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General and Gaming => Modern Video Games => Topic started by: dashv on September 16, 2014, 06:41:05 pm
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Folks,
I skipped FF XIII based on the initial reviews, complaints of linearity, etc.
Now that the PS3 is declining in popularity I seeing some great deals for it.
For example my local
Mom and pop has the collectors edition of FF XIII-2 complete with a mini novel for $20.
And I can grab FF XIII for $12.
I liked 1, 7, and 9 but couldn't really get into 8 or X.
Should I give FF XIII and XIII-2 a shot?
Should I skip XIII and go straight to XIII-2?
No story spoilers in your answers please. :)
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And I can grab FF XIII for $12.
I liked 1, 7, and 9 but couldn't really get into 8 or X.
Should I give FF XIII and XIII-2 a shot?
Should I skip XIII and go straight to XIII-2?
I haven't played the game more than 30 min, so I can't tell you spoilers even if I wanted to :)
My friend who LOVES 7 and the older FFs haaaates 13 with a passion. So much so that he's streaming it on Twitch right now and the title of the cast compares the game to a root canal. However, we ran into someone playing FF Tactics last night who LOVED 13 and said it was one of his favorites because he liked that the franchise was trying to mix things up and do different things. He also really enjoyed X, I believe, and liked the newer games.
I've heard that there are some improvements on the gameplay/battle system in XIII-2 but that people were really turned off by the dress-up aspect of the game. It sounds like XIII-2 is more of an "idol" game, which I'm led to believe is focusing more on the characters almost being like pop stars that you can play with.
But, like I said, I haven't played either (but own both and plan to play them eventually), so I'm only basing this on impressions.
I personally really liked XII and the open-world feel of that game so playing XIII felt restrictive because there is no open-world in the levels. My friends refer to it as Hallway Simulator, if that gives any ideas... ::)
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I think you should play it and form your own opinion on it. I have played almost 90% of the first one but stopped because I got stuck on a hard part. If you play it don't leave it unattended for while or your going to lose your fluidity with the battle system (Im having a hard time getting my fluidity back).
The game is really visually appealing & OST is fantasic
I dont really mind the linear plot line as long as I get a good story.
Don't skip games around. Too much Plot hole
The only real problem I have is with a certain character that rubs you the wrong way for while in the game and you want to strangle him/her... they change for the better later but I haven't finished it to be exactly sure.
Pick me up a FFXIII-2 Collector's Edition (Ps3)(If they have extras). I missed my chance of picking it up @ a Best Buy for $60 new 2 years ago @ Black Friday. It just wasn't worth waiting in line. I have the 1st and 2nd on 360 and the 3rd (collector's edition) on Ps3. I want them in all one system.
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I think if you are an FF fan it is worth a play through. It is one of those games that could have just ended with the first one and didn't need two dumbass sequels. With that said, don't play the sequels, they are both pretty bad. My opinion of course.
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I think if you are an FF fan it is worth a play through. It is one of those games that could have just ended with the first one and didn't need two dumbass sequels. With that said, don't play the sequels, they are both pretty bad. My opinion of course.
There are 2 sequels?
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I think if you are an FF fan it is worth a play through. It is one of those games that could have just ended with the first one and didn't need two dumbass sequels. With that said, don't play the sequels, they are both pretty bad. My opinion of course.
There are 2 sequels?
Yup, FFXIII-2 and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (or sometimes called FFXIII-3).
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I think if you are an FF fan it is worth a play through. It is one of those games that could have just ended with the first one and didn't need two dumbass sequels. With that said, don't play the sequels, they are both pretty bad. My opinion of course.
There are 2 sequels?
Yup, FFXIII-2 and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (or sometimes called FFXIII-3).
Wow. I thought FF XIII-2 was "Lightning Returns!" :) man I'm out of touch.
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To be honest, I never cared too much for the XIII trilogy. I played through the first one on the 360, as well as a little bit of 13-2 for a rental. Compared to the other final fantasy games, I just don't like this trilogy very much for a variety of reasons. The battle theme song(13-1) takes like a minute to finally get going and I killed enemies too quick to hear all of it, although I consider the OST to be above average. Characters and story didn't really appeal to me, as well as the linear structure of 13-1. They should have not made two sequels to the game, but they did and I somewhat see it as a cash grab for being a multiplat. I hoping that XV doesn't turn out to another bad game since they need to turn the series around.
Fun Fact: On the opening week of its release, Lightning Returns:13-3 was beaten pretty badly in sales in North America by Bravely Default :P
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I thought FF XIII was an overall garbage game, like Squenix should be ashamed for making it and then continuing to push it for the trilogy. Visually its nice, but it's utterly shallow, it's boring, it's poorly paced. I made it 10 hours on one try, 15 on other when i thought maybe I could tough it out, and then I hear people go "Oh, yeah, like 25 to 30 hours in, the game opens up a little". Screw that. For about 10 bucks, to try the game, that's not terrible really. Might even like it, but I can't think of much that was redeeming about the game, other than maybe the visuals, but at the point, just watch someone LP it. It's much cheaper lol
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XIII, the linearity really grated. You won't understand what linear is in an RPG until you play that game. People have said "Oh, FFX was the same way!" No. No, it was not.
However I think if you went into it expecting it to be extremely linear that there's still some good to be had - the battle system is very different but extremely fun and it's super pretty. FFXIII-2 on the other hand is an incredible game and one of my favorite JRPGs of that gen. The story is hard to follow, sure, but they threw all of that linearity out the window and there's a ton of exploration to be had. Was one of the most enjoyable platinums I've gotten as well, I just couldn't put the game down.
My initial impressions of Lightning Returns were that the timer hurts the game, but I've had a friend tell me that once you get into the game the timer is pretty much irrelevant so I want to get back to it at some point.
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Timer?
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Timer?
To me it looked like a Dead Rising type thing. You have a few days to accomplish what you need to before the world is destroyed or something. I don't know exactly, the story gets pretty batshit crazy lol
XIII, the linearity really grated. You won't understand what linear is in an RPG until you play that game. People have said "Oh, FFX was the same way!" No. No, it was not.
However I think if you went into it expecting it to be extremely linear that there's still some good to be had - the battle system is very different but extremely fun and it's super pretty. FFXIII-2 on the other hand is an incredible game and one of my favorite JRPGs of that gen. The story is hard to follow, sure, but they threw all of that linearity out the window and there's a ton of exploration to be had. Was one of the most enjoyable platinums I've gotten as well, I just couldn't put the game down.
My initial impressions of Lightning Returns were that the timer hurts the game, but I've had a friend tell me that once you get into the game the timer is pretty much irrelevant so I want to get back to it at some point.
I tried to get into FFXIII-2, but I felt it was just as lacking as the previous game. It seemed generally abit better and a little more to explore, but I still wasn't feeling it. I also hated the combat system in it. Sure it sorta feels more actiony and of course it's pretty, but then you could sorta just autopilot it. I don't really get Square's desire to constantly revamp the combat systems. It's not like anyone was really asking for it. I thought Ni No Kuni did a better RPG than Square did from what I've played, keeping the action familiar to the older school system, but it was also quite actiony and felt like a better blending of the two.
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Given the choice I'd probably take a more traditional battle system as well. That said, the system is XIII-2 (which is more-or-less the same system as in XIII) is still a lot of fun and definitely requires a ton of strategy especially towards the late game. I wouldn't say it's any more autopilot-y than when you're mindlessly pressing "attack, attack, attack" in the throw-away fights of a standard RPG.
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FFX is a great game.
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I'm with Argyle on this one. While 13 did have it's linearity, there's a lot of lore there that can be interesting. Visually it's very nice and the battle system, while it takes a while to get really familiar with, is more complex than it appears.
I thought it was a big improvement with 13-2. I loved that the story involved time travel and parallel dimensions. It was really cool to see some of the same environments in different states of condition, and how your actions affected later timelines. One thing I never see people talk about is how great the antagonist, Caius, is. He's pretty awesome!
I tried to play lightening returns (or 13-3) but got pretty flustered feeling I was missing stuff. I have the strategy guide now, but haven't had a chance to go back to the game. The core concept seems pretty cool though! I'm hoping the strategy guide can better prioritize what I want to do and when since the world has a timer. That and make fighting a bit easier :-\.
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I'm with Argyle on this one. While 13 did have it's linearity, there's a lot of lore there that can be interesting. Visually it's very nice and the battle system, while it takes a while to get really familiar with, is more complex than it appears.
I thought it was a big improvement with 13-2. I loved that the story involved time travel and parallel dimensions. It was really cool to see some of the same environments in different states of condition, and how your actions affected later timelines. One thing I never see people talk about is how great the antagonist, Caius, is. He's pretty awesome!
I tried to play lightening returns (or 13-3) but got pretty flustered feeling I was missing stuff. I have the strategy guide now, but haven't had a chance to go back to the game. The core concept seems pretty cool though! I'm hoping the strategy guide can better prioritize what I want to do and when since the world has a timer. That and make fighting a bit easier :-\.
Okay. Now that I know time travel and alternate universes are part of the story I'll plow my way through the first one and play the second.
I'm a sucker for that kinda stuff.
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I would skip 13 if I were you, but everyone I know that loves the FF series was dissapointed by the major changes.
1) The game is literally a hallway. You walk in a straight line the entire game.
2) Combat is real time instead of turn based.
My friend said she liked it so I gave it a try but I gave up after an hour or two.
I can't tell you if the plot gets better, but from what I played the plot was all over the place. They go for a mystery kind of plot where you have no idea what's going on initially and 2 hours later I still didn't fully understand what was going on. Something about a prophecy, genocide, and the end of the world.
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My friend is nearing the end of FFXIII for his stream, and he's starting to let go of his hate a bit. He loves the FF series and still prefers the older turn-based style but has gone from saying that he hates it to "it's aight." So maybe things do get better 60 hours in? It's a helluva investment, and now the trilogy is coming out for Steam...
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Play it play it play it...
One of us one of us one of us
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The impression I've gotten from people who have played FF XIII is that if they were a fan of the Final Fantasy series, they hated or at least disliked it. The people who didn't care for Final Fantasy didn't mind or actually enjoyed FF XIII.
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The impression I've gotten from people who have played FF XIII is that if they were a fan of the Final Fantasy series, they hated or at least disliked it. The people who didn't care for Final Fantasy didn't mind or actually enjoyed FF XIII.
Well I love the FF Series and I dont hate FFXIII. Its not the best of the series but I dont hate it. I have my fair share of enjoyment.
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The real question is, why did you skip XII! It's great. Play that, or wait for XV / XVI.
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The real question is, why did you skip XII! It's great. Play that, or wait for XV / XVI.
Why do people say XII is good? I feel like its mediocre at best. Extremely underwhelming
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The real question is, why did you skip XII! It's great. Play that, or wait for XV / XVI.
Why do people say XII is good? I feel like its mediocre at best. Extremely underwhelming
I had the same feeling. I didn't get too far in it. I really felt like it could've been significantly better had they reworked the story so you were someone else instead of Vaan. It was a real bad idea making him the lead.
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The real question is, why did you skip XII! It's great. Play that, or wait for XV / XVI.
Why do people say XII is good? I feel like its mediocre at best. Extremely underwhelming
I had the same feeling. I didn't get too far in it. I really felt like it could've been significantly better had they reworked the story so you were someone else instead of Vaan. It was a real bad idea making him the lead.
Yeah, Story is pretty bland. I went through about 90% of game before I lost the file (Replaying it so at least I can finish it and hope the ending can change my mind). The story... is pretty underwhelming.
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The real question is, why did you skip XII! It's great. Play that, or wait for XV / XVI.
Why do people say XII is good? I feel like its mediocre at best. Extremely underwhelming
I had the same feeling. I didn't get too far in it. I really felt like it could've been significantly better had they reworked the story so you were someone else instead of Vaan. It was a real bad idea making him the lead.
Yeah, Story is pretty bland. I went through about 90% of game before I lost the file (Replaying it so at least I can finish it and hope the ending can change my mind). The story... is pretty underwhelming.
I've played a little bit of XII, about 5 hours or so, and yeah the story is also pretty weak in the game in the way they decided to present it. I only stuck through it just to try out the new gameplay systems and see if anything interesting was going to happen but nope. Because of that, I've haven't gone back to the game since I tried it out.
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The real question is, why did you skip XII! It's great. Play that, or wait for XV / XVI.
I though 11 and 12 were online deals. I don't have the time, patience or commitment to extended online gaming sessions like I did when I was in college. :(
Actually. I didn't have time for them then either. ;)
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The real question is, why did you skip XII! It's great. Play that, or wait for XV / XVI.
I though 11 and 12 were online deals. I don't have the time, patience or commitment to extended online gaming sessions like I did when I was in college. :(
Actually. I didn't have time for them then either. ;)
You're thinking of 11 and 13. 12 was on PS2 and I enjoyed it, but I haven't played much of the FF series.
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The real question is, why did you skip XII! It's great. Play that, or wait for XV / XVI.
I though 11 and 12 were online deals. I don't have the time, patience or commitment to extended online gaming sessions like I did when I was in college. :(
Actually. I didn't have time for them then either. ;)
You're thinking of 11 and 13. 12 was on PS2 and I enjoyed it, but I haven't played much of the FF series.
11 & 14*
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The real question is, why did you skip XII! It's great. Play that, or wait for XV / XVI.
I though 11 and 12 were online deals. I don't have the time, patience or commitment to extended online gaming sessions like I did when I was in college. :(
Actually. I didn't have time for them then either. ;)
You're thinking of 11 and 13. 12 was on PS2 and I enjoyed it, but I haven't played much of the FF series.
11 & 14*
derp... thanks. i said 14 in my head but totally wrote 13.
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The real question is, why did you skip XII! It's great. Play that, or wait for XV / XVI.
I though 11 and 12 were online deals. I don't have the time, patience or commitment to extended online gaming sessions like I did when I was in college. :(
Actually. I didn't have time for them then either. ;)
You're thinking of 11 and 13. 12 was on PS2 and I enjoyed it, but I haven't played much of the FF series.
11 & 14*
derp... thanks. i said 14 in my head but totally wrote 13.
(http://thesoulstepford.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/i-got-your-back.gif)
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Mark me down as another who couldn't get into XII. I've made several attempts too, the latest being last year. The story is very bland as are most of the characters, and I do not like the gambit system at all. Feels like they couldn't program decent party AI so they want me to do it instead. I'll just play Tales instead. ;)
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I actually really enjoyed the gambit system and thought it was an interesting way to have your teammates "level" up their skills (with new gambits available at new towns), but I know lots of folks who agree with you :P
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Quote from: davifus on September 20, 2014, 07:06:36 pm
Quote from: redrowz on September 20, 2014, 06:56:50 pm
The real question is, why did you skip XII! It's great. Play that, or wait for XV / XVI.
Why do people say XII is good? I feel like its mediocre at best. Extremely underwhelming
I had the same feeling. I didn't get too far in it. I really felt like it could've been significantly better had they reworked the story so you were someone else instead of Vaan. It was a real bad idea making him the lead.
For me it felt quite original observing the story from Vaan's perspective. All to often in games you're the main guy, the centre of everything and the great hero. I felt being just a side character played in to the likelyhood of you not being the centre of everything, as in real life. It gave the story and the happenings a greater sense of scale and also of believability. The political elements gave it a mature sense. The story might not be for some, but I think the systems are great. I've never avoided the end of a game for so long, which was due to enjoying running around hunting marks, discovering new secrets and people, and improving my characters.
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As a bit of background, my favorite FF games would probably be (from best to worst): 7, 10, Tactics, 13, 8, 6, 9, and then the rest kind of all tied. I also have a really high tolerance for bad stories, as I try to find the good in most games. I mean...I 1000/1000 Star Ocean: The Last Hope, despite it taking 650 hours for me personally >_>
I actually really enjoyed 13 (coincidentally, I watched all 8 and half hours of cutscenes on Youtube the other day - mostly due to hearing the Leona Lewis theme song and realizing I haven't played it since launch). The biggest complaints I've heard about the game I actually found refreshing.
"It's too linear" - Yes, the game is linear, and the vast majority of sidequests, grinding, etc. doesn't open up until after you beat the final boss and reload your save. I actually liked this, as I didn't get sidetracked doing sidequests. Also, since there is experience caps each chapter, you can't overlevel. This serves 2 purposes: 1. the boss fights remain challenging each chapter, and 2. You know when to move on and stop grinding exp, because you stop having skills to spend it on.
"There's no towns/npcs interations" - I'm fine with this, as it fits in with the story. You're a fugitive the entire game..you shouldn't be hanging out fetching bear pelts for some shop keeper.
"ugh...auto-battle" - At first I doubted this, but I actually found combat FUN to watch for the first time in several games. Besides, setting up your party and timing the paradigm shifts becomes frantic enough in the late game.
It does seem like a lot of people disliked the characters/setting/plot/battle system of the game, and to each their own. While the characters aren't nearly as memorable to me as those in 6/7/8/10, I still found them satisfactory. There were several scenes in the game that I really found emotional, despite lacking a serious connection to certain characters.
Obviously, I highly recommend FFXIII.
XIII-2....well, the combat is more fun (along with the monster-collecting aspect), but the game ruins the end of XIII for me and ends up requiring Lightning Returns to exist. It's alright, but the multiple endings and plot are rather unenjoyable to me.
Lightning Returns - Well...I haven't finished this one. I realize it only exists due to XIII-2 screwing up XIII's plotline, so I forgive the story in LR. The combat I actually felt was the most complex and customizable of the 3 and really enjoyed it, but I stopped playing the week it came out for some reason and haven't gone back. Probably will at some point, unlike XII. I've tried finishing that games 3 or 4 times...and never can get into it.
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Funny, I happen to be playing XIII right now. I've made two prior attempts to finish it, but each time, got sick of it and moved on to something else.
Part of why it's so polarizing is that it's just so wildly inconsistent. The first 30-40 hours really are kind of a slog, filled with excessively linear levels, recycled enemies, a mostly forgettable story, and some moments of genuinely awful dialog and character development. The combat system's enjoyable enough after awhile, but often results in encounters that take way, way, way too long, and one particular character spends half the time whining and mowing down Phoenix Down like it's candy.
After that point, things level out a bit. The world opens up, your characters have some decent skills at their disposal, the combat system actually stops feeling like you're just hammering one button over and over, and it starts to feel like a real Final Fantasy game for awhile. Unfortunately, that's almost all side-quest stuff, and it's spread across a large landscape that doesn't deviate much from area to area, so the main motivator is just getting things upgraded and checking quest monsters off your list. Once you finally do move on, you're locked back into linear tedium, except now everything you fight has the ability to take out your party in a couple of hits, forcing you to constantly change up your equipment and skills, and the only thing to look at is basically a shifting series of white blocks. This is where I am right now in the game, and it's also where I stopped playing last time.
Mixed feelings for me overall, but I'm determined to actually finish it this time around. My favorites in the series are IV, VI, VII, IX, and XII, if that tells you anything, and I seem to be among the few people who likes Lightning as a character, but dislikes almost everyone else in the cast of XIII.