Final Fantasy XIII Site Launched

[rshetts2]

Ive seen a number of reviews on this and they seem to average out to about an 8 of 10.  The complaints seem to be pretty universal, too linear, not much of an open world, a low amount of side quests and mini games.  Some of the reviewers take square-enix to task over this and others think that these things make the character driven nature of FF a lot more focused and gives strength to the story line.  Its obvious that once again Square has altered the formula for FF to bring a different but familiar experience to fans of the series.  Pretty much every review says that the graphics are better on the PS3 than the XBox 360,  of course considering that its common knowledge that the 360 version has a slightly lower resolution, this is kind of a no brainer.  Still most have also pointed out that the differences are very minor and without comparing the two side by side with an extremely critical eye, hard to even notice.  In the end, it looks like this game is going to be a very good, but not perfect, game.  It has a huge amount of gameplay in it and without the extra fluff of minigames and such seems to be more devoted to the meat of the game and that sounds good to me.

[skystride]

meh screw reviews!

Spoiler about the release date:

Spoiler for Hiden:

March 9th is not my daddy!



The store owner told me they are banning people if the see you online before March 9th.  I don't buy it but I'm going to stay offline anyway just to be safe.

Time to go pop in the disc, and only once!

[rshetts2]

ok  thats just mean!   

[metallicorphan]

the instruction manual is how i wish the game cover to be,same as the past UK releases of FF games,just simple white background and no Lightning

oh boy Square,you just can't stop screwing up on this one

[CeeKay]

I'm finding myself slipping towards the trap where I end up buying another FF game only to find myself trading it in soon afterwards what is it with these games and their evil
pull?

[KePoW]

I'm finding myself slipping towards the trap where I end up buying another FF game only to find myself trading it in soon afterwards what is it with these games and their evil
pull?

What don't you like about them?

[KC]

After reading some of the reviews, this game has gone from a day 1 purchase to a wait for the $30 price point purchase.  It's not that the reviews are bad, it's just that there doesn't seem to be anything stand-out special about it to jump the line in my long backlog.

[CeeKay]

I'm finding myself slipping towards the trap where I end up buying another FF game only to find myself trading it in soon afterwards what is it with these games and their evil
pull?

What don't you like about them?

I wouldn't say I dislike anything about them, it's just after 5 hours or so I just end up not playing anymore.  it's happened the same way with FF7,10 and 12; I'll start out OMG this is awesome and after about 5 hours I'll feel totally ambivalent about playing any further and, like with the most recent one, end up trading them in while I can get a good trade in value.  maybe I just miss the classic style, especially since the only FF's I finished were the Final Fantasy Legend games on the original Gameboy.

[semiconscious]

That'll teach semiconscious not to make a friendly joke!

nah, i'll never learn ...

& i must admit - this thread's gotten a little too gonzo for me (which is saying something ). whatever the cause (i'm attributing it to 'omfg! finally! omg!'), considering i'm completely uninterested in reviews, anyway, i'll be back for the impressions thread...

[Tebunker]

especially since the only FF's I finished were the Final Fantasy Legend games on the original Gameboy.

Which weren't even really Final Fantasy games anyways. Explains a lot huh? They were/are SaGa games, which rock btw. So don't feel bad. I am in the same boat. I put a ton of time in to FFX to end up not caring enough to finish. I also put a butt ton of time into FF12 to end up never finishing it and never feeling the urge to play it anymore. Granted I got them cheap, so I wasn't out at launch.

[Soulchilde]

I haven't decided if I want this game or not... I think I will wait to see if the GT Forum Effect is strong with this one

[coopasonic]

I'm finding myself slipping towards the trap where I end up buying another FF game only to find myself trading it in soon afterwards what is it with these games and their evil
pull?

What don't you like about them?

I wouldn't say I dislike anything about them, it's just after 5 hours or so I just end up not playing anymore.

Same thing happens to me only at about 40 hours. Same thing happens in Dragon Quest games. They are just way too long, with not enough new and interesting happening to keep me interested.

[skystride]

(disclaimer: very early impressions, less than 5 hours played)

This game is slow to get going.  I'm not feeling the "must play more" vibe that I did with FFXII right from the beginning.  Combat is pretty boring to start out, it's too easy.  I'm not sure if I like the streamlining, for example removing mana.  They do start revealing more combat options as you progress so I'm hoping it gets more interesting.  I just got to the point where you can switch strategies to offensive, defensive etc.  I was going to write some more bad stuff about combat but I think I will hold off until all the combat dynamics have been revealed.  Maybe I'm being unfair and it's only in the early going that it's pretty limited.

Someone mentioned in the White Knight Chronicles thread how much they like the trails left by the player in the minimap.  They have it here as well.

The journal is sort of like the Dragon Age/ME2 codex.  I like reading it but the story updates are a bit repetitive.

Graphics look good.  Camera controls are a bit weird.  I think it works better when you let the game control it instead of trying to fight for manual control.

I'm not far enough into the story to talk about character development but I'm not liking the main character so far.  She's a bit annoying (to put it nicely) and I'm not sure what her motivation is for behaving like this.

Minor early character relationship spoiler:

Spoiler for Hiden:

Why would Lightning pull a blade on Snow?  Did she really plan to slit his throat?  And she's punches him when she disagrees, I guess she can get away with it being a female lead.  Is she going to have a backstory like Jack in ME2 to explain why she is such a psycho bitch?  Somehow I doubt it, FF is usually too PG for that

[farley2k]

Alright, Gamefly shipped me the PS3 version today.  I should be playing soon!

[DamageInc]

I can't wait, picking mine up tonight for PS3

From what I have read the combat is easy in the beginning, but once you have all the different tactics available the battles require you to switch it up a lot during the battle.

They did say the chars were annoying, but the gameplay made up for it. (Weeee'll see)

[godhugh]

Alright, Gamefly shipped me the PS3 version today.  I should be playing soon!

Ditto. Not sure when I'll play it since I'm really into MLB10: The Show but I'm excited that I'm getting it.

[jersoc]

yay everything shipped. game, hard back guide and face plate. too bad the guide won't be here til wednesday.

[Gratch]

To midnight sale tonight, or not to midnight sale tonight.  That is the question... 

Leaning towards not, since I have a pretty full day tomorrow.  Better to pick it up after all my appointments and just play all day Wednesday instead.

[Ridah]

I pre-orderd my game from Amazon.com but I'm going to pick up my copy at midnight at the local GS and return the unopened Amazon copy to GS within the 7 day return period. I've started doing that since Mass Effect 2 when I received my copy at 9PM.

[Ridah]

Just got back from the midnight launch line.

No install, I forgot about this and it's a strange thing. I kinda wish I did have to install it 

Maginficent intro, particularly the music. I can tell this game is going to captivate my senses.

[jersoc]

about 10 more hours and UPS should be here.

I hate you right now. If i didn't work tonight I would've done the return to gamestop thing too.

[Ridah]

The game deserves its own impressions thread, no? I think so.

[jblank]

I haven't played a FF game since the days of the SNES, so is XIII a game that I should stay away from, or is it a standalone game that doesn't require previous knowledge of the universe?

[Kevin Grey]

I haven't played a FF game since the days of the SNES, so is XIII a game that I should stay away from, or is it a standalone game that doesn't require previous knowledge of the universe?

Completely standalone.

[Chaz]

I haven't played a FF game since the days of the SNES, so is XIII a game that I should stay away from, or is it a standalone game that doesn't require previous knowledge of the universe?

Completely standalone.

The only things that've ever carried over from game to game in this series:

1) There's a guy named Cid who's some kind of mechanic.
2) There's giant birds called Chocobos.  You may or may not need to force them to have sex with each other to produce different colored offspring that you can then force into sex as well.
3) There will be the following summons: Shiva, Ifrit, Bahamut.  These will be incredibly visually impressive the first few times you use them, and then quickly become tedious as you summon them time and time again. 

[The Grue]

The names of the spells usually carry over, as well.  Fire, Fira, Firaga, etc.

[semiconscious]

I haven't played a FF game since the days of the SNES, so is XIII a game that I should stay away from, or is it a standalone game that doesn't require previous knowledge of the universe?

Completely standalone.

The only things that've ever carried over from game to game in this series:

1) There's a guy named Cid who's some kind of mechanic.
2) There's giant birds called Chocobos.  You may or may not need to force them to have sex with each other to produce different colored offspring that you can then force into sex as well.
3) There will be the following summons: Shiva, Ifrit, Bahamut.  These will be incredibly visually impressive the first few times you use them, and then quickly become tedious as you summon them time and time again. 

wtf? - no mention of moogles?!...

[Chaz]

Moogles were introduced too late in the series.

[semiconscious]

Moogles were introduced too late in the series.

snob...

edit:

Seiken Densetsu (known as Final Fantasy Adventure in the USA) - first appearance by moogles in a game. They appear in a very simple form in this game, which changes in later appearances.
Seiken Densetsu 2 (known as Secret Of Mana in the USA) - A moogle village is in this game. Moogles also gain their signature appearance in this game, as well as their "kupo" language. In addition, a status effect can temporarily change the player's characters into Moogles.
Final Fantasy III - The first appearance of Moogles in a Final Fantasy game; they act as bodyguards for an old wizard.
Final Fantasy V - Introduces the Moogle Forest. A Moogle is also kept as a pet and companion by one of the characters.
Final Fantasy VI - Another moogle village (this time in a cave, rather than a normal village) appears. The first playable moogle, Mog, appears for the first time, and a few other moogles are playable in one scene.
Final Fantasy VII - The giant moogle doll appears in this game, one of which is ridden by the playable character Cait Sith. In most cases when the Choco/Mog summon materia is used, a small moogle appears, riding a chocobo who attacks the enemies. A few other normal moogles appear in a mini-game. For some reason, in this game, moogles are referred to as mogs.
Final Fantasy VIII - The sole moogle in the game, MiniMog, is a summon that is accessible only from the game's PocketStation mini-game.
Final Fantasy IX - Moogles are used to deliver mail and are used as save points in this game. A minor character appears wearing a moogle costume. The character Eiko lives alone with several moogles and carries around a small, female one named Mog.
Final Fantasy X - Moogle dolls are wielded by a major character, Lulu, as weapons. They seems to have the ability to walk and attack enemies.
Final Fantasy X-2 - As a Mascot, Yuna wears a moogle costume. She also have Moogle design on her Festive dress & even encountered one in Luca.
Final Fantasy XI - Moogles give out fireworks, prizes, and rare equipment during holidays and special events.
Final Fantasy XII - Moogles have a superior intellect & nimble fingers for tinkering. While some are mechanics, others serve as knights or mages. With their own capital, Moogles are highly respected for bulding the first airships. They also manufacture war machines.
Final Fantasy Unlimited - A Moogle was involved as Kaze's partner. He introduced himself as the "charming harmless mascot who everyone loves".
Kingdom Hearts - Moogles are found throughout Traverse Town. They also run the synthesis shop.
- Moogles are found when you use a Moogle Shop card. You can sell/buy attack/magic/item cards from them.
Shinyaku Seiken Densetsu (known as Sword of Mana in the USA) - A magic spell allows the main character to turn himself/herself into a moogle.
Final Fantasy Tactics - Moogle is a Summoner job class spell that heals all party members within a small area. Real Moogles are extinct but once inhabited Sweegy Woods and possibly other places, as noted in the area's description.
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance - The main character of this game, Marche, is taught the basics of living in Ivalice by a moogle named Mont Blanc. Also, many moogles appear throughout the game acting as shopkeepers, traveling merchants, and clan members.

[Chaz]

They didn't appear until Final Fantasy III.  Like I said, too late in the series. 

[semiconscious]

They didn't appear until Final Fantasy III.  Like I said, too late in the series. 

kupo!...

[skystride]

Combat is starting to get better.  I think it helped once I got out of my micro managing mindset.  I love to micro in party based RPGs.  I manually ordered everyone in a game like Dragon Age and I took manual control of all the units often in FF 12.  In FF 13 so far, it's more like playing a General and relying on the AI to to do things like figure out what the spell works best against the current target (all you have to do is use Libra to ID the enemy once).  The CGI cutscenes around the 7 hr mark was pretty awesome, not surprising coming from Square Enix.  I still question why the game starts so slow, why the combat features are revealed so slowly.  Was this done to be gentle to FF noobs?  Anyways 5-7 hrs is too long.  I hear other features don't unlock until 20 hours in?

[Kevin Grey]

I still question why the game starts so slow, why the combat features are revealed so slowly.  Was this done to be gentle to FF noobs? 

FF games are always like that since not only are they designed so that every game functions equally well as "My First Final Fantasy" but also can serve find as "My First JRPG" if need be.  Personally, as frustrating as it can be to a veteran JRPG gamer, I think that's s big reason why the franchise sells orders of magnitude better than most other JRPG franchises. 

[Gratch]

I still question why the game starts so slow, why the combat features are revealed so slowly.  Was this done to be gentle to FF noobs? 

FF games are always like that since not only are they designed so that every game functions equally well as "My First Final Fantasy" but also can serve find as "My First JRPG" if need be.  Personally, as frustrating as it can be to a veteran JRPG gamer, I think that's s big reason why the franchise sells orders of magnitude better than most other JRPG franchises. 

I'd agree with Kevin...most of the FF games do an incredible amount of hand-holding.  I remember being very frustrated with XII because I'd heard all about the awesome Gambit system, but didn't get a chance to do anything but basic assignments until well into the game.  However, from what I've read, FF XIII takes this somewhat to the extreme by not opening up some of the meat of the combat until the 20 hour mark.  That seems a bit excessive to me, but we'll see.

[Kevin Grey]

Yeah I recall finding gambits relatively useless for about 10 hours or so of FFXII and I'm not sure the combat actually got interesting until about 15 hours. 

[denoginizer]

Yeah I recall finding gambits relatively useless for about 10 hours or so of FFXII and I'm not sure the combat actually got interesting until about 15 hours. 

This highlights a major reason why I just can't get into Final Fantasy games.  If a game doesn't capture my interest in 1 hour I am moving on, let alone 15.  I understand why some people like them.  But they are not my cup of tea.

[Kevin Grey]

This highlights a major reason why I just can't get into Final Fantasy games.  If a game doesn't capture my interest in 1 hour I am moving on, let alone 15.  I understand why some people like them.  But they are not my cup of tea.

I actually think that the FF series usually does beginnings fantastically and better than most RPGs.  FF12's is kind of abnormally slow for the series (so is FF8) but (just to name a few) FF7 opens with an assault and sabotage of a factory, FF9 opens up with an elaborate kidnapping, and FF10 has Tidus escaping from the destruction of his world.   

While they may be sort of slow in terms of doling out the mechanics, I think they usually do it right in terms of big openings and I'll be interested if FF13 continues this aspect. 

[jersoc]

OH GOD ITS ON MY DESK!!!!!
fapfapfpafpapfapfapfap

[The Grue]

Yeah I recall finding gambits relatively useless for about 10 hours or so of FFXII and I'm not sure the combat actually got interesting until about 15 hours. 

This highlights a major reason why I just can't get into Final Fantasy games.  If a game doesn't capture my interest in 1 hour I am moving on, let alone 15.  I understand why some people like them.  But they are not my cup of tea.

If I judge all games by one hour of play, I wouldn't play any games.

[denoginizer]

Yeah I recall finding gambits relatively useless for about 10 hours or so of FFXII and I'm not sure the combat actually got interesting until about 15 hours.  

This highlights a major reason why I just can't get into Final Fantasy games.  If a game doesn't capture my interest in 1 hour I am moving on, let alone 15.  I understand why some people like them.  But they are not my cup of tea.

If I judge all games by one hour of play, I wouldn't play any games.

So you would play a game for two hours if you are not enjoying it?  

I don't want to waste time playing a game for hours hoping I'll start liking it at some point.  There are too many other things I could be doing with my free time.