Final Fantasy

HOTTTT!!!! Lightninggggg

Knew it was coming, but so good to see. Lightning looks sexy as hell in metal xD Another day one purchase for me. An 'evolved' battle system from XIII too. Good news because I really like the battle system in the original. It did need some adjustments, so this one could be the ultimate. Can't wait.

Versus also looks extremely good. Loving the futuristic setting.

2 discs for Type-0 sounds like Square are putting a lot of effort into that game. Although I guess all the voice acting (over 30 different voices?) bumps it up a bit. But still, should be a good game.

Glad they changed the name too. I'm not too keen on all the 'XIII' names. Same with Versus. Just wish they kept XIII as it was, with its own sequels etc, and let Versus and Agito (now Type-0) be their own games and names. Guess I can deal with only Versus having XIII in the title though.

Thanks for sharing all this info Ifrit. I've fangasmed all over Lightning already!

Jimmy2000 said:
lol FFXIII-2, hopefully it doesn't suck ass like the first game.

Lightning looks hot in the armour.

It was only a three month wait after the Japanese release for 13 to reach here. And the EU Blog says next winter as a release date, so that should mean December 2011 - February 2012

FF13 was a good game, people wouldn't hate it if it didn't have FF in the title. I quite enjoyed the battle system, kept you on your feet as you constantly had to be in control of the situation and adapt strategy as necessary. I think some people didn't like it as it wasn't turn-based, although other FFs have used to ATB gauge before as opposed to turn based.

Backtrcking wouldn't have worked with the story line really, wanted fugitives don't rarely have time to visit towns where they could get caught. Plus everyone fears them.

I hope they change the progression system though. Make each path less linear



( Edited 18.01.2011 16:41 by Lrrr )

Dissidia Duodecim updates.

Latest trailer:

Prishe from FFXI and Gilgamesh from FFV look like they're in. Latest rumours going around suggest Cloud and Terra are on the Chaos side, as well as Tidus (which looks likely in the trailer).

Plenty of lovely remixes to listen to, and possibly more to be heard in the final game!

Open spoiler for new music:

Awesome remixes for the game, glad lightnings in

So Duodecim's out in Japan and due in a couple of weeks for the rest of us. Anyone getting it?

I've played through the Japanese game a little bit and managed to do the 12th war story, featuring the new characters. I was a little let down though because it wasn't really what I expected. The whole situation with Cloud, Terra and Tidus being on the Chaos side in that war really didn't get much focus, nor did most of the other original characters. You basically play through the 12th war as only the new guys, then unlock the 13th war that was in the first game afterwards.

I know you can't expect an amazing story for a fighting game. But it's Square. And it's Final Fantasy. So I expected a little more.

Some news about the series' future though: Looks like the third Dissidia will be a completely new take on the game, and won't play like the first two on PSP. They've said if the fans demand it, then they may make a PS3 version. But it might end up being a PSP2 game. Looks like it might take a different genre - maybe more RPG focused as in the traditional FF games?

Anyways, I'm sure I'll clock a lot of hours into Duodecim regardless of its shortcomings.

Thought I'd share some more of the remixed music in the game.

Dungeon Themes

FF1 Matoya's Cave

FF2 Dungeon

FF3 Crystal Cave

FF4 Dungeon

FF5 Dungeon

FF6 Phantom Forest

FF7 Forested Temple

FF8 Find Your Way

FF9 A Place to Call Home

FFX Via Purifico

FF12 Golmore Jungle

FF13 The Hanging Edge

( Edited 08.06.2011 21:52 by Azuardo )

So anyone get Duodecim in the end then? The 3DS came out at the same time so I guess that's overshadowed it for most people.

I enjoyed the story more in the English game, but do feel the explanation they gave for the reason the new warriors don't return in the 13th war was pretty crap. But I've stalled on the the rest of the game because I can't quite be bothered to go through the 13th war story again, seeing as I've done it already in Dissidia 1. I will try to push myself to do it though.

Quite a bit of DLC coming out for it, including new alts for Cecil, Zidane and Kuja, as well as music from FF13, FF9 and FF1. How this will be released in Europe is anyone's guess (presumably PSN).

Overall though, the game is very fun, with tons of stuff to unlock. It just seems a bit too slow to earn PP, and I wanna unlock everything already!

~~~

Also, I'm now replaying FF13 after having read through a fan translation of Episode Zero -- a prologue story to the game that was posted on the FF13 Japanese website. Never officially translated, after reading this story, I gained a much better understanding of the background of the game, the characters and more. Also, I'm now taking my time to read the in-game datalog, which actually clears things up at certain points in the story. I've gained a much better appreciation for the FF13 story now, and am ready to read through the game's epilogue story -- Episode I -- ready for FF13-2 I definitely recommend fans to read them! (link)





( Edited 01.04.2011 00:34 by Azuardo )

I did indeed get Duodecim, it arrived last Wednesday I think? I haven't actually played it yet due to 3DS and Okamiden, but it sounds much better than the original from what my brother's told me, so I'm certainly looking forward to trying it out. ;D

I got it as well last week and I've found it to be alot better then the 1st game. The constant board game on the 1st game killed it for me because it just got so boring. I also love how the new characters play, especially Lightning!

Yeah, the world map and interaction with the characters did help the story flow much better this time. Adding that to the old characters' stories was good. I'm kind of eager for a Dissidia 3 now! If they were to just take FF13's engine for example, and use that, that would be awesome.

Just made my first original quest. I heard the online trading feature didn't make it into non-JP copies, so don't know the situation with how we can download others' quests. But the amount of things they added is really something. Naturally, I find myself using Lightning the most too

DLC music tracks!
FF1:
Airship
Battle Theme
Corneria Castle
Menu Screen
Chaos Temple

FF4:
Golbez, Clad in Armour
Within the Giant
Final Battle

FF7:
Crazy Motorcycle
Electric de Chocobo
Birth of a God

FF8:
Liberi Fatali
The Landing
Shuffle or Boogie

FF9:
Blade of Fury
Hunter's Chance
Rose of May

FFX music:
Assault
Enemy Attack
Decisive Battle

FF12 music:
Clash of Swords
Upheaval
Time for a Rest

FF13:
Dust to Dust
Eidolons
Fighting Fate
Cocoon de Chocobo
Eden Under Siege



( Edited 08.06.2011 21:44 by Azuardo )

I haven't got a PSP so I didn't get Duodecim (I'd love to though), but I did however download FFVI (or III as it's named) on the VC, and I'm enjoying every minute of it. It's the best FF I've played so far.

Added to EU PSN for Dissidia 012:

Zidane costume: Marcus' hoodie - 59p
Kuja costume: Treno nobleman - 59p

New Onion Knight and Emperor costumes: click

Don't understand why they don't just put them all up on PSN Europe now. What's the point in dragging them out?

That said, I'm not even playing the game anyway. Can't even use alt costumes in story mode. Absolutely ridiculous.





( Edited 08.06.2011 21:43 by Azuardo )

I'm a fan of music and arts in everything and FF fits with that. I love Nobuo and Amano. And of course the story is superb, the gameplay is nice and the characters are lovable.

Mine favorite Final Fantasy game is Final Fantasy VIII. It had a wonderful storyline and a unique group of characters. I bought this as my first RPG game a few years ago. I was actually planning on purchasing FFVII first but I couldn't find it anywhere at the game store. I bought VIII instead and I was so glad I did. I found it to be very addictive and the storyline never got boring.The battles were a challenge at times and I really liked how the Junction system worked. It was difficult to use at first but it was really effective at times. The bosses in the game were sometimes a bit of a challenge, also some of the enemies even were! The weapons in the game were unique and very powerful, they also looked awesome.

First shots of FFXIII-2

New playable characters - Noel and Serah.

Takes place several years after FFXIII.

Begins with Serah searching for Lightning who has disappeared and presumed dead (FFXIII Episode 1 tells of Lightning getting lost in a different realm after the events of the first game).

Looking forward to it!

( Edited 09.06.2011 14:49 by Azuardo )

FFXIII-2 E3 Teaser Trailer. More should be coming over next few days.

FFXIII-2 Full Trailer.
Coming out Early 2012 on PS3 and 360 (Dec 2011 in JP).

Not overly impressed so far. Noel seems like a retard. Not sure if there's a playable demo but hopefully hands-on will be better than this trailer. I liked 13, so if it's that but more and better, I'll enjoy it. Also, another game with QTEs lulz.

Original FF13 getting easy mode patch.

More off-screen gameplay vids:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-BqJGGqUFY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3IytcMa1LY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BRigdJ6pnk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU65uO9b1TU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qTmIdeFoME

Off-screen screenshots

So looks like you do only control one character in battle still.

Needs more Lightning.

( Edited 07.06.2011 08:23 by Azuardo )

I love play with Finale Fantasy games and my most favorite, with which i always play myself is Finale Fantasy IV. It's an interesting game play have good story.

FFXIII-2 actually looks bloody good!

Have a look at the 3 giant screens of Lightning riding Odin and fighting Chaos Bahamut. Already you can see this is going to be pretty damn good. I'm willing to bet this could be better than the first game. Although I just don't know about these QTEs.

Wow, and this gameplay video looks fantastic! Game will have a weather change system. Rain looks gorgeous, splashing onto the screen throughout play.

IGN: "One of the background tracks of the demo was rap." Love it!

More will be revealed at Tokyo Game Show! Hyped isn't the word.

Even though everyone thinks Lightning is dead, she is a playable character in Final Fantasy XIII-2. Attendees didn’t see her on the show floor, but in a behind closed doors meeting Square Enix showed a fight between Lightning and Chaos Bahamut.

Before the battle, Lightning jumped on Odin. The camera panned to city ruins and Chaos Bahamut flew from the sky and into Lightning’s path. The camera continued to move during the battle where Lighting rode Odin while Chaos Bahamut lunged at her.

Lightning saved the world in Final Fantasy XIII, so she is not a level 1 character in Final Fantasy XIII-2. She retains powerful attacks, five selectable commands, and pelted Chaos Bahamut with thousands of points of damage. Compare that to Serah and newcomer Noel who scratch out a couple hundred HP per strike on weak enemies.

The battle galloped on until a cinematic action where Lightning jumped on a falling building and cut into Chaos Bahamut. Like other cinematic actions, players had to trigger quick time events.

Square Enix wouldn’t say anything else about where Lightning is other than promising a reveal at Tokyo Game Show. Final Fantasy XIII-2 is slated for a winter release in North America and Europe. Japan gets the game in December.

There seems to be a lack of FF fans at C3 at the moment, but that's not going to stop me posting delicious new bits and bobs from XIII-2. Some of it's too good not to share.

After what I've seen and read, I have faith that this can actually be much better than XIII. The battle system for the most part is the same, so people will have their opinions on that, but there looks to be plenty of new changes that will please fans.

Closed scenes footage of Lightning vs Bahamut.

Beautiful rainy battle action in a town-like area. Looks gorgeous.

Boss fight, rap music. Like it.

New Bodhum image. Beautiful.

Unfortunately no plans for Wii U just yet. Also, Square say true numbered FF games will remain on HD consoles ONLY, implying no 3DS for games like FF15. Handhelds will continute to get spinoff games though, like Crisis Core and the Tactics series (by no means a bad thing).

"The core message we have about making XIII-2 is this game should be able to appeal and be enjoyed by those who bought XIII and enjoyed it, those who didn't buy the game and those who bought the game and gave it up because it wasn't good enough for them. It should have universal appeal to all Final Fantasy players.

"We're poised to make a really dramatic comeback with Final Fantasy XIII-2," he adds, confidently.

FFXIII-2 developer interview
Sounds very promising. Capture monsters and use them in battle is a key new feature of the game. Mixed feelings about that. I mean, capturing monsters sounds great, with over 150 of them, but as long as it doesn't mean having less characters. I would rather use another character in battle than a monster. But we'll see; it could be good.



( Edited 11.06.2011 01:15 by Azuardo )

Bought 13 a few days ago.

Admittedly, I was apprehensive after the last game, and a part of me still is.
First, the positives. Of course, the game looks absolutely stunning. Cutscenes are dripping with eye-popping clarity, characters move and act with fluid realism, and a good number of the locations are highly imaginative and well-designed. The battle system, whilst not as interactive as I'd have liked, works very well and offers quick and concise encounters with enough varying strategy switching to ensure no repeat of the horrible Gambit system. The linearity of the game is a point; personally I don't mind it as I like to stay on the straight and narrow, though it's disappointing that there isn't anything beyond straight paths, no towns or anything.

The negatives aren't too damaging, though immediately apparent. First up, there are far too many cutscenes. Far, far too many. Square, I bought the game to be a game, not a movie. I commend the battle system for its strengths, but its free reign certainly doesn't add much to the interactivity. Second, the game feels far too short right now. I'm about 2 hours into disc 2, and I only clocked up 6 on the first one, no skipping cutscenes or tutorials, and I hope 2 and 3 are far longer. Lastly, and this is more of a presonal gripe; I'm not that in-tuned to the characters as of yet. Lightning is of course awesome, and Snow is fairly cool too, but Hope is just an annoying whiny brat, Sazh just moans and complains, and although Vanille is a refreshing change as a spunky lead, you can tell something is going to happen to send her into some kind of depression or withdrawal, it always does to characters like that. The cutscenes being forced at me to develop these characters really aren't helping me accept them an easier. Maybe that will change, maybe not.

Anyways, summary; good game, substantial improvement after the last one, but I do kinda wish for another FF in the vein of 1-9 (explorable world map and towns, less reliance on cutscenes, that kinda thing). I'm certainly interested in how the sequel will improve things now.

Edit; Oh, the music is fairly good as well. Not iPod material personally, except for the background music for the forest-y area I've just entered with Sazh and Vanille which someone NEEDS to tell me the name of because it is freakin fantastic.

( Edited 11.06.2011 19:03 by Phoenixus )

I'd get FF XIII if I had a PS3 or 360, but I'm not really planning on buying the consoles since I don't play many games at the moment anyway.

Also, I think FF XII is actually really good, I haven't quite completed it yet, but I'm getting there.

I'll probably get back to you with my thoughts, I'm eating a Chinese atm

There is some quality music in the game. That reminds me, I was thinking of doing a new music thread at some point, and a voting contest of sorts.

Sunleth Waterscape is the song in question

I'm not 100% on the Disc changes on the 360, but 6 hours in isn't really that far at all. The chapters get a lot longer than the early ones.

And I love some of the music in this game. It's grown on me

( Edited 11.06.2011 19:17 by Lrrr )

Fuck I've just realised how stupidly long this post is. I can't stop myself for shit when I talk about FF.

I played FF12 after I played 13, and I have to say, I was really impressed with 12. I enjoyed the battle system quite a bit and thought afterwards that it would have been better for 13 if there was a gambit-type system in place to at least give you a little more control over your other characters. However, I actually really like 13's battle system because it's simple, quick and flashy.

The argument against is that there's very little customisation compared to any other FF; possibly the least in any FF I've played. Weapon upgrading is a matter of adding components to them to level them up. There isn't really any way to make your characters unique; they're just given either stronger or lower attack or magic stats. Unlike FFX for example, where you had the freedom to turn Tidus into a black magic user by making him go for the magic abilities on the grid. The crystarium is merely a cool-looking disguise for your standard level up system. You don't get much freedom to choose what stats to give your character (unlike FFX), and each char has set paradigms until later in the game (and even once you can learn all roles, the cost of CP to learn them makes it pointless until end-game stuff).

That said, its simpleness makes for a more streamlined experience in the sense that you can just get on with the game, battle, and see the story, rather than messing about in menus. And whilst it took me until after beating the game and reading message boards, there is a little more depth to equipping accessories than first meets the eye. Equipping certain armlets or more than one of the same, can give you hidden auto-abilities. E.g. there's one combination that, when equipped on a char, gives you Random Stagger, which gives you like a tiny % chance of instantly putting an enemy into stagger - on my second run through using a guide (I sometimes like to use a guide after beating games on my own the first time to learn new ways of dealing with things), random stagger was amazingly helpful in all battles including boss. The % chance may be small, but when you're attacking like crazy, it happens quicker than you think. So whilst there is a little depth, it's not like FFX (again) where you can customise abilities to put on your weapons.

One thing that puts a lot of people off is the sudden rise in difficulty once you get to chapter 11. I know many people who stopped playing in the same spot in the game, which is a real shame. I certainly found the game difficult in some battles and bosses later on, but I stuck with it. You might have to grind a bit is all. But, I was one of those who didn't bother using much of the sen, sab or syn roles, mainly relying on com, rav and med. I managed to beat the game like that but damn, it was a lot easier second time through once I used the others too. Square announced an Easy mode patch coming to Japan in July. If we get that, I might do a third run on it later in the year, just to refresh myself in prep for 13-2.

I originally thought the game was short once I was ploughing through the opening few chapters in a couple of hours, but the latter ones run for a great deal longer. I went for platinum and my final clock was just under 130 hours. Admittedly, this consisted of a lot of hideous grinding though. Main game I think I eventually did in 60, but I spent a lot of time doing hunts too. It's probably more of a 40-50 hour game.

Characters, I think they all eventually grew on me in the end. As if my account doesn't give it away, I'm a big Lightning fan, and I like Snow and Sazh too. Vanille actually grew on me. While I didn't like the abnormal sounds and puke-worthy girliness of her initially, once I found out that her English voice actor was told by Square that they wanted her to emulate her JP VA because this is how they wanted Vanille to be, I had a bit of a change of heart. I thought it was false and stupid, but I for some reason appreciated her more once I learnt that this was how she was meant to be. And the fact that her character probably develops the most out of all the others in the whole game.

I ended up having a much better appreciation for all of them though once I read the translations of the prologue and epilogue stories (see link in my sig). In the prologue nearly each chapter focuses on a different character and the days leading up to the events seen in FF13. But they have much more detail and things you don't see or learn in the game. For me, it changed the way I saw each character and helped me to like them more. Phoenix, if you like the game enough (and you say you're looking forward to the sequel so you'd do well to read the epilogue as it's short anyway), then I suggest giving them a read after you beat 13. I think I read them all over the course of a week.

I actually read the prologue, then beat 13 again, and I felt completely more connected with the story second time because of it. I knew how characters were feeling in the past and how they must be feeling now. I just understood everyone and the story's situations better. Reading this also made things less confusing in the actual game with all the l'Cie, Fal'Cie, Pulse, Cocoon stuff going on too. Plus, I read the datalog every time it updated in my 2nd playthru, so that helped clear things as well. There is a lot in the prologue that talks about how Sazh's son got captured, and about how Fang and Vanille are where they are. People had mixed feelings about the fact that to fully appreciate the story, you had to read these books too. The fact that they are officially only in Japanese makes it more silly, especially when Square recently told us to read the epilogue to understand what's going on in 13-2. But this is the way FF13 is - it's not just a game, it's books too it seems. And yes, there is a lot of shit in 13 that doesn't seem to make much sense. Just gotta go with it :/

Music is definitely one of the best points of the game. Hamauzu's first solo FF project, and he's returning for the sequel. He also wrote and co-wrote a few awesome ones for FFX, so I'm a fan now. The diversity of 13's OST is great, and 13-2 is going even further, incorporating more vocals and even rap into some tracks. Looking forward to it!

Ultimately for me, 13 is a great game. I really like the characters and don't have as many problems with them as others seem to. Its obvious problems were of course what you mentioned, namely lack of exploration, towns, NPCs to talk to, customisation, and sidequests (there was really only hunts). A lot of this should be changing for the sequel though. But tbh, I enjoy FF13 so much, I'm just going to buy and enjoy 13-2 regardless of how it is.

But Versus XIII looks like it's going to be the next BIG FF game. Been in development for years now. It might as well be FF15. Square are putting an awful lot into it but we won't be seeing much new about it for a while it seems.

Fuck my long posts.

Edit: Oh yeah, I've actually just rebought the FF13 collector's edition off ebay for 15 quid. I bought it last month but it was sadly missing one or two things so I might try to flog that back on ebay. This one looks to have everything. Such is my obsession for 13 recently, that I just have to have both versions :/ But if 13-2 has a CE then I'll definitely pre-order that over the normal vers this time.

( Edited 22.06.2011 10:02 by Azuardo )

Didn't know there was a collectors edition. What's in it?