I... really like FF13... am I weird?

[SargeSmash]

I enjoyed FFXIII. I know a lot of people liked FFXII, and I did like the setting and most of the characters, but dang, if it wasn't terribly paced. And the battle system was mostly boring. I thought Xenoblade did a better job of creating an MMO-style battle system that sped along more quickly.

Of course, I think we're all weird when it comes to FF games. I actually thought FFVIII was the best one on PSX. I didn't like FFV much, but really enjoyed FFIII for NES. I was disappointed by FFVII, coming off of Chrono Trigger, but it's a good game, and FFVI sits at the pinnacle of the series for me.

(For the record, Chrono Trigger is still my top RPG. A few games have tried to unseat it, and came close, but it's still up there.)

 

[Mr Fixit]

The only real issue I have with XIII is that damn Paradigm system, so pointlessly restrictive...

I've no problems with class based characters, but the paradigm thing is just bad. I'm trying to push myself further into the game, but it's very hard for me to overlook something that takes all the fun out of the battles.

That rating thing after the battle is annoying too, what if I want to take my time & toy with the enemy a bit before I finish them off, nope can't do that. The game seems to be rushing the player along, like you have to play the game only how the game wants you to play it.

I absolutely love the customisation of XII & Tactics & I guess that's where XIII just fails for me. Everyone tells me to "stick with it, it gets better" but when my issue with the game is a the only combat system available, I don't see how it could get better. I'll push through & finish it one day, but it'll be a long while off.

 

[blizzaradragon]

Yes you're weird. But it's alright, being normal is overrated. After all, normal people like boring things like Call of Duty

On a serious note though, you've just fallen victim to what is essentially the Final Fantasy fan curse. Which is regardless of which ones you like or don't like, your opinion is wrong according to X group of the fanbase. You can make an argument for any Final Fantasy being the best, and any Final Fantasy being the worst.

I'll prove it right here by simultaneously making different groups of people love and hate my post with some of my FF opinions:
-FFVIII is the best FF game from the PS1 era, and the relationship between Squall and Rinoa is the best in the series
-FFVII is overrated and is easily my least favorite main series game(though Dirge of Cerberus is worse if adding spin-offs)
-Hope is my favorite character from FFXIII
-FFII was actually pretty good(actual FFII, not FFIV on the SNES)

Each of those statements will simultaneously piss off an FF fan, while making another go "Yes, he gets it!"
You liking XIII is no different

 

[Atmos Duality]

And then, when you look outside the series, for people who prefer Western RPGs, FFXIII is pretty much everything that they DON'T want in a game.

It's barely a game at all, given how little the player matters.
Way too much of the game is automated and planned to the point where it's all spectacle and no substance.

This isn't a "WRPG vs JRPG" thing either; I can name plenty of JRPGs where the player's decisions matter.
(or WRPGs as restrictive and shallow as a thimble)
Hell, I can name several Final Fantasy games where the player's input matters.

But FF13? Not a chance. Squeenix sucked all but a tiny sliver of player agency out of the game, and that's not just me saying it; that's by the creator's (Toriyama) own admission.

Toriyama dislikes player agency because he thinks it gets in the way of telling a good story.
With that philosophy, I have no idea why he's is in the business of making VIDEO GAMES; it's anti-thetical to the entire medium. And once I learned about that, any defense for FF13 as a game (that doesn't rely solely on arbitrary personal appeal) dies in the crib.

It's less of a game and more of a semi-interactive CGI movie...but even as a "movie", FF13's story is so inept because (as you said) it hides virtually all relevant information from the audience in data logs. Which suggests to me that FF13 must have either:
1) Had a TREMENDOUS amount of planned content slashed due to time and budget constraints (as others have mentioned)
OR
2) Toriyama is a hack who thinks dazzling graphics and high production values alone can make something engaging.

Maybe it's a combination of the two. I dunno.

But I can understand why some folks would actually like FF13. Dazzling spectacle stuff sells to some degree; always has. Looking back, I've been guilty of the same thing before so I try my best not to judge others for enjoying something I hate.

(I'm almost afraid to mention that I actually enjoyed the Speed Racer movie for exactly that reason: SHINY.)

 

[Flammablezeus]

Nothing wrong with liking it. There are a couple of other Final Fantasys that you might enjoy due to their similar gameplay: The Spirits Within and Advent Children.

 

[Mangod]

Whenever anyone says that the characters in FF13 are "one note" or "shallow", I instantly get the impression that that person hasn't played the whole game.

Now, calling Lightning "shallow" and "one note" is rather unfair; she's got a big sister complex, she's acerbic, she's aggressive and perfectly willing to resort to violence (even seemingly entertaining the idea of writing off an entire human settlement as collateral damage), and most importantly, her interactions with Hope has me thoroughly convinced that she's got a Shôtarô complex as well.

She'd make a rather effective villain in any other setting, actually

 

[TT Kairen]

I'm currently nearing the end of the game in Final Fantasy XIII, and I honestly can't see what all the hate is for. Is it flawed? Oh hell yeah. But it is by no means the absolute cesspit of gaming that I keep hearing. Then again, I'm the weirdo who thinks Final Fantasy VI isn't the grand masterpiece THAT'S made out to be either (just finished that before starting XIII).

I'm currently playing through all the Final Fantasy games I missed over the years, if anybody is wondering.

Alright, lad, explain yourself. Please elaborate why you think this game isn't as bad.

Well, the main thing is that the character arcs are so well presented (mostly), and the narrative is told in a compelling way (again mostly). I found the Datalog to be rather redundant, merely summing up what was already shown in any given scene. I found the gameplay fast-paced and challenging, almost never using the Auto-Battle unless I predicted that it would do what I was already going to, which was quite rare.

The game does have some flaws which drag it down on my list of FF titles, such as the complete lack of NPC characters on the world map (hallway), Hope's character arc ending only about halfway through the game (which was disappointing, as his was easily the best until it just stopped and he stagnated the rest of the way), the Crystarium System being utter piss, and lack of Party Leader swapping mid-combat.

The linearity didn't bother me, exploration is not a mandatory facet of RPG's. If it fits the narrative (it does), and keeps a proper pace going in your story, I have no problem.

A couple of sequences did kind of strike me as odd, such as the false Primarch giving a speech at a race track (???), and then the party ATTACKING the race track (???). Also Jihl Nabaat was entirely useless as a character and could have easily been a faceless mook. But Rule of Fanservice.

I can elaborate on more if you wish, but I need to sleep for work.