[spira]

About 14 hours in and almost halfway into the game.. FFXIII is really good, but the game is very linear so far, like very very.

[Varizen]

No side quests at all?

[spira]

Ok. Game completed.

The game is very linear except in 2 chapters, which are the chapters you're able to do side quests in a certain area. This includes the final chapter, so you don't really have to worry about missables.

I think all the side quests are hunts, not unlike FFXII's Marks. If thats your thing, then you're gonna like it.

Love the graphics. Music is great, especially battle - some areas do feel a little out of place. Battle system is quite fun and challenging.

Looking forward to the English version so I can do the rest of the sidequests lol

[spira]

bump

cos of English trailer. more VA, and My Hands..

[Corrderio]

Not too bad, though I still doubt I'll pick this up since a lot of reviews say it's pretty bleh.

[firefeng]

What happened to the stellar dialogue from FFXII? This is all MTV-fake-reality-show-melodrama-dialogue shit.

[Velhart]

Corrderio, on 23 February 2010 - 09:57 AM, said:

Because of how linear it is and how many elements they seemed to take out of the game.

Linear games are the best way to tell a story.

And say what you like, but every FF game with the exception of 12 are completely linear with an illusion of freedom. FFX was the same way despite of no world map.

And what elements are we talking about? It seemed to have everything it needed to make a good Final Fantasy game to me.

[Corrderio]

I know but still, it just seems so simple compared to most of them, only one(?) sidequest, HP being fully recovered after each fight, hardly any cities, and it's a gameover if your leader gets KOed.... seriously what the fuck?

[Velhart]

Corrderio, on 23 February 2010 - 10:39 AM, said:

I know but still, it just seems so simple compared to most of them, only one(?) sidequest, HP being fully recovered after each fight, hardly any cities, and it's a gameover if your leader gets KOed.... seriously what the fuck?

HP is recovered after each fight since there is a certain level of difficulty in each fight that makes you appreciate it, and also, there is no MP in the game.

Whats wrong with party leader getting the KO and it is over? As long as you are smart and set your characters up right, I don't see the hub bub, KH did this also and I was just fine with that.

If you look into the story, its a pretty clear reason why Lightning does not go into many towns.

I think the only thing I can agree on is side quests. But in all fairness, after all the side quests that were shoved down my throat in 12 and didn't provide much main gameplay, I welcome less side quests in 13.

It simply sounds like to me you don't like having a challenge in your games. I am not going to make you change your opinion out of no where, but you really shouldn't be judging a book by it's cover.

[Vigilous]

Quote

Linear games are the best way to tell a story.

There's a difference between linearity and being nailed down to the train tracks. Making a game linear spoils the world the game is set in, because then all you have are the story of the main characters. Video games are interactive, and limiting that aspect by removing the an entire world to explore destroys the experience. Metal Gear Solid 4 was a great interactive movie. Not a game. Linearity is a fine balancing act. Good games are able to keep both sides of the coin in check, bad ones beat either side with a tire iron. And as Spira pointed out, he wa half through the game in 13 hours. And then beat the game five days later. FFXIII being so linear has cut its playtime to a fraction of almost every other FF.

Besides, as a I said before, if the Japanese are recognizing this as too linear, then it is too linear. Japanese story telling within games has always worked on the basis of a director telling you how you should feel within a given situation. This is why sand box and morality games have been steadily rising in popularity and JRPGs have been on the decline (obviously in the Western market). If I'm going to play a game - a story - and I'm the main character, I should be able to choose when and where I go and what the outcome of the story. If you want linearity, watch a movie or read a book. Linearity works for those two mediums because they are two dimensional, so to speak. A game - a medium that just by its name illictis the sense of non-linearity - should give its audience the freedom to move in all directions. In terms of character, characterization, and story.

[Velhart]

I didn't say linear was better, said it was the best way to keep you into the story. There is a difference. For those who go mainly by story in RPG's, that is why linear games feel so great to me. Linear doesn't work on all games, can't imagine a GTA game being completly linear and good at the same time.

[Abeox]

My Opinion on game:

1. Battle system was refreshing while not completely revolutionary. Something all FF fans will probably enjoy.

2. Storyline is WAY too heavy on the estrogen. As a 30 year old man who grew up playing FF's, I felt completely abandoned by this. SE tried this with their failed FFX-2. But it seems they are determined to isolate their loyal predominately male fan base and appeal to the growing number of female customers. But I guess that’s the case with everything these days. Women have larger disposable incomes. Well at least we have a penis for when we’re feeling down and need some revenge kunt bashing.

3. Best Graphics of any game I’ve ever seen. I thought white knight chronicles was good, but this is on another level. Backdrops are amazingly detailed, but not mundane.

4. Shortest FF I’ve ever played.

5. No real closure at the end.

6. Weak character development.

7. Overall story line belongs in an Angelina Jolie and Brad pit movie.

8. Where the fuck were the secret bosses and quests??? This game took 3 years to create and there’s no hidden booty???

9. Leader of party dies = Game over . . . WTF

10. Some of the BEST FF music, and some of the absolute worst. There are times I thought my disc was damaged.

11. Some shit just didn’t stick. There is a bunch of shit out of place. It’s like they focused on the first 5 hours of game play and then rushed everything after that. Seriously this game’s production budget was probably dwarfed by its marketing budget. All that hype and years of waiting, and this is what we got? They spent too much time on the aesthetics and not enough on the substance.

WORD TO SE:
THIS IS AN FF GAME; IT DOES NOT NEED HEAVY MARKETING. SPEND YOUR BUDGET ON THE GAME ITSELF. AFTER FF10 EVERY SINGLE FF RELEASE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF 11 (WHICH ISNT A REAL FF) HAS BEEN GETTING WORSE.

OVERALL:
OK Game. But not worthy of belonging to the FF series. Worth playing casually. But not worth holding your breath for. I honestly enjoyed Star Oceans and White Knight chronicles more. Maybe it’s time the people at SE bought the people that made Fable and adapt some of their tactics at story line telling. This game took me on a ride to a destination I didn’t want to go to. Every hour I spent playing it made me regret the previous hour I spent playing, hoping it would pick up.

As sad as it is to say, if you loved FFX-2, you will love this. If you're like the rest of us who have grown up playing FF series, you will soon learn that SE doesn't give a shit about you anymore. This game was a slap in the face.
14 better not be FFXI with estrogen shots, cuz this game was how FF7 would have been if you put a bitch in charge of it.

[kowen]

Velhart, on 23 February 2010 - 11:24 AM, said:

I didn't say linear was better, said it was the best way to keep you into the story. There is a difference. For those who go mainly by story in RPG's, that is why linear games feel so great to me. Linear doesn't work on all games, can't imagine a GTA game being completly linear and good at the same time.

Kitase and Toriyama compared the game to FPS and Action games, but they're not the same.

The problem with XIII's linearity is that it you literally just run through a corridor the whole game and see a cutscene every once in a while. An action game, on the other hand, may present you with a situation like where the building you're in is collapsing into the one next to it, and you have to jump between them. Technically the experience is linear because the only place you can go is that next building, but the cinematic gameplay hides that.

I still really enjoyed XIII. It may not be the best Final Fantasy, but it's a good game nonetheless.

This post has been edited by kowen: 23 February 2010 - 12:55 PM

[Corrderio]

Velhart, on 23 February 2010 - 10:55 AM, said:

HP is recovered after each fight since there is a certain level of difficulty in each fight that makes you appreciate it, and also, there is no MP in the game.

Whats wrong with party leader getting the KO and it is over? As long as you are smart and set your characters up right, I don't see the hub bub, KH did this also and I was just fine with that.

If you look into the story, its a pretty clear reason why Lightning does not go into many towns.

I think the only thing I can agree on is side quests. But in all fairness, after all the side quests that were shoved down my throat in 12 and didn't provide much main gameplay, I welcome less side quests in 13.

It simply sounds like to me you don't like having a challenge in your games. I am not going to make you change your opinion out of no where, but you really shouldn't be judging a book by it's cover.

1. Okay maybe I overracted however no MP is just messed up. I thought this was Final Fantasy since you know... magic = fantasy.
2. Why can't I just revive them or some shit like another PT member?
3. Even so, it just feels like a step backwards
4. Granted I never did all the sidequests in 12 but still, just one? That's messed up.
5. No, I like a challenge, however XIII just seems like a failed project to me.

[Vigilous]

Quote

I didn't say linear was better, said it was the best way to keep you into the story.

No, it isn't. At least not in video games. Linearity was fine up into the PSone years. However, games have evolved to where the gamer can now have full-interactivity of not only movement, but emotional and moral outcomes of character and story structure. Fallout and Oblivion aren't so much about the main quests, but rather how you develop your character because of choice. And when you can impact the outcome of character and story, it becomes a much more rewarding experience. Plus, it adds greatly to the replay value of a game: if you want to run it again, you can make many different choices and see the same story from a different perspective..

You told Corr he must not want challenging games, but it really sounds like you're the one who doesn't. After all, it's much simpler to run on the rails and let someone tell you how you should feel rather than try to actually think about the consequences of your actions.

[Velhart]

Vigilous, on 24 February 2010 - 06:31 AM, said:

No, it isn't. At least not in video games. Linearity was fine up into the PSone years. However, games have evolved to where the gamer can now have full-interactivity of not only movement, but emotional and moral outcomes of character and story structure. Fallout and Oblivion aren't so much about the main quests, but rather how you develop your character because of choice. And when you can impact the outcome of character and story, it becomes a much more rewarding experience. Plus, it adds greatly to the replay value of a game: if you want to run it again, you can make many different choices and see the same story from a different perspective..

You told Corr he must not want challenging games, but it really sounds like you're the one who doesn't. After all, it's much simpler to run on the rails and let someone tell you how you should feel rather than try to actually think about the consequences of your actions.

It just sounds like we have different opinions on it then. I treat the stories in a game like a story in a book. I can't say your wrong, it is just how you like story development. Also, what I was talking to Corr about was the battle system, not what you were talking about. How the hell would being linear being more challenging/less challenging? Sorry I havn't grown past the PSone years in RPGs.

And like I said, this is just my opinion, it would be nice to play a game this year that is actually not a sandbox like most previous games have been in the past few years.

[spira]

I said earlier that I thought I was halfway thru at around 14hrs.. which was kinda wrong (well, if we talk about chapter count yea, but the later chapters are slightly longer).
my original clear time was 55 hours and this included about 3 hours of doing sidequests.

FFXIII is linear but i'd say rightfully so. I was amazed at how impossibly linear it was being, but then I realised that it was simply doing what most older FFs are already doing, except removing that 'go into world map and find the next location' thing that they used to have - in effect pushing the story on and giving you a sense of urgency.. as well as remembering what the hell happened before you got sidetracked into doing something lame elsewhere.

But because of this linearity it compensates with a very rich story. I'm not going to say good because that is subjective, but it is undeniably rich. Many cutscenes and a lot of character interaction. The stuff that was entirely lacking in FFXII. If you're one who likes to know how the party members know each other better along the way, how they bond and the other nitty gritty things that build a character, then XIII will prove very fulfilling. Its able to do this even outside of cutscenes, like when you're running around areas and they make casual comments. It can speak volumes about their character too. The main characters are about the most well developed I've seen in FF as a cast - though this is a given since FFXIII is a character study.

Leader KO game over thing is no big deal at all, especially since you can restart from right before the battle anytime you want. You can even choose to restart manually instead of waiting to die. It's only annoying if you're fighting a mob that has an instant KO move, and there are like, only 2 enemies that can do that. Otherwise, if its just about taking damage, then you'ld have to rely on Paradigm strategies.

Sidequests are plentiful, although they're bunched up in a couple of later chapters and they mostly entail doing the same thing -killing monsters. It's actually very rewarding tho. Most to all of the best equipment you can get requires you to do these quests. Also, chocobo riding, access to teleport points in the maps are acquired this way. There is one point in the game where you'll need to do these quests to progress in the story too.
As an alternative, Titan's Gauntlet is a variation of the hunt quests.. but you go down various paths and so on. It actually feels like more of a minigame.

The later sidequests and superbosses are also extremely hard. You won't even come close to them if you don't grind and complete entire new paradigm roles for each characters. There's said to be more of these monsters in the DLC update later this year too..

The battle system is also very deep. On the surface is kinda easy to figure out, but the workings beneath it are a lot more complicated. The only things that really matter in battle are the Paradigms and how you change between them, but outside, you'll be looking at weapons, armor and accessories... and the options for these are sooo vast its crazy. And very customizeable.
The fact that you can customize every characters ultimate weapon to suit how you'd prefer to play them speaks volumes to this.

anyway don't knock it till u've tried it. It will surprise you.

[rambus]

octoberasian, on 15 December 2009 - 12:31 AM, said:

I'm utterly amazed by that one video posted on GameTrailers with the subtitles. You can barely tell a difference between what is a cutscene and what isn't. And, the story so far looks like it'll be better than FF12.

It's a bit unfortunate that Final Fantasy has gotten more sci-fi over the past several iterations, but as long as the story lives up to it.

I'm currently uploading to YouTube a TV special aired in Japan on FFXIII. It will be up in a few hours. The video includes the music video for the title song, "Because You're Here" (君がいるから, Kimi ga Irukara).

A storyline that is better then 12 is not saying much, def not getting it.

Abeox, on 23 February 2010 - 12:51 PM, said:

My Opinion on game:

1. Battle system was refreshing while not completely revolutionary. Something all FF fans will probably enjoy.

2. Storyline is WAY too heavy on the estrogen. As a 30 year old man who grew up playing FF's, I felt completely abandoned by this. SE tried this with their failed FFX-2. But it seems they are determined to isolate their loyal predominately male fan base and appeal to the growing number of female customers. But I guess that’s the case with everything these days. Women have larger disposable incomes. Well at least we have a penis for when we’re feeling down and need some revenge kunt bashing.

3. Best Graphics of any game I’ve ever seen. I thought white knight chronicles was good, but this is on another level. Backdrops are amazingly detailed, but not mundane.

4. Shortest FF I’ve ever played.

5. No real closure at the end.

6. Weak character development.

7. Overall story line belongs in an Angelina Jolie and Brad pit movie.

8. Where the fuck were the secret bosses and quests??? This game took 3 years to create and there’s no hidden booty???

9. Leader of party dies = Game over . . . WTF

10. Some of the BEST FF music, and some of the absolute worst. There are times I thought my disc was damaged.

11. Some shit just didn’t stick. There is a bunch of shit out of place. It’s like they focused on the first 5 hours of game play and then rushed everything after that. Seriously this game’s production budget was probably dwarfed by its marketing budget. All that hype and years of waiting, and this is what we got? They spent too much time on the aesthetics and not enough on the substance.

WORD TO SE:
THIS IS AN FF GAME; IT DOES NOT NEED HEAVY MARKETING. SPEND YOUR BUDGET ON THE GAME ITSELF. AFTER FF10 EVERY SINGLE FF RELEASE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF 11 (WHICH ISNT A REAL FF) HAS BEEN GETTING WORSE.

OVERALL:
OK Game. But not worthy of belonging to the FF series. Worth playing casually. But not worth holding your breath for. I honestly enjoyed Star Oceans and White Knight chronicles more. Maybe it’s time the people at SE bought the people that made Fable and adapt some of their tactics at story line telling. This game took me on a ride to a destination I didn’t want to go to. Every hour I spent playing it made me regret the previous hour I spent playing, hoping it would pick up.

As sad as it is to say, if you loved FFX-2, you will love this. If you're like the rest of us who have grown up playing FF series, you will soon learn that SE doesn't give a shit about you anymore. This game was a slap in the face.
14 better not be FFXI with estrogen shots, cuz this game was how FF7 would have been if you put a bitch in charge of it.

hmmm maybe ill rent it lol XD. i wonder what you mean by too much though, 7, 8 and 9 had their love scene moments. I remember getting sad when whats her name died in 7 ><

I wonder what is going on with story line, 12 and 13 are really loosing it. I think it may be due to graphics > story line effort.

you could say it started to loose it with FF X and X-2 but uh.. maybe ill finish x-2 and see what i think of that kind of style better. I got stuck somewhere and gave up playing. I remember a friend telling me she liked it and liked the beastmaster outfit lol.

Vigilous, on 24 February 2010 - 06:31 AM, said:

No, it isn't. At least not in video games. Linearity was fine up into the PSone years. However, games have evolved to where the gamer can now have full-interactivity of not only movement, but emotional and moral outcomes of character and story structure. Fallout and Oblivion aren't so much about the main quests, but rather how you develop your character because of choice. And when you can impact the outcome of character and story, it becomes a much more rewarding experience. Plus, it adds greatly to the replay value of a game: if you want to run it again, you can make many different choices and see the same story from a different perspective..

You told Corr he must not want challenging games, but it really sounds like you're the one who doesn't. After all, it's much simpler to run on the rails and let someone tell you how you should feel rather than try to actually think about the consequences of your actions.

Ya I like the idea of impacting the story more, you know any good games that do well for this?

This post has been edited by rambus: 02 March 2010 - 10:55 PM

[Vigilous]

Oblivion and Fallout don't let you impact the main story. However, after you complete the obligatory tutorial "dungeons", you can run around the world and do whatever you want - literally. The first side quest you'll most likely encounter in Fallout is to choose whether or not you save a town - by either deactivating or detonating a failed nuke at the town's center. For actually affecting the main storyline, try Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, the Witcher, and Dragon Age. And from what I hear, Heavy Rain on PS3 is supposed to offer the best experience for affecting the story.

Either way, all these games offer a way to impact the game world. If you become an asshole, NPCs will react to you appropriately. Become a beacon of hope, and they'll give you stuff for your efforts.

In linear RPGs, you'll be lucky if members in your own party recognize the things you do.

[rambus]

Vigilous, on 03 March 2010 - 07:49 AM, said:

Oblivion and Fallout don't let you impact the main story. However, after you complete the obligatory tutorial "dungeons", you can run around the world and do whatever you want - literally. The first side quest you'll most likely encounter in Fallout is to choose whether or not you save a town - by either deactivating or detonating a failed nuke at the town's center. For actually affecting the main storyline, try Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, the Witcher, and Dragon Age. And from what I hear, Heavy Rain on PS3 is supposed to offer the best experience for affecting the story.

Either way, all these games offer a way to impact the game world. If you become an asshole, NPCs will react to you appropriately. Become a beacon of hope, and they'll give you stuff for your efforts.

In linear RPGs, you'll be lucky if members in your own party recognize the things you do.

ya i liked mass effect, i need to finish it and get II lol XD