Review: Final Fantasy XIII

John Funk

U.N. Owen Was Him?
Dec 20, 2005
20,364
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Chipperz said:
John Funk said:
Chipperz said:
Nice review. I loved it for all the reasons most people hate it, and I don't know if it's any consolation for Final Fantasy fans who can't imagine playing something with a linear story, but after the first twenty or so hours, the game becomes a massive open-world grindfest. Sadly, my love of the storyline has put me into the trap most people I know have fallen into playing ANY Final Fantasy game - didn't grind enough, can't beat a boss, fucked over in sight of the ending.

It's really, really soured me on the Final Fantasy series, even more than before. Have Japanese people heard of scaling enemies!?
I never really "grinded" in the game, I just defeated every enemy that was in front of me. Hell, I managed to avoid most of the enemies in the entire last two sequences abusing Deceptisols, and I still managed to beat the game.
Really? How did you beat...

The second Proud Clad? Even with two healers (Lightning and Vanille) in the party and spamming potions with a sentinel (Fang, also my Leader), I just can't heal enough damage when it does the "Moon Beam" or "Limiters Deactivated" abilities.

I've tried summoning Bahamut and Odin as well as bashing out Renews and not summoning, and I don't want to use Vanille as leader. Partly because I want to keep an AI healer and partly because I have a feeling that hearing Hecathanacatathaciticathier in her voice might break my brain.

Time's a factor, I've only rented it until 10 tonight (so that's, like, 7 hours...)
Stick Sazh or Hope in your party somewhere (if you've leveled Sazh's SYN enough so that you have Protect and Shell, use him for his offensive buffs and higher HP, otherwise take Hope), and try to keep the buffs up at all time. I'd go with Sazh/Vanille/Lightning, make a SYN/SAB/MED or SYN/MED/MED Paradigm, just do that first.

Buffs and debuffs help a *ton* in this game. You'll need them against the final boss, too.

Also, getting Sazh to take at least one level in Medic and Lightning to take a level in Sentinel/Synergist (just to get Protect and Shell) will help you heavily in the final dungeon.
 

Chipperz

New member
Apr 27, 2009
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John Funk said:
Chipperz said:
John Funk said:
Chipperz said:
Nice review. I loved it for all the reasons most people hate it, and I don't know if it's any consolation for Final Fantasy fans who can't imagine playing something with a linear story, but after the first twenty or so hours, the game becomes a massive open-world grindfest. Sadly, my love of the storyline has put me into the trap most people I know have fallen into playing ANY Final Fantasy game - didn't grind enough, can't beat a boss, fucked over in sight of the ending.

It's really, really soured me on the Final Fantasy series, even more than before. Have Japanese people heard of scaling enemies!?
I never really "grinded" in the game, I just defeated every enemy that was in front of me. Hell, I managed to avoid most of the enemies in the entire last two sequences abusing Deceptisols, and I still managed to beat the game.
Really? How did you beat...

The second Proud Clad? Even with two healers (Lightning and Vanille) in the party and spamming potions with a sentinel (Fang, also my Leader), I just can't heal enough damage when it does the "Moon Beam" or "Limiters Deactivated" abilities.

I've tried summoning Bahamut and Odin as well as bashing out Renews and not summoning, and I don't want to use Vanille as leader. Partly because I want to keep an AI healer and partly because I have a feeling that hearing Hecathanacatathaciticathier in her voice might break my brain.

Time's a factor, I've only rented it until 10 tonight (so that's, like, 7 hours...)
Stick Sazh or Hope in your party somewhere (if you've leveled Sazh's SYN enough so that you have Protect and Shell, use him for his offensive buffs and higher HP, otherwise take Hope), and try to keep the buffs up at all time. I'd go with Sazh/Vanille/Lightning, make a SYN/SAB/MED or SYN/MED/MED Paradigm, just do that first.

Buffs and debuffs help a *ton* in this game. You'll need them against the final boss, too.

Also, getting Sazh to take at least one level in Medic and Lightning to take a level in Sentinel/Synergist (just to get Protect and Shell) will help you heavily in the final dungeon.
Ahh OK, cool, I'll try that!

I've been playing my characters pretty much as a steamroller so far - there hasn't been anything my COM/RAV/RAV can't beat with an occaional switch to COM/RAV/MED. I thought I'd broken the game at one point when one of the boss fights* took half the Target Time :p

First Barthamandalus fight. I genuinely thought he was going to trigger another event and I'd have to fight him again.
 

_Serendipity_

New member
Jun 15, 2008
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Nice review. I've been on the fence about dropping the cash (not to say the time...) for this for the past week and I think you just tipped me over.

Now all I have to do is finish my dissertation, then I think I'll kill a weekend in JRPG bliss.
 

Tornik

New member
Mar 4, 2010
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Best review of FFXII I've seen/read yet - very nice.

'Humidity and Chance of Rain' had me cracking up also :D
 

John Funk

U.N. Owen Was Him?
Dec 20, 2005
20,364
0
0
Chipperz said:
John Funk said:
Chipperz said:
John Funk said:
Chipperz said:
Nice review. I loved it for all the reasons most people hate it, and I don't know if it's any consolation for Final Fantasy fans who can't imagine playing something with a linear story, but after the first twenty or so hours, the game becomes a massive open-world grindfest. Sadly, my love of the storyline has put me into the trap most people I know have fallen into playing ANY Final Fantasy game - didn't grind enough, can't beat a boss, fucked over in sight of the ending.

It's really, really soured me on the Final Fantasy series, even more than before. Have Japanese people heard of scaling enemies!?
I never really "grinded" in the game, I just defeated every enemy that was in front of me. Hell, I managed to avoid most of the enemies in the entire last two sequences abusing Deceptisols, and I still managed to beat the game.
Really? How did you beat...

The second Proud Clad? Even with two healers (Lightning and Vanille) in the party and spamming potions with a sentinel (Fang, also my Leader), I just can't heal enough damage when it does the "Moon Beam" or "Limiters Deactivated" abilities.

I've tried summoning Bahamut and Odin as well as bashing out Renews and not summoning, and I don't want to use Vanille as leader. Partly because I want to keep an AI healer and partly because I have a feeling that hearing Hecathanacatathaciticathier in her voice might break my brain.

Time's a factor, I've only rented it until 10 tonight (so that's, like, 7 hours...)
Stick Sazh or Hope in your party somewhere (if you've leveled Sazh's SYN enough so that you have Protect and Shell, use him for his offensive buffs and higher HP, otherwise take Hope), and try to keep the buffs up at all time. I'd go with Sazh/Vanille/Lightning, make a SYN/SAB/MED or SYN/MED/MED Paradigm, just do that first.

Buffs and debuffs help a *ton* in this game. You'll need them against the final boss, too.

Also, getting Sazh to take at least one level in Medic and Lightning to take a level in Sentinel/Synergist (just to get Protect and Shell) will help you heavily in the final dungeon.
Ahh OK, cool, I'll try that!

I've been playing my characters pretty much as a steamroller so far - there hasn't been anything my COM/RAV/RAV can't beat with an occaional switch to COM/RAV/MED. I thought I'd broken the game at one point when one of the boss fights* took half the Target Time :p

First Barthamandalus fight. I genuinely thought he was going to trigger another event and I'd have to fight him again.
Yeah, fights take longer but they're also safer.

Buffs and debuffs can actually REALLY boost your damage output/survivability. On the final bosses, stick DeProtect and DeShell on them, with Faith/Bravery/Haste/Protect/Shell/Vigilance on your guys? RAV/RAV/RAV gets them staggered in no time, then COM/RAV/COM (that was my setup with Light/Vanille/Sazh, respectively) once they're staggered to dish out the pain? It does a *ton* of damage. Then SEN/MED/MED if there's anything big incoming, MED/MED/MED to heal up, and MED/SAB/SYN or RAV/SAB/SYN to rebuff anything that's fallen off. That was pretty much my entire battle plan for the last few bosses.
 

PedroSteckecilo

Mexican Fugitive
Feb 7, 2008
6,732
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Onyx Oblivion said:
PedroSteckecilo said:
Onyx Oblivion said:
Susan Arendt said:
"Humidity and Chance of Rain"

*giggle*
I can't wait for Overcast and Light Flurries.
Don't joke about that, Flurry seems like a legitimate possibility and Square might be watching!
What about Solar Flare?

Actually, I LIKE that name...
Knowing Square's record it would probably be Flare Solar or something slightly less obvious than Solar Flare.
 

Tarrker

New member
Jun 18, 2008
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Zahri said:
Seriously, the names make me gag.
Yeah, I half suspect that this is the result of some international translator going "Hmmmm? Lightning? How will that sound in english? Thunder maybe? No. He's a character in Fable. Lightning it is!". This is a complete guess, though. I do, however, know things that sound tough and awesome in one language rarely sound as cool in another.

Great review, tho. Never disappointed by Escapist reviews. Even Yahtzee seems to notice the same flaws in games that I do.
 

Proteus214

Game Developer
Jul 31, 2009
2,270
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Very accurate review. Pretty much matches what my friends and I are experiencing as we're playing through it.
 

Jared

The British Paladin
Jul 14, 2009
5,630
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Seems fairly accurate.

I really enjoyed it, awesome game even if it did take some time to get to its point.
 

Jaranja

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Jul 16, 2009
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BlueHighwind said:
"FF13 feels like a direct reaction to many fans' criticisms of Final Fantasy XII: It was too open-ended and sprawling; there wasn't enough focus on the story to carry things through; it was too easy to get lost, etc."

Who are these people? They sound ill of mind.
Me, I hated FFXII because it just wasn't a FF game any more.

OT: Why did you say the linearity was a bad thing to people that enjoy exploration? This is a FF game, people who don't like linearity shouldn't buy it.
 

Slycne

Tank Ninja
Feb 19, 2006
3,422
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Jaranja said:
BlueHighwind said:
"FF13 feels like a direct reaction to many fans' criticisms of Final Fantasy XII: It was too open-ended and sprawling; there wasn't enough focus on the story to carry things through; it was too easy to get lost, etc."

Who are these people? They sound ill of mind.
Me, I hated FFXII because it just wasn't a FF game any more.

OT: Why did you say the linearity was a bad thing to people that enjoy exploration? This is a FF game, people who don't like linearity shouldn't buy it.
Because linearity isn't a binary yes or no, there is no denying that Final Fantasy XIII level of linearity(at least for the first half) might turn off some fans of previous Final Fantasy games. Yes you are always playing the same story with the same characters, but in previous iterations you had the freedom to wander around and explore the world to various degrees.
 

Dakeyras-Way

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Aug 12, 2008
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Well I like the game but it certainly gives a WHOLE new meaning to the term linear... I mean the only way the game could be any more linear were if it were a line... (they cant all be winners) But in all seriousness the loss of an explorable world is kinda a game killer in a RPG...

I mean sure once you get to the open part it does make the game about 1 million times more enjoyable but the open part is still pretty damn small and short.. especially given its the only open world part of the entire game...

Oh and i agree with earlier posters Vanille's voice acting is pretty bad, its like she can't decide what accent she is supposed to be doing, at times she sounds English at others Australian and at some points she sounds sorta American...

The combat system... well yeah...

i personally hate it, not because its difficult (quite the opposite) but because its so restrictive. Even at the end of the game your characters only have about 3 abilities for each role, so its spam city. Oh and it IS spam city because the monsters have ridiculously high healths... the only purpose i can see of this is to make the game longer by dragging battles out... I mean yeah i want strong monsters to fight but whats the point of fighting a 1.5 million health monster around every corner... making every battle like 2 or 3 minutes (or according to the time thingie in the game 5 or 6). ON the note of the time thing has anyone ever actually gone OVER the time suggested, the time seems to be ridiculously over the top for each battle. and probably most importantly wth happened to the WHOLE team has to be wiped out to die.... I mean I remember times in RPG youth where the death of your main character in a battle would lose the battle but i thought we were past this... In all seriousness though what is a feasible reason for this (not game mechanics wise because its kinda obvious that if your main character dies you would have to control someone else and heaven forbid you could control more than one character in battle) do your ai characters store their brains in the main character in battle so when s/he dies they suddenly lose the ability to heal them..

I personally feel like the entire game has been dumbed down for whatever reason... I mean a 3 yr old could probably navigate the story by holding down the forwards arrow for long enough..

Okay i feel i may have gotten carried away so i'll summarise for those who DONT want to read blocks of text

Pluses

+story (well sort of anyway its not super but its not terrible)

+the open world part (what little there is)

Minuses

-LINEAR

-restrictive *auto* battle combat system (why not make ALL the battles automatic and determined by your skills/ attributes, that will make it even better!! {ps if you cant sense sarcasm the previous sentence is dripping it})

-the battle AI is SLIGHTLY retarded especially the medic "oh your hurt like 1% into yellow so i'll heal you once and ignore the fact that you have about 4 debuffs on you that will mean instant death from a single hit" Yes removing debuffs should be the lowest priority but not lower than healing my hangnail...

-LINEAR (i really wish i could post that bigger)

-Pointlessly long battles with normal common creatures... (spend half your battles sitting there watching your guys spam your most powerful attacks for like 40 seconds to take off 1% of the health of the baby duckling. No need to change paradigms or anything in most battles just sit there and hit x every 5 or 6 seconds

-Main character KO kills entire party, who are too retarded (apparently) to cast the raise spell when your not around to coddle them

-LINEAR

-Vanille's voice acting

-Names of the characters... Lightning, Snow, Vanille, Fang, Hope, Sahz... sorry but 2 'elemental names', a virtue, a flavour of ice cream (yeah i know its not but close enough), a terrible sickness and a tooth arent quite the best names you could have used... (and if anyone points our squall and cloud ill kick you, it seems that sky and cloud related names sound cool)
 

NamesAreHardToPick

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Jan 7, 2010
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In terms of initial characters I found Sazh and Snow likeable right from the start for their sense of humor... hated Hope, Vanille, and especially Lightning. The thing about Snow, Hope, and Vanille is that they're clearly and seriously flawed and in need of change. It a bitter pill at first but the whole point is how awesome it is when they turn from negative characters to positive ones, having "good" characters become "more good" just isn't the same kind of uplifting experience as seeing the guys who get off to a false start in FF13 get their crap together. Also it might just be me but even though Vanille's cheer is annoying at first she can be cool in the more melodramatic moments as the story starts moving.

Personally I don't mind the straight-line approach to the game design... you're clearly playing a tactics/fighting game to get from cutscene to cutscene, but it's intense and fun and challenging and every story chapter is nice payoff for all the fun you had getting there. It's like carrot-and-stick, only with another carrot instead of the stick.
 

Jaranja

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Jul 16, 2009
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Slycne said:
Jaranja said:
BlueHighwind said:
"FF13 feels like a direct reaction to many fans' criticisms of Final Fantasy XII: It was too open-ended and sprawling; there wasn't enough focus on the story to carry things through; it was too easy to get lost, etc."

Who are these people? They sound ill of mind.
Me, I hated FFXII because it just wasn't a FF game any more.

OT: Why did you say the linearity was a bad thing to people that enjoy exploration? This is a FF game, people who don't like linearity shouldn't buy it.
Because linearity isn't a binary yes or no, there is no denying that Final Fantasy XIII level of linearity(at least for the first half) might turn off some fans of previous Final Fantasy games. Yes you are always playing the same story with the same characters, but in previous iterations you had the freedom to wander around and explore the world to various degrees.
I haven't yet finished it but, doesn't it have the part near the end of the game where you can do various side missions, get ultimate weapons or anything like that?