Final Fantasy XIII

[Olethros]

How wonderful that you're the exception to the rule. I commend you. However, that doesn't render either my opinion or my assumption as inaccurate.

I would also question why you got all defensive about it when I clearly wasn't talking to you. Perhaps you have some unresolved issues along similar lines? A do-gooder jumping to the defense of the poor traumatized youngins?

I do like to play Devil's advocate and help out the underdog. ^_^ Honestly, I didn't think my post was that offensive (though apparently it was), so I am sorry if you thought it was. lol, I'm just used to being blunt with people I talk to — I should know better than to transfer that sentiment onto the internet without filters!

On a FFXIII note, does anyone know where one can pre-order the blu-ray version of FFVII:AC from Japan? I'm itching to do so so I can play the demo of XIII when it comes out!

It's all good iammako. I like bluntness. I suppose I'm not used to getting it in return here without associated vitriol. Just to show I'm serious, I'll even apologize for the generalities that could have been misinterpreted in the first place. Peace again?

[Kakizaki]

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:






















lol. jk guys. ;)

[Olethros]

Damn it! I knew I forgot something!!!! :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

:tongue:

[iammako3]

Damn it! I knew I forgot something!!!! :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

:tongue:

It's all cool! I'm just glad no one's mad at me! ^_^

. . . and for good measure, I'll throw in one more! :grouphug:

[Sei]

So Square sent an email as follows: http://uman.square-enix-europe.com/images/regpages/bg_T_FFXIIITS.jpg

With it an invitation to join a mailing list for "A new vision soon to be revealed to the world". I wonder if it'll be something worthwhile, I tend to find the countdown gimmick pretty annoying and ultimately not that rewarding. Even so, if anyone wants to venture guesses, it might be fun.

Countdown site with a flashy clock and register button can be seen here: http://finalfantasy13game.com/

I really like the art!

[Camanche]

So Square sent an email as follows: http://uman.square-enix-europe.com/images/regpages/bg_T_FFXIIITS.jpg

With it an invitation to join a mailing list for "A new vision soon to be revealed to the world". I wonder if it'll be something worthwhile, I tend to find the countdown gimmick pretty annoying and ultimately not that rewarding. Even so, if anyone wants to venture guesses, it might be fun.

Countdown site with a flashy clock and register button can be seen here: http://finalfantasy13game.com/

I really like the art!

So it's coming out this month? What?

[DamnedToBeFree]

So Square sent an email as follows: http://uman.square-enix-europe.com/images/regpages/bg_T_FFXIIITS.jpg

With it an invitation to join a mailing list for "A new vision soon to be revealed to the world". I wonder if it'll be something worthwhile, I tend to find the countdown gimmick pretty annoying and ultimately not that rewarding. Even so, if anyone wants to venture guesses, it might be fun.

Countdown site with a flashy clock and register button can be seen here: http://finalfantasy13game.com/

I really like the art!

So it's coming out this month? What?


http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a181/DamnedToBeFree/blah/34.gif

[SickleCellAnemia]

LOL Cammy

[Camanche]

Obviously I missed something. That's what I get for skim reading.

[maddy]

cammy is probably my #1 ultimate favourite.

[Fuyukaze]

Didnt even notice how old the post I was responding to was. Move along, nothing to read in this post folks.

[unknown]

They're going to release a playable demo for everyone to play!

But you still have to buy FFVII Advent Children Blue Ray.

[iammako3]

They're going to release a playable demo for everyone to play!

But you still have to buy FFVII Advent Children Blue Ray.

Done and done. I pre-ordered that bad boy. And seeing as how almost all my video game playing friends have PS3s, I have a feeling my demo is going to be the town bicycle once it gets in, if you know what I mean. ^_~

[Camanche]

cammy is probably my #1 ultimate favourite.

YOU SPELLED IT WITH A 'U'!!! You do love me!

[Olethros]

cammy is probably my #1 ultimate favourite.


:very_sad::very_sad::very_sad::very_sad:

[ViolenceJack]

Wonder if 360 owners will get to dl the demo on xbox live. Or if the blueray disc will be released with 2 versions, ps3 and 360. Cause I'm not gonna be buying a ps3 for quite some time.

[RayFoxSith]

It's probably a new trailer.

[jj984jj]

It's probably a new trailer.

I think it's a new trailer too, but the question is if it'll be 2 seconds of new footage "new" or actually new?

[iammako3]

Wonder if 360 owners will get to dl the demo on xbox live. Or if the blueray disc will be released with 2 versions, ps3 and 360. Cause I'm not gonna be buying a ps3 for quite some time.

From what I've gathered from various articles, SE isn't even really going to work on the 360 version until they get the PS3 version out. So considering they probably only have the barest of framework done on it, I don't think 360 owners will see a demo any time soon. Sorry. :-(

But you know the sweet song of the PS3 is calling. You should answer it. ^_^

[maddy]

cammy is probably my #1 ultimate favourite.


:very_sad::very_sad::very_sad::very_sad:

it is okay, o. just like jason lee in that one kevin smith movie, i have a soft spot for canadian girls who say aboot. you should see my degrassi dvd collection ... not kidding.

[Olethros]

^ Ughhh. Degrassi? Really? Maddy, Maddy, Maddy. :lovefirefox:

[maddy]

^ Ughhh. Degrassi? Really? Maddy, Maddy, Maddy. :lovefirefox:

i'm full of surprises! none of which i feel guilty about

[Olethros]

Lack of guilt and poor taste is the sign of a kleptomaniac. :p

[Rikuo]

My only reason, besides maybe Killzone 2 and Disgeae 3, for buying a PS3 would be Final Fantasy 13. If it doesn't stay exclusive (which rumors claim it probably won't) Then my reasons for getting a 360 will increase by 40%.

[brunbb]

FF13 was announced for 360 like a year ago. The only PS3 exclusive is that "Versus 13" which looks like a stupid Dirge of Cerebus type thing.

[Rikuo]

FF13 was announced for 360 like a year ago. The only PS3 exclusive is that "Versus 13" which looks like a stupid Dirge of Cerebus type thing.

Well I'm Behind. SO that pretty much makes Versus 13 the only real exclusive for PS3. And i have high hopes for Versus.

[septembervirgin]

Matsuno actually did not have much part in the large amount of FFXII -- he left around 2004, according to Wikipedia. I personally hoped he would instill more strategic elements to Final Fantasy XII -- his leavetaking was probably why the airship of the protagonal character did not have a map associated with it and why there were no strategic decisions nor "alterations to history" permitted to the players.

[DamageCity]

cammy is probably my #1 ultimate favourite.


:very_sad::very_sad::very_sad::very_sad:

it is okay, o. just like jason lee in that one kevin smith movie, i have a soft spot for canadian girls who say aboot. you should see my degrassi dvd collection ... not kidding.


old degrassi or new degrassi

[Kakizaki]

I think she likes both.

The only thing good about Degrassi is / was Darcy.

[DamageCity]

I always enjoyed Spike's friend Elizabeth

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v681/autumnjane/degrassi%20old/liz.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/sarahxbanana/stuffilove/img265_0.jpg

[RayFoxSith]

EDIT: Never mind, trailer's up. Looks like more of the battle system's workings are revealed.

[raum215]

I am willing to give FFXIII (and v) a chance. Not getting hyped though and prolly a late bake for me. 2008 was the year of failed hype.

Final Fantasy IX was the only FF game that captured the real magic of the first for me. It "took me back". FFVI was the bomb, but didn't feel like a final fantasy to me. neither did VII - but it was a good game. VIII would be better as a mech game,

...and X was full of potential but too awkward in some parts (gave it to a terminally ill friend with a great outook on life and father issues that will never be resolved. he used it to train his hands again, and said he cried when he finished it, and hasn't had a seizure since)

XII - sigh. I can just not get into Ivalice though I know they are great.


As for GTA 4 - Liberty city should have in the era of NY Skate - and you should have been a punk in juvie who busted out for the night, and boosted a car with a body in the trunk. It should have been more like 80's movies and coked up lawyers.

I hated GTA4. It was like a crap-stained, impotent Crackdown with annoying needy bishes everywhere who somehow got ahold of my cell # and were asking for me to drive to the store, get some charmin and come over and wipe their @55.

Gawdz how I wish I could throw a semi at Roman, or sell that chick he introduced me to for a few bucks to some snuff film directors in the old country.

[slayn]

FFVI was the bomb, but didn't feel like a final fantasy to me.

Wow.

. <---extra character because it says I need five.

[raum215]

I really liked FFVI, but it *felt* like a different series unto itself to me.

Much like if you called Chrono trigger final fantasy ##, or Xenogears was called "Chrono Trigger II". It would still be great, but feels like it is a different idea. A GOOD but different idea.

What if Raiders of the Lost Arc was called "Han Solo II" for brand recognition based consumer confidence?

That being said FFVI brought some great ideas into the series and the genre as a whole.

[slayn]

Final Fantasy VI basically defined what a Final Fantasy game was to a fairly large percentage of the fanbase. You're just....weird :).

[Superkenon]

FFVI marked the beginning of the series' freaky fantasy/sci-fi trend, which it has kept to consistently except in the case of FFIX. Heh.

Personally, FFVI remains my favorite in the series. Might just be the nostalgia, but all the same...

[Azriel Crusnik]

FF13 was announced for 360 like a year ago. The only PS3 exclusive is that "Versus 13" which looks like a stupid Dirge of Cerebus type thing.

Have you even taken a look at the game's design team? It's the same team that created Kingdom Heart's. Meaning It will have a KH Gaming Style, not a DOC one.

[Olethros]

^ That's not really any better.

[Azriel Crusnik]

^ That's not really any better.

Actually it is.

[Vincent Alexander]

^ That's not really any better.
I'd say. And I didn't even know that the same teams were involved. Well, ####. Excitement meter for FF XIII just went down.

My favorite Final Fantasy....Loved 'em all, and I'd bite and maim anyone who tried to take them from me (except 5, 8 and 12. You can have those.)

(You know what, on second thought, I'm gonna keep 8 )

(Might as well keep 12 also)

(You can have 5)

[slayn]

(You can have 5)

I'll actually Paypal you five bucks (to cover shipping) if you're serious about that :).

[Boss_Tuff]

After watching the new trailer today, I'd have to say I'm looking forward to how the battles pan out. The character animations are exceptional, and the whole sci-fi/fantasy theme looks pretty interesting (not that it hasnt been done before).

[Fear Toxin]

I'll not be getting Final Fantasy XIII as I no longer support Square Enix.

[DamnedToBeFree]

I've just totally lost all interest and respect in Square Enix. The Last Remnant, Star Ocean 4, and Final Fantasy XIII all look the same. If you take a look at screenshots from all 3 games unless your really familiar with the games you have no clue which game you are looking at.


http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a181/DamnedToBeFree/Jesus_facepalm.jpg

[slayn]

I have lost all respect for EA Sports. If you take screenshots from NCAA 2009 and Madden 2009, unless you're really familiar with the game of football, you have no clue which game you're looking at.

[Olethros]

I've totally lost respect for Atlus. If you take screen shots from P3 and P4, unless you're really familiar with the games you can't tell what you're looking at.

[unknown]

I've totally lost respect for Atlus too. If you take screen shots from Devil Summoner:RKvsSA and Devil Summoner 2:RKvsKA, unless you're really familiar with the games you can't tell what you're looking at.

[Vincent Alexander]

Have I told you guys how awesome you are?

[Fear Toxin]

You all totally missed the point.

[Kakizaki]

^I think they probably did get your point. Let's just leave it at that and move on. ;)

[Manic Expressive]

lmfao, served.

[Kakizaki]

^ :P

Fear Toxin is new here so I'm sure we are just misunderstanding him. Let's cut him some slack. ;)

[Vincent Alexander]

Rough start, huh?

[Fear Toxin]

Rough start, huh?

Yeah, rough start is putting it mildly. :frown:

[Dead to Rights]

That guy will never leave my party.

Unfortunately it has already been confarmed by inside sources that the token black character will die (sorry it's a requirement in games just like in movies) 3/4 into the game protecting the white protagonist. I'm sorry, slayn.

Square-Enix is "teh" racist, IMO.

[Crabman]

New trailer looks cool. I notice alot of screaming in these S-E trailers nowadays. More so than usual, I guess.

[slayn]

Unfortunately it has already been confarmed by inside sources that the token black character will die (sorry it's a requirement in games just like in movies) 3/4 into the game protecting the white protagonist. I'm sorry, slayn.

Square-Enix is "teh" racist, IMO.

:very_sad: :very_sad:

I hate you and everything you stand for.


:very_sad: :very_sad:

[slayn]

That guy will never leave my party.

Unfortunately it has already been confarmed by inside sources that the token black character will die (sorry it's a requirement in games just like in movies) 3/4 into the game protecting the white protagonist. I'm sorry, slayn.

Square-Enix is "teh" racist, IMO.

Alternatively:

That doesn't mean my plan won't work. In fact, carrying around the carcass of a dead ally and pretending as if he is alive will make the enemy fear me even more.

[Dead to Rights]

^I just got some horrific flash backs of Weekend at Bernie's.

[Foryth]

^I just got some horrific flash backs of Weekend at Bernie's.

LOL, I love you Deeter.

http://media.canada.com/gallery/dose_ridiculous/060818ridiculous1.jpg

[DamnedToBeFree]

^I just got some horrific flash backs of Weekend at Bernie's.

LOL, I love you Deeter.

http://media.canada.com/gallery/dose_ridiculous/060818ridiculous1.jpg


photoshop of Lightning, Snow and Sahz plz.

[Saburo Hikari]

This is probably old info but...doesn't Snow Villiers look a lot like the Kingdom Hearts II version of Seifer?

[Vincent Alexander]

This is probably old info but...doesn't Snow Villiers look a lot like the Kingdom Hearts II version of Seifer?

Holy ####....Ya he does.

[EvilHero]

Square-Enix is "teh" racist, IMO.

Oh, they've been racist since they put this out:

http://www.somethingawful.com/d/rom-pit/squares-tom-sawyer.php

;)

[Himuro]

Some of the recent posts in this thread are ####ing hilarious

[BaizDaza]

LOL Lightning, Vanilla, Snow and probably no one will be able to pronounce Sazh's name.

[Azriel Crusnik]

Does anyone know what the countdown was all about.

[Ark]

You'd think that Square would get creative in names. Lightining? Snow? Sky?
...Wow.

[Azriel Crusnik]

You'd think that Square would get creative in names. Lightining? Snow? Sky?
...Wow.

Writers block.

[Eddie Van Helsing]

You'd think that Square would get creative in names. Lightining? Snow? Sky?
...Wow.

Maybe they watched Hero too many times.

[Vincent Alexander]

Does anyone know what the countdown was all about.
Yes. Final Fantasy XIII's official site launched with a new trailer. Sadly, I lose excitement for this game with every new trailer and piece of information. Not that I don't think it'll be a great game, but I've learned my lesson of getting my hopes up too much after XII.

[Eddie Van Helsing]

Does anyone know what the countdown was all about.
Yes. Final Fantasy XIII's official site launched with a new trailer. Sadly, I lose excitement for this game with every new trailer and piece of information. Not that I don't think it'll be a great game, but I've learned my lesson of getting my hopes up too much after XII.

You know, I liked FFXII -- especially once I could relegate Vaan to thieving duties and stick to using Bathier, Fran, Basch -- and Ashe when I wanted to indulge in a bit of devil summoning.

[Vincent Alexander]

Not to take this too far off-topic, but I'll say this. I hate how bad XII was just because of how much I loved Balthier. He was such a great character, but he was stuck in a not-so-great game. If it weren't for him, my game would be gone by now.

[Foryth]

Not to take this too far off-topic, but I'll say this. I hate how bad XII was just because of how much I loved Balthier. He was such a great character, but he was stuck in a not-so-great game. If it weren't for him, my game would be gone by now.

I didn't think XII was bad, in fact it was my favorite since FFVI.

[Kakizaki]

^Ditto on that -- except it ended up being my fav FF.

With that said, I really don't want to see this turn into another hate/love fest for FF XII.

[Vincent Alexander]

FFXII is the worst Final Fantasy ever, Persona 4 is the best SMT ever made, and Xbox 360 owns PS3.


Oh wait...not another hate/love thread? Damn!

[SickleCellAnemia]

FFXII is the worst Final Fantasy ever, Persona 4 is the best SMT ever made, and Xbox 360 owns PS3.


Oh wait...not another hate/love thread? Damn!

You're off-topic! Kaki, BAN PLZ.

[Vincent Alexander]

Quiet, you!

[Zeta_Nova]

lol I agree though. Because FFXII had the worst battle system. If you're talkin' about like full action-RPG then it should be that you would be able to do it in the sense of Kingdom Hearts.

[EvilHero]

^ Yeah, not to mention you could fall asleep on the up arrow and clear full dungeons! ;)

[Vincent Alexander]

Is anyone going to buy Advent Children Complete when it is released in Japan, since it has the English dubs?

[iammako3]

Is anyone going to buy Advent Children Complete when it is released in Japan, since it has the English dubs?

I think if you go back a few pages on this thread you'll find my post on having already pre-ordered it. ^_^

And screw the dub — I've seen the movie so many times I can watch it RAW!

[DamnedToBeFree]

The movie sucked, so I'm not buying another copy just for a demo.

[EvilHero]

The movie sucked, so I'm not buying another copy just for a demo.

This.

[Vincent Alexander]

The movie sucked, so I'm not buying another copy just for a demo.

This.

I'm the opposite. Screw the demo. I want that #### on Blu-ray.

[Birthdayboy]

I never enjoyed the film as much as others since (dont flame...) played FF7 but I'm sure it'll be sweet on blu-ray, forget the demo of 13 i want a demo of versus, looks like a much better game.

[Vincent Alexander]

I never enjoyed the film as much as others since (dont flame...) played FF7 but I'm sure it'll be sweet on blu-ray, forget the demo of 13 i want a demo of versus, looks like a much better game.

I'll second that for a demo of Versus instead. Of course, I'm sure they'll have something else to shove that demo inside of in about 10 years.

[Birthdayboy]

I never enjoyed the film as much as others since (dont flame...) played FF7 but I'm sure it'll be sweet on blu-ray, forget the demo of 13 i want a demo of versus, looks like a much better game.

I'll second that for a demo of Versus instead. Of course, I'm sure they'll have something else to shove that demo inside of in about 10 years.


:lol: Well versus has a 2009 release, and in gaming means jack, but hopefully maybe all 3 of the ff13 games get released at the same time, I mean i can hope and wish.....:grin:

[slayn]

^ Yeah, not to mention you could fall asleep on the up arrow and clear full dungeons! ;)

I'm such an awesomely transcendent gamer that I can do this in all RPGs.

[Vincent Alexander]

That must've taken years of training. Perhaps I should start with Pac-man?

[slayn]

I find NASCAR games help you develop the muscles to keep your thumb in one place for long periods of time.

[Azriel Crusnik]

It was delayed again....SE can now go to hell.

[hibiki_takami]

So the first time our team saw this game was at E3 2006... 3 years later, and it's still not out?

I'm with Vincent Alexander on this... the more and more I see of Final Fantasy XIII, the more I'm losing interest. It's not like I had high hopes to begin with considering it's the team responsible for Final Fantasy X-2 that's making it.

[xHaseox]

I've always thought of myself as a huge Final Fantasy fan, but outside of the Shin Megami Tensei series, I feel like I'm losing interest for the whole JRPG genre.

I want to be excited, but I'm tired of waiting. Unless the game is made by Fumito Ueda, I can't keep the hype up but so long.

[SlaughterX]

Latest trailer (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-final-fantasy/49971), running on 360 hardware and in English.

[Towel]

5 year development cycles for franchise retreads?!

Damn this generation of console games sucks.

[SlaughterX]

Looks like it will be coming out in Japan (http://kotaku.com/5286896/xbox-japan-accidentally-uploaded-final-fantasy-xiii-page) after all (big surprise, right?).

[Zenieth]

Not going to lie when I say that the when I saw lightning I thought, well looks like square is cosplaying megaten now.. This was due to how much she reminded me of Ixquic/akari. I am however much more excited for FFXIII than (V)XIII, I just feel for some reason the it'll be the better game over all whilst (v)XIII is eye candy, great eye candy but eye candy none the less.

[RayFoxSith]

http://kotaku.com/5354400/final-fantasy-xiii-release-date-confirmed

Final Fantasy XIII will retail in Japan for $95 (when converted from Yen). International release will be seen in Spring of next year. I'm excited.

[Fatney]

I doubt it'll cost $100, but maybe the prize is unusually high even in yen, I don't know. The game must have been expensive to make. Nevertheless, still looking forward for it!

[Constraint]

^ Japanese games tend to cost nearly up to $60 when they're released. It's square enix, so they're taking advantage of poor Japan.

[Tatsuya]

^ Japanese games tend to cost nearly up to $60 when they're released. It's square enix, so they're taking advantage of poor Japan.

You sure about that?

I heard somewhere that the amount it's going for over there is common in japan.

[DamageCity]

^ Japanese games tend to cost nearly up to $60 when they're released. It's square enix, so they're taking advantage of poor Japan.

You sure about that?

I heard somewhere that the amount it's going for over there is common in japan.

Games can get pretty pricey over here, all depeneds on how big the demand is.

[RayFoxSith]

^How much was Dragon Quest IX when it first retailed?

[Tello, the Hark!]

I've always thought of myself as a huge Final Fantasy fan, but outside of the Shin Megami Tensei series, I feel like I'm losing interest for the whole JRPG genre.

I want to be excited, but I'm tired of waiting. Unless the game is made by Fumito Ueda, I can't keep the hype up but so long.
I am finding this out recently too, does it seem like moving onto the SMT franchise deflowers every other franchise we grew up playing?

[Foobar]

I'm not too enthusiastic about FFXIII. I mean, I'll probably enjoy it when its out, I'm just tired of Kitase penning the stories. FFXI and FFXII gave me a refreshing break from the emotionally stunted kids he likes to write and I was hoping to see more fresh perspectives enter the series.

Also, while I've been impressed with Nomura's work of late, the style to XIII feels too much like a throwback to FFX. Its not an entirely bad thing, I just identify some of those aspects to Spira.

I know some will say its been a while since we saw an RPG from either of them, but they've had all that FFVII compilation stuff, Kingdom Hearts, TWEWY and such. I'd just prefer they kept doing new things and let Final Fantasy keep seeing fresh perspectives.

I'm sure I'll enjoy FFXIII all the same, I've enjoyed every other FF I've played even if I wasn't floored by some of the stories. I guess I'm just more excited about FFXIV right now since that's what all my FFXI friends are excited about.

[DamageCity]

^How much was Dragon Quest IX when it first retailed?


Close to 6000 yen.

[affinity]

it shows many many cutscenes, as well as updated battle system. And don't worry, they
confirmed later on in the game you can choose who is the leader, it isn't going to automatically throw preset parties at you the whole time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irmh_w03x_U

this will be the most emotional FF in a classic cinematic sense of storytelling. :)
although it doesn't have the replay value of an mmorpg, FFXIII will still be worth playing!
It's bound to make the same impact FFVII and FFX had when they were released as the
first FF for each new generation. Definitely the #1 PS3/Xbox360 game when it releases.

Haha it's ironic I used to have 360 when they announced FFXIII for 360, but now I'm with PS3 because I've had it after my 4th 360 didnt work anymore. But either way, I'm glad both consoles are getting it so more people can enjoy it without having to buy another console.

Some speculate the total number of permanent party members will be 7, but who knows. FF8's total was 6, though there was a 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th playable characters at some point in the story. So it could get pretty complex.

But everything about it is feeling next-gen. From the camp menu:
http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/8059/mainmenul.jpg

to the character status screen.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1214/mainstatus2.jpg

Everything is feeling very polished and sleek. A worthy new Final Fantasy that will be
loved and remembered by millions out there. :) This could also be the first FF story I can show my relatives without them thinking it's just a game. :p

[DamageCity]

Isn't there allready a Final Fantasy XIII thread?

Here it is:

http://www.atlus.com/forum/showthread.php?t=166&highlight=final+fantasy+xiii

[Karkarov]

Honestly this game is not looking all that interesting I can also 100% assure you now it will not have even 25% of the impact of FFVII. FFVII is the game that actually made it "popular" to play an RPG. Before it came out RPG's were one of the least represented genres outside of Japan. After it was released and became a mega hit and selling a stupid huge amount of copies RPG's started flooding the market. In many ways I miss the old days of gaming. Back then if a RPG made it over it was because it was good today well....

I will have to wait longer to make a final decision on buying it or not but honestly I have not been impressed with FF since number 7. Every release since then has just lowered the bar farther, save X which at best held it in place. The fact that the people involved in making FF VI and FFVII (the two best in the series) no longer work for Square Enix doesn't really give alot of hope for the future.

[Crow T. Robot]

I didn't care for 7 or many of the other FF games. But as you said ,to me, this doesn't look all that great. Graphics are good, yes I'll give em that, but that's about it.
I watched the english dub trailer and it reminds me so much of a Spanish soap opera.

[affinity]

oh come now, it's drama most people love! It's what drives the human heart instead of just kill this kill that, I'm so silent and badass, etc.

[Crow T. Robot]

TGS09 Trailer with English dub (http://kotaku.com/5373292/hear-final-fantasy-xiiis-english-voice-acting-in-new-old-trailer)
I'm sorry but the voice overs, to me, are bad. Maybe not Star Ocean Last Hope bad but still.

[RayFoxSith]

I think the voices are appropriate. Very fitting.

[Hraesvelgr]

Even putting the voice work from SO4 and that trailer in the same sentence is silly. The voices were actually quite good, which is unsurprising since Square Enix got really good voice acting for FFXII (despite the awful, awful audio quality). In fact, I prefer them vastly compared to the overdramatic Japanese voices (which is kinda how they do things, but...).

[Crow T. Robot]

Even putting the voice work from SO4 and that trailer in the same sentence is silly. The voices were actually quite good, which is unsurprising since Square Enix got really good voice acting for FFXII (despite the awful, awful audio quality). In fact, I prefer them vastly compared to the overdramatic Japanese voices (which is kinda how they do things, but...).
Why is it silly? It is my opinion and I was just making a comparison. I'm not trying to start a fight or anything.

[Andy]

I will never figure out what this game is about.

Paradigm shifts, Cocoon, Bayonetta villain, transformer fire summon/hot rod, a dude with a chocobo in his hair.

Don't understand word one.

Looks pretty, though.

[harlequ1n]

I'm not big into Final Fantasy or JRPGs in general but this at least looks better (as in not as cliché) than the rest of Japanese games. The story seems to be standar dead-parents-tough-sibling-epic-melodrama thing but hell, at least the main character's name is not Edge Maverick :D

[Superkenon]

Yeah, instead it's Lightning. :|

Regardless, I intend to nab this. Even my least favorite Final Fantasies (main title ones, anyway) were still fun for me to play through once. Whether this one ends up topping others or not, I think it's safe for me to say I'll enjoy it.

[Syra]

I'll probably get the game, but I don't have high hopes. I wish SE would learn how to freaking animate, though. Rehashing mediocre animations of old for shinier visuals just makes every "dramatic" scene in that trailer look awful. Sure, they can lip sync, to bad their bodies move in a way that would make the Power Rangers embarrassed. Yay for needless head bobbing, and marionette arms. >.>;

[iammako3]

Anyone else think Serah sounds like she's done by Laura Bailey (Rise from Persona 4, if you don't know who I'm talking about)? I don't really recognize anyone else though (not enough to go on). lol, I like how the battle voices were still Japanese.

[Andy]

Yeah, instead it's Lightning. :|

Haha, I thought that name sounded bad on paper, but hearing it out loud is so, so bad. Snow is one terrible name for some big bad dude, too.

At least Kanji does his voice.

[Crabman]

TGS09 Trailer with English dub (http://kotaku.com/5373292/hear-final-fantasy-xiiis-english-voice-acting-in-new-old-trailer)
I'm sorry but the voice overs, to me, are bad. Maybe not Star Ocean Last Hope bad but still.

It wasn't too bad, but Serah looks like she could be Snow's daughter. The quality of the voice work was good, IMO.

I've never played through an FF, but I was never really into RPGs before either - now that I play them, I think I could appreciate them now. That being said, that was the most melodramatic duff I've ever heard. I hope the characters actually talk to each other as people, have a little interplay, instead of just being vessels of inner turmoil.

[Fatney]

Now that you mention it, Andy, I realize how terrible most of the names are in this game. Lightning and Snow... I mean, at first I thought the names were just weird (way back now), and then I got used to them and didn't care, but now they're bizarre and slightly ugly.

Oh well, I bet I'll get used to the names again when the game's out.

[affinity]

new epic trailer!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1blvwn6fIYE

[Crow T. Robot]

That's just a fan made one, it's not a new trailer.

[Zenieth]

It seems nomura isn't going to entirely dark teen plot with this FF, and the build up of summons into more intergral parts of the game play seems quite interesting, also what the hell is Vaan doing in another FF?

[syl]

It seems nomura isn't going to entirely dark teen plot with this FF, and the build up of summons into more intergral parts of the game play seems quite interesting, also what the hell is Vaan doing in another FF?

Vaan has reached the mainstay status of Chocobos and Bahamut. Expect to see him in every future installment of FF...

[Fatney]

... in various ages!

[Foobar]

It seems nomura isn't going to entirely dark teen plot with this FF, and the build up of summons into more intergral parts of the game play seems quite interesting, also what the hell is Vaan doing in another FF?

Nomura is has more creative input in Final Fantasy Versus XIII than he does FFXIII itself. Yoshinori Kitase is writing the story to FFXIII. Nomura might have a small bit of input here and there with characters, but he's not writing it. He just designed the characters, monsters and environments as he tends to do.

KH, TWEWY are all Nomura. The FFVII compilation stuff he's more on an even level with Kitase.

The emo teen plot is more Kitase's thing, too. I guess after sitting back and watching FFXI and FFXII age the series up again he decided to make the game less focused on teens and dark empires and more about political intrigue.

Also, I see a blonde kid, but no Vaan.

[Zenieth]

for some reason i feel v 13 is going to be trash while 13 is going to be good, just because of all the hype people have around V compared to the actual main stream one. And I'm really tired of dark clothes wearing teen angst FF heros, Squall was the only one I liked and the rest were meh.

[Fatney]

What's making FFvXIII looking like trash to me is the over exposed emo darkness sadness stuff in every trailer and screenshot. It's like Kingdom Hearts with no Disney and no quirkiness, and even more DARKNESS DARKNESS. And the main character looks horrible. It looks like a darker version of Sasuke, as if his design wasn't bad enough.

[RayFoxSith]

The whole darkness stuff only adds to the atmosphere of Versus. Versus XIII is supposed to be the most mature and most serious FF to come out, at least S-E says so.

[Zenieth]

That's a pretty bold statement, and truth be told ff12 was the most mature ff so far. Angst doesn't make seriousness, it just makes more angst.

[Fatney]

Yeah, since "maturity" is all but maturity in Final Fantasies.

[perrandy]

i'm not a ff fan but i think i will take the plunge on this one.i dont know the game seems somewhat mature from its previous intinerations and also the graphics and gameplay seems interesting.lets see what famitsuu and the western critics say when the game releases both in japan and the west :)

[RayFoxSith]

http://kotaku.com/5403678/final-fantasy-xiii-hits-north-america-march-9

HELL

YES

[Fatney]

I'm going to order the PS3 version as soon as I have money. Which is at least two months...

[sdragon21]

Woohoo!!!
Thank god we finally have a solid release date.
Will be picking this up on day 1.

[SlaughterX]

For anyone getting the 360 version...

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/splash/f/finalfantasyXIII/

[Fatney]

This game will apparantly arrive in Europe at the same time, which is good news. I might import it from VGP anyway, to save some money.

[Crow T. Robot]

I'm not trying to start anything but someone on another forum I frequent said that FF is under rated.

Does that sound wrong to anyone else?

[ShinGundam]

I'm not trying to start anything but someone on another forum I frequent said that FF is under rated.

Does that sound wrong to anyone else?
You mean FF 13 ? yes It is not under rated but it gets some harsh comments
for not being an exclusive , Female main character , no umatsu and so on ...

[Lorinosan]

I've lost all interest in this game. The summon designs alone just killed it for me and not to mention the horrible uncreative character names. It's like what happened with FF8 and 10, I stopped caring after a certain point. Wake me up when there's a better FF game then 6 because it wont be this one.

[poiuiu]

I'm not trying to start anything but someone on another forum I frequent said that FF is under rated.

Does that sound wrong to anyone else?

FF13 is only underrated in the sense that Steve Jobs is underrated because his net worth is nowhere near Bill Gates'; ie this person is out of his goddamned mind.

PS: Nothing in this post makes sense.

[Fatney]

I've lost all interest in this game. The summon designs alone just killed it for me and not to mention the horrible uncreative character names. It's like what happened with FF8 and 10, I stopped caring after a certain point. Wake me up when there's a better FF game then 6 because it wont be this one.

So what you're saying is basically that you won't play a FF game until they make one that is better than one of the BEST games in the world? You demand too much. FFXIII is going to be great. Every Final Fantasy has it's flaws and stupidities, but despite this every installment in the series was very enjoyable.

[Lorinosan]

Every Final Fantasy has it's flaws and stupidities, but despite this every installment in the series was very enjoyable.

Oh really? Even III, VII, VIII, and X? Surely you jest because they weren't enjoyable for me so why should I care about XIII? Truthfully, XII came pretty darn close to being the new VI for me so surely there is a possibility.

[Fatney]

III was severely lacking in the story department, but otherwise it was pretty fun. Or at least the remake was. VII is an all time classic for me, because of the atmosphere, music and the story. At the time this was released, it was just perfect, so my feelings for the game has stuck with me. VIII's story is kinda stupid, but I enjoy the weird mood this game gives me, and the junction system is very fun to play around with. Now, FFX is actually my least favorite out of every Final Fantasy, but I still like it. There's a lot of cool battles, the sphere grid system was ok, and tons of memorable music. Horrible voice acting, though.

[SlaughterX]

It's cool to hate on FF7!

[Fatney]

Yeah, I know. One time I actually started to kinda dislike the game because "everyone" liked it (when in reality too many hate it for their reasons, be it the game's popularity or that they actually don't think it's a good game), but then I rembered I really think it's a great game.

The main fanbase isn't much to be proud of, though.

[RayFoxSith]

I think people seem to hate or like FFVII for the wrong reasons. Let's face it, without FFVII RPGs would probably still be considered a niche genre. But at the same time I don't want to agree with the fact that FFVII is the absolute best game ever. There are plenty of other RPGs that are either the same caliber, if not a little better than FFVII. I think what it all amounts to is a "you had to have been there" kind of experience.

But (if I may throw my 2 cents in here) I think I hold the FF series so high is because A.) I was practically raised on the series; and B.) Each title is different in its own unique way (i.e. battle systems, characters, stories, different innovations, etc.).

[Vicious1915]

I've lost all interest in this game. The summon designs alone just killed it for me and not to mention the horrible uncreative character names. It's like what happened with FF8 and 10, I stopped caring after a certain point. Wake me up when there's a better FF game then 6 because it wont be this one.

So what you're saying is basically that you won't play a FF game until they make one that is better than one of the BEST games in the world? You demand too much. FFXIII is going to be great. Every Final Fantasy has it's flaws and stupidities, but despite this every installment in the series was very enjoyable.


Oh really? Even III, VII, VIII, and X? Surely you jest because they weren't enjoyable for me so why should I care about XIII? Truthfully, XII came pretty darn close to being the new VI for me so surely there is a possibility.

While I completely agree with both of you that Final Fantasy VI was the best Final Fantasy ever conceived, I have to know what you mean Lorinosan. I'm not trying to debate your point of view, I would just like to understand what almost brought...Final Fantasy XII.....to the same level as Final Fantasy VI for you.

I enjoyed XII solely on its location being Ivalice. As a fan of Tactics, this made me happy. That was it, however. The story was good, but not THAT good in my opinion, and the characters were...well who WERE they? My biggest complaint about XII was its lack of character development. MY favorite character was ONLY my favorite because she was a Dancer. Not that she ever really danced, or did much, or said anything... If not for that then I dunno what I'd have done. The character DESIGN was awesome, but I had all these great looking people with no personality or backstory, and that really bothered me.

It was also a BEAUTIFUL game. That game brought Ivalice to life. The music was wonderful and even reminiscent of some tracks from Final Fantasy Tactics.

With all of its good points I still can't see how it could touch Final Fantasy VI, graphics aside of course. As a fellow Final Fantasy VI lover, would you mind helping me to understand your point of view? Please, keep in mind I'm not being sarcastic or attacking your stance on the game. To each his own, I'm just curious.

[cro-89]

Thats to bad

[Foobar]

I like FFVII, but seriously, drop the "it brought RPGs into the mainstream" nonsense. RPGs are still niche, at least lately they very much have been.

I never understand the crazy hate for anything post FFVI, though. Each game has thier own merits, I've played them all and enjoyed them all. Yes, FFVIII's story was stupid, but I liked how integrated all the gameplay elements were, you couldn't really capitalize on Junctioning unless you did quests, obtained summons and played Triple Triad.

FFVII's materia system was fun. FFX's battle system was easily one of the best turn-based systems ever. I have been an FFXI player for over five years because I love the job system and how in-depth the story of that world is.

FFIV, FFVI and FFXII are still my favorites, but I've had no major problems with the series as a whole because, well, I don't make up reasons to try have a problem with it.

I'm not wild about how FFXIII is handling the summons, but they've been trying new things with them since FFX. SE seems to want to move them beyond "Air Strike" functionality into more varied uses.

I guess the only thing I tire of is Kitase's stories, FFXI and FFXII got him out for a while and from the looks of it, he might have been taking note of those two games. They leaned just a bit more towards political intrigue and moved away from cliched romances and emotionally scarred characters.

Giving him the benefit of a doubt on FFXIII, especially in light of Crisis Core.

[RayFoxSith]

I like FFVII, but seriously, drop the "it brought RPGs into the mainstream" nonsense. RPGs are still niche, at least lately they very much have been.


Some RPGs are, but some aren't. But I guarantee you, ask anyone who walks into a game store and you ask them what RPG they've played about 85% of those people will either name FF or they know of it. So yes, some RPGs maybe still considered niche today, but FF is practically universally known, therefore it's probably a safe assumption that it's a mainstream RPG.

[SlaughterX]

I don't think FF7 really brought RPGs into the mainstream... it just brought the FF series there. Still, before then RPGs didn't sell nearly as much as they did afterwards, but still few other RPG series outside of FF manage to sell millions in the US... FF7 may not be the best game evar, but it's definately not a bad game by any means.

[Fatney]

I think people seem to hate or like FFVII for the wrong reasons. Let's face it, without FFVII RPGs would probably still be considered a niche genre. But at the same time I don't want to agree with the fact that FFVII is the absolute best game ever. There are plenty of other RPGs that are either the same caliber, if not a little better than FFVII. I think what it all amounts to is a "you had to have been there" kind of experience.

But (if I may throw my 2 cents in here) I think I hold the FF series so high is because A.) I was practically raised on the series; and B.) Each title is different in its own unique way (i.e. battle systems, characters, stories, different innovations, etc.).

This is true to me. If I hadn't played it then, and tried it for the first time now, I probably wouldn't like it at first.


But I do believe FFVII made the jRPG genre "mainstream". Not for me, I played a lot of RPGs before VII, and so did many else. But those people weren't many enough in contrast to the number of people who played Super Mario in the 2D era. When I was a kid, I thought I was the only person in my country who liked or had even heard of jRPGs. It was only after VII was released I noticed people starting to talk about the genre, and mostly about Final Fantasy.

[ShinGundam]

I'm not wild about how FFXIII is handling the summons, but they've been trying new things with them since FFX. SE seems to want to move them beyond "Air Strike" functionality into more varied uses.
Theory :FF XIII summon system seems to be trying to counter the problem with
traditional Summons, is that if they are too weak, eventually no one uses them
anymore for example FF XII summons are expensive to get (mp), and isn't
worth the damage output or if the summons are too powerful, like in FFVII and many others, you end up using them exclusively in late game .That is why the XIII Summons have both "normal" , "ride" modes and related with one character
only . Also , Mechanical and transformation aspects fit very well with "futuristic setting" :D .

I still have some doubts like how they combine a leveling and a selectable strategy system Roles/jobs ...? It seems to me they want to counter idea
"game play itself from FFXII " !

[AdrianMorales]

It sucks that S-E has decided to replace the original Japanese theme song, Sayuri Sugawara's “Kimi ga Iru Kara” with the new Leona Lewis single, “My Hands.” And then S-E expects people to fork over $60 for a butchered, overly commercial game? I hate this idea that all Japanese games need to be westernized. This is why I like Atlus U.S.A. They would never pull a crap like this. Imagine a Beyonce or Ciara song instead of Burn My Dread for Persona 3…

[SlaughterX]

"Danger falling in love like this...."

[Hitoshura]

"Danger falling in love like this...."

Yep. Not to mention that Danger was a better song than... whatever the DDS1 intro originally was. It also helped me to discover how much I would like Etro Anime.

[Fatney]

I don't really care that they chose a western artist instead of an eastern. The way I see Final Fantasy, Leona Lewis fits better anyway.

[RayFoxSith]

There's probably a good reason for S-E's move on a theme. This is going to be the first FF with no songs by Nobuo Uematsu. They usually find a musician who can sing both Japanese and English languages, but it looks like this time around they couldn't find someone to fit the part.

[Foobar]

After hearing the butchering Japanese female vocalists did to songs in FFX-2 and FFXI, I fully support the choice of Leona Lewis for FFXIII.

Really FFXI's "Recollection" theme is one of Uematu's most moving pieces and the vocalized version players got treated to at the end of Chains of Promathia was still beautiful musically, but a travesty in terms of vocals.



Here is the ending theme to CoP, "Distant Worlds," based upon the "Recollection" theme, performed live in Japanese concert. If you want to save time jump to about 3:30 for both:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kud-HbYO2v0

Here is Anne Roth performing it in a Distant Worlds concert (basically another run of the Dear Friends concerts in the US), a live American performance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8mJQIPNMhI

Important note: There are no Japanese lyrics to this song, nor have there ever been.

The Japanese chorus kicks ass, but anyone can make that sort of thing sound good given enough time. Compare the vocalists, they've had careers to live on. One is not capable of singing in English and I have to assume without Uematsu there they had to go based off past feedback about severely broken english for other games

FFVIII, FFIX and FFX's themes didn't really warrant a change, but I'm pretty sure the negative feedback they got over FFX-2 and FFXI's japanese vocalists played a role. If the vocalist can't do the job for the western release - pick someone else.

[Eggn0g]

Another one here who doesn't mind Leona Lewis's song being the theme. It's just a song, and a decent one at that so I'm not complaining.

I'm more suprised by the US and EU release dates being the same - it feels weird not being screwed over by SE for once, and it's gonna take some getting used to :-|

[Hitoshura]

Here is Anne Roth performing it in a Distant Worlds concert (basically another run of the Dear Friends concerts in the US), a live American performance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8mJQIPNMhI


Wow, I was unaware this version even existed. Absolutely beautiful. Recollection is one of my favorite melodies ever.

[Superkenon]

Since Final Fantasy is one of the few JRPGs that tries to market itself to the mainstream, it's only right that they change the theme to something more local. It's a shame to me personally, since between the two songs I easily prefer the Japanese version's, but I can't exactly fault them for their decision since I'm well aware that I'm in the minority there. And at least they're not going the route of some localizations... mangling the song by trying to change the lyrics to english (which naturally doesn't often work well in a song that wasn't written for them), or just removing the lyrics entirely, Alter Code F-style, leaving you with a very hollow shell of a song. This move of Square's actually shows a fair deal of care on their part, and is hopefully a good sign for the rest of the localization... even if personally you're not fond of the new song they chose.

Besides, as "Westernization" goes, if you even want to call it that, this is rather minor.


EDIT: If anyone's curious about the two songs...

Sugawara Sayuri - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op2HX48FG0g (don't worry, it's nothing like what you heard in X-2. It's actually a pleasant song.)

Leona Lewis - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q0_mNC5FQ8

[kat_ears_kahrain]

Besides, as "Westernization" goes, if you even want to call it that, this is rather minor.

No kidding. At least they're not removing a whole side story, changing the ethnicity of one of the characters and modifying the looks of others... oh wait...

I am disappointed with what I'm hearing about Nier though...

[Superkenon]

Heh, are they doing that? I'm not really in the loop on FFXIII news.

(Which means I shouldn't be opening my mouth at all, but here we are.)

[kat_ears_kahrain]

Heh, are they doing that? I'm not really in the loop on FFXIII news.

(Which means I shouldn't be opening my mouth at all, but here we are.)

No, no... I was poking fun at the original release of Revelations: Persona.

[Vicious1915]

EDIT: If anyone's curious about the two songs...

Sugawara Sayuri - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op2HX48FG0g (don't worry, it's nothing like what you heard in X-2. It's actually a pleasant song.)

Leona Lewis - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q0_mNC5FQ8

All lyrics aside, I like the music better in the Leona Lewis song.

[Fatney]

Woops, wrong thread!

[Foobar]

Here is Anne Roth performing it in a Distant Worlds concert (basically another run of the Dear Friends concerts in the US), a live American performance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8mJQIPNMhI


Wow, I was unaware this version even existed. Absolutely beautiful. Recollection is one of my favorite melodies ever.

Yeah, I think I need to order the FFXI soundtrack collection before I quit the game. FFXI might have not been played by everyone, but I always like how much more atmospheric FFXI sounded in contrast to the rest of the series. The others that have composed for FFXI followed Uematsu's concepts for the game well.

And of course, his stuff still sees plenty of action in the game. I was really happy "Awakening" was included with Shontotto's appearance in Dissida.

Similar to Uematsu and The Black Mages, the other FFXI composers have a band called The Star Onions and they do some pretty great stuff, too. I never though Sanctuary of Zi'tah could be set to funk, but they made it work.

[ShinGundam]

Final trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1Nnyi9mB2k

[kelvinc]

A lot of it was just rehashed stuff from the TGS trailer. Though I actually saw Lightning show some emotions for once. Not much gameplay stuff, and very late in the video: I suppose at this point the purpose is just to hype things up a bit before it goes on sale, not to make a sales pitch.

I've watched the Japanese trailers but I'm trying to stay away from the English ones for the next few months.

[affinity]

Last Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I9v7EsA-wU

With English subs

[Lorinosan]

While I completely agree with both of you that Final Fantasy VI was the best Final Fantasy ever conceived, I have to know what you mean Lorinosan. I'm not trying to debate your point of view, I would just like to understand what almost brought...Final Fantasy XII.....to the same level as Final Fantasy VI for you.

I enjoyed XII solely on its location being Ivalice. As a fan of Tactics, this made me happy. That was it, however. The story was good, but not THAT good in my opinion, and the characters were...well who WERE they? My biggest complaint about XII was its lack of character development. MY favorite character was ONLY my favorite because she was a Dancer. Not that she ever really danced, or did much, or said anything... If not for that then I dunno what I'd have done. The character DESIGN was awesome, but I had all these great looking people with no personality or backstory, and that really bothered me.

It was also a BEAUTIFUL game. That game brought Ivalice to life. The music was wonderful and even reminiscent of some tracks from Final Fantasy Tactics.

With all of its good points I still can't see how it could touch Final Fantasy VI, graphics aside of course. As a fellow Final Fantasy VI lover, would you mind helping me to understand your point of view? Please, keep in mind I'm not being sarcastic or attacking your stance on the game. To each his own, I'm just curious.

No, I understand. I've had many debates with these beliefs of mine that many FF fans would roll over in their graves if they knew everything...or they would just call me an idiot as the case usually is.

It's very simple. It's what the franchise needed. Something new. Each and every FF from VI up until XII has been a typical "same ol" RPG (yes even the ones I liked) which I felt played like it was in 1995. XII on the other hand, made me interested in the series once again and ignited my once burned out passion for it much like VI did when I first played it. However that was for different reasons and I'm not talking about VI am I? :D

It was the very first time since VI I actually cared about the characters as they were very likable and the development for them wasn't shoved in your face. It wasn't about the characters, it was about the nations and their involvement with them. I felt that each and every character had a reason to be there as they were all connected in some way. The development was subtle and it was there so don't tell me there wasn't any. This is the way character development should be.

Not to mention the battle system which I felt was a needed change and the Gambit system certainly executed that need very well in my eyes. I had lots of fun with it messing around as to what I wanted my characters to do in battle. It wasn't like the system in say Persona 3 or Kingdom Hearts...it felt smart.

It was the first time I took time to explore the world, the first time I actually wanted to do fetch quests, the first time I wanted to grind because the game was just that enjoyable for me. Even the NPCs had development and didn't feel any less important then the characters you were controlling. It was the first game to which I felt every character had a reason for being there. Not this, oh I'm PC and you're a stupid NPC crap that I've experienced in other games including past Final Fantasies.

I could delve into this further but I don't want to waste too many people's time and I'm sure they have better things to do then read a post on the internet from a person they know very little to nothing about. Plus I've felt I've derailed the thread enough as it is and I don't know if the mods like that. >.<

Anyway, those are my abridged thoughts so take them for what they are.

[SlaughterX]

Here's the box art (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3177147)...

[affinity]

this will definitely be the greatest RPG ever!

[Andy]

Box art feels like VII's. Except with boobs.

[Tivor]

Japanese TV spot for FF13.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC17HYFjKeE

Teacher: I'll be taking some time off starting tomorrow.

Students: Why are you taking the time off?

Teacher: (to himself) I've been waiting for this day for 3 years....

:)

[Fatney]

I think this is the first time a Final Fantasy game in Europe isn't just plain white with the usual logo. Except for spinoffs/remakes.

[affinity]

This was on ps3forums.com

FF XIII two page Dengeki Review

(no score but a detailed review by 11 reviewers)

- absolutely no load times before and after battles
- The character faces on the status screen move
- most exciting battles in FF history!!!!!!!
- movie scenes have an appropriate length as to not interfere with the gameplay
- Editor M: "Let alone 100 points, this deserves 120 points!"
- Earning trophies also earns you custom themes
- Dual-layer blu-ray (50gb)

Review with score will follow December 17.

[ShinGundam]

FF12 ,DQ9 , NSMBW, MHTri > FFXIII

So FF13 has missed Perfect score : 39/40

[Fatney]

I really want this game now. I don't know why but moving faces on the status screen sounds really cool. Maybe it's because I'm so hungry right now my brain doesn't function properly.

[Kyuketsukimiyu]

I'm becoming more and more interested by the day. I have never really like the Final Fantasy series, but this game looks promising. Still going to rent before buying though. The battles look cool, but I worry they wont be as much fun as they look, or that I will end up hating the main character. Nothing makes me stop playing a game as fast as hating the main character.

[Karkarov]

No offence to anyone who liked it I am not going to argue over it or even say your wrong but 12 for me was complete tripe. I couldn't even bring myself to buy it and the fact that I can walk in my local gamestop and buy a limited edition copy of it still in factory seal (not kidding) tells me most people agree with me. Yes I did play part of it first thanks to demo's and borrowing from buddies I really really tried to actually like it but not only did I not like it I hated it. The fact that the cutsey whootsey lame version of Ivalice they use in modern games is being sold to me as supposedly the same world as FF Tactics and Vagrant Story only made it worse.

I will be more looking forward to 3d dot heroes more than 13 but this game at least seems to have some slight potential for the story to actually be worth playing through. Now if they took out the stupid looking guy with the chocobo living in his affro I might take the game more seriously but I don't see it happening. For me all I care about is the characters and the plot. You can have the greatest graphics ever made and the most far out there over done battle system ever concieved for an RPG (this game has both) but if the story isn't iteresting, if there is no atmosphere, if your characters are all a bunch of emo metrosexuals or 5 year olds the game isn't going to do it for me.

I will probably end up buying this game because it does look better than 12 at least. But I am not sure it is going to be a worthy successor to 6 or 7 and FF as a series seemed to start getting worse with time after 6 came out not better. When you consider that everyone who was involved in making the best games in the series no longer works for square enix it doesn't make the picture look any brighter either.

I understand games need to appear trendy and appeal to kids but I think we have saturated the RPG genre with enough of those games. In fact only in RPG's (mostly jrpg's) are you expected to take a 15 year old seriously as a protaganist.

Anyway rant off.

[Hitoshura]

The fact that the cutsey whootsey lame version of Ivalice they use in modern games is being sold to me as supposedly the same world as FF Tactics and Vagrant Story only made it worse.

Wow. Just... wow.

[SlaughterX]

Uhhh, it could be that perhaps they over produced the so called "limited" edition? If everyone thought it was tripe then it probably wouldn't have faired so well in reviews across the board and sold millions... but if there are still LE copies sitting around it must suck...

[Olethros]

The fact that the cutsey whootsey lame version of Ivalice they use in modern games is being sold to me as supposedly the same world as FF Tactics and Vagrant Story only made it worse.

Wow. Just... wow.

I'm with Hito here. I'm not entirely sure what to say, or if it's worth saying anything at all. Other than, of course, I strongly disagree.

[Kakizaki]

The fact that the cutsey whootsey lame version of Ivalice they use in modern games is being sold to me as supposedly the same world as FF Tactics and Vagrant Story only made it worse.Wow, some of your posts today are really testing my reluctance to argue. All I will say is this - If you were indeed familiar with the world of Ivalice as it was portrayed through Vagrant Story, labeling the way FF XII represented Ivalice as "cutsey" is pretty weak. I realize that this is purely an opinion and you are certainly untitled to it, but if you bothered to, not only play through FF XII, but take some time off the beaten path to explore FF XII and read a little of the non crucial story element information presented (which there is a ton of), you would have noticed the many, many strong connections to VS. If you didn't recognize them, well then... I'm sorry but you are completely oblivious. Although, maybe you would have to have a deeper interest and understanding of VS for this.

I'm am somewhat of a VS nut, and I was thoroughly impressed with the way the world of Ivalice was handled in FF XII.

As for the other games that Matsuno hand no hand in, I certainly wouldn't argue with your assesment of how Ivalice has been handled.

Correct me if I am wrong, but you are a fan of King's Field titles are you not?

[ShinGundam]

When you consider that everyone who was involved in making the best games in the series no longer works for square enix it doesn't make the picture look any brighter either.
Back up your statement

[Karkarov]

When you consider that everyone who was involved in making the best games in the series no longer works for square enix it doesn't make the picture look any brighter either.
Back up your statement

Do some internet searches on a company called Mistwalker this isn't really new news. In fact it is so old I can't believe you didn't already know it. I should throw out that if you thought anything that came after 7 was "a great game" then you won't agree with me. In my opinion 10 was ok but not "great" 8 and 9 were very... average, and 12 I already admit to not being able to enjoy.


Kakizaki here is my beef in the simplest possible form. Tell me about the scene form either FF Tactics or Vagrant Story where the scantily clad bunny woman joins your party? Well you could do that in tactics by recruiting a monster true.... so lets go further. In what scene in the aforementioned two games did you find yourself seeing a monologue by a lizard man who could walk down the streets with no issue? In fact at what scene did you see anything that wasn't a human treated like a ... human?

You don't need to answer obviously because that scene never happens in those two games.

I liked dark and moody Ivalice that didn't have bunny girls and everything was a political ploy by some secret sect or a corrupt government/religious order. I liked Ramza the guy who is hated by his brothers and accidentally kills his best friends sister (sort of). I like Ashley Riot who has delirious fake memories of a family he thinks was his but he may have murdered. So on so forth.

FF 12 was not dark, it wasn't moody, and it did not have the same atmosphere of it's precursors and most certainly re wrote many of the core principles of the world. Not only that but the main character Vash felt like just another pretty boy who was about as deep as the kiddy pool at the local YMCA. In fact outside of Zidane Tribal I can't think of one FF main character I like less.

I did not beat the game, get half way through it, etc. But I did get a handful of hours into it (something like 10-15) and played the demo. It never once grabbed me or made me want to play it. Even The Last Remnant which I panned in the other thread at least seemed like it had some kind of story waiting in the wings. It turns out it didn't really in my opinion but 12 didn't even give me that feeling. As for the gameplay it was plain bad, the game felt like it was on training wheels or auto pilot to me. I tried micro managing but it never felt like I needed to or that it really helped me out that much if I did. Later on I can only hope the game got harder but who knows.

Yes I am a fan of the King's Field games I am also perfectly well aware that they are sparse in story and many don't like the gameplay. Here is the thing though, you will never find me bashing or coming down on someone for not liking those games I understand why they don't just fine. But I like their gameplay and I find there is boatloads more atmosphere in them than there is in just about every FF save a couple. The story is there you just have to piece it together.

I appreciate your feelings on Vagrant Story though. The last time I mentioned it in relation to Ivalice it resulted in three people calling me stupid in so many words and claiming Vagrant Story did not take place in the same world as FF 12. I didn't bother responding.

[Kakizaki]

Kakizaki here is my beef in the simplest possible form. Tell me about the scene form either FF Tactics or Vagrant Story where the scantily clad bunny woman joins your party? Well you could do that in tactics by recruiting a monster true.... so lets go further. In what scene in the aforementioned two games did you find yourself seeing a monologue by a lizard man who could walk down the streets with no issue? In fact at what scene did you see anything that wasn't a human treated like a ... human?Vagrant Story took place basically in one location in Ivalice - Lea Monde. The world of FF XII was much more expansive. You are taking a very narrow minded view. There were dragon men in VS. The premise you posed isn't a stretch.


FF 12 was not dark, it wasn't moody..... But I did get a handful of hours into it (something like 10-15) and played the demoOkay, you answered my question right here. The game is incredibly dark. Some of the dungeons and enemies (especially later) looked as if they were pulled directly from VS. This also explains your comments regarding XII's plot in comparison to FFT and politics. If you played through XII, I would bother responding to it, but since you are basing your opinion on the demo and a handful of hours playing the game, I'm not wasting my time.

I'm getting a kick out of the fact you think XII isn't moody compared to FFT.

I have gotten to the point where I can handle if people don't care for FF XII's game play. Although I still get frustrated with people's ridiculous statements regarding the gambit system for three reasons. It basically prevents you from having spam the confirm button, you are in charge of setting it up and making it as easy or difficult as you want, and, and here is the most beautiful thing, you don't have to use it! Again the game play isn't for everyone, but stating FF XII doesn't portray Ivalice in the same manner as Vagrant Story or FFT is laughable.

Yes I am a fan of the King's Field games I am also perfectly well aware that they are sparse in story and many don't like the gameplay. Here is the thing though, you will never find me bashing or coming down on someone for not liking those games I understand why they don't just fine.My point in bring up King's Field is twofold.

First, while you may not "bash" people I will assume this scenario is annoying to you - Imagine how many people quit a KF title after being initially frustrated, and then how annoying it is when they formulate an opinion based off of that very limited exposure.

Secondly, you mentioned sales previously. I love KF, but each title released in the U.S. was ridiculously easy to find at a reduced price months and even years after their initial release. Is this a result/reflection of their quality as you had suggested earlier in regards to FF XII? I highly doubt you would impose this train of thought towards titles you are personally interested in.

I get really tired of people bashing Square. Yes, the company has stinkers. Every company does - even Atlus. But when Square does something outside of their usual titles, even if it is good, people get uncomfortable and bitch. When Square does the same old thing, even if it is good, people bitch.

Anyway, no disrespect, but I'm not going to comment further regarding your misinformed (again opinion based, but you have hardly touched the game - like I mentioned previously, there are a ton of direct and indirect nods to VS and FFT) opinion regarding FXII's lack of "darkness" or "mood." There really isn't a point as you haven't even played it.

[ShinGundam]

Do some internet searches on a company called Mistwalker this isn't really new news. In fact it is so old I can't believe you didn't already know it.
Mistwalker is a studio by Sakaguchi not FF6 team and they outsourcing
companies like Feelplus .

[Vicious1915]

While I completely agree with both of you that Final Fantasy VI was the best Final Fantasy ever conceived, I have to know what you mean Lorinosan. I'm not trying to debate your point of view, I would just like to understand what almost brought...Final Fantasy XII.....to the same level as Final Fantasy VI for you.

I enjoyed XII solely on its location being Ivalice. As a fan of Tactics, this made me happy. That was it, however. The story was good, but not THAT good in my opinion, and the characters were...well who WERE they? My biggest complaint about XII was its lack of character development. MY favorite character was ONLY my favorite because she was a Dancer. Not that she ever really danced, or did much, or said anything... If not for that then I dunno what I'd have done. The character DESIGN was awesome, but I had all these great looking people with no personality or backstory, and that really bothered me.

It was also a BEAUTIFUL game. That game brought Ivalice to life. The music was wonderful and even reminiscent of some tracks from Final Fantasy Tactics.

With all of its good points I still can't see how it could touch Final Fantasy VI, graphics aside of course. As a fellow Final Fantasy VI lover, would you mind helping me to understand your point of view? Please, keep in mind I'm not being sarcastic or attacking your stance on the game. To each his own, I'm just curious.

No, I understand. I've had many debates with these beliefs of mine that many FF fans would roll over in their graves if they knew everything...or they would just call me an idiot as the case usually is.

It's very simple. It's what the franchise needed. Something new. Each and every FF from VI up until XII has been a typical "same ol" RPG (yes even the ones I liked) which I felt played like it was in 1995. XII on the other hand, made me interested in the series once again and ignited my once burned out passion for it much like VI did when I first played it. However that was for different reasons and I'm not talking about VI am I? :D

It was the very first time since VI I actually cared about the characters as they were very likable and the development for them wasn't shoved in your face. It wasn't about the characters, it was about the nations and their involvement with them. I felt that each and every character had a reason to be there as they were all connected in some way. The development was subtle and it was there so don't tell me there wasn't any. This is the way character development should be.

Not to mention the battle system which I felt was a needed change and the Gambit system certainly executed that need very well in my eyes. I had lots of fun with it messing around as to what I wanted my characters to do in battle. It wasn't like the system in say Persona 3 or Kingdom Hearts...it felt smart.

It was the first time I took time to explore the world, the first time I actually wanted to do fetch quests, the first time I wanted to grind because the game was just that enjoyable for me. Even the NPCs had development and didn't feel any less important then the characters you were controlling. It was the first game to which I felt every character had a reason for being there. Not this, oh I'm PC and you're a stupid NPC crap that I've experienced in other games including past Final Fantasies.

I could delve into this further but I don't want to waste too many people's time and I'm sure they have better things to do then read a post on the internet from a person they know very little to nothing about. Plus I've felt I've derailed the thread enough as it is and I don't know if the mods like that. >.<

Anyway, those are my abridged thoughts so take them for what they are.

Thanks so much for not being offended! I only have one more question, and this goes for anyone (you, or Kakizaki even?) who might be gracious enough to point it out, because I guess I missed it: What place, aside from bein' Vahn's friend, did Penelo have in Final fantasy XII? I'd LOVE some insight on this. I dunno what I could've missed...



Also, I'd like to thank you guys for pointing out that Vagrant Story took place in Ivalice. I had never played it and didn't realize I was missing anything aside from a good story. I've heard so many unbelievably positive reviews of the game I've been tempted to pick it up but now it's definitely goin' on the list. My only question is: Isn't it an action RPG? Or is it some hybrid like Parasite Eve was? I'm confused on what the gameplay entails.

[Superkenon]

Even Vaan barely had any place in the story as I recall, which is odd for a main character. So Penelo is like, second generation irrelevant. XD

Although she was one of my favorite playable characters anyway. With two-handed sword in grasp, she joins Balthier and Basch to complete Team Badass.

[Karkarov]

An opinion can't be missinformed because it is an opininon as in personal feelings. I am not selling a box of cookies here, I don't even really care if you agree with me or like the game. I even said I don't fault anyone for liking it and meant no offence to it's fans in the first line of my initial post. I get the feeling most of the responders missed that line somehow though or maybe choose to ignore it.

There are two things I will say though. No lizard man in FF Tactics or Vagrant story ever spoke anything other than a growl and in FF Tactics specifically they were treated as monsters and could be "tamed". That is most definitely different than how they are treated in FF 12 where they are intelligent, have their own customs, what have you. The only customs the Vagrant Story lizard men had was attempting to stab me in the chest.

Also comparing the sales of King's Field to a FF is silly. FF is like tommy hillfiger. It doesn't matter if it is just a white tee shirt with a logo ironed on someone will still pay 40 dollars for it and think it was a good deal. If you want relevant sales figures check out how FF 12 did compared to every other FF since 7. By what I see it was outsold by all of them except for 9. So in the post FF 7 days of the series it really wasn't that hot a seller when compared to other games in it's series. It obviously outsold earlier entries but before FF 7 and after are a big difference in the world of perception and video game sales in general. Heck the PSN store version of FF 4 has outsold the original release forget about all the other versions of it out there.

Edit: To answer the above Vagrant Story is an action RPG so it is definitely a hybrid. It got mixed reviews because the gameplay is sort of hit or miss and requires a bunch of crafting and grinding out different fighting styles, not to mention the comic book inspired art style. Personally I liked it quite a bit.

[Kakizaki]

There are two things I will say though. No lizard man in FF Tactics or Vagrant story ever spoke anything other than a growl and in FF Tactics specifically they were treated as monsters and could be "tamed". That is most definitely different than how they are treated in FF 12 where they are intelligent, have their own customs, what have you. The only customs the Vagrant Story lizard men had was attempting to stab me in the chest.Again, VS was limited to one area of a world - more specifically one town. FF XII attempted to construct a much larger picture of Ivalice. Not to mention they took place during different time periods. Can you base what the entire culture of our world is like based off of one tiny cross section?

Also comparing the sales of King's Field to a FF is silly. FF is like tommy hillfiger. My point wasn't to compare series - It was that sales are meaningless as an indicator of a game's quality (or anythings quality for that matter). I could point to a host of big name titles, both games and movies, that have outsold titles that are critically acclaimed. Sales aren't always a reflection of quality. I'm also going to guess the KF titles had much smaller print runs, so yeah, if you wanted to, you actually could directly compare if you wanted to.

May I ask what you are basing your sales figures off of?

not to mention the comic book inspired art style....This makes me think you extract too much of what you say from reviews. The comic book references were simply due to the speech bubbles and a few comments from elsewhere. The designs are hardly western "comic book" like, and without the aforementioned comments, I seriously doubt anyone would have looked at VS and thought hmmmm, inspired by comic books! I might even guess you pulled that directly off of the Wikipedia entry.

An opinion can't be missinformed because it is an opininon as in personal feelings. I am not selling a box of cookies here, I don't even really care if you agree with me or like the game.No, I don't think anyone missed that. However, when you blurt out statements and back them up with rationale based off of limited experience towards that which you are criticizing, it comes off as pretty questionable.

[Karkarov]

You know I had a reply going but it occurs to me it isn't worth it. So instead I will just go to the comments on sales firgures. I have an article by Kotaku here- http://kotaku.com/5223829/anyone-for-lifetime-final-fantasy-sales-figures

It states that Square Enix gave full disclosure of it's sales figures for it's top three selling game series (Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts) to the general press, it lists the overall totals in the article. So with that knowledge in hand I can assume what VG Chartz is posting on Final Fantasy sales wise is fairly legitimate.

[Kakizaki]

^That number really doesn't do much of anything anything...Even if you break it down title by title, when you are dealing games that have sold millions of copies, separation of a couple of million copies seems pretty arbritray - especially when certain titles have been out for over a decade or has had multiple rereleases.

Wouldn't be wiser to include sales of FFT and VS into the equation as well. That really makes more sense. For the most part, titles by Yasumi Matsuno, especially during his tenure at Square, were love'em or hate'em games.

Like I said, opinions are cool, but I think you would be wise to take into your own feelings regarding this statement from me previously that you failed to respond to:

Imagine how many people quit a KF title after being initially frustrated, and then how annoying it is when they formulate an opinion based off of that very limited exposure.

I'm hard pressed to believe that wouldn't irritate you. Anyway, why not buttress your comments / opinions about certain titles, like FF XII or some of the SaGa games, with statements like "I believe" or "in my very limited experience with X title I feel...?" It makes some of what you say seem a lot less absolute.

[EvilHero]

Hey guys, while I agree with most of you, do you think we can keep the arguments down? We already lost the FM thread, I'd hate to see this one get closed down too. :/

[RayFoxSith]

We should have another arguement if the old one isn't locked.

Just a suggestion.

[Kakizaki]

Hey guys, while I agree with most of you, do you think we can keep the arguments down? We already lost the FM thread, I'd hate to see this one get closed down too. :/

That's fine, but I have said little to nothing over the past year regarding the various opinions on FF XII that pop up here. I guess there is only so much I can take on the subject before I snap. ;)

Anyway, we were civil and the topic is about FF at least so I doubt anyone will be too bothered about it.

[Foobar]

I think there are a few problems people have with FFXII that are common misconceptions.

First off, they try to isolate it as one story and not part of the history of a larger world. Invalice, aside from FFXI's Vana'diel, FFX's Spira and FFVII's world, was the very first to be revisited in other games. Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance are two of 'em. Now there's three more and an update to FFT.

FFTA, FFXII, FFTA2 and FFXII: Revenant Wings are sequential stories. While the events of the FFTA ones take place in an illusionary version of Invalice, they're a before and after of sorts for the events of FFXII. FFXII: RW shows you how that world changed into what we saw in FFT: War of the Lions and Vagrant Story. You can trace lore from FFXII right into FFT and from FFT into Vagrant story if you really get into the lore of that world.

And FFXII has tons of lore within its beastiary alone. I've spent hours pouring over its contents. There are some very specific connections it makes to other Invalice games.

FFXII also shares a similar perception that FFVIII did. People never explain why they don't like FFVIII, but I can tell you why. Its the same reason they write off FFXII - its honestly a really intricate and involved game. To get the most out of the gameplay and the story, you can't just plow through the main story and get the whole picture and the best gameplay experience.

They say FFXII has autopilot gameplay, but I dare them to play a full version of the game after they've unlock a serious amount of gambits to work with. It takes some time to set up and you basically earn your right to not have to mash buttons. But no matter what, you'll eventually come to a point where those gambits are put on hold for queued commands. I really don't see how that's much different from the turnbased systems, its just realized in a different way.

In FFVIII if you wanted to get the best sword, you had to find and level guardian forces. If you wanted to get the items you needed to upgrade your weapons, you especially had to level up Quetzecotl's ability to turn enemies into cards and other summon abilities that synthesized cards into other things. Eventually into major spells and other items. To get those items you had to become a solid Triple Triad player and to become really good at Triple Triad and get all the cards you wanted to convert, you had to play it a lot and use some randome encounters to gain more cards.

This also got around the need to use Draw so much. except for PuPu, you draw the hell out of him if you see him for Auras.

FFXII has its hunts and obscure conditions to obtain the best weapons. The Hunts are the big thing and where some of the other story elements of the game are fleshed out. There's also a quest tied to obtainin all the Espers.

Storywise, FFXII was incredibly political. Saying it wasn't dark is laughable. This game put an unusually human face on the usual Evil Empire FF games enjoy having so much. I don't think its influence can be denied, either, because years later we saw SE soften up and humanize Shinra a bit in later FFVII related products.

I don't want to spoil too much, but when you really get into it, everything about FFXII dark, even its ending. A big theme in Invalice games is exposing the truth behind the history and like FFT tells the real truth about Ramaz and Delita and those around them, FFXII tells the truth about its history, even if certain characters go on to tell/live lies regarding it.

Finally, SE demos are never good indicators of the full game. I've never played on SE demo that showed how the game really was. Judging games on demos is genreally a bad practice, but even worse with SE games. They'll never show you the full gameplay mechanics.

[Saburo Hikari]

I try to keep a neutral stance when playing new Final Fantasy games. I won't judge FFXII until I've actually played it, but so far things look really good.This was on ps3forums.com

FF XIII two page Dengeki Review

(no score but a detailed review by 11 reviewers)

- absolutely no load times before and after battles
- The character faces on the status screen move
- most exciting battles in FF history!!!!!!!
- movie scenes have an appropriate length as to not interfere with the gameplay
- Editor M: "Let alone 100 points, this deserves 120 points!"
- Earning trophies also earns you custom themes
- Dual-layer blu-ray (50gb)

Review with score will follow December 17.

Ah, absolutely no load times is just as good as how the enemies were on the field in FFXII (by the way, I didn't like FFXII's story, but I loved everything else about it).

Moving character portraits in the status screen is exciting me too. Does that include the field menu where you can check your character's stats and change equipment and stuff? I wonder if the status screen faces will reflect what expressions the actual characters are giving too.

I might consider this one of the best Final Fantasy games I've played if I actually look forward to battles. Like how I do in Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier or something.

Thank god I actually have an incentive to get trophies now. Unlockable custom themes? Sounds cool! The only other games that gave me an incentive to get trophies were Uncharted 1 and 2 because you got in-game cash whenever you got them.

50 GB Blu-Ray? Nice! Too bad there's no dual-audio because Square Enix didn't want the PS3 and XBox 360 versions to be different.

[Fatney]

The one thing that really baffles me the most about the arguments of the XII-haters is the one where they criticize the battle system. It's basically the same system as in every Final Fantasy, except that the characters doesn't line up in a nice row like in the rest of the series, making the battles more believable, and as Kakizaki mentioned you don't have to spam any buttons yourself. Also, the whole gambit system allowed a great deal of strategy no main Final Fantasy has ever had.

FFXII has my favorite battle system out of every Final Fantasy, except for X-2 which had a really good and fast paced battle system, including the dress spheres. Too bad the rest of the game was pretty bland. (X-2 that is, the only thing that was bland for me in XII is the story, but I didn't hate it. It was just pretty uninteresting.)

[ShinGundam]

Pre-Japan Launch Interview



A few highlights from the interview with Final Fantasy XIII producer Yoshinori Kitase and director Motomu Toriyama published in this week's Famitsu magazine, the final interview before the game's December 17 release in Japan:

- Where did the idea for the battle system come from? "The concept was to fuse speedy action elements with the strategic parts of battle," Toriyama said. "The video we showed at the initial announcement [at the 2006 E3 show] showed an ATB-based battle system that ran very fast. To make that work, we implemented features like multiple command inputs and juggling and so on. That lead to the chain and break systems, which accelerates things even further. The style has changed, but the original concept has survived the entire process. The Paradigm Shift system didn't exist at that initial announcement, but it's improved the strategic aspect of battle so much that I think it's done one better on what we were picturing at first."

"In FF up to now, the key to battle was choosing the right commands for each character based on the battle situation," Kitase added. "But if you gave a command to each of your three party members here in order, like Toriyama said, there's a limit to how fast you can make things while still allowing the player to stay in control. So instead we have the player only controlling the leader, planning chains and formations with the other two AI-controlled characters. We figured that was about what the player could handle. That was where the paradigms came from -- they keep battles fun while retaining the balance between speed and strategy. Making each character's role obvious -- attack, recover, shield -- and letting you switch between them instantly lets you fight your way through battles more adroitly."

- Can every character use all six of the game's roles from the get-go? "Three roles are unlocked for each character at the start," Toriyama replied. "After that, you get more as the story goes on. Once you get more roles, then you also get more paradigms, which are basically combinations of these roles."

- Can you stop time in the battle, like in previous FFs? "There is no full Command Wait option," Toriyama said, "but you can adjust the speed of battle in the configuration. There's 'normal' and 'slow' options."

"When things get busy, you need to switch paradigms instinctively to keep up," Kitase added. "I think players will adjust the order of their paradigms to deal with that. If you change to the wrong paradigm at the wrong time, you could lose the whole party, after all."

- FFXIII's summon system is a pretty vast departure from what we've seen in previous games. "The summon system is perhaps the epitome of the action element we tried to put into battles," Toriyama commented. "There's a lot of strategy behind them -- how you should build up the chain and break it, and how long you have them fight in normal mode to set the stage just right. Controlling them is a very exhilarating experience; it's like a sort of bonus stage in the midst of battle."

- Was the idea that each character gets a single Eidolon there from the start? "It relates to the story," Toriyama replied, "but I did want each character to have a closer bond with his or her Eidolon. That's why we cut their numbers and focused on making each one that much better."

- One of the new features in FFXIII for hardcore players is the Mission system, letting you undertake special (and extremely difficult) missions for extra bonuses. How many missions are there? "I can't give you a number, but there's a fair amount," said Toriyama. "Over half of the monsters involved are stronger than the final boss! If you go back to the story after tackling a bunch of mission, you'll probably find the last boss to be a pushover."

TROPHY SUPPORT
FFXIII has support for Trophies. Players will be able to get all the Bronze Trophies just by working through the story. Gold will require special unspecified conditions.

CUSTOM THEMES
Some Trophies make a "Special" option appear off the title screen. Click on the option, and you'll be able to download special Cross Media Bar themes. The conditions for getting these range form simple to difficult. The easiest, according to Toriyama, is one where you have to fight 100 of a certain type of enemy. Get this Trophy, and you'll gain access to a special theme for a certain character.

SUMMONS AND JOBS
Toriyama revealed a connection between summons and roles. While you're free to change your character's role however you please, each character has a particular role which matches nicely with his or her summon. This special role is usually the role which the character specializes in from the start.

BATTLE RESTART
At any time (before reaching the battle result screen, of course) you're able to freely select to restart battle. Doing so takes you back to just before you encountered the enemy. You'll be able to change your equipment and Optima as you please before trying again. This works during Boss battles as well.

BATTLE SPEED
As with past FF games, battles in FFXIII progress in real time. The action will not stop even when you're selecting commands from the command menu. However, you can adjust speed in the config menu, Toriyama confirmed. The game offers two speeds: standard and slow.

HOW DO I LEARN MORE ABOUT FFXIII?
Those who want to learn more about the game's background story, including such areas as Cocoon society, the fal'Cie, and Pulse, will be able to do so directly from the game by selecting an "Auto Clip" option from the main menu.

[Tivor]

Pre-Japan Launch Interview



A few highlights from the interview with Final Fantasy XIII producer Yoshinori Kitase and director Motomu Toriyama published in this week's Famitsu magazine, the final interview before the game's December 17 release in Japan:

- Where did the idea for the battle system come from? "The concept was to fuse speedy action elements with the strategic parts of battle," Toriyama said. "The video we showed at the initial announcement [at the 2006 E3 show] showed an ATB-based battle system that ran very fast. To make that work, we implemented features like multiple command inputs and juggling and so on. That lead to the chain and break systems, which accelerates things even further. The style has changed, but the original concept has survived the entire process. The Paradigm Shift system didn't exist at that initial announcement, but it's improved the strategic aspect of battle so much that I think it's done one better on what we were picturing at first."

"In FF up to now, the key to battle was choosing the right commands for each character based on the battle situation," Kitase added. "But if you gave a command to each of your three party members here in order, like Toriyama said, there's a limit to how fast you can make things while still allowing the player to stay in control. So instead we have the player only controlling the leader, planning chains and formations with the other two AI-controlled characters. We figured that was about what the player could handle. That was where the paradigms came from -- they keep battles fun while retaining the balance between speed and strategy. Making each character's role obvious -- attack, recover, shield -- and letting you switch between them instantly lets you fight your way through battles more adroitly."

- Can every character use all six of the game's roles from the get-go? "Three roles are unlocked for each character at the start," Toriyama replied. "After that, you get more as the story goes on. Once you get more roles, then you also get more paradigms, which are basically combinations of these roles."

- Can you stop time in the battle, like in previous FFs? "There is no full Command Wait option," Toriyama said, "but you can adjust the speed of battle in the configuration. There's 'normal' and 'slow' options."

"When things get busy, you need to switch paradigms instinctively to keep up," Kitase added. "I think players will adjust the order of their paradigms to deal with that. If you change to the wrong paradigm at the wrong time, you could lose the whole party, after all."

- FFXIII's summon system is a pretty vast departure from what we've seen in previous games. "The summon system is perhaps the epitome of the action element we tried to put into battles," Toriyama commented. "There's a lot of strategy behind them -- how you should build up the chain and break it, and how long you have them fight in normal mode to set the stage just right. Controlling them is a very exhilarating experience; it's like a sort of bonus stage in the midst of battle."

- Was the idea that each character gets a single Eidolon there from the start? "It relates to the story," Toriyama replied, "but I did want each character to have a closer bond with his or her Eidolon. That's why we cut their numbers and focused on making each one that much better."

- One of the new features in FFXIII for hardcore players is the Mission system, letting you undertake special (and extremely difficult) missions for extra bonuses. How many missions are there? "I can't give you a number, but there's a fair amount," said Toriyama. "Over half of the monsters involved are stronger than the final boss! If you go back to the story after tackling a bunch of mission, you'll probably find the last boss to be a pushover."

TROPHY SUPPORT
FFXIII has support for Trophies. Players will be able to get all the Bronze Trophies just by working through the story. Gold will require special unspecified conditions.

CUSTOM THEMES
Some Trophies make a "Special" option appear off the title screen. Click on the option, and you'll be able to download special Cross Media Bar themes. The conditions for getting these range form simple to difficult. The easiest, according to Toriyama, is one where you have to fight 100 of a certain type of enemy. Get this Trophy, and you'll gain access to a special theme for a certain character.

SUMMONS AND JOBS
Toriyama revealed a connection between summons and roles. While you're free to change your character's role however you please, each character has a particular role which matches nicely with his or her summon. This special role is usually the role which the character specializes in from the start.

BATTLE RESTART
At any time (before reaching the battle result screen, of course) you're able to freely select to restart battle. Doing so takes you back to just before you encountered the enemy. You'll be able to change your equipment and Optima as you please before trying again. This works during Boss battles as well.

BATTLE SPEED
As with past FF games, battles in FFXIII progress in real time. The action will not stop even when you're selecting commands from the command menu. However, you can adjust speed in the config menu, Toriyama confirmed. The game offers two speeds: standard and slow.

HOW DO I LEARN MORE ABOUT FFXIII?
Those who want to learn more about the game's background story, including such areas as Cocoon society, the fal'Cie, and Pulse, will be able to do so directly from the game by selecting an "Auto Clip" option from the main menu.



It's been a while since I was last hyped up for a FF game, but that interview got me really hyped up for FF13. :D

I hope the game turns out really well, because I can totally see myself spending ungodly amount of time like I did with FF7.

[RayFoxSith]

Not to add any salt to the flame here, but for the people who do complain about the battle system and the gambit system, here's a proper analysis. The battle system is shaped by the way which you approach it. It's possible to play the entire game without any of your Gambits on if you wanted to. The reason Gambits were put into place was to avoid the mundane button pressing and to program your party to suit certain scenarios. Kingdom Hearts had a simplistic version of this. And yet I hear of people who commonly state how abusive it can be when in fact it's the player who abuses the system. The developers simply put these features in there to provide a proper experience.

As Kaki said, to each his own. However I figured I'd provide food for thought.

[Superkenon]

One of my favorite things about FFXII is that there are so many ways to play. Active or Wait, Gambits on or off... there's so many possible combinations with the Gambits, and even your characters are blank slates for you to develop as you please. You don't even have to have a full party out if you don't want to. It's easy for each playthrough to be completely different... and most importantly, there's a number of ways to make it more challenging.

[Vicious1915]

Pre-Japan Launch Interview



A few highlights from the interview with Final Fantasy XIII producer Yoshinori Kitase and director Motomu Toriyama published in this week's Famitsu magazine, the final interview before the game's December 17 release in Japan:

- Where did the idea for the battle system come from? "The concept was to fuse speedy action elements with the strategic parts of battle," Toriyama said. "The video we showed at the initial announcement [at the 2006 E3 show] showed an ATB-based battle system that ran very fast. To make that work, we implemented features like multiple command inputs and juggling and so on. That lead to the chain and break systems, which accelerates things even further. The style has changed, but the original concept has survived the entire process. The Paradigm Shift system didn't exist at that initial announcement, but it's improved the strategic aspect of battle so much that I think it's done one better on what we were picturing at first."

"In FF up to now, the key to battle was choosing the right commands for each character based on the battle situation," Kitase added. "But if you gave a command to each of your three party members here in order, like Toriyama said, there's a limit to how fast you can make things while still allowing the player to stay in control. So instead we have the player only controlling the leader, planning chains and formations with the other two AI-controlled characters. We figured that was about what the player could handle. That was where the paradigms came from -- they keep battles fun while retaining the balance between speed and strategy. Making each character's role obvious -- attack, recover, shield -- and letting you switch between them instantly lets you fight your way through battles more adroitly."

- Can every character use all six of the game's roles from the get-go? "Three roles are unlocked for each character at the start," Toriyama replied. "After that, you get more as the story goes on. Once you get more roles, then you also get more paradigms, which are basically combinations of these roles."

- Can you stop time in the battle, like in previous FFs? "There is no full Command Wait option," Toriyama said, "but you can adjust the speed of battle in the configuration. There's 'normal' and 'slow' options."

"When things get busy, you need to switch paradigms instinctively to keep up," Kitase added. "I think players will adjust the order of their paradigms to deal with that. If you change to the wrong paradigm at the wrong time, you could lose the whole party, after all."

- FFXIII's summon system is a pretty vast departure from what we've seen in previous games. "The summon system is perhaps the epitome of the action element we tried to put into battles," Toriyama commented. "There's a lot of strategy behind them -- how you should build up the chain and break it, and how long you have them fight in normal mode to set the stage just right. Controlling them is a very exhilarating experience; it's like a sort of bonus stage in the midst of battle."

- Was the idea that each character gets a single Eidolon there from the start? "It relates to the story," Toriyama replied, "but I did want each character to have a closer bond with his or her Eidolon. That's why we cut their numbers and focused on making each one that much better."

- One of the new features in FFXIII for hardcore players is the Mission system, letting you undertake special (and extremely difficult) missions for extra bonuses. How many missions are there? "I can't give you a number, but there's a fair amount," said Toriyama. "Over half of the monsters involved are stronger than the final boss! If you go back to the story after tackling a bunch of mission, you'll probably find the last boss to be a pushover."

TROPHY SUPPORT
FFXIII has support for Trophies. Players will be able to get all the Bronze Trophies just by working through the story. Gold will require special unspecified conditions.

CUSTOM THEMES
Some Trophies make a "Special" option appear off the title screen. Click on the option, and you'll be able to download special Cross Media Bar themes. The conditions for getting these range form simple to difficult. The easiest, according to Toriyama, is one where you have to fight 100 of a certain type of enemy. Get this Trophy, and you'll gain access to a special theme for a certain character.

SUMMONS AND JOBS
Toriyama revealed a connection between summons and roles. While you're free to change your character's role however you please, each character has a particular role which matches nicely with his or her summon. This special role is usually the role which the character specializes in from the start.

BATTLE RESTART
At any time (before reaching the battle result screen, of course) you're able to freely select to restart battle. Doing so takes you back to just before you encountered the enemy. You'll be able to change your equipment and Optima as you please before trying again. This works during Boss battles as well.

BATTLE SPEED
As with past FF games, battles in FFXIII progress in real time. The action will not stop even when you're selecting commands from the command menu. However, you can adjust speed in the config menu, Toriyama confirmed. The game offers two speeds: standard and slow.

HOW DO I LEARN MORE ABOUT FFXIII?
Those who want to learn more about the game's background story, including such areas as Cocoon society, the fal'Cie, and Pulse, will be able to do so directly from the game by selecting an "Auto Clip" option from the main menu.



Super excited!!!

Thanks for this!

[Andy]

Battle system sounds like a fancy XII. I didn't like that one at all, but I'll wait and see for myself if it's worth my time.

Battle do-overs sound kinda game breaking.

[ShinGundam]

More comments from developers :

* Toriyama comment - "If you don't use support magic I don't think you will be able to beat the harder monsters and bosses. Even if you manage to reach them [without using it], they will just kill you right away if you don't."

* Fights to aquire the summons are harder than most of the bosses in the game and require serious strategy to beat - one Famitsu writer commented "I got wiped out six times and restarted the battle twice before I beat Sazh's summon."

* There are other abilities that use TP - such as the spell Quake, which damages all enemies, and Full Cure, that fully heals and brings back to life everyone.

* TP takes a while to build up; although play style will alter this, a rough guide is the ability to use a summon once every ten battles. Often find that will have just used TP to cast Libra and then get into a battle which you need a summon for!

* It would take a long time and a lot of CP to follow every path in each character's Crystalium.

* When asked how many missions there are - "More than half of the targets are stronger than the last boss (laugh). Come back to the story after making decent progress through the missions and the last boss will seem easy."

* Although a three Attacker Optima is obviously possible, it isn't really all that good. The Optima people will likely use the most is one Attacker, two Blasters.

* You can set six Optima patterns, and also choose which one the characters will be in when battle starts.

* Due to the battles being real time, Haste is very useful. The ATB gauge turns red and fills up really quickly. Spells that lower enemy defense and slow down enemy ATB are also very useful.

* Both Kitase and Toriyama say they generally play the game entirely on Auto Command. Kitase "I do handle healing myself, and always cast Haste first with an Enchancer."

* Accessories can be upgraded like weapons, and extra accessory slots can be purchased from the Cyrstalium.

[Fatney]

Man, the last boss is going to be "easy"? That was my biggest disappointment with XII, I believe I only had to heal once... I like it when the last, epic battle seems like a struggle.

[RayFoxSith]

^The opposite for me. It was kinda hard, but I managed to beat him in one try.

[DamageCity]

I think the problem with the final boss of XII is that he would have been challenging if you didn't do the optional stuff but the game had such an emphasis on the otional stuff you couldn't help but be over leveled by the time you got to him.

[Fatney]

And as Square apparently told us, the last boss is going to be really easy if you do most of the sidequests. And honestly, what's a Final Fantasy without spending half of the game on sidequests?

[RayFoxSith]

I remember being around level 50 (all my characters) when I got to the last boss. The problem was swapping guys out before they died and reviving and such. I honestly don't know how I did it.

[affinity]

whee!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwJiaNlJ-YE

new trailer!!!!!!!!!!!!! wheee!!!!

[Foobar]

I actually preferred the heavy emphasis on sidequests in FFXII, because I have come to instictively know that since FFVII (with the exception of the subsequent VIII) that most final bosses in the series have been rigged to be easy.

I exclude FFVIII because it has more common ground in that it ecourages doing everything. If you don't, you won't have as much fun anyway.

Also, Affinity... I 'd almost swear you were jenova_9 from the Dreams in Vana'diel forums. You get giddy about the same exact things he does in the same span of time.

[affinity]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff7WlFWTXjQ

FFXIII will be best game ever for sure! until FFXIV Online. :)

[Andy]

Just had the game spoiled for me.

I really need to learn my lesson.

[Fatney]

The only thing I know about the story is that there is a "city" called Cocoon, which probably is filled with opressed people similar to Midgar. Otherwise, nothing. I hope I can stay away from the spoilers in three months.

[DamageCity]

Well I was in Yodabashi Camera (http://www.yodobashi.com/) today. I went in at about 1 in the afternoon but it was still busy with people gobbling up PS3s, HDMI cables, and some game called Fainaru Fantajii Surteen. Of course Queen's Blade: Spiral Chaos was sold out by the time I got there.

[Kenji]

Regarding the issue of final bosses in Final Fantasy, I think I've pretty much resigned myself to multiple playthroughs: the first one being the bare minimum so the final boss is hard, the second going all the way through the sidequests, and the third with some major handicap like no skill advancement.

Sounds to me like a good way to get the most out of the FF games, these days, though that is three whole playthroughs (well, two and a half, as the first playthrough would be much shorter).

[Superkenon]

Ah, after my own heart, you are. That's more or less my philosophy for tackling just about any game these days. I'm a man who likes being thorough, but I'm also a man who enjoys a good challenge over all else. At one point I had to face the sad truth that collecting and killing everything puts you ahead of the difficulty curve, and keeps you there. Challenge: destroyed. So these days, I - at the very least - avoid sidequests until my next time around. I'll also do the handicap thing in some way or another in future playthoughs. The only way to play, man.

[Gen Eric Gui]

I wish I had the TIME to do multiple playthroughs of things. Must be nice.

[Superkenon]

I just don't get many games. Nyo ho ho!

[Soushi_Grapple]

...in FFXII (by the way, I didn't like FFXII's story, but I loved everything else about it).


That's exactly how I feel about XII and why I never finished it. (Well, partly it was to the Necrohol of Nabudis.. I wanted the Spear but I wasn't leveled enough and I think that was either the easiest or the only time you could get it? I put it down so long ago.)

Originally, I wasn't very interested in FFXIII, but I tend to stick towards one character who keeps me playing. I really like Hope this time around and I found XII's battle system fun and a challenge compared to other installments (Fav game is VIII, fav battle system was VII, I all around loved X and I have been trying to complete IV and VI.) I'm surprised I'm looking forward to XIII as much as I am, lol!

I go through a game once usually. I rarely pick it up for 2nd round unless there's a New Game +. The only games I remember playing more than twice were FFVIII, Lunar 2 EBC, and Persona 4.

As far as final bosses go, I usually find them very difficult. I don't like to be drawn away from the main plot or the characters at all and if the battle system sucks it's even worse and I end up doing a super grind towards the final dungeon just to beat the boss. I like to do some sidequests, but I'm really selective.

[AlexDM]

\o/ yay a Lunar 2 fan

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m14/FrozenFlame72/lunar2-5.jpg

Lucia approves

[Flußkönig]

This is officially notthe best thread ever. :confused:

[SlaughterX]

[Sorry Slaughter, I removed your image. It was MASSIVE. You can remove this message to post a smaller version if you'd like. - Red]

[Vyse of Arcadia]

I think the 360 has been around long enough to be called "this generation."

[Saburo Hikari]

Funny because the ad says that it takes full advantage of the 360 hardware, yet I heard that it doesn't look as good as the PS3 version.

[Crabman]

"...and a standard edition copy of the game".

:question:

Though, this could be going to Europe too, which I think does get a collector's edition of FFXIII. For the States though, this doesn't make sense.

[Vyse of Arcadia]

Funny because the ad says that it takes full advantage of the 360 hardware, yet I heard that it doesn't look as good as the PS3 version.

Logically, then, if the 360 version takes full advantage of the 360 hardware, and the PS3 version is still better, the PS3 has better hardware.

I doubt that's what Microsoft wanted anyone to infer, but maybe they should have considered the logical consequences of their advertising.

[ViolenceJack]

I've read that Square thought that making towns would be 'too hard' so they didnt include any, yay for developers being lazy as ####. Now we have maps that are more Linear than FFX.

[Tivor]

As long as the game is fun, I really couldn't care less if there were towns or not.

And according to my real-life friends who've played the import version, the game is indeed fun as hell despite being also very linear.

[Vicious1915]

I was terribly sad to read about the absence of towns, the inability to return to previously visited areas, and shopping at save points, but oh well....what are ya gonna do...?

[ViolenceJack]

So I'm right this is more like an Action Game than an RPG?

[Vicious1915]

So I'm right this is more like an Action Game than an RPG?

I wouldn't say that at all........

[Flußkönig]

So I'm right this is more like an Action Game than an RPG?
You are most definitely wrong. The core gameplay mechanics aren't much different from past FF games.

[ViolenceJack]

I think I'll rent it first b4 I decide to buy.

[Vyse of Arcadia]

Linearity was what killed FFX for me, aside from hating almost all of the characters and whatnot. And it was quite fun.

So far, FFXIII is supposed to somehow be more linear than FFX, and from what I've read, I'll hate almost all the characters. Definitely a rental for me.

[RayFoxSith]

^I'd say don't make any strong judgments or assumptions before the game come out. From what I understand, the protagonists were met with positive reception from the press.

[Vicious1915]

So I'm holding out for a collector's edition preorder....and it's just not being announced. There's a collector's edition guide, though. Is it possible that SE is waiting until the last moment to announce this or is it pretty much only gonna happen for Europe?

[Soushi_Grapple]

Vicious, I wouldnt hold your breath.

In fact, I was ticked at not having anywhere to order the UK version so I said screw it. I figure, if we're getting an LE Guide, then it will 80% have an artbook similar to FFX-2, FFXII, ect. which is all I really wanted the LE from Europe for.

[Terash Cas]

Vicious, I wouldnt hold your breath.

In fact, I was ticked at not having anywhere to order the UK version so I said screw it. I figure, if we're getting an LE Guide, then it will 80% have an artbook similar to FFX-2, FFXII, ect. which is all I really wanted the LE from Europe for.

http://www.play.com/Games/PlayStation3/4-/13530466/Final-Fantasy-XIII-Limited-Collector-Edition/Product.html
http://shop.gameplay.co.uk/webstore/productpage.asp?productcode=PX1062&title=final_fantasy_xiii_collectors_edition

[SlaughterX]

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2010/41/ffxii_faceplate_99611_screen.jpg

Does not come with the console bundle... which is good news for me I guess since I don't plan on buying another 360 anytime soon, espeically not a plain jane white one. Anyway I wonder how we will get them, hopefully not through GameCrazy...