A shift in substance?

[barrenwombs]

Greetings.

I have come to this forum to discuss the freshly released FF XIII. I am not going to write a straight forward 'should i buy this game' post here, rather this is going to be an attempt to put forward some more ranging questions for my personal satisfaction.

I'll start with a brief introduction as I feel it will help other posters in their response.

I have not significantly enjoyed a FF game since FFX, its the only one I have continuously gone back to. FFXII was interesting but for various reasons I stopped playing it about half way through. Since that time I have got my RPG thrills from western RPGs such as Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3 and the Mass Effect series. I have even gone back to my roots as far as RPGs are concerned with titles such as Ultima Underworld 2 (kudos to anyone that remembers that bad boy). I have a lot of time for these games (you pretty much have to, especially with the first 3!) yet their shear size occasionly turns me away from them. It can make for a refreshing change to go into a less open world once in a while.

I'll say with a certain degree of confidence that with western RPGs the onus is on you to evolve the storyline and fill in the gaps whilst you roam the huge expanses avaliable. Whereas with a JRPG it tends to be a less interactive experience with regard to storyline, you the player geing guided by the narrative.

So is this the product of our cultural differences between east and west? I would be most appreciative to hear from people that understand japanese culture or japanese people themselves (if they even exist on this forum). Let me be very clear that when I say understand japanese culture im not talking about individuals with a warped fanatical devotion to all things japanese. Rather someone that lives or has lived out there,anyone with an insight on the very different cultural norms that seperate us, not just as gamers but in general.

The reason I want to go down this route of discussion is that i want to try and understand the latest FF as a japanese gamer does. It would be nice to play this game from a fresh perspective. I want to try and avoid brining with me the usual nagging concerns and just play the game for what it is, not for what i might want it to be.

It might help at this point if i outline some of these concerns/gripes i have traditionally held with JRPGs.

Well lets start with characters, androgenous gerneic sterotyping with a dash of over the top clothing. This is an asethetic gripe for the most part, something im less inclined to care bout these days. However of greater concern is FFs typical approach to character stereotypes.

My next gripe has been with difficulty. I like a game to be challenging, apart from FFX i've not really seen much challenge me in the FF series.

And then there is the biggest one of them all, the tendancy to over dramitise the storyline. Although I have never considered FF storywriting to be bad per se, i've never considered it to be great. And this is a big one given that JRPG's are hugely based on storyline to keep things moving in a more linear world. If i want epic storyline I'll go with Biowares KotOR or ME.

Now this brings me back to the matter of perspective. How can i appreciate FF as it was intended? I am going to pick it up today but before i start playing i want to try and set the mood for the game begins.

Thanks for taking thetime to read this. Its not very well structured so i hope you, the reader, can understand what im trying to ask from the forums here.

 

[lreal]

Well lets start with characters, androgenous gerneic sterotyping with a dash of over the top clothing. This is an asethetic gripe for the most part, something im less inclined to care bout these days. However of greater concern is FFs typical approach to character stereotypes.

Typical approach to character stereotypes? Elaborate? Anway, compared to Fallout/MassEffect at least the focus extends beyond the single character you play. It's nice to have a kind of group dynamic among many different characters with different personalities.

My next gripe has been with difficulty. I like a game to be challenging, apart from FFX i've not really seen much challenge me in the FF series.

I actually found FFX to be one of the if not the easiest game of the series. Since all the FF games have a leveling system, the difficulty is mainly dictated by the level of your characters as you progress through the game. To make things difficult, I keep grinding to the minimum. Try playing with subpar equip/subpar stats/subpar abilities and you won't find it to be such a cake walk.

And then there is the biggest one of them all, the tendancy to over dramitise the storyline. Although I have never considered FF storywriting to be bad per se, i've never considered it to be great. And this is a big one given that JRPG's are hugely based on storyline to keep things moving in a more linear world. If i want epic storyline I'll go with Biowares KotOR or ME.

It's not an adult game, it's mainly geared toward teenagers. But despite the tendency to thrown in a juvenile love story and overarching theme of good v. evil in all FF games, the world created by square is for the most part a fascinating one to be a part of. It's really about how all the facets of the created fantasy world come together for your entire gaming experience. If you just look at the "plot," then you're missing a big part of the game.

Now this brings me back to the matter of perspective. How can i appreciate FF as it was intended? I am going to pick it up today but before i start playing i want to try and set the mood for the game begins.

It's a video game...not a Steinbeck novel. You'll either like it or you don't, no need to over-analyze it.

Note: I haven't touched FFXIII, so this pretty much stems from my experience with all the previous FF games.

 

[barrenwombs]

Typical approach to character stereotypes? Elaborate? Anway, compared to Fallout/MassEffect at least the focus extends beyond the single character you play. It's nice to have a kind of group dynamic among many different characters with different personalities.




I actually found FFX to be one of the if not the easiest game of the series. Since all the FF games have a leveling system, the difficulty is mainly dictated by the level of your characters as you progress through the game. To make things difficult, I keep grinding to the minimum. Try playing with subpar equip/subpar stats/subpar abilities and you won't find it to be such a cake walk.


It's not an adult game, it's mainly geared toward teenagers. But despite the tendency to thrown in a juvenile love story and overarching theme of good v. evil in all FF games, the world created by square is for the most part a fascinating one to be a part of. It's really about how all the facets of the created fantasy world come together for your entire gaming experience. If you just look at the "plot," then you're missing a big part of the game.


It's a video game...not a Steinbeck novel. You'll either like it or you don't, no need to over-analyze it.

Note: I haven't touched FFXIII, so this pretty much stems from my experience with all the previous FF games.

Your comments have been noted. Although you have missed the point of this thread. I started this thread with a view to analyse the game and its cultural foundations.

Im not going to take apart your post and rebutt it because that would just be wasting time.

 

[TempierVires]

FFXIII lacks some pretty critical components that were aspects of gloat in the previous FF installments, but if you are faithful fan, there is no doubt you will still enjoy it. The story, although cliche is thoroughly enjoyable, and the butten punching hell is great fun.

(no sarcasm )