Final Fantasy XIII - 3 Reasons

[QCX]

Playing them on SNES with my 8bit symphony and 2d awesomeness.

Wait Snes was 16-bit...

Yes the SNES was 16-bit of wonderful magic, however the music and sound system was 8-bit. This is also the system used for ye old brick phones from the yonder years of the 90's.

 

[Googenstien]

I really like it and I havent liked a FF game since PSOne days.

I love the graphics and truly dont mind the story cut scenes, maybe I am older and less grouchy toward shit like this but I find peoples criticism of the game harsh.. but not unexpected.

I am looking forward to tactics.

 

[Pearwood]

I have to disagree about the music, I think it's the best in the series so far. I agree with your other points though, I can see why other people wouldn't like the game based on them. It was quite surprising to find out that Vanille was a genuine Aussie.

 

[Crimson_Dragoon]

While it was far from a perfect game, I have to say I really enjoyed the combat. It was fast paced and focused on big-picture (changing paradigms mid-combat) instead of on smaller details (individual actions--which when you can perform up to 6 in a turn would get really annoying manually entering every time).

The music though... WHY COULDN'T THEY GET NOBU BACK *SOB*

I don't thing you want him back. The man may have been good before, but now he's lost it. His only contribution to FFXII was it's god-awful theme song. And have you heard Blue Dragon's soundtrack? It is absolutely horrid and the boss music (the only boss music) makes me want to punch a baby!

 

[Rayansaki]

3 Disk's lol. That's like reviewing the Sega Mega Drive version of Crysis.

I played 80 hours on my first playthrough, 20~ of those should be cinematics (the best looking cinematics in history of gaming if you had picked the PS3 version, so the awe is enough to keep you entertained). The music is arguable, as I find it to be the best soundtrack out of all FF's I played (FFXIII was the first one I played but I've since backtracked all the way to 7 except for 8 and 9 that I just couldn't get into).

As for combat, the only FF game which had a more satisfying combat in my opinion was Crisis Core.

Also find it hard to believe a self titled fanboy of FF would wait like 4-5 months to buy the new game

 

[The Rockerfly]

I don't thing you want him back. The man may have been good before, but now he's lost it. His only contribution to FFXII was it's god-awful theme song. And have you heard Blue Dragon's soundtrack? It is absolutely horrid and the boss music (the only boss music) makes me want to punch a baby!

Seriously? I didn't think the man could do any wrong. I will listen to the pieces later but every single piece I previously heard from him were geniusly written and he has never failed to impress me

 

[Legion IV]

Yet again am the only one on this planet who can say this is my 2nd favorite game behind starcraft.

The games fun mabey it was my state of mind when playing because the story gave me a warm feeling inside.

Mabey it was how my little sister would watch me play it and it made her really happy despite all the trash that she has to be around. So ya the story it made me happy. (no am not 5 lol)

Gameplay great just everything about the game is geat.

Uhg though she constantly steals my lighting figurine and takes it outta place......

So call me crazy all you want. Its my 2nd favorite game of all time and i've been gaming for 15 years.

Plus Yaag is just awsome!

 

[Thaius]

I thought the battle system was great. Saying it was nothing more than pressing the A button is like saying video games are nothing more than pushing buttons; sure, the auto-attack may seem a bit like cheating, but especially for the harder battles, you have to constantly be changing paradigms as the situation calls for it. It's one of my favorite battle systems Final Fantasy has ever had.

The music was definitely not Nobou Uematsu. However, it was the best non-Uematsu FF soundtrack I have yet heard.

As for the plot, I thought it was a bit lacking. They made a great world with a complex and detailed mythos, and they really didn't use it to its full potential. However, this is because they were so caught up in the character-driven story. The character drama is some of the most complex and wonderful I have ever seen in a game; it was absolutely brilliant. And personally, I'd take a game with a weak plot but a great character-driven story than the other way around (I'm looking at you, Final Fantasy XII).

Overall, I loved it. Not up to the level of VI, VII, or X, but it was really good.

Oh, and by the way.

I know they are just trying to capture a sense of multiculturalism within their character base.....but whats with the horrid Australian accents. Don't get me wrong, I'm as Aussie as back yard cricket. But these are just terrible attempts, its like when you hear an American trying to do a English accent, just wrong.

You know Vanille's voice actress is actually Australian, right?

 

[Kruxxor]

Yes I did it.
Three disks, around 14-16 hours of game play and I'm finished.

How did you beat the game in just 14-16 hours? I'm 15 hours in and only just on the second disc. I bought it on day of release but it's really left me unimpressed and no desire to play it.

All the other FF's i've played to the very end and no other game entered my machine until I finished it. This one though, I found, was seriously lacking in a lot of departments.

 

[QCX]

Ok another further explanation.

14-16 hours. 5 hours a disk. Granted that you can generally run around most mobs and that the "hallway" system was well pretty unimaginative. Anyone can power thru it pretty quick.

As for the button mashing. The auto-attack is more the point I am getting at. To me it seems a bit like putting bumpers on when playing bowling. It just takes away from the actual skill of the game.

Yes I am aware that Vanille is voiced by an Australian. My point is tho, that its horrid. She seemed more suited to a voice of say Rikku from FFX, a cheery little American girl. I don't know why I think this, maybe due to being groomed into it from the previous FFs.

 

[Danpascooch]

I loved it and i'm a big FF fan like you and it doesn't affect my judgement on the game. I loved the plot, graphics and combat and although it was linear without an open world until later, thats fine because its in context with the story.

I can understand people's reasons for hating it but some are just silly. There is plenty of linearity in other FF games, the combat is slow at first but gets tons better later on and requires lots of use of strategy.

...The idea when making a turn base system is to create pressure on the player and make them think quickly...

Um, it gets like that.

Oh, the music also ROCKS.

SNIP

I know you have plenty of experience with the series, so do I, trust me, that won't shut them up, I've tried.

My main problem with the game was the linearity, not the "well, not too much exploration" type linearity, I mean LITERAL fucking linearity, like "here's a pretty luminescent forest, walk along this 15ft wide path for an hour" It's like they didn't even TRY to hide it.

Also the lack of purpose, the game could have been entitled: "Lighning's terminal illness: Random angsty shit before she dies"

it was like one big midgar, plus everyone had a terminal illness.

not fun.

Thank you for the spoiler. No really, thank you, I really couldn't bother to finish the game or go read the ending online. The game is ridiculously repetetive and linear. I mean, it's pretty much the most linear game I have ever played. And I have played 2D platformers a lot.

On the review, it was really nice hearing the perspective of a sensible FF fan. It's really hard to pick up any sensible oppinions on the game in the huge pile of hate and love the game gets. I mean its ok to hate or love the game, but most of the hate/love come from the fact that its Final Fantasy, not because its good or bad.

well actually no, she doesn't die, they are all cured of their illness with literally no explanation whatsoever after killing the final boss, even though it clashes with established canon.

so yeah, basically the terminal illness goes away as the game ends, rendering the entire purpose and motivation throughout the entire game moot in a way that doesn't even make sense.

Yay Square Enix.

I made up that title because literally 3/4 of the game are them doing random shit (like running through a junkyard for no other reason than "we can't stay here") and going to fucking disney world (not kidding). I mean, this is NOT what I pick up a futuristic yet fantasy rpg for, to step into the shoes of someone doing random shit out of dread over their terminal illness!

Spoiler

Because they filled their focus they turned to Crystal, then because the Fal'cie are gone their brands dissapear and they wake up.

That makes absolutely no sense, they killed the Fal'cie that originally marked them, RIGHT AFTER IT MARKED THEM, it should have disappeared then.

 

[ShadowsofHope]

That makes absolutely no sense, they killed the Fal'cie that originally marked them, RIGHT AFTER IT MARKED THEM, it should have disappeared then.

Spoiler

No, the entire point was that the focus was bestowed with the destiny laid out for them that they were to destroy Cocoon for the Fal'cie so the Maker would return. The mark doesn't just disappear if the Fal'cie is destroyed, as the focus is required to be fulfilled before it will disappear.

 

[Vilcus]

...The idea when making a turn base system is to create pressure on the player and make them think quickly...

hang on a minute... isn't the whole point of turn based systems to give each player a fair and equal number of actions and also to give them time to think carefully about what to do. instead of like in real time where you are rewarded for thinking and acting quickly by being able to preform more actions than your opponent, thus giving you the advantage.

Actually most Turn based games work on a system that times you. If you take too long to choose an attack, or use an item then your opponent gets another turn. It's possible for the enemy to get 3 or more attacks in on you if you aren't fast enough (although there are several battle modes, the most common is "wait", which freezes battle time when you're inside the attack selection screen). It's very easy to feel pressed for time when you're using the modes that don't freeze time at any stage in the battle, and it's that combined with the pressure of finding your attack in the menues that makes Turn Based Combat games exciting.

OT: I have friends who played this, and some of them were long time FF fans. I was the only one who looked at this game once, and wrote it off. My friends wondered why I wasn't getting it, seeing as how I've played every Final Fantasy up to FFX (didn't play FFX-2, looked like a cash in to me), and I told them that it was going to be terrible. They didn't listen, so they got the game, and they were pissed because it wasn't everything Square said it would be (some downright hated it, while others just thought it got boring really fast).

I'm personally finished with the Final Fantasy series, I'll continue to play the older ones, but the new ones lost my interest after FFX.

 

[Danpascooch]

That makes absolutely no sense, they killed the Fal'cie that originally marked them, RIGHT AFTER IT MARKED THEM, it should have disappeared then.

Spoiler

No, the entire point was that the focus was bestowed with the destiny laid out for them that they were to destroy Cocoon for the Fal'cie so the Maker would return. The mark doesn't just disappear if the Fal'cie is destroyed, as the focus is required to be fulfilled before it will disappear.

when the focus is completed they're supposed to turn to crystal, why didn't they?

 

[ShadowsofHope]

That makes absolutely no sense, they killed the Fal'cie that originally marked them, RIGHT AFTER IT MARKED THEM, it should have disappeared then.

Spoiler

No, the entire point was that the focus was bestowed with the destiny laid out for them that they were to destroy Cocoon for the Fal'cie so the Maker would return. The mark doesn't just disappear if the Fal'cie is destroyed, as the focus is required to be fulfilled before it will disappear.

when the focus is completed they're supposed to turn to crystal, why didn't they?

Spoiler

Fang and Vanille did, by sacrificing themselves to become Ragnarok. The focus was that one of them would have to sacrifice all to destroy Cocoon, the rest of them were there to help them achieve that goal. It was the Fal'cie guiding them along the entire way. Without any of the Fal'cie left to command that focus, the power was broken when Cocoon was saved.

At least, that's my speculation on it. *shrug*

 

[Palademon]

Now I do not understand the reasoning behind the voice acting in this. I know they are just trying to capture a sense of multiculturalism within their character base.....but whats with the horrid Australian accents. Don't get me wrong, I'm as Aussie as back yard cricket. But these are just terrible attempts, its like when you hear an American trying to do a English accent, just wrong.

I actually thought it was the creators trying to make an original accent for the residents of Gran Pulse.

 

[Fensfield]

So.. yeah, my favourite Final Fantasy.

Weak characters? Seriously, no idea what everyones ranting about. Non-awesome characters, maybe, but these are my favourite characters in any FF, ever. I don't know if everyone merely judges FF characters purely on their base-concept or what, but judging them by their interactions, I was on the edge of my seat to see what happened next. Main plot could get stuffed (but thankfuly, was being driven in large by those interactions, so all the better), I was (for the first time in an FF, ever, to my memory), getting non-exposition character development, and it was good. And best of all the characters were anything but cool and awesome, they were a bunch of admirably developed normals and idiots in a situation over their heads, and the whole game revolved around that.

The combat system? Eh, I enjoyed it. No more nor less than that of any other FF.. okay maybe I enjoyed it a bit more, but only because the character power levels were for once deeply rooted in the plot rather than hand-waved in, and thus didn't hurt believability.

The story? I loved it. No, it wasn't epic-for-epic's-own-sake (for once, thank god); for once it was primarily about the characters; hell, everything was about the characters. One boss fight, I honestly agreed with the enemy's motivations for killing the protagonists. They were fighting purely for their own survival and hoping against hope they could find a way out of their situation instead of just giving up. Even the character power levels made sense in context, for once.

Music? It was nice. No, not FF standard I admit, but still, this is the only point I will ever admit was lacking.

Until FF XIII, for me, the Final Fantasy's were a bunch of epic-for-epic's-sake stories with flat characters, good music, nice opening ideas and some pretty visuals. In other words, they were the videogame equivalent of pre-Dune, non-pulp sci-fi novels, and I hope against hope that they learn a bit from the character and story of Final Fantasy XIII, instead of giving us another whiny nit surrounded by a bunch of McAwesomes of no inherent value bar being there to shove the epic along, that are only good characters by concept with zilch in the active development department.

.. Man I am so gonna get flamed. Oh well, to cover myself a bit, my experience with Final Fantasy is 1, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. They were fun to play, but nothing special in more than base setting concept and aesthetics. I understand six possesses some of the things I value in an RPG, however, so that'll be my next port of call.

Final Fantasy XIII's staying firmly in my collection.

 

[wierdman51]

I personally enjoyed it, despite all of its major and apparent flaws. The gameplay is probably the worst bit about it.

i must stop you there.

if its the worst bit why buy it? you wanna have fun playing the game, but if the gameplay is bad, then why play it?

story is important, ill say that, its more important than anything else i might even say. but if you dont like the game play, why spend the bucks on the game? im done.