is FFXIII worth it?

bluemooner

im an on/off fan of the series. i loved 10 and 8 but i wasnt very impressed with 12 and never got around to finishing it...
But what is the general consensus on this one, is it worth the money? what is the average playthrough time like?
opinions???

Mindkiller

I played 12 hours and haven't touched it since.
It's very, very boring. I can stand how high strung everyone is in it.

Supposedly gets good after you throw 25 hours of your life away running down a corridor. I do not plan on verifying that anytime soon.

Lemegeton

the average playthrough is about 50 hours depending on how much time you spend in pulse. given that the rest of the game is **** most people spend a long time in pulse. to finish all the side missions you need to grind so much it easily goes over 100 hours. the problem is to get to pulse you need to wade through 40 hours of ****. so the general consensus is its not worth the trouble.

carbonkid

Depends what your after in an rpg. Its very liner for first 20/30 hrs but personally that wasn't what annoyed me about the game...X is probably my favorite and that was almost just as liner.

There are no villages to potter around in and buy items, cant talk to random people and after every fight your heath and status is back to 100%. Also if you die you go back to just before the fight...making the save points almost useless...which of you can find around every corner lol. The AI does too much of the work as well and theres so many cutscenes it loses it novelty pretty fast. Unfortunately i could go on

The game looks pretty awesome though!

seraphimvc

i think if you are a fan of the monster hunter series (the ACT from capcom),ff13 will be your kinda game. yup,i think ff13 is not actually a game for rpg fans :pac:

johnny_ultimate

I'm the same as everyone else - I put around 30 hours into it, haven't touched it in around two months. I got a chocobo, then just had little interest in returning.

The battle system is fantastic for sure. When it works, and once you get past the endless tutorial, it's full of room for tactics and visceral fights. It just takes so long to get there, and the major problem: battles genuinely are the only worthwhile things in this game. Sure, there's levelling etc..., but the story is hard to care about most of the time, some of the characters infuriating, and painfully linear until you get to Pulse (where non-linearity comes in the form of allowing you to choose when you fight enemies). Technically, it's a marvel, but it just doesn't do enough.

I'd personally feel you'd be better off picking up something like Dragon Quest IX or Persona 4 if you haven't already - JRPGs that do something different, and with plenty of variety.

Lemegeton

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

The battle system is fantastic for sure. When it works, and once you get past the endless tutorial, it's full of room for tactics and visceral fights. It just takes so long to get there, and the major problem: battles genuinely are the only worthwhile things in this game.

i disagree i think the battles are one of the worst parts of the game. i am sorry but you cannot say that its full of room for tactics when you only control the main character and have no input to the ai characters other than setting roles. tactics in this game boil down to assigning roles and i find that so limited and restricting. another thing, most fights and in particular boss fights boil down to staggering the enemy and because ravager class gives the only decent chain bonuses you end up being mainly a party of ravagers spamming magic attacks and occasionally switching to medic, commando or sentinel. The AI even if they are in the role you want make retarded decisions on what attacks to use and then when you get game over if main character dies the medic role should prioritize that person and it doesn't.
i found the whole system very dull and limited and was applying the exact same strategy to every enemy in the game. and dont get me started on the summons, what a joke they were.

seraphimvc wrote:

i think if you are a fan of the monster hunter series (the ACT from capcom),ff13 will be your kinda game. yup,i think ff13 is not actually a game for rpg fans

only pulse can really be used for that comparison and in the grand scheme of things that is a small portion of the game so i think that analogy is way off.

super_furry

Mindkiller wrote: »

I played 12 hours and haven't touched it since.
It's very, very boring. I can stand how high strung everyone is in it.

Supposedly gets good after you throw 25 hours of your life away running down a corridor. I do not plan on verifying that anytime soon.

Sums up my experience of the game. Awful, boring, tedious rubbish. It might get better if you sink enough hours into it, but I've better things to do.

seraphimvc

Lemegeton wrote: »

only pulse can really be used for that comparison and in the grand scheme of things that is a small portion of the game so i think that analogy is way off.

caused' there is nothing worthy mentioned at all before the game hits grand pulse? happened to me anyway.

kisaragi

I'm going to go against the grain a little here... cause personally I loved the game! I'm a huge FF fan, have finished 3 - 13, some of them a few times, so I was a little disheartened to hear there'd be no shops, very altered battle system... etc

Even with all the changes it still feels like a Final Fantasy game however. I thought the story was great, and very well paced. There's a lot of cutscenes but none are too long and they all reveal something interesting... It's a great cast and everyone plays a key role in the story, with a lot of character development taking place.

As for the battles, personally I loved the traditional random battle style used in the older games, but the new system means that there's little downtime between battles, and they are actually fun to play... not having to worry about saving MP etc means you can pretty much do whatever you want during battle, and don't just have to mash "attack" til the enemy dies then cast cure all between fights.

Being able to restart if you die is great, because you WILL die. There is quite a lot of strategy involved in some of the fights, because you're level-capped by story events so you can't just grind to become uber-powerful to beat a boss. I personally found the AI great, the priority for which moves they use is usually spot on.

For the record I found the first 20 hours of the game great, even if it is linear.

Lemegeton

kisaragi wrote: »

It's a great cast and everyone plays a key role in the story, with a lot of character development taking place.

you are the first person i have come across to say they like the cast. Vanille and Hope are terrible

As for the battles, personally I loved the traditional random battle style used in the older games, but the new system means that there's little downtime between battles, and they are actually fun to play... not having to worry about saving MP etc means you can pretty much do whatever you want during battle, and don't just have to mash "attack" til the enemy dies then cast cure all between fights.

this is only true in the later parts of the game. for the first 20 hours or so you have so little attacks learned and cant learn any more that boss battles are just wars of attrition with you continually spamming the one attack over and over. you have such limited options for a large part of the game so where is the strategy?????

Being able to restart if you die is great, because you WILL die. There is quite a lot of strategy involved in some of the fights, because you're level-capped by story events so you can't just grind to become uber-powerful to beat a boss.
personally found the AI great, the priority for which moves they use is usually spot on.

sorry but using fire and flamestrike when they know firaga is not spot on. a commando using ruin when an enemy is staggered instead of launching them with an attack is not spot on.
and again where is the strategy beyond role switching

Retr0gamer

I'm waiting, I'd say in 6 months time the game will be 15 euros. I've got much better RPGs to play it seems

Mr. K

I enjoyed it, Lightning has pretty hair. As you can see in my sig! I seriously doubt I'll remember it in ten years time though!

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I'm waiting, I'd say in 6 months time the game will be 15 euros. I've got much better RPGs to play it seems

This is true.

Raze_them_all

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I'm waiting, I'd say in 6 months time the game will be 15 euros. I've got much better RPGs to play it seems

Even then it will be over priced.

elekid

Lemegeton wrote: »

you are the first person i have come across to say they like the cast. Vanille and Hope are terrible

That makes me the 2nd! I liked them all except Snow who I found a bit annoying (yes, I could hear Vanilles voice, but I still liked her character). I really enjoyed the story as well, way better than FFXIIs anyway.

this is only true in the later parts of the game. for the first 20 hours or so you have so little attacks learned and cant learn any more that boss battles are just wars of attrition with you continually spamming the one attack over and over. you have such limited options for a large part of the game so where is the strategy?????

The strategy is in setting up the right Paradigms and knowing the right time to use them. Admittedly a lot of the random battles were just hack and slash but there were some great bosses.

The battle with Cid is the one that stood out for me, you had to constantly counter his paradigm shifts with your own

sorry but using fire and flamestrike when they know firaga is not spot on. a commando using ruin when an enemy is staggered instead of launching them with an attack is not spot on.
and again where is the strategy beyond role switching

I always assumed that was because you can quickly cast 4 fires in the same time it would take to cast 1-2 firagas, so the fires had a greater effect on the stagger bar? Might be wrong though. The not always launching thing annoyed me too.

Even though I enjoyed the game enough to defend it, I do admit it that it had some serious problems and won't be to everyones (or most peoples) taste!

Lemegeton

elekid wrote: »

That makes me the 2nd! I liked them all except Snow who I found a bit annoying (yes, I could hear Vanilles voice, but I still liked her character). I really enjoyed the story as well, way better than FFXIIs anyway.



The strategy is in setting up the right Paradigms and knowing the right time to use them. Admittedly a lot of the random battles were just hack and slash but there were some great bosses.

The battle with Cid is the one that stood out for me, you had to constantly counter his paradigm shifts with your own

yes that was good and so were others but again these are all late in the game. the bosses in the first half were incredibly dull

I always assumed that was because you can quickly cast 4 fires in the same time it would take to cast 1-2 firagas, so the fires had a greater effect on the stagger bar? Might be wrong though. The not always launching thing annoyed me too.

nope the stagger bar would jump more with firaga, i tested it. but the better reason for using firaga was that against fire weak enemies it would launch them which made staggering easier and stopped the enemy from attacking. the point im trying to make is that if this was my preferred style of play i cannot configure the AI to favor Firaga, so my strategy and playstyle is limited.

Even though I enjoyed the game enough to defend it, I do admit it that it had some serious problems and won't be to everyones (or most peoples) taste!

RedSpoon

I finished it in hope of it getting better but no, its not worth it.

johnny_ultimate

The battle system doesn't always work, but when it does it becomes a strangely compelling subversion of ATB battles IMO. While you do only control one character, try playing a harder battle without switching paradigms - insta-death. The tactics come before the battle itself, with you remixing your team to create something that works for you. It may get a little samey, and interface flaws are frequent (not being able to save different team settings is a major annoyance) but for me I found it to have some sort of depth, and it's extremely visceral.

My major problem is that the battle system is all there is to do, and hence it obviously does become a bit irritating when you're fighting the same enemy types repeatedly. Some corridors last like 2 hours, with enemy types maybe changing once or twice. It's infuriating, and doing the same thing over and over wears thin fast.

The best RPGs may have repetitive battle systems too, but they're broken up with towns and varied quests. The best, like Persona 4, have much much more outside mere battle systems. No luck here, only the same old grind for countless hours. And therein lies the major flaw of Final Fantasy 13.

Mr. K

elekid wrote: »

The battle with Cid is the one that stood out for me, you had to constantly counter his paradigm shifts with your own

I loved this part too,

his aesthetic reminded me of Safer Sephiroth

!

elekid wrote: »

Even though I enjoyed the game enough to defend it, I do admit it that it had some serious problems and won't be to everyones (or most peoples) taste!

Again, I agree. The lack of towns and linearity really took away from the experience. Especially since XII had an amazing level of freedom!

carbonkid

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I'm waiting, I'd say in 6 months time the game will be 15 euros. I've got much better RPGs to play it seems

Think i seen it in a game store goin cheap...trade in a game and its only a 5er...something like that ^_^

Retr0gamer

I don't trade in games though. I seen it for 25 or 30 already but it's not exactly an atlus game so I know it's not going to be rare and will be at rock bottom prices soon. Sure in japan it was selling for 500 yen 3 weeks after release!

carbonkid

I figure most people will never be satisfied with a new final fantasy because itll never live up to expectation...but has XIII actually flopped?

Retr0gamer

It hasn't flopped it's made a very good profit and sold a load ofcopies, just not as much as Square had hoped for and they produced more copies than they needed.

Lemegeton

carbonkid wrote: »

I figure most people will never be satisfied with a new final fantasy because itll never live up to expectation...but has XIII actually flopped?

not in terms of sales anyway. it may be tainted now but in its opening week it sold like crazy. as a new FF game always does.

johnny_ultimate wrote:

The tactics come before the battle itself, with you remixing your team to create something that works for you. It may get a little samey, and interface flaws are frequent (not being able to save different team settings is a major annoyance) but for me I found it to have some sort of depth, and it's extremely visceral.

im not saying there is not depth there and like you say it is mainly in the setting of the paradigms but in comparison to other rpgs out there its poor.

johnny_ultimate wrote:

The best RPGs may have repetitive battle systems too, but they're broken up with towns and varied quests. The best, like Persona 4, have much much more outside mere battle systems. No luck here, only the same old grind for countless hours. And therein lies the major flaw of Final Fantasy 13.

now that i agree with. i prob would not have to scrutinize the ff13 battle system so much and nitpick at everything if the game had something else to do to break up the constant battling. i am playing a JRPG now called Rogue Galaxy (PS2) and its got a perfect battle system and if i get bored of battling i can spend time in the factory building items. go battle in the insectron stadium, which for a minigame has a staggering amount of depth to it. that is the mark of a great RPG, when you can spend hours in the game without touching the main story.

super_furry

XIII wasn't a flop but it may have done damage to the series. I certainly won't buy the next one at release and I haven't really enjoyed a Final Fantasy game since IX.

carbonkid

IX was pretty amazing. Im guessing versusXIII will be more like VII or X and XV will be more like IX or XII. They'll be aiming to have something new for eveyone.

Retr0gamer

Versus XIII is actually going to be like Kingdom Hearts and Agito XIII like Monster Hunter.

Aurongroove

Speaking from someone who enjoyed the game:

the graphics, both fighting and field, are amazing and the best I've ever seen on any game so far, the music is a lot better then 12, and some tracks are genuinely quite wonderful as pieces of music (though it is still missing Umestu's heartiness ).

the story-arch, over all is quite good and touches on themes of patriotism, love, slavery (to an extent, lol), but the story telling (the script) is terrible and accounts for one of the worst messups of the title; characters are bland, distant, not funny and they spout nonsense which confuses the plot into ****, you really have to beat the game, and help things along by reading the in-game Analects and data-log [like FF8's Information section: and just as boring] to get the full picture and to get the the story they were trying to tell.

the fighting (IMO) is excellent though some hate it, it's based on speed and is similar to a slightly faster, less controlled version of X-2's dress sphere system(less controlled because you may only instruct your party leader about which moves to use, like Kingdom hearts.
you may quit and restart a fight at any stage, Hp bars are reset after each battle, you may re battle immediately after a game over: it;s nice and fast: so no punishing "forgetting to save before a big fight" accidents, you simply retry.


the most impressive things in the game is the well worked out equipment and character building system. the chrystaruim is similar to X's sphere grid, but it prevents over powering: you may only access new levels after defeating certain bosses, so no leaving balamb with 120 Str, or leaving Midgar with Finishing touch etc.
the equipment is excellently fair, for example normally a ribbon kills all status magic, and bosses might become immune to everything under the sun, making status magic useless past the half way stage, but here nothing gets left behind by god like equipment, or assumptions that no one will ever get hurt by poison,
The best you can get is 30-60% immunity to one status or 20-25 to all, kinda like 8, like wise there;s no huge emphasis on ultimate gear, an end game team might be wearing a max level accessory found in the very first couple of moment of the game.
weapons are leveled up.

also character uniqueness, similar to IX, each character has they're own feel, strengths etc and not like VII, VIII or XII where players are sort of "coat hangers" on which to place one's equipment/materia/GFs/Espers etc.

I love the game, but I know a lot don't. I'd say if you find a second hand copy, give it a go.

super_furry

Ugh a FF Monster Hunter clone? The success of that game baffles the ****e out of me. Honestly can't understand why a poor Phantasy Star Online imitation is suddenly the template to follow for all RPGs.

johnny_ultimate

super_furry wrote: »

Ugh a FF Monster Hunter clone? The success of that game baffles the ****e out of me. Honestly can't understand why a poor Phantasy Star Online imitation is suddenly the template to follow for all RPGs.

It's pretty much this:



It is mind boggling how big that series is in Japan.

NeoKubrick

super_furry wrote: »

Ugh a FF Monster Hunter clone? The success of that game baffles the ****e out of me. Honestly can't understand why a poor Phantasy Star Online imitation is suddenly the template to follow for all RPGs.

They probably say the same about Call of Duty.