FFXIII: Love It or Hate It?

maybe i'm weird but I both like and dislike it. it has some classic final fantasy elements there that make it unmistakeably final fantasy, it draws you in and sucks you into it's world in a way only an ff game could,it has some great characters and the paradigm system is wonderful in its ingenuity. but I wanted more interaction from battles ,its too easy to just hit x constantly and this makes grinding (something I already don't like much) even more boring.if anything I want them to do the opposite with battles ,throw in more variety and options and make it more of a varied interactive engaging and exciting experience. I also really missed the stuff like towns a world map and less linearity.
I adore the graphics in the latest version,the 3d areas are really top notch and the cut scenes were something else,the seamlessness of the transitions is at times simply awesome.

to add a bit to my last message.

the story. playing this game is like walking into the middle of a complex tv series having missed loads of important stuff in previous episodes. i've had a look and seen that this games ties together loads of other stuff from the fabula nova crystallis series so that it does make sense once you put everything together. but its like the writers forgot that the average game player doesn't know everything about 13's universe when they step into the game. its weird they made the game like this. also back to the linearity, once you hit that point where it all opens up, its a bit of an odd feeling. its like the game walks you along a path and tells you how its going to be played for such a long time you become accustomed to it. then it sort of says ok forget about all that linearity, here you go ,go off and do whatever. it could have done with doing this a bit smoother or just the same way as how it was always done in previous games!

I mean really, its a situation where if it ain't broke don't fix it comes to mind. I like that they experiment with each final fantasy game but some things are best left how they are unless they can be done in a way which is on par to what was done before. they sort of messed with the core of it, the backbone of a final fantasy game, the essential structure that makes the game progress so well. now if they are gonna do this they should make damn well sure it doesn't alienate their audience. the problem is, it DID!

you know what else I miss? I feel it needs something like limit breaks. honestly those moments were so cool in 7 and it would really bring something a bit more interesting to battles in this game. there also feels like there is less monsters in this game? I don't know if the monster count is lower or not, i've not looked it up. but it could do with having a bit more different types of enemies.
 
LOVE THIS GAME!!

All the hate...i really really don't get it.

FF 13 is a revolution in the final fantasy series, what do they expect that all the final fantasy in the futury would still be the same?? random battles/shopping/town here and there to buy stuff?? Been there done that.....a lot off times!! FF13 dares to be new, it tries somthing else, only fore that it should earn the respect of every ff gamer/fan! Dont forget that final fantasy is the RPG that all other RPG's are compared to...its like the leader of the RPG's and most will follow the leader......this is only the case when a leader stays at the top of the mountain. That's why they HAD to change the formula! Do you understand, because if some other company change's the formula in a good trendy kinda way it becomes the new leader. THAN final fantasy would be compared to this newly fresh RPG! And it would burn for it, because it never changes, it would get verry old. DONE! GAME OVER.

FF 13 does a amazing job! The thing is all the veterans burn it for being different, en the new generation gamers who never played a final fantasy LOVE IT. Thats why final fantasy is saved to live a nother generation, without getting old.

The graphics are phenomanal, the batlle system is on of the best! Characters are verry well done, and the story... oh man that is pretty deep when you are willing to understand it! And than overal feel and music on grand pulse were the giant Adamantoice stamps the ground so hard that youre screen shakes. The cieth stone's are reall challenge! (getting them on 5 stars!) This is were the paradigm system realy shines!! It works perfect!! Figuring out wich set of paragdims and in wich order to use. All roles are important and unmissable! I dare to say its the best batlle system final fantasy has ever had! its so fast and even then full of strategy. The player is the meastro, the characters are the musisians!!

It could never think of any improvements in the battle system...yet square pulled it off! FF 13-2!
Little tweeks makes it even BETTER! Like that you can point out wheter the party attacks the same enemy or all different enemy, and should they attack with area attack or not. This looks like a small tweek BUT it has a HUGE effect in the battles!! In fact i dont think you could beat certain bosses in the colliseum without it!! THIS IS THE PERFECT BATLLE SYSTEM! I only wish there was a third party member instead of a monster... (thats why i use sazh or lightning in my party).

People who say that's all about pressing auto battle, obviously dind't finish the game. And lets be honest here, every final fantasy to date has a moment in the game where you spam the attack button to get through those annoying random batlles, isnt that the same shit?!

FF 13 RULES.
Pros:
-no random battles (ff13-2 semi random)
-top notch graphics and music
- maybe the best battle system ever to come to a final fantasy
- weird but deep story line. Very good acctualy.
- characters that are given the time and attention to develop them selves. Doesnt matter if you hate one or two, in real life you dont love everybody either!
- presentaion of the menu's. You can see that this game is created with a lot of love, see the turning faces in the FF 13 status menu screen! Awsome!
- THE BEST successor in the history of FF! FF13-2.

Cons:
- in ff13 it takes to long before gaining the freedom to do what you want. (i dont care about it but i can imagin that this is a turn off for people)
 
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At first I was confused by how "Love it" is far above "Hate it" in votes, but then I realized that most people whom hate this game would never come into this subforum... lol, count me as the exception since I came in here to see some FF13 hate, boy was I disappointed.
 
At first I was confused by how "Love it" is far above "Hate it" in votes, but then I realized that most people whom hate this game would never come into this subforum... lol, count me as the exception since I came in here to see some FF13 hate, boy was I disappointed.

If you want to see some FFXIII hate, all you have to do is say something good about it in the FFX sub-forum. In fact, if you want to see just hate, say something bad about X in the FFX sub-forums.



Anyway, FFXIII is different, and that is why it receives half the criticism it gets even though that won't be admitted. It's ironically half the reason I like the game, if it had turned out to be the same as the millions before, on new gen, I would've been annoyed.
 
Well at first I started to like this game like in the very beginning, but as time went on I liked it less and less. There were many flaws inside and outside of it's battle system. For one the story itself was a convoluted mess, nothing was clearly explained on what they were. None of the lore was properly explained as well in the game. To understand anything you had to read the datalog, again read the datalog. Which meant going out of the way playing the game to read up on something that should have been explained to you. Then there was the lack of exploring all around. It gave you so many cities while on coccon but you had no interaction with them, no side quest, nothing to interact with while there. It only opened up on pulse but then you were just running around the field doing various monster hunts. As far as the battle system goes, only being able to control one character at any time. You could not switch to another char if you wanted a specific spell that only they could cast since even though everyone had all six roles for some reason they still could not learn all the abilities associated with that role. Add to the fact that if your main character in battle died it was game over. No option for the AI to cast raise on you or something of that nature. So it had quite a few flaws that eventually brought out my distaste for this game.
 
I will forever love FFXIII and the trilogy as a whole for as long as I live. The hate that the game got and their hatred being forced on new players like me only fueled me to like the game more. Let me explain:


- It was my first FF game so right there many did not welcome me as I was not a 'true FF player' to them sadly. Even though I never pushed a concept that FFXIII was any better or worse than the previous games. I got FFXIII in 2010 midnight release. Seeing the intro cutscene at midnight was quiet a sight. I knew right then I was being transformed into a really cool world with unique art design and this would be a logn adventure that I would enjoy.

- I bought FFXIII on the xbox 360 so that was another reason many considered this trilogy 'garbage' as it betrayed original FF fans by not being PlayStation exclusive (this I don't understand because I play games across platforms all the time). Many people said I wasn't playing a real FF since I wasn't on my PS2/PS3 playing it .... I bought it for 360 since I just personally enjoy the controller more. Also my friend she was getting FFXIII on the 360 so I wanted to be able to talk with her about the game as we played it.

- The linear gameplay of the first game and the long drawn out tutorial didn't bother me as much. Was it perfect? No. But I was enjoying the story, art design, and characters too much to really be bothered that the game felt guided. I personally liked that it was "one long hallway" (as some like to put it) since I'm not into big free roam games anyways. The game got me from point A to point B with not nonsense and I could get on with the next epic boss fight.

- The battle system had it's flaws and I understand why many found this to be a huge drawback. As for me, a newb as I was back in 2010, even I didn't use the auto battle button. I actually did quite well in boss battles and even the final boss where many seemed to struggle I beat it fairly easily ... with no FF experience previous to this game. I just understood what they were trying to do with the battle system and how to weild it to my will to win fights.

- The ending of the game was SATISFYING. This is a huge reason why I liked FFXIII the most. Too many games have I invested hours in only to get some depressing, short, or terrible ending. FFXIII (in my opinion) left me feeling rewarded as a player giving me a nice beautiful cutscene of everyone reunited and
while Fang and Vanille lost their lives
it was a perfect ending.

- Another plus in my book was the lead female protagonist. I get tired of macho men in lead roles. Don't get me wrong when done right lead male characters are awesome (like Adam Jensen from Deus Ex). But it was a breath of fresh air to see Lightning as the main character. And while the story of the first game was just as much about Vanille's struggle with guilt for what she did it was about this lonely soldier who set aside her emotions to find her dear sister. Many hated these characters but as I played the game more and did my second playthrough I really understood them more. I've always been an emotional sucker when it comes to movies and video games so if I can connect with the characters it makes me enjoy the game/movie even more. Lightning is now one of my top 5 characters in video games of all time. I know many disagree and consider her nothing more than some bland, useless, tacked on emotionless character in a game but to each his/her own.


So in closing. FFXIII was viewed by most as different and had a general dislike towards it. When you are playing a game that YOU enjoy but many keep telling you that "hey this is a bad game, stop liking it!" I tend to ignore them but it made me realize FFXIII was for a niche audience and I just so happened to be part of the group that enjoys it. I've put in so many hours into FFXIII and the trilogy so there is no way I'd say that was wasted time or I didn't enjoy the trilogy overall. Sure I had my gripes here and there but when journey's road was finally completed all I could say for the past days was "good game".
 
I'd be somewhere between the two options - I really don't hate it like some seem to, but then it's not one of my favourite FF games either.

Things I liked about it:

- Gorgeous graphics - no FF has looked as good as XIII (well not up until that point at least)
- Lightening - really liked the character - quiet moody characters always do it for me!
- Paradigm shift system - thought that worked really well

Things I wasn't overly keen on:

- Linearity - I know FFX was linear too but the number of side quests and additional elements of gameplay really helped bridge the gap. FFXIII opened up eventually but I still would have liked more, and earlier.
- Characters were hit and miss for me. I know you'll always get the odd character that you don't like, but FFXIII seemed to be polar extremes for me, I either really liked the character (Lightening, Fang) or I really loathed them (Hope, Sazh)

There's probably more 'hits' and 'misses' but those were the highlights (and lowlilghts) for me.
 
I will forever love FFXIII and the trilogy as a whole for as long as I live. The hate that the game got and their hatred being forced on new players like me only fueled me to like the game more. Let me explain:


- It was my first FF game so right there many did not welcome me as I was not a 'true FF player' to them sadly. Even though I never pushed a concept that FFXIII was any better or worse than the previous games. I got FFXIII in 2010 midnight release. Seeing the intro cutscene at midnight was quiet a sight. I knew right then I was being transformed into a really cool world with unique art design and this would be a logn adventure that I would enjoy.
You'll eventually come to realize those older fans have a good point, despite whether you still love the series. And the biggest problem already is that you're hyping the graphics. You were already "sold" by the game before it even came out. And sure the newer fan base is easier to sell especially when PS3 was the introduction to higher definition of graphics that we didn't come to understand, so most people were drinking that Final fantasy 13 koolaid. But once you immediately play the game you get glaring BIG questions. Where did vanille and hope get their weapons?

But all i have to say, can you blame the older fans to say that you're not a true FF player?
- I bought FFXIII on the xbox 360 so that was another reason many considered this trilogy 'garbage' as it betrayed original FF fans by not being PlayStation exclusive (this I don't understand because I play games across platforms all the time). Many people said I wasn't playing a real FF since I wasn't on my PS2/PS3 playing it .... I bought it for 360 since I just personally enjoy the controller more. Also my friend she was getting FFXIII on the 360 so I wanted to be able to talk with her about the game as we played it.
I'm noticing a pattern of defying the ones who voice their opinions more than actually finding issues with the fans themselves.

People have criticized it to being exclusive. Mainly because at that time, Xbox360 isn't known for its RPGs but its FPS and online gaming, something FF fans didn't welcome. Some FF fans have said they would prefer it on nintendo console. which was stupid because the wii sucked. But its not the xbox's fault ppl hate it. the trilogy is considered garbage because the series constantly reinvents itself that it doesn't even know what it is. FF13 knows what type of game it is, FF13-2 refines some things, and adds completely new concepts that don't originate from the original 13 making it as if it was a whole other thing, and Light returns is a completely different thing entirely, mashing up new ideas, new story that in the end didn't make perfect sense. But the three games as a whole, doesn't know what the heck its doing. It's catering to the people who buy FF13 by brand recognition, such as characters, not to those who genuinely saw the potential of a sequel with what was introduced in the original FF13 game.

Me? i saw potential in a sequel.

- The linear gameplay of the first game and the long drawn out tutorial didn't bother me as much. Was it perfect? No. But I was enjoying the story, art design, and characters too much to really be bothered that the game felt guided. I personally liked that it was "one long hallway" (as some like to put it) since I'm not into big free roam games anyways. The game got me from point A to point B with not nonsense and I could get on with the next epic boss fight.
I honestly don't believe this because you've referenced FF3 in the past, and you said you are a (your words, not mine) a "sucker" for FF and FF3 has alot of free-roaming involved. So pardon, but i dont believe more linearity is an additional thumbs up for you. i believe you didn't care that it was linear, but i don't believe that you think its "better". If you do, then i'm sorry but some FF fans are really aching at you right now about questioning your "FF player" status. not that i am, but i can definitely see others questioning it.

but beside the point, this is still a "real" issue for a FF game. and lets be clear, the problem with 13's linearity was much bigger than any FF game. we weren't playing a game, but we were watching a movie with some interactive RPG elements. it was a long halfway in the sense that there were no alternate routes, there was no secrets in the background, the only time you interact with the world around you was when a glowing circle was on the floor which just automatically makes you jump impossible leaps and

FF12 and FF10 were also linear, but you had more freedom compared to 13. FF 12 in particular had linear routes, but the routes were complex, and you had "towns" to break the time of battling, and you get to go where you want to go, even if it doesn't progress the story.

in 13 there are no "dungeon-S". therefore, no "overworld". the entire game is like a single "dungeon"

- The battle system had it's flaws and I understand why many found this to be a huge drawback. As for me, a newb as I was back in 2010, even I didn't use the auto battle button. I actually did quite well in boss battles and even the final boss where many seemed to struggle I beat it fairly easily ... with no FF experience previous to this game. I just understood what they were trying to do with the battle system and how to weild it to my will to win fights.

I think we all understood what they were trying to do (some probably didn't). But the intention, doesn't save execution. auto-battle existed a while back, but the real issue was that auto battle felt just as tedious as playing the game yourself, it didn't really save effort.
- The ending of the game was SATISFYING. This is a huge reason why I liked FFXIII the most. Too many games have I invested hours in only to get some depressing, short, or terrible ending. FFXIII (in my opinion) left me feeling rewarded as a player giving me a nice beautiful cutscene of everyone reunited and
while Fang and Vanille lost their lives
it was a perfect ending.
with this tidbit, i'm suspecting you didn't play the ff13 series at all...their not dead, and not once was it suggested that they died, yes they turned to crystal but they still spoked to the crowd in crystal form and in ff13-2 they were still considered alive, and that's why we get to see them again in LR:FF13.

but with that said, despite the inaccuracy, i will say that the original FF13 game ending is indeed "satisfying" as an ending. but still the game as a whole still left some glaring questions and it definitely rushed to get to that point. And no "epilogue" really made it gripeful. Still i "AGREE" that it was satisfying.....IF IT HAD NO SEQUELS TO RUIN THAT ENDING.

- Another plus in my book was the lead female protagonist. I get tired of macho men in lead roles. Don't get me wrong when done right lead male characters are awesome (like Adam Jensen from Deus Ex). But it was a breath of fresh air to see Lightning as the main character. And while the story of the first game was just as much about Vanille's struggle with guilt for what she did it was about this lonely soldier who set aside her emotions to find her dear sister. Many hated these characters but as I played the game more and did my second playthrough I really understood them more. I've always been an emotional sucker when it comes to movies and video games so if I can connect with the characters it makes me enjoy the game/movie even more. Lightning is now one of my top 5 characters in video games of all time. I know many disagree and consider her nothing more than some bland, useless, tacked on emotionless character in a game but to each his/her own.
i'll let you keep the characters, but all i willl say that FF13 shouldn't be praised for having female cast when early FF games have always had females in their games. Such as ff2, ff3, ff4, ff5 (the women outnumber the males), ff6 (close call of outnumbering), ff7, ff8, ff9, ff10, ff10-2 (all girl), ff12.

And outside FF, there have always been female characters. Tomb raider, Metroid, and the longest journey. its no way "refreshing" to have lightning as female especially when theres no reason for her to be female. We've seen plenty. but new gamers probably don't get into older games.
So in closing. FFXIII was viewed by most as different and had a general dislike towards it. When you are playing a game that YOU enjoy but many keep telling you that "hey this is a bad game, stop liking it!" I tend to ignore them but it made me realize FFXIII was for a niche audience and I just so happened to be part of the group that enjoys it. I've put in so many hours into FFXIII and the trilogy so there is no way I'd say that was wasted time or I didn't enjoy the trilogy overall. Sure I had my gripes here and there but when journey's road was finally completed all I could say for the past days was "good game".
sounds more like "I'm going the other way, because most people think they know what their saying". its an attitude of boycotting negativity, especially in a game.

so if the entire world said "Sonic '08" was the worst sonic ever to be made, i don't doubt in my mind, you're going to try it out anyways. NOT for the sake of understanding what others are saying, but because you want to challenge that view.

And i "ADMIT" its tempting. but for your case in ff13, you were already sold the moment the trailer came out. i dont think negativity of others even mattered at that point.

but yes, it is very "niche". but in the end, you pointed out some BIG gaps, from you and the general FF series. which means, you're going to have to take a couple "decades" to understand FF series. yes..."Decades". it took me 10 years to fully appreciate the series for what it is, its going to take me another 6 years to get used to what the new FF series is like depending if the trend of not making traditional FF style games But as of right now, thers not many new-era FF games either, so you in particular will have to learn to appreciate the old until the new come in .
 
I really don't even know how to respond to what you've said honestly. You've drawn quite a few misconceptions out of what I've said and even about me.

with this tidbit, i'm suspecting you didn't play the ff13 series at all...their not dead, and not once was it suggested that they died, yes they turned to crystal but they still spoked to the crowd in crystal form and in ff13-2 they were still considered alive, and that's why we get to see them again in LR:FF13.


I did explain what I meant by 'dead' just a few posts above: http://www.finalfantasyforums.net/t...t-or-Hate-It?p=1084576&viewfull=1#post1084576 I was talking about just FFXIII and not in the context of sequels and what we find out afterward about them. Also this somehow means I've not played all 3 FFXIII games? Sorry to disappoint but one thing I love is factual data and proof and I've got lots of that. Well here's my game completion (completion as in I beat the games, not 1000/1000 gold points) achievements straight off of xbox.com.

3EOLDLs.jpg


Those are indeed the 3 main achievements for each game, the FFXIII one is the very bottom one, I had to scroll way down as I played more and unlocked more achievements so it was not at the top of the page. Also you can notice the date in which they were unlocked. FFXIII I beat the first time back in 2010 ... yeah I binged out on that game, had it done within the first month it released and as fast I completed the game that contributed to how much I enjoyed it and was hell bent on seeing the epic conclusion.

I really am not one to start debates when I was merely tossing my opinion in this thread as everyone else has and how they felt about FFXIII. As for being a 'sucker' for FF games that because I've played the FFXIII trilogy and now am playing FFX HD right now. So I'm all for more remakes because I surely will buy them and try them now.

You don't have to believe I've played FFXIII, I can like linear gameplay more than free roam (but that doesn't mean I don't play free roam games), I enjoy FFXIII for what it is, don't mind it's basically a long movie, or anything else. I'm not on this forum to really prove a point about FF, FFXIII, or how much of a legit FF fan I am. I'm a garbage player to most FF fans and I get it. You seem to come across as you know all about me and what I like in games making almost an inquiry from a few paragraphs about FFXIII and how I liked it. I'm not gunna start that up. I'm here just to talk about the games I did enjoy and this is after all the FFXIII section so it should not come as a surprise some who post in this section have an interest in the game despite it's flaws.

But anyways I've made my peace a long time ago having to defend the games I play. As this thread states I still stand by it: did I love or hate FFXIII? Loved it ... sorry love it.

That is all.
 
still stand by it....sometimes, you can't defend the bad, when you have to admit when its bad.

i think thats what i want most out of ff13 fans. to love it, but know where it falls short.

I genuinely HATE when people say "i took it for what it is". because thats ane xcuse to make up whatever positive spin you can make in that game claim it as "is".
 
still stand by it....sometimes, you can't defend the bad, when you have to admit when its bad.

i think thats what i want most out of ff13 fans. to love it, but know where it falls short.

I genuinely HATE when people say "i took it for what it is". because thats ane xcuse to make up whatever positive spin you can make in that game claim it as "is".


I get what you are trying to say. But for me at least I genuinely take things for what they are and try to find the positives more than negatives out of stuff. This doesn't mean I ignore the bad out of whatever it may be but I like to be optimistic. As far as games go I am pretty content. Unless the game is literally so buggy and crashes like no other and has such giant design flaws and it makes a game super unbearable that the majority of people who buy it can't even fathom finishing it (Colonial marines and Brink for example) I really don't harp on games often. FFXIII is just a game to me and the stuff I took out of it will have positive effects on me for my entire gaming career. People sometimes forget just because someone else is talking good about something doesn't mean said person denies every issue there may be with whatever the topic or item is. When I say "I love steam on pc" many know what I am saying: I like overall what steam has to offer. This doesn't mean I love all 100% of it or agree with all their business practices. Sometimes though someone takes that as "oh you like steam? How can you agree with this, this, and this then huh?".

Same thing with FFXIII, you probably see me as some blind noob to FF and whenever I am talking positive of FFXIII I must clearly ignore all it's faults. No, I knew before joining this forum the issues people have with it and the issues I have with it, but overall I love it. I'm not grasping for straws making exuses at all for why I like FFXIII. Some of the issues you find as terrible sins I simply am like "meh not a problem to me". I don't see an issue with this really. Everyone has different preferences and tastes. Saying one's preference is really an excuse to scramble to make up for all the possible bad isn't really fair in my opinion. I've already seen all the 'dirt' if you will on FFXIII, it's not swayed my enjoyment of it.

Good talk. I don't have much else I can explain really. I don't expect anyone to get why I like this trilogy and am not seeking such a stamp of approval either. It is what it is really and I play what I play lol
 
if thats true...you have no business mentioning the fans..just say it without including them as part of your opinion.

I have nothing against people who enjoy 13 (defend it....meh...thats something i'll happily join in) but...i tihnkt he problem is you're trying to equate to yourself as the one of the older fans. and thats simply not necessary.

you enjoy ff game, but obviously not for the FF-elements, its just the first game you ever played with the name FF
 
@Mystical_Gaming Its nice to see a fellow FF13 fan and I respect your opinions on the trilogy, I started off on FF7 back in 1997 and played them all well before FF13 came about and even then I still appreciated it when my other friends couldn't. I was the first in my FF loving group of friends to actually 'Finish' FF13 and then went on to buy FFXIII-2 and LR:FFXIII. I mean yes they had their flaws but they still had good bits, each one took a new direction and in my opinion are to me an experiment of the old generation to see what actual direction they wanted to take Final Fantasy next.
 
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i see it the same way for 13...an expirement.....but i genuinely believe it cost them the story, the lore, and the core.

This came to a game that was sooo linear for the sake of playing the world at the pace SE wanted to, and it turned into a cluster of idiocy (yes, even fans have to admit this one. you cannot deny that 13 has vomitted up on itself after each release).

To me, 13 became a game i heavily disliked but at least "respected" enough to let it go to a game that just keeps coming back for my punches. I admit...i gave 13-2 a chance, not for its "changes" but for what was going to stay despite me loving or hating it. in theory it should've been perfect...but the one thing i didn't take account was the story.


And again in lightning returns. if we're really going to take FF13 for what it is its three games, each one going drastically different from the source material, and just convoluting time theory ideas, and in the end although time was relevant, wasn't the major selling point.

we've seen Lightning be a dull and masculine character, to a character who updates her clothes for the sake of battle (and most of the battles in LR are relevant. you just kill to make them extinct or see what they drop. no XP)

seriously, it has good "bits" like you said, but thats just what they are..."bits"
 
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