Final Fantasy XIII

Originally posted by Impediment
2 and a half hours into the game and I just killed the Anima. And I still can't cast spells or use items other than potion or phoenix down.

Somebody please tell me that the game will pick up soon.

Combat will pick up continuously over the next 20 hours or so. Eventually the combat becomes the driving force of the game and is very fun.

The storytelling unfortunately never really improves. It is not good. Generic character progression, a lacking of intensity or immediacy and also great lacking of focus. No real cohesion with how the story progresses and at times the story is incoherent. Just sloppy all around, unfortunately.

Learn to love the combat, because that's more or less what will keep you playing.

Is it just me or the story and the characters are copied and paste?

Originally posted by Peach
It will in about 5 minutes.

How could you have known that?!? You have the gift! shock

😛

Actually, you're right. It did.

Paradigm Shifting is fun, I have to admit.

Originally posted by BackFire
Combat will pick up continuously over the next 20 hours or so. Eventually the combat becomes the driving force of the game and is very fun.

The storytelling unfortunately never really improves. It is not good. Generic character progression, a lacking of intensity or immediacy and also great lacking of focus. No real cohesion with how the story progresses and at times the story is incoherent. Just sloppy all around, unfortunately.

Learn to love the combat, because that's more or less what will keep you playing.

Combat is very fluid, I have to admit. However, I don't like the fact that the only character I can control is Lightning. I would feel more comfortable if I could control Snow/Vanille/Sazh/etc. Does this change over time?

I have also noticed that you don't earn gil after a fight. Does this change, too?

What about the items? The fangs, the fluids, the circuits.......I have been selling them for gil. Is this wise? When will I be able to buy more items at the Unicorn Shop?

I'm still learning how to use the Crystarium. Any suggestions are very welcome.

I have also noticed that there isn't any interaction i.e., towns/areas to explore.

It seems almost linear to where you simply go from point A to B to C, etc.

Also, when am I going to meet the game's main antagonist?

Sorry for the double posting, BTW, but I keep having question pop into my head. 😛

Hang on to those items. They're useful. As far as gil, you get gil by selling items. You will begin to get items that serve no purpose other than selling for money (credit chip, incentive chip, perfume, and some others). Sell those when you get them.

Also, there is one actual town in the game and it's little more than a couple of rooms with some NPC's. 1 1/2 towns if you're very forgiving. There are very few NPC's to interact with. This does not change. This is a decision they made with this game, and it's a poor one.

The game is entirely linear until you get to chapter 11, then there is a large field to run around in. Other than that, the game is entirely linear.

Oh, and the game's antagonist doesn't come into play in any meaningful way until about halfway through the game. Goes back to the poor storytelling in this game.

I'm farming those damned Adamantoises/tortoises

For those of you who have played both Lost odyssey and this game, which do you think is better?

ff13

I prefered Lost Odyssey tbh, it had better more classic turned base combat and a better story. I enjoyed both thoush.

I also had better battle music... And the battles were actually long enough to get passed the intro. YouTube video

Nah FFXIII's music smashes LO's.

YouTube video

YouTube video

The intro is like 40 seconds long... An average battle is about 15 seconds. I simply prefer LO, the memories were it's only major flaw.

To be honest LO is probably more true to the Final Fantasy franchise than FFXII and FFXIII.

I'm on chapter 9 and I'm loving it. I like the story, I don't think it's incomprehensible or incoherent as some point out, the only problem is the overuse of the datalog, but so far I manage to understand everything. I'm immersed into this world, and I like the direction they took to focus on story first while the game develops slowly.

while characters are not fully flesh out (more so than any other FF, except for XII) I'm liking then, except Snow who I hate and love to punch whenever he speaks...Hero, hero, hero... enough already!

about FFXII, this story is much better than XII, and at least is about the characters and what happens around them, than a bunch of guys coming a long for the ride while a princess fights the empire 😐

I even like Hope and his revenge subplot

... and love Vanille's narration... not as painfully as her annoying gleeful self

And the battle system is awesome, I just recently figured out how to properly use synergist abilities and they been most helpful... I like that about this game, the always useless crap as protect, shell and other stuff have been turn into most important spells this time around

I think i only used syn and sab like 3-4 times in the entire story. I never found it useful outside the odd boss. Just like I never switched my party members from Fang, Lightning and Hope. Even though Lightning was something of a weak link. I just felt I'd keep here in as she's supposedly the protagonist (although I don't see it myself, they all share the limelight).

haste makes everything faster 😄 and helps with most fights... and I'm a sucker for getting 5 star wins, so I replay some of them to come out with a perfect rating (figuring out a perfect strategy is something I found most rewarding 🙂 ) For that along they're quite useful

and those "embar" abilities help tremendously for damaging monster and taking them out fast

SAB are better used against some bosses and the occasional monster, outside of that, I don't find much use for them either... though I hear Vanille's SAB is most useful for the hunter quest later in the game (the toughest bosses)

I did say story, I have used them during the hunts. Getting 5 stars is only really worth it in the hunts and end boss... I found the story really very easy, all it takes is knowing when to use Med. There was a couple of tricky bosses and enemies (the ones I actually prep'd for, using SAB and SYN, aswell as SEN). But as will all FF games the only real challenge comes in the optional bosses. The RAV, COM, RAV mixed with RAV, COM, MED.

I haven't done all the hunts... There are too many, they are too far apart on the map (even with Chocobo) and the combat isn't nearly entertaining enough for me to be bothered. I may come back to it in a year or something but probably not. My opinions on the game have changed since I've finished playing it. It's enjoyable but all in all... a weak FF.

If I replay Lightning can take a hike though, the ideal party for the storyline is probably Vanille, Fang & Hope. My Lightning's (Pretty much a RAV) magic paled in comparrison to Hope's (probably due to the weapon though tbh).

Originally posted by S_D_J
haste makes everything faster 😄 and helps with most fights... and I'm a sucker for getting 5 star wins, so I replay some of them to come out with a perfect rating (figuring out a perfect strategy is something I found most rewarding 🙂 ) For that along they're quite useful

and those "embar" abilities help tremendously for damaging monster and taking them out fast

SAB are better used against some bosses and the occasional monster, outside of that, I don't find much use for them either... though I hear Vanille's SAB is most useful for the hunter quest later in the game (the toughest bosses)

Synergists and Saboteurs are awesome. I like turning bosses/hunts into pussies while beefing my party to god levels. Case in point Imperil(sab) + En/fire/lightning/frost/etc make for some devastating damage. My Fang can hit upwards to 456,000+ per hit when these requirements are met.

Vanille learns Death which is very helpful at defeating Neochu and his pack of little pikochus(god damn them) but it all depends on how lucky you get on Death actually nailing Neochu. I had to retry dozens of times while my cousin got it on his 2nd try(the SOB)

Originally posted by §P0oONY
I think i only used syn and sab like 3-4 times in the entire story. I never found it useful outside the odd boss. Just like I never switched my party members from Fang, Lightning and Hope. Even though Lightning was something of a weak link. I just felt I'd keep here in as she's supposedly the protagonist (although I don't see it myself, they all share the limelight).

Fang/Light/Hope is the best team. It is a fact. Although you can beat the game with any party. Fang being the best Commando, an awesome Saboteur and the 2nd best Sentinel makes her a must have. Hope being the best medic with all the spells, having all -ga ravager spells combined with his high magic stats make him an excellent crowd control/ravager...and to top it all he is a synergist to boot. Only downside is his wussy HP. Light excells at both RAV/COM but since Fang is hands down the best COM Light gets downgraded to RAV, but she is an awesome RAV and has Army of One that can max the stagger bar in jusr 1-2 uses.

Best Party hands down, but now that Im post game and have nearly all jobs maxxed I switched Hope for Snow since Snow does get Curasa(AWESOME) and has the highest HP there is. I grew sick of having to babysit Hope during tough battles and since everyone has access to all the roles Hope's healing skills are not really needed since I can just switch to Medx3 and almost inmediately heal the party.

Though I haven't tried Mission 64 which is apparentely BOSS.

BTW Combat Clinic has got to be my favorite OMGWTFBBQ I almost got raped Paradigm.

Got to say Army of One was quality for boosting the stagger %.

Originally posted by S_D_J
I'm on chapter 9 and I'm loving it. I like the story, I don't think it's incomprehensible or incoherent as some point out, the only problem is the overuse of the datalog, but so far I manage to understand everything. I'm immersed into this world, and I like the direction they took to focus on story first while the game develops slowly.

while characters are not fully flesh out (more so than any other FF, except for XII) I'm liking then, except Snow who I hate and love to punch whenever he speaks...Hero, hero, hero... enough already!

about FFXII, this story is much better than XII, and at least is about the characters and what happens around them, than a bunch of guys coming a long for the ride while a princess fights the empire 😐

I even like Hope and his revenge subplot

... and love Vanille's narration... not as painfully as her annoying gleeful self

And the battle system is awesome, I just recently figured out how to properly use synergist abilities and they been most helpful... I like that about this game, the always useless crap as protect, shell and other stuff have been turn into most important spells this time around

I liked the story, and I agree with the datalog being overused, but I can deal with it.

I didn't like Snow in the beginning, but his optimistic naivetee eventually won me over, especially when my fav. char in the game says

Spoiler:
that quality of his is what has kept her going

I don't get why Vanille has to constantly moan while she is in battle and it certainly doesn't help the fact she has a fricking orgasm when her Eidolon does its finishing move.

Is it just me or isn't Vanille kindda like the group's bike? Everyone has given it a ride...I mean I just can't help but feel the sexual tension between her and Sazh/Hope/even Fang. Though I don't think the 2 ladies are lovers. Would've been cool though