First thoughts of FFXIII from a hardcore FF Fan

[cloudn9ne]

Just joined up to make this thread, sorry if this gets long winded, but here goes;


I've been playing FF games since 1997. Yup, you guessed it, i started on FFVII. I have played all the FF series, the online games, the gameboy games, japanese-only FF games, you name it, i've played it/seen it.

I've completed FF games over and over etc, so i think this qualifies me to make this post.

After FFIX, i thought the games got boring and dull, yes, that includes FFX, FFX-2 (dire game), FFXI + expansions, FFXII...

So i held of buying FFXIII For a while... until now. I've been playing FFXIII for the past 4-5 hours and i would like to make the following points;

• So far, the storyline seems VERY complicated
• So far, the storyline seems boring and uninvolving
• 'Hope' has quickly became my least favorite FF character...EVER

I'll explain some other points.

a friend and i were discussing Final Fantasy and he dismissed it as a game where; ''all you do is run a few steps, fight....run, fight. Game complete.''

I told him he knew nothing about Final Fantasy and he needs to play them rather than dismiss them like that.

Then i put FFXIII in my PS3. The opening few hours you do literally run, fight, run fight, run fight. And what annoys me is that you don't even run and fight with one character, it shoots back to other characters and you feel like you're doing the same thing over and over...

Rating thus far:

Sound - superb sound quality
graphics - stunning, cannot fault them
storytelling - story seems terrible and complicated so far... After 5 hours, i've no real idea who the real enemy is, like we knew we wanted Sephiroth in FFVII, Sin in FFX.... i don't care in FFXIII
gameplay - linear so far, seems to lack villages and towns like previous FF's.



Anyone agree? Or am i being harsh? It's just that;

FFVII starts out and you're with Avalanche, former ShinRa soldier, terrorism, boom!!!

FFVIII, fight with Squall leads you to hospital and you see Balamb Gardens and Quistis, then you go and get infrit...

FFIX - you get a good character development with Vivi and his scenes getting into the play/stage performence when you see Zidane

FFX - meeting Auron etc, mysterious character has you asking why? who is he?

FFXIII - .............nothing special...

 

[Martel]

Things will only get worse. You'll quickly discover the story has no plot, no decent villain, and that Hope gets even more annoying as the game progresses. About the only good thing that can be said for this game is its graphics.

I strongly advise you to stop now before you find out the hard way just how poor this game is.

 

[cloudn9ne]

Things will only get worse. You'll quickly discover the story has no plot, no decent villain, and that Hope gets even more annoying as the game progresses. About the only good thing that can be said for this game is its graphics.

I strongly advise you to stop now before you find out the hard way just how poor this game is.

Glad i'm not the only one who thinks this. It's such a shame.

It's left me feeling; why didn't they use all this time creating an FFVII remake, EXCLUSIVE to PS3 rather than creating FFXIII on PS3, 360 and making a whole span of FFXIII games to come, e.g Agito etc And now rumours of FFXIII-2...

 

[CassinoChips]

It's left me feeling; why didn't they use all this time creating an FFVII remake,

There doesn't need to be a remake. If you want to play it again, PSN it, or dig out your copy. They really don't need to George Lucas the franchise.

And now rumours of FFXIII-2...

..........

I haven't played XIII, so I can't really speak to any specifics, but it is what it is. They can't all be home runs, and there are bound to be some growing pains with the new platform that is miles ahead of anything else. They focused on graphics and bells and whistles, and not enough on storyline, etc., apparently. But, it is what it is.

 

[cloudn9ne]

There doesn't need to be a remake. If you want to play it again, PSN it, or dig out your copy. They really don't need to George Lucas the franchise.

There does need to be a remake...The graphics need updating. Why would i want to play a standard def game on a 1080p HD screen??

FFVII deserves a remake more than FFXIII deserves to even exist.

 

[MagicMasher]

Rather than have an argument over FFVII remake (because it will go nowhere), I will say that you kind of were unfair with the opening to FFXIII. The opening to FFXIII, at least with me, had a little bit of an adrenaline rush to what was going on. They attempt to use the writing method of "late point of attack" to throw you into the situation.

Albeit they kind of give away why everyone is there in the first hour of the game and shoot to hell every foreshadowed question that should keep the player wanting to know more, I still think they achieved a decent somewhat climactic storytelling experience.

But maybe that's just because I'm a playwright and I look for shit like that.

 

[cloudn9ne]

http://www.destructoid.com/review-final-fantasy-xiii-167136.phtml

''The story is terrible, but the dialog is worse. An average conversation in Final Fantasy XIII goes like this: "Pulse, Cocoon, L'sie, Fal'sie, Focus, Focus, Focus." Over and over again, the same stupid words. If you can get to the end of this 30+ hour saga and not be sick of those words, you're a strong man indeed''




^^^^

Such a true review.

 

[MagicMasher]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but is there any point in disagreeing with what you say, or trying to discuss it? You seem pretty dead set in how you feel about FFXIII.

 

[CassinoChips]

There does need to be a remake...The graphics need updating. Why would i want to play a standard def game on a 1080p HD screen??

Because that was the platform on which the game was designed to run?

Besides, Square-Enix isn't going to have its first game on a next-gen platform be a recycle of an old game. They experimented with the new engine. Some of the experiments worked (sound/graphics/etc.), many didn't. Hopefully they learned some things and can put that knowledge to use in Versus or Agito or XV.

 

[cloudn9ne]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but is there any point in disagreeing with what you say, or trying to discuss it? You seem pretty dead set in how you feel about FFXIII.

I am dead set in how i feel about FF, i'm listening and reading each reply, i just want to express how i feel about this game.

As i mentioned , i'm probably one of the biggest FF fans out there and this game has came as a huge disappointment to me. I'm afraid since Squaresoft became Square-Enix, the quality of games has deteriorated.

 

[MagicMasher]

I am dead set in how i feel about FF, i'm listening and reading each reply, i just want to express how i feel about this game.

As i mentioned , i'm probably one of the biggest FF fans out there and this game has came as a huge disappointment to me. I'm afraid since Squaresoft became Square-Enix, the quality of games has deteriorated.

I just think you were expecting something out of FFXIII that wasn't delivered to you. As Terry mentioned, it's a new engine: they're experimenting. Some things worked, and some didn't. They can apply that knowledge to make Versus and Agito better, or even to FFXV.

I think some story telling aspects worked with FFXIII, I think some of the combat stuff was fun/worked...on the other hand, other things (such as the weapons upgrading and stuff, at least to me) didn't work. With FFXIII you have to look at the bigger picture and ask, "Ok..so I have this game: now, what is working and is awesome, and what could they have improved or done a better job with?" instead of writing off the game as a complete failure.

 

[Gingerbread Lesbian]

There does need to be a remake...The graphics need updating. Why would i want to play a standard def game on a 1080p HD screen??

FFVII deserves a remake more than FFXIII deserves to even exist.

No, there doesn't "deserve" to be a remake. What about the other 2000+ original PS titles that need a "graphics update". Final Fantasy VII isn't special, nor should it be singled out for special treatment. Square-Enix just watched their earnings forecast drop 91%, they need to start focusing on raising the quality of their main franchise, not remaking it.

As for Final Fantasy XIII, personally I hated it, not as much as I hated Final Fantasy XII but I thought it was very poor for a modern gaming standard. That being said, it did have it's odd decent chapter so you can't exactly judge it by the first couple of hours since it's a long game.

 

[cloudn9ne]

I just think you were expecting something out of FFXIII that wasn't delivered to you. As Terry mentioned, it's a new engine: they're experimenting. Some things worked, and some didn't. They can apply that knowledge to make Versus and Agito better, or even to FFXV.

I think some story telling aspects worked with FFXIII, I think some of the combat stuff was fun/worked...on the other hand, other things (such as the weapons upgrading and stuff, at least to me) didn't work. With FFXIII you have to look at the bigger picture and ask, "Ok..so I have this game: now, what is working and is awesome, and what could they have improved or done a better job with?" instead of writing off the game as a complete failure.

I agree, but i really don't think FFXIII was a good game to 'experiment with'. It's the first installment in the main series of Final Fantasy since 2002. Experimenting shouldn't ever have been an option.

I think that because certain staff members have left Square-Enix, that could be the reason for the games deteriorating. I'll carry on with XIII, but i'm glad i'm not the only person who has a dislike for some of the things i've experienced whilst playing.

No, there doesn't "deserve" to be a remake. What about the other 2000+ original PS titles that need a "graphics update". Final Fantasy VII isn't special, nor should it be singled out for special treatment. Square-Enix just watched their earnings forecast drop 91%, they need to start focusing on raising the quality of their main franchise, not remaking it.

Did you just say FFVII isn't special? GTFO

 

[MagicMasher]

I agree, but i really don't think FFXIII was a good game to 'experiment with'. It's the first installment in the main series of Final Fantasy since 2002. Experimenting shouldn't ever have been an option.

I think that because certain staff members have left Square-Enix, that could be the reason for the games deteriorating. I'll carry on with XIII, but i'm glad i'm not the only person who has a dislike for some of the things i've experienced whilst playing.




Did you just say FFVII isn't special? GTFO

I think it was cool of them to try something new. They didn't know that people would dislike over 75% of it. At least they didn't sit there and make a copy-pasta gameplay of other FF titles, you know? And experimenting is ALWAYS an option. That's the only way you figure out what new things work and what doesn't. Experimenting leads to new developments in gaming. Saying experimenting is not an option is bogus.

@About FFVII: No, I think he meant that, due to the fact that S-E just watched profits drop by 91%, it shouldn't get special treatment and, as someone said before, "George Lucas" a series. They need to make new games to try and raise profits, not remake. Unless, of course, you can guarantee a FFVII remake would raise that profit margin.

 

[Gaige]

The thing is, it's opinions. Whether 99% of the world thinks it or 2 people in the world, it's opinion. It's subjective. What you find terrible I find simple. It hasn't been overdone and confused by convoluted dialogue. I find it simple, decent and easy to follow.

As for the "lack of a villain," I really think it highlights the whole theme of "choice," within the game. A large part of the game is making your choice. Choosing your destiny. Sephiroth, Kuja, Ultimecia. They had their motives, but they were mainly seen as destructive forces in the lives of the characters.

I think this is why a lot of people hated Vayne as well. He was opinionated. He had motives. Reasons. Granted he was a little bland, but you need to look past your misconceptions and see that

Spoiler

Barthandelus and Orphan

aren't all that different. They just have that ruthless streak. But they also have a meaning to their goal of total destruction.

Character voicing and development was excellent. To say there's no character development isn't something I'd say is true at all. And character development is a big part of any RPG.

The music isn't incredible, I agree. There are some decent scores in there, but way too many are just remixes of another theme in the score.

But I go back to my original point. There are those who love it, those who like it, those who are OK with it, those who dislike it, and those who hate it. It's all subjective. There is no "right" or "wrong" opinion. I love it, you don't. Big whoop. We've heard the reasons people love it and hate it already, and I'd personally play on with an open mind rather than convinced you're not gonna enjoy it, because if you've decided the game is shit by the opening cutscene alone, put down the game and move onto something else, because there are people here who disliked the game yet had the ability to keep playing before they started saying how shit it was.

And there's my opinion with a little rant thrown in for good measure. :dave:

 

[Linnaete]

To be fair to SE though, experimentation was an important thing to do when making a new flagship Final Fantasy title nowadays. Look at the video game industry now. Japan is a sinking ship while western developers are booming. With such a high profile name like Final Fantasy and the old conventions of JRPGs deemed too old-fashioned for much of SE's audience primarily outside of Japan, they had to find a way to progress the franchise in terms of gameplay somehow. It just so happened that neither FFXII or FFXIII were too successful or well received even though I rather liked FFXII.

SE's problem is that they're too fixated on style over substance. Who can deny that FFXIII looked stunning? In-game graphics, CGI, art design. Impressive, as is in any Final Fantasy. But I just felt that everything else kind of took a backseat. You can see that with the linear fashion of the gameplay. They made excuses for why they could not include towns despite other HD RPGs including them without real problems. I read a comment about how they would take months on polishing a single rock in the game. That simply conveys just how focused they were on appearance, which is only of secondary importance in my opinion. FFXIII just felt like running and fighting through pretty wallpaper. I have some praises for several bits of the story, but overall it did feel like it wasted a lot of potential.

Though unrelated to the topic, I don't think a FFVII remake is necessary either. It may be a groundbreaking game, but why don't other games like Chrono Trigger get HD remakes either? Oh yeah, it's the popularity difference. The only reason why SE would remake it is because it will sell really well. They've lost so much money in this fiscal year that it's obvious that a FFVII remake would be goldmine. But SE is too busy hiding behind remakes and ports. They should just focus ahead and ensure they have learnt their lessons with their future releases.

 

[Ilyena]

Did you just say FFVII isn't special? GTFO

He is entitled to his opinion.

We have a Love it or hate it thread here. You can discuss your hatred for the game in that thread. You can discuss a possible FFVII remake here.

As there's really no point in an entire new thread regarding this subject, I'm going to close this.