ to get the go ahead.  What I'd consider the best the JRPG genre has to offer has an 85 at metacritic.  

OTOH, an 82 for a core Final Fantasy game is, well...
FFVII: 92
FFVIII: 90
FFIX: 94
FFX: 92
FFXII: 92


Hell, Squeenix couldn't even buy get a perfect Famitsu score for it, and they're given away in cereal boxes nowadays (Bayonetta is a 40/40 game? Really?).

Jesus, Edge gave this game a 50.

360 version?

http://www.edge-online.com/magazine/review-final-fantasy-xiii

PS3 (version tested).

Some people don’t like numbers, but try this little sum. If you submit 25 hours of your life to a misjudged series of linear battles and cutscenes, Square Enix lets you play FFXIII, and you’ll get 25 decent hours out of it. It’s an equation that might just balance out – but for who? Well, the fanbase, certainly, will find Lightning to be the Cloud substitute they’ve been yearning for, and in the hunting side-quests the grinding fix they’re after. For anyone less dedicated – who wouldn’t really care if a Chocobo makes an appearance or not – it’s more troubling. FFXIII is uncommonly beautiful, with a background fiction as rich as its story is poor, and at its beating heart is a battle system that stands among the genre’s finest. Its structural changes are brave, but in minimising everything that happens outside of that main narrative the baby’s been thrown out with the bathwater, leaving a potentially interesting world that you just don’t care about saving.

FFXIII takes brave risks with the series’ foundations, but they ultimately create trembling fractures throughout the entire edifice, that robust battle system unable to support the weight of an entire world. Final Fantasy games are always an investment. This time, the returns are questionable.

[Falconeer]

Those scores are bullshit, or actually the present 80-something score is bullshit. The "gaming press" is definitely not coherent nor consistant in rating games and claiming this is the worse FF since basically forever is just pathetic. Without delving too much into anything, FF12 was a joke ON ALL ACCOUNTS compared to this one, so don't get me started on 92 vs 82. Sheesh.

[Simond]

FFXII is basically "Here's the world, there's a storyline somewhere in there, go explore"
FFXIII is the exact opposite, and quite possibly deliberately so.

[schild]

Why would anyone compare FFXII and FXIII :( The former wasn't even a jRPG >_>

FF12 was a joke ON ALL ACCOUNTS compared to this one

No.

[Hawkbit]

I caved and bought it last night.  Haven't played it yet, because my 4yr old daughter is fucking wrapped around it so tightly I'm afraid to move her.  It's almost bedtime so I gotta do something, but damn.  It's gonna suck when it starts getting harder for her.  Right now she's having a ton of fun with it.

[Rasix]

FFXII is basically "Here's the world, there's a storyline somewhere in there, go explore"

 

edit: I mean, sure there was some exploration (typically with side quests retreading areas you've already been to) but it's not like it was some sort of open world master piece.  12 was just another iteration with new combat.    (I like 12)

[Quinton]

I would prefer something more like the gambit system than the paradigm shift thing.  The gambit system gave me a lot more flexibility and control over the actions of my characters.  Now if you gave me a set of "roles" that I could define in terms of gambit system style rules and then I could swap roles in combat like paradigm shifting... now *that* would be fun.

[stray]

The Edge review doesn't even make sense. It wants to criticize it for not being "JRPG" enough, then turns around and tries to conclude that newcomers won't like it.... that only fans of the series would. 

Anyways... as for the first 25 hrs being a waste of time... I haven't played that far, but there's nothing about this that's so excruciatingly awful to deserve a 50. I mean fuck, that's like... bargain bin beach babes 50 cent Ronald McDonald territory or something.

[Simond]

Edge tends to use the entire 1 - 10 scale like you're supposed to.
(Someone really need to make a new "Amiga Power"-type mag or website. IIRC they once gave one game 2....percent. Why 2%? Because they felt it was more insulting that a 'gimmick' 1% score would be).

[stray]

It's still doesn't make sense to me for the content though. He's basically complaining about what it isn't, then concludes that newcomers won't like it, and that only fans of the series would. When it's HIM that's a big fan of the series himself apparently - else he wouldnt make so many complaints about what it isn't. Yet he trying to pass off his expectations as if they were those of the mainstream.

My head hurts trying to figure that shit out.

ANYWHO... I have no qualms with anyone not liking it for what it isn't. Which is what most of the bad reviews boil down to. I would think a newcomer though (or an open minded person.. like myself  ) would judge it for what it is, not what it isn't.

[Morfiend]

Is it bad that I have zero interest in this game?