Final Fantasy XIII

[PurpleLeafRave]

Ok, I just watched the trailer for Final Fantasy XIII and I think it looks amazing!
However, I've heard a lot of people slagging it off on the escapist, so my question to you is will I like it?
I've never played a Final Fantasy game before, and the only other RPGs I've played which are like it are Star Ocean: The Last Hope, Lost Odyssey and Golden Sun. I hated Star Ocean but loved the other two to bits.

 

[unoleian]

I rather enjoyed it.

The story is nonsensical as hell for a really long time, and the combat is a bore for the first couple hours, but it really picks up steam later on and is nowhere near over when it's over.
Once you get the hang of the combat system, it actually plays a LOT similar to other FF's, if you ask me, and there's actually an awful lot of strategy that goes into building good paradigm decks for some of the more advanced battles, and utilizing them effectively.

Sure, you lose control of two characters, but, honestly, IMO buffing is a chore, it's nice that it can be handled automatically, and who doesn't simply mine through the menus repeatedly in other FFs to select the most effective attack, anyway? It's kinda nice being able to focus on what's going on on the screen instead of slogging through a menu selecting "Thunder" for the 150th time.

But that's just me.

 

[EeveeElectro]

It's hard. It's as annoying as the others for boss battles, but it's worth it.

 

[Mr Snuffles]

I agree with unoleian, the combat is rather boring until chapter 3, but I am really enjoying it atm, and the areas are so graphically varied it's untrue, one minute you're in a crystal lake, the next you're in a scrapyard!!!

 

[PurpleLeafRave]

It's hard. It's as annoying as the others for boss battles, but it's worth it.

That's good, I loved Lost Odyssey's boss battles. Every one was hard in a different way. The Persona was so freaking annoying!

 

[Sir-jackington]

Don't waste your money FF 9 was the last good one, since they appeared on PS2 they were terrible. 8 was, is and always will be the best

 

[Pompey71]

i hate it with a passion. i like the simplicity of FF7 and FF10 and the stories that went with them. FF13 is a long corridor of mundane, carbon copy fights until it finally goes... "Now have a whole world to play around in thats TOO big for you to get your head around"! The characters are all rubbish except the black chap (who actually is really good) and the less said about Snow (The over emphasised arm movements man) the better. There's no music to hum after like the others... but yes, the boss fights are ok. But the end result... its a Final Fantasy game Jim but not as WE know it!

 

[tzimize]

I loved FF 7,8,9...found 10 to be decent...hated the guts out of both 12 and 13 and havent been able to finish either of them.

I might be over the whole japanese storypresentation and their silly characters and I might just be tired of their less than stellar gameplay (especially 13), but I found 13 to be the worst final fantasy I have played and a bad game over all.

It has good graphics and fantastic movie sequences, but a terrible cast, a WOEFUL script, a meh-inducing soundtrack, an uninteresting story and the worst combat in any game I have ever played, rpg or otherwise.

I would not recommend it to any other than complete DIE-HARD japanese fanboys.

I have not played star ocean or golden sun, I tried Lost Odyssey but it had a bit of a dull start so I couldnt get into it, but I plan on giving this another chance based on opinions of fellow gamers with good taste.

Will you like it? Only one way to find out, but DONT BUY IT. Rent/borrow and see what you think. Personally I havent been so disappointed since...Prince of Persia Warrior Within, its the ONLY place EVER metal music havent worked.

Edit: Just had to add a bit about the upgrade/leveling system. It has to be the most superfluous system ever created. Its a bunch of shiny crystals with annoying loading times/zooming in, and annoying "hold this button to level that ability" mechanics. Its completely linear and gives you absolutely zero room for creativity. You can choose which of the class"trees" you will level first, but they are always limited so by the end of the chapter you will usually have maxed out everything anyway.

 

[Psychophante]

It takes some time to get going, but I'm really enjoying it. And it does look amazing!

 

[King Kupofried]

As much as I hate to admit, there's nothing about it overall that makes it a 'bad' game. Though to me there's nothing really about it that makes it deserve the attention that it gets, I do admit that I am incredibly biased towards it and it makes me seethe about many things that essentially sum up to 'It just doesn't feel like Final Fantasy.", None of that will really matter to you saying that it is an absolute bad game is just an outright lie.
It is good, you'll have fun with it almost certainly if you play it, just keep in mind that it looks a lot deeper than it actually is.

 

[Tetranitrophenol]

If you have never played a FF game before then I THINK you will like it. Its good in it's own way, but dosent grasp (remotely) what a classic FF game is. You will however think that it is significantly boring the first few hours but it gets good eventually.

Also, don't ask people "will I like it?" since, many or all of us don't know you. >.>

 

[Fluke]

it makes me seethe about many things that essentially sum up to 'It just doesn't feel like Final Fantasy."

Personally, I feel it's more like half of a Final Fantasy game, and that's what ruined it for me. Bad game? No. Bad Final Fantasy game? IMO (and guttingly), yes.

 

[CLEVERSLEAZOID]

13 is the best one since 9.

The plot is slow to pick up, but definitely has you on the edge of your seat as it steams towards the climax. The problem with this Final Fantasy that has everyone qqing into their Final Fantasy 7 merchandise is the apparent lack of freedom until you get to the last couple of chapters of the game, and if you are too hasty you can't explore properly until you've beaten the last boss.

The combat system is extremely enjoyable [again, once you've progressed a few chapters in and the diversity of the combat opens up to you] and is highly different to the older games in the fact you only control your main character. The only complaint I'd have with the combat is if your character dies, insta-gameover. The auto-ability option is handy for quick takedowns, but for the 'core fans you can have the option to choose each move individually for your main.

I personally felt all of the characters were quite lovable, bar Vanille. Snow's gung-ho attitude peeved me a little bit, and the fact ALL of the females are voiced by Australians started to grate nearer the end of the game [Disclaimer: I have no dislike for the Australian accent, just felt it didn't fit in with the game], and it was quite nice to have a main character who wasn't a depressed love struck/struck dumb retard with all of the emotion of a soggy packet of noodles. [Yeah, I'm looking at you Cloud]

And in all honesty, I've tried Lost Odyssey, Eternal Sonata, Infinite Undiscovery... and FFXIII has been the only 360 RPG I've enjoyed enough to stick through until the end.

 

[unoleian]

It's not really an insta-game-over, just for that one battle. 'sides, keeping the character alive isn't all THAT difficult if you're running combat effectively. I think I only died like 6 times, and that was overstepping myself early on in Pulse, and then repeatedly throwing myself at the same overpowered brick wall (at the time). The meat of the game was rather manageable.

 

[CLEVERSLEAZOID]

It's not really an insta-game-over, just for that one battle. 'sides, keeping the character alive isn't all THAT difficult if you're running combat effectively. I think I only died like 6 times, and that was overstepping myself early on in Pulse, and then repeatedly throwing myself at the same overpowered brick wall (at the time). The meat of the game was rather manageable.

All I'm going to say is Chapter 11 Boss and its annoyingly unpredictable Doom. Took me 3/4 attempts before I got infuriated and used materials to make a +60% Death Resist trinket. He once cast it when he had 1.6 million health left. Was not amused haha. Majority of fights are manageable, yes, but sometimes you can't help but get over-cocky and think you'll survive another hit or two, or just completely forget to go into a Paradigm with a Sentinel, that cost me restart once or twice heh.

 

[chozo_hybrid]

You'll only know if you like it when you try it, rent it out or go to a friend that has it first.

 

[EeveeElectro]

It's hard. It's as annoying as the others for boss battles, but it's worth it.

How long can a tough fight take?

You have a scoreboard at the end of every battle with a "Target time" and "Battle duration"
One boss took me half an hour, when it should have took 7 minutes... No longer than 45 minutes so far though.

 

[CLEVERSLEAZOID]

I think my longest was also around the 45 minute mark, although the last boss battle was kinda walkover, iirc I beat him in under 4 minutes [not the second phase where you have to nuke asap]

 

[Daxrus]

I preferred 9, but this one is enjoyable. People are giving it too much of a hard time, imo. I'll always like 9 the best out of the series, but 13 is decent, so far. I'm just getting to the third disk, I think that's enough to form an opinion on it.