FFXIII-2 screenshots! Serah party member!

[Firewind]

Re: FFXIII-2 screenshots! Serah party member!

I'd say you're about half right.

I think there have been a share of self-aware, humorous moments since FFV and plenty of them, but it is quite true that more or less since FFVII was announced that the fanbase splintered over the stupidest little differences and they've only grown into bigger and more obnoxiously stupid reasons to hate something.

FFVII was bad because it used polygons.
FFVIII was bad because it wasn't FFVII and that would continue many games for some people.
FFIX was bad because their heads were too big and no one looked "real."
FFX was bad because someone had the audacity to put it in English and not include the equally "bad" Japanese voice overs.
FFXI was bad because it was online and difficult.
FFXII was bad because we didn't control the main characters, Youknow, because there's a rule we must control main characters. No one got away with that before.

FFXIII was too liner, even though every game that preceded it was more or less linear in some fashion, just letting you off the rails here or there.

Now I await anxiously for the inane criticisms regarding FFXIII-2. There's already the myththat it somehow derailed production of FFvsXIII. Maybe this time it won't be linear enough. Hell, I think the whole timetravel element is there to spoof the complain about linearity.

The Final Fantasy fanbase now has fans and "fans." I'm OK with just being a casual fan. The RPG universe is much larger than Final Fantasy now and there's plenty else to enjoy, Final Fantasy doesn't have to carry it all on its own and be the posterchild for JRPGs. Hell, most of the people set against JRPGs just use it for that purpose. Final Fanatasy someone represents them all. Those idiots can just have their western RPGs because they didn't want anything else in the first place. I'm just sick of the "fans."

More or less agree with you there. I do find the whole Wester RPG vs Eastern RPG argument quite silly, especially when you break down the games and their arguements and realise that the vast majority of thr complaints are for purely aesthetic reasons. One of my friends claimed to hate FFXIII but loves Mass Effect 2. He went on to list off all of the "faults" of FFXIII without realising that he just also listed many of the "faults" of his beloved Mass Effect series:

• FFXIII was too linear and allowed no exploration when Bioware took out all of the exploration in Mass Effect 2 but turning planetfall missions into a visit to the same prefabricated hut (used in Dragon Age 2 a LOT as well)
• FFXIII was too focused on the characters and not a story even though both Final Fantasy games and Bioware games use character driven plots as thier main selling points. Mass Effect 2 was also essentially one big team building exercise, just like FFXIII when the party got back together.
• FFXIII's characters were "too emo" and had too many issues. Well have you spoken to the average Mass Effect 2 party member? The only sane, non-whiny one is the one everyone calls boring (poor Jacob). Notice how he also forgot to mention that the FFXIII party have a VERY good reason to be suicidally depressed.
• FFXIII didn't have any towns and "they took them out for no good reason". Apparently being wanted criminals, and the fact that you pass through several towns during the course of gameplay, but the party is always spotted and has to keep running is "no good reason". They took out planetary exploration in Mass Effect 2 for "no good reason". There's also no "towns" in ME, it's always just some port or the citadel. Notie how there was no complaining there.
• "The level up system is too linear". I have no idea how you can have a "non-linear" level up system in a "class and level" system but there you go...
• "LEONA LEWIS!". To be honest I had no idea she even had a song in the game. I never heard it. The only songs I heard in the game were in Japanese. Still he wasn't able to name a memorable Mass Effect song to counter that.

Just as a note, I do like Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Just pointing out how stupid the anti-FF whining has gotten over the last few years.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: FFXIII-2 screenshots! Serah party member!

I don't think Samara or Kasumi were whiny at all, really. Kasumi's problem is her loyalty mission was the worst heist ever plotted for a video game. That and she lacked the layers the rest of the cast had because EA more or less told them they had to make DLC out of someone. Both her and Zaeed were wasted potential and none of the characters really had the charm or layers of the one in DA:O.

I think by falling into to the voiced protagonist trap that Bioware's games have taken a tremendous hit in the charm department. Their characters had so many layers to them in DA:O and the KOTOR games and that was lost because your two Shepards had to have lines. Don't even get me started on the lack of gender difference between the two.

I've yet to get all the way through FFXIII, I'm thinking once I clear my current queue of games of getting back to it. Plus I don't think I need to get to Fallout 3 yet given how much Skyrim I've had, but what I've played of FFXIII Lightning does become a bit more likeable, Sahz is the easiest to identify with and Snow's arc seems to be all right.

[Firewind]

Re: FFXIII-2 screenshots! Serah party member!

As much as I like Shepard I do agree with the DA:O/KOTOR comment. I do tend to feel less like I'm roleplaying and more like I'm watching an interactive film if the characters are named and voiced. Not that I mind if I'm playing a very character driven game but still...

[jenova_9]

Re: FFXIII-2 screenshots! Serah party member!

MEEEEEEEEEW!! XIII-3 prologue!!!!!!

Well ya they tripped with XIII-2 for the most part, but XIII-3 could deliver something better and worthy mew mew epicness!

[Raydeus]

Re: FFXIII-2 screenshots! Serah party member!

Sounds more like the Eternal Milking to me.

Does this mean the game sold good enough to warrant another sequel or is it the usual ill SE stubbornness?




PS > And where the heck's Versus? >_<

PPS > I would be very depressed if Crisis Core was the last good FF game I played.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: FFXIII-2 screenshots! Serah party member!

Nomura has said he's focused on VsXIII and he keeps dropping hints about TWEWY 2, so I guess that means Tabita is on KH3D and the Type-0 Vita port. FFXIII-3, were they to persist with XIII, would probably be between Kitase and Toriyama. In other words, all the real talent isn't doing main series Final Fantasy.

I get that they want to keep using the engine, but Kitase seems content to run the series into the ground with his shitty characters. There's very little doubt in my mind the brilliance of his past characters had more to to with Sakaguchi, Nomura and Uematsu than himself.

[Raydeus]

Re: FFXIII-2 screenshots! Serah party member!

I really hope it doesn't suck.

And it would be nice if both Versus and ZOE HD were released around the same time. That way it would make the import less painful.


That reminds me, I still need to get Type-0. I've heard some pretty good things about it and I really liked the characters in the demo. So maybe there's hope for the post-Crisis Core Final Fantasy spin offs even if the main series is... well, you know.

[Firewind]

Re: FFXIII-2 screenshots! Serah party member!

Erm how can they make an FFXIII-3 given that...

Ending Spoilers

Not only is everyone but Noel, Snow and Not!Sephiroth dead but they no longer exist and never have existed due to time itself being completely destroyed?

[Nestama]

Re: FFXIII-2 screenshots! Serah party member!

Three infamous words

To be continued

That's how there'll be a XIII-3.

Also, that Lightning DLC and etc kinda confirms it. Along with who XIII-3's antagonist may be.

[jenova_9]

Re: FFXIII-2 screenshots! Serah party member!

Erm how can they make an FFXIII-3 given that...

Ending Spoilers

Not only is everyone but Noel, Snow and Not!Sephiroth dead but they no longer exist and never have existed due to time itself being completely destroyed?

what can be destroyed can be restored! Also Serah could come back just like Etro has since she has the gift.

Kitase/Toriyama people make mistakes, but there's nothing wrong with their characters, it's how they been using them. Maybe they crafted a story that is too big for 2 FFs, and it takes the 3rd episode to really show it's best and greater parts? It's kind of like a manga that just can't be completely understood and appreciated just told within a certain number of chapters.

Well ya who knows how they plan XIII-3 But it does stand a chance to be better than both FFXIII and XIII-2, and much better than leaving XIII-2 and FNC as it is.

[Firewind]

Re: FFXIII-2 screenshots! Serah party member!

True. Well as long as the True Ending for FFXIII-3 is better than the True Ending to FFXIII-2 I'm all for it.

[Mezlo]

Re: FFXIII-2 screenshots! Serah party member!

SO I got bored with FFXIII-2 and stopped playing. I thought that them making you have to change the future and / or past and then go back and run through zones you've already spent a shitload of time in was boring and cumbersome. I just got tired of running through the same zones and looking for something to be different. It also sucked spending time trying to get to a certain point on the map come to find out, it's impossibel to get there until you make the necessary changes in time... Is it worth going back to in order to finish it, or did it stay lame throughout the game?

[Grizzlebeard]

Re: FFXIII-2 screenshots! Serah party member!

I can definitely say I won't be touching 13-3. I was more than a little disappointed with 13-2 in general let alone the disgusting ending. The subsequent milking through the less than average DLC really was the last straw with regards to my future S-E purchases.

[Malacite]

Re: FFXIII-2 screenshots! Serah party member!

OK, well it seems Toriyama lied about 13-3 not being in the works (big surprise...) and that SE just registered a site for it. I'm guessing you're going to be able to import your save again, or something but it does seem rather weird to start an RPG when... well, if you beat 13-2 you'll know why it's f'ed up to start an RPG off with what's already happening.

Needless to say I won't be buying it. I'll rent it, because I want to see how it all ends but the fuck if I'm giving SE any money directly for this abomination. I like Serah & Noel, but the whole DLC thing just left a very bitter taste in my mouth and I'm betting they're going to be doing it again with this new title.

[Firewind]

Re: FFXIII-2 screenshots! Serah party member!

So with FFXIII-3 announced I can finally like FFXIII-2 despite it's flaws in peace now everyone has a new FF game to piss and moan about.