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Final Fantasy XIII - Official Thread

Discussion in 'Gaming Forum' started by mor911, Mar 2, 2010.

  1. Sethdaddy8

    Sethdaddy8 Well-Known Member

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    well, you bastiches failed to talk me out of it, so i picked it up. i'll be playing this until next xmas.

    i was a big fan of ff7, ffx, and which ever one didnt have the weird medieval dudes. i didnt like 12 or the medieval dudes one.
     
  2. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    :lol:

    Nah, they don't really tell you what the hell is going on at first. The Datalog is a big help.
     
  3. mor911

    mor911 pooping

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    Big E likes this.
  4. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    My biggest problem with this game right now is the off-center camera angles. It bugged me in Batman: Arkham Asylum and it bugs me here. I want to see where I'm going, not the environment off to one side. I hope this camera angle trend dies. Soon.
     
  5. mor911

    mor911 pooping

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    No... It's annoyed me for 20+ hours lol. Never stops, sorry. How's the story treating you?
     
  6. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Well, I mean more in video gaming in general. Tired of off-center camera views. It looks nice and dramatic in screenshots but it's a nightmare to navigate with.

    Story's starting to make some sense, though the out of order narrative really could have been pulled off much better. Loving the characters, though. Sazh is my favorite so far, Lightning second. Something's up with Vanille, and I'm looking forward to finding out what her deal is.
     
  7. CitizenSnips

    CitizenSnips hmm.

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  8. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    12 hours in.

    The game's formula is starting to get a little repetitive. Reach new area -> introductory cutscene -> fight 6 or 7 battles -> cutscene -> "Let's hurry up" or variant thereof mentioned at least once -> more battles -> more cutscenes -> more battles -> more cutscenes -> repeat.

    If everyone's in such a hurry, why do they all stop and stand around to talk? I realize this is a Japanese thing--there's no real hurry because the plot proceeds at the player's pace--but it's still a little silly. That said, the battle system is really picking up, and the characters are starting to flesh out.

    I'm starting to think that Vanille is the primary character. Not sure how I feel about that.
     
  9. Dol-Fan Dupree

    Dol-Fan Dupree Tank? Who is Tank? I am Guy Incognito.

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    That is an RPG thing. In Baulder's Gate they talk about how you need to hurry, however you have plenty of time to solve the case of the evil chicken.
     
  10. mor911

    mor911 pooping

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    There's a HUGE portion of the game that you're about to run into (maybe already there) where you are stuck playing in 2 person parties for what feels like forever. It was one of the most boring stretches of RPG gaming in recent history for me.

    As for a main character, they spend a good amount of time making them all seem like the main... I still think in the end it's Snow (who grows cornier and cornier to me).

    As for the repetition of the game, I am told that in disc 3 (granted that doesnt help a PS3 owner) the game opens up for exploration and hunts like FF12. I personally LOVED the hunts and cant wait to get there.

    You bastard! You just ruined Baulder's Gate!
     
  11. Frumundah Finnatic

    Frumundah Finnatic U Mad Miami?

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    Have you ever had to take a **** real bad? Maybe they are just looking for the nearest crapper?
     
  12. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    I'm in the middle of Palumpolum, so yeah, I've been doing the 2 person thing for a while. I wouldn't say it's been boring, but I could have done with less nonsensical exposition. Two characters in the middle of an area filled with monsters and they're going to sit there and talk every 10 steps? It's a Japanese thing--the plot proceeds at the player's pace--but I could have done with a little less exposition.

    I don't have a problem with Snow. What you see as corniness I see as desperation and denial.

    I don't mind the linearity, I just mind that the characters won't Shut The Hell Up(TM). I love character development, but it comes at the oddest times in this game. Then again, I'm sure all modern JRPGs--Star Ocean 4, Tales of Everything Since Destiny Sucks, Eternal Sonata--all use that structure, so I've probably missed out because I haven't played those games.

    Edit: Forgot to mention, FF13's shipped (not sold) five million worldwide, three of that five coming from the US and Europe. I'm going to go ahead and say FF13 will be somewhere over 1 million on the NPD charts, with the real number being around 1,500,000 thanks to sales at outlets NPD doesn't track.
     
  13. mor911

    mor911 pooping

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    My issue with Snow is that he (like many Anime characters) has some ridiculous desire to label themselves a "hero". I just find it super tacky. I know it's a Japanese thing... But it sets off my Cornball Alarm (TM) like nothing else in FFXIII
     
  14. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    I don't know of many anime characters who call themselves heroes. The stereotype in anime is that characters do what they need to do and the heroism thing is an unintended side effect.
     
  15. Sethdaddy8

    Sethdaddy8 Well-Known Member

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    im about 20 minutes in. its fun and pretty amazing graphic/sound wise. i get oohed and ahhed by graphics. it seems like an amazing world they created. and in these early goings, so far its nice and linear. thats how i like it. move things along.

    this things gonna take me 50 hours to complete isnt it.
     
  16. mor911

    mor911 pooping

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    i despise Anime which is why when I compare something to an anime, it's not a good thing. Thus I haven't seen all that much anime. All of my anime experience comes from Record of Lodoss War and the 10 or 11 animes I have watches. So I'm far from an expert lol
     
  17. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    I'm not the biggest anime fan in the world either, but I'm positive you're mixing up Japanese narrative style with anime style. There's a difference.

    Tales of Vesperia is anime style, to contrast.

    I've heard it's longer than that, or at least, it can be longer than that depending on what you do.
     
  18. Sethdaddy8

    Sethdaddy8 Well-Known Member

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    i'm 4 hours in. i'd say i spent 2 of them just reading the datalogs and everything else. but im comfortable with the story and where things are headed. fun so far. great graphics and sound.
     
  19. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    20 hours in.

    S*** just got real.
     
  20. Sethdaddy8

    Sethdaddy8 Well-Known Member

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    where were you guys at like 5 hours in? i know i wasted a good 45 minutes pressing triangle instead of pause, to stop action. im in chapter 3, just after the crystalized lake, where you climb the stairs and go into the town. theres a behemoth at the entrance.

    wanna get a sense if im way behind, or about right. i feel like its moving quick.
     
  21. Sethdaddy8

    Sethdaddy8 Well-Known Member

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    the story is simple...if you read EVERYTHING in the datalog.

    and it doesnt help when things are named la cie, cie'th, l'cie...and pulse, purge and a whole bunch of crap thats really close, making it hard to know whats what in the beginning.

    and what do you do with all the fangs, tears, fluids, and weird things you find? do you simply sell them, or do they eventually have a purpose. (use, trade, make something out of them)?
     
  22. mor911

    mor911 pooping

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    I agree about the data logs. But the naming convention is TERRIBLE imo. As for random crap you pick up... I sold it all at first and regretted it later. It will reveal. Just hold on
     
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  23. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    I cleared Lake Bresha after about 4 hours. You're not too far behind, not that there's a specific timetable for reaching each chapter.

    As for the naming convention, it makes sense, even if the words are totally foreign. Think about it this way:

    fal'Cie are the gods.
    Drop the fa and you get l'Cie, which are people who have part of those gods' power. Makes sense that the word l'Cie would be truncated from the word fal'Cie, since l'Cies have the truncated power of fal'Cies.
    Cie'ths are the opposite end of the spectrum; since their modifier to Cie occurs after and not before, they're the "end result" of l'Cies.

    Just think about it in terms of root words. Sort of like how we get "Fins" from "Dolphins."
     
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  24. mor911

    mor911 pooping

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    no no, i got it :knucks:

    I just think it sucks.
     
  25. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Pseudo-French sounding terms annoy me too, but I've gotten used to it. Could be worse, s'all.
     
  26. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Just beat chapter 9. (Better way to measure progress than to give times, IMO.)

    Without giving anything away, I didn't see the plot twist coming, but at the same time, I've seen it before. I have mixed emotions on how that turned out.
     
  27. mor911

    mor911 pooping

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    you might be past me LOL

    Not sure what chapter I'm on, havent been able to play for days. I'm at the part where you finally go back to 3 person parties, and they on board that huge flying ship
     
  28. Sethdaddy8

    Sethdaddy8 Well-Known Member

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    im 9 hours in...because it took me 90 freakin minutes to beat Odin. I was sooo pissed. I was an idiot for not realizing the "Ravager" hint.

    Also, I have a bunch of saved up items. Should I upgrade some weapons or hold off, and keep the items to upgrade weapons that become available later in the game. I only upgraded 2 weapons so far. One was so I could freakin get past Odin.

    edit: and this game is moving a tad slow(or maybe its me), but i feel obligated to fight every fight, and constantly do the upgrades and stuff.
     
  29. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, you're in chapter 9. :lol: I'm getting the chapter numbers from the Datalog.

    Chapter 9 had a nice little CP/item grinding point. You know the part near the beginning where you go from the tiered platform section outside into the hallway filled with soldiers? Keep fighting the three drones and two PSICOM Dragoons outside that doorway, you'll get 750 CP per fight and a good shot at 2500 gil credit cards.

    Odin took me a while too. Eventually I put the battle speed on Slow and went with a super-defensive Paradigm and beat him by accident, because supporting actions were the quickest way to drive up his Gestalt gauge.

    Upgrade, yes. Don't feel shy about it, but for efficient upgrading, you'll want to look at a guide to figure out how to get EXP bonuses as you upgrade. Each weapon has different attributes, and to be honest, I'd be lost if I didn't have the guide with me. Some weapons aren't worth upgrading, others are, and there doesn't seem to be one "ultimate" weapon for a character, just a couple of really good weapons depending on what roles the characters will play in a given battle.

    You'll eventually unlock upgrade part shops, and those help tremendously.

    Even if you skipped the fights it'd still be slow. That's just how that part of the game unfolds.
     
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  30. Sethdaddy8

    Sethdaddy8 Well-Known Member

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    I didn't even know you could slow the battle speed down! After about 15 tries, it sunk in that he "yields to chain whatevers" and ravager mode helps promote that. and my lightning character is a maxed out commando, decent ravager, but weak medic, so i couldnt go medic/synergist. she was almost useless. but i eventually got it, after 3 phoenix downs and as i said, 90 minutes of *** whoopins.
     
  31. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, not many people notice the battle speed feature, but it helps against Odin.

    Start building up Lightning's Ravager abilities. Pretty soon you're going to phase her out of the Commando role and into the Ravager role. You'll get a new character to act as the Commando.
     
  32. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Just made it to chapter 11. Starting to feel a little annoyed, because there are only 13 chapters in the game, and while the plot has taken some nice turns, if it ends pretty soon I'm going to feel cheated.

    I'm hoping the remaining 3 chapters have a decent length to them, with a little more in the way of plot.
     
  33. CitizenSnips

    CitizenSnips hmm.

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    i know mors playing this on xbox, but idk if hes far enough to tell.

    My sister is currently playing my copy, and she's 22 hours in or so. Her spring breaks over soon and she's going back to school. I, however, am only 4 hours in. She's on disc 3, I'm on disc 1. I said she can just take disc 3 with her back to school and just mail it back to me when shes done (which will still be way before i get to disc 3 at the rate im going)

    Will she need disc 1 or 2 from this point forward? Mass Effect 2 and Star Ocean both required you to put previous discs in to finish the game, is FFXIII like that?
     
  34. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Halfway through chapter 12. I'm going to go ahead and say that my fears of a thin plot have been confirmed. There simply isn't enough room left in the game for it to suddenly explode into a coherent narrative, and I'm left wondering why this game took four years to develop.

    Final comment will be withheld until I've beaten the game and try out some of the side quests that open up afterward.
     
  35. muscle979

    muscle979 Season Ticket Holder

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    Thanks for all the feedback on the game. I have to prioritize with so many games I want to play out and this one just kind of dropped off my list, maybe completely. I don't know if I'm a big enough fan of the genre to play a mediocre game. If it's as fun as FFX I would play it though. Is it that good?
     
  36. mor911

    mor911 pooping

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    So far I havent had to go back... It doesnt look so. You should be ok.
     
  37. mor911

    mor911 pooping

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    Yeah I finally got to chapter 10 (disc 3 starts) and I'm pretty let down so far
     
  38. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    The end of chapter 9 held out hope that the plot would accelerate from there, but there's really only a couple more of plot-related scenes. Honestly, it's disappointing. Four years of development for this?

    I feel like they released screenshots of every area in the game and basically showed us everything the game has to offer.
     
  39. mor911

    mor911 pooping

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    I am not liking this game very much (compared to past FF games). Good question you ask, what the **** took 4 years?

    In 25+ hours I never felt like I was exploring a new world. I simply feel like I'm in a RPG equivelant of a rail shooter. The world doesn't feel alive. I don't imagine millions of Cocoonians living out there lives because they don't have any NPC interactions. I can safely say this is the worst Final Fantasy I've played since 8.

    I'll stick by this unless something drastic happens. Based on what Desides is saying... I don't think it will

    Damn shame
     
  40. PeaTearGriffin

    PeaTearGriffin Season Ticket Holder

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    I'm not liking the sound of this at all. I was waiting to beat GOW and then start playing this but if its this bad maybe I'll just start something else.
     

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