Forum - View topicGAME: Final Fantasy XIII
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revial
Posts: 17 |
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I always find it funny how people have such differing demands from their rpgs.
The only thing I care about when playing any game outside of an online shooter is the story, and all the talk about linearity (as if any game with a start and end isn't actually linear, but let's not get into what tropes people use to make their little minds feel better), lack of exploration, etc....well, I personally don't care. 12 was the poster child of what "western" rpg lovers like. Pretty much no story to speak of, and lots of "freedom". We can throw in terms like "sandbox", and they get all giddy. Whatever. I hated it, because all I care about is story. I have my real life if I want to play a "sandbox". I'm one of those people who'd rather put my penis through a blender than play around with Morrowind, for example, because with work, bills, and all the other minutia of each day, the last thing I want to do in a game is something similar. Now, I'm not saying 13 was fantastic. In fact, I very much disliked how....Japanese for lack of a better term....the women were. I realize they were all supposed to be young adults, but they looked like they were 12. Again, cultural differences, and it is a Japanese game, but in a game (and era) where visual presentation means so much, it really kept me from enjoying the story as much as I would have if they had been....less 12-yrs old looking. The infuriating part of course is that it wasn't because the artists are incapable of drawing an adult woman who doesn't look 12 (ie: Fang, whom we'll just stay quiet about concerning her awful hairdo...oh woops). It makes one think what the FF13 artists masturbate to. Actually, don't think about it. It's very disturbing. The story itself was pretty confusing. Oh, I've figured things out for the most part eventually, though I'm still completely lost as to what happened through the final battle, and as such it was one of the most anti-climactic ones I've gone through in any FF game. It's possible I'd feel differently if I had any idea as to the how and whys of what went on. But about all I can come up with is hand waving and magic at this point. The upgrade (and really the entire equipment) system was pretty horrible as well. It was completely optional, and while I do primarily play these games for the story, I would have liked a little more actual depth to the mechanics side of your characters. I guess I think it was TOO streamlined. And the part in the review that tries to say there was depth in the Crystalium? No. No. No. It was completely linear, and basically just a very pretty graphic way of telling you get this skill after this skill after this skill. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But let's not pretend it's anything more than it is. And unless you skipped like every battle you could, it wasn't as if you didn't have enough CP to go ahead and get everything, so the whole concept of having to choose...well, that's just baloney as well. Now combat was utterly stupid for the first oh...1/3? of the game, as in you could just auto battle your way to 5 star ratings. This is one of the few things I agree with. But it did pick up, and once you get used to constantly switching paradigms, it actually gets pretty hectic. I will say this about FF13. No other FF game had me actually dying to "regular" mobs as often as I did, forcing me to think beyond the typical pressing of X repeatedly in boredom (I believe the last time I had this difficulty was FF2, but I was like pre-pubescent, so it's possible I just really sucked at that age). The only combat letdown further into the game was just how unbalanced your characters were, in that some are clearly much better than others, so unless you enjoy being third rate or decide to have no life and over-grind and actually do upgrades, you are basically using the same 3 forever once given the option. It's also fairly short. I finished in 31 hours, and I had left the game on numerous times while dealing with RL. Now, keep in mind there's virtually no grinding. I suspect our rosy memories of the glory days of 50+ hours to complete JRPGs without even bothering with the sidequests are dead as they continue to stream line them. A part of me is sad, even as the rational part tells me in terms of actual story content, the games are as "long" as ever. On a more practical level, if you play these games for the story, it is a very rentable game due to the short length. As for the characters, mostly good. 12-yr old looking adult girls just creep me out though, and Vanille's voice actor....my god. I can't believe FF has finally succumbed to the Japanese RPG trope of having a high-pitched squeeky annoying character. Oh, it wasn't as bad as say...Star Ocean...but I wanted to take my headphones off whenever she spoke. The worst part? She sounds perfectly fine as the narrator. Which means they did that on purpose. Whoever their English liason is, he/she/they need to be fired. Square, hire me for 15. I mean my god. Are they completely deaf at these Japanese companies? The single biggest voice acting complaint of virtually every modern JRPG is the whiny high-pitched girl. Why...why...why does the ONE game that seemed to have got it (X, X-2, and XII), that we detest this voice, seem to have gone crazy and given it to us in 13! It really makes me wonder how some people get their jobs. Snow was a tad nauseating in how juveniley (possibly not a word, but meh) idealistic he was, but at least he had a good voice actor so I could mostly get over how dumb he was. He also (like a great many things in this game) seemed to be a homage to an earlier FF (ie: Seifer, in 8, whom I really liked despite strong insinuations of having been intimate with my favorite FF girl Rinoa, whom I'm just now realizing as I write this obviously never completely lost her feelings towards Seifer since she went up and took him as Ultemicia, which would be like a gazillion years in her future....poor Squall), which I did find entertaining. In fact, the entire game was basically FFX, FFVIII, and FFVII meshed together and spit out, which isn't a horrible thing in my book. The rest were fine, and you can not believe what a sigh of relief I had when the young boy (Hope) didn't turn out to be a completely whiny little brat (like they are in pretty much every JRPG). Granted, there was no singly "cool" character (though Fang probably could have taken this mantle if she didn't have 80s rocker chic hair). Part of the problem was there was no real main protagonist, but whatever. I can live with that if the next FF doesn't portray adult girls as 12 yr olds. And ix nay on the high-pitched girly voice too. Final verdict? If you play JRPGs for the story, and hated 12 with a passion for the near lack of one, you'll likely enjoy 13. Otherwise, you probably won't. It's closest to 10, in that it is a narrative driven game that has been streamlined. If you didn't like that about 10, you won't like 13. To get an idea of what I enjoy in terms of FF, here's my ranking of the games, from best to worst (based on how I felt about them when playing (I find my views on games change as I continue to grow older, many times negatively): 8 (Squall and Rinoa/Ultimecia were my favorite video game couple ever, and I have waited, while continually being disappointed, for another FF to do this couple better) 4 ((US:2) This is the first FF game I played (hell, really the first graphical rpg). I was enthralled. I was also pretty young. 6 (US: 3) 7 (I bought a PS for this game. I loved it. Just want to say I'd almost rate this and the above three games all at the same level). 9 (The one game I don't rate based off my initial playthrough. I don't remember how old I was, but I do remember hating this game a lot when I first played. Played it last year for giggles, and actually really enjoyed it. Outside of the most feminine villain ever, and a monkey tailed protagonist, this game had the most character charm out of all of them imo.) 13 5 (Not sure why 5 gets so much hate, as the story is as good and involved as 4 and 6. I suspect since most of us played it far after 4 and 6, rosy goggles come into the picture.) 10-2 (I liked Yuna this time. A complete 180 from when I played 10.) 10 (Tidus was the first FF protagonist I just didn't like in any way. I mean I usually have an issue or two with any of them, but there was nothing I liked about Tidus). Basically, despite it being a ranked list, all the above I liked a lot. Now, to finish off the list: 12 (Yes, I hated...hated...12. The only FF, and one of the few video games I ever felt I had completely wasted my money on.) |
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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Well this if officially the weirdest criticism of 13 I've ever seen. Fang Lightning Serah If this is what the twelve year olds look like where you're from...could you please post some pictures of the 18 year olds? (Or would they look like they're 40? Your strange fast aging ways confuse me). |
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Kid Ryan
 Posts: 506 Location: Sacramento, California |
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I'll be buying an used or new copy (preferably new) right away as soon as I get an used 120 GB PS3 for $200 or less after tax this christmas.
Last edited by Kid Ryan on Fri Jun 04, 2010 3:32 am; edited 1 time in total |
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silver_deeds
 Posts: 61 |
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We only have the storyline to blame for the game being so linear. And as I liked the story I'm ok with it.
The Official FFXIII site has a promotional clip for the song/game that shows how much fun Leona Lewis has playing the game. It's all for publicity and I can't speak for what past FF games she's played, but from what I've heard she's played through 13. |
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LiuXuande
 Posts: 201 Location: Chicago |
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Do you have a link on that?
Eh, but to be completely honest, I'm not a huge fan of Hamauzu at all. Like don't get me wrong, the music *fits* with the game well, esp stuff like the battle theme, Light and Vanille's themes, etc...but unlike an Uematsu ost which you can pretty much *listen* to regardless of the game, this OST is more integrated. I feel that Kimi ga Iru Kara is another one of those tracks that to me, feels integrated with the overall OST of the game much better, regardless of how great of a song it is on its own (compared to say the Uematsu vocal themes, of course). |
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DavidShallcross
 Posts: 1008 |
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Fang and Lightning look like adult women who get a lot of exercise, but Sera looks kind of young. |
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LordRedhand
 Posts: 1472 Location: Middle of Nowhere, Indiana |
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This make my inner GM sigh, as basically I'm interpreting this and you giving a message to game developers is this: "Railroad me!" and that just isn't very creative and is infuriating when you want to actually tell a story with the player(s) involved, like say in an RPG... Hence why I stay away from most JRPGs they are at times the most linear and "railroad" type of RPG you can play when it comes to the video RPG's although Final Fantasy is still pretty durable.. Railroading as a gaming term is as follows it is a restriction of choice. Either by flatly removing choices, or more usually by having the same end result no matter how players approach a problem. Discussion can be found here http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/20159461/What_is_Railroading_and_why_you_shouldshouldnt_do_it?pg=1 |
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ChibiKangaroo
 Posts: 2941 |
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Funny, this is exactly how I felt about Tidus from X. By far the most annoying protagonist in a FF game I have played. Pitchy and extremely over the top bubbly. For those of you who have only played FF from X on, I feel truly sorry for you. Those who have played from VIII on, you've had a taste of what the glory days of FF were. VII was the peak for this series. I don't know if I call it the best FF game, because VI (3 in America) was also quite amazing, but VII was damn good. Both of those two had the most amazing stories, and this was before the excessive reliance on cinematics to wow the audience. Back then, it was ALL about the story and the intriguing battle systems. I think most people who have played FF have at least heard of VII, given the media exposure/movies which were made after. It was probably the most emotionally involved FF game, even though the protagonist was more or less mute and often a bit distant. The characters around him were so well developed though and the death of one of those characters still seems to be a hot topic whenever the game is talked about. However, I would also say that anyone who has not played VI, you really need to get your hands on that game. The game had a large number of playable characters, but the amazing thing is that virtually every one of the more than dozen playable characters has a very compelling and detailed back-story that is played out through out the over all campaign, and they intertwine at several points in ways that just enhance the larger story of good v evil. It's hard for me to say whether Vi or VII was the best game, but I really wish they could catch some of that magic again that they had in some of those earlier games. (IV is another great one for those who haven't played the earlier FF games. One of the most inventive ways of introducing the hero in an rpg.) |
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ikillchicken
Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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Well yeah but do you think she looks even close to twelve? Besides, she's supposed to be Lightning's younger sister so I assume she is a few years younger. That actually illustrates my point. Unlike a ton of the stuff that comes out of Japan, FF13 really seems to be spot on for character ages. The two that are young adults look like young adults. The one that's a bit younger looks a bit younger. The one that's a teen looks distinctly like a teen. They're all quite distinct in their ages. Hence why it seems like a very strange criticism. |
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Shadowrun20XX
 Posts: 1935 Location: Vegas |
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Ai no Kareshi
 Posts: 561 Location: South Africa |
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I've been debating with myself over the prospect of acquiring Final Fantasy XIII, a particularly expensive venture for me as it would also require me to actually purchase a PS3/X-Box.
All the criticism of the game, coupled by some terrible memories of XII, was able to kill my urge to buy it at first, but then hearing the battle theme made me take another look at the game and it started looking interesting again, with its beautiful visuals and the promise of a stellar performance by the Japanese voice cast. The latter, of course, adds an additional complication as I'll have to import the game from Japan to get the voice track I want. This complication, coupled with a battle system that sounds less than spectacular and more complex than necessary, is pushing me away again. Right now I'm thinking screw this, I'll just get the soundtrack. The moment I do that, though, I'm not likely turning back – I don't like to play a game after listening to the entire OST. |
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LauraOrganaSolo
 Posts: 109 |
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Maybe you should actually give it a try instead of relying on the internet to tell you what to play. I was pretty disappointed when FF XIII came out in Japan and everyone said it was hideously boring, dull, linear, lifeless, etc. etc. I bought it anyway and I've absolutely loved it. The random encounters are actually fun instead of *yawns and just holds down the X button*. I actually have to pay attention -- unlike in Final Fantasy XII where I just sat on the floor with a laptop and used a big toe on the analog stick to play the game for a lot of the time. Hope was the only character I outright hated at first, and he grew a backbone a few hours in and now I like him. Snow is pretty DERP but he's such an earnest, nice guy I can't hate him. Lightning is pragmatic and cold almost to a fault but without being a tsundere bitch. Even though I loathe Vanille's English voice actress with every fiber of my being, she manages to not be a clone of past FF heroines. And Sazh is just absolutely great. Seriously, people, give the game a chance. Rent it at the very least. Don't rely on everyone else to tell you what to play. You might be pleasantly surprised. |
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