Final Fantasy XIII

[Demon Cleaner]

HD trailer of FF13 gameplay :thumbs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBCtcKfbpmo&eurl=http://www.areagames.de/artikel/detail/Final-Fantasy-XIII-Neuer-Trailer-mit-Gameplayszenen/98540&feature=player_embedded

[Harrison]

Nice. Looks very good. Finally a real reason to buy a PS3! ;)

[Demon Cleaner]

I saw a thread at a games site, have to search the article again, which said that it will not be released in the US and EU until 2010!! Hope they are wrong.

[Harrison]

I bet there is a lot of international translation needed for this one. I bet it's going to be a large game. Any news on the average number of gameplay hours expected?

[Demon Cleaner]

Any news on the average number of gameplay hours expected?No idea.

The news was coming from http://www.guardian.co.uk/. The next 15 month the game will only be available in Japan, and will also be PS3 only, not XBox360. There will be no western release before the next financial year, which begins in April 2010 for Square Enix, according to president Yoichi Wada.

Btw, your avatar just looks awful that way :sick:

[Harrison]

I like it! Retro Amiga tick style. ;)

[Sharingan]

Will the 360 version be on multiple discs?

I can't help but wonder if FFXIII could've been so much more if they'd kept it exclusive to the PS3, and developed the game with only Blu-ray disc in mind. Although SE will deny it (for fear of souring their newfound business relationship with M$), compromises have to be made to account for the DVD storage of the 360, and the lack of standard hard disk in each 360 unit.

Also, why are the PS3 and 360 worldwide versions releasing simultaneously? Surely, localizing the PS3 version shouldn't take as much time as porting the game to the 360?

Seems to me like M$ paid SE money both for making a 360 version AND for delaying the PS3 international version just so both versions could be released at the same time.

[Demon Cleaner]

Will the 360 version be on multiple discs?

I can't help but wonder if FFXIII could've been so much more if they'd kept it exclusive to the PS3, and developed the game with only Blu-ray disc in mind. Although SE will deny it (for fear of souring their newfound business relationship with M$), compromises have to be made to account for the DVD storage of the 360, and the lack of standard hard disk in each 360 unit.

Also, why are the PS3 and 360 worldwide versions releasing simultaneously? Surely, localizing the PS3 version shouldn't take as much time as porting the game to the 360?

Seems to me like M$ paid SE money both for making a 360 version AND for delaying the PS3 international version just so both versions could be released at the same time.Sounds indeed a bit suspicious.

And I'm pretty sure that it will be on several discs for the 360.

[Harrison]

It definitely does sound suspicious when put that way. And I agree. A PS3 only release would probably have been better as the 360's restrictions could harm the game.

[Demon Cleaner]

I played yesterday for 3 hours, and I got really into it. So far I like it, and what comes later will only become better, at least that's what they say about the battles and such stuff. I do not gain any experience yet, and cannot really upgrade characters, only change a small bit of the gear which I find scattered around.

Graphics are really amazing, and I also like the 50% turn based combined with 50% real time battle system, it's really well done, although not very challenging yet, due to only very few commands.

Looking forward to play more :thumbs:

[Harrison]

In reading the reviews there is a lot of criticism about the game structure.

You mentioned not being able to gain experience of do much with your characters. This will last for the first 20+ hours of the game. It isn't until much later that the game unlocks everything and actually lets you play it fully with full battle control and character experience, levelling and customisation.

However the reviews I've read said it is well worth getting through the first part as once you get to the fully unlocked system the combat is the best seen in any FF game to date and is something very special.

[Demon Cleaner]

You mentioned not being able to gain experience of do much with your characters. This will last for the first 20+ hours of the game. It isn't until much later that the game unlocks everything and actually lets you play it fully with full battle control and character experience, levelling and customisation.Omg, that long :blink:

[Sharingan]

Yes, it takes a while before everything is unlocked, but you do get to start earning experience much earlier than the 20 hour mark :)

I found the game a tad easy in the beginning, but later on you'll be getting into some tough fights (even against regular enemies) that require quite a bit of planning and strategy.

So far, I really like this latest installment, the only thing I found a bit disappointing is the linear nature of the game.

[Demon Cleaner]

After 3-4 hours of playing, I got now the Paradigms, and I'm also already getting crystarium points to use to level up, so it already works now.

It's really a bit linear, but it's not that it would bother me that much, as I also like following the story with not too many or too long interruptions.

[Harrison]

I agree about linear RPGs. Unlike other genres, RPGs still work well when quite linear, as they are all about the story telling and chapters of an epic adventure unfolding as you explore. I've never been disappointed in an RPG just because is is linear as it can often work to its advantage. There is nothing worse than being in a completely non-linear game world and having no clue what to do next.

[Demon Cleaner]

2-3 hours later now into the game and I already have 2 eidolons (similar to all FF's Esper, GF or Summons), and I also have the possibility to upgrade my weapons with experience points.

[Harrison]

Maybe in the reviews they were spending more time at the beginning of the game exploring and doing everything possible, so it took them longer to reach this point.

How many hours have you played before these things started to be unlocked?

[Demon Cleaner]

About 10 hours. I'm now in chapter 5. You cannot play the game faster, as it's totally linear and there's no point yet in grinding. You could of course skip the cutscenes.

Btw, this (http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/12/final-fantasy-xiii-preview-2/) review is really mentioning the cons of the game very well.

[Sharingan]

Sooo, how far in are you, DC?

I completed the game a while ago, and I'm having some mixed feelings on it.

Pros:
- Great visuals
- Decent voice acting
- Fantastic cutscenes
- Good musical score
- Superb battle system

Cons:
- Extremely linear - most of the game feels like one big corridor
- No towns! At least, none in the traditional sense
- Most of the classic FF staples are missing
- Relatively short for a FF game
- Post-game content is majorly lacking

Can't help but feel that Square cut out a lot of content just to accomodate the storage capacity of the DVD on the Xbox360.

Here's to hoping there will be some DLC that fleshes out the storyline a bit more, and that Final Fantasy XIII Versus will return to the roots of the series.

[Demon Cleaner]

I played now for 24 hours, and I'm in chapter 9. Also did some grinding lately, as I think it gets a bit more difficult. Yesterday I got my 3rd eidolon.

The linearity is really starting to get monotonous, it was already after some hours, but now that there's still no change, pretty dull. But as I mentioned before, I'm not so much offended by linear games.

Aren't there good sidequests later? I thought the world and map wouldn't open up a bit after chapter 10, can you confirm that?

I also didn't upgrade any weapon or similar, neither did I buy/sell something in any shop. I'm playing with the official guide, and they state that in the beginning you don't really have to do that, as it wouldn't really matter. I should do that only later in the game. Is that true?

Btw, I have 5.900 Gil so far, and that after almost 25 hours, that's really strange, in other FF titles, you were always amassing Gil to the infinity. But when I will sell some stuff, I will get some anyway.

[Sharingan]

I played now for 24 hours, and I'm in chapter 9. Also did some grinding lately, as I think it gets a bit more difficult. Yesterday I got my 3rd eidolon.

Personally, I think grinding in this game is mostly unneeded; I didn't do much of it, anyway. Most of the boss fights come down to correct use of Paradigm shifts and abusing the ATB bar trick (which most people call 'ATB cancelling', look it up on Google). The difficulty does ramp up a bit after chapter 10, though, particularly the bosses.



The linearity is really starting to get monotonous, it was already after some hours, but now that there's still no change, pretty dull. But as I mentioned before, I'm not so much offended by linear games.

Aren't there good sidequests later? I thought the world and map wouldn't open up a bit after chapter 10, can you confirm that?

As I mentioned, sidequests are unfortunately quite sparse, which I found to be the biggest disappointment, considering all previous FFs had a very rich post-game. The biggest 'sidequest' is doing a series of hunts, which involve fighting progressively harder marks. There are 60+ missions in all, so it should take some time all in all. Beside that, it's mostly grinding to upgrade equipment to their ultimate forms, and that's it.

This is where Square fails the most, I think.



I also didn't upgrade any weapon or similar, neither did I buy/sell something in any shop. I'm playing with the official guide, and they state that in the beginning you don't really have to do that, as it wouldn't really matter. I should do that only later in the game. Is that true?

True, money is quite sparse for most of the game, so it really isn't efficient to do much upgrading before chapter 11. I'd upgrade only the weapons of the characters that you use most, and leave the rest for later.



Btw, I have 5.900 Gil so far, and that after almost 25 hours, that's really strange, in other FF titles, you were always amassing Gil to the infinity. But when I will sell some stuff, I will get some anyway.

Yeah, it's almost impossible to earn cash in this game in an efficient manner until you reach chapter 11. You could sell stuff, but remember: if you're planning on achieving ALL trophies in the game, don't sell off anything that you don't have duplicates for. There is one trophy that requires you to have held every single accessory and weapon there is in the game, so if you sell of something that only appears once during the entire playthrough, you won't be able to get the trophy since you won't be able to upgrade that piece of equipment.

[Demon Cleaner]

I'm not really the trophy hunter, although I like to get them :lol: But if I have to invest hours of tedious gameplay to get one single trophy, I'd rather skip that one.

[Sharingan]

I doubt I'll ever get that one either, but we'll see. There's so many other games in the backlog that I still have to play...

Have started White Knight Chronicles now, which, although a bit dated-looking, does evoke that old-school JRPG feeling. Bought Resonance of Fate also, which should be good according to the reviews.

[Demon Cleaner]

I also have still a lot of games to play, but didn't buy WKC or RoF yet, want to wait until they get a bit cheaper, because I have really a whole lot of games still to play. And RoF is holding me a bit back because of its high difficulty and learning curve.

[Demon Cleaner]

I'm very close now to chapter 11, and as I read, this is where I should start to invest items and stuff into my weapons and other gear to gain experience. As I didn't do it so far, I wanted to ask you what you did exactly, and what stuff would be worth to upgrade?

In my battle party I always keep the same characters, Lightning as leader, then Hope and Fang.

Are there any tricks or things that I should consider to do, and pay attention on what really not to do? Which items did you sell and which one did you use to upgrade?

Btw, bought WKC yesterday for 22£.

[Sharingan]

Where are you at now?

I haven't played the game in a good while now, so the details are starting to fade a bit.

Some pointers though:

1. Complete Mission 14 as soon as you can. You receive the means to ride Chocobos then, shortening your travel times, giving you semi-immunity to being attacked on the field, as well as allowing you to dig up treasure. Some pieces of treasure can be sold for like 30.000 apiece.

2. When you gain a spell called Death on Vanille (she's the only one who has it), it might be worth it to try your hand at mission 54 (I think). This pits you against a Marlboro-type plant monster. He's really tough, and comes with 4 or 5 nasty minions, but the good thing is that he's vulnerable to Death. If you manage to achieve this mission, you receive the Growth Egg, which doubles CP earned. Lovely!

3. The Axis Blade for Lightning might at first seem weaksauce, but don't underestimate it. Its special property speeds up the ATB rate by 10%, and if you combine it with an accessory that also increases the ATB rate, Lightning becomes a monster.

4. Lightning also has access to another sword (the name eludes me) that has the ability to instant-stagger opponents that have a nearly-full stagger bar. I think it needs to be upgraded to its second form for it to manifest itself. I found this ability to be extremely useful.

5. Complete the Bhakti sidequest in Oerba as soon as you can. If you meet certain criteria (such as having walked xxx steps in the Lowerworld), you will receive prizes from him. One of them is 3 Platinum Ingots, which you can sell for 150.000 each. That's a lot of cash!

6. Did you know Lightning can be developed into the best Commando vs. physical attacks? At one point she can attain an evasion rate of like 85+ %, meaning enemies that do only physical damage can barely hit her.

7. Somewhere in the Northern part of the highlands there's a giant wolf and a behemoth fighting each other (they're close to a save point and an exit to another area). As long as your party is sufficiently strong, this spot becomes a very good grinding location, since you can always ambush these creatures. Ambushed creatures have only half health and a nearly-full stagger bar, meaning you can kill off one of them very quickly (behemoth first would be a good idea). It takes only a little run back to the save point to respawn the monsters.

If I can remember more pointers, I'll post them as well.

[Demon Cleaner]

I'm right in the caves behind the giant wolf and a behemoth fight, I'm still too weak to beat them. But there in the caves I'm grinding at the moment, and every fight gets me between 2000 and 5000 CP, which is quite good at the moment.

[Submeg]

I haven't even bought FFXIII yet :/ It seems a bit of a downer compared to XII....

[Sharingan]

If you ain't too bothered with linearity and the lack of towns and sidequests, it's still a pretty good game.

[Submeg]

But I like the sidequests, gives it depth. So if they didn't do all the sidequest stuff, what did they do instead?

[Demon Cleaner]

There are some quests, plus all the missions, there are almost 60 missions, although they remind me a lot about the hunting missions in XXII, which I didn't finish in the end, because they became very tedious.

[Submeg]

Yea I remember those, they weren't the greatest :S

[Demon Cleaner]

Finished the game yesterday. The endboss was not that tough, although it's 3 different ones and you can't save between, so be ready for almost 1 hour of consecutive fighting (if you don't die!!). The game wasn't bad, but I have mixed feelings about it. I would probably say that it was the worst FF I played so far. I didn't get that much into the story either, and istead of wanting to see what happens in the end, I was rather happy that I finally finished the game, and that the ending wasn't that long. Didin't get attached to any of the characters.

I also doubt that I will return to the game now to do sidequests now, I'd rather start playing another game.