Zero Punctuation and Final Fantasy XIII

[jboking]

My issues with FF's stagnation have to do with a lot of little things spread out through the game that really bugged me. The random encounters were just an example (and one of my biggest sources of rage which is why FF12 was actually kinda fun). I'll sit and wait patiently for reviews of FFXIII to come in. If it sounds decent, I'll give it a whack.

So your biggest problem was that the what was once one of the staples of the FF series got old? It's good they removed it then. FF13 has about an 82 on metacritic, tons of reviews are in. There are also no random encounters.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

I think you missed the point there. I didn't say they were all the same, did I? Perhaps you should read into things a bit more before waffling on like that.

The point I was trying to make was that each character is unique, not recycled.

I think there's a bit of both. For example: beefy martial arts guy who is enthusiastic but a bit dumb - Snow or Zell? Or saccharine cutesy cheerful girl - Vanille or Selphie or even Rikku? Or quiet demure healer girl - Yuna or Aeris? What I'd say is that some of the Final Fantasy characters personalities are heavily set by a particular trope (eg. cute girl or emo hero etc), and these tropes are used fairly unsubtly, which tends to drown out the more subtle differences in their personalities. Then when more than one character is based around the same trope, they come across as being a bit samey because people recognise the unsubtle trope being reused. But it's not the character being reused, it's the trope. It the tropes were used less heavy handedly in many cases the more subtle differences of the character would shine through in more people's memories and less people would think the characters are recyled cliches.

To be fair, I could cite Bioware for abusing those precise character tropes yet apparently everything with the Bioware seal of approve is orgasmatic gold. To note this is note directed toward you however more a generalization given the relentless war between WRPG and JRPG were neither crowd seems to amass any realization their beloved games are just as guilt for the vehement loathing they project upon another.

Final Fantasy has basically been stuck in 1987 until only recently when Square Enix finally realized they were developing a game for a system that can actually take some stress. The random encounter system is a great example of this. It made perfect sense back in the day due to the limited resources of the Nintendo. They couldn't figure out how to have the enemies show up until FF12? Really?

Really now? Alright since you apparently have an enlightening sense of technological advancement and productivity, find me a series of RPGs which did not implement the random encounter concept preceding Final Fantasy XI, which was released in 2002. I currently know of one, that being Lunar Silver Star Story Complete and the graphical output of the aforementioned was SNES quality. FFX was a thirty five million dollar investment in addition the first game in existence to possess voice work to the extent in which was allotted; with spoken dialogue enough to rival novels and with graphics by such a juncture were astonishing. The PS2 simply was not competent enough or rather technology was not, of rendering monster animation in such detail without resulting in a hindrance to the game as a whole. I cannot fathom why a game is immense grating simply because of a transition from a dungeon screen to a battle screen in all of seconds. To each their own I suppose.

For the remainder of your post, had Final Fantasy VII never come to existence, RPGs may never have become the staple of gaming many have. Whether or not you favor the game, it is undeniable it revolutionized the genre beyond imagination for its time. It was the game to grace the heavens, much akin to the immense popularity subsequent games such as Mass Effect, GTA and so forth garner today. To claim such ridiculous nonsense the series has not evolved since 1987, is an example of either ignorance or blind hatred for a series you dislike.

I could continue dissecting the over exaggerated bias posts presented in this thread, the majority of whom have never touched a JRPG, let alone a Final Fantasy game for probably no longer a duration than a moment, yet feel a misguided notion of entitlement to bash the genre to the ends of time, all whilst praising generic shooter x (see I can be blindly biased too!) however what is the use? It is one aspect to dislike a genre or specific game after having attempted to play it, providing one's opinion as just that, however The Escapist has been known to vehement dislike JRPG, to such a degree even TVtropes mocks it for this precise reason.

And prior to the absentminded individuals who feel the necessity to scream "FF fanboy!" You would be incorrect, albeit I do value the series I am a Roleplaying game fan. Now read that line once more... notice the lack of "Western" or "Japanese"? Good, see I play roleplaying games I personally fancy and such is all. I could not care less of which nationality the game derives from. Should the storyline, gameplay or what have you captivate my intrigue, I shall amass entertainment for however many hours until its conclusion and then some. For those who can separate opinion from fact, my hat to you all and so long as you are respectful, enjoy whichever game you fancy.

OT: I would be amazed if Yahtzee gave FFXIII a mere moment of his attention. JRPGs have never been his cup of tea, although I must concede to highly anticipating the review were he to present one. It would be excellent for a good laugh.

 

[Barry Bragg]

I believe he will review it and he will hate it for a number of reasons which have plagued the series but mainly for 1 particular reason, the characters blow chunks. They have no depth and what depth they do have isnt actually depth, its square-enix injecting stereotypical mysteries of their past and blah blah blah into each character. The last interesting characters for the series was Tidus in FFX and that was mainly because we find out he is the imagining of a bunch of dead people. The fact is, while I still enjoy FF, I dont truly go to it for the story anymore because it tends to be a played out stereotype from anime. If you want character depth, you have to go to Bioware RPGs. No matter ya gripes about Mass Effect 2, Mordus is one of the most interesting and enjoyable characters you will find in a modern game. I expect Yahtzee will blast the characters, the long ass cut scenes which detract from actual gameplay, and the fact that the game plays sleight of hand with the user. It's like Avatar, it blows ya mind with thoughts of "oh pretty" to make up for true substance. Not saying its a horrible game, just saying they need to be a bit more innovative and thats why Yahtzee will destroy it. Once he gets around to it of course, because there are a million good games to review.

 

[TOGSolid]

To be fair, I could cite Bioware for abusing those precise character tropes yet apparently everything with the Bioware seal of approve is orgasmatic gold.

I disliked Mass Effect and wasn't particularly thrilled with Dragon Age except as a brain dead hack and slasher precisely because they were so hackneyed and stagnated.

It's really interesting how a lot of the counter-arguments seem to use assumptions about what my opinions may be and that I'm a stereotypical western biased gamer. I haven't been thrilled about a Bioware release in ages. Likewise, I find most shooters to, surprise, be equally repetitive and droll. It's rare for one to suck me in.

For the remainder of your post, had Final Fantasy VII never come to existence, RPGs may never have become the staple of gaming many have.

What? RPGs were a staple before FF7. What world do you live in, or are you just that new to gaming?

Herp Derp

Chrono Trigger, and that was on the fucking SNES.

Kindly take a hike now.

 

[Zukonub]

I always thought he should have reviewed FFXII tbh. It mixes western concepts with JRPG traditions, and, while I thought it was the better for it, that's clearly a subjective matter.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

]For the remainder of your post, had Final Fantasy VII never come to existence, RPGs may never have become the staple of gaming many have.

What? RPGs were a staple before FF7. What world do you live in, or are you just that new to gaming?[/quote]

In terms of popularity at the time of their release and sales, nothing remotely touched FFVII nor were RPGs well known to Western games until its release. It is not to say RPGs never would have become something, however FFVII pressed the genre along.

Herp Derp

Chrono Trigger, and that was on the fucking SNES.

Kindly take a hike now.

Hmm, *looks at Final Fantasy X, than Chrono Trigger* Yes because those have the same graphical output... *rolls eyes*

You would have been bettered served mentioning Chrono Cross, which I admittedly had forgotten, although CC was released in 2000 and few monsters were present on screen due to Playstation's limitations.

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

He'll probably think that it's playable, though no doubt the story will be hared.
Next week is Heavy Rain or "QTE: The Game" which kinda makes me sad although I don't really get offended when he rants on my fav games.

 

[Lullabye]

I think Yahtzee's favorite character will be the baby chocobo in Sazh's hair.

He'll probably think that it's playable, though no doubt the story will be hared.
Next week is Heavy Rain or "QTE: The Game" which kinda makes me sad although I don't really get offended when he rants on my fav games.

Ugh, I don't want him to review HR. It doesn't bother me that he hates games I love, I mean, I watch it for the satire, not the actual impute. What I'm worried about is that it will make people even less likely to buy it, effectively destroying an amazing genre before it even gets going.

 

[EmmerikXXII]

I just beat it, and I have to say it is one of my favorite games of all time. Some would call me a "Fan-boy" because I historically love Final Fantasy games, but I evaluated it honestly. If it sucked, I would be telling people it sucked. I can't say this is the case though. The battle system is fun as hell to me. It's fast paced and challenging, but maintains the classic Final Fantasy feel. I honestly think the linearity serves the game well, but most ADD addled children aren't going to make it past chapter 4 without getting bored, so I can see why this would be a problem for many.