I have honestly never seen a game with such mix reviews. My roommate just got it and he is raving about it (I also havent see him in the last 8 hours) Just wondering if other people who got the game today like it this much. If so I might have to get it... or wait a week for God of War..
Final Fantasy XIII
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I've seen mostly bad reviews, and one of my friends told me the first half was utter crap, and then the second half became like a cheap knockoff of another Final Fantasy game, though he didn't say which one. I think what he was trying to tell me is that he felt the series has become derivative beyond the point of redemption. (Hey, at least in FFIX they knew exactly what they were doing, and had fun with the over-the-topness of it. Now they're trying to play the cliche seriously.)
I've seen mostly bad reviews, and one of my friends told me the first half was utter crap, and then the second half became like a cheap knockoff of another Final Fantasy game, though he didn't say which one. I think what he was trying to tell me is that he felt the series has become derivative beyond the point of redemption. (Hey, at least in FFIX they knew exactly what they were doing, and had fun with the over-the-topness of it. Now they're trying to play the cliche seriously.)
12 hours in and stopped playing, a friend let me borrow it and I'm not impressed. A how many year wait for this?
^I read a review that said the game doesn't get really fun until 20+ hours in. So maybe you should keep at it.
On another note, who the hell wants to play a game for 20 hours BEFORE it "gets fun?"
On another note, who the hell wants to play a game for 20 hours BEFORE it "gets fun?"
I'm 3 chapters into the story..and i'm enjoying quite greatly and i've never actually played a Final Fantasy game with this much of my own interest in it.
I'm having mixed feelings about it, ive waited so long for the game to come out, the initial story isnt all that bad compared to the diabolical shite which has come from jrpg's in recent years. I'm not dissapointed yet i feel the map designs are too boring and linear. Graphics make up for it aswell as some new weapon customisation stuff inspired by star ocean.
Ive also noticed how easy the game is compared to others, you get a crazy amount of potions to begin with and everything is literally straight infront of you, none of the running around exploring like the beginning of 9.
Ive also noticed how easy the game is compared to others, you get a crazy amount of potions to begin with and everything is literally straight infront of you, none of the running around exploring like the beginning of 9.
Well fun is dependant on the player. I can't speak for it due to the fact that my copy is still en-route from Amazon.com since I had a $10 discount from another game I bought from them.Thunderhorse31 said:
To many players a game doesn't get fun until they get to a point where they start to receive lots of immediate gratification. RPGs are generally not like this, where you start out fairly weak and humble, and grow much more powerful and get other options as the game progresses. Depending on the depth of the game this can take a good, long time.
I would say that if you don't get any joy from slowly building up characters, then RPGs really aren't your genere and aren't supposed to be. No offense intended to anyone. If your not having fun for 20 hours, then yeah... it's not a game for you.
I think a lot of this comes back to things like ENN's recent joke about the reduction of RPG elements in games, which is going on (despite the RPG label). Basically a lot of companies are trying to simplify RPG games and provide immediate gratification to make them appeal to a more mainstream audience of non-RPG players, and ultimatly killing what makes them RPGs and getting "both barrels" with neither fandom being really happy.
I'll also be honest in saying that anyone should have seen the mixed reviews this is getting coming for years, it was heavily telegraphed. Right now you have a situation where both systems are doing the "RPG thing" where Microsoft used to scoff at them. You also have a lot of companies trying to groom RPG lines a lot more vigorously than they have been in the past, combined of course with the experimentation we've seen (which has mostly gone badly). You've even got Final Fantasy competing with some of it's own people who have been developing titles like "Lost Odyssey".
The basic point here is that Final Fantasy quashed most of it's serious competition due to it's scope, budget, etc... but right now it has competition on the same level, and a lot of divided loyalties among the media and such. Consider all of the fanboys of a certain developer whom some see as the "soul" of Final Fantasy who did Lost Odyssey for example.
Reviews seem to be either you'll love it or you'll hate it. Pretty much all of them think the first part is bad... and the first part apparently isn't exactly short either. Rest of it seems to be opinions: whether you like/hate linearity and jRPGs in general.
I'm not sure whether to get it yet. I played IV, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, X-2. I really hated VII and X-2, and what I've heard XIII seems to be inspired quite a bit by VII. I also haven't exactly been very enthusiastic about Square since they fused with Enix.
I'm not sure whether to get it yet. I played IV, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, X-2. I really hated VII and X-2, and what I've heard XIII seems to be inspired quite a bit by VII. I also haven't exactly been very enthusiastic about Square since they fused with Enix.
I hated the last Final Fantasy. I love this one. Just blew through disc one in one sitting, 9 1/2 hours of gameplay bitches.
The writing and voice acting is good, the story isn't derivative, and the combat system gets progressivly more interesting at around chapter 3. Once paradigm shifts enter gameplay it gets increasingly more complex, and requires you to think tactically and think on your feet. Chain up high with Ravagers. But you need a commando to slow the chain recovery down or it'll be for nothing. Some enemies may requre you to put in a synergist or a saboteur to buff/debuff. And if your low on health better shift in a medic because Pheonix downs are fairly rare and money is tight (so far anyway).
The game IS highly linear but it's all about the story, and the combat is fun and different enough to keep you moving. More importantly the characters are likable, and the story keeps you guessing - one disc in and i'm still not sure what the big bad is or whats really going on. For those that get confused there's an in game encyclopedia with a wealth of information, easily accessed. If a battle goes badly for you, hit start then select to restart it - you'll need to do this sometimes as certain encounters will RAPE YOU HARD IN THE EYE if you don't set up right. On the other hand, utterly molesting a boss because you know how and when to paradigm shift to keep him on the ropes is very satisfying. Sometimes you'll attack, shift, attack, shift, attack, shift. Combat is real time but feels like rounds, thanks to the active time gauge. I'm still feeling out the niceties. My only complaint is it can get a bit TOO frentic, makes it hard to do much other then hit Auto battle and be on the right Paradigm. Manually putting in commands costs precious time that could be getting you raped, or lowering your battle score.
The aesthetic is actually suprisingly cyberpunk. Humans use magic via high-tech, Cocoon is LITERALLY a floating world, as in, it's got skies an oceans and shit, it's like a dyson sphere. There are actual explainations for otherwise rediculous things, like Snow being able to punch monsters - his coat is actually powered. He has a Coat of +5 strength, people.
Whats with all the haters hatin'? They FINALLY made a good game again!
The writing and voice acting is good, the story isn't derivative, and the combat system gets progressivly more interesting at around chapter 3. Once paradigm shifts enter gameplay it gets increasingly more complex, and requires you to think tactically and think on your feet. Chain up high with Ravagers. But you need a commando to slow the chain recovery down or it'll be for nothing. Some enemies may requre you to put in a synergist or a saboteur to buff/debuff. And if your low on health better shift in a medic because Pheonix downs are fairly rare and money is tight (so far anyway).
The game IS highly linear but it's all about the story, and the combat is fun and different enough to keep you moving. More importantly the characters are likable, and the story keeps you guessing - one disc in and i'm still not sure what the big bad is or whats really going on. For those that get confused there's an in game encyclopedia with a wealth of information, easily accessed. If a battle goes badly for you, hit start then select to restart it - you'll need to do this sometimes as certain encounters will RAPE YOU HARD IN THE EYE if you don't set up right. On the other hand, utterly molesting a boss because you know how and when to paradigm shift to keep him on the ropes is very satisfying. Sometimes you'll attack, shift, attack, shift, attack, shift. Combat is real time but feels like rounds, thanks to the active time gauge. I'm still feeling out the niceties. My only complaint is it can get a bit TOO frentic, makes it hard to do much other then hit Auto battle and be on the right Paradigm. Manually putting in commands costs precious time that could be getting you raped, or lowering your battle score.
The aesthetic is actually suprisingly cyberpunk. Humans use magic via high-tech, Cocoon is LITERALLY a floating world, as in, it's got skies an oceans and shit, it's like a dyson sphere. There are actual explainations for otherwise rediculous things, like Snow being able to punch monsters - his coat is actually powered. He has a Coat of +5 strength, people.
Whats with all the haters hatin'? They FINALLY made a good game again!
Not counting the tunnel maps, so far so good.
After the first merry-resistance scenes I haven't even had that much gripes about the writing/translation/voice acting. Sure there are some parts that are less than amazing, nor is the translation ground breaking, but it manages to avoid being awkwardly melodramatic too.
The only thing that still is there to annoy me at times is the "shocked gasp" reactions. Didn't they learn from FFX that they are just silly? Fortunately I'm hearing less and less of that, so hopefully the writers forgot to add it to every imaginable scene after the first chapters few...
I'm even getting used to Vanille, even if its only because I suspect she might be genuinely crazy. And the accent. Or maybe my irritation-nerves just have learned to shut themselves off when she speaks.
After the first merry-resistance scenes I haven't even had that much gripes about the writing/translation/voice acting. Sure there are some parts that are less than amazing, nor is the translation ground breaking, but it manages to avoid being awkwardly melodramatic too.
The only thing that still is there to annoy me at times is the "shocked gasp" reactions. Didn't they learn from FFX that they are just silly? Fortunately I'm hearing less and less of that, so hopefully the writers forgot to add it to every imaginable scene after the first chapters few...
I'm even getting used to Vanille, even if its only because I suspect she might be genuinely crazy. And the accent. Or maybe my irritation-nerves just have learned to shut themselves off when she speaks.
About 8 hours in myself...
Initial Impressions...
- The new battle system takes some time to get used to but is pretty kick ass once you get used to it, all that role changing and management is very exciting.
- Story is very jargon heavy but is otherwise compelling in concept.
- Pacing is a little slow, but I see what they're trying to do, however I doubt the impatiant ADD gaming community at large has time for something like "Character Development" and this will be/has been poorly received.
Initial Impressions...
- The new battle system takes some time to get used to but is pretty kick ass once you get used to it, all that role changing and management is very exciting.
- Story is very jargon heavy but is otherwise compelling in concept.
- Pacing is a little slow, but I see what they're trying to do, however I doubt the impatiant ADD gaming community at large has time for something like "Character Development" and this will be/has been poorly received.
