Final Fantasy XIII

[Dave]

With its December 17th Japanese release date fast approaching, Famitsu has reportedly cast its critical eye on Square-Enix's Final Fantasy XIII.

The publication has reportedly given the title a 39/40 rating. Not too shabby, but low enough it seems to spark some controversy given that Famitsu's 40/40 ratings have become a little easier to achieve in recent times and was recently awarded to SEGA and Platinum Games' Bayonetta.

Other titles released to 40/40 scores in 2009 include Dragons Quest IX, Monster Hunter Tri and NEW Super Mario Bros Wii. All good titles, but nowhere near to the anticipation surrounding Square-Enix's latest opus. To put it into some perspective, Famitsu also awarded Final Fantasy X with a 39/40 score, the only title in the series to gain a 40/40 was Final Fantasy XII.

Final Fantasy XIII is scheduled for a UK release on PlayStation3 and Xbox 360 on March 9th 2010.

Now, I am finding it difficult to read much into this. As the article states, Final Fantasy XIII has "only" achieved a 39/40 on Famitsu and apparently this is a huge deal. With that one point that has been dropped, people are reportedly saying that this might be the poorest of the Final Fantasy series. However, I don't think that much should be read into this. This is for two precise reasons. Firstly, Final Fantasy X was given the exact same score and is still, to this day, one of my favourite games that have ever been released. Secondly, the only Final Fantasy game it has given the perfect score to is Final Fantasy XII. Now, this says a lot. I am a fan of the series but I cannot tell you how dismayed I am that Final Fantasy XII got a perfect score when X did not. It was a good game for sure but it was not better than X by any stretch of the imagination. As with this game, I imagine it to be a very fussy pick and I, for one, will not be going on what Famitsu has to say.

However, what repercussions does this have for the game? Are people going to be put off by this score or is it going to be a fair representation of a series that has struggled to capture the imagination and hearts of the fans since Final Fantasy VII?

 

[Dagger Dias]

Now, I am finding it difficult to read much into this. As the article states, Final Fantasy XIII has "only" achieved a 39/40 on Famitsu and apparently this is a huge deal. With that one point that has been dropped, people are reportedly saying that this might be the poorest of the Final Fantasy series. However, I don't think that much should be read into this. This is for two precise reasons. Firstly, Final Fantasy X was given the exact same score and is still, to this day, one of my favourite games that have ever been released. Secondly, the only Final Fantasy game it has given the perfect score to is Final Fantasy XII. Now, this says a lot. I am a fan of the series but I cannot tell you how dismayed I am that Final Fantasy XII got a perfect score when X did not. It was a good game for sure but it was not better than X by any stretch of the imagination. As with this game, I imagine it to be a very fussy pick and I, for one, will not be going on what Famitsu has to say.

However, what repercussions does this have for the game? Are people going to be put off by this score or is it going to be a fair representation of a series that has struggled to capture the imagination and hearts of the fans since Final Fantasy VII?

And now it's time for Wrestlezone Forum's "Final Fantasy fanboy" to throw in his two cents. Honestly.... I'm not looking forward to the game at all. FFX was the last good Final Fantasy game. X-2 was too cheesy, XI doesn't even deserve to be part of the series, I couldn't even get through XII.... and XIII does not appeal to me. It saddens me what the series has turned into because it has gone from the greatest series ever into....this. I don't even know HOW to describe my disappointment in the latest games of what was once the greatest series ever. It doesn't matter what ranks or scores it gets, I don't think it will come close to capturing the hearts and imagination of fans that FF7 did because nothing sticks out as being "awesome" in it.

 

[Dave]

And now it's time for Wrestlezone Forum's "Final Fantasy fanboy" to throw in his two cents. Honestly.... I'm not looking forward to the game at all. FFX was the last good Final Fantasy game. X-2 was too cheesy, XI doesn't even deserve to be part of the series, I couldn't even get through XII.... and XIII does not appeal to me. It saddens me what the series has turned into because it has gone from the greatest series ever into....this. I don't even know HOW to describe my disappointment in the latest games of what was once the greatest series ever. It doesn't matter what ranks or scores it gets, I don't think it will come close to capturing the hearts and imagination of fans that FF7 did because nothing sticks out as being "awesome" in it.

Yeah because you have already played right through it can comment on everything that is going to happen, right?

Of course not. I, too, am a Final Fantasy fan boy but that was an unnecessarily scathing review for a game that has not even been released yet. You talk about it as if you have played through it and nothing has sparked your interest. I personally think that this game will be very good. It is the first one to really grace the new generation of consoles and I very much looking forward to seeing what that brings about. I do agree with you on some points. Final Fantasy X was probably the best game of the last 3 but Final Fantasy XII was a pretty decent game too. I played right through it and I liked how expansive the game was. I remember fighting all of the arena monsters and thought that it was a nice touch. Personally, I am looking forward to this game and I am going to hold my criticisms back until I have actually played the game. There is no point buying the game with the outlook that you have because you will automatically hate it.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Yeah because you have already played right through it can comment on everything that is going to happen, right?

Of course not. I, too, am a Final Fantasy fan boy but that was an unnecessarily scathing review for a game that has not even been released yet. You talk about it as if you have played through it and nothing has sparked your interest. I personally think that this game will be very good. It is the first one to really grace the new generation of consoles and I very much looking forward to seeing what that brings about. I do agree with you on some points. Final Fantasy X was probably the best game of the last 3 but Final Fantasy XII was a pretty decent game too. I played right through it and I liked how expansive the game was. I remember fighting all of the arena monsters and thought that it was a nice touch. Personally, I am looking forward to this game and I am going to hold my criticisms back until I have actually played the game. There is no point buying the game with the outlook that you have because you will automatically hate it.

Well, that was more of an attack against X-2, XI, and XII. The only part of that directed at XIII was that it doesn't appeal to me. I never said it was going to be awful, just that I expected better because of what the series is capable of (1 through 10). There's also the fact that I'm very oldschool when it comes to games and have not liked many games from the Wii/360/Ps3 era. I still give them a chance if friends buy them and want me to watch, but I have found few that I actually wanted to buy myself.

I agree that I could have worded that better, but I still don't plan on buying it because I don't think I will like it. We can agree to disagree.

 

[Dave]

Well, that was more of an attack against X-2, XI, and XII. The only part of that directed at XIII was that it doesn't appeal to me. I never said it was going to be awful, just that I expected better because of what the series is capable of (1 through 10). There's also the fact that I'm very oldschool when it comes to games and have not liked many games from the Wii/360/Ps3 era. I still give them a chance if friends buy them and want me to watch, but I have found few that I actually wanted to buy myself.

I agree that I could have worded that better, but I still don't plan on buying it because I don't think I will like it. We can agree to disagree.

That is fair enough.

I personally think that the new style that Final Fantasy has adopted needed to be done. I mean, I liked the old style of battle where everything was set out for you and only one person was attacking at a time. It let you think about things more and get strategies right. So much so that when I played FFXII, I really hated the new system. It was too busy and complex and I didn't enjoy it. However, the more I played it and the more I got used to it, the more I could see that it was needed. You see, the battle system for the old Final Fantasy's was good but could never realistically work as the game evolved. Graphics were getting better and the game play is becoming more true to life. In the real world, fighting is not like fighting in the A-Team, where one persona attacks at a time. No, it is complex and needed to evolve.

It is fair to say, that that was my main sticking point on Final Fantasy XII but I think that this one will have fixed the errors of the past and I am really looking forward to see any new developments it brings.

 

[Dagger Dias]

That is fair enough.

I personally think that the new style that Final Fantasy has adopted needed to be done. I mean, I liked the old style of battle where everything was set out for you and only one person was attacking at a time. It let you think about things more and get strategies right. So much so that when I played FFXII, I really hated the new system. It was too busy and complex and I didn't enjoy it. However, the more I played it and the more I got used to it, the more I could see that it was needed. You see, the battle system for the old Final Fantasy's was good but could never realistically work as the game evolved. Graphics were getting better and the game play is becoming more true to life. In the real world, fighting is not like fighting in the A-Team, where one persona attacks at a time. No, it is complex and needed to evolve.

It is fair to say, that that was my main sticking point on Final Fantasy XII but I think that this one will have fixed the errors of the past and I am really looking forward to see any new developments it brings.

Games shouldn't BE realistic though, at least not most of them. That is one of the main problems I have had with games ever since the 64 and PSX (both of which took me a year or so to finally accept). Games should be a novelty, an ESCAPE from reality. Then again, I can see that the industry needs to evolve over time, and part of it could just be that I am (cringes) growing up. I'm making my own RPG, but after I'm done with that (and have beaten the few games I haven't beaten yet) I might try to move on to a different hobby. I'll always have the old stuff to be nostalgic towards.

 

[Dave]

Games shouldn't BE realistic though, at least not most of them. That is one of the main problems I have had with games ever since the 64 and PSX (both of which took me a year or so to finally accept). Games should be a novelty, an ESCAPE from reality. Then again, I can see that the industry needs to evolve over time, and part of it could just be that I am (cringes) growing up. I'm making my own RPG, but after I'm done with that (and have beaten the few games I haven't beaten yet) I might try to move on to a different hobby. I'll always have the old stuff to be nostalgic towards.

You know, I do agree with you. However, I can't bring myself to believe that games should be as far from reality as possible. You see, people can relate to games more if the think that it is more realistic. You look at some of the games that have come out recently and have done extraordinarily well. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is smashing down sales barriers everywhere and it mainly due to the fact that people can relate to it. Not to mention that the graphics are outstanding and more true to life than ever. It may be a worrying trend for you but I can promise you that it is an ever-growing one. Games developers are always trying to find the new accessory or game that makes things more realistic. People are looking for this more than ever now and it will continue to grow. Personally, I am a huge fan of the old games in the Final Fantasy series but if you offered me Final Fantasy V or Final Fantasy X, I would take X every day of the week.

 

[Dagger Dias]

You know, I do agree with you. However, I can't bring myself to believe that games should be as far from reality as possible. You see, people can relate to games more if the think that it is more realistic. You look at some of the games that have come out recently and have done extraordinarily well. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is smashing down sales barriers everywhere and it mainly due to the fact that people can relate to it. Not to mention that the graphics are outstanding and more true to life than ever. It may be a worrying trend for you but I can promise you that it is an ever-growing one. Games developers are always trying to find the new accessory or game that makes things more realistic. People are looking for this more than ever now and it will continue to grow. Personally, I am a huge fan of the old games in the Final Fantasy series but if you offered me Final Fantasy V or Final Fantasy X, I would take X every day of the week.

You make a valid argument, they can't be 100% unrealistic.... but you gotta admit, games are more fun when it is more about the story and characters rather than the action or graphics. Especially RPG's. Also.... V would lose quickly to X for me as well.... but IV and VII wouldn't. I will always like the old stuff more. I'm glad that the fans of new games have something to like, which is why I respect their opinion even though I disagree almost entirely with the direction that all game genres have been going in. I take it as a sign that it may be time for me to move on because even with RPG's the last one that I really liked was Tales of Symphonia, which was 5 years ago.

 

[Dave]

You make a valid argument, they can't be 100% unrealistic.... but you gotta admit, games are more fun when it is more about the story and characters rather than the action or graphics. Especially RPG's. Also.... V would lose quickly to X for me as well.... but IV and VII wouldn't. I will always like the old stuff more. I'm glad that the fans of new games have something to like, which is why I respect their opinion even though I disagree almost entirely with the direction that all game genres have been going in. I take it as a sign that it may be time for me to move on because even with RPG's the last one that I really liked was Tales of Symphonia, which was 5 years ago.

Yeah that is true enough. Game generally are more fun when they are a little out there. I mean, let's look at any of the Final Fantasy games. Hell, let's take my favourite one, X, as a great example of this. Would this game have been as good if Tidus' father had not been Sin, a huge 350 foot monster that cause tidal waves at will and fired laser beams from it's eyes? Of course it wouldn't. However, I happen to think that will the evolution of the series, huge gimmicks like that are becoming less and less prevalent. Final Fantasy XII was a great example of this and it loos as though XIII will be a continuation of this logic. This may or may not be a bad thing but I am going to give it a little bit of time to see if it manages to grow on me.

As you said, RPG's really are taking a very different route these days and of course this is going to cause some division between fans. It has happened with great series before and Final Fantasy will not be the last to fall victim to the "old school vs new school" debate. The same has been true of Mario since Nintendo took it to the newer consoles. People have thought that they should have stayed true to what made the game great but people generally like the evolution of the series. I hope that the same is true of Final Fantasy XIII.

 

[Dagger Dias]

As you said, RPG's really are taking a very different route these days and of course this is going to cause some division between fans. It has happened with great series before and Final Fantasy will not be the last to fall victim to the "old school vs new school" debate. The same has been true of Mario since Nintendo took it to the newer consoles. People have thought that they should have stayed true to what made the game great but people generally like the evolution of the series. I hope that the same is true of Final Fantasy XIII.

So true.... so true.... I shared that view with the newer mario games as well. I preferred the 2D ones to the 3D ones, although Galaxy did make up for 64 and Sunshine in my opinion, it truly surprised me, but was nowhere near Mario World or Mario Bros 3. The same thing happened with the Zelda games, I was very against "cartoon link" and gave up on the series until Twilight Princess.

I suppose we'll have to wait and find out. I'll at the very least give it this much, XIII won't be the worst of the series. II will always be the worst because there was no EXP and you had to beat yourself up to get more Health. As long as that system never returns I will give any entry in the series at least one chance because if I hadn't done that then I would have missed out on X.

 

[Blade]

Dave, I'll start by saying this, from it's creation to around 2004/2005, getting over 35 in a Famitsu Magazine review, was a huge deal. But now, they are no longer the credible source they once were, ever since they made the ballsy move to give Nintendogs 40/40. So a 40/40 when Final Fantasy VII came out was major news, it was practically unheard of at the time... And Final Fantasy X getting 39/40 was quite an achievement. But nowadays, as you showed in your quote, and majorly hyped game can get a 40/40. But the fact that FF XII didn't actually get the 40, might mean that it might not be as good as the previous games. It won't affect the sales much, but a Final Fantasy game not getting 40/40 in Famitsu these days is almost as interesting as a Final Fantasy getting a 40/40 in Famitsu in the 90's. Just a pretty big deal.

As for what you said about Final Fantasy VII, well there's always gonna be one magnum opus in a series that future releases will be compared to. The Ocarina of Time's, the Mario 64's, the Resident Evil 4's. Sometimes you should just be able to realise that a game will not be able to be bettered in the future of the series. Final Fantasy VII has always been generally considered the best FF game ever, and it always will be.

 

[Dave]

Big news for some. It seems that Square Enix have released the cover art for the latest addition to the Final Fantasy series. Here it is:

Now, what are the initial thoughts on this? I personally think that it could do with a little more going on in it. I mean, when you look back at some of the ones that have graced us before, you cannot help but think that this one seems a little bare. Personally though, it makes very little difference to me. It is a nice cover with a half-naked lady on the front of it. Make of it what you will.

Thoughts?

 

[Dagger Dias]

Now, what are the initial thoughts on this? I personally think that it could do with a little more going on in it. I mean, when you look back at some of the ones that have graced us before, you cannot help but think that this one seems a little bare. Personally though, it makes very little difference to me. It is a nice cover with a half-naked lady on the front of it. Make of it what you will.

Thoughts?

It's good graphics-wise.... but it does fall a little short of expectations. With a game that has the Final Fantasy name, it could be expected to have a beautiful cover art. Not that this is bad. Then again, part of this could be that I just don't like CG. I have often preferred the cartoonish look for games, with the one exception being the Zelda series where I disliked the cartoon link.

On the girl herself.... I'll wait until playing a friend's copy of the game before I totally unleash any bashing of her not living up to expectations, but if this is the leading lady of the game then she has a lot of these expectations to live up to. Just about every FF game's leading lady had a character who was just as interesting as how pretty she was. Let's go through all the leading ladies of the main series.

FF1 - White Mages.
They appeared female, although were never officially said to be. No one in this game had a backstory though.

FF2 - Maria.
For an 8 bit female graphic, she was good looking. Same can be said for Layla, a playable female in a smaller role. Both of them had good backstories (at the time).

FF3 - Refia.
In the DS version everyone was given updated graphics and backstories. Going by the original NES version though, none of the onion knights had genders or names yet, so disregard this one.

----------------------

Ok, here is where the trend began. From Final Fantasy 4 all the way until 12, the leading lady has been an attractive woman with a great backstory. The same can be often said for the supporting cast.

FF4 - Rosa.
She was gorgeous as far as 16 bit women on the SNES were concerned. Also, the backstory involving her growing up with Cecil and Kain, the love triangle, and everything that happens in the game.... amazing for its time, nothing short of amazing. The playable female supporting cast role, Rydia, was also an attractive woman with a good backstory.

FF5 - Reina.
While not the most developed member of the cast by the end (Faris), Reina still remained an interesting leading lady the whole game. Faris and Krile, were also great female characters. Krile, being one of the more attractive ones on the SNES. FF5 almost fell short of the trend, but continued it.

FF6 - Celes or Terra.
There is a never-ending debate on whether Celes or Terra is the leading lady, so I'll mention both at the same time. Both had fantastic backstories and (once again) both were attractive for the graphics at the time. There was also Relm in a supporting female role.

FF7 - Tifa.
Arguably the most popular (and hottest) playable female in video game history. Great backstory, an absolutely perfect look, and could put up a good fight too. Tifa went on to become the standard that many playable women have been compared to. Aeris set a standard as well, for the old-fashioned playable females who still need the hero to save them, and for certain other massive spoilers. Oh, and then there's Yuffie, she was cool too.

FF8 - Rinoa.
Although she had a tough act to follow (Tifa), Rinoa was one of the better leading ladies in the series. Like Tifa, she too was yet another beautiful woman with a good story. A similar argument can be made for the other main playable women here as well: Quistis and Selphie.

FF9 - Garnet.
She was like a mix of Rosa and Tifa. A pretty princess who was good at restorative magic, needed help from the hero a few times, but could hold her own in battle if she needed to. Although in terms of backstory and development, this is where the trend began to die down. Also, the playable females in supporting roles were not attractive in this one. Freya & Eiko.

FFX - Yuna.
Like Garnet, she was a bit of a mix of Rosa and Tifa. She needed help from the rest of the party often, but had powerful summons she could use. Although the trend continued in this game, she was yet another attractive woman with a good backstory. The other playable women included Lulu and Rikku. Lulu had some good development during the game and wasn't bad looking. Rikku, went on to become one of the most popular playable women since Tifa. Paine (in FFX-2) not so much, but she was mainly just overshadowed by Rikku and Yuna.

----------------------------------

Then the trend ends.

FFXI doesn't deserve mentioning, and I actually count FFX-2 as the 11th game in the series. FFXII, the graphics were a little too realistic to me and none of the women came off as the same type of attractive that the leading ladies from the rest of the series did, because I did not like the new graphics style as much)....

Then now we have this woman on the cover of FFXIII. I'm not going to bash her completely, what my point is, is that she has SO many expectations to live up to from us older fans that do not like the direction the series has been going in. Also, I don't much care for the style of graphics that is used, RPG's look better as cartoons than in CG.

I'll still give her game a chance, but I don't expect another "Tifa" or "Rosa". The biggest problem this game has is the expectations that hardcore fans want it to live up to.

 

[Dave]

You know, I think it is definitely important to note that the cover is growing one me more and more. When it was first released, or more so, when I first saw it, I wasn't convinced. However, I think I actually like it which is very surprising. Dagger, I like the way you think. I think I am getting more used to the way you like your games and I very much think that you are right to an extent. The Final Fantasy series has definitely evolved in every sense of the word and the cover art is no exception. I know that you prefer the cartoonish version of the games and it is of no surprise to me that you would have preferred a more cartoon-like cover art. However, I would like to state that I don't think that this would be applicable to this game. You see, the game is not a cartoon game and it would not make sense for them to simplify the cover for the game to appease those who like it a little bit more old school.

With that being said, I am not overly thrilled that it is a woman who is the protagonist. That may sound extremely sexist but you have covered everything that I would have said in your last post. You see, as Final Fantasy fans, we have been condition into thinking that the women of the series are constantly in need of rescuing and when it comes to the new game, I just can't seem to get over that thought. Hopefully, I am completely wrong and I am surprised by the freshness of a women protagonist. However, I am not going to hold my breath after the last time they attempted to do it but the less we say about Final Fantasy X-2, the better.

 

[Dave]

Well, Final Fantasy XIII is here and I have it in my 360 as I type this now. Having queued last night to ensure that a copy would safely be coming home with me and a day off college on the cards to get to grips with it, I can safely tell you that the initial results, of one of my anticipated games of this year, are in.

A week ago, I was not looking forward to this game at all. I thought I had maybe outgrown the franchise and I was seriously second guessing myself when I thought about buying the game. However, as I watched some gameplay videos yesterday and thought about all of the fun that the past titles have brought me, I decided that I was being silly and mad up my mind to buy it. Truth be told, I don't regret it. Firstly, the price is very manageable for me and I managed to snap it up for the low price of £28. This is pretty good and surprised me when I went into the shop to buy it. I automatically had my £40 out of my wallet and then when she asked for £28, I was very pleasantly surprised. However, the good parts of this game do not stop there.

After a marathon session with the game until 4 this morning, I am pretty advanced into the early goings on in Final Fantasy XIII. The thoughts that plagued this game in regards to being linear are true so far but I don't think it hinders anything just yet. I feel that it is needed to introduce us to the new world, characters and story. Sure, there is not a huge amount of exploration to be done in the early goings but I am sure it will change soon. I am 4 hours in and the game is really beginning to take shape. I recently spoke to one of the guys at my college and he tells me that he is 15 hours in and has barely scratched the surface. That is very promising. I have yet to see how effective the 3 disk strategy will be but I can tell you that the graphics and gameplay are pretty good.

So far, this game is around 7-8/10. I will keep you posted as I continue.

 

[Dave]

There is no towns!

I want everyone who has ever played a Final Fantasy game to think about that statement for a second... I'll wait...

That's right. Having read through some of the reviews of the game on other websites, I only just noticed this myself. I am now around 6 and a half hours through the game and there has been NO exploration out-with the actual story of the game. I figured that this was common and that the game would open up after I got past the initial story-telling phase. However, imagine my shock when I realised that the game has no towns. This may not seem like a big deal but it damn sure is. All of the staples of the game series have been taken out to make way for a more "HD experience". I shit you not, that is the exact reason that Square Enix have given us for puttin out a game that is so linear, it is beyond truth. There is no exploration and no one to stop and talk to. You merely travel through the game and complete the fucking story.

Words cannot describe how pissed off I am and the thirst to play the game has gone off me. I really hoped that at some point, the game would open up and would be similar to some of the game that have gone before it. My main criticism of this game is that the have tried to change too much and have left everything that was good about the previous games behind. I know Ty is a little further on than I am, so maybe he could shed some light on what happens later. However, for now, I am quite pissed off.

 

[Ty Burna]

Actually Dave you're more than likely ahead of me seeing as how I just completed Chapter 2 last night (sue me, I don't have the time like others to play video games for 5 hours straight). Anyways, I know coming up I get the paradigm shift which will definitely increase the enjoyment of battles. So far though I like the look, I like the story, I like the characters, the battles are different and not a clusterfuck of super micromanagement like FFXII was, but now the fun begins.

As far as there being no towns, so what? I understand everyone is in a fucking nerd rage over the fact there are no towns, but it doesn't bother me one bit. I have never been a fan of the simple quests such as: Find the dude that has an eye patch, 3 circles painted on his other eye, wearing a fur coat and matching headgear and ask him for an item. I have always hated those quests and they have infuriated me when I've searched over an entire city looking for one man, only to be a little ways from where I started hidden from view.

It's a more streamlined approach, but fuck it I"d rather get down to business and cut through waves of enemies rather than go find Jackoff C through X just so I can maybe get to a quest which actually involves battles. I like how the stores are setup on the Save points, that way I'm not going: oh fuck I wish I woulda picked that weapon up at the town. No, fuck it, point me where to go and I"ll start thrashing enemies left and right.

I realize that most FF purists will rant and rave about it, but it's a new RPG experience. I believe the biggest problem is everyone is comparing it to XII or earlier versions. Nowadays with FF games, you can't compare them because Square Enix is going to switch it up and try new methods and ways every FF from here on out. They can't just simply rely on the tried and true turn based system because then they'll get bitch at for not coming up with anything new. It's a double edged sword. So my theory is fuck whatever they did previously, I'm taking this game for what it is and enjoying it rather than complaining about a feature that isn't there anymore like the previous games were.

 

[the lineman]

I'm about 25 hours into it, so far I find it pretty disappointing. Personally, so far it's my least favorite in the series, but having said that it's still a decent game. The graphics are the best part of the game, and in RPG's, that's the least important aspect.

This game makes me appreciate FFX's sphere leveling system a whole lot more than I did, because the Crystal system in 13 feels like a huge step down. The flat/2d screen in X was more user friendly and visually more appealing. This 3d system, that limits the amount you can upgrade at a time, is harder to view and move around on.

The weapons/accessories/upgrading system isn't very fun. The fact that you can keep the weapon you started the game with and not have to change it the whole game is just stupid. I know they were trying to be different with the upgrading system, but sometimes it's better to not try to fix something that isn't broken.

 

[lghikas]

Sooooooo heading into this game I was really stoked and amped upped for it. After playing up to parts of Chapter 7, in some ways disappointed along with some things I really like.

First thing that jumped out and really caught my eyes was the graphics were no short of spectacular, the cuts scenes at times feel like I'm watching a movie. Another thing was character wise it started off a bit slow but really picked up in the later and mid stages so far in my opinion.

Being a big fan of The Final Fantasy series, having played all of them with exceptions of those that have come out on the DS...gameboy...mobile or The Dirge of Cerberus. Pretty much the main ones along with Mystic Quest....Half of X-2 and even XI. I was a bit disappointed after hearing about the no towns and how linear it is, but so far I still find myself drawn in and not feeling disappointed without towns. But from what I read and seen I'm not a fan of the lack of side quests/weapons.

The paradigms and Crystarium kinda intrigue me. The only problems I have had with it is how limited one character is but generally between 2 or 3 characters you'll have what you need.

Anyway I still have really enjoyed the game, but I'm not sure where I would personally rank it. For me VIII, X and VI were my favorites, and I wouldn't put it up there but I don't think it is nearly or close as bad as X-II or IX were in my opinion. So for me it would be in the middle of the road with the likes of IV V VII and XII. It has a pretty decent cast and story which started off slow but really has grown on me but also lacks a strong side quest I usually enjoy with Final Fantasy games.

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

You know, I've never really trusted Famitsu. These are the guys that gave FF10 a 39, yet FF12 a perfect score. I couldn't even FINISH FF12 (lol, the game finished itself for me).

I enjoy FF13 a great deal, and it could possibly rank up there with one of my favorite Final Fantasy games, but I'm going to get my gripes out of the way first.

-The story took too long to grasp. As soon as the game started, you're thrown right into the middle of a warzone, while the exposition gets explained to you way too fast, leaving you to focus on too much at once. I'm sure if you paid close attention, you would have gotten a firm grasp on it, but too many characters were introduced right off the bat, and even I am still having a hard time grasping some of the story points and character backgrounds - I'm on disc 3.

-There is literally NO exploration. The game is simply too linear. It's a giant hallway. If there are any forks in the road, or any side-roads, you can bet your ass it's either going to lead to a dead end or a dead end with a chest. But there aren't even too much of those. There's nothing to explore, except for turning the camera in order to take in the background environment, no towns, no world-map, nothing to re-visit, nothing extra to do. If you blast through the game trying to beat it as fast as possible, chances are you're going to get a 100% completion. I liked FFX-2's way of going about it, even though it was probably as linear as this game in terms of maps you could travel to. There are hours upon hours of extra things to do, even concerning the story line.

-What the hell is up with the money making? This game almost discourages you from buying equipment upgrades or general items without making giant sacrifices. Other than that, you won't make money. At all. I spent ALL of disc 2 with 40 gil. I didn't realize that incentive chips and credit chips (pro-tip, in your components tab in your inventory) only exist for you to sell for gil. Yeah, that's great an all, except you have no clear way of making money when simple upgrades cost 40,000 gil, and you have a chance at making 16,000 TOPS, if you wait a long time to start selling shit. Even then, if you've been upgrading your weapons and equips, your basic weapons are probably going to end up better than the ones you can buy from the shop. For the exception of Lightning and Hope, everyone is using the weapon they started with, heavily upgraded.

I've considered replacing Fang's weapon with the one that counters attacks, but I can't seem to upgrade that enough in order to get similar stats to her, currently level two weapon.

-Crazy quick paradigm shifts. I can seriously understand the battle system reliant on paradigm shifts, and it heavily enhances the strategy portion of the battle system. It just becomes a bit excessive and tiresome when, during some fights, you're using it every 15 seconds, whether you're just trying to stagger quickly at the expense of heavy damage, or heavy damage with the perk of slowing down the stagger meter... at the expense of raising the stagger meter. So the best way to remedy this situation is to basically have, double commando/ravager, or double ravager/commando, then paradigm shift to a party with a healer in it when you need to. Which creates this problem. But this is seriously a very MINOR issue.

With all of that out of the way, the graphics are absolutely astounding, which was to be expected out of Square Enix. The battle system took what little was good out of the FF12 system and mixed it with the awesome FF10 system to create something even better. Same with the Crystarium system, which was absolutely amazing, give or take a few bits of poor itemization (strength in the ravager tree, etc.). It seems Square Enix is really stepping it up, bringing themselves back to their glorious Final Fantasy 10 days. They really know how to tell a compelling story.

Also, the voice acting is worlds better than FF12's shitty voice acting. Seriously, they got Jaina Fucking Proudmore.

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

I just wanted to make a quick note here -- what the fuck, Gran Pulse? I get to Gran Pulse, and the game rockets up in difficulty from out of NOWHERE. The game went from being very easy to what the fuck is with the boss-like battles that is EVERY MONSTER on Gran Pulse? The battles are taking 10-15 minutes each, with the constant paradigm shifts, which I've grown into by the way (it's awesome for strategy), and reward shit-tons of Crystarium points for upgrades that all of a sudden cost way too much.

 

[a0161613]

I am enjoying FF13 VERY much, to the point where I now I regret not playing FF 12, because I didn't think I would get on with the shift in battle style.

The world is a little weird. It's so direct although it suits the story, it leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to preventing boredom. Gran Pulse is incredible (Mozzarella, the key is to pick your battles - you can grind against the smaller guys and leave the Behemoths and Adamantoises until you are much stronger. Otherwise you have to exploit the space to run directly the yellow dot or the next save point.)

The graphics are great and the cut scenes are incredible at times. A good game but not great.

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

I am enjoying FF13 VERY much, to the point where I now I regret not playing FF 12, because I didn't think I would get on with the shift in battle style..

Don't even worry about picking up FF12, it was one of the worst in the series. A failed experiment. It doesn't even come close to the mediocre games in the series.

Stick with 13.

 

[RKOx7]

I dunno if this thread is considered old news but I just wanna comment on it since I'm still high on the game even after 3 weeks of beating it.

It obviously was not the best game of the series, but no the game does not SUCK. It takes a different approach and it allows for new players to get equated with FF. The battles aren't so hard that you will lose, actually they are fairly easy and almost guaranteed to win, but the real challenge is to stay ahead of yourself and aim for 5 stars every time. The plot is compelling, but the characters are not as compelling as previous games.

Sazh is virtually useless, which saddens me.
Hope is energy draining.
Lightning is way too stoic.
Vanille is SO annoying.

With that being said, Fang and Snow <3

The characters should not have been split up in the game, or they should have made alternate storylines that you choose how you split em, because it really hurts the game when you split your characters during the story for long amounts of time.

Aesthetics are as always visually appealing.

What really bothered me was the lack of a true Final Fantasy in-character romance. Snow and Serah are cute, a little awkward because he's so... you know, big and stuff, and she's like teeny weeny itsy bitsy... but its cute. However an in-character romance would have helped more then a romance that is not actively aggravated or in general active... with Serah a crystal and all. I would have liked Snow to go after Lightning, and try over and over again and she pushes him away, would make for interesting stuff.

As far as linearity goes... All FF games are linear to an extent, this is just much more linear then the rest. I honestly don't mind the linearity. Battle system and great cutscenes make up for it.

Its a good game and I like it, it really picks at your emotions if you allow it to, but with that said this 60-hour juggernaut is a pretty depressing game, and I don't mean that its depressing because it sucks or falls below standard... it literally sucks the life out of you and is depressing.